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Two and a half years ago, Louis Walsh and Westlife's Kian Egan held auditions in Dublin for a new girl band. Three thousand girls and many rounds later saw Jodi Albert, Sharon Condon, Corrina Durran, Leigh Learmont and Kasey Smith emerge as Wonderland. These girls are not only beautiful but have amazing vocal ability, creating wonderful harmonies with their melodic tones.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Wonderland last week and I can honestly say I have never met a nicer group of girls. They're each embracing their new-found life with gusto and their energy and joie de vivre shines through. I asked them to take me back to the beginning and tell me about the auditioning process. "It was a really exciting but scary time," said Jodi, who's married to Kian Egan from Westlife. "About three thousand girls turned up to the auditions and in the beginning, you wonder if you really have a chance. But over the following three months, there were about eight rounds where the numbers kept getting smaller and smaller. It's funny, but the five of us had just gravitated towards each other and had already become friends. Eventually the numbers were whittled down until just the five of us were left."
So the girls must have been doubly excited – not just to be picked for the band, but also to be picked with the girls who they'd become so close to. "Oh it was amazing," said Jodi. Out of the small group that was left at the end of the process, the ones that hadn't made it were contacted first. Then the five of us were told by Louis, Kian and a guy from the record label. We all just burst into tears. We're so passionate about music and we felt so excited about the journey we were about to take."
Jodi has been in the public eye herself over the last number of years, with a role in Hollyoaks and being part of another girl band. So how does being in Wonderland compare to her other experiences? She had no hesitation in answering. "This is by far the best thing I've ever done," she said. "It's really my dream come true. I'm excited to get up every day and go to work. It doesn't even feel like work – I'm just hanging with my best friends, doing the things I've always wanted to do. Sometimes I feel a little bit too lucky!"
Perhaps I've been watching too much X Factor and similar reality shows, but I assumed the girls were immediately locked away together in a house where they could begin to make their music. "We didn't move in together straight away," laughed Leigh. "In the beginning, we'd go to Kian and Jodi's house and spend a weekend or week with them; just chilling out and getting to know each other. When we got a record deal, we began to spend more and more time together and practically lived in a hotel room in London. It's certainly one way to get to know each other inside out! These days four of us live in an apartment but Jodie and Kian live in the same complex so we're never short of a tea-bag or a bowl of sugar! Poor Kian – I think we wreck his head a lot of the time but we've become like his little sisters."
"Kian has been such a brilliant support to us," agreed Sharon. "He's put so much time and effort into the band and is a fantastic mentor. Actually all the boys from Westlife have been brilliant. We supported them on their tour last year and they were so good to us. They're always there for us if we need advice or encouragement."
But is it difficult for Jodi to be managed by her husband? "Not at all," laughed Jodi. "Kian is fantastic. As Sharon said, he's always there for us and has given us so much good advice. He obviously understands what it's like to be in a band so his input is invaluable. Of course we have our disagreements and get annoyed with each other, but it would be strange if we didn't."
Louis Walsh manages such bands as Boyzone, Westlife and Girls Aloud as well as being a judge on the X Factor. How daunting is it for the girls to work with him? "It was certainly a bit daunting in the beginning," said Sharon. "Louis is such a massive icon in the
music world; it was nerve wracking to be standing in front of him singing for our lives. But he's a real sweetheart. He's very warm and grounded and has really taken us under his wing. We don't see him as often as we do Kian but every minute he's with us counts. He gives us fabulous advice and not only about our music. He tells us to look after each other and even gives us advice on how to look good."
It's been two and a half years since the band was formed and are only now being launched. So why has it taken so long? "People seem to expect a band to just happen," said Corrina. "I don't think anybody realises the amount of ground work that goes on. We're all so passionate about music that we wanted to get it right. We spent a lot of that time in the recording studio, working really hard on our voices. We didn't want any songs on the album to be just there for the sake of it or to fill a space. We wanted every song to count and to be proud of every single thing we produced."
I wanted to know how the girls rated their experience of being in a girl band so far. "I know it sounds like a cliché," said Kasey, "but our experience has been magical. Every single thing right from the beginning has been fantastic. The band has changed all of our lives. It's really unbelievable to be able to do what you love to do and furthermore, to do it with your best friends. It's been truly life changing."
"Yes," said Leigh, in agreement. "The experience has been out of this world. I'm really close to my family in Ireland and miss them like crazy but I've bonded so well with the girls that it's like they're part of my family now. We all really appreciate every single thing that's happening for us. We don't take anything for granted and feel really blessed – we're just five ordinary girls following our dream. Wonderland is a very happy place to be!"
The girls come across as a very tight unit and seem to really look out for each other. But five girls together twenty-four seven must lead to friction at times. "I know it sounds unbelievable," said Leigh, "but we honestly get on so well together. I love the girls to bits. We're all very much in touch with what's going on and each one of us pulls our weight. Sharon is really fantastic. She looks after us all. She's a brilliant cook but not only that, she's like a big sister, making sure we've eaten enough vegetables and are looking after ourselves. I usually deal with the record company and Sharon deals with the accountant. The others usually take charge of the fan-mail. We all compliment each other so well. At the end of a busy day, we'll often give each other head massages. Our lives are so hectic at the moment; it's sometimes those little things that count the most."
Because the girls have been working behind the scenes for so long, they must feel like they've been in a bubble. But are they ready now for the hysteria of having their music in the charts and being recognised wherever they go? "It does feel as though we've been in a bit of a bubble," said Kasey. "We weren't really recognised much over those couple of years but now in the last few months, it's beginning to hit home. It's crazy for us to hear our song being played on the radio. It gives us such a thrill and makes it feel real. It's sort of like launching our little baby onto the world. But we feel ready for anything now. We've worked so hard and feel so lucky to be given this opportunity. Bring it on!"
Wonderland is such a fantastic name for a band – it conjures up images of happiness and excitement. Was it an easy decision to find a name? "Oh you're joking," laughed Sharon. "We were two years trying to find the perfect name. We'd thought of names such as Daisy Chains and Wildflowers but nothing seemed right. Eventually it was Kian who came up with the name. He was walking down the street when the Tim Burton movie, Alice in Wonderland, had just been released, and a bus passed by with an ad for it on the side. It just clicked with him straight away and when he put it to us and to the record company, we just all knew it was right. Now I couldn't imagine any other name."
In October of last year, a program appeared on our screens called Louis Walsh and Kian Egan's next big thing. It was a fly on the wall documentary of the girls' journey so far. I wondered what it was like to live with the cameras following them around all the time. "To be honest, we were all a bit freaked out in the beginning," said Sharon. "We weren't used to having cameras around and it was daunting to know that everything we were doing was being filmed. We sort of felt we had to put on a bit of a show. But as time went on and we got busier, we relaxed a bit more and just got used to having them around."
So is there any particular girl band the girls admire? Who does Wonderland aspire to be like? "Oh we absolutely love the Dixie Chicks," said Corrina. As well as singing, they play a number of instruments. They're so talented. But it's their voices that we love the most. They all blend so well together and that's something we try to do with our music."
The girls, who are signed to Mercury Records, are beyond excited about Wonderland's debut single, Not a Love Song, which is due for release soon. "The 6th March has been confirmed as the release date," said Kasey. "But it's available to pre-order right now here. We're so proud of this song. We co-wrote it with Shep Solomon and Adam Argyle. We feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to write songs with so many fantastic writers."
"Our album is due for release later in the year too," said Leigh. "We're hoping it will be in May sometime but there'll be a second single released before then. We've been recording the album for the last two years so it's very exciting to know it will soon be available. We don't have a definite name for it yet but at the moment we're thinking of simply calling it Wonderland or perhaps Welcome to Wonderland."
So how would the girls describe their music and what can we expect from the album? "I suppose you could describe our music as pop," said Corrina. "But it's got a real country and rock vibe going on. I think our sound is quite mature. There's a nice mix on the album with some ballads and up-tempo songs too."
Over the last number of weeks, I've noticed the girls tweeting about visiting schools. "We've been doing a tour of schools around the UK," said Corrina. "Honestly, it's one of the best things we've ever done. We've had such a brilliant reaction and have been bombarded with positive comments on facebook from the students. It's been brilliant fun and we're very lucky to have had a chance to do it. We'd love to do the same in Ireland but at the moment we don't have any definite plans."
As well as the official Wonderland twitter, the girls each operate their own twitter accounts. Despite their busy schedule, they always seem to find time to respond to tweets and chat to their fans. "After we toured with Westlife last year," said Leigh, "we decided to set up twitter accounts as a way to thank fans for all their support. Our fans are brilliant and we're really flattered to have so many. Twitter allows us to chat directly to them and build up a relationship with them. On Wednesdays we do a question and answer session where we all come online and try to answer as many questions as we can through tweets. We'd be nothing without our fans so it's only right that we talk back to them."
I could have chatted to the girls all day… well… em… I think maybe I did! But as the interview was coming to a close, I wanted to fire a few last questions at them. I tweeted to their fans, who call themselves The Wonderland Army, asking them what questions they'd like to put to the girls. So I stuck my quiz show hat on and fired ahead:
Do you have a stylist or pick your own clothes?
Jodi: We have a stylist for music videos and for photo shoots but for the most part, we chose our own close on a day to day basis.
What's been your favourite place to perform?
Jodi: Croke Park or O2 London
Sharon: Croke Park or Glasgow
Corrina: Croke Park
Kasey: Croke Park or O2 London
Leigh: Croke Park
What's your favourite song to perform?
Jodi: Not a Love Song
Sharon: Nothing Moves Me and Starlight
Corrina: Not a Love Song
Kasey: Not a Love Song and Nothing Moves Me
Leigh: Starlight and Not a Love Song
Who would you most like to duet with?
Jodi: Westlife, Adele and Bruno Mars
Sharon: Bruno Mars and Adele
Corrina: Adele
Kasey: Adele and Rihanna
Leigh: Taylor Swift
What are your hobbies?
Jodi: Dancing, horse riding
Sharon: Writing songs, going to the gym
Corrina: Walking, hot baths, cinema, hanging out with friends
Kasey: Just starting to play piano, reading, walking
Leigh: Art, reading
What's your favourite comfort food?
Jodi: Chocolate
Sharon: Chinese food, chocolate
Corrina: Bacon Sandwich, Chinese food
Kasey: Pasta
Leigh: Jellies, peanut butter on toast
Unfortunately, the interview had come to an end and it was time to say goodbye to the girls. Wonderland are about to take the world by storm and the girls deserve every bit of success that comes their way.


text:
Crew chief Sgt. Ralph Foy of the 1-150th Assault Helicopter Battalion, watches as water is released from a bambi bucket suspended below a UH-60A Blackhawk to extinguish a mock fire in support of Exercise Eagle Flag on Aug. 16. Eagle Flag is designed for developing, testing and rehearsing the expeditionary combat support capabilities of a traditional air base opening, irregular warfare, humanitarian operations and other contingencies faced by the United States and its allies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. De- Noris A. Mickle)
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Where has all the snow gone?
The National Weather Service is calling for a 100 percent chance of rain Wednesday with a lesser chance for most of the other days in the near future besides Thursday the 1st of March. So will this March come in like a lamb and remain a lamb?
(Recent snow slideshow)
More SnapsRead more on: rugby road
2 comments
NancyDrew March 1st, 2012 | 7:28am
I heard the peepers last night. Records I have kept for the last 30 years show this is the earliest arrival ever.
And Garden Week ( April 21-28 ) may be an entirely different experience with what are normally summer blooms instead of spring.
Peeper fan March 1st, 2012 | 8:38am
We heard the peepers on February 2nd, Groundhog day, in Stony Point. In the 16 years we have lived in Stony Point, that is 3 weeks early.


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Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas Opens Friday, May 11
LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Internationally-renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay announced that Gordon Ramsay Steak, his first restaurant in Las Vegas, will open Friday, May 11 at Paris Las Vegas. Gordon Ramsay Steak will offer guests a fresh, high-energy modern steakhouse environment that playfully transports guests from Paris to London.
"The space is bold and innovative, and we've put together a strong team who together created a contemporary and fresh menu," says Chef Ramsay. "I can't wait to open and start welcoming guests to my very first Vegas-based restaurant."
David Hoenemeyer, president of Paris Las Vegas, looks forward to welcoming Gordon Ramsay to the resort: "I am incredibly pleased with the restaurant that Gordon Ramsay and his team have created at Gordon Ramsay Steak. The space is one-of-a-kind in its design and energy; my mouth waters simply reading the menu."
On the evening of May 11, Ramsay will participate in Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appétit's Grand Tasting where Gordon Ramsay Steak will serve small bites to thousands of guests from its newly fabricated booth, stylistically representative of the restaurant.
Attendees of the event will be treated to a selection of some of Ramsay's traditional favorites such as the roasted beef Wellington served with potato puree and butter-glazed root vegetables, pan-seared Haddock with Irish potato broth and sticky toffee pudding. This will be Chef Ramsay's first year participating in the culinary event at Caesars Palace Garden of the Gods pool oasis.
Gordon Ramsay Steak's menu, carried out by new Executive Chef Kevin Hee, who has trained under the Gordon Ramsay Group, will showcase Ramsay's interpretation of traditional American steakhouse dishes with a hint of modern flair intertwined with many contemporary classics. The menu will change seasonally drawing on the best product available at the time giving visitors new tastes upon every return.
Diners can choose from starters either "From Sea" or "From Land" with dishes like butter-poached Maine lobster, fried oysters and smoked beef tartare with Guinness-infused mustard seeds. Main courses offer a wide selection of grilled items such as a large range of Wagyu beef, various cuts of dry-aged steaks, veal, Kurobuta double pork chop and an assortment of seafood choices.
The menu will also celebrate the international Michelin-starred chef's signature dishes by offering selections inspired by his most revered restaurants in England: fish and chips from The Narrow in London and pork belly accented with candied kumquat and braised Swiss chard from Bread Street Kitchen in London.
Jeffrey Frederick, vice president of food and beverage at Paris Las Vegas, has worked very closely with Gordon Ramsay in the development of this restaurant and testifies, "We have all put so much into this project and also had a lot of fun doing it. I am just as excited about the details, like the shellfish presentation, as I am the steaks, which will clearly be the star. I look forward to seeing Gordon Ramsay Steak in full stride."
Gordon Ramsay Steak's 7,500 square feet, by EDG Interior Architecture + Design, will seat 200 guests throughout the two-story dinning room, chef's table, private dining rooms, bar and lounge. Separated from the main dining room by the Euro-tunnel design, the lounge will be a truly distinct area from the restaurant. It will have its own food menu offering smaller plates of guest favorites from the main dining room in addition to a menu of classically-inspired cocktails.
The wine list for both the dining room and lounge will contain more than 325 labels representing well-known and boutique vineyards around the world. The beer list features 35 large format selections including Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer, the English-inspired Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA, and introduced into the United States from North Yorkshire, England for the first time ever in May 2012 - John Smith's Ale.
Vegas Uncork'd presented by Bon Appétit spans May 10 -13. Limited tickets are still available for this spectacular series of culinary events by visiting: www.vegasuncorked.com
Scottish by birth, Gordon Ramsay was raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. When an injury cut short his promising career in soccer, he went back to college where his dedication and natural talent led him to train with some of world's leading chefs. In 1993, Ramsay became chef of Aubergine in London and within three years was awarded two Michelin stars.
In 1998, at the age of 31, Ramsay opened his namesake restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which quickly received the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world - three Michelin stars. Ramsay is in the minority as one of only four chefs in the UK to maintain three stars.
Now internationally-renowned and boasting 11 Michelin stars, Ramsay has opened a string of successful restaurants across the globe, from London to Los Angeles and Paris to Doha. Most recently, Ramsay opened Bread Street Kitchen in London's City district. The Fat Cow will open this summer at The Grove in Los Angeles.
Ramsay has become a star of the small screen internationally, with top rated U.S. shows airing worldwide including "Kitchen Nightmares", "Hell's Kitchen" and "MasterChef", and an upcoming 4th series on Fox, "Hotel Hell", as well as UK shows such as "Ramsay's Best Restaurants" and "Gordon's Great Escapes".
He is also a published author boasting a number of books, many of which have become best sellers across the world, notably his autobiography, "Roasting in Hell's Kitchen." Ramsay currently resides with his wife and four children, dividing his time between Los Angeles and South London, along with their two bulldogs, Rumpole and Romeo.
Paris Las Vegas brings the passion and sophistication of the City of Light to the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, transporting guests to Europe's most romantic city. Distinctive for its dramatic 50-story replica Eiffel Tower and authentic architectural reproductions, Paris Las Vegas features more than 2,900 hotel rooms and suites.
For more information, please visit www.parislasvegas.com
Find Paris Las Vegas on Facebook


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Zachary Quinto is considering turning his back on Hollywood to live out his theater dreams, insisting he is happiest onstage.
The actor made a name for himself in hit TV shows including "24," "Heroes" and "American Horror Story," as well as Spock in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot, but he has always longed to be a Broadway performer.
Quinto is now making his debut on the "Great White Way" in a revival of Tennessee Williams' classic play "The Glass Menagerie," and he admits he would give up film if he could work solely onstage.
He tells the Associated Press, "It (Hollywood) was always a means to an end to me. I always felt like I wanted to be in L.A. so that I could come back here (to New York) and do theater and now I'm making good on that promise to myself…
"I didn't want to come in, swoop in with my name above the title of the play like I was some Hollywood entity. I've been doing theater since I was 10. Theatre's my jam. It's my life, ultimately. If I could make a living just doing theatre, I feel like I really might."
The 36-year-old is determined to soak up every moment of living and working in the Big Apple: "I was walking to work today. I've been walking the past few days because it's so beautiful out, so I walk from downtown. And I was like, 'This is my life' – living in Manhattan, a dream I've always had, and I'm walking to my theater on Broadway to do Tennessee Williams. It's not lost on me. I really am humbled by it often. I feel really grateful."


text:
Monday, December 31, 2007
28 comments:
- knottydon said...
it's my first time to visit your blog. your characters are cute and your illo looks like it captured a moment in the lives of your fun and adorable creatures ;oP
- December 31, 2007 at 3:49 AM
- Monica said...
Hi Zari--
Your characters are wonderful, and it's been great getting to know both you and them throughout the year!
Here's to a very creative and productive 2008 for all of us! :-)
PS. The bookmarks are adorable!
- December 31, 2007 at 4:13 AM
- dolci said...
Your illustrations are charming. I love the way that your characters interact with their surroundings. It's as if they are sharing a secret.
- December 31, 2007 at 4:14 AM
- studio lolo said...
This is a really wonderful concept for soar! I like how you made them work for both challenges. Great job! See you in 2008...happy new year!
- December 31, 2007 at 6:51 AM
- michael said...
haven't been to your blog in a while. this ones cool, likin the colours, let him soar!!
- December 31, 2007 at 7:35 AM
- willynillywaterlily said...
Oh, these bookmarks are so beautiful and vibrant. Zappy is just the cutest thing.
Is it okay if I list your blog as one of my favorites, too? Your illustrations are so inspiring.
Happy New Year!
- December 31, 2007 at 11:18 AM
- buep said...
Qué buena idea, Zari! Me encanta ver a Zappi de esta manera.
Que tengas un hermoso y creativo 2008!
Un beso enorme!
- December 31, 2007 at 2:52 PM
- pati @-;-- said...
Está monísimo Zappy tan cerca de 2008 jejeje...
Qué lindo que me hayas enviado algo, Zari. Yo te enviaré algo también, lamento no haberlo hecho antes, pero vos sabéis cómo es diciembre de complicado. Si pudiera te enviaría un par de hallacas :)
Besitos y que tengas un liiiindo 2008 :-)
- December 31, 2007 at 6:24 PM
- ms. froggie said...
ahhh ms black y white! (and pink, and turq, and, and...) happiest of 2008 to you and yours! wonderful bmarks! :))
- December 31, 2007 at 6:43 PM
- cata said...
OH! con colores me gustan muchisimo tus illos!!!
Estoy segura que el 2008 serà maravilloso, Zari!!
Un saludo afectuoso,
- December 31, 2007 at 8:26 PM
- .:*:. Ferípula .:*:. said...
Feliz 2008!!!!! Querida Zari!!!! Me encanta el negro, los grises con los rosados....
- December 31, 2007 at 10:12 PM
- tangled stitch said...
What a delightful way to end 2007. Have a wonderfully creative abundant New Year.
- January 1, 2008 at 4:43 AM
- margot said...
(email me your address again!!!!!!!)
- January 2, 2008 at 12:51 AM
- JC said...
Happy New Year Zari!!! These bookmarks are fabulous! You sure are talented! =)
- January 2, 2008 at 1:18 AM
- rosmayd said...
Cada vez más y más colores como me gusta!!!
Zari espero que este año estemos unidas por este puente maravilloso que es el blog, he conocido gente hermosa entre ella vos, y el 100 % de los mensajes que he recibido siempre han sido maravillosos jamas tuve que quitar ninguno, no es increible?
Te mando un grande abrazo Ro
- January 2, 2008 at 1:01 PM
- shaky mouse said...
best wishes for 2008! :)
- January 2, 2008 at 6:16 PM
- Pierina said...
Zari!! feliz año! :) el arbol ha salido rumbo a tu hogar, esta vez lo mande diferente asi que espero que llegue pronto (y que llegue)jaja
Yo quiero participar del sorteo!!!
Te mando un besote!!
- January 3, 2008 at 12:18 AM
- sketched out said...
Your characters are just precious!
Thanks for you nice comments on my blog. I'm just getting to know you, but looking forward to seeing more of your posts in 2008!
- January 3, 2008 at 9:40 AM
- Laura Scarlett said...
Great post. I love the funky style and big impact of your work. It really pops.
- January 3, 2008 at 7:37 PM
- atomicvelvetsigh said...
ohhh nice.. hats up for your beautiful art...
- January 4, 2008 at 12:51 AM
- Barbara Hagerty said...
OH, these are the cutest things! I love your artwork! And what a great and generous idea to do the bookmarks! Happy 2008!
- January 4, 2008 at 1:31 AM
- Jara said...
me encantan tus dibujillos son geniales y con color son chulisimos.
un saludo jara
- January 4, 2008 at 2:11 AM
- mushroommeadows said...
Awesome!!! The book marks are amazing! :)
- January 4, 2008 at 8:36 PM
- Katherine S said...
that is beautiful!
and Happy new year :)
- January 5, 2008 at 2:44 AM
- 3ster said...
Oh ohhh!!
Me da tiempo de participar???
Espero que sí!
Son fantásticas
- January 5, 2008 at 2:56 PM
- Moony said...
Those are so cute! Love the added color!
- January 11, 2008 at 8:45 PM
Hello I just entered before I have to leave to the airport, it's been very nice to meet you, if you want here is the site I told you about where I type some stuff and make good money (I work from home): here it is
- January 14, 2008 at 12:37 PM
- November 21, 2009 at 8:51 AM


text: Spend an unforgettable night with the Aquarium's dolphins! Kick off the evening with a presentation by our marine mammal team where you'll get to know our dolphins and discover how they learn and play. After a kid-friendly dinner you will explore the Aquarium after we've closed to the public! Join our expert guides to explore behind-the-scenes areas and learn about dolphins in our interactive Dolphin Discovery Lab. You can even dare to walk the shark catwalk, where our largest sharks swim silently just inches below. Before heading to bed, help us say goodnight to the Aquarium. In the morning, after a continental breakfast, help our team wake up the dolphins with an exclusive enrichment session! Heads Up! This sleepover tour will not be available after July 31, 2019—but that's not the end of overnight experiences at the Aquarium! Check out our new sleepover experience beginning in August 2019. The Basics Ages: All participants must be at least 8 years of age to participate in this program. All guests under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a paying adult or be part of a group with a paying adult chaperone. Refunds will not be given for participants who do not meet the age requirements. Time: 5:30 pm – 9 am Price (includes Aquarium admission, 4D Immersion Film, kid-friendly dinner and continental breakfast): General $125 Groups $105 Member prices for tours vary; member discounts will be applied during checkout. Please note that members must purchase a discounted guest ticket for any tour guest who is not covered by their membership. **Discounts available for groups of 15 or more. Call 410-576-3833 for more information. What to Bring Sleeping bag and pillow (no cots or air mattresses larger than twin-size) Comfortable clothes and non-slip, close-toed shoes (no sandals, flip-flops, crocs or heels) Personal items (toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth, facial soaps and any medications) Sleepovers are coed, so make sure to bring the appropriate sleepwear Emergency contact information Getting Ready for Your Tour Arrive 15 minutes before your tour, and be sure to allow extra travel time for rush-hour traffic. Check in at our staff entrance when you arrive. It's just around the corner from our main entrance, across from the USS Torsk submarine. Your sleepover program ends at 9 am, but your ticket is good for a full day of exploration! With a hand stamp, you can leave to stow your gear and return to the Aquarium the same day. You'll be asked to sign a waiver when you get here—save time by bringing a signed copy along. To receive the sleepover discounted parking, please use the Parkway Lockwood Place Garage at 124 Market Pl. When booking your tour, please notify Central Reservations of any guests with special needs. Additional Information Cancellation/Refund Policy Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable, including if you miss your tour due to late arrival. If the Aquarium cancels your program, you'll have the option to reschedule or receive a full refund. Call Ahead To ensure that your tour hasn't been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances such as animal health or inclement weather, please call 410-576-8822 the day of your program for cancellation information. Frequently Asked Questions Does my tour go behind-the-scenes? Yes! You'll visit behind-the-scenes areas during your tour. How old do I have to be to go on this tour? Because of the behind-the-scenes access, all participants must be at least 8 years old. No refunds will be given for guests who do not meet the minimum age requirements to participate. Can my child participate without a parent or guardian? A parent or guardian must accompany all participants under the age of 16. Minors 16 years of age or older may participate with a signed waiver from a parent or guardian. Parents or guardians accompanying children must be at least 18 years old. For example, a 17-year-old may attend a tour with a signed waiver, but their 10-year-old sibling may not accompany them without an adult. Will I get to touch any animals? Not all of the animals you'll see on your tour are available for guest interaction. We try to bring you as close to our animals as possible, but for both your safety and that of our animals, we cannot guarantee the opportunity to touch or handle an animal. What should I wear? You'll be traveling behind the scenes, so close-toed, non-slip shoes are required. That means no crocs, sandals, flip-flops or high heels. We recommend wearing comfortable clothing, as you'll be traveling around the Aquarium. Sleepovers are co-ed, so make sure to bring comfortable sleep attire that's appropriate for a co-ed group. What should I bring with me? You'll be camping on the floor, so bring a sleeping bag! Sleeping pads, pillows, and foam or air mattresses are optional, but due to limited space, we encourage guests not to bring air mattresses. Air mattresses larger than twin-size and cots are prohibited. You'll be spending the night, so bring toiletries and personal articles, such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth, facial soaps, medications and sleepwear suitable for a co-ed group. Remember that close-toed, non-slip shoes are required. That means no crocs, sandals, flip-flops or high heels. You may also wish to bring money if you plan to visit the Aquarium's gift shop. Please note that shopping time is not included in the schedule. We recommend arriving early, or planning to re-enter the Aquarium after your sleepover is over, if your group would like to visit the gift shop. Is admission included with my tour? Yes! You're free to explore the Aquarium during our regular hours before or after your sleepover. To enter the building, please use the Pier 3 Staff Entrance located directly across from the U.S.S. Torsk submarine. We will not be able to store your gear prior to your scheduled check-in time or following your sleepover, so be sure to store your gear in the car if you plan to explore the Aquarium! If I decide to visit the Aquarium before or after my sleepover, is there a place to store my gear? No. We will not be able to store your gear prior to your scheduled check-in time or following your sleepover, so be sure to store your gear in the car if you plan to explore the Aquarium! Are sleepovers coed? Yes. Our sleepovers are best described as indoor camping experiences and are open to any and all groups, so they may be co-ed. If your group wishes to have a private sleeping area, please let your sleepover guide know during check-in. We will do our best to accommodate the needs of each group, but we cannot guarantee that a private sleeping area will always be available. Will there be food or snacks during the sleepover? Yes! During your sleepover, you'll have the chance to dine with us twice. A kid-friendly, buffet-style dinner and a continental breakfast are both included with the cost of your tour. If you or someone in your group has special dietary needs, please contact us at 410-576-8822, and someone will be in contact regarding options for you or your group! Do you offer badges for scout groups? Unfortunately, we are not offering scout badges at this time. Is there a chaperone to child ratio for sleepovers? Yes! We require at least one adult (18 years or older) for every seven children under the age 16. Where should we park when we arrive, and are there any discounts available? When you arrive for your sleepover, please plan to park at the Parkway Lockwood Place Garage (124 Market Place Baltimore, MD 21202) located directly across the street from the National Aquarium. Remember to bring your parking ticket to check-in. Your sleepover guide will provide you with a chaser ticket to use upon exiting the garage with a flat rate of $8. To receive this discount, you must exit the garage prior to 12:00 pm following your sleepover. Back to the Top


text:
|Tutorial Series
|Marble C++ Tutorial
|Tutorial 3 - Basic Interactions with MarbleWidget
|What's Next
|Tutorial 5 - Loading OSM files into MarbleWidget
|Further Reading
Marble uses so-called runners to calculate routes, do reverse geocoding, parse files and search for placemarks (cities, addresses, points of interest, ...). This tutorial shows how to open a .kml (or .gpx, .osm, ...) file and display it into the Marble Widget.
#include <QtCore/QDebug>
#include <QtCore/QFileInfo>
#include <QtGui/QApplication>
#include <marble/MarbleWidget.h>
#include <marble/MarbleModel.h>
using namespace Marble;
int main(int argc, char** argv)
QApplication app(argc,argv);
QFileInfo inputFile( app.arguments().last() );
if ( app.arguments().size() < 2 || !inputFile.exists() ) {
qWarning() << "Usage: " << app.arguments().first() << "file.kml";
return 1;
MarbleWidget *mapWidget = new MarbleWidget();
mapWidget->centerOn( GeoDataCoordinates( 26.0783, 44.4671, 0, GeoDataCoordinates::Degree ) );
mapWidget->zoomView( 2200 );
mapWidget->model()->addGeoDataFile( inputFile.absoluteFilePath() );
return app.exec();
Copy and paste the code above into a text editor. Then save it as my_marble.cpp and compile it by entering the following command on the command line:
g++ -I /usr/include/qt4/ -o my_marble my_marble.cpp -lmarblewidget -lQtGui -lQtCore
If things go fine, execute ./my_marble some-file.kml and you get a Marble Widget which displays your KML file. For example, download and unpack Bucharest.kml (a LinearRing representing Bucharest's city boundaries), place it in the same folder as your my_marble.cpp file and run ./my_marble bucharest.kml. The result should be similar to this:
|The same method works for loading other file types too, like OpenStreetMap (.osm), GPX and Shapefiles (.shp).
|If you provide maps in your application please check the Terms of Use of the map material. The map material that is shipped with Marble is licensed in the spirit of Free Software. This usually means at least that the authors should be credited and that the license is mentioned. E.g. for OpenStreetMap the license is CC-BY-SA. Other map data shipped with Marble is either public domain or licensed in the spirit of the BSD license.


text:
Red Sox remain optimistic about John Lackey
TORONTO — Righthander John Lackey, who left Saturday's game against Toronto in the fifth inning with an arm injury, flew back to Boston Sunday morning and was given a series of tests.
As of Sunday night, the Red Sox were waiting to get the results of his MRI further interpreted. General manager Ben Cherington said the exam showed Lackey having a strained right biceps.
"We'll sit down with John [on Monday] and map out what our plan is and what is in his best interests,'' manager John Farrell said.
Lackey was scheduled to start Friday. But it seems likely that he is headed to the disabled list for at least two weeks.
"First and foremost is John's well-being,'' Farrell said. "Given all that he's come through, or in this case just the fact that a pitcher walked off the mound in the midst of an at-bat, we've got to be cautious with this.''
The Sox haven't said who would start in Lackey's place if needed. Alfredo Aceves followed him to the mound on Saturday and threw 3⅔ innings.
"I feel good and if I need to start, I can start,'' Aceves said Sunday. "It's like a wave, the way you build up. I'm on a good wave.''
With the day off Tuesday, the Sox simply could skip that spot in the rotation for one turn.
Ortiz feeling good
The Sox have scored 36 runs in their first six games without the presence of designated hitter David Ortiz. Now Big Papi is set to play in his first game of the spring Monday.
Ortiz spent the weekend at the team complex in Fort Myers, Fla., doing base-running drills and taking batting practice. Now he will play in extended spring training games.
The tentative plan is for Ortiz to start a rehabilitation assignment with Triple A Pawtucket Thursday.
Pawtucket starts an eight-game homestand Thursday. Ortiz has said he would like 25-30 at-bats at Pawtucket before returning to the Sox.
Barring any setbacks, Ortiz could return to the Red Sox for the homestand that starts April 19.
The process will hinge on how Ortiz feels on a given day.
Delay for Drew
Shortstop Stephen Drew will remain with Double A Portland Monday and is set to join the Red Sox Wednesday.
Drew, who is on a rehabilitation assignment after recovering from a concussion, was 0 for 4 with a walk for Portland in Sunday's 9-7 loss against Trenton and played eight innings in the field. He is 1 for 10 in three games.
Drew was expected back Monday. But Portland's game Saturday was postponed by the cold.
"Just talking with him late [Saturday], he felt an additional 8-10 at-bats would be helpful,'' Farrell said. "He's starting to feel much more comfortable.''
Drew is scheduled to play the entire game for Portland Monday.
As Drew recovers, Jose Iglesias is 9 for 17 filling in for him. He was 2 for 5 with a double Sunday.
Bradley battles
Rookie left fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitting .143 (3 of 21) after six games, albeit with a .333 on-base percentage thanks to five walks. He was 1 for 11 against the Jays.
"They attacked him on the inside part of the plate a little bit,'' Farrell said. "They did a good job. They mixed up some breaking balls for strikes. They spread the zone away from him.
"I don't think he expanded [his strike zone] that much. He saw some fastballs at the belt and above I don't think he's seen all that much of. He's learning.''
Bradley has played every inning of the season in left field and had a direct role in contributing to three of the four victories.
"Any level you go to, you need to adjust,'' he said. "I'm seeing what they're doing with me. I'll be OK.''
Opening salvo?
The Orioles are 3-3 after losing to the Twins on Sunday and have dropped two straight one-run games. That had center fielder Adam Jones fired up about playing the Sox Monday.
"It's important,'' Jones told reporters in Baltimore about the team's need to play well at Fenway Park. "You've seen the last couple days, you look on the scoreboard today. They had 13 runs and they put them up quick, too. I think they are swinging the bats. We've got to go out there . . . and spoil their Opening Day.''
That Fenway will be sold out matters not to Jones.
"The more people, the more you want to shut them up. That's how I look at it. I don't care, they can stand up the whole game. They do anyway. But when you can silence 40,000 people, it's pretty cool,'' he said.
Happy birthday
Hall of Famer and Red Sox legend Bobby Doerr turned 95 Sunday . . . The Red Sox have yet to commit an error. Pedro Ciriaco was unjustly charged with a throwing error in the ninth inning before the scorer reversed his call . . . Will Middlebrooks, at 24, is the youngest Red Sox player to hit three home runs in a game since 24-year-old Jim Rice in 1977 . . . Daniel Nava started at first base for the first time and played seven seamless innings. He also was 1 for 3 with a home run, a sacrifice fly, and a walk. "The game moves fast on the infield,'' said Nava, who as a professional had played only the outfield. "It was fun, actually.'' . . . Mike Carp became the last Red Sox player to get in a game when he pinch hit in the eighth inning and lined to shortstop . . . The Sox were outhomered, 8-2, by the opposition before Sunday. Now it's 8-8 . . . Sox pitchers have 58 strikeouts and only 15 walks . . . Jose Bautista missed the entire series for the Blue Jays because of a sore right ankle.


text:
The benefits of the playoff bye weekend were obvious to John Harbaugh.
The Ravens coach said players nursing various injuries and ailments appear much improved after getting the opportunity to rest for three consecutive days over the weekend.
"From an injury perspective, we look good," Harbaugh said during his weekly conference Monday. "We anticipate everybody playing in the game [against the Houston Texans Sunday]."
Harbaugh said the turf toe injury that shelved inside linebacker Ray Lewis for four consecutive games earlier in the season is no longer a concern.
"He looks great," Harbaugh said. "No, he's 100 percent. Any report to the contrary is absolutely untrue. His toe is 100 percent. Has been for a couple weeks."
Inside linebackers Jameel McClain and Brendon Ayanbadejo did not practice last week due to knee and quad sprains, respectively, but Harbaugh said their injuries are getting better.
"Jameel and Brendon are working through their knee issues," Harbaugh said. "They should be good. We'll see how they practice."
Inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, strong safety Tom Zbikowski and rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith have not yet been cleared for contact, but Harbaugh said that could happen as early as Tuesday. Harbaugh also said that wide receiver Anquan Boldin appears fully recovered from surgery three weeks ago to repair a partially torn meniscus in his knee.
"What we did today was a very light kind of a walkthrough practice, but he looks fine, and he's been running on it," Harbaugh said. "So he should be 100 percent."
Defensive end Cory Redding, who has been bothered by a balky right ankle, said he is living proof of the benefits of the bye weekend.
"Awesome," Redding said Monday when asked how he felt. "I was just talking to some of my coaches and talking about how good I feel. I lost a few pounds working real hard and just really reflecting on myself."
Cameron in Texas
Harbaugh confirmed an ESPN report that Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was present at Saturday's AFC wildcard contest between the third-seeded Houston Texans and the sixth-seeded Cincinnati Bengals.
Cameron likely took notes on the Texans' 31-10 victory, but Harbaugh said there was nothing subversive about Cameron's attendance.
"He's done that quite a few times over the years when we've had bye weeks and stuff like that," Harbaugh said during his weekly conference Monday. "So that's something that I think he likes to do. It gives him a feel, watching the game live, scouting the game live. It's not so much X's and O's as it is a feel for the tempo and things like that. That's something he likes to do, and he's done that over the years."
Mason plans to retire
After a nomadic 2011 campaign that included stops with the New York Jets and Houston Texans, Derrick Mason has concluded that it is time to end his 15-year career.
"Right now, I'm just doing some analysis and spending time with my kids," the former Ravens wide receiver told The Sun's Mike Preston from his home in Nashville. "Physically, I feel fine and I can still go play. Mentally, I've had enough. I know it's my time to get out and I plan to retire."
Mason, who was waived by the Ravens in the offseason, did not encounter much success, catching just 19 passes for 170 yards with the Jets and Texans, who cut him Dec. 12.
But Mason, who spent six seasons with the Ravens, is still the franchise's all-time leader in receptions (471) and yards (5,777). The two-time Pro Bowler will finish his career with 943 catches, 12,061 yards and 66 touchdowns.
Flacco, Rice up for awards
Joe Flacco is one of five candidates competing for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year.
The Ravens quarterback was singled out for his 26-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter. That score capped a 13-play, 92-yard drive that gave the team an eventual 23-20 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 6 and a sweep of their AFC North rivals.
Flacco is vying for the award with Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews (led a goal-line stop of New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram to preserve a 42-34 victory on Sept. 8); Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (engineered a 13-point comeback in the fourth quarter and overtime to earn a 27-24 win against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 18); the Oakland Raiders (upending the Houston Texans, 25-20, on Oct. 11, just one day after owner Al Davis had died); and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (helped erase a 10-0 deficit in the final 2:08 of regulation to cement a 13-10 overtime win against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 11).
Fans can vote at NFL.com/gmc.
Ray Rice is one of three candidates for the FedEx Ground Player of the Year.
The Ravens running back was highlighted for amassing 1,364 yards – second-best in the NFL – and 12 rushing touchdowns – tied for second in the league among running backs. Invited to the Pro Bowl for the second time in three years, Rice was nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week four times, winning twice.
Rice's competition for the award is the Jacksonville Jaguars' Maurice Jones-Drew (a NFL-high 1,606 yards and eight touchdowns en route to being the only running back in the league to average over 100 rushing years this season) and the Philadelphia Eagles' LeSean McCoy (a NFL-best 17 touchdowns and 1,309 yards, which ranked fourth).
Fans can vote at NFL.com/FedEx.
Baltimore Sun staff writer Mike Preston contributed to this article.


text:
I was reading, Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering, which has a section of maintenance. Since, I'm have been a maintenance developer for years now, I was very interesting facts presented. Here's three.
- Fact 41: Maintenance typically consumes 40 to 80 percent (average, 60 percent) of software costs. Therefore, it is probably the most important life cycle phase of software.
- Fact 42: Enhancement is responsible for roughly 60 percent of software maintenance costs. Error correction is roughly 17 percent. Therefore, software maintenance is largely about adding new capability to old software, not fixing it.
- Fact 45: Better software engineering development leads to more maintenance, not less.
This one was counter-intuitive, turns out that good software has more maintenance, because it's easy to change. Hence, it stays in use longer, leading to, yes, more changes.
Which paradigm (such as functional, object-oriented, procedural) has the best maintainability, and is there any research to back this up?


text:
Connor Sperling had the biggest win of the night for the Dixon Dukes on Tuesday, defeating Rochelle's Tony Walsh 4-3 in triple overtime. Dixon, however, could not overcome forfeiting four weight classes in a 53-21 loss on the road.
Jake Johnson (113 pounds) and
Brenan Chacon (145) each recorded pins for Dixon. Trent Brinkmeier (132) and Kylian Lally (138) both won by decision.
Warriors drop three at UT: Sterlng lost 60-9 to Moline, 51-12 to Harlem, and 45-30 to United Township in East Moline.
Curtis Lilly, who placed fifth at 285 in Class 2A last winter, lost 3-2 to Moline's Adarios Jones. Lilly won by major
decision in his match against United Township, and took a 3-1 decision against Harlem.
Canaan Gillihan won a 9-3 decision at 182 pounds against Moline and received a forfeit against United Township.
Rockets take two at 'Bago: Rock Falls defeated Burlington Central 36-33 and Marengo 44-24 in a pair of duals at
Tristan Dudley (106/113 pounds), Carlos Gutierrez (120), Tibs Cervantes (132/138), Roberto Arellano (152) and Shawn Skinner (195) all won twice for the Rockets, who didn't wrestle the host
Indians; the two Big Northern West schools will square off later in the season.
West Carroll 65, Fulton 18: The Thunder recorded five pins and received five forfeits in a season-opening win over the Steamers in Savanna.
Dalton Rice (106 pounds), Paawan Dandona (113), Chase Olsen (126), Zach Hartman (132) and Cody Yenney (152) had pins for West Carroll.
Aaron Field (138), Ethan Jones (145) and Steve Balk (285) had pins for Fulton.


text:
Moakley Center for Public Management
Working with many long-term partners—Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, the Massachusetts Providers' Council, Communities for People, and the Shriver Center at the UMass Medical School—and new partners—Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Massachusetts Municipal Association—the Center offers extensive graduate-level certificate programs to Massachusetts public service mangers. To date, more than 1,600 managers have completed the programs.
As the clinical partner to Suffolk's Institute for Public Service, the Center promotes dialogue on important public policy issues. The Center's Moakley Breakfast Series brings key public policy topics to the forefront and has featured several prominent leaders, including former Governor Michael Dukakis, Attorney General Martha Coakley, and former U.S. Representative Barney Frank.
In partnership with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and Communities for People (CFP), the Moakley Center expanded its two youth job programs—Summer iWorks and Job Opportunity Boston—matching dozens of eager teens with meaningful employment opportunities.


text:
"You can tell a lot about a place by how it feels between your toes. Shelley's ten digits took great pride in their astute ability to judge an area's character. Her left big toe was an especially thoughtful observer. By instinct, it could tell within seconds of touching the ground if a place was rough, slippery, or soft. Now it decided, as Shelley waded to the shore, that this particular island required a whole different category of praise. Paradise came close, but that rang a bit trite. A happy accident, it thought—a string of mishaps, to be precise—suited it much better. Shelley's toe was utterly convinced that Boracay had not come about on purpose. If it had, it would be forced to accuse God of favoritism— something that the Catholic in it refused to let it do."*
p. 260, Before Ever After
Welcome, campers! Glad you could join us for our Friday Field Trip. (I know, I know. It's not Friday yet, but I'll be toiling at the proofreading mines tomorrow so we're borrowing the Tardis and taking a quick trip to the future.) Today we're headed to one of my personal favorite settings in the book – Boracay!
Boracay is an island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines and has been named as one of the top ten beaches in the world.
But I won't waste my breath attempting to describe it to you. Hop on the van, follow the red umbrella, and see it for yourself. (By the way, my eight-year old son took some of the photos in this video. I find that kids really see things from such a different and fascinating perspective. Can you spot which photographs are his?) And while you're there, make sure you try the Calamansi (Philippine lemon) muffins.
*Copyright © 2011 by Samantha Sotto-Yambao


text:
CASTRO VALLEY — The California Highway Patrol is investigating an Alameda County Sheriff's Office pursuit that resulted in a traffic crash Friday afternoon in Castro Valley.
The crash was reported about 1:21 p.m. in the area of Castro Valley Boulevard and Norbridge Avenue, said sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson. A deputy on patrol saw the suspect vehicle driving recklessly and attempted to make a traffic stop; the car kept going and crashed into a utility pole about a half-mile later, Nelson said.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, Nelson said. No one was injured.
The driver, a man whose identity was not immediately available, was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving, Nelson said.
Contact Natalie Neysa Alund at 510-293-2469. Follow her at Twitter.com/nataliealund.


text:
SciCafe: Reviving the Mammoth main content.
by AMNH on
Current conservation efforts strive to prevent our world's endangered species from going extinct. But with new biotechnologies emerging, will it ever be possible to bring back extinct species from previous centuries?
In this SciCafe, join Museum curator Ross MacPhee as he discusses the amazing but controversial scientific advances that may help to bring about the return of the woolly mammoth, passenger pigeon, and other extinct species.
For a video version of this program, visit AMNH.tv.
Podcast: Download | RSS | iTunes (1 hour and 11 mins, 85 MB)
The SciCafe Series is proudly sponsored by Judy and Josh Weston.


text:
Events on Thursday, 30. August 2018
The library has new hours which may be only temporary at this time. The only changes will be Tuesday and Thursday. Instead of being open from 9-5 on Tuesday, we will open at noon and close at 5. On Thursday, we will close at 6 pm instead of 8 pm.
January 8 Monday
Reading Club
Jan 08, 2018 06:00 PM to Dec 10, 2018 07:00 PM
Greenup Library
A small reading club meets to discuss selected books each month on the second Monday at 6 p.m. For book titles


text:
The 2019 R.H. Boyd Catalog is available for viewing HERE. In it you will find many new products that will meet your church, business, and personal needs! The traditional product offerings, including our purposeful and vibrant selection of Sunday School materials, Boyd's Commentary, and full array of Hymnals and church supplies, are available as well. To learn more about eBooks, please click HERE... Read More
Adult Christian Life - 2nd Quarter Opening Excercises Correction
SIngle Verse (single corrected verse)
Multiple Verse (multiple copies of corrected verse to share)
The R.H. Boyd Family Endowment Fund serves as a living memorial to Dr. R. H. Boyd, founder of the National Baptist Publishing Board/R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation. The Fund serves as a vehicle through which the R.H. Boyd Company puts resources back into the community in a positive and helpful way and encourages churches, organizations, and worthy students to attain goals and standards for the betterment of the total community. The purpose of our scholarships and grants is to promote knowledge and participation in the African-American heritage and the African-American culture of students, as well as increase the number of minority graduate degree holders in the certain fields of study...Read More
The founding mission of The R.H. Boyd Company and its subsidiary, R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation, is to publish, print, and distribute the highest quality of Christian, inspirational, and commercial-based literature, merchandise, and services by continuing to use high ethical and moral standards as it has for over one hundred years. Founded in 1896 by Rev. Dr. Richard Henry Boyd, the R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation continues to be a beacon of excellence in the printing, publishing, and global distribution of Christian materials and church supplies...Read More
Founded in 1906 by Dr. Richard Henry Boyd, the National Baptist Congress is a traveling school of Christian education and leadership skills that reaches thousands of people across the country. Each year the Congress visits key cities, including: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Dallas, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee to spread the Gospel and fellowship. Sponsored by R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation, the National Congress is one of the most historical religious conferences in the country. Please join us for the 113th annual session in Charlotte, NC June 9-14, 2019...Read More
In 1896, Dr. Richard Henry Boyd began a company that more than century later has flourished into an internationally recognized producer of Christian education materials. Under the leadership of the current president/CEO, Dr. T. B. Boyd III, R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation remains deeply committed to ensuring quality publications in Christian, educational, family, music, and historical publishing. The corporation markets a complete range of products such as Sunday school and Vacation Bible School literature, leadership development resources, small group ministry aids, and The New National Baptist Hymnal, a renowned collection of best-selling Christian music. The corporation has launched an expanded music resource, The New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition. Our expanded hymnal features hundreds of popular and classic hymns. The R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation has truly been a global name in publishing for over 100 years. We're more than a company ... We are a tradition!


text:
Market Research Report
Location-Based Advertising and Marketing - 3rd Edition
|Published by
|BERG Insight
|Product code
|Content info
|190 Pages
Delivery time: 1-2 business days
|Location-Based Advertising and Marketing - 3rd Edition
|Published: April 28, 2014
|Content info: 190 Pages
The mobile channel is gradually strengthening its position in the marketing media mix as smartphones are becoming ubiquitous and drive mobile media usage. One of the key developments in mobile advertising is the increasing integration of location-sensitivity, which releases the full potential of the mobile channel. A notable divide can be made between static and real-time location-based advertising (LBA). Targeting by static variables involves using information which is part of user profiles such as place of residence and work. Real-time location targeting instead uses location information which is gathered when an ad is delivered to a mobile user. Such LBA campaigns leverage the same type of technologies to determine user location as other location-based services (LBS). Common methods include GPS, Cell-ID and Wi-Fi positioning which are all based on real-time information.
Targeting by location in combination with other contextual and behavioural segmentation greatly enhances the relevance of mobile advertising. It has been demonstrated that locationtargeted ads generate considerably higher returns than conventional mobile advertising. The associated eCPM and CTR levels are several times higher. Berg Insight estimates that the total value of the real-time mobile LBA market worldwide was € 1.2 billion in 2013, representing 14.5 percent of the total mobile ad spend. Growing at a compound annual growth rate of 54.0 percent, the real-time LBA market is forecasted to be worth € 10.7 billion in 2018, corresponding to 38.6 percent of all mobile advertising and marketing. This means that location-based advertising and marketing will represent around 7 percent of digital advertising, or 2 percent of the total global ad spend for all media. Asia-Pacific is estimated to be the largest LBA market in 2018, followed by North America and Europe.
Key drivers for LBA include the growing adoption of both outdoor and indoor location technologies, as well as the increasing consumer acceptance of LBS in general. The market is favoured by the recent entry of a number of major enterprise players. Big-box retailers can leverage LBA to combat both online and physical competitors. LBA further opens up the mobile channel for new advertisers such as local merchants. The fact that LBA has higher performance has moreover translated into premium rates. The main barriers to adoption are related to the inherently limited reach of LBA which acts as a mental hurdle for advertisers. Education of advertisers and new methods for campaign performance evaluation are thus called for. Privacy issues can further not be ignored, but can be beneficially handled by privacy control options beyond simple opt-in mechanisms. The demand for geo-targeting remains comparably limited, but is bound to increase given the proven results such campaigns generate. The quality of location data is moreover expected to gradually improve.
The LBA value chain is still forming and there are a large number of players involved in the ecosystem. The industry remains fragmented and far from mature. Many different companies are involved, ranging from LBA specialists such as Verve, Placecast and xAd, to LBS players including Intersec, Telenav and Waze, and operators such as AT&T, SFR and the UK joint venture Weve. There is furthermore an abundance of location-aware applications and media which serve geo-targeted ads, with examples such as Foursquare and Shopkick. Other stakeholders include coupons and deals providers including Yowza!! and COUPIES, search solutions such as YP, Hibu and Yelp, and proximity marketing providers like Proxama, NeoMedia and Scanbuy. A number of traditional mobile advertising players are also active in the LBA space, for example Millennial Media, Madvertise and Smaato, as well as major digital and telecom players such as Google, Facebook and Apple. The latter is together with a range of other players pushing for BLE beacon adoption which is expected to take off this year.
There are a number of key takeaways from the current trends in LBA. Geo-targeting improves the performance of mobile marketing and greater shares of ad budgets are devoted to LBA. High-precision real-time geo-targeting is still sparsely used but is expected to get a boost in the near term. Best practices for LBA furthermore include the use of sound opt-in procedures and individual privacy measures, as well as ensuring that location data is combined with additional contextual and behavioural data to increase relevance. Current important highvolume LBA formats include mobile search and SMS campaigns. New developments moreover include real-world retargeting and mobile attribution solutions. The latter can prove the effectiveness of LBA by quantifying the impact on in-store visits and purchases. Berg Insight anticipates that geo-targeting gradually will become ubiquitous and available across the entire mobile channel.
LBA revenue forecast, € million (Worldwide 2012-2018)
Rickard Andersson is a Senior Analyst with a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Chalmers University of Technology. He joined Berg Insight in 2010 and his areas of expertise include Mobile Advertising, mobile VAS and commercial vehicle telematics.


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Yesterday, President Obama made a rare trip to the Pentagon pressroom to announce the results of a new strategic plan for the Department of Defense (DoD). This plan promises to change some of the basic strategies of the DoD and is influenced by the promise to cut $487 billion from the DoD budget in ten years.
This press conference and the follow-up briefing by Pentagon officials outlined broad concepts. The officials said that the details would emerge when the president releases his fiscal year 2013 budget in a few weeks.
There are some winners and losers here. There will be more emphasis on Asia and general areas of the Middle East (read Iran). The emphasis for any type of ground military action won't be unilateral, but instead, it will be like the template set with the US and NATO action in Libya. Large standing ground troops waiting for long occupations are out; intelligence, surveillance and counterterrorism are in. There will be an emphasis on lean and agile forces that can respond quickly to any part of the world. Obama also stressed that the defense budget would continue to grow, but at a slower rate. To ward off the "soft on security" detractors, he reminded us that the military budget will still be larger than at the end of the Bush administration and we are still spending as much as the next ten top defense spending countries in the world. He balanced that by quoting President Eisenhower's admonition that spending on the Pentagon can take away from our economy and that can also threaten our national security.
It was a mixed message that could worry some of the DoD's powerful constituencies, but they, as in the past, can find a way to keep the Pentagon churning out their comfortable large weapon systems and keep the DoD contractors happy.
For the past ten years and for the first time in many decades, the Army has been center stage in the DoD because of the long occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and the large number of standing troops. Most procurement money went to small military hardware, such as vehicles, improvised explosive device prevention, and other troop transport. The Army has been playing with complex gear and weapons for the ground troops while the Air Force and the Navy have been pushing their cold war clones of planes and ships while trying to pound anything new into the Iraq and Afghanistan missions. Moving away from large ground troops and toward supporting the Asian theater will have the Air Force and Navy excited about the need for more planes and ships.
Even though there is to be an emphasis on small and agile, these services will work to make sure that any new idea that is supposed to be small and agile will be laden with all types of techno gizmos, whether they are useful on the battlefield or not. The Pentagon and their contractors have spent decades running up the size and costs of weapons because fiefdoms within the DoD procurement world would have to decrease in budget if the weapon system is too cheap and effective. Even if the civilian leadership in the DoD tries to keep the forces agile and fluid to meet changing demands, the procurement money forces will push for large, heavy and expensive weapons that mimic the familiar weapons of the cold war. Based on what I have seen in the past, the strategy which the president has laid out can be usurped and bastardized by the weapons buying community in the Pentagon and the contracting world.
At one point in the briefing, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta spoke of needing to keep up the "industrial base" while downsizing the types and amount of weapon spending. This was a code word to the contractors that they won't see too many cuts to hurt their lucrative business plans, and I suspect that the cuts in the quantity of our weapons from the contractors will be made up with foreign military sales. That is happening right now with the beleaguered and failing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which the Pentagon is trying to save by peddling it around the world.
There was one short mention by Panetta about working on waste and inefficiency, but it was basically a throwaway line. Until the DoD can get control of its money and reform the military and contractor love affair, the administration may just be pushing and pulling on imaginary levers while thinking they are making real change.
I believe that this administration may be trying to build a new house on a bad foundation. As any building inspector, here is my punch list on what you need to do on the foundation before you try to build the new house.
Get control of the money flow. Right now, the Pentagon admits that it is inauditable (a clunky but sad word that they use). They cannot pass an overall fiscal audit through they have been required to do so since 1999. Though this administration had plans to try to pass the audit by 2014, the Congress pushed the requirement back to 2017. The problem is more basic than that. The audit of the Pentagon has to be fixed from the bottom transactions up because, if those transactions are sketchy, you have an audit system at the top that has "garbage in, garbage out."
Change the way that weapons are priced. Right now, the Pentagon buys weapons based on the price of the weapon previous to it, known as historical pricing. That means with that all the previous generations of weapons' fraud, waste and abuse, costs are factored in and the prices raised exponentially generation after generation. That is why the weapons budget is supremely high while we buy fewer and fewer units. The fix to this, which some in the Pentagon are trying to introduce, is to price weapons based on what they "should cost," using a clean slate of pricing based on what it really costs to make the weapon.
Don't advance the weapon system into full production while it is still being testing. That is known as "concurrency" and has produced drastic mistakes and expensive fixes (which contractors love because the DoD pays for most of it). The F-35 is the poster child of why this shouldn't be done with even the F-35 program manager admitting that it has a high amount of problems.
Stop the self-dealing between the Pentagon and the contractors. The worse problem of this is the revolving door, especially with retired generals going to work or consult with defense firms. It is corrupting to the whole system and is very bad for morale for the people still working in the DoD to see their bosses and colleagues sell out to the contractors. I have outlined some tough love on how to stop this in one of my Solutions columns, but it will take political courage to stop this crazy and destructive practice.
- Congress and/or the administration need to withhold parts of DoD appropriations when they aren't getting the information they need or a program continues to fail. Money speaks to the bureaucracy in the DoD, who will be there longer than the politicians and political appointees, and holding up their fuel line is often the only way to reform them. They will work around any reform of the system by the administration and Congress like crabgrass through concrete unless they think the money flow could be withheld or reduced. The president and the Congress have this powerful carrot and stick tool, but are especially afraid to use it on the DoD because the generals will scream that they don't care about the troops. This also takes political courage, but any change in strategy or reform will fail without it.
I have addressed most of these reforms in my Solutions columns. I believe that we will have to wait until the budget comes out to know what is really happening because money speaks in the Pentagon. As Win Wheeler, director of the Straus Military Reform Project said, "Press conference words are nice; actual budgets are the ultimate expression of policy and strategy."


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Where is Hunter?
Readers: It has been a busy Fall for me and you see that my posts have fallen off. Please keep checking back as I will be updating the blog more often after the first of the year. If you have or have not been here you can spend hours on the blog recounting the first days of Katrina (by scrolling all the way to the bottom). It reads in almost "book like" fashion by starting with the very first post. You can watch the videos on the right side of the blog, and many within the text of the blog.
Here is the recent and shameful story of Hunter and peoples hinderance of his return to his owner. Hunter is a service dog. Folks, until you have seen it first hand you simply can't understand what it was like to have 15-25 ft of water quickly flood your home. The only mistake these animals owners made was not leaving, and I have made far greater mistakes than that in my life and so has everyone who is holding these dogs up from their owners. I do not believe every dog needs to go home here two years past Katrina. But read this story and you will understand why I think this one does. Any authority with an ounce of compassion would have helped this person get out of St. Bernard Parish with her dog. They are lucky it is not my dog.
Kristin M. Thomas
Senior Writer
Capital City Free Press www.capcityfreepress.com
When Hurricane Katrina struck St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana, Fay was stranded at home. She had no transportation and parish officials did not provide evacuation services for her and Hunter, even though she is disabled and he is her service dog. Hunter had identification tags on his collar and was implanted with a microchip, as is the standard practice for all registered aid dogs.
Fay and Hunter survived the hurricane and flooded nightmarish aftermath in their apartment with no assistance from the local government. It was only after a concerned neighbor called parish authorities from his cell phone did help finally come for her. Rescue and relief was what these authorities were supposed to bring with them but in reality they only brought her brutality and heartache.
Instead of being Fay's saviors these men, who showed no identification, told her she could not take her service dog with her. When she refused to leave without Hunter, they forcibly dragged her from her residence. Fay had already put Hunter on his leash in preparation for transportation to safety and had securely wrapped the other end of the leash around her arm. Once in the boat and nearing Beauregard school, the "rescuers" unhooked Hunter from his leash and dumped him off at the steps. Hunter, wanting to protect his charge, tried to jump back into the boat while Fay was trying to escape from her captors and save the dog that had been more than just a friend to her.
These men proceeded to brutalize this disabled woman by handcuffing her and then pinning her to the bottom of the boat by her chest. All the while, Hunter who was dedicated to his master, swam after the boat in an effort to accompany his charge, but every time he approached, the men would throw him back.
Technically, a case could be made that Fay was kidnapped. She was taken against her will and brutalized by individuals who were supposed to be providing aid. Sadly, this story is an all too common one in St. Bernard Parish and allegedly several officials from this particular parish are responsible for the worst examples of cruelty, inhumanity and misuse of power to come out of this crisis.
There is a constitutional right in this country to not be forced from your home, and it is just equally applicable in a natural disaster as it is in every day life. Likewise, not only was it her right to have Hunter accompany her to safety, it was imperative for sustaining her quality of life. None of these inalienable rights were taken into consideration in the days after the hurricane for many, including Fay and Hunter.
The last time Fay saw Hunter he was frantically doggie paddling after the boat she was being abducted in. Fay started looking for Hunter immediately. Over a year later, Fay is still committed to finding him.
Fay's case has been adopted by the Stealth Volunteers and they are now helping to reunite Hunter and Fay. According to the volunteer on the case, some of the animal shelters, such as the St. Bernard Parish Animal Shelter, have been helpful. Others have not been so forthcoming with information and in some cases have hindered her progress in her quest to find her best friend and service dog.
There is a possibility that Hunter has been located. Unfortunately, the shelter who adopted him out refuses to release the file on the dog in question until ordered to do so by a court of law. In correspondence to a Stealth Volunteer working on Hunter's case, the director of Marin Humane Society in Novato, Calif., Dianne Allevato, admits, "I met today with the guardian of the dog in question. Hunter may be the same dog that she adopted. It isn't clear." Yet, repeated requests to scan the animal in question for a matching microchip or releasing his file have been flatly denied. Hunter has been adopted out, and it appears that a legal action may be her only recourse.
What can be done?
First and foremost, you can e-mail Diane Allevato daily at firstname.lastname@example.com concerning her refusal to see if the dog in question is Hunter. Secondly, if you know a California lawyer willing to help Fay obtain a court order - pro bono - have them contact me: firstname.lastname@example.com
If you have information about Hunter email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Hunters' Description:
Microchip ID # 453C165E18
Hunter is a neutered male, long-nosed Pekinese mix, long body, short bowed front legs, front feet and elbows stick out, always smiling, 25 lbs. Hunter is black with brown paws. He has a curled fluffy tail. Hunter was last seen at 1979 Sugarmill in lower St. Bernard. For more information, please visit http://helpbringhunterhome.blogspot.com/. If you have any information on Hunter please call 504.418.3734 or St. Bernard Parish Animal Control 504.228.1093 or email


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So Last week I performed a HUGE 9 minute set for a Museums show off. People from all over the museums and libraries sector come and present a skit on something about their work or their museum. Now I choose to highlight the wonderful creatures that are maggots. They are all over my desk, I get sent them in the post, yesterday I, alongside a colleague, were hunting for them in the wildlife garden, I was rearing them from poo in the towers – in fact, maggots are very dominating in my job. And quite rightly so.
So I thought that I would convert that into a blog about these fantastic things and why the collections and the staff at the Natural History Museum are so important with maggot research! I have briefly touched upon maggots before but i thought that I would go into some more detail.
Let's first clarify what a maggot is. The term maggot is not really a technical term and if you type in 'what is a maggot' on Google you get this!
To this date I have never heard someone describe something they yearn for as a maggot but who can say what will happen tomorrow with language fashions.
The maggot is a juvenile or, as I prefer to call it, the immature stage of a fly. These vary in form across the order from the primitive groups of flies (Nematocerans) to the more advanced groups (Brachycerans). The primitive groups have a more defined form in having a distinct head capsule with chewing mouthparts and we refer to these as Culiciform (gnat shaped).
A mosquito larva which is culiform (gnat shaped).
Those more advanced flies whose larvae are without a head capsule and mouth parts that have just been reduced to hooks are called Vermiform (literally meaning worm shaped); and it is the later group that we generally call maggots!
A slightly more informative picture of some Vermiform larvae - the maggots of a blowfly.
We can label describe these head capsules further into three types;
- Eucephalic (distinct capsule and mandibles)
- Hemicephalic (incomplete capsule and partly retractable mandibles)
- Acephalic (no distinct capsule with mouthparts forming a cephalopharyngeal skeleton)
A trichoceridae larvae (eucephalic) © Matt Bertone.
An Atherceridae larvae (Hemicephalic).
And a housefly maggot (Acephalic larvae).
However for the purpose of this blog I will use the term maggots to include all Dipteran Larvae as there are some very important (and incredibly attractive) larvae from some of the more primitive groups. And they differ from most other insect larvae by the lack of jointed legs on their thorax. Beetles larvae are grubs, Butterflies and moths are caterpillars, bugs just have mini-versions of the adults, but they all have jointed limbs.
Above are some of the more incredible images of a cranefly larva. But these are not the heads of the cranefly larvae but rather their anal or posterior spiracles (breathing tubes). Anytime I need cheering up I flick through images of posterior spiracles.
Most people just view the larvae from either above or parallel but these are from bottom on! (these above diagrams are from the brilliant book by Kenneth Smith on Identification of British Insects) but as you can see some of the more interesting features are from this angle.
These spiracles form part of a breathing system that enables the maggot to breathe whilst feeding. These vary across the fly group with there being 7 different set ups of the spiracles.
Location of spiracles on the body of a maggot, shown with dots and circles.
The above diagram from top left to bottom middle shows (by dots and circles) where the spiracles are on the body. Some systems are very common such as the amphinuestic set up being found in most Diptera whilst others are very specialised such as the proneustic systems (only found in some fungus gnats). Some of them have taken their spiracle and run with it (as it were). Check out the rat-tailed maggot below (larvae of a hoverfly).
Rat-tailed maggot (larvae of a hoverfly).
The mouth can concentrate on ingesting food solidly – just imagine 24/7 eating. Now the maggot stage is the one designed for eating. I often wonder what it would be like to have the lifestyle of a fly – born, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, mate, die…..and therefore they don't have to have all of the equipment of the adult.
As I have already mentioned the larvae of Diptera do not have legs as other groups do such as the moths or the ants. This is because they are highly specialised examples of precocious larvae i.e. examples of very early hatching. And this is what arguably has lead to the most diverse range of habitat exploitation of all insects. They are plastic; they can squeeze themselves into tiny holes and between surfaces and therefore take advantage of so many different food sources.
In the wonderful book by Harold Oldroyd – The Natural History of flies - there is a sentence that states that the larva and adult are more different from each other than many Orders of Insects. And so in many ways with many species you could argue that flies fit two lifetimes into one as they are often completely different, both in form but also in diet and habitat.
Maggoty enquiries
The Diptera team have been talking maggots a lot recently. One of us, Nigel Wyatt, is something of an expert already on most things maggoty, working on most commercial, consultancy and public queries relating to maggots.
I had one recently from a friend of mine. She is a vet and one of her colleagues works with Police Dogs. Her colleague was a little confused and concerned about a maggot that was defecated by one of the dogs as she had not seen one so large before. My friend immediately thought of me and sent it to the Museum in a little tube of alcohol. Despite the alcohol it was quite fragrant by the time it arrived on my desk but it was easily identifiable as a cranefly larvae. Now cranefly larvae are incredibly versatile in terms of their habitat – they live in moss, swamps, ponds, decaying wood, streams and soil but as I far as I know the inside of a dogs alimentary canal is not a known habitat. They consume algae, microflora, and living or decomposing plant matter, including wood and some are predatory but parasites they are not. This one had miraculously come through the entire digestive tract of a dog without being destroyed. No harm done except to ones nasal cavities.
However, cranefly larvae or leatherjackets as they are sometimes called have caused some problems to lawns due to them consuming grass roots. Wikipedia – the great font of scientific knowledge cites from Ward's Cricket's Strangest Matches 'In 1935, Lord's Cricket Ground in London was among venues affected by leatherjackets. Several thousand were collected by ground staff and burned, because they caused bald patches on the wicket and the pitch took unaccustomed spin for much of the season.'
Apart from the staff who help with identifications we are helping further with outreach by helping with development of a new, hotly awaited book on British Craneflies. Alan Stubbs (not the retired footballer but the rather more impressive Dipterist and all round Natural History Good Egg) and John Krammer (retired teacher and superb Cranefly specialist) have been working on this fantastic tome for a while now and we have all been trying and re-trying the keys to ensure that they work. Preparations of gentailia, wings and larvae have been undertaken at the Museum on both Museum specimens and ones donated by John, and images and drawings of these been done. Carim Nahaboo has been drafted in for some of the drawings so expect great things.
This is an adult Dolichopodidae but it is a fine example of Carim Nahaboo's artwork.
Flies and their offspring have a terrible reputation. People are disgusted by most of them. However, they are essential both for our health and habitat but also for telling us what is happening.
Dr Steve Brooks and his group at the Museum work on Chironomidae (non-biting midges), and more specifically the immature stages – their larvae. Chironomid larvae are quite primitive and as such have a complete head capsule which is … as the larval stages develop they shed their head capsules and grow new ones, and these discarded ones can be used to determine the environmental conditions of the habitat both now and in the past as well as monitoring heavy metals.
Head capsule of a chironomid, which can be used to determine past environmental conditions.
I first came to the Museum as a professional grown up thanks to Steve as I was conducting a study using Chironomids as indicators of environmental health as they are fantastic bioindicators. Many Chironomid species can tolerate very anoxic environments as they, unlike most insects, have a haemoglobin analog which is able to absorb a greater amount of oxygen from the surrounding water body. This often gives the larvae a deep red colour which is why they are often called blood worms. Although slightly fiddly as you have to dissolve the body in acid, the use of head capsules for identification (image above) is fairly straight forward. The little crown like structures that you can see are actually rows of teeth and these are very good diagnostic features. Steve has worked for a long time on the taxonomy of these species and his (and his groups) expertise has been used globally.
So as well as looking funky we can use them to tell us many things about the world of today and yesterday. More on maggots in the future.


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An anteroom in a former East London canal-side chapel is Prego's home, complete with ProTools, a grubby sofa and two soft-porn flatmates. In winter it's freezing; in summer, unbearable. But, although in desperate need of ashtrays and a paint job, it's their own.
From here the church newspaper receptionist, electrical engineer, budding illustrator, fine-artist turned studio boffin and film student make music things that have so far turned up on a top-selling compilation (Spring 2005's The Suffolk Explosion) and their sold-out debut EP, 'Primaries'.
They're good records with even better press. Already earmarked and aired by Steve Lamacq, the Prego sound is one that fiddles with space and fills time with somersaults and trickery hitherto never put to tape.
Ah, what the hey with past-bedtime hype. Have a listen and make up your own mind…
"...Prego play song heavy post-rock. Think swirling behemoth dynamics, broken beauty melodies and a flagrant excess of guitarists. Favourable comparisons to Death Cab For Cutie, Grandaddy and Mogwai have already been forthcoming."


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Little Girl Sings With Dad, World Melts.
Cute kids singing on YouTube are a dime a dozen. Usually these patooties, however, are polished little stage demons looking for fame. It's true, admit it. But sometimes one comes along — like this darling who sings Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros tune "Home" with her dad — for a few reasons:
- She actually sings like a little girl.
- She genuinely looks like she's having fun.
- She obviously loves her daddy.
- She calmly rests her elbow on her daddy's guitar.
- She asks around the 1:50 moment "One day I'm going to whistle?" [faint]
Caution: Sending this to your mother can result in many "When are you giving me grandchildren?" questions.


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The fascinating image is part of Gas Grill Buying Guide content which is categorized within Hamburgers, Grill, Grill and posted at August 8, 2017 12:19:23 pm by Richard Lowry
Gas Grill Buying Guide: Hamburgers On Gas Grill
There are no rules when using gas grills for cooking, it's literally an outdoor BBQ that grills using propane gas. We will help you find the best gas grill that makes you a grilling master chef!1) Backyard BY1610100301 5-Burner Gas Grill | 2) Dyna-Glo DGE Series Propane Grill | 3) Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven | 4) Broil King Signet 320 Gas Grill | 5) Napoleon Grills Built-in Prestige 500 | 6) Bull Outdoor Products 26039 Natural Gas | 7) Commercial 8-Burner Event BBQ Grill | 8) Delonghi BG24 Perfecto Indoor Grill | 9) Char Broil TRU Infrared Bistro 240 | 10) Char Broil 2-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill | 11) Char Broil 5-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill | 12) Char-Broil 300 2-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill | 13) Char-Griller Gas-and-Charcoal Grill | 14) Char-Broil 14601903-DI Gas Grill | 15) Nexgrill 5-Burner Delivering 62,000 BTU Gas Grill | 16) Char-Griller Dual Charcoal and Gas Grill | 17) Coleman Road Portable Grill | 18) Coleman Camp Propane Grill | 19) Coleman Portable Grill LXE | 20) Cuisinart CGG-180 Petit Gas Grill | 21) Lion Premium Grills L75623 32" | 22) Blackstone 36″ Grill Top | 23) Cuisinart CGG-200 Gas Grill | 24) Hamilton Beach 25360 Grill | 25) Char-Griller 16620 Barbecue Grill | 26) Solaire 27-Inch Infrared Propane Grill | 27) Magma Marine Kettle Gas Grill | 28) Pit Boss Grills 72820 Deluxe | 29) Coleman Party Propane Grill | 30) Weber 57067001 Q3200 Grill | 31) Weber 66004001 Genesis II LX S-340 Grill | 32) Bull Outdoor Products 87049 Natural Gas | 33) Blackstone Outdoor Pizza Oven | 34) SUPER SPACE 3 Stainless Steel Propane Barbecue Grill | 35) Smoke Hollow 205 Stainless Steel Propane Gas Grill | 36) Thermos 480 4-Burner Gas Grill | 37) Coleman NXT Lite Propane Grill | 38) UniFlame 15,000 BTUs LP Gas Grill | 39) Uniflame GBC1405SP Gas Grill | 40) Weber 46510001 Spirit E310 Grill |
Ah, the thrill of the roast. Grilling and cooking outdoors is fun, but choosing the wrong tool can turn it into a frustrating nightmare. So, we proudly present our helpful gas grill buying guide to help you buy the right equipment at the right price. Print it and take it with you when you go gas grill shopping, or browsing for one on the Internet.
Ready? Here we go.
Propane or Natural Gas
Propane is portable and freely available, which makes it the only option for portable gas grills. Natural gas is cheaper in the long run, but it requires the installation of a gas line at your home.
Many grills can adapt from propane to natural gas, but often not without a conversion kit. If you think you'd want to use natural gas on your grill, make sure it is compatible and also enquire about the cost of a conversion.
Material (Body)
Your grill will mostly be used outdoors, and we know the elements are not kind to metals. Gas grill bodies are made from a variety of metals, including cast iron, cast aluminum and stainless steel.
Cast aluminum is rust resistant, while also resisting discoloration and structural fatigue. In addition to this it is fairly lightweight. Stainless steel is your next best bet. However, make sure that most of the body is in fact stainless steel. Manufacturers have been known to cheat with metals to save money.
Whatever material your grill is made of, taking good care of it will extend its life. Store it away from the elements, and get a cover if possible.
Material (Cooking Surface)
The cooking surface of a grill usually consists of grates made from a variety of materials. Sometimes it is just heavy wire, but it could also be cast iron, stainless steel or porcelain coated steel.
Most of these work well, and it may come down to your personal preference. The secret to making a cooking area last longer is to know how to care for it.
Keep in mind that wire frames and cast iron tend to rust. Stainless steel or porcelain coated cooking surfaces are recommended.
Obviously, you can only buy what you can afford. Gas grill prices typically run from around $150 into the thousands.
So, determine how much you're willing to spend. There are a lot of grills to choose from, and getting your price range will make the decision a little bit easier. Sometimes you can score included extras with a purchase (like a complimentary propane tank), so keep an eye out for these as well. Typically, a good basic gas grill for a medium sized family should set you back around $300 – $500.
Having too small a grill can be a real frustration. The first thing you should look at is cooking space, where an accepted standard is 72 square inches per person. So, for a family of four you'd look at nothing less than about 300 square inches of cooking space.
Be careful though: some manufacturers will add additional rack space (for keeping food warm, for example) to the cooking area dimensions. Since you can't cook in this space, it should be ignored when calculating the size of the cooking surface.
Head space is important as well. Imagine the nasty surprise you'll be in for when you buy a grill for turkey roasting, and the turkey can't fit under the lid.
On a large cooking surface, you will need more than one gas burner to get an even heat distribution. Make sure there are enough burners.
Always consider how many people you will typically cook for. This should guide your decision as to the size gas grill you'll need to choose.
The terrific photo is part of Gas Grill Buying Guide has dimension 1200 x 1500 pixel. You can download and consign the Hamburgers On Gas Grill images by click the download button below to get multiple high-res versions.
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