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|Archer's latest episode recaptures the most exciting part of Skyfall: the scenes where they filled out paperwork.
Every Wednesday in "5-Piece Cartoon Dinner," I dine on five of the week's most noteworthy animated shows. The episodes are reviewed in the order of when they first aired.
After Archer's entertaining crossover with Bob's Burgers, the FX cartoon sort of crosses over with another show I love, FX's Justified, by borrowing its star (Timothy Olyphant) and one of its staff writers (Chris Provenzano) for "The Wind Cries Mary." Olyphant, whose comedic chops on Justified are frequently overlooked (even at the A.V. Club, of all places), blends in quite well with the twisted Archer universe while voicing eternal frat-boy Lucas Troy, Archer's previously unmentioned best friend and an operative from ISIS' rival agency ODIN who may not be as trustworthy--or as straight--as Archer deems him to be.
I love it when a show suddenly introduces some important buddy from the main character's past who's never been brought up by the lead before, and then after one episode or, in the case of Steve Buscemi's Tony Blundetto on The Sopranos, an entire season, we never see his ass again. The original Star Trek did it all the time, Jim Rockford would be frequently visited by war buddies we'd never hear from again (and not even on that answering machine of his), that beloved teammate of Sam Malone's who came out of the closet in a tell-all book he promoted at Cheers never dropped by the bar again for another beer and so on. I wish "The Wind Cries Mary" would have poked a little more fun at this old trope of the previously unmentioned BFF, besides making this bestie turn out to be gay for Archer (and no one else). But as usual on Archer, there are so many killer lines from cold open to finish (and also, welcome back, workplace humor that's been absent for a couple of episodes) that whatever gripes I have about the episode end up--like "the life that lived" in the Jimi Hendrix tune this episode cops its title from--dead.
Stray observations:
* Ringtone gags in sitcoms always suck, but somehow, only Archer manages to make them work. Archer's choice of "Danger Zone" as his ringtone is as predictable as his frequently ridiculed choice of sidearm.
* I enjoyed this line Archer utters to himself because I once considered enrolling in the two-year Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont and then Googled small-town Vermont and thought, nah, that hood's not for me: "Vermont has liquor stores, right? Yeah, they have to. It sucks there."
* Pam: "So why are these damn peer reviews so hard?! Only like 10 people work in this whole goddamn chickenshit outfit!" That'd be dope if Pam punctuated one or two other lines this season with mic drops, using the same battered-looking mic she dropped at the end of that "chickenshit outfit" line.
* Archer: "There's, uh, there's kind of a lot of blood down there." A dying Lucas: "Said your mom."
* Lucas: "I only did it because I wanted us to be together. Forever." Lana, off-screen: "Called it!" Off-screen, two-to-three-word asides about someone's sex life have been a favorite comedic device of mine ever since NewsRadio once built a great running gag out of Catherine thinking Lisa was trying to seduce Dave for new office supplies, so she continually goaded Lisa on to shake her stuff for Dave.
* Whoever drew Lana's expression during the episode-closing awkward ride home after Luke's half-finished deathbed confession deserves some sort of nod for Outstanding Achievement in Animating Appalled Expressions.
"My god... My 11 year-old daughter watched it when it first came on, on Saturday... Her face was all blotchy with pink/red spots, indicative that she had been crying."
"oh my god. HOW THE FUCK IS THAT EPISODE OKAY?! NEWS FLASH, IT'S SOOOOO NOT!"
"and this is when i lost every last bit of emotional control i never had."
Are girls on Tumblr really that upset about Aya's demise at the hands of the Anti-Monitor, a machine gone mad, in Green Lantern: The Animated Series' "Loss" episode? Those are just some of the Tumblr reactions to the conclusion of "Loss" that I scrolled through during a Tumblr search for "green lantern: the animated series" (after I first caught "Loss" when Cartoon Network repeated the episode), just to see how Tumblr overreacted the previous morning.
That's how young much of Green Lantern's audience is. Their lower-case-letter-averse reactions are both adorable and, unless they're that 11-year-old girl, snicker-worthy. They haven't watched enough TV to be aware that when a beloved robotic main character is killed off to shock the audience, the AI doesn't stay dead (okay, Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Offspring" episode did kill off an android we grew to care about, but Data's daughter wasn't part of the TNG series cast). That type of temporary shake-up of the status quo before it's maintained again happened as recently as Sym-Bionic Titan, which killed off Octus towards the end of its run, only to bring him back just in time to reunite with Lance and Princess Ilana to save Earth for the finale.
In "Loss," Aya sacrifices herself to protect Razer, the self-hating, reformed Red Lantern she's fallen in love with while somehow gradually developing emotions, like when she shed a tear after the Red Lanterns reprogrammed her to betray the Guardians last season or when she attempted to hold Razer's hand in "Prisoner of Sinestro" and he refused to reciprocate. But Aya's emotions haven't fully developed to the point where she'd always be capable of expressing them to Razer (props to GL:TAS showrunner Giancarlo Volpe, by the way, for not having Aya say, "What is 'kiss'?"), so she dies before she gets to kiss him. (Early on in "Loss," a no-longer-hesitant Razer finally makes his move and Aya almost does kiss him, but they're interrupted by an unaware Hal. Speaking of Hal, in the next episode, he's bound to react to Aya's death in nearly as angry a way as Razer will because unlike the reticent-until-recently Razer, Hal always treated Aya like a human being, ever since the very first episode, when he briefly flirted with her back when she existed only in faceless computer form to talk her into allowing him to pilot the Interceptor.)
|(Photo source: ahlistenalison)
Some of the impact of Aya's death scene is robbed by both the fact that there's no way a kids' show will allow its breakout character to remain dead for a while and the inevitability of Aya being rebooted and restored at some point later in this second and final season. But the scene remains a powerful moment, thanks to effective score music by series composer Frederik Wiedmann, "Loss" writer Michael F. Ryan's decision to make Razer's sorrow subdued and silent and the matter-of-fact way Jason Spisak has Razer say "No!" when Kilowog's grappling hook construct separates Razer from Aya's remains to rescue him from the Anti-Monitor. That matter-of-fact delivery is such a nice departure from either having Razer shake his fists at the stars and yell "Noooooooooo!" or having him quietly and slowly draw out the vowels of "No" in an unintentionally funny, Keanu-esque way, which wrecked an otherwise well-played dramatic scene for Kevin Conroy when Batman glimpsed the grisly off-screen aftermath of the explosion that took away half of Harvey Dent's face and most of his dwindling sanity on GL:TAS producer Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated Series.
Other than the tragedy-tinged scenes centering on Aya and Razer (who, at the start of the episode, makes a return visit to the home he once shared with his murdered wife Ilana and seems to have finally gotten over Aya assuming Ilana's form, which must have creeped him out for so long), "Loss" is far from somber, due to Hal's cop movie-style defiance of the Guardians' uptight Science Director (Sarah Douglas from Superman II) and the mostly comedic re-appearance of the supercilious (and for a way-too-long amount of time in this episode, naked) Zilius Zox (Tom Kenny). Now the Red Lanterns' Prime Magistrate, the Reince Priebus-y dickweed returns to Guardian space to make the Green Lanterns' lives difficult again, but this time, diplomacy-wise. The largely business-as-usual tone of "Loss" doesn't prepare us for the sacrifice that takes place at the end, which makes the shock of Aya's death that much more effective, because in intergalactic war, just like in life, nobody's promised tomorrow.
"Broadcast Wagstaff School News" contains Gene's greatest moment to date as an unhinged Belcher on Bob's Burgers, and it's not even the A-story. Linda's observation that Gene resembles Bob when he was a boy sparks Gene to transform himself into Bob, with the help of a fake mustache, a pair of scissors handled by Louise and clumps of his own shorn hair Louise glues onto his neck and arms ("I don't know how I got that arm hair to look so sad, but I did it!").
The other Belchers' first encounter with travel-size Bob in the bathroom is the funniest rapid-fire exchange this series has ever done. Bob gets creeped out by Gene's extreme makeover; Linda plays along with Gene when he calls her "Lin," which especially makes Bob flustered (while he speaks for most of the sequence in that low-energy delivery of his that distinguishes him from the more excitable "Animation Domination" dads on Fox); Tina becomes confused by the two Bobs; and Gene copies everything Bob says, which sends a now-shouty Bob past the breaking point and this sequence into a series high point.
The hilarity of the two Bobs easily makes the B-story funnier than the A-story--Tina takes up investigative journalism and follows the poopy trail of an excrement-planting prankster known as "the Mad Pooper"--although the A-story is far from a turd, especially with a guest cast that includes Will Forte and Jenny Slate (reprising her entertaining role as Tina's frenemy Tammy from "Bad Tina") and trenchant jabs at vapid journalism in the age of TMZ. The episode beautifully intertwines the A-story with mini-Bob, like when Tammy pitches a story to Forte's Mr. Grant about "a 45-year-old fourth-grader with a mustache walking around school."
|(Photo source: Bob's Burgers Wiki)
Tina, Gene and Louise are such enjoyable characters because they talk like real kids and less like precocious stand-ins or Mary Sues for their adult creators, so you don't often see them name-drop celebrities or movies that the writers grew up on and Tina, Gene and Louise are too young to be familiar with. But in "Broadcast Wagstaff School News," Tina cites the Holly Hunter character in Broadcast News as her journalistic role model (whereas I didn't see Broadcast News until I was 30, and that was just a few years ago), while Gene compares tween Bob to Judd Nelson and Louise nicknames Tina "Cronkite."
Now Tina's awareness of Broadcast News can be rationalized as being part of her weird pop-cultural tastes, as exemplified by her hobby of writing porny fanfics like "Erotic Law & Order," "Erotic Good Wife" and "Sexy 60 Minutes." But as for Gene's awareness of Judd Nelson and Louise's knowledge of a deceased anchorman who retired from anchoring when Bob was in high school, I was initially put off by those lines, but who cares? They're amusing lines anyway.
Stray observations:
* Gene's impersonation of Bob makes the similarities between H. Jon Benjamin and Eugene Mirman's voices much more noticeable. Occasionally during "Broadcast Wagstaff School News," even I became confused like Tina and started to think Benjamin was voicing travel-size Bob.
* I love the funky, early '70s Motown-ish "Mad Pooper! Eww!" score cue series creator Loren Bouchard and composer John Dylan Keith wrote for the Mad Pooper montage. A lot of TV composers like to rip off David Holmes, but Bouchard and Keith are the first to come up with a cross between Holmes and Sam Cooke's 1960 hit "Chain Gang."
* I just remembered that Laura Silverman's first big role was in animation, as the voice of Laura, Dr. Katz's April Ludgate-ish receptionist on Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, which was where Bouchard also got his start. (Dr. Katz deserves to be remastered and un-Squiggled.) In "Broadcast Wagstaff School News" and other Wagstaff School-related episodes of Bob's Burgers, Silverman voices Andy, while her more famous sister Sarah plays Andy's twin brother Ollie.
* Here's more proof that Louise will grow up to be an action movie director: her ease with operating the camcorder while recording Tina for her first investigative video about the Mad Pooper, although Louise isn't quite Kathryn Bigelow yet and has a lot to learn about the pause button ("And we're clear. I lied. We're not clear. Okay, now we're clear! I'll just edit that part out.").
* Thanks to the Charlie Rose-ish "Tina Table" segment that Tina earns on Wagstaff's student news channel after her big Mad Pooper scoop, I now can't watch Charlie Rose without thinking that the reason for Rose's all-black set could be because he's actually making Tina's mistake of wearing a green blazer in front of a green screen.
* "Me. Tina. Are. Mad. Pooper."
|(Photo source: Bob's Burger of the Day)
Tron: Uprising, which recently dropped a score album by series composer Joseph Trapanese that contains cues that can now be heard on A Fistful of Soundtracks, has been a good example of how to improve upon a sci-fi action franchise that's a corker in the visuals department but is hardly as stimulating narrative-wise. In 19 episodes, we learned more about the title character--now mentoring a freedom fighter named Beck, a reference to the Cyrus-Beck algorithm, not the Scientologist singer/songwriter--and what makes him tick than we did in two feature films where he looked like a guest star in his own films (much like pre-Christopher Nolan Batman on the big screen). This animated prequel to Tron: Legacy hasn't always been perfect--for a while, I cared more about Paige, one of Beck's antagonists, and her feud with another of Beck's antagonists, Pavel, than I did about Beck--but the Tron: Uprising crew seemed to have heeded the criticisms about the writing in the two films, so they've surrounded the lightbike chases and disc fu action with involving and mature stories about such popular Disney XD topics as post-traumatic stress and ethnic cleansing.
And now, it's over. Like I've said before, Tron: Uprising didn't belong on Disney XD, and it would have found a bigger audience and not be trapped in the strange limbo it's currently mired in had Disney aired it on a special Touchstone Pictures-style channel for viewers who have outgrown Phineas and Ferb or Dog with a Blog (Beth Littleford, why?) and are ready to move on to Stakeout and a pre-Revenge Madeleine Stowe stepping butt-nekkid out of a shower.
"Terminal," the Tron: Uprising series finale, annoyingly ends on a cliffhanger (Clu and Dyson prepare to snatch Argon City from Tesler), but otherwise, it satisfies in the action department (aerial dogfights galore) and reaches a high point in the titular uprising. Tired of relying on the Renegade (and currently unsure of the innocence of the freedom fighter/murder suspect, who's too busy trying to save a dying Tron's life and defeat a repurposed and now-evil Cutler), Mara, Zed (the only mechanic who believes the Renegade's innocent) and the rest of the garage take matters into their own hands and stand up to Pavel when he threatens them again.
In a moment we've been waiting to see all season, each mechanic powers up his or her lightdisc one by one, and Pavel retreats. Unfortunately, the mechanics don't get to lift a finger against Pavel and his guards. And they'll never get to now that a second season is becoming less likely.
"Blood Crieth Unto Heaven," American Dad's August: Osage County-inspired experiment with presenting a story about Stan's issues with his divorced parents Jack (Daran Norris) and Betty (Swoosie Kurtz) as a non-musical stage play set during the Depression, is more clever and amusing than laugh-out-loud funny. That's mostly due to the series' typically rapid-fire pacing being muted to fully commit to both the melodramatic genre it's gently parodying and the episode's experiment of recapturing certain aspects of the experience of watching a play with a theater audience, particularly the slightly lengthy scene transitions that stage productions do in order to accommodate the set changes the techies have to make behind the actors (a techie even appears during the episode to quickly sweep away fake trash, but he's unlit, of course).
But the slightly slowed-down pacing is more often a plus than a minus, and if it weren't for that slowed-down pacing, the episode would be missing nice touches like the hydraulic grinding sound the stage makes as it's being raised to unveil scenes that take place in the Smiths' basement (one particular theatrical touch I chuckled over was Stan briefly wheezing from having to hurry back from a flashback to a present-day scene on the other side of the stage). The immersive feel of "Blood Crieth Unto Heaven" makes it a great episode to watch with headphones on. The show's sound designers deserve an Emmy nomination for nailing theatrical sounds like the stage hydraulics and reverbing the Smiths to sound like actors performing within a large theater. Gasps of "Oh God!" can even be heard from an audience member or two during the episode's grimmest plot twist (somewhere, the Avery/Hayley/Roger-as-a-black-maid love triangle must be giving one of Shonda Rhimes' staff writers storyline ideas for Scandal).
Now how does the non-canonical "Blood Crieth Unto Heaven"--written by Brian Boyle and referred to in the episode's live-action intros as an American Dad fanfic scripted by a coked-up playwright and possible sex offender before he croaked--hold up as a story without the theatrical devices? Pretty quite well actually, although on-screen host Patrick Stewart, a.k.a. Avery, would disagree (during his hosting segments, he openly admits that he's confused over whether to view the play as a comedy or tragedy and is later caught napping in his seat). Stan and Avery's lurid pasts would make for satisfying stage dramas if they weren't suffused with buttered crab binges and sex with clowns.


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While it is true that a timeshare contract is a binding legal document, it is often mistakenly thought that such a contract cannot only be cancelled. In fact, most timeshare companies maintain that their contracts are non – cancellable. This misconception is perpetuated by timeshare companies and user groups that are funded, maintained and controlled by the timeshare industry.
The FHA 203k loan program provides home buyers the opportunity to buy and fix up a property, without exhausting their personal savings.
(TheNicheReport) -- An intriguing plan by Mortgage Resolution Partners, a California private investment and finance firm, seeks to reduce the massive amount of residential mortgage that has become a major obstacle to the American economic. The plan involves eminent domain, a doctrine that would empower county government officials to take private property for the public good. This means that borrowers who are underwater on their mortgages could see county officials taking forceful, yet legal, possession of their properties and mortgages before giving them back with reduced mortgage principals.
The radical idea described above is actually being considered by officials San Bernardino County in California, as well as by the municipalities of Fontana and Ontario. San Bernardino is the largest county of California's Inland Empire, an important economic region of the Golden State that has seen better times. Some of the cheapest real estate in California is located in the Inland Empire, and a lot of it currently consists of homes distressed by defaults, foreclosures and upside-down mortgages.
What Mortgage Resolution Partners intends to do is first raise enough capital to be able to purchase underwater home loans at fair prices. Since mortgage lenders are not likely to accept offers that are lower than the principal amounts owed, the California investment firm would need a court order issued on the basis of eminent domain. This means that the city, county or state would file a lawsuit to take the property from the lender at reasonable value.
A Far-Fetched Plan
This controversial proposal has elicited polarizing opinions in the media. Some financial analysts claim that the idea seems far-fetched and unfair to investors who purchased mortgage-backed securities, but the firm is pushing forward and speaking to public officials in other states as well. In the State of New York, Suffolk County is considering the plan.
Ever since the American real estate market began its dramatic downturn back in 2007, stakeholders from public officials to mortgage investors, and from lenders to homeowners, have been trying to figure out a way to ameliorate the nettlesome backlog of distressed mortgages that does not seem to go away. The solutions attempted so far include government initiatives like the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), short sales, mortgage principal write downs, and even speeding up foreclosures. The proposed eminent domain solution is the most radical thus far.
Mortgage Resolution Partners seeks to profit from every underwater mortgage bought and sold through eminent domain. Should they succeed with this endeavor, they will have plenty of opportunities for profit: It is estimated that more than 20 percent of all mortgages in the U.S. are underwater.
How is this so radical? Investors lose 30-40% of current FMV in a foreclosure or 15-20% in a short sale. Remember Hope for Homeowners? That 2008 Federal program was supposed to help 400,000 owners via short refis. Anyone know anyone who got an H4H short refi.What is maddening is that investors lose less money via everything over foreclosure (absent insurance or indeminification). So this proposal should net lenders/investors more than foreclosure also.

subset: commoncrawl


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Zac Efron Is Now The Hottest Bachelor In Town! Who Should He Date Next? Vote!
Zanessa fans weeped when the darling twosome split, while we just started thinking about his next girlfriend! Check out who we've got lined up!
Zac Efron is sexy, smart, successful…and now single! A guy like this never stays on the market for long, so we anticipate someone snatching him up very soon. And after a five year relationship with the beautiful Vanessa Hudgens, we have some ideas for Zac's next lucky lady…
The fact that Zac was committed to Vanessa for so long plus the rumors that his strip club visit was full of lap dances from VHudge lookalikes, we can't help but think that sweet, sexy, brunette beauties are right up his alley. With that in mind, we present our list of babes Zac should hook up with next:
Selena Gomez: She's in the Disney family, so getting together should be a snap. The 18-year-old starlet has the big doe eyes and the long brown hair — put that together with a darling smile and you've got VHudges part two!
Nina Dobrev: Another gorgeous and petite brunette, however, the smoking hot Vampire Diaries star oozes sex appeal. Vanessa certainly upped the sexy factor during her turn as Mimi the stripper in RENT, so another smoldering actress could be just perfect for Zac.
Victoria Justice: Yes, we know she's only 17, so note this as "possible girlfriend in a couple months." She's precisely what Zac looks for in a girl, and her career is steadily becoming red-hot. Pairing up with Zefron would definitely shoot her above and beyond fame-wise, but what's in it for him? Another hot singer/actress to make out with? Fair enough!
Taylor Swift: Ok, the newly 21-year-old country star is the exact opposite of the other ladies, but that's why we think Zac and Taylor could work! They looked so adorable together at the Australian premiere of 17 Again, and the amount of star power together could be explosive in a good way. Although, Zac might be self-conscious about the height difference. And then there's the pesky issue of Taylor currently being involved with the very hot Jake Gyllenhaal.


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So it's 2010. Here in South Africa, it's an important year for all of us as we host the Fifa World Cup. The cynics amongst us think it will be a disaster whilst the optimists are buying tickets so they can say "We were there!"
Having been to Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final amongst other events, I've been there and they are memories to cherish. It sets one apart to be experience a huge and rare occurrence. So I'm buying my ticket - are you?
But those are details for mid year. This year started with Fat Boy camping. Instead of monumental hiking with large packs for days on the top of the Drakensberg escarpment, we opted to take the large tent, the gazebo, the camping chairs, the cooler boxes, lots of G&T and blow up mattresses. Luxuries indeed. Injasuti is a stunning location at the base of some challenging passes but we were there to admire from the base and stretch our legs on leisurely walks.
Now you would think that such a location brings peace and quiet into one's soul and it is a god given opportunity to reflect on the year that's been and to anticipate the next. Damn the raucous students who partied until all hours. I'm surprised their car tires didn't rupture and their tents collapse under the strength of the negative vibes from every one else in the camp.
At least the morning was quiet as they slept off their hangovers and I know I wasn't the only one looking daggers at them when they staggered around the next day. Most of them left that day leaving us with space and quiet with which to contemplate some serious mountains.
On the last day, I summoned some energy to do a trail run with my as yet, untried trail shoes. The Myth and I decided to do a 6,5k run/hike to the top of the closest ridge. Off we went and it felt good. Climbing up a short mound, we came across a majestic eland which sauntered off as we approached. Turning right at the junction, we came around a corner and there was a herd of about 50 of the beasts. Magnificent.
A crawl up a steep ravine through a beautiful indigenous forest brought us to the summit welcomed by the call of a red chested cuckoo (or "piet my vrou" in local lingo). A quick jog down, pack up of tent and a final swim in the Injasuti River ended a very relaxed welcome to the new year.
I think I might find some mojo in trail running. We shall see.


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Lily's story was featured @hashtagrescue on Instagram/YouTube. So proud of our our Lily. We are definitely proud advocates of pet rescuing.
A Thousand Years piano cover by Jade
Like most you who are viewing this blog post, I also love this song. I requested my daughter to learn this song so I can enjoy listening to her daily practice. I remember well the night she recorded this video. Thank you Jade! You always touch my soul when you play piano.
Pork Binagoongan (fermented shrimp paste stewed pork)
This is Jade's 2nd favorite Filipino dish. I cooked this batch because she requested me to make it for dinner.
Just like the salty and fermented Korean Kimchi, the Filipino shrimp paste is a perfect match with pork.
This recipe is very flavorful and is best eaten with steamed white rice.
Here's how I made it:
Boil 1 1/2-2 lbs. of pork shoulder (cut into small serving pieces) in a deep pot with 4 cups water, 4 pcs. of bay leaf, 1 medium onion, sliced and ground black pepper. Make sure to skim the broth to keep it clear and clean. Once boiling, cover the pot and simmer the pork for 25 minutes until it is tender.
Uncover the pot and continue to boil until the stock evaporates. We don't want a lot of stock on this recipe. When we see just enough broth, add in your favorite Filipino sautéed shrimp paste about 1/2 cup or more (depending on your taste), some sugar and 3 diced tomatoes. Continue to simmer. Add some green chili and a few tablespoons of coconut cream. When chili is cooked, it is done!
Another variety for this is adding sliced eggplants into the recipe. It's like Thai curry without the curry 😊 but instead, it's Bagoong (shrimp paste).
I hope you try this recipe. By the way, you can buy Filipino fermented shrimp pastes at a lot of Asian stores. You need to use the cooked/sautéed shrimp paste, not the raw (bright pink) kind.
Milk fish (Bangus) Pancake
I originally learned this recipe from a Korean recipe called Chamchijeon (Canned Tuna pancake) but instead of using canned tuna, I used leftover fried milkfish from the previous nights' dinner.
The make this, here are the ingredients:
1 cup flaked and deboned fried milk fish
1 medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 tbsp. regular flour
Sesame oil
Salt & pepper
Mix together all the ingredients. Add more flour depending on the consistency you get. Mix the batter well. Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil. Pan fry 1 heaping tablespoon of the pancake batter, 2 minutes per side. Serve warm with rice.
I cook this mostly for my family's lunchbox. Easy recipe specially if you use canned tuna.
Enjoy cooking as much as I do!
Pineapple Glazed Ham
For Christmas Eve 2016, I attempted to make my first ever Filipino Style pineapple glazed ham. I found a good small portion ham in Costco, probably about 2 pounds and I bought it for only $10. I scoured the internet for classic Filipino style recipes and found Skiptomalou.net
I liked her recipe so I followed her step by step instructions on how to marinade my pre-cooked ham in pineapple juice, sprite, beer and some bay leaf. After simmering for 30 minutes, I let the ham soak into the marinade overnight. The next day, I removed the ham and cooked the leftover marinade to reduce for glazing. I added sugar, some salt and a tablespoon of butter. When it was all reduced to about one cup, I prepped my ham by rubbing it with brown sugar then I brushed some of the glaze, I arranged some pineapple slices on the the ham using cloves to put them in place and baked the ham for 30 minutes in a 350 deg. Fahrenheit pre-heated oven.
It turned out so good that my family and some after Christmas visitors really liked it. Perfect with the Filipino quezo de bola and some hot pandesal.
For New Year's Eve, I made another one but this time I did not put pineapple slices on the ham. After cooking, I sliced the ham thinly and put it in the refrigerator. My family enjoyed preparing their ham sandwiches using my homemade pineapple glazed ham slices.
This is not just a Holiday ham. This recipe can be enjoyed anytime of the year, for any occasion even for daily school lunch box for the children.
Dog-friendly San Luis Obispo
I didn't want to be lazy and wanted to start my year right that's why I am posting my first blog post for the year.
Because we didn't have international travel plans for the Christmas Holidays of 2016, we thought it would be fun to have a spontaneous trip out of town with our adopted dog, Lily. We adopted Lily from Irvine Animal Shelter back in April 29, 2016. Since then, she has changed our family 360 degrees.
It's about a 4-5 hour drive from our home to San Luis Obispo. I researched online and found out that SLO is truly a pet-friendly tourist destination. This is our second time in SLO, Morro Bay was our first destination back in Spring Break of 2015.
This was Lily's first family vacation. As a 3rd -chance adopted dog, I think Lily is one lucky pet.
Les Misérables – Castle on a Cloud (Piano Cover)
Overnight Oats with RED BEANS (adzuki)
I am betting that there are a lot of overnight oat recipes online. I actually learned to make this by watching YouTube videos of people sharing different ways to make overnight oats.
I was inspired to make this in order to serve a quick morning meal to our children while my husband and I enjoy drinking our coffee.
Both my children love oats (specially my 4-year-old), that is why I worked with an ingredient that they love to eat for breakfast. Since we do not really eat cereal at home because it's too sweet, this jarred overnight oats worked really well for us.
As you can see, the simple ingredients I used are Old Fashioned Oats, unsweetened almond milk, greek yogurt (flavored or plain), chia seeds and agave nectar.
Using a small mason jar, I just put around 3-4 tbsp. of oats, add in a little bit of almond milk around 1/4 cup, 1 tbsp. of chia seeds, and mix some greek yogurt of our choice. I cover the mason jar and shake it to saturate the oats with the goodness of the greek yogurt and milk, then place it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, each one of us mix in whatever extra ingredient we want such as honey or agave nectar or nothing sweet at all, some berries, nuts and fresh fruits but this blog is all about our new discovery. I bought sweetened red beans (japanese adzuki beans) from an Asian store and because it's already sweet, we just mix in a tablespoon or two with our overnight oats and it's heaven in a mason jar!!! You should try it!
If you love sweetened red beans like my daughter does, this is really a treat.
Break from cooking – Ballet Recital
This is a video of Mei's first ever Spring Gala with Pacific Ballet Conservatory back in June 2015. She's the little flower at the right end of the screen. Enjoy!


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Just for laughs, San Jose's Dylan Hart and a college friend posted a video on YouTube in 2007 about charging an iPod using an onion and a bottle of Gatorade. More than 9 million views later, that video -- uploaded at 5 a.m. after an all-night editing session -- marks the start of YouTube becoming Hart's meal ticket, the home of his popular "Household Hacker" videos that are often a cross between "Mr. Wizard" and "Jackass: The Movie." It's a winning formula: Household Hacker has more than 1.1 million subscribers to its channel on YouTube. It's also a winning formula for YouTube. Household Hacker is one of more than 20,000 YouTube "partners" -- the number doubled over the past year -- whose videos attract an audience large enough to generate significant advertising dollars. Although Household Hacker may sound like a more polished version of the amateur videos that made YouTube a cultural phenomenon, it and other YouTube stalwarts are also a key piece of Google's (GOOG) plans to transform the video platform it bought for $1.65 billion in 2006 from a money pit into a cash cow, making it into more of an entertainment destination like a TV network. "We're very excited in terms of the growth and the talent that's emerging," said Tom Pickett, director of content operations at YouTube. "In the Advertisement U.S., in the last year or two, we started hitting thresholds where people started making serious money, and that has caused a lot more attention to be paid to a lot of our top partners." Fans of Household Hacker connect each week to see everything from magnets made from neodymium -- a rare earth element -- that defy gravity, to game reviews by Hart's co-founder, to hidden-camera pranks like the shampoo-bottle ketchup bomb, powered by the chemical reaction between vinegar and baking soda, Hart planted in his unsuspecting brother's shower stall. "We have a very high level production-wise, but we're not trying to be the Discovery Channel," said Hart, 28, who took the plunge into becoming a full-time YouTube producer after he got laid off from a job as a graphic designer for a large Silicon Valley company in 2009. Household Hacker is among hundreds of YouTube partners that receive more than $100,000 a year in ad revenue from YouTube, with the most popular personalities now cashing checks of more than $1 million a year, according to YouTube. Popular channels Fans can subscribe to their favorite YouTube channels, where they can exchange comments and watch the latest video. Channels like 2 million-subscriber Mystery Guitar Man, a musical performance artist whose identity is hidden by wraparound sunglasses, and fast-growing Canadian newcomer Epic Meal Time, which turns huge quantities of red meat into a comedy prop for 1.4 million subscribers, now feature ads for everything from Miracle Whip to iTunes to Nordstrom. Mystery Guitar Man, whose off-screen identity is Joe Penna, has even done commercials for Coke and McDonald's. YouTube's popularity leader is Ray William Johnson, who has 4.4 million subscribers and is among the top 10 most-followed people on the new Google+ social network. He produces a raunchy review of the week's top YouTube videos that couldn't run on TV, but his YouTube sponsors include oil giant ConocoPhillips and 5-hour Energy drinks. YouTube says top partners such as Mystery Guitar Man attract audiences of 250,000 to 500,000 individual viewers a day. That compares with 2010 Nielsen data that shows MTV with 979,000 daily prime time viewers, or the NFL Network's 258,000 viewers. By sharing ad revenue with independent partners -- many have evolved into small professional production companies of a dozen people or more -- YouTube helps boost content quality, which attracts more viewers, which in turn produces more ad revenue, said Jon Gibs, senior vice president of media analytics for the Nielsen Co. For most big advertising brands, YouTube remains a relatively small "experimental" part of their ad budget, he said. "The real advantage to YouTube is, by having this kind of content, they wash away a little of the image of consumer-generated content as being a low-quality video experience," Gibs said. YouTube's video viewers averaged 2 hours, 37 minutes per month on YouTube during June, according to Nielsen. That is a tiny fraction of the time people spend watching TV, but Gibs said the partner program reflects YouTube's efforts to transform itself into a TV-like entertainment destination. Equal to TV Nate Houghteling, of San Francisco-based Portal A Interactive, which works as a consultant to help companies get their videos to go viral on YouTube, as well as producing content for its own YouTube channel, believes audiences, particularly younger people, increasingly see YouTube as an entertainment option equal to TV. "Especially with the younger generation, this is their portal, this is their platform," Houghteling said. "We're only going to see more of that as people come of age." YouTube does not disclose its revenue split but says partners get more than half of gross ad revenue. The Google subsidiary does not release detailed partner numbers, but it says there are "thousands" who make more than $1,000 a month. "That's a point where you can make a living at this," Pickett said. "Clearly there are people out there that are making more than $1 million a year, and once you get to be a certain size on YouTube, you start to become a very powerful distribution point" for advertisers. Partners also can negotiate deals directly with sponsors, in which a personality might wear a T-shirt showing a brand or endorse a product within his or her video. Household Hacker's "Scientific Tuesday" video typically ends with Hart making an endorsement -- recent clients included Netflix (NFLX) and Carbonite, an online data backup service. Hart, whose videos typically pull in 300,000 to 500,000 views each week, is keenly aware of the intense competition for audience. YouTube features a thumbs-down button as well as a "Like" button, which provides instant audience feedback. When the weekly version of "Scientific Tuesdays" comes out, Hart and his 31-year-old brother Justin, who was recently hired to do everything from operate the camera to organize meetings with sponsors, are glued to the view count. They spend up to 100 hours a week brainstorming, researching, shooting and editing video, as well as working on sponsorships and responding to viewers. But to succeed on YouTube, they say it's critical to stay true to the site's do-it-yourself, rebel roots. Like many YouTube personalities, they won't share their full names -- insisting that they be identified by their first and middle names only. "We're just a couple of guys making videos. I think at some point, you can look too professional," Dylan Hart said. "We want to teach you something, but we don't want to bore you." Contact Mike Swift at 408-271-3648. Follow him at Twitter.com/swiftstories. NEW MEDIA CHAMPS Top partners on YouTube have millions of subscribers and draw audiences of up to 500,000 individual viewers per day. Ray William Johnson Subscribers: 4,593,905 Total views: 1,281,601,912 Household Hacker Subscribers: 1,162,222 Total Views: 141,468,002 via mercurynews.com
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
YouTube Becomes Entertainment Destination
Posted by Randy Hoffman at 11:41 AM
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Recently, I was fortunate enough to catch up with former Trenton Titans head coach Mike Haviland. Haviland won the Kelly Cup with Atlantic City in 2003 and with Trenton in 2005, and went on to join the Chicago Blackhawks organization shortly thereafter. He's made it all the way to being an assistant coach at the NHL level, and will have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup after Chicago won it all in June.
The Middletown, NJ native was gracious enough to give me more than ten minutes of his time via his cell phone earlier this week. Here's how the conversation went…
Mike Ashmore: Can you take me through what you had done in coaching before arriving in Trenton in 1999?
Mike Haviland: "I had coached three years as an assistant coach in college at my alma mater, Elmira College. And then, I'd coached four years of like a midget triple-A youth hockey team in New Jersey. And then I got the job with Trenton. That was my first professional job."
Ashmore: So how did you end up with the Titans?
Haviland: "Well, basically, one of the kids that I coached in the youth league — it's funny how the world goes around — his dad called me up. The kid had been out of the program for a year or two, and he said, 'I do work with the Berman family, and they're building a new rink and they're going to have a minor league hockey team.' He said maybe he could get me an interview, and I said, 'Yeah, I would love one.' So I went down and I interviewed with Brian McKenna and Jeff Berman, and they hired me in the first year before the building was even built basically as a scout and a consultant for hockey. I went around and scouted for them and did everything I could do and got the job as the assistant the following year."
Ashmore: You accomplished so much when you were in the ECHL, winning two Kelly Cups as a coach (Haviland is one of just four coaches with multiple Cup wins)…when you think about your time spent in that league, what are some of the fondest memories for you? And did you ever think your career would progress the way it has?
Haviland: "I was very fortunate, obviously. When I think back to the ECHL years, it was probably the best thing I could have done for my career, to understand the work ethic and the commitment and preparation that had to go in to being successful. You go 12 months a year with recruiting and you're involved with the contracts and housing and immigration. You wore a lot of different hats, and I think it really prepared you to when you get to the next levels and it becomes just coaching in the American League and the NHL, now you know how much preparation you need to be successful. I was very fortunate, I was with a great ownership with the Berman's in Trenton and went to Atlantic City and had a lot of success down there and then obviously got another chance to come back with Trenton. But the ECHL, I think it's an amazing league. I think they've come a long way. Did I ever think that I would get out this quick and move on? I think I was quite fortunate to win two out of three years, once in Atlantic City and then I took a year off and won it in Trenton. With two different teams, I think that really helped my cause. Along the way, there were a lot of guys that got called up, too. I would never let anybody stay down, I would never hold anybody back, and I think that got out, that I was a guy who liked to promote guys to the American League. I got to know a lot of the other GM's and coaches, but I think winning opened a lot of eyes, and I was fortunate enough to get out at the right time and get in with an unbelievable organization with the Blackhawks."
Ashmore: You mentioned Atlantic City, and the Devils recently announced that their AHL and ECHL teams will be playing a handful of games there this season. Is it nice for you to see that area getting hockey back, even if only for a couple games?
Haviland: "I think it would be awesome. They have a beautiful, beautiful building. It was supported somewhat down there. At times, we'd have five and six thousand people. It's one of the first-class buildings, I think; historical Boardwalk Hall. I think there's a lot of hockey people down in that area. I think it would be outstanding if they could get it back down there. I think the rivalry between Trenton and Atlantic City was something that I think that both sets of fans would certainly tell you it was so much fun to be a part of."
Ashmore: One of the players you coached with Trenton, Rick Kowalsky, did a nice job coaching the T-Devils for four seasons and was promoted to head coach at Albany for this season. I'm sure that had to make you proud…
Haviland: "Very proud. He certainly was a major, major part of us winning that Kelly Cup in Trenton. He was the captain of that team, and like I said, he played a major part. Rick and I built a very good relationship over the years, and I was fortunate enough that he took my offer to go to Norfolk in the American League as an assistant. He was ready, and he got his chance back in Trenton as a head coach and was coach of the year. He's done quite well for himself. I'm very, very happy for him and his family. To see him progress the way he's been progressing and for the Devils to promote from within, I think is outstanding, especially in this tough business that we're in. It's certainly well deserved, and I'm proud of him. I know he's going to do outstanding in the American League and he's got a bright future ahead of him."
Ashmore: Could you tell that he was going to go on to be a coach someday when you were both in Trenton?
Haviland: "Oh, yeah. He just understood the game so much. He had that quality of calming things down and understanding what buttons need to be pushed in the room, and he was a winner. The guy was a winner. He won in juniors, he won a Memorial Cup. He won at the East Coast level, the American League level; he won an awful lot. He understood that, but he understood the game and he understood how to communicate with people. That's the biggest thing for me, was his communication skills. You have to communicate with your players to get the best out of them, that's what coaches need to do, and I think Rick really understood that. He was the captain in a lot of places he was at, and like I said, I knew right away he would be very good at it for sure."
Ashmore: The Blackhawks had such a magical run last season…what was it like to be a part of that and have a hands-on role in winning Chicago a Stanley Cup?
Haviland: "It was outstanding, words can't really describe it. I think you dream of it as a little boy…your whole life to get your hands on that thing or being a part of something that special and that magical. That was a very, very young a team. A team that was very driven, very focused, very business-like. I think the year before, going to the conference finals and losing to Detroit really helped us and matured us. It was such a wonderful, magical ride. To see those guys progress — I certainly had a different perspective than a lot of people, I was fortunate enough to have had nine of those guys play for me in the American League for a couple years, so I got to see them progress from young men into these hockey players who won the Stanley Cup — and to do all that together in the same organization, it was even more special for me."
Ashmore: What was your perspective from the bench on Patrick Kane's game-winning goal? Did you know it went in right away, or were you holding your breath like the rest of us?
Haviland: "I've got to tell you…I actually jumped, because I thought it went in right away. From the angle I was at, it was obviously pretty far away, but I jumped and I turned to Quenneville and I said, 'It's in.' And he was like, 'Are you sure?' And when Kaner went by, I said, 'He knows.' Only guys that are at that level — when you're an elite player, and he certainly is — they know when they score. The whole time, I was adamant that it was in. Then, we were radio-ing back and forth with our video guy to make sure and eventually it was ruled in. It was a little anticlimactic, but I knew right away, at least I thought I knew. Then it kind of calmed down, but it was certainly still the same celebration no matter how it happened."
Ashmore: For your day with the Stanley Cup, you're bringing it to New Jersey…you could bring it anywhere, why bring it back home?
Haviland: "All my family is here, my kids, my mom and dad. I grew up in New Jersey, and a lot of my lifetime friends are all here. I grew up playing youth hockey here and it was rightfully so, this is where it belongs to come. If I'm fortunate enough to win maybe one or two more, then certainly I can move it around, but this one here is awful special. With all my family and friends here, this is certainly where it needed to be."
Mike Ashmore, mashmore98 AT gmail.com


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In a time such as this, stories of rebellion are stories of hope.
Last month, while my teenager and I were on a mini-vacation not far from home, I took him to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. (Don't worry, no spoilers here for those who haven't seen it yet!) This movie is set just before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, which means it portrays the Rebellion against the Empire. I couldn't help but see parallels to our own national story right now, as people are rising in opposition to a leader who seems determined to change the very nature of our nation.
And then, partway through the movie, I went to the restroom and found that someone had written "Hail Trump" on the wall of one of the stalls.
I went back to the movie, but after it ended, I took my purse (and more importantly, my pen) with me and went back into the same stall to make the edit you see here:
I am 45 years old and have never written anything in a bathroom stall until now. In that moment, though, I couldn't leave that message, "Hail Trump," unchallenged. It rang too many alarm bells for me.
In college, I studied Holocaust literature--but I don't believe I would have needed that background to spot the similarities between "Hail Trump" and "Heil Hitler." In fact, by the time I was in that movie theater, we had already seen post-election news stories like this one and this one, in which self-identified Neo-Nazis and white supremacists chanted "Hail Trump" and other similar phrases while performing the Nazi salute and celebrating the victory of their candidate, who never rejected their support.
So, in a moment of anger and frustration and fear, I changed "hail" to "resist."
I don't know whether the person who wrote the original words will ever see my change. That's not important to me. If someone other than me (perhaps someone who lives in the town we were visiting) found "Hail Trump" frightening, I wanted them to know that someone was resisting rather than celebrating the rise to power of a man who encouraged hate speech and violence against many categories of people, including women, immigrants, Muslims, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ folks, and people of color. I wanted to do something to counter the fear they might now have, wondering which of their neighbors wrote that in a movie theater restroom, and how many others agree with it.
Today, now that the President-Elect has been sworn in as President, I'm feeling many things, none of them particularly pleasant. The one with the upper hand right now, though, is the same desire that drove me to use my pen in that movie theater: the desire to say, "Not everyone thinks this way. Not all of us are okay with this. Together, we can resist."
We weren't successful in resisting his rise to power, but we can continue to resist hatred and bigotry, and the policies that will come from them. We can do more than write slogans or carry signs, though there's nothing wrong with doing those things. We can and should take bolder actions, including being in close contact with our elected officials to make sure they know our thoughts about legislation that either protects or undermines our democracy, upholds or removes freedoms, affirms or denies the rights of various categories of people. Those of us with privilege can use it not to build up our own security (financial or other) but to amplify the voices of those who too often go unheard, and thus ignored or worse, in our society. We can find ways to serve our society, caring for each other when systems of support for the most vulnerable are cut by the new administration, as they have promised will happen.
We can resist. We must resist.
I will resist.


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and please also visit the official Treating Doctors Well site for further information.
Here some of our stories here
The system still rivals that of pre-Industrial Revolution times. People working ridiculous hours past the point of exhaustion, risking their mental & physical health day after day. Aust. & NZ still bow to the British system of treating their Residents like whipping boys - shame on them. How can the highest quality decision-making & patient care be given by health professionals who are tired beyond the ridiculous. Sorry David about the rant - but I'm so on your side here.
Millie ^_^
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Looking to build and market a successful store with an e-commerce company? Or perhaps you represent a nonprofit with an e-commerce store that is trying to makes a difference in the world? Volusion might be the solution that answers your needs. In this article, we'll look into what you need to know to decide if Volusion is right for you and, if it is, how to set up a successful online store.
(By the way, you may also be interested in our beginner's guides to Shopify and Magento. You can subscribe to our newsletter to receive new monetization guides as we publish them.)
What You Can Sell on Volusion
More than 40,000 business owners from a range of industries have already used Volusion. Volusion's store showcase lists clients from the health, beauty, food, sports, outdoor, apparel, home, garden, auto, industrial, and electronics industries. An additional industry category, "hobby", includes stores that focus on pets, boats and wax writing accessories, among others.
Volusion Pricing
Volusion offers five pricing plans, plus an enterprise solution. All plans come with no transaction fees and include 24/7 online support, social media tools, automatic tax rates, a Facebook store, and a mobile store. However, plans vary by how many products you can sell as well as how much bandwidth and how many features you get.
Mini Plan vs. Bronze Plan vs. Silver Plan
- The Mini Plan offers everything detailed above, 1 GB bandwidth and the ability to sell up to 100 products. It costs $15 a month.
- The Bronze Plan adds to that. It lets you send newsletters and lets customers rate your products. (Ratings will appear in Google searches.) Plus, you'll be able to see which clients abandoned carts before making a payment and contact them to improve your revenue. The Bronze Plan gives you 2 GB bandwidth and the ability to sell 1,000 products. It costs $35 a month.
- The Silver Plan gives you everything the bronze plan does, plus the option to sell to customers via phone, and to import and export products and data to and from your store. In addition, you'll get a customer relations management (CRM) tool to gain insights about your customers and interact with them in a more efficient way. The Silver Plan gives you 5 GB bandwidth and the ability to sell 2,500 products. It costs $65 a month.
Gold Plan vs. Platinum Plan
- The Gold and Platinum plans offer the same features as the Silver Plan, plus more: they offer integration with eBay and Amazon, let you offer "deal of the day" promos and a customer loyalty program, allow you to add third-party applications or create your own, and batch order processing.
- In addition, both Gold and Platinum plans come with an account manager. The account manager will provide you with a preliminary coaching session and will stay on to support you with any Volusion-related challenge. You'll also be able to cut regular phone lines and get support faster.
- The Gold Plan gives you 25 GB bandwidth and the ability to sell 10,000 products. It costs $125 a month. The Platinum Plan costs $195 a month. It gives you 40 GB bandwidth and the ability to sell an unlimited line of products.
Mozu: Volusion's Solution for Enterprise Stores
Volusion offers an additional platform called Mozu, that's dedicated to offering e-commerce solutions at an enterprise scale. Mozu enables you to create and share extensive catalogs, supply multiple payment and shipping options, design your store to fit your brand, improve SEO, manage customer relations, and offer promotions. Since the enterprise solution is offered on its own website, the rest of this article will refer to Volusion's non-enterprise plans.
Setting Up Your Online Store
Volusion allows you to try part of their services for free for the first 14 days. You won't be able to sell products until you make a payment, yet you'll be able to get a feel for the platform. No credit card is required in order to open a demo store, and you'll be entitled to 24/7 support nonetheless.
Step 1: Enter Your Basic Details
To sign up for the free trial, you'll need to enter some basic information, including your name, email, and phone number. Save the welcome message you'll receive from Volusion, as it will include a link to your dashboard, also called here "your store administration page". Click the link in the message to arrive at your new Volusion storefront. Then, click the "Quick Start" button on the left bottom side of the page to get started.
Step 2: A Quick Start
Upon clicking the "Quick Start" button, you'll have the option to set up the basic elements of your store in one screen:
- Design: You'll be able to choose from nine featured templates or opt for the 10th option, which will take you to your full dashboard and expose you to 318 themes.
- Personalize: Add your store's name and logo.
- Add a product: Insert your product's name and price; then write a description. For a bigger impact, add an image. You can choose from 10 sample images, but it's best to upload an image of your real product. When customers visit online stores, they expect to see the actual products they'll be buying featured there. Click the green "create product" button, and the product will be added to your store. You can repeat the process here or move on to the more convenient dashboard.
Step 3: Welcome to Your Dashboard
The dashboard is your store administration platform. Here, you'll be able to view a graph of customers' orders from your store in the past week, month, and three months. You'll also be able to see what are the top 5 products, top 5 categories, and top trends in your store.
In addition, your dashboard gives you access to a range of actions you can take to set up and improve your store, including:
- Orders: Process orders and returns, and help customers shop via phone.
- Customers: View and manage administrators' access, customers' information, order history and product reviews.
- Inventory: Manage vendors, suppliers, warehouses, products and orders.
- Marketing: Enable sales on Facebook, eBay, and Amazon; link your Facebook and Twitter accounts to your store; create coupons and discounts; create rewards and gift certificates; optimize your store for search engines; build and manage an affiliate network; and give customers updates when popular products are back in stock.
- Design: Choose your template and logo, enable a mobile site, and manage content and product display settings.
- Reports: Create and edit reports, start promotional campaigns and track their ROI, view revenue generated from affiliates and discover which terms people search on your site.
- Settings: Add company information, choose shipping destinations, integrate with global shipping carriers, manage your taxes, set up customers' payment options, enable customers to see rates in their local currencies if you sell to more than one country, add fields customers need to fill when purchasing items, temporarily close your store for maintenance, and configure a variety of other options.
In the following sections, we'll take you though the most important steps to follow in order to get started with your Volusion store.
Step 4: View Your Store
Throughout the process of setting up your store, you'll be able to see a demo site by clicking the "storefront" button at the top right side of your dashboard. If you choose to start with the free trial, you'll see an orange button below it, offering you to activate your store. Clicking on that button will lead you to select one of the pricing plans covered above, so you can start selling.
However, if you're not ready to buy yet, you can still use the "storefront" button to see how your store will look like once it goes live.
Step 5: Design Your Store
We live in a visual world, so how your store looks like will have a big impact on whether customers stay long enough to do some shopping. Choose the "template" option under "design" in your dashboard to be taken to Volusion's full gallery of store themes.
Here, you'll be able to choose from 318 options. You can filter themes by color, category, industry, and price. Store themes range from free to $895 per theme.
Hover over one of them with your cursor and you'll be able to see a larger preview. Clicking on a thumbnail will lead you to a page with more information and a couple more thumbnails of this theme. Some theme previews offer a live demo for your convenience.
Once you choose a theme, click on "Get It". It will be saved in the "Saved Templates" category, available at the top of the page — right below the big "Templates" headline. Go to "Saved Templates" and click on the "activate" button next to your desired theme.
Step 6: Add a Logo
Branding your store is important. Choose the "Logos" option under "Design" from the top navigation bar to upload your logo's image. If you don't have a graphic yet, choose the text option and simply write your store's name.
You can add a logo text or image to your website store, mobile store, invoices clients receive, and even your favicon — that tiny image that appears to the left of your browser's address bar.
Step 7: Enable a Mobile Site
With so many people browsing online on their phones, enabling a mobile store is crucial if you don't want to lose large numbers of prospective customers. Volusion offers you the option to use their selected mobile theme, or edit the code to fit your needs. You can find the "Mobile" option under the "Design" tab in the top navigation menu.
Step 8: Manage Site Content
When you choose the "Site Content" option under "Design" and see the table of page extension next to texts, you might be startled at first.
It's not the most comfortable way to display content, yet Volusion does separate categories of pages with orange headlines. In addition, page extensions give you a clear understanding of what the page is about once you get used to them.
For example, once potential affiliates ask to sign up to your program, they'll be taken to a thank you page whose URL ends with "Affiliate_thankyou.asp".
- The "Affiliate_thankyou.asp" extension appears on the left side of the table on your store dashboard.
- Look to the right on the same line and you'll see the text that these potential affiliates will see on this page: "Thank you for your interest! Please allow 24 hours for your account to be approved and fully activated".
- Want to change this text or optimize it for search engines? No problem. Click on the ID number in the far left side of the line. It's the number that appears at the beginning of each line, i.e., "10" in our example screenshot above.
- Edit the title and article text.
- This is where you also take care of the page's SEO.
- You can choose to add an additional page or delete this current page.
- See it in action. Click the "View Live Article Page" button at the top left side of the page (right below the "add" and "delete" buttons).
- You'll be taken to your demo site, where you can see how the text will look like once the store goes live. Adjust the text's font, size, and color on the dashboard until it fits your needs.
Step 9: Add Products, Photos and Videos
It's time to look at the top navigation menu again. Choose "Products" under "Inventory" and you'll reach Volusion's sample products page.
Delete all this sample info by using the last column of the row, and then add new, real products by using the "add" button at the top left side of the page. Alternatively, click on the orange text in the first, "Product Code", column and edit a specific product to your own needs.
When adding or editing a product, you have a variety of options:
- Basic info: Add the product's name, code, price, weight, and description, plus choose or create categories for the product. You can also use the "options" button to tell customers they can have a chair in one of various colors or sizes, or a cake baked in several different ways.
- Image management: Upload product photos. When uploading a photo, you can choose "Advanced Settings" to decide on maximum pixel size in different viewing options. I added 10 images to a product page and still had the option to add more. No matter how many photos you add, drag your best one to be the first in order to ensure that it'll be your featured product image.
- YouTube video management: Click the "Add" button to add links to videos from YouTube that feature your products. You can add up to 4 videos. Like images, videos will appear in the order you set them, so drag and drop until you're satisfied.
- Advanced info: This is where you decide, write and edit SEO, pricing, shipping, in-depth product description, product display, third-party integrations, custom fields, recurring pricing, pricing levels and discounts, stock status, vendor information, and more.
- Inventory control grid: Manage the prices and stock status of child products.
- Vendor rules: After you set up vendor info in the "Vendors" option under "Inventory" in the top menu, return here and decide what's the minimum and maximum quantity a vendor can sell — and up to which date.
If you have many products to sell, it's recommended to separate them by categories for easier browsing. You can do that by choosing "Categories" under "Inventory" from the top menu.
Step 10: Decide on Customers' Payment Options
Choose "Payments" under "Settings" from the top navigation bar.
You'll have 3 tabs to take care of:
- Payment gateway: Configure a payment gateway to ensure a safe credit card transaction. You need to do this to be able to sell online. If you don't already have a payment gateway, you can get one through Volusion.
- Card settings: Choose which credit cards your store will accept. Click on "Inactive Cards" for additional options. You'll also be able to add credit cards that aren't listed on the page.
- More payment types: Credit card payments might be the easiest ones, yet this tab enables you to cater to customers who prefer paying in alternative methods, such as PayPal, cash, wire transfer, check by regular mail, etc. You can add additional options to the list.
Step 11: Decide on Shipping Options
Choose "Shipping" under "Settings" from the main navigation bar and go through the following categories:
- Shipping to: Decide which countries and states you're willing or able to ship your products to.
- Shipping origin: Fill out your address so that shipping rates can be calculated, considering your location, while customers check out.
- Choose a carrier: Choose from FedEx, USPS, UPS, RoyalMail, CanadaPost, DHL, and Australia Post. Most carriers enable you to pick and choose from their list of services.
- Advanced shipping settings: Choose whether to always add tax to shipping or not (or sometimes), whether extra shipping weight should add to the shipping price, whether customers need to specify if their address is residential or business, and what kind of delivery confirmation, if any, you'd like to receive.
- Test shipping rate: At the bottom of the shipping page on your Volusion dashboard, you'll be able to test shipping rates by changing the address, price, and weight.
Where You Can Go to Learn More
Volusion's team has put together a wealth of resources and gathered more than 400 e-commerce experts to help you succeed. Among others, check out:
- A knowledge base with links to hundreds of articles and videos on orders, customers, inventory, marketing, design, reports, settings, and miscellaneous topics;
- Volusion's blog, The Ecommerce Authority, with content about e-commerce basics, marketing, software, design, content development, entrepreneurial lifestyle, and more;
- Free slides of 17 e-commerce webinars; and
- 3 free how-to guides that teach you how to sell online.
Where You Can Get Help
Volusion offers a variety of ways to get in touch with its support team and get help:
- 24/7 phone support: 1-800-646-3517
- Support via email: [email protected]
- Online chat: Accessible from your automatic welcome email and from your dashboard's home page.
- Your personal Volusion consultant: Once you sign up to Volusion, you'll receive an additional welcome email, this time from a Volusion representative. If you've signed up to the free trial, the representative will give you a call and offer that you upgrade. Even if you're not into sales calls, having a representative's direct email address might help you get answers faster.
Have you used Volusion for your online store? Share your experience with us in the comments.


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Outsourcing Healthcare is Becoming Increasingly Mainstream
If you are considering having your bariatric surgery in Mexico, then you are likely already well aware of the ample benefits of medical tourism. Yet, you may not realize that this practice is becoming more and more mainstream. In fact, big health insurance companies in the United States are starting to send their clients overseas. This is particularly true when it comes to expensive procedures, Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery.
- Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgeries
- Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
- RNY Gastric Bypass
- Revision Surgery
- Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories
It is a sobering reality that healthcare costs in the United States are rising steadily. Since procedures in other countries typically cost less money (and often far less money), it only makes sense that patients would sometimes need to travel to get quality care.
Recently, David Boucher, the Assistant VP of HealthCare Services at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of South Carolina decided to have his colonoscopy at a hospital in Bangkok. Of course, Boucher has excellent healthcare benefits due to his job, so traveling for his procedure wasn't really a necessity. However, he wanted to make the point that there are many viable options available to his company's clients that involve traveling overseas for procedures. By personally engaging in medical tourism, he demonstrated that he personally felt completely comfortable with this practice.
The idea of sending patients to other countries for their healthcare procedures is becoming increasingly popular among big insurance companies. In fact, Boucher's company now has more than 7 alliances with various hospitals in other countries, and plans to keep expanding operations.
Jonathan Edelheit is the President of the Medical Tourism Association. In regards to this new trend for insurance companies, Edelheit stated, "All of the largest U.S. insurers are starting to educate themselves or are putting [offshore] programs in place."
A recent Bloomberg Business week article entitled "Outsourcing the Patients" discussed the increased "outsourcing" of health care and pointed out that insurance companies can offer various incentives to encourage clients to travel. For example, they can waive deductibles, cover travel expenses and even throw in a cash bonus.
Does your healthcare provider support Medical Tourism and/or Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery in Mexico? yet?
Needless to say, whether you are interested in bariatric surgery or another procedure, medical tourism offers a wide array of benefits. For example, for a fraction of the cost, you can receive quality care by physicians who are renowned and highly respected in other countries. This means that you can be treated by experts and save money in the process.
Of course, many patients also relish the opportunity to travel to a foreign place and meet people from another culture. For example, if you have bariatric surgery in Tijuana, you can take a week or two to recover while lying on a beautiful sandy beach! It is no wonder that so many people are seeing the benefits of traveling to other countries for their medical procedures.


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These days financial European headlines are greener than ever : Capital Markets, the ultimate measure of all are once again traded in a relative high, following several weeks of rising prices.
The headlines of the last rally are accompanied with news concerning the lamentable situation of Greek finance, including the downgrade of its national debt to the worst investment category ( From bbb + to bbb - … something like that ) . Naturally a bad new which should remind us the gravity of the situation, so how it comes that a bad new brings the markets to new highs ? Have the markets gone crazy?
The explanation for the apparent inconsistency is our ( still ) deep public pockets as the Greek new "junk" status practically oblige the European Union and other international entities to "rescue" that country. The word rescue is somewhat misleading as we are not talking about an humanitarian cause but the handling of money so Greece can pay its obligations to foreign investors. Therefore the rise of financial markets is a confirmation for the new injection of fresh public money into the financial arena. Politicians are applauded by markets ….
Still, the celebration can be interpreted from a different perspective .Since the result of the rescue would be that the owners of the Greek debt ( which probably made a lot of money from these obligations) are not really punished for their errors , this sort of rescues undermine the foundations of the market economy ( Economists call it "Moral Hazard") . This is the essence of what I call the New Capitalism , an economic system in which the detachment between risk and reward is bridged with public money. That system involves the allocation of wealth and welfare from the average citizen to the average investor ( and banker) , generally not the same average person. Anyhow it should be noted that Europe is not unique in the application of that distorted system. The inconsistency of those actions is even deeper if we consider that the New Capitalism is applied in a very selective way : The average citizen runs his life according to the the laws of the "Good and Old " Capitalism of free markets and competition .The identification of the rescue of financial markets , (better put the holders of certain financial obligations) with "saving the economy" is pure demagogy .
The problematic rescue obliged politicians and markets to go through a preliminary "tough" game but by the end of the day the unconditional support or financial markets is clear and beyond any real question. Thus more rescues and public interventions are just a matter of time. Maybe the imminent rescue is a good news for the very short term, but from a wider perspective it allows to preserve the actual and distorted financial and economic practices that are the real cause behind the economic crisis. In a more financial jargon, the political establishment bought time with public funds until the next default/crisis, but the problems of the New Capitalism cannot be ignored forever.
"When the accumulation of wealth is no longer of high social importance, there will be great changes in the code of morals.
We shall be able to rid ourselves of many of the pseudo-moral principles which have hag-ridden us for two hundred years, by which we have exalted some of the most distasteful of human qualities into the position of the highest virtues"
( JM Keynes, "Economic Possibilities for our Granchildren" 1930 )
We shall be able to rid ourselves of many of the pseudo-moral principles which have hag-ridden us for two hundred years, by which we have exalted some of the most distasteful of human qualities into the position of the highest virtues"
( JM Keynes, "Economic Possibilities for our Granchildren" 1930 )
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The New Capitalism
Posted by Enrique at 3:12 AM
No comments:
Labels: crisis, economics, political economy
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Saturday, April 29, 2006
...and back for its second year...
from the 30th of May to the 29th of August*
*except June 13th and July 4th (so far)
Remember the Pedal Potluck Picnic series I did from last year? You don't? Well, here's a refresher from old posts here, here, and here. And pay attention because I'm layin' the info on you now...
The Pedal Potluck Picnic is a weekly series of bicycle rides hosted by the Urban Adventure League during the summer. We'll meet up weekly for a determined period of time, and from there we'll enjoy a ride .
The ride will be a casual one traversing approx. 3-5 miles. There will be a different route each time, incorporating interesting places and/or random trivia. The end destination is a mystery, only known by the ride leader, but it will always be a park or park-like setting. The catch is the "park" will be a lesser-known and/or out of the way spot. While we love Col. Summers, Laurelhurst, and Mt. Tabor, the Urban Adventure League feels it's time to let the underdogs shine and help increase awareness of our city at the same time. The term "park" will be used liberally here, so expect the unexpected!
At the endpoint we'll enjoy a picnic dinner. Eating will be potluck style, so please bring food and drink to share (preferably vegetarian/vegan). If you don't have time to prepare something before the ride, fear not! The starting point is within close proximity to several markets, and we'll either be passing by and/or ending up near a grocery as well.
The Pedal Potluck Picnic ride series is directly inspired by two Portland events: the Gracies Sunday Brunch, a (not defunct anymore, see this post for the current info) weekly potluck style meal where people came together to hang out, eat, and meet interesting folk (its tagline was "eating brunch with total strangers"; and the Midnite Mystery Ride, a regular (second Friday of the month) bicycle ride where everyone departs at 12am for a mystery destination that only the ride leader knows. We felt like now would be a great time to combine the two while summer's in full effect!
If you want to participate, just show up on Tuesdays starting May 30th (excepting June 13th when we go on Ben's Taco Ride and July 4th for obvious reasons) at 6:30pm at the Hawthorne Hostel, 3031 SE Hawthorne Blvd. No need to RSVP! If you'd like more info, or would like to organize a PPP of your own, email urbanadventureleague --at-- scribble.com
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text: Janet's lovely Maine Coon cat companion. Meko is incredibly soft and friendly. She likes to be picked up a certain way and will cuddle until something exciting (like a bird at the window) catches her eye. She purred the very first time I pet her (in my mind, purring is the official cat stamp of approval and always warms my heart).


text: Master Class- A Day in the Studio Wednesday, October 18, 2017 10:00 AM 3:00 PM 10:00 15:00 Winston-Salem Flower School 418 West End Boulevard Winston-Salem, NC, 27101 United States (map) Google Calendar ICS This workshop is for all our flower junkies who are looking to delve a little deeper into the design world. Students will get to experience what it's like in the day of a special event floral designer. We will begin with discussing and adjusting the design plan for the day before the arrival of the delivery truck where attendees will to get to explore all the floral offerings and pick special accent blooms for their arrangements. After processing our flowers we will enjoy a boxed lunch and conversation before we dive into the hands-on design part of class. All students will have the opportunity to create an elevated design and then their choice of a hand-tied bouquet or low centerpiece. Then, we will go over techniques for personal flowers, including boutonnieres, corsages, and flower crowns and students will have the opportunity to practice those skills. Registration cost includes all flowers and materials, snacks, drinks, boxed lunch, and a swag bag of design tools. In order to guarantee that students get maximum attention, attendance is limited to four people. Posted in Group Classes Tagged Group Class, Master Class, Day in the Studio


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It's time for another flashback! Joining Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet for another visit to a really great recipe! Check out Suzy's Flashback Friday for more "new visits to old favorites!"
My friend Lisa and I don't always agree on everything, but I do have to agree that her pound cake recipe makes a really great pound cake! It's got a nice crunchy crust, although that could be my fault, the buzzer does seem to go off a little before I can get to take it out! and the recipe says 40 minutes but not in my oven, more like 50 or 60 minutes. Good thing the recipe makes two because I usually manage to take out the "test" cake too early! I know the parts I jabbed the cake tester in were fine, but there was that undercooked middle section! and five cups of flour? My arm was aching just folding it in! But we love this cake. Even better a la mode!
Miss Picky tasted it and said it was good. The over-baked crust tasted like a sugar cookie and the inside was dense and delicious!
Friday is Teacher Appreciation Day at the High School. I do appreciate the teachers. A lot. I was one of those students where the Principal had an ongoing relationship with my mother because I was a talker, very sociable during class, not to mention a wiseass! Harmless, but a total distraction! So I can appreciate what these people go through on a daily basis! But of course not from my kid, she's an angel :)
Anyway, I was asked to bake something for them. Obviously they never got the memo that I am not a good baker. I would have appreciated them much, much more if I could have just gone to the bakery and placed an order. So instead I am baking. Lisa's Pound Cake. It's so good. Even better toasted with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. and even better when Lisa bakes it. So I did bake. It makes two loaves. and one of those two loaves had better be edible! One was underdone and had to go back in. The other looks good but I burnt the top a teeny bit! So do I send in underdone or overdone? The kid has another two years, if they ignore me next year, I'll know the cake stunk.
Pound Cake
Source: Lisa F
Printable Recipe
1 cup butter or margarine (softened)
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon Amaretto (or vanilla or almond extract)
Grease and flour two loaf pans.
Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. It's very important to beat until the sugar is no longer grainy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time. Fold in the flour and the amaretto. Spoon into the two prepared loaf pans. Set in a COLD oven and then turn oven on to temperature of 350 degrees F. Bake for approximately 40 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
There is one very special teacher that I really do appreciate, my friend, Kathleen, over at Cuisine Kathleen! Would have been fun to be a parent in her class! Just don't tell her I said something nice about her. She could fall over or something.


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Friday, March 4, 2016
Another Quilt for Jolee
After I finished my oldest son's quilt, I had a few pieced blocks and fabric scraps left over, so I made a quilt for his little girl. I've already made Jolee a quilt using pretty Cori Dantini fabrics but this one will be like her daddy's quilt. :)
I really like the black and white polka dot binding...
Because of the colors, it's something she can play on and her mommy and daddy don't have to worry as much about it getting dirty.
And I hope Jolee doesn't mind the two blocks of mustaches and men's hats. :-/
Even though my Pfaff Hobby 750 sewing machine is standard size, I managed to machine quilt it using an even feed walking foot. I opted for a wavy line design... since I figured it would be less obvious if my quilting lines were off here and there. :)
And the Aurifil quilting thread worked wonderfully! I used 2605 (Grey) 50 wt.
I love how a quilt gets that puckered look once it's been washed and dried. I think using all cotton fabric and cotton quilt batting contributes to that look. In this quilt, I used Warm and Natural batting.
In a couple more weeks I'll share photos of the next quilt... I think it will be have some blues in it... we'll see!
Take care and God bless,
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The International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA), the resource for warehouse logistics, is partnering with a diverse group of U.S.-based shippers, deliverers, and retailers to launch the Americans for Modern Transportation (AMT) coalition. The coalition is focused on improving the safety and efficiency of the U.S. transportation system to meet the needs of modern businesses and consumers.
"A modern transportation system has the power to supercharge the economy by fostering the more efficient flow of goods from manufacturers to warehouses, and ultimately to American consumers," stated IWLA president & CEO Steve DeHaan. "Through its support of the coalition, IWLA is building a better system to match the design of the nation's infrastructure with the demands of today's economy." The coalition is focused on three critical areas of importance in transportation: enhanced safety, sustainability, and technology upgrades. "To continue moving America forward, infrastructure investment cannot simply be improved roads and bridges; we need to lay the groundwork for a modern transportation system," Americans for Modern Transportation added in its release. "We are excited to work with transportation leaders and innovators in the new administration and 115th Congress to make strides towards a modern transportation system."


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So what is with all the hoopla over John Edward's haircuts. I mean seriously. The man has nice hair, and pays a little too much to keep it that way. Do I need to know that? Do I care??!! The Washington Post, which I consider to be a good newspaper, had an entire article (at least it was in the style section) telling the "REAL STORY" from the hairdresser's point of view. Are you serious???!!!
Aren't there people dying in Iraq and Afghanistan? Try reading the posts on anysoldier.com -- that will give you some news people should read. Aren't there debates on immigration and health care reform to be reporting on? I simply do not care what anyone -- candidate, elected official, next door neighbor, teacher -- spends their money on, as long is it is legal. I beg the media to just let this -- and any other stories of its ilk -- go!
Friday, July 6, 2007
Slow News Day or WHAT??!!
Labels: presidential election
1 comment:
- Jules said...
Cheers to that! I agree! Why is a haircut and how much money someone spends on it, important?
Thanks for the address for real news.
- July 6, 2007 at 1:25 PM
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Escorted tours.Exclusively for the over 55s
Search for your perfect break, by type, destination, date or price.
We'll just be a moment...
We're searching through hundreds of holidays to find your perfect break.
We have spent more than 30 years crafting the perfect coach holidays and escorted tours for the mature traveller and we are sure we have the holiday you will love. With over 300 joining points across our region, you can travel from close to home, so simply arrive at your chosen departure point, and we'll take care of everything.
We work tirelessly to perfect the art of making holidays extra special, so whether you're a single traveller searching for a coach holiday, a couple on the look-out for a romantic river cruise or a large group looking for a relaxing beach holiday we have the tour for you. Our team are the best in the business, no-one knows more about finding the best hotels, planning the best itineraries, and securing the best service for memorable coach tours.
Our team of Tour Managers are the heartbeat of our holidays; a smiling face, a helping hand and all the energy needed to ensure you have a wonderful time, free from any worries.
We always aim to offer the best value for our customers, which is why we include admission fees, tickets, guided tours and complementary passes that other holiday companies charge extra for. We believe it's our responsibility to make sure you have the perfect holiday without any hidden extras.
Your feedback inspires what we do, and last year 96% of our passengers said they would book another holiday with us. We're delighted about that, and we look forward to having you travel with us soon so that we can offer the warmth and care that makes the Grand UK Holidays difference.
Happy Travels!
Coach Holidays
Festive Breaks
Just for Singles
For over 35 years we've been carefully creating affordable coach holidays for the more mature traveller. Over a million people have explored the best of beautiful Britain on our coach holidays, from the sandy beaches on the south coast to the rugged mountains in the Scottish Highlands.
And it's not just Britain that we travel to, we also have coach trips heading across the channel to Holland, Germany and Austria. So if it's a few days away, or a much longer stay, festive fun or summer sun, we'll do our best to see you enjoy every single moment of your holiday with us.
We specialise in escorted tours for the over 55s and our aim is to make sure you enjoy every single moment of your time away with us. Escorted tours mean that all of our holidays by coach and river cruises are accompanied by a Tour Manager, and we have the best in the business!
Tour Managers are the heartbeat of our holidays, making sure you have the best possible time on your break for over 55s, even if you are a more senior traveller. You're never alone on an escorted tour, Tour Managers help break the ice with other holiday-makers, so even if you are travelling solo, you'll soon be forming lifelong friendships!
Many of our Tour Managers have been working for Grand UK Holidays for a number of years, so know our tours inside out, which works in perfect harmony with their bubbly personalities, which all ensure you have a fantastic holiday. Our Tour Managers really are the heartbeat of the business and it is their passion and enthusiasm that provides you with fond memories for years to come.
Robin Adams - Grand UK Tour Manager for 5 years
"Being a Grand UK tour manager is a role I enjoy very much. The variety of tours offered by Grand UK is extremely broad and so I am very lucky in that I get to escort our customers around many wonderful and different places.
I enjoy imparting my knowledge of the history and culture of the United Kingdom and Ireland and making people laugh at improbable tales, myths and legends that are manifold in these ancient lands.
Making holidays special is all part of the job and therefore personal service is important to me. I like to make everyone on my coach feel at ease so they can sit back and enjoy their holiday; that's what makes it special for me."
Daphne Presgrave - Grand UK Tour Manager for 18 years
"I thoroughly enjoy being a tour manager as I get to meet people from all walks of life, and I love listening to their life tales.
I make sure I am knowledgeable about all the areas we visit and give a question at the end with a little twist for the passengers to answer - it all adds to the fun atmosphere I try to create on the journies. Having a great rapport with the driver really helps with this too.
To ensure my passengers feel special and well-looked after, I try to give plenty of time to each person on my trips - it's these little things that can make a holiday even better."
As a thank you to our loyal customers we send you Coach MilesTM tokens which can be earned on selected tours, and exchanged for vouchers to spend on future Grand UK Holidays tours. The more you travel, the more Coach MilesTM you can earn and the more savings you can make!
Our gift vouchers are the perfect choice for any occasion, allowing your loved ones to create their perfect relaxing break; whether it's one of our coach tours, a river cruise or a flight to winter sun. Share the gift of fun, food and friends!
Read along as we share with you the latest travel tips, advice and inspiration, along with interesting stories from our customers and the Grand UK Holidays team, all in our brand new Travel Blog! Don't forget, you can sign-up to our newsletter to get all of the latest news from the blog, plus exclusive offers on holidays and alerts for new holidays!
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19 July 2018
Each and every Grand UK Holidays Tour Manager goes above and beyond to make sure you have a fantastic holiday. Here's a little from our Tour Managers.
10 July 2018
We were thrilled to be runners-up in the national Silver Travel Awards for the Best Escorted Tour Operator, and had a fantastic evening at the National Portrait Gallery in the presence of Michael Jackson.
22 June 2018
The wonderful Emerald Isle is brimming with natural beauty and although flying might be your first thought, a coach holiday to Ireland is actually the best way to explore.
As a privately owned, specialist holiday company, we put all of our energy into just one thing - you! We ensure you always get the best from your well-earned holiday and because we are ABTA members and licensed by the CAA, you can trust that your holiday money is always completely safe and secure. That's a promise!
All of our package holidays are ATOL protected so you can trust our holidays to take you where you want to go, and to get you home as we have promised.
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information, visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. Please note that the advice can change so we advise you continue to check until your date of travel.
If you live in our region just request our latest brochure and we'll pop one in the post and keep you up to date on our latest holiday news and offers.
We have departure points across the Midlands, East Anglia, London and the South East, and the South Coast. If you live outside these areas, but would still like to receive a brochure, please call us on 01603 88 67 67 and we'll send a brochure straight away.


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While the most common oxygen sensor problem is the sensor itself failing, several other problems can cause a fault code in the onboard diagnostic computer that points to the sensor, including loose vacuum hoses and loose, broken or burned wires that lead to the unit. If the computer senses a problem with the sensor, the vehicle is probably consuming more gasoline than necessary. Without repair, oxygen sensor issues can lead to more serious problems.Continue Reading
As of 2013, oxygen sensor problems were the most common reason for a car to display a Check Engine light, replacing the former most common reason of a loose gas cap. While replacing an oxygen sensor is simple, they are often in difficult-to-access locations. The exhaust sensor is subject to a lot of heat and tends to seize in place, making removal difficult. Professional replacement of the sensor costs between $200 and $300 in most cases, but operating the vehicle with a bad sensor can cause the catalytic converter to fail, increasing the repair cost to more than $1,000.
An automotive scan tool, which is more than just a code reader, provides real time diagnostic data from the onboard computer. The scan tool helps a mechanic determine if the code is actually indicating an issue with the oxygen sensor or another issue and can prevent the unnecessary expenses of replacing a sensor that is not the issue.Learn more about Engine