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When I started at my current job I knew I would be doing a lot of REST interaction with the server. I decided to use RestKit as I had seen it mentioned a number of times in various developer forums.
It worked for some time but I finally hit the breaking point and ripped it all out changing 265 to convert them to NSURLSession and Mantle. Was I insane? Pretty much as in the end it did not solve the problem I was originally attempting to address but I am happy with the change.
First off Mantle makes it much easier and cleaner to handle JSON. It is not as easy as GSON on the Android side but it is not too bad. That was a lot of my file conversions and I do find it easier to add a new JSON object due to a new REST call to the server. The one downfall is each of your JSON receiving objects has to be derived from a Mantle class. Objective C does not support multiple inheritance which could make this a very limiting factor for you.
The other area I am not too happy about with Mantle is it handles converting NSDictionary and NSArray to JSON. That means I get a big JSON string from REST and then I use NSJSONSerialization to convert it into a NSDictionary and then convert that via Mantle to Objective C objects. Waste of memory and processing to double convert things. Good thing the JSON data is reasonably small.
The other side was getting rid of RestKit calls. This helped the code a lot. I had one REST call manager class that tried to handle all the server calls with delegate callbacks. Now all the calls are inline where they are called in the code and that code has block processing to handle the results. This lets you see what is going on easier. Plus if it is a PUT call I only have to reference PUT in one line of code whereas I had to do that in three places when using RestKit. Setting up each call in RestKit took a boatload of error prone boilerplate code. I sure as heck don't miss that.
So why not go with AFNetworking? Seems to also be popular but in the end even AFNetworking is using NSURLSession in the end. Apple seems to put together a decent networking package learning from others. One less pod to include in my build and hopefully using the official Apple networking that appeared in iOS 7 will keep me in the safe zone.
On the Android side I am using Volley and GSON, both from Google but not part of the base Android SDK. Volley is very similar to NSURLSession which is good. GSON is easier to work with than Mantle in there is less boilerplate code. If your variable names match the property names in the JSON you get from the server there really is no boilerplate at all. If they don't match a simple annotation gets them to sync up.
So what was the original issue I was attempting to fix? I want to have two type of NSURLSessions going in the code, one to do the normal user interaction processing - they tap something, I make a server request, I get server result and I show new data in the current view or in a new view. The second was to be a background session for uploading video via Amazon Web Services.
I am using AWS but I am using the straight API from them. Yes, there is sample upload in the background code out there and it works when you don't have the other NSURLSession doing other work which really stinks. I want the user to be able to start a video upload and have it run in the background until complete even if they leave my app or turn off the phone screen. Works like a champ on the Android side where I set up a very basic service.
I realize Apple really does not want you do to anything in the background. They trust no one. They do have a new thing that lets you get maybe 10 minutes of time to do some background work. That is one of the things NSURLSession is set to allow. But I just can't get it to work. It will start, send up some % of the video then restart at 0% and do that over and over again. On the simulator, which does not run like a real device, it can get the whole video uploaded never triggering the restart you see on the iPhone or iPad. I have posted a message on Stack Overflow describing this issue but no answers.
I really wish Amazon would handle this for you in their API. Seems like background uploading would be a really common thing for a programmer to want to do with them. Maybe Apple could handle it in their API as well but I doubt that as they are anti-background as it is.


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Frank Moe: Deja vu all over again
Déjà vu – 252
To the editor:
How many of us remember the misleading Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act, House Bill 10-1365?
That bill was created behind closed doors, conceived in deceit, conspired on by then-Gov. Bill Ritter and his administration and thrust upon us with hardly any time to react.
Now, nearly three years later, we are experiencing deja vu. I say deja vu because we are experiencing the sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced already has been experienced by us all in the past with HB 10-1365.
This deja vu experience now has become a reality in the recently introduced Senate Bill 13-252. It passed committee Monday night in Denver by a vote of 3-2, and we possibly only have until next Monday before it is voted on by our Legislature. This bill is again misleading, again conceived in deceit, but this time perpetrated on us by Gov. John Hickenlooper and his administration.
Our Moffat County commissioners traveled to Denver on April 8 to testify before the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on behalf of our county. The difference between these two nightmare bills is that we have just a little more time to react.
I choose the words "a little more time" to emphasize "little." Our commissioners, along with state Sen. Randy Baumgardner and state Rep. Bob Rankin plus area energy industry leaders and other agencies representing Northwest Colorado, are going to be asking us all to help them get our voices heard.
These bills are doing nothing to help us and everything to hurt us. Much, much higher electric bills soon will be a reality with the passage of SB 13-252. We all need to make a decision now if we want to take action. This question is simple, requiring either a "yes" or "no" answer.
Our area must be resolute in defeating these actions that are placing undue hardships on our area and our way of life. Our actions against these bills must be civil, united, timely and targeted. We must all participate to prevail.
To be successful in our endeavors, to get our voices and concerns heard by the Colorado Senate, the Colorado House of Representatives and our governor, we all must take just a few minutes of our time and go to http://www.leg.state.co.us and look for the directory for senators and representatives. Just type them a note and copy to each one. If you are unsure how to do this, ask any friend who is computer literate to help. You can even call me if you need help.
We all must reach out and let the elected officials on the Front Range know and understand that their actions do have consequences on their constituents. While they might not experience these hardships themselves, all of us who live in rural communities most certainly will. Please do your part to make this misleading bill fail and help protect our way of life.
Frank Moe
Best Western Plus Deer Park Inn & Suites owner
Moffat County Class of 2019 Graduation: Following in family footsteps toward future
This year, a handful of Moffat County High School graduates are setting out to carry on the family tradition. From business to education, these students plan to follow in the footsteps their parents and in some cases, grandparents and great-grandparents.

subset: commoncrawl


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Romanians adore big-nosed French actor Génard Depardieu(pictured on the right) as much as he adores Romania. Since visiting Romanian with President Jacques Chirac in 1997, Depardieu has returned several times to set up a business there.
Romanians love big basketball player Gheorghe Muresan (No.77 on the picture) even more; the 2.34m-tall Romanian player, centre for the Washington Bullets, co-stars with Billy Crystal in the film My Giant, released in mid-1998. Muresan plays a simple Romanian monastery caretaker with a gift for Shakespeare who is discovered by a thertre agent and whisked to the US to star in movies. Gheorghe Muresan, 27 years old, was born in Triteni near Turda, studied in Cluj-Napoca, played basketball for France, and left Romania in 1993 to play for the Bullets. He's the tallest player in the NBA.
Source: Romania & Moldova, 1998


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Dominant vs. Recessive
Online Science Education :: Subjects :: Biology :: Genetics :: 1 on 1 Tutoring
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Dominant vs. Recessive
Paragonidae wrote:so that brings me back to the beginning, how is it that one allele is expressed over the other while if it the recessive one on its own (with its homologous) they are expressed, is it a question of quantitative effect where the dominant is expressed stronger and the recessive expression is insignificant in comparison and when there are two of them they make enough product to be expressed phenotipicaly. sorry for repeating this but it is really hard for me to understand. maybe you can recommend some reading material on this subject.
Dominant allele is said to be the allele responsible for phenotype of the heterozygous individual (simplified version).
Taking plants:
Different alleles for the same that occur in wild type plants (different varieties of the same plant) usually differ in the regulatory sequences. Dominance of one allele over the other depends on what the gene in question does. Usually, alleles that produce more of the product are dominant over those that produce less of it (but that is not always the case). I try my best to explain with the hypothetical examples.
Example 1:
Lets say Gene A is responsible for plant height and product of gene A promotes growth. Two alleles (A1 and A2) are different in the promoter region. A1 has a strong promoter and makes 75% of gene product while A2 has a weak promoter and produces only 25%. Suppose that 75% or more of the gene product results in normal size plants and less than 75% in dwarf. Then plants with A1A1 (150%A) and A1A2 (100%) genotypes will be normal size while those with A2A2 (50%) will be dwarf. So in this case, A1 is dominant and A2 is recessive.
Example 2:
Lets say Gene B is a repressor of Gene A. When 75% or more of B product is produced, Gene A is sufficiently repressed to have phenotypic consequences (considering only plants with A1A1 and A1A2 genotypes). Each of two alleles of Gene B (B1 and B2) produces 50% of gene product, but B1 is controlled developmentally and expressed only during flowering while B2 is constitutively expressed (all the time). Then, plants with B1B1 and B1B2 genotypes will be normal height since repression of gene A will occur only during flowering while B2B2 will be dwarf because gene A will be repressed all the time. So, in this case, B1 is dominant while B2 is recessive.
Now consider Gene A and Gene B combinations.
A1A1B1B1, A1A1B1B2, A1A2B1B1, and A1A2B1B2should make plenty of A; B1B1 and B1B2 can repress Gene A, but only during flowering. So the plant will grow normally and stop growing only while its flowering.
A1A1B2B2, A1A2B2B2, and A2A2B2B2 Produce plenty of Gene B product that will suppress most of Gene A and result in dwarf phenotype regardless of Gene A allele combination.
A2A2B1B1, A2A2B1B2, A2A2B2B2 will be all dwarf regardless of Gene B allele combination because of A2A2 allele combination.
This is an example of allele of one gene displaying dominant epistasis with regard to allele of the other gene. In this case, both B1 and B2 alleles display dominant epistasis over A1 allele (whenever phenotype directed by A1 allele, B1 or B2 can override/modify it); while A2 allele has dominant epistasis with respect to both B1 and B2 alleles (whenever A2 dwarf phenotype is present Gene B does not really matter in terms of phenotype).
Example 3:
Lets suppose what happens in both cases if we introduce new alleles A3 and B3 that have null mutations and do not produce any gene products.
A3A3 plants will be dwarf.
B3B3 plants will be normal size since gene A will not be repressed (considering only plants with A1A1 and A1A2 genotypes).
A1A3 will produce 75% of A and will be normal size, so A1 is dominant over A3.
B1B3 will produce 50% of B during flowering, not sufficient to repress gene A and, therefore, plant will not stop growing while flowering giving a new dominant phenotype due to B3.
B2B3 will produce 50% of B all the time, again not sufficient to repress gene A and, therefore, will not stop growing while flowering or any other time making B3 dominant over B2 as well.
B3B3 is a good example of dominant phenotype due to a non-functional allele.
If you need more help, let me know.
I would appreciate it, if you registered to this site and used it directly.
Good luck!
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|The determination of Mr. Leung Chun Ying (梁振英)
Monday, July 23, 2012
A question of integrity
2 comments:
Paul, quite apart from your concerns with local politics, if you are interested in the subject of character per se, you might enjoy reading The Force of Character, by James Hillman.ReplyDelete
Hillman was a student of Carl Jung, and wrote the book as an old man, just a few years before his recent death, so it is written from a very mature perspective -- quite different, say, from Tony Robbins' books. Hillman was quite liberal politically, but very little of that angle showed up in the book.
Good luck with your local leader; politics can sure be messy!
Walt, thanks for introducing the book to me, I'll certainly look into it....Tony Robbins was indeed very young, and future positive when he did the Unlimited Power seminar, then he prided himself to be an "one-stop therapist" which years later he qualified with "provided the guy really wants to chance in the first place" (he would probably have added more qualifications by now), and I agree with his qualification, though I like the young Tony more, with more energy and everything! One (me included) faces different issues when one has passed the meridian, hopefully we can continue to build up a better character. But in order to be able to be better in touch with the world, I believe one needs to be able to feel "as the younger does"ReplyDelete
.... if not be able to DO as the younger DID (and to be psychologically healthy, not feeling depressed about it...:):))!


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Published by Niyogi Books, Saanvri: the story of a concubine; is an appalling novel by the filmmaker Vinod Pande. Use of the prefix 'filmmaker' before the novelist's name is intentional. The very tale of Saanvri appears more of a filmmaker rather than of a novelist. The story of Saanvri unfolds much like the narrative of a film script, which seems bound to be converted for the silver screen in future or the idea of its conception as a film might have come before its commencement as a novel.
Bold and explicit in nature, the dominating aspect of this novel is its storyline. The novel's plot is adapted from the real life account of Bhanvri Devi – a Dalit midwife in Rajasthan, whose brutal murder in the year 2011 shook the nation to dismay. Pande was vigilant about the incident and he wanted to document it in any form. Known for showing real mirror to society, Vinod Pande chose the medium of novel writing this time.
Told in a racy style, the novel does not demand much of expertise from its readers, as the language is effortless, however, effective. It scathingly represents the struggle of a young girl who instead of numerous exploitations, rises to strength in her womanhood and makes sure to live according to her own choices. Once a victim – Saanvri transforms herself into a dreadful exploiter and turns the system upside-down. However, deceived by the patriarchal structure, she destroys herself in the process by the hands of high-profile political mafias.
The constant employment of slangs and abuses in the novel seem unnecessary at times, and hence, make it a perfect Bollywoodized script. The folk elements give a rustic overtone to the novel and bring it more close to the Indian readership, especially those familiar with the Rajasthani culture and dialect.
Romi Mittal, a film journalist and columnist calls it right,
"Pande's book is a scorcher!"
It is, indeed.
About Vinod Pande
Vinod Pande has walked many a path: a civil servant with the British Government, a broadcaster with the BBC, the maker of several documentaries and ad-films, he helmed one of the popular TV networks launched during the late nineties and ran his own advertising agency in London. After his foray into Bollywood, he was a member of the jury for important award ceremonies and chaired the selection committees for the Indian entry for the Oscar Awards on two occasions. He is, however, most well-known as the producer, writer and director of the Hindi film Ek Baar Phir; other notable ones like Yeh Nazdeekiyan and Sins; and acclaimed TV serials Air Hostess and Reporter.
He lives and works as a filmmaker and author in Mumbai. After Don's Wife, a story on forbidden love, born in the crucible of crime, this is his second novel. His next novel, Destiny, is soon to be published.
Reviewed by Varsha Singh, Managing Editor, Reviews


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Tag: companies
The Impression Of New Mobility Companies On The Automotive Business
Japan has been one of the world's Prime three car producing nations because the 1960's, securing its standing as a world leader in automotive manufacturing and know-how. As we speak's Design faculties are highly professional institutions in which we learn the designer occupation, in car design as well as in Industrial Design it's crucial to be in a type of good Design Colleges. The scheme University and later design school is a high-danger alternative as a result of it doesn't give any deeper knowledge of your area and it takes away treasured time to your hiring age for design studios. It is more a waste of time.
Operating in cross-purposeful or internationally-based mostly groups to design experiments with the intention to take a look at the validity and competence of recent know-how. Advances in Robotics & Automation , Applied Mechanical Engineering, Worldwide Journal of Advancements in Know-how, International Journal of Impact Engineering, Worldwide Journal of Engine Analysis. You will need to take time to go over all you may have realized about each company and provides your self time to make a choice. That manner you will know that you're making the most effective decision you presumably can to get your automobile moved safely.
The wheel base of the Veyron is about 2710 mm, whereas the length, width and the peak of the model are 4462 mm, 1998 mm and 1204 mm respectively. The Bugatti Veyron modification has 10 radiators in total – 1 hydraulic oil radiator for the spoiler, 3 radiators for the engine cooling system, 1 engine oil radiator, 1 warmth exchanger for the air-to-liquid intercoolers, 1 differential oil radiator, 2 for the air-con system and 1 transmission oil radiator.
Relative importance of enormous and small scale industries.-Consideration has been given in the Plan to the choice between … Read More ...


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It turns out that I've been annoying you all via this blog for two whole years now. That's 730 days. 17531 hours. 447 posts. Here are the most popular:
Most Popular Posts
- Inspirational People: Kate Moss
- Supermodels
- Inspirational People: Coco Chanel
- I Heart Quinn's New Look
- Mid Century Style
- Television Fashion: Next Top Model
- Fitties
- Television Fashion: Coronation Street
- 2012 Bring It On
- Christmas GIFs
My Personal Favourite Posts
To be entirely honest, I dislike nearly every post above. Some of them are very old and my views have changed as myself and my blog have grown over the past two years. My most recent favourite posts (in no particular order) are below. These favourites tend to be the ones that have received the most comments and positive feedback whereas the most 'popular' have the most views but if I was passionate about statistics then this blog would be a bunch of numbers instead of words. If you are new and want to have a taste of my blog I would start with the posts below and if you have been following me for a while, check out the ones you may have missed or revisit the posts that you like the most. If Pretty Passions, Fine Fashions could make a yearbook like Rookie, these would be the pieces included in it. Enjoy:
- I would go out tonight but I haven't got a stitch to wear
- Retail Return
- Flick and Swish
- Nailed It
- Pretty Passions, Fine Fashions #44
- Celebrity Christmas Style
- Christmas Drinks
- Sunday Reading List
- Supermodel Revelation
- Seaside Style {Tropical Beach}
Favourite Photos
Although, this blog is mostly text based, I do dip my toes into photography from time to time and I find entire posts without photographs quite tedious so here are some of my favourite photographs that I have taken for my blog most recently:
Happy birthday to my blog, happy birthday to my blog, happy birthday to my Pretty Passions Fine Fashions, happy birthday to my blog. WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO.


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Now eight months into the year, we have not had one of the states most popular promotions hosting a MMA event. The Jackson's MMA Series is considered to be one of the "heavyweight" promotions popular in New Mexico and its absence from the 2013 has been felt by fight fans throughout the state. All that is about to change tonight as the ...Read More »
Robbie Gutierrez (MMA)
The Jackson's MMA Series "By The Numbers"
With the August 10th, Jackson's MMA Series XI event rapidly approaching, SWFight.com has come up with a new way to showcase some of the more interesting aspects of the event's storied history. While we have already named one of the Jackson's Series first ten events as one of the best six New Mexico MMA events and listed the "Ten ...Read More »
Monday Morning Recap (Mar 18th – Mar 25th)
News: Chavez Promotions formally announced Warehouse Rumble 3 that will be taking place March 29th at YDI Wool Warehouse. (Read more) Saturday March 23rd: IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship – Irvine, California Gustavo Camargo Alencar wins gold in Black Belt Master Heavyweight division at the IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship World Series of Fight 2- Atlantic City, New Jersey Anthony Johnson def. Andrei Arlovski via UD ...Read More »
Jackson's MMA Series IX Results- Cerda defeats Gomez, Tucker Remains Unbeaten
ALBUQUERQUE, NM., Last night the Tingley Coliseum hosted Jackson's MMA Series IX. A total of five professional and six amateur fights thrilled the mixed martial arts saavy crowd. This was the first time the Tingley Coliseum held an event produced the finest mixed martial arts promotion in the southwest. AARON CERDA def. FRANK GOMEZ via 1st rd 04:26 TKO (Doctor stoppage) ...Read More »


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3 years ago
Playing For Change: Song Around the World "Stand By Me"
On 7:25 PM Copyrighted by rdl in
2 comments:
- Lorna said...
whilel I was looking at the still from the video, your music came on, and it was Joni Mitchell. That was a cultural shock, and kind of creepy so I'm going back to bed
- 1:59 AM, April 03, 2009
- rdl said...
sorry it shocked you lorna. she's one of my all time favs.
the video is excellent, tho u do have to stop the player.
- 2:24 PM, April 03, 2009
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Can I Play With You, Stunner?
Report Thank you for your vote! Thank you for your vote! Views: 108230 396 likes 110 dislikes 8:01 3 years ago
Black-Haired teenager stunner Stella May gets poked by a colossal pink cigar in the sofa and receives a phat facial cumshot all over her harmless teeny face
Categories: Hardcore, blowjob, Cumshot, Doggystyle, Deepthroat, blonde, Teen, Young, Amateur, Sexy, Hot, Babe, Big Cock, Homemade, Straight, Latina
Shes New
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Web Design, http://www.lazyliving.com
For search engines: Hospital scrubs, For doctor's, nurses, surgeons, ER, critical care, oncology, pediatrics, home care, hospice, labor and delivery, school nurse, psyche, LPN, NP, RN, CNA. Noggin Boggan offers specialty nurse headwear for work or play. Order our hand designed headwear for yourself and as gifts online, securely
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Before you go ahead and make the decision to more or less hire this Edinburgh wedding photographer, there are a lot of things that you ought to consider at first. What you need to know is that you need to get things going right off the bat. Don't wait until the very last minute in order for you to get things done by starting to look up your wedding photographer contacts at some point or so. You need to really make sure that you have more than enough time to line all of your ducks up neatly in a row, so to speak.
Don't just be content with the just doing things on the fly.
This is not going to go down according to how you planned them if you don't have more than enough time to get things up to speed the right way and if you are a little too pressured for time. Make sure that you actually make sure that you get to do things well in advanced as much as you possibly can. Reach out to the rest of the people that you think might turn out to be pretty great resources for you to get your hands on the right Edinburgh wedding photographer to hire at the end of the day. This can really make all of the difference in the world when it all comes down to it.
Know what your basic or general requirements are so that you will have some sort of basis for what you are looking for in the first place.
It can be very hard trying to find something that you don't know much about in the first place. Make sure that you are able to identify and establish the photography style that you would like your wedding photographer to have. Most of the wedding photographers in the Edinburgh area are categorized based off of the photography styles that they specialize in so you will already know which ones might turn out to be potential wedding photographers that will fit your needs for the wedding and which ones might not work out according to plan when it all comes down to it.
Before you decide to go ahead and hire this Edinburgh wedding photographer that you are eyeing at some point or so, make sure that you first take a look at the pricing options, what the normal service inclusions are, what the experience is, and so on and so forth. Get things like this taken into account all of the time in order for everything to work out for you according to plan.
Conduct interviews with the wedding photographers and take those interviews seriously.
It will dictate how things are being done at the end of the day and it should give you all of the info that you need to get your hands on when it comes to the type of wedding photographer that you ought to be hiring for your wedding. When you talk to someone in real time, it gives you access to all of the other info that would not have been available if you are only looking at his profile from afar or remotely.


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The report, originally written in 2009 by financial analyst Kevin D. Freeman, is getting some play from the Washington Times, which last night published a piece outlining some of the conclusions.
"There is sufficient justification to question whether outside forces triggered, capitalized upon or magnified the economic difficulties of 2008," the report says, explaining that those domestic economic factors would have caused a "normal downturn" but not the "near collapse" of the global economic system that took place.Hey man, there's sufficient justification to question everything, which is why I am right now questioning how in the hell such a ridiculous and wrong-headed, totally misguided, frequently factually incorrect and even misleading report could ever have been produced in the first place, apart from attempting to cater to the most irrational and baseless fears, I mean, which, hey, isn't that kind of what terrorists try to do?
Anyway, that's my take on it. You can read the entire report here and see what you think.
The hypothesis is essentially this: a three-phased attack is underway with two of those phases completed to date.
- The first phase was a speculative run-up in oil prices that generated as much as $2 trillion of excess wealth for oil-producing nations, filling the coffers of Sovereign Wealth Funds, especially those that follow Shariah Compliant Finance.
- The second phase appears to have begun in 2008 with a series of bear raids targeting U.S. financial services firms that appeared to be systemically significant.
- The risk of a Phase Three has quickly emerged, suggesting a potential direct economic attack on the U.S. Treasury and U.S. dollar. Such an event has already been discussed by finance ministers in major emerging market nations such as China and Russia as well as Iran and the Arab states. A focused effort to collapse the dollar by dumping Treasury bonds has grave implications including the possibility of a downgrading of U.S. debt forcing rapidly rising interest rates and a collapse of the American economy. In short, a bear raid against the U.S. financial system remains possible and may even be likely.
If I do not read anything dumber today I will consider this a successful Tuesday.


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Cantessa's Gift – A Mobile Photography Short Story
About Cantessa's Gift
Every August, I run a theme on Google+, in which I invite people to participate in creating science fiction artistry, photography, poetry, writing, sculpture, graphic renderings, etc. I also create one piece of mobile phone art and accompanying writing, every day (if I am able), into one story. This year's story, Cantessa's Gift, is now complete, and is part three of a slowly developing epic story in space. You can read the other parts here:
Part 1: Fire and Night
Part 2: The Fate of Kehema
Part 3 picks up roughly around the time part 1 does, and is nearly concurrent with it. It involves the child of the main character in part 1.
Part 4: The Fifth Age
About The Images
Each image was created on my phone. Man of the base images were shot on my old Galaxy S5, but I have transitioned over to a new phone. So some images were shot on my new Huawei P9, and most were edited on it. I also used my iPhone 4 to get some affects from apps that aren't available on Android. I have used many, many different apps to create the various images. The single most used app in the series is Photo Editor (see more of my work using this app), which was my go to layering app for quick layering of images, as well as for the two gif images created. Among the list of apps used in the series, in no particular order, are (Android) Photo Editor, Snapseed, Pixlr, HandyPhoto, Infinite Design, Infinite Painter, Shift, SuperPhoto Full, DecoSketch, Repix, PicsArt, Toolwiz, (iOS) LensFX, AlienSky, Matter.
Enjoy this continuing saga in the Fire and Night series.
Cantessa's Gift
In the last days of her life, I knew my mother, Imulia. I saw her shine. I did not know my father, Denali, yet I know him. My memories of those distant days of my youth are as clear as the wide and bright stretch of the Anxianovan nebula across the southern sky.
Mother worked in her preferred isolation as a surgical component engineer in conjunction with the Lycium on Granfon, moon of Lanfon. We were stationed there when I was no more than three, and until I was nine at the turning of history.
It is difficult to describe the crucial details of those last few weeks of her life and mine, but we have these days here by the silvery Waters of Elshion, so I can narrate some of the more interesting episodes of those pivotal days.
Santry was a powerful relay and receiving station for information from across the cosmos. They were also a part of the espionage activities that the triumvirate took part in to maintain control over the systems. Through them, the Velor gathered even more intelligence on the sector worlds. Needless to say, the knowledge that was assembled there was highly coveted by all thieves, smugglers, and agents of the galaxy.
The Great War began, you remember, as a result of the reception of a single piece of information at Santry which, once received, was illegally broadcast by some unknown agency, to the far reaching systems. It wasn't a transmission, but the light of a certain exploding star. This was the star of rebellion.
When Evenov died, you see, like all great souls he was placed in a tomb and sent through space to the heavenly spheres that Jonava had in those distant times, some thousands of years ago, only recently begun having contact with. We had come of age and the heavens of our traditions were becoming our brothers. It was then that the Velor came.
The light of the star that exploded finally reached Jonava, after all these ages and generations and gave proof of the legend that the trajectory of the tomb had been altered. It never reached its burial home.
This single fact rekindled the fire of the Velor resistance. Some knew that the light would reach Jonava at this time, and they had been preparing for the day. When it did, the world's made their final moves.
And so, my father made his.
The last I saw of my father was the night he kissed my cheek and said to my mother, "Imulia, when we meet again we will all go to the shores of Ydio." I was a child and at the time knew nothing of the destruction of Ydio. The shores were a moment in time that were no longer possible, so I think she knew then that he wasn't coming back.
Denali's Last Mission
I don't know what my father's last mission was. I suspect it was to eliminate any knowledge of the whereabouts of the tomb of Evenov. I do know that he knew he would not come away from it alive.
He laid plans as best he could for our own survival. I surmise he had very short notice and had to be careful of his actions and words. Out of his control, the universe quickly deviated from his intentions.
Threats and Warnings
As soon as my father left, mother became a wreck. She warned me never to speak of our affairs in front of others — only idle chat — lest we risk our lives or Denali's. Her nerves got the best of her. Shadows became figures, secrets became rumors, and rumors became dangerous truths. One night she raced me to our quarters after her shift and shut out the lights so that I could only hear her fast breathing. She refused to tell me what was happening. Days went by, but nothing did happen. Nothing that I knew of anyway.
It went unexplained. Maybe no one knew. Imulia received notice, after years of stable work, of her immediate transfer to the outer colonies. Such transfers were considered an insult in general, but my mother was in some ways relieved to not be so fully under the eye of central authority.
We were placed aboard a medical supply ship which promptly set out on our flight for the mining operations of Tur System. Its three gas giants at one time had innumerable moons rich with ore that had now been sucked dry.
Why a medical supply ship? Just look how close the system was to Karmath Mons, that gem of a world!
Tur System
Tur was a large system of two suns and three gas giants, one of which gave off its own light and heat, still aglow from the early days of system formation. There were numerous perfectly suitable worlds, moons for mining. Perfect in structure, gravity, stability. These had been heavily stripped of their ore ages ago, much of it passing into the hands of the Velor and allies. It was a foul and filthy place where criminal miners (many of whom were political agitators) contended daily for food wages while bosses pushed them harder to mine what little was left. I had never been away from Granfon before, at least not in memory, and so I made an effort to study the system en route. My fears grew with my mother's.
I had never seen paper before. Illegal. Untraceable. There it was, slightly hidden under the edge of my mother's plate nearest her, while we sat at the upper level mess hall on Tur Station 01. A small and wrinkled piece of paper. I went to grab it, but she snatched it away.
She said not a word more until that night in our quarters. She was jittery. "We will be meeting someone tomorrow, then leave everything behind us."
"But what of father?"
"Don't speak of him! Not until we are free."
"Aren't we free?"
We did not meet our contact a day later. He came to us that night, hurried, in a sweat, and said that we must leave.
"Everything has been arranged. You'll take a cargo ship to Andredei System, and from there to Grumani embassy at Nacrolis. Here are your electronic documents. Your name is now Evelo and your daughter, Cantessa. We must go now. We'll take the service tunnels to the cargo holds."
Cargo Ship
Our records cleared and we boarded the cargo freighter heading for Andredei. Cargo ships were low burners; they were a bit slower through viscous space. Ordinary engines took a rotation and a half but these olden monstrosities pressed along so that we had a week's time. It was during this time that mother in quiet told me my father worked for the planetary government and that the worlds were on the brink of total war.
We were just two rotations from Andredei when the ship halted. It just shut down and everything went black. Mother panicked. She was becoming a wreck, indecisive, fearful and despondent and this really spooked her.
Then we heard in the dark a voice, both male and female, and yet neither, from all around us. Inside our minds. Everyone on the ship heard it.
"We are the Vonen Syndicate. We have scanned your ship. You have nothing that we wish to trade for. For the inconvenience caused by our delay, we have replenished your water supply and have folded space slightly between you and your destination so that you will arrived as intended."
And then they were gone. Vanished like they appeared. There was much talk of the encounter among the small crew those two remaining days. So much speculation. The Vonen Syndicate was, or rather is, a loose body of ancient peoples that no one up to that time had ever seen. Their powerful ships were known far and wide. They had no known enemies and only ever seemed interested in trade, no matter who it was with. It was as if they were always searching for something.
Andredei Station was the crossroads of the sector. A station of beauty, built on the borders of the Five Empires, by the collaboration of the young races of space. It's spinning wheel had atmosphere for the Grumani, Jonav and Nacrolis, provided they each wore an appropriate breathing mask.
It was under jurisdictional control of the Jonav but was governed loosely. This was better for business — and plausible denial — as the Jonav dealt heavily in foreign subterfuge and contraband. From here, ships came and went: representatives from the Grumani; educators from Nacrolis; the wealthy of Jonav; pirates from the borderlands of Velor territory. Occasionally, so people said, a ship from the worlds of light and order would briefly stop without anyone ever boarding the station.
We were to meet a contact ringside, and head straight for Nacrolis. On arrival, news of our encounter with the Vonen Syndicate turned heads, but the cargo ship was quickly dismissed with the further news that the Syndicate had discovered nothing of value. We had hoped that would be our free pass from scrutiny.
The room was dark, smelled of strange places, and was filled with aliens and their dark alien drinks. Some dictator's mouthpiece spoke on the holoscreen over the bar.
Mother refused to leave me alone; I was constantly by her jittery side. In this place, everyone could see her weakening nerves in my young presence there.
We met our contact, a pale Nacrolis man who sat there with his amphibious hands on the table, his eyeless sight perceiving our forms, sensing the vibration of our fear. He would meet us again in two Andredei orbits with the necessary data chips for passage.
He did not wait for idle chat, but got up and left us in a hurry.
I stared at the holoscreen, some propaganda being broadcast. And then we too left.
Our second meeting with the Nacrolis fixer never took place. We waited at the table for him. Hours and sweat and nerves went by, but he never showed. Everyone became someone suspicious, and our hope of escaping seemed lost. My mother did not know what to do. We had little money, and up to this time it seemed she was simply following a plan that my father had somehow prearranged. Without his influence, that plan could not have gone on forever. It was here, at Andredei, our last stop before success, that his attempt to save us failed.
Imulia had two sides. From my youngest memories I knew but one. One in which the slightest interruption in the orderly routine of her life overran her senses. Stress, timidity, uncertainty crept in until genuine anxiety became fear and finally terror.
The other side I knew all too briefly in these short days ahead of us. We headed to our quarters late on the evening that our contact failed to appear. We went by way of the shipping ports to try to board a flight — it was a fool's plan — only to be harassed and questioned by security. My mother was unprepared for the informal interrogation, and so we left in a hurry as soon as we could. Well home, and in the door, we saw in the light of the blinding Andredei star outside our window, the blood of either a Grumani or Sorent – for it was bright red in the exposed air – smeared across the floor.
Imulia screamed. Her legs gave out and I think even for a time she forgot about me. I cried to her, but nothing roused her. Only after my own shriek of terror from seeing a Grumani hand on the floor of the next room did she wake.
From that time until her own death she was changed.
We ran. And then we hid. Deep into the maintenance tunnels. Imulia acquired keys to the lowest security levels, I know not how, and we spent days dodging custodians and maintenance personnel. We lived off of food waste before it was burned for fuel and the rest jettisoned into the sun. Mother made contact with some men ringside willing to smuggle us out, but she worried that the price was too low to be legitimate. We had little choice, so we took their offer.
We had no choice. There were thieves and killers in our own quarters and we were out of credits. We had to leave.
We boarded a transport ship that mother had chartered through some dark contact and left port. We saw little of the crew until we were well out of Andredei space, and when we did, it was brief. It was during our first dinner with the other passengers that I noticed — as did they — that the stars changed. We have shifted course. That was about when the food began to affect us.
They were not smugglers but slavers! Our food was drugged, so that all passengers fell asleep. I woke alone in a dank cell and didn't know where Imulia was, but I could hear through the doors the faint screams of other prisoners who had woken up to the same evil fate. Somehow, the fact that they were alive comforted me.
It would be roughly two days before we arrived at our destination. The slavers, I later discovered, had taken us into the borders of Velor territory. Mother would not escape from there alive.
Red Planet
I do not know what sector of Velor territory we were in. Somewhere near Graukus perhaps. Little is known of the territory. I first saw the red planet, where I was purchased and where that vile creature the Baron ruled, only while escaping from it. It was a small artificial moon, floating amidst the asteroids of a swirling gas giant, far out and away from a dual star system. Here was a second seat of crime, which stretched as far away as Tur System.
Baron Ghoesh
The Baron was a singular being. I've never seen in all the sectors of space any race that resembles his biology. And yet he was only half biological. I believe he may even have stolen some of the gene splicing secrets of the Velor. From the back of his head and down, his spine extruded in cyborg metal. His flesh was attached from between his shoulder blades down to his torso by large metal hooks and wire. This wasn't necessary, surgically, but he wanted it that way. His pulled skin was dried and putrid. His mechanical spine continued below his severed torso, and ended in a floating barge that gave him movement, sustenance and even weaponry. He had no mouth and spoke only into the minds of those he communicated with. Even portions of his brain and mind were computerized and digital. And it was a terror to hear him slither around in my thoughts. He held sway over all those who came near him.
We were rowed up before him, a mass of new slaves. One by one he examined our minds, briefly and silently talking to us while everyone waited in fear. Then it was my turn.
"So! Your mother tells me you are running. Your father is a Santry agent on a potentially fatal mission. How very exciting! The both of you are pricy commodities then. I will keep you on my personal staff."
The Greatest Treasure
I stared at the crystal, afloat and spinning in the sealed air of the display chamber. It was mesmerizing.
It was then that I was startled by the creeping in my mind, and noticed it before I heard the low electric hum of the Baron's floating barge entering the room.
"It is beautiful, is it not? One of a kind." He enjoyed flaunting his power, "There are some who would sell entire planets to possess it."
"But it's just a crystal."
"To you perhaps. But do not let your indifference make you careless of what others deem priceless." He laughed a painful laugh in my mind. "It is why you too are so well taken care of, despite my own fickle way with the living."
I stared again at the crystal. I wanted to destroy it, and I made it known to him in my mind. I did not understand in my youth that just then I was tempting the nihilism of this alien's own recklessness.
I was one of the youngest servants to wait upon the Baron. He considered my being the daughter of a high triumvirate agent, with high level clearance even at Santry no less, to be a valuable commodity to him. A good bargaining chip in some unforseen future. Mother was also thus regarded and although we were kept separated, we were not put in harm's way. We were not, it seemed, expendable.
It was during my eighth shift that an alarm was sounded. While I was in the main hall, Ghoesh assembled his lead fighters, warriors from a myriad of worlds, and broadcast his thoughts to all in the room. Few readers have ever been able to do so, yet he made his thoughts known as if it were his normal speech. They were to take to the ships, and to the guns. The moon was under assault.
Endearing Rivalry
The battle raged. Gunships bombarded the moon with laser fire, bombs, shock robots. The red planet fired it's guns, split ships, while its own fighters launched into space. These were pirates, all of them, and their warfare was disorganized and foolish. They commandeered ships, recklessly assaulted one another, yet they were intimately familiar with their respective adversary's tactics.
In the midst of the quaking and explosions, Ghoesh gave various orders over his armies. But he let down his guard at the gate of his thoughts, let slip a confession, "Kulani, how your warfare makes me fall for you yet again!"
His closest servant dared critique and snapped, "Ghoesh, you damned fool! You'll get us all killed for that 'moltica'!"
"So be it. I'll win her mechanical heart yet!"
It was a sick sort of history and affection he had for his opponent, overburdened by the viruses of computer circuitry in his partially electronic brain. And he was willing to drag his entire empire into the folly, and all lives with him.
A Fateful Decision
The attack was a heavy one, an assault that took even the Baron Ghoesh unaware. He had a rival that matched his own strength and cunning. In the midst of this furious battle, Imulia freed herself, along with a number of other slaves. I was hiding behind the Baron's self-proclaimed royal curtains when she found me. She had a strength I had never seen before.
In the confusion, we were to head with the others to escape on a ship. "Wait!" I said impulsively as we were making our way in the chaos. I ran to the private chamber of the Baron, what a foolish but fateful thing to do! — and with a chair, another collectors item, smashed the case holding the crystal that he coveted so dearly.
When I had seized it with my hand, the doors shut solid. I discovered on turning, two eyes peering at me from the other end of the room, guarding the closed doors with electric bladed speer. A woman of subtlety and near reflective skin.
"You have done what I have for ages longed but feared to do."
"Then you have to help me," I said desperately!
She looked deep into my eyes, then spoke in cryptic riddles, I assume to defend her mind from the Baron's probing thoughts. "I never helped you. I never saw the crystal stolen. I will remember nothing." Her eyes flashed a metallic green, and she placed her hand on the wall. It glowed and the doors opened. My mother was there on the other side pounding to get me free.
And we did get free, on that ship with a number of others. Our destination, a solar system deep in the heart of Velor territory. I know only that it is called Moltec.
Scouting Ships
We had no more than arrived at Moltec when we encountered the scout ships of the Velor. It was a strange situation that revealed itself then. Our pilots made no efforts to avoid them, and so it seemed they too were pirates allowed to roam free in Velor space.
They scanned us. Their beams swept through the ship as we were headed towards a larger battle cruiser in orbit around that fiery desert planet. This is when I notice that the crystal I had stolen from Baron Ghoesh glowed with a faint light, as if in response. Half the scouts then disappeared while the others followed us within the system.
Our rescuers too were slavers. It seemed nothing inside Velor territory could resemble goodness. This enemy of Baron Ghoesh was a cyborg, half humanoid, half machine. From what I've learned since that battle, Kulani was from that desert planet but was enslaved by the Baron when young. She was a powerful individual, a reader like the guard of the Baron's chambers.
She escaped later on, but having grown to love power herself, she took over the slave trade of her own people. Ghoesh loved her for it. Their rivalry was a major source of the spread of slavery over the sector the last 140 cycles.
Apparently the Velor allowed their war to go on. It kept the Baron in check, and probably provided the empire with labor. I have heard that Velor pilots too were slaves.
Whatever the truth of it, that day was a furious battle of three navies. Ghoesh had routed the pirates as we were escaping his domain. He pursued us to Moltec. At the same time, the Velor appeared in the Moltec system in an attempt to take the crystal — it was a data crystal — I had stolen. They did not know Ghoesh had it, else they would have killed him.
We didn't have time to dock at the battle cruiser before the Velor and the Ghoesh navy were upon us. The fighting was intense. Kulani defended us from the Velor, and herself and her fighters from Ghoesh. It was a violent day.
Fall Of The Velor
The battle raged. I was strapped in like all the others, and I watched the monitors to track the battle. I felt the ship as its symbol moved on the screen to dodge the fire that might kill us. We were stuck in a dogfight that did not end. Our pilot was valiant in evading the Velor, at least 8 fighters and as many scouts for support. We were assisted by five fighters, four of which were destroyed. The Velor swam like a school of fish. A fifth fighter managed to destroy two of the Velor, rare indeed, and shoot down a third which went crashing to the surface of Moltec in a blaze. Then we were hit.
The Death of Imulia
Mother knew what was coming. The ship had been hit and weakened, so it wouldn't be long before we were lost. She unstrapped me from my seat, grabbed my hand and took me to the escape pods. The first hatch had already been fired. The second was empty as well. And yet a third. They were all empty.
I began to cry. The ship rocked and boomed from another blast. "Be brave, daughter. It won't hurt." She held me in defeat while we waited for the final blast.
But in that last moment it came to her that there was one last chance. She ran me down another corridor, opened a hatch, and we climbed down into the ship's maintenance tunnels. A bit further down the tunnels, she opened a large and thick electronic door which entered into the cargo holds. There we found one last escape pod. These were smaller models, for one passenger. Mother opened some ration supply containters and quickly dumped these into the pod. She then readied the pod into the firing rig. I entered it only half way when I realized there was no way for it to fit us both.
She answered my eyes, "I cannot go with you. It's the only way."
"Mother, no!"
"Do as I say daughter. The pod has a small lightspeed burst but do not start the beacon for at least one rotation so that you are safely away from this place. I'm sorry we failed you."
Before I could protest, she shut the doors. We put our hands on either side of the glass. The ship rocked again, as my mother launched me away. It exploded as I exited, and I was knocked unconscious. I dreamed of walking with Imulia and Denali, together on the shores of Ydio, a place I had never seen.
Deep Space
I woke in the deep of space. I did not know how long I had been out. It had to have been some time, as I had a headache from blood loss, and my forehead was covered in dried blood. My atmospheric levels were low, and the explosion had damaged the beacon. When I realized this, the panic set in that I was trapped in a tumbling pod, a tiny object, a grain of salt in a vast cosmos, and would suffocate as I watched the stars spin around me.
I screamed, but the muffled echo of my own voice stopped me. None could hear it. My heart raced. I cried. I thought of killing myself, nine years old in a cage. But how? Then hope came of rescue, or even that I would be captured. And then again came the panicked scream at the impossibility, and again the silence, the tears, the nihilism and the hope yet again. My mind spun around like the stars. Forever.
The Gift
In my last hours I faded in and out of consciousness. I had no more air to breath and it didn't matter. I wanted it to end. I began to dream and was delirious. In my sleep I spoke to a voice, the singular calm voice of both a man and woman. I remember their every word.
"We are the Vonen Syndicate. We have scanned your escape vessel. You possess a data crystal that is of great value to us. What is your price?"
"You may have it," I said, asleep inside my mind.
They were silent. Then, as if in surprise, "You part with it so freely?"
"All that I love is gone." I wanted nothing more than to die, but dared not say it. "You can have it. I want to be rid of it!"
After some quiet, they answered, "This is a most gracious gift. None have ever been so generous. Please. Allows us to grant you the request of your heart. What is it?
I did not want to die, truly. The thing that I wanted woke me from my sleep, and I screamed with tears inside my shuttle prison, "I want my parents back!"
And then I was not, for they took me, and I walked in the halls of the Vonen until the day of my return. Though they could not grant my request, my daughter, they became my guardians.
The crystal? It contained their forgotten history. They simply wanted to know where they came from.


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146 comments
The keys to great reviews are:
Understanding the level of service you are willing to provide and clearly advertising what you are to attract the right customers. We supply a very niche market, no cooking self catered apartments that are slightly difficult to find, in one of the busiest tourist regions of the UK. We cannot compete directly with hotels or bed and breakfasts nor can we compete with cottage/house holidays. However we are situated in an area of remarkable culinary and artistic creativity and there is no reason to spend all day cooking. By clearly describing our services and limitations to guests on booking and allowing free cancellation if they cancel straight away, we only get the guests who love what we provide.
We are lucky to be a family business with good local knowledge, and we ensure that every guest gets a full welcoming. If you supply anything larger than a room with a bed there will be quirks or instructions that are best explained in person. So we walk our guests all the way through the apartment and explain anything that needs it. For some guests this might be your only interaction and chance to leave an impression so DO NOT WASTE IT! Use it to find out their plans, some guests like privacy and wont share and that is fine. But most people have no plans and have not been to the area before and need guidance, so make sure you know what the area has to offer and always supply a variety as budgets vary. Make yourself an indispensable source for your guests and they will keep coming back to you. On a side note, we live on site with our guests but are known both for our privacy and hospitality. That's why the initial interaction is so important, we project openness and tell them that we are always available, however, after the first day we do not initiate contact we wait for them to come to us and respect their space otherwise.
CLEANLINESS, CLEANLINESS, CLEANLINESS, is the most important aspect of your guests stay. So important I will say it again, CLEANLINESS! We use a minimalist design that guests love but we do it so we can deep clean every surface after every stay. In a modern world of virus's and allergies to name a few, people value cleanliness more than they realise. We early on got a reputation for the cleanest apartments around and straight away whenever people arrived at a dirty accommodation they came to us! Like I said before, our apartments are niche but a spotless room forgives a lot.
Krissie's has been providing luxuriously furnished no cooking/self catered apartments for five years and has maintained an average of 9.5 or greater for that time.
I agree with all of the above, and must stress that communication with future and current guests is the key to happy guests. I always respond to guests within a few hours of receiving their booking, and making sure the calendar is up to date. Unfortunately I do not get to meet my guests as the distance between our home and our holiday property is too great. Therefore most of my communication is via the booking.com extranet messaging or by telephone. All of which works well. I do have an excellent changeover company that looks after our apartment, so making sure that the place is spotless, as well as everything like the washing machine, TV, internet etc is fully working is very reassuring for me. I also provide a welcome pack for guests including, wine, water, tea and coffee etc. I have recently placed an information pack in the apartment with restaurants, places on interests, and nearest beaches. We are attached to a golf complex so I make sure guests know they can recieve discounted green fees when staying with us. I now have a visitors book in the property for this season so will be interesting to see those comments as well.
Apartments Villa Tanja, Okrug Gornji, Croatia
I simply visualize that I'm a guest coming to an unknown house, and I imagine how I want, to host me and my family to welcome and host.
I never calculate how many jobs I need to do, focusing all my attention on the ultimate goal, which is to prepare the apartments and the whole house to look perfect and equipped with all that the guest needs, including the details.
I never calculate how much I will earn, I just want my guests to spend nice days in my house, which they will keep in their memories.
Money as a result nevertheless came.
Differentiate: Guests have a choice at booking, their decision to book one place over another is made impulsively and without deep thought…We have attractive bright pictures of aspects of our farm accommodation that puts blue water between us and the local competition. We ail to
create impact and promise a different experience from the local hotels and BnB's.
We feature pictures of fresh baked bread, bedrooms, obviously and sunny pictures of happy guests enjoying the rural life, plus humorous farm animals, horses, sheep and chickens which has a double effect.
1 These pictures act as a filter, attracting the sort of guests we like, ensuring that guests are matched to our ethos and services: and dissuading folk who would not enjoy the farm .
2 It sets us apart from local competition.
Don't focus just on price!
If you think about you, your place, your team (if you have one) and the memories you help to create, they will be different - and hopefully better - than the memories other stays will create within guests. So why try to homogenise your business and your offering by leading on price?
Instead, pay attention to what goes on in your locale and price accordingly; either above or below for promotions, but never settle on average. If you do - and excuse me Booking.com - but the search engines suck all the added value out of your offer.
Not every guest is looking for the cheapest price! Just great value for the memories you are helping to create.
We've made two unbreakable rules. 1) Never expect your guests to receive lower standards than you would accept yourself. 2) Set yourself only the very highest standards.
After that, enable your guests to really feel at home. Be there when they want you.....and not there when they don't!
Essentially, enjoy their company and let them see that you appreciate their visit.
Take the extra time and talk to your guests. Don't be afraid to ask them if everything is OK - the sooner you find out about any issues (especially the small ones) the better equipped you are to be able to fix them or deal with them immediately showing that you do care about their stay with you and you want everything to be as good as it can possibly be.First impressions do count, but last impressions count as well - think about giving a gift on departure - something small - maybe with a discounted booking code attached for return visits :).
I believe that being yourself and genuine is a great way to greet, and allows guests to be at ease and also encouraging them to be themselves. It is difficult to compare as it is clear from reading these comments that we all deliver a guest focused service based on our surroundings and that is what people attract to and as long as we are true to that, then majority of guests are not disappointed and leave great reviews.
A unique and personal experience is finding out guest needs and then quietly arranging, no fuss because they know what to expect, but then being approachable is the key without offering the world, a small thing can mean so much . Not so much trying hard, just being aware.
That said, we are a small B & B and I can imagine it is very frustrating for hospitality if staff do not share the same enthusiasm for customer satisfaction. Enthusiasm is a great thing .
Be friendly, warm and welcoming! Make your guest feel like they're family being welcomed home! I find guests love engaging in conversation, making them feel like you've befriended them. Aside from the obvious superior service that should be offered,
a warm smile and an eager willingness to assist always goes a long way and almost always guarantees a return guest :).
Our priority is to treat all guests as individuals as each guest is unique,all guests have differing needs and requirements. The starting point for us is good communication prior to the guests arrival, ask if they have any special needs or requests and importantly the time of checking in,be flexible and try to meet any requests that are reasonable.Put the coffee on and make sure the house is well presented and immaculately clean,we actually get on our hands and knees to ensure all corners are as clean as the main areas even moving the fridge out to make sure there are no debris underneath !!
Always a couple of bottles of wine on the table,fresh fruit and kitchen essentials to hand,soaps and all household items included in the rental cost,go to great lengths to welcome the guest first impressions are important,ask if they have any special requests for the first night,simple things like a bottle of milk in the refrigerator and a bottle of orange juice,it really goes a long way,its really simple just make them feel truly welcome,most of our guests comment on the cleanliness and appearance of the house within ten minutes of arrival so we know our efforts pay off. In season we allow guests to help themselves to fresh produce from the greenhouse and peaches,apples and pears from the garden,home made preserves are often placed in the house to the delight of our guests. There are many things we do to ensure our guests are happy but the most important thing for us is to see the guest totally relaxed and enjoying the house and gardens,our hospitality is free the superb comments of our many guests are priceless !!
Firstly always remember customer is king, they are there reason you are working in hospitality, and that word again 'hospitality", should be your mantra. At my gites in the beautiful Deux Sevres, France, I'm constantly trying to innovate and develop ways in which to bring to my clients a warm and personal touch. Sometimes its the small things, a freshly baked bread,home made confiture, fresh milk, if you have chickens leave some fresh eggs, or get some good quality local ones, coffee, teas, sugar and handy pantry items are a bonus too, as are some nice quality toiletries. Im fortunate to have a large vegetable garden and it gives me immense pleasure in sharing my home grown produce or making up veg boxes that guests are happy to pay for. Bedding and towels should be good quality and clean, and it goes with out saying the accommodation should be clean,welcoming and warm.
Provide good tourist information and share with your clients you experiences locally, perhaps over a glass of wine and some nibbles.
At the end of guests stays, don't rush them and politely ask them to fill out a questionnaire asking for suggestions on how you can improve or what could be better.
There are so many things you can do to make your guests feel like they are home from home, I'm not sharing all my tips..youll just have to visit to see for yourselves.
Lastly don't stint on the loo roll...theres nothing worse than looking cheap!
All the very best to my fellow Booking.com'ers...
I don't do home made preserves and I no longer make the bread (used to but too much was left over) but my price reflects what I do and I get consistent positive comments about being good value for money. Everywhere is immaculately clean - spotless. I treat the guests as I would like to be treated. Friendly, helpful and interested. I provide a very big selection of teas and coffee in the rooms - lots of herbal and decaf ones too. There's also a plate of chocolate biscuits and a large bowl of fruit from Aldi. (Aldi also do great super seeded bread and 97% pork sausages) I also have a mini fridge in each room with a jug of fresh milk and cartons of orange and apple juice. Guests loathe UHT milk. The beds are very comfortable with electric blankets and silk pillows. The ensuite bathrooms have plenty of towels and face clothes and I show them where they can help themselves to more towels as required. In the bathroom I also supply shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, hand wash, nail brush, and supplies of personal hygene products, razors, new toothbrush/paste etc in case they've forgotten something. Also ear plugs, cotton budgs, wipes, etc.etc. Each room has a TV with DVD slot and very fast wi-fi. Also a multi-plug charger for any device. Guests can make use of a travel cot, high chair and potty loo seat plus kiddies bowls, plates, etc. I put on the bed soft cuddly toys for any child up to 5. There are a rack of brochures about local activities in each room. I am totally flexible about breakfast - guests select the time they want it and what they want to eat.Guests are always asked the night before what they are likely to want so, if its a traditional fry-up, I can then have everything except the eggs ready when they get round the table. Because we only have two rooms for B&B (can sleep up to 7) I sit everyone round the kitchen table. I think I get good reviews because I listen. We've only been doing this for just over 2 years and its guests' suggestions which have enabled us to improve. eg. providing a knife in the fruit bowl, a long handled shoe horn in the rooms, a magnifying movable mirror so women can put their makeup on using daylight near a window. Having said all the foregoing, we find the whole thing great fun. You have to accept you wont get it right for everyone all the time. And you absolutely should not let a lower mark upset you. Someone else said they were marked down for 'location' or 'facilities'. Me too. When I asked what facilities would have helped, the answer I got back was that because they didnt use the pool or the gym they felt they couldnt give me full marks!!
info says it all.
You can get 10's in a row and then wham, someone for the first time in 6 years slams a 5.4 there!!!!
No real reason and no constructive criticism. But, although that hurts it shouldn't bias your thinking towards guests!
We greet our hosts by showing them the pool deck area, the tracks to the beach,give them a brief run down on what they can use...kayaks etc...and then show them their room. I always ask where they have driven from that day and then how long they are visiting our country .
Spotless presentation, perfectly made beds and dressed bathrooms. Beach towels and Pool towels. Nespresso machines in all our rooms. It really all comes down to presentation of both yourselves and their environment you are offering.
I don't normally write 'Host' posts as I don't feel much of a hospitality expert but oh, go on then, Booking.com, you twisted my arm with your email about my "reviews" being "incredible" and would I 'share my secret' =))) Yeah, I'm a sucker for flattery!
But then I thought, actually hang on, I always encourage, appreciate and rely on my guests to post their thoughts, so I really should do the same in return to the request from the site that brought those guests to my door in the first place.
That all said, I still don't feel enough of an 'expert' to offer anything more valuable or useful than others who've already done the same so well in the comments before me. I really don't do much differently than the rest of you, which is of itself, a great relief to me personally as I'm not a hospitality professional!
But, you know, 'personally' is a key word there because no matter how often we tell ourselves not to take it personally when people review, I'm sure most of us do because it IS personal: we've invited people to stay in our properties if not our homes and there's very little more personal than that; so I suppose the key point to remember as a host is that you make your guests' experience personal.
Pick some/all of the ideas my co-hosts have mentioned that you're not already offering and can feasibly / economically / appropriately implement at the type of accommodation you're providing, and do everything you reasonably and practically can to ensure your guests receive great value for money, whatever your price! And then keep your fingers crossed your guests take the time to leave you a positive score!
Being friendly and welcoming. All our guests that arrive in the afternoon are offered tea and home made cake, and we sit and talk to them about their stay, where they want to go etc. If necessary book a local pub for dinner for them, but certainly make recommendations.
Eggs are from our hens. I bake my own bread and make all the jams and marmalade. Sausages and bacon are from local farms, people really like to know where their food comes from. A good breakfast makes a good impression. Be ready to adapt to vegetarian, vegan and gluten free requirements.
In the rooms we provide bath sheet size towels as well as hand towels and face flannels. All toiletries provided are organic in large containers, and guests use what they need and leave the rest.
Our rooms are kitted out with smart TVs, WI-FI and USB charging points. All our bathrooms are fitted with modern remote controlled wireless power showers.
We try to give our guests everything they need, and provide toothbrushes and toothpaste and other essentials that they may have left behind.
Ultimately be yourselves, be genuine. People can tell if you're not. We find we get on well with 98% of the people that visit. However, you cannot please 100% of the people 100% of the time, but if you treat people well, how you would like to be treated yourselves, you can't go far wrong.
Lastly enjoy meeting other people. Everybody has something interesting to say, you just need to ask the right questions.
It is very simple. Be yourself, welcome the guests with open arms and show them how very pleased you are to have them stay in your guesthouse or apartment. Show them around a little bit before accompanying them to their room to break the ice and make them feel at home. Give them some tips about buses, your recommended restaurant, sites to visit, etc. Above all let them know that you are at their service at all times and that they can contact you on your mobile if they need help with anything.
We have a small boutique family business and strive to do the best and be the best at what we do. It is simple; we strongly believe in treating our guests exactly how we expect to be treated.Respect is paramount!
Loving what you do is a must in this industry and I love it even though there are not many free hours in your day! Being a host in your home and in the place you love is a wonderful honour. Great communication in the run up to arrival, clear directions, personally greeting guests, booking dinner tables, home baking, friendly conversation and treating people as you would expect to be treated yourself is imperative. A super comfortable bed, lots of lovely little extra touches, lighting the open fire and the food we provide are usually the things most commented on plus appreciation for our commitment to hosting.
Vivienne & Steve
The most important thing you can offer your guest is your time, this is the reason they have chosen to stay in a guesthouse rather than in a hotel. Be kind always and show a genuine interest in your guest. Remember all the essentials you like to have in your room when you travel and make sure these items are available to your guests too!! Put your guests at the centre of all of your decisions!
Surprise them with a turndown service, pull the blinds down, turn on the side lamps and leave a little chocolate on their locker! Kill them with kindness and any negative will turn into a positive...Happy Days!
From the first point of contact be friendly, hospitable and helpful but give guests the space to 'do their own thing' and make themselves at home. Be well prepared before your guests arrive - ensure everything is spotlessly clean, offer some extra touches - like a bottle of wine or some chocolate. Home baked vs bought is always appreciated. Make sure you let them know you are available if they have any questions but don't impose on them unnecessarily. Take an interest in them and their travels without being overly inquisitive. Be willing to share a little bit about yourself with them too. Books to read, a few dvds to watch, good quality hand soap/body lotion, fresh flowers all add a personal touch to their experience.
Hello there!
To tell you the truth there is no formula, there is no "way"!
Our guest comments come from the heart! When you are genuine, warm, caring, attentive and willing to go the extra mile the same will flow back to you.
Our comments come from our presence and our love of people. Everything else follows.
Love Renate & Roberto Noosa Valley Manor B&B Sunshine Coast, Queensland AUSTRALIA www.noosavalleymanor.com.au
I agree with all the comments above especially about creating a unique experience. We were not able to build the little "gingerbread house" cottage I wanted owing to budget constraints so I had to settle for a pr-fabricated colour bond cottage with few unique factors! BUT I have had such fun creating a lovely garden all around it and making the inside as quirky , different and comfortable as possible. This creates a lovely, cottagey, cosy feel which guests love.
I always provide home bread on arrival and have fresh flowers in the living area, bathroom and bedroom. They also appreciate the little extras like scissors and sticky tape and the kind of things you would find at home. We often get the comment "19 Blue is like a home away from home"
Provide the best experience possible as described in all the above comments. I never ask for a review, as I believe if the experience is good enough, guests will offer a genuine positive review. I have heard of travellers who felt harassed by constantly being asked for reviews. I prefer to have fewer reviews of genuine good quality than trying to get lots of reviews and putting pressure on guests who feel obliged to do a review if they have been asked.
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Scale Modeling Sponsors
Friday, July 18, 2014 - 12:02 PM UTC
Based on response to a small contest in store, Hobby Center is having its first Ottawa Scale Auto Contest on September 14, 2014.
Hobby Center of Ottawa, Ontario in Canada is putting on the first Ottawa Scale Auto Contest on September 14, 2014. It will be held at the Almonte Civitan Hall in Almonte, ON from 9AM to 4PM. In the spirit of keeping the event fun, models will not be judged, but will be open to votes from peers and public. There are a quite a few categories as well as some special awards. Cost will be $7 for participants and $5 for general admission. This looks to be a great day to share and learn about our great hobby.
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Truckee Donner Public Utility DistrictHome Menu
Popular Content
Information about Water Use and Leaks
*Contact a licensed professional to learn how to winterize your home safely.
Truckee Donner PUD has a web tool to access your meter and see your water usage. More
There are many ways to save water at your home. Understanding where you use water is the first step. More
REPAIR RESPONSIBILITY - TRUCKEE DONNER PUD SIDE vs CUSTOMER SIDE
Truckee Donner PUD will repair the infrastructure from the water source up to and including the meter near the street. The customer is responsible to repair the system after the meter.
If your meter is a rectangle, click here.
If your meter is a circle, click here.
Find and open your meter box near the street. Be careful handling the wiring. The display screen is solar powered. You may need a flashlight with good batteries to shine directly on the solar collector on the meter (Fig.2). There are two alternating screens. The READINGS screen (Fig.1) will display a faucet if you have a leak. Next, the RATE screen (Fig. 2) will show the flow rate in gallons/minute.
Turn off all water in the house. Now shut off the "stop & drain" at the house. Make sure it's completely off. Check the meter again. If the RATE display (Fig. 2) went to 0.00 then the leak is inside the house. If the RATE display is still showing usage, then the leak is outdoors between the meter and the house.
To locate a leak in the house, turn the "stop & drain" valve back on. Check toilets, tubs, sinks. These are the most common sources of indoor leaks. Make repairs and repeat these steps until the RATE display goes to 0.00. After all leaks are repaired, the faucet symbol will remain for 24 hours before it resets and disappears.
MORE INFORMATIONWater leaks normally occur in one of three areas; house fixtures, irrigation systems, and the customer-owned service lateral (underground pipe between the house and the meter.) Keep in mind that more than one leak may exist. House fixtures
Sinks, showers, tubs, toilets, water heaters, outside hose bibs attached to the building: Leaks on internal plumbing are normally identifiable by visually examining the fixtures in your house. You may be able to hear a leak by placing your ear on an exposed fixture or piece of pipe. Also check ice makers, dishwashers, washing machines. A warped or poorly fitting toilet flapper can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day. A toilet that is constantly running can waste up to 300 gallons of water an hour. Toilet leak detection tablets are available at the Truckee Donner PUD office.Plumbing system drain valve (stop & drain or stop & waste): Most houses in the Truckee area are equipped with a valve that turns off the fresh water supply and drains the internal plumbing. These valves are typically located within the crawlspace or basement and often have a handle attached to a riser hidden in a closet or cabinet. First, with your water service turned on to the house, make sure your house is quiet with no water running anywhere in the house, and listen to your stop & drain valve. Put your ear right down on the handle. If you hear any sound from the valve, turn it off and listen again. If the sound has stopped, then the problem is somewhere past the valve inside the house. Note: It is not always possible to hear a leak, especially a small one. If the sound has not stopped, then turn the valve back on again, ensuring that it's fully open. (If the valve is only partially open, water will leak out the drain hole.) Once the valve is fully open, does the noise stop? If it does, the problem may have simply been the valve position. However, if the noise continues, then you have a leak between the valve and the meter box at the street. Click here to read more about stop & drain valves.
Click here to see an image of a stop and drain valve.
Permanently installed underground irrigation systems
Many leaks on irrigation systems involve broken sprinkler heads and can be found by visual examination. Leaks on buried irrigation system piping are not always easy to pinpoint. However, it is usually possible to determine whether the leak is on the irrigation system or not.
Permanent irrigation systems should have a master valve where the irrigation system connects to the underground pipe from the water meter. Check to make sure that all control valves, sprinkler heads and drip lines are turned off and not leaking. Then turn off the main irrigation valve for a few minutes. Turn the valve back on again, if you hear moving water, there is likely a leak in the irrigation system.
Customer-owned service lateral
If you find no leak on the internal plumbing or the irrigation system, then it may be located on the buried pipe that runs from the meter box to the structure. Most licensed plumbing contractors have specialized listening devices that can help locate leaks on underground pipes


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If you don't personally own a cat, then thinking of the perfect gift idea for your friend who is a cat lover may be a difficult task. That's why we have done the hard work for you and have narrowed down to a few gift ideas that we think are perfect for your family and friends who may love cats to death.
We have conveniently placed links on the titles of each product, so simply click on the product title to be redirected to the gift you are interested in! Although there isn't a 100+ list on ideas, we have narrowed down to the best 5 ideas that we know your family and friends will love, so check out our list and choose which one fits their personalities!
Expert's Pick – Best Gifts for Cat Lovers
1.) Teagas Cat Coffee Mugs for Boyfriend or Husband
Who doesn't like a cute mug that has their favorite pet as the main theme? This mug is a combo package (2 pc) that is made of high quality ceramic to last your friend or family a long time, so that they can keep their favorite pet mug for as long as they want! Another great advantage of this mug is that instead of it being purely for looks, it stores quite a bit of liquid, as well as not being too heavy as well. So instead of this gift going on the shelf to collect dust, it'll actually be used and not be just a decoration piece! If the person you are gifting this to loves cats and coffee, this is one of the best gifts for cat lovers you can get.
2.) Cat Crib
This gift idea isn't exactly for your friend, but rather their cat, as it will make their lives so much easier. However, a gift for an owner's pet is a gift to the owner as well, but especially so, as this cat crib will remove a lot of the clutter in your home. This is because instead of having a cat tree around their house, they can simply have this crib under their chair for their pet to sleep on. This is one of the best ideas in our opinion, as it will not only eliminate their need of purchasing a cat tree, but make use of useless space under their chairs as well. If you have this, then you will need a litter box as well!
3.) sunart Tea for one
This is another great idea if your friend or family loves tea or hot liquids, as this tea pot set combines the cuteness of a cat into a cup and a pot! When combined, the two pieces form a cat, but when separated, the cat becomes the cup to pour the liquid into, and the base becomes the pot to store the hot liquid. This is a great gift if you know your friend loves cats, as this is a must-have for tables at home and who doesn't want a cute tea pot set on their table?
4.) MiYang Cute Cat And Dog Warm House Slippers Booties
It's cold, your feet are starting to freeze. Where did my warm and fuzzy cat sleepers go?!? This gift is an amazing choice especially if it is winter, as this pair of slippers packs quite a punch. By combining the fuzziness and warmness of a cat into slippers, your friend can finally wake up in the morning and go to boil their coffee without their feet freezing! As this product is also quite comfortable and has many sizes, it is a great choice if you want to purchase a few more pairs for other friends as well!
5.) Home-X Cat Print Apron
If your friend likes cooking or is around the kitchen a lot, then an apron is a great choice to make. This apron combines many cute cats into one design which looks great on anyone, especially if they love cats! This apron is very comfortable and absorbs water easily, which makes it a great apron to use if your friend or family is around the kitchen and uses water in their cooking that may ruin their clothes. This gift is not only a cute one, but a thoughtful one as well, since some households don't even have an apron!


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Hot Picks
An Interview with George Newton, Star of Showground and This Is England
by Laura Redmonton
April 2014
starring George Newton on (re)Search my Trash
Quick Links
An exciting new movie is in development in the UK.
It is called Showground and stars actors from two of the
UK�s best-loved TV series, Shameless and This Is England.
The independent movie is also written and directed by actor Jody Latham,
who played �Lip� in the comedy-drama series Shameless.
We caught up with actor George Newton, who plays
�Banjo� in the This Is England movie and TV series.
What is the film about?
Well, it�s the story of a young boxer who�s
had a rough time of things and is running away from his past. He
falls into working at a travelling fairground, and tries to keep his head
Thing is, this young guy was brought up to be a
fighter. His dad was a successful boxer, so he�s been
sparring and fighting all his life and he�s really good. So
when he runs away, he has to hide that side of himself to fit in.
But the fairground owner Marco (who I�m playing) notices his
skills and thinks �Hang on, I can make some money here.� So he ends up doing things he knows he shouldn�t
do, just to survive.
The story was based on Jody�s
uncle�s fairground tales, as he worked on a travelling fair.
It�s a slice of life that most of us don�t see, and that�s
what makes it interesting. It�s a cracking script, and it�s basically the
story of somebody trying to drop out of his old life and fit in somewhere
new. But of course his past catches up with him in all
sorts of ways. And being a young lad, he falls in love
with the one person he�s not supposed to - my character�s daughter
(played by Shameless actress Sarah Byrne). So
there�s this Romeo & Juliet side to the story as well. And
my character Marco � well, he�s not a nice guy!
So is this about Gypsies then?
Well, all sorts of people live on the road, and
not all of them would describe themselves as Gypsies. These
characters are not Gypsies, they�re travelling showpeople, there�s a
difference. But of course people that live on the road tend to know each
other, work with each other sometimes and so on. It�s
a different mindset to people that live in houses all year round and do
conventional jobs. There are films that use the
�Gypsy� theme to add a bit of romance or danger to a movie.
But what we want to do is to be more accurate & respectful
about the differences between groups of people that live on the road, and
to show that in a more realistic way.
You�re working with different groups of
people on this project � can you tell us more about that?
Yes, we�re getting lots of young people involved
in this project. We�re all from the North of England
& there is a cracking movie scene up here. A lot of
things happen in London, but there is more to the UK than the South!
We�re hoping to give students & disadvantaged young people a
chance to take part in the movie. None of us were posh kids growing up, and we all
recognise how hard it is to break into this industry, if you haven�t got
the ideal background or parents with loads of money. So
it�s really nice to have reached a point where we can all give something
back to the next generation of talent.
So yeah, we�re working with media students &
giving them the opportunity to take part. We�re also
looking to local councils for support in enabling young people from
disadvantaged backgrounds to take part in the movie, and to do projects
connected with it. We�re all taking time out from our
everyday lives to do this. Basically, it�s all very well swanning around
being a movie star, it�s very nice. But if you
can�t give something back and help people, you�re missing out on doing
something that matters. It�s important to all of us,
so we�re really looking forward to that part.
So, is This Is England �90 filming or
Well, rumours are rife! The
machinery appears to be in motion, but truthfully none of us know until we
get the call. We�re all really looking forward to meeting up
on set again. We do keep in contact with each other and
meet up, but meeting up with cast & crew on set is a different feeling
altogether! It�s like going home to a big party,
where all your aunties, uncles and little cousins are there.
Feeling lucky ?Want tosearchany of my partnershops yourselffor more, better results ?
The links belowwill take youjust there!!!
Find George Newton at the amazons ...
Looking for imports ?Find George Newton here ...
eThaiCD.comYour shop for all things Thai
Something naughty ?(Must be over 18 to go there !)
find George Newton at adultvideouniverse.com
When you work with people on a unique production
like This Is England over a period of several years, you become like a
family. Shane is a wicked director, and I�m really
proud of the movie & series. This is supposed to be
the last ever series as well, which is also sad, as it will really be the
end of an era. As an actor, you never know what the
future holds, so you don�t count on things. But I�m
sure I�m not the only one crossing my fingers for This Is England �90.
It�s a really special thing to be a part of.
Thank you! Is there anything
you would like to add?
Not much really, just that I enjoy your blog, and
I think it�s great that you write about unusual movies that people might
not have heard of. I�ve discovered some great stuff
on your site, and I�m definitely a fan. Thank you. [And thank you! -
the editor]
You can follow the official blog here:
Follow the movie on Twitter:
And follow actor George Newton here:
� by Laura Redmonton
Legal note: (re)Search my Trash cannotand shall not be held responsible forcontent of sites from a third party.
Thanks for watching !!!
On the same daya Burglar wants to kill youand your Ex wantsto make up ...
... and for the life of it, you can't decideWHICH IS WORSE!!!
A Killer Conversation
produced by and starringMelanie Denholme
directed byDavid V.G. Davies
written byMichael Haberfelner
starring Ryan Hunter
andRudy Barrow
out now on DVD
Stell Dir vor, Deine Lieblingsseifenoper birgt eine tiefere Wahrheit ...
... und stell Dir vor, der Penner von der U-Bahnstation hat doch recht ...
... und dann triffst Du auch noch die Frau Deiner (feuchten) Tr�ume ...
Und an diesem Tag geht nat�rlich wieder einmal die Welt unter!!!
Bauliche Angelegenheiten
ein Roman vonMichael Haberfelner
Jetzt kaufen bei Lulu.com


text:
The restaurant chain Nando's has drawn the ire of a militant group over its latest advert.
Jimu Kunaka, head of the Zimbabwean youth group Chipangano, has called for Nando's to withdraw the ad, which makes fun of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, or face punitive action, state radio reports.
Filmed as a dream sequence, the tongue-in-cheek ad portrays the ageing Mugabe as the "last dictator standing" following the demise of other despots around the world. The 87-year-old autocrat is seen eating alone at a table and reminiscing about happier times with other tyrants.
Scenes include Mugabe engaging in a water fight with the late Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi, singing karaoke with China's Chairman Mao Tse-tung, frolicking in the sands with Iraq's Saddam Hussein and pushing apartheid-era South African President P.W. Botha on a swing.
Controversial Nando's Advert Features Mugabe, Gaddafi and Chairman Mao [VIDEO]
The campaign was produced by Nando's South Africa, which has a history of creating provocative and politically sensitive advertisements. Nando's Zimbabwe said it was not informed of the advertising campaign and is entirely independent of them.
Musekiwa Kumbula, corporate affairs director at Innscor Africa, holders of the Nando's franchise in Zimbabwe, said the group "strongly feels the advertisement is insensitive and in poor taste".
It is an offense under Zimbabwe law to insult Mugabe or to undermine the authority of his office.
The Chipangano group, which describes itself as a "brotherhood" of Mugabe loyalists, has demanded an apology to be made to the nation for the "negative portrayal" of their leader and called for a boycott of all Nando's restaurants in the country. The shadowy militia group has been accused by human rights activists of roaming Harare's impoverished townships in violent gangs that seize property and mete out punishment to those seen as supportive of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's former opposition party.
Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist since he led the country to independence in 1980. Western governments and rights groups say he has unleashed a decade of violence, anarchy, vote rigging and intimidation since seizing thousands of white-owned farms in 2000.


text: So you think you have what it takes to be a sushi chef? The free Flash game Sushi Go Round will school you. It's a race against the clock to get onigiri, California rolls, and sake onto the conveyor belt before your customers become irate. The bewitching music that accompanies the fast-paced action is best muted.