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PRWeb (Chicago, IL) – Following an unprecedented first winter snowfall, the Fisher household achieved LeapFrog status attaining complete snow removal by no later than one hour before family members were scheduled to egress the premises. "This represents a landmark achievement by any house in the neighborhood," says Mortimer T. Schnerd member of the 12-member LeapFrog assessment team. For the second year in a row, not only will the Fisher residence reach the 100-Most Wired Houses milestone, but also reach the US News and World Reports 100-Best Small Houses ranking on the North Shore of Chicago. "I would have also picked up the dog poop in the yard, but that was not in my wheelhouse," said Westby Fisher, MD, owner of the esteemed home, "It was only through the tireless efforts of the whole family team, that we were able to reach this important benchmark."
Media inquiries should be directed to the Ms. Sally Smith, Director, RealEstateByDesign PR, LLC, 2 East Park Ave, New York, NY 00221
(800) 555-1234
On Twitter: @WeBeBad
* * *
Friday, January 13, 2012
Fisher House Reaches LeapFrog Status
3 comments:
One inch of snow, 18 degrees in Kentucky. Feels like Chicago! Oh, for a hot slice from Pizzeria Uno.. Or Due! Or bananas Foster crepes at Yolk!
- Sat Jan 14, 01:41:00 AM CST
Dr. Hulsey,
Perhaps it has been awahile since you were in Chicago... Uno and Due are not the same. I'm an "expert" from the 70's.
- Sat Jan 14, 12:32:00 PM CST
Anonymous said, "... Uno and Due are not the same... "
One isn't good? Better than any deep dish pizza I get here!
- Mon Jan 16, 08:27:00 AM CST
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How to Automatically Backup your Database
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m (moved How to automatically backup your database to How to Automatically Backup your Database: caps)
Revision as of 10:55, 5 August 2010
In this tutorial you will learn how to automatically backup your databases using PhpMyBackupPro. Backing up your mySQL databases is an essential step and can save hours of frustration if something would happen to your databases (hard drive corruption, database corruption, mistakes, rollbacks etc).
When you have installed PhpMyBackupPro and configured it in the way you want, there are 2 alternatives to set up automatic backups.
Alternative 1: Cron
This is a slightly advanced alternative as it might not work at first try, but if it works it works every time. Remember that x10 only allows 1 cron every 5 minutes. If you already have a cron running every 5 minute you need to go with alternative 2, even thought you wont backup every 5 minute, but when the backup runs, the other cron is also running, resulting in your account being suspended.
To use cron, go to your cPanel and choose cron jobs. For large, busy sites you can set it to backup every day, but for most sites, once a week is enough. Choose once a week in the common settings dropbox. The command to use is:
php -q /home/*cpanelusername*/public_html/path/to/backup.php *cpanelusername_databasename* 1 1 1
so if my cpanel username was viggeswe, my database is wordpress and I uploaded pMBP to public_html, the command would look like:
php -q /home/viggeswe/public_html/mysql/backup.php *viggeswe_wordpress* 1 1 1
If you want to backup several databases, you separate them by a comma, like:
php -q /home/*cpanelusername*/public_html/path/to/backup.php *cpanelname_database1*,*cpanelname_database2* 1 1 1
More info about the commands can be found in documentation/SHELL_MODE.txt of your pMBP download.
Alternative 2: Sheduled backup
In the pMBP interface, go to the Sheduled backup tab. As backup period once a week is recommended in most cases. In the Select directory where the PHP file will be placed: dropbox, choose the directory where your site's index.php file is located. Select the databases you want to be backed up, you can choose multiple by holding CTRL. Now click Show script. Before the last include("backup.php"); line, add:
so if I would have installed it in my public_html/dev/ folder, I would have done:
Copy the edited contents of the field, and save it as backupcron.php next to your site's index.php file. Then, at the very end of your index.php file, but before the last ?>, add this line:
You should now be done. Note that the visitor that will trigger the script when time is right will have to wait for the backup to be done before he can see your site!

subset: commoncrawl


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Gaza-Egypt border a critical point of conflict
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Computerized passport control points, shiny marble floors and framed photos of beaches greet arrivals at Gaza's Rafah terminal along the Egyptian frontier.
The $1.4 million terminal reflects a sign of Palestinian hopes that the fighting of the past week between militants in Gaza and Israel will end with a deal leading to an easier flow of people and goods into Egypt.
That would transform the lives of the 1.7 million people in the impoverished territory and give a major victory to Hamas, the militant Islamic group that governs Gaza.
A major obstacle to an open crossing at Gaza's primary link to the outside world could be Egypt, which fears that easing the restrictions might destabilize the border region and anger its Western allies.
In a sign of Egypt's ambivalence over the crossing, the country's terminal is a rundown, antiquated hall with broken chairs and a single computer to register travelers.
Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' prime minister in Gaza, earlier this week urged Egypt to fling open the border crossing.
"I call on Egypt to open the border crossing completely to goods and people and aid," Haniyeh said in a televised speech. "We want this moment to restore the credibility of Egypt's leadership, its revolution and its spirit, to end the blockade once and for all."
A few days before the fighting began, Tamer Abu Luli said he spent two hours pleading with Egyptian officials at the border to let him accompany his aging, wheelchair-bound mother on a medical trip to Cairo.
Even though the 28-year-old had the necessary travel documents from Gaza officials, Abu Luli was considered a security risk by Egypt because he was under 40. He was forced to undergo extensive checks before eventually being allowed to cross.
Abu Luli said he didn't believe the difficulties would abate.
"I wish it would remain open for all. It would be an achievement," he said as he returned to Gaza with his mother Monday. "But the Egyptians are afraid of us."
Egypt's new Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, is sympathetic to Hamas as a fellow member of the region-wide Muslim Brotherhood. But he is trying to balance his Islamist loyalties with a public that is divided between those who want to offer unconditional support for Gazans and those fearful of Palestinians flooding into Egypt.
Morsi also has to contend with pressure from Egypt's main ally, the U.S., not to go too far in supporting Hamas.
He is working to maintain his country's peace treaty with Israel even though his party refuses to recognize the Jewish state.
Israel has tightly controlled the flow of goods to and from Gaza since Hamas violently overran the tiny seaside territory in June 2007. It imposed a sweeping land and sea blockade immediately after the takeover in an attempt to put pressure on Hamas.
But that tactic only deepened Gazan resentment against Israel, and the Israeli government relaxed the land blockade in 2010 after a deadly raid on a blockade-busting flotilla brought an international outcry and focused international attention on the embargo.
While the embargo crippled the Gaza economy, Hamas deepened its control, in part by smuggling goods and weapons through hundreds of tunnels under the border with Egypt.
Exports still make up only about 1 percent of Gaza's economy. Construction materials, badly needed to rebuild destruction, are restricted to projects coordinated by the U.N. and other international bodies.
Israel says it fears a wide-open Rafah would allow foreign fighters and arms to flow into Gaza. As it is, many weapons and even Iranian-made missiles have been smuggled in through the tunnels.
Morsi is still trying to feel his way as he consolidates power after the fall of longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak in 2011. He spoke strongly in support of Gaza as it came under Israeli airstrikes that killed more than 130 Palestinians. Gaza militants fired rockets into Israel that killed five Israelis.
So far, few restrictions on Palestinians leaving Gaza have changed, and only limited medical supplies have made it inside.
Statistics from Egyptian border crossing officials show a slight rise in the number of travelers back and forth, but there was no rush on the border from Gaza; no more than 900 Palestinians crossed during the fighting in any given day.
During a visit to Gaza, Brotherhood members played up their support for the territory and insisted they remained opposed to Israel.
"We came and saw innocent children being injured and killed by the Zionist war machine made in America," said Saad El-Katatni, a top leader of Morsi's party.
Egypt is at the heart of the mediation effort between Hamas and Israel over a truce. Israeli officials have converged on Egypt and met with security officials under Morsi, who had long refused to even use the name of Israel in public.
In a sign of the fine line the Brotherhood is treading, Amr Darag, a senior party member in charge of foreign relations, told the Foreign Policy Blog that if the offensive continued, the Egyptian government may consider opening the Rafah crossing permanently, "to facilitate support coming from any destination to Gaza."
Other officials fear such an open border would leave Egypt responsible for any future attack on Israel.
Highlighting the pressure on Morsi, ultraconservative leaders in Egypt's Sinai desert, which borders Gaza, have been pushing for him to take a more aggressive stance toward Israel. Morsi's party relies on electoral alliances with some of those leaders, who also play a role in keeping a lid on militancy inside Sinai.
"We don't care for the peace treaty (with Israel)," Sheik Marei Arar, a Salafi leader in Sinai, told The Associated Press. "We are seeking to unify the ranks of Muslims."
Hossam Sweilam, a retired army general, blamed the Brotherhood for the deteriorating security in Sinai, adding that the Egyptian military has been "paralyzed" in its efforts to chase extremists because of the Islamist alliance.
Associated Press writer Maggie Michael in Cairo contributed to this report.
Follow Sarah El Deeb on Twitter on https://twitter.com/seldeeb
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Until recently, Starbucks was bustling in the morning, with moms in workout gear and workers headed to the office stopping in to get their caffeine fix. But thanks to the slumbering economy, the crowds have thinned a bit.
Starbucks reported in November that its profits had fallen 97 percent during its fourth quarter.
If you're one who can no longer justify a daily cappuccino run, there are ways to improve the brew that comes out of the old automatic drip pot at home.
Be warned: Brewing coffee correctly is tougher than it sounds. Coffee snobs – rather, connoisseurs – are a bit like wine snobs, detecting notes of citrus, flowers and chocolate in their java. So don't let them catch you dumping Sweet'N Low or creamer in your cup. To them, it's as blasphemous as pouring white zinfandel from a box.
1. Making a great cup of coffee starts with the beans. Coffee experts are dismissive – even contemptuous – of any coffee sold in a grocery store tin. Instead, they recommend buying small quantities of fresh beans from coffee houses supplied by local roasters or micro-roasters, usually small retail shops that roast the beans on site. Coffee, grown mainly in equatorial countries, is harvested at different times in different regions. Roasters try to buy beans harvested at their peak.
(This month, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is serving brews from Sumatra and Ethiopia. Late in the month Bolivian coffee will be featured, said owner Chuck Patton.)
There are two major coffee bean classifications: Robusto and Arabica, which tends to be the higher quality of the two. However, quality varies widely in both categories, so neither is a hard and fast measure, Patton said.
Coffee tastes best made from beans roasted two to 10 days prior. Afterward, the beans begin to lose flavor, said Matt Milletto, director of training at the American Barista & Coffee School in Portland, Ore.
With grocery store coffee, there's often no way of knowing when the beans were roasted, Milletto said.
2. Grind just before brewing.
It's a pain, but coffee experts recommend buying whole beans and grinding before each pot. Grinding breaks down the bean and exposes the coffee to air, which can speed up flavor loss. Use about two tablespoons of ground coffee for every cup.
3. Use the correct water temperature.
Coffee's flavor comes from extracting the oils in the beans, which is best done at temperatures between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit, or just below the boiling point. The problem is most automatic drip pots never get above about 170 degrees, coffee experts say.
Milletto recommends a French press for home brewing. A French press allows you to boil water, cool it slightly, then add it to the coffee and precisely control the amount of time the water and coffee are in contact (about 3-½ to 4-½ minutes). Coffee made with a French press should be ground more coarsely than for automatic drip pots.
What if you can't be bothered to French press while you're half-asleep at 6 a.m.?
In its January issue, Consumer Reports rated 34 coffee makers, including trendy models that brew single cups using sealed packets of coffee, models with built-in grinders and automatic drip makers.
Several of the top-rated automatic drip pots did reach the optimal water temperature. Models included: Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200, Michael Graves 40304 and Oster Counterforms 4281, which range in price from $100 for the Cuisinart to $40 for the Michael Graves model.
4. What about decaf?
Let's say you love the taste of coffee in the afternoon but do not enjoy watching "MacGyver" reruns at 3 a.m. It is possible to make a good cup of decaf, coffee enthusiasts said. Just buy good beans and follow the same brewing methods as for caffeinated coffee.
5. Store beans correctly.
Do not put coffee in the freezer or the fridge. Moisture causes the beans to lose flavor, and refrigerators can be humid. Coffee also has a tendency to pick up refrigerator smells, Patton said. Instead, store coffee in an airtight container in a cool spot. Ideally, you'll buy fresh beans at least once a week. If not, still avoid the freezer or refrigerator.


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When John Wesley was born in 1703, four million out of Britain's five million people lived in absolute poverty—unless they found enough food for that day, they would begin to starve to death.Read it all.
When John Wesley launched a Church Planting Movement in this context, he not only changed the eternal destinies of an estimated one million people who came to Christ through his ministry, he changed their economic status as well. Not only did the Methodists he led get saved, they got out of poverty and became a powerful influence in discipling their nation. Wilberforce and other "spiritual sons" of Wesley honored him as the "greatest man of his time."
The Methodists made such an impact on their nation that in 1962 historian Élie Halévy theorized that the Wesleyan revival created England's middle class and saved England from the kind of bloody revolution that crippled France. Other historians, building on his work, go further to suggest that God used Methodism to show all the oppressed peoples of the world that feeding their souls on the heavenly bread of the lordship of Christ is the path to providing the daily bread their bodies also need.
"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15, NIV)
Friday, December 09, 2011
John Wesley's Church Planting Movement: Discipleship That Transformed a Nation and Changed the World
John Wesley's Church Planting Movement: Discipleship That Transformed a Nation and Changed the World
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There are far-out ideas, and then there are those ideas that are just totally out there.
Georges Mougin, an 86-year-old eco-entrepreneur, has been pursuing what most would say is one of the more crazy ideas for more than 40 years. Supported by renowned ice experts and the onetime backing of a Saudi prince, Mougin has been tirelessly researching and pitching his concept for harvesting and transporting icebergs to solve the world's water shortages. Given the complex technical obstacles and the astronomical budgets associated with trying to get a real-life prototype of his system off the ground, the idea progressed in fits and starts over the years -- that is, until the 3D tool leader Dassault Systemes got involved.
Dassault picked Mougin's "Ice Dream" concept as one of the handful of "Passion for Innovation" projects the company takes on annually. With this initiative, the company lends its arsenal of 3D modeling and simulation tools and an army of top-shelf engineering experts to explore far-out concepts. In turn, the company can promote the results to showcase the power of 3D virtual design. One of Dassault's more prominent efforts was a project several years back with the French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin to solve the mystery of how the Pyramid of Kheops was built.
Mougin's idea boils down to this: Capture a tabular iceberg (its flat top means less chance of fracturing during transportation); protect it from melting using an innovative belt and skirt made from non-woven geotextile strips; and transport it across the globe via a single, high-powered tugboat and kite board combination. The goal is to use as little energy as possible by following the natural movement of the ocean currents.
"Because it sounded crazy, we wondered if Mougin was right or wrong," Cedric Simard, Dassault's project director for worldwide experiential marketing and interactive communications, told me, explaining there were strong arguments both in favor of and against the concept. "If 3D could help get an objective view on the project, we thought it was worthwhile to figure out."
The pilot project for the 3D virtual test was mapped out with the island of Newfoundland chosen as the departure point due to its proximity to icebergs and ocean currents that favor towing. The Canary Islands were picked as the final destination since they have water shortages and already employ desalination techniques. The simulation called for the transport of a 7-million-ton tabular iceberg using a tugboat with a tractive force of 130 tons, and a fixed route between the two destinations.
Working together, the Dassault/Mougin team's first step was to create a precise model of the tabular iceberg in CATIA based on real data collected on icebergs in the Newfoundland area. The next step was to design a two-part simulation to determine how the iceberg would melt along its journey. The team created a hydraulic simulation to mimic the interactions between the iceberg, protected by Mougin's innovative skirt design, and the natural environment, varying parameters like the speed and temperature of the sea currents to reproduce the actual conditions the iceberg would encounter.


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There's a reason why they call ice cream, ice cream. Too much iciness and it feels like you're sucking flavored water, too much creaminess and it feels like you're suffocating on a stream of condensed milk. I'm not saying they're not delicious but texture plays with ice cream. That's why you need the Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker.
Why? Because the Smart Scoop is the first ice cream maker that "automatically senses the hardness of the mixture" based on your selection and keeps it at that texture until you're ready to eat. You have 12 hardness settings at your disposal including sorbet, frozen yogurt, gelato, ice cream, etc. The removable 1.5 quart also keeps you from eating it all in one sitting (or makes it easy to eat it all in one sitting). If I was buying an ice cream maker, this one sounds very delicious. $400 [Breville]


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Psycadelik Thoughtz
Tighter Slim Fit T-Shirt
Beautiful Girl Gold Plated Necklace
Full performance from VH1 and Pepsi's Super Bowl Fan Jam last night. Enjoy.
caught the horns when you say youll show what greatness is.. but then again the only way to excel is the soul that you sell
what about the 400k followers song


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Animal Control
Animal Control
Dear Citizens of Charles County,
Pets are an important part of our community and a big part of our everyday lives. The officers of the Charles County Emergency Services Animal Control Division are dedicated and strive each day to make this county a safe and friendly place to live. Officers attempt to educate both pet owners and non pet owners as well as enforce county and state laws dealing with domestic animals in our county.
Animal Control Officers respond to many calls each day that consist of trap requests, check welfare, running at large, injured animals, barking dog complaints, vicious animals, or animal bites just to name a few. Our officers stay busy and make every effort to keep Charles County pet owners and their neighbors happy and educated when it comes to animals.
Our business hours are Monday thru Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. We are available after hours, weekends and holidays for emergency calls only. There is an on call officer at all times who can assist in your emergency. The service number to call for Animal Control Services is 301-743-2222. The administrative office can be reached at 301-609-3425.
Animal Control encourages any pet owner who has lost their pet to contact the Tri County Animal Shelter at 301-932-1713 AND the Humane Society of Charles County at 301-645-8181.
|Animal Control Documents


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Disclaimer: Any statements in connection to weight control are related to Herbalife weight control program including among others balanced nutrition, regular physical exercise, daily use of required amounts of liquids, use dietary supplements and sufficient rest. All the results are individual and may differ.© 2017 ShoptoShape - Herbalife Independent Distributor. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part without written permission. All Rights Reserved. | All trademarks and product images exhibited on this site, unless otherwise indicated, are the property of Herbalife International, Inc.


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Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Chillin' At Home
French Toast seasoned with thyme and spritzed with Maple Syrup that my Honey and Sharron purchased on their travels from Montreal to Halifax back in March....I meant to write about their delicious food adventures through Quebec and New Brunswick. They did the "Cabane a Sucre" maple syrup and candy making (actually, they just did the eating and buying).
But I digress....back to the French Toast...I miss the challah (egg bread) we used to get so readily in Montreal and Toronto. So if anyone knows of a bakery in Halifax that sells it, please let me know. In the meantime we used some delicious nine grain bread from the baker beside the creperie at the market (I apologize for not knowing the name). The grains do give the dish a different, but lovely texture. Too bad we used up all the strawberries, they would have made a perfect pairing. Oh well.
After puttering about for a few hours, we all decided we were hungry, so for lunch I made more of the Mixed Greens & Mango salad I had whipped up on Saturday. Truthfully...I needed to take a photo for yesterday's post since I thought it would be rude to hold up the dinner Saturday night. I only do that to people I know well and in my own home. But back to Monday's lunch... we also had some of my new favorite bread from the same bakers -
Olive Rosemary (all those little black dots you see are delightful bits of black olives that just add so much flavor that there's no need for pesto, or any other spread one would normally add to it). It's perfect with some goat cheese (a brief stint under the broiler got it all melty - notice that when I talk about food, I often forget to use proper sentences. That's because I'm too busy drooling. In fact, I could go for some right now!).
More lounging about and watching an old video - Austin Powers and doing some baking. Afterall, I bought that gorgeous ruby red rhubarb. One of my favorite rhubarb dishes is strawberry rhubarb pie (actually, I never make it because the one time I tried years ago...it was a flop - at least compared to my Auntie Rita's) Every time I buy some, I always wish she lived a little closer than Nanaimo, British Columbia). Anyway my excuse for not making any this time...I used up all the strawberries! So I hunted on the internet and I found this recipe for Rhubarb Crumble that tasted great with vanilla ice cream.
Supper approached and we had different ideas about what to eat. I wanted a creamy, lemony pasta (I've been salivating over a picture in one of my magazines) and others wanted more protein (I had defrosted some boneless chicken breasts and they needed to be cooked - short window of cooking opportunities over the next few days). So naturally we had both.
The pasta is my entry for this week's Presto Pasta Night and please join in the fun. You'll be glad you did. It's my own adaptation to at least three different recipes in magazines and books strewn on the living room table.
Mascarpone, Herbs & Lemon Spaghetti. So good, but then how could a creamy, lemony pasta be anything but!
Since I had some leftover dressing from the salad we had at lunch, I just added more Hoisin sauce to it and let the chicken marinate in it for a while before grilling it all on the BBQ. Leftover chicken will be great for lunches over the next few days. Naturally, we had to have more of the rhubarb crumble for dessert.
All in all it was a wonderful lazy day filled with lots of good food and great company. I wonder what we'll do next weekend. And I wonder how much exercising I have to do to make up for it.
Related links:Food and Drink easy cooking pasta Food Blogging Event Presto Pasta Night chicken salad dessert
9 comments:
- Unknown said...
The Rhubarb crumble looks good and the recipe looks pretty simple. I keep meaning to try using rhubarb but I never seem to get around to it. I guess now that the rhubarb (and strawberries) are in season would be a good time.
- July 04, 2007 8:03 AM
- Shaun said...
Ruth - You have been a busy bee. I love starting the day with something like French toast or eggs benedict, although most days start with a piece of fruit and a cup of coffee. The rhubarb crumble looks fabulous, and it is incontrovertibly better with vanilla ice cream. As for the challah, darling, you could try making it yourself :-) It would be nice to see what you come up with (hint, hint!).
- July 04, 2007 7:36 PM
- Ruth Daniels said...
Kevin, now definitely is the best time to do anything rhubarb!
Actually Shaun I do have a recipe for challah. I've just been lazy I guess and time to get off my...
- July 04, 2007 8:01 PM
- Katie Zeller said...
I am drooling over that Rhubarb Crumble - send some over, please!
- July 05, 2007 12:50 PM
You have certainly been keeping busy! Thanks for sharing it all with us :) Gosh...rhubarb...I hope to finally learn what it tastes like one day! (No rhubarb here...)
- July 06, 2007 12:14 AM
- Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...
Your recipes and photos are always so "droolworthy"!! Rhubarb is one of my favourites no matter how it is prepared...but, especially rhubarb cheesecake.
- July 06, 2007 12:27 AM
- Ruth Daniels said...
Katiez - oops all gone! Sorry!
Joey, I have been busy exploring beautiful Nova Scotia and trying to find a place of our own in Halifax. I'm surprised when I do find the time to bake! As for the taste of rhubarb - it needs sugar to balance the tangy acerbic qualities, but there's nothing like it.
Valli, rhubarb cheesecake - awesome!
- July 06, 2007 11:24 AM
- Thistlemoon said...
Hey Ruth! This week's entries look awesome!
BTW, my name is Jenn and you have me down as Nora? :)
- July 06, 2007 2:45 PM
- Ruth Daniels said...
Sorry Jenn - I knew that! Sometimes it's hard to keep track when I'm doing the final posting. I did fix it though ;-)
- July 06, 2007 4:39 PM


text: How come Midwestern gals are always the wildest? Kentucky vixen Charisma Cappelli is no exception. This blonde is stacked, with a wicked pair of huge tits, and a juicy booty you'll want to sink your teeth into. When she goes out clubbing with her friends, she says she's the leader of the pack, and confessed that she sometimes gets so pumped up she howls at the moon. Charisma loves to play rough and scrappy, she's been fit and foxy ever since her days as a Varsity athlete in college. She gets off on foreign sports cars like Ferraris, especially exotic rides like her that hug the curves and respond to your every command.


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Do you ever feel like no matter how much good you try to put out there in the world, there is a line a mile long of people waiting to tear you down? Adoption, like life, is a rollercoaster of emotions. No matter what the intentions behind your positive actions, there will be people ready to throw your human failings in your face. They will take the good and chew it up and mangle it and spit it back out as something ugly and self serving. The goal is to stay focused. The goal is to not let your heart become bitter and guarded. The goal is keep putting the good out there and not focus on the negativity. The negativity will destroy you. I am repeating Psalms 51 like a mantra today. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me."
Sometimes, it is so easy to let yourself be brought down. You have to make a concious choice to keep plugging away, to keep trudging through, to keep attempting to make a difference, despite the neigh-sayers. One must realize that more often than not, the people who try to rip your heart to shreds, are the people who need your love the most.
"If God is for you, who can be against you." Romans 8:31
P.S. Dear Blog- Thanks for the free therapy.
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CIO priorities for 2004
From security to staffing, CIOs have plenty to do in 2004. Read some CIO wish lists, and find out what Forrester Research has to say about the top CIO priorities next year.
While children dream of sugarplums this time of year, CIOs have other visions dancing in their heads.
Roscoe Wasko, CIO of Rent-a-Center Inc., is wishing for a big data warehouse, along with the DBAs to get it up and running, and a sleigh full of new thin client devices to help salespeople do their jobs better.
Wasko is optimistic about getting what he wants in 2004 and, judging from some recent studies, he has reason to be upbeat.
2004 is looking like the year in which the economy may finally stir from its deep slumber, and CIOs may blow the layers of dust off their checkbooks. International Data Corp. is predicting that IT spending in the U.S. will be 6% to 8% higher -- maybe more -- than it was in 2003. Forrester Research of Cambridge, Mass., also has an optimistic outlook. Researchers there surveyed more than 800 North American firms and found that nearly a third will increase their IT spending in 2004. Forrester figured that increase would average less than 2%, but some analysts are more optimistic.
"The actual spending should be higher," said Andrew Bartels, who co-authored Forrester's study. He said that CIOs responded to the survey in the third quarter, when the economy was still dicey. "Profits are strong, and the prospects for a strong economy are a lot clearer now than they were three months ago."
If the economy keeps humming and profits keep rolling in, CIOs may be able to get what they want.
Security tops the list
According to Forrester, security investments are the leading IT priorities for 2004. That's the case at SAS Institute Inc. CIO Suzanne Gordon said that security occupies the top spot on the Cary, N.C., software firm's 2004 wish list.
"We've been able to minimize the impact [of worms and viruses] this year, but it's taken a lot of people time," she said. "We're hoping there aren't so many attacks or so much spam next year."
Wasko said that none of 2003's "greatest hits," such as Slammer or Sobig, hit his company, which is based in Plano, Texas, and has 2,500 stores in 50 states. Security investments are high priorities for him in 2004.
"We're looking to complement the policies we already have in place," he said.
For Tsvi Gal, CIO of Warner Music Group in New York, Web services and service-level management in heterogeneous environments, as well as digital rights management, rank in the upper tiers of his list. Gal said that security is certainly important and an ongoing investment, but when push comes to shove, and a firm must decide what to do with a dollar, security gets passed over.
"When people have to make a decision about whether to spend money on security or on the next application, the application usually wins out," he said.
"Security for us is more an issue of risk management than something you can put your hands on," Gal continued. Basically, Gal and company roll with it and try to be ready for whatever threats may be around the corner.
Likewise, SAS plans to be agile. Gordon said that SAS will have a rolling forecast and look at the budget every quarter, so if the company needs a weapon to combat a Blaster worm is needed, she can get it.
Not flirting with disaster
Gal, Gordon and Wasko all said that disaster recovery (DR) investments are high priorities, which is in keeping with Forrester's prediction that DR will be right behind security on the CIO shopping list.
Gal said that his company is moving from a model in which DR is considered an issue only for IT departments to one that gets business divisions involved.
The emphasis on DR and business continuity isn't only a CIO priority, according to Bob Doyle of Dallas-based RPD Global Consulting and a CIO for more than two decades, most recently with Fleming Companies.
"Boards want some kind of business continuity planning," he said. "Five or six years ago, CIOs couldn't get the board's attention. But these days, there are too many liabilities if you don't have the right procedures in place."
Rounding out Forrester's top five CIO priorities for 2004: upgrading existing applications and desktops ("business-as-usual investments" as Gal called them) and compliance with new laws, namely the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Forrester analyst Tom Pohlmann, who co-authored the CIO study, said that CIOs are more concerned with improving existing processes and documentation than buying compliance-related products. "Vendors like to say there's a huge demand," he said. "That may be, but CIOs aren't betting on them now."
"We have to do it, so we do it," Gal said. "It's not as big an investment as people may think. We're pretty bullish that we'll be OK."
Rent-a-Center's Wasko said that his company is getting everything in line to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley, but that it's not so much of an investment in IT infrastructure as it is an investment in time. "We've got the software for tracking, but compliance goes beyond IT," he said, referring to the other departments that must get their documentation in order.
Outsourcing in or out?
IT outsourcing, one of the hottest topics in 2003, finished closer to the bottom of the 2004 priority pile, with only 24% of respondents saying that they would be exploring outsourcing alternatives in 2004, and only 17% said that moving IT work offshore was of the utmost importance.
"It's mostly Fortune 500 companies that are doing it," said Forrester's Bartels. It hasn't really trickled down into midtier companies yet."
But those offshore findings puzzle Doyle. "I don't know anyone today who's not giving offshore services a look for applications," he said. Gal says his firm has pushed IT development offshore for years and will do more of it in the future.
"We're expanding to the Russian and Eastern European markets [Latvia, Romania, Lithuania]," he said. "They have pricing competitive with Indian pricing, and the quality work is the same -- if not better than in India." Gal's words bear out another Forrester finding -- that of the firms that already use offshore providers, 68% will send even more work overseas in 2004.
Best Web Links on IT research, predictions and trends
CIO budgets still looking lean


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Folkcraft instruments are made with pride and tradition, using the same methods as our founders used in 1968. Folkcraft Instruments is a family business, with a father/son team putting their skill and experience into every instrument they create.
"Handmade in the USA since 1968." It's not only a slogan, but your assurance that you are playing the best folk instruments ever made. People choose Folkcraft for our deep-rooted tradition in quality, pure acoustic tone, and the simple joy that is brought from playing the instrument.
We put our heart and soul into every instrument we make – a technique that began nearly 50 years ago and is proudly maintained today. Go ahead and play one. We think you'll find your own heart and soul going into the music you create on a Folkcraft.
Folkcraft Instruments. Handmade. One at a time. For you.


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Did you know Kotaku has Facebook and Twitter pages? Neither did I!!! OK, I did, but I bet some of you didn't.
If you're a fan of the site you should probably fan up our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. They are both great ways to see Kotaku's most interesting stories. Here's what you need to know:
We never spam our Facebook or Twitter pages with a crazy amount of updates. We reserve these pages for our most interesting stories or breaking news. Becoming a fan of the Kotaku Facebook Page or following the Kotaku Twitter is super easy and all you have to do is follow the links below.
Extra, special bonus. Here's a list of the Twitter accounts for our writers too:


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After a bout of questioning from ESPN executive vice president Norby Williamson, Deadspin's Tommy Craggs has been released from Bristol headquarters and sent on his way back to New York. Despite having invited Craggs to the company's state-of-the-union event and having given him a temporary employee badge, ESPN was unwilling to host him for the rest of the afternoon.
Here's Vince Doria, ESPN's Vice President and Director of News, approaching Craggs near the end of the reporting session:
Craggs is on the highway now. "Norby's kind of a dick," he said.
Full report from Craggs tomorrow.


text: Three young women – Deena Jones, Effie White, and Lorrell Robinson – desire to become pop stars and get their wish when they're picked to be backup singers for the legendary James "Thunder" Early. Then they're set free for leads, but Curtis Taylor and Effie's brother C.C. decide for Deena to be lead which upsets Effie.


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so... who's your circle of eight?
Al Quadin
Arabian Adventures
Forgotton Realms
Dark Sun
All good campaign settings, but you just cannot beat the classics. The world of Greyhawk was the first campaign setting to be fully fleshed out (Blackmoor wasn't half as complex), and was the brainchild of Gary E. Gygax, founder of D&D. The setting was like FR in the fact that it had every terrain feature, plenty of deities, allowed many options, and was a very classic Tolkien-style setting. It differed (and was better, in my opinion) by being much more gritty than the sometimes flowery Forgotten Realms.
Of course, anyone who reads my name will realize I'm sorta biased on this.
Runner-ups would be Dark Sun, Forgotten Realms and Ravenloft.
so... who's your circle of eight?
nijineko the gm: AG16, CoS. nijineko the player: AtG, RttToH; . The Journal of Tala'elowar Kiyiik! .
CrystalBallLite: the best dice roller on the planet! . nijineko the archivist: the 3.x archive
Well, as one may assume, I like Blackmoor. Somewhat.
After that, I guess, at this point, Dawnforge and Ravenloft.
My favorite was the one that didn't make it for over a year or two: Red Steel. Swashbuckling Zorro-type setting with superpowered adventurers? I'm all for it.
Though it was part of Mystara, so I suppose my vote would then go for Mystara. The Savage Coast, a wondrous land of magic, a brutal land of gladiators, a hollow earth to explore, immortals instead of gods, and one of my favorite monsters: the thoul. Awesome.
I love Birthright, my favorite setting of all time, We played a long campaign which was very game of throne like, it ended when the players thought they could take on the Gorgon, well that didn't go so well. The setting just had what I liked, low magic (not very common) lots of cultures, just a great all around setting.
Forgotten Realms, because I've played it the longest in 2nd,3rd,3.5 eds. Points of light in 4th both Kaewin and I enjoyed it.
Elves keep their counsel and sharpen their ears.
i have voted the second leading theme but not so sure with it but would love to new suggested ideas why looking closely the forum to be on those
In 37 years of playing I've never played IN any of those settings. I've used things branded that way, I've incorporate concepts from them in my game, but I've never used the settings.
So? None of the Above. I've favored none of the official settings when it comes to "research".
Garry AKA --Phoenix-- Rising above the Flames.
My favorite game console is a table and chairs.
The Olde Phoenix Inn
Of those listed Dark Sun. I love Thieves World as well.
I have Say Forgotten Realms since AD&D 2nd edition is my game or choice.....
It's the best since has so much published material and has a better potential for lead-ins to other settings...
Last edited by Niel_Pencil; 07-24-2014 at 09:46 AM.
Since I last logged in & posted I will have to say of published settings 1e Forgotten Realms Grey Box is now my favorite. I'll ignore its supplements and just make FR my own setting if I ever run campaigns in it again. I'll just convert it to OD&D, Delving Deeper or The Big Brown Book rules and add bits from the other settings I like and home-brew everything else.


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By Caroline McGraw Dec 06, 2012 0
Staying Present, Staying Sane
During our Thanksgiving holiday, I made the radical decision to be present for my brother. This may sound like a simple thing, but there's complexity to it. First, like many young adults on the autism spectrum, Willie is good at going off by himself. There are times in which he needs solitude, to be sure, yet there are also times in which he longs for companionship. However, Willie doesn't usually articulate that need, so it falls to those around him to discern it.
Next, the choice to spend time with Willie often means stepping away from the crowd myself, and this can be tricky when I want to be a part of it all. But being Willie's sister helps me to notice what is going on "at the margins" … and this means that I see what my brother is doing when he's on the periphery of our family life. So, instead of pursuing additional projects around the house during the holiday, I decided to be more intentional about "tuning in" to Willie; that is, to be open to times in which he might welcome my company.
One afternoon, this meant that I put off checking my email and listened to Willie play the piano instead. He ran through his practice pieces two times each, and I rested beside him. The late-afternoon sun was filling up our living room; everything was quiet save for the music. In that half hour, I heard him with my whole heart. Studying his profile, I was amazed at how adroit his fingers were as they danced over the keys. I couldn't resist getting out my camera, even though I knew I'd fail to capture what I loved most about the scene. As I watched him play, I thought: We've each found something that makes our fingers fly. For me, it's writing; for him, it's music.
I was—I am—very proud of Willie. Hearing him play his current favorite song ("Carol of the Bells") showed me how much he has improved and deepened his playing in the last year. And the next morning, when he went from composed pianist to a borderline meltdown, I was able to remain calm within myself. And that is something of a miracle to me, especially after my own loss of control in the wake of one of Willie's meltdowns last month.
During Thanksgiving week, I experienced two different borderline meltdowns with Willie. In one instance, I was the point person to help him regain calm; in another, I stood by, ready to help my aunt and uncle if they needed me. In both cases, I had the opportunity to live the lesson I'd learned from my own mini meltdown the week prior: Instead of judging Willie for losing control, I need to manage my own temper.
What did I tell myself as I stood there with Willie? Staying present is how I stay sane, I reminded myself. Just stand here. Let there be no stories of an imagined future. Let there be no judgments about the past. Just be here, now, with Willie. Just breathe in and out. Just notice that, in each individual moment, we are both all right. No matter what happens, I believe that we will both be "all right" in the deepest sense of the phrase.
And afterward, I realized something amazing: Coaching myself to be present to those difficult moments with Willie enabled me to feel more joy during the happy times. For example, one evening we looked at a dog book together. There was nothing spectacular about it, but it was inexpressibly beautiful to me. If I had to translate what I felt into words, it would be something like, "I can see absolutely nothing wrong with this picture. I would not change one single thing."
Likewise, on our last morning, Willie was walking through the kitchen and saying, "I love … I love …" He kept trailing off, so of course my curiosity was piqued. "What do you love?" I asked. (Willie regularly makes statements such as, "I love computers!") His unexpected reply? "I love Caroline."


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- Get a bucket! Any 5 Gallon bucket will do....
- Place something heavy in the bucket such as a brick or rocks
- Place the bucket on the step of your pool in the water (any other flat surface in the pool or spa will work)
- Fill the bucket up with water so that the water in the bucket is even with the body of water it is sitting in
- Mark the inside and outside water level with tape or a sharpie
- This step is optional, but I like to take pictures of the levels with my cell phone camera
- Leave the bucket to sit for 24-48 hours
- Return to see if the two bodies of water are at the same level or if they are no longer the same
Please see image below.
So now that you see what has occurred, what does this info tell you? As long as the bucket is not compromised, this level of water will only be lost to evaporation. (Evaporation in the 1/8"-1/4" per day is considered normal and in hotter months can be more) If the pool does not have a leak, the two bodies of water will be the same providing no water in the bucket was lost or added. If the pool does have a leak, the pool or spa will be lower than the water level in the bucket! If the water in pool or spa is lower, it's time to call in the experts at OC Leak Detection servicing Riverside!
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Our team can come to your home and identify the type of leak affecting your pool, spa or fountain. We will then offer repair services that will take care of the problem quickly and efficiently.


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Yesterday, a good friend of mine invited me to speak at an after-school game club in East Harlem about the game industry. As an adult, it was one of those very illuminating and humanizing experiences that reminds you exactly what it was like to love games dearly when you're 11 years old. Trust me, the kids are alright.
That same friend of mine snapped the following adorable photo from one of the lower school classes. Here's everything you really need to know about Metroid, through the eyes of a grade schooler today. You just gotta love those earrings Samus is wearing:
Via atinyglow on Instagram


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Jón Gnarr Kristinsson, mayor of Reykjavík, Iceland, is cooler than your mayor. Before you contest our claim, we humbly present to you the following pieces of supporting evidence.
Jón Gnarr, dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi for last week's Reykjavík International Film Festival:
Jón Gnarr, preparing for—and riding in—Reykjavík's Gay Pride Parade, where he dressed as a member of beleaguered Russian punk band Pussy Riot:
Jón Gnarr's political affiliation: "The Best Party" — a satirical, but entirely real (and widely supported), upstart political party he co-founded in 2009. The party logo is a thumbs-up:
Here is the ad from Gnarr's 2010 mayoral campaign:
I'm sorry, what were you saying about your mayor being awesome? We can't hear you over the sound of Gnarr's lightsaber.


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Published by Metacrone
Retired unschooling mom and former teacher living in Albuquerque, NM. Feminist, gardener, vegetarian, theatre enthusiast, traveler and chronically ill companion to an excessive number of pets, plus my long-suffering husband and daughter. Also mother to wandering son and son-in-law. Someday, I will fully retire to a doublewide Tiny House™ in the backyard with the chickens. View all posts by Metacrone


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- my Vitamix (xoxoxoxo)
- my toaster oven (true love forever)
- some canning jars on the counter for some upcoming projects
- my delightful Hindu alphabet chart that I got at a stationary store in India. I love that thing!
a favorite mugs post in a previous mofo. Also, you will notice that we don't have more than 4 plates that match... We have a little hodgepodge of various sets.
Last but not least - any time I'm in the kitchen, there's at least one dog in the kitchen with me. The kitchen is where treats are officially handed out (not to mention where little scraps land on the floor by accident) - so they are all quite well behaved in the kitchen! :)


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A full weekend of performances at the Lincoln Theater May 16-18 celebrating the 10th year anniversary of The Lincoln Theater. Join us at the Collins House Inn for dinner at 5:00 p.m. on the 16th before you head for the Robin & Linda Williams performance.
Enjoy Chicken marsala, green beans, glazed carrots, homemade rolls topped off with strawberry shortcake. Please reserve by 5pm Thursday May 15th by calling (276) -781-0250.
If you are in need of lodging on the 18th we can assist you as well. Call us at (276)-781-0250 or go to our website at www.collinshouseinn.com


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Mattingly taps Kershaw for Opening Day start
Ryu gets call for Game 2 of Los Angeles' season-opening series in Australia
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw will start Opening Day and Hyun-Jin Ryu will start Game 2 of the season-opening series in Australia on March 22-23, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly announced Sunday.
Kershaw will be the first Dodgers pitcher to make four consecutive Opening Day starts since Ramon Martinez from 1995-98. Don Sutton has the Los Angeles record with seven (1972-78).
After throwing five innings and 70 pitches Sunday with an extra day of rest from his previous start, he will make his last Cactus League start Saturday, again on an extra day of rest. Will he be ready for Opening Day?
"I better be ready," he said. "I'll be ready.
"Any time you start Opening Day, no matter what continent it's on, it's pretty cool. I've done it now for a few years in a row and it's special. I don't take it for granted."
Kershaw, who has made several charitable pilgrimages to Africa, said he wasn't sure how the long trip would impact him.
"To be honest, it's new territory for me, for everybody," he said. "I kind of know how my body reacts to jet lag and how I react, but I've never had to compete and pitch. Everybody's got to do it. I've talked to a couple guys that have gone on these trips. Everybody feels different."
The left-hander, who turns 26 on March 19, is coming off his second Cy Young Award in the past three seasons -- with a runner-up finish in between -- and was rewarded with a seven-year, $215 million contract extension.
He won his third consecutive MLB ERA title in 2013 with a 1.83 mark, the first Dodger ever to three-peat and the first in the game to do so since Greg Maddux in 1993-95. Kershaw became the franchise's first multiple ERA winner since Sandy Koufax (1963, '65, '66), which is fitting because the 1.83 ERA is the best by an NL lefty since Koufax's 1.73 in 1966. It's also the lowest ERA in MLB since Pedro Martinez's 1.74 in 2000 -- and lowest in the league since Maddux's 1.63 in 1995.
Kershaw was selected to the All-Star Game for a third consecutive year, led the Majors with a 0.92 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched), led the NL with 232 strikeouts, was second in both innings (236) and opponents' batting average (.195), and tied for third with 16 wins.
The Dodgers' ace was the only pitcher in the league to finish in the top three in wins, ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched.
This year's Opening Day will be like no other, as the Dodgers will be the visiting team against Arizona at the fabled Sydney Cricket Ground, which has been transformed into a Major League Baseball configuration.
On Opening Day last year, Kershaw slugged a home run and pitched a shutout against the Giants at Dodger Stadium.
Kershaw went 1-2 with a 3.13 ERA during the postseason last year, which included a start on three days' rest against the Braves in the NL Division Series clincher. But he was also roughed up for seven runs in four innings when the Dodgers were eliminated by St. Louis in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.
Kershaw's workload last year -- just shy of 260 innings, not counting Spring Training -- had the club considering skipping him for the Australian Series. But, apparently, the decision was made that he would start in Australia even before No. 2 starter Zack Greinke was slowed by a mild right calf strain that will keep him from making the trip.
Mattingly did not reveal the rest of the Dodgers' rotation, because it really won't become a rotation until well into April. The Dodgers return from Australia, have two days off, then play three exhibition games against the Angels before the regular season resumes March 30 in San Diego, with an off-day on March 31, then two more games in San Diego, followed by a day off, then the home opener April 4 against the Giants.
It's conceivable that Kershaw could start in Australia, in San Diego and also the home opener -- three of the club's first six games. But Mattingly again implied that wouldn't happen.
"We've got a lot of off-days early and we'll take advantage of those off-days to give him his rest," Mattingly said. "We're not going to abandon ship about [Kershaw having thrown] a lot of innings."
Dan Haren is the fourth starter, and the Dodgers won't need a fifth starter until the middle of April. At this point, Josh Beckett is considered likely for that role. Because Beckett is coming off surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, the club signed Paul Maholm, who is also a candidate for that spot.


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ComScore's Gift to Web Publishers: (Almost) Free Traffic [UPDATED]
Hey Web publishers! Want to boost your traffic overnight? Talk to comScore, which is handing out millions of unique visitors.
The Web's dominant traffic counter is in the midst of overhauling its traffic-counting system in response to years of complaints from publishers who insist that their traffic has been undercounted.
Turns out, the publishers were often right.
ComScore's old data, for instance, say the Huffington Post attracted 9.95 million unique visitors in December. But its new numbers peg HuffPo's December traffic at 20 million uniques.
The difference is that comScore's (SCOR) old system tracked small panels of users and extrapolated their traffic patterns across the Web. But its new "hybrid" system uses panel data along with records generated by actual visits to the site, counted via tracking cookies. Publishers that cooperate with comScore (SCOR) agree to let the company "tag" every Web page on their sites.
"This is a much much better, much more methodologically rigorous way of doing this," says Linda Abraham, comScore's chief marketing officer.
ComScore has been rolling out the new system for months and says it can now use it to report on 25 percent of the 50 biggest sites on the Web. Another 50 percent of the top sites have agreed to work with the system, Abraham says.
ComScore lets publishers who are already clients participate in the program for free. But it will charge everyone else $10,000 a year, which the company says helps cover the cost of new servers and other equipment it needs to process the new deluge of data.
UPDATE: Some more detail on comScore's fees, which generated a Web flare-up after this piece ran. Abraham notes that comScore's set-up fee is $5,000, which she says covers implementation costs and gives publishers access to its data for six months; comScore charges publishers who want to keep receiving reports an additional $5,000 for each subsequent six-month period. However, Abraham notes, "If you choose not to purchase report access, you are free to do that, and we'll continue to report you as hybrid, free of charge, as long as you continue to beacon correctly." For more from Abraham, see her response to Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis's criticism; here's the company's blog post on the subject.
The new system doesn't necessarily generate a traffic boost. AOL's (AOL) Living channel saw its numbers decline by two percent in the new system, for instance, and its radio site saw traffic drop by 20 percent. AOL's overall traffic, though, is up nine percent by comScore's count.
Hybrid measurement is particularly kind to small Web sites and those that generate a lot of traffic from users who visit while at work. Both categories have always been difficult for comScore to measure using panels.
TheStreet.com (TSCM), for instance, has watched its traffic shoot up 86 percent under the new system, to 3.3 million uniques. That's still much less than the site itself reports–in its last quarterly filing, the financial network reported an audience of 8.1 million uniques.
The fact that comScore is tracking some Web sites using the new system and the rest of them with the old one will make things a bit sticky for some time. The company has stopped releasing its monthly Top 50 list until May, when it says it will have moved almost all participating sites into the hybrid system.
But some sites won't end up working with comScore at all, which means that comScore will measure them with its old panel methodology. At some point, the company will be presenting apples-to-oranges numbers when it compares different sites.
Does any of this really matter? Yes and no.
Ad buyers do pay attention to comScore rankings when figuring out where to place their money, even as Web publishers have presented their own, higher numbers from their own server logs. For some sites, the new data will make their pitches more compelling.
On the other hand, this does nothing to solve the real problem facing most publishers: They can't sell ads against all of their inventory, no matter who's counting it. And a measurement system won't ever be able to help with that one.


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Diseñadores de todas las partes del mundo están proponiendo diseños creativos a tobstar en la categoría de diseño logotipo - custom.
I would like the logo to be simple and in one colour either burgundy or claret. This could be white text on a burgundy background or just burgundy text.
The logo will need to be eye catching and unique which will enable it to be easily recognisable to the customers.
Desired Color Scheme:
Burgundy or Claret
Desired Style:
All our food will be pre-packaged so maybe have logo with sandwich wedge on them, but this is not essential.
Accepted File Formats:
ai, esp
The business is all about healthy food served fast (Like McDonald but with healthy food). The food will be freshly made with fresh ingredients most of which will be organic.
The logo will need to be eye catching and unique which will enable it to be easily recognisable to the customers.
Knosh will be known as a somewhere to go for lunch that will have a great choice of fresh healthy food that is packaged and placed in open front fridges for customer to choose there own food. Our food will be of the highest quality and consistent in taste and will be supplied to customers with excellent customer service and speed.
The main types of food will be sandwiches and baguettes but it will also sell sushi, wraps, salads and pasta etc. If you have a look at http://www.pret.com this is a simular concept to this business. Knosh will also be selling a lot coffee.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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In recruiting, the 'athlete' tag is given to a player for one of two reasons: He either has the athletic potential to excel at any number of positions, or he doesn't really seem to have a true position and evaluators call him an athlete because they don't know where he'll end up.
Less than a week after signing his letter of intent with Alabama, five-star athlete Bo Scarbrough already has his position. He's going to be a tailback in the Crimson Tide offense, according to head coach Nick Saban. But make no mistake, he won't just be a grind-it-out type of back.
"We think Bo is a multi-talented guy but we look at him as a running back first," Saban told Al.com. "He has really a diverse skill level for a big guy, he's a physical guy. He has really good running ability but he also has great receiving skills. He's actually played as much wide receiver as he has running back."
However, Saban wants to avoid the temptation to play him at any other spot.
"As a running back, we can use him in those kind of roles and if he can learn and be ready to help us, I think that because of the kind of player he is, maybe he will be able to contribute in other ways as a player besides running back," Saban said. "That's how we would use him as a running back, not playing him at another position."
If there's any drawback to this move, it's that Alabama's backfield is ridiculously crowded with depth. Not only is TJ Yeldon back for at least one more season, there's also the quickly-developing Derrick Henry, plus Kenyan Drake, Jalston Fowler, Altee Tenpenny, Dee Hart and Tyren Jones.
But at 6-foot-2, 234 pounds, Scarbrough — ranked the 16th-best player in the country by Rivals.com — has the potential to be scary good. His size-speed combination is rare. Here's a look at his highlight reel. It won't be the last highlight you'll see from him.
Photo: Rivals.com.


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"GIGABYTE is once again raising the standard by which all other motherboards are judged with our latest flagship GA-X58A-UD7," commented Henry Kao, Vice President GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "Featuring next generation storage capabilities including USB 3.0 and SATA 3, as well as GIGABYTE's own unique 3x USB Power Boost, the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 truly epitomizes everything that a highest performance, highest feature set motherboard is all about."
Continuing GIGABYTE's technology leadership, the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 features the revolutionary GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 3 design, with 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers to enable dramatically lower system temperature, improved energy efficiency and enhanced stability for overclocking. The GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 also features the GIGABYTE Smart 6™ technology, offering a combination of 6 innovative software utilities that provides an easier and smarter way for managing your system, including improved system performance, faster boot-up time, secure platform management as well as easy to enable system recovery with a click of mouse button.
The GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 supports the latest Intel® Core™ i7 processors for the LGA 1366 socket as well as Intel's next generation 32nm processors, offering a high level of future CPU headroom for users wanting to maintain cutting-edge levels of performance. With the memory controller integrated directly into the processor die, the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 also supports triple channel DDR3 memory for blazing fast memory performance.
USB 3.0 Support
SATA 6 Gbps Support
Yet another onboard feature of the GIGABYTE X58A-UD7 is Marvell's new SE9128 chips for high-speed SATA Revision 3.0 compatibility, delivering superfast 6Gbps link speeds for twice the data transfer rates of SATA Revision 2.0 (3 Gbps). When used in RAID 0 (Stripe) mode, the GIGABYTE X58A-UD7 offers even faster data transfer rates of up to 4x the speed of current SATA interfaces. Another advantage of the Marvell SE9128 is its onboard RAID processor, which enables hardware based data balancing for ultra low CPU utilization, providing a much more powerful RAID solution compared to traditional software based RAID.
3x USB Power BoostThe GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 motherboard features a 3x USB power boost, delivering greater compatibility and extra power for USB devices. GIGABYTE's unique USB power design is also able to efficiently regulate output over the full voltage range, which greatly enhances USB device compatibility. In addition, dedicated lower resistance fuses ensure lower voltage drops, and provide a more stable and plentiful power delivery.
For additional information about the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 motherboard, please visit the GIGABYTE website at: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/...ProductID=3251
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I'm exploring the web to find sites I like
Montego Bay - Lucea
"Had a wonderful time"
Posted by: Emily09 on Jul 21, 2015
see all reviews
Situated in the harbour town of Lucea, Hanover, just north west of Kingston, the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Jamaica Resort & Spa Hotel is a very special Jamaica deluxe spa hotel.
Share your experiences with others. Don't forget to send your review to Debbie by using an easy form.
"Our First Trip to the Caribbean"
Posted by:
Brennan on Jan 26, 2010 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Mar, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
985 people found this review helpful
We found this hotel on CheapCaribbean.com and got a great deal on our stay here. Overall our trip was great! We were on the Lady Hamilton side of the resort. The resort was still in its start-up stages, but we had read a few reviews prior to leaving and knew that going in. There were a few things, but definitely nothing major that we let ruin our trip.
Your Arrival:
We got through customs fairly quickly, and found our transport to the resort. Once on the bus, we had time to run and grab our first Rum punch of the trip. The bus ride was about 30 min or so. If you've never been to Jamaica, be ready b/c the driving can make things eventful! Lucea(pronounced Lucy) is between Montego Bay and Negril, so we were the first to be dropped off at our hotel, as the other vacationers on the bus were headed on to Negril. Upon arrival we were welcomed in the lobby with more rum punch, and a quick check in at the front desk. The resort is fairly large so a golf cart took us to our building, and brought up our luggage. All in all, a breeze and nice experience.
We saw on a Grand Palladium message board that you could try to specify a certain room before arrival. We attempted to do this, but unfortunately didn't get it. No Problem mon! Our room was actually situated in a great location. We didn't have a great view of the ocean; but then again, the only time we were in our room was to sleep. Huge Jacuzzi tub, and shower! Toliet seat was loose when we got there, but by the time we came back that night it was fixed. Didn't even have to report anything. Beds were a little hard, but nothing that made it impossible to get a good nights sleep. You get two room keys initially. When you go in the room one of the keys goes in the slot on the wall, this turns on the power for the room. The key has to stay there in order to keep the power going and keep the A/C on. I'm sure you can get another key, but we just never asked.
Restaurants and Bars:
The swim up bar was by far our favorite. The bartenders were always doing something to keep everyone entertained. They made whatever you asked for, and made it however you wanted. We enjoyed the food pretty much everywhere, except the Indian restaurant. We had never had Indian food though, so decided to give it a try and figured out it's just not our thing. The sushi was really good, as was the Jamaica restaurant. The jerk chicken served at lunch down on the beach hit the spot! There is also an American style sports bar that is open late for those craving a cheeseburger, pizza, or even nachos late at night.
There are a few beaches on the property. They aren't very big, as they are man made. It takes some getting used to because the sand is finely crushed rocks. We only went to the beach that had all of the water activities, so I can't really comment on the others. The water was very clear, enough for us to get some great pictures of the coral and colorful fish there. We had a little trouble with one of the people that rent out the snorkles and masks. The lady told us we needed two room cards for two masks. This was confusing as the same lady the day before let us rent two snorkles and masks with one key. Normally though it wouldn't be a big deal except that we only got two keys initially and our other one was still in the slot in the room so that our room stayed cool. Minor blip on the radar of our trip though. Grounds were very nice, and there were always people our working on them. Never came across a person there that didn't say Hello/Good Morning/Good Evening to us. The ocean/pools were a little cool, but it was March. Pool was tiled with very small tiles that were coming up. They were in the process of doing what they could to fix it(a gentleman was in the pool each day trying to reattach them). Again something we knew about before and didn't let ruin the trip. Even became somewhat of a running joke at the swim up bar, as after a few drinks a few guests and us decided to use these tiles as a form of "currency" for each drink. It was all in good fun. We saw some reviews recommending water shoes to combat the coarse sand, and pool tile issue; but neither of us brought those, and neither of us left with cuts on our feet.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
There was always something going on. Whether it was during the day by the infinity pool where they had music going and games of cornhole, volleyball, or a yoga/exercise class going on. At nights they always had some form of music entertainment in the bar located above the swim up bar. They also had different forms of entertainment shows going on in the theater. Later in the night the disco would open up for those guests that were interested in dancing a little. There is a casino on site as well. The resort has a dedicated Entertainment Staff that is constantly offering different things to do to keep you entertained during the day and night. There are numerous options for excursions for guests to partake in. We chose to hire a car and venture to Negril one day. This was our only sour point of the trip. A driver took us and another couple to Negril; stopping at a local shopping mall, a craft mall, and finally Rick's Cafe for sunset. We booked our trip for a Sunday and were told that some of the shops may be closed, not a big deal since we hadn't planned on doing much shopping to begin with. We arrive at the mall and discover that out of the 20 or so stores, 3 are open; and none of them have power due to a pop up shower that had just come through. Our driver dropped us off anyway and told us he'd be back in an hour. So we sat for pretty much an hour. Next we move on to the craft mall. On our arrival, we were taken back to one of the tents to be shown some of the crafts(we all assumed the driver knew the lady and was helping her out with some potential customers). We knew going in that we were going to be approached to buy their items, but weren't prepared for the manner in which they went about it. There are some fairly cool authentic Jamaican items, but the individuals selling them can be extremely overwhelming. Rick's Cafe was our final stop and it was nice to be able to sit down, watch the vacationers jump from the cliffs and the locals from the tree tops on top of the cliffs, and enjoy a nice sunset.
Other Comments:
The resort as a whole was very nice. The people there were all very friendly and helpful when we needed it. We could tell it was a new resort and was going through some start-up issues, but nothing major and again nothing that would ruin your stay there.
"For a young hotel it is kind of a disgrace."
Posted by:
Robert on Apr 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Apr, 2009
583 people found this review helpful
I´ve been to better resorts
"Wedding worries"
Posted by: Sparkles
on Nov 8, 2011 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Nov, 2010 | Wedding | Family and Kids
738 people found this review helpful
The overall appearance of the resort was breathtaking, but other standards were not up to speed. I previously made reservations for my guest to gather at one of the restaurants for a rehearsal/ meeting of family's dinner. We were unable to meet at the one I chose because it was not open at the time and would not accommodate my group. I didn't receive knowledge of this until the day of. The wedding coordinator had no recollection of the reservation.
Although we traveled with our own DJ, we had to rent the speaker system from the resort. During the reception, the music was muffled and very low. The guests were also unable to hear the toasts and speeches. The wedding coordinator was unavailable for assistance during the reception because she was in a meeting for a wedding the next day. We also had to share our space with another group; we were separated by a sheet. There music was overpowering our group, making it impossible to enjoy our reception. I was also told by the wedding coordinator that I would have the entire section to myself.
As far as the wedding photographer, we were also unhappy with his work. When we were looking over the pictures and discussing the flaws, Mark gave every excuse for the poor pictures. Due to the fact that it was an evening wedding, the sun started setting and he continued shooting. The pictures were dark, unfocused, blurry and slanted. He continued to say that he did not have the right equipment as far as lenses and lighting for better quality pictures. I felt as though he was unprepared for the job at hand. We were unable to pick any of the night shots because of this matter.
One of the most serious issues was my aunt being trapped in the elevator for 45 minutes. There was no alarm, little air and no assistance for the entire ordeal. She had to pry herself out of the elevator injuring her thumb. She is a senior citizen.
From November 17-22 myself and my now husband selected The Grand Palladium as the venue for our wedding. Our wedding date was Saturday November 20, 2010 we were expecting this occasion to be one of the happiest in our lives, unfortunately it was not.
The wedding coordinator also needs assistance, or extra staff. At 6 pm, the reception area was being set up. Cameras were just being placed on tables. It started late and then the guests still had to wait another hour to be served. There is not enough info on hotel activities and restaurant operating hours. The staff needs help with organization and it starts with management. The guests' rooms smelled like mold, which required several guests to change their rooms. There was a huge lack of communication for our large group, making it impossible for us to all meet up. Guests were divided between the two sides. The wedding coordinator made no attempts to retrieve guests list from reservations manager, who had names to properly room guests at least 2 weeks prior. We reserved almost 20 rooms, and had over 60 guests attending the wedding. Everyone had the same complain, No organization. There was little to no accommodations for the bridal party. We almost couldn't eat because there is no room service and no take out, so my maid of honor had to plead with staff to take out food. Our pick up was late for the wedding.
Other Comments:
Before leaving the resort my husband and I met with Maria Hoffman, Guest relations manager, to try and come to some sort of resolution. We were unable to do so and she agreed to contact us as soon as possible. My wedding experience was a huge disappointment. I feel as though after our money was spent, there were no intentions of fully accommodating us. No one checked on us after the wedding and no one was available for questions or concerns.Still waiting for response.
"Love it"
Posted by:
Cathy on Jan 27, 2011 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Jan, 2011 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
894 people found this review helpful
Definitely 5 star resort. Service was great, staff was friendly. Loved our 1 bedroom suite. I would go back again. The landscaping and building are absolutely beautiful .
Room Block:
We were 1st in line at check in. Unfortunately they only had 1 person on duty at that on a Sunday night but she was very pleasant.
They have an adult only beach and pool which is very nice when u want peace and quiet. The bartender and waitress and waiters were a joy at this beach/pool area.
"Great Vacation!!"
Posted by:
Mark on Apr 12, 2011 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Apr, 2011 | Leisure | With Group
848 people found this review helpful
Room Number:
Room Block:
No problems on arrival but hard to get an extra key.
The room was great. We have been to many contries and this is the best room we have ever had. The hot tub in the center of the room was wonderful.
Restaurants and Bars:
Food was good. Had nothing but good experiences. The popcorn at the sports bar was great.
Beach was my only slight disappointment. The sand and rock were hard on the feet. Missed the long walks on the beach. Adult only beach was nice and quite.
Other Comments:
Overall a great experience and I would recommend this resort to anyone.
"Beware the scam"
Posted by:
steve on Dec 13, 2011 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Dec, 2011 | Business | With Spouse/Partner
854 people found this review helpful
The Fiesta Hotel Group has a pretty good scam going. My wife and I were booked at the Grand Palladium Jamaica for one night. About 41 hours prior to our scheduled arrival we were contacted by the airline about a change in our flight which would make our one night stay no longer needed (we were booked with another hotel for the remainder of our trip). I immediately contacted the hotel guest relations department and told them of our need to cancel. I was told "no problem mon". We completed our vacation and returned home to find that our charge had not been reversed so we contacted Funjet to get their assistance, they told us all we needed was a letter from the hotel and they would refund us. I emailed Maria Hoffman (guest relations manager for fiesta hotel group) requesting a letter that stated we could granted a refund. Here is her response:
Dear Mr. Dobben, Thank you for your email. It is unfortunate that you weren't able to visit our resort as originally scheduled due to flight cancelation. With regards to your request for waving the penalty charge, that usually apply by a non show booking, we regret to inform you that we won't be able to proceed with such without a copy of written notification (email or fax) that was submitted to the hotel prior to your expected arrival. Shall you happen to be in possession of such; we urge you to forward it to us and we will proceed with the refund accordingly. Thank you for your attention. Kind regards,
So their guest relations made no mention to needing me to send them a written notification at the time I called (remember: No problem Mon!) and now the guest relations manager says that without it I would receive no refund.
This is a scam to take your money. It is intentional and speaks to the non existent level of integrity this company operates with. I urge you to consider any other company than a Fiesta Hotel Group property. The Secrets St. James for instance. Don't contribute to a company that scams travelers. By patronizing them you condone their behavior. Don't be their next victim!
Beware of the scam!!!!!
"Slightly above average"
Posted by: Nova Scotia
on Feb 20, 2012 >
4 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Feb, 2012 | Leisure | With friend
758 people found this review helpful
Traveled with 2 other couples, all first timers to Jamaica. Flew with Thomas Cook/Sunquest/Jazz and aside from 1-2 hours delay on both ends, the flight part was fine for the purpose.
Check in at the resort was painless, got our room assignments and were carted away to start our vacation. Our rooms were top floor, building 11, and those rooms were perfect for us. Nice views of the sea, pool area, lobby and infinity bar. Yes, occasionally there are smells in the halls/stairwells but those smells do not permeate the rooms. The room doors seal when closed. We had requested some specifics regarding rooms and we were quite satisfied with what was provided. If you have a few minutes, go see the concierge in the morning, she will give you a rundown on the resort and may try to get you to do a tour, but the info she gives is useful. We passed on the tour.
The Rooms
We had a regular room. Spacious and clean. Bed was comfy, pillows a bit small but acceptable, a few spares in the closet. A/C worked fine. Bathroom was well equipped, water pressure and temp was great. Water seemed a bit on the hard side. No issues with the room at all. We've been to A.I.'s 8 times and this was one of the best maintained rooms we have had. Our maid was Donalee and she was awesome. She even went out of her way one morning to knock a wasps nest from above the balcony with her broom... neither of us got stung. ;) FYI, maids come early, not an issue for us early risers, but if that's an issue for you, use the Do Not Disturb card.
The Bars
Just a few points... Lots of bars around, but sometimes it's hard to find one open, especially late afternoon. We're not sure what was going on but on two occasions, the bar at Sunset Cove ran out of rum... out of rum in Jamaica?? The Sports Bar does not serve rum after 11:00 pm... so they said. Miss Lou's was relaxing and made great irish/spanish/special coffee. The infinity bar was our favorite with excellent service and the nightly live music was really enjoyable. There is one bartender there in particular who I watched bust his butt all week long serving patrons, he was the best... wish I had seen his name, tall man, maybe Richard?
Room Number:
Room Block:
Ugh... the concept of walk-up ala cartes does not suit this resort. Not all restaurants are open at once. If you are not there early, the waits are too long. We did one ala carte, had to rush to get there, and the food was nothing to write home about. We tried next night to find an ala carte but alas, we ended up in the buffet. I wasn't a fan of the buffet. Not enough selection for such a big resort, but I didn't starve. We also ate from the Jerk Chicken hut twice, good stuff. We ate at the Sunset Cove restaurant most lunchtimes, food was just OK. Wait service was hit or miss all around the resort. One exception was Owen at the restaurant at Sunset cove beach. He was outstanding. FYI, dress codes are strictly enforced.
Sunset Cove is the only real swimmable beach... at least when we were there. The main beach is too rough and windy, Coral Beach or Adults Only beach is too rough and too rocky. Sunset Cove had a nice sandy stretch and is much calmer and less windy, but a long walk from the Jamaica side. There is some snorkelling right off Sunset Cove where I saw garden variety aquarium type fish, the odd octopus, flounder, grouper, lots of urchins and a lionfish. Lots of shade to be had on all beaches.
Three pools... I think, only saw two. The main infinity pool was where we finished our afternoons... after the Sunset Beach bar ran out of rum. Lots of seating, lots of shade and the staff at the swim up bar were very good. Pool was kept clean and was quite refreshing.
Restaurants and Bars:
Resort as a whole
Big, lots of walking. Some staff excelled, some not so much. Staff in some areas and behind some desks do not seem well informed on activities and such going on around the resort. We were given a run around on a few occasions when asking where we could eat, what was open, etc. The resort is too big to be wandering around following bad advice given by staff. The place was kept clean and tidy, surroundings are very pretty.
A few other things...
There was some concern in reviews about theft and safes. We experienced none of that, and in fact accidentally left about $50 on the desk one morning, it was still there when we got back that evening.
Staff on the resort do not demand tips, though some do earn them.
Public washrooms were cleaned regularly.
The resort uses a towel card system.
Getting loungers and shade anywhere on the resort was not an issue. There is spot saving that goes on, but in my opinion, if those folks got up early just to save a spot, they wasted their time, there are lots of choice spots from which to chose.
Bring your own snorkel gear. I heard there was a $25 deposit to use the resort gear and I don't know about you, but I don't usually take $25 to the beach with me at an A.I. There are also mask and snorkel sets that can be purchased on site.
Most travelers now take their own insulated travel mugs, if not, they can be purchased on site.
The disco is nicely laid out but WAY too loud and a little dark. The DJ needs to recognize that when there are more people standing outside the disco than those in the disco, something might need to be adjusted... I'm guessing the volume.
Room fridges are stocked with 2 water, 2 beer, 4 soft drinks and are replenished daily. Fridges are not very cold though. Bottom floor of each building conveniently has an ice machine that needs a room card to work.
Most stuff you might want to buy is far cheaper at the Airport.
The birds do make a lot of noise, but you can not hear them in the rooms with the doors closed.
Checked out a couple of shows - Perfect Couple night was without a doubt the funniest show I have ever seen, and in Palladium fashion, the importance of guest safety was obvious.
I thought the drinks offered around the resort were very good - quality, variety and strength.
Ummm... slightly above average resort that with a few little improvements here and there, would be outstanding. One or two little problems don't matter but a handful of little issues can detract from the experience. No big complaints, but not much to really rave about either. Biggest plus would have to be just the general atmosphere. We had a pretty good stay, had a few laughs, met some nice folks, great weather and made it home safely.
"Best resort overall in our 15 years of travel"
Posted by:
william on Apr 4, 2012 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Mar, 2012 | Leisure | With Group
745 people found this review helpful
Don't know where to start everything was a 5 out of 5! The worst part of the trip was the ride in from the Montego Bay airport.(and the extra 4 hours Sunwing added to our getting to destination due to low fuel) The Resort and all the workers were top notch. No line ups for fine dining and no "race to the beach" every day to secure a chair. I especially want to comment on the protocol that exists for security. We had trouble with our safe upon arrival. The battery exploded in the safe mechanism and it opened spuratically. Fifteen minutes later security and the repairman arrived and once the security opened the safe he left the room and the worker asked if he could come in. They don't allow both employees in the room together. We thought it was fixed and the next day we returned after another perfect day at sunset cove to find a note from Diome Cunningham in housekeeping, telling me that the safe was open and that I should contact security immediately. Panic stricken I was surprised and pleased to find all my belongings untouched. Security and the repairman came again and fixed the problem for good this time. I am still in awe at how professional the whole experience was for our group of 6 adults. Not one complaint....everything and everybody were perfect. The food was good and the fine dining was very good. I would suggest the Italian (great beef tenderloin), the Jamaican, Mexican and the Asian restaurants. We chose to eat breakfast outside by the pool....just because we could. We have travelled to Cuba, Mexico, Dominican (both sides)and now Jamaica and this was the best overall. It's true what they say...once you go you know!!!
Room Number:
pool huge....beach small
"Not safe"
Posted by: Anne-Marie
on Aug 29, 2012 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Jul, 2012 | Leisure | With Group
696 people found this review helpful
Cash stolen from my locked room only accessible by those with swipe cards. Hotel walked away from us.
Service not very good at all, beach artificial. Overall stay at another hotel like RIU. I am a fair guy and fortunate enough to travel once or twice a year with my wife and three children. Never a Fiesta Hotel again. Yes I am not happy with the way the hotel dealt with my theft, actually I should say the way they did not deal with it as they did nothing but cover their behinds and give me the run around. Thought middle or upper management would do the right thing, I guess not.
Room Number:
July 21, 2012
Other Comments:
NOT SAFE and NO Help when needed
"Not So Grand "
Posted by:
Carl on Jun 26, 2013 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Jun, 2013 | Leisure | Family and Kids
683 people found this review helpful
We were at this hotel for seven days. Air conditioner did not work and was never repaired. Called for towels every day,did not get towels every day. The min fredge did not cool. The pool was very dirty. Not much of a beach, mostly rocks. Food was ok mostly, most of the people were friendly. If we were not with another , I would left second day. What a waste of money and time for a bad trip. Lady Antebella Hotel is the other end of the same hotel. Just called a sister hotel.
Room Number:
Room Block:
06/17/2013 waited in lobby and bar from 11:00 till 4:00 to be given a room.
AC didn"t work. Fredge didn"t work nor would it be stocked without repeated calls. Towels must of been made of gold, hard to get.
Restaurants and Bars:
Food was ok. Drinks were low end .
Beach rocky, not much. Pool dirty and not being cleaned. Grounds were pretty
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Not many activties on the resort. Resort is one hour from airport and most everything else.
Other Comments:
I have been to many resorts on many of the islands and Mexico. This is a waste of a vacation. I feel very cheated.