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JomSocial Classifieds
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JomSocial Classifieds is a JomSocial plugin which allows community members to add personal classifieds in their profiles and show them to others. They might place both offers and wanted requests!
The plugin is compatible with JomSocial 2.8 - 126.96.36.199.
Once added JomSocial users will be able to create their personal ads empowered with short descriptions and images. It is also possible to set date of expiration for the classifieds. The plugin allows the community members searching classifieds by title description or category.
If the plugin is installed on the site users will be able to add it in their Applications>Browse. Admin can make this a core default application in the BE. Then users won't have to add it.
Once added users will be able to add and manage the ads on their profiles which can be later viewed by the guests of their profiles.
Feel free to browse the support forum. And if you have more questions – get a reply from our technicians.
Let your JomSocial community to share personal ads on their profiles!
Version 3.0
Released [December 2013]
- JomSocial 3.0 compatible release (plugin only)
- JomSocial 2.0 - 2.6 support removed
Version 2.7
Released [February 2013]
- JomSocial 2.8 compatible release
Version 2.6
Released [October 2012]
- Minor bug fixes
Version 2.5
Released [April 2012]
- JomSocial 2.6 compatible release
Version 2.4
Released [September 2011]
- JomSocial 2.4 compatible release
Version 2.3
Released [May 2011]
- JomSocial 2.2 compatible release
Version 2.2
Released [March 2011]
- Search option added
Version 2.1
Released [March 2011]
- Personal Classifieds module added
- Joomla! 1.6 compatible release
Version 2.0
Released [November 2010]
- Stable release for JomSocial 2.0.0
Version 1.4
Released [15 November 2010]
- Added default period of lifetime classifieds
Version 1.2
Released [28 July 2010]
- Added Latest Classifieds Module and readme.txt
Version 1.1
Released [9 July 2010]
- fixed the bug connected with showing javascript in the user's profile
Released [24 June 2010]
- fixed the language file, added language variables


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Discussion in 'Adult League & Tournament Talk' started by grolson1993, Aug 19, 2012.
Just moved here for college and was hopin to get some hitting partners!
Come to Boca Raton, Fl I will hit with you here
I'm down to hit, what's your email?
HI, I may get there in a couple months time.
Otherwise you can give a look at
I have found somebody over there. Cheers
Try http://tennissf.com/
any more takers ill buy coffee, or gatorade!
WHERE in SF?
SF State has 18 courts, usually most players have partners, but some pretty good 3.5-4.0 players hit the wall or hang around.
CCSF has at least 10, but pickup there is tougher, as it's on the wrong side of the tracks.
GoldenGatePark is the best, 22 courts, but you gotta pay like $4 to play 1.5 hours. Weekdays 10-5, but if high school tennis season is in, only till 2.
Marina at Buchanan and NorthPt. has 4.5 doubles on most weekends.
Dolores Park also.
JuliusKahn, NorthBeach, AltaPlaza has good 4.0 doubles most weekends.
GoldenGateway, CalClub, and SFTennis&Racket are private, are tennis clubs.
Clarendon has the backboard set about 40' from the baseline .
Wherever u down to hit? im going to San Francisco Conservatory, so preferably not too far from there, altho i do have a MUNI pass so i can take that if need be. email me: email@example.com
What area is the Conservatory and what district do you live in?
I"m out in SanPablo, so probably will beg out. About 24 mile drive into center of town, my van get's 10 mpg and I need afternoons for windsurfing, although I could sail Crissy or Stick.
I'm not much on BART, having taken Muni in SF for 34 years.
Anybody watch SC today...? Just now "And Maarin CEEELICCK completely whiffs that overhead...you can never count on CEEELICCCKH!"
Sports Nation, not SC, my bad
Civic center i believe.
Not many public courts near 8th and Market.
Nearest might be Turk and Buchanan, where you might get shot at or harassed by our brothers. Or at least get your car checked out. That playground is fine for rec softball, where 40 guys show up, but for two guys in tennis, maybe not the smartest move.
Private clubs at 5th & Brannan, foot of Market, and Bush & Steiner, but they won't let you in without a member partner.
GoldenGatePark is your call.
Just shoot you an email. Are you attending the SF Conservatory of Music? If you are then you are in my neighborhood.
Is that the one on Market and Guerrero, or Hayes?
Then there's two courts at 19th and Valencia, the alley between V and Mission. One court at Castro and 18th, other side of the gay section.
16th and Dolores, the best chance for pickup tennis at the 4.0 levels.
Mission Playground is on 19th Street and Linda Street (near Valencia and 19th St.) 2 hard courts recently resurfaced.
Use this link (not always accurate!)
Good thing i dont own a car i know there aren't but i do have a muni pass so it makes things easier than i thought. do u wanna hit? email me. also, whats wrong with GGP?
Emailed you and texted you back
Thanks for the link, thatll b helpful. Wanna hit? Email me
When I worked in SF and communed there every other week; I went to Golden Gate Park and there are tennis courts in the middle of the park. Back then there were plenty of pick up tennis. This is a good 15 years ago but I had several great players that were ranked college level players along with some girl players that where in their teens but I lost to all of them in a set. I did well against some of the college players; so the teens were high tournament level players and they were very good.
Not to beat a dead horse, which I must, but I mentioned ALL of the courts that other's have repeated.
If OP really wants to play 4.0 level tennis in SF, he'd/she'd need to get over to the courts, meet some players, and figure out the best hitting times.
I grew up mostly at GGPark. It's still pickup on about 1/4 of the courts, while the other's are preplanned action. You go there, you look like a capable tennis player, you be nice, you take your chances, just like any other courts.
I'm sure some of you's and me are testing the waters here. I'm a mobility challenged 4.0, usually play much better in doubles.
No need to beat a dead horse ive already found people to hit with, i was just trying to be nice. I'm plenty capable of getting pickup matches...just thought id ask here first...
Bit off topic, but when did they get rid of the court at Helen Wills? And are the courts at Alice Marble still around? And GG Park charges to play?
Nothing wrong with GGP. Except resurfaced just last year and already cracking. They want to turn Court #5 into a clay court for instruction. Best public courts in SF, for a small price of $5 for 1.5 hrs. Take the N Judah from Civic Center to Arguello at UCSF. Walk to GGP (about 3 blocks).
There's usually a black guy riding a bike looking for pick-up matches. And a shaggy hair hippie looking to hit. He's really bad, so I suggest you say no. If you go there during USTA matches, there's usually a bigset Asian guy that's always shouting at the top of his lungs. We love GGP. It's awesome, because it has character.
hey i know that bigset Asian guy, his name is Ken, he's a captain of some of the GGP usta teams. he's funny and fun.
Separate names with a comma.

subset: commoncrawl


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Promoting healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. A lot of great pictures and inspiring stories. Rural rooted is your small business's solution for web traffic, social media management, graphic design and photography. To inquire about our services contact us @ email@example.com and start getting noticed today. Offering both local and global services for a price you can afford.
March 16, 2016
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via IFTTT
Masterfully Created by Rural Rooted at 6:56 AM
Labels: animals, brantford, canada, hamilton, IFTTT, image, Instagram, jordon slaght, london, nature, ontario, outdoors, photographer, photography, picture, rural, rural rooted, toronto, wildlife


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My program is supposed be reading a table that has two numbers: 4 byte integer to the start of the data within the file, and 4 byte integer of the data's size. The file looks like this (in hex) in the problem area:
I call the same function twice, void IO_Read32(std::ifstream &s, unsigned int &x);Code:0D000000 48050100
Code:IO_Read32(infile, data_off); IO_Read32(infile, data_size);The cout line is for debugging, I had originally thought I had seek()'d one byte too far. This is not the case, as that line revealed. The program writes:Code:void IO_Read32(std::ifstream &s, unsigned int &x) { unsigned char c; int i; x = 0; for(i = 0; i < 4; ++i) { std::cout << "Now at " << s.tellg() << std::endl; s >> c; x |= c << (i * 8); } }
Notice the lack of byte 5171582! It doesn't read that byte, causing all of the following reads to be one byte off. Why?Code:Now at 5171581 Now at 5171583 Now at 5171584 Now at 5171585 Now at 5171586 Now at 5171587 Now at 5171588 Now at 5171589
The first byte is a 0x0D, so I was thinking newlines, but the file is opened for binary input. (It's not a text file.) I open the file:
infile.is_open() returns true afterwards. Does this have something to do with the way I'm reading the file, and is there some better way to do single byte reads?Code:infile.open(filename.c_str(), std::ios::binary | std::ios::in);


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- reloading of multimethods
- reloading of records/types that implement a protocol
- removal of "dead" vars
- destroying/recreating stateful objects (threads, sockets, files, etc.)
Adding new dependencies to my Leiningen project. Solved by pomegranate ? Visible enough ? (added by Laurent Petit)
- Infinite (or approaching infinite) loops
Possible Contributions to this Effort


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Imagine, for a second, that it is the year 2004. The latest trends are Bluetooth technology, the revolution of video blogs and a promising iPod competitor called the Dell Digital Jukebox. (You'll get a kick out of this 2004 Forbes article on tech trends.)
Now fast forward to 2012. How will new technology play a role in our lives eight years from now in 2020?
That's the question five panelists pondered for nearly two hours Tuesday evening in front of about 100 people at Bellevue City Hall. The talk, put on by local non-profit entrepreneurial network TiE, focused on the current trends in and the future of e-commerce.
Scott Jacobson, a partner at Madrona, moderated the discussion and touched on a number of topics. The panel discussed everything from shopping with a mobile device to the pros and cons of physical and digital storefronts to analyzing how men shop differently than women. They also talked about the biggest and most famous e-commerce business in town, debating the impact of Amazon's Kindle Fire and the potential of physical Amazon stores.
It was my first time going to an event put on by TiE, which stands for Talent, Ideas and Enterprise. The speakers had tons of insight, the discussion moved along well and there was plenty of time for audience questions, which were excellent. Plus, it started on time and ended on time.
And for the people watching these industry leaders share their thoughts, it was essentially like a two-hour e-commerce startup consulting seminar. I was impressed, and so was Bellevue mayor Conrad Lee.
"When these smart people learn and share opportunities and ideas from other people, they do great things," said Lee, who was in attendance Tuesday night. "We benefit from them creating new businesses and that's what we depend on for our economy. We hope that 10 percent of the companies can become future Microsoft's — that would be an excellent addition to our region."
Here's what each of the panelists, including Jacobson, had to say about the future of e-commerce.
Scott Jacobson
Partner, Madrona
"Companies need to create a durable and competitive advantage. If they are selling the same products I can get on Amazon or Ebay, that is a very challenging place to start. But sometimes durable, competitive advantages come from a unique product where you're the only one who can make it or sell it. Sometimes it comes from a differentiated business model. There are plenty of opportunities, but it's got to be something that is both differentiated and durable.
By default, if it's not differentiated or not durable, then somebody else is going to do the same thing. Look at Zulily. They took a differentiated approach to curating product and featuring that product and took the line of, 'We're going to feature local brands nobody has ever heard of,' as a marketing kind of thing. They are extremely good at both curating all that selection and then very cost-effectively acquiring email addresses that turn into people visiting the website that turns into customers. That's differentiated — curating and scouring this stuff — and they've been able to demonstrate the durability."
Kamal Jain
Distinguished Scientist, eBay
"I would pay attention to the service part. Here's an example: You empty a cereal box and throw it away in the trash. People who hate shopping want the new cereal box to show up in your kitchen or at the door at the very least. This is the kind of service to pay attention to. A few weeks ago, I was thinking of buying something and I thought I'd just buy it later. Then I forgot. It bugged me. So people, they want to buy those things right away.
Another thing I would pay attention to is price discrimination/differentiation, especially with coupons."
Nadia Shouraboura
Founder and CEO, Hointer
"What you will see is the vast majority of products going online. The other products need innovation. If traditional brick-and-mortar stores innovate fast, they'll hold on to the customer. It's about innovation and change. We need change in traditional brick-and-mortar."
Gautam Gupta
Co-Founder and CEO, NatureBOX
"There are two things to think about. One is to really invest and think about your product, the quality of your product and how to differentiate the product or experience that you bring to the market. The second thing to think about is customer acquisition. How do you get traffic in the door of your site and convert those visitors to customers? I think a lot of people start e-commerce websites betting on organic traffic and P.R. and things like that. My advice to an entrepreneur would be to take a step back and really think about how they're going to do that. These businesses are centered around transactions, so either the math works or it doesn't."
Alex Tibbetts
General Manager, Nordstrom
"It's something about building a business around the customer, not around the product. The possibility of doing so is different and better than it ever was before, and the benefit of doing so is potentially greater."
Shirish Nadkarni
Co-founder, Zoomingo
"I think there's going to be an interesting battle between the traditional retailers and the pure play etailers. The etailers will try to mitigate their disadvantage versus physical retail by doing a better job of curation, discovery and personalization. Right now it is very much a search-driven behavior. They will also try to do a better job of allowing the customer get a better sense of fit and finish.
Physical retail will try to leverage digital — especially mobile — technologies to improve the customer experience so they continue to prefer going to physical stores over buying online. This means equipping both customers and sales associates with the right information to making the purchase decision, as well as improving the checkout process. They will also leverage their physical store assets to allow customers to either pick up items from local stores or even the reverse where they can order something from the store and have it delivered to their home."


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Who Gave Soulja Boy $55 Million?
Cartoonishly simplistic rhyme reciter Soulja Boy has allegedly purchased himself a $55 million G5 jet as a 21st birthday present. Ohh... did somebody give Soulja Boy $55 million, by accident?
I mean he's sold a lot of shitty ringtones, but not that many shitty ringtones. Forbes estimated Soulja Boy's income in 2010 at $6 million. If you generously estimate that he made, say, $20 million off his first big shitty ringtone-type song in 2007, still, his follow-up albums have not done all that spectacularly, so $55 million is a pretty big nut to make, unless we're talking about one of those "rent to own" deals. And plus his chains got stolen, so he couldn't pawn those to make the payments. I don't know. Which one of you put an extra $50 million in Soulja Boy's bank account while he slumbered peacefully, unaware? Speak up.
And meanwhile Cappadonna had to drive a cab.


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Well, I just stepped in it. There was a machine on E-Bay that was titled Singer 15-125 and initial bid was $35.00. I've been looking for a vintage Singer for FMQ, so bid that amount figuring that someone would come along and outbid me (always happens). Well.... I am now the proud owner of *something*. Research tells me this is not a 15-125 as they are supposed to be green. So if someone has time to look at this listing, could you tell me what I might have purchased? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=110975357325
Not sure whether to laugh or cry at this point.


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Skeeter and Ginger Henry of Sanger married August 18, 1962 in Denton. The couple met while attending Denton High School.
In the past fifty years the Henry's have owned several businesses. Ginger graduated from Texas Woman's University where she earned her degree in social work. She currently works part-time in medical records and also volunteers at the Texas Presbyterian Hospital. Skeeter is now retired.
Skeeter and Ginger have 3 children, Teresa Allen of Little Elm, Tim Henry of Argyle, and Tina Hammonds of Sanger and 7 adorable grandchildren.
Skeeter and Ginger will be honored with a reception at the Wildwood Inn in Denton on Sunday, August 19th from 2-4 PM with family and friends.


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Episode 2 of 6:
In this episode three Dublin-based pairings vie to prove their version of Dublin is best.
Night One:
Angela Maphosa and IB Sanni:
First out of the traps is Angela and IB. He's a cage fighter/rapper and she is a dance-obsessed waitress. Their night doesn't start well when Angela's work gets in the way of fun and delays her arrival to greet the visiting couples.
But, things improve when their party bus arrives and they also pick up some extra passengers en route around Dublin city as IB's raucous rapping mates jump aboard.
From there they head into Thunder Road Cafe where the night starts to be fleshed out, in more ways than one, as the boys' buns get exposed thanks to a spot of mooning! Just what you want over a rump steak.
Clothes go back on, but not for long, as they head to celeb-central nightspot, Krystle. The night ends with naked pool playing…..
Night Two:
Eileen Callaghan and Peter Whelan:
Eileen and Peter throw open the doors to their north-Dublin home and introduce a first for Irish television – their cat uses their toilet just as they do! This has to be seen to be believed.
For dinner they board the Cill Airne floating restaurant docked quayside at Dublin's Convention Centre. The tables are turned on IB whose muscle flexing is swapped for some gut wrenching as his sea legs fail him and he throws up before dinner.
The end of night sees the spotlight turned on all three couples as they become the butt of the joke thanks to the comedians at the Laughter Lounge but the couples deliver the punch lines during their voting.
Night Three:
Jules Chambers and Georgie Tracey:
In part three and we meet tattooed petrol head, Jules, who is a modified car maniac and his girlfriend, part-time glamour model, Georgie.
After a racing start it's back to the city confines and dinner in a Japanese restaurant where flipping eggs is all part of the culinary experience.
Then they go back in time, well for the time warp bit anyway, as the revellers head to the Rocky Horror Show in the Sugar Club.
Finally, the writing could be on the wall for Jules and Georgie, or on the arms of their visiting couples, as they take them for a late night tattoo but not everyone is ready to ink their love of the night in an everlasting way as the winners are revealed.


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LAGUNA BEACH – After posting dominating victories throughout the regular season, with victory margins as large as 55 and 52 points, Laguna Beach won in a fashion that took more of a toll on its fans' hearts Friday night.
The second-seeded Breakers scored with four seconds remaining on a 12-yard Larry Stewart touchdown pass to Jake Hexberg to defeat Northwood (5-7), 28-21, in a CIF-SS Southern Division quarterfinal matchup at Laguna Beach High. Laguna Beach (11-0-1) will make its second consecutive semifinal appearance next week when it travels to Garden Grove.
"In a night where we didn't play that good on defense, the kids rose to the occasion," Breakers coach Mike Churchill said. "Part of it was that (Northwood) was a really good team. We did a great job to win the game, you couldn't be any happier about that."
As it has done all season, whenever Laguna Beach needed a play, it relied on running back Drake Martinez. Martinez scored three touchdowns, on runs of 50, 2 and 64 yards, which pushed his total to 33 this season.
Martinez might have scored three touchdowns, but his biggest play was a third-down conversion on the winning drive.
Facing a third-and-6, Martinez burst through a hole for 36 yards to the Northwood 38.
"There wasn't any doubt about what we were going to do," Churchill said.
Laguna Beach's final drive came after Northwood tied the score with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Norman to Andy Clyde with 5:04 remaining.
Clyde caught the ball and crossed the goal line, but appeared to drop the ball as soon as he crossed.
One official ruled it an incompletion; the other ruled it a touchdown before the officials congregated and declared it a touchdown.
Contact the writer: email@example.com


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Vestas said the loan consists of a €650 million revolving credit facility and a €250 million amortising loan.
The agreement means that cash-strapped Vestas will not be required to issue shares. the turbine maker said the revolving credit facility would expire in January 2015.
In July, the UK's Sunday Times said Vestas' banks, including HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland, had told the company to prepare a debt restructuring plan.
The newspaper said the banks had appointed Ernst & Young to handle talks with Vestas, which has itself brought in PWC to handle the restructure. The report quoted Vestas debts as around €2 billion.
In a statement about the loan agreement, Vestas said the loans were calculated following a review of its upcoming requirements. The company has been cutting production and R&D jobs in several markets over the last year, with more planned for 2013.
Vestas CEO Ditlev Engel said: "We are satisfied to have reached an agreement with our lenders. It is in the interest of Vestas to reduce our debt, and we now look forward to focusing all our efforts on the continuous development of a more scalable Vestas."
Vestas said the loan consists of a €650 million revolving credit facility and a €250 million amortising loan.
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Summaries of EU Legislation
Summaries of EU legislation: direct access to the main summaries page.
- Archived: true
Public finances in Member States in 2005
The Commission is taking stock of public finances in Member States. This communication focuses on the reform of the stability and growth pact that took place during 2005.
Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament of 1 June 2005: "Public finances in EMU - 2005" [COM(2005) 231 final - Not published in the Official Journal].
The communication summarises the main policy messages of the report entitled " Public finances in EMU - 2005 ", the latest of the reports the Commission has drawn up each year since 2000. The Commission notes that there are still budgetary imbalances in some countries (Germany, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and United Kingdom), although the general government deficit in the euro area has improved marginally. According to forecasts, the euro-area and EU deficits should remain roughly stable in 2005 and 2006.
Ten Member States face excessive deficit procedures
The communication takes account of the reform of the stability and growth pact (SGP). Since the summer of 2004, ten EU countries have been subject to the excessive deficit procedure (EDP):
- France and Germany. Following the Court of Justice ruling *, both countries have taken measures that could result in the excessive deficit being corrected in 2005. At this stage no further action under the EDP is necessary.
- Netherlands. The Netherlands reduced their excessive deficit to 2.5 % of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2004. The Commission therefore proposed in May 2005 to abrogate the decision on the existence of an excessive deficit.
- Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Council decided that an excessive deficit existed in each of these countries outside the euro area. In order to remedy the situation, it issued recommendations to these countries. All of them, apart from Hungary, have taken effective measures in response to the recommendation.
- Greece. The Council has issued a notice to Greece, the last step before sanctions. Greece has until 2006 to correct the excessive deficit, which is of an unprecedented magnitude (5.2 % and 6.1 % of GDP in 2003 and 2004 respectively).
The Commission is placing emphasis on improving statistical governance in the budgetary field following the revision in the Greek government accounts in 2004. In a communication on a European governance strategy for fiscal statistics [COM(2004) 832 final], the Commission put forward three lines of action:
- building up the legislative framework;
- developing the Commission's operational capacity;
- defining European standards on the independence of statistical institutes.
Reform of the stability and growth pact: analysing budgetary data
The communication describes the main stages of the reform of the stability and growth pact. The debate has led to changes in the basic regulations on the surveillance of budgetary positions and the implementation of the excessive deficit procedure.
The Commission notes that the report aims to improve the understanding of public finance issues in the EU and to upgrade budgetary surveillance. For 2005, the report presents an analysis of the discrepancy between budgetary plans presented in stability and convergence programmes and the actual results achieved, an analysis of the determinants of debt dynamics and an analysis of the long-term sustainability of public finances.
These analyses enable the Commission to:
- achieve effective budgetary planning. The Commission has collected data enabling it to compare actual budgetary developments in the Member States with initial objectives. In this way it has been able to see how its assessment of stability and convergence programmes has evolved over the years. It highlights the importance of finding ways to avoid spending slippages and more effectively plan expenditure patterns in a manner that increases their quality - also to better match the new Lisbon priorities.
- understand the determinants of debt dynamics. The Commission focuses on "stock-flow adjustment", which captures the residual discrepancy between the change in the outstanding debt stock and the general government deficit, as defined in the Protocol to the Maastricht Treaty. The usual analysis focuses on deficits and nominal growth, while much less attention has been given to the stock-flow adjustment. However, this component conveys relevant information about the evolution of government assets and liabilities and about the discrepancy between deficits. The report shows that the stock-flow adjustment in past years has, on average, been positive (consequently adding to the build-up of debt) and that in some countries it is partly associated with cash deficits being systematically higher than "Maastricht deficits".
- increase focus on the long-term sustainability of public finances. Public finances must be sustainable, despite ageing populations and the costs involved in the European social model. The 2005 report shows that the Member States must consolidate their budgets in order to achieve a sustainable position. The reform of the stability and growth pact is helping to ensure the long-term sustainability of public finances. The exchange of information among Member States and with the Commission on national expenditure will increase transparency and lead to a better assessment of the long-term sustainability of public finances.
Structural reforms and budgetary objectives
The Commission gives high priority to economic reforms that increase growth and employment. The report reviews and discusses the link between the implementation of structural reforms and budgets in implementing the EU framework for fiscal policy. This important issue has been under-researched.
Reforms can contain the growth of certain types of government expenditure, such as reforms of pension or health care systems. Reforms aimed at improving potential output and growth may also have indirect positive effects. However, numerical rules to limit excessive deficits may discourage reforms. The trade-off between reforms and budgetary objectives can be explained by the short-term costs of reforms and by the fact that reforms can be costly to particular groups in society, so that tax cuts or other government transfers may be needed.
The report looks at labour and product market reforms and pension reforms. The analysis focuses on two issues: the short-term impact of reforms on budgets, and the possibility that fiscal consolidation measures prevent reforms. According to the data, there is no strong evidence to show that reforms are less frequent in times of budgetary consolidation. However, in the aftermath of reforms there is, in general, a slight deterioration in budget balances. The Commission believes that reforms should be considered with caution in the implementation of the stability and growth pact (SGP). The 2005 SGP reform package includes provisions aimed at ensuring that the budgetary objectives of the EU fiscal framework do not clash with structural reforms that may contribute to sound public finances and increased growth.
New Member States: fiscal challenges
The ten Member States that joined the EU in 2004 are continuing their economic integration by catching up in terms of their income levels and by looking forward to adopting the euro. Fiscal policy can make a key contribution in this process via efficient and sustainable tax and expenditure policies and by supporting stable development of the economy. In the short term, some of the new Member States may need to make difficult choices, for example on higher spending in certain areas such as infrastructure, training or R&D, which may make it even harder to contain budget deficits. The report discusses the main challenges facing the new Member States in conducting their fiscal policy, such as the problem of an ageing population.
The new Member States are in a position to finance some of their needs thanks to their high potential growth and, in some cases, their low public debt. However, the stock of contingent liabilities is relatively high in many of these countries, and this creates the risk of sudden upswings in debt levels if government payments related to guarantees materialise. The Commission highlights the importance of taking advantage of periods of strong growth to achieve budgetary improvements. In this way, Member States can ensure adequate headroom to stabilise the economy during a downturn.
The Commission believes that there is scope for policy-makers in the new Member States to pursue their growth and stability objectives while ensuring proper management of public finances. Efforts must be made to:
- restructure existing expenditure programmes;
- enhance tax bases in order to strengthen public finances and foster conditions conducive to growth;
- enhance the transparency of budgetary procedures;
- improve risk management in the private sector via well-designed surveillance.
Although the framework for economic and budgetary surveillance in EMU has provided positive results, analyses show that Member States need to do more if they are to deliver the expected results. The reform of the SGP and the Lisbon strategy have responded to the need to match procedural rules with the economic reality and needs of the Member States. They will be tested in the years to come. The way the new SGP framework will be implemented from the start will be crucial for its future credibility. The Commission encourages the Member States to pursue this ambitious strategy by enhancing the quality and ensuring the sustainability of their public finances.
Key terms used in the act
- Case C-27/04: The debate surrounding the stability and growth pact gathered momentum following a ruling on 13 July 2004 by the Court of Justice of the European Communities (CJEC) concerning the excessive deficit procedures initiated against Germany and France. In November 2003 the Commission sent the Council recommendations for speeding up the excessive deficit procedure in both cases. However, the Council did not act on those recommendations and suspended the excessive deficit procedures. It argued that its conclusions were of a political nature. The Court ruled that the Commission's complaint, namely that the Council had not adopted the formal instruments contained in the Commission recommendations, was inadmissible and that the Council conclusions of 25 November 2003 adopted in respect of France and Germany were annulled as regards suspension of the excessive deficit procedure.
See also
For further information, see the website of the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs:
- Public finances in the European Union: reports from 2000.
Last updated: 19.12.2005


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Archive for June, 2011
Lots of our customers ask for products to replace 400W metal halide high bay lights. Now, Lighting Orient announce the launch of 200W LED high bay lights, which are able to replace traditional 400W Metal Halide lights.
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Just as I was beginning to tire of the seemingly endless onslaught of Gordon Ramsay-hosted television comes Masterchef. This American incarnation of the smash UK program pits home cooks against one another in competition for the title of Masterchef. Sure, the premise is predictable, but really it's the judges that have kept me watching all season. Ramsay, playing down his foul-mouthed temper, is joined by Joe Bastianich, Mario Batali's partner who posses the perfect impenetrable stare, and the bearish, bespectacled Graham Elliot. Together the three have a dynamic that rivals Tom and Padma. And the contestants? Well, they've been putting out some pretty formidable plates, considering their homespun roots. And for the record, my money is on Mike.
The newly released Masterchef Cookbook is filled with recipes from this season's contestants but thankfully, no spoilers, as the competition is still going strong. This weekend we are giving away four copies of Masterchef Cookbook. Five lucky winners will be chosen at random to receive a copy of the book. All you have to do is answer the following question in the comments below:
What dish would you prepare for Ramsay, Bastianich, and Bowles to qualify for Masterchef?
Contest will end and comments will close at noon EST, Tuesday, September 7, 2010. One entry per community member. Winners are limited to residents of the continental U.S. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.


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Peep The Ratio: Ladies Whose Itty Bitty Waists Make Their Cakes Look Humongous By Comparison
- By Bossip Staff
9 of 11
Stars Whose Small Waists Mean Big Butts
Some women are just endowed with nicely plump cakes. It's just life. It happens. But some ladies know how to make their rumps look even bigger by having super skinny waists. (This also makes their busts look bigger too, so bonus!). These ladies managed to make their cakes look every cake-y by keeping their waists as tiny as possible.
Let's take a look at itty bitty waists with round things in our face. Don't get sprung.


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Faux Fruit
First we learned that SunChips might not be all natural. Next came the shocking revelation that Nutella is not a health food. Now a California woman is suing General Mills Inc., alleging that its Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit by the Foot snacks are not made with real fruit.
Annie Lam took issue with the snacks' supposedly deceptive packaging, which claims that the treats are "made with real fruit." She specifically targeted the company's strawberry-flavored Fruit Roll-Ups, which contain "pears from concentrate" in lieu of real strawberries. Lam is seeking class action status for the claim.
Onerous Omission
Many of the people portrayed in "The Social Network" were less than thrilled to see themselves on the big screen. Proving that the grass really is greener on the other side, former Harvard student Aaron Greenspan sued Columbia Pictures earlier this year, claiming that the studio defamed him by leaving him out of the 2010 film.
Greenspan, a classmate of Mark Zuckerberg wrote an unpublished autobiography in which he claimed to have created an early social networking site called "the Face Book." He says that Columbia committed "defamation by omission" when it ignored his role in Facebook's founding. Greenspan also alleged that the film and "The Accidental Billionaires," the book upon which it is based, infringed on his autobiography.
But U.S. magistrate Judge Robert Collings didn't buy Greenspan's unique definition of defamation and dismissed the suit this week.
Climate Controversy
Lawyer, speechwriter and game show host Ben Stein has taken on a new title: litigant. Stein says he accepted a $300,000 deal to appear in a series of commercials for Japanese printer manufacturer Kyocera Mita, only to have the company back out when it discovered that he does not believe in global warming.
According to Stein, he told the Kyocera that he cares about the environment, but that he believes "God, and not man, controlled the weather." He sued Kyocera on nine charges, including breach of contract and infliction of emotional distress.
Judge Elizabeth Allen White ruled that the company "had a constitutional right not to be associated with [Stein]" and dismissed eight of the nine charges.
Racy Reporter
A former Houston Chronicle reporter who lost her job when the newspaper discovered she also was a stripper has filed a gender discrimination complaint against the paper.
The Chronicle fired society reporter Sarah Tressler after her second job became the subject of a feature story by another paper. According to Tressler's complaint, an editor told her she was being fired because she did not disclose her stripping in her job application. But, as she pointed out, "There was no question on the form that covered my dancing."
Gloria Allred, Tressler's attorney, said that the firing constitutes gender discrimination because "most exotic dancers are female."
Beyoncé's Blunder
Singer Beyoncé Knowles has been hit with a multimillion dollar lawsuit, and this time she can't blame Sasha Fierce. Video game developer Gate Five alleges that the star inked a $20 million deal to appear in a game entitled "Starpower: Beyoncé," only to walk away three days before Gate Five was to obtain financing. The company, which reportedly fired 70 employees as a result of the broken contract, wants $100 million in compensation.
Justice Charles Ramos ruled last week that the suit can proceed, and he had some harsh words for the singer's lawyers. "You continue to negotiate right up until the time you pull the plug. That is not going to work with me," he said.
Copyright Clash
You may not recognize Victor Willis's name, but if you've ever danced along to "Y.M.C.A." you owe him a debt of gratitude. As the cop from the 1970s band the Village People, Willis co-wrote the disco anthem, along with several of the band's other hits, including "In the Navy" and "Go West."
Last year, Willis invoked "termination rights," a copyright provision allowing singers and songwriters to reclaim the rights to their work after 35 years have passed. Scorpio Music and Can't Stop Productions, the songs' publishers, argued that Willis could not regain his share of the songs because the other co-authors had not also sought termination.
But a California judge agreed with Willis, ruling that the singer is entitled to his share of the hits. As the New York Times notes, the ruling could open the door for other 70s artists such as Bruce Springsteen and The Eagles to regain ownership of their early work regardless of their original contracts.


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A Tikifest Trip Report
Posted 02 August 2007 - 09:16 PM
The Cast -
Me (Aaron) - ADP 38 WDW Fanatic
Kim - Disney Wife 36 - No choice but to be a WDW Fanatic
Anna - Disney Daughter 7 - New WDW Thrill Junkie
Date - July 25th - 31st
July 25th -
Left Indianapolis at 7:00 AM via Airtran Airways. Smooth flight and landed at OIA around 9:00AM. Proceeded to the Alamo rental counter in the garage to pickup our vehicle. We are Quicksilver members so getting our car was a breeze. Time saved at the airport is more time at WDW. We took 528 Beeline Expressway to I - 4 and got to the Beach Club Villas at 10:15AM. We made great time, but our room was not ready. We got dressed and headed out to Storm-A-Long Bay. Great fun! This pool complex is awesome complete with a lazy river. We sat near Hurrican Hannah's and had a light snack before heading back into the pool.
At 1:00AM called the WDW guest line and was informed our room was ready. We went to our 1 bedroom DVC unit room 466 with a view of the DVC quiet pool. It was a great location and view. The room was beautiful and clean.
At 4:00PM we headed for the Studios for a couple attractions and a 6:00PM ADR at 50's Prime Time. We got fastpasses for Star Tours then headed straight to Muppets with no wait right into the preshow. I love the preshow. It's very enteratining and the time goes by very fast. After Muppets It was time for our fastpasses for Star Tours. I never understood how we got fastpasses for Star Tours at 5:05PM when the standby line was around 45 minutes. Do guests even know about fastpass? Anyway, we rode Star Tours and checked out a few novilties in Tattooine Traders. After exiting I wanted to check out the construction wall near the large AtAt walker. The construction wall is for the Jedi Training Stage to be added in the near future. It didn't appear to me that the size of the stage would cause the AtAt or Ewok Village to be removed, but who knows for sure.
After we completed Star Tours we headed over for our 50's Prime Time ADR at 6:00PM. As we entered the restaurant it began to rain. Great Timing! I headed over to the bar for a quick beer, but before I could get it down our pager went off. We were seated at 6:05PM. Our waitress was Aunt Jenn and she was awesome! I ordered the meatloaf, Kim ordered the Fried Chicken, and Anna ordered the kids Mac N Cheese with veggies. All of our entrees were very good. For dessert we ordered the hot fudge brownie sundae. It was large and all 3 of us could split it. Total bill was $49.00 with 20% DDE Savings. As we walked out of the Prime Time the rain had stopped. I couldn't believe our luck!
AFter dinner I had promised Anna we would get her hair wrapped so we headed back over to Muppet Square where I had seen a hair wrap station. Anna got her hair wrapped by a very nice CM. Total cost was $24.
After Anna's hair wrap it was off to the hat. Anna collects pins and wanted only one pin on this trip....A ToT pin specifically. We found it and bought the pin she wanted.
Anna and Kim headed over to watch The Little Mermaid while I headed down Hollywood Blvd to check out some of the details I've always missed when entering and exiting the park.
After Little Mermaid and my short, but fun detail excursion Anna and I decided we wanted to ride ToT. Anna is 7 and has never been on ToT. I was a little hesitant, but she seemed charged up to ride it sooooo off we went.
The standby line was 45 minutes, not too bad really. We jumped in line and the the wait was 45 minutes. After the preshow we entered the hallway to the boiler room and all of a sudden the line stopped moving. Rumors were flying around that the ride had broken down. Oh Noooo! Now what? :roll: We were stuck, we really couldn't exit the attraction so we decided to wait. There was a group of intoxicated college kids behind us who kept us entertained for the additional 20 minute wait. Ok...So the ride is back online the line starts moving. Once we enter the boiler room Anna starts getting a little apprehensive about riding. One of the college kids began to talk to her and says its not so bad, you can do it. Well, the encouragement worked she jumped into the elevator and up we went. I have to say she was a trooper and I was proud of her. She made it through the ride even with 6 drunk college kids screaming there heads off during the drop sequence. In fact, she wanted to get back on for another ride. I told her no way as we needed to get into the Fantasmic Theatre for the 10:30PM showing of Fantasmic.
As we entered the theatre the line to get in was already long. The theater was roped off as Cast Members were cleaning and getting the theater ready from the previous 9:00PM show. As we waited and waited the time kept going by. at 10:15PM the rope dropped and people began filing in. I knew there would be no way the show would start on time; however, I was wrong. The show started promptly at 10:30; however people were still filing into the theater. It turned into a dangerous situation as everone began hurrying to a seat no matter who was in front of them. I started thinking how nice it would have been to get the Fantasmic Dinner Package, but I digressed and told myself it wouldn't have been worth it.
Fantasmic was great as usual, but I noticed a few new scenes since last I watched it in 2006. After Fantasmic we knew the line for the boat would be long and we still had some energy so we decided to head over to the Great Movie Ride. It was EMH that night until 1:00AM so we decided to take advantage of it. The line for the GMR was 10 minutes. The attraction was as good as I remember and Anna really enjoyed it the most. She really loved the Wizard of Oz scene. After GMR we decided to head back to BCV beacause we had an early 7:30AM ADR at Cape May for our character breakfast. We jumped on the boat and headed back to the Beach Club villas. We got to bed around 12:30AM.
Next up....A Day at EPCOT Early and Late!
Posted 03 August 2007 - 04:34 AM
Posted 03 August 2007 - 10:16 AM
The alarm went off at around 6:30AM. After our late evening at MGM and travelling the day before I was a little groggy. Anna and Kim seemed to be in good shape and ready to go when they awoke.
After getting ready it was time for our 7:30AM ADR at Cape May. I love this breakfast. We checked in at 7:30 and were the scecond family seated in the restaurant. The characters weren't even out yet. Maybe they had a long night as well .
After about 10 minutes we saw our first sign of characters as Minnie appeared in here beach garb. Then all of a sudden Chip out of nowhere Chip came over. t think we were the first stop for characters. So, what to do with both characters at the table. Take a photo, what else!
The food was really good. We loved the entire experience. Oh! I almost forgot. Goofy showed up as well. This is his breakfast so he needed to make an appearance. Since the restaurant was still slow the characters gave us a lot of interaction.
After breakfast it was off to the Internation Gateway to enter EPCOT. We walked from the Beach Club to the Gateway. It was a short, but very nice walk. It was 8:40AM and we were the first ones there. Clark Grizwald would have been proud! We chatted with the Disney Security Guard for a while and then they let us through at about 8:50AM to where the rope is at the bridge entering the UK. At 9:00AM the rope dropped and it was a mad dash to Soarin'. Who could get there first. Can you believe the wait was already 20 minutes by the time we got there. We opted for fast passes and headed over to Test Track. Test Track only had a 15 minute wait so we jumped on. It was more like a 5 minute wait. After we finished we jumped in line again and waited about 10 minutes.
Anna loves the post show to this ride. She loves jumping in the cars and pretending she is driving them. I maybe in trouble later in life!
Ok...so it was back to Soarin for our fast passes. Rode Soarin and got fast passes again for later. We headed over to Finding Nemo and rode that attraction. We decided to skip Turtle Talk and go check out Project Tomorrow over at Spaceshipe Earth. I've seen so many pictures and heard about it, but wanted to check it out for myself. It seemed pretty neat. Most of the exhibits were occupied so we just walked through. I tried to see into the unload area of Spaceship Earth to see if there was any activity, but it was well guarded. Project Tomorrow looks very cool, but you could tell there was more to come. It looked unfinished.
After we exited Project Tomorrow we headed for the character spot hoping the lines would not be too long. Unfortunately, the lines were long. I told Anna we would be able to see characters at the DVC party (Summer on the Savanna) later that afternoon. We headed back to the Land and rode Soarin' with our fastpasses one more time before heading back to the Beach Club Villas for an afternoon rest. But wait We did not ride Figment. This is Anna's second favorite attraction in all of Disney World. We jumped on Figment which had a 5 minute wait. We did some of the interactive attractions at the end of Figment and then it was off to the Beach Club Villas for a rest.
After our afternoon rest we headed back towards EPCOT at 4:00PM for the DVC party (Summer on the Savanna) which was held at the entrance to the International Gateway. The party was in a large, open tent. We entered the tent to find quite a festive atmosphere. There was a DJ, free face painting for the kids, several characters roaming around, finger foods and drinks, even a huge display of the new Animal Kingdom Villas complete with two DVC guides speaking to guests. The party was really great. Anna got to see several characters without hardly any lines. I even got to pose for one with her.
This was a very nice party (Did I already say that). There were also some raffles and free giveaways. Being a DVC member is really nice. Everyone got a free Animal Kingdom Villas bucket hat when they left the party. We thuroughly enjoyed it and it was totally free. Before leaving Anna insisted on getting a picture next to the party sign.
After the party it was onto World Showcase. It was still hot out and all I could think about was enjoying a Beer in Germany and the UK. Conveniently the UK was right there as we entered EPCOT. Rose & Crown Pub here I come! After purchasing and enjoying a brew we worked our way counter-clockwise around World Showcase. One of my favorite countires is France because I feel it is one of, if not the most authentic pavillion in all of World Showcase. The architecture and feel is amazing. Whenever I'm in that Pavillion I feel like I'm in France. Kim was anxious to move on, but wait I haven't had my pastry at the pastry shop. That is a tradition of mine, I must have a pastry! Ok..Kim you win let's go. I'll be back though. I've got to have a strawberry mousse, or something!
We made it to the American Pavillion and decided we would have a bite to eat at the counter service restaurant. I know this place is a disappointment for a lot of us World Showcase fans. Burgers, chicken fingers, etc. I did hear though that the menu maybe changing. There maybe some new additions coming. Let's keep our eyes peeled for some kind of announcement. It may not help though, this pavillion really needs a table service restaurant in my opinion.
We continued our trek through the World Showcase. Oh! By the way we saw some characters during our tour.
We made our way around the showcase and came to Mexico. I had not been on the Gran Fiesta Tour yet so that was first. I'd been waiting to see it and wanted to check it off my list. To be honest, I didn't know what to think after I got off. It was a nice change of pace I guess from the old attraction, but it's just an overlay. I kind of expected that though reading other reviews of the attraction. We wondered around the inside of the building and spoke with a nice Cast Member who informed me that there will be a tequilla bar coming sometime soon inside that building. I was excited to hear that piece of news.
It was getting close to 8:15 and we really needed to start thinking about our place for Illuminations. I told Kim we needed to head back towards the International Gateway and watch from there so we could make an easy exit after the show. Well, Kim didn't seem too interested in Illuminations, but Anna wanted to watch. Kim went back to the resort while Anna and I staked out our spot for Illuminations on the bridge connecting France to the UK. But wait! There's France in it's beauty calling my name....Aaron...You need a pastry! Aaron....You need a pastry. Ok..Ok...I get it! I grabbed Anna and off we went to the pastry shop. I know I'm crazy for giving up my spot right. I had a strawberry mousse which I love and Anna had a chocolate mousse which she only ate a couple bites. It was 8:59 as we finished our desseerts...Ok, hurry up let's go. Off we dashed to the bridge. Great! there's a spot. We watched Illuminations and decided it was time to head back to the resort. It was EPCOT EMH that night, but Anna was pretty tired from the days activies. I will say that Illuminations did give me a bit of energy. I don't know what it is about that show, but it charges me up.
Anna and Kim went to bed around 10:30PM while I stayed up on the porch relaxing and enjoying the view. Tomorrow was our checkout day and we were headed to the Polynesian for the beginning of Tikifest 2007. I was really excited about it. We have never stayed Concierge at the Polynesian and were looking forward to it. I went to bed around 11:30PM in hopes to be awake by 7:30AM the next morning.
Up Next: A Polynesian transition with a sprinkle of the Magic Kingdom
Posted 03 August 2007 - 11:17 AM
Posted 03 August 2007 - 12:32 PM
QuickGold said:
A great time was had by all. Even Len found time to try and learn the Hula!
Posted 03 August 2007 - 03:43 PM
Posted 03 August 2007 - 03:54 PM
Posted 03 August 2007 - 06:43 PM
ADP said:
Was this the same Mary Poppins that I met back in July who said she's been to Oceanside, Long Island? :mrgreen:
Posted 03 August 2007 - 09:49 PM
We woke up at around 8:00AM in the morning. I decided I needed a cup of coffee and took a stroll down to the Beach Club Marketplace with Anna to get some breakfast food to bring back up to the room. The weather looked to be nice outside, but the heat was waiting for us...lurking over the horizon 8)
We had our breakfast in the room packed up a few last minute items and got checked out. I had our rental car pulled around by the valet (free valet parking with your DVC card) tipped the CM and off we went to the Polynesian.
When we pulled up to the Polynesian it was a bit chaotic. There was one person assisting 3 cars and no other CM was around. I knew we would have to exercise some patience. I actually felt sorry for the guy because he was really hustling to make everyone happy. I actually tipped him more than usual. I had the car valet parked (free valet parking with our DDE card. I love this card) I went to the valet desk to let them know we were checking into the Hawaii building, but decided it would be quicker to go into the front desk and start the check-in process there.
After checking into the front desk we proceeded to the Hawaii building. We were met at the front door by Fran who checked us into the Concierge building. Our room was not ready yet so we decided to head up to the lounge and check things out. The view outside the concierge lounge is amazing; The Poly beach, The Seven Seas Lagoon and Cindy's Castle.
After relaxing in the lounge we decided to head to the Volcano pool for a quick swim. The pool and the Poly grounds for that matter were in excellent shape.
What separates the Poly from other resorts is it's tranquility and transportation options. The resort is very relaxing and is a retreat from the parks. You also have the Monorail to the MK, monorail to EPCOT via the TTC, the boat launch to the MK, and motor coaches to AK, MGM Studios, DTD and the Water Parks.
After the pool we went back to the Hawaii building to see if our room was ready. Indeed it was. We were assigned room 3528 a garden view room with a great view of the quiet pool. The room was large and the flat panel TV is a very nice touch.
After a rest we put on our orange Tikifest bracelets identifying us as Tikifest participants and we headed to the lounge one more time before going to the MK. We took the monorail to the MK. Anna loves riding it. Sometimes we just hop on the monorail to do the MK resort loop a few times.
We arrived at the MK around 5:00PM. The park was crowded as we expected, but we were going to make the best of it. My first thought was to go to the Laugh Floor. I knew that attraction could absorb crowds well. I have not been through it before and was excited to give it a try. We walked into the doors leading up to the theater and the wait was not that long. The preshow is pretty basic. TVs are on both sides of the hall and you watch Mike Woso give his description of how laughs create energy for Monstropolis. What's neat about the preshow is you have the opportunity to text your jokes to the Laugh Floor cast for possible use in the show. It makes the show more interactive and interesting for guests.
My overall impression of the attraction is positive. It is funny and is very audience interactive. Cameras pan the audience to select volunteers or people who they feel they can have fun with. This show is similar in technology to Turtle Talk where the on screen, animated characters interact with the people in the audience on a constant basis. Definately not an E ticket attraction, but could be considered a C or D ticket attraction.
After Laugh Floor we wanted to take a trip on the TTA. As usual there was no wait. We jumped on and took the trip around Tomorrowland. The TTA is a very relaxing ride. I really like the vocal portion of this ride...."Paging Mr. Morrow...Mr. Tom Morrow! I laugh every time I hear that.
We exited the TTA and got fast passes for Buzz Lightyear before going through the Laugh Floor. We rode Buzz and pretty much covered everything we wanted to in Tomorrowland. I wanted to ride the Carousel of Progress, but that would be for another day.
I was beginning to get hungry and so were Kim and Anna. I suggested we head to Pecos Bills. We could check on the fast pass situation at Big Thunder and Splash and then grab a bite at Pecos Bills. When we arrived at Big Thunder the fast pass time was 90 minutes away. We immediately go fast passes for Big Thunder and headed over to Pecos Bills for dinner. I got the Cheeseburger (The fixings bar rocks), Kim got the hambuger and Anna got a kids chicken fingers meal. Everything was as good as I remember it. The seating area was packed. Fortunately, there is a lot of seating in Pecos Bills. By the way, I turned the fixings bar into my personal buffet, pickles and sauteed mushrooms galore !
We walked over to Big Thunder and rode that attraction. This is Anna's number one attraction at WDW. She simply loves it. She is one heck of a screamer as well. We exited Big Thunder and headed over to Pirates. The wait was 40 minutes. We decided to jump into the stand-by line and wait. The wait was probably every bit of 40 minutes. Again, this attraction did not disappoint. The new affects and AAs inspired by the Pirates of the Carribean movie are awesome!
After our Pirate adventure I had such a craving for a Dole Whip Float it wasn't even funny. I mentioned it to Kim and Anna. Anna strongly agreed while Kim gave me that look...What are you talking about, are you crazy! I replied "Oh no...Just living right!! Follow me to Aloha Isle." We ordered two Pineaple Floats. Kim and Anna split one while I had one to myself. I know, call me selfish! The Dole Whip Floats did not disappoint; in fact, it brought my core body temperature down 5 degrees! I had to go over to the first aid center due to Hypothermia symptoms. It was soooo refreshing.
It was 8:15 and time to find our spot for the Spectro Parade. This is our favorite night time entertainment at WDW. We love this parade and could watch it over and over. I think what does it for me is the music and the way it lights up the MK at night. Anna and I love watching this parade with a box of popcorn so I walked to the popcorn cart located in Town Square. Ok..We've got our popcorn and our spot. We are parade ready!
Ok...Enough with the camera already. Here comes the parade!
After the parade we decided to watch Wishes from the Polynesian beach. We hopped the monorail and returned to the Polynesian in 20 minutes. After Wishes I went to the Concierge lounge for a refreshment, relax and watch the Castle change colors. Anna and Kim went to the room. We had another early day ahead of us so I didn't mind that they wanted to call it a night early. The Magic Kingdom was open until 2:00AM, but tomorrow was another day.
I left the lounge and took a stroll around the grounds of the Polynesian admiring the atmosphere and just taking it all in. Funny how it worked out, but I ended up at the Tambu Lounge with a Sour Apple Chiller in my hand watching Sportcenter on the big screen TV. I ended up getting back to the room at 12:30AM .
I wanted to be at the Magic Kingdom at 9:00AM when the park opened. Our plan was to hit the Fantasyland and Frontierland attractions as soon as possible.
Next Up: More Magic Kingdom, Tikifest surprise meet, and a trip to our favorite restaurant on WDW property
Posted 04 August 2007 - 09:58 AM
And you're not the only one who uses the Pecos Bills fixins bar as their own salad bar. Sometimes I wish I could just eat the veggies off there and make a nice salad.
Posted 04 August 2007 - 02:26 PM
Awoke Saturday morning bright and early around 7:15AM. I wanted us to be at the MK when the rope dropped so we could get through Fantasyland and Frontierland without much waiting.
After getting ready we headed for the concierge lounge for some breakfast. This is the great thing about staying club level. You can grab and go, sit and eat without wasting a lot of time in lines at the counter service restaurants. The Poly lounge has this incredible hawaiin bread. Its a sweet bread with small pineapple chunks at the bottom. It is very good and extremely addictive.
Once we had our breakfast it was off to the monorail station for our ride over to the MK. Honestly, I had lost track of time in the loung and we were sort of rushing to the monrail station. I didn't want to miss the rope drop. We arrived at the MK at 8:50AM and walked through the gate. We headed straight for Fantasyland.
Let's see...We rode Winnie The Pooh, Dumbo, Snow White's Scary Adventure twice, Peter Pan, Tea Cups, Golden Carousel, and Small World within the first hour. We literally walked on each of those attractions. I knew Saturday was a good day to visit the MK, but come on, where was everybody.
Kim and Anna rode some of the attractions together while I got to ride shotgun.
It was 10:00AM and Ariel's Grotto was just about to open. Anna has a princess hat that all of the princesses have autographed except one. You guessed it, Ariel. We scooted over to the Grotto so Anna could get that last autograph on her hat. Ariel thought Anna had a great idea and loved signing her hat; however, she was curious why she had to be last. Go figure!
AFter we exited Ariel's Grotto we headed over to Small World. I was kind of hesitant since the crowd level was still very low. Small World has a good crowd load capacity and I didn't want to waste our time there. But, on the attraction we went. The most unique piece to this ride in my opinion is you can ride it over and over again and still find AAs or other details you've never seen before. After we exited Small World it was off to Frontierland for Splash and Big Thunder, normally I would want to ride Haunted Mansion since it's on the way, but that spooky construction wall is in the way. I guess we'll just have to wait until October.
Once we arrived in Frontierland we found the lines to be short. Big Thunder had a 15 minute wait and Splash appeared to have the same wait time. We chose Big Thunder first. We exited Big Thunder and headed to Splash. The wait was 20 minutes now. Anna and I jumped on while Kim sat back and waited. For some reason she won't go on this ride. Kim is not real big on drops 50Ft or over.
After we exited Splash we headed over to Adventureland. I was curious what the wait time was for Pirates. To my surprise it was only 15 minutes. By now it was almost 11:00AM. "C'Mon...What's going on around here...Where are the crowds!" The wait was 15 minutes and we enjoyed the attraction for the second day in a row.
We finished Pirates and headed straight for the Magic Carpets of Alladin. While waiting in line I saw someone with a dream fastpass. My curiousity got the best of me and I had to ask where he got it and when. He told me Space Mountain as they were exiting the attraction at around 9:45AM. I always like to ask people where and when they won there YOMD dreams. After speaking with guests on this trip and in the past it appears to me that most, if not all YOMD fast passes, lanyards, and mickey ears are given away between 9:00AM and 12:00 Noon each day. We actually won YOMD lanyards last October on Star Tours at 10:00AM.
After Alladin we decided to head over to Tomorrowland. On the way we passed Aloha Isle, but my common sense got the best of me. Keep moving...Move along. I wasn't hungry at all after our breakfast in the lounge.
We arrived in Tomorrowland and the crowd level definately picked up. I went over and got fast passes for Buzz. Kim and Anna waited for me at the entrance to Laugh Floor. We wanted to go through that attraction again. I was curious how much different it would be the next time through. Most of it was the same, but there were a few differences. The names of some of the animated characters had changed and a few of the jokes had a different twist to them. I still believe this attraction is being worked on and tweaked by the Imagineers.
We exited Laugh Floor and it was time for our fast passes at Buzz. We rode Buzz and when we got off it was time for Kim to leave. I had surprised her on this trip with a 50 minute massage and pedicure over at the Grand Floridian Spa. She was really looking forward to it. She left us and was on her way. By the way, we saved 10% off the Spa services with our APs.
Anna and I decided we wanted to ride the Carousel of Progress. I liked that idea since the crowds where building and the CoP absorbs crowds pretty well. We walked right into the attraction. I like this attraction. I think the concept is really cool. I did speak with a CM in Tomorrowland who told me that the final scene of CoP will be getting updated in the future. Who really knows if that's true. I'm hoping he's right, it needs it.
As we exited CoP Buzz Lightyear himself was walking up the ramp to CoP. What great timing. We jumped in line for an autograph and picture.
After our run in with Buzz we decided it was time to head back to the resort for a rest. We jumped on the monorail and headed back to the Poly for some R & R. I decided I wanted a soda so we made a quick stop in the concierge lounge. During my stop I saw a few people who were wearing there orange Tikifest wristbands. I thought I actually recognized them because I had seen there pictures on another discussion forum before we left. In fact, it was the same people. After a hug and hello we decided to sit in the lounge and chat. We also ran into another family who was attending Tikifest and they sat with us as well. After about 10 minutes of chatting Anna left the table and found a spot by the loung TV while we discussed all thing Polynesian and Disney. We ended up chatting for a couple hours. It was really nice to finally meet some folks we recognized and others we met for the first time.
It was about 3:00PM and I needed to get Anna up to the room for a rest. Kim would be coming back soon and we had a 5:00PM ADR for Ohana so we went upstairs to relax a bit.
Kim got back to the room at 4:00PM. We started getting ready for our 5:00PM ADR at Ohana. I love Ohana as you probably guessed. I do feel the food is above average, but what makes Ohana my favorite is the atmosphere and the other experiences. I love family style dining, I love the kids interaction, I love the interior design of the restaurant. It truly is a unique experience. Here are few photos we took prior and during our experience at Ohana.
Ok...So now I'm stuffed. What a meal. The plan was to head back to the MK so that's what we did after a stop back at our room. On the way we ran into another Tikifest attendee. We said our hellos, talked about where we were from, etc. It was great meeting everyone I've chatted with on the message boards, but never met in person.
We got to the MK around 7:30PM. The crowds where pretty heavy so I knew getting through major attractions would be difficult. This time I was just going to go with the flow. We ended up in Tomorrowland again. I told Kim and Anna we needed to do the Indy Speedway. I mean..C'Mon we are from Indy. Why wouldn't we go on that attraction? Anna wanted to drive, but unfortuately she's still too small. Probably a good thing for me since I was going on with her. The wait was 40 minutes. Longer than I wanted to wait, but I said what the heck. We jumped in line and the wait was probably every bit of 40 minutes.
Next it was back to the TTA. No wait as usual. We went up the people mover and right on. So it's 9:00Pm and the first parade was getting ready to start. I thought we would skip it this time and try and hit a few attractions. I figured the lines would be shourter since folks would be at the parade. We walked over to the Tea Cups. What was I thinking. How could I do Tea Cups hours after eating at Ohana? Well, the wait was only 15 minutes. We jumped on and fortunately I didn't get extremely sick. I was a bit woozy, but I survived. Next we moved on to Goofy's Barnstormer. Only a 10 minute wait. We jumped in line and did that attraction.
Kim and Anna had pretty much had there enjoyment of the Magic Kingdom for the day. They were ready to head back and call it a night at the Poly beach and get ready for bed. I on the other hand wanted to stay and walk through some of the Main St. shops. I did some shopping around to see some of the new merchandise. I watched Wishes from Main St. between a few shops.
At 10:45PM I decided it was time to leave so I hopped the boat to the Poly and was back in 10 minutes. I went up to the room for the evening. I wanted to be up early in the morning so we could make it to the Animal Kingdom for rope drop. I knew it would be a challenge though. We were all pretty tired already and needed a good nights sleep.
Next up...AK..Wow! It's hot! Tikifest! The main event!
Posted 04 August 2007 - 07:00 PM
Posted 04 August 2007 - 08:26 PM
ADP said:
Isn't Ariel the most adorable of all the Princesses? It's a shame I won't be visiting her anymore since she and the other Princesses make me feel like a 7 year-old girl.
Posted 05 August 2007 - 11:51 AM
The alarm went off at 7:15AM just as I had planned, but unfortunately my body didn't agree. Neither did Kim & Anna. I told Kim we would just sleep in. We'd had a long couple of days and we needed the rest; especially for tonights activities.
At about 9:00AM we arose and started our day. We went to the lounge for breakfast went back to the room and Anna and I agreed it was time to go to the Animal Kingdom. Kim said she was going to stay back and hang out at the pool.
Instead of taking the rental car I opted for the bus from the Poly. I had heard from others how poor the bus service from the Poly was to the AK so I wanted to see for myself. As we walked to the bus station at the Poly the AK bus was waiting for us. Lucky break! We hopped on and away we went. Our first stop was the Grand Floridian, our next stop was Blizzard Beach. We finally reached the AK in about 35 minutes. Not bad considering the two stops. By the way the automation installed in the WDW motor coaches is very nice. Music and announcements are played while you are in transit. As you approach a destination themed music for that destination is played. For instance, AK music is played as we approached the AK bus station.
We hit one snag during our trip to AK. I realized Kim still had Anna's AP from the day before. What to do? Go back and get it? That would take forever! :roll: I got it! When we get to AK I'll go over to the ticket booth and get a replacement AP for Anna. I still had the receipt since we bought new APs for them at the beginning of this trip. It worked out perfectly, no problem. This was one time all of the knowledge of the World I've gathered from forums, boards, and even podcasts; i.e. WDWToday (DING!) really payed off!
We entered the AK at 11:00 and headed straight for Dinoland U.S.A. Anna loves this section for some reason. She had never been on Primevil Whirl because she was not 48'. This trip she was 48" and she was soooo excited. We jumped on and she loved that ride. Next we jumped over to Triceritops Spin. Rode that attraction and when we got off I realized how hot it was getting....I mean frying pan hot. AK is the hottest of the 4 Disney parks in my opinion. I think it has to do with the copius amounts of foliage in the park, but who knows for sure. I had to get inside somwhere, rest and cool off. We headed in Donald's Breakfastasaurus. Once we cooled off we headed over to Dinosaur. Anna wanted to try this attraction even though I told her it is a bit scary. She didn't mind. The wait was 20 minutes so we hopped on, went through the pre-show and on our time traveller.
As we entered the forest I could tell Anna was a bit nervous. She grabbed the bar in front of her and put her head down. She kept it that way most of the ride. She made it through the ride and as we exited she said "I don't want to ride this again". That's ok. We don't need to. I think what made it tough for her was the loud noise. The audio on this ride is rather loud; which enhances the experience. See Matt, if a 7 year old can make it through so you can you! You can do it!
After Dinosaur we went over to watch "It's Tough To Be a Bug". It was very good, but I could have done without getting stung in the back from the bees let loose in the theater.
After we exited the theatre I told Anna it was time to leave. We needed to get back and prepare for Tikifest. I wasn't sure how long the bus would take, plus I wanted Anna to rest.
We headed for the bus depot and it started to rain lightly. We took cover under the bus depot waiting for our bus. 10 minutes...15 minutes, etc. The bus came 20 minutes later. So we get on the bus. Our first stop was Blizzard Beach. A lot of guests got on because of the rain I assume. Our next stop was the Contemporary, then it was onto the Polynesian. Total trip time was 50 minutes. Pretty long!
We got ready for Tikifest and headed out of our room at 4:00PM. We walked over to the TTC to hop the monorail to EPCOT. It was a very nice ride. I love this ride as it provides some great scenery as your approach and go through EPCOT.
Once we entered EPCOT we went straight to Figment. Rode Figment and Kim was telling me on the way to The Seas that she met Steve at the pool today and discussed there conversation with me. Pretty cool! We rode the Seas with Nemo & Friends got off the attraction and headed upstairs to the aquarium. We checked out the sea life and finally it was time to go downstairs and find the door leading to the VIP Salon. I knew it was near the Coral Reef restaurant somewhere.
As we approached the Coral Reef I saw those orange bracelets all over. Everyone was waiting for the doors to open. Anna started speaking with some folks who were there for the event so Kim and I jumped in. Anna would speak with anyone. She is pretty outgoing and loves to speak with people.
Here are her new friends.
While waiting outside I saw Len Testa sitting near the entrance to the door so I went over and introduced myself. He was speaking with some friends so I didn't want to intrude so I kept it brief and told him I'd see him inside. For those of you who don't know Len he is a very nice person and very personable. He is totally geeked out about Disney. He probably needs to be since he works for the Unofficial Guide (DING!). He showed me his new Apple IPhone which was really cool. We talked a little about Youngstown, OH were we both spent a lot of time early in our lives. It was great conversing with him.
So the doors to Tikifest opened. We were escorted upstairs to a private room which was huge. This room was very long with a ton of space. There were 4 or 5 windows to the aquarium which acted as a babysitter. Anna loved looking through the glass seeing the fish most of the night. She did find some time for hula lessons.
After speaking with several other people we met, I got a chance to speak with Steve Seifert. I wanted to thank him for hosting the event and tell him how much we enjoyed it so far. I began to tell Steve how I was in Southern California a few months ago with my brothers playing golf. He said you play golf? I said, kind of. Great we need a 4th for tomorrow. Three of us are playing tomorrow at the Magnola. I was like..."I'm there". I'd love too! I didn't have my clubs or shoes, but I figured I could rent them. This was great. I've always wanted to play golf at Disney and never fit it in my schedule. This seemed like a great opportunity as we didn't have many plans for tomorrow. Steve really made me feel like I belonged. Not really knowing Steve before this event I was floored by his persoanlity, openess, and his friendliness.
After a few more meet and greets I decided I needed to get a bite to eat and a drink. The food was fantastic! There was flank steak and chicken with several side dishes. The food was top notch and prepared perfectly. There was an open bar which was icing on the cake. I had a glass of wine and a few beers. It was terrific!
AFter an hour or so everyone started feeling great...Even the kids.
Towards the end of the evening there were several give-a-ways. Steve had arranged for some great prizes. Anna won a $40 Disney gift card for best dressed at the event. She was completely surprised as were we. I have to say...Being a little biased of course....She did look great! We also won Lunch with a Disney Imagineer. I couldn't believe it. What a great prize. I was sooo excited. The Imagineers name was Sean Robb. He was actually going to be golfing with us the next day. How cool is this. I did get to meet Sean during the party. Sean is a great example of Disney. He is kind and very personable and loves to meet new people. I really enjoyed spending time with Steve and Robb at the party and the next day. I wish we could have spent more time together, but the friendships we made were very special to us.
Two hours had passed and it seemed like only 15 or 30 minutes. Everyone was having such a good time that the time flew by. Steve and Lisa (Magical Vacations Travel Agent) arranged for us to get a VIP viewing of Illuminations at 9:00PM. This was icing on the cake for us. We'd never seen Illuminations from a VIP spot. We were escorted to the UK behind the Yorkshire fish and chips stand. I never knew this placed existed, but there is a landing back there right on the water with a great view of the globe, infernal barge, and firework barges. As we waited for Illuminations to start we chatted with others who were attending the party. I spoke with Len a little more, Terry, and Dave from the Poly concierge desk. He was very insightful. He told us facts about WDW I never knew before. I really enjoyed his insights.
Illumnations started and it was really cool. I couldn't believe how close we were to the show. Anna was sitting with her friends that she made at the party while Kim and I sat on a bench watching together. We were sooo close I could feel the heat from the infernal barge fire!
What a great end to a great evening. After the show we said our goodbyes, exchanged some Email and contact information with others.
AFter we left we jumped aboard the monorail to head back to the Poly. We stopped by the lounge where we saw Lisa who said she was heading to the MK for EMH. The MK was open until 3:00AM. She said they were going to try and make it until close. Wow! Good luck! I had to be up early or I might have went myself, but the alarm would be going off around 5:45am for golf. I was extremely excited about playing; especially with Steve, Sean, and Chris (Lisa's Husband).
This was one day at WDW I certainly will never forget. We got to experience some unique things. Tikifest was great, getting to see the the VIP Salon was cool, getting to experience a VIP spot for Illuminations was fantastic, but making new friends who share our Disney passion was the best of all. The only disappointment to this day was that it had to come to an end!
However, I was looking forward to the next day. Golf was on the schedule and who doesn't love playing; especially at WDW. Something I'd never done before.
Next up....Golf at WDW with friends plus playing in the sand....Lunch with an Imagineer & DTD with a Trip to the new Animal Kingdom Villas..Well, sort of.
Posted 05 August 2007 - 12:42 PM
Posted 05 August 2007 - 03:03 PM
Glad to hear you got to meet Len. All joking aside, he's very fun to hang around with. And Steve Seifert is a lot of fun. It sounds like Tikifest was a pretty fun event. Hopefull next year I can stop by.
Posted 06 August 2007 - 08:09 PM
The alarm went off at 5:45AM as planned. I was pretty excited to get the day started even though it was our last full day at the World. I got dressed and ready for golf and headed down to the Concierge lounge for a cup of coffee.
Our meeting place was the valet station at the front of the Polynesian. When I got there Sean was already present. Steve was not too far behind. The light was just starting to break and we were a little worried about Chris. Apparently, Chris had experienced a little too much of the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom was open until 3:00AM and Chris may have been around until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning.
Chris made it ! We jumped into a taxi (free transportation to the Disney golf courses from your resort) and were on our way to the Magnolia course. We entered the clubhouse and got checked-in. We proceeded out to the driving range where I noticed the moon and sun were both up. Pretty interesting! I'm a supersticious person so I thought maybe something funny might happen today.
The first thing that struck me as we headed to the first tee as how lucky I was to be playing a round of golf at Disney. To top it off I was out there with an Sean, Steve, and Chris. I knew the day would be terrific. Of course, the next thing that struck me was I forgot my camera. Nooo! I wanted to get some shots of the course and the gang hitting some golf shots . Oh well, Kim and Anna would get some shots later as they were headed back to Animal Kingdom. I tried to persuade them the night before that they should head to the Studios, but I couldn't get Kim to agree. Oh well, it was her choice.
So we are on the first hole tee box and I think I'm ready to hit. My first shot was down the middle, perfect. My second shot goes a little too far and trickles into the sand trap in the back of the green. Well...This is where it gets funny. My ball was underneath the lip of the sand trap. It took me about 6 shots to finally get my ball out of the sand trap and on the green. I was about to ask Steve for a pale and shovel as I thought making a sand castle would have been a good idea at the time. We played through our round with a few breakfast drinks in between Before you ask, I choose not to publish my score. I really had a great time golfing. The Magnolia course is spectacular and in incredible shape. Any of you considering golf on your next Disney trip should definately do it.
After our round we headed back to the Polynesian. We had a 2:00PM ADR at Kona Cafe and Sean and Steve were going to dine with us as part of the Lunch with an Imagineer.
While we were golfing Kim and Anna had fun with the camera at Animal Kingdom.
Kim and Anna came back from the Animal Kingdom around 1:00PM. We got changed and ready for our ADR at Kona. We met Steve and Sean at the entrance to Kona and were seated promptly. We really enjoyed our conversation with Sean and Steve. We learned a lot more about them and Disney Imagineering. We even got some insider information about certain attractions under refurbishment. Don't ask, because I'm not telling. By the way, the food was very good as usual. Kona is a great Disney restaurant and I've never had a bad meal there. I had the Island Chicken Sandwich, Kim had the same. Anna had the Kids Mac N' Cheese with fries and a Kona Cone for dessert.
I really enjoyed everything about this meal. We really enjoyed getting to know more about Steve and Sean and dining with my family. I mean...What could be better than this. Unfortunately, lunch had to come to an end, but it is somthing we will always remember.
We said our goodbyes and figured we would see each other around the resort before we left on Tuesday.
We headed back to the room picked up a few thing and headed to Downtown Disney. We picked up a few souveniers for family and friends back home and a few things for Anna at The World of Disney and Team Disney. I really like Team Disney. I prefer the merchandise in this store over The World of Disney. While we were there I wanted to head over to Saratoga Springs Preview Center to check out the new Animal Kingdom Villas Studio and 1 bedroom models. We already owned points at AKV and wanted to see the accomodations up close.
We went to the boat dock and took the boat transportation to SSR. We walked to the preview center and spoke with Tim before entering the models. DVC members can view the models between 5 - 7PM daily. We walked through the models and I have to tell you they are very spacious. I had heard they were spacious but pictures really don't them justice. There is a lot of detail in the tile and woodwork.
The DVC guide we spoke with in the models said AKV will have the second largest room accomodations of all the DVC resorts. Old Key West's are the largest.
AFter our tour of the AKV model villas we headed back to the boat dock for our trip back to DTD. We stopped in the Art of Disney just to browse and decided it was time to leave. We jumped into our car and headed back to the Polynesian.
We arrived back at the Polynesian at 7:00PM. Just enough time to grab a bite or two of the California Roll that was out as part of the Concierge offerings. Kim and Anna headed to the pool for a swim. I went out to join them but did not swim. I sat at a lounge chair and just enjoyed the atmosphere. I saw that Anna was playing with Steve in the pool. Steve & Sean's families were at the pool as well. At 9:00PM we headed for the Polynesian boat dock to watch the Electrical Water Parade. We watched the show and headed back to the Polynesian beach to get our spot for Wishes. Anna had other ideas as she and a few friends she made decided it would be more fun to build a sand castle. The sand castle turned into a giant pile instead. The kids enjoyed making a pile more than a castle. I guess the castle on the other side of the Seven Seas Lagoon was enough for them.
After Wishes we hung around the beach a little more and went to the lounge for a drink and to relax. We reflected on our day and week at Disney and enjoyed just relaxing and sitting together while watching the castle change colors. Another end to another magical day. Tomorrow was our check-out day, but our flight wasn't departing until 5:05PM. I knew we had enough time to squeeze in a little more Disney magic before we departed.
Up Next - A quick Magic Kingdom Trip, our departure, & a reflection of the week.
Posted 07 August 2007 - 09:11 AM
We better see you and your wife at the next Tikifest!!! We missed you, Mike and Mike. We have a good photo of Len doing the Hula!!!
Posted 07 August 2007 - 12:45 PM
I will be there next year Steve since I'll be living down there, I figure I can stop by. Len has had great things to say about Tikifest so I'm definitely going next year.
Posted 07 August 2007 - 01:08 PM
I thought I heard you say on Sunday's live show that you were heading to the World tomorrow (Wednesday).
Have a great trip! Let us know if you go drinking around the World Showcase! I want to know if you make it.


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The End of William Higgins Newsletter


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US capture of fugitives subject of international alert praised by INTERPOL
LYON, France – The arrest by US law enforcement authorities of an escaped convict and of his alleged accomplice who were the subject of an INTERPOL Orange Notice international alert has been praised by the world police body.
The fugitive couple, 45-year-old John McCluskey, and Casslyn Welch, aged 44, who have been captured in Arizona, were the subject of an Orange Notice issued at the request of INTERPOL's National Central Bureau (NCB) in Washington. Authorities had been searching for the couple since McCluskey escaped from Arizona State Prison on 30 July with two other inmates who were later re-captured. Welch is suspected of acting as an accomplice in the jailbreak.
The Orange Notice was circulated by INTERPOL's Command and Co-ordination Centre (CCC) at its General Secretariat in Lyon to all relevant national and migration authorities to assist in the location and arrest of the fugitives, based on identifying information such as photographs and tattoos provided by NCB Washington.
INTERPOL's Executive Director of Police Services, Jean-Michel Louboutin, congratulated the US authorities following the arrest of McCluskey and Welch. He added that NCB Washington's request for the Orange Notice had ensured that authorities and the wider public in the region and internationally had been alerted as to the threat posed by the fugitives.
An INTERPOL Orange Notice can be issued by its General Secretariat for any act or event which poses a risk to public safety and security around the world.


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Typing this from 91 north as we drive to southwestern new hampshire for a week with the in-laws. Any good quilt shops in: western ma, brattleboro, vt or keene, nh? Or exeter nh?
What abt good second hand stores?
And no I am not texting and driving at the same time.


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Bob Kieckhefer
Bob Kieckhefer is a correspondent for The Blood-Horse, sister magazine to The Horse.
Articles by Bob Kieckhefer
HKJC Official Urges Worldwide Steroid Ban
April 29, 2013
One official urged racing authorities to consider banning the use of anabolic steroids for horses in training. Read More
Arlington Park 'Super Testing' Leads to Positives
September 11, 2012
Twenty-six prednisone positives were identified during "super testing" earlier this year. Read More
Illinois Impeachment Trial Includes Racing Link
January 28, 2009
The long-hinted horse racing connection to embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged misdeeds finally became public Tuesday at the governor's impeachment trial in the Illinois Senate.
Tape recorded conversations between the governor, his Read More
Study Inconclusive on Arlington Fatal Injuries
July 13, 2006
Add the Illinois Racing Board to the list of those who have little idea what has caused the recent spate of fatal injuries to horses at Arlington Park Racecourse.Read More


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