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Criminal Defense Attorneys in Tampa, FL
Sammis Law Firm, P.A., is located in downtown Tampa, FL, just a few blocks from the courthouse. Our second office is located in New Port Richey in Pasco County, FL.
The four attorneys at the firm focus exclusively on criminal defense in the greater Tampa Bay area. We rely on referrals from prior clients and other attorneys throughout Florida.
We take a scholarly approach to litigating pre-trial motions. We also pride ourselves on being thoroughly prepared for motion hearings and jury trials.
Contact us to schedule a free and confidential consultation either over the phone or in the office. During the initial consultation, we can discuss the facts of the case, the best defenses, and how to protect your rights at each stage of the case.
Our offices are open from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday. If you need assistance after our regular business hours, our phones are answered 24/7.
We are also available for consultations in the office after business hours or on weekends when needed.
Innovative Defenses Win Cases
Good things happen when criminal defense attorneys file pre-file motions including:
- motions to suppress evidence illegally obtained;
- motions to exclude irrelevant or prejudicial evidence; or
- motions to dismiss because of insufficient evidence.
Even if the court doesn't ultimately grant the pre-trial motion, the defense attorney can gain valuable information about the prosecutor's case during the hearing.
Information from the motion hearing can be used to win the case at trial or negotiate a better pre-trial settlement.
Extraordinary results require extraordinary efforts at each stage of the case. We work with seasoned private investigators and the top experts while still maintaining affordable fees and costs.
We can help you decide on the best way to resolve your case. After a false accusation, the best result is getting the charges dropped by the prosecutor or dismissed by the trial court.
Depending on how the case resolves, you might be eligible to seal or expunge the criminal record history and mug shot so that it disappears from the public view.
Representing Professionals Accused of a Crime
Many of our clients have no prior criminal record and never imagined being on the wrong side of the law. The stakes are even higher for certain types of professionals, including:
- health-care professionals (i.e., physicians and nurses);
- teachers and certified educators;
- attorneys;
- members of the military; and
- law enforcement officers.
When the stakes are high, seek out the services of an experienced criminal justice attorney at Sammis Law Firm. We take a full-service approach to criminal defense while addressing the collateral consequences that might occur because of the accusation.
Don't Speak – The Right to Remain Silent after an Accusation
If you decide to speak to law enforcement about the facts of your case without an attorney being present, then you are waiving your Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination and your Sixth Amendment right to counsel.
Don't waive important constitutional rights until AFTER you have spoken to an attorney. Your attorney is often in the best position to explain your side of the story to the law enforcement officer.
You can invoke your rights by saying: "I'm taking the 5th and 6th amendment." Then remain silent. If you are lawfully detained, you can tell the officer your name, address, and date of birth without waiving your rights.
At trial, the jury is not told that you invoked your right to remain silent or your right to counsel. In other words, the fact that you remained silent cannot be used against you.
If you hire a criminal defense attorney, the attorney can send a notice to the investigating officer that you are invoking your rights under the 5th and 6th amendments.
This notice prevents the officers from asking you any questions about the accusations or coming to your home to interrogate you.
In the event the officer does intend to make an arrest, your attorney can help you surrender under terms that may speed up your release, keep you safe, and save you money. We can contact the prosecutor to discuss lowering the bond amount.
At the Sammis Law Firm, our criminal justice attorneys also handle other critical details that might minimize the embarrassment, stress, and expense that might otherwise accompany the arrest.
Effective Pre-File Negotiations in the Tampa Bay Area
The prosecutors with the State Attorney's Office in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit have discretion when deciding whether to prosecute felony charges after an arrest by the Tampa Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, or other local law enforcement agencies in Tampa Bay.
In felony cases, the prosecutors with the State Attorney's Offices make a filing decision within 21 (twenty-one) days after the arrest, so you must act quickly to preserve all avenues of attack.
In a felony case, if you are not formally charged within 21 days, then you are entitled to an adversary preliminary hearing if the proper motion is filed.
An attorney can act quickly to present favorable evidence to the prosecutor on your behalf. During the pre-file stages of the case, your attorney will often talk with the prosecutor about reasons not to file any formal charges or only file reduced charges.
Why are charges dropped? The prosecutor might decide to drop the charges ("nolle prosse") for a variety of reasons including:
- a pending motion to suppress or motion to dismiss;
- insufficient evidence;
- the witness is unavailable;
- witness waivers; or
- the witness files a request not to prosecute.
Hiring a criminal justice lawyer quickly after an accusation or arrest remains one of the most effective ways to defend yourself against an unfair prosecution.
Out of State Clients Charged with a Crime
After an arrest for misdemeanor charges such as driving under the influence (DUI), possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, domestic battery, petit theft or shoplifting after visiting the Tampa Bay area, then call us to discuss the best legal defenses that might apply to your case.
Your attorney may be able to resolve your case without the need for you to return to Florida. The court may allow you to waive your appearance at many, if not all, of your pre-trial court dates.
For clients who live out of state, it is important to avoid costly and unnecessary trips to court while aggressively fighting the charges.
Many people call us after finding out about a Florida arrest warrant for failure to appear, direct file information, or an ongoing criminal investigation.
We also represent clients facing extradition on a fugitive warrant to or from the State of Florida.
DUI Defense Attorneys for Hillsborough County, FL
At Sammis Law Firm, our attorneys are focused on DUI defense throughout Tampa, FL, and the surrounding areas in and around Hillsborough County. We also fight DUI cases in New Port Richey, and the surrounding areas of Pasco County, FL.
We represent clients charged with DUI after a breath test, blood test, urine test, or a refusal to submit to testing.
Many of these drunk driving cases have the potential for enhanced penalties because of property damage, having a BAC over .15, driving with a child passenger, or having a prior DUI conviction.
For a first DUI without any aggravating factors, you might be eligible for Hillsborough County's DUI Diversion program, called Reducing Impaired Driving Recidivism or RIDR for short. Only about 20% of DUI cases are eligible for RIDR.
With the first ten (10) days of the arrest, we always recommend demanding a formal review hearing to contest the "on the spot" administrative suspension of your driver's license. The best way to fight the DUI case is to obtain a 42-day permit so that you can keep driving while we contest the administrative suspension.
We can use the information gained during the formal review hearing to aggressively fight your criminal charges in the courtroom.
The Tampa DUI Attorneys at Sammis Law Firm can help you understand your rights, protect your freedom, and find the best way to aggressively defend you against the criminal charge for drunk or impaired driving.
Finding a Criminal Justice Lawyer in Tampa
We understand that your livelihood, liberty, and good name are on the line after an accusation of criminal wrongdoing.
Contact Sammis Law Firm, P.A., for a free immediate consultation over the phone or in the office.
Our main office is located in downtown Tampa and in New Port Richey, FL. Our attorneys are members of:
- the National Organization for Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL); and
- the Florida Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL).
These organizations help the top criminal defense lawyers by providing training, contacts, and resources.
By focusing exclusively on criminal justice in the Tampa Bay area, we represent clients charged with both felony and misdemeanor criminal offenses in state court. We provide affordable legal fees for a wide range of criminal and DUI charges.
Our attorneys are also experienced in handling criminal appeals and post-conviction motions.
Let us put our experience to work for you. Call (813) 250-0500.
This article was last updated on Friday, November 29, 2019.


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S: The McNeil Family - 2011
FC: The McNeil Family 2011
1: The McNeil Family 2011
4: FEBRUARY in Florida! "Let's go fly a kite Up to the highest height! Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring Up through the atmosphere Up where the air is clear Oh, let's go fly a kite!"
12: 1st Piano Recital
23: Below: Ethan McNeil, Sam Bates, Carrie McNeil, Katy Bates Above: Caroline Bates
24: Cooley Cousins! Will, Addie, Carrie & Ethan
25: Children's Choir Christmas Musical "Arrest These Merry Gentlemen"
26: Ethan's 6th Birthday

subset: commoncrawl


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IBM STG optimizes product development with IBM Rational ClearQuest
ParidhiVerma 2700008QKP Visits (7142)
The Systems and Technology Group team used IBM Rational ClearQuest software to improve efficiencies and reduce development costs. STG increased systems development processes and program management efficiency, reduced development and warranty costs and increases parts reuse and virtually eliminated abandoned projects. IBM Rational ClearQuest has proven so effective that it is currently being used by 25,000 engineers and programmers at 35 labs in 17 countries. Watch the STG video below or on YouTube: " Accelerating hardware and software... [More]


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The main activity of our summer has been the Cruise trip with MSC Poesia to Norwegian Fyords. We were a group of 8: Me, the organiser-as always, my husband and our son-as expected, my mom and her husband, my uncle and aunt and my grandfather. So group aged from 9 to 90. Tough isn't it?
Day 2 was what they call in Cruise language "Day at sea". A good day to get to know the cruise life, learn what is where and enjoy the only morning to be able to wake up late. Since we all did not like the 13th floor restaurant, we started the day at the a la cart breakfast restaurant at level 5, which was much more better than 13th floor self service hectic restaurant. Afterwards the group seperated to enjoy the relax day. I used this opportunitiy to take the Salsa lessons, which I already forgot the steps by now. However the numbers are still in my mind: one-to-three…five-six-seven, uno-duo-tre…cinque-sei-sette, ein-zwei-drei…funf-sechs-sieben, bir-ki-uc…bes-alti-yedi, one-two-three…five-six-seven…
Having a sushi-lover-son, for our lunch we all met at the Kaito Sushi Bar, which was an oasis, free of crowd, as it was an extra paid restaurant. We took a long table in the middle and enjoyed the fine Japanese cuisine for a couple of hours.
Our "Day at sea" went on with an afternoon nap, and getting ready for the Captain's cocktail party, with the dress code of "formal". Going down to the Zebra Bar at deck 6, we felt that the purpose of this getting dressed is to take picture with the captain which required a long long queue to be waited. Not my kind really. So after drinking a couple of colored liquids so-called cocktails with some chips -very unfriendly to my diet, we headed to our restaurant and our tiny far end corner table. Today it was also the birthday of my uncle. With the nice surprise cake of my aunt, and the Indonesian version of the "Birthday song" of the staff, we celebrated his birthday.
After dinner, we headed to the theater for the evening's animation. I do not want to criticize the animation in the evenings as it s a matter of "likes and dislikes" Some days it was average, some days above average in my opinion.


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By Lingyu Sun, Visiting Student Blogger
My name is Lingyu Sun, and I am from Fudan University in Shanghai. I am a visiting student at Trinity, taking modules in Social Studies, Business Studies and Language and Communication Studies. While studying at Trinity, I am staying at a homestay in Santry that I found through a friend's introduction. The first day I arrived in Dublin, the woman who I am staying with picked me up from Dublin Airport. It was so nice of her to do that for a stranger. When we arrived at her house, I was impressed by her house's beautiful yard and garden, with swings for the children and lush grass.


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Dear fly exclusive members and partners,
we would like to inform you that our company, fly exclusive, is now a member and partner of EBAA and ECFAC in order to support the WE CARE platform in addition to improving the Business Aviation training standard. Vivien Parcinski is pleased to help bringing crew training to the next level and to redefine standards for service and safety in the business aviation world. We are convinced that one achieves more when all work together in one direction. Fly exclusive CEO Vivien Parcinski will attend the European Corporate Flight Attendant Committee of EBAA and enrich it with her expertise and energy.
Our common goal is to train and recommend the best VIP Flight and Cabin Crews. Together we contribute to an extremely high level of service and safety for VIP flight crews and thus the best prerequisite for the satisfied VIP customer. We hope that you will take advantage of the following EBAA offer to join us. We are looking forward to hear from you.
Vivien Parcinski
Fly Exclusive Aviation Services GmbH - VIP Flight Crew Training
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Ask The Expert: Non-Medical Home Care, Seniors Helping Seniors
Q: Non-Medical Home Care – is it for you?
A: Do you want to stay in your own home comfortably and safely? Whether you call it non-medical home care, companion care or personal services, Seniors Helping Seniors® can help you.
Q: How can non-medical home care help me?
A: Maybe daily chores are wearing you down or you just can't do them anymore. You want to stay living in your own home, but it is getting to be more than you can manage with cooking, cleaning, bathing and even pet care. Non-medical home care like Seniors Helping Seniors® is the answer. Seniors Helping Seniors® can provide help with all your daily chores. Light housekeeping and laundry, meal preparation, transportation, respite care, personal grooming and dressing, even dog walking are all examples of the type of assistance we provide.
Perhaps you are coming home after a hospital stay and need help for just a short time. Call us – we can help with all the above plus medication reminders, trips to doctor appointments, and mobility assistance.
Q: How do I get this help and what is involved?
A: With non-medical home care, you decide how much help you need. You may have a Seniors Helping Seniors® provider stop by just two times a week or you may need 24 hour care. It all depends on each individual situation.
Seniors Helping Seniors® will visit with you in your home and get to know you. As you tell us what your challenges are, we will work with you to determine how much help you want and need. We will match another senior with you who has similar interests and has experience with the challenges you face.
Seniors Helping Seniors® is licensed and bonded. Our senior providers go through thorough background checks, have their driving records reviewed, and health related check-ups.
Q: How is Seniors Helping Seniors® different?
A: Seniors Helping Seniors® is a very unique program which matches experienced caregiving seniors who want to help other seniors who need a little extra help. Because our providers are seniors, they understand just a little more about the unexpected twists and turns of life that seniors face.
When you have a senior from Seniors Helping Seniors® come into your home, you are helping them live the busy, caring life they desire and you get the help you need. You have both found a way "to give and to receive."
Q: Where are you located?
A: Seniors Helping Seniors® is ready to serve seniors in Indianapolis and Hamilton, Boone, Hendricks, Morgan, Johnson and Shelby counties. With 3 offices located around the metro area, you can call any of us and we will connect you with the SHS closest to you.
Q: How can I help?
A: We are always looking for more loving, giving, caring people. If you want to help out, we'd like to talk with you. We offer a great deal of flexibility and opportunities close to you. Give us a call.
West / Northwest
South / Southeast


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No matter which Jungle Book you love best…there's a good chance you love at least one of them. Its never been more appropriate than in the Chinese Year of the Monkey to bring back the first of two upcoming versions of our favorite Rudyard Kipling story.
Disney's live action Jungle Book for 2016 will be followed by The Imaginarium/ Warner Brothers version of Jungle Book for 2017 directed by Andy Serkis.
But what about our other favorites?
When Walt Disney commissioned the Sherman Brothers to come up with songs for a children's version of the classic, scary tale in the jungle, little could have prepared us for such a lighthearted approach. In truth- it was exactly what Walt Disney wanted.
- The carrion eating vultures awaiting Mowgli's death were softened with barbershop music and British accents ( a nod to the popular Beatles in 1967).
- Baloo was voiced by comedian Phil Harris ( married to Alice Faye) and put fun and frolicking ahead of all things survival
- The girl at the end of the movie was voiced by none other than Darlene Carr, who was available on the studio lot for Monkey's Go Home.
Of course you may also remember when Disney embarked on a live action Jungle Book in 1994 featuring Jason Scott Lee and Cary Elwes. Another favorite mainly because Mowgli could talk to the animals in their own languages.
As we'll see some classic Disney magic in Jon Favreau's version this year and some lovely scariness in Andy Serkis' version next year ( starring Christian Bale and Benedict Cumberbatch), there should be something to suit your fancy. If not however, you can always return to the classics. We always do:)


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A year ago, I published my first post on Johann Sebastian Bach, not really knowing where my journey through centuries of classical music would lead me. I have learned a lot since then, about music, about history, about mankind. The journey made me meet Dmitry Shostakovich, a controversial and fascinating composer. Today's post will be about Shostakovich and how he followed-up on Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Now wait a minute, that's a leap of 250 years. Yes, indeed. But isn't Bach God? Isn't he immortal and eternal? Bach was, is and will be.
On a jury in Leipzig
In the summer of 1950, Dmitry Shostakovich traveled to Leipzig, the cultural heart of the now defunct German Democratic Republic, a socialist puppet state guided by Moscow through the Cold War. The world celebrated the 200 anniversary of Bach's death and Shostakovich was tasked to serve on the jury of the first ever International Bach Competition. One of the competitors was Tatyana Nikolayeva (1924-1993). She was ready to play any of Bach's 48 preludes and fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier. A few months later, Shostakovich invited Nikolayeva to his home and performed preludes and fugues in C major and A minor he had just composed. Bach's music had set a wheel into motion…
Around the circle of fifths
Between October 1950 and March 1951 Shostakovich wrote a complete cycle of 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87, proceeding around the circle of fifths* alternating major and minor keys. The idea to write a whole cycle covering all keys came over time. He composed a piece, played it for Nikolayeva, proceeded to another one, averaging a prelude or a fugue every three days or so. While he was studying composition in the 20s, he had called fugues "stunts" – artificial technical exercises. When he had finished Op. 87, he was proud as a peacock. He told a colleague, he had written these pieces for all the Soviet composers: "No one here knows how to write fugues."
"Individual aloofness"
Now imagine, a composer who for most of his life had to live with the label of being "formalistic" as opposed to adhering to "social realism" had let himself being inspired by Bach's monumental "Well-Tempered Clavier" to preserve his heritage in the heart of the Soviet Union. Daring, wasn't it. Shostakovich soon found out, just how daring he had been. On March 31, 1951 he performed the first half of the cycle at a gathering of the Union of Composers. He never got a chance to perform the second half as Op. 87 met fierce criticism. Constructivist complexity (almost as bad as formalism), gloomy moods (not allowed in an optimist, forward-looking society) and individual aloofness (a deadly sin in a collectivist society) – those were the charged launched at the composer. Publication of the score and public performances were forbidden.
Tatyana Nikolayeva's triumph
However, part of the failure to impress the censor was due to Shostakovich's poor pianistic performance. Tatyana Nikolayeva took it upon herself to present the 24 Preludes and Fugues a second time in the summer 1951. Publication was authorized, and encouraged by this first step, the pianist presented all 24 parts in December 1952 to the general public. When asked whether there was any way Shostakovich could be persuaded to compose 24 additional fugues and preludes to match Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier", the composer replied with a firm: "Never!"
Transcending Johann Sebastian Bach
In this work, Shostakovich did not merely replicate Bach, he gave it additional dimensions. While references to and quotations from Bach's cycle are abundant throughout the work, e.g. No. 2 in A minor and No. 10 in C sharp minor, the harmonic language is very much Shostakovich's. It appears very modern, sometimes even jazz-like, with many contrasting elements e.g. the juxtaposition of a dark and a light theme in No. 3 in G major or change of tempi and coloratura in No. 8 in F sharp minor. He did not hesitate to borrow melodies from lullabies or folk songs as introduction for a fugue or a prelude growing in complexity over time like in No. 15 in D flat major.
Did I say jazz-like? Would you be surprised if I told you that the jazz pianist Keith Jarrett has recorded Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues? No, you wouldn't. It's divine, nothing less.
© Charles Thibo


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Senior Jamie Panton scored a season-high 11 points for the Skyhawks, connecting on all three three-point tries. (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix)
Marshall and Panton among five for both teams with game-high 11 points
PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. (January 10, 2015) – Stonehill College, ranked 12th in this week's USA TODAY Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll and 13th in the D2SIDA Top 25 media poll, continued its strong defensive play and used a balanced attack in posting a 63-46 victory over Pace University in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action at the Goldstein Fitness Center this afternoon.
Stonehill and Pace combined for five players with a game-high 11 points in the contest as the Skyhawks won their sixth straight game in snapping a six game winning streak for the Setters. Senior Jamie Panton (Williston, Vermont/Essex) came off the bench to net a season-high 11 points, while junior Paige Marshall (Braintree, Massachusetts/Braintree) matched that team-high in a balanced offensive effort for Stonehill. Panton made 4-of-6 shots from the field, including all three from three-point range, in 19 minutes off the bench for the Skyhawks, while Marshall added five rebounds.
Freshman Samantha Hyslip (Westford, Massachusetts/Westford Academy) added nine points and a game-high eight rebounds, shooting 2-for-4 from the field and converting all five free-throw attempts for Stonehill. Senior Tori Faieta (Lynn, Massachusetts/Saint Mary's) contributed eight points and six boards, while sophomore Kelly Martin (Scituate, Massachusetts/Scituate) chipped in with seven first half points, shooting 2-for-5 from three-point range, and six rebounds. Senior Ashley Gendron (Auburn, New Hampshire/Manchester Memorial) pulled down seven rebounds for the Skyhawks.
Not only was Stonehill balanced in its scoring output, but as the Skyhawks registered assists on 14 of 21 field goals for the afternoon, no player had more than three and ten of the 12 players who saw action in the game had at least one. Stonehill shot just 35-percent (21-for-60) for the contest, but held Pace to 32.1-percent (17-for-53) from the field, including 31% (9-29) in the second half. The Skyhawks connected on 7-of-19 (36.8%) three-pointers and converted 14-of-18 (77.8%) free-throws for the afternoon. Stonehill outscored Pace 19-0 in points off turnovers, despite committing just one less (13-12) than the hosts, and dominated the glass with a 47-33 rebounding advantage. The Setters finished 6-for-18 (33.3%) from three-point range and 6-of-9 (66.7%) at the free-throw line.
Junior Paige Marshall also netted 11 points for the Skyhawks to go with five rebounds. (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix)
Senior Jaclyn Oskam (Glenmont, New York/Bethlehem Central), junior Yuni Sher (Poughkeepsie, New York/Long Island Lutheran) and sophomore Christina Rubin (Staten Island, New York/Moore Catholic) all scored 11 points to lead Pace. Oskam shot 4-of-6 from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range, to go with three assists and two rebounds, while Rubin added three threes, two rebounds and two steals. Sher chipped in three assists, two steals and two boards in netting all 11 of her points in the second half. Sophomore Kristen Dodge (Fabius, New York/Fabius-Pompey) contributed seven first half points, four boards and three blocked shots.
Stonehill scored the first nine points of the contest, with four points from Faieta, capped by a Martin three-pointer and never trailed all afternoon. Pace followed by scoring ten of the next 11 points to close within a point (11-10) after a layup by Dodge midway through the first half. The Skyhawks reeled off a 17-2 run over the next seven minutes to take control of the game. Marshall sparked the run with a three-point play, while Panton drained a pair of threes late in the run as Stonehill opened a 16 point lead (28-12) with 3:48 to play in the opening half.
Pace drew within nine (28-19) after a three point play by Dodge with 1:30 left in the frame, but Stonehill scored the final five points of the half to carry a 14 point lead (33-19) into halftime after a Martin triple. Stonehill held Pace without a field goal over the opening 6:38 of the second half and extended its lead to 21 points (41-20) after a three-pointer by senior Amy Pelletier (Beverly, Massachusetts/Bishop Fenwick) six minutes in.
Pace crept back within 11 (47-36) with a Sher jumper with seven minutes still to play, but would get no closer. Stonehill reclaimed a 17 point cushion (55-38) after a layup from freshman Courtney Walsh (Windham, New Hampshire/Central Catholic) with four minutes to go, before Hyslip converted a pair of free-throws to push the lead back to 18 (62-44) with 1:16 remaining.
Stonehill (11-1, 8-1 NE-10), ranked second in the D2SIDA East Regional poll, is back on the road on Tuesday night when it visits American International College for a Northeast-10 matchup in Springfield, Massachusetts, at 5:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home on Wednesday, January 21, to host Southern Connecticut State University at 5:30 p.m. Pace (8-7, 3-5 NE-10) hosts Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.


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About Us
The Flora chapter of the Lions Club has served Flora and its surrounding areas for more than fifty years. Among other things, the Flora Lions Club provides the following services:
- Performs vision screening for 400 students each year
- Supports the local food pantry and a buddy bag program in the local school corporation
- Sponsors a senior citizen chili supper and a Halloween costume party for local children
- Awards scholarships for music and service to our community
- Purchases glasses and hearing aids for those who cannot afford them.
- Sponsors a FACE Literacy Program which gives books to read to students


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It Is Finished!
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
I am convinced that the gospel isn't just good news, it's better news than I currently realize.
For instance, the gospel doesn't just provide forgiveness, it provides friends. And it doesn't just provide friends, it redeems friends who fail us, and us when we fail our friends.
We turn to friends because we need them. We aren't strong enough or smart enough to go it alone in this life. When we suffer we reach for the sympathy of friends. A friend looks me in the eye and says, "Me, too," reassuring me that I'm no longer alone in my trial. When we struggle we lean on the strength of friends. We turn to them for counsel or we ask them to lend us a hand. The fact is, we count on our friends. That's why it's so difficult when friends fail us.
The fact of failure isn't the only trouble. Friends fail us in different ways, and that can be confusing. One friend doesn't return my emails. That's annoying, but not crushing. Another friend distances herself, deserting me at the very time I need her. That's upsetting. A third friend betrays my confidence and tells secrets that do permanent harm to me. That's another category all together.
Silence. Desertion. Betrayal. Jesus experienced all three kinds of failure. We can count on his sympathy and strength as we encounter them, too.
Jesus' friends failed him in different degrees and he responded in different ways. What can we learn? He is our counselor in this area, his earthly life is the textbook.
First, his best friends, Peter, James, and John, failed to stay awake, watching and praying during his greatest time of need. They were weak friends. That's a category I need to add to my vocabulary. Sometimes friends fail me because they are weak. I don't have to rebuke them or cut them off. I can try "waking them up" and reminding them of what I've asked. But in the end, I need to forbear with their weakness and continue counting them as friends. They need my help as much as I need theirs.
Second, Peter's denials of Jesus were a more serious level. His failure wasn't passive like forgetting or falling asleep, he actively denied knowing Jesus, not once but three times. I have failed friends in my life, too. They dropped out of my life and acted as if they didn't know me. This distancing amounted to desertion. Failed friends need a more active approach. Peter had already repented privately, but Jesus took him aside and gave him the opportunity to reaffirm his friendship. Restoring failed friendship requires confession, forgiveness, and reaffirmation of the commitment.
Finally, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. This symbol of friendship mocked the utter dissolution of their bond. Judas had sided with Jesus' enemies, becoming an enemy himself. Enemy is the biggest friendship failure, changing sides in the war. Yet even this failure was not beyond redemption. Judas could have repented and stood beneath the cross. "Father forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing," could have applied to him that day. When my friend becomes an enemy, I must be clear about the change of relationship. I must forgive them and pray for them. I must love them, but as an enemy, not a friend. The friendship is not beyond redemption, but repentance is the first step.
These categories have helped me sort through various failed friendships in my life. But they have also brought me to my knees before my friend Jesus. At different times I have been a weak friend, a failed friend, and yes, even an enemy to him.
I see my weakness when I simply fail to think of him. Days, weeks pass and I haven't prayed. My life is busy or things are going pretty well. I forget him. I leave my Bible at church and don't realize it until Thursday. Or a month from Thursday. He is gentle with me. Nudging me awake, reminding me he's there. Calling me to stay awake with him. Receiving that mercy gives me mercy for my weak friends.
I fail him more actively when I am ashamed to name him before outsiders. When I go along with the latest godless perspective, when I join the crass humor, when I actually deny him with my words or actions. At these times he seeks me through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. I turn back to him and find him ready to restore our friendship. This gives me grace for my failed friends.
I become his enemy when I make friends with the world. For me it comes when I seek glory from people, instead of from him. When I do this, I've run to the other side. I'm acting like his enemy. Even there he pursues me, much as he pursued Judas up to the last minute. The fact that he came to turn enemies into friends gives me hope for my enemies.
The gospel is good news for friends who fail, including me.


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In demanding applications, WPI helps maximize uptime and productivity for our customer's energy assets. Beyond partnering with the equipment brands you know and trust like Waukesha, GE Oil & Gas, Ariel, Generac and others, WPI provides a higher level of commitment to customer service.
With coverage across the United States and Canada, we are ready to support our customers across different regions and environments.


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5 CFR § 5501.104 - Prohibited financial interests applicable to employees of the Food and Drug Administration.
(a) General prohibition. Except as permitted by paragraph (b) of this section, no employee or spouse or minor child of an employee, other than a special Government employee or the spouse or minor child of a special Government employee, of the Food and Drug Administration shall have a financial interest in a significantly regulated organization.
(b) Exceptions. Notwithstanding the prohibition in paragraph (a) of this section:
(1) An employee or spouse or minor child of an employee may have a financial interest, such as a pension or other employee benefit, arising from employment with a significantly regulated organization.
FDA employees who file public or confidential financial disclosure reports pursuant to 5 CFR part 2634, as opposed to spouses and minor children of such employees, are generally prohibited under § 5501.106(c)(3) from engaging in current employment with a significantly regulated organization.
(2) An employee who is not required to file a public or confidential financial disclosure report pursuant to 5 CFR part 2634, or the spouse or minor child of such employee, may hold a financial interest in a significantly regulated organization if:
(i) The total cost or value, measured at the time of acquisition, of the combined interests of the employee and the employee's spouse and minor children in the regulated organization is equal to or less than the de minimis exemption limit for matters involving parties established by 5 CFR 2640.202(a) or $15,000, whichever is greater (the phrase "time of acquisition" shall mean the date on which the employee actually acquired the financial interest - or on which the financial interest became imputed to the employee under 18 U.S.C. 208 - whether by purchase, gift, bequest, marriage, or otherwise, except that with respect to a financial interest that was acquired prior to the employee's entrance on duty as an employee of the Food and Drug Administration, the "time of acquisition" shall be deemed to be the date on which the employee entered on duty);
(ii) The holding, if it represents an equity interest, constitutes less than 1 percent of the total outstanding equity of the organization; and
(iii) The total holdings in significantly regulated organizations account for less than 50 percent of the total value of the combined investment portfolios of the employee and the employee's spouse and minor children.
(3) An employee or spouse or minor child of an employee may have an interest in a significantly regulated organization that constitutes any interest in a publicly traded or publicly available investment fund (e.g., a mutual fund), or a widely held pension or similar fund, which, in the literature it distributes to prospective and current investors or participants, does not indicate the objective or practice of concentrating its investments in significantly regulated organizations, if the employee neither exercises control nor has the ability to exercise control over the financial interests held in the fund.
(4) In cases involving exceptional circumstances, the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee may grant a written exception to permit an employee, or the spouse or minor child of an employee, to hold a financial interest in a significantly regulated organization based upon a determination that the application of the prohibition in paragraph (a) of this section is not necessary to ensure public confidence in the impartiality or objectivity with which HHS programs are administered or to avoid a violation of part 2635 of this title.
With respect to any excepted financial interest, employees are reminded of their obligations under 5 CFR part 2635, and specifically their obligation under subpart D of part 5501 to disqualify themselves from participating in any particular matter in which they, their spouses or minor children have a financial interest arising from publicly traded securities that exceeds the de minimis thresholds specified in the regulatory exemption at 5 CFR 2640.202 or from non-publicly traded securities that are not covered by the regulatory exemption. Furthermore, the agency may prohibit or restrict an individual employee from acquiring or holding any financial interest or a class of financial interests based on the agency's determination that the interest creates a substantial conflict with the employee's duties, within the meaning of 5 CFR 2635.403.
(c) Reporting and divestiture. For purposes of determining the divestiture period specified in 5 CFR 2635.403(d), as applied to financial interests prohibited under paragraph (a) of this section, the "date divestiture is first directed" means the date on which the new entrant public or confidential financial disclosure report required by part 2634 of this title or any report required by § 5502.106(c) of this chapter is due.


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MONTHS of detective work are finally paying off for the organisers of a nostalgia-themed Northwich Carnival.
This year's event will celebrate 50 years since the Beatles crowned the carnival queen.
Barbara Turner, committee president and secretary, was keen to mark the golden anniversary by tracking down the queen and her retinue from 1963 and inviting them to this year's carnival, on July 6.
After months of digging she has finally found the 1963 carnival queen, Kathryn Millington, who was living in Chester.
"It's been a real detective job and we're over the moon that we've found her," Barbara said.
"She had re-married and changed her name so we had been looking for someone with a different name."
Barbara last met up with Kathryn in 1988 to celebrate the 25th anniversary since the Beatles' appearance but then they lost touch.
The committee eventually tracked her down through the world of social media, when her cousin commented on a picture on Facebook.
The majority of that year's retinue, which included Barbara herself as a 10-year-old maid of honour, have also been found and will be coming to the carnival, as well as a reunion planned for this month.
Barbara said: "We've got so many pictures and memoribila to share that we thought we should have a get-together beforehand.
"We've also had replies from the retiring retinue from that year – we've been looking for the 1963 retinue but the 1962 retinue were there and on that stage too.
"We've got a lady from Bristol coming up and a lady from Warrington who said it was her father who picked the Beatles up and drove them to the field.
"I always thought they went to the Grey Parrot for lunch but they actually went to a house in Leftwich estate where George Harrison's auntie lived.
"We'll have a lot to natter about at the reunion."
The carnival committee is still looking for the 1963 crown bearer John Buckley and train bearer Julie Hatton.
Anyone who can help, or anyone from the 1962 retinue who is interested in coming to this year's carnival, should ring Barbara on 01606 76113.
• Northwich Carnival will begin with a parade leaving Old Warrington Road at 1pm on July 6.


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ASCC Alumni award Spring scholarship
Ms. Eirenei Tesimale, a Natural Resources and Agriculture major at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) has been chosen as this semester's recipient of the ASCC Matai Alumni Scholarship. The Alumni Association presents the cash award each semester to help defray the education costs of academically outstanding students who do not qualify for the Pell Grant available to most college-bound students born in American Samoa.
Tesimale, 21, is the daughter of Lepisi and Faauma Tesimale of Tafuna, and will graduate this semester. Both her parents also attended ASCC, with father Lepisi having completed his studies in 2004 and mother Faauma a member of the 1986 graduating class.
Eirenei's long-term goal is to become a Plant Pathologist, but before she leaves home to study off-island she will work for two years with CNR/Land Grant, where she is currently a work study student gaining firsthand greenhouse experience under the CNR Instructions division. Born in the Independent State of Samoa and therefore technically a citizen of that country, Eirenei could not qualify for federal Pell funding despite having spent most of her life in American Samoa. She could, however, meet the ASCC Matai Alumni Association award criteria.
Each semester, the ASCC Alumni Scholarship Board chooses a recipient from among applicants who do not qualify for the Pell grant. The Board consists of one alumni on the ASCC faculty, one alumni community representative, and the ASCC Dean of Student Services and Dean of Academic Affairs, and evaluates applications based on academic performance and financial need. To qualify for the scholarship, an applicant must have completed 24 credits at ASCC, passed English 90/91 and Math 80, and not yet graduated with any degree.
They must also attend the College full time, and not be working full time nor receiving any other scholarship. Finally, applicants need to submit a one-page essay explaining how the ASCC Matai Alumni Scholarship award will assist them in reaching their academic goals.
The ASCC Matai Alumni Association finances its scholarship through donations from its membership as well as its own fundraising activities. The Association also works closely alongside the American Samoa College Research Foundation (ASCRF), and a separate entity which also promotes ASCC and its mission. ASCRF considers all ASCC alumni as potential donors and networks with them to encourage giving back to ASCC for the benefit of current students.
"At most universities and college's off-island, their Foundation and alumni work hand in hand to support the students," said ASCRF head Matesina Aseta-Willis, "and both we and the ASCC Matai Alumni are doing the same." Willis explained that the ASCRF, currently in a transitional phase, is working towards establishing its board members, and is open to community involvement.
The ASCC Matai Alumni Association is headed by President Amio Mavaega-Luvu. Its officers are Evile Feleti (Vice President), Peteru Lam Yuen (Treasurer), Tina Tapua'i (Secretary) and Matesina Aseta-Willis (ASCRF Director/Alumni Liaison). "We would like to invite all the graduates to come join the ASCC Alumni and work together with the Foundation to give back to the College," said Mavaega-Luvu, who added that American Samoa's various ethnic communities are welcome to establish scholarships for students of their nationality who do not qualify for Pell grants.
The ASCRF can be contacted through the main ASCC phone exchange at 699-9155 ext 401/301. Ask for Matesina Aseta-Willis, who will also answer inquiries regarding the ASCC Matai Alumni Association.


text: Hand carved marble statue of St.Bernard. This was a custom project we did for a customer. The customer came to us with a picture they found on the internet and they wanted us to produce a statue based off of that picture. You can see the end result is really amazing. The statue was all carved from a single block of marble and then we had the crosier hand crafted from bronze. This statue measures 72 x 20 x 18. Before purchasing, please contact us for availability and shipping quote.


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Request an Appointment
For appointments, call (352) 265-PEDS (7337)
The UF Pediatrics Access Center provides patients and their families with information about appointments, referrals, clinical services, and clinic locations.
The UF Pediatrics Access Center is available to speak with you during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm EST).
Patients can request information by email or call (352) 265-PEDS (7337). Our fax number is (352) 627-4415.


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I love Oral. It doesn't matter if it is quick or long, sloppy or very polished, involve lots of people or just a couple people bobbing back and forth.
Of course I am talking about books that are written in the "Oral History" format…….what did you think I was referring too?
Part of my weekend was spent setting up my home office and putting away/unpacking my 31 boxes of books. A lot of these have been in storage for a few years so I was pretty jazzed to be re-united with them. The first book that I cracked open was Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests This is such a fascinating read and I highly recommend any one who is even mildly interested in the subject matter to grab it (it is a bargain book at amazon right now).
A newer book that I just heard about this weekend (thanks to the Sound of Young American Podcast) is Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies by Brian Coleman. This book pretty much tracks all the cd's I was listening to in High School (I am very old) and breaks down the stories of the music….not all the other stuff……just the music as told by the people who made it.
I have to admit that my interest is piqued and I will be picking this up soon.
Hope everyone had a great long weekend and I will type at you soon


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'Future Africa' Seminar
Three public lectures by Dirk E. Hebel, Felix Heisel and Alireza Javadian on November, 12, 2013 at the Future Africa seminar at the Future Cities Laboratory Singapore. The seminar features Jonathan Ledgard, Africa correspondent for the Economist and head of the Afrotech Initiative, EPFL, and is moderated by Ian Smith, Principal Investigator at Future Cities Laboratory and Professor at EPFL. CoReSing will contribute 3 talks to the discussion on political risks and technology opportunities for Africa, titled: "Pedestrian life in African cities", "Chereka Bet – Risks and opportunities of informal housing" and "High Performance Materials".


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The world is not in danger of overpopulation as has been feared, but rather declining population, says Philip Longman, senior fellow at the New America Foundation. While the perception is that the world population will continue to grow at a rapid pace, a closer look at demographic trends shows otherwise:
- The rate of world population growth has fallen by more than 40 percent since the late 1960s.
- United Nations forecasts show, even in the absence of wars or pandemics, the number of humans on Earth will fall within the lifetime of today's children.
- Demographers predict that the human population will peak at 9 billion in 2070 and then begin to contract.
Longman says the root cause of this trend is falling birthrates. Today, the average woman in the world bears half as many children as did her counterpart in 1972. Furthermore, no industrialized nation still produces enough children to sustain its population over time or to prevent rapid population aging:
- Russia's population is contracting by three-quarters of a million a year.
- Japan's population is expected to peak as early as 2005 and then fall by as much as 33 percent over the next 50 years.
- Germany risks losing the equivalent population of former East Germany over the next half century.
The changing economics of family life is the prime factor in discouraging childbearing. In nations rich and poor, as more and more people move to urban areas in which children offer little or no economic reward to their parents, and as women acquire economic opportunities and reproductive control, the costs of childbearing continue to rise, explains Longman.
Source: Phillip Longman, "The Global Baby Bust," Foreign Affairs, June 2004.


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EXETER — Two high school girls from Exeter are working on some big changes to benefit children who stay at David's House in Lebanon.
EXETER — Two high school girls from Exeter are working on some big changes to benefit children who stay at David's House in Lebanon.
David's House, which opened in 1986, provides a place to live for families with children receiving treatment at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
Caroline Martel and Lauren MacDonald, who will both be seniors at Exeter High School this fall, were looking for a project to help them earn their Girl Scout Gold Award, and saw a need at David's House that they could fulfill: new toys.
"I'm getting new toys — age appropriate toys," said Martel, adding that some of the toys currently available for children to play with at David's House are older or outdated.
MacDonald is working on the design, construction and installation of a brand new playset for David's House, which she is doing through the help of CedarWorks in Rockport, Maine, which sells wooden swing sets, playsets and other accessories.
"I'm going to start fundraising for that," MacDonald said.
Martel is also working on getting shelving to help organize the toys at David's House.
Dawn Stanhope, executive director of David's House, said they are thrilled with what the girls are doing.
"It is incredibly kind of them to pick David's House, and take the time and really think through what they want to do to help," Stanhope said. "It's a huge benefit for us because we don't necessarily have the resources to do the research and do what would need to be done to make this happen."
David's House serves a wide variety of families from those with premature infants to 18-year-olds receiving care at the children's hospital.
"In many cases, the patients are at the hospital but have siblings here with their families," Stanhope said. "We help keep them occupied if they're going to be here for awhile."
And a big part of keeping young children occupied is toys and games, but Stanhope said after Martel and MacDonald came to look around in preparation for their project, they found a lot of the David's House toys were missing pieces or outdated and weren't very organized.
The girls are working on getting toys for many different age levels that will last a long time.
While David's House also has a nice playset outside, Stanhope said the indoor playset MacDonald is helping bring to the house will allow for constant play even on rainy days or in the winter.
"They're going to be getting rid of the clutter and redoing our playroom to make it more user-friendly, and give families a little respite and relaxation," Stanhope said.
The girls just recently received approval from the Girl Scouts of America to do this project for David's House, something they said was not easy as there are very tight guidelines for what qualifies for a Gold Award project and how it can be done.
Martel and MacDonald have been in Girl Scouts since they were little, starting as Daisies and working their way up through Brownies, Juniors, Cadets, Seniors and Ambassadors.
The Gold Award recognizes the highest achievement in Girl Scouting and is earned only by solving a community problem in a way that will have a lasting impact.
Based on information MacDonald collected to support the project, toys and games are also a critical part of a healing or coping process for young children.
"It reduces stress, reduces developmental regression, instills confidence and independence, and becomes a safe outlet for fears," she said.
Stanhope said that when parents are under stress, their children are also under stress, and playtime and toys provide children with "a sense of home — a sense of normalcy."
She said the girls' project is supporting a key principal of what David's House does.
"The hospital is here to treat patients, and David's House is here to heal families," Stanhope said. "It's about keeping the family together in a time of crisis. We have an environment that's calming."
Girl Scouts of America rules for the project don't allow monetary donations or fundraising, but the girls can hold a toy drive to raise the particular items that are needed.
Martel explained she is putting together lists of age-appropriate toys based on toy awards and organizing the list, so they don't have duplicate donations.
Martel and McDonald also had the idea to create guides for each room at David's House so children staying there will know what games and activities are available, such as the Nintendo Wii.
"It's great we have the opportunity to help out people in need," said MacDonald.
Martel agreed: "This project definitely helped me realize there is a huge need for something like this, and that people really appreciate the help."
To find out what you can donate to help, e-mail Martel and MacDonald at firstname.lastname@example.com or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GirlScoutGoldAwardDavidsHouse.


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Starlines Reunion Program
Starlines Reunion Program
Access inner guidance explaining our role in Planetary Ascension, and Solar, Interstellar, and Galactic coordination.
Note: You have the option to pay in full or pay a $500.00 deposit, please select which payment you prefer below.
Prerequisite: Gateway Voyage®, Guidelines® or Lifeline, Exploration 27®, Starlines I and Starlines II
Prerequisite: Gateway Voyage®, Guidelines® or Lifeline, Exploration 27®, Starlines I and Starlines II
Join skilled trainer and creator of the Starlines (SL) programs, Dr. Franceen King for a celebratory opportunity for graduates of SL II to physically re-connect with fellow Earth-stationed Galactic Ambassadors while focusing on greater physical contact with our interdimensional star-journeying teammates.
This participant-powered program will be somewhat more relaxed with lots of sharing and group activity. In addition there will be informative videos, Hemi-Sync® exercises, several periods of outdoor activity at night, and a planned field trip designed to explore unusual energies (weather permitting).
Review our histories and connections in various star systems, galaxies, and dimensions. Discover and reclaim more aspects of our I-There and I-There Cluster. As we raise our vibratory frequencies, and reclaim more of Total Self through 34/35, 42, and 49 focus states, we will move further beyond the Stargate of the Galactic Core.
Clear Personal Barriers to
Experience Greater ET Contact!
We are not alone in the Universe. It appears that other intelligences in our multi-dimensionaluniverse have the ability to express in our physical Earth environment, and on other physical planets, as well as transdimensionally.
- Physically re-connect with fellow Earth-stationed Galactic Ambassadors
- Reclaim and reunite with more aspects of our I-There and I-There Cluster
- Review the F-34/35, 42, and 49 Focus states, and move further beyond through the Stargate of the Galactic Core
- Access inner guidance regarding our personal and collective roles in facilitating extra-terrestrial contact and human/planetary development
- Review the possible history of human/ET contacts
- Review other projects and organizations working toward greater ET contact
- Discuss Earth's role in the Cosmos "Exopolitics"
It is likely that within our I-There and I-There cluster(s), we all have aspects expressing in other star systems, as well as other dimensions. Star-journeying is a natural activity of who we are. Archeology, historical texts, and spiritual teachings throughout the planet suggest that beings from the skies have been present and often assisted humanity during the development of Earth School.
Starlines Reunion is an advanced course and only available to graduates of Gateway Voyage, Guidelines or Lifeline, Exploration 27, and Starlines I & II. This course is only offered once a year. We highly recommend reserving your space in advance.
Are there benefits for humans, and all of Earth, to have more recognized contact with these beings now? Many current humans report physical contact with extra-terrestrial spacecraft andintelligences. At least some of these reports are true and/or accurate. The planetary culture of the past 70 years or so has often ridiculed contact reports and, to varying degrees, cultivated fear of contact
As we move into higher frequency energies, perhaps it is time to reveal and normalize extra-terrestrial interactions. Ultimately, the visitors are our very close family…brothers and sisters…aspects of "our Oneness in Love." We are all connected.
Access inner guidance explaining our role in Planetary Ascension, and Solar, Interstellar, and Galactic coordination.
Your Guide for this Exploration: Franceen King
Franceen has been a life-long consciousness explorer, and a TMI Residential and Outreach Trainer since 1986. Over the years she has designed several TMI programs, including Exploration 27, Starlines, Starlines II, and TDAP (1997). She experienced a major "awakening" in 1971. Franceen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, ordained minister, and published author. She has studied a wide variety of healing, metaphysical, and consciousness-expanding teachings and is committed to empowering participants to know better their Total Self and fulfill their highest purposes and aspirations.
Our Powerful 5-day/6-night All-inclusive Starlines Reunion Program Offers:
- Daily consciousness exploration facilitated by our skilled trainers
- Semi-private accommodations
- 3 delicious home-style meals a day
- Daily yoga classes
- Transportation from and to Charlottesville, Virginia, airport (see details)
- Complimentary WiFi
- Massage therapy upon request (additional fee)
Note: Hemi-Sync® is a registered trademark of Interstate Industries Inc., dba Hemi-Sync.
|06/13/2020 to 06/19/2020
|Deposit Information
|A $500 deposit is required to register for a program. Please select either the downpayment option or the full payment option.
|Virginia or California
|Country Flag


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MOVEMENT : Japan "Meca-Quartz" VK 64 Chronograph Movement with Date and 1/5 second
CASE MATERIAL : Stainless Steel
CASE DIAMETER (mm) : 42
CASE THICKNESS (mm) : 10
CASE SHAPE : Round
CASE COLOR : Stainless Steel
DIAL COLOR : Cream
BAND : Genuine Leather Strap
BAND COLOR : Warm Grey
BUCKLE : Strap Buckle
BAND WIDTH (mm) : 20
WATCH WEIGHT (g) : 80
WARRANTY : 2 Years International
The 38 pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille, who flew for France beginning in 1916, before the United States entered World War I, were the very nucleus of the U.S. Army Air Service when it was formed in 1918. They are often referred to as "the founding fathers of American combat aviation," yet few Americans know their names.
In an homage to the Lafayette Escadrille, Avi-8 embraces the true essence of the "Flyboy" moniker. Young, brash, bold, reckless but heroic and deeply drawn by a sense of duty as much as adventure – it was indeed the few and the brave of the Lafayette that gave rise to the name which has become synonymous with the Avi-8 timepiece collection.
With a sensibly proportioned 43 mm case – the Flyboy has been designed to echo an early 20th century pilot watch fused with the modern day functionality and precision of the Avi-8 range. A solid 316 L stainless steel case is affixed with a beveled hardened mineral lens that subtly magnifies the dial.
The dial is perfectly proportioned to give both a classic and vintage appeal. Hour and minute hands work excellently to complete the Lafayette.
The genuine leather straps underlining is hand-stitched with the famous colur of the French tricolore to pay another subtle tribute to the legend of Lafayette and the heroic band of roguish men from France and America who would comprise this epochal group of airmen.
This is a handsome, pilot inspired timepiece leaning on a heroic history yet utterly modern in performance and build.


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What started as a dispute over a pair of digital billboards in Lawrence has evolved into a battle with broad implications
for Marion County. The outcome will answer two key questions: whether billboard companies can plant their lucrative electronic
signs here and who gets to decide.
The fight isn't just between outdoor advertising companies, who see a gold mine in the remote-controlled signs, and detractors
who think the billboards are obnoxious and dangerous. It also involves government officials in Indianapolis and Lawrence who
can't agree on who has jurisdiction in the case.
"This could set an inappropriate precedent in terms of uniform zoning," said Larry Williams, principal planner in
Marion County's
Division of Planning. "We feel this is a significant issue that could affect the entire county."
Earlier this year, the Lawrence Board of Zoning Appeals approved two digital billboards, one in the 7300 block of East 46th
Street and the other in the 7400 block. Louisiana-based Lamar Outdoor Advertising owns one of the signs. The other is owned
by Virginia-based LightPoint Impressions LLC.
Lawrence allowed the signs in spite of the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development's decision to prohibit digital
billboards countywide over concerns about visual clutter and roadway safety.
Lawrence officials feel they have jurisdiction over zoning within their city limits.
"Not one member of the Metropolitan Development Commission is from Lawrence," said Lawrence Mayor Paul Ricketts.
"At some
point in time, people locally should decide what they do and don't want."
City planners called the Lawrence zoning board's decision into question, and appealed the matter to the Metropolitan Development
Commission. The full commission was set to vote on the legality of the digital billboards Oct. 15, but the meeting broke down
over an argument about jurisdiction. After MDC members finally decided they did have jurisdiction, officials for the billboard
companies asked for a continuance to the Jan. 21 MDC meeting.
In the interim, they've taken the dispute to court. On Nov. 12, Lamar filed a lawsuit asking a Marion County judge to uphold
Lawrence's sole jurisdiction over the matter. LightPoint did the same Nov. 13.
Mike Quinn, Lamar's local counsel, doesn't think that question will be settled anytime soon and believes the case could be
tied up in court for several months. If the MDC votes against the digital billboards Jan. 21, Lamar and LightPoint could appeal
that decision in a separate court case.
"Whoever loses this will likely appeal to the state appellate court, then it could potentially go to the Indiana State
Court," Quinn said. "We feel the state statute says Lawrence should have exclusive jurisdiction on all property
within its
boundaries. I've been practicing zoning law since 1967, and I've never seen anything like this. The [MDC] must feel pretty
strongly about it."
Marion County zoning officials think if the judge sides with Lawrence, it will call into question who has the final say on
zoning matters not only in Lawrence, but also in Speedway, Southport and Beech Grove. The four towns within the county were
allowed to retain a degree of independence when Indianapolis and the county merged their governments in 1970.
Digitally divergent
Outside those four incorporated towns, the odds of winning approval for digital billboards appear slim.
This isn't Lamar's first effort to get a digital billboard approved in Marion County. Last summer, the county's Board of Zoning
Appeals approved by a vote of 3-2 a request from Lamar to replace a traditional billboard with a digital one at East 86th
Street and River Road. But the MDC overturned the decision.
MDC officials are unabashedly opposed to digital advertising, which is typically stretched across a 14-foot-by-48-foot billboard.
"They have an intent to distract," said Williams, Marion County's principal planner.
He said the traditional billboards Light-Point and Lamar want to change to digital billboards in Lawrence pose a heightened
"Those billboards are near roadway exits and intersections," Williams said. "We feel they can be a serious
traffic hazard."
Digital billboards are not allowed to feature moving pictures or video. Instead, they show a rotation of static pictures,
images or messages that change every few seconds. Indiana law says digital billboards can change after a minimum of eight
Lamar officials cite two 2007 studies — one by Tantala Associates, a Philadelphia-based engineering consulting firm,
and the
other by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute — that stated digital billboards are no more of a distraction than standard
billboards. The Federal Highway Administration, however, is still studying the safety of such signs, and is expected to submit
its finding to Congress in early 2009.
"There's never been a reported accident attributed to a billboard, let alone a digital billboard," said Chris Iversen,
local general manager.
In addition, Lamar and LightPoint have promised to give Lawrence time slots on the new digital billboards to display community
information, including traffic updates and Amber alerts.
Norman Pace, the land use chairman for the Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations, said you don't need a study
to see the negative impact of digital billboards.
"It's easy to see the glare of these digital billboards causes problems on the roadway, especially at night and especially
when the roads are wet or icy," Pace said. "If we start allowing these digital billboards now, it's really going
to open the
floodgates. It will be like the razzle-dazzle of Las Vegas, and we want a better image for our city than that."
Big revenue generators
One thing is certain: The advantages of digital billboards for outdoor advertising firms are immense. The messages on digital
billboards can be replaced in minutes from a remote computer. That's in sharp contrast to the seven or so days it takes to
change the message on a traditional billboard.
And digital billboards can accommodate five to seven advertisers simultaneously. That means big revenue, especially at high-demand
locations like those in Lawrence.
Monthly rent for a billboard ranges from $500 to $4,500, depending on location. Annual revenue from a single sign in a choice
location could rise from $54,000 for a traditional billboard to $320,000 for a digital sign, which can deliver up to six messages
at a time. Lamar officials told investors last year that digital billboards should generate five to eight times the revenue
of a traditional billboard.
The revenue potential is such that even smaller billboard companies, such as Columbus-based JR Promotions, are finding that
the approximately $450,000 it costs to set up a digital billboard is worth the investment. That compares to $50,000 for a
traditional billboard.
"The digital billboards give us so much more flexibility," said JR Promotions President Richard Sprague. "We
can do weekly
or even daily specials for advertisers and we can do shorter-run contracts. It sure beats changing vinyl all the time."
Until the advent of digital billboards, there have been few changes in the 80-plus-year history of the industry. Until the
1990s, wooden boards were painted and installed on billboards in a laborious days-long process. Early in that decade, ads
printed on vinyl sheets, which could be taken down and sometimes reused.
In the mid-1990s, "tri-vision," or billboards with rotating slats that could accommodate three messages, hit the
market. But
the tri-vision boards were clunky and cumbersome to change, industry experts said.
Encroaching on all sides
While jurisdictions within Marion County debate the issue, digital billboards are encroaching on its borders. JR Promotions
has two digital billboards about 25 miles south of Indianapolis, in Edinburgh, and two more less than two miles south of the
county line near the Greenwood exit on Interstate 65. They can also be found in Merrillville, Terre Haute and Evansville.
But Marion County, with its dense population and heavy commuter traffic, is the big prize, ad industry experts said.
"I think outdoor advertising companies will continue to make a big push here," said Bruce Bryant, president of locally
Promotus Advertising. "It's just too lucrative a proposition for them to give up easily."
Despite the prohibition, some digital billboards have emerged in Marion County. Simon Property Group has one at Castleton
Square Mall, and there are two next to Lucas Oil Stadium. City planners said the sign at Castleton is allowed because it is
promoting only businesses on the site. The prohibition applies to off-site advertising. City officials said the digital billboards
at the stadium are allowed because of state participation in the project. Projects the state is involved in are not subject
to city ordinances.
There are about 800 digital billboards nationwide — the vast majority erected since 2005. Lamar is by far the national
with about 600 of those. There are 10 in Indiana, up from four just one year ago.
Advertisers want them just as badly as billboard companies.
"This technology has allowed us to get on some billboards in high-traffic areas that otherwise wouldn't have been possible,"
Bryant said. "There's always been a draw to the sheer volume of people you can reach with a billboard. But now the ability
to change the message at literally a moment's notice with little added cost makes this medium even more enticing."
Bryant also sees the downside. Some areas are a good fit, such as Interstate 70 by the airport, he said. Other sites, he added,
such as the billboard at 22nd and Delaware streets, where the sign points straight down Delaware and could pose a motorist
distraction, is not a good fit.
"As powerful as this new medium is, I realize these signs can be bright and obtrusive," Bryant said. "I would
feel uncomfortable
with a plan to replace all the static billboards with digital billboards in this county. Times Square is not the appropriate
landscape for Indianapolis."


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Mark your Influence
Influo is the perfect platform for movers and shakers, for storytellers and creators. Your direct line to your favorite brands.
Do you have something unique to say?
We love your voice
The true power of an influencer lies in the quality of the content they create.
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Brands are looking for you. Connect with the right person on our platform and start collaborating.
Your portfolio
One central location to collect your past work and to share it with brands both on and off the platform with the click of a button.
Endless possibilities
Influo goes beyond a sponsored Instagram post.
Create unique content. Sign on for a product release and be the first to try out something new.
Attend exclusive events. Become a long-term ambassador for your brand.
If you can imagine it, you can make it happen.
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Product reviews - Seedings - Content creation - Exclusive events
Long-term ambassador programs - Affiliate programs
Just a few of the brands you could be working with
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Request your code, wait to be accepted to the platform, and publish your profile. It's as easy as that. No fees, no contract, no obligations.
Read more about our application guidelines in our FAQ.
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Let the fun begin: talk to brands, pitch for public campaigns, receive private opportunities, and much more…
Agents - Managers
Manage multiple influencer accounts at the same time.
Influo provides a direct line to influencer marketers from brands and agencies active on the Influo network, to which you can propose potential collaborations. Next to that, you will be able to receive business opportunities within private campaigns or you can participate in campaigns presented in the public market place.
We provide influencer managers a special account to manage a lot of influencer profiles from within one account. A business generator for media companies, modelling agencies, celebrity managers, agents etc.


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Home/Wheelchairs/GTM Wheelchairs
GTM Jaguar Wheelchair
The GTM Jaguar is the latest addition to the world-renowned range of GTM fully customisable wheelchairs, and it is the lightest yet.
It is the result of years of research into high-spec and thin-walled aerospace tubing, which has allowed GTM to really push the boundaries in producing this ultra-lightweight aluminium wheelchair.
Key features of GTM Jaguar include:
- Ideal for sports and activities as well as everyday use
- Absolute lightweight design – can be lifted with just one hand
- Allows the user even more independence than ever before
The ability to adjust the centre of gravity and other parameters for each user, allied to a wide range of other custom options, makes the GTM Jaguar suitable for users of all ages and physical conditions.
Momentum Healthcare are exclusive distributors in Ireland for the GTM Jaguar and all other GTM wheelchairs.
Use Product Enquiry Tab to get in touch for further details.
Coming soon…
Coming soon…
Coming soon…
For more information about this product or to receive a quote, please call us directly on 056 771 23 94 or fill in the form below and we'll get back to you shortly.


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God: Man I sure would like to just forgive everyone and get past this sin thing and move on.
Justice: you better not until you've paid me back or I'll slap you silly
Jesus: Slap me silly instead Justice and give Dad a break from your legalistic ways.
God: Great idea Son Justice has had my hands tied since that dam apple incident.
Justice: Well thank God there's still Hell for some addition payback for scoffers of this masterful plan
Jesus: Wow Dad who thought this crap up in the first place?


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Google officially upped the stakes in the smartphone market with its big event yesterday, where it launched the new #madebygoogle smartphone – The Pixel. With a 12.3 mp camera, 4GB RAM and a full-metal body, Google is betting big on specs and its 'home-made' appeal (which usually works better with cookies) to bring in customers.
This comes at a time when Apple has been roaming unfettered in the market – what with Samsung's S7 getting too hot to handle (not in a good way).
Thankfully, it's also got the 3.5mm audio jack too – the last time that feature made news was in 1999. The 3.5mm jack also helps you tell the Pixel apart from the iPhone considering how eerily similar they look.
But here are the good bits:
It's got two variants – 5' and a 5.5' (Just like the iPhone)
Comes with storage variants 32 GB or 128 GB
A good-sized battery at 2770 or 3540 mAh
Full aluminium body
Full HD AMOLED display
And a finger-print scanner (Again, like the iPhone)
It's also the first phone to be compatible with Google's Daydream View VR headset (Launched yesterday at $79). And also comes with a full range of Google Assistant features. Another cool move by Google is free unlimited cloud storage for all photos and videos you shoot on the Pixel. It also comes in three colours – Very Silver, Quite Black and Really Blue (Only in the US).
As of now, the Pixel is available for pre-order in the US, Australia, Canada and Germany at $649 for 32 GB and $749 for 128GB variant and the Pixel XL for $769 (32GB) and $869 (128GB). The Pixel will also be launching in India at a starting price of Rs 57,000 on October 13.


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Now more than ever, technology has the power to change the world.
In the connected age we have the opportunity to define customized experiences across different screens and devices, deliver localized and personalized content to users wherever they may be, design products and services accessible to virtually anyone, and continually improve user interface based on real-world data and customer feedback.
With mobile and multi-screen use exploding the world over and our keen understanding of user goals and actions, we now have the ability to leverage digital to meet and exceed business goals, while empowering people like never before.
We couldn't be more excited about helping you leverage the power of digital in this new era of connectedness.
We take on projects where we can define opportunities to bring measurable value to the organizations and their consumers, with a particular focus on leveraging digital to increase customer engagement and retention, while uncovering new opportunities to deliver exceptional service, company-wide.
Our experience, passion, and acumen have helped companies large and small meet investment, growth, and sales goals, ultimately unlocking organizational potential through digital transformation.
Each business has the ability to leverage digital transformation consulting in different ways. Beyond our digital ecosystem solutions, we frequently collaborate with thought leaders in Toronto and beyond to extend our problem solving to additional areas of expertise, such as research, marketing, and programming.
Our approach is based on a collaborative, transparent process which includes weekly project meetings, in-person at your offices, from our experience design studio in Toronto, or connecting with widely dispersed project teams remotely.
From research to strategy, design to delivery, we're here to help when you're ready to add digital strategy, experience design, and validated learning processes to your team.
We've architected our downtown Toronto office as a flexible open-concept environment.
The exposed brick and wooden beams of the former peanut manufacturing building has four breakout areas for user workshops, brainstorming, or stakeholder interviews, as well as a private meeting room.
Whether we're hosting clients, frequent collaborators, or conducting end-user tests on site or remotely, we have the space and tools to excel as a productive and rewarding innovation, service design, and digital transformation leadership environment.
Say Yeah's Toronto experience design studio.
We are inclusive and accessible in our communications as well as our work efforts. Our approach to delivering service is based on an understanding of diverse perspectives, capabilities, and requirements. We work to ensure we serve stakeholder needs, including accommodating physical, environmental, digital literacy, and communication needs, including providing multi-lingual services and communications, as required.
We have extensive digital accessibility experience through our past work with the World Wide Web Foundation and ongoing inclusivity efforts, and follow best practices with our consulting work across digital ecosystems and physical spaces.
We lead by example through our hiring practices, Disrupting with Digital events, and ongoing support of Together, the volunteer organization that is working to shape a more inclusive digital community across Toronto and the GTA.


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Page Not Found
|That's "404: File not found" for the technically inclined. For the not-so-technically inclined, that means that the link you clicked, or the URL you typed into your browser, didn't work for some reason.
Here are some possible reasons why:
So now what?
If you need more help email email@example.com .


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Winter is here and before you know it the days will grow longer and Spring will be upon us. If you're from the east coast or if you just haven't skied as much as you planned on this season then maybe it's time to consider taking a trip to a resort where the snow is actually flying. From Alaska to New Mexico, plenty of resorts out west have seen significant storms all season and this El Nino fueled winter doesn't look like it'll slowing down anytime soon. Each year many of the resorts on this list receive above average snowfall during the months of February and March so now would be the time to book your trip if you want to ski some late season powder.
Taos Valley - New Mexico
Photo Courtesy: Taos Valley Facebook Page
When it comes to planning a ski vacation not many of us would consider looking for resorts in New Mexico. However, Taos Valley happens to be one of North America's greatest kept secrets in skiing. So far this winter the resort has only received a meager 118 inches of snow but they are currently sitting on an 82 inch base with 109 out of 110 trails open. Last spring Taos got dumped on with storms dropping over 90 inches between February and March. Taos Valley is in line to receive lots of snow later this season as the spring storms roll in.
Mt. Bachelor - Oregon
Photo Courtesy: Mt. Bachelor Facebook Page
After a disappointing 14/15 season the current winter is shaping up to be a great one at Mt. Bachelor. So far this year Bachelor has piled up an impressive 261 inches of snow with a 111 inch base. The resort currently has 5 terrain parks open with access to over 3000 acres of skiing. 60% of terrain at the Bachelor is listed as a black diamond or higher. With more snow scheduled to drop this week the fun will continue in Oregon.
Sugar Bowl - California
Photo Courtesy: Sugar Bowl Facebook Page
During the winter of 10/11 Sugar Bowl Resort located just North of Lake Tahoe received an insane 750 inches of snow. In the four seasons since then Sugar Bowl, like the rest of Tahoe has been plagued with historically low snow totals. Last year Sugar Bowl received less than 100 inches of snow and the resort closed in mid March. So far in 15/16 Sugar Bowl has received 252 inches of snow with more than 2 feet of fresh projected for the coming week. With 102 of 103 trails open conditions are at an all time high. Home to some of the most under rated terrain in the west Sugar Bowl is a big mountain that does not receive the same large crowds that gather at nearby Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows resorts.
Mt. Baker - Washington
Photo Courtesy: Mt. Baker Facebook Page
Year after year Mt. Baker continues to top the charts in annual snowfall totals. The winter of 15/16 is shaping up to be no different with Baker having already received an astounding 301 inches of snow. The Pacific Northwest has been getting slammed all season and Mt. Baker currently has a 140 inch snow depth with 38 of 38 trails open. Considering Baker receives an average of 640 inches a year there should be plenty of snow still to come this season.
Wolf Creek - Colorado
Photo Courtesy: Wolf Creek Facebook Page
While the rest of the west was struggling to find snow last season Wolf Creek located in Southwest Colorado received massive storms almost weekly. The resort was blessed with over 120 inches of snow in February and March alone last year. This year is proving to be no different as Wolf Creek has received 269 inches so far. Currently sitting at a base depth of 105 inches Wolf Creek isn't the steepest mountain on the list by any means but the resort provides some of the finest tree skiing in the west. Lift tickets here are surprisingly low by Colorado standards so take advantage of the cheap deals while they last.
Alyeska - Alaska
Photo Courtesy: Alyeska Facebook Page
Skiers young and old have dreamed of tackling the mighty mountains that are found throughout Alaska. For those of us that aren't willing to spend the big bucks on Heli-skiing or Cat-skiing there's good old Alyeska Resort. Located in southern Alaska in the town of Girdwood, Alyeska provides skiers with access to over 1,400 acres of terrain serviced by 9 lifts. So far this season Alyeska has received a whopping 362 inches of powder. If you've ever wanted to take a trip to Alaska check out Alyeska if the skiing isn't enough for you then the views will be.


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GREENBROOK. Ill., Sep. 3, 1976—It's colorless, odorless, and free—and it's a phenomenon that's sweeping through front yards and playgrounds across America. Small children are getting high right under the noses of their parents and teachers.
What is this dangerous new trend? Spinning around in a circle.
John Warner, age 6, is a daily user. "I spin and fall down," he said.
Falling down seems to be the point of this new high. Scores of children can be seen spinning around in circles, sometimes making as many as 15 or 20 revolutions, then drunkenly staggering about—eyes swimming in their heads—before collapsing to the ground and giggling like fools, only to rise again to repeat the process.
Information is sketchy as to where the trend might have started, but one theory is that it began at summer day camp, from an activity known as the "dizzy-izzy relay."
Elizabeth Banister, age 15, was a junior counselor at one of the local camps where the "dizzy-izzy relay" was allegedly a staple. "You have them put their forehead on a baseball bat, looking at the ground, and then they have to spin around the bat 10 times before running to tag the next person in line. They always fall flat on their faces. It's hilarious."
But the after-effects of a day spent spinning around in a circle are hardly a laughing matter. According to Mr. Warner after one particularly lengthy spinning session, "I threw up in my mouth. Ho Hos. Lunch. It burned."
That the vast majority of spinning around in circles happens in broad daylight and in front of adults would seem to suggest that there's little concern about this phenomenon, but Phyllis Wilcox, president of Parents Unusually Concerned about Everything (PUCE) sees danger, particularly in the role the summer day camps may be playing.
"It's not just the spinning around in a circle. When I look at the camps, I see a bunch of kids dressed in the same colored T-shirts, singing songs and drinking Kool-Aid. This is either communism or a cult."
Ms. Wilcox sees spinning around in a circle as a gateway to worse depravity: "At the camp I observed, after the dizzy-izzy relay they engaged in a bondage ritual they called 'toilet paper mummy.' Would small children be doing this if their brains weren't being damaged? Thank goodness I left before I could see what 'eating grilled weenies' was all about."
Mr. Warner believes in keeping his eyes wide open while spinning around in circles, to the point where they appear to be bugging out of his head. Health experts, however, have a pretty good understanding of what spinning around in circles is all about. Dr. Phillip Spackman, a leading expert in neurological research, describes the effects of spinning in circles this way: "They're literally scrambling their brains. The inner ear, which processes a complex series of stimuli in order to maintain balance, gets overloaded and the body simply collapses in confusion. It's like kicking a phonograph. What happens after you do it? The needle skips."
Why kids continue to spin around despite the immediate consequences, however, is less understood. "Who knows why anyone wants to alter their reality?' Dr. Spackman asks. "It's possible that they see spinning around in a circle as a way to reach a heightened sensory and emotional state. On the other hand, it could be that they're children and children do stupid things for no reason."
Dr. Spackman considers this for a moment, then adds, "My kid shoves crayons up his nose."
Any potential permanent effects of spinning around in a circle are also unknown. After observing Mr. Warner failing to color inside the lines on a school project after a recess spent spinning around in circles, Dr. Spackman could only guess at the boy's future. "He could turn out to be just fine, or he could be evolving into a moron. My hunch is moron."
There's even controversy within the spinning-around-in-circles community as well, effectively dividing spinning around in circles devotees into two camps: "eyes closed" and "eyes open."
Mr. Warner believes in keeping his eyes wide open, to the point where they appear to be bugging out of his head. "Colors go by, blurry, wheee!" he argues.
The eyes-shut proponents make the case that their method provides a less intense, longer lasting high. Sally Whitehead, age 12, and a former spinner around in circles describes it this way, "It's just more mellow, like you've been stirred, not shaken. It leaves you plenty of brain cells for later on when you start drinking and smoking pot."
PUCE's Ms. Wilcox would like to see this practice nipped in the bud. "In my day, we might hold our breaths until we turned blue, or stand on our heads, but that was harmless experimentation. Spinning around in a circle is dangerous, dangerous stuff."
Mr. Warner, however, disagrees, at least as far as we can tell. "Wheeeeee, glarrrgle, hee, hee, hee, yurp," he said.
Hee, hee, hee, yurp, indeed.
My Life in the Times
Spinning Into an Early Grave?
The higher you go, the further you have to fall. Kids at Greenbrook Elementary find a dangerous new way to kill time, while a concerned community worries that might not be all that's in jeopardy.
GREENBROOK. Ill., Sep. 3, 1976—It's colorless, odorless, and free—and it's a phenomenon that's sweeping through front yards and playgrounds across America. Small children are getting high right under the noses of their parents and teachers.


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Grunge Buster is a grout & tile cleaning brush. It's iron shape design helps make unpleasant household chores a whole lot easier. The outer softer bristles clean tiles while the tough narrow middle bristle do a killer job on the grout. Materials made from recycled plastic and bamboo. Tough bristles for grout, softer bristles for tile. Easy grip handle allows for tough, forceful scrubbing. Stands on end for quick drying and bacteria build-up preventions. Curved handle allows for convenient hanging storage. Bamboo is coated with natural oils to prevent water damage.
Self collection - Our trading hours are Monday - Friday from 7am - 4pm. Saturdays from 10am - 2pm.
Standard Courier - Regular door to door delivery.
Express Delivery: Quick door to door delivery
Local Delivery: In-house delivery service within 20km radius from inner Melbourne. Available with large orders only.
Product Weight
Grout & Tile Brush - 0.15 kgs


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We love weddings and will do everything we can to ensure a perfect day.
The setting is ideally suited to a romantic wedding, with spectacular sea views, wonderful indoor/outdoor facilities and delicious cuisine. We specialise in small, intimate weddings up to a maximum of 50 guests. On site accommodation is limited to 34, however, we will source extra accommodation nearby if required.
In order to continue our high standards of personal service to all of our guests, groups of more than 6 are required to book all of the apartments at a special wedding party rate. We would be delighted to discuss your plans in more detail and offer you further information and a recommended itinerary.
Guest Book Entries
"The wedding was an unforgettable experience. The resort was beautiful and the service impeccable."
"... the staff of Bay of Many Coves were delightful to deal with and so helpful with our many questions."


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KenyaA cracked nation holds its breath
The economy is shaking as government and opposition remain deadlocked
NEARLY three weeks after a bitterly disputed election, President Mwai Kibaki (left), who almost certainly lost it, is defiantly refusing to compromise, let alone bow out, in the hope that time is on his side and that the fury of the thwarted opposition, led by Raila Odinga and his Orange Democratic Movement, will gradually subside. International mediators and Western diplomats have made no headway. The violence, which has caused some 600 deaths, has lessened a bit but has certainly not ended.
Mr Odinga's Oranges won at least one notable victory this week after Parliament reopened. Despite a determined and expensive effort by the president's men to win over representatives from smaller parties, the Oranges got their choice as speaker, the third office in the land, when Kenneth Marende, a lawyer, squeaked in by 105 votes to 101. "I need all the prayers I can get," he said afterwards.
Indeed he does. At times the proceedings were absurd. "Let us not make this political," implored the presiding clerk, while the two front benches exchanged taunts of "thief" and "murderer". Mr Kibaki was ignored by the opposition when he limped in; the Oranges rose in applause at Mr Odinga's entry. Mr Marende's election as speaker may have saved lives. Nationwide Orange protests were disruptive but less lethal than they might have been.
So far, Western governments have yet to recognise Mr Kibaki fully. The biggest aid-givers, including the United States, Britain and the European Union, are threatening to divert their largesse from government coffers unless he seeks a "meaningful settlement" with the opposition. It is unclear whether that means the West wants Mr Kibaki to step down.
The Americans were at first readier to endorse his re-election, because he has been their sturdy ally in their war on terror, whereas Mr Odinga, who won most of Kenya's Muslim votes, is warier of an American alliance. Now, however, the Americans seem to have come round to the European and British view that Mr Kibaki should, at the very least, offer Mr Odinga and his party a big role in government or perhaps even agree to run the election again, though that seems highly unlikely.
Other African governments seem loth to interfere. John Kufuor, the Ghanaian president who also chairs the African Union, tried to mediate but entirely failed to shift Mr Kibaki, whose inner circle is plainly dismissive of international arbitration. "We won the election and do not see any point in anyone coming to mediate power-sharing," says John Michuki, a former security minister now in charge of roads. Another would-be mediator, the UN's former secretary-general, Kofi Annan, this week conveniently came down with flu and delayed his trip to Kenya.
But Mr Kibaki is not yet home and dry. His loss of the speakership shows how hard it will be for him to govern through Parliament. He may try to ignore it and run the country from State House. With loyalists running the finance, justice and energy ministries, plus the security services, he may be able to do so. But it may make him even more unpopular outside his Kikuyu heartland and increase the lawlessness.
Meanwhile, the economy is fast beginning to suffer. Business in down-town Nairobi, the capital, and in provincial towns across the country, has slumped. Tea-brokers in Mombasa, Kenya's second city, whose port serves most of east Africa, say that another month of instability could ruin the city's regular auction of one the country's main exports.
Asian Kenyans are especially jittery. Many in the western city of Kisumu, Mr Odinga's provincial capital, have fled to Uganda. Some in Mombasa say they want to leave Kenya for good. An exodus of Asians would badly hurt Kenya's economy. So would the loss of shipping business to Dar es Salaam in neighbouring Tanzania, where a number of container ships have already been diverted.
Pictures of angry men with machetes have scared off holidaymakers from the coast. Some hotels have closed for the season, others are nearly empty. Dhows and camel rides have no takers. South of Mombasa, many businesses belonging to Mr Kibaki's fellow Kikuyus have been burnt.
If Mr Kibaki wants to rescue Kenya's faltering economy, let alone mend its politics, he must seek a compromise with his angry opponents. It is not yet clear whether time is on his side—or on Mr Odinga's.