text stringlengths 110 576k | id stringlengths 47 47 | dump stringclasses 1 value | url stringlengths 14 2.54k | date stringlengths 20 20 | file_path stringclasses 376 values | language stringclasses 1 value | language_score float64 0.65 1 | token_count int64 55 141k |
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One of my friends is going to be a first time Grandma - so put this card together for her (along with a gift of course)
I can't remember where I bought the stamp - but is just so classic.
And I have such a love for Photo Stamps !!
Stamped with Staz on black onto glossy cardstock
Layered the image alternately black and white. Some silver thread wrapped at bottom of image
Thanks for stopping by !!! | <urn:uuid:55354b9d-3e6f-4cae-b107-24857a2c8b4e> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog-dar-blog.blogspot.com/2021/11/new-grandma.html | 2023-09-24T23:08:48Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.943092 | 96 |
My note about saving the Small Business Administration loan number and receipt info was deleted and then emptied from the trash category on iCloud notes. I messaged Apple on Twitter and they restored the note for me. I changed my Apple password. I have sent at least 1 email that wasn’t me, but not to you. I have changed my Google password (after reinstalling the OS on the computer)
A few days ago I reset my iPhone. It stopped working completely after resetting all content and settings. It now has a progress bar at 95% restored. I changed my phone to a spare Android. I think it got a virus by me being a developer and connecting it to my Macbook to develop apps when my Mac had a virus or multiple viruses. I used Google Fi for my new network for my Android phone.I recommend if your iPhone is sending weird texts that you are confident you didn’t send, immediately delete all contents and settings if you have a backup phone.
After doing this the phone stopped working completely. It’s better than sending messages you didn’t as long as you have a spare.I recommend reinstalling Mac OS every so often. I thought an update would take care of the viruses, but no. I should have done this earlier. It took me a while to remember this.I reinstalled my OS on my Macbook and now weird tweets aren’t appearing when I’m using the Twitter app. I was looking at Donald Trump’s tweet, and @whitehouse popped up without me clicking anything. I can also type the address of a small business, which website I run, into safari without it being deleted and never working.
All my Dreamhost sites of small businesses which I run, and my open space blog, started going down about 1 every hour a few days ago. I emailed Dreamhost with each one, and they were able to fix it. I’ve been a customer since 2006. It’s shared hosting. They’re very smart and fast.
Do you know the address I could return my iPhone for further investigation so it doesn’t happen to anyone else in America or friends of America? It’s not working at all for me. I don’t want to go to the Apple Store during a pandemic. | <urn:uuid:eb7546c4-ae35-45e4-87ea-0db0bfdce4b7> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.andytriboletti.com/2021/01/02/read-this-if-you-care-about-not-being-cyber-hacked-and-me-being-cyber-hacked/ | 2023-09-24T23:29:37Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.969153 | 483 |
China casts a long shadow in global business economics. Known as much for its rapid industrialization as its population of over 1.4 billion, the country has arguably been the primary source of growth in the world since the financial crisis, propping up established industries while supercharging emerging ones.
This is true too in the crypto world, where China is becoming a considerable power in Decentralized Finance (DeFi).
Blockchain in China is seen mostly as a source of innovation in the private sector, and so the functionality and use cases of DeFi are proving more popular than speculative trading in cryptocurrency. Because the sector was initially found mostly in clusters in English-speaking countries, China was somewhat late to get involved, but has already established itself as a center of excellence in the sector that can move markets and drive innovation.
China’s embrace of DeFiChina has had mixed feelings about cryptocurrency, with a 2017 ban on trading still in place, despite accounting for about 65% of the world’s hash power according to some research.
- Despite some concerns, the Chinese government saw the enormous potential of the technology, as they decided that China should play a leading role in helping to create the technology that has the potential to upend global finance.
Since China began publicly talking about approving licenses for blockchain companies two years ago, their activity in the space has accelerated. In the first month of 2020 over 33,000 blockchain companies registered in the country.
- This acceleration took place over the summer as the DeFi boom took hold. Searches for DeFi on WeChat, China’s “app for everything”, almost doubled between July and October according to the WeChat Index. Entrepreneurs and startups were swept along in this explosion of interest.
This year’s global pandemic caused a lot of economic activity to grind to a halt and led to extreme volatility in financial markets. This in turn drove interest in alternative investments such as DeFi, and Chinese interest in DeFi coincided with this boom.
- As a result, Chinese regulators have moved from being bearish on crypto to showing signs of embracing it and favoring progressive regulation. In September, Conflux Networks created a new research institute to experiment with building a regulatory compliance platform that can bridge global DeFi applications and government regulations. Conflux has previously been backed by the state, showing the government wants to become a leader in the space.
A Chinese liquidity project called DODO saw its total valued locked rise from $2.9 million to $14.4 million within two weeks after launching in August, before tripling three days later. This rose to over $100 million before crashing in mid-August and settling at $26 million.
- Chinese DeFi suffers from the same volatility and lack of liquidity that plagues more established work in the industry. But the market also holds the key to addressing these issues.
At first there was a high barrier to entry for DeFi in China and around the world, as early adopters needed to be knowledgeable in convoluted financial products, smart contracts, and fluent in English. This led to a tendency for geographical clustering that still hampers the industry to some extent.
- To overcome this, the Chinese DeFi community relies heavily on community building and marketing done by key opinion leaders, in-person meetings and online Ask Me Anything sessions. Entrepreneurs in China proved to be quick learners, and the country’s unique culture of collaboration allowed them to share knowledge and close the gap quickly on the Western markets where DeFi technology first originated.
China’s potential to unlock value
Anyone paying attention to world economics and politics can tell that when China gets involved in an industry, the country creates a great deal of value. The government’s “Made in China 2025” push towards advanced manufacturing in areas such as biotechnology, AI and chip manufacturing will further the depth of technical talent in the country and provide the conditions for DeFi entrepreneurship to flourish.
- China’s ruling party certainly understands finance, and their actions indicate they want the country to be involved in creating the functionality and accessing the new markets that DeFi unlocks.
Use cases from DeFi include smart contracts and greater control over interest rates in lending; these use cases alone threaten the world’s established legal and financial systems. B
- Both of these industries have been largely consolidated in Western hubs such as London and New York, granting economic power and associated soft power to the nations that house them. China will see a move into DeFi as being an opportunity to innovate and create value, as well as a chance to continue their rebalancing of global power away from the Anglosphere and towards Asia.
Having fewer established incumbents in the space may even prove an advantage as they can build their system from first principles without having to worry about protecting the incumbent companies and existing jobs that have already grown dependent on an outdated system. Look no further than mobile technology and payments: Here China became a world leader in adoption because of their lack of existing infrastructure, not despite it. Applying the same logic to DeFi puts China in place to be a major player.
- One reason the community as a whole welcomes further Chinese involvement is the need to solve liquidity. While interest in the sector has exploded, the industry is still run by whales and DeFi may be heading in the same direction. Not enough people see the potential of DeFi, which in turn leads to a lack of liquidity that prevents the use cases and functionality from being realized.
- China has the potential to bring a massive audience on board, and to serve as a gateway to other parts of Asia that are currently unreachable. Bringing this liquidity into the market would be a huge step towards bringing DeFi out of the crypto ecosystem and into the mainstream.
Entrepreneurs should welcome the entry of China into the DeFi market. As well as providing much-needed liquidity and innovation, it grows the market substantially and gives entrepreneurs in the space access to new customers at scale. Those who are not familiar with the country should start brushing up.
Original article published on Nasdaq: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/enter-the-dragon%3A-china-will-unlock-value-in-the-defi-space-2020-11-25 | <urn:uuid:e45bc97f-a9ac-46b8-a0bf-f2598354f6ae> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.definer.org/enter-the-dragon-china-will-unlock-value-in-the-defi-space | 2023-09-25T00:51:32Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.956677 | 1,295 |
If you’ve spent time volunteering in a classroom, you’ll know how big of a responsibility our teachers carry. Keeping a classroom of kids organized and focused takes dedication, diligence, and a whole a lot of love. Education is a big accomplishment!
Dream Dinners is an easy and delicious way to spoil your teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week.
Gather some helpers and load up their break room with these wonderful lunches and snacks from our menus. (items change monthly)
- Parmesan Chicken Sliders (Great for a grab-and-go quick lunch)
- Santa Fe Shredded Pork Burritos (Easy to bring in a crock pot and dish up hot anytime).
- Coconut Shrimp and Sweet & Sour Sauce with Jasmine Rice (Serve these skewered shrimp hot or cold)
Let the appreciation begin! | <urn:uuid:9963d324-85d2-4bb6-97a8-3a017c570d58> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.dreamdinners.com/teacher-appreciation-week-may-5th-may-9th/ | 2023-09-25T01:06:10Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.904949 | 176 |
Summer nights on the patio, gorgeous views and entertaining friends and family are just a few reason to enjoy an outdoor living area. Don’t believe us? Hear from Drees homeowner, Kristen, on how she and her husband enjoy their outdoor space:
What floor plan did you build? What made you choose this plan?
My husband and I walked into the Brendan model and were absolutely floored by the layout. It is incredibly open and has all the modern amenities you could dream of without an inch of wasted space. Our absolute favorite room of the house is the living/dining/kitchen combo which has soaring ceilings and a huge dream kitchen with the largest island you’ve ever seen. Truly love living in my Brendan!
How important was/is an outdoor living area to you?
Outdoor living was key and was the main reason we chose the lot we built our home on. As soon as we saw the huge outdoor space and how well our floor plan would fit on it, we were sold. The location is key and you can change a lot of things about your home after you build but you can’t change the lot!
What is your favorite feature of your outdoor oasis?
We love the view from our patio and it is an ideal extended living area with a beautiful stone outdoor fireplace. We’ve spent lots of cozy nights with a fire in the winter and captured so many beautiful summer sunsets on the patio.
How would you describe entertaining in your home? How often to do you use your outdoor living space?
Entertaining is so easy in our home since the layout is open and makes mingling natural. Having the patio be accessible from the main living area encourages guests to head outside and hang out there, as well.
Are there any suggestions you would give to others designing their backyard getaway?
The biggest piece of advice I have is to lay as much concrete patio as you can while building. It is such a deal to do it with Drees and is much harder and more expensive to add on down the road. Plan out your backyard as much as possible to make sure you end up with your dream patio and outdoor oasis!
Interested in seeing more from our happy homeowners? Visit here! | <urn:uuid:0c058b56-c0b9-427c-beac-fb50b83c4e62> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.dreeshomes.com/2017/08/28/customer-spotlight-enjoying-the-great-outdoors/ | 2023-09-25T00:33:39Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.975902 | 460 |
Massage Frequently Asked Questions
MASSAGER APP BASICS
How do I connect to my massage unit after it has been added to the Homedics massage app?
Once the unit is plugged into power, simply flip the toggle switch to the right of the specific product. If you are having difficulty connecting, verify the unit is connected to power, and that other smartphones are not connected.
How do I add a new massage unit to the Homedics massage app?
Simply plug in the massage unit to power and then select the + icon in the Homedics Massage App. Select your unit from the list and follow the on-screen instructions.
Can I remove a massage unit from my app?
Of course! On the main menu simply swipe to the left on the device you would like to remove. Select the red Delete button that appears. Note: You must be disconnected from device before it can be removed.
The app is asking for my location via GPS, why does Homedics need this information?
Android phones running version 6.0 or higher require a prompt for GPS when Bluetooth is enabled. Homedics is not gathering or using this information.
Can I program a massage longer than 15 minutes?
We recommend a maximum of 15 minutes for custom massages when using the app. Massage will not exceed 15 minutes per session.
Can I connect more than one device to my massage unit at the same time?
Absolutely! As long as it is a Homedics Bluetooth-supported massager. The Homedics Massage App is designed for a full multi-massage experience.
Can I listen to meditations or soothing sounds without being paired to my cushion?
Selecting “skip this step” on the Homedics Massage App allows you to listen to meditations or soothing sounds without the use of your Homedics Bluetooth-enabled massage product.
Can I pause and resume my meditation instead of starting or stopping?
Due to some limitations, meditations can only be restarted from the beginning of the routine.
How does the Bluetooth indicator work on my remote? (MCS-1005HJ Only)
When the massage cushion is powered on, the Bluetooth indicator will flash blue while pairing with your mobile device. When your mobile device is successfully paired with the cushion through the app, the indicator will have a steady blue LED to indicate it is paired.
NOTE: The blue LED will flash for 30 seconds when attempting to pair. If it does not successfully pair with your device, it will turn off.
What products do the Homedics massage meditation feature work with?
At this time, only our back massage cushions work with meditations and soothing sounds.
More questions about Homedics massagers? Get in touch!
Please contact a Consumer Relations Representative at 1-800-466-3342,
or send an email to email@example.com
Medical Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. | <urn:uuid:d0701dfa-5634-4968-864b-d4f12f42ec68> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.homedics.com/faqs/massage-faqs/ | 2023-09-25T00:47:15Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.864888 | 654 |
Last week, I played universal paperclips. It’s quite interesting and, if you have some time to spare (because you’re not doing anything important, regardless of whether you should be), I recommend you play it.
The basic idea is that you control the actions of a superintelligent AI, and your goal is to manufacture paperclips. I say this because the game doesn’t make that at all clear.
It starts of like an idle clicker game, with you clicking “Make paperclip”, managing money and buying things to make more paperclips, but after a while it moves away from that. It has an end, too; it “only” took me a few afternoons.
I’m trying not to give too much away here, though it probably wouldn’t matter if I did. I will say I laughed at “Microlattice Shapecasting” as a method of increasing wire efficiency.
One tip: don’t increase memory over 250. | <urn:uuid:e31de9ab-9e3b-4b21-a049-478e82c23fc1> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.kazitor.com/2018/03/universal-paperclips/ | 2023-09-25T00:07:40Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.957106 | 217 |
Information Technology And Services (ITES)
Xoriant is an IT services and software development company based in India. Established in 1990, the company provides a range of services that includes product engineering, cloud computing, QA and testing, and software integration. Xoriant has a global presence with clients in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The company is renowned for its high-quality services and has been recognized by several industry awards. Its workforce includes over 3000 professionals who work on cutting-edge technologies to deliver innovative solutions. Xoriant's commitment to excellence has earned it a top place among software development companies in India. | <urn:uuid:bd44a244-8cb8-4846-aacb-cf60ef695dfb> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.leadnear.com/company/in/xoriant/ | 2023-09-25T00:36:13Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.964146 | 133 |
The belly of the fish I was holding in a nameless rill high in Great Smoky Mountains National Park glowed with impossible shades of orange. Underfins were trimmed with ivory; chestnut flanks bore specks of ruby ringed with sapphire. Brook trout can exceed two feet in length, but at 7.7 inches this one was big for its habitat. Recovered from its recent jolt, it shot back into the icy flow.
Park biologist Matt Kulp had electro-shocked it in his search for much larger rainbow trout stocked decades earlier when “a trout was a trout” and quality was measured by weight. In the park’s headwaters Kulp and his colleagues have been shocking rainbows and tossing them below impassible falls or, in bigger water also sealed by falls, killing them with short-lived poison. That’s because brook trout belong here and rainbows, from the Pacific Northwest, don’t. So far, the natives have been restored to 27.6 miles of 11 park streams. But this older race of brook trout, unique to the southern Appalachians, has been extirpated from 95 percent of its habitat.
Everywhere in the species’ natural U.S. range, from Georgia to Maine and as far west as Iowa, there is less and less of what it needs most — cold, clean water. The brook trout’s scientific name, Salvelinus fontinalis, translates to “dweller of springs.” Brook trout in America (and even Canada) are being lost to habitat damage and alien fish.
But recovery work is underway. On the warm, windless morning of December 23, 2015 I toured Red Brook in Plymouth, Massachusetts with Steve Hurley, regional fish manager for the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, and Warren Winders and Geof Day of the Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition.
Where brook trout have access to the ocean they’ll take advantage of that rich environment. Reversing the growth cycle of landlocked fish, these “salters” fatten in winter, then find summer refuge from striped bass, bluefish and ospreys in freshwater. Red Brook’s salters would have been lost to cranberry culture had not passionate angler Theodore Lyman bought much of the watershed in 1870.
In the early 1990s, when Winders, Day and other advocates urged the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to protect Red Brook’s native trout, they were told that such fish didn’t exist. When they showed them to the Division they were told that the fish were merely offspring of hatchery trout. When genetic analysis by a graduate student proved Red Brook salters were not only distinct from hatchery stock but also from other salters the Division became a believer and protector.
Salters are endangered in fact, if not by official decree; and Hurley, a biologist of the new breed, manages them accordingly. He reintroduces them to streams where they’ve been extirpated. And he oversees habitat work by the Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition and Trout Unlimited, including the planting of streamside vegetation, log insertion and restoration of pools and riffles.
Where Red Brook curls trough an ancient cranberry bog, now rife with sweetgale, blueberry, alder, scrub oak, pitch pine and bull briar, Hurley hitched his laptop to a monitor that records the presence of trout injected with tiny PIT (passive integrated transponder) tags. In the previous six days 78 fish had passed the station. Upstream we came across remains of one of four dams removed by Trout Unlimited, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and Trustees of Reservations.
Red Brook’s salters thrive because of this habitat work, because the land around its 4.5-mile course is protected by the Division and Trustees, and because fishing is strictly catch-and-release.
Other once-famous salter streams, some fished by U.S. presidents, haven’t been so lucky. This past fall when Hurley sampled the Santuit River on Cape Cod he found that the population had blinked out. It had, he said, succumbed to “death by a thousand cuts,” not the least of which was water withdrawal by the Willowbend Golf Course and associated development. The day before my tour of Red Brook Geof Day had encountered a maintenance crew armed with chainsaws and shrub cutters waist-deep in the Santuit, supposedly making it “safe” for herring by removing the brush and woody debris salters (and herring, too) need for shade and cover.
Landlocked brook trout, also gravely diminished, have a wider distribution. In 2006 federal and state agencies, local governments, conservation organizations, businesses, scientists and citizens formed a recovery partnership called the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture. Matching funds for projects are provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. So far, 78 have been approved.
Much of the work involves connecting fragmented habitat. Water scours deep holes when it shoots through tight culverts, leaving them hanging and inaccessible to trout seeking refuge in cool headwaters during summer, a need accentuated by global warming. The Nature Conservancy assesses culverts to determine which ones impede fish and other aquatic organisms.
In 2011 Tropical Storm Irene blew out undersize culverts all across the Northeast, at least 1,000 in Vermont alone. That provided an opportunity to replace many with “stream-simulation culverts,” funded in part by the Joint Venture. These span the stream and are lined with its natural substrate. The Green Mountain National Forest had installed a few before Irene, and they survived the flood.
Brook trout recover fast from storms, but not from humans who re-engineer coldwater habitat in vain attempts to make it “flood proof.” After Irene, municipal and state highway departments in New York and New England applied their training to trout streams — that is, they operated on them as if they were highways. They razed riparian vegetation, bulldozed bottoms flat, widened channels, excised pools, riffles and meanders, gouged out gravel and woody debris, then sealed off floodplains by dumping the “spoil,” as they called it, along banks. Hundreds of trout streams were converted to straight, lifeless sluiceways that endangered people downstream by blasting water onto their property. On Massachusetts’ Chickley River, for example, the Town of Hawley unlawfully gutterized 4.5 miles of the state’s best brook-trout habitat.
Was anything learned from the hysterical, counterproductive response to Irene? Maybe. Vermont fisheries manager Rich Kirn told me this: “We’ve changed a lot of regulations and developed a rivers training program for state and municipal transportation folks to provide info on how streams work.” In Massachusetts an out-of-court settlement required Hawley and its contractor to partially repair the Chickley River (full repair is impossible). The contractor agreed to pay $225,000, the town $184,000.
In Appalachia hundreds of miles of fragmented brook-trout water is being reconnected by in-stream treatment of acid-mine runoff. With Trout Unlimited activist Bill Thorne of Reedsville, West Virginia I hiked along a recovering section of the state’s Morgan Run to a “doser” — a green silo from which crushed limestone is pulled down by a wheel powered by the flow and therefore dispensed at the appropriate rate. In once-dead Deckers Creek, which flows by Thorne’s house, brook trout now prosper thanks to dosers, limestone channels and settling ponds.
Nowhere has recovery been more successful than on Maine’s Machias and East Machias River systems. Project Share — a coalition of state and federal agencies, landowners, The Nature Conservancy and other NGOs — has saved and restored brook trout by protecting 122,288 watershed acres through purchase and easement. In addition Project Share has restored much of the large woody debris removed during log-drive days, replaced hundreds of hanging culverts and breached dozens of remnant dams.
America is starting to understand that fish are wildlife, too. But we need more of what Aldo Leopold called “an ecological conscience.” Most states still defile native-trout water with hatchery-produced aliens, including “Frankenfish” concocted by crossing brook trout with lake trout, brown trout with brook trout, and by culturing pigment-deprived mutants called “golden rainbows” and “palomino trout.”
The dweller of springs is an indicator of land and water health, and its recovery isn’t about one fish. Healthy brook-trout habitat sustains 68 other native species in desperate need of protection. Brook trout are no less important to the East than, say, elk to the West — not because they are beautiful (though they are), not because they are exquisite table fare (though they are), not because they are superb fighters (though they are), not because they are anything. Only because they are. | <urn:uuid:32758568-9239-4daf-91cd-24ccd3d686ab> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.nature.org/2016/01/25/recovery-rehoming-brook-trout-springs-fish-fishing/ | 2023-09-24T23:58:24Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.958578 | 1,931 |
Are you ready for the latest GameFi scoop? At PIF Picks, we’ve been scouring the industry for all the newest and coolest news. From January 30th to February 3rd, 2023, the GameFi world has been buzzing with major advancements and breakthroughs! We’ve rounded up all the juiciest bits just for you. Check them out below:
PlayMining Takes GameFi to New Heights with Acceptance of Legal Tender and DEAPcoin ($DEP) Payments
It’s time to break out the balloons and confetti because PlayMining GameFi platform is now accepting both legal tender and DEAPcoin ($DEP) as payment for NFTs! Singapore-based global Web3 entertainment company, Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA), is making it even easier for players to get in on the NFT fun. PayPal, credit card, and debit card payments can now be used alongside DEAPcoin to make purchases on the PlayMining NFT marketplace.
PlayMining is the home to a rapidly growing collection of play-and-earn and NFT games. Players can earn $DEP through gameplay, trade it on popular crypto exchanges, or spend it on the PlayMining NFT marketplace.
The expanded payment options come before DEAPcoin’s first anniversary since its token listing. To celebrate, DEA is hosting the DEP Anniversary Festival with a series of events, including airdrops, sales, and a new staking plan. For more information on the DEP Anniversary Festival events, check out the official PlayMining Medium blog.
Web3 Gaming to Get a Boost with ImmutableX’s Launch of All-In-One Passport System
ImmutableX, the Ethereum scaling system, is about to launch its much-awaited tool, the Immutable Passport, to onboard gamers into Web3. This all-in-one solution offers a suite of tools integrated into a non-custodial wallet, gamer profile, and authentication solution that operates without a password.
The new tool aims to provide seamless onboarding, security, compliance, and plug-and-play features of utmost importance to gaming studios looking to integrate Web3 components into their games. Immutable Passport provides players with a secure digital wallet, fraud protection, and seamless authentication across Web3 games and marketplaces.
The blockchain-based gaming industry has been making significant strides in recent months, with companies like Ubisoft and Square Enix embracing crypto and NFTs to create new revenue streams for creators.
MatchBoxDAO Takes Gaming to the Next Level with Launch of Esports Experience for Web3 Developers
Web3 developers, get ready to code and conquer! MatchBoxDAO has announced the launch of MatchBox Arena, an esports experience specifically designed for the Web3 community.
The first tournament, “0xMonaco: Battle of Titans,” which kicked off this January 29, will bring together top developers from companies such as Uniswap, Ledger, Polygon, Chainlink, and Near to see who has the best tech team. This is not just any tournament. It’s the “World Cup of the Web3 companies”.
On-chain games for developers take a unique approach, focusing on strategy games where players code their strategies using smart contracts. The tournament will require high technical skills, creativity, and quick adaptability to win. MatchBoxDAO promises to bring an enjoyable experience for developers and entertain viewers through video simulations that depict the actual code logic during the round.
Participants can enter the arena, upload their code strategy, and participate in rounds with other players. Fans and players can track their favorite team’s progress on a leaderboard and watch video replays of the matches. And the best part? The tournament will be live-streamed, with esports commentators adding to the excitement.
With the Web3 ecosystem continuing to influence and evolve the gaming landscape, this tournament is an excellent opportunity for developers to showcase their skills and have fun while doing it.
Missed out on last week’s GameFi updates?
Did you miss our GameFi updates last week? Click here for the GameFi updates from January 23-27, 2023. | <urn:uuid:bad35482-3ada-4f4c-bd89-1c6f43ded0fb> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.playitfwd.io/pif-picks-the-top-gamefi-updates-this-january-30-february-3-2023/ | 2023-09-25T00:43:57Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.909126 | 876 |
Are you putting together your college application list? One factor you might not have considered is which schools require you to send your entire SAT testing record. Unfortunately, you can't always hide your rotten SAT scores! So if you have some less-than-stellar scores, you might avoid (or at least think carefully) before applying to those schools.
We have a complete list of which schools require your complete SAT testing record. Read on for this list as well as exclusive advice for applying to these schools.
UPDATE: Many Colleges Remain Test-Optional for 2023-24
As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, many schools broke with their normal testing policies and went test optional. That means schools with temporary test-optional policies will not require you to send your SAT scores as part of your admissions application, and not submitting SAT scores will not adversely impact your chances of getting in. Many schools are still test optional in the 2023-2024 school year, so be sure to check college websites for their admission requirements.
Sending SAT Scores to Schools: All Scores vs. Score Choice
Traditionally, nearly all colleges have required you to send at least one SAT or ACT score as part of your application for admission. But colleges differ on how they handle students with multiple sets of scores—for example, if you had two sets of SAT scores.
Some colleges require you to send your entire SAT or ACT testing record, even if that means sending not-so-great scores. (This does not apply to any tests taken in middle school (7th/8th grade) or earlier as part of a talent-search program.)
Other colleges do not require you to send your full testing record (though they often recommend it anyway). At these schools, you can take advantage of SAT's Score Choice policy, which allows you to send only your best scores.
So what happens if you want to apply to a college that requires all SAT scores? What could be the benefits and drawbacks of revealing your entire testing record?
What Difference Could Sending All SAT Scores Make?
You might be wondering why it matters if colleges see all of your SAT scores. Couldn't it help your chances of admission if colleges see your complete testing record, including your highest section scores?
Indeed, colleges consider the entire testing history when it's given, generally paying most attention to your highest scores achieved. However, when colleges specifically require you to send all of your scores, this means they're considering your lower scores as well. They aren't just looking for low scores and throwing your application out, but the higher all of your scores are, the better.
Back when I was contacting colleges to conduct research for our new SAT investigation, I asked dozens of admissions officers if members of the class of 2018 could take the SAT and submit it for admission. This would mean taking the SAT early, during or before sophomore year.
Many of the admissions officers cautioned against taking the SAT that young. "We're still going to see those scores," an admissions officer from Cornell told me, implying that potentially lower scores could, in fact, hurt your application.
While I want to take colleges at their word that even if they require all scores they only look at the highest ones, they wouldn't require all scores to be sent unless they wanted to consider them all—including the lower ones.
How Does Sending All SAT Scores Affect Your Test-Taking Strategy?
If you're applying to schools that require all SAT scores, you need to be very careful each time you take the SAT because you will have to send any scores you get, even if they're low.
If you're reading this and aren't sure which schools you're applying to yet, we recommend taking a careful look at the schools that require you to send all scores. If any of the schools might be a top choice for you, adjust your test-taking policy accordingly.
In general, we only recommend taking (or retaking) the SAT after you've studied and are certain you'll get a decent score. But you'll have to be extra careful if you're applying to an "all scores" school.
Don't take the SAT for the first time as practice, or to get used to the test. Colleges will see your "practice score." (Not to mention it's a waste of money to take the test for this reason only!)
We recommend taking the PSAT your sophomore and/or junior year to get the experience of taking the SAT and to receive a score without compromising your actual SAT score. Also, make taking strictly timed, full-length SAT practice tests part of your study regimen so that when you sit down to take the SAT for real, it won't feel as though it's your first time taking it.
If you have to retake the SAT, be sure to continue to study for both sections (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math), even if you're only trying to bring up one section's score. You wouldn't want the score from your other section to drop dramatically on a retake!
By keeping this advice in mind and only taking the SAT after careful studying, you should be able to apply to "all scores" schools without worrying about lower scores weakening your application.
Notable Colleges That Require You to Send All SAT Scores
Before we get to the complete list of colleges that require all SAT scores, we'll highlight some top schools you might be interested in. We include quotes from their admissions websites to give you an idea as to how serious they are about their scoring policies. Bold emphasis is mine.
"Georgetown University does not participate in the Score Choice option available through the College Board. Georgetown requires that you submit scores from all test sittings of the SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject Tests."
Georgetown is unique among top universities in the US in that it requires you to send every single SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject test scores in with your application. Most schools that require all scores sent only want to see all ACT or all SAT scores.
Penn used to require all scores but has since altered its policy somewhat (note that they're also currently test optional for 2023-2024:
"Although we permit Score Choice, we encourage students to submit their entire testing history for both ACT and SAT exams."
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Complete List of Colleges That Require All SAT Scores
Below is the complete list of four-year colleges and universities that require you to send all SAT scores, grouped by state. Look through this list carefully. If any of the schools here are your top choices, that means you need to be especially careful about SAT retakes.
For a complete list of all colleges (including community colleges) that require all SAT scores, check out the official College Board PDF.
If your school has started requiring all SAT scores are sent and they aren't listed, be sure to tell us in the comments!
|University of North Alabama||Florence||AL|
|Southern Arkansas University||Magnolia||AR|
|University of Arkansas at Little Rock||Little Rock||AR|
|Point Loma Nazarene University||San Diego||CA|
|Soka University of America||Aliso Viejo||CA|
|University of Colorado Denver||Denver||CO|
|Holy Apostles College and Seminary||Cromwell||CT|
|Delaware State University||Dover||DE|
|Barry University||Miami Shores||FL|
|Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University||Tallahassee||FL|
|Fort Valley State University||Fort Valley||GA|
|Dordt College||Sioux Center||IA|
|Olivet Nazarene University||Bourbonnais||IL|
|Saint Xavier University||Chicago||IL|
|Trinity Christian College||Palos Heights||IL|
|Grace College||Winona Lake||IN|
|Indiana Wesleyan University||Marion||IN|
|Oakland City University||Oakland City||IN|
|University of Saint Francis||Fort Wayne||IN|
|Kansas Wesleyan University||Salina||KS|
|University of Saint Mary||Leavenworth||KS|
|Kentucky Christian University||Grayson||KY|
|Grambling State University||Grambling||LA|
|Louisiana State University of Alexandria||Alexandria||LA|
|Louisiana State University Shreveport||Shreveport||LA|
|Nicholls State University||Thibodaux||LA|
|Andrews University||Berrien Springs||MI|
|Cornerstone University||Grand Rapids||MI|
|Sacred Heart Major Seminary||Detroit||MI|
|Oak Hills Christian College||Bemidji||MN|
|Central Methodist University||Fayette||MO|
|Saint Louis University||St. Louis||MO|
|Blue Mountain College||Blue Mountain||MS|
|William Carey University||Hattiesburg||MS|
|University of North Carolina at Charlotte||Charlotte||NC|
|University of Jamestown||Jamestown||ND|
|Mayville State University||Mayville||ND|
|Richard Stockton College of New Jersey||Galloway||NJ|
|Barnard College||New York||NY|
|City College of New York||New York||NY|
|Cooper Union||New York||NY|
|Hunter College||New York||NY|
|Long Island University Brooklyn||New York||NY|
|New York School of Interior Design||New York||NY|
|Queens College (City University of New York)||Flushing||NY|
|United States Merchant Marine Academy||Kings Point||NY|
|Art Academy of Cincinnati||Cincinnati||OH|
|East Central University||Ada||OK|
|Rogers State University||Claremore||OK|
|Southwestern Oklahoma State University||Weatherford||OK|
|Western Oregon University||Monmouth||OR|
|Carnegie Mellon University||Pittsburgh||PA|
|Indiana University of Pennsylvania||Indiana||PA|
|Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania||Shippensburg||PA|
|University of Puerto Rico at Cayey||Cayey||PR|
|University of Puerto Rico at Humacao||Humacao||PR|
|University of Puerto Rico at Ponce||Ponce||PR|
|Columbia International University||Columbia||SC|
|Tennessee Technological University||Cookeville||TN|
|Dallas Christian College||Dallas||TX|
|Howard Payne University||Brownwood||TX|
|Midwestern State University||Wichita Falls||TX|
|St. Edward's University||Austin||TX|
|Tarleton State University||Stephenville||TX|
|Texas A&M University||College Station||TX|
|Texas A&M University—Kingsville||Kingsville||TX|
|Texas Wesleyan University||Fort Worth||TX|
|University of Texas at Brownsville||Brownsville||TX|
|Neumont University||Salt Lake City||UT|
|Utah State University||Logan||UT|
|Castleton State College||Castleton||VT|
|Washington State University||Pullman||WA|
|Fairmont State University||Fairmont||WV|
|West Virginia University Institute of Technology||Montgomery||WV|
Need tips for studying? Get a rundown of the overall best strategies to use for the SAT.
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Halle Edwards graduated from Stanford University with honors. In high school, she earned 99th percentile ACT scores as well as 99th percentile scores on SAT subject tests. She also took nine AP classes, earning a perfect score of 5 on seven AP tests. As a graduate of a large public high school who tackled the college admission process largely on her own, she is passionate about helping high school students from different backgrounds get the knowledge they need to be successful in the college admissions process. | <urn:uuid:3f51dd3d-c475-4fad-b533-f4e5ebf68097> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.prepscholar.com/colleges-requiring-all-sat-scores-complete-list | 2023-09-24T23:20:59Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.895103 | 2,789 |
The Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan, known officially as the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, named after I.K. Akhunbaev, is a medical school in Kyrgyzstan located in Bishkek. It was opened in September 1939 in Frunze (now Bishkek) in the Kyrgyz SSR, recruiting 200 students. This academy is one of the best medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. The first batch of Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan students graduated in 1943, with 120 individuals receiving their degrees. This year, a total of 250 doctors completed their studies. Following the war’s end in 1948, the institute shifted to a 6-year term of study. State transfer exams in anatomy, histology, physiology, and biochemistry were added in the 2nd year. In the 1950s, enrollment at the institute rose, leading to specialized training for doctors. MBBS in Kyrgyzstan is the best Option for Indian Students.
We will provide this article about Kyrgyz State Medical Academy was contributed to by the First Moscow Medical Institute, the high medical schools of Saint Petersburg Almaty Tashkent and other medical institutions.
Table of Contents
- College Summary
- Courses Offered
- Admission Procedure
- Eligibility Criteria
- Documents Required
- Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Fee Structure 2023
- About Kyrgyzstan
- MBBS Syllabus in Kyrgyzstan
- Ranking and Reputation Kyrgyz State Medical Academy.
- Contact Details
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Before we go through the detailed information about Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan, let’s examine the college’s essential details.
|Name of Institute||Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan|
|Popular Name||Kyrgyz State Medical Academy|
|Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Year of Establishment||1 September 1939|
|Language of Teaching||English|
|Registered with||Ministry of Justice Kyrgyzstan|
|Approved||National Medical Commission (NMC), World Health Organization (WHO)|
|Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Ranking||World Ranking: 8947|
Country Ranking: 12
|Talk to our Abroad Counsellor||Call Now > +91-9999709233|
|Category||Medical Colleges in Kyrgyzstan|
Affiliation and Recognition
- National Medical Commission (NMC)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Medical Board of California (USA) (MBC)
If you are interested in pursuing MBBS from Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan, you must know the Student Support Kazakhstan University.
Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Facilities are offered to students interested in studying or already studying at Kazakhstan University.
|Computer Labs||Lecture Theatre|
Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan. Offers quality medical programs under the supervision of highly qualified faculty and state-of-the-art infrastructure. The College is famous for its medical programs (MBBS).
|Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)||6 Years|
Faculty & Staff
Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan provides a good ratio of trained and highly educated faculty members with modern technology. It also offers sufficient non-technical staff to provide an ambience of self-learning to the students. Kyrgyz State Medical Academy is committed to uplifting the health care education and output delivery system for the country’s people.
Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan has been a preferred destination for Indian students to pursue their Medical Degree Courses. If you want to study MBBS in Kyrgyzstan, check the eligibility below.
|Age||It would be best to be at least 17 years old on or before 31st December of the admission year.|
|Qualification||Candidates must have cleared 10+2 with 50% marks from the Science stream (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) in CBSE/ISC or any other Equivalent Board of Examination.|
|Minimum Qualifying (%)||Unreserved: 50%|
|Medium of Teaching||English|
|Duration of Course||6 Years|
Before admission to Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan, please do not carry all these related documents.
- Passport (Minimum 18 months validity).
- Birth Certificate. 10th Certificate & Mark sheet.
- 12th Certificate & Mark sheet.
- Ten passport size Photographs
- Official Invitation letter from the Medical University of Kyrgyzstan.
- Authorization of all documents from the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.
- Legalization of all documents from the Kyrgyzstan Embassy.
- Visa fees.
- Bank receipt of University 1st year Tuition fee (required for some Universities).
- HIV test documents.
Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Fee Structure 2023
We have provided you with information regarding the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy MBBS Fees for Indian Students in INR and others in USD.
|MBBS||3500 USD (2,45,000 INR)|
Kyrgyzstan, or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People’s Republic of China to the east. Its capital and largest city are Bishkek.
|Area||199,951 km2 (77,202 sq mi)|
|Language||Official State Language: Kyrgyz|
Co-Official Language: Russian
|Climate||40 °C (104 °F)|
|Literacy Rate||99.5 %|
|Time Zone||UTC+6 (KGT)|
|Currency||Som (c) (KGS)|
|Religion||Islam: 82.7%, Christianity: 16.0%|
MBBS Syllabus in Kyrgyzstan
Before applying for the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan, please compare the MBBS Syllabus of some of Kyrgyzstan’s top-ranked, NMC-approved medical universities. Our goal was to understand better what subjects you would be studying at Kyrgyz State Medical Academy. You can see the Kyrgyz Russian Slavic University Kyrgyzstan MBBS Syllabus in PDF.
Ranking and Reputation Kyrgyz State Medical Academy.
According to selectyouruniversity.com. Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan Country & World Ranking:-
|Name of Institute||Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan|
|Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Ranking||Country- 12|
About Bishkek City
It is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan. It has a population of about 1 Million, and it covers approx. 169.92 km. It is located in the Chu River Valley near the Kyrgyz Mountains at approximately 3000 feet. The climate in Bishkek is of cold and temperate type. It mostly experiences rain in winter while comparatively less rain in summer—the average annual temperature is 10.4 Degree Celsius.
Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan
Address: St. I.Akhunbaeva, 92, Bishkek, 720020, Kyrgyzstan
Contact Number: 9999-709-233 for Indian Students
Official Website: https://www.krsu.edu.kg/
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Where is Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan located?
Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Address is St. I.Akhunbaeva, 92, Bishkek, 720020 Kyrgyzstan.
What is the MBBS course duration at Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan?
The MBBS course duration at Kyrgyz State Medical Academy is 6 Years.
Is the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan NMC Approved?
Yes, it is approved by the NMC (MCI).
What is the world ranking of Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan?
The world ranking of Kyrgyz State Medical Academy is 8595.
What is the medium of instruction at the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan?
The medium of instruction at the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy is predominantly English for international students.
What is the cost of studying at the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan for international students?
The cost of studying at the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy for international students is relatively affordable compared to medical universities in many other countries.
Is the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan Recognized internationally?
Yes, the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy is recognized internationally and holds accreditation from several prestigious medical councils and organizations.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrgyzstan Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishkek Wikipedia
- https://www.4icu.org/reviews/3122.htm Ranking
- https://www.who.int/ WHO Official website
- https://www.nmc.org.in/ NMC Official website
- https://www.mea.gov.in/ MEA Govt official website
- https://kgma.kg/ru, Kyrgyz State Medical Academy Kyrgyzstan Official Website
- https://www.edufever.com/kyrgyz-state-medical-academy-kyrgyzstan/ Edufever | <urn:uuid:5e0aff6b-f3c1-4137-801c-12703217e8dd> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.rmgoe.org/kyrgyz-state-medical-academy-kyrgyzstan/ | 2023-09-25T00:54:59Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.872516 | 2,311 |
Announcing The Smule Artist Program
Announcing The Smule Artist Program
Bright Antenna is First Label Partner
Smule today is thrilled to announce the launch of our Artist Program – created by musicians, for musicians.
Smule’s community of 20 million active fans provide a unique platform for artists looking to advance their careers, whether they are are already established or just emerging on the scene. Through the Artist Program, we work directly with artists and their management teams to handcraft campaigns that help them find new fans among Smule’s 20 million active community members and engage with their existing fans on mobile platforms in ways that are fun and interactive. Best of all, the program is currently free to artists who participate.
“Through early artist relationships, we saw the genuine and authentic interactions between artists and fans. Such interactions weren’t possible on other networks,” said Jeannie Yang, Chief Product & Design Officer at Smule. “We realized we needed to open the program up because there’s something very fun and rewarding here for both artists and their fans.”
“People say the music industry is dead. It’s not, and Smule epitomizes why,” said Scott Schumaker, Managing Partner of Bright Antenna. “Their users are passionate, engaged music lovers, just like we are at Bright Antenna, and their apps are some of the best tools for music discovery and for fan engagement that we’ve come across yet.”
Read on to find out more about the Smule Artist Program.
Through the Artist Program, Flagship will release three songs in Smule’s catalog. The band has also recorded a performance of their single, “Are You Calling,” into Smule’s Sing! Karaoke app. Fans will be able to join Flagship to record a duet with the band.
The Smule Artist Program evolved from an organic relationship Smule has built over the years with entertainment brands and individual artists who made up our intrepid early adopters. We’ve worked with well known talent – including OK Go, The Gregory Brothers, Austin Mahone, T-Pain, Lady Antebellum and Fox’s “Glee.” And we’ve partnered with emerging artists such as Con Bro Chill, Todd Carey, Guy Lockard and Dan Godlin. Our collaboration with the hot emerging band Con Bro Chill to promote the release of their song, “Power Happy” led to a spike in their music video views of 300,000 viewers in three months.
“Smule has been HUGE for our band and promoting our music. We love the genuine kind of exposure they give us,” said Con Bro Chill’s Connor Martin. “They actually get people interacting with your music. Instead of forcing a song, or video down people’s throats, they invite the user to be in the band and be apart of the music. Other than having a person attend our live shows, I’ve seen no better way to convert a person to our music than Smule’s apps.”
Todd Carey, whose hit single “Nintendo” debuted on Smule’s Sing! and Magic Piano, attributed the song’s 300% sales boost largely to his collaboration with Smule. “Smule and ‘Nintendo’ turned out to be a knockout combo,” Carey said.
We are excited to be able to build upon these seminal experiences and launch a formal program today to support independent musicians and help grow their careers. To learn more about our earlier collaborations with artists, check out the list of articles at the bottom of this page.
If you are an artist and want to work with Smule, we want to hear from you! Tell us a little about yourself here, and we will be in touch.
Here are some examples of our previous collaborations with artists: | <urn:uuid:a6b4dc4e-bc80-410e-9779-b0e96619e72e> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.smule.com/announcing-the-smule-artist-program-bright/ | 2023-09-25T00:59:21Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.947662 | 823 |
4 Tips for Selling Spirit Wear
One of the biggest niches in a t-shirt business is spirit wear. Spirit wear unites the group by building enthusiasm and pride. Customers are willing to pay much more for these items without even a thought. Here are tips for selling spirit wear.
Make It Easy To Order
Whether you use an e-commerce platform or the traditional order form, make it easy to order. Limit your transfer designs to 1-3 depending on the potential size of the group. If you are doing a spirit wear sale for a travel baseball team with just 12 players, one transfer design should be plenty. If you are running a spirit sale for high school offer more designs.
Offer A Variety Of Apparel Choices
While limiting your designs helps with your pricing, there is no need to keep that same limit to your apparel choices that you won’t order until the sale is done. Offer a variety of items besides the basic t-shirt that you will be able to use the same transfer sheet. Include women’s wear, hoodies, caps, and bags; using the same custom transfer on all the items.
Set an End Date
When you order custom transfers, your price goes down as quantity goes up – so the bigger the order, the less you pay. To get the best price, set an end date for your sale. You might run a spirit sale for the marching band for two weeks. Always allow an extra day or two for the procrastinators. Then count up your sales and order your transfers. Round up to hit money saving price breaks. If you have extra room on your sheet, create something to use for a future sale.
Print On Demand
Another way to sell spirit wear is to sell shirts at an event. This might be a sports tournament, a PTA event like the school orientation, or even a craft fair. Your heat press is very portable. Take some t-shirts and hoodies in the popular team colors, and an assortment of design choices and heat print the transfer to the item it is sold at the event. A transfer only takes 4 seconds to apply, making printing at onsite events easy. If you’re interested in printing onsite at events, check out this e-book that gives you insight into the world of heat printing at events.
Not only does Spirit Wear raise money for the team or school, it is profitable, provides branding, and creates unity and engagement. Why wouldn’t you want to take the next step in selling heat printed spirit wear for schools? | <urn:uuid:cef1a223-1869-4f2e-a92d-a5d2b13eac73> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.transferexpress.com/4-tips-for-selling-spirit-wear/ | 2023-09-25T00:23:49Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.91486 | 525 |
I was one out of many I'm sure that took place in a survey that measured real estate confidence. Keep in mind my opinion is based on my knowledge of what is happening in our own neighborhoods here in Fremont, Newark and Union City and sometimes neighboring counties at best. We tend to focus on the Fremont, Newark and Union City home values here. http://www.tricityhome.com and more specifically about Parkmont home sales here. http://tricityhome.com/Parkmont_homes_sold.html
Since the term market conditions can be subjective, I am setting the stage here by simply outlining that I felt market conditions were to be defined as: The current frequency of new and existing home sales as they are relative to their selling prices to last year.
I checked a 7 out of 10 for market conditions today as opposed to last year. Market conditions for Fremont being on the rise since that time due to the decreasing supply of homes left on the market and the fact that multiple offers were steady and in some cases on the rise. This latter point brings up the "demand" portion of the equation. Supply and demand will show us immediate conditions, but to predict the future condition is much more complicated.
In short, I felt somewhat optimistic about our real estate confidence. Naturally, there is another school of thought floating out there that we are headed for another crunch in bank owned properties and short sales. That may be, but at least Realtors and banks are getting better at handling the inventory surplus and getting them off the books at a more effective rate. So, if we do swing down again, I feel that it may not be as nearly significant as it was when it first hit. No one was ready at that time. Now we are.
Here is a copy of the report I got for free as a participant--let me know what you think.
Real Estate Confidence Report http://agent.point2.com/RECI/RECI_February2010_Report.pdf By Jeff Pereyda | <urn:uuid:a86bd033-1ef1-4d8c-bf03-d2ddeb50317d> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.tricityhome.com/2010/03/real-estate-confidence-report-parkmont.html | 2023-09-24T23:13:38Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.973083 | 418 |
Australia’s Griffith University climbed 57 places on Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankings, placing the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) Gold Coast host university in 243rd in the world, according to Griffith News.
QS World University Rankings 2024, generated by the largest international higher education network, determined that Griffith is a notable institution for research. It holds 69th in the world for a new sustainability category and 5th place for all Australian universities. Globally, it is 185th in new international research and 166th in research citations.
“Griffith has improved its position by 125 places since the 2013 rankings, reflecting the outstanding effort of our staff who provide world-class education to our students and research that delivers significant social, environmental, health and economic benefits,” Griffith Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans said.
Other courses that USAC students may choose to take courses reach as wide as banking and finance, biomolecular science, international relations, multimedia telecommunications, and visual media.
Read more at Griffith News
Explore your options
- Gold Coast, Australia
- Academic areas:
Business, Management, and Marketing
Communications, Media, and Journalism
Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics
Environment, Natural Science, and Biotechnology
Health Sciences, Psychology, and Public Health | <urn:uuid:ae188ae4-e16f-44e9-b9be-159b933e6d5e> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.usac.edu/griffith-usac-gold-coast-program-host-university-recognized-for-sustainability-and-research/ | 2023-09-25T00:06:33Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.891839 | 273 |
And there’s thunder, and there’s lightning, coming home
The lightning network is a “layer 2” application on top of bitcoin.
This manual first covers high level fundamentals of lightning and then descends into technical details.
Bitcoin establishes leaderless consensus. But one of the requirements for that is limited blockspace. This caps the number of transactions per seconds on the bitcoin ledger. Assuming blocks are always full due to usage, there emerges a market for getting a transaction on the blockchain. This prices out small transactions.
The Lightning Network allows bitcoin to scale while not sacrificing any of the leaderless consensus. Small transactions are possible again…but how is this best-of-both-worlds achieved? The Lightning Network uses another protocol, again using game theory and applied cryptography, but the scope is limited to two parties (initially, this gets expanded on but let’s leave that for later) instead of a global ledger like the bitcoin protocol. The lightning protocol establishes a “payment channel” between two parties which is backed by a bitcoin transaction. Once the payment channel is established, the two parties can now use more of that game theory + applied cryptography magic to send near instant, cheap payments to each other while still remaining trustless. While all bitcoin transactions on the blockchain are public and completely unambiguous, payments in a payment channel are only known to the two parties. This is how the costs are kept down and the speed fast. If the two parties ever disagree on the state of the channel, then that bitcoin transaction between the two parties is used as a judge to remove any ambiguity by leveraging the layer 1 blockchain’s unambiguous property. This dispute resolution involves layer 1 fees, so is generally avoided unless absolutely necessary.
So bitcoin transactions are cheap and fast again!…if made between 2 parties. But what if these payment channels are linked together to form a network of sorts…a lightning network…
let’s build a payment channel
Payment channels are digital contracts which leverage two concepts not seen as often in normal bitcoin transactions:
- writing and signing valid bitcoin (layer 1) transactions, but not broadcasting them to the bitcoin blockchain
- timelocks which push out when outputs, a.k.a. payment channel transaction funds, can be spent which enables a different transaction to spend the output first
in the beginning…bounded unidirectional
A unidirectional channel with a set end time (e.g. will close 3 days from now) is pretty easy to model with these ideas in mind.
- A transaction with a 2-of-2 multisig output is created but not yet broadcasted between the 2 parties.
Afunds the whole transaction.
- Before broadcasting this “funding” transaction though, another transaction is created based on the funding transaction output. This “refund” transaction is a special case “commitment” transaction which sends all the funds back to
Awith a transaction timelock of 3 days.
Bsigns this first commitment transaction so that
Ais willing to trust the payment channel.
[ A | 2 of 2 of A and B] -- [ SigA SigB | A's balance of 100% / A ] | B's balance of 0% / B ]
the funding transaction completely funded by
A and the first commitment transaction with both signatures, and most importantly, a
nlocktime of 3 days which isn’t captured in the ascii art…my bad
What are the incentives of the first commitment (refund) transaction?
Bdoesn’t really care, they don’t have any bitcoin in the funding transaction locked up in the funding transaction, so even if
Arefunds everything from the funding transaction its like nothing happened.
Aknows they can get all their money back even if
Bdisappears, they just have to wait 3 days to broadcast the first commitment transaction in order to satisfy the
After the funding transaction is broadcasted,
B can trade within the payment channel by
A exchanging new commitment transactions. These transactions are not broadcasted to the blockchain, just like the original funding commitment transaction, but they are still valid transactions. Each commitment transaction is a possible closing transaction with one output going to
A and one to
B. And, very important, these transactions do not have timelocks so they can be broadcasted whenever.
[ A | 2 of 2 of A and B] -- [ SigA <SigB> | A's balance of 99% / A ] | B's balance of 1% / B ]
updated commitment transaction which
A sends to
B doesn’t need to sign it yet, this transaction does not have a timelock!
Since this is a unidirectional channel, the transactions are updated where
B a little bit more for each transaction. This is done by
A receiving less from the funding transaction output when the channel is closed.
A signs the transaction and gives it to
B as payment.
B does not have to sign or broadcast the transaction yet, but it is valuable to them since their output now has more bitcoin.
What are the incentives during the payment channels lifetime?
- All of the commit transactions are valid, but B has an incentive to sign and broadcast the one which gives them the most bitcoin, in this model, that is the most recent.
Acan’t steal by broadcasting any of the old commitment transactions which gives them more money because
Bnever signed them.
Aattempts to steal by broadcasting the original “refund” commitment transaction,
Bhas 3 days to sign and broadcast a commitment transaction and pull from the funding transaction UTXO first.
Bmust broadcast a commitment transaction before the 3 days are up to ensure
Acan’t steal by broadcasting the original “refund” commitment transaction
The timelock’d output of the un-broadcasted refund commitment transaction allows both
B to trust the digital contract of the payment channel. But ideally funds could flow in both directions and the contract could last longer than some arbitrary timelock…
Good news! It’s possible. But indefinite bidirectional channels require more un-broadcasted transactions and timelock layering to make sure incentives stay aligned.
Bidirectional channels are funded with a transaction that has a 2-of-2 multisig output just like unidirectional. Commitment transactions still have an output for each balance in the payment channel. If we kept the same protocol from the simpler unidirectional model,
B could send a commitment transaction that pays
B less than the one before as a form of
A. But there is nothing stopping
B from broadcasting an old commitment transaction which
A has already signed giving
B more bitcoin. We can no longer depend on the simplicity of the single timelock’d refund commitment transaction.
[ A | 2 of 2 of A and B] -- [ SigA <SigB> | A's balance of 100% / (A && after 3 days) || (B && revocation secret) ] | B's balance of 0% / B ]
A’s refund commitment transaction
[ A | 2 of 2 of A and B] -- [ SigA <SigB> | A's balance of 100% / A ] | B's balance of 0% / (B && after 3 days) || (A && revocation secret) ]
B’s refund commitment transaction
What is all this??
In the unidirectional model, the timelock delay was used to give
B an opportunity to thwart
A from attempting to steal. In the bidirectional model, both parties can attempt to steal so both need a window to thwart the other. Instead of there being one refund commitment transaction, there are two, one for each party and the transactions are mirrors of each other (technical term: asymmetric).
A constructs a transaction which timelock’s
A’s funds and
B constructs one which timelocks
B’s funds. Each party signs the others transaction to “commit” to the channel, just like how
B signed the refund transaction in unidirectional-land. One important note here too is that in unidirectional-land, the timelock was on the transaction, but here we are using the more flexible timelock in the locking script.
And that “revocation secret” part? In the unidirectional model,
B could broadcast any commitment transaction to thwart
A from stealing since the commitment transaction can immediately spend the funding transactions UTXO. In this bidirectional model, what happens if
A broadcasts an old commitment transaction given them more than the current commitment transaction?
B has three days to thwart
A, but all they have is another transaction that spends from the same output (useless)…or do they? The revocation secret is a new part of the protocol which allows
B to punish
A (and vice versa) in the event that they publish an old commitment transaction.
B gets to take
A’s balance instantly while
A is timelock’d out.
The unidirectional model had a very straightforward handshake.
B for a funding transaction signature and then
A exchanges commitment transactions for whatever
B is offering. The incentives are very clear. How is this handshake accomplished in the bidirectional world with its multiple commitment transactions and revocation secrets?
I was surprised when I didn’t find a detailed description of the handshake in BOLT02 where this protocol is defined. I believe though that is because the order doesn’t really matter, because the dominant incentive is for the side gaining balance to check two boxes before considering the channel state updated:
- A signature from the other party for the new commitment transaction
- The revocation secret from the other party to invalidate the other party’s old commitment transactions (so no take backs)
So the state update protocol, from a high level:
- Both parties create their own new asymmetric commitment transactions.
- Parties trade signatures for the new commitment transactions and old revocation secrets.
A nice effect of always creating new commitment transactions for every state change is that the channel can be open indefinitely! Indefinte, bidirectional channels, very cool. But what if you want to pay someone you don’t have a channel with?
Not all nodes in the network are directly connected, but it is still possible to make payments from any node to another! These multi-hop transaction contracts are called Hash Time-Lock Contracts (HTLCs) and are how payments are routed across payment channels as of today (could change with new tech in the future).
(A) -> (B) -> (C)
A is routing a payment to
A could pay
B could pay
C, but that sounds like a whole lotta trust. How do we make this trustless? Incentives and timelocks baby.
A deep dive on HTLCs.
A little trip down memory lane, but the Lightning Network protocol’s implementation required a bitcoin soft-fork back in 2017 (technically “required” is a bit dramatic, but keepin it simple for now). Before the soft-fork, it was possible for an unpublish’d transaction’s ID to change. What so bad about that? Well, the first commitment transaction for a funding transaction needs to know the funding transaction ID in order to route the output back as a refund for the initiator. If that ID can change, that means it would be very risky for an initiator to open a channel. There is a chance the funds just all end up going to the other party.
The Segregated Witness feature introduced in the 2017 soft-fork made unpublish’d transaction IDs immutable. Before the fork, witness data (a.k.a. the signatures to unlock an output) where included in the transaction ID. Small modifications to the signatures would still unlock the output, but result in a different ID. “Segregating” the witness data meant puttin it over there (in a different data structure) so it was no longer included in the transaction ID hash. Now we can link unpublish’d transactions together which unlocked the door for lightning.
The smallest denomination on the bitcoin blockchain is the
satoshi, which is
1 / 100,000,000 of a bitcoin. The Lightning Network protocol is backed by un-published (but publish-able) bitcoin transactions, which means that a satoshi is the smallest amount you can transact on the Lightning Network…or does it? What is the fee of a lightning payment of 1 satoshi? This shouldn’t be free since it requires a bit of resources, but is it possible to charge for it? The Lightning Network is almost always off-chain, so technically it doesn’t need to play by the rules as long as consensus can still be backed by the bitcoin transactions (and both parties buy into that).
To address this and future-proof the protocol (e.g. what happens if in the future 1 sat == $10 USD?) the lightning protocol introduced millisatoshi (
1 / 1000 a satoshi), sometimes referred to as “msat”. This allows for fees to be collected on the millisatoshi level, sub-satoshi. The two parties on either side of a lightning channel keep track of things at this level as well, but floored to the nearest satoshi for the bitcoin transactions. Anything “extra” goes to the miner fee for the transaction.
Not sure I love it to be honest, feels kinda hacky and error-prone. But without it, there would definitely be a floor of minimum-viable-transaction-size which would be a bummer too.
An HTLC is a way to escrow funds between a sender and receiver. At the technical level, an escrow’d HTLC is a UTXO on the payment channel commitment transactions. The sender is OK with risking these funds because they either get what they want in return (the preimage of the payment) or the UTXO can be swept up back to them after a certain amount of time. The receiver isn’t risking funds, they just have an incentive to get the preimage so they can collect the funds for them self.
Generally, HTLC UTXO’s are created, but never broadcasted to the network. Instead they are “folded” back into the commitment transaction balances per-node. If a channel “fails” though (one of the nodes no longer trusts the other), a commitment transaction is broadcasted. If an HTLC was in-flight the commitment transaction has the extra HTLC UTXO and it needs to be swept up by its rightful owner.
Because HTLC UTXO’s need to be broadcast-able, there are a class of lightning network payment types which are not escrow’d as UTXOs. Sounds sketch! In reality though, I think the risk is minimal.
The two categories of sub-htlc payments:
- Actual millisatoshi, a.k.a. sub-satoshi, payments. The blockchain’s lowest denomination is satoshi so an HTLC UTXO has to be at least one sat.
- HTLC UTXOs which would be considered dust UTXOs. This is a moving target based on the blockchain space market.
Both scenarios are payments of small amounts. But it feels bad to lose the HTLC protections. How are these small payments handled if they can’t be a UTXOs?
The small amounts are still escrow’d out of the sender’s balance, but instead of a UTXO, they are pointed at the miner fee of the commitment transaction. An HTLC UTXO goes to the receiver or the sender even if the channel fails, but a sub-HTLC payment will go to the miner if the channel fails. Do the incentives radically change? The sender is taking on more risk because if the receiver disappears they will not get the escrow’d funds back, they will go to the miner now. But the receiver doesn’t have a new incentive to disappear (unless they are a miner…). For small transactions, this seems like an OK tradeoff.
There are a lot of little complexities of payment channels which make it much harder than expected to calculate at any given point how much bitcoin can you send from a channel. One of those little complexities is channel reserves. These are described in bolt02. The gist: Alice and Bob have a payment channel and over time all of the liquidity ends up on Bob’s side. In other words, if the channel is closed all the funds would be sent to Bob. What is stopping Alice from broadcasting and old channel state where she get some of the funds instead? Usually, Bob would broadcast a penalty transaction if Alice tries this maneuver and get all the funds in the channel. But that is already the case! Alice has nothing to lose since the penalty transaction is the same as the current state, might as well try and steal some back.
Enter channel reserves. These are the minimum amounts of liquidity to be kept on both sides of a channel to ensure skin is in the game and penalty transactions hurt. Initially when a channel is opened, its possible for one side to not meet its reserve requirement, but it is built up over channel usage.
Commitment transactions are usually signed by both parties a good while before they are broadcasted (if necessary). It is possible that the blockspace market could dramatically change before a broadcast attempt and the transaction’s fee would no longer be high enough to make it in. The transaction needs a fee bump. Special UTXOs are added to commitment transactions as “anchors” for future CPFP transactions. One anchor per user so each has the ability to bump a fee. Ideally these outputs would have almost no value, just there in case necessary, but that doesn’t vibe with node policies to re-broadcast transactions since they would be dust. Special “carve out” policies have been implemented in bitcoin core just for these anchor outputs.
Anchor outputs allow for more flexibility when it comes to how a node operator allocates funds for worst case scenario force closes. Without anchor outputs, each channel has to set aside funds in miner fees to ensure the commitment transaction can make it in a block. But with anchors, these fees can be set much lower (I am wondering if they can be set to zero…) which allows the full capacity of the channel to be used for routing. However, the node operator will need some onchain funds set aside to use in case they need to create a
CPFP transaction to pull in a commitment transaction. At least now though they can decide how much risk they are willing to take on across their channels. Maybe they will hold enough in reserve to
CPFP all channels if necessary. Maybe just one, up to them.
Opening a channel requires a bitcoin transaction. Closing a channel requires another bitcoin transaction. This encourages long lived channels to avoid the overhead.
- Outbound (local)
- owned by node operator
- when an operator opens a channel its initially all outbound (the funding transaction is entirely one sided)
- opening channels only gives you capacity to send, not to receive, balance is all on one side:
A(1) -- B(0)
- Inbound (remote)
- not owned by node operator
- Base Fee – fixed fee charged each time a payment is routed through the channel
- Fee Rate – a percentage fee charged on the value of the payment (liquidity fee)
amount * feerate / 1000000
- typically denominated in parts per million (ppm means out of a million 1/1,000,000, kinda like how percent is 1/100)
The fee rate is different than on chain where the cost is MB instead of the value being sent. In the LN, liquidity is valuable so the fee is actually based on the value. If this was 0, one huge transaction could dry up a channel and it would only earn the base fee. It probably wouldn’t cover its opening/closing on chain costs.
The initial bootstrapping of a routing node is complicated.
- want to choose good peers to open channels, still coming up with good heuristics to follow:
- well connected
- diverse types: “sources” (e.g. custodial wallets), “sinks” (e.g. merchants), and other routing nodes
- need liquidity
- want to minimize costs
- on-chain transactions + off-chain rebalancing
- I am using my raiju program’s
candidatescommand to try and find good peers.
As a routing node (not a wallet or service provider), inbound liquididty is a zero-sum game. Inbound liquidity is transfered from one channel to another when a transaction is forwarded through the routing node. There are only a handful of ways for an operator to gain inbound liquidity for their routing node:
- A peer opens a channel to the routing node
- The operator makes a purchase through the node
- Purchase inbound liquidity through a Loop or Pool
Option 1 is the best case scenario. Its free for the routing node operator (the user opening the channel pays the onchain cost) and is 100% inbound liquidity. Problem is, users don’t want to open a channel to a new routing node because that is risky for them. A routing node must gain some intial respect (bootstrap) by opening channels, increasing its capacity, and uptime (all hard earned and require capital). An operator could use a liqudity group of other operators to establish inbound to thier nodes, but this requires a good amount of trust.
Option 2 is nice because operator gets inbound liquidity plus whatever they actually bought on through the lightning network. Only problem is the operator would need to be buying some expensive things to get the inbound necessary. Doesn’t hurt though.
Option 3 is a one time payment for inbound liquidity through a Loop (off-chain on-chain) transaction. Theoretically, if an operator was then savvy with channel fees to keep things balanced afterward, the payment could be paid off through transction fees and channels remain balanced.
A circular rebalance is sending a payment through the network that starts and ends at the same node. The goal is to balance the liquidity on a node.
- pos: requires no onchain transactions
- neg: could get expensive depending on the amount of liquidity to balance (fee rates) plus number of hops (unless controlled with a predetermined route)
Circular rebalancing is a bit a dark art because you don’t want to pay too much fees, but you are attempting to shift a large amount of liquidity compared to normal transactions.
- Pick the nodes you want to shift liquidity between,
out == pubkey of too much outboundand
in == pubkey of too little outbound
- will pay the remote fee rate on both nodes
- Choose the amount of sats to shift
- Start guessing at max fee rates
Trust-less service provided by Lightning Labs which performs a submarine swap.
loop out– send off chain funds to loop service, loop service sends back on chain (buy inbound liquidity)
loop in– send on chain funds to loop service, loop service sends back off chain (buy outbound liquidity)
lnd is a lightning node implementation written in
go. This manual is for running lnd on bare metal along side a bitcoin full node.
My node is raiju.
- installing with the AUR package lnd-bin (not using docker) which only builds and installs bins, no user/system/settings. Going with the
binversion instead of the
gitone to minimize any
- Lightning Labs is a fan of the
btcdfull node implementation and not the standard C++ bitcoin core implementation, but I am already running the standard core implementation so sticking with that for now.
- Created a new user on my box,
lightning, and added to the
torgroups for necessary permissions
lnddefaults to configs, logs, and data in the home dir (
[Application Options] listen=0.0.0.0:9735 # Depends on DDNS externalhosts=lightning.yonson.dev:9735 # Keep channels large enough to be worthy minchansize=4000000 alias=raiju color=#F24D29 backupfilepath=/data/lnd/backup/channel.backup wallet-unlock-password-file=/home/lightning/.lnd/pwd [Bitcoin] bitcoin.active=1 bitcoin.mainnet=true bitcoin.node=bitcoind bitcoin.feerate=500 [Bitcoind] bitcoind.dir=/var/lib/bitcoind bitcoind.rpcuser=bitcoin bitcoind.rpcpass=changemeforreal bitcoind.zmqpubrawblock=tcp://127.0.0.1:9503 bitcoind.zmqpubrawtx=tcp://127.0.0.1:9501 [Tor] tor.active=true tor.v3=true # Disable for hybrid mode tor.streamisolation=false # Allow the node to connect to non-onion services directly via clearnet. This # allows the node operator to use direct connections to peers not running behind # Tor, thus allowing lower latency and better connection stability. # WARNING: This option will reveal the source IP address of the noded tor.skip-proxy-for-clearnet-targets=true [bolt] # Whether the databases used within lnd should automatically be compacted on # every startup (and if the database has the configured minimum age). This is # disabled by default because it requires additional disk space to be available # during the compaction that is freed afterwards. In general compaction leads to # smaller database files. db.bolt.auto-compact=true
[Unit] Description=LND Lightning Network Daemon Wants=bitcoind.service After=bitcoind.service OnFailure=status-email@%n.service [Service] ExecStart=/usr/bin/lnd --prometheus.enable ExecStartPost=+/etc/lnd/unlock Type=simple Restart=always RestartSec=30 TimeoutSec=240 StartLimitIntervalSec=500 StartLimitBurst=3 LimitNOFILE=128000 User=lightning Group=lightning PrivateTmp=true NoNewPrivileges=true PrivateDevices=true [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target
ExecStartPostbit is explained below in Hot wallet
OnFailureconfiguration is a custom script to send notifications when the service fails
--prometheus.enablepart requires the lnd exe to be built with the
monitoringflag (it is on the github releases)
lncli debuglevel --level=HSWC=debug
debug forwarding failures but turning up the log level on the HSWC subsystem
to TOR or not to TOR
- used to be a either-or, but lnd 0.14.0 added hybrid mode
- clearnet (non-TOR) is faster and much more reliable, which means more routing, but you lose privacy (IP connected to node)
I am running
Tor with the
tor user and group. I added the
lightning user to the
tor group so it should be able to access the proxy.
CookieAuthentication 1 CookieAuthFile /var/lib/tor/control_auth_cookie CookieAuthFileGroupReadable 1 DataDirectoryGroupReadable 1
unable to retrieve authentication cookie: open /var/lib/tor/control_auth_cookie: permission denied
Every once in awhile this fails on an upgrade of some sort, haven’t tracked it down…
- The problem sounds like this bug report which is suppose to be fixed…I just bounce tor when I see it.
torsocks telnet HOST.onion 9735
Connecting to the hidden service can be tested on a computer running tor with a simple telnet
lnd is a hot wallet app. It is creating bitcoin transactions for you, so it needs access to the private keys.
A common solution is to swing a bit from the security side back to more robust operations by creating a root protected script to unlock the wallet on startup. Used to do this with a startup script, but LND offers a flag for it now.
[Application Options] wallet-unlock-password-file=/some/safe/location/password.txt
The goal is to not lose offchain state on a catastrophic failure.
First, the state of each channel needs to be backed up every time there is a new commitment transaction. Second, restoring from a channel backup is dangerous. If you do not have the last commitment transaction and you accidentally broadcast an old (revoked) commitment, your channel peer will assume you are trying to cheat and claim the entire channel balance with a penalty transaction. To make sure you are closing the channel, you need to do a cooperative close. But a malicious peer could mislead your node into broadcasting an old, revoked commitment during that cooperative close, thereby cheating you by making your node inadvertently try to “cheat”.
The channel info under the
graph directory in
channel.db changes with every forward. It is dangerous to try and back up the graph though, cause if you transmit an “old” state a peer could think you are trying to cheat and take all the funds in the channel.
lnd offers a Static Channel Backup (SCB) which doesn’t change with every forward, but rather, channel open and close events. Much safer to recover from a catastrophic failure. The trade off though is that the SCB can only be used to force close the existing channels. So onchain fees will have to be paid, but that is probably better than losing all the offchain value.
- First line of defence is backing up channel state on HDD (separate from primary SSD).
- Second line is backing up to separate server (tbd) and running a UPS for power blips to avoid corruption.
- I use a
rsyncto sync encrypted channel state to some cheap object storage
- The script is triggered by a systemd path service which detects changes to the channel backup file
- I use a
The tls certificate used to connect to LND does expire at some point (!), but it looks like bouncing
lnd should create a new one these days.
Raiju is where I codify my learnings. I use it to find new nodes to open channels to and auto set fees based on channel liquidity.
Ride the Lightning (RTL) is a webapp for managing a node.
cd RTL git pull npm install --omit=dev --legacy-peer-deps
just cloning the git repo and building locally for updates
[Unit] Description=Ride the Lightning LND Frontend Wants=lnd.service After=lnd.service [Service] ExecStart=/usr/bin/node /home/lightning/RTL/rtl User=lightning [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target
The Lightning Terminal from Lightning Labs has some unique features like “loop out”. Its more complex than a simple webapp connecting to a node’s RPC interface though, its default behaviour is to run an
lnd process under the hood. But don’t have to run it that way.
An even fancier feature is connecting remotely using Lightning Node Connect.
- use existing
lnddaemon instead of the integrated version (requires LND to have the
$ curl -OL https://github.com/lightninglabs/lightning-terminal/releases/download/v0.6.1-alpha/lightning-terminal-linux-amd64-v0.6.1-alpha.tar.gz $ tar -xvzf lightning-terminal-linux-amd64-v0.6.1-alpha.tar.gz
download litd release
uipassword=changeme httpslisten=0.0.0.0:8443 remote.lnd.macaroonpath=~/.lnd/data/chain/bitcoin/mainnet/admin.macaroon remote.lnd.tlscertpath=~/.lnd/tls.cert
[Unit] Description=Lightning Terminal Wants=lnd.service After=lnd.service [Service] ExecStart=/home/lightning/lightning-terminal/litd User=lightning [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target | <urn:uuid:e3d5b6b5-527f-4e37-a728-0794a5a7349f> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blog.yonson.dev/manual/technical/lightning/ | 2023-09-24T23:39:48Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.902131 | 7,212 |
Posted on Tuesday, January 4th, 2005
Forget running the country, making travel reservations is hard work. It's really, really hard work (well, if you don't care how much you'll be spending, it's actually kind of easy work... but to get any type of bargain is so hard). For instance, I've got another trip to Germany coming up. I am entirely flexible as to when I leave and when I return. You would think that such flexibility would mean that I could easily get a decent fare considering that Northwest has about a billion specials running right now.
You would be wrong, of course.
Apparently those wholly incredible wunder-rates only apply if you sacrifice a goat to the internet reservation gods, because I spent close to three hours trying to find them to no avail. I picked the proper dates. I selected the correct day of the week. I even crossed my fingers. Nothing seems to work. I ultimately ended up with a crappy $600 non-upgradeable (the horror!) fare.
Why is it so insanely difficult? I mean, why can't I go to the Northwest airlines site, tell it where I want to go, then have two calendars come up (one for departure, one for return) that will tell me when the sale rates are in effect? It's all computerized, so how difficult could it be?
Something like this would do two things... 1) Customers could easily spot which dates the sale is in effect, which dates are available, and how much the ticket will end up costing them. 2) Airlines could no longer post goofy, unachievable fares, and make their customers waste untold hours trying to find that "magic combination" that gets them the advertised promotional rate.
There are sites that attempt to do something like this, such as Orbitz's excellent "Calendar Matrix," but it's only for domestic flights and really doesn't show where you get the sale rates. Oh well. Whichever airline comes up with something to make reservations for sale fares easier to figure out will be the one that ends up getting my business. Right now they all suck.
Posted on Wednesday, January 5th, 2005
Twelve miles down the road from my home in Cashmere is the German-inspired theme town of Leavenworth. It's billed as "The Bavarian Village," but is referred to as "The Barbarian Village" by locals because of the massive influx of tourists that descend like a plague anytime some German-inspired event comes to town. Most of the festivals (like Maifest and Oktoberfest) are predictable. But to ensure a constant stream of tourism dollars, Leavenworth invents things like "Christmas Lighting Festival," "Winterfest," "Icefest," "Artfest," "Winefest," "Accordionfest," "Kinderfest," "Autum Leaf Festival," and "Christkindlmarkt." They'll probably add a dozen new events this year, and I am anxiously anticipating "Wienerschnitzelfest" and "Sauerkrautfest."
But anyway... it's a charming little town that's worth a visit if you happen to be wandering around Central Washington. In many ways, I consider myself lucky to have it nearby, because it's an easy way to kill time with visiting friends and there's a wide assortment of good restaurants and interesting shops available.
Tonight I took a quick fifteen minute drive into Leavenworth for dinner, and see that the town is still all lit up from the Christmas Lighting Festival, but the tourists are eerily absent...
Hmmm... my little pocket camera doesn't do so well at night. Next time I'll have to take my "real" camera with me (because that's the only way to truly capture a bratwurst in all its glory).
Posted on Sunday, January 30th, 2005
Passing through security was, for once, a pain-free experience (no strip-search!). That is not to say that all went perfectly. When I removed my laptop from its travel case, a data CD fell out with it, so I just set it on top. Apparently, this was not a smart thing to do. "LAPTOPS HAVE TO GO THROUGH X-RAY BY THEMSELVES" the disgruntled TSA minion declared. He then grabbed the CD and asked "IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY?" Which baffled me until I saw that the CD was labeled "Death Star Schematics." The actual embarrassment directly followed, because I had to explain that the CD really does contain Death Star schematics.
And, before you get all excited, it's not because I am a Bothan spy working for the Rebel Alliance who is attempting to smuggle the plans to Alderran. A couple of months ago I helped a friend (and fellow Star Wars geek) create a digital birthday card for his brother's 40th birthday celebration. The schematics, unfortunately, were just research (the implication being that if I possessed actual Death Star plans, and had the means to construct it, earth would be doomed).
But my geekified embarrassment quickly turned to tragedy once I made my way to the gate... I couldn't get wireless internet access in the South Concourse of Sea-Tac. There are two choices for me here: Cingular, which I can connect to but is so slow that it took five minutes to load up the login screen (you expect people to PAY for this crap service?) and Wayport, which must be down just now, since I can connect but can't get an IP address to have internet access. Lovely.
Given that I am now internet-free, I've had to go find some other amusements to keep me occupied...
Hmmm... this post is getting pretty long, and I'm not even half-way through! Time for an extended entry methinks.→ Click here to continue reading this entry...
Posted on Sunday, January 30th, 2005
For some reason I am an absolute magnet for annoying passengers on the flights I take. An example: the woman with a mustache next to me is smacking her gum and blowing bubbles. The man behind me is seriously hygienically-challenged. Even worse is the woman across the aisle, one row back, who is clueless as to the extent of her suicidal effect on those around her. She drones on and on, barely taking the time to catch her breath, all while the poor bastard stuck next to her is secretly praying for a heart attack (oooh... I'm having a flashback!). See if you can guess which of the following completely unrelated topics of discussion she is just dying to talk about...
The answer, of course, is all five. Fortunately, we have finally "reached an altitude where electronic devices may be used" so iPod Shuffle allowed me to tune her out before she disclosed God's real reason for smiting Asia with tsunamis (I only wish I was joking).
Please let me be seated next to a quasi-normal person for my connecting flight to Amsterdam.
Posted on Monday, January 31st, 2005
Here I am, back in Cologne. It seems like just yesterday that Perry and I started our Hard Rock Run through Europe here, but it looks like it was actually five months ago. Time flies.
Anyway, I've blogged before about how I love unique hotels with something interesting about them... or grand old classic hotels that have a real history to them. Well now I have another favorite to add to my list: The Hotel im Wasserturm. This is an incredibly cool hotel in central Cologne that was built out of an old water tower (once the largest in all of Europe!)...
My "junior suite" has sweeping views of the downtown area, thanks to being on the 10th floor and having windowed walls that curve 'round the tower... a very sweet suite!
Posted on Monday, January 31st, 2005
Sleep: One of the benefits (if you can call it that) of only being to sleep 4-5 hours every night is that jet-lag is a physical impossibility. I got around 3 hours of sleep on the flight to Amsterdam. Last night I went to bed at 10:30pm, and was wide awake at 3:00am. That's four-and-a-half hours, so nothing has changed. I can't even tell that I am nine hours displaced. I must be missing my internal clock.
Telly: Fortunately, with so much dead-time available to me, I brought plenty of downloaded television shows to watch. Primary amongst them are the last eight episodes of Battlestar Galactica which have already aired in the U.K. (they just finished episode #13 while we're only at #5). I can only guess it's because Sci-Fi Channel wanted to air them later so they had something new going during "sweeps?"
Powerbook: My aging PowerBook G4 has been drug around the world numerous times, and is in constant use back home as well. Because of that, it's getting pretty beat up and I should start thinking about getting a new one. Apple just speed-bumped their entire PowerBook line, added some nifty new upgrades, and lowered the prices... so now might be time. The 15-inch PowerBook I wanted last week was $2900, whereas now it's $2300 (and is faster with more features). Of course, it might as well be $23,000,000 because I ain't got that kind of cash.
Connect: My internet connection here at Hotel im Wasserturm is $13 for two hours. It baffles me that even the cheapest of hotels in the US offers free internet, whereas hotels in Europe gouge you for a connection. Hopefully some big hotel chain will start the ball rolling with free internet so everybody else will have to follow suit to compete, because this sucks ass.
Daylight: I've ranted about the stupidity of Daylight Saving Time a few times in this blog, but must admit I find it strange that it's 6:30am outside and still dark! Ah well, time to get dressed so I can go to work.
Posted on Tuesday, February 1st, 2005
Native English-speaking people are either really lucky or really lazy, and I can never make up my mind which it is. Because every time I attend some kind of international gathering... a meeting, a trade show, an exhibit, or an event of some kind... it never ceases to amaze me how many non-English speaking people are fluent in several languages. And, of course, everybody knows English, which makes it the "lowest common denominator" for the internationally-minded traveler. I guess that puts "American-English" just one level above grunting and making obscene gestures, but at least you can watch the latest Julia Roberts movie once you've mastered it.
Since I am already fluent in English (which is debatable, I grant you) the incentive to learn a foreign language for practical purposes is quite low. Sure I can make basic conversation in Japanese, and know a smattering of helpful phrases in Spanish, French, Italian, and German, but that's a long way from fluency. In fact, unless the conversation is about finding a toilet, saying "thank you", or ordering a cheese sandwich, then I am pretty much useless.
And I hate that about myself.
Seriously... the kid clearing my lunch table here today knows German, French, Italian, English, and some Dutch. And I don't mean that he has memorized a few phrases so that he can ask "may I take your plate" - this guy can actually discuss the finer points of nuclear fission and the perils of using low grade uranium and light metals for the process, all in your choice of tongues.
And there you have one of the cultural differences that set us apart. In the USA, any native who is fluent in a foreign language is considered a genius and should be working as a translator at the United Nations to bring about world peace. In other countries, if you know five foreign languages, you are considered average and are qualified to handle dirty dishes in a restaurant.
I guess that makes native English-speaking people both lucky that we don't have to learn another language and lazy in that we so rarely bother. I feel really stupid today.
Oh, and before I forget, I received five emails about Hotel im Wasserturm, so I'll try and address the questions y'all have about it here in an extended entry (though, you should really try leaving comments so everybody can get involved... it's painless, and you don't have to even provide any personal information if you don't want to!).→ Click here to continue reading this entry...
Posted on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2005
Confidentiality agreements preclude me from ever discussing my work here on this blog, but I can say that I took a nice detour to the largest candy and biscuit show in the world today ("biscuit" meaning "cookie" for the benefit of any Americans out there). This fascinating trade show which showcases sweets from around the world is the ultimate exercise in restraint, because every booth is passing out free samples of the delectable treats they make. And, since this was the last day of the show, most companies are desperately trying to get rid of everything so that they don't have to take it home with them. As I understand it, at 18:00 hours, the doors are open to the public, and scores of German sweet-tooths descend like locusts on to the showroom, devouring anything in their path. I would have really liked to have seen that.
Anyway, walking the show takes an entire day, because that's just how big it is. Even then, I was practically running from booth to booth so I would get to sample see everything. Here are my top-three favorites...
Yes, BLUE PEEPS were representin' in the house! There's something to be said for going on a pure-sugar high, and Blue Peeps are the best way to do so if you don't want to mess with any wacky flavors or other distracting ingredients that are not sugar. I also scored some Necco Wafers, Tootsie Rolls, Lemonheads, Hot Tamales, and a handful of other sugar-fied favorites that are guaranteed to keep me entertained for hours. I'm hoping my coma doesn't hit until I finish this entry.
I'm a sucker for any product that dares to put a screaming monkey on their package, and this banana candy that comes out of Brazil is a class act. All that's missing is a word balloon which says "BUY THIS CANDY OR DIE!" coming from the naughty monkey, and our slow descent into Planet of the Apes style madness can begin (so I've gone ahead and taken care of that for them). Sadly, they didn't have any bags I could take with me, but I did get a taste and it definitely kicks ass monkey-style. I'm hoping that some American importer picked it up so I can buy it at my local grocery store. This has "cult-favorite" written all over it, and I need me my monkey candy fix bad.
There were a number of products that had me saying "WTF mate?" (Swiss Army Chocolate?)... and Jack Daniel's Fudge was definitely on that list. But it's not the fact that it's an alcohol-based candy which has me confused (it's about time!)... it's because the stuff is made in Australia. Yes, for a weekend of fun, nothing beats tossing a shrimp on the barbie and then getting wasted on whiskey fudge while shooting kangaroos, koala bears, and other adorable creatures in the land down-under. I am so proud that in addition to Starbucks coffee and McDonald's hamburgers, America is now starting to export our entire redneck lifestyle to other countries. Go America!
Well, I'm off to pack my bags for a few days of vacation. Hopefully I will have internet access where I'm going so I can post the FridayQ this week.
Posted on Thursday, February 3rd, 2005
There's nothing quite like having to plan your next trip while in the middle of your current one. Especially in a foreign country at 4:00 in the morning. It's even worse when you consider the wild acrobatics you have to endure to find the best price. And that brings me to a rant that has been building for a long time...
Frequent travelers face a mystery that seems to defy logic every time they plan a trip: exactly how do airlines calculate their fare schedules? For example, my next trip is to Memphis, Tennessee. Coincidentally, Northwest Airlines has a hub there, so there is a direct flight out of Seattle (I should know, I was just there four days ago to transfer to my Amsterdam connection). Lucky break right? A direct flight with no connections is bound to be cheaper than a flight with a layover somewhere isn't it?
The answer, if you hadn't guessed, is "no."
Once my outbound flight from Wenatchee is removed, a direct flight from Seattle to Memphis is nearly a $600 round-trip. A staggering sum considering I flew all the way to Germany for $30 less (with two connections, one of them in Memphis!). But guess what? A flight from Seattle to Nashville (which requires a connection in Detroit) is just $320. WTF?!? That's that's almost half the cost! I wonder if there's something strange that happens when you calculate actual miles flown:
Nope, that's even worse! They charge 58% less per mile to fly 22% further, and that doesn't even begin to address all the extra costs that's involved in adding a second flight. What kind of bullshit economics is that? No wonder airlines are losing money! They charge less to use more fuel, more facilities, and more labor. The stupidity of such pricing is baffling to even the most mathematically challenged.
So guess what? I get to rent a car in Nashville then drive three hours to Memphis. Fine with me, they've got a swell Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville, so I'll be stopping there for lunch before I go. And then I guess I'll be having dinner at the Hard Rock in Memphis later that evening. I was going to have to rent a car anyway and, with unlimited mileage, I will still save hundreds (even after the gas to get there is factored in). That's lame.
It would be easy to put all of this on Northwest Airlines, but it seems all major airlines are guilty of the same crazy shit. So the next time the airlines start crying about what bad shape they're in and go begging the government for a bail-out, I hope Uncle Sam tells them to go f#@% themselves and instead demand that they hire a financial manager to explain basic economic principles to the people who set the pricing, thus encouraging passengers to fly a route that costs airlines less, not more...
Sheesh! Hmmm... I'd better get packed. A few days vacation in a warmer climate awaits!
Posted on Thursday, February 3rd, 2005
I took a quick two-hour flight on the ever-excellent GermanWings airline out of Cologne, and ended up in Barcelona. Since I had never been here before, it was going to be a new adventure for me. After taking the train into the city, I checked in to my hotel, grabbed my camera, and then headed out.
My first stop was The Cathedral, a compact yet no-less impressive church at the heart of Barcelona. Unfortunately, as with most places I've been visiting lately, the structure is completely covered in scaffolding and undergoing repairs. I was a little disappointed, but that vanished just moments after entering the grounds. It's hard to be upset when you are greeted by geese...
Leaving my new friends behind, I enter the building...
...and proceed to lose my mind. The architecture is just amazing here. Eventually I manage to tear myself away so I can go eat lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe...
Don't let the plain exterior fool you. Inside, it's all Hard Rock and very well done...
It's still fairly early, I think I'll go wander through Old Town and see what I can find.
Posted on Thursday, February 3rd, 2005
The most famous street in all of Spain is "Las Ramblas" in Barcelona. Here you can find shops of every kind, from famous designer brands to street vendors selling pets, flowers, food, toys, and everything else you can imagine. As the sun began to set, I spied a glow off to the side and realized it was an open-air produce market. The "St. Josep Mercat" to be exact. From the outside, it looks like it might be a single street which has been covered to protect the vendors from the elements (artfully framed with stained glass tiles)...
Inside, it is entirely another matter, as it ends up being a huge, sprawling market with row after row of the most beautiful produce you've ever seen. Massive strawberries so red they seem to glow. Beautiful peppers so fresh their smell fills the air. Everywhere you look there's mountains of perfect food, all painted with a bright rosy light for maximum appetite appeal. A photo can't really capture how overwhelming an experience this is for the senses, but I decided to try anyway...
A few vendors were selling bowls of freshly cut fruits, so dessert was at hand! As I headed back to the hotel with my prize, I decided to take some side streets so I could get lost in the hundreds of back alleys and tiny walkways that create a vast maze in Old Town Barcelona...
As I sit here eating strawberries and typing away on my PowerBook, I am saddened that I've only got a day-and-a-half left in this amazing city. I can't wait until sunrise so I can begin exploring once again.
Posted on Friday, February 4th, 2005
Given that this is my only full day in the city, I had made detailed plans as to how I wanted to spend it. I wrote down everything I wanted to see, then mapped from point to point, ensuring that I had the most efficient route planned. This is not the way I enjoy sightseeing, I loathe time-structured travel but, given my time constraints, it was the only thing I could do.
Museu Picasso: Most people only associate Pablo Picasso with his later, more surreal and abstract art. What seems to be overlooked is his earlier and equally brilliant works, forming a foundation from which his methods and stylistic choices were built. While a very nice museum, I actually think that Picasso is better represented in other venues I've seen. I was, however, blown away by a temporary exhibit of Alberto Magnelli works. This artist has a huge influence over my own painting efforts, and I was beside myself with excitement when I realized he was showing here. I've never seen so many of his works in one place, and cannot believe my good fortune in having seen this exhibit (it ends on Sunday!!). Sometimes I am the luckiest person on the planet.
The Arc del Triomf: A beautiful structure, and part of my effort to see city arches whenever I find them.
The Sagrada Familia: This was the most important thing on my list to see. To me, Gaudi is Barcelona, and this Modernista architectural marvel is his undisputed masterpiece even though it remains unfinished to this day, and he died before much was done on it. Wherever you look you see beauty in every form and, once it has been completed, I will be returning to Barcelona to see it (hopefully it will be finished in my lifetime!). Despite my extreme fear of heights, I took the lift to the top, and did my best to subdue my terror so I could look out over the city and better inspect the cathedral.
Casa Mila: Another Modernista wonder by Gaudi, Casa Mila is a bizarre structure, yet undeniably beautiful. There's something almost sinister about a building with no straight lines, but it somehow comes together as a compelling work of art.
Fundacio Joan Miro: I will admit I am not a Miro fan. On the contrary, I pretty much dislike every piece of "art" I've ever seen of his. Unlike Picasso, I never get the feeling that there's any talent behind his artistic endeavors, and they don't evoke any sort of emotional response either. All I see is a bunch of paint slopped on a canvas for no discernible reason. I did enjoy his "Barcelona Series" of lithographs, which are amusing doodles... almost cartoon-like in nature, but that was about it.
Museu Frederic Mares: This has to be one of the strangest museums I've ever seen. Mares collected very specific subjects, and being able to contrast and compare dozens of different versions inspired by the same source is enlightening. For example, where most museums would be content with one or two carvings of Jesus on the cross, Mares decided to show hundreds of them. All somewhat the same, but very different at the same time.
Salvador Dali: There wasn't time to visit Teatro-Museo Dali in Girona, but I was sure to stop by the exhibition here in Barcelona. Dali did so much more than the "melting clocks" that made him famous, and a nice chunk of that was on display, along with Dali photographs and sculpture.
All in all, a very full day that had me bouncing from one corner of the city to the other. Fortunately, Barcelona has an excellent public transportation, anchored by a terrific subway system. This allowed me to see everything on my list, and a few extra sights along the way. Only problem is that my legs are hurting from all the walking, and I am completely exhausted. I'd go to bed early and try to recover, but I'm meeting a friend for dinner and don't want to miss that!
Posted on Friday, February 4th, 2005
It's kind of odd when an American and an Italian meet in an entirely different country, but that's what happens when you are both living the jet-set lifestyle! Anyway, my fellow Hard Rock fanatic was in the neighborhood (well, relatively speaking... she was only an hour's train ride away) and agreed to meet up with me at the Barcelona Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Upon arrival, we both decided we'd much rather eat at an authentic Spanish tapas bar, then return to the HRC for dessert.
Unfortunately, after nearly exploding from eating too many different tapas (my favorite being "Patatas Bravas" - or spicy fried potatoes), we had no room for dessert! Still, it was great fun, and I was happy things worked out so that we could get together.
On the way to meet my friend, I ran across these two dogs who were very much bored at being tethered to a post, and were trying to entertain themselves by making friends with passing pedestrians. Some people were annoyed, but I thought the dogs were very polite about it...
Posted on Saturday, February 5th, 2005
I had exactly one goal on my final day in Barcelona before returning to Cologne this afternoon... touch the waters of the Mediterranean. I needed it to add to my "collection" of major bodies of waters that I've put my hands on.
It was a lot colder than I thought it would be, even for a dreary day in February.
After getting sand in my boots and frozen fingers, I took a walk up to the lobby of the world-famous Hotel Arts. I would have really liked to have stayed there, but it costs something like a billion dollars a night, so perhaps next time.
And now I bid Spain adieu...
Posted on Sunday, February 6th, 2005
Oh you just know the day is going to be crap when you get off to a really bad start. But first, a short tale as to how I came to be where I am now...
Because I knew I was going to be in Cologne for only six hours, I decided to book a hotel near the airport that had shuttle service. I didn't really mind how much of a dump it was, the only thing I cared about was that it had a shuttle bus. So, when I saw this "Quality Inn: Cologne Airport Hotel" among my choices at Expedia.com...
... that's all I needed to know, and I booked a room.
Except that the hotel is nowhere near the airport and does not provide complimentary shuttle service ("we don't have bus... call taxi"). The fact that I had to pay 20 Euro for a taxi to get there nearly caused me to explode with rage. Infuriated that Expedia could provide such blatantly false information, I fired off an email to customer service and got this as a reply:
Well how lovely is that? So If I list my apartment as a five-star resort complete with swimming pool, spa, beach club, and gourmet restaurant, does that mean I can rent out the hide-a-bed in my sofa as a hotel room on Expedia (even though the closest thing I have to a swimming pool is my bathtub?). I find it reprehensible that Expedia disavows all responsibility in their listings, and will start dealing with hotels directly from now on.
The really shitty part of the deal is this: for that kind of taxi fare I could have been staying in the actual city instead of in the middle of nowhere. It's really too bad, because I would have much rather eaten dinner at the Hard Rock instead of the mini mart at the Shell gas station across the street.
Anyway, In order to get to the airport on time, I have to wake up at 4:00am so I can get a taxi and be there by 5:00am (another 20 Euro down the toilet). I woke up shortly before then, chugged a Red Bull to get me moving, then started packing my things. It was then that I looked at my wristwatch and saw that it was not 4:00am... it was 2:00am. The clock in the television was wrong.
Good thing I drank that Red Bull.
After watching German television for two hours on a Red Bull buzz (or rather, American television dubbed with German translation), I'm off to the airport.
Posted on Monday, February 7th, 2005
And now I am back home. Unfortunately, it was not without incident. The latch on my PowerBook somehow broke when it was run through the security checkpoint in Minneapolis. I have no idea how much it's going to cost to fix but, since I've been wanting a new laptop, perhaps this is yet another sign.
And it only goes downhill from there. When I left a week ago, the mountain passes were bare. Last night a winter storm had hit as I was driving back, making a huge snowy mess that caused the usual 2 to 2-1/2 hour drive to take just under 4 hours. Since it had rained earlier in the day, the snow was falling on ice, meaning that the roads were extraordinarily slick... cars were flung off the road left and right, and cops were everywhere trying to help out. At least twice some dumbass would blow past me at reckless speeds, only to end up in an accident down the road. Idiots. I didn't even bother to stop, because 1) nothing looked serious... just morons stuck in a ditch, 2) it's their own stupid fault that they think 4-wheel drive makes them immune to icy roads, 3) I don't have a winch, so all I could do is laugh at them for being so stupidly careless, and 4) there were so many snowplows and cops out that they can deal with it, because that's what they are paid for.
I just don't get it. The roads are truly perilous. The snow is falling so hard that you can barely see two car-lengths ahead. You can't use high-beam lights to see where you're going because the falling snow just reflects them back in your face. And cars are being tossed all over the road, meaning you may have to stop at a moment's notice. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DRIVE AT RECKLESS SPEEDS?!? Seriously, I never drove over 35 miles per hour and barely made it home in one piece, especially considering my nerves were shot having to stare at this for four hours...
That's a car coming the opposite direction that's run off the road and appears to be hung up on a guard rail there on the left.
The night was finally made complete when I got home and noticed that the TSA had also busted the zipper pull on my suitcase. That's sucks ass because it's less than a year old! Sure I had a lock on it, but it was a TSA-approved lock!! Oh well, I guess if I can't repair it, I'll be buying a new suitcase in addition to a new PowerBook.
The one bright spot in the entire 19-hour ordeal of taxis, flights, layovers, and driving was a book I found at Amsterdam Schipol International Airport, called A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson...
I've never heard of the author before, but apparently he is well-known in the U.K. (where he lives now, though he was born in the US). He has a witty and engaging way of writing about him that I haven't seen in a long time... almost Douglas Adams-esque in a way.
Anyway, this wholly remarkable book tells the history of the universe and the scientific discoveries that have led us to understanding everything from the Big Bang and the formation of the earth, all the way up to atoms, molecules, cells, and the evolution of life itself. All presented in a relatively approachable manner that makes it tangible and understandable. I think even Creationists can appreciate the book from a historical perspective, as the stories of how things were discovered (whether you believe in them or not) are almost as compelling as the discoveries themselves. Very sweet. Now I'm going to order up some of his other books at the library.
Posted on Thursday, February 17th, 2005
And now I'm off to Tennessee... I'll be sure to say hello to Elvis for you.
And with that, Dave has left the building.
Posted on Friday, February 18th, 2005
Back when I was a casual traveler, I often thought that flying First Class would be a utopia of flowing champagne, in-flight manicures, world-class dining, and non-stop entertainment. But, as is so often the case, such a fantasy was not to be.
This is not to say it's not better at the front of the plane... the additional leg-room and extra space alone is worth flying First Class. And sure, there are other benefits, including better food, never-ending drinks, all-you-can-eat snacks, and more attentive service. But when it comes right down to it, First Class is not all it's cracked up to be. How can that be?
Because there is so little "class" in First Class.
And to explain this, I will have to dispel a common myth... the misconception that people in the First Class cabin pay for their First Class tickets. This is rarely the case. Most people sitting in those big, comfy seats did not pay the ridiculous "F" fare, but were instead upgraded to First Class. There are many, many ways to get upgraded, but the most common is because you are a good customer. You fly lots and lots of miles with an airline, and so they reward you with First Class upgrades and other perks to keep your business and keep you flying.
And because I fly quite a lot I am pretty much assured of getting upgraded on any domestic flight, and have learned some tricks as to which days and what times to fly that will almost guarantee it. For international flights, I can sometimes pick a fare that will allow me to use my "mileage" to upgrade, but usually upgradable fares are far outside of my budget. In any event, I've got a narrow ass that fits just fine in those tiny coach seats and can easily ignore the world around me, so getting upgraded is not something I obsess about. It's nice if it happens, but I'm not devastated when it doesn't.
But my "no-care attitude" is exceedingly rare among the frequent business traveller. I have seen passengers screaming at the gate agent because they can't get an upgrade. I have seen passengers actually re-book their flight if an upgrade didn't come through. In fifteen years of constant travel, I have seen it all: drunks, drugs, sex, fights, fire, yelling, screaming, singing, praying, crying, barfing, bleeding, evacuations, medical crises, emergency landings, prisoner transfers, and even a food fight. But all of that pales in comparison to a frequent flier not getting an upgrade. And the horror doesn't stop once they've gotten it.
Which brings me (finally) to my point. The most disappointing things that occur in-flight, always seem to happen to me while flying First Class, because there are just entirely too many assholes up there. Not everybody, of course, but there always seems to be one or two of them that just make me wish I could run to the back of the plane and hide out amongst the huddled masses in coach.
Today was such a day. This arrogant, obnoxious, disgusting pig of a passenger sat two rows ahead of me and was about as bad as it gets. No rules applied to him. HE got to bring extra luggage onboard (including a huge roller bag, a stuffed garment bag, and an enormous brief case). HE got to take up an ENTIRE OVERHEAD BIN with his shit. HE needed his Jack Daniels and Soda immediately. HE demanded they take his jacket ahead of everybody else. HE wanted to trade meals because the chicken was "unacceptable." HE can talk on his mobile phone during take-off and landing. HE could use his computer when electronic devices were no longer allowed... It was an entire flight of ludicrous demands and abusive demeanor that made me want to get up and stab him in the neck with my fork. If I had to sit next to the insufferable bastard, I'm sure I would have.
And all I can do is think back to those long-ago days where I would sit in my tiny coach seat, dreaming of a life of class and elegance behind that magical curtain at the front of the plane. Too bad reality had to come along and f#@% it all up.
Posted on Friday, February 18th, 2005
I end up in Memphis quite a lot, but usually just to change planes. I haven't been to the city proper in almost five years. I can't think of a really good reason for that except to say that I'm don't have work in the area very often. But come Monday, I do indeed have some work to attend to, so here I am.
And since Monday is a work holiday for me ("President's Day"), I decided to trade it out for today so I could come in early and take a drive down to the Florida Panhandle. Or, more specifically, the city of Destin, where a new Hard Rock Cafe opened up a while back.
I am planning on leaving at 7:00 in the morning for the nine-hour drive down. But right now I'm not thinking about that, I'm thinking about how my crappy airport hotel doesn't have a restaurant nearby, or even a vending machine available. I always like to go to bed a little bit hungry, but not starving. Something tells me this is going to be a long night.
Posted on Saturday, February 19th, 2005
When I woke up, the last thing I wanted to do was spend the entire day driving. Some vacation. But I was already committed to the trip, so it was off to the Hertz Rent-A-Car desk to pick up my ride. As usual, they decided to reward my "Gold Club" membership with a "car upgrade" from a nice compact Mazda to a massive Buick LeSabre. I know they think that they are being nice, but I HATE it when they do this! If I wanted a big-ass Buick, I would have ordered one! Not only am I uncomfortable in larger cars, I will be driving over a thousand miles, and would rather have a more fuel efficient model automobile. But I don't have time to argue with Hertz, so I pack up this gigantic beast of a car and take off. And check out that license plate, I'm a Texan now...
The drive to the Florida Panhandle was largely uneventful. Central Mississippi is pretty sparse along highway 55, with the exception of Jackson, so there's just not a lot to do along the way. There used to be the Hard Rock Beach Club out in Choctaw, but it has recently closed, leaving me with nothing but mile after mile of asphalt. About the hardest part of the entire drive through the state was at the very end when I had to make the decision to turn left and head to Mobile then onward to Destin... or turn right and head to New Orleans. Since New Orleans is one of my most favorite cities in the USA, you can understand my dilemma. But I had been to The Big Easy not so long ago, so Alabama it was.
But first I needed to stop for gas. I saw a billboard that said "EASY ACCESS" and "CLEAN RESTROOMS" with the "CLEAN" part underlined, so I figured that must be the place for me. Holy crap! If these were CLEAN restrooms, I shudder to think what a dirty restroom must look like...
Scary. I think I ran back to the car.
Now, unlike most times when you move from state to state without even realizing something has changed... entering Alabama is another matter entirely. The minute you cross the border, the majestic four-lane highway with a wide median in Mississippi instantly becomes a two-lane country road with no median at all. Suddenly there are Baptist churches popping up every five minutes. You start to see homemade billboards that say "JESUS IS LORD" and businesses with signs proclaiming "IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE, DON'T BOTHER STOPPING." Welcome to the deep, deep South.
Anyway, pretty soon I was in Mobile, then crossing into Florida, so I was making good time and all was well. After eating a late lunch at the Hard Rock and walking along a beach so white that it looked like snow instead of sand, I turned back toward Tennessee and made it as far as Birmingham (802 miles total)...
And tomorrow I am back to Tennessee for a trip into Gatlinburg to visit the only Hard Rock Cafe in the world with a wedding chapel attached, then onward to Nashville... a mere 518 miles, hah!
Posted on Sunday, February 20th, 2005
The drive up from Birmingham wasn't that bad until the rain started coming down... in a torrential flood. I know Seattle has a reputation for rain, but this was about as bad as I've ever seen it in either Seattle or Orlando. It made driving a bit difficult in spots (particularly when passing a truck), but I'm kind of used to the rain from my many drives over to Western Washington.
I've already mentioned how Nashville is an amazing city (even if you don't like country music), but here's the best part... they have one of my favorite hotels in the entire world: The Wyndham Union Station. If you've read my other travel notes, you already know that I have a fondness for unique, quirky, historical properties. This one is cream. What used to be Nashville's train station was turned into a stunning hotel in 1986...
"Beautiful" doesn't even begin to describe this majestic building, or even elude to the meticulous care they took in restoring it (the Tiffany stained glass ceiling could not have been easy). My room is right on the upper terrace, and is cavernous. I swear, it seems as though my ceiling is 20 feet tall! Right now, there was a wedding party below, and I am serenaded with really good music until bedtime, which is kind of a cool way to end the day.
You would think that this opulence would come at a high cost, but it doesn't. Because it's a half-mile from the downtown "scene," it is actually very reasonably priced (my internet rate was a measly $89!!). So if you ever end up in Nashville, there's really only one place to stay... the Wyndham Union Station, which I cannot recommend highly enough.
P.S. And, per request, here's a photo of the previously-mentioned Hard Rock Merch Shop, formerly known as the "Silver Dollar Salloon." Like the cafe behind it, the building is very narrow. If I remember correctly, the reason it got the name is because it was decorated with silver dollars pounded in the floor (or something like that).
Posted on Monday, February 21st, 2005
Apparently, the rain gods were not done with me yet. In the morning I took a walk to get some photos and it was overcast but nothing serious. An hour later when I checked out of the Wyndham, it was pouring buckets once again. Fortunately, by the time I was an hour out, the skies cleared up.
Now that I've come full-circle, my odometer is telling me I put a total of 1558 miles in...
My work wasn't starting until 1:00, which gave me plenty of time to stop by Germantown on my way into the city. This suburb of Memphis is infamous for the Apple Store sign fiasco a while back. If you've ever visited an Apple Store, you know that the only signage is a giant glowing Apple logo. Well, that's a double strike-out, because 1)You can't use food items in Germantown signage, including an apple and 2)You cannot have any self-illuminating signs either. It was eventually all worked out, but the store opening was delayed an entire month while the debate raged on...
The reason I stopped was to see if I could get some kind of deal on a new PowerBook, but there was no deal to be had. That's kind of a shame, because I would have purchased one on the spot if they had only offered to pop in some extra RAM or something. I guess Apple being Apple doesn't feel the need to deal. Oh well, when I can managed to scrape some money together, I'll just order one online. I sure hope they've improved the durability of the latch in the newer models.
Work finished early, which means I was able to change my flight to go home tomorrow instead of Wednesday, which is kind of nice. One more extra day at home before I have to ship out again. With my reservations changed, it's off to the Hard Rock for an early dinner, then onward to the lobby of the Peabody to have a drink and visit the ducks...
The Peabody is yet another landmark historic hotel that I enjoy quite a lot. On top of that, there's ducks, of course. Legend has it that manager of the hotel had a drunken inspiration to release his live decoy ducks into the lobby fountain. That was in 1931, and there are still ducks there today. In fact, now it's a daily ritual where red carpet is rolled out and the ducks descend in their private elevator from their penthouse retreat every morning at 11:00am, then return via the red carpet treatment at 5:00pm after playing in the fountain all afternoon. It's an amazing site, with band music, a Duck Master leader, and an entire lobby full of people cheering on a bunch of waterfowl. Good times.
Posted on Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005
The thrill of getting to come home a day early was slightly overshadowed by my hotel stay last night... whoever was in the room next to mine decided to smoke some harsh drugs of some kind, which filtered into my room throughout the evening. It was a non-smoking room, but I guess when you decide to do drugs, you've pretty much already thrown caution to the wind and laughed in the face of authority. I debated whether I wanted switch rooms, but as it got later and later, I finally just decided to stick it out and not go through the extra trouble.
As it ends up, that was stupid. Because when I woke up I found that I had a sore throat from the fumes.
When I got to the airport this morning, the check-in attendant apologized up and down that there wasn't an upgrade available to me, but when I got my boarding pass it was a First Class seat. Luckily, this time there wasn't an incident with any First Class assholes, so it was a pleasant trip home. I had some episodes of the TV show House on my laptop, so the time just flew by (so to speak). While I enjoy the show, every episode seems the same. Somebody gets sick with a mystery illness that nobody understands. They try something, it doesn't work. They try something else and make things even worse. Then, just before the patient is going to die, they miraculously figure out a cure. It's formulaic and gets tiring.
Anyway, now I'm back home for a few days. In going through my photos from my short trip just now, I found one I thought was kind of funny:
It's not that I wanted to call and report him for being a bad driver, his driving was fine, it's just funny that the driver is so paranoid about people reporting him that he felt the need to put duct tape over the number.
Posted on Sunday, February 27th, 2005
It's a perfectly lovely afternoon for breaking out my motorcycle. Which, of course, means that I must be flying out today. Granted I'm only gone until Wednesday but, given my luck, there will be snowstorms breaking the minute I'm back home (with a foot of snow on the ground). It's not that I'm pessimistic, it's just that I've been set up for disappointment far too often when it comes to the weather.
I suppose I should pack my suitcase. And make my rental car reservations. And load a new playlist onto my iPod Shuffle. And eat some lunch. Or maybe I should just forget it all and go back to bed.
Bah. I hope I have enough clean underwear for the trip.
Posted on Monday, February 28th, 2005
Things that are pissing me off right this minute...
Delayed: Naturally, my layover in Seattle for the flight to San Francisco was delayed. On-time departures are becoming exceeding rare now-a-days, and it has me seriously reconsidering air travel. To drive to San Francisco takes 12 hours. To fly here today (including all the time for transfers, security, and all the rest) took 10 hours. And it's not as if I am any less exhausted from flying than I would have been driving... they suck equally considering out of all that time, the flight from Wenatchee to Seattle is 40 minutes, and the flight from Seattle to San Francisco is 1-1/2 hours. And it doesn't help that Alaska Airline's connection schedule out of Wenatchee is pretty terrible in the first place.
Labels: The first blog entry I read this morning is from Patrick, which refers to a CNN article about how music labels are wanting to increase the cost of digital downloads so that they can make more money. What a bunch of monkey-spanking asshats! AT 99¢, DIGITAL DOWNLOADS ARE ALREADY TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE!! For example... to buy a CD of John Mayer's Heavier Things from Amazon costs $9.99 which is fine if you want a disposable piece of plastic that will clutter up our landfills once you've ripped it. To buy Heavier Things from iTunes Music Store costs $9.90... which seems pricey given that there was NO CD PRODUCED!! Digital music should be CHEAPER than CDs, and now dumbass music companies want to charge MORE?!? I can tell you right now that the minute it costs more to purchase digitally than it does to purchase a CD, I am STEALING EVERY f#@%ING SONG I WANT... WITH NO GUILT WHAT-SO-EVER!! If music labels think that punishing people who want to buy music legally is the way to increase profits, let's see how they feel when everybody is finally tired of their bullshit corporate greed and NOBODY buys music legally. Perhaps then musical artists will figure out a way to release their music WITHOUT dumbass record labels and we'll be rid of the label-system once and for all.
Verizon: Just found out that Verizon accidentally cancelled my DSL installation and has rescheduled it AGAIN... this time for MARCH 9th!! Good thing I signed up for one-month of dial-up service, because they've got their heads so far up their asses in coordinating between what is happening between the sales/service/disconnect/connect departments that I may NEVER get a hook-up.
Access: It used to be that I got pissed off when a hotel didn't have high-speed internet access available. Now that everybody seems to be getting it, I only seem to get pissed when they want to charge for using it. I am currently staying in the beautiful Westin Millbrae at San Francisco International Airport. It's home of the magnificent "Heavenly Bed" which makes me love Westin hotels so much, and gives the chain an edge when I have to decide where I am staying. Except they charge $11.95 a day for internet access, which sucks ass. I am of the feeling that internet is like running water and electricity... it is a necessary part of a hotel stay, and should be included with the room. From now on, I don't give a shit if my "Heavenly Bed" comes complete with a happy-ending full-body massage, so long as Westin charges for internet access, I'll be staying someplace else.
Hah: Just kidding. If Westin really did offer happy-ending full-body massages for free, not only would I not care that you had to pay for internet, I'd probably move in and never leave.
The one bit of good news is that BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) has finally made it all the way to the airport! So now it's just a $5 ticket to get into the city, which is a pleasant change from the $15 it costs for an airporter bus, $35 for a taxi ride, or $40 for a car rental. Too bad it's forecast to be raining all day today.
Posted on Monday, February 28th, 2005
When you are a vegetarian in San Francisco, there is really only one thing you need in order to decide where to eat, and that would be Dave's SF Veggie Restaurant Page. This amazing resource gives you the low-down for many of the Bay Area's finest vegetarian establishments, and is updated frequently. Among the most highly recommended on Dave's list is a Chinese restaurant called "Golden Era Vegetarian Cuisine," which has amazing food that's so delicious you will never miss the meat...
After a truly amazing meal of Pot Stickers, Spicy "Chicken" (imitation), and Plum Lemonade, we headed off to see The Aviator, which is a terrific film. And while I haven't seen the Clint Eastwood boxing-snuff flick Million Dollar Baby, I find it difficult to believe that it could be superior to the Scorsese epic about Howard Hughes. It had just the right balance of biography and action to be constantly entertaining though, as usual, Scorsese needs a stronger editor to pare down this 3-hour film by at least a half-hour (particularly the decline of Hughes' mental state, which went on for far too long). I suppose the most surprising thing about the film was the cast, with Leonardo DiCaprio turning in a shockingly good performance that redeems his lame Titanic work. Even more amazing was Cate Blanchett's eerie rendition of Katherin Hepburn... she OWNED that role, and earned the Oscar she got (and then some). I still maintain that Sideways, while somewhat entertaining, is in nowhere near the league of The Aviator, which is truly an Oscar-worthy nomination.
Oh, and before I forget, I just want to mention something that happened while I was at Fisherman's Wharf, on my way to meet Dave for lunch. Here, take a look at this...
See that five-dollar bill? Well that's all you need in lieu of an apology now-a-days.
While standing at the street by Pier 39 trying to figure out what bus I wanted to take, some ass-clown in an expensive suit comes out of nowhere, running for a taxi... AND KNOCKS ME COMPLETELY ON MY ASS IN THE PROCESS! He has his wallet out so, as he opens the taxi door, HE THROWS FIVE DOLLARS AT MY HEAD!! He doesn't say he's sorry. He doesn't ask if I am okay. He doesn't bother to help me up. He just throws a fiver at my head and gets in the damn taxi.
What the f#@%?!?
I don't know what makes me more disappointed... 1) That this inconsiderate, monkey-spanking ass-wipe thinks that throwing money at things is an acceptable way of dealing with a problem, or 2) That he thought I was only worth a measly $5. So now I've got a jacked-up leg that feels as though my hip has been ripped out of the socket... with which I have to make a 45-minute drive to the East Bay tomorrow morning. What is WRONG with people now-a-days? When did "sorry" turn into a $5 bill?
Posted on Monday, February 28th, 2005
Between family, friends, and work... I have been to San Francisco many, many times. And because of that, I'm about all "touristed out" on all the sights and attractions here. This is actually a good thing, because it allows me to concentrate on what's really important: 1) Visiting the San Francisco Museum of Art so that I can see Diego Rivera's The Flower Carrier, which is one of my most favorite paintings of all time.... and 2) Going to Chinatown so I can get some freshly-made fortune cookies that are so good, they come very close to proving there is a higher power at work in the universe...
The "Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Factory" is tiny. Barely a closet off of Ross Alley, actually. There's room for only two automated cookie machines, which are run all day long, churning out hundreds (thousands?) of cookies. In the ten years I've been going there, I see the same two ladies every time. As if the fresh cookies are not enough, if you purchase a couple of bags worth (at $3 each), they'll toss some of the ruined (unfolded) cookies in your bag... STILL WARM! There is very little that can compare to a deliciously crispy fortune cookie when it's hot off the griddle.
The forecast said it was going to rain all day today, but the weather was absolutely brilliant. Beautiful blue skies and crisp air all around. I took advantage of the day to visit the new Apple Store, then head down to the wharf so I could see if there were any interesting new pins at the Hard Rock Cafe there...
Yeah, that crab-thing at Pier 39 really freaks me out too. Anyway, it was about as perfect a day as you can get in the City By The Bay, which is very sweet indeed!
Posted on Tuesday, April 12th, 2005
Last night I decided to sit down and figure out exactly where I want to go on vacation this year. The first step is checking into airfare and prices of the various places I'm interested in visiting for some reason or another. Right now that would be Greece, Australia, Scotland, Sweden, Japan, and Thailand. Airfare is not really a big deal, because I've accumulated enough frequent flier miles to handle that. The big issue is food, lodging, and transportation once I get there.
Houston, we have a problem.
Everywhere I check, the costs are outrageously expensive. Prohibitively expensive. As in "there's no way I can afford to leave the country" expensive. And it's not because things in other countries are costing more, it turns out that it's because the US Dollar is practically worthless. Take a look...
The above graphs show the value of the US Dollar against the Euro, Japanese Yen, Australian Dollar, and British Pound. I didn't know where to start the graph, so I went ahead and picked a random date of January 20, 2001. As an odd coincidence, it's also the day that George W. Bush took office.
The graph doesn't mean much to me except A) it looks like I can't afford to vacation outside the US this year, and B) the US Dollar is going to crash any day now. Because the world revolves around me, I decided to make a new graph that shoes how Bushenomics affects Dave...
The above graph measures Dave's Vacation Prospects, The US Dollar Value, and Toilet Paper Value. As you can see, it turns out that a roll of toilet paper is worth more than the US Dollar, and the chances of me getting to go to Australia fall somewhere in-between. It's only a matter of time before Americans figure this out, and rampant toilet paper theft starts plaguing the country. Better wipe 'em now while you still can!
Four more years of Bushenomics means that we might as well start wiping our asses with dollar bills and save the toilet paper for more important things... like making clothing and shelter.
Posted on Sunday, May 15th, 2005
The Dave struts confidently down the newly remodeled concourse of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He is the picture of sweet styling and high fashion because he is wearing a classy Blogography Logo T-shirt. As a seasoned world-traveler, The Dave has seen it all. He's done it all. He knows it all. There will be no surprises on this trip. How could there be? It's a ridiculously short 2-hour flight to Salt Lake City! The world is but a playground for The Dave's jet-set lifestyle. Knowing this, The Dave turns boldly into the restroom...
And is immediately greeted by a guy shaving his chest over the sink with an electric razor.
Knowing The Dave as you do, what happens next?
But, before the answer, a brief interlude: As I sit here typing this, a man is behind me screaming at the top of his lungs... "HURRY UP!" and "MOVE IT!" and" WOULD YOU RUN DAMMIT!" A minute later, a harried housewife and a teenaged girl, both in dress shoes, go running past... their high-heels making a pleasing "click click click click" on the floor tiles as they pass. Smartass that I am, I say (loudly) "somebody needs to be slapped!" Which gets a few laughs in the waiting area and "the stare of death" from this freaky moron. It's not the first time.
It's going to be one of those days. When I first arrived at the gate, the previous flight to Atlanta was just pulling out as a man came running up. Apparently, he expected that they would call the plane back to the gate, and was quite put-out when they did not... throwing his duffle bag at the electronic ticket-taker. It never fails. Everybody seems to think that they are so important that an entire flight of people should have to wait on their tardy asses. His excuse? THE SECURITY LINES WERE LONG AND IT TOOK FOREVER TO GET THROUGH!!! Yes sir, that's why they recommend you arrive 90-minutes before your flight. Dumbass.
Anyway, the correct answer is "F" - yes, "F" is the answer. A guy shaving his chest in a public restroom is entirely too scary for me to acknowledge... especially this early in the day. Besides, I couldn't get my "Lady Soft-Touch" razor through security.
Posted on Monday, May 16th, 2005
High winds and torrential rains are causing chaos in the streets of Salt Lake City tonight. A good chunk of the city is without power. Entire stretches of traffic lights are out downtown, seemingly at random. My hotel is very lucky to have power, but the television is out. Sirens can be heard screaming through the night at regular intervals. The end is near.
I just came back from a 15-minute trip to the business center so I could use the printer, and there was a continuous stream of people calling and stopping by to see if rooms were available. Since the hotel next-door is without power and this hotel got the overflow, no rooms are to be had. I feel just a little bit guilty.
And here's a helpful hint to people who may not know what to do in this situation: When a traffic signal has gone out, the intersection becomes an all-way stop. Each car comes up to the intersection, stops, and then everybody takes turns proceeding through the intersection on a first-come, first-serve basis. YOU DO NOT JUST RIP THROUGH AN UNCONTROLLED INTERSECTION AT FULL SPEED, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE STUPID. S-T-U-P-I-D!! The car ahead of me was nearly totaled by some ass-clown in a charcoal-gray S.U.V. who was apparently oblivious to this handy tidbit of knowledge. RTFM, idiot, because it's the LAW.
Where is Judge Dredd when you really need him?
Ah well. I am out of here tomorrow morning anyway... electricity or not.
Posted on Tuesday, May 17th, 2005
Woo hoo! Vacation-time baby! There are indeed benefits to working through the night... especially when it means that it gives me an extra day to goof off in Utah. And let me tell you, there is a lot of places to be goofing around in this state. I drug my lazy ass out of bed at 7:00am (after a blissful five hours of sleep) so I could hit the road early. All because I wanted to see "Goblin Valley" which is supposed to be a really cool place.
And it is.
The entire valley is filled with interesting lumps of rock just begging to be explored. It's kind of like a giant field of mushrooms, except the mushrooms in question are fifty feet tall, made of stone, and probably don't taste that great in a spaghetti sauce...
When I hiked down inside the valley, some bitchy woman was bitching to her equally bitchy husband saying "THIS IS STUPID! I DON'T SEE ANY GOBLINS!! WHY DO THEY CALL IT GOBLIN VALLEY??" I'd imagine that is because the skanky ho only sees this...
Whereas I was seeing something entirely different when I looked at the same scenery. Goblins everywhere I looked. Hundreds of them...
When people tell me that I act like a child, I am never offended. It just means I get to look at the world in a much cooler way than everybody else my age. Sometimes it really is good to be me.
Posted on Wednesday, May 18th, 2005
GAAAH! I am completely without the world today. NO internet. NO mobile phone reception. NO newspaper. And only a tiny 13-inch television with four channels to let me know that there is life outside of my small corner of Utah. I guess I should have posted yesterday's blog entry when I had the chance?
I am currently in lovely Bullfrog Bay on the shores of Lake Powell. Except it really isn't a lake... it's just a big canyon full of water that flooded in when they built a huge dam down-river. Some friends asked me to meet them here so we could go boating around the inlets and see some cool stuff. Apparently, the water level is the lowest it has been in a very, very long time, so you can see things that are normally buried under water.
Like this tree, for instance...
If you look at the cliffs, you can see where the water-line usually is, because the rocks have been bleached. Only the red rocks are supposed to be showing above the water, or so I am told. That would mean that this tree is usually under about 80 feet of water, and hasn't seen daylight in 40 years. I wonder how come it hasn't completely rotted through? You can't help but feel sorry for the poor guy. He was just minding his own business, when some asshole comes along and builds a dam, then suddenly he's underwater thinking WTF?
And here is a boat that sunk years ago...
Yeah, I know that it seems to have ran aground and crashed into the shore, but it didn't. That's because the shore usually isn't anywhere near here. It just so happens that the water level is so low that it looks that way. If you examine the rocks carefully, you will see that the water-line is usually way, way back there. No sign of Gilligan or The Skipper.
But the best part is cruising into these little grottos that usually don't even exist because they're buried underwater. Some really funky shadow-and-light stuff can be found that takes your breath away...
Not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Except now I'm sunburned and tired and have a five-hour drive ahead of me later today. Bleh.
Posted on Thursday, May 19th, 2005
Apparently, ever-escalating gas prices are not deterring people from traveling to our National Parks. It's not even Memorial Day yet, and Zion is filled with people. I cannot fathom what it will be like in another week. I suppose I should just count my blessings and be happy I am here in the first place. After all, many people will never get to see stuff like this.
But where there are people, there are dumbasses. And where there are a LOT of people, you are guaranteed a LOT of dumbasses.
And I'm not just talking about the obvious morons... the ones who stop right in the middle of the trail rather than stepping to the side so as not to block traffic... the ones who continuously state the obvious (like "wow, that's a big rock!" and "look, it's a tree!")... and all the rest... no, I am talking about the "truly gifted dumbasses" who make you long for the day it becomes legal to shoot people for being stupid.
For example, I am walking along, actually bothering to look around me (unlike most people who practically run to the intended destination), when I spot a deer just a few feet away from me. I take a minute to compose my shot and look for the best angle...
And then took a couple of quick shots just for fun...
Then I notice an elderly couple with their cameras ready, so I quietly step out and whisper "let me get out of your way" as the old guy says "that's okay, I don't think he's going anywhere" with a chuckle. And then, rounding the corner comes the queen of dumbasses...
Loud-mouthed bitch: WHAT'S THIS? WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? OH IT'S A DEE-AH!
She sounds like a cross between Gladys Cravits on Bewitched and Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld and every bit as annoying...
Loud-mouthed bitch: EVERYBODY HURRY UP OR YOU'RE GOING TO MISS THE DEE-AH!! HURRY EVERYBODY... IT'S A DEE-AH RIGHT HERE!!! GET YOUR CAMERA!
Well, needless to say, the deer immediately bolted and the guy who was patiently waiting never got his shot. When the stupid bitch's friends caught up, she had to tell them that the deer ran away, to which I added "yeah, because you started screaming and scared it away." She then had to tell me I was a "rude boy" which was so funny in its irony that I just laughed in her face.
Not ten minutes later, I saw a squirrel and was going to attempt to sneak a shot of the little speed demon. But then a pair of dumbasses came along with their walking sticks that apparently double as noise-makers echoing through the canyon... TAP TAP TAP! TAPPITY TAP TAP TAP! TAPITTY TAPITTY TAP!! What a couple of f#@%ers! "THANKS A LOT" I say. "Duuuuhhh... whut!" they respond. Of course, they don't even realize they are total dumbasses. They never do. This is the best I could get as the squirrel ran away...
And, speaking of squirrels, these signs are posted all over the park, and I couldn't help but wonder about it from the squirrel's perspective...
Posted on Thursday, May 19th, 2005
Zion National Park is pretty nifty... if you are not afraid of heights. But, for those of us who DO have problems with heights, it's not the best place to be (Bryce is even more spectacular, has easier access to the sights, and doesn't involve clinging to the side of a mountain to see them). With that in mind, I had a nice day at the park, but really didn't get to see it the way it was meant to be seen.
The conversations pretty much go like this...
Guy: Oh dude! Zion rocks! You've GOT to do the "Angel's Landing" hike... it will blow your mind!
Me: Cool! Thanks, I'll definitely look into that.
Guy: Just be sure you've got a good pair of boots. Oh... you're not afraid of heights are you?
Me: Yes. Terrified of heights.
Guy: Ah. Well there's a walk along the river that's kind of nice...
And so it goes. Everything that looks really cool on the Zion trail map has a little icon next to it of a man slipping on the edge of a cliff and the words "WARNING: STEEP CLIFFS" emblazoned on it. Uhhh... no thank you. If I were to even attempt something like that, I would start sobbing like a baby and need to be sedated and physically removed from the mountain.
Oh well. There are still some pretty sights to be seen. Ansel Adams I am not, but I gave it my best shot...
Wait a second... actually, that's not too bad! Ansel Adams must just fool people into thinking he's an artistic genius because he used black & white photography. Well I can do that...
Yeah, right. Okay, Ansel Adams actually was a genius. Probably best not to attempt a comparison like that again.
Still no sign of Neo and Morpheus.
Posted on Friday, May 20th, 2005
Ah, my last day in beautiful Utah started out in Zion to watch the sun rise over the park. After that, it was all about heading North so I could get back to Salt Lake City. But, along the way, I decided to get the most out of my $20 Zion Entrance Fee and take a look at the Northwestern corner called "Kolob Canyons." It's pretty sweet, but going in the morning was a big mistake, because you have to look directly into the sun to see all the coolest scenery. That means photos are pretty much out of the question, though I did snag one that wasn't all glare...
Once back in SLC, I decided to go watch Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith in a decent theater. After reading all the rave reviews, I was really, really looking forward to it. Well, now that I've seen it, I have one thing to say...
George Lucas should never be allowed to write or direct ever again.
George Lucas sucks so much ass as a filmmaker NOW that I find it impossible to believe that he was responsible for films like American Graffiti and the original Star Wars THEN. He is an embarrassment to himself and his profession. His once brilliant talent has been pissed away to depths impossible to fathom twenty years ago.
Revenge of the Sith was indeed better than the first two prequels... but that wasn't hard to do. Both Episodes I and II were tragically bad. Horrendously, praying-for-death bad. Lucas had nowhere to go BUT up. That he managed to do so just shows he at least has the smarts to hire some very talented people to save his hack ass. In the grand scheme of the Star Wars universe, I'd probably rate them like this...
And before you decide to attack me because you think that Revenge of the Sith is the coolest movie you've ever seen... think about it for a second. What was so cool about it? The awesome space battles? The mind-blowing special effects? The stunning settings? The kick-ass light-saber fights? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. But Lucas didn't do any of that shit. Industrial Light and Magic created all of that. Let's take a look at what Lucas WAS responsible for... horrible, cheesy dialog that is so bad that I was visibly wincing as phrases like "it is your love that makes me beautiful" stank up the screen. He's also responsible for getting crap performances out of otherwise incredible actors. Does he even bother to actually DIRECT his characters? You can tell they're trying, but there's simply too many scenes where they wander through like zombies spouting all that f#@%ed-up dialogue.
But what I loathe most of all is that Lucas excels at drawing you into these fantastic worlds, only to sabotage himself with stupid, unforgivable shit. A fantastic scenes of Wookies on the rampage has me totally engrossed... until it's f#@%ed up by a Wookie doing the "Tarzan yell" as he swings through the jungle. WTF?!? Congratulations you dumbass, you've just shattered the illusion you worked so hard to create. But it's nothing new... Lucas is ALWAYS destroying scenes with childish bullshit like burps and farts. He defends himself by saying that these movies are written for kids... but kids from WHEN? The 1960's when this kind of idiotic, juvenile behavior was actually funny? Now it's not just lame, it's stupid.
Despite all of that, I must admit to having a good time at the movie. If you can ignore the dialogue and acting, it's a Sci-Fi lover's dream come true to finally see the birth of Darth Vader... those epic space battles... all those geeky touches (was that the Millenium Falcon?)... it's the first movie since Empire Strikes Back that actually feels like Star Wars again. I just can't help but wonder how amazing this film could have been had Lucas done the right thing and passed the dialogue writing and directing to more capable hands.
Posted on Saturday, May 21st, 2005
Thanks to heinous flight connections between Delta and Horizon Airlines, I am stuck in Seattle with a three-hour layover. The good news is that they've got Wayport WiFi on the "C Concourse" in addition to the crappy Cingular service (which I have never been able to access even once). This is good news, as it allows me to sync all the work I've been doing for the past week to the office so it can be awaiting me Sunday morning. Yay.
While I sit here watching the FTP transfer, I might as well clean house from the past week...
Mobile: Some bitch is screeching into her mobile phone across the lounge from me. I am concentrating really, really hard to make her head explode, all to no avail. She is a perfectly deplorable specimen of womanhood... sitting there with her legs all spread out like a dog in heat. I can only guess that it's to accommodate the huge set of balls it takes to be so astoundingly rude and uncaring as to the comfort of others. If there is a lawyer reading this... exactly how much trouble could I get into if I were to just get up, walk across the room, grab her phone, throw it on the floor and stomp on it, then bitch-slap her gum-smacking face so hard her teeth rattle?
Sith: The topic du-jour everywhere I go is Revenge of the Sith which is interesting. The general consensus seems to be "I liked it a lot, but..." (then fill in the blank). Even more interesting? Everybody has something different as to what is bothering them about it. Some petty, but others profound. Some problems I had never even thought of until it was mentioned. The most intriguing aspect is that these are not sci-fi geeks... just "regular" people. I guess that Star Wars is so ingrained in our culture that its something everybody has feelings for.
Q-Less: Next week's "FridayQ" will mark the meme's one-year anniversary. I have not yet decided as to whether I should carry on with it. I originally intended it as an easy way to fill up a Friday blog entry when the "Friday Five" died. But now the Friday Five is back, so I wonder if it's even necessary? I guess I've got a week to decide. Maybe somebody else would like to take it over? A warning: it's not as easy as it might sound. Oh well, suggestions are always welcome.
Shirt: If I had brought some "Bad Monkey" T-shirts with me this trip, I probably could have sold dozens of them. Quite a lot of people stopped to comment on it or ask where I got it (my favorite was the woman who said "hi there you bad monkey!" as she passed me in Goblin Valley, then started laughing hysterically). I passed out the URL thinking nothing would come of it, but new orders keep showing up every day. I am going to have to order more shirts when I get back, though I was hoping to wait until the new designs were voted on.
Pod: In looking around me, everybody seems to have an iPod with them. And yet, the Apple Death Watch doomsayers are still saying Apple will go under any minute now? What does Apple have to do in order to get these people to shut the f#@% up? Obviously a wildly successful line of products and overwhelming market share in the digital music player market is not enough.
Firearm: Oh terrific, yet another screeching bitch is on her mobile phone in the next row. I need a gun. And a beer. Many beers.
Booked: My files have all been uploaded, and now I am signing off so I can get back to reading a book I picked up in Salt Lake called Just One Look by Harlan Coben. Apparently, he is quite the famous author, but I have never heard of him before. I like the book quite a lot (so far) and will definitely be checking out his 11 others once I've finished it.
Posted on Tuesday, May 31st, 2005
Seattle is famous for its rain, which is only partially correct. The city does get its fair share, but there are many days of clear blue skies and sunshine too.
But today is not one of those days.
Today the heavens decided to split open and dump a deluge of water on the downtown city streets. It is not a pretty site, and people have vacated the sidewalks to escape the flood. I tried to photograph the chaos as thunder was booming above, but the rain was so dense all you could see was a blur. After waiting a bit for the rain to lessen, I finally managed to take a photo down 1st Street in Pioneer Square...
If you look carefully, you can see the rain still streaking through the shot. Kind of strange that just last week Seattle was suffering through record high temperatures.
I am tired to the point of collapse, so it's off to bed for me... if you are looking for a bit of entertainment, you might want to check out Maddox's review of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which is pretty harsh (but very funny).
Posted on Wednesday, June 1st, 2005
I am one of those people who believes that complimentary internet access should be included with every hotel room... kind of like a toilet, bed, and those little bottles of shampoo. Nothing pisses me off faster than having to pay an additional charge for internet after already having paid through the ass for a room.
But there is something worse... paying for SHITTY internet access.
Such is the case for the newly remodeled Vance Hotel in Seattle. They use "Eleven Wireless" as their paid provider. Eleven Wireless sucks ass. Primarily because you have to pay $10.95 a day to use it. But on top of that you have to create an account that expires at the end of the day AND CANNOT BE EXTENDED!! Oh no... you have to create ANOTHER account on the second day. Then another on the next, and so on. What's the f#@%ing point in creating a f#@%ing account if you can't f#@%ing buy more time to f#@%ing add to it? Dumbasses. As if that weren't enough, half the time pages don't come through, so you have to push the "reload" button two and three times to see anything.
While eating dinner at the ever-excellent Il Fornio restaurant tonight, I had the grave misfortune of spattering tomato sauce from my fabulous Cappellacci Di Zucca on my Bad Monkey T-shirt. Ordinarily, this would not be a big deal, as I have twenty more back home. But this one is my favorite because it's been washed a dozen times and has reached that comfy-soft stage that's so prized by T-shirt connoisseurs. As you might guess, tomato sauce is next to impossible to get out, so I just resigned myself to the fact that the shirt was probably a goner. But when I got back to my hotel room, I remembered I had these little "Oxi-Clean" stain sheet packs in my bag.
Miracle of miracles... the stuff actually works! With a little patience, the stain eventually disappeared, and my shirt is as good as new. NOTE TO SELF: buy more Oxi-Clean travel packs when I get back home, and stick them in my backpack, my desk drawer, and my glove box. No telling how many pieces of clothing I could have saved over the years if I had these little suckers available (or if I weren't such a sloppy eater).
Now, if you will excuse me, NBC has The Eagles "Farewell 1 Tour" running. It's not like that's something you can pass up watching.
Posted on Wednesday, June 1st, 2005
It's pushing midnight in the Emerald City and I just had to change hotel rooms.
What kind of total ass-bag, sack-licking tool decides to throw a party ON A WEEKNIGHT in a hotel room, downtown, when most of the people staying there are undoubtedly business travelers who have to... oh, I don't know... SLEEP... so they can get up and f#@%ing go to work in the morning?
I swear, one of these days somebody is going to pull this shit in the room next to mine and I am going to totally lose it. I think it will go something like this...
ME: Knock! Knock!
INCONSIDERATE NOISE-MAKING DUMBASS: Who is it?
ME: Room service.
INCONSIDERATE NOISE-MAKING DUMBASS: (while opening door) Funny. I didn't order any...
ME: (with a shotgun) BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
ME: DIE f#@%ERS! DIIIIIIIIIEEE!
And then I would do a little dance in the middle of the room after setting the bodies on fire. I am so not kidding. This is the type of crap that turns normal, every-day people into homicidal maniacs. More and more it seems that common courtesy and manners slide just a little bit further into non-existence. People only seem to care about themselves now-a-days, and don't even bother to think about how their stupidity affects others. I honestly don't know what to think about that... do I laugh, cry, or go buy that shotgun?
Posted on Saturday, June 25th, 2005
After spending ten hours at work on a Saturday, nothing could be more fun than spending another four hours trying to book travel reservations.
I am being sarcastic, of course.
Despite the strides made by companies like Orbitz and Expedia, making reservations still suck ass. I am attempting to book back to back to back trips for July, and nothing seems to be working out right. For example, I go to Orbitz and manage to get the flight I need at $470. Great. But when I go to actually book the f#@%ing ticket, Orbitz tells me that the fare I selected is no longer available, and it will now cost me $588. Thinking that I could do better by buying direct, I go to Northwest Airlines. But NWA tells me they don't have any flights serving my route, which is surprising considering that Orbitz was perfectly willing to sell me a fare on their airline. And it's no dice with Expedia, which comes up with some truly freaky routes that end up taking me TWO DAYS to get to the East coast!
Having no choice now, I eat the extra $118 and buy from Orbitz.
So now I'm giving up and going to bed.
(and dreaming of bitch-slapping the people responsible for making simple online booking so freakin' difficult)
Posted on Saturday, July 9th, 2005
I've spent the last several hours attempting to organize my travel arrangements for the next two weeks. It's a good thing I did, because I forgot a rental car for Boston and a hotel in Hartford, Connecticut. Usually I don't make mistakes like this, but my overwhelming work schedule for the past several weeks made it easy to overlook things.
I just hope that I can get some sleep tonight so I can get up at 4am tomorrow morning. Argh. The good news is that if things go as planned, I'll accomplish a few nifty things next week:
Still trying to find time to work on Dave's Bad-Ass Blogography Show. I don't know why I thought this was going to be easy... because every step has been horrendously difficult. The animation alone takes hours for even the simplest things. I guess the good news is that once I get a sequence figured out, I can reuse the movements in other shows. I'm hoping this means that future episodes will come together much faster than this one.
Another major challenge is getting the cartoon likenesses for my guests to look even remotely like the actual people they're supposed to represent. I killed an hour story-boarding the sequence where that freak Jared (from those idiotic Subways commercials) appears. The segment requires building two additional sets and some challenging props, but I think it will be worth it...
I can't decide if Jared's appearance on the show is funny or cruel, but I don't really care. It's not my fault he makes those stupid-ass commercials which are so grossly misleading people. What an annoying, sack-licking Subway whore.
Posted on Sunday, July 10th, 2005
My fantasy of getting more than four hours of sleep for a long day of travel did not come to pass. This is probably a good thing, because a zombie-like state helps dramatically when trying to ignore the plethora of morons that I'm bound to encounter.
Like now. As I sit here at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, some rude bitch is screaming into her mobile phone about how horrible her vacation was. Needless to say, the rest of us here are just riveted as to the juicy details... broken shower, no hot water, not enough towels... and on and on. I try to imagine how anybody could possibly want to hear this shit, and my sympathies go out to the person on the other end of the line.
It's not all tragedy though. Whilst looking for a magazine to kill my two-hour layover, I see Elizabeth Hurley staring back at me from the cover of VEGAS...
Sure it's only a one page interview, but there are four amazing shots of the most beautiful woman on the planet inside, so I don't much care. I mean, damn! Faint with hope that she is promoting a new movie or something, I race over to her entry on IMDB and see that she still doesn't have anything past Method waaayyy back in 2004. Shucky darn.
Oooh ooh! First my flight to Seattle was oversold, now my flight to Minneapolis is oversold... and somebody at the check-in counter is very, very unhappy that he doesn't have a seat yet. On one hand, I can't blame him but, on the other, he will probably get on when they release seats at the half-hour mark (and we're 45 minutes away yet). When that happens, all his crazy antics will have been for nothing, but oh well. I suppose there's no point in telling him that he wouldn't be in this predicament if he had shown up the recommended 90 minutes early instead of 45.
I keep having Japan flash backs due to my delirious state of semi-consiousness. The first time was while riding the airport subway... the automated voice-box was cycling through a few different languages as I was nodding off. Suddenly I hear Japanese, snap awake, and then see the LED signs are in Japanese as well. For a period of two seconds I am in a full-on panic wondering how I got to Japan. And in the middle of typing the previous paragraph, a Japanese tour passed through the waiting area and I was back again.
I don't know if this means I've been to Japan too many times... or not enough.
I still can't find any current news as to the state of the original London Hard Rock Cafe catching fire yesterday. BBC News hasn't updated since last night. There's a few photos on Flickr, but it's difficult to tell anything. Perhaps they'll tell us what happened on Monday?
Argh! Some idiot just sat next to me drenched in cologne... he reeks of the stuff. It burns. IT BURNS!!! I just know I'll be sitting next to his stinky ass on the plane. I'm lucky that way. Is it wrong for me to sit here and hope he has a heart attack before boarding? Probably. I am such a horrible, horrible person.
Posted on Sunday, July 10th, 2005
I think everybody must like to people-watch. There's something fascinating about being a voyeur into a life that is not your own. Probably because curiosity is intrinsic to the human condition, so it's only natural to wonder who people are, what they do, where they are going, and why that rather large woman in a purple track suit is digging in the garbage can.
To me, even more fascinating than people-watching is watching the people-watchers.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is abuzz with activity, and a group of 5 or 6 girls across from me are soaking it all in like gravy. The beauty of it is that they are hardly discreet in their observations, so I am privy to everything they say. Most of the conversation concerns some random guy they see that they are totally ready to have sex with.
At this point, I have to interject that I am completely oblivious to what makes a guy handsome in the conventional sense. As an artist, I can admire the graceful beauty of the human body, and can extend this appreciation to the male form... but anything past that is lost on me. For example: I just don't "get" Brad Pitt. Yeah, he was buff in Troy, but I don't understand what makes him "hot" at all.
Anyway, back at the airport, I tire of these teen girl fantasies and decide to look for something else to divert my boredom.
And. There. He. Is.
A guy so perfect that I feel less a man for being in his presence. In the blink of an eye, a vagina has appeared where my penis once was. He's a Greek god in perfect mathematical proportion... he's not overly-muscled, but still looks like he could beat the shit out of anybody in the room. I guess "chiseled" would sum up his manly perfection. Dark hair, tanned skin, jutting chin, a T-shirt one-size too small that shows off abs so toned that I wonder if you truly could use it as a washboard. Here is one beautiful man.
To make myself feel better, I tell myself he is "most certainly gay" - but then have to stop thinking that for fear I was secretly hoping he was gay. Then I don't know what to think, because with a guy like this in the dating pool, no woman would ever look at mere mortals such as myself ever again.
And then his girlfriend/wife/whatever shows up. She's hot, of course. But it's hard to tell if she's actually hot... or if her hotness is just reflected glow from his radiant perfection. And just like that, I know what "handsome" is. Brad Pitt is hideous by comparison. As they leave the sitting area, I realize that he is not Greek, but Italian, as that was the language they were speaking.
He's probably got a 2-inch penis. In fact, I'm sure of it.
Posted on Monday, July 11th, 2005
I have come to the conclusion that my hotel here in the heart of Wisconsin is frequented by hookers. This is partially because of the outrageous sounds that were coming (heh heh) from the room next to mine last night until 2am... but mostly because the shampoo and soap they give you smells like lavender or lilacs or some other whore-house boutique cologne.
Unfortunately, I didn't have anything else to use, so now I smell like I was with a hooker last night. Or perhaps I smell like I became a hooker last night... I can't decide. In any event, I have the definite air of a hooker about me thanks to a very poor choice made by hotel management in bathroom amenities.
Wisconsin, for lack of a better word, is "charming." Especially once you get out into the countryside. The people are exceedingly nice and friendly. So when I inquired at the front desk this morning as to whether the people from last night would be giving a repeat performance (two guys and a gal... let your mind wander with THAT for a while), it was very uncomfortable. Without giving details (seriously, you don't want to know) I asked if the "noisy room" next to mine had checked out today, or if I could get a different room. The woman was so apologetic that I thought she might cry. The good news is that they are gone... the bad news is that something very much worse could potentially move in for tonight.
If a donkey is involved, I'll be checking out.
There are down-sides to Wisconsin if you are a vegetarian, because they really like meat here. It is not uncommon to find restaurant specialties involving one meat, wrapped by a different meat, that is then stuffed in yet another meat. It's all very disturbing. If you like cheese, however, you are in luck. Wisconsin is famous for cheese, and they put it on everything (even the meat-wrapped-meat-stuffed-meat thing).
"Home cooking" is prized here, and there are many home cookin' restaurants scattered about. I rather like this idea, and eat at them whenever I can. The conversations go something like this:
DAVE: Yeah, I'm a vegetarian. Do you have anything I can eat?
WAITRESS: Why sure... we have a lovely beef stew that's filled with vegetables!
DAVE: Ah. I'll just have a grilled cheese sandwich please.
I end up eating a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches here.
The worst day of the week for me in Wisconsin is Friday. On Fridays, every restaurant has a massive fish-fry. Entire towns smell like deep-fat-fried fish, and it is not so pleasant. On Fridays, the conversations go like this:
DAVE: Yeah, I'm a vegetarian. Do you have anything I can eat?
WAITRESS: So you'll be having a baked potato with your fish then?
DAVE: Ah. I'll just have a grilled cheese sandwich please.
WAITRESS: And what kind of fish would you like on your sandwich?
It's almost as if they can't possibly conceive of anybody showing up at a restaurant on a Friday and not ordering fish. It just doesn't register.
Nope. On Fridays, it's much safer to leave home cookin' behind and eat at a place like Culvers, where I can hunker down with a huge plate of crinkle-cut fries and a caramel-cashew frozen custard. Oh so bad for you... but oh so tasty. Culvers is mostly famous for their frozen custard (which is sublime), but also for their "Butter Burgers" which I can only guess are named as such because they fry each burger in a stick of butter. If only they made Veggie Butter Burgers, I could die a happy man (mainlining cholesterol like that almost guarantees it). Oh well, I leave on Wednesday night, so I won't have to worry about it anyway.
And UNTIL Wednesday, my work has me on call 24-hours a day. I've maybe gotten a couple of hours in naps over the past 36 hours, so I am understandably buggin' right now (especially since I only got three hours the night before that). I think I'm starting to hallucinate. If this entry is totally incoherent, now you know why. Of course, this doesn't excuse every other entry I've made being incoherent, but it's nice to have an explanation once in a while.
Posted on Tuesday, July 12th, 2005
Today something rather odd happened... my work was pushed back a full twelve hours. Stuck out in the Wisconsin countryside with nothing to do, I decided to meet up with a friend from Illinois for a chat and then bum around Milwaukee for the day. After a late breakfast with my friend, he went back to Joliet... but I did not go to Milwaukee after all.
I went to Iowa.
Partly because I've been to Milwaukee dozens of times and have already done the stuff there I am interested in, but mostly because I wanted to visit "Field of Dreams."
If you've read my blog for a while, you probably already know that Field of Dreams is my favorite movie of all time. It's one of the few films I honestly believe to be flawless. There is not a single moment I would change. And since it has James Earl Jones in it, I guess that kind of pushes it "beyond perfect" in my book.
"If you build it, he will come."
The corn field where the movie was shot mostly belongs to the Lansing family of Dyersville, Iowa, though a portion of it (left field from the 3rd base-line over) belongs to a neighbor. After filming was completed, the neighbor plowed under his part of the field and re-planted. But the Lansings decided to leave their part untouched because, much to their surprise, people actually did come to see it. Lots of people... from all over the world.
To help pay for upkeep, the Lansings added a souvenir stand to the attraction so that they could sell T-Shirts, hats, postcards, and such. Unlike the movie, however, no ticket is required, and guests can look around for free.
The popularity of the attraction did not go unnoticed.
Eventually, a group of crap-weasle investment bankers struck a deal to lease the land that the neighbor had plowed under. They then restored the missing part of the baseball field, open up a competing gift shop, and cashed in on what the Lansing family had so generously begun for the film's fans. I guess the good news is that you can see the complete field now... but it sure was a lousy thing to do. Fortunately, there are signs posted so that guests know where their money is going.
While I was visiting, dozens of people came and went, which really surprised me. Even more shocking: according to the souvenir book, busy summer weekends can pull in over 3000 people. This is kind of bizarre for a movie that's approaching 20 years old.
After running the bases, buying a T-Shirt, and sending some postcards, I decided to make the most of my 7-hour round-trip and drop by the nearby city of Dubuque, Iowa to have a look. It's an interesting place, filled with an eclectic mix of building styles that range from beautiful to bizarre. One of the most unusual is the courthouse, which is a scary blend of styles that doesn't really seem to come together...
Bleh. I'm tired from driving all day. A pity I have to be to work in an hour.
Posted on Wednesday, July 13th, 2005
I think that I might be dead. I'm too tired to know for certain. As with so many things in life, It's all Mr. Jerz's fault.
He has another podcast up, and proves that his earlier efforts were not a fluke. It doesn't matter that it's 1:30am and I haven't slept in days, I am compelled to listen. The guy has talent, and I'm not just saying that because he gives me a shout-out... and certainly not because he tears into my favorite movie ever. It's because this is one of those rare podcasters that's actually worth your valuable time. Go take a listen, and then send Jerz some encouragement so we won't have to wait two friggin' months for the next one.
Anyway, I've left Hartford (Wisconsin) for Hartford (Connecticut) and two glorious days of vacation (well, kind of... I'll still be working evenings). The journey was mostly uneventful, except 3 hours at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport without internet access...
Great. Some network monkey screwed the configuration, and now I have no idea what's going on in the world. For all I know, Cavan's finished a new book and Kazza's married with four kids. It's time to admit that I have a serious internet addiction.
Oh well, it was probably grossly over-priced anyway. At least my Mac PowerBook tells me WHY it's not working. The Windows-sufferers around me get no explanation, so they're all like "WTF? I got full signal!! WHY ISN'T IT WORKING?!?" I ignore their constant pestering ("IS YOUR'S WORKING? DO YOU HAVE INTERNET?") which is easy when you've got an iPod drowning them out. It's so much easier than pretending you don't understand English.
Oh crap. I forgot I'm on East Coast time, so my clock is wrong... it's not 11:30pm, it's 2:30am! How can I be so tired, and yet not be sleepy? My brain feels numb. Somebody poke it with a stick if I forget to keep breathing.
Posted on Thursday, July 14th, 2005
Connecticut is very small. Tiny, in fact. I dare say that from Hartford, you can reach any other place in the State in under an hour. As an example, a trip to the Foxwoods casino resort area was a mere 42 minutes. This is kind of disturbing to somebody like me who is from a State that would take a full day to drive across. I'd imagine it would be even stranger to somebody from Texas.
Anyway, the reason for my trip was to visit the Hard Rock Cafe Foxwoods (#106 on my list), and that's exactly what I did. Overall, it's a nicely appointed cafe with a beautiful vaulted ceiling and nifty stone accents...
Sadly, I worry about the success of this cafe when I arrive at lunch-time to find it mostly empty. And when I look around at the people visiting the casino complex, I know why... the demographic is mostly elderly people. There's walkers, wheelchairs, canes, and the smell of Ben Gay at every turn. Needless to say, these are not the Hard Rock's target audience. The people running the cheap all-you-can-eat buffet, however, have a line a mile long outside of their door. Bummer. If you have your heart set on seeing this one, I wouldn't put it off.
From Foxwoods, I continued onward to the picturesque city of Mystic, Connecticut and the famous Mystic Seaport, where it was hot and muggy...
My plan was to visit both the seaport museum complex and the aquarium. But after I had to pay $17... yes, SEVENTEEN f#@%ING DOLLARS, to get into the museum... I had no desire to dump any more of my hard-earned cash in the city. I still can't get over the fact that they charge such an outrageous amount of money to wander around old buildings and look at a couple of ships. There's no rides or shows or anything else to make it worth it. At MOST, I would have paid $7 for what little you get. If only I had known, I would have skipped this rip-off "attraction" entirely.
After the disappointment at Mystic (such a cool name for a city!), I turn north to Boston. But before you can get to Massachusetts, you have to go through Rhode Island first. And the thing about Rhode Island is that it is very small. Minute. Minuscule. Teeny. Wee. Once I hit the Rhode Island border, it was a mere 32 minutes before I had exited through Providence at the other end. Now THAT'S small. I dunno. Maybe it was more impressive back in the days when people rode in horse and buggies instead of cars blazing along at 80 miles per hour.
Posted on Thursday, July 14th, 2005
My trip to Boston started out as one of my worst travel days in recent memory, but ended up being really amazing. It all started when I couldn't get into the city because of an accident on I-93 & the Freemont exit. Suddenly, my ETA of 2:30 became 3:30, then 4:00. Not fun.
Things then go from bad to worse when I finally get to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts so I can take a look at their Monet collection, only to find out that they close down half of the museum each evening. This meant that the hour I spent battling Red Sox traffic in the Fenway Park area, and the $3.50 I spent on parking was completely wasted. Now I have to go back tomorrow at 10am, which means I'll be getting a very late start to my day. Fortunately, my $13 ticket is good for another visit or else I'd really be pissed.
Things go from worse to tragic when I finally make it to The Lenox Hotel. I have been wanting to visit this classic property for ages, but it's always been booked solid when I'm in town. This time I got lucky... or did I? I'm told to use the parking garage up the street to store my rental car for the night. But it's full. So are the three others I find in the area. I end up circling the block several times without success. I finally pull up and ask what I should do since there doesn't seem to be a single parking spot in a 2-mile radius. That's when I hear "oh... you're a GUEST here? If you're a GUEST, then I'll park it for you." Great. Another half-hour WASTED. Why the f#@% would I want to park at a hotel that I wasn't going to stay at? Why wouldn't you assume somebody wanting to park at the hotel WASN'T a guest? After check-in, things are looking up, because my room is pretty classy...
But happiness is fleeting when I find out that the wireless Internet sucks ass, and is only marginally improved when I get a network bridge from the front desk. That's when things go from tragic to near-suicidal when I find out that my toilet is plugged up... and I'm blameless, because I didn't put anything down there. I'm beginning to regret ever having wanted to come to Boston.
Then, as if by magic, things turn around. I meet a very good friend I haven't seen in two years for a fantastic early dinner. Then we walk over to Copley Square for a FREE concert that completely blows my mind. Playing in the park is "The Shore" and "Ari Hest" - both of which I had never heard of before. Amazing, amazing stuff. I go buy CDs from both groups, because the possibility of not finding them on the iTunes Music Store is too much to bear (yup, they're both there... which means I paid $8 more than I had to for CDs I'll end up tossing in the garbage after I've ripped them). I cannot recommend these astounding musicians highly enough. "The Shore" is kind of an inspired blend of Oasis and The Verve. "Ari Hest" has lush vocals that pierce your very soul...
After the best concert I've seen in quite a while, it's off to the Hard Rock for a frosty chocolate milkshake and some fries, which turns a bad day gone good into sweet perfection...
Tomorrow it's sleeping in late, a visit to the museum (again), and a lot of driving so I can scratch New England off my "Map of Visited States" page. Sounds like a plan.
Posted on Friday, July 15th, 2005
The wait to see Boston's Museum of Fine Arts was actually worth it. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of their collection, particularly in Egyptian artifacts, which is magnificent. It was all I could do to tear myself away from the place after three rushed hours, and I could have easily spent the entire day there.
But alas, the rest of New England was calling, so I said a quick goodbye to my friend as she left for a meeting, and then headed northward to Kittery, Maine... then westward to Manchester, New Hampshire... continued on to Brattleboro, Vermont... and then back to where I started in Hartford, Connecticut. That's 484 miles of big fun, according to my rental car receipt. It sounds kind of impressive, until I realized that the entirety of the trip is the equivalent of driving from my home town of Cashmere, to the Tri-Cities, then to Spokane, and then back... which is not so impressive after all. Washington State is bigger than I give it credit for...
The good news is that I can now fill in a bit more of my "Visited States" map (including my trip to Iowa earlier this week)...
Just six more to go!. I think I will see about flying into North Dakota in September 2006, and then driving straight down through SD, NE, KS, and OK... then swerve into New Mexico on the 27th, just in time for a wedding. I could easily drive it in a couple of days, but there are some things I'd like to see along the way, so I might just plan on making a week of it. Then I can add "Visit All 50 States" to my List of Things to do Before I Die.
Tomorrow is a nothing day. My flight doesn't leave until late afternoon, and I don't have anything to do until then except stay in my hotel room and catch up on some work. Sigh. I should have kept my rental car for one more day and taken a quick trip down to New Haven. Live and learn.
Posted on Saturday, July 16th, 2005
And here I am. Stuck in Hartford, Connecticut without a car. Just sitting here watching really bad television in my hotel room. Woe is me. Life sucks.
Actually, I lie. It's pretty great.
Until they kick me out of the hotel in two hours... then I have to bum around the airport for another two-and-a-half before my flight. I hope they have wi-fi access at BDL. In the meanwhile, I have a scenario for you...
I mean seriously. Why the f#@% would you sell postcards without the means to actually send them somewhere? That IS the point is it not? Sometimes you get lucky and there's a place for stamps nearby, but that's a rare event. I try to remember to have stamps with me when I travel, but then some places selling postcards refuse to mail them for you, and so you end up having to hunt down a post box.
There should be a law that anybody selling postcards should be required to sell postage too. Furthermore, if there isn't a post box within a reasonable distance, they should be required to mail them for you as well. Is that really so unreasonable?
I should pack my suitcase. I'm finally in a situation where I don't have to wait until the last minute and can take my time. That's kind of cool. I hope nothing comes along to distract me.
Oh wait... Dora the Explorer is on TV!
Posted on Sunday, July 17th, 2005
My flight out of Hartford BDL was delayed because the inbound flight from Detroit was late. Apparently, there was some serious weather going on there. That worked out just fine because my flight from Detroit to Seattle was delayed as well.
And this was made exponentially worse because of the drama queen at the Northwest gate counter. Actually, there were two drama queens, but one woman was so horrendous that I think she might actually qualify as a "drama whore." You'd have thought this bitch was curing cancer the way she was going on and on and on about every little thing. This is astoundingly stupid, because this type of activity only upsets the customers more than they already are. Gate agents need to stay calm, cool, and collected so that everybody feels the situation is under control. By freaking out and carrying on about things as if the world were ending, you may feel more important... but you just look like a complete tool. What an embarrassment to the truly professional gate agents that know how to handle their job.
Northwest needs to hire "Drama Monitors" that can go around the airport bitch-slapping those idiots who feel the need to add drama to their jobs when none is required.
But all that paled in comparison to the dumbass douche-bag pig-f#@%er that I had to fly home with on my last leg. He was one of those "corporate buzzword idiots" that uses words like "people networking" and "synergy" and "empowerment" when blathering on in his mobile phone about absolutely nothing. And then it wasn't enough that he had to take up the entire arm-rest... he had to stick his elbow into my seating area as well. And then, since he is obviously the most important person in the universe, he felt it was okay for him to turn on his Blackberry to try and retrieve messages during the flight (Federal regulations mean nothing to somebody whose job is Synergy Empowerment... or whatever). Whilst navigating the parking lot, I had the opportunity to run down this dumbass douche-bag pig-f#@%er, but felt I would probably have a better chance at a good night's sleep in my own bed instead of a jail cell.
Posted on Wednesday, July 20th, 2005
Storms on the East Coast were causing delays for most every flight into Baltimore International Airport except mine. My flight actually landed five minutes early. But this minor victory was short-lived considering that it took FORTY FRICKIN' MINUTES for BWI to get me my suitcase. I'm not positive, but I am fairly certain that this has to be a personal record. We were walking off the plane at 6:55, and luggage hit the baggage claim carousel at 7:35.
FORTY FRICKIN' MINUTES!!!
I can only guess that all of the baggage handlers were reading the new Harry Potter book, and didn't want to be interrupted until they finished the chapter they were reading.
Speaking of Harry Potter... do book stores carry any other books now? Everywhere you go, they've got Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince stacked to the rafters. Sometimes it looks as if they've got nothing else for sale, which gave me a great idea for being a smart-ass while waiting for my plane connection in Minneapolis...
WARNING: Workers at the book shop do NOT find this funny for some reason. It's a pity, because I thought it was darn clever!
Anyway, I am finally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania now. This city is famous for being at the heart of Amish country. The Amish lead a very admirable life, free from all our modern conveniences like electricity and the internet. I must admit that I don't know much about the Pennsylvania Dutch except what I've seen in movies and on that television reality show called "Amish in the City." On one hand, it must be nice to live a simpler life, free from the stress and hassles that modern civilization has thrust upon us. On the other hand, I'd probably kill myself out of sheer boredom. I mean, I've never churned butter before, but something tells me it's not as much fun as playing Lego Star Wars on my Xbox.
Ooog. I need some sleep. My day started at 3:30am, and it's just now midnight. Even subtracting three hours for the time zone change, that's a long day.
Posted on Wednesday, July 20th, 2005
After working in Lancaster and Harrisburg all day, I decided to do something naughty. Something I haven't done before.
With great nervousness I approached the Hershey Highway. I have never been this route before, and didn't quite know what to do. As I first entered, there was very little resistance. The route was smooth... a pleasure to drive. But then things started tensing up, and I ran into some heavy blockage. It was a real mess, and I didn't know if I was going to be able to get out of it. But I was determined, so I thrust onward down that brown-stained road*. Suddenly, all obstructions were gone and it was smooth sailing to the climax of my journey...
HersheyPark is a pretty straight-forward coaster park that's very clean and well-maintained, but under-staffed and difficult to navigate. They desperately need better signage to help you make your way around the park (the maps they provide are practically useless). Half the time I could SEE the ride I wanted to go on, but then wasted precious minutes trying to figure out where I am supposed to go to ride it. The worst part BY FAR is that they do not have enough fans/mist-sprayers/canopies/shade to help keep you cool. Many lines are out in the full sun, where you will melt in the summer heat. Even worse, rides that did have fans were near-useless because some units were turned off or broken.
Admission is normally $39.95, but since I arrived after 5:00, I got in for just $21.95. The park is open until 10:00pm, but after entering at 5:30, I had ridden all the coasters (except the "Roller Soaker" which looked lame) by 8:45... giving me excellent value for my money. The park was full, but lines were short because everybody was eating dinner I guess?
As a "theme park" it isn't as inspired or clever as Disney-World. As a "coaster park" it is not as thrilling as Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure. But, overall, I was very happy to have visited, and recommend it if you are in the area. If they would hire more staff to manage the queues in a more orderly manner, provide better shade and/or fans for the lines, and make better signs, HersheyPark would be a slam-dunk.
For my fellow coaster aficionados (or anybody else who cares), here's a quick recap of the rides...
After you've finished at the park, you can stop at "World of Hershey" for an informative (yet oh so lame) "ride" that explains the chocolate-making process. It's not very well done, but you do get a free piece of candy at the end. After that, there's a nice food court where you can eat dinner, but I just had a carton of Hershey's Chocolate Milk and some Hershey's Chocolate Chip Cookies and called it a day.
Tomorrow is a little better for me, because I can get a full night's sleep and don't have to be to work until 9:00am. Then it's time to head back home (again) around 2:00.
* Yes, the Hershey Highway actually is colored chocolate brown in most places! It's kind of cool, and reminds me of the red roads in Zion National Park.
Posted on Friday, July 22nd, 2005
As I've said many times... you don't judge a company when things go right, because that's what's SUPPOSED to happen. You judge a company by how they handle it when things go WRONG.
Unfortunately, the company in question this evening (well, morning, actually) is Northwest Airlines. And when it comes to royally screwing you over when the shit happens, nobody does it quite like Northwest Airlines... even when it's their fault that something's gone wrong.
Due to a scheduling problem, Northwest decided they needed to transfer somebody from Detroit to Seattle. So they loaded us on the plane, then had us all sit there for an hour while we waited for this ONE guy to show up. But he ended up running late, and they finally decided that they would send us on our way without him. So, basically, we wasted an hour FOR NOTHING!! Congratulations NWA dumbasses... you just f#@%ed a full flight of 112 people FOR NOTHING!!
Naturally, this meant that I missed my connection in Seattle.
So first I have to go to the ticketing counter and get re-ticketed. Then I have to wait while they fart around for 30 minutes to get me booked in the shittiest, cheapest, economy hotel they can find. Then they tell me to go get my luggage from Horizon Air, where they've transferred it, and to "have a good evening" (when it's actually morning).
But Horizon tells me that the wait to get my luggage pulled is two hours MINIMUM. And I can't go to my crappy hotel and wait for it, because they will not deliver pulled bags. If I want my bag, I have to wait there at the counter. FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS! Screw that. So now I am stuck in Seattle with no flight and no luggage. But Horizon does give me a lovely consolation gift... this lovely "Distressed Passenger Tote Bag!"
Well that just makes up for everything!
Note how there is a spot to get the case monogrammed. Too good to be true, I say.
Anyway, so here I am in my tiny shit-bag hotel room that smells like ass. Moldy ass. Moldy ass with OLD FEET and RAW SEWAGE! They assured me that the hotel would have "WiFi Internet." But what they didn't tell me is that it was not available in the rooms (only the lobby) and that it's broken. Lovely.
Now, don't get me wrong. If my missed connection was due to weather or something outside of Northwest Airline's control... I would be grateful for my tiny, stinky room. But since this is 100% their f#@%-up, why are they making me suffer for it? I'm an Elite customer that travels 70,000 miles a year with their airline. I deserve better than this at their hands.
I'd give them credit for buying me dinner, but the crap-bag hotel they stuck me in is out in the middle of nowhere, so the dinner voucher they gave me is useless.
So there you have it. As a company, Northwest Airlines sucks ass. They have no problem screwing you and 111 of your closest friends to solve their problems, and then treats you like shit afterwards. In fact, I feel that I've been treated so badly, that they've got me thinking it must be all my fault. Somehow I am the one who didn't cover the Seattle schedule properly, and so now I'm being punished. Abandoned. Sent to hell.
Oh well. At least there's cable television here in hell, even if it does smell like moldy ass.
UPDATE: This morning, after two hours of sleep, I didn't feel like taking a shower because the bathroom smelled like urine. But I did want to at least brush my teeth. Bleary eyed, I squeezed out some toothpaste and started brushing away... only to find out I had used shaving cream instead of toothpaste. Now, why would they put shaving cream in a toothpaste tube?? Sadistic bastards... don't tell me they don't do this on purpose. I'm having a flashback now.
Posted on Thursday, August 11th, 2005
As I came off the bridge and rounded the corner, I saw a girl pulled over by an undercover policeman. She was crying her head off as the officer wrote her up, which I found funny for some reason. What a bastard I am. Thirty minutes later, as I drove back home to pick up my luggage, the policeman was long gone, but the girl was still sitting in her car there, red-faced and crying. I'm assuming that it was just a speeding ticket, which begs the question: if getting a ticket is going to cause you to sob uncontrollably for a half-hour, then why exceed the speed limit? Why risk it? Seems pretty stupid to me.
The three hour drive to Spokane (pronounced Spoh-can) was uneventful. It's always uneventful because there's nothing very interesting between Cashmere and Spokane. Just scrub brush, fields of wheat, and wide-open spaces. The speed limit is 70mph, but should be 100mph, because there's nothing to hit along the way.
When I finally get to Spokane, I do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not check into my hotel, do not even stop for the bathroom... I drive directly to David's Pizza, which makes the 3-hour drive actually worth the trouble...
Unfortunately, they only had one slice of Da Vinci pizza left, so I had to get a slice of cheese to go with it. And, of course, a bottle of Stewart's Orange n' Cream soda...
For those who are curious, the Da Vinci has Mozzerella and Feta cheeses, with basil pesto sauce and fresh tomatoes. I haven't confirmed it yet, but I'm pretty sure they sprinkle crack cocaine on there as well. It would explain my addiction to the stuff.
But telling you what's ON it doesn't fully explain how it TASTES. Which is amazing. I've been around the world a dozen times, eaten a lot of pizza over the years, and a slice of Da Vinci is the best it can get. Each bite is like that feeling you get when a nice tequila buzz just starts to set in... that kind of deliriously happy high you get when your mind starts to float away, but you're not quite drunk yet.
Followed by three orgasms and a full-body massage.
Yeah, it's pretty good stuff. If you're ever in Spokane, you'd be pretty darn stupid not to drop by the corner of Hamilton and Boone to have a slice. I'll be eating there again for lunch and dinner tomorrow, and would probably go back for breakfast if they were open that early.
Posted on Friday, August 12th, 2005
In-between jobs in Spokane today, I decided to drop by "The Comic Book Shop" to see if I could track down a book I've been trying to find for quite a while now. I drive down Division St., arrive at Sharp Avenue, and realize I must have missed it. So I turn around and drive down Division again... still not finding it. Thinking that I must have somehow forgotten where it is, I turn around and pull over. I have a photo of The Comic Book Shop on my PowerBook, so I figure there might be a clue as to the location. Using the photo, I'm able to find the building, which is now a National Guard Recruitment Center, complete with Army jeep out front...
A pity they painted over the Batman emblem... they might have better luck getting people to join up. Who wouldn't want to fight crime with Batman?
Anyway, I go back to my hotel and grabbed a phone book to see where it had moved to. But the phone book still lists it on Division, so I thought it was probably an old book. On the verge of losing my mind, I call The Comic Book Shop to find out what in the heck was going on... only to learn that they moved from 1402 Division to 1401 Division... DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET!! And sure enough, there they were. Sitting there with a big "ZAP!" and "POW!" painted on the side of the building in bright colors.
I was so focused on where I thought it was that I didn't see where it actually was, even though it was staring me right in the face. I even got out of my car to take a picture, stood right in front of it, and didn't see it. I feel more than a little stupid about that.
To top it all off, they didn't have the book I was looking for.
But all was not lost. A quick trip to David's Pizza for lunch revealed that they actually had two slices of Da Vinci Pizza waiting for me. Now THIS is what the perfect meal is supposed to look like...
Oh yeah, and for those who were curious, I think the restaurant was built in an old gas station, then they bought the building next door and expanded into it. When I examine the concrete in front, I see an outline of where the gas pump "island" used to be. That's their "Pizza Emergency Response Team" fire truck out front...
Don't worry, I'll be returning for dinner tonight. It's not like I really have a choice in the matter.
Posted on Friday, August 12th, 2005
Wow. I'm back at the hotel watching the news and have just learned that there's a dust storm so severe across central Washington that they've actually closed I-90 between Ritzville and Moses Lake. They're reporting that there's been several accidents due to high winds and zero visibility. The photos they're showing are quite shocking. It started as a brown cloud on the horizon then, within minutes, everything was enveloped and was plunged into darkness... the sun was blotted out of the sky.
This is really bizarre, because the storm is exactly half-way between Spokane and my home in Cashmere, Had I left at 6:00 as I originally planned, I would have been caught right in the middle of it. I guess that I should be thankful I had to stick around and get some work taken care of?
Today must be a day for strange weather (perhaps caused by the raging wildfires to the south)... after being scorching-hot yesterday and this morning, Spokane had a short spell of torrential rains that had storm warnings in effect for a few hours. Maybe the world is about to end and I didn't get the memo? Hopefully the sand storm will have blown over (heh heh) and the highway will be re-opened in the morning.
Posted on Saturday, August 13th, 2005
At what point did people start to lose all respect for their fellow human beings? For the past fifteen years of travel, I have never been so badly bothered by by my neighbors in a hotel that I've had to switch rooms. This year I've had to do it twice, and we're only half-way through.
On Thursday night, the room below me was having a party which kept me up until 2:00am. Then last night, the room next to mine woke me up at 1:00am because the occupants were out on the balcony screaming at the top of their lungs. One night of sleep I can miss. But two in a row when I have a three-hour drive ahead of me just cannot happen. I had to pack up my stuff and go beg to change rooms which, thankfully, they agreed to do.
I just don't get it.
I've gone out drinking and and partying with my friends too many times to count. But you know what? We always save our wild behavior for when we're in an appropriate place... like in a club, or (duh!) at a party. We've never gone back to a hotel room and started screaming our lungs out at 1:00am! It never even occurred to us to do something so horribly bad-mannered.
My how times have changed.
If I am paying $130 a night for a place to sleep, I shouldn't have to put up with this kind of shit. I should be legally allowed to pull out a gun, break down the door, and shoot the idiots in their f#@%ing heads... then have nothing more than a cleaning bill to answer for. Assholes like this who have absolutely no concern for anybody else deserve nothing more. There's just no reason to have them around when all they do is make other people miserable.
And why don't hotels do something about it? Why not have guests sign a "no-noise agreement?" Why not install noise sensors that can automatically detect prolonged excessive audio and then kick their stupid asses out if it goes off? Why not install doors that have hydraulic pulls so that they can't be slammed? I'd gladly pay extra money for hotels that guaranteed a noise-free environment so I could actually do what I go there to do... SLEEP!
As it is now, the moronic public at large is ruining what used to be fun things. You can't go to a hotel without people being noisy and ruining your slumber. You can't go to a movie theater without people being noisy and ruining the show. You can't go to a restaurant without people being noisy and ruining your dinner. Sometimes it's by obnoxious drunken behavior. Sometimes it's because of a mobile phone. Most times it's because people are just stupid.
All I know is that the problem is getting worse with each passing day. Every single day society doesn't care a little bit more. Every single day respect and common decency break down a little bit further. Every single day I come closer to going insane over it all.
We've already got people shooting up cars because the alarm keeps going off in the middle of the night. How long before it's PEOPLE who get shot up for going off in the middle of the night?
Oh... one last thing... am I the only one who wants to put their foot through the television when a commercial comes on where some idiot is crunching on their stupid-ass breakfast cereal? I don't want to listen to that shit in my real life... why in the f#@% do these dumbass advertising people think I want to listen to it while being entertained? I love Grape-Nuts cereal, but every time that annoying commercial comes on with that guy loudly chewing the shit, it makes me never want to buy a box of the crap ever again. Isn't that the exact OPPOSITE of what a television commercial is supposed to do?
Posted on Tuesday, August 16th, 2005
I love languages, even though I pretty much suck at learning them. I'm incredibly envious of anybody who is able to speak beyond their native tongue. But, as I mentioned once before, it seems as though native English speakers just don't care. They already speak the most popular language on the planet, so why bother to learn something else? Everywhere you go, people speak English anyway, so who cares?
Well I do. And it's not for lack of trying that I'm not multi-lingual...
I think to truly become fluent and really have the opportunity to remember a new tongue... I'm going to have to move to a foreign country for a year and just immerse myself in nothing but the language I choose for the entire time. Sadly, the odds of this happening are quite small. So while I can always hope to one day become comfortable with something other than English, I may just have to be content in my love of languages rather than my ability to speak them.
Posted on Thursday, August 18th, 2005
You ever have one of those moments where you are absolutely certain that you must be losing it?
Yeah, me too.
Unfortunately, these moments seem to be coming more and more often. Like when I look at a random photo that I've got orphaned on my laptop, and can't for the life of me figure out where it was taken. I'd like to think that this is because I've been to so many places that they're all blending together (which could be true), but reality tells me it's probably just my brain shutting down. It's all downhill from here.
Usually, I can look at the date on the photo file and then look at my calendar to see where I was when it was taken. But this morning I ran across a photo which doesn't have an accurate date, and doesn't look familiar to me in any way... I can't even place what country it was taken in. I went through my entire iPhoto album to see if there was a similar shot, but couldn't find any. I am completely clueless...
Does anybody out there know what city this is? Better yet, can anybody tell me what I was doing there?
Posted on Thursday, August 18th, 2005
I've just spent an obscene amount of time trying to figure out where the photo I posted in my previous entry was taken. I started by searching for the filename on all three of my computers, but all the hits were wrong. After that I searched for filenames around the image name, but no dice.
Then I went through every image I have digitized on my PowerBook. This is fairly easy because they're indexed in iPhoto... all 5432 of them. But nothing matches and nothing looks close. Since the date on the file is January of 2005, that doesn't help, because I know it's not a photo of Barcelona or Cologne. In February I was in Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, and the Florida panhandle... which is much more likely, but it doesn't fit anywhere.
Next I went through my digital photo archives, which is an additional 3100 photos. Nothing.
Finally, in a last-ditch effort, I work backwards through all my travels and try to match the skyline with a Google image search through all the likely cities it could be. Nothing. Not-so-likely cities? Nothing. Unlikely cities? Nothing. It's at this point I am ready to give up. I have no clue where the photo was taken.
But then I get a little bit smarter. This time I don't try to match the skyline, but buildings IN the skyline. I get lucky on my fifth try...
The reason I had such difficulty in recognizing the skyline is that the photo was taken at a bizarre angle... not the "typical" shot that is customarily shown. But the buildings do match when the photos are flipped and you look carefully enough.
It's Tampa, Florida...
...as seen from my hotel room at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino just outside the city. I was there in May of 2004, and even blogged about it. I believe that I took the photo to accompany a comment in my blog entry about the "Tampa skyline" but the photo didn't turn out very well, so I ditched the idea.
Little did I realize how insane it would make me a year and two months later, or I would have never pressed that shutter button.
Now I think I can go to sleep.
Posted on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2005
It seems that every day is turning out to be "one of those days." I was planning on a trip to Korea in two weeks, but found out this morning that I have to leave this weekend. Bummer.
So there I was trying to find last-minute airfare to Asia at a price that doesn't cost more than the buying my own plane. Eventually I find a rather decent fare from Northwest, but then decided that I don't want to "get a full-body skin rash that itches like hell and doesn't respond to any medical treatment." So instead I booked a cheaper fare with United, where I have no frequent flier status and cannot get upgraded from coach. Thanks a lot Peggy!
I have mixed feelings about the whole Northwest Airlines mechanics strike. On one hand, yeah, I think it sucks to put in 20 years and then have to lose money and benefits that you've worked so hard to get. But, on the other hand, I think it's really, really lame that the mechanics union thinks that they should be immune to financial hard times. Workers EVERYWHERE are having to take pay cuts and face layoffs so that companies can survive. What makes $70,000 mechanics so special that they shouldn't have to take a hit like the rest of us?
And then I read where the union spokesman is saying "the mechanics would rather see the airline go into bankruptcy than agree to Northwest's terms," and have to wonder exactly who this moron is representing. If Northwest goes bankrupt, and the airline goes under, then nobody has jobs. Isn't it better to save what jobs you can, even with a pay cut, than losing everything? I mean, it's not like Northwest is thrilled with the prospect of cutting jobs and salaries... they're just doing what they have to do to stay afloat in this horrendous financial climate where they're losing millions. It's sad, but that's reality in today's business world.
Of course, when it comes to saying outrageously stupid things, the union spokesman has a long, long way to go before he can top the senile ramblings of dumbass televangelist Pat Robertson, who wants us to assassinate the duly elected president of Venezuela. This kind of crazy pseudo-religious rambling sounded really familiar, and that's when everything suddenly became clear to me...
Strange. We've got kind of a "separated at birth" thing going on here.
Anyway, I could be wrong, but assassinating foreign leaders seems like it must be against the United Nations charter... doesn't it? We are still a member of the United Nations aren't we?
I just don't get it. People actually give money to this idiot. Has the "religious right" truly become so powerful that they don't feel the need to follow rational thought? Is this kind of outrageous, uninformed, and flat-out stupid commentary actually being taken seriously?
This is just what we need... whack-job televangelists influencing our foreign policy. As if the USA didn't have enough problems already.
Posted on Wednesday, August 24th, 2005
Bah! I get home to find out I have no internet. I guess this will get posted tomorrow.
Anyway, you'd think that I would get used to short-notice travel, but it never seems to happen. Yesterday I found out I have to be in Korea this weekend, and now it's a mad dash to try and get my work caught up. And get my clothes washed. And make my reservations. And call my friends. And pay my bills. And all the other things one has to do before leaving their life behind for a week. I think I'm going insane.
The good news is that I managed to contact a friend in Hong Kong whom I have never met in person. He's going to be around, so after my work is over in Seoul, I'll be jetting down for a couple days of much-needed vacation. He's a fellow Hard Rocker, so I'm sure a visit to the Hard Rock Hong Kong will be in order. Sweet!
Something tells me I won't have time for much sleep tonight.
Posted on Saturday, August 27th, 2005
I am sitting here in the tiny airport at Wenatchee, Washington bored out of my mind because I forgot to bring a book. With nothing else to do, I figure I'll fire up a game of Kitty Spangles Solitaire for an hour while I wait for my plane to arrive. But when I open my PowerBook, something very strange happens. A little dialogue box pops up saying "your wireless network is no longer available. Would you like to join the network "LINKSYS?"
If there was a button that said "f#@% yeah!" - I would have clicked it.
And so here I am with full internet access in a little nothing of an airport you've probably never heard of before. I have excellent signal, and the speed is fantastic. I contrast this with the shitty slow access I am usually paying big money for in larger airports, and have to ask... what the f#@%??
If a tiny airport can so graciously offer up free internet as a convenience for their passengers, why don't the big guys do the same? It costs practically nothing, but rather than treat you as a guest, they instead rape you for a few more bucks just because they can. So way to go Wenatchee for bucking the trend of outrageous internet access, and serving your customers better than facilities fifty times your size.
Just one more reason I'm happy to fly out local instead of driving over to Seattle.
One of the little tricks I use when traveling is to wear tired old underpants and socks, so I can just toss them in the garbage when I get to where I am going and have one less thing to worry about carrying around. It also keeps my clothes from smelling like feet. Today I found a pair of really nasty tighty-whitey underwear that are pretty messed up. They practically fell apart when I put them on, so I'm quite proud of that. My socks are in fairly good shape, but mis-matched and not really white anymore.
Anyway, across the aisle from me is a bitch and her three hyperactive, annoying kids. She has no interest whatsoever in keeping them quite, and is happy to have them running around screaming at people. If security (which is much tighter and far more thorough here than at larger airports) hadn't confiscated my shotgun, I can guarantee her mis-behaving kids would be quiet. DEAD QUIET!! (that's funny if you say it as Arnold Schwarzenegger). But oh no. She is obliviously chatting away to some poor woman next to her about how she's "scared to death of these small planes because they crash all the time!"
And that's when it hits me...
What if we crash?
And I'm wearing nasty fall-apart underwear.
My mother will be so embarrassed if she shows up to claim my body and I'm in holy undies. In fact, she may even disown me right there, and say that she doesn't know the guy on the slab. "No son of mine would wear such disgraceful underwear," she'll say.
So now I am really nervous about the flight.
Not because I might die... I have no problem with that... but because my horrified mother will have to identify my body while I'm wearing underwear with holes in them and mis-matched socks. She will then spend the rest of her life wondering where she went wrong with me, and calling my brother every day to be sure he's wearing underwear that's suitable for dying in.
I should have worn my lucky boxer shorts.
I can honestly say I never envisioned a time that I would be obsessing about my underwear in a blog entry. Maybe I should just shut down Blogography right now, because there's nowhere to go but down now.
But, seriously now, if the coroner who finds my mangled body in the wreckage reads this... I would greatly appreciate it if you were to change my underwear for me. Of course, if the crash was particularly scary, you may want to do that anyway because of their contents... but thanks just the same.
UPDATE: Tragedy averted! Me and my embarrassing underwear arrived safely in Seattle. I am now typing away in disgust because the stupid-ass Hilton here charges $9.95 for internet access. WIRED internet access... not wireless, BUT WITH A CABLE... CHAINED TO THE DESK!!! Hotels that charge for internet suck ass.
Posted on Sunday, August 28th, 2005
As I leave for Asia, the news from hurricane Katrina is increasingly grim. The projected path is directly over New Orleans (one of my favorite cities), which could be disastrous. The "Big Easy" is very much below sea level, and a large enough storm could send water surging into the city at a cataclysmic depth. Pat O'Briens... Cafe du Monde... The Garden District... St. Patrick's & Jackson Square... Soniat House... The French Market... Bourbon Street... The Hard Rock Cafe... and so much more that New Orleans has to offer is all at risk of being destroyed. I particularly worry about the animals at the beautiful zoo they have there.
CNN has shocking footage of people fleeing the city, and all major routes have been converted to one-way highways leading out of town. It's bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way, and authorities are worried that an accident on any of these routes could trap people in the hurricane's path.
I suppose there's always a chance that the weather will change and the city can be passed by... but wherever the projected "Category 4" hurricane makes landfall, there's going to be a lot of damage. 150mph winds do not strike quietly.
It's going to be difficult to think of much else during a 13 hour flight where I am cut-off from the world and unable to find out what's happening. All my thoughts are with those facing the hurricane, and the city of New Orleans where I have been a half-dozen times (and love more and more each time I visit). Nothing would make me happier than to visit another half-dozen times in the future.
UPDATE: I've arrive in San Francisco only to find out that the storm has been elevated to "Category 5," which is the most severe rating you can give a storm. I board the plane not knowing if I will ever see New Orleans again. I am severely depressed right now. If the city is destroyed, I suppose all I will have is great memories. I first went to New Orleans in 1983 during my Junior year of High School for a National DECA competition. It was my first trip unaccompanied by an adult. It was my first time drinking alcohol in a bar (even though I was a year underage, nobody cared). It was my first time... for a lot of things.
I feel like my heart is being crushed in my chest and I want to scream. If I had a choice, I would cancel my trip and go home to hide under the bedcovers until the fate of New Orleans was known. As it is, I will spend the next 13 hours on a plane trying not to think about it.
But I don't think there's enough of those little bottles of alcohol onboard to do that.
Posted on Monday, August 29th, 2005
And here I am back in Seoul, Korea. I am most fortunate that I don't really have a problem with jet-lag... my body just mysteriously seems to adjust to whatever time zone I am in. Though I cannot deny being totally exhausted, because 22 hours of travel will do that to you. Now the challenge is to stay awake for another three hours so that I don't wake up at 2am tomorrow morning. It's a weird, wild life I lead.
The weather here has entered into some kind of funky perpetual haze as sunset falls...
All big cities are starting to look the same to me. If I didn't know where I was, it might take me a minute to figure it out from just a quick glance out my window. The cathedral there just confuses things.
And now I'm off to Dunkin' Donuts for a quick bite before retiring for the evening.
Yet, for New Orleans, the day is just beginning. Assuming I can get to sleep knowing what is going to happen there, the storm is projected to hit the city as I wake up. All my hopes now hinge on seeing the city again some day...
Posted on Tuesday, August 30th, 2005
Bleh. The first thing I did this morning was somehow pull a muscle in my back, which has been agonizing me all day. Add to that the hours spent in Seoul traffic... and what should have been an easy day of work, is suddenly not so much. And now I have to catch up on the work that I missed back home, so it's shaping up to be a very full day.
With no time to spare to go out to a restaurant, I instead walk across to the 7-11 to buy a junk-food dinner. One of my favorite things about international travel is discovering new and exotic snacks, and Korea does not disappoint. I've got two new favorites...
The first is Sun Chips Spicy Hot!, which are just like the Sun Chips back home... except they have delicious sweet-hot pepper flavoring sprinkled on them. I've eaten four bags since I've gotten here, and am seriously considering the purchase of a new suitcase for the sole purpose (Seoul purpose?) of taking fifty bags back home with me. They are wicked-good, and I have no idea why they are not made available in the USA. The second are Potato Fries Crips which are very popular, as they are available in numerous brands and varieties. I've been eating the brand with the "happy potato" on the front, simply because he looks like the cheerful kind of potato I'd like to hang with (though I am more of an "angry potato" myself). These are quite good because they are not oily and not loaded with salt (as they would be back home)... just yummy potato flavor in fun "french fry" shapes.
Work was completed today so, as of tomorrow, I am on "semi-vacation" in that I will still be working in my hotel room each night, but my days are free for fun and excitement. My flight to Hong Kong is fairly late, so I am thinking of making time for the Seoul Museum of Contemporary Art, the Insa-Dong market, and lunch at the Hard Rock (assuming they're open this time).
One thing I've always wanted to do in Seoul, but haven't yet, is visit the DisneyLand rip-off called "Lotte World" (even their "Sleeping Beauty Castle" logo is a total copy!). Last year when I was here, they were advertising a new "Atlantis Adventure" ride for 2005 that appears to be a combination roller coaster and flume ride. But my favorite thing about Lotte World is their advertising slogan, which appears on billboards, print ads, and such...
If you can't read it, here's the joyous English text that's so compelling...
How could you not want to visit Lotte World after reading that? I mean, I thought I knew what "The Pleasure" was... but apparently I've got it all wrong. It would seem that the REAL pleasure I've been looking for all my life is awaiting me at Lotte World. Even more surprising... it doesn't seem to involve my penis. Ordinarily, this would cast some doubt on Lotte World's claim, but one never knows. The cost to get in is $30, which certainly makes it cheaper than many of the finer penis-related activities available, so all I can do is hope.
Unfortunately, the "Atlantis Adventure" ride isn't open until October, so I won't be experiencing "The Pleasure" this trip... maybe next time.
Of course, the real pleasure of my day was finding out that New Orleans is battered, but not totally destroyed like predictions were calling for. Hopefully the remaining levies and pumps will hold so that more people are not underwater as those in the Eastern part of the city are right now. With 80% of the city flooded, there's a lot of work to be done, but at least "The Big Easy" wasn't completely taken out... this time. I wonder if the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino being built in Biloxi was as lucky?
Ah, New Orleans! Now I am craving beignets and a cup of hot chocolate from Cafe du Monde!
Posted on Wednesday, August 31st, 2005
The earliest flight I could get to Hong Kong is at 7:40pm. That leaves a big chunk of a day where I have nothing to do. Rather than sit in my hotel until they kick me out, I decide to hit a few places I wanted to see in Seoul. Thanks to the convenient and efficient subway system here, it's pretty easy to get to wherever you want for $1 cheap.
Here is my day in Seoul...
Wake up way too early, then work for four hours. I look up the subway stop for the local cafe at HardRock.com, but they don't list it. I then look up the hours, only to remember they don't open until 5:00pm on weekdays. I've already been twice, so it's not a big deal... but how crazy is that?
Wait for the morning commuter rush to subside, and head out around 10:00am, begging the front desk for an extended check-out time of 2:00pm.
Hike to Seolleung Station and take a series of wacky connections that eventually deposit me across the river at City Hall Station, 30 minutes later.
Stop at Dunkin' Donuts (again) for a couple of "Chocolate Cookie Donuts" and then proceed to fall in love with the seriously cute girl who takes my money.
Walk to Deoksugung Museum of Contemporary Art to take in an exhibit of Korean and Chinese brush painting, which I really like. Then find out that it must be "children's day" at the museum, because the courtyard is overrun with adorable kids in their equally adorable school uniforms...
Become totally captivated with amazing pieces of brush art, and buy one of the cheapest exhibit guides for a showing I have ever seen... just $5!!
Walk to Seodaemun Station for yet another bizarre series of transfers until I arrive at Anguk Station, which is at the head of the very cool "arts & crafts district" of Seoul called "Insa-Dong"...
I Kill an hour wandering through the galleries and craft shops, resisting the urge to purchase everything in sight. Run across a woman (British accent) who is impatiently trying to get a shop keeper to understand her. She eventually raises her voice to the poor woman and says "I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU SPOKE ENGLISH! ENGLISH!!" she then throws down some handmade papers in disgust and starts to stomp out. I cannot resist saying "she probably does understand English... it's your being a bitch she doesn't understand." She ignores me (big surprise) and I head down the street to a souvenir shop I like...
I have no idea what these little string ornaments are called, but they make perfect $1 souvenirs that people back home totally love, so I buy a dozen for those few people I haven't already given one from a previous trip. I think they are based on the ornamental button-ties that Koreans wear on traditional formal dress. But these are much smaller and come in funky designs like fish, purses, fans, flags, and such.
Am shocked to discover that it's now 1:00pm, and I have only an hour to make it back to the hotel.
On the way back to Anguk Station, my leg all of a sudden develops a stabbing pain. I limp all the way to the subway, and find a seat for the next half hour's ride back across the river. Eventually I transfer back to the #2 Green Line and get back to Seolleung Station for the 7 minute hike back to the hotel with my leg feeling like somebody put a bullet in it.
Get back to my room at 1:56pm. Even though I have to be out in just 4 minutes, I decide to take another shower to sooth my aching, hot, sweaty body. This delays my departure by 10 minutes, but the front desk says nothing (bless them).
Since I have 5 hours and 30 minutes until my flight, I sit in the lounge writing postcards for the next thirty minutes, then buy an airport transfer ticket for the "Limousine Bus." It's a fantastic bargain at $13... a taxi ride would cost at least $70 because of Seoul's horrendous traffic.
The airport run is a whopping 1 hour, 35 minutes through agonizing traffic. I notice for the hundredth time how every tenth building is a Samsung building... yet each is selling something different... computers, cars, appliances, apartments, telephone service... whatever. I have to wonder if there is anything Samsung doesn't make in Korea.
Arrive at the ticketing desk for Asiana Airlines nearly four hours early. The first thing they do when I get up to the counter is hand me a bottle of mouthwash. I wonder if I should be offended, but then notice everybody is getting mouthwash. Since Koreans eat their weight in garlic every week, I suppose this is a practical gift.
I try to get through outbound immigration to leave the country and find out that the inbound agent mis-stamped my passport with an entry date of September 28th, 2005. This causes the guy to freak out, and I frantically search for my itinerary to show him I am not a wacky time traveller. Unfortunately, the photocopies my travel agent made have cut off the date! This causes even more of a freak-out, because now it looks like I have intentionally obstructed my date of entry! Ten minutes of computer key-punching later, he eventually locates my entry record with the correct date and releases me. The people in line behind me are not very happy at all.
Eat a Subway Sandwich at the same food court I always do because they have Welches Grape Soda. Make my way to the passenger lounge at Gate 33, and find out I can't get internet. Decide to write about my day in Seoul anyway... I'll just post it when I get to Hong Kong.
Read back through this entry and realize that it is not very exciting at all, and anybody reading the entirety of it has probably fallen asleep by now. Unless there's an explosion or an alien invasion in the next hour, I'm afraid that's all you're going to get!
These seats are horribly under-padded, and my boney ass is aching tired. Decide to stop blogging now before I start getting into embarrassing territory...
Posted on Wednesday, August 31st, 2005
Last night's flight on Asiana Air was very nice, especially since the cute counter agent put me in an exit row with tons of leg room. We arrived on time, immigration check was a breeze, and suddenly I was in Hong Kong... and 35 minutes later, my suitcase joined me. There's a train that runs into Kowloon, but the bus connection had closed for the night, so I bit the bullet and took a $30 taxi because I was tired and didn't want to have to find a way to my hotel from the station.
Half-way into Kowloon, I noticed a lightning strike out of the corner of my eye. IMMEDIATELY afterwards, the heavens opened up and a deluge of rain dropped from the sky. It was so sudden that I was startled awake, and then was treated to a lightning show through torrential rains. The driver must be used to it, because he didn't slow down at all... even though you could barely see through the windshield.
Then, almost as quickly as it had started, the rain stopped and I arrived at my hotel. After a good night's sleep, Hong Kong awaits.
Posted on Thursday, September 1st, 2005
I started my morning at 10:30am with a walk to the Star Ferry terminal so that I could make my way over to Hong Kong Island and the city center (known here as "Hong Kong Central"). The five-minute ferry ride has got to be one of the biggest bargains on earth, as it costs a mere 28¢ (2.20 HK) to cross! This would be an indication of things to come, because most all public transportation is fairly cheap.
Unfortunately, the haze that blanketed Seoul has followed me to Hong Kong, and most of the city is obstructed by it...
I quickly notice that the building which represented The Noble House in the television mini series adaptation of the greatest fiction novel of all time... James Clavell's Noble House... was waiting for me right off the terminal. I just bought yet another copy of the book (my fifth) so I can read it yet again (at least my twentieth time). It's very cool to see all the places named in my favorite book come to life!
After a quick bus ride to the base of The Peak, I take a tram to the top that has been operating in the city for over 100 years...
The ride is pleasant, but frightfully steep in parts. The most amazing thing about it is seeing how very tall buildings and numerous roads have all been built into the hill-side. The density of people here has got to be the most concentrated I have ever seen, and it's a wonder that Hong Kong can support itself at all. The view from the top is incredible, even though the haze is so thick I can barely see Kowloon on the other side of the harbor...
The shopping complex at the top houses a Hard Rock Merchandise Shop but, sadly, no cafe...
I'm getting thirsty at this point, so I drop by McDonalds at the Galleria. They are featuring a special promotion for "Summer Corn Cup" so I decide to have a quick meal, and get some French Fries and a Red Bean Paste Pie (which is deep-fat fried as The Ronald McDonald intended it to be, instead of the baked pie that tastes like crap we have back in the USA). The corn is okay, but doesn't come close to the deliciously famous Quincy Corn from back home. I wish our McDonalds sold McCorn...
I then take a quick taxi ride down to Queen's Road where I walk to the longest outdoor escalator in the world. It's a quick and painless way to reach the housing and shopping in the Mid-Levels of The Peak. I dump off on Hollywood Road so I can go to Man Mo Temple and get my fortune told. Like so many buildings here, the temple is undergoing repairs...
Fortunately, my "Master Fortune Teller" spoke English, so that made things a little easier...
For $2.50 ($20 HK), you could get a quick 1-minute fortune. For $13 ($100 HK), you could get a full fortune and have a question answered. I decided to spend the big money, and asked "Will I live long enough to visit Hong Kong again in this life?" After shaking some coins, consulting some charts, and writing down a lot of Chinese characters, Master Fortune Teller told me that he sees I have some health problems (no doubt, I seem to be falling apart!), but they are all controllable and so I will live to visit Hong Kong again. In fact, he sees me returning to the city as early as October of next year! He further explains that I will fall in love with Hong Kong, and the memories will call me back. This certainly seems feasible to me, so I hand over the $100 HK and buy some crappy souvenirs.
From there, it's back to the Star Ferry so I can have a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, which is Kowloon-side...
It's a good property, with a nicely appointed merch shop on the first floor and a restaurant spread out over the second. Memorabilia is somewhat sparse, which is quite strange, because they certainly have the room for it. They also have a stage for live music, which should be standard at ALL Hard Rocks.
As I leave, I notice two things... 1) There's a Donna Karan next door, which I am afraid to enter, because I love DK clothing and would probably buy out the store. 2) There's a Pret A Manger across the street, so now I know where I'll be going for breakfast tomorrow morning! Is it too much to hope that they have roasted tomato sandwiches on their morning menu?
I was planning on ending the afternoon at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, but they are closed Thursdays so I am out of luck. Instead I decide to head back to my hotel so I can blog my day, and read a few chapters of Noble House before heading out to the Temple Street Night Market this evening.
All in all, a pretty good first day in Hong Kong, and it's not even over!
Posted on Thursday, September 1st, 2005
Hong Kong Harbor at night is pretty.
Posted on Friday, September 2nd, 2005
Since yesterday involved a lot of running around, today I thought I'd relax a little bit and just wander around Tsim Sha Tsui and take in a couple of museums. It's a real pity that I don't enjoy shopping, because it seems that's what everybody comes to Hong Kong to do. The lobby of my hotel is packed with people trying to load up all their purchases into boxes and newly-purchased suitcases so they can get it all back home.
But not me... I can't stand shopping, and have no desire to drag a bunch of crap back to the States. With the exception of a few Hard Rock Cafe pins and shirts I've packed away in my small suitcase, I'll be able to tell US Customs to kiss my ass. I am so tired of Customs Agents treating people like crap with their condescending attitude and abusive demeanor. I will never forget my very first trip outside the US when I was returning from Japan and was SCREAMED at by a bitch at Customs because I didn't have a receipt for a few cheap souvenirs I had bought. Never mind that my meager purchases couldn't possibly exceed the allowance, she was a bitch and wanted everybody to know it. In the dozens of times I've been subjected to US Customs, I'm guessing there have been only two times I didn't want to beat the shit out of somebody.
Anyway, the first museum I went to was the Hong Kong Museum of Art, which friends had told me was amazing. I was very much looking forward to my visit, and arrived just as they opened so I would be sure to have time to see everything. At first I was blown away by a very cool exhibit of Chinese brush painting... there were precious scrolls filled with stunning artworks that boggle the mind, and every new work somehow managed to top the previous one. It was art-lover's heaven.
But then I found out that huge chunks of the museum were closed due to changing exhibits and became enraged.
Changing out exhibits is a common event at museums, but usually it's done in stages. This way, only one major exhibit is closed at any given time. But the dumbasses at the Hong Kong Museum of Art had decided to close down most of the second floor, and the entirety of the fourth floor all at the same time... effectively halving the exhibits available. Needless to say, they didn't halve the ticket price.
So this was the highly regarded Hong Kong Museum of Art? To me it was more of a joke. A lame and amateurish production with little consideration for their patrons. Disgusted with the entire ordeal, I bailed after less than an hour so I could see if the Hong Kong Museum of History would fare any better.
Fortunately, it wasn't just "better", it was spectacular. All I knew of Hong Kong history I learned from reading the brilliant James Clavell novels Tai-Pan and Noble House (which were semi-fictionalized). But here was the whole story... from geological formation and Neolithic times... to the Opium Wars, British Colonization, and eventually return to China in 1997. And all of it beautifully explained with captivating displays, dioramas and audio-visual presentation. It is hands-down one of the best museums I've visited, and that's saying a lot. If you enjoy history even a little bit, there's a lot to love about the Hong Kong History Museum.
The period of Japanese occupation during the war is a delicate matter to be sure, but I think they did an admirable job of presenting it well. These were tragic times for Hong Kong, and the horrors of day-to-day life for it's inhabitants not a pleasant subject to dwell on. But it was the most memorable portion of the museum to me because of this image...
These are British (I think) residents of the colony being led off to a prison camp from which some were likely not to survive. It's a sobering image but, when you look closely, you see something remarkable and haunting at the same time...
Two of the guys are smiling. I find myself wondering what was happening at this one moment frozen in time. Perhaps the guy in the vest had said something like "smile for the camera, boys" and the guy in front with the black shirt thought it was funny. There's just something so undeniably "human" about it all that puts life into perspective. Even at your darkest hour, your world and everything you know is just a tiny slice of history. And then you realize it's not your life that matters, but how you live it. How you face adversity. How you find your humanity in inhumane conditions.
The joy and the hurt of it all.
Then I look at the television and see the horrifying images coming out of New Orleans and try very hard to keep all this in mind as I watch people struggle to survive in a city that means so much to me. It's heartbreaking and so very human all at the same time. A moment in history where people are having to face their darkest hour.
And doing the very best they can.
And that's why I get so pissed off when I hear people saying things like "well, they got what they deserved in New Orleans, because everybody knew it was bound to happen eventually." It just seems so petty... so unworthy of historical record that people would choose to address somebody else's tragedy with this kind of attitude. A wasted moment of time.
I mean, should San Francisco be abandoned because of the earthquakes? And what about L.A.? People have been talking about the impending "Big One" for decades. Or what about the tornados in Kansas? Should we evacuate the entire State? Typhoons have decimated Hong Kong more than once, should the area be vacated? Hurricanes also ravage Florida, should the Southern Coast to the Keys just leave? Wildfires plague the area I live in... should I be moving out? What about other dangers that plague our societies... flood, drought, landslides, and all the rest? What could go wrong in YOUR town?
We humans lead a fragile existence. There's always going to be something horrifying we have to face, and it's how we deal with it that defines us. Sure New Orleans has always been in danger of destruction from storm and flood. But you know how they face it? They throw a giant party every year and call it Mardi Gras. They developed a rich and unique culture and welcomed people to their wonderful city so they could share it. It's part of what makes me love the city so much, and the reason I am rooting for New Orleans to rise again.
Tomorrow is my last day in Hong Kong. I think I'll head back across the harbor and see what adventures I can find.
Posted on Saturday, September 3rd, 2005
How many people are happy when it rains on their vacation?
Usually, I am not bothered by the weather when I travel. If it rains, it rains, and I try to enjoy myself just the same. But the weather here in Hong Kong has been so hot and muggy that I am grateful for a break. I am tired of being drenched in sweat within five minutes of walking out the door. At least now when I'm wet, it will be for a good reason. Hopefully it will cool things down a bit as well.
I can only guess that the sudden rains are due to this big purple swirly thing that's sitting off the coast of China when I look at the weather map...
Here's hoping this doesn't turn into another swirly thing alert... Katrina's aftermath is enough just now.
Posted on Saturday, September 3rd, 2005
I hung around my hotel room until 8:30 this morning, because that's when the Pret A Manger down the street opens up at Harbour City. They don't have my beloved Egg & Roasted Tomato Baguette, but I still love the food there, and decided it was what I wanted for breakfast.
Except when I got there at 8:40, the sign on the door said they don't open until 10:00... despite their web site stating quite clearly that 8:30 was the time. Pret bastards. Why the f#@% bother to post hours on your web site if they aren't going to be correct? Far better to post nothing at all if you are not going to update them when things change. I registered a complaint on their site, and know that they will make the change straight away because they are an amazing company, but it doesn't make me any happier about having to eat at McDonalds this morning.
After another impossibly cheap ferry-ride across the harbor, I walked up to Queens Road so I could wander the market stalls in the side streets. As you might know from previous entries, this is something I enjoy quite a lot. Hong Kong is rather surprising in that many stalls are packed into narrow streets on steep hills. This made it difficult to take photos where you could see anything, but I eventually found a flat section where I could get a shot...
The produce was beautiful, and I could tell from the boxes that some of it was fresh from Mainland China. The Beijing tomatoes in particular looked quite tasty...
Then my eye caught something that made me laugh. Some stalls were selling Red Delicious apples from my home in Washington State! They looked to be in great shape so, of course, I had to buy one. Red Delicious is not my favorite variety of apple, but it was kind of strange to travel half-way around the world to buy something from my own back yard. Eating it made me feel right at home, and at a price of 5 for $11 HK (28¢ US each) they were quite a bargain...
Despite the rain, it is still a bit miserable outside. The only difference is that instead of being hot, sweaty and miserable, now I'm hot, sweaty, miserable and soaked. But that's okay, since I'm not meeting my friend for dinner for three hours yet. Still plenty of time to blog, check email, and get cleaned up.
And speaking of email, the week would not be complete unless I get some wacky hate-mail. This time it's from a guy who has written to me a few times before, usually telling me that something I've done is getting me sent straight to hell. Apparently my visit to a fortune teller (which I'm told is an "instrument of the devil") from the other day has me queued up for a trip to hell... again.
Whatever. Fortune telling is a huge part of Chinese culture, and I'll be damned (heh heh) if I was going to miss out on the experience. It's part of exploring other walks of like, and is the entire reason I like to travel. Religious whack-jobs may feel that it's better to stick their heads in the sand and insulate themselves against all possible contact with other people's beliefs, but I think that's just stupid. That kind of lame superior attitude is what makes Americans so roundly hated the world over.
Besides, it was just for FUN! I put as much weight on fortune tellers as I do this really cool Bocca della Verita palm reading machine I saw at The Peak on Thursday...
It's just like the real "Mouth of Truth" I saw in Rome! (well, except the original doesn't have a slot for money like this one). Wouldn't it be great to have one of these in your living room for parties?
Wah. Now I have to go get ready for my last night in Hong Kong.
Posted on Saturday, September 3rd, 2005
I dropped by the Hard Rock for drinks with a fellow Hard Rocker living in the city, but he kindly suggested I might like some Chinese for my last dinner in Hong Kong. Turns out he knows of a vegetarian-friendly place, which is a pleasant surprise. I had pretty much resolved myself that I would never be able to eat any local foods here, because absolutely everything contains some form of meat, seafood, or fowl... or is cooked using the juices thereof.
But, before heading out, he thought there was something I might like to see across the street. "Oh, I've been to the Harbour Mall, I say." Undeterred he replied "Yes, I'm sure you have... but you've not seen what I am going to show you or else I am certain you would have written about it in your blog." Intrigued, I agree to brave the crowds at the same mall where I had wanted to eat at Prat Pret earlier this morning.
And, as we walk through the largest shopping center in all of Asia, suddenly I see what it was he had wanted me to see.
Loads and loads of candy. Here's a shop filled with nothing but chips and cookies and biscuits and sweets... most of it imported from Japan. This is a huge deal for me, because I live for this crap...
Fortunately, my friend is a patient guy, and indulges me to spend the next twenty minutes buying out the shop. I buy loads, even though I have no idea how I am going to get it all home. Most of it is familiar to me, but there are some unique treats I'm tempted into trying. $40 US later, I'm leaving with two bags of treats that will most likely be entirely consumed on my way home. Here's just one bag of it...
The biggest find is my much-craved "Lucky Mini Almond" which is the incredibly tasty Meiji version of the Japanese cookie treat known as "pocky" (pronounced "p'oh-kee"). I buy four boxes. They also had Meiji "Qun" (gushing gummy candy) in sour grape flavor, which is another favorite. It would seem I'll be flying home on a sugar-high.
As we leave the mall, I spy Frank Lampard staring at me...
It's a Chelsea Football fan shop. Sure enough, the lads are in Chelsea blue, but I'm a bit puzzled as to why all their shirts say "Samsung Mobile" instead of "Emirates" (who I thought was the Chelsea sponsor). Perry?
Anyway, after dropping my booty of candy treasures off at the hotel, we're off to a spectacular dinner where I ate far more than I should have... I end up full to bursting. With no room for dessert, we head back to the Hard Rock so I can pick up a couple HRC souvenirs, and then walk around the neighborhood a bit to try and burn off all that food. Eventually, we're all caught up talking, and it's time for me to go back to the hotel and pack up for my early-morning flight.
And just like that, my Hong Kong trip has come to an end.
Posted on Sunday, September 4th, 2005
I woke up entirely too early this morning and, since I packed everything up last night, this leaves me with nothing to do for a good two hours yet.
I thought I would write a quick summary of all the things I'll remember from this trip, but I'm pretty sure that anything I take away will easily be overshadowed by the tragedy unfolding for the victims of Hurrican Katrina. As anybody who has read Blogography for any amount of time already knows, I have a deep... almost sacred... love for the city of New Orleans. It hurts quite badly to know what's happening there, and I go to bed each night with my heart aching, then wake up each morning overwhelmed with despair. I am not an emotional person, but entirely too many important memories are tied to this city, and I find myself grief-stricken in a way I don't understand. Especially considering I don't know anybody personally who has been devastated by the flooding.
The only thing saving me is the feeling that it's not actually happening. It's easy to do when you are in a foreign country half a world away where everything is different from what you're accustomed to. In a strange way, it's acting like a buffer between me and what I know to be a very real catastrophe back home. Right now all I can do is make donations to the relief effort and hope against hope that our government gets their shit together and finally provides some help to people who desperately need it.
But then I am reacquainted with the grim facts given by the Mayor of New Orleans, and the despair starts to set in again.
Fortunately, there are also the words of our Fearless Leader to make me feel so much better...
You know, I really sympathize with the fact that President Bush is trying to be encouraging here, but must he whip out these idiotic statements every f#@%ing time? I can forgive a lot, but it was Dubbyah's joking about starting a war that broke the camel's back for me, and it's been a long and painful down-hill slide ever since.
You would think at some point Bush would realize "hey, I always seem to make these embarrassing and inflammatory statements, so why don't I just shut-the-f#@%-up already?" But oh no, right when his slow response to the crisis is being criticized as racially motivated... he's got to try and comfort a Nation by telling us that some wealthy white dude's house is going to be re-built better than ever? Given the thousands of deaths that continue to mount even now, exactly how stupid do you have to be in order to see how this is an incredibly moronic thing to say? I mean, THIS is "good news?" Does he ever think before opening his f#@%ing mouth? Or does he just not care... he knows that people think he's a dumbass, and so he just does his part to live up to low expectations?
I remain utterly dumbfounded. And more than a little bit angry. I could go on about how fascinating it is that the so-called "leader of the free world" doesn't have a decent enough grasp of the English language to understand that "rubble" is already a plural, and "rubbles" is not even a word... but that would just be kicking a goober when he's down.
All we need now is to hire Halliburton for the clean-up, and the circle will be complete.
It's going to be a long, sad, plane-ride home (assuming the thunderstorms allow me to leave Hong Kong at all).
Posted on Friday, September 23rd, 2005
It's 3:45am and I've just woken up. In just over 20 hours, I'll be in China... that's after 15-1/2 hours of flight time with 5 hours worth of layovers in Seattle and San Francisco. It sucks to be me.
It's now 5:22am and I am enjoying the free wireless here at our little local airport, Wenatchee Pangborn Field. I'm hungry, but the only restaurant here has long-since gone out of business.
It's now 7:05am and I am in Seattle eating a delicious Qdoba Egg & Potato Breakfast Burrito after having been told that there isn't a seat for me on the flight from San Francisco to Shanghai. Such is the peril of flying United where I have -zero- status with the airline. But it sure beats getting a "full-body skin rash that itches like hell and doesn't respond to any medical treatment."
It's now 7:47am and I have just spent 20 minutes attempting to find out if I am actually going to get on the flight to Shanghai. The first gate agent tells me he has no idea, and I will have to check and see when I am in San Francisco because the flight "must be sold out." But then the Customer Service Desk opens up so I try again. When I explain the situation, the lady there is completely mystified as to why I wasn't given a seat, because there are plenty available. She even manages to find me a window-seat so I can sleep (even though it is all the way in the ass-end of the plane). Part of me is a little bummed out, because it would have been great to spend the night in San Francisco so I could go eat fortune cookies.
It's now 7:56am and I am paying the outrageously stupid price of $6.95 for an internet connection. I don't have much choice, because I didn't make it through my inbox at work yesterday, and need to get caught up before leaving the country. Wayport bastards. Why not offer connection by the hour at a reasonable rate?
It's now 8:52am and my plane has just arrived. It is very small.
It's now 9:02am and I have done about all I can do with work just now. Everything else will have to wait until I get to China. For the past half-hour a loud-mouthed idiot seated across the lobby has been blathering into his mobile phone LOUDLY about random political crap nobody wants to hear. From what I can tell, the call was initiated by a rather tasteless Bush-bashing television commercial that runs through the administration's failures (up to and including the Katrina fiasco), and then puts up a picture of Dubyah with the word "LEADER" underneath. But then "MIS" drops onto the screen spelling out "MISLEADER." Get it? HA HA HA HA! Whatever. Apparently, these people would rather waste money on television commercials that tell people what they already know, as opposed to say... donating the money to Katrina victims where it could do some actual good. Dumbasses. How much does a commercial on CNN cost? Enough to buy some food and clothing for a lot of people I'll bet.
It's now 9:20am and they will be boarding my flight to SFO soon. This is a good thing, because an obnoxious bitch screeching into her mobile phone sat down next to me and I'm about ready to kick it up her ass. I'm totally doped up on Ibuprofen right now, which means my back isn't bothering me much at all so I could totally do it.
It's now 1:32pm and this will be the last entry for today. In a few minutes, I'll be climbing on a 12-1/2 hour flight, trying not to go insane from the horrors of being trapped in a tiny space for a half-day. Once again I find myself in the unenviable position of leaving the country just as a hurricane is going to hit... knowing that I won't know what's happening until I land and get to my hotel. The good news, if you can look at it that way, is that Rita has been downgraded to a "Category 3" which means potentially a lot less damage. That's something.
See you in China.
Posted on Saturday, September 24th, 2005
I just got here and it's already been an adventure.
Most Chinese natives do not speak English, and I was well aware of this fact before I left the country. It seems only fair, considering I didn't even attempt to learn Mandarin for the trip. To this end, I thoughtfully asked my hotel to email me directions to the property in Chinese characters so that my taxi driver would know where to take me. I'm a swell guy that way.
So as we are heading into the Shanghai from Pudon International Airport, I start to get concerned. Not because I've nick-named my driver "Speed Racer" because of the way he zips in and out of traffic at high speed while flashing his headlights and laying on the horn... but because something doesn't feel right. In preparation for my trips, I always make it a point to memorize a "map" of the city so I can get my bearings and spend less time being lost. But as we approach Shanghai, I notice that we are heading nowhere near the location of my hotel. Upon closer examination of the Chinese address, I notice what appears to be a postal code, but it doesn't match the code of the address I have in English.
They sent me the directions to the wrong hotel.
After a feeble attempt to explain the problem, I finally give up and get across to him to take me to the "wrong" hotel. From there I find somebody who speaks English to give my driver directions to the right hotel. He was a very good sport about the entire ordeal, so I left him a much-too-generous tip and wave goodbye as he tears off into the night.
There's a half-hour of my life I won't be getting back.
On the bright side, I did get a nice tour of the city lights by night. I also get to fill in another country on my map (well, since Hong Kong is once again part of the Middle Kingdom, I suppose I could have filled in China already... but it didn't feel right until I step foot on the mainland).
It's 8:30pm (vs. 5:30am), so I am going to force myself to stay awake another couple of hours so I am synced to the time zone here. This may be a bit difficult considering that I've been awake for 26 hours now.
Hmmm... the maid just came for turn-down service and left me a nifty snack. It's like a small Rice Crispies treat, but with a hint of orange. Delicious!
Posted on Sunday, September 25th, 2005
Today was a very full day with lots to share, so I will probably be breaking the time into multiple entries.
This morning I decided to stop Pudong-side and go up the tallest building in China, Jin Mao Tower. It is a beautiful building with breathtaking views of the city from the 88th floor observation deck. This is looking towards Central Shanghai, with Pearl Tower foremost in the shot...
They have a window inside the tower so you can look all the way down to the reception lobby below. Everything is bathed with a golden light, so it is quite beautiful...
From Jin Mao Tower, it is only a short walk to Pearl Tower. This is a mighty cool structure, and you can go all the way up to the tiny third "ball," which they call the "Space Module"...
This is looking back toward Jin Mao Tower...
And then the opposite side, toward Central Shanghai...
The Chinese people are very hard working and kind, and their friendly demeanor is what makes Shanghai such a great place to visit.
Until it's time to queue.
Once it's time to form a line, the exceedingly warm and gentle Chinese will turn into a dragon. They will push, shove, weasel, cut, squirm, mangle, cheat, and no doubt kill to get ahead of you in the queue. Men, women, young, old... it makes no difference. I have had old women with canes, use their stick like a wedge to push me out of the way so they can get in front of me. There was one man who couldn't squirm past me so he SQUATTED DOWN AND CRAWLED PAST ME!! It is truly shocking to see this kind of behavior, because it is so unexpected. You really have to see it to believe it, and even then you may not trust your eyes.
There was a group of British tourists ahead of me in line for the Pearl Tower elevator. If you've ever been to Great Britain, you know that they have a natural talent for queueing... almost as if it were in their DNA or something. Every line in the country is orderly and very proper. Because of this, even more amusing than watching the Chinese do everything in their power to get ahead in line, was the horrified reaction of the British tourists watching it happen. They were mortified, and could not stop talking about what they were witnessing. Listening to their conversation was worth the price of admission!
This is not true of ALL Chinese, of course, but it is a high enough percentage that you grow tired of it very quickly. It's almost so bad that you don't want to visit any attraction with a queue. Oh well. After a while I developed some meager abilities to combat the line-cutters (usually making myself as wide as I can, holding on to rails, and using my backpack as a shield), so I imagine it gets better with practice.
Posted on Sunday, September 25th, 2005
After my experiences at the towers, I still had time to kill so I went to the Shanghai Aquarium. This is a truly spectacular place with dozens of beautiful dioramas that entertains you both above and below the waters. There are also several underwater walkways where the fish swim all around you. I've seen this kind of thing before, but never has it been used so ambitiously.
This is a really cool aquarium... certainly one of the best I've been to that I can recall...
This little guy was continuously reaching into the water to "pet" the reef sharks, sting rays, and other fish (despite a sign warning in English and Chinese not to do it). I was wondering if there might be piranha in the tank as well, and was worried that he would end up missing a finger or something...
After the aquarium, I needed to go to the other side of the river to meet with some friends for tea. I decided to take the "Bund Tourist Tunnel Tram" which actually goes through a tunnel UNDER the river. It's a psychedelic light show that's pretty bizarre. I think it's actually meant to be an audio-visual art project, because you've got a man speaking english who boldly introduces the various shows with odd phrases like "Acid Lava" and "Star Swirl." Afterwards, a lady will repeat the words in Chinese, but very softly. It's a unique experience, I'll give it that much.
While waiting for my friends, I wandered around the area for a bit. Eventually I spied a tiny kitten, barely bigger than the palm of my hand, who had to come and say hello. I wanted quite badly to take him home, which happens a lot when I travel (like here and here, for example). I guess cats must like me...
I then ran across this sign, which I thought was funny (also something I've done before)...
After tea, my friends and I walked through the cool shopping district in the area. Right in the middle of it all, there's what I think is a "wishing tree" where you can toss a ribbon with a coin attached into a tree. If the ribbon stays up there, your wish comes true. I don't know about all that, but it was a very beautiful site...
Apparently Starbucks is taking over the world, even in The Middle Kingdom. This has to be one of the more interesting I've seen...
In the shopping district, you can buy just about anything. A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G! I saw gloves, scouring pads, toys, kitchen utensils, clothing, shoes, antiques, and everything else you can imagine. Since I am not much of a shopper, this is all lost on me. About the only thing I really wanted was a Chinese lantern, because they look so cool hanging in the shops...
Once our meandering and chatting was over, my friends went off to meet with their family so that they can discuss their plans for heading up to Beijing on October 1st to celebrate "National Day" (named for the founding of the People's Republic of China) which is the most important of Chinese holidays, and is celebrated for an entire week.
I said my goodbyes, promised I'd look them up in Beijing when I get there, and then headed off to The People's Square and the Shanghai Museum.
Posted on Sunday, September 25th, 2005
I love museums and, lucky for me, Shanghai has an amazing property right on People's Square. The collection contained within The Shanghai Museum is a mind-bogglingly beautiful treasure trove that took me 2-1/2 hours to go through, and even that was at a rushed pace. I could have easily spent half a day there.
They have displays of jade carving, pottery, seals, coins, furniture, brush painting, calligraphy, statues, and much more... all beautifully arranged in a really nifty building...
There were many pieces I loved, but this statue was a favorite. His disapproving stare just cuts right through you...
Once outside, I sat at the fountain and watched the kids at play. Chinese Children are adorable, friendly, and very curious. More than a couple times they would come up to say an enthusiastic "hello!" and then wait for you to say "hello!" back so they could say it again. And again. And again. This little guy was particularly friendly, and was happy to have his photo taken...
I later learned that this area of People's Square is a popular place on Sunday because it becomes an "English Corner" where Chinese students of English go to practice their skills. As I was taking photos, I met a guy (Lane) and his girlfriend (Lucille) who were kind enough to strike up a conversation with me. We got on well enough that they asked if I wanted to go with them to a tea house so they could purchase some souvenir teas for their families and talk along the way. Lane's English is better than mine, so it made for fun conversation.
Once at the tea parlor, they asked if I wanted to go to a "Traditional Tea Tasting" which was a fantastic highlight to end my day with. It was made even better, because Lane was translating everything, giving me an understanding about what was going on that I never would have had otherwise...
There were six teas we sampled, each with a fascinating history and purpose. Everything was perfectly orchestrated, and then entire ceremony... from how you hold a tea cup... to the proper water temperature... to what was in it... to where it came from... was given. We also got introduced to the "tea god" who brings you good luck when you pour tea on his back...
The teas we sampled: Ginseng Tea, Jasmine Tea, Fruit Tea, Mountain Green Tea, Li Zhiong Black Tea, and the totally fascinating "Five Golden Flower Art Tea". That last one was the kicker. It starts out as a tea ball with green tea leaves wrapped around five chained flowers. As the water is poured on the ball and it steeps, it unfolds to become a work of art that tastes amazing...
Lucille wanted very much for me to take some back with me, but I can totally envision the Customs Agents searching my bag to find THIS inside...
Can you say "felony drug possession?" I picture myself being dragged away in handcuffs while screaming "IT'S JUST TEA! BOIL ME SOME WATER AND I'LL SHOW YOU... IT'S JUST TEA! IT'S JUUUSSSTTT TEEEEEEEAAA!! It broke my heart to have to decline, but that kind of trouble I just don't need in my life.
After tea, we exchanged email addresses and parted ways. They are also traveling to Beijing for "National Day," so we might yet meet again before I leave China.
I was going to go to the top of the Peace Hotel to see the city lights from their NightBar, but it had been a very full day, so I decided to save that for my next trip into the city. All in all... not a bad day for Dave.
UPDATE: This is a common type of scam in China, so be sure that if "somebody invites you for tea" that you ask for pricing first, and explain that you are ONLY paying for YOUR tea. Usually, it's two or three girls who approach you, and then you find out that "girls don't pay in China" and have to pay for everything. In this case, I told Lane pay for his girlfriend so, if it was a scam, I was only out the $50 for myself (which was worth it to me, because the whole thing was actually kind of cool).
Posted on Monday, September 26th, 2005
Today was pretty much work all day, but on the way back into the city my host rushed me to the ancient village of Zhou Zhuang (aka "Zhouzhuang," about 90 minutes west of Shanghai) so I could try and visit before it got dark. This is a quaint little fishing village that has been kept much the same as it was in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911)... except now the structures are filled with tourist traps, where shopkeepers yell at you to view their wares as you pass by. It's kind of sad, in a way, because there's simply too many people competing over too little profit. I can't help but wonder how some of them manage to get by.
Anyway, Zhou Zhuang is cut by a series of canals, and is linked by beautiful stone bridges. You can walk along the narrow streets, or hire a boat to take you along the canals. The boats are kind of Venice-like, in that the oarsman or oarswoman will serenade you with a song as they push through the water.
Kind of a cool way to end the day by seeing China as it once was...
I'm whipped. Knackered. Exhausted. Beat. Destroyed. Something tells me I might be able to get a little sleep tonight. That would be a pleasant change from the 3 hours I managed to get last night.
Posted on Tuesday, September 27th, 2005
Knowing that I needed to get caught up with work in the afternoon, I started the day early so I could visit the Temple of the Jade Buddha. It turned out to be more of an adventure than I had thought it was going to be.
I have been skydiving, bungee jumping, diving with sharks, race car driving, held up at knife-point twice, and had a multitude of other dangerous encounters throughout my life. But all of those pale in comparison to taking a taxi through the streets of Shanghai. Especially when you get a driver with a death-wish. Taxi drivers aren't supposed to smoke, play the radio, use their mobile phone, or spit... mine did everything but smoke and, given the ride I had, I kind of wish that I was the one with a cigarette. It was especially disturbing considering that he didn't know where the temple was (despite being a famous landmark) and had a map in his face a good portion of the time.
So there I was, bouncing around in the back seat with LOVE RADIO blasting so loud that my eardrums were bleeding, all while we were tearing through the city at a reckless pace... laying on the horn the entire way and watching the map instead of the road. There were moments where I was thinking to myself "so this is how I'm going to die is it?" And then watch helplessly as the taxi skidded around a corner, narrowly missing a mass of bicycles and pedestrians.
By the time we got to the temple, I was ready to shave my head and become a monk so that I wouldn't have to go through that again.
But the temple itself is pretty sweet, and well worth the dangerous journey to get there. You are not allowed to take pictures of the actual Jade Buddha (which is exquisitely beautiful), but there are plenty of other sites to photograph...
I particularly like the little lion guardians that are everywhere around the temple. Many of them had red "wish ribbons" tied around them, which made for a cool photo subject...
On the way out, I pass through the gift shop so I can get me a wooden "Happy Buddha" statue to take back with me. Given my luck with taxis, I can use all the luck I can get.
Posted on Tuesday, September 27th, 2005
After my near-death experience getting to the Temple of the Jade Buddha, the ride back into the city center was positively tame. Since I ran out of time on Sunday, I decided to drop by the Shanghai Museum of Art to see the current installation. The museum itself is relatively small... just two rooms with a connecting hallway. There were maybe fifty paintings in one room and 35 in the other.
Turns out that what the museum lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality.
The current showing was for a brush artist named Wu Guanzhong, and it was remarkable. Stunning really. I couldn't afford it, but I ended up buying the show book because there was no way I could leave without it.
As I was leaving, I noticed an interesting sign out front...
I had seen a similar sign forbidding psychos in taxis (apparently this excludes the driver), but dismissed it. When I started paying attention, I noticed that signs forbidding psychopaths are actually quite common. This lead me to wonder if psychos are wandering the streets of Shanghai or something (just like New York!).
Once I had finished up at the museum, I was starting to get hungry. Noting a McDonalds down the street, I decided to see if they had the miraculously yummy fried pies that are prevalent at all McDonalds except those in the USA, where we get the shitty baked crap instead. Sure enough, fried pies!! As I sat down with my pies, fries, and a Coke, I noticed this creepy painting directly opposite me...
"Blessed is he who eats unto Him."
My fear of clowns is well documented, but this goes beyond fear... in kind of a Norman-Bates-Psycho-Not-Allowed-In-The-Museum kind of way. I'm going to be having nightmares for months. To calm my nerves, I decided to go snack shopping at the mini-mart across the street. Who knows what cool and exotic chips (crisps) and cookies (biscuits) I might find? Turns out there wasn't much, but the chip selection was rather interesting...
Among the choices... Cool Cucumber Flavor, Cool Lemon Flavor, Cool Green Tea Flavor, American-Style Original, Swiss Cheese Flavor, Italian Red Meat Flavor, and Texas Grilled BBQ Flavor. I tried the Lemon (yargh!) and Swiss Cheese (yum!) varieties, and a box of Pocky for good measure. I then hailed another taxi so I could make my way back Pudong-side. The driver was terrific, but the advertising is what caught my attention...
I think it's basically telling you that if your breasts don't fit in your dress, then visit La Zephire Beauty Management, and they'll fix you right up. I don't need the breast-job (or do I?), but was compelled to take a look at the web site they provided.
This was quite revealing.
Turns out that Heather Graham is a client and spokesmodel for their "Abundant Chest" program! I knew they were fake!!
What I was NOT prepared for was finding out that Jennifer Aniston was also a client and spokesmodel...
GAAAAH! Say it's not so! If Jennifer Aniston can have fake breasts, how can we truly know if ANYTHING is real? Who am I? What am I doing here? Am I real? Or is this all in my head? Leave it to Jennifer Aniston's breasts to make me finally lose my fragile grip on reality...
Posted on Tuesday, September 27th, 2005
Putting aside the question of my reality, I backtracked to People's Square so I could visit the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. It came highly recommended by a friend who had been to the city, so I decided to give it a try.
Turns out I was mighty glad I did, because the contents within are fascinating in a way that Judicial Confirmation Hearings are supposed to be, but aren't.
If nothing else, it certainly is a cool building to look at...
The highlight of the entire complex is a massively huge 1/500th scale model of Shanghai that boggles the mind. Even with my wide-angle lens, there was just no fitting it into the frame, because it goes on forever...
With something this size, you'd think that they would skimp on the details. You would be wrong. Everything is faithfully reproduced, right down to the smallest detail. In addition, there are lighting cues to explain the layout of the city, all while a cute guide (with the most pleasant speaking voice I have ever heard) runs you through the model...
Interestingly enough, the model not only reflects the current state of the city, but includes future plans as well. The building I went up on Sunday, Jin Mao Tower, is the tallest building in China. But the model reveals that two taller buildings will eventually flank it on either side...
As noon approached, I needed to get back to the hotel so I could get some work done, but I decided to take a little detour first.
When I landed in Shanghai on Saturday night, I was looking forward to taking the MagLev Train into the city. Unfortunately, we arrived so late that the train had long-since shut down for the day. Not one to pass up a ride on the fastest train in the known universe, I figured today was the day. What's cool about the train, other than the fact that you'll be traveling at 430km per hour (267mph), is that you seem to defy gravity while doing it. Magnetic repulsion means that the train never touches the tracks, providing a frictionless run. It's pretty sweet-looking too...
I expected the ride to be smooth to the point of being unnoticeable but, unlike the elevator in Jin Mao Tower (where you cannot sense motion), you do get buffeted around a bit. Still, it's kind of a cool thing to have done. I bought a same-day-return fare in the comfy "VIP" section, which was completely empty...
The entire 30km journey takes just under 8 minutes. Apparently the same journey takes about 40 minutes by taxi...
The Shinkansen "Bullet Train" in Japan was my previous fasten train ride... at 210km per hour, making this one twice as fast. Kind of makes me wonder what the theoretical limit for mass-transit actually is.
And on that note... this ends my last day in Shanghai.
Posted on Wednesday, September 28th, 2005
Last night I ended up watching Chinese television and eating in my room instead of going out. I was just too tired to head into the city again.
The show I ended up watching was an English education program with various segments that used movies and music to teach the language in context. Unfortunately, the movie in question was a Pauley Shore flick, which had me cringing at the thought of the Chinese thinking that this movie is in any way indicative of life in America. I mean, Pauley Shore?!? Is there anything that could possibly be more embarrassing? And the phrases for the evening that they were teaching? "I'll make it up to you" and "That's really cool of you."
After a whopping 5 hours sleep, I checked out of my hotel and caught a taxi to Hongqiao airport for my flight to Beijing. My taxi driver, quite surprisingly, was a woman (the first female taxi driver I had seen since I got here). For some reason, I thought that this would make for a less-eventful journey, but I couldn't have been more wrong. She was just as aggressive a driver as any of her male counterparts, if not more so. She could wedge her way into traffic, horn blaring, with the best of them. I was thrilled.
The 2-hour flight to Beijing via Air China, was pleasant enough... except for the fact that we sat on the tarmac for an hour before taking off. And thus began a day of waiting...
*The two hours to the Hard Rock was mainly due to the incompetence of the driver I got, who kept falling asleep at traffic stops and took the busiest route possible to get there... bypassing the Ring Road entirely in favor of driving through Tiananmen Square during rush hour. Easily the worst driver I have EVER had in my life. And, given the number of taxis I've taken over the years, that's saying a lot. It took every ounce of restraint I could muster not to choke the bastard for the entire length of the journey. I had to settle for kicking his seat each time the dumbass fell asleep.
Anyway, pretty much a wasted day. I am hoping to make up for it tomorrow.
Posted on Wednesday, September 28th, 2005
Unlike the Shanghai Hard Rock, which has been flagged as "opening soon" for a year after "closing to move," the Hard Rock Cafe Beijing was open for business. It was actually worth the insanely-long 2 hour drive it took to get there. Of course, considering the distance from my hotel was only 10 miles, perhaps not.
Anyway, the HRC Beijing is a surprisingly large dual-level property that's permanently affixed to the front of the Landmark Hotel in the Chaoyang District of Eastern Beijing. As far as properties go, it's actually quite impressive.
The following two shots were taken opposite, giving you an idea of how big the main floor is. When you add the space afforded by the upstairs level, there's quite a lot of room available for seating...
The foosball tables were a nice touch, and something I had never seen at a Hard Rock before...
I loved me the "Comrade Bear" but didn't have room in my suitcase to get one...
It's even prettier at night...
Service was impeccable, and my Veggie Burger was great (though spicier than I'm used to). After a very long day, I'm glad to know that I can count of the Hard Rock to make me feel at home once again... even when half-way around the world.
Posted on Thursday, September 29th, 2005
Last night I arranged to hire a car and driver for today. For 900 Renminbi (about $110 USD) you can be picked up at 7am and then spend the next 9 hours doing whatever you want. A taxi hire would have been cheaper, but I wanted an English-speaking guide to take care of me, and that costs extra. Turns out it was a good move anyway, because my driver was able to explain many interesting facts about the countryside and how the people live there. It also meant that I could add or change my itinerary without any translation hassles.
I started by visiting the Ming Tombs, which house 13 of the 15 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The entrance to the grounds, called "The Spirit Way" is a nifty path that's guarded by these amazing animal and mythical beast carvings...
My favorite was this guy because he's got some freaky hair going on...
There wasn't a monkey, so I decided to add one (nicely distorted by my wide-angle lens)...
The tombs themselves are not very extravagant but they are interesting. Only one tomb is excavated so you can go down and explore it, but there wasn't much to it at all. Probably because they filled it with a bunch of the Emperor's concubines and buried them alive or something.
It's the little details that just blow you away...
Now that I've seen all this, it has given me definite ideas as to how I want to be buried.
Posted on Thursday, September 29th, 2005
I don't really believe in luck. Though, I suppose if you were to press me, I'd have to say that I'm a fairly lucky individual. I do, however, believe in karma a little bit. And because I am so fortunate to be able to travel to so many interesting places around the world, it's all got to balance out somehow.
Unfortunately, it was my karma to be saddled with very, very bad weather for my trip to The Great Wall of China this afternoon. I tried to look on the bright side and say "hey, it may be raining buckets and I can't see much because of the fog... but I am here at The Great Wall of China, and that's not too bad."
But it wasn't easy to be very convincing.
It was a pretty big disappointment that I could only see small pieces of The Wall at a time, instead of being able to look out and see it stretching to the horizon. I mean, when I dreamed of visiting here all these years, this spooky visage wasn't exactly what I had in mind...
Oh well, I would rather have seen it wet and foggy than never at all. The big picture here is that I've finally stood upon The Great Wall of China, and that IS something...
I guess this means I am one step closer to death now.
Posted on Friday, September 30th, 2005
Yesterday I told my driver not to bother picking me up until 7:30, since nothing really opens until 8:00am. So I awake at 7:00 and look out the window only to see yet another dreary, gray-sky morning with mist limiting the visibility in all directions. Just another depressing day of poor weather in Beijing! Oh well, at least it won't be raining for my trips to the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven.
With the conditions so dreadful, I'm in no hurry to head out into the crowded streets of Beijing, and drop down to the lobby at 7:25am to find my driver waiting for me...
Driver: "I have something to tell you."
Dave: "Uhhh... okay."
Driver: "The Great Wall is very important to you?"
Driver: "Most important to you maybe?"
Dave: "Errr... yes?"
Driver: "I think so. This morning I call Mutianyu and they say no rain. No clouds. Is clear."
Dave (trying desperately to not let my disbelief show): Really?
Driver: Yes. In city weather is bad. But in mountains it is good. No rain. No clouds. Not foggy... is clear. I call for you.
Dave (my interest piqued): So it is sunny and clear skies in Mutianyu?
Driver: Yes. I can take you back again.
Dave (with nothing to lose): Okay. Let's go.
And the entire way to Mutianyu I look out my window to see nothing but fog and mist... the likelihood of there being clear blue skies seems laughable, and I begin to wonder what the scam is. But then we round a corner, and all of a sudden the weather is drastically improved. We approach The Great Wall, and this time I can actually see it.
Now THIS is what I am talking about...
Yes. Needless to say, my driver is getting a big-ass tip.
UPDATE: I went to the "Mutianyu" section of the wall, because I was told it was less crowded with better views. The more common tourist spot is the "Badaling" section, because it is closer with easier access and closer to the Ming Tombs. There was a photo of the Badaling Wall in the China Daily that made me glad for my choice...
Yikes. Compared to this, Mutianyu was positively deserted.
Posted on Friday, September 30th, 2005
After getting my second chance at The Great Wall... I was so happy that I didn't care if I saw anything else today. But I had a driver on the clock, so we headed back into Beijing proper so I could resume my tour of famous places at The Forbidden City...
A stunningly beautiful portrait of Chairman Mao welcomes you into the city. I'm afraid that a photograph can't do it justice... the colors are quite remarkable, almost luminescent, and the rendering itself is just amazing. I have no idea who the artist is, but they did an incredible job...
You can ascend the gate for a small fee and look back out at Tiananmen Square. Since tomorrow is "National Day," the most important of Chinese holidays, the square is already abuzz with activity. Tomorrow it will be overflowing in celebration...
After you walk through the city for a while, there are two things that strike you. The first is the overwhelming attention to detail in every facet of The Forbidden City. Even a simple roof column support is beautiful to the extreme...
The second thing about The Forbidden City that moves you is how OPEN it is. There is huge amounts of open space between structures. The entire city begs to be shot in widescreen...
But it's the quiet spaces I like best...
And, of course, The Forbidden City would not be complete without a f#@%ing Starbucks from those barbarians in the West contaminating Chinese culture...
I shot nearly 70 photos within the walls of The Forbidden City... everything seemed so awe-inspiring and amazing at the time. But now that I am looking through them, I'm surprised at how much that the various sections look the same. Still, it's an amazing experience to walk through the city walls and envision what it must have been like back when The Emperor was truly The Son of Heaven, and ruled all of China from this very place.
Posted on Friday, September 30th, 2005
From The Forbidden City, my driver headed southward to one of the most recognized buildings in Beijing... The Temple of Heaven. Proving that karma does indeed balance out... I found that the "Temple of Prayers for Good Harvest" is closed for repairs until April of next month year. Oh well, if I had to choose between a clear day at The Great Wall and this, I'll take The Wall any day.
And it doesn't hurt that I've seen the reproduction at Epcot's World Showcase in Walt Disney World either.
Since I couldn't actually go into the main building, I had to settle for a trip to the "Imperial Vault of Heaven"...
Next to the Vault is the famous "whispering wall" where you can stand at opposite ends of the curved surface and hear a whisper across it. Unfortunately, there were dozens of people screaming at it (totally missing the point), which meant that you couldn't hear a thing, so that was that.
My favorite part of the Temple of Heaven Park was the Circular Mound which is supposed to have bizarre acoustical properties if you speak whilst standing at its center. With the hordes of noisy tourists buzzing about, it was impossible to know what this might involve. Still, it is a beautiful structure...
And thus ends yet another long day in Beijing. Tomorrow, I'm just going to relax a bit... perhaps journeying to Lama Temple and see what the festivities are like in Tiananmen Square. Or maybe I'll just stay in my hotel room and sleep all day. That sounds equally appealing.
Posted on Saturday, October 1st, 2005
Apparently Blogography has been linked to on a China travel forum, and my email address has been posted as well, because I awoke to find two dozen emails with questions awaiting me.
Since I am completely backlogged with my email just now (sorry) I thought I'd write a quick entry to address some of the questions I received, mostly about my driver for the past two days...
Your driver sounds wonderful. How do I get ahold of him? Does he have a web site?
I honestly don't know. I have his mobile number (in case I got lost), but won't be posting it here. The driver was arranged through my hotel's concierge desk, and I'd imagine that all hotels will have a list of reputable drivers in Beijing. When you check in, just ask them to hook you up.
You were totally ripped off at 1000 RMB a day... you can get a driver for 600 RMB!!
As I mentioned, I KNOW I could have gotten a driver for less (or a taxi for even less than that). But I wanted an experienced driver with English skills, and I went through my hotel to get him... all of this adds cost. But look at what I got in return! He looked out for me and got me a second chance to actually see The Great Wall because he knew it was important to me from our talks. How can you put a price on that? He was easily worth 2000 RMB a day for what I got in return. IMPORTANT: if you hire a driver, it is very important to know that the negotiated fee covers ONLY the car and his services... you are responsible for all tolls, parking, and fees.
How much did you tip your driver?
My hotel had told me that the 1000 RMB included tip, as tipping is not customary here. So, on the first day, I just paid him that much. But, after the effort he went through to make my trip (literally) a dream come true... I added another 200 RMB the second day. He was most grateful for the extra, and I probably should have given him more.
Is a driver safer than a taxi?
I am guessing that a professional driver is, though I can't say for sure. Unlike taxis, drivers have a reputation to maintain, so it would be pretty stupid for them to start ripping off their customers. My driver was very sensitive to my comfort level. On the morning of the first day, he was very easy-going through traffic... but as he noticed I wasn't bothered by more aggressive driving, he became more and more daring as to how he worked his way through traffic. By the end of the second day, I felt like I had hired The Transporter because he was whipping through traffic and speeding along at a breakneck pace. Had I acted nervous about what he was doing, I'm certain he would have sensed this and backed off. I am telling you right now, there is NO SUBSTITUTE for a professional driver. None.
You make it sound like you can drive right up to The Great Wall, but I don't think this is true, is it?
I can only speak from having visited at Mutianyu, but no... you can't drive right up to The Wall. Where I was, we drove to a parking area, and then I hiked to a cable car that takes you to the top. You can also walk the 1000 (or thereabouts) steps to the top, but you get a terrific view from the cable car, so I highly recommend it...
When you visit the temples and such, does your driver go with you?
No. He's a driver, not a tour guide. If you want a private guide, they can be hired separately. The driver simply drops you off, explains what to do, and then leaves you to explore. Sometimes, like when I visited "The Spirit Way" or "The Forbidden City" I arranged to have the driver drop me off at one end, then pick me up at the other end after I've walked through. If there was no place for him to park on the other side, I'd simply ring his number on my mobile phone (but hang up immediately so I don't get billed for the call) and he'd drive right up to get me. IMPORTANT: As I understand it, most of China's mobile service is CDMA (like Verizon Wireless has in the US)... and GSM coverage is limited. Be sure to check with your mobile company before you go to see if your phone will work, if you need to have one handy.
What hotel are you staying at?
It's called the "Holiday Inn Central Plaza." Unlike the US, where Holiday Inn is sometimes viewed as a cheaper, low-end hotel, in Asia it's exactly the opposite. I've stayed in amazing Holiday Inn hotels from Thailand to Japan, and they'll all top-notch. This particular hotel is very nice and not outrageously expensive, but the location is not the best, being tucked away in the South-Western area of the city (where there are few attractions). Fortunately, taxis are plentiful and inexpensive... but if you want to be closer to the action (and don't mind paying for it), there are better choices.
Posted on Saturday, October 1st, 2005
My intent today was to do as little as possible so I could relax on my last day in Beijing, and I think I succeeded.
After rolling out of bed at 9:00am, I had breakfast at the hotel next to a couple of annoying bitches who were shameless about being critical of their time here in China. This just baffles me. I mean, why travel outside the US if you are going to complain about things not being like the US when you leave the country? You are a GUEST here... if you are going to be dumbasses, at least have the courtesy not to do it in a public venue.
Missing my driver already, I ended up taking a taxi to Lama Temple. This is a terrific oasis of calm in the northeastern corner of the city...
I then walked the short distance to Confucius Temple, but it was under heavy construction, so I gave up on that idea pretty quickly. Since a subway station was nearby, I decided to just take the metro to the southeastern corner of the city so I could visit the "Beijing Friendship Store" and have lunch. I ended up eating at the Pizza Hut here, thinking it would be a nice change of pace from all the tofu I've been consuming over the past week. Turns out I should have just eaten a traditional Chinese vegetarian meal at the Buddhist temple, because I ended up feeling pretty sick after eating my cheese pizza.
Not feeling well at all, I decided to just walk to Tienanmen Square to see what festivities might be going on for National Day. This was a mistake, because walking 2-1/2 miles with a sick stomach does nothing to make you feel any better. By the time I got there, I was ready to puke or die or both. Turns out it was a wasted trip anyway, because I was either too early or too late to see whatever display was going on. It was just an endless mass of people waiting for something to happen...
And that was it. I flagged down a taxi to take me back to the hotel so I could chew on a few Pepto Bismol tablets and watch television. Since I had already been to The Great Wall (twice), there wasn't much else I wanted to do. All that's left is to pack my suitcase, get some sleep, and head off to the airport in the morning.
Goodbye to the Middle Kingdom. Thanks for having me. 谢谢
Posted on Sunday, October 2nd, 2005
The flight home always seem to pass more quickly than the flight away. Part of this is because, thanks to the rotation of the earth and prevailing tail-winds, it is quicker... by about 1-1/2 hours this time... but it doesn't explain everything. I mean, what's an hour in the course of a 13 hour flight? Not much. Perhaps it's a mental thing?
Overall, I can say that I loved my brief time in China. Absolutely loved it. I have been dreaming of standing upon The Great Wall since I was very young, and now that I have actually done it, it feels as though a part of my life that was missing is now complete. All my other experiences on the trip, wonderful as they were, pale in comparison. If you ever have the opportunity to visit The Middle Kingdom, I highly recommend it.
If you do go, however, there are some things to prepare yourself for...
If you can get past these sticking points, then you will see and experience things that will blow your mind. Chinese culture is thousands of years old, and will capture your imagination in a way that few others can.
Posted on Wednesday, October 12th, 2005
Well, I'm off for a short vacation. At last.
I will be writing an entry every day, as usual, but may not have internet access each day to post them. If you ordered a Blogography Logo Shirt or a Bad Monkey Shirt as of 2pm yesterday, Seattle time, you've been shipped. Anything arriving after that will, sadly, have to ship out the week of the 24th when I return (alas, I have nobody to cover shipments for me this trip). Custom orders and back-orders will be printed up in early November.
Everybody play nice...
Posted on Thursday, October 13th, 2005
A boring and uneventful drive over to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was salvaged by a fantastic flight on one of Northwest Airlines newer A330 aircraft, where everybody has their own personal entertainment center. Since this was a free flight, I was in coach, but there seemed to be slightly more room than usual on this plane, so I didn't mind much.
Thanks to dozens of movie choices and games, the flight to Amsterdam flew by (heh heh) in no time.
I got to see Batman Begins (great, seen it before), Fantastic Four (not nearly as bad as I had thought), War of the Worlds (interesting flick with a crap ending), March of the Penguins (cute, but I fast-forwarded through much of it), Bewitched (truly awful, and I fast-forwarded through practically all of it), plus play a few games of trivia and Bejeweled. I was still playing as the landing gear came down, and still can't figure out where the 9 hours went. THAT'S the way to fly international.
I was very nervous when I surfed by Apple's web site, curious to know what their "big announcement" was going to be and how much it was going to cost me. Turns out it won't cost me a thing. The new media features in the iMac G5 are nice, but I've already got both a Mac and a TV. The new video iPod isn't impressive enough to warrant purchase, and the new video offerings at the increasingly mis-named iTunes Music Store are shows I don't care about and are only being offered at a crappy 320x240 resolution. Sure that's fine for an iPod, but there are plenty of other media portables out there with bigger screens, bigger storage, and better resolution for me to pay $1.99 a pop for crummy low-res copies of Lost and Desperate Housewives. What in the heck is Apple thinking?!?
Oh well. I don't really have the money to buy a cool new toy from Apple just now. With that in mind, I suppose I should be glad that they didn't release a cool new toy I couldn't live without.
On a sadder note, a small bird seems to be trapped here inside Schiphol International Airport. He flies up to the skylight, realizes he can't get out, and then flies down to the railing and starts chirping... I am guessing in the hopes that some other bird will answer and he can go home (or at least get outside)...
The poor little guy just flies from rail to rail calling out for help... it really is heartbreaking (I seem to be having March of the Penguins flashbacks here). Hopefully he gets it all figured out. I doubt a diet of leftover french fries and being trapped in an airport is a very good life for one who is meant to fly free.
Posted on Thursday, October 13th, 2005
My favorite place on earth is Edinburgh, Scotland. Tying for a close second would be a dozen different places in Italy, the city of Rome included.
And so here I am in the Eternal City, almost five years after my first visit during the Catholic Church's Holy Year of 2000. My love for Roma has not diminished, and I am just as excited over being here now as I was then. There are sights here to overwhelm the senses of even the most jaded traveler...
Now I want a gelato.
Posted on Saturday, October 15th, 2005
According to the weatherman, it was supposed to be raining today. But looking out my window, all I saw was scattered clouds. By the afternoon, even the clouds were gone, leaving a flawless blue sky. The sun was so bright, in fact, that it made getting some photos difficult... even with a polarizing filter on my lens. I never thought that I would find myself complaining over a perfect day.
Wanting to avoid the 2-3 hour lines at the Vatican Museum, I got there 30 minutes early. The queue was already forming, and in another half-hour the line was around the corner and out of sight. It would seem that the longer you wait to show up, the longer you wait to get in.
However long you wait, it's all worth it once you get inside. They don't let you take photos of the Sistine Chapel, but there are plenty of other remarkable ceilings to photograph...
There are hundreds (thousands) of renditions of Jesus in the Vatican Museum, some of them surprisingly clever. I particularly liked this one, where he is looking around at things with a notable curiosity...
Last time I was here, I didn't get to visit their collection of Roman statue art. It's pretty impressive and, from the lack of crowds, severely under-appreciated...
After three hours wandering the museum, it was time to walk over to Saint Peter's. Unlike my visit in 2000, they now have metal detectors and baggage inspection. This adds a significant amount of time to entering the basilica, though I suppose it's a smart thing to do. Oddly enough, they looked to be setting up for a rock concert in front. I guess the new pope knows how to party...
The queue to go to the top of Michelangelo's Dome was not too bad, though it's hard to imagine anybody complaining about standing in line to see something so magnificent...
The view from the bottom back up is equally stunning... with ant-sized people scattered below...
Around noon, the clouds were mostly gone, leaving a terrific view of the city...
All that, and the day isn't even half over.
Posted on Saturday, October 15th, 2005
I had another full day in Rome, but didn't want to risk the weather turning, so I decided to walk through some of the major sites while the sun was shining. After a pilgrimage to the Spanish Steps and the Hard Rock Cafe Rome, it was time to get started.
First a walk to the Trevi Fountain, which was crowded as always...
Next up was The Pantheon, which is a remarkable architectural achievement considering it was built over 2000 years ago. Apparently, it's the oldest pagan temple left in the city (though it was unsurprisingly converted into a church at some point)...
After walking around the Piazza Navona, the day was wrapping up, so it was back towards the hotel and a walk through the Forum...
And back to the Colosseum...
The perfect end to a perfect day in the Eternal City!
Posted on Saturday, October 15th, 2005
There was really only one choice for dinner... Alfredo alla Scrofa. This is one of two restaurants in Rome claiming to be the inventor of Fettucini Alfredo, which is my favorite pasta dish. But this is the real Fettucini Alfredo, which is quite a bit different than the grotesque imitation you'll find at a typical "Italian" restaurant in the US.
REAL Fettucuni Alfredo has very thin noodles... almost noodle shavings instead of the thick, gummy crap typical of Americanized pasta. REAL Fettucini Alfredo is thick with a deliciously aged, sharp parmesan cheese instead of the flavorless, watery cream that plagues Americanized Alfredo sauce. REAL Fettucini Alfredo is so good that it's practically worth a trip to Rome just to taste it...
REAL Fettucini Alfredo is impossible to describe with mere words... but "orgasmic" comes to mind...
Posted on Saturday, October 15th, 2005
My fear about the weather changing was unfounded, as today was even more perfect than yesterday. I don't think I saw a single cloud in the sky all day. Bellisima!
Since I rushed to get to all the major sights taken care of the day before, I was left with a lot of time to explore some lesser known, yet no-less interesting attractions today... starting with those right out the front door of my hotel, the Temple of Hercules and the Temple of Portunus, which I can see from my window each morning...
Then it's just a quick hop across the street to see the Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth), which is supposed to snap shut on the hands of those telling lies...
And then it's a short walk back past the hotel to the brilliant Capitoline Museums, atop Capitoline Hill which was the center of ancient Rome. These are probably my favorite museums of the city, and today was the last day of an amazing exhibit which focused on the architectural wonders of the city. There were beautiful pen and ink renderings from around the world of various Roman landmarks, each more fascinating than the last. The "regular" collection is pretty special as well...
The statue of the woman with -ahem- extra parts is a bit disturbing... particularly when a rather important piece of the extra parts has fallen off. This is also where the pieces of a massive statue (since fallen apart) reside, including this giant hand...
From the roof I got an excellent view of the city. Just another crappy day...
I hope the weather is even half this good as I head north tomorrow.
Posted on Saturday, October 15th, 2005
After lunch, I was half-way tempted to just go back to the hotel and relax, but that would be a total waste of such a beautiful day, so I decided to head north to Esquiline (this is the tallest of Rome's hills, and one of the poorer neighborhoods in the city). Unfortunately, unlike the major attractions, all the smaller churches close down for 3 or 4 hours at lunchtime, meaning that most places I went were closed. About the only thing open was Santa Maria Maggiore, a basilica so stunning that it pretty much made the entire trip worthwhile on its own...
I dare say that the interior rivals St. Peter's at The Vatican for sheer beauty and opulence...
The stained glass window here is one of the prettiest I've seen outside the Rose Window from Notre Dame in Paris. The basilica was so dark, it was difficult to get a clear shot, but I was able to capture the bright colors that make it so beautiful...
Since San Pietro in Vincoli, home of Michelangelo's Moses statue was still closed, I headed to the Barberini Museum. Unfortunately, photography isn't permitted, because there were several famous works of art stashed here... including that shot of a portly Henry the VIII that's so well known.
On the way back to the hotel, I kept seeing more and more Cabiniere (Military Police), complete with riot gear, hanging out. It started at the Column of Marcus Aurelius...
... but really became noticeable once you reached the end of the Via del Corso to the Piazza Venezia...
Once I reached the front of Il Vittoriano, a massive demonstration (protest?) march was happening, so I guess that's what all the fuss is about...
It was difficult to tell what the march was for, because all the signage seemed to be different... as if everybody was protesting about whatever was on their mind. It was very much a non-violent demonstration, so I have no idea why the Cabiniere were present in such depth (there were even helicopters hovering above). Probably just preventative measures, because who knows how riots get started?
Tomorrow is an early travel day, so that's enough adventuring for today...
Posted on Sunday, October 16th, 2005
I don't much care for schedules. The idea of spending my vacation glued to a clock and having every minute of every day planned out to every detail is not my idea of a vacation at all. I would much rather have a general idea of where I am going and what I want to see, then just fill in the specifics as I go.
I had exactly three goals while in Tuscany... 1) Visit the Academy Museum in Florence, so I could see the greatest sculpture in the known universe: Michelangelo's David. 2) Visit the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, one of the most highly regarded on the planet, to see such astounding works as Botticelli's Birth of Venus. 3) Wander out to the Tuscan countryside to take in the scenery and visit a few cities like Sienna or Lucca or San Gimignano or something.
Unfortunately, ALL these things require either timed reservations or some kind of tour. Otherwise you'll spend most of your time waiting in a queue or lost. So I decided to visit the galleries today, and save the countryside for tomorrow. Two days of being glued to the clock.
David is just as jaw-dropping stunning as you'd expect. How Michelangelo managed to inject such life into a block of stone, I cannot fathom. No words I use could adequately describe just how beautiful it is. No photograph can adequately capture the overwhelming presence such a work has. And since photography is forbidden, I suppose it's for the best. There is a copy of the original in front of the Uffizi Gallery, however...
The elegance and grace of the human body perfectly captured. Unfortunately, you'll never really get just how perfect from looking at a picture. Sorry, you'll just have to book a trip to Florence for that.
The Uffizi itself is nice enough, and contains a terrific assortment of art treasures... but, if you didn't purchase tickets in advance, it's not really worth the 3 to 4 hours of waiting it takes to enter. Since I already had reservations, it wasn't a problem. There's Botticelli's Birth of Venus, as expected, but also a more provacative The Venus of Urbino, which is worth a look (you naughty monkey!).
The city of Florence is more "interesting" than it is "beautiful," which is why I'm only here for the day, but there are a number of wonderful sights to be had... like the Duomo...
And the banks of the Arno...
And all the cool buildings, which look so great against that cloudless blue sky...
Anyway, after walking through the Central Market area and wandering through a few more museums (and eating entirely too much delicious pasta for dinner) my short stay in Firenze had come to an end.
Posted on Monday, October 17th, 2005
After four flawless days of blue skies and plenty of sunshine, my luck with the weather suddenly changed. Cloudless skies from yesterday had been replaced with thick gray clouds and a dreary mist in the valleys. It never rained, but the morning was far from ideal.
Still, Tuscany is Tuscany and, even without the sunshine, is pretty special. The sunflower fields of summer have gone (with only a few stray flowers still hanging around), but the grape harvest has just ended and the leaves are starting to turn. This provided a nice splash of color against the green and gray of my day...
The tour I had selected included a visit to the tiny medieval hilltop town of San Gimignano. Surprisingly, the sun was just starting to clear out the clouds by the time we arrived...
After an hour wandering through the charming streets of a village that seems removed from time, we journeyed to a small winery for lunch. This is exactly the type of place you'd expect to see in Tuscany, and nobody was disappointed...
The last stop on the tour was a visit to the beautiful city of Sienna at the heart of Tuscany. It's large size makes it seem much like dozens of other Italian cities, but the sun had cleared away much of the gloom, leaving a beautiful afternoon at the Piazza Del Campo...
Not exactly what I was hoping for on a "Best of Tuscany Tour," but a nice outing nevertheless. I can see now the only way to really see the Tuscan countryside is to rent a car and wander the back-roads yourself. Maybe next time. Me? I was just happy to finally have some blue skies.
And on that happy note, feel free to leave Blogography and enjoy the rest of your day. HOWEVER, if you feel like listening to me bitch about why organized tours suck ass... then feel free to keep reading in an extended entry...→ Click here to continue reading this entry...
Posted on Tuesday, October 18th, 2005
Wouldn't you know it. Now that I am leaving Tuscany, the sun is out once again, providing cloudless blue skies as the train pulls into Venice. Not that I am complaining, mind you, but I would have traded just about any day on my vacation for this kind of weather while I was wandering about the Tuscan countryside.
Oh well. Venice is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and having sunshine and blue skies can only accentuate the amazing sites the city has to offer...
Posted on Wednesday, October 19th, 2005
One of the things I love most about Venice are the details. Everywhere you look, there are little artistic touches that grace doors, walls, fountains, and everyday objects that make you really appreciate what a very special place this is.
Just a couple of cool things I noticed this morning...
How cool would it be to take a hundred of these photos and create a scavenger hunt through the streets of Venice? Given the maze-like nature of the city, it could be a very difficult game indeed.
Posted on Wednesday, October 19th, 2005
After the perfectly clear skies yesterday, awaking to a dreary, cold, and overcast day was quite a shock. The weather took a complete 360 overnight, which kind of sucks ass.
The day started at the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) while the queue was short. In the early days of Venice, this was the "Palace of Justice" and home to the city government. It was made to show off the wealth and splendor of the Venetian Republic, and does so exceedingly well. You can't take photos inside but, even if you could, it would be difficult to capture the immense size and lush visuals each room presents. All I could manage was a picture of the courtyard...
I should have gone to the top of St. Mark's Campanile yesterday when the sky was blue, but oh well. Even cloudy, it's still a heck of a view over the city...
The weather wasn't improving, so I took a "vaparetto" (water bus) to the small island of Murano off the northern coast of Venice. Murano is famous for glassworks, and there are a number of working factories and showrooms you can tour. As a huge fan of glass maestro Dale Chihuly, I could not resist.
Sadly, much of the stuff I would actually buy is way, way out of my price range. Even if I could afford it, getting it back home in one piece would be tricky. Still, it's fun to watch (I especially like this guy's "inspiration" he's got hanging on the wall there)...
Murano itself is kind of like a miniature version of Venice, with its own system of canals and bridges. Had the sun been out, it might even be considered "charming"...
With the weather holding firm, I decided to look for some indoor activities in the Dorsoduro area. There are two notable galleries here, the first of which is the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art. It's quite a nice collection, and includes many famous artists like Picasso, Pollock (whom she discovered), Miro, Kandinsky, and some terrific Mondrians. Just across the next canal is the Accademia Museum, which houses the largest collection of Venetian art in the world. It's pretty sweet, but most of these religious-themed paintings are starting to all look alike to me. After seeing your hundredth version of St. Sebastian being martyred and your millionth version of Mary holding baby Jesus... well, even the different artistic interpretations aren't enough to keep things interesting.
As the day was ending, the weather was actually starting to clear up a bit. I can only hope that this means Venice is in for a better day tomorrow.
Posted on Thursday, October 20th, 2005
When I woke up I could hear the rain before I even looked out the window. I guess this only goes to prove that things can always get worse. So now instead of being merely overcast and cool, it's cloudy, cold, and wet. I didn't think it was possible to be depressed in Venice, but here it is.
My first instinct was to just lay around in bed all day, but that seems a terrible waste, so I decided to walk over to the beautiful Santa Maria della Salute, which is one of Venice's most historic churches...
With the rain letting up a little bit, I decided to schlep towards the northern part of the city so I could visit the Ca' d'Oro museum. Along the way, I happened upon the "Bridge of Sighs" which is an ornate covered bridge where prisoners were marched across to face torture and possibly death after their sentencing at the Palazzo Ducale...
The Ca' d'Oro ("House of Gold") got its name because the facade was once gilded in gold. Now it's a museum and the gold has long since weathered away. The works are pretty much more of the same, but there's a few gems that made the trip worthwhile. Out on the loggia, you can look out over the Grand Canal along with the tiny guardian lions there...
Not exactly the way I pictured my last day in Venice, but it's what I got. Tomorrow it's five hours on a train and back to Rome. Until then, it's one last walk along the Grand Canal at night...
Posted on Friday, October 21st, 2005
Left a cold and wet Venice only to arrive in a warmer, yet far wetter Rome.
This is making me really, really thankful that I had spots of fantastic weather when I did. If the entire vacation had been under this weather, I would be really depressed. As it is, I'm more sad about it coming to an end than I am over the weather. After five hours on a train, all I had the energy for was to walk to the Hard Rock for dinner, then drag my soggy ass back to the hotel. After a few hours out in the rain, I'm really ready for bed.
But I can't go to bed, because I've got five days of blog entries to upload.
I haven't decided what I'm going to do tomorrow. I'm sure it will involve being wet.
Two big releases happened whilst I was in the northern environs of Italia... first, Depeche Mode's latest album, Playing the Angel hit on Tuesday. Next, Apple released some new computers and an utterly brilliant piece of software called Aperture on Wednesday.
Sadly, Depeche Mode's latest was a bit of a disappointment after the initial beauty of the single release Precious (not to mention the long, long wait since the last album). I like half the tracks well enough... but it seems more of an experiment than a refined work. Dave Gahan's voice is amazing as always, it's the musical accompaniment that's lacking. I don't know if Martin Gore is in a phase where everything has to be disjointed, raw, gritty, and stuck in a feedback loop... but it does not "feel" like a Depeche Mode album, and that's a bitter pill to swallow after the long months of anticipation. Some pretty major DM fans are referring to it as "noise" instead of music. While I wouldn't go that far, I can definitely see where they're coming from.
Apple Computer's Aperture, on the other hand, is an absolutely astounding software release that is going to entirely change how I work with digital photos. I cannot wait to get my hands on it, and will probably never shoot in JPEG mode again. If you're a professional photographer, here's a link you really need to follow.
Time for bed.
Posted on Saturday, October 22nd, 2005
The weather wasn't bad in Rome this morning, but forecasts showed it to be getting worse as the day goes one, culminating in rain showers. I was going to spend the day wandering through churches and museums I hadn't visited yet... but, at the last minute, decided to head back up north to Pisa where it was only partly cloudy. I figured I might as well see the "Leaning Tower" before it falls over.
Unfortunately, the wait to be able to climb to the top was 4 hours... which I didn't have time for... but the thing looks scary enough that perhaps it was for the best? It's not just leaning, it's really leaning (and even this photo doesn't do it justice because of the curvature of my wide-angle lens!)...
The Tower is interesting and all, but the Duomo that sits next to it is amazing...
Heading back to Rome, the rain was only a sprinkle. After a last walk around the Colosseum and along The Forum, the rain had stopped completely.
Around the dinner hour, I found myself at The Pantheon and ended up having a perfect plate of spaghetti with a view from my table to die for...
As if that wasn't enough, dinner music was provided by (I shit you not) the Hare Krishnas, who totally rocked the house...
And so ends my last night in Italy.
Posted on Sunday, October 23rd, 2005
Oh goody... I am back in Seattle now. Barely. And sans luggage. This was not a pleasant trip home, and I'll give all the gory details about the non-stop stupidity that deposited me here tomorrow. Right now, I have to take a three hour nap so I can go back to the airport and get my bag off the next flight (at least I hope so). This is exactly what you want to do after traveling for 22 hours.
Posted on Tuesday, October 25th, 2005
I have to wonder exactly what a person's breaking point is when it comes to being screwed over.
Today they're called "flight attendants," but if you take a ride on the Wayback Machine, they were called "stewardesses." A while ago, I read an interesting interview with one of the first stewardesses who was asked about flying now vs. flying back then. She lamented that flying back when she was working was so much more special. People dressed up in their finest clothes and were on their best behavior instead of showing up in sweatpants and being rude and demanding. People considered the flight an adventure instead of an annoyance. People thought of the flight as part of their vacation, not just a means to get to their vacation. She thought that flying had become so commonplace that people were apathetic towards it and that it has ruined the experience.
She is, of course, completely full of shit.
What's ruined the experience of flying is how the airlines started treating their customers like cattle and abusing them at every turn. What she is bitching about is, in reality, how people have reacted to how they're treated.
As for me, I'm ready to start showing up at the airport drunk and in my underwear.
My flight out of Rome yesterday was delayed 35 minutes because the inbound flight was late. They ended up "making up the time in the air"* and landed as scheduled at 1:00. So far so good.
But here's the problem... MY CONNECTING FLIGHT OUT OF AMSTERDAM HAD ALREADY BEEN BOARDING FOR 25 F#@%ING MINUTES! On my way over I had a FIVE HOUR layover, on the way back I had NEGATIVE 25 MINUTES layover. Who is the idiot who schedules this crap?
And that's just the beginning. My Northwest Airlines flight over the Atlantic went like this...
And we won't even get into the stupid crap on the connection flight to Seattle once I connected in Minneapolis. I am beginning to wonder if I would have been smarter to PAY for my flight on a competing airline rather than use frequent flier milage to get a FREE flight on Northwest. Seriously, just how much worse can it get?
Since they're in bankruptcy now, I'm guessing the answer would be "a lot worse."
I think I am past my breaking point right now, and this was on a flight I didn't even pay for.
* When airlines say that they are going to "make time up in the air" I think we all know that this is a load of horse shit. Airlines heavily... HEAVILY pad their schedules so that they can still claim a high "on-time arrival rate" despite their constant late departures. For example, the flight I took (#45 out of Amsterdam to Minneapolis) which leaves at 2:05pm and arrives at 4:05pm is being discontinued at the end up the month. It is being replaced with a NEW flight #45 which takes off at 2:05pm but is now arriving at 4:25pm. Twenty minutes of additional slop time to make up for even later departures, I guess. I'm sure they'll claim it's some kind of annual change in weather patterns, but it's all crap no matter how you try to sell it. The simple fact is that planes DO NOT take off on time with any regularity, yet somehow end up LANDING on time?? I wish the FAA would get off their asses and start requiring honesty in airline schedules. But that would mean that they actually have to do some work, and what government agency is interested in actually working for the people they are paid to be serving? Dumbasses.
Posted on Tuesday, November 1st, 2005
And so I'm over in Seattle for a couple of days.
As far as bigger cities go, Seattle is a wholly wonderful place. Sure the traffic is bad, and the weather isn't always the best... but it's a beautiful city with a wonderful and unique culture all its own. I don't get over here nearly often enough.
The problem is that it was snowing on the mountain passes for the drive over.
This seemed entirely impossible until I realized that it was November already, and somehow the months of September and October have totally passed me by. At first I thought I had been abducted by aliens and am experiencing lost time... but the thing about having a blog is that you can go back and verify that every day is accounted for. It turns out that it's not aliens after all. Instead it would appear that there's some kind of rip in the space-time continuum or something like that. If this keeps up, January will be arriving next Tuesday.
But even more disturbing than the laws of physics unraveling along with the fabric of reality, is the bizarre transformation my beloved "Vance Hotel" here in Seattle has taken. It's no longer a quirky historic hotel... now it's some kind of art boutique hotel. Instead of classically comfortable rooms at reasonable rates, it's become "HOTEL MAX SEATTLE" and has transformed into an odd "W Hotel" wannabe with overpriced tiny rooms, a drab military-gray color scheme, and paper-thin walls that do nothing to dampen the loud flat-screen TVs they've installed.
And the changes don't end there. In a vapid attempt to be "fresh" they've upgraded the philosophy of the hotel as well with "experiences" like the "Hubba Hubba Hanky Panky Romance Package" and the "Rock This Way" or "Gaycation Seattle" packages. This, along with original art pieces on all the walls is supposed to make the rooms worth $60 more a night.
I just don't get it.
If I want to pay this kind of money, I'm going to just bite the bullet and go to the "real" W Hotel down the street where they have larger, soundproof rooms with far better decor. The Vance Hotel was perfect just how it was and filled its niche nicely. Hotel Max Seattle is just a confusing mess, and I have no idea exactly what it's supposed to be or who it's supposed to be appealing to. They've spent tons of money and have only succeeded in ruining a once-nice hotel.
What a bummer, because the beds here are killer comfortable.
Posted on Wednesday, November 2nd, 2005
More adventures at Hotel Max Seattle.
Last night I finally had to grab my earplugs around midnight because the inconsiderate bitch in the next room continued to play her television at full-volume when I was needing sleep. Oddly enough, the street traffic was obliterated, but I could still hear her television set (which is just behind my headboard around a paper-thin wall). Sometime in the middle of the night, I must have taken out the earplugs, because I was awakened at 5:30am by the shrill tones of the same inconsiderate bitch using push-to-talk on her radio/mobile phone.
Yeah, I wanted her dead pretty bad.
But the REAL adventure started when I decided to take a shower this morning. The bathroom is tiny, but the shower is so small that you could fit three of them in a phone booth. And the curtain is so dark that you can barely see what you are washing because light can't get in. I barely had room to move. My elbows were pinned to my sides. If I were to fart, I'd probably be shot out of the shower by the pressure. This made even simple acts... like pouring shampoo... really difficult.
And of course I dropped the mini shampoo bottle.
And then proceeded to bang my head HARD on the soap tray when I tried to pick it up. I hit so hard that I saw stars and got light-headed. I literally had to climb out of the show all wet and soapy so I could lay down on the bed and wait for the room to stop spinning.
And now I have a big welt on my head...
This sucks ass! How am I supposed to get anything done with a raging headache? And I must have rattled my teeth, because my jaw aches too. Hotel Max Seattle sucks balls! And don't get me started over the new "Japanese-Fusion" restaurant on the property called "Red Fin". To give you an idea... they had natto on the breakfast menu. I wrote about natto here, but suffice to say that it is the most foul, horrifying substance on the planet which is meant to be edible. I can't fathom any Westerner wanting to put it in their mouth. I played it safe and just had the eggs and some strangely spicy potatoes.
And they don't even let you put your restaurant charges on your hotel bill, you have to pay separately.
I'm beginning to think that prisons must have better accommodations. Though bending over to pick up the mini shampoo bottle would have entirely different consequences I'm sure.
Posted on Saturday, November 12th, 2005
After driving home, the first thing I did was go to the bathroom. But the second thing I did was pull out my brand-new PowerBook and wipe the drive clean so I could maximize disk space and install only the things I need. After that, Apple makes transferring the files and settings off my old laptop so easy that I dare say a US President could manage it. My new PowerBook is now good to go.
Okay, wait a minute. That was actually the third thing I did. The second thing I did was wash my hands after having gone to the bathroom. Just want to be clear that I am not typing this with pee-hands.
Not that I am a messy pee-er. I'm just saying that sometimes things spatter, and I take precautions to make sure you don't have to worry about shaking my hand if we should ever meet.
And this is not to say that I am a germaphobe or crazy-obsessive about urine. I'm just saying that I do my best to keep my hands pee-free.
And when I say "germaphobe," you do realize that I am talking about germs and not Germans, right? Because I am not afraid of Germans at all. Part of me is German from my mother's side of the family, and being afraid of yourself is just silly.
Though the fact that David Hasselhoff is a big singing star in Germany makes me think that perhaps I should be at least a little afraid of Germans. But, in the interest of full-disclosure, I did think the talking car he had in that Knightrider television show was pretty cool.
Not that I believe that cars can really talk, I mean... it was a TV show and all... but if there was such a thing as a talking car, I would find that cool.
Now what was I talking about again??
Oh yes. Two-headed turtles...
On the way back from the Seattle-side of the mountains, I saw the above sign while stopped at a light outside of the city of Monroe, Washington. So many questions come to mind: Is this a zoo where a two-headed turtle is the star attraction... or is it a zoo devoted exclusively to two-headed turtles? If it's a zoo that only has two-headed turtles, how many of them do you suppose they have there? How do you think a zoo like this gets started anyway? Somebody finds a mutant turtle with two heads and decided to build a zoo or something? And, most of all... how many people see this sign and are compelled to visit such a freaky attraction?
You can bet I'll be losing sleep of those queries tonight...
Posted on Friday, November 25th, 2005
Winter travel is always interesting, because you have no idea if you will actually reach your destination. Flying out of the small airport at Wenatchee this morning presented even more of a problem, because a snowstorm had just hit. Fortunately, gallons of de-icer dumped over the plane allowed us a departure only a half-hour late, which was better than I could have hoped for. Once in Seattle, it was a relatively quick three-hour hop to Chicago, which was having a snowstorm all its own. As we pulled into the gate, all the planes were getting deluged in de-icer. I can only hope the stuff is biodegradable.
Once I had arrived in the Windy City and waited a half-hour in the bitter cold for the hotel shuttle, I was shocked to see that I was not the only one waiting for a ride... a full dozen people were crowding on the small bus. This seemed unreal given that other shuttles were leaving with only one or two passengers, and I couldn't figure out why the Wyndham Hotel should be so popular.
Until I arrived to find that there is a huge Dr. Who convention here.
Apparently this one is particularly meaningful to fans because the "Fifth Doctor" himself... Peter Davison... is in attendance. This stroke of luck has me wishing that I was a bigger fan (sorry James!), though work would prohibit me from attending anyway.
Why couldn't it have been a Veronica Mars convention? I would have skipped work for that! I'd probably get fired, but at least I would have Kristen Bell's autograph to console me during unemployment!
I'm not so much into memes anymore, but Kachina has come across a musical meme I haven't seen before, so here we are...
And on that happy note, I'm off to bed. Is it too much to hope that Chicago weather will be kind to me tomorrow morning when I pick up my rental car?
BLOGOGRAPHY FLASHBACK ENTRY: Love
BLOGDATE: March 22, 2005
In which Dave professes an unnatural attraction towards his PowerBook and contemplates the merits of loving a Mac vs. loving a girlfriend.
Click here to go back in time...
Posted on Saturday, November 26th, 2005
After nearly killing a "K-9 robot dog" pull-toy with my suitcase while trying to escape from the Dr. Who fanatics (which got me a nasty look from a "Doctor" dressed up with a nasty hand-knit scarf)... I managed to make my way to the car rental place so that I could pick up my Dodge Neon for the trip north. The Neon itself is not such a bad automobile, but the visibility is horrendously bad, and made all the worse by the funky spoiler that's blocking my back window. I'm relieved to report that I didn't back over any Daleks in the parking lot.
Checking in at work revealed that I had nothing to do today, which meant there was plenty of time to goof off. My idea of goofing off was to get a long-overdue haircut at the Mayfair Mall (which is considered to be Milwaukee's largest, which is odd considering it is located in the city of Wauwatosa... not Milwaukee... just down the highway from the Harley Davidson factory).
This was a big mistake. The mall was so crowded that I had to park in the next county and, once inside, found myself wising that I had brought my Papal Power Staff...
Yes, there are benefits to being The Pope.
The Apple Store was so packed with people trying and buyng iPods and iMacs that I couldn't even get near the iPod accessories to buy a case for my new nano. Eventually I just gave up at the mall and headed to Culvers for a plate of delicious crinkle-cut fries and a caramel-cashew sundae. Sweet!
It's cold out, so I'm going to sleep in tomorrow.
BLOGOGRAPHY FLASHBACK ENTRY: I Want a Gun
BLOGDATE: April 26, 2004
In which Dave denounces violence in all forms, but then wishes he had a big-ass gun so that he can have a more pleasant driving experience.
Click here to go back in time...
Posted on Monday, November 28th, 2005
My work necessitates that I drive between my hotel and the job site every 2 or 3 hours, which doesn't leave me much time for things like eating and sleeping. But that's the job, and I'm used to it, so I try not to worry about what my freaky schedule required of me. Of course, doing that for eighteen hours straight on only 3 hours of sleep is not the best way to spend an evening, but I do my best not to let the hallucinations and voices in my head get the best of me.
This time, the situation was made all the stranger by the weather here. Wisconsin is flat and on a big lake, so the environment can be really freaky and changes quickly...
After relatively calm weather all day, I was surprised when I left my hotel at 2am and couldn't see anything. The fog was so thick that I could barely see the front of my car, and the headlights were reflected back as if they were hitting a wall. Two hours later, it was mostly clear, but pouring rain. The two-minute walk from my car was enough to soak me to the bone. Two hours after that, it had stopped raining... but there was a nasty haze and winds so strong that I was very nearly blown off the road.
Two hours after that, blue skies were starting to peek through the clouds, and it was time for breakfast at McDonalds.
So there I am eating my Egg & Cheese Biscuit when I hear this "CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!" - the dreaded and unmistakable sound of some COMPLETE F#@%ING IDIOT CLIPPING THEIR F#@%ING FINGERNAILS IN A F#@%ING RESTAURANT!!! AAAARRRRRGGGHHH!! How gross to be trying to eat your breakfast only to have some UNBELIEVABLY RUDE AND TOTALLY DISGUSTING WHITE TRASH BITCH performing her personal grooming two tables back with fingernails flying all over the place. I mean, holy shit! How big of a f#@%ing moron do you have to be to realize that this is not appropriate behavior in a restaurant?
But that's not the worst of it.
SHE WAS A F#@%ING McDONALDS EMPLOYEE ON HER BREAK!!!
Yet no manager told her she was a DISGUSTING BITCH or instructed her to STOP DOING THAT GROSS SHIT WHILE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO EAT AND SHOVE THOSE F#@%ING FINGERNAIL CLIPPERS UP HER ASS. Oh no. They just merrily let this REVOLTING, REPELLANT, ABHORRENT, SICKENING, NAUSEATING, FOUL, NASTY, DETESTABLE PIECE OF SHIT keep clipping away!!
I left before this REPUGNANT VOMITOUS DUMBASS CRAP-BAG BITCH had a chance to start on her toenails.
And yet, if I had pulled out a gun and shot her, I WOULD BE THE CRIMINAL HERE!! That's just wrong. How will these IGNORANT HALFWITTED RUDE IDIOTIC SHIT-HEAD WHITE-TRASH ASS-LICKERS ever learn proper manners if nobody pops a cap in their ass from time to time?
I wonder if she shaves her legs and gives herself enemas in public too? I wouldn't doubt it.
My nightmares are going to be particularly nasty tonight.
Posted on Tuesday, November 29th, 2005
With nothing to do today, I decided to take the Blue Line into Chicago proper to have a delicious Giordano's pizza for lunch and see what's new at the Apple Store. I've been to Chicago many times, which makes it easy for me, since I already know where everything is and how to get there.
The pizza was bitchin' (as usual), though I ate too much (also as usual). There are several Giordano's locations in the city, but I like the one on Rush St. best, and was not disappointed. Around the corner on Michigan Ave. was the beautiful Chicago Apple Store, where I proceeded to immediately fall in love with the new iPod that can play video. When it was first released, I decided the screen was too small... but, after holding one in person, I see that it is perfectly watchable and totally sweet. Damn you Apple! I want one bad. So bad I nearly dropped the FOUR HUNDRED FREAKIN' DOLLARS to take one with me. Ultimately, I decided it might be nice to eat for the month of December and... very reluctantly... decided against it.
I did buy a copy of Bejeweled 2, which is the sequel to one of my favorite time-wasters. The new version is really beautiful, and they've added some cool new toys that make it even more fun than the original...
After drooling over everything in the Apple Store, I decided to head to the Art Institute Museum since I missed it the last time I was in the city. The guardian lions at the entrance have been dressed for the holidays, which is kind of cool...
This truly sweet museum holds numerous well-known works, including American Gothic which, oddly enough, is out on loan to a museum in Rapid City Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Most children of the 80's (such as myself) will best know the museum for Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte from the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off...
And Mary Cassatt's beautifully rendered painting The Bath...
And Edward Hopper's much-imitated work Nighthawks...
But my favorite is the nifty collection of Monet's, which includes an entire series of Stacks of Wheat, painted in different seasons and different times of day, along with this haunting Waterloo Bridge painting...
Two hours is much-too-brief a time to spend at a museum this fine but, since I had been here a few times before, I decided it would be best to be getting back to my hotel before rush hour came.
And just like that, my Chicago adventure comes to a close... but not really...
Posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2005
Turns out my "Chicago Adventure" was NOT over last night... I had a Depeche Mode concert to go to with fellow-blogger Kevin Apgar and his charming wife Katie!
As expected, it so totally kicked ass. Depeche Mode is easily the best live band I've ever seen, and one of the very few who sound better live than in a studio. Their latest album, Playing the Angel, is not their best work... but every song was -stunning- when performed live (oh how I want a DVD release of the concert). Dave Gahan is an amazing singer who puts everything he has into a performance yet STILL manages to deliver crisp vocals that strike you at your very soul. Personally, I don't understand where he gets the energy... I think he must be 45 years old now, but is kicking more ass on stage than guys half his age.
And what a funky cool stage it was...
The artistic genius behind the band, Martin Gore, was in fine form... delivering emotionally wrenching lead vocals for a few songs, including Home which is a favorite of mine. But I think people will most remember him for running around the stage in a little black chicken suit. Needless to say, I simply must get one of my own, because I think I would look fabulous in feathers...
As I mentioned, the set list was a pleasing blend of new and old that ensured there was something for everyone. All songs were well-received, but I dare say that the older material had a bigger impact on the crowd than the new stuff. When songs like Enjoy the Silence and Just Can't Get Enough started blasting through the arena, the crowd just went nuts. This in turn energized the band, so it looked like they were having more fun with the old stuff as well. And as if that weren't enough, they've managed to update the classics yet again to make them sound all shiny and new (one of my favorite DM songs, Everything Counts was given a blistering rock beat that totally killed).
My only complaint was the band's selection for the final song of the evening... Goodnight Lovers from their somewhat boring Exciter album. After all the high-energy drive they put into the rest of the concert, it seemed like a week weak ending. Had they went out with a pumping crowd-pleaser like People Are People or something... they would have totally freaked out the entire arena and allowed them to sign-off on a high note. And isn't that how you WANT to leave a room when you're a rock band?
Anyway, even though I had to catch a plane to L.A. just five hours after the concert, and only managed to get 3 hours of sleep... it was all so totally worth it. My only regret was not getting to spend more time with Kevin and Katie, because they are alarmingly nice people. Not only that, but Kevin thinks I'm cool. You can read about just how totally cool I am in his entry over at Kapgar.com (oh... and I think that he wrote something about the concert as well).
Seriously though, meeting your readers and fellow-bloggers is really the best part of having a blog.
Well, except the guy who keeps emailing me to tell me that I am going to hell.
That's just mean.
Posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2005
Somehow the stars aligned over Los Angeles and I managed to find time to have lunch with Liz of "Everyday Goddess" fame today. It turns out that she is just as smart and funny as you'd think from reading her blog. I guess I shouldn't be surprised... but you never really know. I mean, I spend my time complaining about bitches clipping their fingernails in McDonalds, so heaven only knows what people expect when they meet ME in person.
I have mixed feelings whenever I'm in L.A. — so many miserable memories for me here. But then somebody pounds on the window of my taxi so they can sell me a pair socks and suddenly I want to move here. Perhaps I could get work as a movie "extra" for a career...
Hey, I'm as real as the next guy. Maybe even REALer (uhhh... you know what I mean). And $250 a day? That's some serious bank!
But there's still no vegetarian hotdogs at Pinks, so I guess that I won't be packing my bags just yet...
Oh... and the traffic still sucks ass.
After my taxi showed up, I told the driver to take La Brea all the way down to Century Blvd. because I didn't want to spend my time parked on the 405. But the driver doesn't like that idea and says "it's only 2:30... no traffic until later!!!" I know better, but I didn't feel like arguing the point and told him to do whatever he wanted.
I think we all know how this story ends.
... and so there I am parked on the 405 with a taxi driver saying "oh... there is traffic!" and me wanting to say "NO SHIT THERE IS TRAFFIC YOU DUMBASS!!" But I hold my peace as a $40 cab ride quickly turns into a $47 cab ride that's 15 minutes too long.
I think we all know what kind of tip my driver got.
And thus ends my sojourn into the wilds of La La Land. I hope I can sleep on the plane ride home.
Posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2005
Sometimes things just don't go as you planned.
I am typing this at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where I have arrived to find that my flight into Weantchee had been canceled. Dreading the idea of spending the night in the urine-stained hotel that Horizon Air put me in last time... I head to the Customer Service Center to find out what my options are.
"There's a bus leaving at 9:30pm that's arriving in Wenatchee at 1:00am we can put you on" the lady tells me. "Great" I say... I'll take it!"
Yet here I sit at 10:00pm and no bus has arrived. Some people here were told a bus was arriving at 2:00, then 4:00, then 6:00, and then 9:00. But no bus ever comes. I ask at the counter "is this bus REAL, or is it just a story you make up to keep anarchy from breaking out at the airport?" Not at all amused, the lady answers "WE CAN'T CONTROL THE WEATHER!!" which, naturally, doesn't answer my question OR give me any encouragement.
With nothing better to do, I decide to open up the Lego Advent Calendar I bought while I was in Chicago. It's December 1st, after all...
Every day until Christmas, you get a new Lego toy to play with, and that was just too cool to pass up! Tonight, for instance, I get a little Lego fire fighter to put together...
That's not much to play with, so I become torn over the idea of opening up the other 23 windows and seeing what else I'm going to get. Eventually I decide against it, and figure I can be happy with just the fire fighter. It's going to be a long night.
UPDATE: The bus didn't arrive until 10:30, and then we had to all claim our luggage and wait for clearance before leaving. It is currently 11:30 and snowing pretty hard, but at least we are finally leaving Seattle. I'm told we'll get to Wenatchee at around 4:00am, at which time I have to clean off my car and drive back to Cashmere. This sucks ass. Mainly because this bus SMELLS like ass, and they've got a video for the very stupid movie Kangaroo Jack playing at full-volume over crappy speakers. (thank heavens for iPod!). Sigh. Yet another night with no sleep.
UPDATE: I'm bored, so I've decided to write a story about the toys in my Lego Advent Calendar. Every day I'll open up a door, see what I get, then continue on until Christmas when I'll post the grand finale. That's good, wholesome, creative fun! But it's also slightly insane. Hopefully I can live with that.
CHAPTER 1: Psycho Roasting on an Open Fire
LEGO ADVENT CALENDAR TOY OF THE DAY: Firefighter
Once upon a time there was a little boy named Lego Dave who grew up wanting nothing more than to become a fireman. Hour after hour he would look at fireman books, watch fireman videos, sing fireman songs, and play fireman games. And every night Lego Dave would dream of riding in fire trucks, charging into burning buildings to save puppies, and all the things that firemen do which made Lego Dave love them so much.
Then one day, after many years had passed, Lego Dave graduated from High School and pursued his only dream by applying at the Fireman Academy. The classroom tests were challenging, but he welcomed them. The physical tests were hard work, but he pushed onward. With each new dawn, Lego Dave was happy because he was one day closer to fulfilling a life-long wish.
And then the day finally came when the Fire Chief called Lego Dave aside from his training. "This is it" Lego Dave decided... "the Chief has seen my potential and wants to make me a fireman this very day!"
"Hey" said the Fire Chief.
"Yo!" said Lego Dave.
"I have some news..." the Chief began. "I'm afraid we have to let you go..."
"Awesome!" exclaimed Lego Dave. "Where do I go to get my coat, hat, and red suspenders?"
"No, you misunderstood" the Chief declared. "You can't be a fire fighter, and so we have to ask you to leave."
"WHAT?!?" cried Lego Dave. "BUT I AM A FIREMAN!!"
"Errr... well... we ah... we got back your psychological examination and... errr... well, you're not exactly fire fighter material" the Chief said gravely.
"How can this be?" Lego Dave sobbed. "My dreams!"
"Sorry buddy" the Chief mumbled sympathetically.
Lego Dave was beside himself with grief as he walked home. "I am a fireman! I am a fireman! I AM A FIREMAN!!" he screamed to nobody in particular. And then something occurred to him: "Just because the Fire Chief says I can't be a fireman doesn't mean it has to be true!" A plan started to form. "I can make my own fire department and put out fires all by myself!" Lego Dave decided triumphantly.
And so it was decided. Late one night Lego Dave broke into the fire house and took the equipment he needed. He took a coat, hat, red suspenders, and a pair of sweet fire fighting axes that were attached to the side of the fire truck. "Now all I need is a fire so I can be a real fireman!" he declared. "I'll show that stupid Fire Chief" Lego Dave swore... "I'LL SHOW THEM ALL!!"
But where would he possibly find a fire to put out?
FIND OUT TOMORROW WHEN DAVE'S "A VERY LEGO HOLIDAY TALE" CONTINUES!
Posted on Friday, December 2nd, 2005
The only good thing about driving home at 4:15am in the morning is that the streets are relatively idiot-free. This is particularly sweet given that the roads were covered with snow and ice. On the way home I stopped off at work to upload my job files (and post last night's blog entry) so that I wouldn't have to worry about it later.
And now that I'm finally home, I find that my DSL is apparently broken. That's probably a good thing because I really should be sleeping instead of goofing around on the internet.
But I've got to finish listening to Songs of Faith and Devotion first, so I might as well see what my Lego Advent Calendar has for me today...
Ummm... I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. Is that a flame thrower? What's a fire fighter need with a flame thrower? Oh well. That will certainly make for an interesting chapter...
CHAPTER 2: Have Yourself a Merry Little Bonfire
LEGO ADVENT CALENDAR TOY OF THE DAY: Oxygen Tank, Fire Hydrant, Flame Thrower(?)
Impatient to prove his worth as a fireman, Lego Dave decides he can't wait for a fire to break out and determines that the only logical course of action is to start a fire of his own...
"Let's light this bitch up!" he yelled as he grabbed a flame-thrower and torched the meth lab. As the flames began to spread, Lego Dave suddenly realized that he didn't have a fire hose to hook up to the hydrant. Even worse, he didn't have a wrench to open the hydrant in the first place.
Deciding to solve one problem at a time, Lego Dave grabbed his axe and started chopping away at the hydrant so he could get to the watery goodness within. After several bold strokes, water began gushing from the hydrant, spilling out onto the street. "Now what can I use as a hose?" he wondered. But before he could come up with a solution, he heard screaming from within the meth lab.
"Wow, there must be a crack whore trapped inside!" Lego Dave said excitedly as he put on his oxygen tank. "Finally, somebody I can rescue!"
But will he get to the crack whore in time?
FIND OUT TOMORROW WHEN DAVE'S "A VERY LEGO HOLIDAY TALE" CONTINUES!
Posted on Sunday, December 11th, 2005
Winter travel sucks ass.
First my flight out of Wenatchee was delayed (bad weather). Then my flight out of Seattle was delayed (first fog, then the infamous "mechanical difficulties" excuse). As if the delays weren't bad enough, hanging around airports when people are freaking out is about as bad as it gets. Passengers screaming at gate agents. Passengers screaming at other passengers. Kids screaming at nobody in particular... if it weren't for my iPod drowning out the chaos, I'd be pretty insane right about now.
Panic on the runways of SeaTac...
Proving that you simply cannot travel without the inevitable freak-factor (the last time I flew to Salt Lake City, I had to witness a guy shaving his chest in the bathroom), today I got to see an older hippie couple (the sixties were NOT kind to these people) picking out porn mags together at Hudson News. "Oooooh she's pretty" says the woman. "You know she's not my type" says the man. Gack! Now I have heinous images running through my mind, and almost need to buy a porn mag myself so that I can put my head back to "normal."
Of course, "normal" is a relAAAAAAAAAAHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!
Somebody is clipping their fingernails. SOMEBODY IS CLIPPING THEIR FINGERNAILS!!!
And the worst part is that his fingernail clippings are probably flinging off into that lady's hair and stuff! Oh gag! Public nail-clipping should be punishable by bitch-slapping. Still, this is not quite so bad as the lady in McDonalds from a couple of weeks ago.
Oog. Because of the flight delays, it looks like today's Lego Holiday Tale chapter is going to have to be done under less than ideal conditions...
CHAPTER 11: Crash the Walls.
LEGO ADVENT CALENDAR TOY OF THE DAY: Road Barrier.
Lego Dave and his faithful companion Barky the Dog are rushing the brave construction worker to the hospital all while being chased by the evil Lego Buzz...
"HEY! LOOK OUT!" the construction worker yells. "THERE'S ROAD CONSTRUCTION AHEAD!"
"Bark! Bark" warns Barky the Dog as he hops in the wheelbarrow.
Lego Dave nearly runs into a steamroller, but managed to skid around a street corner instead.
"That was close!" sighs the construction worker.
"Bark! Bark!" agrees Barky the Dog.
"We're not out of the woods yet!" says Lego Dave... "there's a barrier ahead!"
"That's not all!" the construction worker hollers. "That lunatic with a saw took a short-cut and is coming this way!"
"Oh no!" exclaims Lego Dave. "Doesn't his rotary saw ever run out of gas?"
"DIE! DIE! DIE!" shouts Lego Buzz.
Things are looking mighty grim for our heroes... how can they possibly escape from Lego Buzz this time?
FIND OUT TOMORROW WHEN DAVE'S "A VERY LEGO HOLIDAY TALE" CONTINUES!
Posted on Tuesday, December 13th, 2005
After last night's culinary disaster for dinner, I took absolutely no chances today. For breakfast I went straight to McDonalds for an Egg & Cheese Biscuit, then for Lunch I went to one of my most favorite places to eat in all the land... Big City Soup! Seriously, the soup here is so good that it should probably be a controlled substance. As if that wasn't enough, they've usually got two or three vegetarian selections on the menu, so there's always something good for me to eat.
Today I decided on a Cheese Panini with their delectable Tomato-Basil soup that was ever so yummy. Almost worth a trip to Salt Lake City all by itself...
If you're ever in town, I'd highly recommend dropping by Big City Soup.
It came as no surprise that SLC has a new Apple Store here at The Gateway, and I felt compelled to run in and caress a video iPod for a few minutes. This is always a dangerous gambit, because one day the temptation will be too great. Fortunately I was semi-rational today, and was able to leave without a $400 dent in my credit card.
But I want one ever so bad.
CHAPTER 13: Jingle Hell.
LEGO ADVENT CALENDAR TOY OF THE DAY: Crossing Arm.
Lego Buzz has just chopped a crossing guard in half, and is moving in on Lego Dave and his friends...
"YEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAW!" screams Lego Buzz as he starts inching towards Lego Dave, his rotary saw slicing through the air in wide arcs. "I'm gonna cut you... CUT YOU UP!"
But before Lego Buzz can take another step, a crossing arm comes crashing down on him! Barky the Dog has snuck into the dead crossing guard's control booth and managed to press the "DOWN" button!
"Bark! Bark!" says Barky the Dog triumphantly!
"Argh!" says the evil Lego Buzz!
"Cool!" says the construction worker with his hand chopped off!
"Way to go Barky!" says Lego Dave! "Now hop in the wheelbarrow, because we need to get Mr. Construction Worker to the hospital before gangrene sets in!
Is this finally the end for Lego Buzz?
FIND OUT TOMORROW WHEN DAVE'S "A VERY LEGO HOLIDAY TALE" CONTINUES!
Posted on Wednesday, December 14th, 2005
For the third time in a row, I was stuck in Seattle last night. All flights back to Wenatchee were cancelled yesterday, and it was so foggy that they couldn't even get a bus on the tarmac to take us over the pass. Worse, there was no guarantee that any flights would be leaving today (and, as far as I know, none ever did).
The good news is that I managed to find a ride back this morning. The bad news is that I had to make the trip on only three hours sleep.
The fancy hotel I stayed at had advertised wireless internet. But when I tried to log on, the billing page refused to fully load. The hotel blamed me, saying my computer "probably wasn't configured properly" and passed me to the provider's support desk at 10:15pm. Unfortunately, they didn't know anything, and said that they would have a "tech manager" call me back.
So I waited, and waited, and waited. But they never called. So I called back at 11:00pm and was told they would send another request. After waiting until midnight, I decided to give up and go to bed. I was looking forward to getting a full 6-hours sleep, because I haven't been getting nearly enough rest the past several weeks.
Naturally the internet support guy decided to call me back at 3:00am.
Since I couldn't get back to sleep, I spent the next three hours catching up on work and random blog surfing now that the billing page was working again.
The hotel refunded me the $9.95 access fee after I complained, but none of this would have happened in the first place if they offered free internet to their customers like they should. I can't help but think that hotels who charge for internet actually end up losing more than they ever gain by the meager fees they receive from charging for it.
I can honestly say that free internet access has now become more important to me than how many stars a hotels has, how fancy the lobby is, how big the rooms are, how many pillows you get on your bed, and whether or not you get a mint on your pillow. Give me a Hampton Inn or a Holiday Inn Express over the competition any day. Why? Complimentary internet.
CHAPTER 14: Crashing Through the Snow.
LEGO ADVENT CALENDAR TOY OF THE DAY: Traffic Light.
After escaping from the evil Lego Buzz, Lego Dave and Barky the Dog rush to get Mr. Mechanic and his severed hand to the hospital...
"Don't worry Mr. Construction Worker" exclaims Lego Dave. "We'll get you to a doctor in time! The hospital is just two blocks away after we turn this corner."
"Thanks guy!" the construction worker replies.
"Bark! Bark!" adds Barky the Dog encouragingly.
As Lego Dave rushes to push the wheelbarrow around the corner, a soccer mom talking on her mobile phone while driving an SUV suddenly runs up onto the sidewalk, heading straight for our heroic trio! With not a moment to lose, Lego Dave veers off the sidewalk, straining to maintain control. He manages to avoid being killed by the idiotic driver, but the wheelbarrow can't hold the sudden turn and runs into a traffic light pole.
Barky the Dog and Mr. Construction Worker are thrown from the wheelbarrow, but are relatively unscathed.
"The wheelbarrow has busted an axle, so we're going to have to walk the rest of the way" declares Lego Dave. "Come on Barky, help me carry Mr. Construction worker to the hospital. We're running out of time!"
"Yeah, my severed hand is starting to smell funny" says the construction worker.
"I hope nothing else comes up to delay us" Lego Dave says cautiously.
Can they make it to the hospital in time to save Mr. Construction Worker's hand?
FIND OUT TOMORROW WHEN DAVE'S "A VERY LEGO HOLIDAY TALE" CONTINUES! | <urn:uuid:0526ed18-0de3-424d-bfd0-fd9ec42397f7> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://blogography.com/archives/category/travel/travel_2005 | 2023-09-24T23:01:46Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.978199 | 66,302 |
The NCAA Division 1 wrestling championships begin today at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. The event is being held far away from wrestling’s mid-western strongholds in an attempt to do some outreach to other areas of the country.
Only a few of the graduating seniors are openly talking about moving on to MMA careers after college, but BE readers know we’ll be hearing from many of these guys in years to come. Top fighters like UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez, ex-champ Brock Lesnar, welterweight contender Josh Koscheck, and Bellator champs Ben Askren and Cole Konrad have all left their mark on the NCAA tourny.
Cam Simaz – the 197lbs beast, although his field is incredibly tough. This Cornell wrestler leads a strong squad, but has his work cut out for him as the other top four seeds in his division are all All-Americans and individual conference champs.
Anthony Robles – an inspiring story, he’s the one-legged wrestler who can’t be told no. Robles was born with one leg, but hasn’t let physical impairment get in his way. His seeding at number one comes with some controversy, but he nevertheless had an unfefeated season at Arizona State University and is something akin to the people’s champ.
Jordan Burroughs – just a monster out of Nebraska. He already won the 165lbs national championship in 2009, but had to sit out most of 2010 with a knee injury. He’s undefeated this season and is the Big 12 champion. I expect a repeat from him.
Kellen Moore – he’s the current Big Ten champion and went undefeated this season at 33-0. His only real threat is Mike Thorn of Minnesota, but he lost to Moore in the Big Ten championship. Moore is the prohibitive favorite here.
I’m also going to keep an eye out for Kyle Dake of Cornell, who had a breakout performance at the national tournament last year taking the 141lbs title as a freshman. He’s since moved up to 149lbs and is only seeded fourth (something else that’s caused some controversy), but has strong upset potential.
The entire 184lbs division is stacked and the partity at the top is crazy. I won’t repeat what the experts I’ve linked before have stated, but it’s worth checking out their analysis about how this entire division could be turned upside down.
Anthony Robles is the one who has the most notable story. The Tucson Citizen has more:
Arizona State senior Anthony Robles is seeded No. 1 in the 125-pound class at the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament. He aims to finish No. 1. He’s never been daunted by the fact he was born with one leg.
“I plan on going all out. I’m going to be throwing the kitchen sink and everything else out there with it,” Robles said Wednesday.
Robles, 22, who started wrestling as a high school freshman in Mesa, Ariz., and won two state titles, is well known to NCAA tournament fans. They gave him standing ovations after performances that earned him All-America status the past two seasons.
He will take a 31-0 record into the tournament Thursday through Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center.
About the author | <urn:uuid:7f321bfc-6207-43bc-adae-d6e77e4fe27d> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bloodyelbow.com/2011/03/17/ncaa-wrestling-championships-2011-one-legged-anthony-robles-top-seed/ | 2023-09-25T00:41:56Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.971539 | 702 |
UFC 257 is starting to fill out. The January 23rd card looks to be one of the bigger events in recent memory, and an interesting women’s strawweight fight is in the works for the show. ESPN is reporting that the promotion is trying to put together a bout between Michelle Waterson and Amanda Ribas.
Waterson (18-8, 6-4 UFC) is coming off a close split decision win over Angela Hill last month, winning a fight of the night bonus in the process. The victory broke a two-fight losing streak.
Ribas (10-1, 4-0 UFC) last competed in July, where she submitted Paige VanZant with a first-round armbar. That bout took place at flyweight. The 27-year-old is undefeated in the UFC thus far, taking out the likes of PVZ, Randa Markos, Mackenzie Dern, and Emily Whitmire.
UFC 257 is expected to be headlined by a lightweight fight between the returning Conor McGregor and former interim champ Dustin Poirier. However, that bout is not yet official.
About the author | <urn:uuid:f45e03e0-e434-44cf-8bde-c7209dc1616c> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bloodyelbow.com/2020/11/03/ufc-257-michelle-waterson-vs-amanda-ribas-january-strawweight-womens-mma-news/ | 2023-09-25T00:03:37Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.967618 | 233 |
Can You Join The Us Army Without Being A Citizen. However, the army can lift some restrictions based on the need for certain roles to be filled. The united states military has relied on immigrants since the revolutionary war.
The maximum age to join the army as an enlisted soldier is 35, while officers must accept their commission before age 31. The requirements to join are similar for all six. Ad check out the army national guard and learn how you can become a soldier. Become a soldier with the army national guard and start serving your country. Service members may be eligible for expedited naturalization outside the united states. Web can i join the army if i’m older than the maximum age requirement? Citizen, you may be eligible to apply for naturalization under special provisions of the immigration and nationality act (ina). You must (with very few exceptions) have a high school diploma. Permanent resident card (green card) speak, read, and write english fluently. If you are serving or have served in the u.s.
Web how to join the us military as a noncitizen [updated 2022] the minimum age for enlistment in the army is 17 years with parental consent or 18 years without parental consent. If you are serving or have served in the u.s. Web you must be a u.s. If you are not a u.s. Explore a wide array of careers in the army® and build your future today. You must (with very few exceptions) have a high school diploma. Web many foreign have also served in the war zones and have received us citizenship after a period of service. Citizen join the united states military? However, the army can lift some restrictions based on the need for certain roles to be filled. Armed forces during a period of military hostilities to apply for citizenship for their deceased relative. Currently reside in the u.s. | <urn:uuid:d63d4b0a-6398-463a-b591-fa0ca81585bb> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bloomwell.com/can-you-join-the-us-army-without-being-a-citizen.html | 2023-09-25T00:54:45Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.961048 | 380 |
Cardboard traps. Yarn blood. WWE muscle men with cardboard minotaur heads. Do you need any other reason to get into this maze with us? We watched Dave Made A Maze and you can too, on Tubi.tv!
J seems to be stuck in some sort of teaser maze of past teasers. While he rambles you can watch the excellent film, Dave Made a Maze on Tubi.
What happens when Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Rob Lowe’s younger brother road trip to northern Arizona while jamming to AC/DC? Only one way to find out when B-Movie Mania finally reviews Paul’s “white whale” movie, “Highway to Hell”! (Not to be confused with Jason’s “Bad Chicken” movie.)
“Highway to Hell” is available to watch for free on tubi.tv
Turn your radio on and gather around the fire for another episode of B-Movie Mania presents… Teaser Theater. Join local thespians Paul, Chris and Jason for their dramatic origin story of “Highway to Hell,” a movie that – against all odds – has finally become a cult classic. Please enjoy.
You can watch “Highway to Hell” on tubi.tv
This one’s a stinker! Guest Will Quinton joins the boys to discuss 1991’s maloderant butt-blast, “F.A.R.T. The Movie.”
Don’t be afraid… it’s only friendly fire! Time to get down into the trenches with William Lustig and Larry Cohen for their 1996 direct to video classic, “Uncle Sam”. The video version is over on YouTube, so click the link below if you’d like to watch! Join us as we celebrate P.J. Soles, Isaac Hayes, and blind American patriotism! Happy 4th of July, everyone!
Video Special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONHZ_7I5TLo
Paul, Mike and Chris are here to tell you about B-Movie Mania’s 4th of July Video Special, where they’ll be reviewing the 1996 holiday horror classic, “Uncle Sam”. The boys are a little tired in this Teaser, having just completed the 10th Annual 24 Hour B-Movie Marathon. BUT! There’s some hot dogs on the grill, so hopefully they wake up soon.
You can watch “Uncle Sam” for free on Tubi.tv (and maybe other places). Happy 4th of July but not really because most things suck in this country.
Ladies, gentlement, non-binary friends, prepare yourselves… for Space Ninjas. Sure, The Maniacs talk about Space Ninjas, but we all know you’re here for the banter. The banter and finally figuring out what Bruce Lee sounds like. And a Bruce Lee clone. And Jason Lee. And Tommy Lee. But not Jamie Lee. Curtis, that is. So settle in, buy a T-Shirt from our website, and enjoy… Space Ninjas.
Good morning, Teasies. We’re here with your, mmmmmmm, bi-weekly dose of tease. This week, we’re teasing all you good little maniacs about Space Ninjas. Is it hot? Is it steamy? You’ll have to listen to this tease to find out.
You can watch Space Ninjas on Tubi! It’s a steamy one.
[[Editor’s Note: this movie is, in fact, not steamy at all. Please withhold all lawsuits.]] | <urn:uuid:fd10b05f-08cd-4c97-9ae2-7df4fd61f3fa> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bmoviemania.com/series/season-6/page/2/ | 2023-09-24T23:44:31Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.898941 | 786 |
Gold butterfly necklace attached to a high quality 18k gold plated silver chain. A beautifully handmade filigree butterfly charm with detailed flowers on top Standing out through the simplicity and the elegance, this dainty flower necklace is what you need to offer as a gift to your flower girl on your wedding day. Butterfly is the symbol of physical and spiritual transformation.. Great gift idea for a teen girl on her sweet 16 ! This necklace looks great on its own and is perfect for layering with other necklaces.
❊ Necklace Material: 18k Gold Plated 925 Sterling Silver ❊ Charm Size: 2*1.5 cm / 0.78*0.60 inches ❊ Silver Weight: 3 gr | <urn:uuid:ceff5bf7-9fca-4579-ae8b-b1abb7044636> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bohemiansummertales.com/products/gold-butterfly-necklace-gold-plated-silver-butterfly-charm-in-chain-necklace | 2023-09-25T00:37:53Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.883411 | 145 |
Masterstroke Salon and Academy is Training Beauty and Wellness Experts
The beauty and Wellness industry is dynamic and ever-changing. With the evolution of time, the fashion and self-care industry has grown multi-fold. People focus on themselves, especially skin and hair. Masterstroke Salon and Academy is an initiative by a team of industry experts who are active in this field with their years of experience and skill. The Masterstroke Academy has produced leading makeup artists, hairstylists, and skincare experts. Within three months of its inception, Masterstroke Academy had 50 plus enrolments from across the nation. They also have students from Kolkata, Bhopal, Kota, and B Town cities.
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Masterstroke Salon and Academy is based out of New Delhi, India. Our team interviewed Pooja Kohli. She shares her experience and insights about Masterstroke Salon and Academy.
Q: What is Masterstroke Salon and Academy, and what makes it different from all the other existing salons or academies?
A: Masterstroke Salon and Academy is a salon that meets all the needs of health & wellness, fashion, etc. The masterstroke was established with the aim to provide these services at pocket-friendly rates by experts. What makes us different from others is our staff. All the trainers and professionals that are working with Masterstroke have over 20 years of experience in the field, and not only do they provide quality, but they make sure that you get what is best for you and your skin.
Q: Masterstroke Salon and Masterstroke Academy are the two sub-brands that are established by Masterstroke. What are the services that are offered by you under them?
A: Yes, Masterstroke Salon and Masterstroke Academy are two different services. If I talk about salons first, we provide customer service and ensure that they get the best from us. There are a variety of services that are offered by us, that includes services like Anti-aging treatment, Laser Hair Reduction.
We also deal with hair and skin concerns, medicated facials. We are also a leading firm in beauty and grooming where we provide services like permanent makeup, bridal makeup, nail, lashes, etc. Masterstroke Salon holds expertise in solving all the skin concerns and giving the skin glow it deserves.
Masterstroke Academy is a skill-based education and learning platform. We provide courses into Hair, Makeup, Skin, Cosmetology, Laser and Aesthetics, Permanent Makeup, Nails and Lashes, and much more. We train people who are interested in this field and give them the best education. Other courses include Hair Technology & Modern Hair Styling, Cosmetology, Makeup, Nail & Eyelash Extension, Nutrition, Aesthetics, and Beauty & Grooming.
Q: How do you train students or learners that are interested in taking up the courses?
A: We currently have our running academy in New Delhi, New Friends Colony. Our experts train them with their skill knowledge and the world-class facilities which are available here. The courses that we offer are designed, structured, and created by professionals keeping in mind the trend and fashion that is in the market. The industry relevance and trend play a massive role in our learning-teaching process. All the courses’ content is aligned to international learning standards with extensive hands-on. We frequently organize workshops, teaching concepts, theory, and training students practically.
We have over 50 courses that are designed in sync with international standards. Not just this, but we offer both online and offline training to our students with special attention and mentorship for ease of learning. We also have a unique initiative of Student Salon, via which students can earn and learn simultaneously.
This was in conversation with Pooja Kohli. She shared her experience and things about Masterstroke Salon and Academy. During COVID-19, the salon was adversely affected like any other business, but now they’re getting back on track.
They say Masterstroke Academy is on the mission to provide skill education and is recession-free, i.e., robots or Artificial Intelligence cannot do bridal makeup or hair cut; hence human hand is always required.
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You can book your appointment for a demo class with Masterstroke Salon Academy via; www.masterstroke.company or reach our directly 9090919076 | <urn:uuid:703fa5e5-a74b-4486-9664-9c3eae0cfb26> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bollywoodmascot.com/bollywood-news/masterstroke-salon-and-academy/ | 2023-09-25T00:20:42Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.964329 | 904 |
- Refund and Cancellation
Refund and Cancellation
1. Amount once paid through the payment gateway shall not be refunded other than in the following circumstances:
• Due to technical error, payment being charged on the Customer’s Card/Bank Account but the enrolment for the examination is unsuccessful. However, if in such cases, Customer wishes to seek refund of the amount, he/she would be refunded net the amount, after deduction of Payment Gateway charges or any other charges.
2. Company assumes no responsibility and shall incur no liability if it is unable to affect any Payment Instruction(s) on the Payment Date owing to any one or more of the following circumstances:
a. If the Payment Instruction(s) issued by you is/are incomplete, inaccurate, and invalid and delayed.
b. If the Payment Account has insufficient funds/limits to cover for the amount as mentioned in the Payment Instruction(s)
c. If the funds available in the Payment Account are under any encumbrance or charge.
d. If your Bank or the NCC refuses or delays honoring the Payment Instruction(s)
3. User agrees that Company, in its sole discretion, for any or no reason, and without penalty, may suspend or terminate his/her account (or any part thereof) or use of the Services and remove and discard all or any part of his/her account, user profile, or his/her recipient profile, at any time. Company may also in its sole discretion and at any time discontinue providing access to the Services, or any part thereof, with or without notice. User agrees that any termination of his /her access to the Services or any account he/she may have or portion thereof may be effected without prior notice, and also agrees that Company will not be liable to user or any third party for any such termination. Any suspected, fraudulent, abusive or illegal activity may be referred to appropriate law enforcement authorities. These remedies are in addition to any other remedies Company may have at law or in equity. Upon termination for any reason, user agrees to immediately stop using the Services. | <urn:uuid:7a301ece-ba7f-4883-9fbf-169474fc0f27> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bollywoodpark.in/RefundandCancellation.html | 2023-09-25T00:19:49Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.930151 | 438 |
◉ Crafted using high-quality 4mm neoprene material.
◉ Vibrant HD dye-sublimation printing.
◉ Cuts warming rate by 50%, maintaining chillness.
◉ Convenient collapsible design for easy storage.
◉ Enhanced with sleek Gold Alloy zippers.
◉ Glow-in-the-dark Bomber zipper puller.
We Stand Behind Our Products 100%.
30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! NO QUESTIONS ASKED! IF YOU DON'T FEEL WE MAKE THE BEST CAN & BOTTLE INSULATORS ON THE MARKET, RETURN THEM FOR FREE!
You should be targeting the audience that buys a bottle of sode at any gas station or mini mart. I have been looking for something that would fit a 16.9 oz soda bottle for a couple of years and this is the first I have found that fits
I love every single can insulator I’ve gotten from Bomber! They’re great for gifting or keeping! They have so many designs to choose from, and they’re hilarious! And just awesome. Will be buying again and again!
Been using the 16 oz ones for a while! Had to get the 24 oz to go with my collection! Amazing quality like always!
I love the product. Built my Jeep around it.
I bought this for my husband, he loves to put his beer in it when we go out! Shipping was fast too!
Probably one of the best purchasing experiences I've ever had. I ran into a little snag with my order. Resolved almost instantly. Very professional company. Will be ordering again in the future. Thank you guys again.
My girl does only fans, so I thought this would be amazing for her! She loves it! Very impressed with the quality. Might have to get another. Definite recommend!
Definitely the best insulator that I own. I love that it's lightweight and I can take it anywhere. Keeps it icy 🥶.
I am very impressed with the quality, and overall aesthetics. Love the zipper, it even glows in the dark. Plan on purchasing again soon!
Looks very much like a brown bag, but is made of neoprene! So many designs to choose from, but this one is my favorite! Works like a charm.
These aren't like your average koozie. The quality is much better..
I purchased this as a gift, and they absolutely loved it! Impressed with the quality.
Ive bought 10 of these things I use them for more than just beer and for some of my favorite beverages. Quality is A1 and I love the zippers!
Bought one and love it! Actually keeps my drink ice cold! Very good quality.
Absolutely love my bomber jacket. Great quality. Ordered another one.
BROWSE THE ENTIRE COLLECTION
NIGHT MODE 😎
All of our zippers glow-in-the-dark, making it easy to find your drink in the dark. Perfect for outdoor actives like camping & hiking.
FOUNDED IN MMXV (2015)
Since our inception, we have set the standard in the beverage insualtion industy. Our core values have always remained design, function, and aesthetics. We are excited to broaden our offerings to more apperal & accessories. Enjoy! | <urn:uuid:fd4f567c-20cc-4348-ad51-2aa456a7ede2> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bomberglobal.com/ | 2023-09-25T00:11:11Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.935076 | 730 |
Tefal Extra 26cm Aluminium Frying Pan
Tefal Extra Frying pan will make your cooking easier than ever. Tefal heat indicator lets you know when the pan has reached the optimum temperature by turning solid red in colour. The Powerglide non-stick coating ensures that no food will stick to your pan and easy clean as well. The bakelite handle is oven safe up to 175 degrees Celsius, gas mark 3, 325F for up to 1 hour, which means you can start your cooking on the hob and finish it off in the oven. Suitable gas hobs and dishwasher safe.
• New generation Thermo-Spot® tells you when pan is at optimum cooking temperature for perfect cooking
• Powerglide anti-scratch, non-stick coating for long-lasting performance and easy clean-up
• Durabase offers even heat distribution and is suitable for use on both gas and electric hobs
• Comfort-grip ovenproof Bakelite handles, lightweight design and pouring edge for added convenience
• Perfect results: New Thermo-Spot® turns solid red to let you know the pan is at the ideal cooking temperature, guaranteeing the perfect flavour, texture and colour every time you cook.
Shipping cost is based on weight. Just add products to your cart and use the Shipping Calculator to see the shipping price.
We want you to be 100% satisfied with your purchase. Items can be returned or exchanged within 30 days of delivery. | <urn:uuid:f893cba3-3764-4398-8662-c06d177621d9> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bonnypack.com/products/tefal-extra-26cm-aluminium-frying-pan | 2023-09-25T01:10:01Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.897808 | 301 |
The Cat in the Hat Pull-string Hand Puppet
Author: Dr. Seuss
[SEUSS, Dr.] The Cat in the Hat Pull-string Hand Puppet. Hawthorne, CA: Mattel, 1970. Measuring 17” with the head crafted from plastic and the body from cloth. Lacking the original pull-string and voice box, cloth tie collar loosely attached, some slight soiling to cloth and plastic.
A vintage Cat in the Hat hand puppet created in 1970 to promote the books of Dr. Seuss. Though lacking the original voice box and pull-string, this is a delightful copy of this vintage hand puppet. | <urn:uuid:b509fcc9-eecd-46cb-b5b4-50be85846073> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://booksofwonder.com/products/the-cat-in-the-hat-pull-string-hand-puppet | 2023-09-24T23:05:01Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.867618 | 132 |
USAID sponsors Next Generation, a televised youth debate in Cambodia. The debate is intended to encourage peaceful political discussion among young Cambodians in a country that values “saving face” and non-confrontation.
These practices are extremely harmful to productive political discussion. Next Generation aims to mitigate the consequences of these social constructs by inspiring young people in Cambodia to engage in debates.
The weekly TV show hosts 24 young adults for a 30-minute debate on issues such as poverty, the electoral system, Facebook censorship and gender quotas. The program hopes to foster a culture of constructive political discussion among the future leaders of Cambodia.
24-year-old Linda Eang won the debate in 2014. She had been a shy child, and her family tried to discourage her from pursuing politics, since being a politician can be dangerous in Cambodia. After learning in school about the state of poverty and healthcare in Cambodia, Eang decided that she wanted to be part of the solution, despite the vast challenges of the field.
After graduating from university, Eang decided she wanted to focus on coaching other young Cambodians. She expressed that “the greatest barriers for young people in Cambodia are the lack of trust and motivation from the environment around us” and that Cambodians “are taught to be followers”.
Eang believes that young people can become more empowered and bring positive change to their country by getting an education. She aims to coach young people to eloquently express themselves and to have self-confidence.
Another forum for the empowerment of young people in Cambodia is Politikoffee, a community that meets weekly to discuss politics and drink coffee. The meetings started with Channy Chheng and three friends who enjoyed drinking coffee and discussing topics like policy, economics, education and agriculture.
The group decided that their conversations would benefit from more people bringing additional knowledge to their discussions, so they started Politikoffee as a platform for Cambodians to engage in political debates, free from restrictive cultural norms. Productive political argumentation is counter to traditional Khmer culture, which encourages respect for elders and the status quo.
For member Chea Veasner, these open and honest conversations are something she cannot have at her university. Veasner notes that many of her Cambodian friends do not like to argue and will not voice their opinions when given the chance.
Politikoffee provides a safe environment for Cambodia’s young, ambitious people to discuss ideas rarely discussed elsewhere. Despite assumptions that young Cambodians are not interested in politics, many actually are passionate about politics because social injustice is blatant.
Opportunities like Next Generation and Politikoffee allow Cambodia’s youths to overcome restrictive cultural norms and are fueling future political change. According to a Politikoffee’s social media representative, “Youth, from my experience, all have a vision of what their Cambodia should be, and for the vast majority of them, it’s a Cambodia that is very different from their parents.”
– Kristen Nixon | <urn:uuid:a5fff62b-3172-4799-b85c-63c4c7f84814> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://borgenproject.org/tag/politikoffee/ | 2023-09-25T00:12:44Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.955046 | 624 |
Terra Aquatica DualPart Coco Bloom® 500mL
- Brand: GHE / Terra Aquatica
- Product Code:
- Availability: In Stock
Fertilizer for the flowering phase on coconut substrate. DualPart Coco® from Terra Aquatica (GHE) is a high quality two-component fertilizer. Used mos..
Fertilizer for the flowering phase on coconut substrate.
DualPart Coco® from Terra Aquatica (GHE) is a high quality two-component fertilizer. Used mostly for growing plants in coconut substrates.
DualPart Coco Bloom® is distinguished by an aggressive formula that allows you to multiply the yield already at the flowering stage. This product contains a large amount of phosphorus, which provides lush flowering.
In addition to phosphorus, DualPart Coco Bloom® contains magnesium and calcium, making this fertilizer complete and unique in its kind. These micronutrients provide adequate plant growth. At the same time, the plants do not need additional additives. Most of the fertilizers on the market cannot boast of such parameters.
The high content of trace elements in DualPart Coco Bloom® allows the plant to release a stronger aroma, and also enhances the taste of the fruit: they become sweeter and juicier. Additives, as already mentioned, can not be used - the fertilizer is already potent.
DualPart Coco Bloom® is very easy to use. The fertilizer is based on a two-component formula specially formulated for abundant flowering and healthy plant development. The result will certainly surprise you, as it will be noticeable in any case. DualPart Coco Bloom® contains sufficient calcium and magnesium to eliminate the need for additional nutrients.
For a more pronounced effect, it is recommended to use the fertilizer together with another product from the series - with DualPart Coco Grow®.
phosphorus (P2O5) 5%
potassium (K2O) 4%
sulfur (SO4) 5%
MADE IN FRANCE | <urn:uuid:e2ed11c0-9c35-4ada-bed2-2223c085d664> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bostanika.ge/terra-aquatica-dualpart-coco-bloom-500 | 2023-09-24T22:43:22Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.869407 | 440 |
Elements of Deep Learning for Computer Vision
Publishing Date: June 2021
Dimension: 6*9 Inches
Conceptualizing deep learning in computer vision applications using PyTorch and Python libraries.
- Covers a variety of computer vision projects, including face recognition and object recognition such as Yolo, Faster R-CNN.
- Includes graphical representations and illustrations of neural networks and teaches how to program them.
- Includes deep learning techniques and architectures introduced by Microsoft, Google, and the University of Oxford.
Elements of Deep Learning for Computer Vision gives a thorough understanding of deep learning and provides highly accurate computer vision solutions while using libraries like PyTorch.
This book introduces you to Deep Learning and explains all the concepts required to understand the basic working, development, and tuning of a neural network using Pytorch. The book then addresses the field of computer vision using two libraries, including the Python wrapper/version of OpenCV and PIL. After establishing and understanding both the primary concepts, the book addresses them together by explaining Convolutional Neural Networks(CNNs). CNNs are further elaborated using top industry standards and research to explain how they provide complicated Object Detection in images and videos, while also explaining their evaluation. Towards the end, the book explains how to develop a fully functional object detection model, including its deployment over APIs.
By the end of this book, you are well-equipped with the role of deep learning in the field of computer vision along with a guided process to design deep learning solutions.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
- Get to know the mechanism of deep learning and how neural networks operate.
- Learn to develop a highly accurate neural network model.
- Access to rich Python libraries to address computer vision challenges.
- Build deep learning models using PyTorch and learn how to deploy using the API.
- Learn to develop Object Detection and Face Recognition models along with their deployment.
WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR
This book is for the readers who aspire to gain a strong fundamental understanding of how to infuse deep learning into computer vision and image processing applications. Readers are expected to have intermediate Python skills. No previous knowledge of PyTorch and Computer Vision is required.
- An Introduction to Deep Learning
- Supervised Learning
- Gradient Descent
- OpenCV with Python
- Python Imaging Library and Pillow
- Introduction to Convolutional Neural Networks
- GoogLeNet, VGGNet, and ResNet
- Understanding Object Detection
- Popular Algorithms for Object Detection
- Faster RCNN with PyTorch and YoloV4 with Darknet
- Comparing Algorithms and API Deployment with Flask
- Applications in Real World
Bharat Sikka is a data scientist based in Mumbai, India. Over the years, he has worked on implementing algorithms like YOLOv3/v4, Faster-RCNN, Mask-RCNN, among others. He is currently working as a data scientist at the State Bank of India.
He also has a thorough knowledge and understanding of various programming languages such as Python, R, MATLAB, and Octave for Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Data Visualization and Analysis in Python, R, and Power BI, Tableau.
He holds an MS degree in Data Science and Analytics from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a BTech degree in Information Technology from Symbiosis International University and has earned multiple certifications, including MOOCs in varied fields, including machine learning.
He is a science fiction fanatic, loves to travel, and is a great cook.
Blog links: https://github.com/bharatsikka
LinkedIn Profile: Bharat Sikka | <urn:uuid:833bb883-8bbd-4e30-a641-ef8c06b97ae6> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bpbonline.com/en-gb/products/elements-of-deep-learning-for-computer-vision | 2023-09-25T00:00:30Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.898979 | 804 |
In the past, we discussed how binaural beats work, by affecting brainwaves and stimulating the mind to achieve specific mental, emotional, and even physical results. There are a number of brainwaves that can be affected, and we already showed what the benefits of alpha waves are, and now we’re going to see another brainwave pattern: beta waves.
What are Beta Waves?
Beta waves are officially classified as the frequency range of human brain activity between 12.5 and 35-40Hz, which is the range associated when the brain is conscious or awake. These waves are connected to the mind being active or working, and connected to be focused and sharp, as well as critical thinking. They are also associated with the flight-or-fight response, which is responsible for what happens when we are faced with an anxious or threat-induced choice, which synergizes well with Beta Waves also being responsible for being very alert.
They are actually divided into three (3) classifications: Low Beta (12-15Hz), which is when the mind is in a quiet and focused mode, Mid-Range Beta (15-20Hz), which is when the mind is moving at a higher and faster pace, bordering on anxiety, and High Beta (20-35/40Hz) which is when the mind is experiencing stress, anxiety, dread.
Beta Waves are the brainwaves we experience the most in our lives, as many of our day-to-day activities require conscious effort to perform, especially when it comes to working, school, recreational activities, and even household chores.
Some Differences and Similarities Between Alpha and Beta
In general, Beta Waves are associated with conscious effort and thinking, which is in contrast to Alpha Waves that are associated with relaxation and subconscious effort. Whereas Alpha Waves allow your body to perform in an almost “zen” like fashion, that is, without thinking, Beta Waves make your body perform better if it requires a lot of thinking and concentration.
For example, while an athlete may have a sudden burst of Alpha Waves right before performing an amazing shot, a master welder will have a steady flow of Beta Waves in order to create a perfect weld that may mean the difference between life and death.
Another key difference between Beta Waves and Alpha Waves is that Beta Waves are associated with logic, whereas Alpha Waves are associated with creativity. Both can be used for problem-solving purposes, but with different approaches.
Both Alpha and Beta waves however can work in synergy with one another. For instance, an MMA fighter may rely on sudden bursts of Alpha Waves when his body naturally throws punches and kicks, but also on Beta Waves in order to make decisions on where to hit, how to maneuver, and when to run or attack.
In fact, a healthy mind is one that has a healthy balance of Alpha and Beta waves!
Benefits of Beta Waves
As mentioned above, Beta Waves are associated with concentration, logical thinking, and focus. And so the main benefits are related to those as well.
1.) Concentration and focus – Beta Waves allow people to be able to concentrate more, to drown out distractions, and focus on the tasks that need to be done. When you need a steady hand and a sharp mind, Beta Waves are for you.
In addition, research has shown that improving Beta Waves also helps against ADD, helping kids to focus rather than have their attention diverted so easily.
2.) Sharper thinking – Beta Waves make thinking faster, better, and more realistic. Information in the brain is accessed much faster, allowing for speedier decision making, and because Beta Waves improve logical thinking, any decisions made will be much more grounded in realism rather than the fantastic.
3.) Higher mental endurance – Like any machine or body part, the brain can get worn out and tired when it is worked too much. Beta Waves help in this by making the mind stronger and therefore last longer, allowing you to focus and concentrate and perform for extended periods of time, and can mean the difference between success and failure.
4.) Enhanced learning – Similar to Alpha Waves, Beta Waves can also increase learning, done on top of increasing concentration.
How To Increase Beta Waves
Activities that require mental focus and concentration are good ways to increase Beta Waves.
Reading books is one way, in particular, books with compelling information or stories. The more that it forces your mind to exert effort, the better.
Playing mind games that require logic and critical thinking also help increase good Beta Wave production. Chess, for example, not only forces the mind to be focused to succeed, but also to engage in logical and critical thinking that requires the person to be two or three steps ahead.
And then there’s the use of binaural beats, which influences the mind by being in-sync with good Beta Wave frequencies and helping the brain reap its benefits. Listen to this binaural beats track for fitness that helps you keep focused and at the same time keeps you calm yet active. And don’t forget to visit our binaural beats music library for more tracks and albums for all your brainwave enhancing needs.
We recommend our partner SleepPhones, as the highest quality and most comfortable headphones to use while sleeping and listening to our music. Wired and Wireless options are available:
Get $5 off when you use the special “BPM5” Discount Code | <urn:uuid:5948a869-22f1-4a32-afb5-9bb532ec74fa> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brainwavemusic.com/be-better-with-beta-the-benefits-of-beta-waves/ | 2023-09-25T00:44:13Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.953254 | 1,104 |
We all have a purpose. We are all here for a reason. We are all intertwined, connected spiritually, and working amongst each other for our own divine creation. When we meet someone, they teach us something, when we go through something, we learn something- it is all part of our journey as souls to lead us to our purpose.
We all have urges to do things, to go places, and to meet people. Some of us listen to these urges, and others do not, but there is definitely something to be said for taking a leap of faith and going with our impulses. These impulses are one with God, our source, our inner being, or whatever we refer to it as. It is this source that is telling us what to do and where to go. Even if the urge is small, they are like bricks. If we follow these urges, we can build houses.
The fear of following our impulses
Our purpose in life is within us all and it is the allowing of it that creates total abundance. We all have our talents. Some can paint, some can sing, some can write, some can talk, we all have the ability to inspire from our own divinity, so what stops us?
When you stay on purpose and refuse to be discouraged by fear, you align with the infinite self, in which all possibilities exist.
– Wayne Dyer
By making a move, one that is without reason to anyone else can lead to something spectacular. Some must learn to not care for the opinions of others and some must learn to not be afraid of their own selves so that when we are inspired by a great purpose, everything will begin to click into place and work out for us. We will be guided by the best teachers, to the best places for the best reasons, without exception, and suddenly, the risk is gone. The more we travel through the journey of our bliss, the more we will feel connected with our inner being or our spirit.
Every worry that we once had, whether it be financial, job security, a safe place, will slowly fall away and be provided to us in a way that was once unimaginable to us. We will be taken great care of if we follow our inspiration because by following our spirit is to be followed by all good energy and forces within our universe; we are cushioned. The universe will naturally protect us as we follow our bliss. The more we choose to ignore this, for whatever reason, the more unhappy we become. It is the feeling of disconnect. If we follow our bliss, the light will be turned on for us all the way. When we follow the light, we will reach our higher selves. We are all put on this earth to do great things and to be great, and the feeling of not following your divinity is far worse – in my opinion than taking a leap of faith into the unknown to see what is in store.
Healing Music 963Hz “Ethereal Oneness” – Solfeggio Meditation Series
The Solfeggio 963 is one of the ancient healing tones that symbolizes and connects into oneness, divinity, and spiritual connection. This tone triggers an awakening into the individual’s ethereal essence and experiences our true nature which is made of energy and vibration. Using brainwave entrainment frequencies that range from 3.5Hz to 10Hz, these can give the effects of intuition, deep meditation, creative insight, inter-awareness of self and purpose, and spiritual wisdom. It can also give a sense of liberation and transcendence. Use this daily for the balance of strength and peace, and to open the self more to love, compassion, and activate the pineal gland. Listen with headphones and keep the volume levels at a comfortable low setting.
We recommend our partner SleepPhones, as the highest quality and most comfortable headphones to use while sleeping and listening to our music. Wired and Wireless options are available:
Get $5 off when you use the special “BPM5” Discount Code | <urn:uuid:35bbb55a-6c9a-49da-a185-eadb3183ce47> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brainwavemusic.com/discovering-your-purpose-in-life/ | 2023-09-24T23:27:51Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.949161 | 828 |
At Brand K Integrated Marketing and Communications Ltd, we are client champions, achievers, critical thinkers, problem solvers and much more.
We Spearhead Communications Consulting Services across Industry Sectors Such as Technology, Infrastructure, Education, Health and Energy.
Why Choose Us?
We focus on stakeholder management, communications consultancy and project documentations. We take time in designing solutions that showcase service commitment and ensures project delivery. We strive to listen, engage and interact.
4Years Of Experience
120Books, dads & podcasts | <urn:uuid:88d308ca-45e3-4bb1-bff1-77b252d64c1f> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brandk-imc.com/ | 2023-09-24T23:00:24Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.841928 | 121 |
Dear Artesian Water Drinkers,
We’re not grafted, we are part of the original production of the Word. The Holy Spirit Himself, has ripened, vindicated, and made Itself manifest to us. We have accepted It in Its fullness, in the power of Its vindication and the Revelation of what It is, and have become a part of It. It is more than life to us.
The Holy Spirit Himself spoke through a humble, unworthy vessel and said, “Here is My scepter, My Word, take It and go forth, and bring the Message.” He took His Word and chopped us out, to make us His Bride.
It has disturbed the priests to see people leaving the churches and going to playing the tapes. They said, “If any of you attend the meetings, you’ll be excommunicated, we’ll put you out of our organization”.
Their answer back: You might as well turn us loose, we’re going anyhow! We’re on the journey with the Lord Jesus, our smitten Rock, eating angel’s Food, stored up Manna from above, and drinking from the Rock. We never have to worry what we’re drinking, It is nothing but PURE WORD.
We’ve always got a revival going on. Our Fountain is always bubbling over and over, and over and over. There is no end to It. We get a good, cold drink of water each time we Press Play. We depend on It and are living on It. The only thing you have to do is get there and drink.
We live by that Gusher daily! We never have to pull, dig, pump, or anything; just partake of His provided way, freely. You can take all your man-made systems you want to, all your old stagnated wells; for us, we have come to His pure Fountain. It is our Joy. It is our Light and Strength.
He is my Water. He is my Life. He is my Healer. He is my Saviour. He is my King. Everything that I have need of is found in Him. Why would I want to go to anything else?
For us there is nowhere else to go but directly to God’s provided Fountain. Never worrying what we will drink. Never having to put on an old filter rag that might get the missiles out, but leaves the nasty juice. WE JUST GET PURE ARTESIAN WATER WITH ALL THE MINERALS AND NUTRIENTS WE NEED.
He has reassured us: My little children, don’t worry no more, you have the genuine evidence of the Holy Ghost. You have proven to Me that you believe every Word. You have received It, YOU ARE MINE. WE ARE ONE. HUSBAND AND WIFE.
I’m coming for you in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. I am preparing you a new Home. You’ll love My finishing touches. I know it’s so hard on you now, and you have many test and trials and your burdens are heavy. But don’t forget, you have nothing to worry about, I have given you My Word. You are My Word. I have already done everything for you. Speak the Word and don’t doubt. You have your Faith, plus My prophet gave you his Faith.
I would love for you to join us Sunday at 12:00 P.M., Jeffersonville time, to hear 64-0726E Broken Cisterns, and drink from this Artesian Fountain as it bubbles the Pure Word that needs no filters.
Bro. Joseph Branham
Scriptures to read before hearing the Message:
St. John 3:16
Revelations 13th Chapter | <urn:uuid:4cab9434-e22c-4bfc-8dce-f8550f7b9acb> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://branhamtabernacle.org/en/streaming/viewservice/7D9689DE-291B-4019-AEB3-9E214DE801E6 | 2023-09-25T00:01:21Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.95733 | 819 |
One of Branson’s newest restaurants for Italian cuisine, Pasghettis, located at the center of the Highway 76 Strip, within walking distance to many great shows and attractions. Pasghettis is not hard to find, either. Just look for the 2 story brick building with the massive Meatball and fork outside! Inside, you’ll find 2, full size, antique dining cars, a ferris wheel, game room, and more. All of your favorite classic Italian dishes can be found as well as beer and wine upon request. Large enough to host any party, reunion, or motor coach group, and located conveniently near many of Bransons favorite shows and attractions, Pasghettis is the perfect choice for Italian fans.
Branson Ticket & Travel can help make planning your Branson vacation easier, more affordable and more convenient. Give us a call at 1-800-432-4202 to speak with one of our friendly staff. | <urn:uuid:fcebef8f-57a5-43d7-a373-fe6fd58881e7> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bransonticket.com/area-information/restaurants/pasghettis/ | 2023-09-25T00:10:18Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.946854 | 203 |
All ground floor. Two bedrooms: 1 x double, 1 x twin measuring 6ft by 3ft (zip & link beds, can be made up as a double). Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC. Open plan living area with fitted kitchen, dining area and sitting area.
This property is an attractive, semi-detached barn conversion with countryside views and providing comfortable accommodation for up to four people. This attractive, stone semi-detached barn conversion is on a working farm just a mile from Whitby and offers bright and cheerful accommodation for a family holiday. The rooms are all on the ground floor and on open plan, there is a well equipped kitchen and a comfortable and inviting sitting room, just right for a relaxing evening. A generous dining area completes the living space. The two bedrooms are light and airy and have exposed beams giving plenty of character and appeal. There is a modern and well-appointed bathroom, whilst outside is a charming lawned garden with a patio and furniture. This property is a super base from which to discover this wonderful area and all the attractions and activities it has to offer.
Underfloor heating. Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge, washing machine, TV, DVD player, radio/cassette player. All fuel and power inc. in rent. Bed linen and towels inc. in rent. Highchair on request. Off road parking for 2 cars. Lawned garden with patio and garden furniture. Fishing rights for the Esk available from the owner (must have own licence). Two well-behaved dogs welcome. Sorry, no smoking. Shop 5 mins walk, pub 10 mins walk. Note: This property lies on the A171 and is situated next to a caravan site.
Note - There will be possible noise disruption during the daytime due to building works behind the property.
Note:All prices are inclusive of the booking fee.
Winter Short Breaks (WSB) are available at many properties in the "Winter" period - subject to availability. Extra nights are charged pro rata of the weekly rental.
Off Season Breaks (OSB) are available at many properties in parts of the "Low" and "Mid" periods - subject to availability. The price for a 3 night break is either 75% of the normal weekly rental or, if it is higher, the quoted Winter Short Break price. Extra nights are charged pro rata of the weekly rental. OSBs can be booked within a calendar month of the start date of the holiday.
"Last Minute Breaks" (LMB) are available at most properties throughout the "LOW", "MID", "HIGH", "PEAK", "XMAS" and "NEW YEAR" periods. The price for a 3 night break is either 65% of the normal weekly rental or, if it is higher, the quoted Winter Short Break price. Extra nights are charged pro rata of the weekly rental. LMBs can be booked within one week of the start date of the holiday. | <urn:uuid:0c2bb101-7ffb-482e-83ac-4e0f7e616440> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://breaksandholidays.com/cottage/North-York-Moors-Coast-High-Stakesby/Broadings-Cottage-at-Broadings-Farm-1464 | 2023-09-25T00:54:09Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.93252 | 619 |
Click on LEARN MORE to get more information about each of our PT's treatment styles, areas of service, availability calendar, and to BOOK YOUR SESSION NOW
Dr. Kara Everhart uses an integrated approach to provide each patient with an individualized wellness program through a full body movement science methodology. Her mission is to guide patients through rehabilitation, helping them maintain or return to an active lifestyle... LEARN MORE
Although her passion began with athletics, Megan has grown to enjoy treating a wide variety of patients. She believes in teaching her patients the tools needed for long-term success beyond the initial manual therapy and/or exercise instruction required to reach each patient’s individual goals... LEARN MORE
I received my Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Mount St. Marys University in 2015, and went on to complete my Orthopedic Speciality through Kaiser's Orthopedic Residency program. My treatment philosophy is to combine movement re-training, manual therapy (IASTM, cupping) and functional strengthening to... LEARN MORE
Dr. Hong enjoys finding innovative ways to address movement impairments and helping people find a solution to their pain and limitations. Stephanie is also TPI certified, which allows her to evaluate movement in golfers of all levels and identify mobility deficits and imbalances in the golf swing.... LEARN MORE
I love helping people return to things they love, whether that is hiking, sports, yoga, or just performing their normal daily lives.
I also treat pelvic floor dysfunction, and love to help women who are pregnant and post-partum return to their normal lives. I take a holistic approach and... LEARN MORE
I have spent most of my Physical Therapy career practicing in the outpatient/orthopedic setting. Recently, I have started treating in an acute rehabilitation facility as well. This means that I have seen the rehabilitation/healing process from beginning to end, and am thrilled to help you get to your physical and functional goals regardless of where you are at in the process... LEARN MORE | <urn:uuid:23b26c2e-727e-464e-9f64-b10caf678333> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bridge2pt.com/ventura-county-pts/ | 2023-09-25T00:06:23Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.940059 | 418 |
Toys can help children develop gross and fine motor skills, language and communication skills, thinking and problem-solving skills, and social skills.
Can see a lot of the scene through the lens image overlap, kids be certainly interested.
- Let your children discover a dazzling array of shapes and colors.
- Encourages creativity.
- Can exercise your eyes
- Alleviate eye strain
- Strengthen depth perception and peripheral vision.
There’s a lot you can do to help develop your child’s play skills!!
- Material: Wood
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT: Stretchy Tubes - Fine Motor Skills Toy (8 pack)
*Note for UK / IRELAND: The destination country will require duties and taxes to be paid. The responsibility of the duty and tax charges lies in the hands of the end customer. Unfortunately, we do not have control over this matter, so we can not estimate nor control it. | <urn:uuid:48a6413d-ab3f-497c-848d-cf9655490811> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brightautism.org/products/magic-kaleidoscope | 2023-09-24T23:49:58Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.859448 | 215 |
This activation consists of 4 pillars or processes that work in concert with
one another, and when done as a daily ritual or habit, can give you a foundation of support for life.
These 4 pillars are: Higher Self, Pillar of Light, Chakra Cleanse, Spirit Team
Pam performs the Download and Activation for each, you will be able to connect with each of these energy support systems as they work for you in your own life.
*Prerequisite: Spirit Team Creation.
- 3o minutes – $125
- 60 minutes – $250
- 90 minutes – $325
- 120 minutes – $450(Sessions are a maximum of 120 minutes, but may take less time depending on Spirit’s direction)
*Includes 1-30 minute follow-up session*
Please ask about the follow-up coaching with Pam to accelerate your transformation! | <urn:uuid:44f21b60-053a-4f2d-9530-edb69b71e44e> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brightbutterflynetwork.com/activation/ | 2023-09-24T23:16:28Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.89559 | 185 |
After studying in a quiet area in Sweden for a while, I decided I really wanted to live in the lively centre of the city when I came to Brussels. The location of my university is also very central, so it made sense to stay at Van Orley International Student House. With 100 students of different nationalities, it is very easy to meet new people. There is always someone who wants to explore the city or wants to have a drink. Anouar, the concierge, is a really nice guy and helps out as much as he can.
In summer, we enjoyed the beautiful Botanique park, which is right across the street. In that area it’s easy to find good but cheap Turkish pizza restaurants, for example Lale Pizzeria, where you can get a pizza with salad for less than €8. All residents of Van Orley would go to Snack le Botanique for a mitrailette with andalouse: a big sandwich with meat, fries and the spicy andalouse sauce. You won’t get hungry very soon after having one of those…
I rented a student bicycle for 6 months, and used it to explore other areas of Brussels. Since I am over 25 years old, it was also a very budget friendly solution. Unfortunately the very cheap ticket (€50!) for public transport is only for students under 26. Cycling in Brussels is fun, but be careful when riding on cobblestones: they can be very slippery and you don’t want to fall on them. On a sunny day, we once cycled to Bois de la Cambre near the lake, which was very nice!
We would normally start our evening with some drinks at Van Orley, preferably on the roof terrace if the weather would allow it. Celtica close to la Bourse is the go-to place for cheap drinks (happy hour until midnight, small beers for €1) and a lot of happy people. If you’re into singing, than I can recommend NUA, a karaoke bar on the Boulevard Anspach.
The weekends were perfect for trips to other cities. I went to Ghent, Bruges and Lille with ESN, and afterwards we organised a lot of trips ourselves: Antwerp, Leuven, Paris and Cologne. The central location of Brussels makes it very easy to travel to these cities by train or bus. When I stayed in Brussels during the weekend, I enjoyed the Sunday markets near the Gare du Midi for groceries, or the Marolles flea market on the Place du Jeu de Balle. | <urn:uuid:976d7a35-c1e5-4507-a2b3-79b3342e2967> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brik.be/student-talks-julian/ | 2023-09-24T23:20:57Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.960565 | 542 |
If you have a job ready for production, we're ready to help you. Just submit your project information and specs via the form below and a representative will contact you soon.
Don't lose sleep over your project. Get an accurate quote and rest easy.
Ordering has never been easier. Plus, you're going to love the finished product.
Have your file sent to us online before you've even had the chance to finish your coffee.
Welcome back! Have a seat and reorder in a breeze. | <urn:uuid:a5f616de-7330-489b-97d6-6b6fe1b74c9d> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brilliance.minutemanpresence.com/customer-service/order.html | 2023-09-25T00:25:59Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.945686 | 116 |
Brio makes bread that isn’t simply a platform for butter or jam—but it is great with butter and jam, or anything else for that matter. It has a unique, special flavour that comes from the quality of the grain, the texture of the loaf, and the obsession of our bakers.
Brio makes bread by hand in an Old-World, artisanal style, a style used by bakers for thousands of years. We call it “pain au levain” or “sourdough,” but it isn’t like the sour-tasting San Francisco-style sourdough loaves you might have tried—in fact, it isn’t sour at all. The name comes from the way the bread is leavened: all of our bread is leavened with a wild yeast levain first created in 2013 in San Francisco, that we continue to use to this day.
What is a Levain?
A levain is simply flour and water mixed together in equal parts, then allowed to sit undisturbed. Over about a week, wild yeast in the air ferments the starter, making it possible to leaven bread with it. By feeding the starter flour and water over time, the wild yeast can be kept alive indefinitely, and used to make all-natural, artisanal bread.
All of Brio’s bread starts with our levain—just flour and water, fermented. For our signature Prairie Loaf, we just add more water, more flour, and salt to make our dough. For our other breads, we add extra ingredients: olives maybe, or raisins. Once the dough is made, it’s folded by hand, divided, shaped and allowed to rise. Once it has risen, it is scored, quickly steamed and then baked. Altogether, the process takes between thirty and forty hours—but it’s worth it when you taste it.
And, just so you know, we only use organic and locally-sourced flour in our breads.
Selection of our breads
Each day we bake a variety of breads, including breads made from stoneground whole wheat and rye flours. Here are a few of our most popular breads.
The Prairie Loaf is our signature bread, the cornerstone of our bakery. It’s perfect for everyday uses like toast and sandwiches, and the building block of many of our other varieties. The Prairie Loaf is made of 90 percent organic white flour, 10 percent locally-sourced whole wheat flour, water and salt.
Olive Prairie Loaf
Our Prairie Loaf, loaded with rich Kalamata olives, herbes de Provence, and lemon zest.
Walnut Raisin Prairie Loaf
Our Prairie Loaf, with walnuts and raisins added to the mix for a bit of a sweet treat—perfect for breakfast.
Multigrain Prairie Loaf
Our Prairie Loaf with toasted sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and flax seeds—a delicious bread for sandwiches.
A crisp light crust and a beautiful open, irregular crumb. Just try not to eat the whole thing on the way home.
Indulge in the delicious world of our viennoiserie, from croissants to pain au chocolat.
Find out more about our community-oriented bakery, our partnerships, and what sets us apart.
Experience our welcoming cafe and learn about our carefully sourced coffee beans and drink options. | <urn:uuid:468a974b-1d55-4206-8a9b-83d07661a8f6> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://briobakery.com/our-bread/ | 2023-09-25T00:04:44Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.909329 | 760 |
1) Emergency Online Branch Meeting, Monday, 28th June, 13:00-14:00, Microsoft Teams
Bristol UCU members are invited to an Emergency Online Branch Meeting Monday next week, 13:00-14:00. To join the meeting on Monday, click on the link below:
A reminder with the Teams link will be sent on Monday morning.
The meeting has been called ‘to discuss the outcomes from Congress and get your input as to how you want to conduct the campaigns which Congress delegates have voted for on your behalf’.
This follows motions passed at UCU Congress 29 May- 2 June at the Higher Education Sector Conference with regards to the pensions and 4 Fights dispute [link], and a request from UCU HQ to branches to call members’ meetings before the 2nd July.
As noted in the General Secretary’s email ‘Recent UCU Congress decisions and the next year in higher education’ sent on Monday, ‘this year’s Congress took some important decisions about the campaigns which it wants the union to prioritise over the next year. Most importantly, it decided to build towards UK-wide industrial action over USS pensions and over pay, equality, job security and workload’.
For more information, for a list of questions to consider and for a link to Congress motions, see:
This meeting has been called at short notice and Branch Officers note the current demands on members’ time as regards marking and moderation.
The timing of this meeting is so as to inform a meeting of UCU’s Higher Education Committee, the body responsible for industrial action policy and the implementation of UCU Congress decisions, which meets on 2nd July. | <urn:uuid:3d110ffc-c752-421d-bfd0-3fa5eb2c9572> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://bristolucu.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/bristol-ucu-newsflash-23rd-june-2021/ | 2023-09-25T01:03:45Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.918147 | 510 |
Today, I want to share the most dreamy sunset senior session I recently had with the lovely Elisabeth. We had planned our session at a stunning location and it was absolutely perfect. We chose a picturesque dock by the water, and for the second location, a big field with tall grass and flowers. As a photographer, finding the perfect spot for a shoot is like finding a hidden treasure, and let me tell you, this location was pure gold. Elisabeth arrived at the location with an infectious smile on her face, showing how excited she was for her senior session. Her positive energy reflected the golden hue of the sun that was starting to set, creating a magical atmosphere. The light was simply perfect, casting a warm glow on everything around us.
We started the session at a stunning dock right on the water. I captured a few really beautiful portraits of her in the cool air as boats passed by. As the sun descended in the sky, painting the horizon in hues of orange and pink, we made our way to the field. We were surrounded by tall grass and flowers which created the perfect backdrop. The gentle breeze played with her hair, making it dance in the most whimsical way. Elisabeth wore a stunning dress that perfectly matched the dreamy atmosphere. With every click, I could see her confidence and personality shining through the lens. She posed gracefully, embracing the moment and allowing her genuine joy to radiate in every frame.
As the session came to an end, we witnessed the most breathtaking sunset. The sky painted a vivid canvas, showcasing nature’s artistry. Shades of purple and gold blended seamlessly, casting a warm glow on Elisabeth’s final images. It was the perfect way to conclude a truly remarkable session. I’m so grateful that she drove an hour and a half just to come and have me take her photos! Her willingness to travel such a distance for her session made this experience even more special. All in all, the dreamy sunset senior session with Elisabeth will forever hold a special place in my heart. It was worth every mile traveled, every click of the camera, and every fleeting moment that transpired. It is sessions like these that remind me why I fell in love with photography in the first place – to freeze time and capture the beauty of life’s fleeting moments.
“She took her time to make sure the lighting was perfect and she made the scenery look beautiful. The energy she brought into the shoot was so positive, she made me feel confident the entire time and made sure everything looked perfect. We were laughing the entire time and I had so much fun. I have already recommended her to my friends and would recommend her to everyone else!!” – Delany | <urn:uuid:32adee89-c6d8-4d23-9512-ad1b322b4f8a> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brittanysuephotography.com/2023/08/18/dreamy-sunset-senior-session-elisabeth/ | 2023-09-24T22:34:51Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.974084 | 563 |
Our Thunderbirds are produced in beautiful colorful Kingman turquoise. Typically called a Chandelier style earring, styled to match our beautiful Thunderbird pendants. Our favorite earring, the Thunderbird is a legendary creature in certain Native peoples history and culture. It is considered a supernatural being of power and strength. Our stock varys between 2.5 to 2.75 inces across the top span. We might make smaller pieces this fall for NFR, stay tuned. I try to create these as light as possible, but if you have sensitive ears I would suggest getting lobe wonder or levers both available on Amazon. | <urn:uuid:8e85e9f8-d980-4254-a1d7-7c7cc991b655> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://britwest.net/products/thunderbird-earrings | 2023-09-25T00:36:19Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.938071 | 127 |
Prof.Dr.Kwame Kyei, Chief Executive Officer of Unity Group of Companies has received Leadership Initiatives Honours Award.
The award was presented to him at his office in Kumasi yesterday by management of Pan African Heroes Foundation.
Led by Nana Dei Broni,Akyim Apepemuhene ,who is the chairman of the selection committee of Pan African Heroes Foundation noted before the presentation that,The CONFEDERATION OF GOVERNANCE ASSESSMENT INSTITUTE” [COGAI] in
partnership with the “BUREAU OF RESEARCH ON GOVERNANANCE, COMMERCE
AND ADMINISTRATION” [BORGCA] and the selection committee of the “PAN AFRICAN REPUBLIC HONORARY AWARDS”based on their assessment for the past twenty years has recognized the humanitarian ,self dedicated work of the business mogul Prof.Dr.Kwame Gyei.
According to him,Prof.Dr.Kwame Kyei serves as an outstanding personality when it comes to business management and cutting down the tendency of unemployment in the country.
Prof .Dr.Kwame Kyei has the youth at heart , especially the females hence he employs ony females to serve as pump attendance at his fuel stations.
He is also nurturing the youth into gospel music since the creation of an entertainment program dubbed”Gospel New Star’ which is been competited and a prize is given at the end of the competition.
He noted that, Dr.Kyei was nominated , invited and congratulated for the prestigious award at the ‘PAN-AFRICAN REPUBLIC HONORARY AWARDS’ at the Accra International Conference Centre as a significant productive contributor to the economy and socio-communal development of Ghana.
Speaking at the event,Mr.Isaac Rockson , Executive Director , Pan African Heroes Foundation indicated that Pro.Dr.Kwame Kyei’s profound dedication, commitment and relentless devotion to be fair, free and firm in balanced decision making to direct control and manage business affairs have earned him this honour.
According to him,careful considerations on all nominations, background checks and relative research have been diligently conducted to acknowledge all dignitaries in their order of achievements and excellence.
Adding ,Prof.Dr.Kyei’s cumulative tireless efforts coupled with his decision and commitment to
serve Ghana cannot be underestimated.
” Your service and sacrifice have in
diverse ways, directly or indirectly jointly influenced the economy of Ghana and
the welfare of the citizens of Ghana. You are by this invitation, being
acknowledged for your diversity in nation building, and as one of the potential
vital pillars or forerunners in the development of democracy and governance in Ghana and Africa at large.”He noted. | <urn:uuid:0928f811-5d3b-45de-96d2-58a821bef1e1> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://broadcastergh.com/unity-oil-boss-receives-leadership-initiatives-honours-award/ | 2023-09-24T23:26:40Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.946261 | 610 |
An absolutely perfect fall wedding at Bridal Veil Lakes in Bridal Veil, Oregon complete with tall trees and yellow leaves.
An Epic Mountain Top Engagement Session With Beautiful Florals At Mt. Hood, Oregon by Brogan Marie Photography
Questions to ask your potential photographer before choosing the perfect person for your big day | Brogan Marie Photography
Enjoy these images from their magical sunset engagement session at the Oregon Coast because it is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself!
A rustic wedding with greenery and peach accents at The Dalles Ranch in The Dalles, Oregon complete with glittery boots and an epic thunderstorm.
A Downtown Portland Engagement Session | Oregon Engagement and Wedding Photographer | Engagement Portraits by Brogan Marie Photography | <urn:uuid:82b98c5b-679c-4297-a32a-f3732ec0180e> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://broganmariephotography.com/tag/weddings/page/2/ | 2023-09-25T00:29:24Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.831393 | 154 |
This is an interesting move. Wal-Mart and Target have both decided that Amazon is a big enough retail threat that they do not want to empower them by selling Kindles in their stores. What’s funny is that I think this is the wrong competitive move — I get why they think it is right, but I think they made the wrong call.
Aside from anything Apple sells, I think the Kindle line takes second place on the most desirable gadget list. Both because non-Apple fans want them, and because they better fit a parents budget than Apple gear. Either way, let’s just say holiday demand for Kindles is real, and very large.
If we accept that as fact, then it naturally follows that many will need and want to buy the devices. Where do they go? They can’t go to Wal-Mart, or Target — guess they go to Amazon.com — oh and while they are on Amazon.com, why not conveniently tick-off a few other gifts and save the trip to the store. “What’s this Prime thing? Of free movies and free shipping? That will save me some money this holiday season, purchased.”
You see what will happen? We just made a loyal Amazon customer.
Instead of selling your competitors low-margin devices, and then selling *your* customer some other holiday goodies — you just sent your customer directly to your competitor and showed them how much less crowded online shopping is.
This only works if the Kindles are actually coveted — and I think they are — otherwise people would just buy whatever else Target has. So my best guess is that Wal-Mart and Target think they can get away with this by directing people to equivalent devices — let’s see how that works out for them. | <urn:uuid:ef87621f-b812-4f56-ae20-596ed03aa5a9> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brooksreview.net/2012/09/kindle-retail/ | 2023-09-24T23:22:59Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.970898 | 368 |
1200W Portable Power Station is a 992Wh LiFePO4 Portable Power Station.
Whether it is high-power equipment at home or high-power equipment working outdoors, it can continue to supply power.
Output up to 10 devices
Three charging methods: AC wall socket, solar panel, car socket
Provide over-current, over-voltage, and over-temperature protection
Environmental protection / airless / quieter / cost-effective
Accept OEM and ODM
[Perfect capacity]: Compared with the 600W Portable Power Station, the 1200W Portable Power Station has a larger capacity of 992Wh (32V; 31Ah); it is also equipped with an excellent battery management system (BMS), through temperature control, Voltage protection, over-current protection and short-circuit protection function to protect the equipment.
[LiFePO4 battery power supply]: Compared with other lithium batteries, one of the important advantages of LiFePO4 batteries is thermal stability and chemical stability, which can improve battery safety. The lithium iron phosphate battery provides 2500 cycles and a battery life of more than 10 years for the SOUOP portable power station.
[Supply power to 10 devices at the same time]: SOUOP solar generators powerful output up to 10 devices, 310000mAh capacity. Fully meeting the needs of your travel charge. Don’t be fooled by its small size! And SOUOP outdoor solar power station super algorithm intuitively reminds the users of the remaining working time. This all-in-one power station is very suitable for outdoor gatherings, camping, and when the home is out of power.
[Outdoor Backup Power] : Lightweight design-11kg, strong handle for easy carrying. The back is equipped with a 7W high-brightness emergency flashlight, which is suitable for large-area lighting. It is very suitable for outdoor camping and disaster prevention. There are 3 lighting modes (Low-Full-SOS) that can be easily switched.
I have been using this pump all summer to keep my boat, lawn tractor and a whole bunch of other stuff filled up around here. I still use 5 gallon containers for their portability and even with 10 of those I'll have to fill them twice to get through the summer. This pump has been great for my needs. If you are sick and tired of having to hold a 5 gallon container of fuel in the air while attempting to get those funky nozzles to work, buy this pump.
So far it’s working as well as I had hoped. Nothing is perfect when trying to transfer gas, but this does a very decent job. You need to make sure to lift the nozzle and hose up at the end of the fuel transfer to allow any residual fuel to run back into the tank or it will dribble out all over. It empties most of a five gallon gas can in a couple minutes without having to lift and hold the can up which is exactly what I wanted. | <urn:uuid:a7ab4fac-7ba2-43ea-a986-d193ed93b2aa> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brsbattery.com/products/1200w-portable-power-station | 2023-09-24T23:53:16Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.93613 | 627 |
Callipoli Star (Eisernes Halbmond/Iron Crescend). Silver. Red enamels (not damaged). German made. Maker marked "B.B&Co.". Horizontal pinback. Original ribbon. Weight: 28'40grs. Dimension: 55mm.
A 1915 Campaign Star Iron Crescent (Eisernes Halbmond). Silver with the brand "Silber" on its needle. Enamels in very good condition, althouh there is a chip on its 12 and 7 o'clock arm. Weight: 25'06grs. Diameter: 54mm.
Gallipoli Star (Eisernes Halbmond/Iron Crescend). Silver. Enamels in mint condition. German made with maker marked "B.B.& Co.". Horizontal pinback. Engraved (inscription re-engraved again by a jeweler to avoit it lost) "Hans Honm. Berlin Friedenau. Wielandstr 20 III". Weight: 27'77grs. Dimension: 55mm.
Callipoli Star (Iron Crescend). Silver. Red enamels in mint condition. German made with maker mark on its reverse "B&B.Co.". Horizontal pinback lost and replaced by a metal silvered ring on the hinge. Weight: 28'33grs. Dimension/Diameter: 55mm.
Bavarian Order of the Military Merit, Knight Cross Fourth Class, with swords, in silver (mostly gone). Blue, withe and black enamels in very good condition. Maker marked on the revers wiht "950 WC" (below the ring) and "WC 900" in the sword's blade. Original ribbon.
Bavarian Militari Merit Cross 2nd Class with swords and case. White and black enamels with original ribbon. Case of issurked "Bayr. M. V. Kr. 2. Kl." and maker marked inside "Hofkunstanstalt Jacob Leser. Straubing". Weight: 20'13grs. Dimension: 47'5mm x 43mm.
Bavarian Order of Military Merit 3rd Class, with swords. Bronze. Original ribbon and general nice condition (oxidation spot on the observe). Case of issue marked "Bayr. M.V.Krz 3 Kl" and maker marked "WEISS & Co. Ordenfabril. München. Herrnstr. 44ª". Weight: 18'03grs. Dimension: 45'5mm x 43mm.
Bavarian Order of Military Merit 3rd Class, with swords and crown. Bronze. Original ribbon and general good condition.
Silver Wound Badge. Magnetic (pressed steele). Unmarked. Vertical pinback. Nice condition. Weight. 11'99grs. Dimension: 43'5mm x 39mm.
First World War German black grade Wound badge. Hollow. Pressed steele. Non magnetic. unmarked. Iimpresive and wonderful badge, with nice patina. Weight: 12'49grs. Dimension: 43mm x 38mm.
WW I German black grade wound badge. Hollow. Tipycal W.B. (D.R.G.M). Magnetic. Weight: 9'10grs. Dimension: 42mm x 39'5mm. | <urn:uuid:f8dabd91-a461-4785-97f7-41925a6eda03> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://brunomadomedals.com/en/84-other | 2023-09-24T23:26:17Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.811511 | 711 |
PROUDLY SERVING CLIENTS IN SEATTLE, TACOMA, VANCOUVER & NEARBY AREAS OF WASHINGTON
Rollover accidents can cause devastating injuries because of the forces involved in the tumbling vehicle and the likelihood of the roof caving in because of faulty designs is some vehicles. In the Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver area, you can trust the attorneys of Buckley & Associates to stand up for your rights if you have been injured in a rollover accident.
Cause of Rollovers
Certain vehicles are more likely to rollover because of their design. Vans, such as 15-passenger vans, which are often used to transport youth groups to activities, and SUVs, which are driven by many moms across the country because they feel safer than lower riding cars, are actually dangerous because of design elements, such as:
- Narrow wheelbase
- High center of gravity
- Lack of electronic stability system
Some manufacturers have already heeded the warning of engineers and added these recommended adjustments to their designs. Others however have ignored the research and put their bottom line profit above the safety of the drivers and passengers in their vehicles.
In addition to design concerns, many vehicles that are prone to rollover automobile accidents are lacking sufficient crash protections, such as:
- Side curtain airbags
- Laminated windows
- Strengthened side pillars
- Reinforced roofs
The faulty designs and lack of protections cost thousands of people their lives and severely injure thousands more.
Resolving Your Rollover Case With Experienced Seattle Rollover Accident Lawyers
At Buckley & Associates, our rollover accident attorneys are committed to resolving cases quickly for the people who have fallen victim to the faulty designs of these vehicles.
We can help you recover the compensation you need to begin recovery, and in some cases, a lifetime of therapy and care.
If you or your loved one has suffered serious injuries because of a rollover accident, please call (206) 622-1100 today for your free consultation with one of our experienced accident attorneys at Buckley &Associates. We welcome clients throughout the Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver areas of Washington. | <urn:uuid:a162db48-73e2-4678-8d8c-143d7f2ea0a4> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://buckleylaw.net/suv-rollover-accident-lawyers/ | 2023-09-24T23:19:34Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.941755 | 441 |
Santa Barbara Foundation North County Headquarters
The Santa Barbara Foundation was established in 1928 to enrich the lives of the people of Santa Barbara County through philanthropy. As the largest community foundation in the county and major source of funding for local nonprofits, the foundation is commited to building philanthropy, strengthening the nonprofit sector and solving community problems.
2625 South Miller Street Suite 101
Santa Maria, CA 93455
Email Santa Barbara Foundation North County Headquarters
Visit the Website | <urn:uuid:f824c81f-8344-47f8-a714-66e00b5e8f61> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://buellton.org/member-listing/member-details/?id=443 | 2023-09-24T23:48:10Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.855356 | 109 |
The 12 Days of Christmas is a popular carol, but what does it all mean? Why would anyone gift someone a partridge in a pear tree? Or Leaping Lords and swimming swans? It’s just begging to be updated. So why not give your child the opportunity to write their own version? This is a fun … Continue reading "12 Days of Christmas Freebie" | <urn:uuid:d3a1b452-b066-4f36-bf71-d729edf72ee6> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://buildyourlibrary.com/tag/12-days-of-christmas/ | 2023-09-24T22:36:35Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.927319 | 79 |
Selecting something else to get this done summertime? In the place of opting for coffee or drinks on an initial day, make use of the warmer weather and acquire outdoors.
I love dates that use activity. It takes the strain off trying to make discussion, and lets you make a move enjoyable you’d want to try anyway. It’s a win-win: even when your big date is not so excellent, you are still getting to spend time doing things you enjoy.
Attempt some of these summer date some ideas:
Strike the drinking water. Live close to the ocean or a lake? Take a walk throughout the coastline, or if you’re feeling strong therefore the temperature is cozy, select a swim. For your more daring, decide to try leasing a boat or kayak. When you’re drying out off, its a great time to compromise available a few drinks and then have a picnic on sand.
Hiking and cycling. If mountains are more your thing, next take your go out on an area hike or motorcycle journey. Most places have actually trails in parks or along the water regardless if they don’t have hills, very seek a nice spot where you can wander in place of work out.
Outside movies. There is nothing that can match watching a timeless Alfred Hitchcock or Marilyn Monroe film under the stars. It is almost like a drive-in movie knowledge, and we also understand how sexy those get. Get a sizable blanket, multiple beach chairs, some picnic food, and a bottle of drink, and you’re all set.
Taking walks your puppies. Are you presently both dog lovers? Next as opposed to fulfilling at a cafe or restaurant that does not enable pets, organize to walk your puppies collectively, or take them to a dog coastline or park. Yes, there is chances the dogs may well not go along, exactly what’s more critical is actually learning if there’s biochemistry between you. The canines may help break the ice.
Farmer’s industry and picnic. Fresh blooms, fresh fruit and produce are plentiful at farmer’s areas this time of the year. Take your date and roam about, gathering things that you could potentially share on a picnic or make collectively later.
Food-hopping. whether it is checking out a very good street with cultural restaurants (Persian and Ethiopian are some of my personal preferences) or testing the goods of neighborhood meals vehicles (Vietnamese burritos or Connecticut lobster goes any individual?), don’t limit yourself to all-in-one. Have actually a moveable meal, in which you check-out different restaurants for several courses. Initial prevent, appetizers, next end, tapas. Next to another area for dessert or products.
Journey. If you’ve been online dating for a while and you’re experiencing somewhat daring, check some hotspots outside your own town. There isn’t any should fork out a lot of cash on a hotel – ensure it is on a daily basis trip. Drive over the coast or through vineyards. See just what tends to make your specific area of the nation special. | <urn:uuid:cabbf1c1-cd33-4686-9f40-d9e4443338c2> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://business-akademie-muenchen.de/blog/summer-date-ideas-for-2013/ | 2023-09-25T01:04:40Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.928693 | 658 |
At Bank of America, we are committed to providing you the best customer experience, including prompt handling of complaints.
We will acknowledge receipt of your feedback or complaint within 7 calendar days. Our aim is to provide a response to you within 30 calendar days. In case we need more time to look into the issues, we will update you with an indicative timeframe for our final response (normally not exceeding 60 calendar days) and we will communicate with you in the same language in which we have received the complaint or chosen by you.
Our Complaint Handling Procedure provides information on our complaint handling and investigation process. Please email firstname.lastname@example.org to request a copy.
If, despite our efforts you are still not completely satisfied with our handling of your case, you have the right to refer the matter to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on 55/F, Two International Finance Centre, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong. For monetary disputes, you may also refer your case to the Financial Dispute Resolution Centre (FDRC), Room 408-409, 4/F, West Wing, Justice Place, 11 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong. | <urn:uuid:489abcc5-fd70-4796-856e-5f622f0e6746> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://business.bofa.com/en-us/content/apac-hongkong/customer-complaint.html | 2023-09-25T00:33:10Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.931051 | 246 |
Meeting of the new WCCTB Women in Business Council. This meeting is being held at Westmont Centre and participation is also available via Zoom. The Meeting agenda is below. To participate via Zoom, please use this link/access info:
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 859 5985 4495
One tap mobile: +13126266799,,85959854495#,,,,*423960# US (Chicago)
Dial by your location via phone: 1-312-626-6799
Enter your email address below to receive a reminder message.
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CDT
Westmont Centre and Zoom
One South Cass Avenue
Westmont, Illinois 60559
No fees to participate for WCCTB Members. | <urn:uuid:49861b2d-e48a-45e8-ac75-f1ee9acd53f5> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://business.westmontchamber.com/events/details/women-in-business-council-12652 | 2023-09-24T23:01:03Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.782257 | 245 |
Spirit Airlines Check-in Policy
Spirit Airlines is a low-cost carrier that offers direct flights to more than 100 destinations. The company is well known for its unique policies and procedures, which include strict rules about carry-on bags and a ticketing process that requires passengers to check in for Spirit Flight at least an hour before their flight.
If you have a carry-on and a personal item, you can check them both at the gate. However, if your carry-on is over 56 inches in total length, it will be charged $45 per bag to check it at the gate.
Flying on a Basic fare and have checked luggage that is too large for your personal item (see below), you will be charged $45 per bag to check it at the gate. If it is too heavy for your carry-on, you will be charged $45 per bag to check it at the gate.
Flying on a Basic fare and have no checked luggage, but choose to bring one or more bags inside the cabin of the aircraft that are too large for your personal item (see below), you will be charged $45 per bag to bring them inside.
If you are traveling with children under two years old who require an approved safety seat, two seats will be required for them—one seat for their lap and one seat for their car seat’s base. If more than two seats are needed due to size limitations or other factors (including row limits), the difference in cost between one seat and two seats must be paid by the customer prior to boarding
Check-in counter, at the airport.
If you prefer to check in offline, Spirit Airlines has a simple and convenient check-in counter at the airport. All you need to do is go to the ticket counter, and it’s easy to find. You can also check in via voice command.
You need to tell the operator how many bags you need to check, and they will give you your boarding documents. Afterward, you can choose your seat and agree to the terms and conditions of the baggage allowance. You can also pay for your flights with a credit card or PayPal.
Self-service Kiosk, at the airport.
Checking in at a Spirit Airlines self-service kiosk is simple. You enter the required information, including identification, credit card, frequent flyer number, and other information, using a touch screen to fill out the form.
If you make a mistake, you can use the “clear” or “backspace” keys to make corrections. After completing the form, you will be able to see your name and itinerary.
Online Check-in, on Spirit Airlines website.
To Check-in for a flight with Spirit Airlines, go to the airline’s official website. After clicking “Check-in,” you will need to provide your last name, confirmation code, email ID, phone number, and payment for additional services.
You can then view your seat assignment and print out your boarding pass. The Spirit Airlines website allows you to check in from 24 hours before your flight to 1 hour before departure.
Mobile Check-in, with the Fly Spirit app or on Spirit Mobile Web, from your mobile device.
The Spirit Airlines mobile check-in is available for Apple and Android devices.
- Simply download the Spirit Airlines app from your mobile device’s store to check in.
- Choose the “My Trip” section and follow the prompts to complete the check-in process.
- You’ll need your registered last name and confirmation code to use the app.
- Once you’ve entered this information, you’re good to go.
Curbside Check-in, at the airport.
If you have never used curbside check-in at the airport before, it may seem intimidating. However, you don’t need to worry because curbside check-in on Spirit Airlines is available at most US airports.
You need a government-issued photo ID and a six-digit confirmation code or e-ticket number.
Passengers Not Eligible for Mobile Check-in
There is no charge to use mobile check-in on Spirit Airlines. The airline will process your reservation and send you an email confirmation. However, if your flight is overbooked, the airline may ask you to check your bags for an additional fee.
If you have checked a bag, the airline will not board you without compensation. You can contact the carrier via email or call its management booking line.
The agents are available around the clock to answer any questions you may have. The refund policy only applies to flights booked through the official website and certain travel portals.
There are certain restrictions on who is eligible for mobile check-in on Spirit Airlines. Some passengers are not eligible for the service because they have trouble reading flight information.
Those not exempt from this rule must use a kiosk at the airport to check in. The kiosks are easy to use, but you will need to pay a fee of two dollars for each passenger.
To use mobile check-in on Spirit Airlines, you must be eligible to fly on the airline’s flights. You must be a United States citizen and be at least 21 years old to participate in the program.
The process is easy and convenient, and you can complete the form from your phone or laptop. The system will then send you an email with your boarding pass and confirmation.
Spirit Airlines Boarding Priority
Spirit Airlines is up to no good when it comes to boarding priority. Depending on your status, you could be seated anywhere on the plane, but that isn’t always the case.
For example, you’d likely get first dibs if you’re a Silver or Gold frequent flyer. Then, if you’re a member of the Spirit fare club, you can get zone priority if you’re traveling with a paid carry-on bag.
While Spirit Airways offers cheap flights, its domestic network is fairly large, which means planes are often packed. Getting rebooked on a new flight may be challenging, particularly if you’re traveling with a baby.
However, you can avoid this if you plan by purchasing a seat in advance. Remember, however, that a seat in the Big Front Seat is comparable to first-class on a domestic flight, so you’ll save money if you book ahead.
If you’re not a member of the fare club, it’s best to get your tickets early to enjoy the extra legroom and space. You can even get an extra free seat at check-in.
If you’re lucky, Spirit will auto-assign you a free seat at the front of the plane. While the Big Front Seat is not as spacious as domestic first class on other airlines, many travelers swear by it, and it’s comparable to that on domestic flights. | <urn:uuid:25ba99f4-ee63-4bff-997b-c02b6b2798b0> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://businesshear.com/spirit-airlines-check-in-policy-rules/ | 2023-09-24T23:34:00Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.924632 | 1,436 |
Simple Tips For Proper Maintenance Of Your Air Conditioner
These Air Conditioner Tips are about is maintaining the air high quality in your home or office. The first thing it’s best to do before using the air conditioner is to totally clean it.
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Cleansing the air conditioner is basically easy. All you need is a cleansing answer that will not harm the filter. Remember the fact that for every filter you may have, you might have to wash it not less than once a 12 months.
To do this, you can both clean it manually or have a machine for cleaning. Utilizing the machine is significantly better since you won’t have to exert as a lot effort and time.
If you are using a guide methodology to clean the air conditioner, all you’ll want to do is open the door of the room the place you’re going to clean it. It is best to then go across the room by opening the doors and home windows. Just ensure that you leave some space in between the partitions and the doorways.
This is completed to take away any debris that could have accumulated throughout the cleansing course of. With regards to doing the cleansing, it will be significant to place in your footwear and keep away from any stench that might be present. You too can wear rubber gloves to stop any hurt that you would possibly come involved with.
While doing the cleaning, it is crucial to change the air conditioner filters not less than as soon as a month. You can begin by emptying the filter holder and the filter cartridge. Remember to not do it while it’s raining because the rainwater will usually have a nasty scent that will make the filter soiled.
After altering the filters, you should utilize a solvent to wipe it off. The instructions on the filter should specify the kind of solvent that should be used. The important factor is to know how much solvent to use. Some solutions are stronger than others so be careful when using them.
After the cleansing is done, put in your gloves once more. Simply to be protected, it’s best when you put on some protective eye gear. Simply remember that it will be significant that you keep your eyes open in case you get any allergic response to the cleaning solvent.
The final step to cleansing is to scrub the air conditioning unit. To do this, you should utilize a vacuum cleaner or by hand. Simply be certain that you’re using a dust collection bag.
Then you might want to insert the new filter. After inserting the filter, it is very important exchange the entire filter in order that it would not get clogged up.
To be extra protected, you can place the dust particle in the air flow area before inserting the filter. Doing this will stop the filter from being clogged up.
These air conditioner tips are only a few of the many others which you can observe. If you wish to study extra, just strive studying some of the home maintenance books.
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It is a wise decision to shop for your next vehicle with buy here pay here car lots. These lots are the perfect place to buy a used car, or buy a new car. There are many buy here pay here car lots no credit check dealers, and there are no fees involved in purchasing a new or used car from these lots. When you buy here pay here auto lots, you can receive financing at very competitive interest rates, so you will be able to purchase the car of your dreams without overspending. These auto lots are ready to provide you with whatever financing you need, and they will not be hard to find or difficult to get approved for.
Buy here pay here lots are the perfect place to buy a used car because it is an affordable way to buy a car. You do not have to go through the hassle of negotiating with credit unions or banks when you decide to buy here pay here. You will be able to get the car you want, and you will be able to get it financed at an interest rate that you can approve of. This is not a major problem when you buy here pay here lots because they will handle all the financing for you. There is no reason to pay higher interest rates or to deal with endless application forms.
Buy car with buy here pay here car lots no credit check
There are many reasons why you may need to buy a new or used car occasionally. You may need to pick up a car for an extended trip, or for a special occasion. You may have an emergency car repair bill coming due, and you need to fix the car right away. Whatever the reason, you should buy it from a reputable dealer who offers to buy here pay here financing. By shopping for your auto loan online from a buy here pay here auto lots, you will save money in the long run.
Buy here pay here car dealers can help you buy the car you need at a price you can afford. They will work with you to find you the lowest possible price on the car you want. This can make buying a car more affordable. If you are working with a buy here pay here dealer, they will offer you a great leasing deal. You will only pay monthly payments that you can afford. You will also be able to drive around in your new car for as long as you want.
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You can buy a car, but it can take you a while to pay it off. When you buy here pay here car lots, you can pay it off in just a few short months. Instead of having to make any payments, you will only have to make one payment. This can make life a lot easier. In addition to that, if you need to, you can finance the car as well.
It is not always convenient to shop when you have a family and you still have jobs. If you buy here pay here dealers, you will be able to shop during the week as well as the weekends. You will never have to worry about missing sales because you are trying to work. You will not even have to leave your house to get your car! Many people buy here pay here auto lots because they know that it will be a hassle-free experience. They do not have to worry about making payments or keeping up with finance payments.
There are a number of reasons why lots of people choose to buy here pay here cars when they are in a bind. You can buy here pay here lots with the best of them, but you have to remember to check out the financing options that they offer as well. If you are having trouble making your monthly payments, you may want to look for other avenues. It is possible that your credit may not be in as good a shape as you thought it was. It can happen to anyone regardless of how good a driver you are. There is no reason why you have to go another day with no place to turn for great car deals. | <urn:uuid:d4b79a11-9933-4293-ac9e-d141ccd7876c> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://buyherepayherein.com/buy-here-pay-here-car-lots-no-credit-check/ | 2023-09-25T00:09:03Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.984628 | 911 |
For decades, The Barrel has been a staple of Fort Erie dining. In this season two finale episode of The Fort Erie Podcast, Dino Kentros, owner, reflects on the dedication of his staff, the most crowd-pleasing items on the menu, and the origins of this successful family business. Also, to end the season, I am giving away a $50 gift card. Tune in for details!
- Local Headlines…01:14.
- Fort Erie Q&A…02:30.
- Dino Kentros…03:20.
- Fort Erie History…10:13.
- Season Recap…10:53.
- $50 Giveaway…12:47.
Subscribe to The Fort Erie Podcast:
- Apple Podcasts
- Google Play Music
- Google Podcasts
- Player FM
Catch previous episodes:
- S02E10 – Antonietta Culic, Fort Erie Race Track – James Culic, Niagara this Week
- S02E09 – Phil Smith, South Coast Cookhouse
- S02E08 – Bobby Singh, Garrison Club
- S02E07 – Pat Inneo, The Ridge Film House
- S02E06 – George McDermott, Councillor, Ward 1 – Drew Gauthier, A Podcast with Goat
- S02E05 – Sarah Morin, Fort Erie’s Fantastic Gymnastics – Noel Leboeuf, Fort Erie Pride Festival
- S02E04 – Connie Charron, Fort Erie Conservation Club – Andréa Jones, Savvy Social Podcast
- S02E03 – Rob Rolston, Fort Erie School of Music
- S02E02 – Jennifer Dockstader, Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre
- S02E01 – Jeff Ellis, Lucky Stryx – Justin Preston, Rise Against Bullying
- S02E00 – Trailer, Season Two, The Fort Erie Podcast
The Barrel Restaurant:
Connect with Brent Jones:
- The Fort Erie Podcast
- Monthly Gift Card Giveaway
- Why List Your Home with Me
- Contact Brent Jones
- Fort Erie’s Megan Louws rewarded for hard work on the court
- Chef Matty Matheson serving 900 takeout meals in support of Women’s Place
Fort Erie Questions and Answers:
This Month in Fort Erie History:
- Brought to you by Missus Eugenia Mooney and Mr. Michael Furey.
- Music by Nicolas Gasparini.
- Halfpenny Dreadfuls:
$50 gift card giveaway:
- Listen to this full episode for details, then leave a comment below with your season three guest nomination(s).
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Published May 5, 2020
Join your host, Brent Jones, for a fun and engaging look at what makes the Town of Fort Erie such a great place to be. Local news, events, guests, and commentary, spanning Fort Erie, Ridgeway, Crystal Beach, and Stevensville. | <urn:uuid:be429de2-9182-4898-9d93-1d39a8412268> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://buywithbrent.ca/s02e11-dino-kentros-the-barrel-restaurant/ | 2023-09-25T00:06:05Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.771842 | 667 |
“Free competition is not ‘free,’ because I lack the things for competition. Against my person no objection can be made, but because I have not the things my person too must step to the rear. And who has the necessary things? Perhaps that manufacturer? Why, from him I could take them away! No, the State has them as property, the manufacturer only as fief, as possession.”
– Max Stirner
Egoism has a long history among illegalist anarchists. These illegalists rejected the moralistic ideals of their comrades, who argued that seizing the property of the capitalist class was an act of reclamation: one that was justified by the unjust nature of the present property system. But the illegalists found this justification unnecessary. Drawing from Stirner’s work, they argued that since law itself is a system of moral enforcement, it therefore commands no authority. They saw no need to follow the law.
Independently of the illegalist tradition, another current of thought (with a similar disregard for the law) developed. Agorism emerged as a critique of the praxis of the existing anarcho-capitalist tradition and the Rothbardians, who they felt lacked the means to achieve their end goal. In their place, the agorists embraced a rejection of law in order to engage in the sort of free market activity that they were trying to achieve on a wider societal level. This embrace of the black market and disregard for the law puts them well in line with the basic principles of the illegalists, and therefore makes agorism an appealing approach for egoists.
Stirner critiqued “free competition” in The Unique and Its Property, so it may seem incongruent for someone to simultaneously embrace his arguments and the agorist approach. However, his critique of “free competition” was an immanent one, not a conceptual one. His objection was not to free competition in principle, but to free competition in practice: liberal, state-created markets based upon civil property.
To Stirner, free competition is not free because the state restricts the individual’s access to the means of competition. Benjamin Tucker raises similar issues when he speaks of the Land Monopoly — the enforcement of the ownership of unused land — but Stirner’s critique is broader. Stirner argues that buildings, materials, and additional starting capital are as much of a problem as land.
But such a critique also serves as an indictment of any propertied system enforced by the state. Stirner’s claim is that by engaging in statist free markets, we are acting as a vassal to the state and the property we compete with is merely ours to use, but the state’s to own. He states that the individual is not even left with the land they stand on in the regime of civil property.
Within these critiques, we find a basis for a Stirnerite agorist praxis. If all state-enforced property is truly owned by the state, then any egoist who wishes to have anything of their own has to find property outside the realm of the state. Indeed, if an egoist is to seek real free competition, then they must abandon all respect for the present regime of civil property and take what they need to finance their own competition. When the state tells us we cannot engage in that sort of market competition, it is up to us to defy the state so that we can enjoy the gains of such competition for ourselves.
Of course, given the radical nature of the egoist critique, an egoistic agorism would break from Samuel Konkin’s conception of agorism on several points, but the largest difference would be on the issue of “red markets.” Konkin distinguishes between markets based upon violence and theft not approved of by the state (“red markets”) and markets which exist outside of the statist sphere but are consistent with the non-aggression principle (“black markets”). However, that distinction wouldn’t be of much use to an egoistic agorist. With no need for moral justifications like the non-aggression principle, an egoist agorist would certainly find a space for red market activity. For example, the assassination market, proposed by the cryptoanarchist Tim May, wherein people bet on the death days of individuals and the use of assassins in order to make it happen, would be just as acceptable to an egoist agorist as growing and selling weed where it may be illegal.
However, despite our disagreements, egoistic agorists and more traditional agorists will find ourselves agreeing on more than we disagree. While we may have different justifications for our views and a different perspective on red markets, we have a lot we can agree on. We can agree on the necessity of building a countereconomy in order to supplant the state. We can agree on the foolishness of electoral politics as a means of achieving our ends. We can agree on the necessity of acting now to create a better world, rather than waiting for a mass movement to develop. And, finally, we can agree on personally benefiting from our disobedience to the state. | <urn:uuid:0ef1e218-47fc-4eba-a199-dff36827d8a8> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://c4ss.org/content/48987 | 2023-09-24T22:40:26Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.965011 | 1,079 |
Ireland Baldwin introduced her newborn daughter, Holland, to the world this week.
And her mind is now on parenting.
The model and only child of first-time grandparents Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger posted a photo of her childbirth to Instagram on Friday where she is seen lying in a bathtub with wires streaming from her pregnant belly into a monitor. While managing to carry a small can of Sprite, Baldwin appears to be asleep as she leans her head against a rolled towel.
"The photo I’m going to show my daughter when she back talks," Baldwin cheekily wrote in the caption.
The day before, Baldwin had announced her child's birth with a separate photo of herself carrying her swaddled daughter alongside her boyfriend, RAC, a Portuguese musician and record producer whose real name is André Allen Anjos. "Holland," she wrote with a pink heart emoji, confirming her daughter's name.
Ireland's stepmother, Hilaria Baldwin, who in September gave birth to her seventh child with Alec Baldwin, greeted the newborn with a photo of her and Alec with their children, and wrote, "All of these aunties and uncles and us grandparents are so excited that Holland is here!!! Congratulations to the mama and papa, Ireland and Andre. We love you so very much!"
"holland!!!!!!!" exclaimed Ireland's cousin Hailey Bieber with a row of heart eye emojis beneath the original post. Ireland's uncle, Billy Baldwin, added, "Welcome to the world Baby Girl Holland. We love you."
Other high-profile figures joined the well wishes in the comment section, with Rumer Willis, who gave birth to her daughter last month, greeting Holland by writing, "Omg omg hi sweet girl—we can’t wait to squeeze you," along with heart eye emojis. "OMG YAYYYYYY CONGRATSSSSS MAMA," wrote singer Megan Trainor. And model Ashley Graham commented, "congrats mom & dad!!"
On Friday, Baldwin, 27, also shared a photo from her Instagram story of herself lying in bed with her eyes shut, and wrote, "Mother of 1 day old. Brain rot ... wearing adult diapers."
After announcing her pregnancy in December, Baldwin shared a vulnerable message on social media about her difficulties with pregnancy during which she felt "unmotivated," "exhausted" and "alone."
"Pregnancy is hard. It takes so much out of you. I wasn’t ready for that," she wrote, noting the toll on both "my mind and my body."
"Being someone who deals with extreme health anxiety on a daily basis, pregnancy turned things into a high gear," she said, possibly referring to her cardiophobia, which is an anxiety disorder that causes people physical sensations such as chest pains and heart palpitations, along with fears of having a heart attack and dying. "I’ve struggled to adapt to these changes. Bodily sensations. Pains and aches."
She closed her statement by clarifying that "none of this reflects on how excited I am to be her mom" and added that "it's okay to admit how hard and scary it can be."
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. | <urn:uuid:07dc8bf6-3a75-4304-8f9f-59b2a441a3a3> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/ireland-baldwin-shares-photos-childbirth-210513724.html | 2023-09-24T22:40:37Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.969152 | 678 |
What Is Online Slot?
Online slot is a game that relies on random number generators to function. These random number generators produce new sequences every millisecond, so players cannot predict when a win will occur.
Winning potential for real money slots depends on two factors: the Return to Player rate and the variance, or volatility, of a slot. These factors determine how much you can expect to win over time.
Random number generator
Online slot games use random number generators to determine the outcome of each spin. These programs are similar to the ones used in land-based casinos to decide who goes first in a game or activity. They are also useful for determining the winners of lottery games and other competitions.
A microprocessor inside a slot machine generates random numbers every millisecond, and these numbers correspond to symbols on the reels. There are billions of these numbers generated each second, so there is no way to predict if the next spin will be a winner or not.
Many people have theories about how to beat the odds of winning, but all they really need is luck. However, it is important to set a goal and leave the machine as soon as you reach it or make a profit.
In most online slot games, the symbols that pay out winnings are called standard symbols. They usually offer a fixed payout rate when enough of them appear in a row and on a winning line. These symbols are often designed to fit the slot’s theme. For example, in a pirate or underwater-themed game, these might include sunken ships or colorful fishes.
Other standard slot symbols are the number 7, a diamond, a bell and a bar symbol. These are the most common in modern slots, but they may differ in design according to the slot’s theme. There are also special types of symbols, including wilds and multipliers, that can add an extra layer of gameplay to your online slot experience. They can also trigger exciting bonus rounds and offer high payouts.
The paylines in online slot games determine how many symbols you need to match in a row to win. They are usually arranged on the reels in a pattern and lit up to show you which ones are active. Online slots have a more complex RNG than their land-based counterparts, and are often based around a theme or story to create a more immersive experience. You can find out more about the Return to Player rate and variance for a specific slot by visiting its help screen.
A slot’s paylines can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, or even zig-zag shaped. It’s important to understand these before you play, as they affect your chances of winning. Moreover, each slot game has its own set of payouts, which you can check in its paytable.
Online slot games often feature bonus rounds that add to your winning chances. These can be simple mini-rounds like a pick one of three chests game or complex multilevel videogame-like experiences with shooting aliens. Some even offer free spins that don’t reduce your bankroll.
These added events break up the monotony of repetitive spinning and give players a reason to keep playing, releasing a surge of adrenaline every time one is triggered. This function is especially important for slots, which are largely luck-based and can be boring when played without any additional features.
Bonus rounds are triggered by specific combinations of symbols, including scatters and wilds. To find out more, check the Pay Tables of each slot game. These are available on the main game interface, usually near the Options, Autoplay, or Help buttons.
Online slot themes can help players become fully immersed in the gaming experience. Themes that are instantly recognisable, such as those based on mythology, can help connect the player to the game right from the start. Themes like this are popular because they often include characters that people already know from film and television, which can add to the excitement.
Other popular slots themes are adventure and history. Games that take players into a different world or time can be incredibly exciting, and are especially appealing to those who love movies, music, or food.
There are even wacky slot machine themes like the ones that feature pickled zombie heads in jars, unicorns with gun machines, and grannies terrorising the city. While these aren’t for the faint of heart, they still make for a great time. | <urn:uuid:7dfa9e48-a612-42eb-978d-43cdcb609d33> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cabrerayasociados.com/what-is-online-slot/ | 2023-09-24T23:37:36Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.953134 | 919 |
Please Note: This event has expired.
First and Last Word Poetry
A monthly poetry open mic and reading
Third Tuesday of every month, with different featured poets each time, and a chance to read your own work during the open-mic section at the end.
Hosted by Harris Gardner and Gloria Mindock.
The Center for Arts at the Armory is conveniently located at 191 Highland Avenue between Davis and Union Squares in Somerville, Massachusetts. The award-winning Arts at the Armory Café can be found on the left-hand side as you enter the first floor. A free 44-space parking lot is located behind the Armory. An additional overflow parking lot is available. Please see below for its location. | <urn:uuid:e50c17d8-ec21-4653-a512-19c4c16cebc9> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://calendar.artsboston.org/event/first-and-last-word-poetry/ | 2023-09-24T23:16:23Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.959553 | 161 |
- CFM South
- CFM West
Wayne’s Bagels has been in business for over 22 years, making it the first and the longest-standing traditional Montreal bagel shop in the city. They are committed to bringing quality, Montreal-style bagels to Calgarians and giving back to the community in many ways possible.
Wayne’s Bagels are made with traditional Montreal baking techniques: they’re kettle boiled and baked in our old-fashioned wood-burning oven. This process brings the classic and authentic taste of the original Montreal bagels with crispy crust on the outside and soft and chewy texture on the inside. The bagels not only taste good but are healthy too, providing high energy with minimal cholesterols and fats. Whether you fancy cinnamon raisin, pumpernickel, blueberry, or plain ol’ multigrain, you’ll find them at Wayne’s Bagels.
Bagel & Cream Cheese
Cream Cheese To-Go
you gotta try this
Try a bagelwich for lunch—the Classic Salmon is one of our best-selling options. Silky B.C. smoked salmon, soft Winnipeg cream cheese and chewy Montreal style bagel come together in perfect harmony! | <urn:uuid:cc102a40-00ab-4ad8-9657-42e85848d0f3> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://calgaryfarmersmarket.ca/meet-our-vendors/waynes-bagels/ | 2023-09-24T23:20:09Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.851718 | 285 |
In October 2021 Anselmo made his way to the Portuguese Way of the Coast. With him went his lifelong friend Pedro, and together they began an adventure of overcoming, friendship and conviviality for 10 days. Along the way he encountered obstacles and nature that he will never forget. In this interview, you will get to know a unique personality that inspires us every day.
Why did you take the road to Santiago?
Anselmo: My scream of Ipiranga! I had already planned to do the Way before my illness, there was never a promise or a bet in that sense, but, through some conversations with people I know and publications on social networks, the thing started get into me. Several times I did the Way to Fatima, but I was always told that Santiago was another dimension. From the beginning of my illness (2018) until October 2021 (beginning of the Way), three and a half years had passed.
Those were terrible years: I broke my back three times, had two back surgeries, had chemo for eight months, had my first autotransplant in August 2019, which went very well and brought me back to life – although I lost 40 kilos in weight. Convalescence and recovery, after a year, and with an amazing recovery, I am called to the IPO of Porto, for a meeting where I was “invited” to participate in a study. This study, which besides new drugs, included a new autotransplantation. I accepted, for my own good and for all those who suffer from this disease (multiple myeloma).
August 2019: another month locked in isolation, this time without the morphine doses, as in the first one – it was a bit violent, but once again I got through it. What is certain is that after a year (August 2021) I internalized that I had to do the Way. I needed to test myself! It was three terrible years closed at home due to the infections and the pandemic. Was I a walking corpse or was I ready to give wings to my dream? I was fine physically and mentally.
Initially, my idea was to go alone, but I am glad I did not. After some conversations with my friend and companion, Pedro Lascasas, who had the same dream as me, we agreed that we would leave at the beginning of October, the only thing we planned was that the Way would always be close to the coast.
How many days did it take you and what steps did you take?
Day 1 – October 21- Porto Cathedral – Povoa de Varzim – After two false starts (due to my friend Pedro’s professional obligations), we finally started our Way: backpack on our backs and we set off from Oporto’s Cathedral, with full courage and confidence. It was an excellent day for walking, but if it hadn’t been for the famous northerlies from time to time it would have been perfect.
We managed to walk to Póvoa de Varzim and arrived at the end of the afternoon. I went into a real estate office and politely asked if they knew of a place where we could spend the night. They indicated a local accommodation nearby and when we got there, the phone number was on the door. We called lots of times, without success, until a man who was passing by told us that it was closed because the lady was ill. However, he kindly informed us of another one, about 1 KM away.
We arrived there, right in front of the Municipal Market “Réve D’or”, as the place was called. We were welcomed by a lady with a French accent, very friendly. Right at the reception, we were delighted! The decoration was allusive to Santiago, which meant that it was already used to be frequented by pilgrims, as the lady confirmed – the best facilities – we paid 20 euros.
Day 2 – October 22 – Póvoa de Varzim – Chafé – Eight o’clock in the morning. Time to wind up the “vitorinos”. We walked down the street to the beach and had breakfast. Another wonderful day. It’s amazing the miles of walkway we walked alone – I would never have imagined: golf courses, protected areas for nesting and bird watching, something wonderful . So far, we were radiantly happy that we chose to walk along the coast. We had lunch right at the entrance of the bridge over the Fão River. After lunch, we rested for a while and were on our way. After crossing Esposende, we started to see indications for a hostel in Marinhas.
Following the yellow arrows, we arrived at the hostel. We were amazed, a new building, and then when we entered: Wow. We were welcomed by a Red Cross volunteer. The hostel smelt like new, super clean, the windows letting in the wonderful sunshine. The lady kindly washed my feet (she couldn’t do anything for the blisters), and since it was still very early, we decided to go on our way (to our great regret, because the hostel was inviting for a nap). We ended the day in Chafé. We stayed in a local accommodation called “Casa do Campo do Forno”, 20€, super spectacular.
Day 3 – October 23rd – Chafé – Carreço Again, eight in the morning and well recovered, we had no date nor time set. Our desire was to do the Way that had already begun to make its own way! In fact, the spirit of the Path had already rooting in us. A beautiful stage, we had lunch at the entrance of the bridge in Viana do Castelo, at a barbecue grill with super nice people, very pleasant, who even invited us to go there during the Senhora da Agonia festivities. They have a boat and we would go with them to the Sea procession. It was one of the most beautiful and striking stages, we were arriving in Carreço, when we started to see indications for a hostel (Albergue do Sardão).
We stopped at a small coffee shop to ask if it was still far away. We were kindly informed and the man even called the Hostel, because the person in charge was known to him. There he spoke with him to say that there were two pilgrims there who needed lodging.
Meanwhile, he gave me the phone to talk to Mr. Nuno, responsible for the Hostel. The news were not the best (or were they?). We were informed that the Hostel was full, not by pilgrims, but by a group of Spanish people who had gathered there for the weekend. Nuno kindly asked: do you want to take a shower and stay overnight? So, if you want, my friend Ana, who likes to help pilgrims, is here at the Hostel, and I know that there are already two Spaniards there, but there is still room for two more people. O Saint of the Lord, that’s exactly what we want!
We arrived at the lady’s house and Nuno was already there. He introduced us and we stayed there for the night, 10 euros, a super spectacular villa. But who left us speechless was the lady, I thought there were no more people like that.
Day 4 – 24th October – Carreço – Caminha Today we left half an hour earlier. It just happened. It was when we woke up. The lady had put a pot of coffee at the door, so that when we left, we could warm our stomachs. My friend Pedro and I were happy, things (apart from my blisters) were going so well. The people were so nice, the sun was still shining, what more could we ask for? We didn’t, but we were treated to a beautiful, wonderfully relaxing stage. We had lunch in Vila Praia de Âncora, but after a beautiful morning, for the first time since our departure, the rain showed up. We put on our kispos, we had no raincoats, and marched off.
We got soaked. It is not easy to walk by the sea under the rain, but we managed to walk to Caminha. We tried to find the hostel, but it was hopeless. Close to the Caminha exit, we found a local accommodation. It was a basement and we paid 20 Euros, but we were so wet that we could even stay under a bridge. We took a nice bath that made us forget the rain. We went looking for something to eat and found a little cafe nearby. We put something small in our stomachs and went to rest, tired but happy.
5th Day – 25 October – Caminha – Mougás – Oiá At eight in the morning, with dry clothes and a damp sock, we set off again on our way. We were going with some discomfort, but when we arrived at the camping site in Caminha, we were already warm. We were the first of the day to make the boat crossing to Guarda. We were leaving Portugal, and up to this point things had gone very well. For someone who had come completely at random, the balance was extremely positive, the spirit of the Way had taken over us. We were no longer us!
The only thing that made us pensive was that, up to this point, we had come across few pilgrims and those we had met were of other nationalities. After asking, they indicated a café about three kilometers away. We had not had breakfast yet. A very beautiful stage that took us to Mougás, once again, we were navigating in the direction of the lodging, but in the meantime indications of the Lodging (Aguncheiro) began to appear.
Once again, the Way was guiding us! The Lodging had opened precisely that day, had been closed due to the pandemic – very good, we paid 12 Euros! There was a café next door, but it was closed. We were prepared not to eat that day, but the person in charge of the Hostel got us a pie and two beers, which I still don’t know where he got them from, but we ate and drank and had a fantastic night, rocked by the sea, right in front of us.
Day 6 – October 26 – Mougás – Oiá – Vigo The longest and most “violent” stage. After leaving the hostel, with a radiant sun, we wanted to have breakfast, but there was no place to do it, after half a dozen km, a café-restaurant appeared, and apparently it was closed.
In Spain, before ten o’clock in the morning, nothing was open, but in this one we were in for a surprise. There were no customers, but it was open. We asked if we could go inside, and the answer was yes. When we started to order, the man said: Are you Portuguese? We said yes, and then the man said, “So am I! I’ve been here for eighteen years. I’m the only one that opens early in the morning. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have breakfast so early. It was nice to hear spoken Portuguese.
Once we were done, the gentleman wished us a good trip and off we went: the most beautiful part of this stage was Bayonne, a lot of beautiful things to see. We had a picnic on the beach and enjoyed all the beautiful things that kept showing up to us. The hardest part was at the entrance to Vigo. Tired, we got lost and drove unnecessary kilometers inside the city of Vigo. We arrived at the hostel at around 9:30. The hostel closed at ten. Here, we paid ten euros. Very good (being municipal).
Downstairs was the reception; and the living and dining room. The rooms were upstairs, but it had an elevator. I was so tired and down that I didn’t even have dinner. Pedro still went to the street to get a pizza (Pedro held up very well today, his support was crucial). When he arrived I was already asleep, clothes on and everything. Early in the morning, I spent about half an hour under the shower, it was worth it, I was as good as new.
Day 7 – October 27 – Vigo – Pontevedra Here, we had time to leave the Hostel (7 am). When we got to the street, it was a dark night. We even thought we had the wrong time. It turned out to be good, because we left Vigo without traffic and without the confusion of the previous day. Only when we arrived in Redondela and began to see that the panorama was going to change did we become happier. So yes, it was already the Way!
Beautiful places, the fields, the horses. Here we already crossed paths with many pilgrims. The funny thing, we didn’t meet any Portuguese. We walked to Pontevedra. We managed to find local accommodation, at A Loxa. Good, 15 euros. It was still enough to walk around the old part of town and buy dinner.
Day 8 – October 28 – Pontevedra – Valga – This one will go down in history. We left early, well rested. We had already forgotten Vigo. Eight in the morning, we were crossing the Burgo bridge – dark dawn – and started to walk up the avenue. At a certain point, we noticed another pilgrim coming up a short way behind us. Pedro and I were so distracted with our conversation that, if it hadn’t been for a lady walking her dog, we would have gone straight ahead.
We should have turned left about twenty meters before, but the funny thing is that the other gentleman was also following us! Of course, we started a conversation: so, my friend, were you also thinking about life? The truth is, I was looking at you and I didn’t even notice the detour! he says, in perfect Portuguese. How nice, we hadn’t spoken to a Portuguese person for some time. After the introductions, we went on our way. There was no longer two of us, now there were three: Anselmo, Pedro and João.
Another wonderful day, fantastic landscapes, we were accompanied by João up to the Barros waterfalls, which we didn’t know and, if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t know it, because you have to leave the Way to go to the park and the waterfalls. João, who was already an experienced pilgrim, told us to enjoy it. He was going to go ahead and try to reach Valga to find lodgings, because no one was answering the phone at the hostel, and it was going to raining. After some rest, we got back on the Way.
Around 5:00 p.m., João gave us a feeling of relief with a call saying he was in Valga and had already booked accommodation. Great! We arrived around 7:00 PM at the Hostel. We were warmly welcomed by the person in charge who immediately directed us to a room where João was already waiting for us. Very good, for 12 euros. We packed everything, had a nice shower and had dinner, right in front of the Hostel. We were leaving for dinner when it started to rain. A lot. Pedro and I were all happy. We could now wear the ponchos we had bought in Bayonne for the first time.
Day 9 – October 29 – Valga – Milladoiro We left at seven in the morning, João’s orders! We had breakfast on the other side of the road, and we were off. At mid-morning, João left us again and set off again. There was a stage that he had left undone, because he had to guide a Brazilian couple, so he wanted to go to Santiago to catch the bus back to do the missing stage and come to meet us.
We passed Padrón, made a visit there. We picked up Padronela and went on to Milladoiro – at João’s recommendation, of course. We didn’t know where Milladoiro was or if it had a hostel. What is certain is that, at the end of the afternoon, we arrived there. Man, this looked like a hotel. What a level, 12 euros. A new and modern building, with all the best: baths, beds. The living room had a fireplace and how good it felt when, late at night, it rained again.
We were having dinner – today we were able to stay a while longer and have a conversation. We had made friends with a Peruvian person, a Korean and a Ukrainian whom we had already met in Vigo. We were the only occupants of the hostel. It was agreed that we would all go together the next day.
Day 10 – October 30 – Milladoiro – Santiago – At 8am and after having breakfast, we set off for the last and final stage. This stage is hard to describe, a whirlwind of feelings, the will to arrive and the nostalgia for what was left behind. Today, October 30, I was celebrating my 60th birthday. I had, after so many privations and uncertainties, achieved one of my dreams. When we arrived in Santiago we went to the pilgrim’s store to pick up the Compostela and get the password to attend the sermon.
João had asked me to wait for him because he would be there in the afternoon, but when the sermon was over, he had already found us. The three of us hugged and it was an explosion of feelings. Pedro and João hugged me and congratulated me on my birthday. It was a unique moment.
Being that you are an oncology patient, did you take any extra care to prepare the way? ?
Anselmo: No. Being an oncology patient didn’t limit me, but for the first two days I was walking and I kept thinking about how things were going to go: would I be able to handle it? Because, on the very first day, I got blisters. I know that at home everyone was glued to their cell phones, watching to see when I would call to come and get me.
I didn’t want to leave my friend Pedro hanging, after we had postponed the departure twice. Of course, my doctor at the IPO didn’t even dream of it. I had already told her about it and she said she would send me to see a psychiatrist. The only time I was more afraid was in Vigo, I almost fainted from exhaustion.
How was it to do 280 km always with the same person side by side?
Anselmo : To have walked the road with my friend Pedro was the best thing that could have happened, I’m sure the feeling is mutual. We were born 500 mtrs. from each other. We were buddies when we were kids. We were schoolmates. Only after the wedding we became more distant. We had different professional lives, we didn’t see each other so regularly, but, without a doubt, Pedro was the right person to do the Way with, for 10 days and 280 km. We were in a phase in which we both needed to get things off our chests, so no one better than Pedro.
What was the most difficult moment?
Anselmo: The most difficult moment was, without a doubt, Vigo. The stage was very long and exhausting, and when we arrived in Vigo, it was like a bucket of cold water! So many people. So many cars, motorcycles, bicycles. Until then we had walked through Paradise, but we had to go through Hell. It was a real test.
We made a point of going to the Hostel, but until we found it, more than once, I felt like fainting. Always with the support of my great companion, who was also tired, we went there walking and asking around, stopping sometimes to rest. Here, people were already completely different. When we asked for information, some didn’t even stop.
Without a doubt, this stage was calling into question everything we had felt up to this point. When we found the hostel, we went in, checked in – I didn’t even eat or take off my clothes – I lay down and switched off completely. Early in the morning, I took an invigorating shower and we set off. My friend Pedro was telling me to slow down, but I just wanted to get out of that place (Vigo) before everything started moving again.
What surprised you the most on the journey?
Anselmo: What surprised me on the route was the kindness of the people. If we were all pilgrims, there would be no evil in the world! Of course, no one picked us up, we didn’t stay for free anywhere. We paid for what we ate. But there is a different feeling in people. For a moment, all the malevolence disappears. This was the first Way, I still don’t know how the others [paths] are, however, or because it’s the first, I think it’s impossible to find another path so beautiful. I have been in places and seen things that not even in dreams would I ever see. It’s impossible to live life (I won’t say every day) without thinking about the Way.
What was the most comfortable hostel you stayed in?
Anselmo:The most comfortable hostel I found was, without a doubt, Milladoiro. It impressed me in all aspects: cleanliness, comfort, space , I was completely overwhelmed, I never imagined a hostel like this on the Path. I think it was a treat after Vigo .
Which one was the most beautiful route? Portugal or Spain?
Anselmo:I saw such beautiful and unforgettable things, both in Portugal and in Spain , that it would be dishonest of me to individualize. What is beautiful, in fact, is the Way as a whole. If I hadn’t passed through Vigo I wouldn’t have even noticed the difference between both countries. The Way isolates us from the rest of the world.
Who did you meet on the road that you will never forget?
Anselmo:João! He will remain in our lives forever. Both me and my friend Pedro adopted him as a brother and I think João adopted us too.
What can’t be missing in a pilgrim’s suitcase?
Anselmo:Everything and nothing! I can say that I took the bare minimum. However, in Angeiras, on the very first day, we met a friend of mine to whom I left half of the things I was carrying. Every day I wore the same thing, elastic shorts, cloth shorts on top, a t-shirt and, if it felt cold, I always had a kispo; and now I also had a poncho for the rain, which I bought in Bayonne. What I consider essential: clean underwear and socks every day. The rest, anything will do. But what no one, really no one, can lack: resilience, faith, determination and hope. Without this, the backpack will always be empty.
If you could only give one tip to people who are thinking about doing the path, what would it be?
Anselmo:The tip I can give to those who are going, for the first time, on the Way is: Go! Nothing will you be missing. Just go. Let things flow. I believe you might be scared, but don’t fear, the transformation you will feel will make it that nothing will stop you! Of course, everyone knows who they are, but I am absolutely sure that what transforms us is the unknown. It’s letting it happen, backpack on your back and feet on the road. Because marked hotels, sending your backpack in vans, I don’t know, I don’t think that’s the spirit, but ………
What was your reaction when you arrived in Santiago?
Anselmo:When Peter and I arrived in Santiago (John had gone to do a stage that he had missed), there was a mix of emotions. The joy that we had arrived and the sadness that it was over! We just hugged. Pedro congratulated me for my birthday and we went to the pilgrim’s office to pick up our Compostela and the password to attend the sermon. We still went to the Church of S. Francisco, because João had explained to us that there they would also stamp our passport and give us a diploma (like the Compostela): so we did it. When we passed Padrón, we went to pick up Padronela, because João had told us, otherwise we probably would have passed it without noticing it. The high moment of the arrival was reserved for when João arrived, it was uncontrollable. The three of us hugged each other, exposing our feelings. It was indeed a remarkable moment, and even more remarkable when João gave me a birthday present. A wooden arrow with the engraving of a pilgrim. He said he found it when he was walking the Path and thought: here is the present for Anselmo. We had lunch together and walked the Way back together. João stayed in Guimarães, where he lives. It was hard to say goodbye, but it wouldn’t be forever (we had already met again during Christmas week), and my friend Pedro and I made our way to S. Pedro da Cova – Gondomar – where everyone was waiting for us. | <urn:uuid:5a0a4823-2f84-48c5-916c-fa4bec80e4ff> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://caminhoportuguesdesantiago.eu/on-the-way-with-anselmo/ | 2023-09-24T23:47:18Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.989826 | 5,422 |
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We are a couple and we are lesbians and our model nickname at Bongacams is Sweet-Morbid, we are 26 years old and one of us weights 140 lbs (64 kg). One of us is 5'4" (163 cm) tall and we are redhead babes with brown eyes. We are latino/hispanic with medium tits, two trimmed pussies, we are from here and we speak spanish and . While having 91 followers we offer a public live cam show.
Couple Female + Female
5'4" - 5'6" [160cm - 170cm]
140 - 160 lbs [60 - 70 kg] | <urn:uuid:0961cb43-8fcf-418f-b16e-5a417ef5d224> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://camsexactions.com/cam/bongacams-named-sweet-morbid-redhead-our-age-26-years-old/ | 2023-09-24T23:55:51Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.81321 | 222 |
Where did we start?
Classical Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clonal hematopoietic stem cell-derived disorders characterized by dysregulation of myeloid proliferation and differentiation secondary to the acquisition of somatic mutations in driver genes (i.e., JAK2, CALR, MPL)1. Compared to polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET), primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is characterized by greater biologic and clinical heterogeneity. An exemplary point is the distinction between prefibrotic/early (pre-PMF) and overt PMF, that has been formally delineated in the 2016 revision to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of myeloid neoplasms1.
Cytopenias are among the most frequent and distinctive features of PMF. Anemia is by far the most characteristic and has consistently been associated with impairment of quality-of-life and shortened survival; therefore, anemia is an integral component of several prognostic models (IPSS, DIPSS/-plus MIPSS70/-plus)2-5. Albeit less frequent, also thrombocytopenia was included in the DIPSS-plus and MIPSS70/-plus scores as independent predictor of reduced survival4,5. Leukopenia is the least frequent and has been inconsistently associated with inferior survival.
Overall, the balance between myeloproliferative and myelodysplastic traits in PMF results in two main clinical phenotypes that are characterized by distinct presentations: the proliferative phenotype, that exhibits features of myeloproliferation including elevated cell counts, mainly leukocytes and platelets; and the cytopenic phenotype, that is marked by myelodysplastic traits such as cytopenias involving one or more hematopoietic lineages6,7.
What did we do?
This study was prompted by the following considerations: the cytopenic phenotype has been largely associated with poor prognosis; however, it was never strictly defined, cytopenias have been usually considered individually, and PMF subtypes have never been analyzed separately. Therefore, we aimed at investigating the phenotypic and prognostic correlates of a cytopenic phenotype with a specific focus on the distinction between pre-PMF and overt PMF. We studied 431 consecutive patients with WHO-defined PMF referring to the CRIMM (Center for Research and Innovation of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, Florence, Italy). The study cohort included 216 (50%) pre-PMF and 215 (50%) overt PMF. A cytopenic phenotype was defined by the presence of at least one cytopenia, whereas patients not included in the cytopenic group were considered as having a proliferative phenotype.
What did we find?
In pre-PMF, a cytopenic phenotype was identified in 50 (23%) patients and was associated with male gender, older age, higher peripheral blood blasts, and higher prevalence of splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, constitutional symptoms, and bone marrow fibrosis grade 1. Pre-PMF patients with cytopenic phenotype were more likely to be JAK2-unmutated and triple negative, while among non-driver mutations the cytopenic group was enriched in mutations in ASXL1, N/KRAS, U2AF1, RUNX1, SETBP1, and CUX1. In univariate analysis, pre-PMF patients with cytopenic phenotype had a remarkably inferior overall survival (OS) compared to their proliferative counterpart, with median of 36 and 193 months, respectively. After competing risk analysis, the 5-year cumulative incidence of leukemic transformation was significantly higher in cytopenic patients compared to their proliferative counterparts (30% vs 5%, respectively). Finally, we aimed at assessing whether the risk of progression to overt PMF was affected by cytopenic traits. Among 139 (64%) informative patients, 32 (23%) progressed to overtly fibrotic phase. A cytopenic phenotype was associated with a significantly shorter fibrotic progression-free survival compared the proliferative counterpart (median 33 vs 193 months, respectively). Accordingly, in competing risk analysis the 5-year cumulative incidence of overt PMF progression was significantly higher in pre-PMF patients with cytopenic phenotype compared to their proliferative counterparts (67% vs 15%, respectively). Of note, anemia and thrombocytopenia were significantly more prevalent among pre-PMF patients who progressed to overt-PMF within 5 years from diagnosis (respectively: 26% vs 3%; 16% vs 0%).
In the overt PMF cohort, a cytopenic phenotype was found in 105 (49%) patients and was associated with older age, higher prevalence of BM fibrosis grade 3, lower JAK2 mutant burden, TN status, and U2AF1 mutations. The OS of patients with cytopenic phenotype was significantly shorter compared to the proliferative group (median 54 vs 96 months, respectively). ). Patients harboring ≥2 cytopenias had an inferior OS compared to patients with one sole cytopenia (median 43 vs 64 months, respectively). Remarkably, a severe CP was associated with significantly inferior OS compared to patients with not-severe cytopenias , with median of 28 and 72 months, respectively. After competing risk analysis, the cumulative incidence of leukemic transformation was not statistically different among cytopenic and proliferative patients, with 5-year rates of 15% and 12%, respectively.
What are our conclusions?
In this study, we showed that the cytopenic phenotype is associated with distinct high-risk clinical and molecular features, with a higher impact in pre-PMF. In particular, U2AF1 mutations emerged as a distinct abnormality of cytopenic phenotype, reinforcing their contribution to ineffective hematopoiesis8,9. A cytopenic phenotype is associated with inferior overall survival in both PMF subtypes, and with a higher risk of leukemic transformation in pre-PMF. Of note, we highlighted that a cytopenic phenotype is an important risk factor for fibrotic progression in patients with pre-PMF. Despite the limitations associated with its arbitrary definition, identification of the cytopenic phenotype is straightforward, does not require invasive or advanced technologies and, above all, can be performed longitudinally.
What is next?
Cytopenias represent a significant challenge in the contemporary management of PMF. Currently, there are few agents aimed at treating cytopenic PMF, and development of new agents specifically tailored to this patient population remains an unmet need. The association with U2AF1 mutations may prompt the study of splicing modulators9.
1 Arber DA, Orazi A, Hasserjian R, et al. The 2016 revision to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia. Blood. 2016:blood-2016-2003-643544.
2 Cervantes F, Dupriez B, Pereira A, Passamonti F, Reilly JT, Morra E, et al. New prognostic scoring system for primary myelofibrosis based on a study of the International Working Group for Myelofibrosis Research and Treatment. Blood. 2009;113(13):2895-901.
3 Passamonti F, Cervantes F, Vannucchi AM, Morra E, Rumi E, Pereira A, et al. A dynamic prognostic model to predict survival in primary myelofibrosis: a study by the IWG-MRT (International Working Group for Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Research and Treatment). Blood. 2010;115(9):1703-8.
4 Gangat N, Caramazza D, Vaidya R, George G, Begna K, Schwager S, et al. DIPSS plus: a refined Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System for primary myelofibrosis that incorporates prognostic information from karyotype, platelet count, and transfusion status. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2010;29(4):392-7.
5 Guglielmelli P, Lasho TL, Rotunno G, Mudireddy M, Mannarelli C, Nicolosi M, et al. MIPSS70: mutation-enhanced international prognostic score system for transplantation-age patients with primary myelofibrosis. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2017;36(4):310-8.
6 Vainchenker W, Constantinescu SN, Plo I. Recent advances in understanding myelofibrosis and essential thrombocythemia. F1000Research. 2016;5.
7 Marcellino BK, Verstovsek S, Mascarenhas J. The myelodepletive phenotype in myelofibrosis: clinical relevance and therapeutic implication. Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma and Leukemia. 2020;20(7):415-21.
8 Zhu Y, Song D, Guo J, Jin J, Tao Y, Zhang Z, et al. U2AF1 mutation promotes tumorigenicity through facilitating autophagy flux mediated by FOXO3a activation in myelodysplastic syndromes. Cell death & disease. 2021;12(7):1-12.
9 Biancon G, Joshi P, Zimmer JT, Hunck T, Gao Y, Lessard MD, et al. Multi-omics profiling of U2AF1 mutants dissects pathogenic mechanisms affecting RNA granules in myeloid malignancies. bioRxiv. 2021. | <urn:uuid:c2b0258a-fc73-4926-9503-60a28510d09c> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cancercommunity.nature.com/posts/a-cytopenic-phenotype-has-differential-prognostic-impact-in-prefibrotic-vs-overt-primary-myelofibrosis?badge_id=blood-cancer-journal | 2023-09-25T00:11:56Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.916673 | 2,065 |
What comes to mind when you think of a 4/20 celebration? Maybe it’s a group sesh with some descent wax/flower/whatever while you try to watch every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in chronological order and wonder if it actually is possible to get too high. Something low-key and chill.
That isn’t good enough for BudTrader.
Cannabis tech platform BudTrader.com hosted their Third Annual BudTrader Ball on Saturday, April 20, 2019 at Wisdome.LA in the heart of Los Angeles’ Art District. BudTrader CEO Brad McLaughlin along with NBA great John Salley and MMA champion Ian McCall treated over 1,500 guests to an audio/visual delight at the most sophisticated 4/20 event of the year.
Wisdome.LA is an immersive art exhibit consisting of five domes. Their current exhibit, Samskara, provided the backdrop for a cannabis experience beyond imagination. Guests could sit in one dome and get down to some jazz/blues/funk fusion from Dylan Meek (Imagine Dragons), Philip Lassiter led a New Orleans-style jazz procession into the dome to start their set, Alec King explained just what he thinks of models, DJ Lord (Public Enemy, Prophets of Rage) rocked the dome, and so much more. All this was taking place while kaleidoscopes and fractals danced over their heads as various projections were cycled across the domed ceilings.
Anyone who is anyone in the cannabis industry, not to mention several from the entertainment industry, were on-hand to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event. Guests came to this black-tie event dressed in their best and looking dapper and elegant. Former Senator Dana Rohrabacher, a staunch cannabis advocate for decades, was in attendance, and Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham turned heads in her bright green wig (and not much else). Cannabis Queen GinaMarie XOCAL showed everyone just how good cannabis can be for your skin.
The collection of guests was eclectic, to say the least. It felt like a 21st century Studio 54 (but without all the tax scandals). Even with such a wide variety of people coming together, the vibe was always chill in the crowd. Everyone was laughing, drinking, eating, and, of course, smoking.
It wouldn’t be a 4/20 celebration without cannabis, and it was definitely a 4/20 celebration. Flow Kana provided guests with bong rips and pipe hits, allowing guests to choose from a wide variety of their top-shelf flower. For those who prefer concentrates, Rove had all kinds of terps and oils at their table for guests to enjoy.
Not everyone likes to smoke, and that’s OK. Chronic Kookies provided some of their infused baked goods for guests who prefer edibles. Each cookie is 100mg each, so you might want to share it with your buds.
The Gift Bags
It’s not a BudTrader party without an epic swag bag to take home. This year’s BudTrader Ball gift bags were no exception.
So I’m told.
Sadly, there was one hitch to the evening. Guests were told gift bags would be handed out at midnight. Before that could happen, some of the guests took advantage of BudTrader’s hospitality and made off with bags before they were supposed to be given out. Guests who waited like they were told were handed gift bags that definitely did not live up to BudTrader’s normal standards. One young woman was waving four pre-roll tubes in the air, chanting, “The tubes are empty!” as though she was about to lead a chorus of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and storm the Bastille. Considering the cost of admission, for people to leave empty handed was disappointing, to say the least.
We reached out to BudTrader about this issue to try to find out what happened. Brad McLaughlin, BudTrader’s CEO, released this statement:
“Numerous VIP and Media gift bags were reported stolen and/or unaccounted for. We are working with event security and the authorities to locate them at this time.
A BudTrader employee who wishes to remain anonymous had two gift bags in his car for VIPs. His car window was smashed and two gift bags were stolen. Camera gear and personal belongings were left behind, and only the VIP gift bags were taken.”
McLaughlin will release more information as it becomes available.
For those who did receive a gift bag, the swag was epic, which is par for the course with BudTrader. With this kind of generosity, it’s easy to see why BudTrader’s bags are such hot-ticket items.
Taking Cannabis Higher
If social media is to be believed, the Third Annual BudTrader Ball was a resounding success. It is impossible to accurately describe the event to someone who wasn’t there. Pictures and video cannot do it justice. Once again, Brad McLaughlin displayed his commitment to the cannabis community to shatter the stigma surrounding this plant. McLaughlin consistently demonstrates that cannabis can be consumed like a fine wine – elegantly. Even the greed of a few couldn’t spoil an epic event like the BudTrader Ball. You can’t take an immersive experience like that home with you in a bag. | <urn:uuid:c2f9616b-9fbe-4191-b210-8422c2530c22> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://candidchronicle.com/the-third-annual-budtrader-ball-a-420-immersion-into-music-art-and-cannabis/ | 2023-09-25T00:07:50Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.968525 | 1,247 |
A new bill in Colorado would make it easier for children who possess a valid medical cannabis recommendation to access their medications during the school day.
As Colorado’s law stands today, school principals are the only people who can decide who can store, possess, and administer cannabis-based medicines in school settings. Senate Bill 56 would instead require school boards to create rules around medical cannabis for young patients. The bill would “protect” school employees who volunteer to possess, store, and administer medical cannabis “from retaliation,” presumably from federal law enforcement, and would also offer “disciplinary protection” to nurses who give students their medical cannabis at school.
SB 56, sponsored by Senators Julie Gonzales and Chris Holbert and Representatives Matt Gray and Kevin Van Winkle, passed a second reading on Tuesday and a third and final reading on Wednesday. The bill will now head to the House.
The bill was subject to some amendments on Tuesday. For example, private schools are exempted, as would be public schools located on federal land.
“We do have some public schools that are on military installations, for instance. And if the federal government says this is not allowed, then those schools don’t have to do it,” Holbert said during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
Additionally, Holbert referenced some “concern” that passage and implementation of the bill might put federal school funding “at risk,” as cannabis remains federally illegal, though dozens of states of medical cannabis laws and 15 states and Washington D.C. have passed adult use laws.
“That has not happened here in Colorado, and it did not happen under the Obama administration. And then there was a significant change. It didn’t happen under the Trump administration. And now we had another significant change. And I see no indication that it would actually happen under the Biden administration,” Holbert said.
Holbert, a Republican, said he was “wrong” about medical cannabis because he “believed then that real life changing symptom curing medicine couldn’t be made from the cannabis plant. I know now, from meeting Ben Wann and many, many other children and adults, that medicine can be made from the cannabis plant. I was wrong.”
Holbert also took the second reading as an opportunity to explain his evolution of thought on this bill, and children who need medical cannabis.
In 2014, when Holbert was running for his seat, he heard from the Wann family, who asked if Holbert could somehow get the school district, child protection services, district attorney, and sheriff to “leave them alone.” Amber Wann, Holbert said, took her son Ben to school one day, and the school nurse asked why Ben, who had epilepsy, and whom the nurse had helped through “many seizures,” was no longer having seizures.
Holbert said that Amber Wann, who was on school grounds talking to the school nurse, then reached in her purse and pulled out a “little glass vial” of CBD oil called Charlotte’s Web, and explained that consistent doses of CBD oil kept Ben’s seizures at bay. The school nurse reported the Wann family under the duty to report law, for potential child endangerment, which sparked various investigations to “determine whether or not they were endangering Ben’s life by giving him something that cannot get him high, that made his seizures not happen,” Holbert said.
“That was frustrating,” Holbert said, relaying that he told the Wanns that he didn’t have the authority to call off the officials, but he could pass legislation that would protect families like theirs.
“This bill is really a milestone in this effort,” Holbert said, who was also a main sponsor of Jack’s Law back in 2015, which allowed parents or caregivers to go on campuses to dispense cannabis-based medications on school grounds, as long as it was smokeless.
“Senate Bill 56 is the most important bill that I will sponsor, that I’ll bring this year,” Holbert said.
“This is a great bill for parents and students who have struggled in this state unnecessarily. And this will help people. I think that this effort has helped people in a more significant way than anything else I’ve worked on in 10 years in the legislature.”
Senator Rachel Zenzinger, who is the chair of the Education Committee, said it was at first “surprising” that SB 56 was passed out of committee.
“If you just look at it on its face value, it’s very easy to come to the conclusion ‘no, I don’t think we should do this.’ But if you take the time to listen to the testimony of the proponents, all of the different stakeholders and the amendments that were adopted, I think this bill got to a good place,” Zenzinger said. “It was powerful testimony, quite frankly. It was one of the best committee hearings that I’ve ever participated in.”
Zenzinger encouraged her colleagues to vote in favor of the bill.
“I think it supports families. And at the end of the day, it’s about students having what they need to be able to continue to function at school,” Zenzinger said.
Colorado was the early epicenter of “medical cannabis refugees,” often families with a child in their family who had treatment-resistant seizures. Many were inspired to move, cross-country or from other countries, by Charlotte Figi, a Colorado Springs girl who had Dravet Syndrome, a serious seizure disorder. Figi, who catalyzed the movement to help children with intractable seizures access medical cannabis, and was part of Sanjay Gupta’s WEED special on CNN that made global headlines, died last year.
Editor’s note: This story, originally published under the headline “Colorado Senate Poised To Pass Bill To Expand School-Based Medical Cannabis Access,” on March 16, has been updated to reflect the bill’s passage. | <urn:uuid:01c38f3f-570a-4726-b0db-a5b01b086247> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cannabiswire.com/2021/03/17/colorado-senate-poised-to-pass-bill-to-expand-school-based-medical-cannabis-access/ | 2023-09-24T23:34:44Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.980507 | 1,301 |
We love connecting on all things CBD and feel-good vibes. Contact us with any questions or feedback about our CBD oil in California. Chat soon!
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Welcome to wellbeing. | <urn:uuid:95b969ae-2141-4348-b8ff-0a9c4d461c07> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cannaste.com/contact/ | 2023-09-25T00:58:49Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.851845 | 322 |
At Cape Cod Children’s Museum, like most non-profits, volunteers are the backbone of our organization. We have volunteers in every possible capacity from teaching programs, helping with special events, fixing things that break and serving on our boards and committees.
Many high school and college students start out as volunteers, eventually becoming employees. It gives you a chance to show us how special you are and us a chance to show you what a fun place this is to work.
Post Covid, we have our volunteers to thank for helping us get back on our feet!
Below we have added a list of potential volunteer opportunities, it is not exhaustive, please give us your suggestions.VOLUNTEER-OPPORTUNITIES
Current Volunteer Boards and Committees
We are fortunate to have a vibrant and dedicated Board of Directors at the museum. We currently have a couple of openings so please feel free to call or email Lisa Bates at the museum if you have any interest in working on the bright future of this museum. | <urn:uuid:b592bd52-f815-4721-9b9b-d39e8d48dd10> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://capecodchildrensmuseum.org/volunteers/ | 2023-09-24T23:38:35Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.949976 | 205 |
Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia promotes cultural itineraries to discover the heritage, the history of the city of Venice and its Museums. The proposals of “Museums and more” project are aimed at enhancing the museum offer in the context of thematic paths involving different districts with dialogues between the permanent collections and the life and history of the city.
The itineraries are organized and conducted by the official Venice guides who are qualified to provide the visitor with an excellent service and meet the different needs and expectations of the public.
“Museums and more” is part of #EnjoyRespectVenezia campaign launched by City of Venice.
Discover the itineraries dealing with Ca’ Pesaro – International Gallery of Modern Art:
The Frari church and Ca’ Pesaro: Power and Art
Let’s explore the Frari church together, to understand the influence of the Pesaro family, who commissioned famous artists like Giovanni Bellini and Titian. We will then visit their sumptuous home on the Grand Canal, Ca’ Pesaro, which is now Venice’s fascinating Museum of Modern Art.
Find out more > | <urn:uuid:0189a0ce-64b8-4e6c-af96-cb5d747f6306> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://capesaro.visitmuve.it/en/museumsandmore/ | 2023-09-25T01:01:27Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.915588 | 247 |
Mushrooms have been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine for their healing and restorative properties. In recent years, mushrooms have gained popularity in the skincare industry due to their natural anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant properties. Mushroom skin care products are designed to soothe, protect, and nourish the skin. This article will discuss the various benefits of using mushroom skin care products and why they should be an integral part of any skincare routine. Additionally, this article will provide information on how to identify quality mushroom skin care products and what to look for when making a purchase.
Exploring The Benefits Of Mushroom Skin Care Products
Mushroom skin care products are quickly becoming a popular option for those seeking natural, healthy, and effective skincare solutions. As the demand for organic and natural products has grown, so too has the availability of mushroom-based skincare products. While mushrooms have long been used in traditional medicines, modern science has now uncovered the amazing benefits of these fungi when applied to the skin. Mushroom skin care products can offer a range of benefits, from reducing redness and inflammation to providing antioxidant protection and promoting healthy collagen production.
The Nutritional And Medicinal Properties Of Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a unique form of fungi, with a wide variety of nutritional and medicinal benefits. Many species of mushrooms are rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fatty acids, all of which can be beneficial for skin health. Additionally, certain mushrooms have been used for centuries in traditional remedies for skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis. The medicinal properties of mushrooms are thought to come from their concentration of beta-glucans, which are polysaccharides that can help to reduce inflammation and promote healthy skin cell growth.
Understanding The Power Of Mushroom Extracts For Skin Care
Mushroom extracts are becoming increasingly popular in modern skincare products due to their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These extracts can provide a range of benefits, from reducing redness and inflammation to providing antioxidant protection and promoting healthy collagen production. One of the most common mushroom extracts used in skincare products is Chaga mushroom extract, which is known for its high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, mushroom extracts can also help to protect the skin from environmental stressors, such as UV radiation and pollution.
Reishi Mushroom Extracts And Their Benefits For Skin Health
Reishi mushroom extracts are becoming increasingly popular in modern skincare products, due to their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, Reishi mushroom extracts can help to protect the skin from environmental stressors, such as UV radiation and pollution. Reishi mushroom extracts can also help to reduce wrinkles and dark spots while promoting healthy collagen production.
Reishi mushroom extracts, also known as Ganoderma lucidum, are a type of mushroom found primarily in East Asia. These mushrooms have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, and are known for their medicinal properties. They are also widely used in skin care products for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging benefits.
Reishi mushroom extracts are rich in polysaccharides, which are molecules that help to support healthy skin. These polysaccharides provide the skin with essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Polysaccharides also help to prevent damage from free radicals, which can lead to premature aging and wrinkles.
How To Choose Healthy Mushroom Skin Care Products?
When it comes to looking after the health and beauty of your skin, it is important to choose healthy mushroom skin care products. Mushrooms have been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat a variety of skin conditions, and recently, they have been gaining popularity as an ingredient in cosmetic and skincare products. While there are a variety of products available on the market, not all of them are created equal.
When choosing mushroom skin care products, it is important to look for natural ingredients that are derived from organic sources. Additionally, look for products that are free of parabens, sulfates, fragrances, and other potentially harmful ingredients.
When selecting a mushroom skin care product, it is important to choose one that contains natural and organic ingredients. Additionally, it is important to look for products that are free of artificial fragrances, dyes, and preservatives. It is also important to choose products that are specifically designed for the skin type. As not all mushroom skin care products will be beneficial for all skin types. It is also important to read the label of the product. As some products may contain fillers or other ingredients that can be harmful to the skin.
In conclusion, mushroom skin care products offer a wide range of benefits for people with a variety of skin types. They are known to be hypoallergenic, non-irritating, and gentle on the skin. They can help to reduce signs of aging and can even help protect against environmental damage. With their natural and effective ingredients, mushroom skin care products are an excellent choice for anyone looking to improve the health and appearance of their skin.
Allison Cheng is a Michigan-based health enthusiast with extensive experience in lifestyle and fitness coaching. She has a special expertise in nutrition and mental health coaching. She is passionate about helping people become their best selves through health and wellness, and loves to share her knowledge and experiences through her blog and health coaching practice. | <urn:uuid:20157fbc-f616-41b3-ab3c-5f42d96c01fd> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://carabelajarseo.org/uncovering-the-benefits-of-mushroom-skin-care-products/ | 2023-09-25T00:31:13Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.952021 | 1,108 |
Dr. Brian Villa, MD
Overview of Dr. Brian Villa, MD
Dr. Brian Villa, MD is a Psychiatry Specialist in Winchester, VA. Patients rated Dr. Villa an average 5.0 star rating.
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Dr. Villa's Office Locations
Winchester Community Mental Health Center Inc36 Ricketts Dr, Winchester, VA 22601 Directions (540) 535-1112
Winchester Community Mental Health Center Inc. At the Carriage House123 Hovatter Dr, Inwood, WV 25428 Directions (540) 535-1112
Healthy Minds Medical Center Inc2500 NW 79th Ave Ste 227, Miami, FL 33122 Directions (305) 456-9396
Office4649 Ponce de Leon Blvd Ste 404, Coral Gables, FL 33146 Directions (786) 536-9714
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Dr. Villa has indicated that they do offer telehealth services. Please call the provider’s office at for more information.
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1 patients have reviewed Dr. Villa. The overall rating for this provider is 5.0. You can read verified reviews and ratings and leave your own review based on your experience with Dr. Villa.
Whether a person prefers to schedule an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Villa, there are benefits to both methods. A person calling to schedule an with Dr. Villa appointment can ask questions about the practice, provider availability, conditions treated, procedures performed, and if their insurance carrier is accepted. While online scheduling is quicker, easier, allows one to view a wide range of appointment times, and may provide the ability to sync with a personal calendar. | <urn:uuid:34ad6699-3d6c-4b06-ac1f-e10111edbb56> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://care.healthline.com/find-care/provider/dr-brian-villa-1861843906 | 2023-09-24T23:34:22Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.83927 | 538 |
Application Architect AWS Cloud Migration
Job Title: Application Architect AWS Cloud Migration
Job ID: 22-35269
Location: onsite. 213 Washington Street, Newark - 07102, New Jersey
End Client: Prudential
Duration: 12 Months (Possible Extension)
Number of openings: 2
- Perf migrations to AWS leveraging tools like CloudEndure and AWS DB Migration svc.
- one or more of the following: Apache, nginx, Tomcat, IIS, and varnish.
- Managing various db engines, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MSSQL. third-party cost optimization tools (CloudHealth, CloudCheckr, etc);Build and deploying AWS IS using CloudFormation or Terraform and develop scripts for future reuse.
- Leveraging tools like Terraform and Jenkins to incrementally automate, modernize, and improve cust env.
- Dev CI/CD pipelines for various app stacks, including ReactJS, Java, and Node.js.Impl centralized logging sol such as Splunk and CloudWatch Logs.
- scripting languages (e.g., Bash, Powershell, Ruby, Python, Node.js, etc.)containerization using Docker or Kubernetes, preferably on AWS. | <urn:uuid:ce3cd265-4665-4f93-909a-a55e32f95b71> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://careers.akken.com/jobdetails/application-architect-aws-cloud-migration/remote/714 | 2023-09-25T01:00:36Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.747649 | 263 |
This is the next in a series of posts by recipients of the 2018 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they’ve been spending their summer. You can read the entire series here.
This entry is by Karen Herrera, COL/WH ’21
Vibrant streets filled with the sounds of passionate tangos, blaring protests, and ardent debates housed my stay for two months in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires. Thanks to the Summer Funding Award granted by Career Services, I was able to make this far-fetched dream a reality.
This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at an information technology and services firm called Lyncros. Through the Penn Abroad Global Internship Program (GIP) in Buenos Aires, I was able to go through a series of interviews in order to match to a company that would introduce me to my interests. Initially, I had applied looking to be a marketing intern, but as the internship start date got closer, my supervisors and I decided that business development would be better suited for the company’s needs and the exposure and skills I wanted to get out of my experience. This was my first internship and an introduction to a potential career in business. Fortunately, it played a great part in validating my decision to apply to a dual degree between Wharton and the College.
My project for the summer consisted of introducing one of Lyncros’ solutions, Connect, to various universities in the Latin America and U.S. market with the purpose of acquiring new clients. Connect is a tool that facilitates alumni relations and simulates the features of platforms like LinkedIn, but is specific to a university and available through mobile access. It was thrilling to be in the environment of a technology services firm and gain exposure to processes and technologies like those of blockchain, mobile applications, and software. The summer funding allowed me to discover a sector I had never explored in a foreign setting. It piqued my interest in a future career in technology with a particular focus in Latin America.
Throughout the weeks as my co-workers and I sipped on mate and discussed national politics, the economy, and our goals for the week, I realized the potential that Latin America had as a business hub. For example, Argentina is heavily involved in the development of blockchain technologies. Unfortunately, due to unstable economies and governments, many companies limit their involvement in Latin America, causing services and technologies taken for granted in the U.S., such as Uber and Apple Products, to be limited or scarce. As countries in Latin America fight for justice, democracy, fair representation, improving economies, and the like, there is an opportunity that awaits to bring a world of technologies and services to life.
At the end of my internship with Lyncros, I was able to get over 15 new client acquisitions. With me, I take the memories of the hospitality of my host family in Buenos Aires, the beautiful sights of Iguazu, the sociability and passion of Argentinos, the involvement of citizens in politics, the beauty and dichotomy of La Boca, the ardor involved with following the Argentinian team during the FIFA World Cup, the delicious taste of steaks and empanadas, and the convenient access to reliable and cheap transportation. This was truly an unforgettable summer in the city of good air. | <urn:uuid:6bb18b47-4acb-44e1-a8f7-9cd76470b26b> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://careerservices.upenn.edu/blog/2018/11/16/the-city-of-good-air/ | 2023-09-25T00:16:19Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.96422 | 693 |
New Launch: MapMaker 4.0 Beta Inspires Interactive Learning
Add innovative learning to your classroom with MapMaker 4.0 Beta! This free, online GIS tool, developed in partnership with Esri, is easy to use and provides your students with interactive data on a variety of important topics. Explore the world in both two-dimensional (2D "flat map") and three-dimensional (3D "globe") displays with an intuitive interface. Designed for teachers, no login is required and lesson resources are available to help you get started.
For those of you using MapMaker 2.0, it will still be available through the 2023-2024 school year before we migrate to the new platform. In the meantime, we're providing you a sneak peek of MapMaker 4.0 today.
Check out the latest addition to our Education Resource collection! Advance your presentation skill set over the summer to better engage your students in the upcoming school year. The new tip sheets put valuable presenter tips conveniently in one place.
Outdoor Fun: 20+ Ideas To Get Your Students Outside This Summer!
Experience summer in full swing with endless opportunities for outdoor fun! We compiled some of our favorite activities in this resource idea set. From imaginative treasure hunts to exploring biodiversity, there’s an adventure waiting for all ages!
No matter where you live, gather friends and family and enjoy some time outdoors! Begin an outdoor project, like planting a garden, that will keep you in touch with nature for seasons to come.
On the Blog: National Geographic’s Expedition to Earth’s Northernmost Lands
This summer, a team of National Geographic scientists and storytellers will head to the northernmost land on Earth (the far north coast of Greenland) to document terrestrial life and set up base-line transects to monitor the impact of climate change over the next 100 years.
Now, connect with the team through live events, or asynchronously through email and social media. Check out the citizen science initiatives connected to the expedition to learn more. Ask your students: What is the northernmost terrestrial life YOU think the team will find?
Learning Through Citizen Science English and Spanish Courses Discover the benefits of participating in real-world scientific research, for your students, local and global communities, and the scientific community. Enroll in our free self-paced course 'Learning through Citizen Science', now available in Spanish! Develop your students' curiosity and collaboration skills through global citizen science, in which the public creates a plan to engage your students, grades K-12, in one or more authentic research projects.
Local Event for Maine Educators Join College of the Atlantic and the National Geographic Society July 31-August 4 for the 2023 Summer Institute as we gather some of the greatest living explorers, writers, artists, and thinkers to help reimagine exploration. We will examine exploration in the broadest sense with those who have ventured into extreme landscapes, the deep sea, the human mind, and the world of art and other disciplines. Register today.
Copyright 2023 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:a05125bd-d810-4a44-bc34-ea578c96444b> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://careersnews.ie/mapmaker-inspires-interactive-learning/ | 2023-09-24T22:48:20Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.895074 | 634 |
Growth Trends for Related Jobs
What Does a Gastroenterologist Do?
Digestive Wellness: The Focus for Highly Trained Specialists
Gastroenterology is a subspecialty of internal medicine. It’s a demanding field that may be difficult to balance with family life, although practitioners report a high level of job satisfaction.
Gastroenterologists are medical doctors who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The GI system digests and moves foods, absorbs nutrients, and removes waste from your body. Gastroenterologists can treat any part of this system, including the pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, rectum and anus. Although they do not perform surgery, they use endoscopic instruments to view the GI tract and may refer patients to a GI surgeon or proctologist.
Gastroenterology is a specialty that requires six years of training beyond the completion of a medical degree (M.D.), including a three-year residency in internal medicine followed by a three-year fellowship in the subspecialty of gastroenterology.
Most students enter medical school with at least a bachelor’s degree. Although no specific major is required, coursework should include advanced mathematics, life sciences, chemistry, physics, psychology, English and communications. Acceptance to medical school is competitive, and you should have a high grade-point average (3.65 or higher) and a score of at least 508 on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Letters of recommendation are required, and relevant work or volunteer experience may help your candidacy.
Medical school takes four years to complete. The first year consists of lecture and labs in advanced life sciences and pharmacology. In years two, three and four, students undertake additional coursework and spend time in supervised clinical settings, rotating through specialties to gain knowledge and experience.
After completion of medical school and residencies, state licensure is required to practice as a gastroenterologist. Specific requirements may vary somewhat, but most medical boards follow the same rules. Board certification is optional but enhances your credibility and opens the door to wider opportunities. Continuing education is recommended to stay up-to-date on research and advances in the profession, and it’s required to maintain certification. Continuing education credits can be earned through conferences and seminars sponsored by medical schools and professional organizations like the American Gastroenterological Association, which also offers online courses.
About the Industry
Gastroenterologists generally work in a group practice within a clinical or hospital setting. Some work in laboratories conducting research on any of the conditions gastroenterologists diagnose and treat, including irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux disease, hepatitis and cancers of the GI system. Like most physicians, gastroenterologists typically work 55–60 hours per week.
Years of Experience
The median annual salary for gastroenterologists ranges between $303,096 and $423,931 annually. Variation in pay depends on a variety of factors, including geographic location and years of experience. The typical salary ranges:
- Less than one year of experience: $318,126–$350,690
- 5–6 years of experience: $322,301–$354,864
- 10–14 years of experience: $338,165–$370,662
- 20+ years of experience: $353,195–$388,095
Job Growth Trend
Opportunities for all types of physicians, including gastroenterologists, are expected to grow faster than average compared to other jobs. The increasing population, along with a greater awareness of GI conditions and treatments, contribute to the demand for these highly trained specialists.
Denise Dayton is a a freelance writer who specializes in business, education and technology. She has written for eHow.com, Library Journal, The Searcher, Bureau of Education and Research, and corporate clients. | <urn:uuid:6069254a-46eb-4c0f-8ec2-d1696d443d5d> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://careertrend.com/13708514/what-does-a-gastroenterologist-do/ | 2023-09-24T23:57:42Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.936049 | 837 |
This is the forth cargo van review that focuses on the 2015 Nissan NV, Ram ProMaster, Ford Transit, Chevy Express and MB Sprinter. It is part of the buying process of a new van, that will be converted into a nicely finished, one-person RV. Ford Transit Review Ram ProMaster Review MB Sprinter Review These reviews… Continue reading First Look: 2015 Nissan NV Review
The three major brands have introduced their new European style Cargo Vans to the American market and I am finally ready to pick the best one that fits my requirements. Yet I may have to hold off for a little longer, as rumors persist of several new entries that may tease the American buyer. As… Continue reading Hyundai H350: Will This Change My Mind….?
With the new Ford Transit and Ram ProMaster cargo vans now for sale at your local car dealership, it was time to compare the five most popular cargo vans. With the European styling of the current models, a substantial shift in their use as a RV conversion is happening. Changes in exterior AND interior… Continue reading 2015 Cargo Van Comparison
It’s time to buy a new van and after having done some of the preliminary work, I’ll have to visit a few dealerships to clear up some remaining questions and, after choosing the final model, to actually see where I can get the best deal. The first step, in this two-step process, is getting a… Continue reading What Do Ford, Mercedes Benz, GM, Chrysler and Nissan Have In Common?
OVERALL SALES NUMBERS OF COMMERCIAL VANS AKA CARGO VANS, ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE AS SALES OF OLDER MODELS ARE RAPIDLY DECLINING. Sales of the newer European-Style vans have been rising steadily, beginning with the MB Sprinter that has been on the market longest, but still account for a small part of the total market.… Continue reading 2014 Van Sales: Ford Transit Is The Big Winner
For many years, the Cargo Van market has suffered from a lack of innovation; this dry spell ended recently with the introduction of the Nissan NV200, the RAM ProMaster and the upcoming 2015 Ford Transit. Now Nissan is introducing a larger NV400 van into the European market, which looks very similar to the Transit… Continue reading Nissan NV400 Euro Van
With the new Ram ProMaster cargo van now for sale at your local car dealership and the new Ford Transit coming early 2014, it was time to compare the 5 most popular cargo vans. With the European styling of the current models, a substantial shift in their use as a RV conversion may occur.… Continue reading 2014 Cargo Van Comparison | <urn:uuid:0334da14-66bf-48bf-8c5f-08df704978a1> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cargovanconversion.com/category/cargo-vans/nissan-nv/ | 2023-09-25T00:23:56Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.904293 | 544 |
You are trying to decide if you should be a car salesman, but you have your doubts. The thought of a regular fixed weekly paycheck versus uncertainty is very hard to swallow if you have never sold cars on commission before. In fact that is the most common reason that keeps people from pursuing a career in car sales. I’m not writing this post to convince you one way or the other, because only you can decide what is right for you. However I do want to make it clear that being a car salesman or car saleswoman is work. No, not backbreaking physical labor, but it’s definitely work.
You decide it might be time for a career change and you come across this ad to be a car salesman. The help wanted ad may have made is sound like a day at the beach with promises of big money and benefits, but unfortunately that’s not always the case. Yes, you can make some big money just take a look at the results on the survey of how much car salesmen make and you can see that the opportunities are there for making six figures selling cars.
Income and Being a Car Salesman
I don’t want you to get the idea after reading the survey that every car salesman is making big money, because they are not. Like most things, very few people are going to submit their income for the survey if it sucks. Obviously most of the participants are proud on their accomplishments. I will guarantee you that everyone that participated in the survey had to start from scratch at some point. They had to take a chance, take the risk and rely on themselves to come out on top. They had to take a pass on the regular fixed paycheck and choose to be a car salesman or car saleswoman. They rolled the dice and now they sell cars for a living and earn a respectable income.
However you must know that there have been plenty of people that decided that they wanted to be a car salesman that could make it work. They got past the major hurdle of a fixed paycheck or commission and they took the plunge. They trained, they tried, they worked, but they just couldn’t sell cars. Sure everyone can sell a few cars here and there, but a few cars a month doesn’t pay the bills. They just didn’t have what it takes or they didn’t make the commitment to do and learn what it takes to be a successful car salesman.
Being a Car Salesman Not Your Thing
Once you have made the decision to be a car salesman and you commit yourself 100% to being a successful car salesperson you need to hold on for at least 90 days. The first thirty days of your new career is a learning and adjustment period. The car business is very different than most businesses. There are some similarities when it comes to selling, but the car business is unlike any other sales career. I wanted to quit more than once during my original 30 days, but I told myself I would stick it out and I am glad I did.
After your first 30 days of being a car salesman, you have a basic idea of how it works and for the next 60 days, you observe, learn and tweak your selling skills. You watch the top performers and adapt to your customers. These 60 days are essential for you to decide if being a car salesman is right for you. Soon you will have a good idea of how the commission works along with any bonus programs. You will be able to determine the potential income and whether you can make this a long-term career.
Besides your own personal thoughts, there are two ways to determine if you should be a car salesman at this point. If you are only selling a few cars a month you are probably making no more a few hundred dollars. The second way is that your manager will warn you about not selling enough and you need to sell more cars or you will be let go. Either way you will know because you are starving and that selling cars for a living is not for you.
Be a Car Salesman or Not You Must Choose
Warning: If you are having a hard time deciding whether or not you should be a car salesman take a look in the mirror. Then ask yourself if you have enough faith in yourself to succeed? Do you believe you can sell cars for a living? Do you believe that you can do and learn what it takes to be a successful car salesman? Can you make a 100% commitment to succeed?
If you can’t answer yes to all of the above questions then you should probably forget about being a car salesman.
Later, Fresh Up on the Lot | <urn:uuid:85abe5a5-240e-4cee-b046-227092fca5ba> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://carsalesprofessional.com/decide-if-you-should-be-a-car-salesman/ | 2023-09-24T23:50:15Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.973657 | 961 |
Lachin Return Starts
On 28 May, the first group of IDPs returned to Lachin, over 30 years since they were forced to leave.
This weekend, the first group of internally displaced people (IDPs) from Lachin made their way back to the town of their ancestors after a hiatus of over 30 years.
It’s hard to believe that less than a year ago, Azerbaijan was still completing the new road that allows a rerouting of the former ‘corridor’ road between the Armenian border and Khankendi/Stepanakert, the main population centre for Karabakh Armenians. With that shift, Baku could go up a gear in organizing the reconstruction of Lachin City. OK, so ‘city’ might sound a little hyperbolic for a place where the population never topped 8000, even during its late-Soviet peak in the 1980s.
In 1914, what would become Lachin was a small village called Abdallar, named after a regional tribe, and the population was a mere 124—though there had been other historic settlements here in the medieval period. Inscriptions in nearby caves suggest that humans lived here at least as far back as the 6th century BC. However, the entire Azerbaijani population was forced out in 1992, and the city was essentially burnt to the ground by Armenian forces. Since then, people from Lachin have been amongst the thousands of displaced people eager to regain their homes—or whatever remains of them. That possibility began to dawn with the 2020 Second Karabakh War, by which the town reverted to Azerbaijani control.
Details of the plan to start the return process date back to August 2022, when Azerbaijan regained full control of the area from Russian peacekeepers, with community leaders meeting with the authorities in Baku. A remarkable feature of the IDP situation in Azerbaijan is the degree to which community hierarchies were maintained in exile so that there is a ready-made organizational network to facilitate logistically difficult operations of this type. By December, it was announced that Lachin would be a new priority for the “Great Return” following the rapid progress of repopulating the ‘smart village’ of Aghali in the Zangilan Region since the summer.
The Lachin plan envisaged around 500 private houses being built or restored, along with the reconstruction or ‘overhaul’ of eight multi-story residential blocks and the provision of some 30 public buildings. At that stage, it was considered that late 2023 would be a reasonable target, so the fact that a group of IDP returnees set off as early as late May suggests a truly remarkable work pace.
On 28 May, Azerbaijan’s Independence Day, President Ilham Aliyev met with the IDPs who had returned to Lachin and presented them with their housekeys. During his speech, he congratulated the returnees and noted the symbolic meaning of the date, highlighting how strong Azerbaijan’s independence is for such a feat to be achieved so quickly.
During this meeting, Adjar Ahmadov, a returning IDP, told President Aliyev, “I note with regret that the older generation, personally my father and mother, are not here today. I am both happy and sad to be here today.” And stated that “I want to inform you that from today we will live and create in our native land. We will do our best to beautify our place.”
The return is likely to be both emotional and testing— true pioneer spirit. We wish them well
I.e. the new “Lachin Highway”—that has been at the heart of an ongoing dispute for months, but as the route doesn’t actually go through Lachin itself, the issue doesn’t impact the urban renewal project. | <urn:uuid:e754d73b-b2f7-4c1f-95c8-90727405cf07> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://caspianpost.com/en/post/lachin-return-starts | 2023-09-24T22:55:37Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.975033 | 819 |
First steps to financial literacy
When it comes to registered savings plans, Canadians have two popular options: Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) and Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs). Each has its advantages and drawbacks. But ultimately, there’s no debate. These plans are so spectacularly good for savers that you definitley should have at least one, and preferably both. Here’s how they work.
Basically, an RRSP lets you contribute 18% of “earned income” every year to a pre-set maximum. For 2021, the maximum contribution limit is set at $27,830. And the last day to make a contribution for the 2021 tax year is March 1, 2022. In addition, you can carry forward any unused contributions from 1991 on and use them as well.
With RRSPs, you get a tax deduction for your contribution for a given year. If that tax deduction results in a tax refund, you can leverage the refund by reinvesting it right back into your RRSP to keep that compound growth working for you.
Remember that your investments grow tax-free while inside your RRSP. You don’t pay tax until you withdraw funds from your RRSP at retirement, when you can choose to roll the funds over into a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) or an annuity. At that point, you pay tax on income from your RRIF at your full marginal rate, which is typically lower than it is in your peak earning years. You may also choose to take your RRSP funds entirely in cash at retirement, but that will likely push you into the top tax bracket, and you may well pay over half the proceeds in tax.
Almost any investment can be put into an RRSP. “Qualified investments” include, for example, cash and GICs, stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds, mutual funds, options, annuities, mortgages, and even gold and silver. There’s a complete list of qualified investments on the CRA website.
Tax-Free Savings Accounts are a bit different. You can contribute up to a maximum $6,000 to a TFSA in 2021, and there’s no income or means test involved. There’s also no cutoff date – you can contribute any amount at any time you want through the year, as long as you don’t exceed the maximum in a given calendar year. You have to be over 18 and a have a valid Canadian Social Insurance Number.
In addition, as with RRSPs, unused contributions can be carried forward and added to the maximum contribution in a future year. However, unlike RRSPs, there’s no tax deduction for contributions. But income generated within the plan – whether interest, dividends, or capital gains – is completely tax-free, both within in the plan and when you withdraw from the plan. As with RRSPs, the benefits of the dividend tax credit, the 50% capital gains exemption, and capital losses are lost within a TFSA.
Like an RRSP, qualified investments include cash, stocks listed on designated exchanges, mutual funds and ETFs, bonds, GICs, and certain shares of small business corporations. Note, though, that shares traded “over-the-counter” on dealer networks or exchanges are not qualified TFSA investments.
“In kind” contributions of qualified investments are also allowed (for example, stocks transferred from a non-registered account). But any in-kind transfer will trigger a deemed disposition of the security at its fair market value, which will be considered as the amount of your contribution. If there’s a capital gain, you will have to take 50% of the gain into income for tax purposes. But if there’s a loss on the disposition, you cannot use it to offset other gains.
Penalty for overcontributions
Overcontribution occurs frequently for those who use their TFSA like an ATM. This usually results in a confusing cycle of contributions and withdrawals in a calendar year, so that you could end up with what are called “excess amounts” in your TFSA – that is, contributions over and above the $6,000 annual limit for the year.
And that overcontribution will attract a tax penalty of 1% per month based on the highest excess TFSA amount in your account for each month in which an excess exists. This means that the 1% tax applies for a particular month even if an excess amount was contributed and withdrawn later during the same month. The excess-amount tax kicks in on the first dollar of excess contributions.
If you’re trying to decide between one plan and the other, keep mind that an RRSP is commonly used for long-term retirement savings, allowing investments to grow and compound on a tax-deferred basis for 25 or 30 years or longer. TFSAs tend to be used for shorter-term savings goals over five to 10 years or so, for such things as a down payment on a home, a new car, or a vacations. They can also be used as an effective savings vehicle for education savings However, TFSAs are also useful after retirement for investing funds that are not required for income needs. | <urn:uuid:c8dbbd28-5c00-45bb-a8ac-86de34e355ac> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://castlemarkwealth.com/elements-of-registered-savings-plans/ | 2023-09-24T23:08:11Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.955325 | 1,099 |
Nestled in the heart of the American West, and a breathtakingly scenic drive just 16 miles outside bustling Moab, you’ll love the oasis that is Castle Valley Inn.
At this wonderful bed and breakfast, you can indulge in delicious, homemade breakfasts and pastries; relax and unwind in beautiful, spacious, American West-inspired guest rooms; explore with a child’s delight the nearby trails and National Parks; and take advantage of 5 acres of carefully tended lawns, orchards and fields – all the elbow room your heart needs to take in vistas of such grandeur.
And if you want a sneak peak, we think you’ll love this bird’s-eye video that captures the views that help make this bed and breakfast such a delight!
At Castle Valley Inn, we offer you a place to slow down and unwind in informal comfort. Here, the distractions of city life will seem far away indeed! From scrumptious breakfasts to complimentary hot and cold beverages to insider tips on all the best local activities, you may find you won’t want to leave.
“This is the type of place you will always remember and dream of finding again on all your journeys.”
~ Susan S.
“We frequently planned the day’s activities so we wouldn’t miss the wonderful breakfasts outside on the deck.”
~ Leslie F.
“I can’t imagine staying anywhere else in this area.”
~ Steven S.
“This has to be one of the most special B&Bs I’ve visited.”
~ Joyce B.
“The best way to stay in Moab.”
~ J. Hancey
“The stillness, the monumental grandeur, the hospitality – all out of this world.”
~ Christelle D. | <urn:uuid:bc30ad4e-a66f-4002-a24d-1de820b4b6c2> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://castlevalleyinn.com/ | 2023-09-24T22:36:50Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.881468 | 403 |
Learn everything about using Castor Oil for Nasal Polyps and treat this painful condition in a few simple steps!
Are you among the many individuals suffering from nasal polyps? If so, you must be seeking natural remedies to help alleviate the discomfort and improve your condition. Here we share an in-depth guide on Castor Oil for Nasal Polyps—a remedy that will change how you manage this ailment!
Discover the Super Benefits of Putting Castor Oil in Nose here
What are Nasal Polyps?
Nasal polyps are soft, painless growths on the lining of your nasal passages or sinuses. Typically caused by allergies, asthma-related inflammation, or infections, they are more common in adults and those with certain chronic respiratory diseases.
Symptoms of Nasal Polyps
Depending on their size and growth rate, nasal polyps can present a range of symptoms. Here are some of the most commonly experienced:
- Running Nose
- Difficulty in Breathing
- Nasal Congestion
Do you Know Castor Oil Helps with Snoring as Well? Learn here
Does Castor Oil for Nasal Polyps Remedy Work?
So, what makes castor oil a worthy contender in the fight against nasal polyps? Let’s learn below:
- Anti-inflammatory Properties: Nasal polyps often form as a result of chronic inflammation in the nasal passages or sinuses, typically from conditions like allergies or asthma. By reducing inflammation, castor oil potentially helps reduce the size of the polyps or prevent them from growing larger.
- Antibacterial and Antifungal Action: Apart from inflammation, bacterial or fungal infections also contribute to the development or exacerbation of nasal polyps. Castor oil has antimicrobial properties that deal with the microbial load in the nasal passages. This is particularly beneficial if the polyps are associated with a secondary bacterial or fungal infection.
- Mucolytic Effects: The fatty acid content of castor oil can help break down mucus. Excessive mucus production is a common symptom associated with nasal polyps, and by reducing mucus viscosity, castor oil can help clear the nasal passages.
- Moisturizing and Healing: Castor oil is a natural emollient. It moisturizes the tissues, which helps soothe dryness and irritation in the nasal passages. This is particularly useful if the nasal passages are dry or irritated due to medications or other treatments for nasal polyps.
Is Castor Oil Good for Headaches? Learn here
How To Use Castor Oil for Nasal Polyps?
If you’re considering How to Use Castor Oil for Nasal Polyps, follow these steps:
- Quality Castor Oil
- Nasal Drop or Dropper
- Cotton Ball
- Pour the castor oil into the nasal dropper.
- While lying down, administer 3-4 drops of castor oil into each nostril.
- Remove any excess oil outside the nose with a cotton ball.
- To achieve the best results, repeat this process daily for about a month.
Precautions To Consider
Using Castor Oil for Nasal Polyps is generally safe, but always take precautions:
- Opt for hexane-free, cold-pressed, and organic castor oil.
- Ensure the oil doesn’t make contact with your eyes.
- This remedy is best suited for moderate-sized nasal polyps.
- If your polyps grow large or cause discomfort, seek medical advice.
- If you suspect or know you are allergic to castor oil, refrain from this treatment.
Using Castor Oil for Nasal Polyps can offer a natural, effective solution for those looking to manage their symptoms. While results typically emerge after 7-10 days of consistent application, outcomes can vary. Remember, while Nasal Polyps Castor Oil Treatment is promising, always observe how your body reacts and consult a medical professional when needed. | <urn:uuid:35d748df-9f82-45aa-8df5-c2d0f0da66a3> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://castoroil-guide.com/how-to-use-castor-oil-for-nasal-polyps/ | 2023-09-24T23:45:41Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.887818 | 850 |
Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships
All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners. For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.
|File type||File name||Number of pages|
|Day 1 and Day 2 Manual - Transcending Trauma (4.9 MB)||46 Pages||Available after Purchase|
|Transcript - Transcending Trauma Day 1, Morning Session (222.2 KB)||42 Pages||Available after Purchase|
|Transcript - Transcending Trauma Day 1, Afternoon Session (153.5 KB)||29 Pages||Available after Purchase|
Frank Anderson, MD, completed his residency and was a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is both a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He specializes in the treatment of trauma and dissociation and is passionate about teaching brain-based psychotherapy and integrating current neuroscience knowledge with the IFS model of therapy.
Dr. Anderson is a lead trainer at the IFS Institute with Richard Schwartz and maintains a long affiliation with, and trains for, Bessel van der Kolk’s Trauma Center. He serves as an advisor to the International Association of Trauma Professionals (IATP) and was the former chair and director of the Foundation for Self-Leadership.
Dr. Anderson has lectured extensively on the Neurobiology of PTSD and Dissociation and wrote the chapter “Who’s Taking What” Connecting Neuroscience, Psychopharmacology and Internal Family Systems for Trauma in Internal Family Systems Therapy – New Dimensions. He co-authored a chapter on What IFS Brings to Trauma Treatment in Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy, and recently co-authored Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual.
His most recent book, entitled Transcending Trauma: Healing Complex PTSD with Internal Family Systems was released on May 19, 2021.
Dr. Anderson maintains a private practice in Concord, MA.
Financial: Dr. Frank Anderson maintains a private practice. He is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Self Leadership and has employment relationships with The Trauma Center and The Center for Self Leadership. Dr. Anderson receives royalties as a published author. He receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Frank Anderson is a member of the New England Society Studying Trauma and Dissociation and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.
For live CE credit, you must watch the live webcast in its entirety at its scheduled time and complete the CE quiz and evaluation within one week. You will have access for 90 days after the program for review.
Please note: There will be a lunch and two 15-minute breaks; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion. A more detailed schedule is available upon request.
Your satisfaction is our goal and our guarantee. Concerns should be addressed to: PO Box 1000, Eau Claire, WI 54702-1000 or call 1-800-844-8260.
We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at 1-800-844-8260.
PESI Mobile App
Access CE trainings on your phone or tablet through our free mobile app. Choose video or audio-only versions of live webcasts and online courses from the world’s best instructors, and complete your CE requirements anywhere, anytime, at your own pace.
Please wait ... | <urn:uuid:3f1a317f-a699-4584-912b-97561fef046e> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://catalog.pesi.com/item/free-transcending-trauma-treating-complex-ptsd-internal-family-systems-ifs-presented-frank-anderson-md-119644 | 2023-09-24T22:47:58Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.909811 | 823 |
Is 6:1-2a, 3-8
Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8
1 Cor 15:1-11 or 15:3-8, 11
My daughter just turned one last Sunday. I cannot help but marvel at the little girl she has become in the last year. She is walking, talking, willful, curious and courageous. When I look at her, I am filled with gratitude. She is a precious gift from God. Try as I might, I could have never dreamed up a better daughter. I am also filled with humility. Though I have worked hard to provide for her (and I have never worked harder than I have worked this past year) she is not my doing. She is a gift and a task.
Our readings this week show us how discipleship too is a gift and task. The calling that we receive from God (the broad meaning of “vocation”) is God’s doing, not ours. It is not something we deserve or merit, but rather a gift freely given. We hear this idea expressed in several different ways. The prophet Isaiah encounters God seated on his throne and cries “Woe is me, I am doomed, for I am a man of unclean lips . . . yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” After he is cleansed, he hears the voice of God calling him saying “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah is given both the gift and the task of God’s call.
The apostle Paul is also explicit that his calling is both an unmerited gift and a task.
For I am the least of the apostles,
not fit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.
This theme of discipleship as both a gift and a task is expressed even more beautifully in the gospel. The disciples have been fishing all night. They have been working hard. But then Jesus comes and tells them to lower the nets and they catch so many fish that their nets are tearing. You imagine them straining as they lug this enormous catch into the boat. Peter is the one to get what is happening here: “I can’t do this,” he must be thinking. “This task is too big for me.” Peter is right and wrong. The task is too big for him. But he can do it.
To be invited into the covenantal relationship we call discipleship is the greatest of gifts (with parenthood only second, in my opinion), but it is not a gift that we can just receive and call it a day. This covenantal relationship will require that we work harder than we have ever worked for an end that is ultimately not our own. As such, the Christian always lives in this place of tension, recognizing that works of justice and charity are absolutely integral to the life of discipleship, but with the knowledge that works of justice and charity never merit our call as disciples nor do they merit the kingdom we inherit as disciples. The Christian lives in the tension recognizing that by grace alone we are justified (as by grace Isaiah is cleansed of his sin so he can stand before God’s throne), but justification inspires the labor that will continue for the rest of the time we are here on earth.
In recognizing that discipleship is a gift and a task, the response requires both praise and moral activity. With regards to the latter, we have a mission to help build up God’s kingdom on this earth, but with regards to the former, he have a responsibility to give thanks to God for the gift of our calling. The very structure of the mass reflects this twofold response: in offering God thanksgiving and sacrifice in the Eucharist, we are nourished and strengthened to go bring that grace we receive into the world. When the priest say “Go, the mass is finished,” he is sending us forth not to our own private and separate lives, but on the road of the disciple called to bring the good news, heal the sick, have mercy on the marginalized, and pity on the sinner. We receive the gift of God’s grace in the mass, but a gift that impels us to labor for the sake of the gift. In the end we remember with the psalmist that the Lord will not forsake the work of HIS hands. | <urn:uuid:2101b130-48a5-48dd-af21-209342d079c9> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://catholicmoraltheology.com/fifth-snday-in-ordinary-time/ | 2023-09-25T00:49:35Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.973514 | 1,002 |
The aim of the chair is to carry out training, cultural and research activities in the field of Conversational Marketing.
According to Markets Insider, the chatbots market will reach a huge scale of $9.4bn by 2024, up from $2.6bn in 2019, generating a compound annual growth rate of 29.7% during that period. This is a new and hot topic in the market and all entrepreneurs want to introduce chatbots in their business in order to make money and increase revenue.
In the Chair, we need thousands of people in all countries and languages to bring professional knowledge, experience and humanity to the conversations of bots, and to dare to approach our world, this was Sanuker’s vision when they set up the chair.
Hundreds of professionals work selflessly to grow an ethical and global ecosystem, from which to improve people’s lives.
Students, professionals, companies, public organizations, legislators… are welcome.
Do you want to join us?
Meet the driving forces behind the Chair
These are the people who make it possible for the Chair to exist and to improve and offer better help day by day.
PhD in Physics and Electronic Engineering from the University of Valencia. His teaching focuses on subjects related to digital electronics, electronic product design, project management, entrepreneurship and business development.
My professional toolbox: Systems Theory with two subsystem-models: a) Business in digitisation and; b) Project, Portfolio & Performance Management Model (GaCoK-3L). My conviction is that in order to face any challenge, a professional must have his or her own toolbox and be accompanied by good people.
Chair Strategy Director
He leads a group of companies in several countries dedicated to offering business development services based on the use of cloud tools for management, telephony, digital marketing, conversational business and verticalizable software developments.
We believe speed to market is the key to delivering effective digital transformation, and the way for us to achieve such speed and success is to adopt user-friendly, no-code, and on-demand software tools. | <urn:uuid:a887f2f1-0e58-44e6-ab0b-8ae3d794c6db> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cbcuv.com/about-us/ | 2023-09-24T23:22:32Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.928548 | 473 |
Artificial intelligence is getting a lot of attention, to say the least. ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, has sparked excitement and discussion about which jobs and activities could be automated—including college admissions.
Colleges are now using AI to do many tasks easily and quickly. Chatbots help answer student questions about classes or their well-being. AI sends emails to remind students of due dates, class registration, and payments.
College leaders have realized AI can do more than just basic communication. They’re using it to tackle ongoing problems, such as increasing enrollment, retaining students, and helping with financial aid.
However, there are also ethical concerns about using AI, as some worry it can threaten personal privacy and be vulnerable to bias.
Learn more about how AI can be used in college admissions and the benefits and disadvantages of using this new technology.
Introduction to AI in college admissions
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is rapidly making its way into many areas of our lives, and college admissions are no exception.
In the realm of college admissions, AI refers to using computer systems to mimic human thinking to manage and process applications more efficiently.
This technology blends computer science, data analysis, and specific admissions criteria to help colleges make more informed decisions about applicants.
The objective is to create systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intellect—such as recognizing patterns, understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions.
From sorting through thousands of applications to answering applicant queries in real-time, AI is reshaping the college admissions landscape.
What are the benefits of AI?
AI has the potential to significantly transform the college admissions process, just as it is changing many other areas of society.
Automated essay scanning
Colleges that receive thousands of applications can use AI to analyze student essays, looking for signs of authenticity, passion, and other characteristics that colleges value.
This doesn’t mean they would remove humans from the equation entirely, but initial scans might help admissions officers focus on particular applications.
Standardized test preparation
AI-driven tutoring platforms can provide personalized study plans for students, helping them to prepare more effectively for standardized tests like the SAT or ACT.
By analyzing the past performance of admitted students, AI can help colleges predict which applicants are likely to succeed at their institution.
This would be based on various factors, including academic achievements, extracurricular activities, personal essays, etc.
By analyzing past data and current application trends, AI can help institutions predict enrollment numbers, aiding in resource and class planning.
AI could analyze video interviews, looking at body language, speech patterns, and other indicators to gauge an applicant’s fit and authenticity.
AI-powered chatbots can answer prospective student’s questions in real-time on university websites, guiding them through application processes, deadlines, requirements, and more.
AI can be used to identify potential instances of application fraud, such as plagiarized essays or falsified records.
Efficiency and cost saving
Automating certain aspects of the admissions process can result in time and cost savings for institutions.
By leveraging these tools, colleges can make the admissions process more efficient, informed, and personalized.
However, using AI responsibly is crucial, ensuring fairness and transparency.
What are the disadvantages of using AI?
While there are many benefits, using AI for college admissions presents some challenges and disadvantages.
Bias and discrimination
If the AI is trained on biased historical data, it can perpetuate or exacerbate existing biases. For instance, if past admissions favored specific demographics, an AI might continue that trend.
Loss of human touch
Admissions often require understanding a student’s personal context, struggles, and non-quantifiable attributes. AI might overlook these nuances that a human would appreciate.
Institutions might depend too much on AI, potentially overlooking candidates who might have been excellent fits but didn’t meet the AI’s specific criteria.
Inaccuracy and mistakes
No system is infallible. AI might sometimes make errors, misinterpret data, or fail to detect nuances in application materials.
Data privacy issues
Using AI typically requires collecting and processing vast amounts of data, which raises concerns about student data privacy and potential misuse.
Maintenance and updates
AI models need to be regularly updated to reflect changing admission criteria and societal values. This requires continuous oversight and can be resource-intensive.
Malicious actors can target AI systems to change admission outcomes or access sensitive data.
Considering these disadvantages, institutions must balance leveraging AI’s efficiency and maintaining the personal, human touch crucial for holistic college admissions.
How College Benefits Research Group can help you
No matter how AI changes college admissions processes, The College Benefits Research Group (of humans) remains a valuable resource for students, parents, educators, and institutions.
Some of the ways that we can assist you include:
- Finding the college of your dreams
- Guidance through the financial aid process
- Scholarship information
- Appeal support
- Tailored solutions
- Networking opportunities
- Career guidance
- Understanding trends, such as AI
- Timely updates and support
Reaching out to the College Benefits Research Group can significantly ease the complexities of the college journey, ensuring that you have the knowledge and resources to make the most of your higher education experience.
Check out our blog to learn more about our college planning specialists and services.
Join one of our upcoming virtual college prep workshops today to learn more about the financial aid process, college application tips, loan management, how to transition to college life, and more. | <urn:uuid:f6297216-7ee6-410e-8616-4aea263393fa> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cbrg.info/what-effect-will-ai-have-on-college-admissions/ | 2023-09-24T23:57:15Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.925082 | 1,173 |
Nestled high on the forested slopes of Mt. Crested Butte, is a one-of-a-kind rental property that redefines the mountain living experience. The Tipple House is a unique mountain retreat built to capture the imagination and spirit of Crested Butte. Inspired by the past, the home embraces the character of Crested Butte’s rich mining heritage and brings it up to date with the benefit of innovative architectural design and art-grade craftsmanship. Overflowing with character, the Tipple House offers guests an unparalleled combination of historical charm, modern convenience, and rustic elegance. | <urn:uuid:f689a143-7a9d-4cbb-ba2e-dc5ed3575819> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cbtipplehouse.com/home-2/ | 2023-09-24T23:02:07Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.907935 | 126 |
When They Came to Guidewell Financial
As the oldest son in a large family, John Hansen is responsible for his parents’ finances. He takes this role very seriously. When his mother passed away unexpectedly, it became very clear his elderly father didn’t have the financial resources to continue living unassisted in his home. However, the family wanted him to be able to live out his life in a familiar setting – one that he had worked very hard to acquire. Fortunately, John’s dad had paid off his mortgage in full, and thus had full equity in his home, so a reverse mortgage looked like it might be the solution to their problem. About this time, John heard about Guidewell Financial Solutions’ reverse mortgage counseling program. He and his sister decided to set up an appointment for themselves and their father, to see if a reverse mortgage was worth pursuing.
How Guidewell Financial Helped
“Our counselor was extremely professional,” John says. “She helped us review Dad’s finances and get a better idea of how much extra income he would need to stay in his home. She recommended resources to get the most out of his budget. She helped us review several finance options – not just reverse mortgages.” The counselor also took the time to discuss how different reverse mortgages work, the pros and cons of using them, and how much it might cost for John’s father to obtain one. “I was very impressed by the amount of information she provided and how clearly she explained everything. I also appreciated the respect and patience she showed my dad. It definitely encouraged him to become an active participant in the discussion.”
Having reviewed all the options, John’s father ultimately decided against taking out a reverse mortgage. Based on the counselor’s advice, he instead applied for and obtained Veteran’s benefits to help defray his living costs.
“Without counseling, we could have spent a great deal of unnecessary time and money only to realize a HECM loan wasn’t the best option for Dad. The counselor gave us the information we needed to make a wise choice.”
– John Hansen | <urn:uuid:e6a0e8a2-4a33-46df-b234-c3e73a5b5e03> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cccsmd.org/john-hansen-reverse-mortgage-counseling/ | 2023-09-24T23:15:25Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.986738 | 451 |
The Murzuk Basin of southwest Libya is one of several incratonic sag basins present in north Africa. The main petroleum reservoir of the Murzuk is the upper Ordovician Memouniat Formation sandstone. The primary source rock in the basin is the Silurian Tanezzuft Formation. The charge and flushing history of the basin is highly complex. The study aims to inform future exploration strategies by using petroleum migration modelling to better understand oil migration patterns and fushing risk. | <urn:uuid:c2450bf3-001a-45f4-8e0e-c65b7c24725f> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cdl.canadiandiscovery.com/study/murzuk-basin-petroleum-migration-and-charge-modelling | 2023-09-25T00:06:41Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.894439 | 101 |
cdlancer Receives Two Best African Business Awards
cdlancer, a translation company based in Yaounde, Central Africa, features among the winners of the 2020 MEA Awards. In a recent official announcement, cdlancer has been awarded both the Best Business Translation & Interpretation Consultancy – Central Africa and Small Business Innovation Excellence Award – Central Africa distinctions.
An African Business Award Like No Other
According to the Award organisers, the MEA Platform looks to “reveal industry leaders from the varied industries, markets and sectors from across the continent”, considering that “Africa is home to a plethora of businesses that contribute to their respective countries’ GDP growth.” Being a winner of these awards is a great achievement for any African business owner, and cdlancer Founder, Carlos Djomo, is no exception. “It is such an honour to be an MEA African Business Excellence Award winner and I avail myself of this opportunity to thank all cdlancer collaborators, partners and consultants”, he said.
Translation Excellence in Africa & Beyond
Since inception in 2015, cdlancer has been thriving to lead the way to translation excellence. From hosting the Open Translation Day to providing translator capacity-building opportunities, and sharing industry news, the business is both client and translator-friendly. In a fast-changing industry, these awards are a confirmation of cdlancer’s innovative approaches to translation excellence, most especially amid the world health context due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To find out more about these awards and to view the winners supplement and full winners list, visit https://www.mea-markets.com/winners/cdlancer/.
Download a PDF Version of this Release. | <urn:uuid:2ffc5e06-6345-48a6-bae8-5b4cad67c18b> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cdlancer.com/cdlancer-african-business-awards/ | 2023-09-24T23:57:34Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.916238 | 358 |
Watercolors are a favorite medium for artists everywhere, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy the cookie-cutter set of tubes at the art store. Here are 8 different types of watercolor to consider adding to your collection:
Pan watercolors are the most common form of watercolor and come in a variety of sizes. Pans are made with pigments, additives, and binders; the quality is the same as in tubes. They’re highly pigmented so that painters can use them straight out of the pan. They’re also quite versatile and come in various tones, making them great for beginners.
Pans have two sizes: pan and half-pan, the most common. Half pans contain 1.5 ml and the pans 3 ml. You can buy pans individually or in sets, with a mixing palette included. You can also buy only the colors you like and make your palette. They’re portable and convenient, making them perfect for those on-the-go moments when you want to paint but don’t want to lug around a big palette with you. When choosing your palette, make sure you have separate mixing wells.
You can see here how to setup your watercolor palette:
The pigment is mixed with water and applied directly from the pan onto your paper. Pans don’t have much white space around them, and if you spill some watercolor out of your brush onto the side of your tray, it will run down into all the other colors in that row! When rubbing with the brush on pans, you can accidentally lift the color next to it. You can also use a not-so-clean brush to pick a color from the pans, getting dirty colors, which can lead to messy results later on when picking a color.
Mixing the right color and the right amount of mix will take some time. You can rub for quite a while until you get the correct dilution, which can harm your brushes. On the other hand, this allows using only the right amount of paint without waste.
Small sets of 10 or 12 pans in a metallic box with a mixing palette are very convenient to paint on the go for urban sketching or Plein air.
Tubes come in different sizes, which can be helpful if you paint a lot with watercolors. You can also buy tubes and squeeze the paint in empty pans to get the best of the two! There are many brands of watercolors available, and their prices can vary a lot! You can find budget versions, but if you want good-quality paints, you should aim for artist-quality colors. Even if tubes may seem expensive, comparing the price per ml will soon find that tubes are more economical than pans. A 15 ml tube can fill about seven half-pans, so I’ll let you do the maths!
The paint from the tube is creamy and flows well, and it’s easy to dilute with water, as you don’t need to rub the pan to get pigments. The colors are bright and intense, and using the paint directly from the tube can vary the intensity by adding more water to the mix.
If you buy tubes of watercolor paint, either individually or in sets, you will need a palette to store the squeezed paint and mix your colors. You can find many different palettes, and you should choose one that works with your budget and preferences. If you’re starting with watercolors, you may want to start with an inexpensive plastic palette to see if this medium is suitable for you before investing in something more expensive. If you’re an experienced artist who likes to take their paints on the go, consider getting a travel palette so that it’s easy for you to carry around all your supplies.
The main difficulty with watercolor tubes is how much paint you use. If you squeeze too much, you’ll have to let it dry and use it as pans, but you’re losing the creamy consistency and ease of use. If you don’t squeeze enough and add water, the paint will become too diluted.
Liquid watercolors are made of pigments or dyes, depending on the brands. If you plan to use watercolor techniques like removing paint in some parts with a cloth, you must choose pigments-based liquid watercolors. Dye-based liquid watercolors will fuse inside the paper and won’t be removable.
They come in small bottles with a pipette, allowing you to ideally dose the amount you use.
The main advantage of liquid watercolors is that they’re easy to use; squeeze out some paint onto your palette, dip your brush into it, add water as you need, and start painting! You can mix colors on the palette and add some drops of blue inside yellow to get a variety of greens, for example.
You will need a mixing palette with separate wells to make your mixes.
In addition to being simple to use, liquid watercolors also tend to be quite affordable—you don’t need very much of them. Liquid watercolors are also very popular with children, who love bright colors and easy-to-use bottles. You can find them at most art supply stores, but they’re not as widely available as tube or pan watercolors.
Liquid watercolors are not easy to take on the go for Plein air painting, as they may spill in your bag. Also, if you travel by plane, it might be forbidden.
Watercolor pencils are a mixed medium of drawing and painting. They combine the portability and precision of traditional colored pencils with the versatility of paint. Water-soluble binder holds the pigment in watercolor pencils, while waxy or oil-based binders hold it in colored pencils.
The pigments in watercolor pencils are more finely ground than those in traditional colored pencils, making them easier to blend and layer with other colors. Watercolor pencils come in a wide range of hues, including cool tones that make it easy to create the illusion of light and shadow. Painters can also use them like conventional pencils to draw or sketch out a composition before painting with watercolors.
And if you want something that will let you get started quickly without having to worry about mixing paints, watercolor pencils are a great option—they blend well when wetted and dry in seconds. Watercolor pencils are an excellent option for beginners since they’re easy to use and blend well when wet. They also dry much faster than traditional watercolors, so you can start painting quickly without worrying about mixing paints.
Crayons are the perfect tool for beginners, as they’re easy to use and highly portable. You can get started quickly, and they blend well when wet. They are also great for traveling because they don’t spill like paint or watercolors, making them ideal for Plein air painting or sketching on the go. And if you want something that will let you get started quickly without having to worry about mixing paints, watercolor pencils are a great option—they blend well when wetted and dry in seconds.
You can sharpen them and draw fine lines directly or fill large areas with the side of the crayon. Crayons are also a great option to start painting with kids. They’re easy to use and come in a wide variety of colors, which makes them great for young artists. You can find them with a paper around or inside wood for a better prehension for small hands.
Watercolor sticks are dry paint inside a paper wrap. You can use them by rubbing a wet brush on the stick to lift the pigments or by applying them on the paper and wetting it afterward. Depending on the brands and colors, you will still have visible marks on your paper once the pigment is dry. This can be an advantage if you want your painting to be textural or have a painterly effect. The disadvantage is that the color may not be as vibrant as other watercolor paints and mediums, though it’s still possible to achieve vibrant colors if you layer your strokes and add more water.
The main issue is that watercolor sticks are breakable and will likely end as a mess of flakes in your drawer. Depending on the additives and binder inside the stick, some may become sticky and hard to handle.
Watercolor on sheets
Watercolor sheets are dye-based, meaning the colors are vibrant and intense but not lightfast. It’s portable and perfect for urban sketching and Plein air sketches. You can use them with a water brush and get immediate results.
The downside is that you will need some surface to make your mixes if you want more than the colors available. Also, when you’re rubbing with your wet brush, you’ll leave some moisture on the dye, and closing the booklet will stick the paint to the paper.
Watercolor brushpens and markers
They are primarily dye-based and are better for sketchbook projects than framed art, as they may fade. You can use them in various ways, with a brush or pen. Brushpens can be used on any paper, but the ink will bleed through some cheaper ones. You can also use them for small line drawings or very fine details.
They are great for intense, vibrant colors and make nice gradients. You can use them to fill large areas, add water or leave it as it is. They are great for lettering.
Did you know these 8 types of watercolor paint? You don’t have to limit yourself to one type of watercolor. Explore and experiment with all the different ways you can use it! | <urn:uuid:3e75f04f-4a07-4257-998e-92179b2bfe92> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cecileyadro.com/8-types-of-watercolor/ | 2023-09-24T23:23:01Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.946004 | 2,054 |
Modern LED architectural and landscape lighting offers the following benefits:
Saves Energy – LED light bulbs use less energy than average light bulbs. Compared with other low voltage lighting options, LEDs use a fourth as much energy.
Long Life – LED bulbs have a long durability of up to 50,000 hours. Because of this, you won’t have to perform as much maintenance as you would with traditional bulbs.
Brighter and clearer light – LED lights shine brighter and clearer, so it is safe to say that these lights will highlight your home and its true beauty.
Highlight Landscape Décor – Our experts can help you create a strategy that helps you achieve your design goals when you work with us. If you want to draw attention to your pathways, flower beds, and other landscaping features, LED lighting fixtures can do a lot for you.
Keeps You Safe. Landscape lighting is not only beautiful, oftentimes breathtaking, it can also be used to keep your family, friends, and anybody else who visits your property safe. A proper landscape lighting system can illuminate your walkways, pathways, steps, and driveway after the sun has set. Consequently, accidents are less likely to occur on your property.
Protects against unwanted visitors – Landscape lighting is a good deterrent to crime and helps keep unwanted people at bay. Landscape Lighting that is appropriate for the outdoor area suggests that the home is well-maintained and cared for, which will reduce the chances of trespassing and theft. | <urn:uuid:fb5ad6a0-82d3-43fc-9232-29fbe3bcd257> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cecological.ca/landscape-architectural/ | 2023-09-24T23:17:38Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.955836 | 307 |
Knox County Schools and the UT Literacy Specialist Program Celebrate Literacy Leaders
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Literacy Specialist Program—housed in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences’ (CEHHS) Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education—recently celebrated the courses’ completion of its Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 teachers at the Knox County Reading Center. The two cohorts of Knox County Schools (KCS) educators began the Literacy Specialist Program in the Spring and Summer of 2022.
These cohorts was forged through a partnership between the UT Literacy Specialist Program, led by Zoi Philippakos, and KCS, with the leadership of Shannon Jackson, Erin Phillips, and the strong mentorship and guidance of Janet Sexton. It resulted in the identification of 26 teachers who could serve as literacy leaders within their buildings, classrooms, and district. This is a long-term partnership, with two more cohorts of 25 teachers who will be graduating from the program in the summer of 2024, that solidifies KCS’ strong literacy goal of supporting all of its students in reaching their literacy potential and becoming strong readers and writers.
Phillips encouraged the graduates to be leaders and think about the literacy difference they will and can make in their classrooms, their buildings, and their community. Further, Philippakos shared that this partnership is indicative of the strong collaborations that UT has with Knox County schools and the partnerships it seeks with Tennessee districts to reach the goal of achieving literacy for all.
“Literacy is a human right,” said Philippakos, “and we are working together to achieve it for every learner in our community!”
You can view photos of the ceremony and award winners on Flickr. | <urn:uuid:d6186260-321e-4e52-9012-ff72a27ff13a> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cehhs.utk.edu/2023/06/01/a-celebration-of-literacy/ | 2023-09-25T00:45:03Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.953503 | 363 |
Kerisha Bowen was born in Trinidad and moved to Toronto before her family finally settled in Pennsylvania. A good student, Bowen wanted to be a professor. She majored in chemistry at Lincoln University, then earned an MS and PhD in chemistry at Temple University as part of a program to help students from underrepresented groups enter academic careers. Her first job, as an assistant professor of chemistry at Penn State Brandywine, ended when a fellow professor casually used a racial slur in conversation with Bowen. The university launched an investigation, but ultimately sided with the professor. “I felt like the academic atmosphere wasn’t conscious about how diversity and inclusion mattered,” she says. Bowen eventually left for Rowan University, which she liked more. But in the end, she decided that academia wasn’t for her.
After considering her options, Bowen decided to enroll in a master’s program in patent law at the University of Notre Dame. She didn’t know much about the field other than what she had heard from a graduate school classmate who had gone into patent law. She noticed during her studies that, like her, many of her classmates had not planned to enter the field. “A lot of people that got into IP [intellectual property] law—it wasn’t what they wanted to do,” Bowen said. “I wanted to teach, and it didn’t work out for me.” She was surprised by how science-based the field is: people can take the patent bar without attending law school; they just need a bachelor’s in science to take the exam. After finishing her master’s program, Bowen joined the intellectual property and technology group at Dentons as a patent agent—and she still works there.
After gaining experience as a patent agent, Bowen enrolled in law school at the George Washington University. “A lot of people start as a patent agent,” she says. Some firms will even pay for employees’ law degree studies. Going to law school enabled Bowen to handle much more than patent law in the chemical field. After obtaining her law degree, Bowen moved up from patent agent to law clerk at Dentons and, most recently, to associate in 2021.
These days, Bowen is more focused on the litigation side of patents, representing companies accused of infringing on chemical patents or trade secrets. In one recent case, she assisted her client in getting a Digital Millennium Copyright Act ruling that allowed it the right to repair medical equipment. That relieved the company of the financial burden of outsourcing repairs. In addition to her legal work, Bowen joins some of her Black colleagues in giving presentations to schools and other organizations about improving diversity in science fields—reaching out to Black people in particular. “I try to do what I can to support people that are coming up,” she says. | <urn:uuid:309da9e0-69f5-4e0f-9a39-cd971e00cf20> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cen.acs.org/careers/Career-Ladder-Kerisha-Bowen/101/i8 | 2023-09-25T00:29:32Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.976864 | 586 |
1925:- January 12….Voted that the new Commander, Vice Commander and Adjutant be chosen to represent the Post at the Annual Get-to-gether and Banquet at the State House, January 21st, and that their expenses be paid by the Post.
June 1….. Delegates and alternates for the State Convention held at Boston were elected as follows- Comrades A.S. Hall, L. G. Maranville and C. A. McCrillis. By a vote of the Post the adjutant cast one ballot for the three nominees. For Alternates – Comrades H. Bazinet, Fletcher Clark, Jr., R Millette.
Sept 11…. It was voted to reimburse Comrade McCrillis for the advancement made to obtain several German War trophies. The Post appropriated $29.97 for the expenses of the three delegates to the State Convention held recently in Boston. It was voted that this Post request of the War Department the loan of ten rifles with appurtenances: Gun slings and cartridge belts, in accordance with the provisions of the Act of Congress Approved June 5, 1920. | <urn:uuid:cb7851fb-54d2-457b-82ef-aa015e1a5e6f> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://centennial.legion.org/massachusetts/post64/1925/01/12/1925-minutesdept-convention-boston | 2023-09-24T23:18:20Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.977019 | 236 |
Valère Novarina, Text
Zaven Paré, Direction and Design
Allen S. Weiss, Co-Direction/Adaptation/Translation
Gregory Whitehead, Original Sound Design
Christof Migone, Original Sound Design
Jon Gottlieb, 2000/01 Sound Design
Leon Rothenberg, Assistant Sound Design
Mark Sussman, Performer/Operator
The world premiere of Theatre of the Ears, a radiophonic play in space performed by an electronic puppet, was a collage of works by Valère Novarina, the well-known French avant-garde playwright. While Novarina is frequently performed in France, his work had never been presented in the United States. Theatre of the Ears marked the United States premiere of his writing. This interdisciplinary work combined elements of puppetry, computer imaging, and video. It was created by Zaven Paré, Gregory Whitehead, Valère Novarina and Allen S. Weiss, along with a team of CalArts designers and technicians.
The piece was subsequently presented in New York as part of the 2000 Henson International Festival of Puppet Theatre, in Paris at the Biennale Internationale des Arts de la Marionnette, and at the 2001 Festival d’Avignon. | <urn:uuid:fd67ede0-1bb9-48c4-afa4-578addcdbdef> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://centerfornewperformance.org/projects/theatre-of-the-ears/ | 2023-09-24T23:11:12Z | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506669.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20230924223409-20230925013409-00598.warc.gz | en | 0.936401 | 267 |
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