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A few months back, a British anomaly investigation organization announced the possible death of UFOlogy.
They admitted that failure to provide proof that UFOs were extraterrestrial craft and a decline in the number of UFO reports suggests that aliens do
not exist after all. Was this the end of "UFOlogy"—the study of UFOs? "No way! It's alive and well here," said the U.S. UFOlogists. So it is. But what
is the real status of the study of UFOs?
The UFO research field is having a bit of a crisis these days. Reports come in by the hundreds. There are not enough people to investigate them. Yet,
decades of UFO research by private and military organizations have resulted in disappointment for those who surely thought there was something out there to
reveal. Many of the historic figures of UFOlogy are aging or have passed away. Who is doing the work now? And what exactly are they doing?
The major organization remaining in the U.S. for investigating UFO sightings is MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network. MUFON is not in good shape. Their stated mission is to conduct
scientific investigation of UFO reports for the benefit of mankind. But there is dispute about their ability to actually do that. The current version of
MUFON, according to those observing the situation, is focused on everything except proper UFO investigation and is nowhere near scientific.
Membership in the organization has fallen off and some local MUFON groups are disgruntled. Leadership upheavals over the past few years may have been
distracting and overall, they are experiencing a serious case of mission creep.
MUFON consists of chapters covering each state across the country who operate somewhat independently with members paying dues to the main headquarters.
They promote a scientific method. But do they actually accomplish that goal? Recent commentators say no, they do not. The focus in local MUFON chapters
meetings these days is decidedly unscientific with talks on alien abduction, conspiracy theories, human-ET hybrids, hypnotic regression, and repressed
memories. That's a wide range of pseudoscience in one place. It's dragging down the credibility of the entire subject as well as missing the point of
improving actual UFO investigations.
A comprehensive two-part piece
recently appeared online describing the changing of the guard at MUFON that is installing its fourth director since 2009. The UFO Trail blog critiques the current status the field and takes note of the
rising voices in the community, some of whom wish to elevate the investigations and methods out of the realm of pseudoscience. Author of The UFO Trail,
Jack Brewer, is critical of the current methodology, characterized it as "sham inquiry"—a label I used to describe amateur paranormal investigation and one
he thought also applied in this case.
The newly named director of MUFON, Jan Harzon, states that UFOlogy is a science and intends to put a scientific face back on UFO investigations. Their latest symposium, held in Las Vegas
this past July had the theme "Science, UFOs, and the Search for ET." The conference featured presentations from several science professionals (current and
former) but did not provide any blockbuster information or do much to promote science.
"We hope to bridge the gap between science and UFOlogy," said Jan Harzan, state director of network's Orange County bureau. "They're one in the same."
Las Vegas Sun (19 July 2013).
Many skeptical critics would dispute the claim that UFOlogy is a science but that depends on how you wish to define "science." A general definition such as
a "systematically collected body of knowledge" is not very descriptive of a subject area that contains a lot of data but few constructive hypotheses to
provide a framework. The UFO sighting data is mostly witness reports and much of it is of questionable veracity or too old to be of much value any longer.
The National UFO Reporting Center has a database of reported sightings but I haven't found any
compelling reports about flaps or trends to make sense of the data. It could be that I'm not reading cutting-edge UFO research but if there really was a
good report that solidly concluded that there was a pattern and subsequent explanation for UFO flaps, I would be interested. I would hope I'd have heard of
it, at least from those who have a more in-depth knowledge. But, as with claims of proof of psychics or hauntings, we only have popular, often biased
reports about particular events from individuals that have a belief to promote. Those case studies in addition to being problematic in their accuracy
(since it's hard to confirm many of the events via witnesses), are not robust enough to aid in explaining the phenomenon.
The discussion coming from a small group of today's modern UFO researchers suggests that UFOlogy is on the wrong track these days. With a focus on
abductions, conspiracies, and exopolitics/disclosure, the core of the field is no longer about investigating and identifying what people are reporting to
have seen in the sky.
Antonio Paris runs the API Aerial Phenomenon Investigation Team, which has a somewhat
different focus than MUFON. He wishes to return to the "nuts and bolts" idea of UFO investigation and get away from the conspiracy and fringe topics that
so often dominate the symposiums and local MUFON talks.
I asked Antonio what sorts of tools his organization uses to do investigations. He noted that Internet sites can help identify some of the man-made objects
like aircraft and satellite. MUFON also mentions these tools on their sites along with astronomical sites to identify bright celestial objects that are
sometimes confusing to people viewing them on the ground. Paris is also familiar with the shape of many military aircraft and says he can typically
identify them in association with military bases nearby. API has tackled about 300 or so cases but does not pursue those that look like jokes, hoaxes, or
give them nothing to go on. There is no lack of UFO reports. An initial screening to determine viable cases is necessary to remove those cases not worthy
of investigation or they would be overwhelmed.
MUFON trains their investigators through a manual and an exam. Paris noted to me that the test requires no specialized skills and many people could
potentially pass it without even looking at the manual. The certification as a field investigator is a worthwhile effort by MUFON to standardize their
methods and provide a framework for consistency of methods but it's only internal to MUFON. When each MUFON chapter operates pretty much on its own,
inconsistency and regional differences creep in. Paris told me he is frustrated by the lack of sharing of information both internally and externally of
MUFON noting that an object of interest can fly over a wide area. Coordination of reports that may be of the same object would be a worthwhile effort.
Science is dependent on sharing information either through collaboration or peer review of findings. UFOlogy appears weak in that area having no
established journal or even an online location for filing results.
Even more fundamental to UFOlogy than answering "Is it a science?" is "Can it ever be scientific?"
UFOs are uniquely difficult to investigate for several reasons. The observation is fleeting. It may not repeat. It is difficult to reproduce. If it remains
airborne, it leaves no physical evidence behind, only the story of the witness. The observation is often made in the dark under conditions in which it is
difficult (or impossible) to accurately judge size and distance.
The options for making a UFO into an IFO (identified) are many and various. Along with the typical reports (satellites, aircraft, flares and planets), we
have more man-made things in the air now than ever: experimental balloons and aircraft, weather balloons, Chinese lanterns, drones, dirigibles, toys and deliberate hoaxes.
Even people can become UFOs.
Can UFOs be scientifically investigated?
If by "scientific" we mean methodical, objective observations in consideration of natural laws, logic and reason, then, yes. I think UFO investigation can
be scientific but the sea change that is needed would be pretty huge for the field and I don't know if they can pull it off. As with paranormal
investigators, UFO researchers tend to lean towards the believer side. That's what keeps them passionate. But it's also their undoing. A bias towards
belief in a mystery or in alien craft is the first giant misstep in UFOlogy. The first step for a rejuvenated field to gain credibility is to drop the
default belief that ETs are visiting earth and back up to the very basic question, "What, if anything, did this witness see?" Begin looking for real world
answers instead of "proof" to support a belief in alien life.
I found a great example of one such sound UFO investigation. Andrew Hansford recently gave an excellent talk at the 2013 Amazing Meeting about how he
examined a UFO case from Marblehead, MA. You can see his report here. He was able to glean the
best answer and make a solid conclusion from rather few bits of initial information. He used the tools available to him to seek a down-to-earth
I asked CFI fellow and Skeptical Inquirer UFO columnist Robert Sheaffer his thoughts about scientific investigation of UFOs. It's a bit tricky. Many have
assumed it's possible, he says, but it turns out to be more difficult than it seems. Sheaffer has documented the several times "rapid response" teams have
been attempted by UFO organizations. It was hoped that by gathering "reliable witness reports," and implementing a "rapid response team" to capture the UFO
with professional filming techniques, better evidence could be put forth for the claim that something worth paying attention to was really occurring.
Rapid response teams turned out to be disappointing, says Sheaffer. Antonio Paris was part of one such team, the "STAR Team" for MUFON. Millionaire Robert Bigelow funded the project. "MUFON
has been somewhat tight-lipped about the results," Sheaffer tells me, "but they are generally conceded to be hugely disappointing." It did not give them
the results they hoped for.
Sheafffer has written about other "rapid response" efforts prior to the STAR Team in his
Psychic Vibrations column of July/Aug, 2009 of Skeptical Inquirer. In 1967, J. Allen Hynek proposed and later implemented a national toll-free UFO Hotline. Experienced screeners manned the lines twenty-four hours a day.
They contacted local police and/or other investigators who would rush to the scene. Hynek expected this method would yield excellent evidence. Even with
the cooperation of the FBI, years later, it did not produce the expected results.
The National UFO Reporting Center, run by Peter Davenport, has had a telephone hotline since 1974.
In 1977, the French government created an agency called GEPAN to investigation UFO reports. After producing nothing convincing, official UFO investigations
in France ended in 2004. The British UFO desk was closed in 2009 despite a surge of
sighting reports. Nothing was distillable from the reports.
In the late 1990s, the Los Vigilantes of Mexico City was organized to respond to a flap of UFO sightings in the area. Cameras were at the ready to
respond to UFO reports on short notice. Sheaffer says, as far as he was aware, they never obtained anything of significance.
MUFON still gets hundreds of cases a month and there is considerable backlog of investigations. That's a hefty work load for volunteers. There is a need to
sort the wheat from the utter chaff but there still are valid means to find out what people probably saw in the sky. Most reports will have a satisfying
answer if diligently investigated. But that may not happen or the eyewitness may not accept it.
Paris's API group is in contact with the new leadership at MUFON and is encouraged that a more sound approach to the field is on the horizon. This may be a
new dawn for UFOlogy as the old guard dies away and the new, more centered, serious thinkers take over. UFOlogy is undergoing a transformation once again.
For now, UFOlogy attempts to sound sciencey, but it is not nearly up to the standards to be called "science." Can it be science? Only with a wholesale
change in assumptions and approach. Drop the fascination with conspiracies and abductions—go back to nuts and bolts.
Sharon will be participating in UFOCon14 in Baltimore, Maryland in 2014.


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Windows enterprises will stick with XP
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is here, but many IT managers see Vista as a step back. For that matter, some managers aren't so hot on XP SP3 either.
CHICAGO - Windows Vista SP1 offers fixes for defrag and backup issues and minimizes some of the operating system's annoying features – the user account control. But even with these changes, IT managers are not warming up to Microsoft's new desktop OS.
Many Windows shops will stretch the life of XP with XP SP3,
While end users may be more likely to adopt new OS technology, IT managers tend to stick with what works for as long as possible. IT managers attending a TechTarget-sponsored event on Vista migration, led by author and Windows expert Mark Minasi, were asked about their own plans to migrate to Vista.
"If I felt Vista [SP1] introduced any improvements over XP, I would consider moving to it, but from what I've heard there isn't any real improvement," said Steve Cook, systems manager with communications services firm Black Dot in Crystal Lake, Ill.
James J. Beres & Associates Inc., a civil engineering firm in Chicago, has loaded Vista onto four machines. Jeff Ziegler, vice president, has had to downgrade some applications to make them run on Vista. For example, he had to downgrade from Symantec Corp.'s Endpoint Protection version 11 to version 10.2.
Lacking third-party support
But is the problem one of Microsoft's OS or is it really about compatibility issues with other applications and trouble with drivers?
"Automatically people are saying this OS doesn't work when something comes up, but you really have to question what other vendors are doing to make their [software] work with the new OS," Minasi said.
He said he predicted that many Windows shops will stick with XP for the next three or four years. "Why would [IT shops] bother to upgrade when they've been through all the wear and tear of XP SP2, which was really an OS upgrade, although Vista SP1 does address some of the stuff that was missed in Vista when it was released," said Minasi.
Those who have tested Vista say at least 2 gigs are needed on a PC, but to really make applications run smoothly, some IT managers say you really need 4 gigs. That sort of hardware upgrade cuts into the IT budget.
"Cost-wise, Vista is a big move," said James Adgate, compliance analyst with Aon Corp. in Randolph, Ill., which has about 40,000 users. Adgate predicts it will be at least two years before Aon upgrades to Vista. The move will likely be hastened by the need to take advantage of features in Windows Server 2008 that require a Vista client.
Other IT managers shared his sentiment.
As for XP SP3, IT managers are unsure of the advantages of upgrading. "Other than being able to use NAP [network access protection], I don't see an imminent need to go to XP SP3," said Rodney Duckworth, with the information systems group of the American Bar Association in Chicago. "Other than the roll up of fixes, we're pretty happy with XP as it is."

subset: commoncrawl


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Industry HealthScore
Glatt Consulting's Credit Union Industry HealthScore is a composite financial performance score reflecting the financial health of US-based credit unions. The HealthScore system calculates overall credit union health by scoring/grading credit union performance across seventeen different key ratios on a ten-point scale with ten indicating the highest possible performance. The HealthScore is published quarterly and is used by Glatt Consulting, individual credit unions, and media professionals alike to track, report on, and respond to industry-wide trends affecting credit union health.
The current HealthScore, updated to include 3rd quarter 2019 credit union performance data, is 5.964.
HealthScore Resources
Report Subscriptions
We offer a complimentary custom report subscription for individual credit unions. Reports highlight score trends and showcase top performing peer credit unions. Subscribe now
Score Trends
We maintain a series of charts that illustrate year-over-year changes in the HealthScore and in each of the 17 component scores making up the HealthScore. View the latest charts
HealthScore News
We regularly post HealthScore articles and analysis to our GC news page. Stay up-to-date on what've we've learned about the industry by browsing our article archives. View the latest updates
Score Background and History
Glatt Consulting's HealthScore was an outcome of a Glatt Consulting client merger project. In 2007 we were asked by a client greatly impacted by the recession to help them quickly identify and rank the overall "health" of potential merger candidates. Their desire was to find a partner healthy enough to take on the challenges of the credit union's increasingly risky balance sheet, and that could continue to provide good service to the credit union's members. We created a rudimentary scoring system that allowed us to determine the relative health of potential partners, and to rank their "fit" given the credit union's objectives.
Since that time we have fine-tuned the scoring model and system and have used it in a variety of client projects. To-date our HealthScore has been used to support the development of credit union merger strategy, as a reference tool for client strategy planning and assessment, for CEO performance evaluation criteria, as a means for credit unions to track and evaluate competitors, for general market assessment – and more.
Interested in learning more about how to use the score at your credit union? Give us a call at (888) 217-5988.


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Jameis Winston throws a TD pass on the game's first drive [GIF]
In tonight's battle for the Heisman, it was Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston who struck first.
Winston led the charge down the field after Clemson's Stanton Seckinger fumbled away the Tigers' possession and capped off the Seminoles opening drive with this 22-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin.
MORE: Stanford WR's must-see catch | Marquez North's one-handed grab | Follow live
Worth noting: it was Winston's first pass attempt of the game.
[via SB Nation]


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David Skeberdis admits he may be a slob, but he says he's also a bird lover.
Numerous people have asked Skeberdis why he didn't just release his hundreds of birds when Aurora city officials threatened last week to take them from his Shadybrook Lane home.
"That would be completely heartless," Skeberdis said.
"I'm not a heartless person," he told NBC Chicago. "Really, when I first found out the city was coming in, I wouldn't have just got rid of the birds, I wouldn't have just sent them outside, I'm not that type of person. I mean, how heartless can you be?"
Skeberdis said he has spent two days preparing to turn over the birds to the Gerter Chicago Caged Bird Club, which promised to find them good homes.
He showed NBC Chicago a cage he prepared to hand over to the club with 12 birds of different species inside.
"I'm getting down to a deadline, I mean, yesterday I was up 21 hours," Skeberdis said.
When he opened the door to retrieve the cage, piles of garbage was seen on the floor and stairs, and the entranceway floor was covered in bird seed.
Aurora city officials enforced a court order that allowed them to enter the home at 10 a.m. Friday, the deadline for removing the birds. Inside, they found 120 dead birds and roughly 325 alive ones. Those that were alive appeared to be in good condition, a city spokesman said.
"I'm sad but I've gotten over that," he said. "I've had a week for remorse. What I want now is good homes. Believe me, I'm a bird lover. I might be a slob, I let things get out of hand, but the situation is, what I need to do, is get these birds good homes."
The city also wants to charge Skeberdis $13,000 to hire a third-party contractor to clean out the debris that litters the home. Skeberdis said he can't afford it, so the city is giving him two weeks to clean it himself.
The GCCBC is a 501c3 and is looking for donations. The storefront is costing them $1,000/month and additional funds are needed to feed the birds. Donations can be made online at GCCBC.org.
Aurora Hoarder Wants Good Homes For Birds
Aurora city officials said they will enforce a court order that allows them to enter the home Friday and remove the birds
David Skeberdis admits he may be a slob, but he says he's also a bird lover.


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Quick Takes: New faces and products
SAP America has appointed a new vice president in charge of its SAP Professional Services Organization and Business Objects is selling its BusinessObjects Portal Integration Kit for SAP Portals.
Head of SAP Professional Services Organization hired
SAP America, Newtown Square, Pa., American subsidiary of SAP AG, has appointed M. Scott Reed vice president in charge of the SAP Professional Services Organization. He will oversee the SAP consultant work force in the United States, managing efforts with SAP partner companies on software implementation projects. Reed is a 19-year veteran of Grant Thornton LLP, a Chicago company with international accounting and consulting operations, where he was chief financial officer, a member of the senior management team and managing partner.
Business Objects selling product for SAP Portals
Business Objects, San Jose, Calif., a provider of business intelligence products, is selling the BusinessObjects Portal Integration Kit for SAP Portals. The PIK combines BusinessObjects InfoView with SAP Portals Inc.'s enterprise portal products. The integration delivers business intelligence content to the SAP Portal and lets users drag and relate data from Business Objects to applications in the portal, the company said.
CommerceRoute releases integration appliance for SAP
CommerceRoute Inc., Emeryville, Calif., an integration appliances company, has released its Syncx 6150 -- the first integration appliance able to interface directly with SAP systems. The Syncx 6150 provides a way to access and share SAP information and processes externally with customers and suppliers, or internally with other applications, databases or systems. It costs $75,000.
It.agency member of mySAP family
Itelligence's it.agency product is a new member of the mySAP Small and Medium Business Solutions family. Itelligence Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, is an SAP Services Partner and an SAP Certified Business Solutions Provider. Based on the mySAP.com E-Business platform, it.agency was built to expedite and facilitate advertising agency business practices.
Docent releases product
Docent Inc., Mountain View, Calif., an e-learning software company, released the Docent Enterprise Connector, a connectivity product designed to accelerate, simplify and standardize the synchronization of Docent Learning Management Servers with business data to and from enterprise applications and systems across the organization. It provides connectivity between Docent Enterprise and SAP R/3.
,a href="http://www.docent.com">www.docent.com
To include your announcement in Quick Takes, e-mail Beth Quimby, news editor


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Merry Christmas everyone! The Les Miserables movie comes out today and I cannot wait to see it. After a big Christmas breakfast followed by a nap, then a big Christmas lunch followed by a nap, I am getting ready to go see this movie. Hopefully it won't be sold out already.
Let me know what you think if you see it today. I'm anxious to hear some real reviews.
Facebook Comments


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J.Lo's Demands
J.Lo's demands reportedly cost her a gig in front of 60 million viewers at the opening ceremony of India's Premier League cricket tournament, according to the New York Post.
Sources told the Post that the singer's manager asked that a private plane be made available for her, along with numerous hotel rooms to house her huge entourage, which included an army of stylists, assistants and a personal chef.
Lopez's rep said she isn't performing because it conflicts with her schedule.
Rapper Pitbull was booked instead.


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ODAC Men's Tennis News Archive
2019-20 ODAC Men's Tennis News
2018-19 ODAC Men's Tennis News
|May 10, 2019
The Washington and Lee men's tennis team saw its season come to an end with a 5-0 loss to third-ranked Emory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday morning in Atlanta.
|May 7, 2019
Bridgewater College standout Canon Secord earned not one but two major individual honors to headline the 2019 All-ODAC Men's Tennis Awards. Secord received ODAC Player and Rookie of the Year awards from the league's head coaches. Virginia Wesleyan University mentor Marty Perry was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year, and Washington and Lee University's Mitchell Thomas garnered ODAC/Virgina Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete laurels from the conference's sports information directors.
|May 6, 2019
Washington and Lee University is set to represent the ODAC in the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Tournament, as announced by the NCAA on Monday afternoon. This season's national field is comprised of 43 squads from across the country.
2017-18 ODAC Men's Tennis News
|April 15, 2019
The spring championship season is upon us with the outdoor track & field concluding its regular season slate in preparation for next weekend's ODAC championships. Several other sports are closing in on their final contests, with performances showing that the athletes are ready. Those earning weekly honors include (pictured, top-to-bottom left-to-right): Jamie Hiegel and Calista Ariel from Bridgewater track & field, Joe O'Connor from Washington and Lee track & field, Jesse Bartley from BC women's golf, Alyson Bittinger from Shenandoah women's lacrosse, Brendan Markovic from Randolph-Macon men's lacrosse, Alissa Anderson from Lynchburg women's tennis, Mason Robb from Guilford men's tennis, Nick Roth from R-MC baseball, Carla Hall from Virginia Wesleyan softball, Keegan Woolford from SU baseball, Kendall Varner from Emory & Henry softball, and Zoe Scales from LYN track & field.
|May 12, 2018
The Washington and Lee men's tennis team saw its 2018 season come to an end with a 5-1 loss to second-ranked Emory University on Saturday morning in Atlanta.
|May 11, 2018
The Washington and Lee men's tennis team posted a 5-0 victory over Thomas More in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday afternoon at Emory University.
2016-17 ODAC Men's Tennis News
|June 22, 2017
Director of Athletics Jon Waters announced today that Chris Johnson has been appointed as the Director of Tennis. He will assume his duties effective immediately.
|June 21, 2017
The Emory & Henry College Department of Athletics and Interim Director of Athletics Anne Crutchfield are pleased to announce the hiring of Christine Johnston as Head Men's & Women's Tennis Coach.
|May 13, 2017
The Washington and Lee men's tennis team saw its season come to an end with a 5-3 loss to Sewanee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Emory University.
2015-16 ODAC Men's Tennis News
|June 6, 2016
Eastern Mennonite University and Washington and Lee University added to their awards quota for the 2015-16 season as the ODAC Board of Directors announced the annual winners of the top scholar-athlete awards in the conference. Royals' cross country and track & field star Hannah Chappell-Dick was selected as the Marjorie Berkley Award winner, while Generals' tennis standout Michael Holt was tabbed for the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award.
|May 17, 2016
Virginia Wesleyan College and Washington and Lee University each took home a pair of major honors as part of the All-ODAC Men's Tennis Awards. Marlins standout Graham Wilson and head coach Marty Perry were named the ODAC Player and Coach of the Year, respectively. The Generals Zack Ely garnered ODAC Rookie of the Year laurels, while teammate Michael Holt secured his third straight ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete award.
|May 14, 2016
The Washington and Lee men's tennis team saw its season end in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 5-0 loss to top-ranked Emory University on Saturday. The Eagles swept the doubles and then claimed straight set wins at No. 1 and No. 6 singles to close out the match.
2014-15 ODAC Men's Tennis News
|August 20, 2015
The Old Dominion Athletic Conference is pleased to announce the 2014-15 ODAC Sportsmanship Teams in each of the 17 winter and spring sports sponsored by the conference. This marks the sixth year the league has recognized these fine student-athletes for their excellence in sportsmanship.
|June 23, 2015
The Virginia Wesleyan College athletic department announced the hiring of Martin Perry as the new Director of Men's and Women's Tennis recently. Perry comes to Virginia Wesleyan from Longwood University where he was the head coach of the men's tennis program. He has also led the Bridgewater College tennis programs.
|June 8, 2015
Washington and Lee University collected its 20th and 21st season-ending conference accolades as the ODAC Board of Directors announced its top two individual student-athlete awards on Monday. Generals' track & field athlete Jillian Katterhagen was recognized as the Marjorie Berkley Award recipient, men's tennis player Christopher Hu took home the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award.
2013-14 ODAC Men's Tennis News
|June 11, 2014
Following an extensive search, Bridgewater College Director of Athletics Curt Kendall has announced the hiring of Jordon Robinson as the new head coach for the Eagles men's and women's tennis teams.
|May 19, 2014
After eight years at Hampden-Sydney College, Murrie Bates will retire from his post as head tennis coach. His teams went 80-47 overall and 52-22 in the ODAC while finishing top two in the ODAC for four straight seasons, including going undefeated at 9-0 in 2010. He led the Tigers to the conference title in 2009, the same year he was named the state coach of the year. He was also named the ODAC Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2010.
|May 10, 2014
The 26th-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team saw its season come to an end with a 5-1 loss to 12th-ranked Kenyon in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Duchossois Tennis Center.
2012-13 ODAC Men's Tennis News
|May 9, 2013
The 21st-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team fell to 23rd-ranked North Carolina Wesleyan by a score of 5-3 in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Emory University.
|May 6, 2013
Washington and Lee University will represent the ODAC in both the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Tennis Team Tournaments, set to begin play May 10-12 in a series of first, second and third round matches. The Generals earned their spots in both tournaments via the ODAC's automatic bids after winning the conference postseason tourneys.
|May 2, 2013
Washington and Lee standout Hayden White picked up a pair of honors for the second straight year as part of the 2013 ODAC Men's Tennis awards. White was named both the ODAC Player of the Year and the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. Generals' mentor David Detwiler was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year, while Virginia Wesleyan newcomer Graham Wilson earned the ODAC Rookie of the Year accolade.
2011-12 Men's Tennis News
|May 12, 2012
The 20th-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team saw its season come to an end with a 5-0 loss to second-ranked Emory University in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The loss dropped the Generals to 16-5 overall. Emory advances to the third round where it will meet either Whitman or North Carolina Wesleyan.
|May 11, 2012
The 20th-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team recovered from a 3-0 hole following doubles play to record a 5-3 victory over the University of Texas-Tyler in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday afternoon at Emory University. W&L moves on to face host Emory at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
|May 10, 2012
The NCAA released its selections for the 2012 Division III Singles and Doubles Championships to be held on May 24-26 at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. Junior Hayden White (bottom left), senior Lauren Lukas (top left) and freshman Sonja Meighan will represent Washington and Lee and the ODAC on the men's and women's sides of the bracket.
2010-11 Men's Tennis News
|May 27, 2011
ashington and Lee sophomore Hayden White was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Division III Singles Championship on Friday at Pomona-Pitzer. White, ranked seventh in the region, finished his sophomore campaign with a 19-5 overall singles record and a 20-4 doubles mark.
|May 14, 2011
The Washington and Lee men's tennis team saw its season come to an end with a 5-1 loss to North Carolina Wesleyan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday morning at the W&L Outdoor Courts.
|May 12, 2011
Washington and Lee University will represent the ODAC in the 2011 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Team Tournament set to begin on Friday. The Generals will host a five-team pod and have earned a bye into the second round. Hayden White (pictured) will also play in the individual singles tournament.
2009-10 Men's Tennis News
|March 7, 2011
Spring Break is in full swing for many schools, with tournaments featuring in several spring sports. This week, nine athletes earned weekly honors, including: Joseph Lucas, BC; Katie Bruce, LC; Shayne Paskanik, VWC (not pictured); Brenae Pettit, VWC; Tim Gavrich, W&L; Gina Valles, RC; Jeff Keating, RC; Christina Douglas, W&L; Will Hall, W&L
|June 11, 2010
A pair of student-athletes were honored with the league's highest honors on Thursday afternoon at the annual ODAC Board of Directors meetings. Rebecca Bradford from VWC was awarded the Marjorie Berkley Award. Fellow senior and H-SC mens tennis star, William Moss, garnered the Harry G. "Doc" Jopson Award.
|May 28, 2010
Hayden White has had quite a rookie year at Washington and Lee, and his season will continue on Friday as the recently crowned ITA Atlantic South Region Rookie of the Year will be the ODACs lone representative at the NCAA Division III Mens Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships. The event will be played at and hosted by Oberlin College.
2008-09 Men's Tennis News
|May 9, 2009
In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Hampden-Sydney fell short of a regional championship appearance as #2 Emory University took a convincing 5-0 victory.
|May 8, 2009
Hampden-Sydney continues its strong postseason play as the Tigers defeated the Transylvania, 5-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers came out strong in doubles play, winning two of the three matches.
|May 5, 2009
A pair of ODAC schools prepare to enter the 2009 NCAA Division III Tennis Tournaments this week as the first three rounds of play begin this weekend. Washington and Lee University will play host to five womens squads on May 8-10 while Hampden-Sydney College travels to Emory University for its NCAA action.
2007-08 Men's Tennis News
|April 21, 2008
Hampden-Sydney College sophomore standout William Moss notched is second Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) mens tennis Player of the Year award this weekend following a vote by the conferences coaches. Teammates Rich Pugh and Andrew McLeod were named the Rookie of the Year and ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year, respectively, and H-SC mentor Murrie Bates was tabbed the Coach of the Year.
|April 20, 2008
The 16th-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team defeated Hampden-Sydney, 9-0, to claim its 13th-straight ODAC championship. The Generals will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
|April 15, 2008
Washington and Lee University will be looking for its 28th Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) mens tennis crown this week as the Generals enter the 2008 postseason tournament as the top seed following an unblemished league regular season record. Hampden-Sydney College holds the second rank while Roanoke College and Bridgewater College fill out the top four seeds, respectively.
2006-07 Men's Tennis News
|June 26, 2007
Bridgewater College Director of Athletics Curt Kendall has announced the hiring of Conor Smith as the head mens and womens tennis coach.
|May 14, 2007
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its 2006-07 regional award winners on Monday afternoon. Washington and Lee Men's Tennis Coach David Detwiler and Women's Tennis Coach Cinda Rankin were both named the Atlantic South Region Coach of the Year for Division III. Additionally, senior Ginny Wortham (Richmond, Va./Collegiate) was selected as the recipient of the Division III Atlantic South Region ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship Award.
|March 1, 2007
After finishing on top of the mens tennis standings for the 11th consecutive time in 2006, Washington & Lee was picked to win its 27th overall ODAC title and make it back to the NCAA tournament in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) 2007 Preseason Poll.


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Tu Lan Cave – 4 days
Our most adventurous Tu Lan experience, this mini-expedition is led by a caving expert from the British Cave Research Association, along with a skilled adventure guide and porter team and cooks made up of local jungle men.
This caving adventure takes you into remote areas of this unique caving region, home to the most spectacular jungle and caves of Vietnam! You will also learn some caving techniques, and see how to set up jungle camps. Cave photography is an option and the guides will be able to assist you producing top quality images in the caves. On this tour we will bring 2 very high power 2,500 lumen flood lamps to make photography and video possible.
On this 35 km tough jungle and cave trek, there is plenty to keep your heart racing with some dark cave abseiling, bouldering, climbing and a lot of swimming through the caves. Our secluded jungle campsites are breathtaking and mostly different from those visited on our shorter treks in the same region.
Our Tu Lan Expedition will take you to Hang Tien Cave, one of the largest caves in the region, and with your caving expert you'll explore up to 2 km of this huge and impressive cave, which is certainly a highlight of the expedition!
$655 usd per person
Full Itinerary
Day 1: Phong Nha > Tan Hoa > Secret Cave > Tu Lan Cave (L, D)
The expedition takes off with pick up from your hotel in Phong Nha between 8:00 am and 8:30 am, before transferring to the village of Tan Hoa. Following a comprehensive safety briefing, which will include abseiling from a cliff 15m high, the trek gets underway with a hike across peanut and buffalo fields (2.5 km) to the Rao Nan River.
After crossing the river, it's a 50 m climb up to the entrance of Secret Cave. Then, climb down to Hung Ton Valley (100 m), where lunch will be served picnic-style. Cross Hung Ton Valley and conquer Hung Ton Mountain. A 2 km trail leads the way to Mango Mountain, It's 2 km more to Tu Lan Valley and then arrival at Tu Lan Valley campsite for swimming around the cooling waterfall before a well-earned dinner with the team.
Day 2: Tu Lan Cave > Hang Ken > Hang Kim > Hung Tong Valley (B, L, D)
Breakfast starts this adventurous day off right, with a trek to Tu Lan Dry Cave and an abseil 15m into Tu Lan Wet Cave followed by a 1.5 km journey through the cave on small rafts to the underground waterfalls.
At the time of writing this has only ever been visited by the original 4 explorers. This is very exciting caving and very different from all other tours. Return to the campsite for swimming before a picnic lunch at camp. Continue the fun with a 200 m swim into Ken Cave for further cave exploration. Again we will take you much farther into this beautiful cave including long swims and short climbs in very well decorated and pristine cave passage.
After returning to camp, head out for Hang Kim (500 m trek) and proceed with further cave exploration. Swim and climb through Hang Kim (1 km) and exit at To Mo Valley. Trek to Hung Ton Wet Cave and swim through to the Hung Ton Valley Campsite, where another amazing BBQ (or vegetarian) dinner will be served. Sleep under the blanket of stars in Hung Ton Valley.
Day 3: Huong Ton Valley > La Ken Valley > Hung Nhai (B, L, D)
Start off with breakfast and a 2.5 km trek across Hung Ton Valley and over the hill into La Ken Valley. Enjoy the cool river before trekking uphill and over the mountain to Dung Valley (2 km) where you will enjoy lunch en route.
Follow the river and then prepare for a challenging rocky hill climb to get to Hung Ran Valley. Visit a small cave and waterfall before arriving at another beautiful valley Hung Nhai. This leads to an uphill trek where a panoramic view of Cao Quang can be seen. We continue to reach our campsite next to a beautiful blue lagoon for dinner and a well earned rest.
Day 4: Hung Nhai > Hang Tien > Phong Nha (B, L)
Breakfast begins the day, and straight away we climb up to the impressive huge entrance to Hang Tien. This is the only tour that visits this amazing cave.
With help from the cave experts it will be possible to explore deep into the cave. This will be a tough 4 hour cave tour to the far reaches which involves climbing through some exceptional pristine cave passage. Very few people have ever seen this remote cave and this tour gives you the chance of seeing and doing something very few people have done before.well earned rest.
This is a fitting climax to the tour before we finally walk along a river with a final river crossing to meet our pick up to transfer to Phong Nha before 7pm.
Adventure level
- Moderate-to-hard (35 kms) for physically active guests (swimming is necessary)
- Weekly departures every Sunday
Group Size
- 2-8 people
- Tu Lan tour (4 days 3 nights)
- Professional English speaking tour guide
- Porter team to carry camping gear and prepare all meals
- Tent, camp light, sleeping bag
- Caving & safety gear, Helmet, headlights and gloves
- Dry bag (for personal belongings)
- Basic canvas trekking boot
- First aid Kit
- Katadyn (swiss made) water purifier & water bottle
- Basic camping facilities
- Eco-friendly compost toilet, using western toilet seats
- Meals (B= breakfast, L= lunch, D= dinner)
- Personal expenses
Things to bring
- Your Passport
- Extra Cash for personal expenses
- Swimming gear and a medium sized towel
- Sandals & comfortable clothes for campsite
- Small Backpack for personal belongings
- Wide-brimmed hat
- Calf long socks (not ankle socks)
- Sunscreen
- Rain Poncho
- Sunglasses
- Reliable insect repellent
- Toiletries
- Camera and lots of batteries
- Please recheck your ID(s).
- If you are showing a private album, check that the "Retrieve Photos From" option is set to "User's Private Album" and that the Authorization Key is correct.


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Martin Heinrich on Social Security
Martin Heinrich (D): No. Signed Social Security Protectors Pledge.
Gary Johnson (L): Yes. Some or all of Social Security should be privatized.
Mick Rich (R): No position found.
Some 200 Democratic House and Senate candidates have signed on to a pledge rejecting any effort to privatize or scale back Social Security benefits or raise the retirement age. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee sponsored this pledge among Congressional candidates.
An endorsement by the NCPSSM indicates strong belief in preserving Social Security and Medicare (i.e., a strong stance against privatization, and for continued federal government involvement). Their mission statement:
"The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare is one of the most effective and trustworthy sources for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid advocacy. Since 1982, we have been working for generations of older Americans who want our nation's health and income security programs secured for the future. Join us and learn more about how you can be a part of our intergenerational crusade."
Scoring system for 2014: Ranges from 0% (supports privatization and other market-based reforms) to 100% (supports keeping federal control over Trust Fund and Social Security system).
About ARA (from their website, www.RetiredAmericans.org):
The Alliance for Retired Americans is a nationwide organization, founded in May 2001, with now over 4.2 million members working together to make their voices heard in the laws, policies, politics, and institutions that shape our lives. The mission of the Alliance for Retired Americans is to ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, personal and family fulfillment and security.
|Other candidates on Social Security:
|Martin Heinrich on other issues:
NM Gubernatorial:
Gary Johnson
Gary King
Jeff Apodaca
Joe Cervantes
John Sanchez
Michelle Lujan-Grisham
Steve Pearce
Susana Martinez
NM Senatorial:
Allen Weh
David Clements
Gary Johnson
John Sanchez
Mick Rich
NM politicians
NM Archives
Senate races 2017-8:
AZ: Flake(R) vs. Ward(R) vs.Sinema(D) vs.Abboud(D) vs.McSally(R) vs.Arpaio(R) vs.Marks(L)
CA: Feinstein(D) vs. Eisen(I) vs. Sanchez?(D) vs.de_Leon(D)
CT: Murphy(D) vs.Adams(D) vs.Corey(R)
DE: Carper(D) vs.Arlett(R) vs.Truono(R) vs.
FL: Nelson(D) vs.
HI: Hirono(D) vs.Curtis(R) vs.
IN: Donnelly(D) vs.
MA: Warren(D) vs. Ayyadurai(I) vs.
MD: Cardin(D) vs.Campbell(R) vs.Vohra(L) vs.
ME: King(I) vs.Brakey(R) vs.Ringelstein(D) vs.Lyons(L)
MI: Stabenow(D) vs.
MN-6: Klobuchar(D) vs.Newberger(R) vs.Overby(G)
MO: McCaskill(D) vs.Petersen(R) vs.Petersen(R) vs.Monetti(R) vs.Hawley(R)
MS-2: vs.Hyde-Smith(R) vs. McDaniel(R) vs.Espy(D) vs.
MS-6: Wicker(R) vs.Baria(D) vs.
MT: Tester(D) vs.Olszewski(R) vs.Rosendale(R)
ND: Heitkamp(D) vs.Peyer(D) vs.Cramer(R) vs.
NE: Fischer(R) vs.Raybould(D)
NJ: Menendez(D) vs.
NM: Heinrich(D) vs.Rich(R) vs.Johnson(L)
NV: Heller(R) vs.
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TN: Corker(R) vs.Bredesen(D) vs.
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VT: Sanders(I) vs.Milne(D) vs.MacGovern(D) vs.Paige(R) vs.Zupan(R)
WA: Cantwell(D) vs.Hutchison(R) vs.Ferguson(D) vs.Luke(L) vs.Strider(L)
WI: Baldwin(D) vs.Vukmir(R)
WV: Manchin(D) vs.
WY: Barrasso(R) vs.Trauner(D)
Civil Rights
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Other Senators
Senate Votes (analysis)
Bill Sponsorships
Policy Reports
Group Ratings
Contact info:
Fax Number:
Mailing Address:
Longworth HOB 1505, Washington, DC 20515
Phone number:
(202) 225-6316


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I have a machine running Apache with mod_proxy that I'm using to proxy a local Tomcat server running on another port.
The problem is that Tomcat does not support wildcard sub-domains(whole reason for using apache/mod_proxy) and our app uses the subdomain to figure out what account the data should come from. So with that said, is there a way to pass the subdomain as a url parameter via mod_proxy?
For example, I have this:
ProxyPass / http://example.com:8080/
In a virtual host block and I can access the site from any subdomain. Would is be possible to do something like:
ProxyPass / http://example.com:8080/?subdomain=the_sub_domain_requested
Thanks for any and all help...


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I'm hardly the master of it, I've actually never used it but I did find the web page with the details on it. I've sent you the mail.
Martin Gilbert.
======================================================================Hey guys go directly to Scott Klement's web site,
Also check out IBM Redpaper "Securing Communications with OpenSSH on IBM i5/OS".
With these 2 documents I was able to identify the necessary licensed programs, primarily Portable Utilities, create the necessary keys, pass those keys to a Unix server, set up a subsystem for SSH and SFTP to run in. I now have an automated daily transfer from my i5 to a Unix server.
Hope this helps,
Bill Poulin
Register Hereor login if you are already a member
Send me the article as well - email@example.com


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By Matt Davis, SHRM Contributor – 03/22/2017
Globalization, demographic shifts and technological advances are transforming the workplace. The way we work—including people practices such as how we develop talent and leaders—must be retooled for this century, say HR and leadership development experts Linda Sharkey and Morag Barrett.
In their new book, The Future-Proof Workplace: Six Strategies to Accelerate Talent Development, Reshape Your Culture, and Succeed with Purpose (Wiley, 2016), Sharkey and Barrett draw on their firsthand experiences and the latest research to highlight changes taking place in workplaces around the world. The book offers practical advice for assessing, adapting and reshaping your organization for tomorrow's challenges.
The authors recently answered questions from HR Magazine's Book Blog about the new realities of the workplace and how to future-proof an organization.


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We are located in a residential area and we ask that you respect our neighbours when arriving and leaving the venue as loud noise is very disruptive. Our staff will let you know (nicely) if you're being a bit too loud. We also request that smokers keep noise to a minimum when using our smoking area.
Disabled access
We are a Grade II listed building so our accessibility is not perfect but we have a ground floor (step free) toilet – if you have restricted mobility perhaps call us before your visit so we can advise you on the venue facilities.
Pre-Orders and Dietary Requirements and allergies/intolerances
If you choose our dining option then please don't forget to make your pre-order at least 3 days before your booking date, using the pre-order link sent out to your email.
Can we all be seated together?
Please note, due to the layout of the restaurant we cannot guarantee exact seating plans, as our table plans are subject to change in order to accommodate the different party sizes on the night. If you are a party of 6 or over you may be split across separate booths – but always next to one another!
All guests are advised that a maximum of 3 different cards per table will be accepted on paying the final bill at the end of the evening.
Do I get a seat if I have a show only ticket?
Probably not, you will be stood or seated at the bar
- We really hope that all your guests can make it, however if somebody does need to cancel please bear in mind that doing so within a month of your booking date will mean losing the full payment. If cancelled before a month of your booking date you will get a full refund minus the £10pp handling fee. Please let us know ASAP of any cancellations – we always recommend trying to find another friend to join instead, just to avoid the charge.
- If you wish to cancel your entire booking the deposit is non-refundable at any point of cancellation. If you give us less than a months' notice you will not only lose the whole group's deposit but be liable to pay the full balance for the whole party.
- A mandatory service charge of 15% will be added to the final bill for all groups. Any service charge issues need to be resolved on the night, and no refunds will be given after the event.
- The venue converts to a Club night at 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays; you are more than welcome to stay, however, you no longer have your table during the club.
- Your party may be split across a number of booths depending on your party size. Most our booths are within talking distance and so there should be no problem communicating. We cannot guarantee seating at time of booking.
- In order to keep the evening top-notch classy and provide the most authentic experience for your party, please do be aware we cannot allow hen attire including sashes and the usual paraphernalia. Although, we do encourage any dress up that fits within our 1920's burlesque theme – so feel free to get involved and get your glad rags on! We do offer 'glamour kits' as part of our packages that provide various accessories for you to dress up in. Please get in touch if you would like to add these to your booking.
- We ask you to please prepay for the value of your package tickets two weeks in advance. This is to make everything easier for you on the night. Please note that there is a maximum of 3 cards per table to be used for the final bill.
- It is important to stay seated during the show in order to not distract performers or block other customers' view.
- Please note that there is no dedicated parking around the venue, so we advise that our guests get to us via public transport.
- There are some steps and uneven ground within the venue. Please bear this in mind, and while we encourage dressing up, make sure you wear shoes you're comfortable in.
- Proud has a responsible drinks sale's policy and management are able to refuse service to those who may be too intoxicated; this includes arriving intoxicated or consuming too much alcohol in the venue.
- We know that our staff and performers are beautiful, but please refrain from any naughty behaviour. You can look, but you can't touch!
- We ask all our guests to be well behaved to ensure everyone can have the best Proud experience. If the behaviour of your party during the evening is deemed unacceptable by the management, they may ask you to leave. We do reserve the right to adjust the service charge from 12.5% to 20% on your final bill.
* The show time is now 8:15pm, meaning your arrival time can be anytime between 6:30pm and 7:30pm. Please honour this timeframe to avoid any disappointment. Please note: if yourself or guests arrive after 7.45pm you may be refused entry!
Thanks for reading, we hope you have a fabulous time with us.
If you have any questions ahead of your reservation, please do not hesitate to contact the lovely sales team on 01273 605789 or email@example.com


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A full set again, x6 coffee cans, x6 saucers, milk jug, sugar bowl, coffee pot and lid. A 'standard' set in Fern pattern a prosaic design, very common. Produced and sold in large numbers probably in the 80's. This one looks hardly used. It has the small coffee cans which I prefer as it makes them more usable. The pot holds two pints, which will fill the six cups – I checked. Again the lid to the pot is a bit lose and not a great fit. The pot does not pour well and it's top heavy.
You'll need both hands – one for the handle and one to hold the lid on. But they are usable, you will just need to be careful.
…and remember ……it would look VERY stylish on your kitchen shelf. These set currently sell for relatively little on Ebay (this one was approx £30). So if you have one then use it, just don't put it in the dishwasher as it may not survive.
(Just looking at the photos and it strikes me how rushed some of the throwing is, the coffee pot looks out of shape, and the cans obviously look rushed. They did not hang about when they made these. The pot does taper in at the top slightly, it's very crude and not pleasing)
Cans: Height 75mm, Pot: Height 210mm including lid


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11 comments
This blouse is so pretty! xReplyDelete
cute blouse, got to love a bargain! and i always like seeing beauty posts :) xReplyDelete
Loving the blouse! Great look,xxReplyDelete
Love the blouse, the bow is so prettyReplyDelete
Daniella x
Those shorts are fantastic!ReplyDelete
Beautiful outfit! I like how preppy it is! :)ReplyDelete
such a chic blouse!ReplyDelete
You look great <3 Love those blouse so much, you look so pretty <33ReplyDelete
- Anonymous18 June 2013 at 10:26
This is lovely. I commented a while ago about a christening I am going to in early July, was wondering if you was still going to do a posr on what I should wearReplyDeleteReplies
i've just done a post in regards to this http://www.courtzmelv.com/2013/06/what-to-wear-to-christening.htmlDelete
Lovely post love your look!ReplyDelete


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Sin Muros: A Latinx Theatre Festival
January 31 - February 3, 2019
In February 2019, Stages will celebrate the range of Latinx voices and stories reflecting the diversity of local Texas communities. The second annual Sin Muros will include Alex Alpharaoh's solo show WET: A DACAmented Journey and developmental workshop readings of new plays by Texas playwrights Georgina Escobar, Jasminne Mendez, and Beto O'Byrne. The festival weekend will be filled with public events for audiences and local theatre-makers, including workshops and networking opportunities.
Special thanks to our event partner Armandos
Festival Schedule
Thursday, January 31
6:00pm Welcome reception
7:00pm Welcome words and Award Presentation of the Premio Puente (The Bridge Award)
7:30pm WET: A DACAmented Journey
7:30pm The River Bride
Friday, February 1
8:00am-4:00pm Professional Development Day for High School Teachers
5:00-8:00pm Tintero Projects
7:30pm Poetry Reading
8:00pm Play Reading - Then They Forgot About the Rest
8:00pm The River Bride
Saturday, February 2
11:00am Workshop: Casting in the New Era, led by Brian Eugenio Herrera
1:00-8:00pm Inprint Poetry Buskers
2:00pm Poetry Reading
2:30pm Play Reading - City Without Altar
2:30pm The River Bride
4:00pm Talkback with Festival Playwrights: Alex Alpharaoh, Georgina Escobar, Jasminne Mendez, and Beto O'Byrne
5:00pm WET: A DACAmented Journey
7:30pm Poetry Reading
8:00pm Play Reading - The Corrido of the San Patricios
8:00pm The River Bride
9:30pm Late Night Party - Sin Muros After Dark
Sunday, February 3
11:00am Workshop: Pop Up Playwriting, led by Nancy Garcia Loza and Isaac Gomez
2:30pm WET: A DACAmented Journey
2:30pm The River Bride
WET: A DACAmented Journey
written and performed by Alex Alpharaoh
Directed by Brisa Areli Muñoz
WET: A DACAmented Journey is a true story of what it means to be an American in every sense of the word except one: on paper. Written and performed by Alex Alpharaoh, the show chronicles his ongoing struggles and fight to remain in the only home he has ever known, the United States. WET captures one man's relentless journey toward becoming a documented citizen.
Alpharaoh, a social worker who knows firsthand the mental, emotional and psychological hardship of this unending process, risks his own freedom to share his story in this nationwide tour. The production—which rockets between hilarity and heartbreak—will instantly humanize the headlines and take audiences inside the realities of striving for a better life under the extreme conditions of living life as a political football.
Alex Alpharaoh is an award-winning stage and film actor, writer, director, producer, spoken word artist, solo performer, and teaching artist from Los Angeles. He has performed in various venues and open mics throughout Los Angeles, including Da Poetry Lounge, Sunday Jump, Washington D.C.'s Busboys and Poets, and New York's renowned Nuyorican Cafe. As a teaching artist, Alpharaoh teaches a highly popular Fundamentals of Spoken Word and Performance Poetry class, advising individuals how to connect with their deeper selves, using their words and expressions as a form of healing.
Alpharaoh is the creator of SP!T: Spoken Word Theatre, a series he originally developed at Urban Theatre Movement, where he is a founding member. He went on to produce a full run of Hollywood Fringe's 2015 world premiere of his spoken word play Don't Talk About It, SP!T About It at the CASA 0101 Theater in the summer of 2016. SP!T continues to grow in popularity, including a special one-night performance that was part of Da Poetry Lounge's 1st Annual L.A. Get Down Festival this past April.
Play Readings
Then They Forgot About the Rest
by Georgina Escobar
Directed by Rebecca Rivas
It's the not-to-distant future in the US Southwest. An ad agency, The Rest, struggles to stay afloat in a new competitive media market. Known as a "prescribed burn" agency, their clients mostly consist of "Giants" and specifically those called PG-13's (Pharma Giants for Teens). As they get ready to accept their new brief, "Alleviate" or 'the forgetting pill' the members of the agency question the moral hinges of selling this drug, all the while a bereaved mother undergoes trial for the same drug that's eager to hit the market. A frontier futura funk piece with elements of noir, this southwest femmetasia brings back beloved characters from Escobar's other plays like "Sweep" keeping true to the author's vision to make of every play a universe within a larger opus.
Georgina Escobar is a NYC based playwright and devised theatre director via Ciudad Juárez. Her plays have been called "Chic-Burton," "Frontera Funk," and "Beckettian.. She seeks to define a novo Latinx/Wabi Sabi aesthetic and often directs and devises her own work. Her plays have been seen and developed at INTAR, Dixon Place, The Flea, Lincoln Center, Clubbed Thumb, Governor's Island, Milagro Theatre, Aurora Theatre, Duke City Rep, Marfa Live Arts, The Magic, The Lensic, and others. Professional development includes the Djerassi Playwright's Initiative, MacDowell Colony Fellowship (upcoming), the Fornés Writing Workshop, the Kennedy Center's National Theatre for Young Audiences Award, The Lit Associate gig at the O'Neill, and more. She is the finalist for the 2016 National Latino Playwriting Award. Some of her plays include Bi-(be), The Beacons, Sweep, The Ruin, All Strings Considered, Death and the Tramp, The Unbearable Likeness of Jo, Semity, & Jones, Ash Tree, and The Circuz. Collaborations include A Ribbon About A Bomb, Quixote: On the Conquest of Self, Firerock: Pass the Spark (formerly known as Coal). georginaescobar.com
Rebecca Rivas is an Assistant Professor in UTEP's Department of Theatre and Dance, where she teaches Voice and Movement, Acting, Dialects and Accents as well as Musical Theatre. Rebecca just finished directing this season's production of The House on Mango Street and Old Scrooge in the department's holiday production of Humbug & Sugar Plum. She is a co-founder of the department's annual Chican@/Latin@ Theatre Series, where her play Colitas de Rana was produced this May. Other directing credits include Labyrinth of Desire, Esperanza Rising, The Arabian Nights, Electricidad & Alicia in Wonder Tierra. Her El Paso acting credits include Frontera Repertory Theatre's one-woman show Highway 47 and Grace Note. When she is not teaching at UTEP, Rebecca often works with the regional professional company, TheatreSquared, appearing as Carly in Reasons to be Pretty, The Ding Dong and in a wide array of roles in their annual New Play Fesitvals. She is a native El Pasoan. She holds an MFA from the University of Arkansas.
City Without Altar
by Jasminne Mendez
Directed by Alex Meda
In City Without Altar, Socorro, a Dominican-American scholar wants to learn more about her grandmother's hidden past. Socorro's grandmother has already passed when the play begins, and Socorro has found her grandmother's childhood journal. The journal entries are the gateway to Socorro's scholarly research and to better understanding the dangers her family has left behind. His grandmother's family fled during the Haitian Massacre of 1937, a massacre that killed anywhere from 12,000 to 30,000 Haitians along the northern border region of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Through a series of choreo-poems, monologues in verse, and vignettes from the past and present, Socorro learns the horrors of the massacre and its lasting effects on survivors and victims. This is a story of crossing borders, finding strength, surviving loss, and starting over.
Jasminne Mendez is an award winning author, performance poet, actress, and educator. Mendez has performed her poetry in venues all around Houston, including the MFAH, Rice and the Alley Theatre. She has shared the stage with respected writers and poets, notably, Sandra Cisneros and Natalie Diaz. Mendez has been published both nationally and internationally and her first multi-genre memoir Island of Dreams (Floricanto Press, 2013) was awarded Best Young Adult Latino Focused Book by the International Latino Book Awards in 2015. She also recently won the COG Poetry Prize for her poems "Run, Irelia, Run," "Bounty," and "Return to Water." The judge, Major Jackson described Jasminne as a poet who "possesses a sense of the poem as sacrament and language hammered into song. One feels a passionate search for lineage and the sensuous turning of thought and imagery that leads to sanctuaries of silence and reverence." Her second book Night-Blooming Jasminne: Personal Essays & Poems (Arte Publico Press) is forthcoming in April 2018. She is the Co-Founder and Program Director of the Houston based Latino literary arts organization Tintero Projects and a co-host to the poetry and writing podcast series InkWell a collaboration between Tintero Projects and Inprint Houston.
Alexandra Meda is a director/deviser, cultural producer, and artist-activist that currently serves as the Artistic Director for Teatro Luna: America's All Latina/All Women of Color Theatre Company. In 2014, in preparation for it 15th anniversary season, Meda launched a west coast arm of Teatro Luna based in Los Angeles as a start to an experiment in the field of ensemble practice: can you build ensemble in a national sense, in multiple sites with a variety of entry points for artists, and how can all of this be sustainable over time? This experiment is in its second year, and currently Luna incubates ensemble and new work in both Chicago and Los Angeles, offers year round educational programming to its varied communities, and tours internationally with performances and cultural programs. Luna is hoping to open a New York branch in 2018.
The Corrido of the San Patricios
by Beto O'Byrne
Directed by Kinan Valdez
Originally commissioned by Watts Village Theatre Company, and currently in development in collaboration with Radical Evolution Performance Collective and El Teatro Campesino, this play uses a blend of traditional "teatro styles" devising techniques, and original source material to dramatize the story of Los San Patricios, Irish/American immigrants who defected to the Mexican Army during the Mexican American War. Utilizing era appropriate musical styles and a variety of theatrical techniques, this play uses this forgotten history to explore the themes of immigration, citizenship, and what happens when people follow their conscience to actively disrupt political systems.
Beto O'Byrne is a writer and creative artist from the pine forests of East Texas and the co-founder of Radical Evolution, a multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary producing collective based in Brooklyn, NY. The author of 20 plays, screenplays, and original tv pilots, his works have been produced in San Antonio, Austin, Los Angeles and New York City. His most recent theatrical production, Loving and Loving, was produced by Radical Evolution and the Harold Clurman Lab Theatre in Summer 2017 in New York City.
His commissions include works for 52nd St. Project, The Foundry Theatre, The Movement Theatre Company, and Watts Village Theater Company, and the Stella Adler School of Acting. O'Byrne has been a resident artist at numerous organizations, including New York Theatre Workshop (2050 Fellowship), the Stella Adler School of Acting (playwright-in-residence), the Texas Black and Latino Playwriting Festival, INTAR's Maria Irene Fornes Hispanic Playwrights in Residence Laboratory, Lincoln Center Theater's Director's Lab, and Tofte Lake Arts Center Emerging Artists Residency.
Kinan Valdez is a 20-year ensemble member of El Teatro Campesino (ETC). Born and reared in the collective milieu of the famed social justice theater company, Kinan currently serves as ETC's Producing Artistic Director. His accomplishments as a leader of the 49 year-old company have been a three-fronted effort: Preserving ETC's expansive theatrical traditions and methodologies for new generations; developing the "Teatro Lab" – an experimental new works laboratory; and building an extensive educational theater program that reaches the underserved and marginalized communities of rural central California.
Additional Events
Casting in the New Era: A Conversation about the History of Casting - February 2, 11:00am
How did contemporary casting practices come into being? How did actors become freelancers? Do you know the sordid history of the headshot? How has casting changed in the internet era? Why do casting controversies figure so prominently in discussions about race, gender and sexuality in contemporary theatre? Drawing upon his ongoing research for his book-length study of the topic (Casting, A History), performance historian Brian Herrera will invite questions from those assembled to guide a lively interactive discussion about the history of casting in US popular performance. This conversation aims to press the critical, creative and historical understanding of casting beyond familiar zero-sum measures of good/bad, success/failure or right/wrong so as to cultivate an appreciation of casting as a dynamic repertoire of performance techniques, practices and conventions ripe for experimentation, innovation and revision.
Brian Eugenio Herrera is Associate Professor of Theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University. His work, both academic and artistic, examines the history of gender, sexuality and race within and through U.S. popular performance. He is the author of The Latina/o Theatre Commons 2013 National Convening: A Narrative Report (HowlRound, 2015) and his first book Latin Numbers: Playing Latino in Twentieth-Century U.S. Popular Performance (Michigan, 2015) was awarded the George Jean Nathan Prize for Dramatic Criticism. He is presently at work on two new book projects: Starring Miss Virginia Calhoun, a narrative portrait of a deservedly obscure early 20th century actress/writer/producer, and Casting - A History, a historical study of the material practices of casting in US popular performance.
Poetry tent in courtyard prior to readings
The Sin Muros Poetry Tent hosted by the Latinx Literary Organization Tintero Projects will feature a variety of local literary organizations, performance poetry teams, publishing houses and book sellers. At the tent you can expect to find Inprint poetry buskers writing poems "on demand" in English or Spanish; the oldest Latino literary publisher in the country Arte Publico Press selling books in fiction, poetry and memoir; Writers in the Schools hosting creative writing activities for teens and young adults; and live poetry readings by local poets from various slam teams and performance groups, including Barrio Writers, Fuente Co. and many others.
Poetry Buskers by Inprint Houston
Inprint writers will write you a poem on any topic while you wait!
Pop-up Playwriting Workshop - Sunday, February 3 - 11:00am
Chicago-based, Latinx playwrights Nancy García Loza and Isaac Gomez will host a workshop for writers interested in expanding their creative skills in developing stage plays. Writers should come prepared with pages from works in progress to present for feedback from Garcia Loza, Gomez, and their peers.
Nancy García Loza is a pocha playwright rooted in Chicago & Jalisco. She co-launched and participates in ALTA Chicago's El Semillero: Latinx Playwrights Circle since 2014. Her inaugural play, MACHA: a pocha sister story, was a 2017 finalist for the Theater on the Lake In The Works: New Play Commission and recently appeared on Steppenwolf's The Mix list. Her work has appeared in the Chicago Theatre Marathon, Peacebook Festival (Collaboraction & Goodman), Black Ensemble Theater (a Community Fighting the Ism's), Joe's Pub at The Public (NYC), Encounter Festival (Collaboraction & Theater on the Lake), Paula Vogel's National UBU Bake-Off (Victory Gardens), New Works Lab Festival (Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble - CA), Theatre Nuevo (St. Louis), ALTA El Semillero's Public Reading Series of New Work (Victory Gardens), Broken Nose Theatre's Bechdel Fest with Steppenwolf's Lookout Series, Something Marvelous, Chicago Dramatists, and more. In 2018, she enjoyed residencies at: Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Black Swan Lab, SPACE on Ryder Farms (Brewster, NY), HBMG Foundation National Winter Playwrights Retreat (Creede, CO), SWARM Residency (Indiana), and the Fornés Playwriting Workshop ('17, '18).
She is a 2018-20 Chicago Dramatists Tutterow Fellow (commissioned for 19/20 season), an Artistic Associate with 16th Street Theater, an Artistic Associate with Teatro Vista, and 16th Street Theater's NNPN Producer In Residence for the upcoming season. Beyond playwriting, she serves as the Co-Creative Director of The Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists in Chicago (ALTA). In 2018, she was recognized in TCG's American Theatre Magazine Roll Call Series: 6 Theatre Workers You Should Know. She is the recipient of ALTA Awards in: Outstanding Solo Performance, as well as, The Luis Alfaro Leadership Award.
Isaac Gomez is a Chicago-based playwright originally from El Paso, Texas/Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. His play La Ruta will receive its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre Company this fall. He is currently under commission from South Coast Repertory, Goodman Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville (Acting Apprentice New Play Commission), The Theatre School at DePaul University (Cunningham Commission for Youth Theater), Sideshow Theater Company, Steep Theatre, Albany Park Theater Project and StepUp Chicago Playwrights. His plays have been supported by Steppenwolf Theater Company, Primary Stages, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Northlight Theatre, Albany Park Theater Project, WaterTower Theater, Haven Theater, Teatro Vista, Greenhouse Theater Center, Jackalope Theater Company, Pivot Arts, Definition Theater Company, Broken Nose Theater, Stage Left, The VORTEX and Something Marvelous. He is the recipient of the 2017 Jeffry Melnick New Playwright Award at Primary Stages, an inaugural 3Arts "Make A Wave" grantee, a member of the 2017/2018 Goodman Theatre's Playwrights Unit, co-creative director at the Alliance of Latinx Theatre, a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, an artistic associate with Victory Gardens Theater, ensemble member with Teatro Vista, artistic associate with Pivot Arts, artistic curator for Theater on the Lake 2018/2019, a steering committee member of the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) and a core producer with the Jubilee. He is a professional lecturer at The Theatre School at DePaul University and is represented by The Gersh Agency and Circle of Confusion.
Theatre Teacher Professional Development Day - Friday, February 1, 8:00am - 4:00pm
Stages Repertory Theatre and the Sin Muros Latinx Theatre Festival invite Houston area Middle and High School Theatre Teachers to participate in the Sin Muros Professional Development Day for Theatre Teachers. This one-day interactive professional day will provide teachers with a hands-on focused arsenal of tools to develop their Latinx theatre pedagogy skills and create culturally-responsive curriculum.
In addition to a performance of The River Bride, the day will include performances by artists participating in the Sin Muros Festival, discussions, and performance workshops. For a detailed schedule, click here!
Attendance is FREE, but advanced registration is required. Lunch will be provided and attendees will receive a certificate for their 8 hours of PD.
WET: A DACAmented Journey
Regular - $20
Student - $9
Then They Forgot About the Rest
City Without Altar
The Corrido of the San Patricios
Free to the Public!
WET: A DACAmented Journey
Thursday January 31, 2019, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 2, 2019, 5:00 p.m.
Sunday February 3, 2019, 2:30 p.m.
Then They Forgot About the Rest
Friday February 1, 2019, 8:00 p.m.
City Without Altar
Saturday February 2, 2019, 2:30 p.m.
The Corrido of the San Patricios
Saturday February 2, 2019, 8:00 p.m.


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"Farmerettes" picking grapes during WWI.
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Taken by Marlboro railroad looking west up the hill. Photo from Badner Collection, year unknown.
Pear and apple blossoms.
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Holster Break InWhen first using your holster it should be tight for good firearm retention after your break in period. Follow these instructions for proper break in of your holster:
Unload your weapon and holster it. If it is a little to tight for your liking let it set overnight in your new holster. If it still a little to tight un-holster and re-holster for a while with firearm unloaded while wearing it around the house for a little while to help break it in.
DO NOT OIL OR WET THE HOLSTER DOWN! If holster is still to tight wrap UNLOADED handgun in a gallon ziplock bag and shove it in the holster overnight. That should do it, if it dosen't contact me.
Keep in mind that once you stretch the leather you cant shrink it back. Overtime the leather will stretch a bit on its own with the natural break in process. The best way to break in high quality leather gear is to let it break in naturally with time.
Accelerated stretching may result in your firearm becoming to loose in your holster.
Dont rush it...you will be rewarded with good retention over the long life of your high quality leather holster.
General Leather CareStore your new leather product in a cool dry place. High humidity can cause mildew, while dry heat and direct sunlight can cause drying and cracking. If your product becomes water soaked allow it to dry at room temperature and not with direct heat. After dry check the fit with your handgun unloaded! If fit is still to tight contact me for further instructions. If your product should become dry or scratched, treat the exterior with a light coat of Kiwi natural/neutral paste wax. Over time if you feel the need you can also treat the interior of your holster with spray silicone for leather to help protect against excess moisture. It is recommend to un-holster your weapon while not wearing it. If you choose to leave your handgun or other product in the holster, check it daily for moisture, condensation, or corrosion.Belt CareAllow a new belt to break in gently on its own. Do not fold, bend or tightly coil new belts as they can crack or wrinkle when the leather is new and stiff. Normal wear will break your belt in pretty quickly. Belts can be polished if needed over time using natural/neutral KIWI paste wax. Do not oil your belt to soften it. If your belt gets wet lay it out flat and let it dry naturally.Do not lay it out in the sun.
A word about leatherSince leather is a natural product, some cosmetic blemishes or fluctuations in color is to be expected.
Every effort has been made to ensure that your item meets our rigid quality standards, however, if there is a problem, please let us know immediately so that we can make arrangements to try to correct it to your satisfaction.


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72 Hours at SOBEWFF
Not one, not two, but three of our clients participated in this year's South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami Beach, Florida. We managed five activations over the course of the five-day beach event through a combination of focus, relentlessness and a bit of sweat. Fortunately, it was our team's second year activating, so we had many key learnings in our back pocket.
We kicked off with Barilla Bites on the Beach on Thursday evening. We built two complementary 20 ft x 20 ft sets just yards apart. The first experience was the "Dining Room." The second, across the sand, was the "Modern Italian Kitchen." Guests were wowed by the drama our chefs created while cooking with the giant pasta pan. But the show didn't stop there. An array of design touches gave both environments a spectacular feel. We incorporated custom screens with a bold, gold pattern that played on the shapes of Barilla pasta. We even went as far as getting the lighting on theme. A custom chandelier made of Barilla blue colanders hung high above the event space.
On Friday morning, we launched Illy's three-day experience at the Grand Tasting. Event goers could relax under the Illy tent with their choice of an Illy cold brew air or an espresso shot. The theme of the event space supported their global ad campaign inviting attendees to "Live HAPPilly." Several hundred people enjoyed a caffeine rush and a bit of play with our gifmaker photo op. How could oversized espresso cups not capture the attention of passersby? We're pleased to say that everyone who participated left much happier than they came in.
Our final event was set on the ocean front deck of the Betsy Hotel in South Beach. We planned an indulgent evening of "Cigars and Spirits" with Cooper and Thief. Guests sipped on bourbons, whiskies, scotches, and tequilas while enjoying the view, and a fine selection of premium cigars.
We thrive on high-pressure, busy activations and the South Beach Wine and Food Festival was definitely one for the books.


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Save more with Secret Prices
Get instant savings with Secret Prices
Where to stay near Mong Kok
Hotels in Mong Kok
Best known for its budget hostels and inexpensive guesthouses, accommodation in Mong Kok is among the most affordable in Hong Kong. But today you can find luxury Mong Kok hotels too, with the magnificently-appointed Cordis Hong Kong at Langham being a real standout. Housed in the 42-story Langham Place Tower, this 5-star hotel boasts 4 restaurants, a full-service spa, and a stunning rooftop pool. More mid-range is the Holiday Inn Express Hong Kong Mongkok, showcasing modern facilities and supremely comfortable rooms. Lastly, the H1 Hotel is a classy establishment close to Ladies' Market, and proving that affordable Mong Kok guesthouses can be luxurious too.
Things to see in Mong Kok
Most come to Mong Kok to be fully immersed in an authentic Chinese shopping experience, where the district is the store, and the streets are its departments. Mong Kok is famed for such streets, named after the stores lining them that sell only one kind of good. Fa Yeun Street, better known as Sneakers Street, has an amazing array of sports shoes and casual sportswear on display. Ladies' Street has long been famed throughout Hong Kong for having all that's feminine on display. But today you'll also find mobile-phones, T-shirts, and souvenirs to complement the wares of its ladies' clothes, shoes, and cosmetics shops. Many of the stores in Mong Kok are housed in tong lau shop-houses, and the best have become attractions in their own right. Lui Seng is one such shop-house, a four-story tong lau built in the 1930's. Its elegant curves and balconied verandas have allowed it to become a listed historic building.
Good for budget travelers and the culturally curious
The huge number of hostels and guesthouses in Mong Kok have given this neighborhood a reputation as something of a backpackers' haven in Hong Kong. While that's still true, the increasing number of affordable quality hotels mean that it's perfect for budget travelers of all shades. It's not just the accommodation that's light on the wallet—the curbside food stalls serve heaps of sizzling fish balls, steaming dim sum, and delicious congee (rice porridge) at low prices. And its famed shops are, naturally, packed to the rafters with inexpensive local goods. It all makes for a distinctive Chinese cultural experience for the cost conscious.
How to get to Mong Kok
The entry point for those flying in is Hong Kong International Airport, 20 miles to the west. It has good public transportation options to speed you into Kowloon and Mong Kok. The fastest of these is the Airport Express train service, which gets to Mong Kok in just 20 minutes. From here you can complete your journey on the free Airport Express K5 bus service. It stops at the Yau Ma Tei metro stop, close to most Mong Kok hotels. The more affordable option from the airport is the A21 bus, which takes an hour or so, but which gets you to Mong Kok direct.
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Buying a house is possibly the single largest transaction that you are likely to undertake in your lifetime. Houses in this country can span centuries, be of different forms of construction and display many different kinds of defects such as: subsidence, rising dampness and timber decay as well as having design faults or being subject to poor workmanship. The problems can be numerous and can prove expensive to remedy. This is why it is important for you to arrange for a Chartered Surveyor to carry out a property survey prior to commitment to purchase. Many people, wrongly, believe a Mortgage Valuation is a property survey, but it is purely for the use of mortgage lenders and cannot be relied upon by you to protect your interests.
The following advice is given by both the consumer association Which? Magazine and the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML):
Even if you are seeking a mortgage and may be paying for a Mortgage Valuation report, it is advisable and prudent to arrange a property survey by your own Chartered Surveyors. The best way to reach an informed decision on such an important investment is to have a professional property survey before you decide to go ahead and commit yourself legally.
Are there any Risks?
You can minimise the risks by asking a Chartered Surveyor to answer these questions:
- Is the agreed price reasonable?
- Are there any drawbacks I don't know about?
- Are there any significant defects or urgent repairs?
- If so, what do I do about them?
Commissioning your own home survey is the simple, economical way to avoid unpleasant and perhaps costly surprises after moving in. In some cases HomeBuyer Surveyors will identify that the price you are paying is possibly a little high or does not adequately reflect the level of repairs that have been pointed out by the Chartered Surveyor, giving you the opportunity to renegotiate the price and save money.
There are two types of survey depending on the type, style and location of the property:
- HomeBuyer Survey, with or without valuation
- Building Survey
If you still have some questions on choosing the right survey when buying a property why not download the RICS guide.


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A Million Reason to Consider the DR365™ in your Disaster Recovery Plan!
Disaster recovery ensures that applications stay online continuously to prevent loss of business and ensures the continuity of service for your clients so your good reputation remains intact.
Who should consider disaster recovery planning?
In reality, disaster recovery planning should be important to all businesses with an online presence. It is vital for those mission-critical applications and crucial for those businesses that store their client's data.
A good disaster recovery plan should include the following:
- Managed backups. Managed backups are set at regular intervals so, in the case of disaster, files and applications can be quickly restored.
- Off-site backups. For organizations storing vital and historical information, off-site backups can add a further level of resilience to the disaster recovery solution. Should disaster affect the primary location, your data is accessible and safe at all times via the second location.
- A business continuity platform. This plug-in and go service ensures that even in the most trying situations your solution remains up, running and ready to do business.
DR365: the ultimate disaster recovery solution
The DR365 disaster recovery appliance empowered by StoneFly ensures your business has continuity no matter what happens. Our solution includes backup and failover of any virtual and physical server with automated-business continuity on-premises to any remote data center, public or private cloud. You can manage all your backup-operations for your datacenter with a single central management-console.
Your data is always 256-bit encrypted throughout the entire backup process for security. It would take a billion years to hack your encrypted data. This level of security meets federal mandates like HIPAA and SOX.
If you have local software or hardware problem, your systems can failover to the appliance and be up and running again in minutes. You then have all the time you need to address the original problem and can fail back to the original or replace the server when convenient for you.
In the event of a disaster, you can be up and running your entire office in the cloud with minimal backup delay. When your facilities are available again you can failback to your own server at a time that is convenient for you with no downtime to your business. What's more, you can recover your folders, files, volumes or the entire system from any point in time.
With the StoneFly DR365, you can migrate physical servers into virtual servers(P2V) and then host them to consolidate your datacenter. You can spin up replica or backup VMs at mirror or remote site for DR testing or compliance.
Best price, best solution
An included Backup-Agent License used exclusively for the DR365 allows for agentless-backups of all Virtual Machines including SharePoint, Exchange, SQL, and Active Directory servers running directly on the DR365 appliance at no extra cost.
By reducing storage capacity, organizations will enjoy related cost-reductions in areas including storage management, storage licensing, power, cooling, and datacenter floor-space. Data deduplication makes it much more affordable to store, manage, analyze and house your data with the DR365.
StoneFly's DR365 is the first business continuity and disaster recovery appliance that supports dual data deduplication engines on the market.
Each DR365 Node can provide anywhere from few Terabytes up-to 2.5 Petabytes of storage and backup capacity for your business.
With current deployments in the fields of Construction and manufacturing, telecommunication, medical and others, the StoneFly DR365 certainly applies to any industry within the market today.


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Have you ever had a business that you felt inclined to close? Are you currently considering closing the doors to your business? Does the thought of it all give you anxiety? Do you wonder what to do next? You are not alone. Countless other entrepreneurs, including myself, have had those same feelings. I look back on those moments and I can now see that those were "breakdowns before breakthroughs".
Often times those breakdowns can be the best thing for you to experience growth. Several clients have asked me "How do you know when to walk away?" My response to each of them was the same. It is truly a personal decision that no one except the business owner can answer. Today on Social Media's "Throwback Thursday" I posted a picture of a private preschool that I owned for several years that I eventually had to walk away from. I have not openly talked about that situation for it was such a hard decision and it still stings a bit. So ladies, bare with me in this blog entry for it is a bit of a therapy session for me. :)
After the birth of my first son I was practicing law full time and had to rely upon childcare providers. I quickly become very unimpressed with the quality and high pricing of childcare providers. Those feelings caused me to begin to have visions of owning my own pre school. It came to fruition 6 years later when I purchased a daycare center that was literally in its last days. There were less than 20 kids enrolled and the center and it had a $7200 per month financial deficit. I worked soooo hard to pull the center out of the mud! I believed in myself and what I could do. I worked with professionals to create a structured curriculum, implemented extra curricular activities, introduced a foreign language program and so many other things. In less than a year I quadrupled enrollment and pulled the center from the grim financial state. As an attorney I knew very little about the childcare industry aside from what I would expect as a parent. I studied, I researched, I WORKED. I put countless hours and over $100,000.00 of my personal savings into this business. (Yes, that's the part that stings!)
Eventually obstacles started to arise. Obstacles that made it very hard and incredibly stressful for me to run the business. Telling you about all those obstacles would be an extra long post all in itself... or maybe even a short TV drama series :) I stuck it out as long as I could, but eventually made the personal decision to walk away from the business. I had to weigh my options. The stress that the business was causing & the attention it was taking from my family was not worth it. The amount of money I made from that venture could not possibly justify the huge effect it had on my quality of life. I loved all those children in the school like my own; however my quality of life was much more important. I considered those factors and the length of time that I endured the stress and it just made sense to walk away and maintain my sanity!
For awhile I felt like a failure. I cried, I was upset, I was disappointed....so many feelings at the same time. I spent so much time in the business that I honestly just felt lost and confused about what to do with all the extra hours I had in a day. Looking back on it I am positive that was the BEST decision; however at the time I could not see that.. not even a little bit. LOL. The only things I could think about was how this private preschool was what I wanted and how I worked so hard. I also beat myself up because I had spent money that very well could have funded at least one of my children's college education.
I'm slowly coming out of being hesitant to talk about it. Why? Because I no longer feel like a failure. I do not feel like a failure because now I know that I am NOT a failure. I turned the business around and accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. I had the pleasure of meeting and having relationships with over 100 sets of parents, loving on and nurturing over 100 children, supplying over 13 ladies with a job and was able to scratch a big task from my bucket list! I lost money. So what? Money comes and money goes. If I was able to save that amount once I had to reassure myself that I was totally capable of doing it again, but now because of what I learned in that savings journey, I can do it quicker than I did before! One business did not work out the way I had liked. Ok. So what! There are several others that have and still are doing well. That is the chance one takes as an entrepreneur, right? It took me 6 weeks to continously remind myself of this and grieve. After that I picked up my feelings and was on to the the next venture.
It was a tough experience, but a necessary experience. If you are considering closing your business here are
3 Questions you should ask yourself before shutting your doors:
1. Is what you are experiencing truly your hearts desire?
2. Is continuing in this business going to drain you even if its a raging success?
3. Does the thought of the business magically disappearing and you moving to something new bring you excitement and a sense of lightness?
Once you have the answers to these questions you can make a better decision. Remember, when it comes to tough decisions like this it is your heart that has the answers; not your mind. If you have a business that you are considering closing or if you have a business that closed, don't let that be the end all! It happens. It is the UGLY in the good, bad and the ugly of entrepreneurship. When you were learning to ride a bike you fell off, right? You did not get on the first time and ride with ease. If you were anything like me you were determined to learn to ride even more after a fall! I bet after you fell and put a bandage on your knee you got right back on. It is the same thing with entrepreneurship. If it is in your blood to live a life of entrepreneurship there is nothing you can do about it! It is a trait that you are stuck with. Knowing that fact about yourself, don't let one disappointing experience keep you off the bike. Get back on the bike, regain your balance and peddle with even more force and determination! A quitter never wins and a winner never quits!
Have you ever walked away from something and found that walking away was a huge blessing? Leave a comment below and share your story- including the biggest take-way lesson learned. Let someone else that ma be experiencing this know that it is ok!
Leave a Reply.


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Democratic Alliance councillor for Ward 103, Vincent Earp, will continue his work as Ward 103 councillor after coming out tops in the Local Municipal Elections.
Earp enjoys social work and strives to provide solutions to the road issues faced by residents in his ward.
Ward 102 councillor, David Potter of the Democratic Alliance (DA) will continue his work as a ward councillor after the successful elections on 3 August.
During the voting process, Potter said he was feeling optimistic.


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Video Gallery
Reed I. West Aviation History Project
So as not to be lost forever, the Reed I. West Aviation History Project is designed to interview and record the stories of Virginia's aviation pioneers as well as other individuals, events and locations instrumental in the Commonwealth's aeronautical advancement. This project was made possible by a generous bequest from Mr. Reed I. West. To date the VAHS has completed more than 20 videos including members of the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame and videos on Langley, the DuPont Glider, and Byrd's flight. This is an on-going project that will eventually encompass all of the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.
Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame videos:
- Leonard L. Bottoms
- Weldon C. Britton
- Philip Brown
- John Clarke
- Sen. Charles Colgan
- Norman L. Crabill
- William Davenport
- RADM DeWitt Freeman
- Capt. Arnim L. "Al" Harris, Jr. EAL
- Wesley V. Hillman
- Charles Kulp
- Joseph Mathias
- Dick Merrill
- Neilson J. November
- Jeanne Pedigo
- Maj. Kenneth A. Rowe
- Rucker Tibbs
- Harvey Ray Tyson
Historical Videos:
Other Video Links:
Many times outside videographers and researchers use the extensive archives here at the VAHS for their projects. Below are a few links to some projects that Henrico County TV has produced using the VAHS archives.