text:
Home services platform Recommend gets a Boost with e-wallet collaboration
By Digital News Asia December 6, 2019
- Service vendors can free technician teams from handling cash
- Boost takes another step in building robust cashless digital ecosystem
Leading Malaysian e-Wallet Boost has announced a strategic collaboration with Recommend.my, Malaysia's leading home services platform, to enable customers to order home services through the Boost app.
This collaboration means that homeowners have a new and convenient way to pay their service providers. For example, after a Recommend.my pro completes an aircon servicing, the homeowner can pay with Boost, while also getting cashback for the amount spent. The service providers don't need to handle cash, and the homeowner does not need to worry about having lots of cash at home while work is being done.
"We are always looking to partner with innovative service providers like Recommend.my who share a similar vision of bringing convenient digital solutions to users. With this relationship, we are building a robust cashless digital ecosystem where Recommend.my adds value to Boost for our nearly five million users while we offer the convenience and security of going cashless for Recommend.my users," said Mohd Khairil Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Boost.
Recommend.my was launched in 2014 and connects thousands of customers to the most reliable and trusted contractors for jobs such as renovations, home cleaning, aircon servicing, and 50 other services. All service professionals are verified, rated and reviewed by previous customers for quality, service levels, timeliness and value, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
"We are very excited about this collaboration, because it means that millions of Malaysians can now order our services through the Boost app, with the security of cashless payments. Our service vendors are also looking forward to freeing their technician teams from handling cash, which reduces risk while on the road" said Jes Min Lua, cofounder of the Recommend Group and country GM for Malaysia.
Along with this partnership, Boost and Recommend.my are offering a special promotion for homeowners. From now until 31 Dec 2019, 20 lucky customers who pay for Recommend.my services with Boost will win 100% cashback from Boost. 20 lucky customers will also win a RM100 voucher to book any Recommend.my service. Learn more at https://www.recommend.my/blog/how-to-pay-for-services-with-boost/


text:
Contact Comtech Canada today and learn how our POS and Security products and services can do for your business
Comtech Canada is growing and currently hiring for the following positions:
Technical Support
Sales Representative
POS Toronto | POS Markham | POS Richmond Hill | POS Mississauga | POS Ajax | POS Scarborough Comtech Canada provides point of sales (POS) systems, cash registers, security monitoring, and point of sales supplies for restaurants in Toronto, Markham, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Mississauga, Ajax, Oakville, Hamilton, Ajax, and the surrounding GTA area. Comtech also serves business across Canada.
(647) 298-9819
28 Crown Steel Dr
Markham, ON L3R 9Y1, Canada
Website Designed by Clutch Marketing

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom, its capital is Edinburgh. It is surrounded with water from three directions, the Atlantic Ocean from the north and west, the North Sea to the south, and the North Channel to the southwest, it also shares borders with England. It has 790 islands. You will be impressed with what you'll see there like natural landscapes, as well as hundreds of castles and its beautiful cities.
Why You Should Visit Scotland?
Spending a holiday in Scotland is really enjoyable, there are a lot of things to do and see, let's see why you should visit this beautiful country.
Scottish Castles:
Scotland has many beautiful castles but the most famous one in the country is Edinburgh Castle.
Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh:
It's a historic fortress located in Edinburgh. The castle played an important role in Scottish history as a military stronghold. It was last involved during a war in 1745, and until 1920 it was the main base for the British army in Scotland. Until now, it's the most popular paid attraction and castle in Scotland. There is an audio tour in the castle that explains everything about it, from its architecture to its military history in eight different languages.
Urquhart Castle:
The castle was one of the largest in Scotland before it was blown up in 1692, so it won't be used as a stronghold again. The tower house is the only remaining building of this fortress. Its location is spectacular and I bet visitors will love it.
Inveraray Castle:
The castle took 43 years to be built before it was destroyed by a fire in 1877. It haswonderful gardens, and it was the home of the Dukes of Argyll of centuries. The castle only opens a few months every year from April till October.
Culzean Castle:
Another popular castle in Scotland is Culzean, but it is now transformed into a hotel. The castle now displays high-class furniture from the 18th century and a large collection of swords and pistols, all of that surrounded by a large park.
Glamis Castle:
It is considered a royal castle where Queen Elizabeth II grew up, the Queen mother and Princess Margaret were born in this castle as well. Before that, the Scottish king Malcolm was killed there. The castle is one of the most beautiful castles in Scotland, its surrounded with trees and vast lands. Visitors can take a walk in its wonderful gardens or see its great rooms.
Balmoral Castle:
It's known as the place where the royal family spends their holidays. The place is open to visitors but some rooms are private for The Queen, but in the last few years it was open from April to July, it's surrounded by superb landscapes which visitors will enjoy. It was considered a hunting place for King Robert II in the 14th century; it's a great example of the Baronial architecture style.
Stirling Castle:
It's a one hour drive from Edinburgh. Many kings and queens were crowned at this very castle. The castle had an important role in Scottish independence over many years.
Of course, there are many more castles in Scotland, but these are the most famous ones in the country and visitors should have them as priorities, if they vacation in this breathtaking country.
More Famous Attractions in Scotland
Skara Brae:
This place is older than the Egyptian Pyramids and Stonehenge. It was a thriving village; it's located on the Bay of Skaill. In 1850, a great storm hit the place, ripping the grass, sand and soil to reveal 5,000-year-old stone houses. It was populated from 3100 BC – 2500 BC. Visitors are fascinated by the houses and how they were built with stone beds and seats. Then, you can go through the village path and see the old buildings and houses and imagine how life was for farmers and fishermen who used to live there. It's really a stunning place where tourists will enjoy themselves.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum:
Located in Glasgow where it was built in 1901, it's one of the great attractions in Scotland. The museum displays more than 8,000 artefacts. It includes natural history, armours and artworks from many historical periods. Among the museum's most valuable artworks on display, is Salvador Dali's "Christ of St John of the Cross". You can spend several hours browsing the museum's many collections with your family, and afterwards, you can relax at its café and gift shop.
Loch Ness:
The Loch Ness is one of the famous and largest lakes in Scotland and maybe in the world. Its depth is 240 meters and its length is about 37 km. The lake's popularity comes from its famous occupant, the legendary Loch Ness Monster. In 1933, the first picture was taken of that monster in the lake, displaying a long neck and thick body. There were many rewards offered for whoever would capture this monster but until now no one can find it. I guess it's just a legend, who knows.
Cairngorms National Park:
It's the largest national park in the United Kingdom. It contains everything you can imagine from beautiful landscapes, castles to wildlife. It's a really wonderful attraction for families; you can do many activities in one place.
Edinburgh Zoo:
It was opened in 1913, containing over 1,000 animals. It's a top attraction for families in Scotland, and the best wildlife attraction too. I'm sure that visitors would like to spend a day in that wonderful zoo.
Add Scotland to your Travel Destinations
If we keep writing, I guess the article won't end due to the many famous attractions and sites in Scotland. Scotland is a must-visit for anyone interested in ancient and modern history or those who love browsing masterpieces from art history at different museums and galleries. I recommend that anyone who wants to travel abroad should go to Scotland and experience this magnificent country with its many attractions and activities for a great time with your family or friends.
Have you ever visited Scotland? Let us know what you think about this beautiful country and what your favourite place to visit was.


text:
The Lovely Sharon and I arrived home last night from our annual trip to McCall, Idaho to play in the Payette Cup at the Whitetail Country Club. This is the sixth year of the tournament and we have played all six years. This is one of my favorite things to do each year. Last week we drove to Boise on Tuesday and checked into the Cambria Inn. We had a lovely dinner in downtown Boise at the Bardenay Restaurant. On Wednesday we drove to McCall to play golf. Wednesday was a rainy day so we only played nine holes. After golf we checked into the Shore Lodge. The Shore Lodge was built in 1948 and sits on the edge of the beautiful Payette Lake. I love the hotel and I love the lake.
Wednesday night we stayed in our room watching the US Open tennis championships, ordered room service and shared a bottle of wine. It was kind of nice to have a low key evening just crashing on the couches and watching tennis.
Thursday was the practice round of the tournament. It was a cold day but we only had rain on one or two of the holes. Out of all six of the years we have been going to the tournament, this was undoubtedly the coldest day, but I must say I have played golf in a lot worse weather than we played in on Thursday. We had a cart cover and kept pretty warm in the cart. Thursday night was the annual cocktail party at the Whitetail Swim and Fish Club. This is a great facility which is a different building than the golf club house. Even though it is referred to as a cocktail party, there is a buffet so it is basically a dinner. The food was great, the tee prizes were handed out and we had a wonderful couple of hours, eating drinking and joking with our fellow competitors.
Friday was the first round of the tournament. It was cool but no rain. Sharon and I played absolutely terrible. Our playing companions were great fun so we still enjoyed the day. Friday night we attended a cocktail party at Kevin and Cathy's house. Kevin and Cathy are full time residents of McCall and we have been friends with them since we first met them six years ago. Their cocktail party was great fun and the view from their house on a mountain top is stunning with its panoramic views of Payette Lake and the Whitetail Golf course. From their patio I was overwhelmed by the blue sky, blue lake, green golf course and pine trees as far as you could see.
The final tournament round was Saturday. Saturday was spectacular, not a cloud in the sky, with an afternoon high around 72 degrees. A number of players played in shorts and were comfortable. I played a little better than the previous day and the Lovely Sharon played a lot better. After the tournament all the players were talking and laughing and just enjoying a beautiful autumn day together. Hidden Valley friends Bruce and Grace took first place net in the tournament and Hidden Valley friends Dave and Sue took second gross. On Friday, Sue shot a 74; wow, what a great round for Sue.
Saturday night was the award banquet at the Shore Lodge Pavilion Room which overlooks the lake. As we stood by the open floor to ceiling windows before dinner, we watched sail boats, water skiers and motor boats enjoying the late afternoon early evening sun.
We meandered our way home driving through Stanley, stopping at Redfish Lake and enjoying a quiet lunch in Sun Valley
The Payette Cup tournament is one of the best things we do each year. It is great golf, great parties, wonderful new and old friends and wonderful scenery. Its a romantic get away with the Lovely Sharon. If you can arrange to go some time, you should do so. I hope I am able to make to the seventh annual Payette Cup next year.
Recently Read Books
- A Delicate Truth- John Le Carre (fiction)
- Perfect - Rachel Joyce (Fiction)
- The Expats - Chris Pavone (Fiction)
- An Event in Autumn - Henning Mankel (Fiction)
- Winter in Madrid - C.J.Sansom (Fiction)
- The Brothers - John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles - non-fiction
- LIfe Among Giants - Bill Roorbach (Novel)
- Empty Mansions - Bill Dedman (non-fiction)
- Woodrow Wilson (non fiction)
- Lawrence in Arabia (Non-Fiction)
- In Sunlight and In Shadow by Mark Helpren (Fiction)
- Lesson in French - Hilary Reyl (fiction)
- Unbroken- Laura Hillenbrand (Non-Fiction)
- Venice, A New History- Thomas Madden - (Non- Fiction)
- Life is a Gift - Tony Bennett Autobiography
- The First Counsell - Brad Meltzer (Fiction)
- Destiny of the Republic - President James Garfield non-fiction by Candice Millard
- The Last Lion (volume III)- William Manchester and Paul Reid (non-fiction, Winston Churchill)
- Yellowstone Autumn -W.D. Wetherell (non-fiction about turning 55 and fishing in Yellowstone)
- Everybody was Young- (non-fiction Paris in the 1920's)
- Scorpion - (non fiction US Supreme Court)
- Supreme Power - Jeff Shesol (non-fiction)
- Zero day by David Baldacci ( I read all of Baldacci's Books)
- Northwest Angle - William Kent Krueger (fiction - I have read 5 or 6 books by this author)
- Camelot's Court-Insider the Kennedy Whitehouse- Robert Dallek
- Childe Hassam -Impressionist (a beautiful book of his paintings)
Monday, September 13, 2010
McCall, Idaho
Posted by Bud Headman at 7:37 PM
2 comments:
- AnonymousApril 10, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Hi Bud,ReplyDelete
My name is Jane and I'm with Dwellable.
I was looking for blogs about McCall to share on our site and I came across your post...If you're open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
September 15,2019
Luke 15:1–10 (ESV)
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." 3 So he told them this parable: 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
One of the most interesting things about Jesus that I have noticed is the types of people that were attracted to him. I have been a part of the church since I was a child. I am not a preacher's kid but about as close to it as one could get without being one. My stepdad has been the clerk of the meeting for as long as I can remember and he has lead worship for most of my life, which he has passed over to some of the youth in the meeting now. He has served on yearly meeting boards and is comfortable filling the pulpit when the need arises. He says that he was called to be a farmer, but I kind of question that a bit. I think he has been the assistant pastor of my home meeting for my entire life. My dad is also greatly involved in the church. He is a lay minister within the Methodist Church, and I have rarely seen him at church without his guitar. I grew up with church being central to my life. It was just part of life. We worked hard for six days and always worshipped on the seventh. It was rare that we missed any function of the church and many of the vacations that we took revolved around it. If the church needed repairs, we where there. If a class needed taught, we were there. If someone needed a ride to camp or yearly meeting sessions, we loaded that bags and topping off the tank to make the trip. The church has been such a part of my life that I simply cannot imagine life without it.
But I am not the world's perfect person. I have not always been a saint, let me rephrase that I have never been a saint. I can be selfish. I am often upset without a real reason. I work too much and get pretty stressed out if I do not have money in the bank. I say that I can't imagine not being in active in a church community, if I am totally honest, I would have to say I would not know what to do if I only worked one job. My entire adult life has been constantly on the go. This has been so much of the case that when James went to basic training I had a bit of an emotional crisis because I did not know for sure if he really knew how much I loved him, I did not know if I took enough time to actually show him how important he was to me. It broke me.
I mention all this because I think I could make a case to be part of a religious class of people. We often speak of the pharisees in negative terms within the church. We act as if they were some bizarre class of religious people but let's really consider who they were. The pharisees were committed, devoted, practitioners of religious life. If we were to take the name of pharisee off the record and described them in terms most of us would understand, what we would see would be the people that keep a worshiping community together. They were the people that came to the business meeting and provided the time and effort to keep the building in shape. They were the people that contributed financially to the ministries, to the point that the budgets and accounting could be planned. They were wealthy businessmen, they were teachers, and could be counted on to speak a word of encouragement to a gathering. They would be the one that offered a prayer at the banquet or a meeting. We would want pharisees because the pharisees kept the place of worship going. The pharisees were committed. They were knowledgeable, they knew just what to do and when to do it, these were the leaders within a community and the ones that anyone in the religious community would want to keep happy because without the pharisees the future of a worship community would be unsure.
I want us to think about the pharisees in this way because in all reality we have a great deal in common with them. The pharisees are the keepers of tradition and faith. If you are or have ever served on a church committee at any level, if you have ever taught a Sunday school class, or have done any service in the name of the church you have a strong predisposition of being a pharisee. And the more committed you are to a religious group the greater chance you exhibit pharisee like traits. It is nearly impossible to exhibit these types of traits because the more committed you are to a religious faith, the more training you have received, the more leadership you give the more invested you are in that community and the more likely you are to resist any change within that group because it has become part of your identity . I am in that group, not just because I am a pastor, but because I am an elder. But even beyond that, I have been very active in the church from early on in my life, so I was a pharisee type of person even before I entered church leadership, and the fact that I have been accepted in the roles I have filled is because people know that I am a keeper of tradition and faith.
If you were to list off the traits of a pharisee and place it beside a list of my dominate traits there would be very little difference. I am a pharisee. When Jesus speaks out against the pharisees he is speaking to me and people like me. One of the greatest things our Yearly Meeting Lead Superintendent says is that he is a recovering Pharisee. I like that terminology because it is so very true. It is very easy to get so wrapped up into the politics of religion. It is extremely easy to think that our way of thinking is the only way and close our minds off to a different perspective. And when we close our minds off to looking at things from a different perspective, we often prevent participation.
Jesus comes into the scene. He is clearly a devout and religious individual, but he does things a bit different. Because he approaches faith from a different perspective it attracts attention. Everyone in the area is paying attention to Jesus. He has recently healed a woman in the synagogue as well as in the middle of a banquet thrown by a leader of the pharisees. People are following him around the countryside. I completely understand the fear that pharisees might be feeling because people talk to me about these things. I am constantly asked questions about faith. I give my perspective and people give their perspective that might be like an ideology that I personally do not consider to be correct. They speak to me about these things and I want to tell them that they are wrong and list off every reason why. Jesus keeps teaching, and people keep coming to listen. And the pharisees observe that there are people of questionable reputations gathered around Jesus. They already had disdain for Jesus because he did not respect their traditions. He brought a woman into the synagogue and healed her on the sabbath, and he had the nerve to tell them that they were wrong. Now they are looking at Jesus surrounded by tax collectors and sinners and this again upsets them, how can he consider himself righteous when those sorts of people are visiting?
The grumbling that they speak of some scholars liken to the grumbling that the Israelites had during their wonderings in the desert with Moses. We might not think much of this but those grumblings against God and in response to selfish desires. They are grumbling not because Jesus had done anything wrong, but he is not doing it their way.
In response to these grumblings Jesus tells a parable. "A man that has one hundred sheep, loses one and he leaves the ninety-nine to find the one that was lost. And when he finds it, he puts it over his shoulder and rejoices. He is so excited about recovering this lost sheep that he calls all his friends over to rejoice with him." Why does Jesus tell a parable like this? We must remember who Jesus is speaking to at that time. In the first century, Judea is largely agrarian. Much of their economy is based on providing the basics of life. This means that most of what they produce revolves around food, and probably clothing. When Jesus speaks of a lost sheep, he is speaking about the manner of life the people around him live. We might not quite understand what it might mean to lose a sheep, because it is just an animal. If you were someone that raised sheep today this one sheep would represent approximately $300 for the animal itself. But Sheep are not only raised for their physical bodies each sheep can produce a fleece that can weight approximately twenty pounds, and the current market price for wool depending on the quality can bring in $2 to $10 per pound, so the potential of this sheep is $200 a year. And each sheep can live approximately 10 years, so we are talking about $2300. If this sheep was a female, then this one sheep has the potential of increasing the herd by one to three lambs a year so over the course of this sheep's lifetime the profit potential of this one sheep can generate is approximately $62,000. How many of us would just let $62,000 walk away? This is being very optimistic, but I think we understand the point. Each lamb is important for those that raise sheep.
In the kingdoms of men, we understand the value of items. Each item that we attribute a value too, we will guard to the best of our ability because those are the things that are going to provide for our lifestyle. This past week the store I work at had its annual inventory. For those that do not work in retail, inventory determines how efficient our store is, because it determines how much inventory we had lost over the past year. When a store loses inventory, it affects the store's ability to operate. Most people do not think of inventories in the way that people in asset protection do, but when a store loses inventory, it loses sales, and when a store lose sales, they lose profit. In the stores that I have worked at we have lost around a half of a million dollars a year. This loss represents many things. But the most important thing is that it means the limitation of at least ten jobs.
This is economics but Jesus is speaking to people whose minds are caught in the kingdoms of men. Their minds revolve around the things that they attribute value to, just like us. The loss of one sheep in today's world would be the equivalent of the loss of an entire year of wages. That is important to us. The amount of theft that occurs in the stores around the metro could result in the addition of ten jobs each. That's important. The pharisees understand that, they are people of intelligence. They understand the loss of a sheep because their lives depend on them. What they do not understand is the value of the person they are judging.
In God's economy the things that hold value are different than the things that hold value to mankind. Jesus is trying to explain this in a way that those around him will understand. God values every human life because each human being bears the image of God. On the sixth day of creation God said "let use create man in our image, after our likeness. Giving them dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. In God's economy humanity is the thing of value. God values humanity to such a degree that he risked all of creation for us. There came a time where God nearly wiped us all out, but he resisted and used Noah and his family to reset humanity. He continued to love mankind, so he called one family, Abraham to reveal himself to the world. Humanity continued to reject God's economy, so he again chose one family to reveal himself through, Israel. Again, and again God used people within the world to shine the light of his revelation to the world. And we as humans continue to turn away. Finally, God decided to come himself, he chose to live among mankind and show us exactly what he values. The message of God has not changed through all human history. From the dawn of human existence God desired only one thing his creation to live in communion with him. His delight was to walk with his groundlings in the garden as they both male and female enjoyed the simple beauty of life.
But we turned. We as humans get distracted and we begin to chase after other things, we lose our innocence and we turn from God. Yet he calls out to us to come back. We run away seeking our own ways, our own desires, our own fulfillment yet God comes after us. He seeks us out and he rejoices when we are found. This is the parable of the lost sheep. A story that has been told and retold countless times throughout history. We turn and God finds us. We turn again and yet again God comes to find us. Again, we turn, we run, we hide and again God comes to find us. We scream out to him why won't you just leave us alone, and he responds with I love you.
The pharisees do not understand the economy of God, and many of us get distracted as well. We begin to think that God loves us because we are good people. God loves us because we have chosen to follow him. God loves us because we or more likely God loves me because I deserve it. Each of us have run from God. We might be running from God at this very moment, because if we reject those that God loves we reject the very things that God loves.
The sinners and the tax collectors eagerly approached Jesus. It makes me wonder, why? The community around them were filled with religious people and the gospel indicates that some of these supposed sinners were part of the worshiping community, yet they were not accepted. Several of these supposed sinners were people employed by there very people that rejected them. The shepherd was often included among the sinners, even though that lifestyle was the lifestyle of their forefathers and was the life of their beloved King David prior to his assertion to the throne. In the mind of the pharisees many of those very people that served them would be considered sinners, because they did not have the time and money to live the devoted life encouraged by the religious leaders. One could almost assume that according to teachings during this time frame the poor were considered sinners, because they were not blessed with wealth.
But Jesus did not reject the poor, he did not reject the hurting, injured or sick. He did not reject sinners, the tax collectors, the prostitutes or even the Roman soldiers. Jesus is said to not give preference to anyone but allowed anyone to approach, even women and children. The results of Jesus's lifestyle changed lives within that community. Tax collectors stopped exploiting, those bound by spirits were freed and became contributing members of society, even those that were exiled due to leprosy when they approached Jesus returned to the community. This happened only because of God's love for them.
About once a week a meme goes around the internet among my friends. The meme states that a shepherd leaving 99 sheep to get one seems foolish until you are the one. I have been the one. I am not a saint by any stretch of the imagination. I have been that one that Jesus came after. We each might at this moment be safe within the flock, we each might be right where we are supposed to be, this does not mean we are better than anyone because each of us might wonder off at any moment, because we are like sheep. The good thing about that is God does not judge our value the way we judge value, and he left his throne in Heaven to live among mankind to bring each of us wondering sheep home. And for each person that is loved by Christ turns, or more accurately returns to him we should be happy. Because who among us would be willing to potentially lose a years' wages, how much more valuable are those among us who are loved by the one whose image we bear.
As we enter this time of holy expectancy and communion in the manner of Friends, let us remember who we truly are and why we are here. Let us remember who we were and who we hope to be. Let us remember how and who influenced us in our lives of faith and let us strive to become people who love God, embrace the Holy Spirit, and live the love of Christ with others.


text:
I have listed a new property at 309 3800 Quadra ST in VICTORIA.
Completely refurbished inside and out. This 31 suite building has just finished a "re-build" of all major components. The suite was an "upgraded" model with new flooring windows, kitchen, bath, lighting etc. The owner furthered the upgrading by adding beautiful glass back splash, more lighting, crown mouldings and designer paint colours. Rarely can you find "better then new" until now!. Two generous bedrooms, ensuite laundry PLUS commercial style for larger loads as a common room for the building. Undercover parking and storage also included. All new appliances to! West facing deck with enchanting treed valley views and stunning sunsets to enjoy as you relax away the days tensions.


text:
The My Creative Scrapbook kits are up! If you have a pile of Christmas pictures to scrap, you are going to want ALL of these kits!! They are full of Christmas beauty and fun! Don't have a lot of Christmas pictures to scrap, no worries... the team has shown some wonderful pages that don't feature Christmas pictures to stretch your kits.
The Limited Edition Kit features Webster's Pages, Winter Wings. This one is GORGEOUS!!!


text:
Venous Insufficiency Doctor in Southwest Louisiana
What is Venous Insufficiency?
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when the veins become incompetent and are not getting blood out of the legs. This can be caused by an obstruction or by venous reflux, which occurs when the valves in the superficial veins stop working properly. This is the most common condition we see and can be debilitating for some patients without treatment.
What are the symptoms of venous insufficiency?
Visit Dr. Carl Fastabend at the Vein Center of Southwest Louisiana if you experience any of the following symptoms of venous insufficiency, including:
- Swelling
- Leg pain
- Heavy legs
- Restless legs
- Skin changes
- Varicose and/or spider veins may or may not be present
How is venous insufficiency treated?
The Vein Center of Southwest Louisiana is home to an experienced team of vein specialists who can diagnose and treat a wide range of vein problems, including venous insufficiency. An ultrasound may identify venous reflux, or incompetence of the valves. Once diagnosed, there are effective treatment options available that provide immediate and dramatic improvement.
If you are experiencing symptoms of venous insufficiency, visit the Vein Center of Southwest Louisiana. Dr. Fastabend is Louisiana's only full-time, comprehensive vein specialist who exclusively focuses on vein care. Utilizing advanced, minimally-invasive vein treatment options, Dr. Fastabend offers innovative and results-driven care for the full range of vein problems. Call us today at 337.312.VEIN or fill out the form on this page to schedule an appointment.


text:
April 8, 2016 BY Yale Schalk / 0
Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul faced off for the final time on Wednesday, with the Clippers capping their home-and-home with the Lakers on a 91-81 win. Another loss in the Lakers' horrendous season but Kobe's farewell tour has seemed to take the edge off the pain. And even provided some bright points – Kobe has made a habit of signing his game-worn kicks and handing them off to eager opponents like Tony Allen and P.J. Tucker. Chris Paul went about procuring his Kobe memento a bit differently, getting the Black Mamba to autograph his pair of Air Jordan 3 Kobe PE. The message:
"To my brother CP, one of the greatest competitors of all time! Kobe 24"
Had former NBA commissioner David Stern allowed Paul to be traded to the Lakers in late 2011, would a backcourt of CP and Kobe have reeled off a few titles?
Source: cp3
Filed under: Air Jordans


text:
With this March having marked two years on from Malaysia Airlines' MH370 disappearance, this year's Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC) and Avionics Maintenance Committee's (AMC) general session unsurprisingly focused on flight tracking. In particular, analysing all evidence in order to create an onboard standard when it comes to required flight tracking technology. Fully endorsed by the Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System mandate (GADSS), the new provisional standards support the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) plans to improve the aircraft tracking of global airlines and individual flights.
Being set up after the MH370 disappearance, GADSS aims to achieve the consensus that airline flights are required to be trackable regardless of their location or destination. Since its formulation, the organisation has been working to implement the requirement for airlines to be able to provide ground staff with specific location and flight tracking information every 15 minutes. Such standards serve to enable those planes in distress to be easily located and for a timely recovery of flight and cockpit voice data to be achieved. All this aims to avoid a recurrence of the MH370 incident.
The New Provisional Onboard Flight Tracker Standards
Following March's general session, Charles Adler – a senior engineer at Boeing – outlined the following provisions with regards to aircraft tracking technologies: see here for full lists of proposed standards.
- By January 2018, all commercial flying planes should be fully equipped with a 90-day low-frequency underwater locator device.
- By November 2018, every 15 minutes operators should be capable of tracking aircraft in normal flight conditions – with abnormal flight tracking options available.
- Come 2021, all new airframes will be able to produce and transmit location-based reports every minute when the aircraft is experiencing abnormal flight conditions. These should be not isolatable and independent of aircraft power.
- From 2021, all aircraft design should integrate features to enable the timely recovery of flight data e.g. automatically deployable flight recorders and/or in-flight data streaming.
Full Visibility Already Achievable with Plane Finder's Flight Tracker
Although the above standards are set to be newly introduced, with Plane Finder's data, desktop and mobile flight trackers you can already live-track any plane or track past flights for full visibility.
You can download our Flight Tracking App from the Play Store or App Store. Alternatively, head to our website for our desktop flight tracker and accessibility to the Plane Finder Aviation Database – the most accurate collection of real-time aviation data available on the Internet.


text:
We will create an example here and we will show you how to upload single file or multiple files using AJAX and jQuery along with Python Flask technologies. You can either upload single file using browse button or multiple files using browse button by holding CTRL key(in Windows OS) from keyboard while selecting multiple files.
The file or files is/are uploaded into a folder called uploads. Make sure this uploads folder exists in the system.
We will also show success or error messages accordingly.
The benefit of using AJAX technique is your entire page will not get refreshed on success or error and instead you will see a particular area on the page gets updated.
Related Posts:
- Single File Upload using Python Flask
- Python Flask REST API File Upload Example
- Python Flask Multiple Files Upload Example
- Python Flask REST API Multiple Files Upload
Python 3.7.4, Flask 1.1.1
Creating Project Directory
Create a project root directory called python-flask-ajax-files-upload as per your chosen location.
We may not mention the project's root directory name in the subsequent sections but we will assume that we are creating files with respect to the project's root directory.
Configuring Application
We will configure application through flask framework. We will also define our file upload location and maximum size of all files a user can upload.
We should not allow user to upload unlimited size of file due to security reasons or to avoid exhausting server space.
Create a file called app.py with the below code.
from flask import Flask
UPLOAD_FOLDER = 'C:/uploads'
app = Flask(__name__)
app.secret_key = "secret key"
app.config['UPLOAD_FOLDER'] = UPLOAD_FOLDER
app.config['MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH'] = 16 * 1024 * 1024
Creating Template View File
We are using template file file-upload.html under templates directory to render the file upload page.
We include jQuery library into
You may also use plain JavaScript to apply AJAX technique but jQuery provides many built-in functionalities ad easy to use.
We have put the upload field inside
 tag in HTML page.
Notice here how the
name attribute is used.
We have also used
multiple attribute to indicate that we will upload multiple files by holding CTRL key (in Windows OS) while selecting files.
We have added below jQuery, AJAX code immediate after the jQuery library inside
 section of the HTML page.
Upload button is clicked then we first create a new
FormData object to store the file data.
We first retrieve the file counts and store each file into
FormData object.
We then finally send the file data using python-flask-files-upload REST endpoint where server side code is written for uploading to the destination directory.
<!doctype html>
<title>Python Flask File(s) Upload Example</title>


text:
Almost every tool used in your business should be used to help increase profits. Whether you are in the business of selling goods or services, in the end what you need is a sale. The best way to increase these sales is by being strategic, and you can't be strategic unless you have a plan—and that plan needs to be researched and tested to be tried and true. In the corporate world that means numbers!
The Importance of Managing Data
Many successful businesses can attribute their profitable gains due to a thorough and well-thought out research plan that involved analyzing data and strategically using it to target the audience who they believed would be interested in their products and/or services. When you're dealing with numbers, especially when calculating statistics, data can and will pile up quickly, and you need to be able to manage it well in order to produce the output you're looking for.
Doesn't Matter if Your Business is Small or Large
Using a general ledger might have worked for the mom and pop shops, but thanks to eCommerce, even the smallest businesses can reach as many customers as a huge corporation. Now, whether you're running a one-man operation or a corporation, it is imperative that you keep your numbers in order. The best way to do this is by using Microsoft Excel. While many business owners may have already familiarized themselves with Microsoft Excel, chances are that they are not using it to it's full potential.
About Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is considered one of the most helpful software tools in the business industry. Excel can account for keeping better track of your debits and credits, but it's so much more than that. Based on the wants and needs of your business operation, you can design Excel to calculate and produce whatever type of numbers you need.
For example, if you're interested in increasing your business, you need to advertise. Whether you decide to advertise on television, radio, newspaper, or even better—the Internet, you need to have a target audience. Of course, you can always assume who your audience is, but if you plan on spending thousands of dollars to reach potential customers, it's important that you approach this in a strategic matter. This can be done through Excel.
The Magic of Microsoft Excel
With Excel, you can organize a spreadsheet to calculate a sales trend. By gathering the right information, your spreadsheet has the potential to automatically provide valuable information like which demographic is most likely to want a certain type of service or buy a certain type of product. Demographics can be compartmentalized by location, gender, income level, and age. This type of information can be easily extracted by existing customers—especially if you're running an eCommerce operation, you can provide a questionnaire for them to fill out in exchange for 10% off their next purchase or service…or not!
Targeting the Right Audience
In order to increase your business, you need to let people know that your company exists, but it won't make a bit of difference if you're targeting people who can't benefit. For instance, if you're selling wholesale marble tiles, targeting information to teenagers isn't going to provide you with much feedback. However, if you target retailers, architects, designers, builders, and developers ranging from the ages of 25 and up, you might very well get some inquires.
Being able to analyze valuable data is critical for executing a good marketing campaign. Having a reliable software system that you can customize to provide the data you need is the only way that you'll be able to achieve a strategic marketing campaign to help grow your business. If you are interested in learning exactly how this can work for your company, contact the professionals at ExcelHelp.com for a free consultation today. Call 1-800-682-0882.


text:
THROUGHOUT THE 2013 Federal election campaign, both major parties have pledged to address 'cost of living' pressures. Kevin Rudd used the phrase 14 times during a press conference the day after calling the election, and the Liberal Party includes 'cost of living' among its 11-point criticism of Labor on its campaign website. Tony Abbott's recent announcement of a generous paid parental leave scheme is another example of tapping into middle-class anxiety over making ends meet. But is the average Australian household really 'doing it tough'?
In May 2012, AMP and the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) released a report that argued rising prices were only half the picture: '…of greater importance is how incomes change relative to prices. This is what determines the financial standard of living for households.' After all, if prices rise by 5 per cent but incomes rise by 10 per cent, households are better off, even if the cost of a litre of petrol reaches a new pinnacle.
The report found that from the period 1984 to 2009-2010, living costs increased by 164 per cent, but average disposable incomes increased by 217 per cent. This meant that households in 2009-2010 had around $224 per week extra spending money than they did 25 years earlier.
Ah, but what about the cost of living for Rudd's proverbial 'working families'? Aren't couples with mortgages and kids spending more on the basics? The report tested this by splitting expenditure into three categories: basic necessities, relative necessities and discretionary items. For Australian households as a whole, there was little evidence of spending a greater proportion on the basics such as shelter, food and clothing. As for working families, the historical data showed 'that this group, more than any other, has increased spending towards discretionary items while maintaining a steady proportion of basic necessities'. For many Australians, what's increasing isn't the cost of living, but the cost of lifestyle.
The report was released in 2012, and energy prices have risen since then. But in August this year PolitiFact tested Rudd's claim that Australian families were 'all struggling from cost of living pressures' and found that although the total price of items bought from a typical pay packet climbed by 2.4 per cent over the past year, the pay packet itself climbed by 3.1 per cent. Once again, it's a case of income outpacing living costs.
A quick comparison with the economies of other industrialised nations confirms that Australians have nothing to complain about. The annual disposable income of the average Aussie household is more than US$5800 above the OECD average. 'The Australian economy has experienced continuous growth and features low unemployment, contained inflation, very low public debt, and a strong and stable financial system,' explains the CIA's World Factbook. We also largely escaped the Global Financial Crisis.
If we broaden the comparison to include all the world's countries, our howls of struggling to survive start to sound like the whinging of spoilt brats. The World Factbook ranks Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person as twentieth out of 229 countries, but that only accounts for the financial aspects of living standards. The UN's Human Development Index, which uses a broader range of measures (including health, education and inequality), ranks Australia second out of 186 countries.
If we're so rich, why do we cry poor? It would be easy to blame political speeches that evoke the myth of the 'little Aussie battler', who struggles gallantly forward in the face of perceived financial hardship. But the reason for our self-perception of doing it tough runs deeper.
Once people are above the breadline, poverty becomes relative. In his seminal work on the 'income-happiness paradox', economist Richard Easterlin argued there was a 'consumption norm' which provides a common point of reference for appraising personal wellbeing, 'leading those below the norm to feel less happy and those above the norm, more happy'. In other words, once you have the basics sorted, your wellbeing is the result of your perceived place in society rather an objective measure of wealth. What matters for whether you feel 'rich' or 'poor' is your reference group – the people to whom you compare yourself.
Although Australians are extremely wealthy in a global sense, we don't always feel wealthy because our reference group is largely domestic – we are comparing ourselves to each other. When your friends, co-workers and neighbours are as rich as you are, it's easy to fool yourself into thinking that the unprecedented luxury and convenience around you is nothing special. You can become blind to your own privilege.
Worse still, aspirational advertising and the cult of celebrity prompt people to compare themselves to an even richer set of peers. The desired standard of living soars ever higher, and the little Aussie battler is beset with anxiety not because he's struggling to pay for basic necessities, but because he can't keep up with rising social expectations.
So if wealth and poverty are relative, the question becomes this: to whom should we compare ourselves?
In 2012 my partner and I went on a nine-month research trip exploring the idea of 'voluntary simplicity', a philosophy that involves reducing material consumption in order to focus on the personal, emotional or spiritual aspects of life. We met several families who said they'd raised children on very low incomes, but they didn't complain about 'cost of living'. They recognised that although they were poor by Australian standards, they were still rich in global terms. A man with two young boys told me he'd once fed his modest annual income into a website called globalrichlist.com and was shocked to discover that he was the ninety-seventh millionth richest person in the world.
This is the proper perspective from which to assess our wealth – in comparison to the average world citizen. Once we realise that in a global context most Australians are incredibly rich, we'll start to feel happy with what we have, rather than feeling hard done by because we aren't as fabulously wealthy as people on the next social rung.
Australians, on the whole, are not doing it tough. It's time we stopped whinging about First World problems and started counting our blessings.


text:
We are a nonprofit and we sell all the needed supplies at the best price we can offer, most below online prices.
If you need supplies, please consider shopping with us. Your purchases support our rescue work. If you decide to buy a setup elsewhere, we would need to see a picture of it prior to adoption.
We believe a good set up is key to success. We do not recommend cages/crates/hutches. They are expensive and too small. Below are the frequently purchased items: exercise pen, litter pan, starter kit, hairbuster. We offer an assortment of willow chew toys and treats at the time of adoption for you to select from. Most items offered in the rabbit section of a pet store are designed to appeal to the shopper, not the bunny. Our baskets, treats and toys are all bunny approved!


text:
Bottom Line Stuff
OK. You know the drill.
Everything on the Banana Republic Home Page (BR Home Page or BRHP)
is the intellectual property of and copyrighted by Stanley J. Alluisi, unless otherwise noted.
Don't make me sue you. I have obnoxious friends who are lawyers and like me enough
to work pro bono just because they enjoy making other people miserable.
Now go enjoy the BR Home Page.
About | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Press | Jobs | Write For Us | Contact Us | Advertise | Site Map


text:
The Cleveland Browns agreed to terms with another member of the draft class of 2017. Seventh-round pick Zane Gonzalez, a kicker from Arizona State, signed his rookie contract with the team on Wednesday.
The kicker figures to make the team over returning Cody Parkey, who was unexceptional in his Browns stint.
Gonzalez was drafted for his big leg. He made an NCAA-high seven field goals from beyond 50 yards in his senior season. Also, his booming kickoffs figure to be a major asset; over 75 percent of his kickoffs turned into touchbacks in his final two seasons for the Sun Devils.
He joins the Browns as the NCAA's all-time leader in made field goals, a four-year starter who got progressively more accurate on attempts beyond 40 yards. As a plus for Cleveland, he's used to kicking outdoors. Of course, the weather in Tempe is a little different from the southern shores of Lake Erie. Even so, Gonzalez should wind up being a long-term solution for a team which has burned through five kickers since venerable Phil Dawson departed following the 2012 season.


text:
A mosaic-style design is a quick and easy way to put together an engaging layout and use up some of your embellishment stash at the same time. For this page I only used the upper 2/3 of the layout, framing it with a top and bottom border. Then I filled in the space between the borders with my photo, die cuts, and embellishments.
I used papers, embellishments, and dies from the New Addition: Bundle of Joy Girl collection by Echo Park Paper. There are plenty of fun embellishments and dies that coordinate, so it was the perfect design to use for this collection.
For a FREE printable pdf with full instructions and a supply list, visit the Echo Park Paper website HERE. Creative cheers!


text:
What Effect Does a Ten Pound Dumbbell Have on a Person?
Unless you are new to strength training, lifting 10-lb. dumbbells might not seem challenging enough to have an effect on your strength. There are, however, exercises and resistance training techniques you can use that can turn those light hand weights into effective strength-building tools.
Small Weights for Small Muscles
You can do several upper body exercises effectively, especially those that focus on the shoulders and arms, with weights as light as 10 lbs. Concentration biceps curls, overhead shoulder presses, lateral shoulder raises and triceps kickbacks each work smaller upper body muscles that can be challenged with much lighter weights. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, if you feel challenged by performing eight to 12 repetitions of an exercise you will improve your strength and power. If you can do 15 to 20 repetitions, you will improve muscular endurance. If you are a middle-aged or older adult just starting exercise, you can achieve strength results with 10 to 15 repetitions. Regardless of the reps you perform, aim to get two to four sets of each exercise for optimal results.
Low Weights/High Reps
It was traditionally thought that you have to train with heavy weights to gain muscle but recent research shows otherwise. A study published in the August 2010 issue of the journal, "Plos One" concluded that low-load high volume resistance training is actually more effective at increasing muscle than high-load low volume training. The study suggests that you can effectively gain muscle even when you train with light weights such as 10-lb. dumbbells.
Tips For Results
If you're looking to gain strength in your bigger muscles with light weights you must perform a high number of repetitions. According to the "Plos One" study as well as research done at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, you have to train to the point of fatigue. That means that rather than stick to the standard eight to 12 repetitions, you might have to lift a weight as many as 25 or 30 times per set to get results. This type of training is especially beneficial to people who have joint problems and are unable to lift heavier weights.
Don't Forget the Guidelines
Train each major muscle group two to three days per week using a variety of exercises for best results. If you are new to exercising, start with lower reps and gradually work your way to more reps as your muscles become accustomed to training. Stop lifting immediately if you feel a sharp pain or you can no longer lift the weight with good form. Wait at least 48 hours between training sessions of the same muscle groups to allow your muscles to rest and grow.
- Fitness Magazine: How to Get Michelle Obama's Arms: The Workout Plan
- American College of Sports Medicine: ACSM Issues New Recommendations on Quantity and Qality of Exercise
- Plos One; Low-Load High Volume Resistance Exercise Stimulates Muscle Protein Synthesis …; Nicholas A. Burd, et al.
- McMaster University: Light Weights Are Just as Good for Building Muscle, Getting Stronger, Researchers Find
Writer Bio
Kevin Charles is a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor with more than 14 years experience working in fitness clubs as well as his own firm: My Favourite Trainer, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has written articles on fitness and nutrition for various Canadian publications over the last 12 years.


text:
As several bloggers have alerted us, American Airlines food cuts are going to be permanent. The carrier is going to replace their disconnected full meal service in First Class with something "more modern."
This is bad, right?
I don't know. Short and medium hauls — I seriously don't care. As long as they give me a glass of water, I'm perfectly capable of BMOS (Bringing My Own Sandwich). Long hauls? I guess I need them to give me something, but I don't need it to be an elaborate gourmet meal. Here is the list of the most important features I personally value on long and ultra-long hauls. See if you agree or not.
- Seat quality
- Bed quality
- IFE and WiFi
- Booze
- Food
- Service
- Amenity kit (just kidding)
Am I strange and different? Or is it reasonable to value the hard product more than anything, and I really mean ANYTHING else?
I wrote a little rap song a few years ago. Never published it before, because, well, this is not that kind of blog. 🙂 But the latest events have nudged me to dig it out. Here it is slightly revised after all these years.
One Eighty
I'm riding in the middle of a 10-abreast,
Can't help but feel a little bit unduly stressed.
I'm squeezed between a couple of dinosaurs
Hard tempered in the art of elbow wars.
The dude in front reclined – oh man, that's cold!
I'd love to do the same, but I'm not that bold.
I want to go pee but there is a line,
That, and I'm jammed by those seatmates of mine.
I've heard that there are some better ways
To ride the Airlines and Airways.
It's magical unlike this coach (which is vile),
And every pax has access to an aisle.
The cabin crew are totally on top of their game,
And everyone, it seems, does know your name,
The food is served on china and it's delish.
The booze – oh man, you'll drink and feel like a fish!
But hey, forget the food, and the booze, and stuff,
Can get them on the ground – it's not that tough,
Yeah, it's cool to enjoy these marvelous treats,
But nothing matters more in the sky than seats!
And baby, those are huge – no curling up!
There's no space or dignity to give up.
You can recline away anytime with ease,
Up to the full one hundred eighty degrees!
One Eighty, One Eighty,
Who can I f— to become your matey?
Eighty degrees,
Sounds like heaven – gimme, please!
Remember Elaine sneaking into First Class?
After reading about the American food devaluation I immediately remembered Elaine sneaking into First in Seinfeld – domestic First, that is.
Poor Elaine had the presence of mind to utter, "No, nothing for me, thanks." She wasn't there for food or booze; she was there for the refuge from the madness of cattle class (although she did try to steal a cookie, didn't she?).
That's my kind of attitude. No, I don't "sneak" into a First Class seat, but I tend to avoid interactions with flight attendants unless there is something I can't do without their assistance. I just want to stay in my seat and relax. And as long as I'm not hungry, I would be perfectly fine with a "modernized" food service, whatever that is.
While I've been playing the miles and points game for roughly 2 decades, my first international Business Class "experience" was only in 2011 or 2012, I think. It was a LAN flight from New York to Lima. The EFE wasn't working, the food wasn't at all spectacular, but I in heaven! I was lying on a flat bed! On an airplane. At 40,000 feet. It was exciting, to say the least.
The novelty has rubbed off since then, but I'll never forget to appreciate the ability to stretch out on a flatbed seat in a metal tube. That's the Holy Grail of long hauls. Nothing else comes even close in my very humble opinion.
But American Airlines food cuts policy is simply a cost-cutting measure!
But of course it is! All their "enhancements" are just that (well, almost). The difference is that in these days they don't have a choice.
Don't you think American (and other airlines) simply must look into any money-saving opportunities after losing 90% of their business to the COVID-19 pandemic?
And yes, I know why you're worried. American Airlines food cuts can be copied by others. You're worried because this is a slippery slope. That's a totally legit concern.
American is a pioneer in all things draconian. It was American that first imposed checked baggage fees in summer of 2008. Then United and US Airways quickly copied the move, which has been followed by almost all other airlines. And the rest is history.
So yes, the likelihood that those sumptuous meals in First and Business will soon become obsolete is high. Well, maybe with a few exceptions.
But guess what – I'm perfectly fine with that, and you should be too.
Let airlines save a few coins after the monumental pandemic losses they have been suffering. Let them remove the excesses. I can do without full dining service. I can do without Dom, Krug, Salon, and caviar. And I certainly can live without Hennessy Paradis.
Let them cut down on the food and the booze and reduce their onboard service to the bare minimum if it helps preserve what really matters: lie-flat hard product and frequent flyer schemes.
Although, I must say, clean lavatories are mighty important too.
Being able to exchange a reasonable amount of miles for lie-flat bedding is not a God-given right
You see, food might be the least of our problems. What I'm really scared of is that airlines might not be in the mood for giving away award premium class seats after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
- What if they just take premium seats out of the award circulation entirely?
- Or restrict premium award bookings to their top elites?
- Or start selling them for a million miles?
Seriously, who or what would stop them? The outrage from their loyal customers? Ha!
For one thing, the vast majority of Americans travel within America (Source), and most of them redeem miles for Economy seats. I do too on most domestic flights: 3-6 hours in coach is bearable. Domestic travelers won't revolt.
- US Citizen domestic tourism: Americans take 2.29 billion domestic trips each year.
- US Citizen outbound tourism: Americans take 93.0 million international outbound trips each year.
But 93 billion is still a huge number, right? Right, until you consider our most favorite destinations abroad (Source):
- Mexico: 40%
- Canada: 15%
- Caribbean: 9.4%
- Central America: 3.5%
So even internationally ~68% of Americans travel within the same 3-6 hour boundaries, and only 32% of international travelers fly long and ultra-long hauls, and yet — the vast majority of even those long-haulers are fine with coach seats (no matter how much they complain).
So how important is it to airlines to keep the rest of the flying public happy? Not too important, I'm afraid.
They can – and do – sell those seats
Very few people buy super-pricey First and Business Class seats outright even if they can afford it, but we saw plenty of incredible Business Class cash deals last year, well before the pandemic. If this trend (when airlines lower their fares to more or less reasonable levels) continues, there might be enough takers to fill the seats. A couple of my acquaintances who still fly in Economy despite their high 6-figure incomes told me that with fares no more than twice over Economy, they would fly Business Class exclusively.
To recap
The post-pandemic landscape of award flying can be so unpredictably different from what we're used to that I wouldn't sweat the loss of upscale dining in First and Business Classes. When your boat is leaking you want to encourage the captain to plug as many holes as possible before they start throwing people overboard.
What are your thoughts about American Airlines food cuts? Pissed, don't care, or is it the right thing to do?


text:
Meet the Founder!
Sheila K Dameron-Dixon is the founder of WBIS-Women Building & Investing in Success, a women's business and personal development organization located in Northern Virginia. WBIS helps small business owners powerfully address challenges of growing a successful business while helping to build relationships for financial gain. Sheila has developed WBIS through her passion to help women collaborate, cultivate and celebrate their success through monthly educational and social events.
Sheila works from home in between raising rambunctious boys. Sheila graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a degree in business and minor in psychology. WBIS continues to flourish developing into a community where women business owners are working together to build success for one another. Sheila has a knack for helping propel others in their businesses and enjoys seeing others excel at their goals. Her organization offers women an opportunity to build their business through strategic partnership programs. She's the author of a marketing tips book, an educational guide for the entrepreneur.
Sheila serves the community within local Chambers of Commerce, served as a coach for Girls On the Run, Mentor for the George Washington University Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, Mentor for other thriving nonprofit organizations, associations and members of the WBIS. You may catch her speaking to youth organizations or rolling up her sleeves at some capacity to be a community advocate for social change.
Sheila is very passionate about the success of our next generation of business owners while developing a platform where they can freely express themselves and thrive in a changing environment. Sheila and family attend a community church. When she is not on the soccer or lacrosse field Sheila enjoys tennis, gardening, reading and fundraising for non-profit groups that empower women and children to BE and DO their best.


text:
As most homes have contained boilers for decades, there are many several different kinds of boiler. However, there are three types which are most common and will typically be found in most peoples's homes.
The three most common are: Conventional, Combi and System Boilers. Each performs the same task of providing hot water to your taps, showers and radiators, but slightly differently. Follow the links below to find out a little more about each kind.
A modern type of boiler, combi boilers work by heating water from the mains on demand, providing a never-ending supply of hot water as and when you need it. Providing hot water and heating from a single unit, combi boilers don't need a storage tank.
Sometimes called regular boilers, conventional boilers are ideal for homes with regular heating systems consisting of radiators, taps and showers. They require a tank in the loft as well as a hot water cylinder usually found in an airing cupboard.
Whichever boiler you decide is right for your household, Local Heroes offers a 12 month guarantee on all boiler installations alongside your up to 10-year warranty from the manufacturer. That way you know that if your boiler does break down, our experts will be over at the earliest opportunity to get your home back in running order.
Need to know a little bit more about boilers? Check out our articles below.


text:
NEWTON — It was a night Mayor Setti Warren planned to talk about prejudice in his community and how to move forward in the wake of incidents of anti-Semitism and racism in the city's schools over the past several months.
He spoke of understanding each other's differences, and of moving forward as a community to set the stage for a future where people with different backgrounds can feel comfortable.
But some in the audience had other ideas, wanting only to talk about anti-Semitism.
At points, it devolved into a forum where Jewish activists heckled an African-American woman who spoke of her son being called a vulgar racist slur at school, where the superintendent of schools was booed and needed a police escort to his car, and where a woman held a sign reading: "It's not prejudice, it's anti-Semitism."
People who did not identify themselves got up to say they were put off by the speakers who talked about the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and marriage equality.
"This was not supposed to be about equal values; it was supposed to be about anti-Semitism," one man said, as police officers in the War Memorial at City Hall stood and moved into the crowd of more than 150 who packed the auditorium.
The group of activists was led by Newton resident Charles Jacobs, who has had a longtime grievance with the city's schools about what he says are pro-Palestinian and anti-Semitic text books.
At one point many in the audience chanted, "Charles, Charles, Charles."
Warren tried to take control, walking into the crowd and explaining his reaction when he got an anonymous note last month about the first two incidents at Day Middle School when "Burn the Jews" was found scrawled in a bathroom in October, and a swastika was trampled into the snow just off school property in January.
"It was despicable, it was horrible, and it was anti-Semitic," he said.
But after digging into the incidents, he said he found that there were not just those incidents, but also an incident in which racist questions were e-mailed to a black student group at Newton North High School.
"I was chilled, and just as angry as when I heard about the anti-Semitism," he said.
Warren asked the crowd to show respect, and try to understand their neighbor's perspective.
But it was the students who stood and took control of the dialogue.
Rebecca Wishnie, a senior at Newton North, said she has seen anti-Semitism in the hallways of the high school, but she has also seen racism and homophobia.
"It does not diminish me as a Jew to say anti-Semitism is not the only issue," she said.
Josh Sims Speyer, a junior at North, also got up to speak. Sims Speyer said he was the one who found the graffiti in the bathroom at North, and as a Jew, he was horrified by what he found.
"But when we say one type of hate speech is worse than another, we build walls in our community," he said.
The students said it was time to try and work together to tear down the walls, not pit one form of prejudice against another, trying to top each others' hatred.
The evening began with a number of speakers, including Dr. Michael Jellinek, a psychiatrist, who tried to answer the question of why some people are able to take action while others stand silently by when hateful incidents occur.
He told the audience if "you want to be driven to action, you need to let yourself feel the horror."
School Superintendent David Fleishman and students and teachers from both high schools also spoke, as did Police Chief David MacDonald.
MacDonald said an agent from the Boston office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been in town to investigate the incidents of anti-Semitism at Day and North, and determined that they "don't rise to the level of federal involvement at this time."
Newton resident Janet Yassen said it was her first time attending this type of community meeting, and she came because she was interested in hearing what Warren had to say.
But what she saw from some members of the crowd "disgusted" her, she said.
"It was embarrassing, it was awful," she said.
After hearing the students, who at the end of the evening mingled with some of the most vocal in the crowd, Yassen said she was heartened.
"The young people were phenomenal," she said. "For them to confront the disrespect shown by some of the adults was really courageous."
Ellen Ishkanian can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
GROWING UP, MY SISTER and I spent Tuesday nights at an art studio across town. The air conditioner sputtered, and we learned how to draw a wine bottle, flowers, our hands. Was it my mother's idea, or had we wanted to go? She can't remember, and neither can we. Soon my sister lost interest, preferring to volunteer at a veterinary clinic, but I stayed with it, graduating to pen and ink, watercolor, and then oil paint. Hard as I tried, however, what I did on the page never seemed to match up to the things I saw at night, when I'd stare at my curtains, and see, in the darkened folds, the outline of a face or a bird or a ship. I still remember that ache, the mounting feeling that tomorrow would be the day I'd put pen to paper and recreate those lines and curves, and the dread that again I wouldn't.
Decades later, while living in Beirut next to the mess in Syria, instead of writing very well about any of it (which still seems impossible) I was reading two books by the Croatian novelist and essayist Josip Novakovich. In dozens of stories written over a decorated and peripatetic 30 years, Novakovich has often argued that we do not have the skill to make the things on earth as beautiful as our dreams, that the world is hopelessly and permanently flawed. In his first collection, Apricots From Chernobyl, Novakovich's thoughts and hopes turned to the highest, most complicated ideal: God, the ultimate dream, and the writer's ultimate disappointment. In this first book, largely a product of Novakovich's youth, he is first and foremost a son of a religious man, one who went to America and attended divinity school. Having fled his native Yugoslavia, Novakovich had to cope from a distance with his country breaking apart, to learn over a scratchy phone line that his sister was nearly blown up by a rocket, that many of his friends were either murdered or murderers, that nothing would ever be the same. After a while he gave up on God, or at least the idea that God could ever exist in this world, outside of ourselves; God and beauty, the stories suggest, exist only in our heads.
One morning in Beirut, I was tired, having woken up early to get my kid ready for school. It was sometimes hard to be excited about waking up. I sat in my child's bedroom, the sun barely up, the birds squawking, a tiny voice demanding milk, thinking about how hard it was to write. It felt like I'd have to wait another day or a week or a month or an eternity to inch any closer to the light.
Half hungover from two glasses of wine, I dropped my daughter off at school and (instead of writing) sat on the couch reading more of this man who had given up on religion, who seemed to be disappointed in everything, including himself.
And yet the work was so damn good! His writing made me feel outside of myself. It created in my head — perhaps for just a moment, but a genuine moment — a world as vivid and real as anything I'd ever imagined. I held the book, envious, finding I could not stop. If someone had written this, maybe there was hope. There was the story of being mugged in Brooklyn. The pain of crossing borders — a stress I shared too — and an epic portrayal of cats. I took the book to bed, reading for another 45 minutes.
I finished it, only to begin reading Novakovich's latest, Shopping for a Better Country. Yugoslavia still haunts the writer, but in this collection, there's more grappling with an older man's problems — death and dying, sleep apnea, a son's intransigence, the mellowing appetites of an exile in mid-career.
In "Ruth's Death," Novakovich's mother is dying, and he is back in his home village to present his bright son, a gifted cellist. The son is a certified prodigy, destined for Julliard. But Ruth — who made clogs by hand to keep the children fed — is unimpressed, or at least seems to be. For her own son, with all his books and prizes, an encouraging word isn't forthcoming.
"It looked like he would become a reasonable and productive person," Ruth says of Novakovich. "And then he dropped out and went into this fantasy world, which does nobody any good. Nobody reads anymore and nobody needs to, so why are you writing?"
The writing answers for itself, with remarkable stories of undeniable joy and strange optimism. In one story, "The Art of Coughing," there is a snowstorm so vast no cars can drive. Novakovich encounters an old villager hitching up his mules. "With his white beard and red face he looked like a gaunt Santa out of employment; Santa who had never tasted salmon." In "A Christmas in Algiers," Novakovich can't sleep, so he walks. It was a "peculiar" Christmas, he writes: "Policemen in boots were kicking a sleeping man in the streets. He woke up and screamed and they kept kicking him. A couple of blocks away, another couple of policemen were clubbing a man." In "My Hungary," Novakovich sees a palace in Budapest, then a castle and the cathedral of St. Stephen, but the skyline is broken by a Hilton Hotel, "the Pax Americana of hoteliering, with air conditioning and ample showerheads that would chlorinate you." These moments are funny and bizarre, but never scolding — a keenly observed world of strangeness, melancholy, and cruelty.
In several of the essays, Novakovich considers the evolving problem of being a father. Whether it is his father giving him a strenuous beating just before he dies of a heart attack, or Novakovich himself battling Russian customs officers to save his son's cello, the fathers in the stories struggle and fail. Yet the children seem to do just fine.
"You probably have many nightmares every night," a doctor tells Novakovich.
"Doesn't everybody?" he responds.
"No," the doctor says. Novakovich is perplexed.
"How could you live without nightmares? What kind of life is that?"
One afternoon while reading the book I began to drift off. I was no longer a boy but a man, a father, no longer studying the folds of childhood curtains. I was seeing not images but words, and in my half-sleep I was shaping birds and faces. I was smiling as if I could almost reach out and touch them. I felt them in my hands, poignant turns of phrase! Elegant moves, dips, a long slalom of expression.
Then an alarm was trilling, telling me it was time to pick up my daughter from school. I rolled over in the sun-warmed bed, thinking no one was home, my thoughts instead drifting back to the art classes, to my sister, who'd never agonized. She worked as an animal doctor, running her own clinic. She'd recently delivered six puppies by C-section. Meanwhile, I had written a few paragraphs. Thinking of my sister, it seemed there was an alternative to all my aching about beauty; I could do something real, like deliver puppies. I began to feel sorry for myself. Then I heard a noise from the kitchen.
"Where's the lid to the damn pot?" my wife said.
I slipped into the kitchen.
"Hey, honey," I said. "I was having a dream."
I helped her find the lid and offered to make coffee, and then walked out to pick up our daughter from school.
As I walked down the hill, I thought this: Novakovich, one of the most forceful and original essayists in the English language, was a native of Yugoslavia and then a Croat and later an American. In the last few years he's made Canada his new home, and I've heard he has plans to start teaching in the Middle East. You do not need to travel the world as widely as Novakovich to understand it. It occurred to me that no matter where you are, you can see something, late at night perhaps, and the next morning struggle to explain it. This instinct to share is one of the ways we remind each other we are alive, and that we wish to remain so. Tomorrow I would not deliver puppies. I would write more paragraphs. I would finally get it right — perhaps then, or maybe the next day.
Recommended Reads:
"A Europe Full of Animals": Piotr Florczyk on On the Road to Babadag: Travels in the Other Europe by Andrzej Stasiuk


text:
Search engines are intended to provide Internet users with the most relevant results to the terms, also known as keywords, they enter as search options. While it is true that we may not always find what we are looking for on the first page of Google, it is also valid to say that we may need to enter different combinations of terms in order to seek the information we need. So what role does anchor text play in the ocean of search engine optimization?
Anchor text is considered to be the visible and clickable label of a link on a particular web page, blog post, social media profile, email, or other online medium. For instance, if I were to mention that SLS Consulting was ranked in Lead411's Technology 500 List for 2010, "SLS Consulting" would be the anchor text. The site that the anchor text is linking to is the landing page, which in this case is http://www.legalinternetmarketing.com/. Rather than including that URL to its fullest extent, I have provided a more visually appealing, shorter, and relevant version by titling the link. When the linked (anchor) text is directly related to information on the landing page, this contributes to the rank or weight of the anchor text determined by search engine algorithms. As rules that concern search engines when they are ranking or weighing a website's listing within its index, algorithms and their influences cannot be ignored.
An anchor text also provides a convenient way for a reader to click on a term of interest to learn more about that subject. The words making up the anchor text also provide a sneak preview to the material of where the link takes you if it is clicked on. However, the quantity, quality, and formulation of links that make up anchor text all play a role, in addition to other search engine optimization tactics, in rankings. Do not expect adding any link to your website or blog to be the major break you have been waiting for. It takes more than that.
While the proper use of anchor text is important, you cannot rely on anchor text alone to beat your online competitors or achieve positive search engine results. Anchor text is just a piece of the puzzle that brings your Internet marketing strategies together to form high search engine rankings and a strong online presence.


text:
By Idai Makaya (published on 8 April 2017):
I've been asked a few times about this topic, by riders who are still new to long-distance endurance cycling on the ElliptiGO – and I will start by saying "I'm no expert on packing for the bike". But I do have lots of experience and lots of insight into what other riders do (or have done) and hopefully I can help in this capacity.
The tendency, as riders 'evolve', is to carry less and less stuff with them. I used to carry loads of stuff with me when I first got into multi-day riding. And I would always take advantage of all the bag-drop and vehicle carriage options offered at long-distance-cycling events. But nowadays I go out on long rides knowing that a shower is usually optional – rather than mandatory – and knowing that apart from clothing to anticipate the weather conditions, one doesn't really need too much on a long bike ride.
My luggage for my 5-day ride from Land's End to John o'Groats is shown in the image below:
That is all I took:
One jacket, one bivvy sleeping bag, two t-shirts, one base layer top, short leggings, long leggings, two handkerchiefs (no idea why, just in case, I suppose), three pairs of socks, three sets of underpants, two pairs of long-fingered cycling gloves, one pair of fingerless cycling gloves, a small vaseline container (for my face & lips), a bottle of sunscreen, toothpast and a toothbrush, an alarm clock (I needed a loud alarm because I was 'rough camping' – sleeping roadside – so I needed to be sure not to oversleep, with the tight time limits I was facing).
The rest of my bike carriage space was used to carry food. Remember, I tend eat once every hour, on the bike. I stop at shops to re-stock and to get more varied meals at four hour intervals, but between shops need to eat my own snacks on the bike, without stopping. You can see how I pack my bike in the photo below (my backpack and handlebar bags take mainly my on-the-bike food, and batteries). The rest of the bike spaces carry clothing and the heavier stuff (mainly the stuff which does not need to be taken out very often). The stuff I need regularly goes in the easy-access backpack and handlebar bag.
My way isn't necessarily the best way – and I have also compiled what I'd call an 'exhaustive' list of stuff to carry, which has been used by other multi-day riders and can all fit onto one bike and rider. The listing looks long – because it is – but these are mainly tiny items (which do not take up much space). It is possible – and has been demonstrated to be possible – to carry every single item listed in the main list (below).
So perhaps use this main list as a starting checklist (and packing list) before any multi-day rides you do. It helps to practice packing this stuff – and riding with it. Some people do this packign practive on every ride, especially as thwir main events draw closer, but I only do my 'practice' on actual Audax rides (such as 400km and 600km rides). I do not train fully laden – I only practice loading during preparatory events. You will become less concerned about packing as you do more rides, but it can play on your mind in the early stages of your development – so by all means practice doing it as much as you feel you need to.
Before launching into the main list, here is a picture of a typical stop 'in the middle of nowhere' on a multi-day ride. This was taken at 1,058km into my LEJOG ride – covered in about 86 hours – and I was on the cycling highway running parallel to the A9 in Scotland (near Blair Atholl). I had just slept on a hotel verranda and was getting myself moving again – and getting more snacks out of my backpack to put in my handlebar bag, so I could continue to eat whilst riding. I had not passed an open shop for more than 7 hours at that stage – and (at about 7am) no shops in that area were open. Always be prepared to survive for long periods without refills of anything on a multi-day ride…
"THE ESSENTIAL LIST" (Started by Steve Cook and Edited by Stu Blofeld):
Route map and description
List of official controls / service points
Mobile phone
2 x Headlights min. Mounted on bike
1 x Spare mountable Headlight with adjustable strap
2 x rear taillights min. – one on bike, one on back/helmet
1 x Multi-Tool (hex nut/spanner set)
Puncture repair kit inc self-adhesive patches and tyre levers
Small pump
1 x spare inner tube
5 x Zip ties
2 x small Zip lock plastic bags for valuables
2 x medium/large dry bags
Batteries (type & quantity dependent on light requirements)
1 x Toothbrush and paste
1 x sunblock SPF30+
1 x lip balm SPF20+
1 x small sudocrem (or similar, for chafing)
1 x Sun glasses (ideally with changeable lenses)
2 x 750ml drink bottles / CAMELBAK
1 x small pack of Baby wipes
1 x Hand disinfectant gel
1 x Emergency blanket/bag
1 x eye cover
1 x ear plugs
Money, ID, Passport, Credit/Bank cards, emergency contact info
Official PBP Riding vest (ventable/reflective)
1 x Lightweight full waterproof/windproof jacket
4 x main layers (inc baselayers/t-shirts/sleeved cycle jerseys)
2 x shorts OR 1/2 / 3/4 length Lycra tights
2 x underwear (to suit shorts/mid length tights)
2 x Gloves (fingerless and full)
1 x Full length Tights
2 x Socks
1 x trainers/sandals
Headsweats cap/Skull cap
Neck/head scarf e.g Buff
Energy Bars
Energy/electrolyte powder/tabs
Chocolate bars
savoury snacks
GPS cycle computer/Cateye Odometer (probably essential, route sheets are tough)!
Small Elec tape
3×5 index cards
Fuel Belt (holds 2 bars)
Shampoo (to wash clothes)
1 x small fast dry Towel
Road-ID running band
Reflective cuff bands – 2
First-Aid kit
Ambesol (numbness for toes)
Aleve (anti-inflammatory)
Pain killers
Backup reading glasses
SPOT satellite transmitter (4-AA will last whole ride
Phone USB Charger
Camera e.g. garmin vibro / GoPro Camera
1 x Waterproof socks
1 x Full length waterproof lightweight bottoms
Gortex mid-calf rain pants
Spare base layers
Skull cap (for warmth)
Under Armor cold gear tights and long sleeve shirt
Additional tools/spares list (to carry):
(This is additional to the ESSENTIAL tools/spares in the list above)
Brake pads
Foldable spare tyre
4 new tubes
Chain tool
Chain link
Full new Chain
Rear wheel nuts, tensioners
Brake cables (f/r)
Shifter cable
Allen wrenches
Wrenches – axel and tensioner
CO2 head (no bottles allowed on plane)
Leatherman w/pliers
Dollar bills for quick tire patch
DROP BAG (optional, depending on the event):
2 x spare baselayers
2 x T-shirt/cycle jersey
2 x underwear
2 x socks
1 x spare jacket
1 x spare gloves
Spare batteries
Spare front headtorch/rear light
At Night (by Steve Cook):
Quick rinse in shower, wash clothes with shampoo, hang dry, change into running shorts and long sleeve shirt, sandals and, if cold – tights.
By Stu: I really don't think there will be time to wash, or dry clothes, on PBP!! Probably not even time to wash ourselves! Hence the baby wipes! (I think I'm with him on this)!
To conclude, this is just to give you ideas. You have to test this all out on the road to know what really works for you. We are all different. Some of us love to have regular showers, others of us don't. Whatever is important to you is important – but you don't really know this until you test yourself on the ipen road. So use rides of 400km-600km as your 'tesing grounds'.
There is actually no difference between a 200km-300km ride and a normal weekend long ride, when it comes to packing – so you only need to pack differently for distances from 400km and beyond. If you don't intend to ride further than 200km don't waste your time getting too familiar with all this stuff, it doesn't apply!


text:
WordPress Themes
A WordPress theme is a set of files that determine the look and feel of your WordPress-powered website. Themes include information about the general layout of the site, and other content such as graphics, headers, logos and footers. For this course the WordPress twenty-twelve theme will be used.
Pages and Posts
WordPress allows you to add and edit content on your website through both posts and pages. Often WordPress beginners get confused with the differences between posts and pages.
If you are using WordPress as a blog, then you will end up using posts for entering the majority of your site's content. Posts are dated in chronological order and can be organized into categories.
Pages are usually meant to be used for non-changing (static) type content such as an about page, they are not organized by date and do not use categories.
WordPress Plugins
Plugins are pieces of computer code created with the purpose of expanding the functionality of your WordPress website. There are literally thousands of WordPress plugins already created. For example you could add a plugin that protects your website from spam, or a plugin that will add a forum to your website.


text:
The safety, reliability and quality of medical devices is paramount. Manufacturers and suppliers of materials for the medical device industry have to be committed to issues of cleanliness, safety and compliance. The ISO 13485 standard helps ensure quality management in the design and manufacture of devices for the medical industry.
Contour Electronics works with the medical device industry to achieve the highest standards. Our cleanroom facilities make this possible. We offer medical cable assembly and injection moulding manufacturing which is carried out in our cleanroom.
From bespoke anti-microbial cables to custom mouldings and single-use assemblies, we can provide the best quality, high performance products for your project.
Our experience of supplying medical cable assembles allows us to offer a bespoke solution to your needs, ensuring the success of the product and providing you with the right solution.
Whatever your cable assembly needs, choose Contour Electronics.


text:
Istanbul to Baku
Follow us here: http://instagram.com/
Check out our progress here: http://totalbikeforever.com/
With the sounds of our festival-set still ringing in our ears, we hot-footed it back to Istanbul, ready to crack on into the heart of Turkey. Having read and heard many great things about this magical land it was time to see what the fuss was about. Would we be disappointed?…….Not a chance.
Turkey has by far and away been the number one country of the trip so far. If there's one thing that makes it so special, it's the people. Kind and hospitable doesn't even begin to cover it. Lashings of local tea, buckets of food and the countless smiles, everywhere has the feeling of a home away from home.
Pedalling on from Istanbul getting back into our stride after a few weeks on and off the bikes we made our most significant musical discovery to date.
Rolling down a steep mountainous decline, the din of a drum kit grew louder in our ears. Hot & bothered in the afternoon sun, we thought we might be hearing things. To our surprise and delight, we were not. Perched on the edge of a cliff, drumsticks in hand sat Berkay, drumming away with computer-like precision. Before we knew it, synths were out of panniers and were jamming on the mountainside.
This fateful yet random meeting ended up shaping the course of our adventure through Turkey. We arranged to play again together, this time in a breathtaking mountain location with a production crew to document the experience. This kind of interaction was exactly what we hoped would happen whilst we hatched the plan to write music around the world so, naturally, we had to do it… the only catch: Cycle 1,000km in 10 days to arrive at the filming locations in time. It was time to put our foot down.
Despite zipping along the coast towards Trabzon we still had time to make it in a local newspaper, write music on the Amasran coastline at sunset and drink 3,000 cups of cay along the way. Arriving in Trabzon our crew assembled. We headed off into the mountains for two of the most mind-blowing days of the trip so far.
Pushing along at this speed showed us what we could really do and how strong the legs have become. It wasn't all plain sailing; Tim took a tumble on a rain-lashed mountainside and we headed to the hospital in Pinarbashi for some stitches. The fastest route is never the most scenic and by the end of 7 straight days of a motorway that felt like the same stretch of tarmac over and over again, we were definitely ready to get off the bikes & play some music.
The first day saw us jamming into the night at the Baksi Museum. With its breathtaking location for a muse, music blared into the valley below us as the sun went down. The next day we headed to Artvin, a site of spellbinding beauty with jaw-dropping ravines as far as the eye could see. Another perfect spot to compose.
We said farewell to our crew later that evening, pinching ourselves a few to times to check it all really happened. But as the dust settled we knew Georgia was around the corner. It was time to say goodbye to Turkey.
Georgia certainly packs a punch. The mountains are big, the weather is extreme and the drinking is hard. A testament to that was one particular session in the mist of the Godzeri Pass downing Cognac and singing Beatles songs at the top of our voices with the local policeman.
Temperatures soared as we heading east through the valleys of Borjomi towards the capital city: Tbilisi. After a few sweltering days here we set our sights on Azerbaijan – a country we knew next to nothing about… but we weren't to be disappointed. Turkish charm returned with cay back on the menu and everyone wanting to hear about our journey.
The landscape slowly changed from lush green mountains to dense forests and finally to deserts, which meant one thing, we were nearing Baku, the Caspian Sea and the arid terrain of the far side.
And so ends another wonderful chapter on this journey, with central Asia and the Pamir Highway on the horizon, things are about to get very interesting.
Enjoy our photos below and remember, #adventuremore


text:
Backflow Prevention
Cross Connection Control Program
Flagstaff's water distribution system is designed to keep the water flowing from the distribution system to you, the customer. However, when hydraulic conditions within the system deviate from "normal" conditions, water flow can be reversed. When this backflow happens, contaminated water from homes or businesses can enter the water distribution system. The Cross-Connection Control Program is in place to prevent contamination by backflow.
Residents and businesses that have a potential for contamination of the water distribution system are required to install backflow assemblies. Single family residences used solely for residential purposes are exempt from assembly requirements. It is the responsibility of the owner of the assembly to ensure the device is always in satisfactory operation condition. Backflow assemblies require an annual test to be in compliance with the City.
Testers: Backflow Report Submittal
To submit Backflow Reports, testers can phone BSI Online at 888-966-6050 or view their website for more information on how to set up an account to enter backflow test results.
Assembly Owners: Backflow Testers
A list of certified testers can be found by calling BSI Online at 888-966-6050. If you have your customer confirmation number (CCN), you can look up testing companies on-line.
Location Variance
Backflow assemblies need to be located as close to the water meter as possible in a heated enclosure. If the Industrial Waste Program has determined you may install a backflow prevention assembly in a location other than just downstream of the water meter, you will need to submit a Hold Harmless Agreement (PDF). Please contact Industrial Pretreatment Supervisor for more information on how to receive approval for this variance and how to submit this agreement.