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This article was originally published on the bol.com blog, and is also available on Medium and LinkedIn.
"You hack it, you love it, you run it" is printed on a big sign above the canteen at bol.com's office in Utrecht. It's time for the hackathon, which is held three times a year.
Today, about 90 engineers are completely free to decide what to work on. "When you sign up for the hackathon, you mention what you're planning to do so you can form a team, but no manager has to approve it," says Maarten Dirkse, who started organizing the hackathons three years ago.
The hackers are all relieved from their duties; nobody will bother them today with regular work. The hackathon starts at 09:00 and lasts until 20:00. Lunch and pizzas are arranged, and at 17:00 the bar opens (just like every Friday).
"It's a really fun event in which you can build anything you've always wanted to build, but couldn't find the time for. It doesn't necessarily needs to be something useful for bol.com, although we do take suggestions from the business." Maarten continues. "People tackle a problem that bothers or motivates them. My favorite is an internal dashboard that shows beautiful statistics on today's revenue. It also plots new customer orders real-time on a map of Holland."
Hacker Mary Gouseti is a big fan of the hackathons: "it's a great way to learn new skills and experiment with new technology. It's also nice to work together with engineers from other teams that you normally don't work with. Everybody helps each other out. My favorite project is the "Translate to English" button, which allows non-Dutch speakers like me to browse bol.com in English."
"Several projects resulted in visible improvements and innovations for our website or mobile app. But even if an initiative can't directly be translated into business value, it does inspire and motivate the engineers, which is just as valuable" says Menno Vis, IT Director Software Development.
"After the hackathon, we organize an award ceremony for which we invite the whole company. The hackers present their results in a 3-minute pitch. We have prizes for the coolest project, the project which has the most value for bol.com and for the project which is the most 'out of the box' or funny. Real working demos usually score more points than PowerPoint slides" Menno continues.
Another noteworthy event is the yearly "polish night". During this event, about 500 colleagues voluntarily work until late at night to get the site ready for the holiday season. They clean up a whole bunch of glitches in the product content to improve the shopping experience. Of course, music and drinks are provided.
The hackathon is just one of the things that defines bol.com's engineering culture. Management supports and encourages bottom-up initiatives and regularly asks employees to pitch ideas for new projects. Menno: "our philosophy for sustaining a high performing IT department is quite simple. Get the right people on board and give them the right assignment. Encourage them to take ownership and ensure autonomy at the lowest level in the organization. Provide freedom within a framework, high autonomy and high alignment. Just like our services: loosely coupled but also highly cohesive!"
Hackathons are a great way to inspire innovation and motivation by reinforcing autonomy, mastery and purpose. Bol.com gets this, just like Facebook, Spotify and Uber who conduct hackathons at regular intervals.


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subset: commoncrawl


text: Bradford Academy is accredited through AdvancEd. Being accredited means Bradford Academy adheres to a high set of educational standards set by AdvanceEd. During the accreditation process, not only were our academic standards evaluated, but also our programs, culture and school community. Being accredited is a testament to the fact that our teachers and staff work together to ensure all needs of students are met.


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AAC Veteran raises £4k in 135km Hadrian's Wall challenge for the Museum
An Army Air Corps veteran raised nearly £4,000 the length of Hadrian's Wall in a bid to support the Museum's heritage project.
Col (retd) Paul Edwards MBE, who served in the army for more than 35 years, embarked on the 84 mile (135km) challenge over three days in September 2018.
Prior to the challenge Paul freely admitted to not being a long-distance runner, and that the run would hurt.
He said: "The route it is not like running a marathon route, it is a little bit of road, cross country, fell running and even when I do get to go on roads, nobody is going to be stopping the traffic.
"Over three or four days at marathon length is not going to be easy."
For his run he was supported by Westover Landrover and his two daughters and son.
Westover Jaguar Land Rover donated the use of a Land Rover Discovery Sport to assist in the run.
Mark Whittam, group operations director at Westover Group, said: "We jumped at the chance of being involved in such an incredible personal challenge for Paul and we wish him the best of luck.
"The museum plays an important role in preserving history which is relevant to all of us and has exhibits on major UK conflicts of the last century. Westover has a longstanding history of supporting the UK's military personnel and we actively provide special rates to those who are serving or are retired from the army."
To support Paul click here


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Mechanical Frames
Mechanical Frames is a device made up of mechanical flip books and a generative graphic program. Each time a folio change (flip) is captured, a new frame of the program is projected.
In Mechanical Frames, the narrative unfolds at the same speed as the rotating flip book, becoming infinite and variable.
With the support of Villette Makerz.


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Just before the final evening show, we got an inside wrap up the 75th Get-Together with owner and organizer, Greg Bordner. The information for next year's Get-Together is already posted at: http://magicgettogether.com/ Following the show and the awards presentation at the elementary school, the group continued the reverie in the village.
I caught up with Stan Allen who talked about this Get-Together, MAGIC Live! and the Essential Magic Conference. We recorded this chat with Stan outside the Legion Hall in hopes that it would be much quieter. Indeed it was; however, the wind picked up and there is some wind noise in this part of the podcast. Please forgive the poor quality of the recording of this chat, but I decided to leave it in because of the quality of the discussion. For dates, registration and more information on MAGIC Live!, visit: http://www.magicmagazine.com/live/
Before we called it a night, I talked with Al the Only and Don Wiberg who together gave a nice wrap and overview of the entire convention. Then just before we signed off, Dana Daniels came out of the Legion Hall so we got to chat with him about him winning the Senator Clark Crandall Comedy Award for Excellence, his "No Show Show" and his future. For information on booking Dana, you can find more information at: http://danadaniels.com/Dana_Daniels.html
Download a MP3 file of this podcast by Clicking Here then right click to save the file. You can also download the MP3 media file directly from the RSS feed by Clicking Here.


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This page gives you information you need to contact the National Library of Scotland by phone, email or through the website, or to write to us. There are also direct contact details for the Library's main departments or services. Our enquiry policy outlines our commitment to dealing with enquiries.
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click here to catch up.
Today I'm covering general things that help in the actual delivery process. I'm sure I sound like a broken record for those who have been reading this for all ten posts so far, but remember, these are just things I've found helpful that you might too. I'm by no means considering myself an expert nor saying, "THIS is the way it needs to be done." I'm sharing this because a good friend asked me to do it here on the blog. So here we go.
If you are speaking somewhere where you are not the person in charge, always acknowledge the leadership who invited you. Never forget what a privilege it is to stand in someone else's pulpit. You are there by their invitation and under their authority. This weekend Larry and I are actually away from the church we pastor -- we are in Phoenix, AZ for the week for General Council and this weekend we are speaking at Celebration Church Center, Mesa, AZ, pastored by our good friends Pastors Randy & Dawn Visconti. Larry will preach this morning, I'll preach tonight. We will both begin our remarks by thanking our hosts and encouraging those gathered about the excellent leadership that they are blessed to sit under. When you visit somewhere as the guest speaker don't ever take for granted that you are there under the person who brought you and part of your role is to affirm them and what God is doing there.
Memorize your introduction if at all possible. I've found it helps to start off this way because I can immediately develop eye contact and a rapport with the audience from the beginning.
Refer to your notes as needed by glancing down -- read sparingly, looking into their eyes as much as possible. I try to reserve looking at my notes for times when I'm reading scripture, and also quickly getting my next point and then looking up again. The more you can maintain eye contact with people, the better.
Don't focus on who's not paying attention, focus on those who are. I key in on people who are obviously "getting it." For those who aren't, don't let them distract you or irritate you in the least. Always move with the movers.
Speak clearly and confidently. God has sent you to share something with these folks, so boldly declare it. In fact, one of the things I most often say is, "God has sent me to tell you....." Never lose the wonder of standing on earth and speaking for heaven!!!
Know when to be quiet. Don't feel the need to speak constantly with no pause. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do in a message is ask a powerful (rhetorical) question and then pause for about 10 seconds to let it sink in. For instance, tonight in my message I'm going to ask my audience, "What might be possible in your life if you refuse to talk about your past for 30 days?" Then I'm going to pause for a few moments to just let them think about it before I go on to say something else.
If you use PowerPoint, be fully prepared. Call the event coordinator or the media tech at the church beforehand and ask what is available and if they will have someone well trained to run it. I use PowerPoint on a weekly basis at our church and I always send a message script to the media director a few days ahead of time, as well as the PowerPoint so they can look it over and let me know if they have any questions. Our media team at CC know me well enough that I don't have to put the number of the slides alongside on my message script but when I'm preaching elsewhere I print a handout for the media person of the PowerPoint slides with corresponding numbers, and I place the numbers actually on my script and give to the media person to ensure that everything goes right. If a church doesn't have this capability or they are iffy about whether someone can run it properly, I dispense with using it altogether as it might be more a distraction than a blessing.
If using a handout give it out in the beginning, and put someone else (ushers, etc.) in charge of passing it out to latecomers. I don't make handouts too long or laborious because I don't want people to have their head in their notes or worrying too much about writing the whole time.
Use humor liberally. It serves to open people up for more serious topics later in the message.
Become skilled at telling stories and illustrations. This comes with practice. You don't have to be preaching to practice. When sharing stories with friends, hone your skills at describing true stories and situations. Even practicing joke telling will help you to become a great speaker.
Don't be afraid to move around. I usually come down to the audience at least once or twice during my message and walk in the front of the room, or even down the aisle to the first few rows. If I notice a certain group isn't paying attention I might walk toward that section and stand there a few minutes while I speak. I don't ever address that they aren't paying attention, I just get even more animated and make it more difficult for them to tune out. A huge part of your message is body language.
Be spirit led. Although you have prayed and prepared and written your message the Holy Spirit will drop things in your heart just for the specific people who are gathered there. You won't always understand why you're saying certain things -- you may never this side of heaven. Be obedient to speak what God lays on your heart in the moment. Sometimes at the altar or later when talking to the pastor, you find out why God told you to say it and it becomes a miracle story. (Those stories sometimes provide the best future sermon illustrations!!)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Stand and deliver
Labels: Ministry, Pastoring, Preaching, Speaking Series
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This free audio/video file cataloging software from ManiacTools helps you organize and track most types of multimedia files on your hard drive and various kinds of removable media. The database supports CDDB for track information, is searchable by multiple fields or categories, and offers a built-in MP3 tag editor.
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Hey guys!
So, we're currently on vacation in Minnesota visiting family. Before we left I wrote up my daily posts and set their publish dates so a new post would be published daily. Something must have gone wrong because they are not posting…go figure!
Anyways, they'll be lots of new post coming up next week! 🙂
Using random number generator the winner is comment number 2, Kelly! Please email me your full name and address at email@example.com.
I hope you are all having a great weekend! See you back here next week!


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Portfolio Director, Enterprise Sales
WeWork, Shenzhen Guangdong China
Make a life, not just a living.
The successful candidate is responsible for building and leading a team of experienced Enterprise sales, Business Developers, Account Managers and other professionals in support of WeWork's enterprise revenue strategy and targets.
This is a unique opportunity to build the structure and pipeline of an untapped enterprise market who are looking to address the evolving needs of their employee culture and real estate footprint.
The successful candidate should have a proven track record of consultative sales and complex contract negotiations; experienced in building and leading enterprise sales teams; the ability to articulate WeWork's strategy and vision to a variety of audiences; and a willingness to embrace disruptive, fast-paced technology companies.
- Develop the Enterprise strategy and grow Enterprise membership of Fortune 1000 companies, while continuing to support the WeWork brand and community.
- Build and motivate an Enterprise Sales team in support of the strategic plan. Assist and coach team members in all phases of the selling process to achieve agreed-upon targets and performance metrics.
- Provide strong leadership, mentorship, vision and direction.
- Ensure operational excellence in the day-to-day management of the business including forecasting, pipeline development, training, hiring, performance management and team collaboration.
- Develop and implement best practices to maximize pipeline creation, conversion rates, forecasting accuracy, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Work with various internal teams to drive Enterprise member satisfaction to ensure opportunities for additional business growth.
- Collaborate with our Physical Product group to provide input on layout, design, and construction of spaces that are optimized for Enterprise members.
- Support direct reports by participating in and leading prospect meetings and engaging other corporate resources as required to close large and complex deals.
- Assist and close complex, multi-million dollar transactions.
- Serve as lead sponsor to large Enterprise accounts and help drive key executive relationships.
- Offer strong thought leadership within the global sales team and marketing team.
- Understand target companies' business needs, develop proposals and accurately articulate WeWork's value proposition at the executive level.
- Maintain a high level of knowledge of the WeWork offerings while staying current in understanding the competitive landscape and industry trends.
- 10+ years of sales experience, and 5+ years of enterprise sales management experience, with a history of overachieving targets in a market-leading business-to-business sales organization.
- Proven success scaling out an Enterprise Sales team and consultative sales success in establishing effective relationships with key decision-makers.
- Demonstrated ability to continuously increase the effectiveness of the team, recognizing opportunities for creating new systems, structures, and processes.
- Strong knowledge of Salesforce reporting and dashboards, and highly focused on numbers and process.
- Proven track record working in a high-growth, fast pace environment.
- Strong executive presence - experience and comfort level working with C-level and executives.
To learn more about WeWork. Stay connected with us via following @WeWork微招聘 | @LinkedIn | @WeWork Cultur
About WeWork
In just 8 years, WeWork has grown into a global community, transforming people's workplaces into beautiful, inspiring environments. And that commitment to building the best workplaces in the world extends to their own employees. WeWork is driven by their mission: Create Your Life's Work.
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Want to learn more about WeWork? Visit WeWork's website.
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Account Executive/Senior Account Executive
BGB Group, New York, NY


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The reality of working from home by Russ King. Author of the laugh-out-loud novel Working from Home: Mixing business with pleasure?
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
"It will make you go blind" – I'm back to checking out figures again
There was a long time where telling people that I am working from home on the Internet created a predictable response. Oh yes? Doing lots of research eh? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
It was mainly from people who would endlessly procrastinate if they had to do something from home and back then a bloke surfing on the Internet = surfing for porn. Things have moved on in the last five years. Now everything is online and the main cause of wasted time is Facebook and Twitter!
What many people don't realise is that while people working from home on the Internet are often obsessed by figures, they are not ones that writhe and moan. There are so many statistics available to monitor your success. For example, Google Analytics shows you where people found you, how long they stayed on the site, how many actually did what you want them to do and their geographical location. All for free.
When I was creating and running social networks the first thing I did each day was to see if the traffic was up on the previous day/week/month. When I was creating online psychology tests for the sadly missed Tickle.com I was amazed to discover that one of the tests I wrote was taken by about 80,000 people in one day. It was a very tongue-in-cheek test matching sexual fantasies to personality types – so we are back to sex.
It can be argued that writers suffer the most. There are two distinct types of writers. One that admits to being glued to the Amazon rankings on their book launch day. The other type are liars! However, the reviews are much more stressful than the rankings. You want more reviews but when they come the emotional roller-coaster of emotions can leave you feeling nauseous.
However, at the moment I am not checking either my book rankings or Google Analytics. One of my clients HallSt.com are launching their first flash sale of discounted luxury hotel rooms that you can either enjoy or trade to try and make a profit. The whole team will be watching to see how many people sign up over the next 48 hours. Fingers crossed everyone!
To everyone else out there who is watching their statistics when they should be working on improving them, I send a gentle nudge to get back to work and my good wishes that your figures always improve.
Labels: figures, Hall St, Internet, statistics, working from home
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In the past three decades an enormous amount of valuable knowledge was gained through experience in the field of (in situ) soil remediation. Let us share this knowledge... AGAIN!
After the success of Remediation day 2017 that took place in Ede, HMVT & WeGroSan/hmvt now present to you REMEDIATION DAY 2018. This time near Mechelen, Belgium on the 1st of March!
Consultants, contractors, suppliers and problem holders from around Europe will present their techniques, best practices and projects related to in-situ soil remediation to an international audience. For this reason, all presentations are held in English. The topics of the day:
- Brownfield Remediation challenges
- In-situ technologies for Petrochemical Industry
- Promising in-situ soil remediation innovations
In January 2018, the definitive program of the day including 12 presentations will be published. It promises to be an inspiring day!
Can't wait till January?
Don't worry, you can already reserve your seat for the event HERE [1].
Thank you and hope to meet you on the 1st of March 2018!
Remediation Day 2018
|Mechelen, Belgium
|1st March 2018
|Ticket price:
|97 Euro
For more info contact:
Klaas de Jong
E: email@example.com [2]
Want to get an impression of our event? Please click the video below:
Here a few of the comments we got after Remediation Day 2017:
- "An excellent opportunity to see people of the industry again and catch up. Useful information on different scope of projects. Also interesting to hear from suppliers of technologies and not just consultants and contractors"
- "Open communication, presentation of the good but also less satisfying results. Contamination and remediation needs a long term perspective"
- "The content was very interesting and relatively new techniques were presented. Also the follow-up of successful cases like TCE come in handy when you're looking for solutions. Furthermore there was a good mixture of contractors, suppliers and consultants, with whom I had a useful exchange of experiences. Especially the do's en don'ts"
- "An interesting mix of subjects, good discussion session"
Partners of Remediation Day 2018:


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The Management Research Centre (MRC) based within the University of Wolverhampton Business School is focussed on research that provides solutions to current managerial issues and is relevant to specific professions and/or types of organisations.
We have a vibrant community of business researchers within the MRC assigned within designated research clusters:
The research clusters provide a guide to the areas within which we possess specialist knowledge and where we wish to continue to develop our expertise.
In focusing our research effort we are able to provide a study environment within which there is access to friendly support from peers with the same research interests. We prize our relationship with our PhD students and are always looking at ways of improving their study/research experiences.
For more information on how you can study with us please visit research study.
Current projects include the Gender-Equal Management Approach (GEMA). For more information about this project and downloadable documents, follow the link to GEMA.


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The Age of Annoyance: Managing our Frustrations with Information Overload
Paperback, 137 Pages
Price: $10.99
Prints in 3-5 business days
Like it or not, we live in the age of annoyance. Technology, electronic communications, gadgets, airline travel - as it all gets easier, it also seems to get exponentially more annoying. Annoyance is described as an unpleasant mental state that can lead to emotions such as frustration and anger. Sound familiar? When was the last time you yelled at your "stupid computer" or got frustrated that your smartphone could not find a signal? The Age of Annoyance is designed to help people make sense of the crazy world we now live in and better understand why we seem to lose control so easily when dealing with technology.
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Apr 25, 2016A very enjoyable read ! learned a few things , made some notes which is always a good sign . Best of all , a real strong crescendo ! BRAVO.
Mar 22, 2012This book is full of insights - both those that are helpful for marketers and those that are just general good-to-knows. Gavin does a nice job of introducing data and facts in a witty way, with plenty of fuel for a good laugh while you read.
Dec 7, 2011Great book with plenty of important and timely information. It is a worthwhile read, even for non-marketers.
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Product Details
- 9781105112232
- Copyright
- Gavin Jocius (Standard Copyright License)
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Lulu Press, Inc.
- Published
- October 9, 2011
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 137
- Binding
- Perfect-bound Paperback
- Interior Ink
- Black & white
- Weight
- 0.57 lbs.
- Dimensions (inches)
- 6 wide x 9 tall
- Product ID
- 17820223
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Tierra de Animales: Meet Ricardo and His Happy Dogs
by Lydia Linton Pontius (January 2013)
We arrived in Cancun and our very first stop, after picking up our rental car, was to head to Costco and grab some dog food for our visit to Tierra de Animales. Sac-Be has been promoting this organization for some time and we always like to visit the places we support. We had tried to work a visit in during past trips but for various reasons it just didn't happen. I have had many conversations with Lisa Edwards and felt like I knew Ricardo Pimentel Cordero from all I had heard
A part of me was a little hesitant to visit the facility. My husband, Mike, and I are hopeless animal lovers and have a special soft spot for dogs of the Riviera Maya. We have our second dog from Akumal, Maya Alux, whom we fell in love with shortly after losing our first, Lola. I first became aware of the animal situation in the area back in 1999 when I brought a film crew down and met with the members of YARFYucatan Animal Rescue Foundation. We filmed and I volunteered at clinics they held in Tulum and Akumal. They ceased to exist but the void was quickly filled by ViDAS, who to this day continues to hold clinics in the area. Since that first clinic we have been big supporters of all the local groups that help the animals. I must say the work these groups have done has made a difference. Stray street and beach dog populations have diminished and education has improved greatly. That doesn't mean that there is less of a need to help; these problems, if not dealt with continuously, will return.
I digress. I hesitated to go to a place with so many dogs because I thought for sure my heart would break, I would feel terrible that we were not in a position to rescue at least one or, worse, I thought what if this is a hoarder?
What we found was amazing. Even though many people had told us about Ricardo and TdA we were not prepared for what we found. Located about 25 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Cancun is a huge piece of property. We arrived and were greeted by Ricardo and his personal pups who roam outside the sanctuary. One was the most gorgeous pit bullwe have a soft spot for these terribly misjudged dogs. He was a LOVE!
Ricardo asked us if we wanted to have a tour and, of course, we could not resist. The first area we visited was a room with large kennels. It was explained that this is where the new dogs come, a quarantine area that on this day was almost full; there were some new dogs including moms and pups who you could tell needed special care. Some were shy, but it was apparent that they were on their way to trusting this man!
From here we went to a large, enclosed, cleared jungle setting with a huge palapa and lounge chairs ... yes lounge chairs for the dogs to enjoy. There were trees around providing plenty of shade. In this area were all the well-adjusted, happy, playful dogs. If you are on vacation on a Saturday and missing your dog, this is just the fix you will need. It isn't for the dog-phobic because you will be nuzzled, nudged, sniffed, pawed and kissed!! Ricardo explained later in the visit that at the end of the day when the help leaves, one of his favorite things is to go into one of these areas with a cold beer and just "be with the dogs."
When we entered the large enclosure, we were immediately surrounded by dogs. I'm not talking 4 or 5, but more like 50 or 60. Though I wasn't afraid, I did have the distinct feeling of no longer being in control. With that many dogs anything could have happened and there's not much I could have done about it. But the feeling quickly passed when I saw the sea of wagging tails.
What you notice immediately is that Ricardo is not just a dog-lover, he is a dog whisperer. He may not be as famous as Cesar Milan, but he has the same innate manner about himself. Each dog, and there are MANY, has a name, and he can tell you their personality, and storythough in some cases he only knows how sick they were, not what they experienced in their past. He says what he loves most about dogs is how they can forget the past and forgive and love again. Wouldn't we have a better world if we could be more like these dogs?
We left this area and went through a gate to the second enclosure. Here was where some of the newer dogs or possibly more aggressive, less predictable dogs were. I say that but never did we feel uncomfortable being there. If anything, it just seemed like most of these dogs wanted attention even more, if that could be possible. In here Ricardo is Alpha! There was one little black-and-tan dog who wanted attention in the very worst way. He took to me and decided that if I wasn't going to show him the attention he needed, he was going to nip at me and in a talkative manner. The nips really were nips, not one hurt. It just made it a little difficult to walk and see all the other dogs, since this one didn't want the other dogs near me. Ricardo gently took the dog's face and in a very calm, quiet voice spoke to the dog. This went on several times and when it was apparent that he just couldn't help himself, Ricardo gently and quietly picked the dog up and placed him in a kennel on a little time-out.
In the meantime another dog, a three-legged one, was all about showing off and wanting some love. When I commented on the poor dog and how well he was getting around on three legs, Ricardo laughed and said,"Don't worry about the three-legged dogs. The Canadians love them; as soon as I have one ready for adoption, they are off to a good home in Canada." So the next time you find yourself in the Great White North, if you happen to run into a three-legged dog, know there is a good chance it may have come from TdA!
Ricardo explained to us that he prefers to have people visit on Saturdays when they do dog washing and welcome guests. He said the dogs are used to their daily routine and somehow they know that Saturday is Visitors' Day! By arriving on a Tuesday we disrupted their routine, but even still the dogs were amazing. They welcomed their unexpected guests and thoroughly entertained us.
Our next stop was to see the new clinic. It was wonderful to see how far it had come along and that in a small way Sac-Be.com had helped raise money for this.
The last area we visited was full of younger dogs, mostly puppies, and Ricardo explained that these were all feral dogs that had been brought to the sanctuary. Many of them may never leave because there is no guarantee that a feral dog can be properly domesticated. But if anyone can do it, these folks can. It was interesting to walk in this area with all the beautiful dogs but they showed little interest in getting any attention from us. They were, however, extremely happy to hang out with their pack and not have to worry where the next meal would come from.
Ricardo explained his belief and why he does what he does very simply: Dogs are the only animal that really can't live without us. They have been domesticated for so long, that we owe it to them to care for them. He went on to explain that even cats can survive as feral animals but for dogs it is very hard.
In addition to the dog section, there is a new section for cats at TdA. Our visit came to an end way sooner than I liked but it was getting late and we had to drive to Tulum. There was a part of me that really just wanted to grab a cold beer and hang out in the palapa with the dogs and watch them just be!
Ricardo has dedicated his life to these dogs. What is most admirable to me is that he becomes so attached to each one but is able to do what is best for them and more often than not, it means having to let them go!!
I also must add that the helpers that are at TdA are wonderful and the facility is amazingly clean. I can honestly say there is more dog feces in my back yard from my two than I saw on the property with well over 200! And keep in mind almost all these dogs live cage-free in areas that suit their personality. If you would like to donate or learn more about them, please visit www.tierradeanimales.org. They are currently raising funds for their newest section which will be for "mature dogs."
See a video summary of this visit!
Private Compound of
Vacations, Reunions, Weddings
Modern amenities, luxury accommodations, safe and secluded private compound with direct access to magnificent snorkeling.


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Trailer park
Black Dahlia, starring Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, and Mia Kirshner. I'm a big De Palma fan, so I'm looking forward to this.
Babel (in HD), starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Kôji Yakusho (Kiyoshi Kurosawa's leading man of choice), and directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Interesting cast.


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Hosted by Mike Paiva, Lumberjake, and JC Three Way Theater is a podcast devoted to pro wrestling, movies, and pro wrestling movies.
Mike Paiva is an 18 year veteran of professional wrestling and a renowned former radio personality of WXBR and WBET in the Metro Boston area. Mike was also the prolific co-host of PM in the AM alongside Pete Czymbor!
Lumberjake has been wrestling on the New England independent wrestling scene since 2010, and is a two-time NCW Heavyweight Champion and a former NCW Tag Team Champion. The former King Titan is known to the boxing world as "The Duxbury Dandy" (0-2 record) and is also an avid reader of Wikipedia.
JC (John Casey, JC Marxxx, Colin Fergal, et al) has been involved with local wrestling since he was 14 years old, promoting Northeast Championship Wrestling for over twenty years. Has a blog at theJohnCasey.com that he never updates, and creeps around local bars hosting pub trivia when he's not wreaking havoc in Corporate America.


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Last night I read that legendary programmer Michael Dann had passed at the age of 94. I hope that longevity is in the scheduling gene.
There is not a very large fraternity (and sadly yes it is overwhelmingly a male dominated gig) of schedulers in the history of Broadcasting. Schedulers tend to keep their jobs across several regimes. I have had more than one new Network Entertainment President come into my office and say a variation of "I don't know what the fuck you really do but you seem to know what you're doing and I have bigger problems so carry on". On one or two occasions a new President has approached me and said "I know a thing or two about scheduling". They generally get fired pretty fast. But I digress.
Mike Dann and I shared a few things about our careers. We both had long runs at two networks. We appreciated how scheduling could turn mediocre shows into hits. We both celebrated and tried to protect and build quality shows. Most importantly, neither of us looked down on mass appeal, silly, "low brow" television. For him is was the Paul Henning shows: "Petticoat Junction", "Beverly Hillbillies", "Green Acres". For me it was reality television and my friendships with Bruce Nash and Mike Darnell.
You see what Michael Dann and I shared in common was that we were both ratings junkies. In his obituary in today's New York Times this quote of his stood out.
"By and large I operated under a principle I was trained in, and that was that there was no such thing as a good program executive with low-rated shows or a bad program executive with high-rated shows, and I never changed my position as long as I was working in the commercial networks."
I shared this principle through my entire career as well. That often put me at odds with several of my colleagues but I really didn't care. My job was to get ratings and if I could get them with "quality" fine but if I needed to go into the gutter once in awhile so be it.
So in honor of Mike Dann I will share with you one of the lowest moments of my professional career. This is from my late lamented original Blog. It's the tale of how I came up with the idea for a reality show called "MY BIG FAT OBNOXIOUS RABBI"
Don't judge me.
There has been some discussion of late about how CBS will be able to do another iteration of UNDERCOVER BOSS now that the show is having some success. Won't it be difficult to replicate the secrecy and won't workers know something is up especially if the presence of cameras is explained in the same way each week? Since I believe that reality TV is the pro wrestling of the new millennium I assume that UB is more staged now than we may think and that's ok. FOX was faced with a somewhat similar dilemma several years ago when we were stunned by the ratings success of JOE MILLIONAIRE. Mike Darnell tried to convince our leaders to make a second one before we aired the first iteration. Mike hoped that if JM popped we would have a second one in the can and therefore avoid the problems of replicating the surprise element. I think NBC shot two iterations of FOR LOVE OR MONEY for that very reason. All this got me thinking about the need for secrecy in the world of unscripted and one of the lowest moments of my professional career when I threw all principles aside in pursuit of a rating.
A little while after the success of our series MY BIG FAT OBNOXIOUS FIANCE' (a woman introduces a fat obnoxious guy to her family and tells them that they are about to be married) the Masked Wife and I received a letter from the Rabbi of our temple informing the congregation that he was about to retire. I had actually become buds with him. We would often have sushi and shoot the breeze. He was and is a really nice guy who now wanted to be known as "Alan" and not "Rabbi". A few weeks after we received the letter the Masked Wife informed me that she had been asked to join the search committee to find a new Rabbi. My mind immediately went to the dark side. What if Mikey (Darnell) and I went to the board of our temple and offered them a sum of money that would clear all their debts and in return the temple would allow us to find an actor to play the most obnoxious Rabbi ever. He would be introduced to the congregation and we would film his first few weeks as the new Rabbi. The committee can continue to find the replacement; we just want to do the con first. I even figured out the camera thing. We would say that the temple had agreed to allow the search to be filmed for a documentary on how a reform synagogue selects a Rabbi.
This all made perfect sense to me. I could not contain my enthusiasm as I pitched all this to my sweet wife. She just looked at me and said "You realize if I agree to let you go to the board we would have to leave the temple and possibly the area". I think my response was "Possibly but this is going to be huge". She said, "Go ahead". My wife assumed that I would eventually come to my senses. She called my bluff. That's what these jobs can do to you.
So I pitched "My Big Fat Obnoxious Rabbi" to Darnell who, not surprisingly, shared my enthusiasm. We played around with the idea for a while but eventually we realized that we would burn in hell if we did this. Mike and I still think of it as the big one that got away. Anyway, the temple finds a Rabbi and one Sunday afternoon the entire congregation assembles to meet him. After some speeches the curtains open to reveal the new Rabbi and his family. I turned to the Masked Wife and said, "That's a 40 share down the drain".
A few weeks after the new Rabbi was introduced I'm having a farewell lunch with Alan our now former Rabbi. I decide, what the fuck, let me share this crazy idea with him. I walk him through all the details; he sits there quietly for a minute...."How much money would you have offered us?". So I give him a number, a number that would have cleared the books on the temple's debt. "How could you afford to do that?".... I explain how production works. "Why didn't you come to me with this?".....................OH SHIT!!!!
So respect and praises to Mike Dann and maybe this story makes it into my obit.


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Overall Book Structure
(15 February 2014)
The introductory section will explain why leadership, why global, and who and what is a Filipina. As mothers and lolas, we aim to reach our sons, daughters, grandchildren and expanded family with words of wisdom to help them navigate the global complexities of life and work. Moreover, we aim to make recommendations for aspiring leaders as well as thought leaders in various sectors of the economy.
The introduction will situate the rationale for a book about Filipina Global Leadership, within the leadership studies literature, including Defining Filipino Leadership (Cuyegkeng and Palma-Angeles, 2011) and Global Leadership: Research, Practice and Development (Mendenhall et al, 2013).
The section will introduce the key themes to be addressed—multiple identities, migration, gender, leadership on public policy, advocacy, diplomacy, entrepreneurship and other sectors, constructs about leadership and global competencies.
The introduction will include information about Filipinas who migrate and work overseas. As part of the context setting, we will review briefly the prevailing narrative based upon the trauma of dislocation undergone by more than eight million overseas contract workers, mostly women (San Juan, 2002); the blurring of the distinction between 'Filipino' as the name of a sovereign people and 'Filipino/a' as the generic term for designating a subservient class dependent on foreign economies (Rafael, 1997); and the debate surrounding the Filipina "in her domesticated role as nurturer, caregiver, homemaker, teacher, nurse" (Suarez, 2010) who has been thrust into the global labor force where she is hailed as a national hero in the Philippines.
This will comprise 3 chapter—the challenges of networking Filipinas, powering up the Filipina Women's Network (FWN), and issues where FWN was at the forefront, for example ending violence and usaping puki. It will expand on the impetus for the vision, mission, goals and objectives of FWN.
During the celebration of the centennial of Filipino migration to the United States in 2006, FWN noted that the focus was largely on Filipino men who came to the USA as migrant farm workers and Filipina women who came as war brides.
To ensure that the role of Filipina women in the building of the USA is never forgotten, FWN launched Pinay Power 2012 to inspire and advance Filipina women leaders who would influence the Filipino American community's future.
From 2007-2012, FWN has recognized four hundred Filipina women in the United States FWN100™ as Founders and Pioneers, Innovators and Thought Leaders, Policymakers and Visionaries, Behind the Scenes Leaders, and Builders and Emerging Leaders. In 2013, FWN honored our first Global FWN100™ – the most influential Filipina women in the world.
There will be about 30 chapters written by individual contributors from our Global100 and FWN100 honorees. These individual reflections look at how each Filipina contributing author—who has succeeded in the global workplace--define who she is (Sino ba sila?)—her "being a leader identity"—and what she is about (Ano ba sila?)—her exercise of leadership. These reflections will also examine the extent to which Philippine values have underpinned her leadership, and what cultural adjustments were made to succeed beyond the Philippines.
The reflections will explore such themes as: core identity—the fixed sense of self that underlies their continuously shifting multiple identities as she demonstrates her power and influence; how her Philippine heritage formed her values, her sense of purpose and her outlook about the world; how her experiences beyond home challenged or reinforced her notions of leadership; and how she coped with cognitive dissonance when Philippine traditional beliefs may have been at odds with the requirements of succeeding in the global workplace.
These chapters will capture how their spirits have survived, have transformed, have transcended challenges to make the impossible possible in academe, arts, cooking, writing, journalism, politics, governance, business & commerce, entrepreneurship and more.
Some of the contributing authors have chosen to write about aspects of leadership development, including giving back, paying forward, femtoring, and training others to lead in the health, education, public policy and other sectors.
Based on Part 3 and 4 that are individual reflections, this chapter will be a synthesis of the collective reflections and soul-searching by Filipinas who have exercised leadership and the range and diversity of who we are and what we are. The summative chapter will examine the range of characteristics of global leaderships, global leadership competencies, and effectiveness of global leadership that are articulated in the chapters written by the contributing authors.
The chapter will examine how the Filipina Global leaders enhanced motivation, morale and performance within their circle of leadership and demonstrated power. Furthermore, it will look at how the Filipina leaders describe the multiple contexts that frame their leadership, including the national and international level.
The synthesis will highlight themes that will be useful for people who have current leadership responsibilities with varying degrees of complexity and culture-spanning, for leadership development in the Philippines and beyond, and for teaching leadership in a way that not only informs but also transforms promising leaders into actual leaders.
The synthesis will look at the implications of Filipina global leadership for gender and intercultural leadership research and practice (see Hofstede, 1980 and 1991) and for advancing theories of women and leadership. Understanding how Filipina women bridge the range of Filipino and global cultures will challenge existing theories of multi-culturalism, co-culturation, and global leadership (House et al, 2004, Mendenhall et al, 2013).


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Anne-Britton Arnett -- A Neat Story
I have a neat little story to share. I was walking down the street today with an Indian guy that I work with. Note, he doesn't work FOR me, just a guy that I interface with in my day to day dealings, so I don't know him well. He mostly knows me b/c I run the end of month Financial close cycle for my company, and he is sometimes involved in that. He used to help me out a lot during our end of month, until we finally got it under control, and it is now monitored by an offshore team in India. He probably still receives my e-mails about end of month, though. Today, I knew we had two blocks to walk together, and I was trying to figure out what in the heck we would talk about. He started the conversation. It went like this:
F: How is your church?
AB: Fine, great. How do you know about my church? (surprised about the topic, considering that he's a Hindu, and I didn't think interested in a Christian American church)
F: I've heard you talk about it many times in the past.
AB: Really? Well, I love it. I'm on the Finance team, isn't that ironic, considering that's what I spend my work week life dealing with. (laughing a little bit)
F: So what types of things do you address being on the Finance team?
AB: Well, we've been reading a neat book about …. (and I gave him a synopsis of it) You never really think about these things until you're trying to raise money for a church.
F: What types of issues do you address?
AB: You'd never believe it, but we've been doing some data analysis, kind of like we do here. It's funny, you'd never think of doing analytics at a church, but we've learned a lot of interesting things about givers. Like why people give, etc.
***now, we're nearing our destination….you can imagine I've given him a diatribe on the book what we've learned, our analysis (without specifics, of course)****
F: I always want to give money to a cause and know it's being used for good, not just to an administrative organization. I'd like to give some money to your church, since you're always so passionate about it. Can I do that in an anonymous fashion somehow?
AB: (guess my reaction) SURE! I'll give you the address, you can send in a check, I'll never know about it. We will of course not turn you down!!! Thanks!
I thought that was the most interesting conversation I've ever had. It's amazing to me how I don't consider myself out there honking the evangelical horn, yet I've made some type of an impact. I don't think this guy is going to become Christian, but he wants to give some money to a good cause, and know it's working for good.
It's an inspiration that we never know who recognizes our passion and faith. I was so inspired, wanted to share with you all. I don't think this guy will give a lot, but how neat!
Later on AB wrote R:
I have been reflecting on our conversation all day. I don't think I can convey to you how much it meant to me. I don't ever think of myself as the type who is out there beating people over the head with my religion. But somehow you knew how passionate I am about my faith and my church. And you must trust that we do good in the lives of others. And you must think I reflect some of that good.
Thank you so much for that brief conversation. I know you are probably of a different faith. But our collective God lives in all of us, and it is up to each of us to represent all that is good in our faith to the world around us.
I value your friendship, thanks for your trust in me and those around us who try to instill the greater Good.
Her friend responded:
Thanks for your comments. I, too, value your friendship. I also have lot of trust and admire for you, not just because of our professional association and your professional competencies but also due to some of these exceptional qualities in you. Keep it up.
Yes I am from different faith and religion but believe that God is one and lives in all of us. Sometime we will talk more on these things also……
(If you have ideas for a future article, please contact Anne-Britton Arnett at 896-2337.)


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City loan duo on target
Manchester City loanee's Harry Bunn and Luca Scapuzzi were both on target on Tuesday night as their Football League loan spells got off to the perfect start.
Bunn, on loan at Rochdale scored on his second appearance the club in their Johnstone's Paint Trophy defeat to Preston North End.
The youngster's strike earned special praise from Dale boss Steve Eyre.
"I have had the pleasure of seeing Harry Bunn score goals like that for many years during my time at City and that's why we brought him to the club.
"He has great quality, he's a determined young man and a real goalscorer. His finish into the bottom corner was fantastic, but the touch to take him away from two men and buy room for the shot was top-flight quality."
Meanwhile, Npower League One rivals Oldham made it through after overcoming Crewe Alexandra, thanks in no small party to Scapuzzi, who scored a memorable third for The Latics, after previously setting up striker Shefki Kuqi.
Manager Paul Dickov, a former City hero, was impress with the Italian's ability.
"Luca is a top, top player and we are lucky to have him here," Dickov said. "He has that ability to do something special which can turn a game and we are seeing glimpses of what he can do.
"You don't start out at AC Milan and then sign for Manchester City without being a very good footballer. He is a class player and once the other lads get used to him we will see exactly how good he could be for the club."News Now - Sport News


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Jewish communities around the world are making final preparations Friday for the holiday of Purim, which will begin on Saturday night after the Sabbath. Planned events include parties, communal meals, and parades. INN brings you a sampling:
In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Jewish community is planning public festivities. "The famous Brazilian carnival just ended, so we at Bnei Akiva Rio will try and show the Jewish community what the real happiness of Judaism is," explained World Bnei Akiva emissary Baruch Avivi.
In North Miami Beach, members of one synagogue have decided to coordinate their costumes. Young Israel attendees will all dress as members of a wedding party.
In Milan, Italy, youth groups are teaming up to create a Purim movie. Each chapter has produced a short film illustrating one chapter from the Book of Esther, which is read during the holiday.
Communities are also preparing their "mishloach manot," the giving of prepared food items that is a traditional part of the holiday. The Jewish community of Amsterdam will continue an annual project raising money for IDF soldiers without families in Israel, while in Britain, Bnei Akiva wll sell Purim cards to raise money for Haiti.
A Jewish caterer in Seattle, Washington, plans to help Haiti as well, with an initiative dubbed "Hamentaschen for Haiti." Hamentaschen are the three cornered filled pastries eaten on the holiday. The caterer, Leah Jaffee, will sell traditional holiday cookies and give the proceeds to Haiti relief efforts.
Emissaries of the Chabad chassidic group in America are making special efforts to include that no Jew is left out of the celebrations. In Detroit, Chabad emissaries have created a hotline where people can call to request a personal reading of the megillah (Book of Esther), while in Texas, Rabbi Moshe Traxler is planning megillah readings in several prisons and in facilities for people with special needs.


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Villa Hrozno in Bratislava' Old Town
Located in Bratislava's Old Town, Villa Hronzo is an architectural masterpiece that stuns at a first glance. Designed by creative architects from Zavodny, the structure is made from two basic substances. One is a three storey building oriented towards the Old wine street, while the other one is a two storey terraced building. Modern architecture wrapped into the original surroundings, Vila Hrozno surpasses a simple orthogonal ground plan with its spatial component. With clean open spaces, large sliding windows, modern furniture and a shape that you'll remember, it's more than a dream home, don't you think? – via
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A number of U.S. banks stand to gain after the government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as the move, coupled with the Treasury decision to buy mortgage-backed securities, brought much-needed liquidity back into the market, Dick Bove, analyst at Ladenburg Thalman & Co., told CNBC.
"We like Bank of America, we like Citigroup, I like Wells Fargo, I like BB&T, PNC , US Bancorp , there's a number of bank stocks that I like simply because these companies have the potential to show sharp earnings advances over the next couple of years," Bove said.
Analysts have said the government bailout will deal a blow to banks because they will lose on the preferred shares they hold in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , but Bove said this will be a one-time hit.
"Once that one-time hit is over, you have to start looking beyond that," he said, adding that the banks listed above had good long-term earnings possibilities.
"Wells Fargo has no competition on the West Coast. Wells is sitting in a vacuum and is making a great deal of money because its competitors have gone away. That's why you buy Wells Fargo," Bove said.
The Fannie and Freddie bailout unlocked the liquidity in the market and that is why mortgage rates fell on Monday. But they are likely to rise again if the two government-sponsored enterprises are forced to reduce their portfolio, he said.
"This is no benefit to housing whatsoever," Bove said. "If they start shrinking, they'll take money (out of the housing sector) not put it in."
New from CNBC.com:
- Dow 30 At a Glance
- A Tidal Wave of ARM Resets Ahead?
- ____________________________


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One of the projects I had the pleasure to work on recently was a studio session for the new television series Fargo on FX Networks. This was my first studio session for a television show, and it was a really fun (and slightly surreal) experience.
When I arrived at the studio, most of the score had already been previously recorded by the Prague Filmharmonic Orchestra. Composer Jeff Russo wanted to add some Celtic harp parts to the score, which is haunting and elegant in its simplicity - perfect for the show! First, I watched the clip with just the dialogue (no sound), then we recorded and Jeff overlaid my part on top of the orchestra. The final touch was adding in sound effects: a radio announcer, a car braking, a door buzzer, and creaking stair steps.
Unfortunately I can't share the TV clip since it would be a violation of copyright, but you can hear some excerpts from the album (sans sound effects) here.


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Out and About
There are so many things to do and explore in the local area….so for some inspiration, here are our top 10 things not to miss out on when visiting Bolehill Farm - this list could have been easily longer than '10' but we've tried hard to resist...
1. VISIT CHATSWORTH – the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, this one of the most famous landmarks in the country and is a great day out for the whole family, with the house, gardens, farmyard and adventure playground to explore. Check out the Chatsworth website for events which they have on during the year, from food festivals to horse trials. In addition, their Christmas displays are spectacular.
2.TAKE A BIKE RIDE – this is one of our favourite things to do in the area. The Monsal, Tissington and High Peak trails are just a short drive away and include areas to hire cycles if you wish. These trails are off road making it a safe environment for the whole family. We have installed a timber clad cycle shelter at Bolehill for you to store you beloved bike(s).
3. ENJOY A REAL BAKEWELL PUDDING – there are lots of different shops in Bakewell claiming to have the 'original' Bakewell Pudding….so why not give one a try! You can't visit Bakewell without giving one a try (unless you're Dan and allergic to nuts!). Just remember not to call it a 'Bakewell Tart' - this is something quite different...
4. TAKE A WALK FROM THE DOOR TO LATHKILL DALE – this really is a beautiful walk. Start off in Monyash or Over Haddon – or if you are feeling adventurous you can walk to Over Haddon following the footpath from your front door at Bolehill. The Lathkil Hotel (a superb real ale pub with food to match) in Over Haddon is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the views after a relaxing walk.
5. VISIT A WELL DRESSING - This is something which is unique to Derbyshire, so if you don't know what they are, give it a google. Click here to see the well dressing calendar for our local area. They run from April to September.
6. TAKE A PUB WALK - There are so many different walks in the area which can be enjoyed yet if are looking for a pub walk from the front door, why not try 'The Cock and Pullet' in Sheldon or 'The Lathkil Hotel' in Over Haddon. Both are approximately a 2 mile walk across fields from your door at Bolehill Farm.
7. VISIT HADDON HALL - another one of our personal favourites, a real jewel in the crown. Located just outside Bakewell it's just a short drive away (approximately 10 minute drive), the Tudor House and spectacular gardens are a perfect way to spend an easy going afternoon. Click here to visit their website.
8. CHECK OUT ONE OF THE CAVES IN THE AREA - if you don't mind being underground, Castleton Caves are spectacular, comprising of Speedwell and Peak Cavern.
9. VISIT EYAM – one of the best preserved villages in the area, it is famous for being the 'plague village' during the 1600's. A fascinating visit.
10. SEE THE VIEW AT MONSAL HEAD - One not to miss on your visit. Truly breathtaking views which demonstrates some of the most magnificent views in the Peak District National Park.
Welcome to a beautiful area of the country which houses many superb attractions, events, pubs, views and activities. We appreciate that if you are new to an area, it is useful to know of suggested places to go, see and do. Therefore, we have complied a sample list (ever expanding). Your feedback is welcomed for new things to add.
In addition, there are an extensive range of leaflets and brochures provided in our leisure area if you are in need of a bit of inspiration for how to spend a day.
Probably one of the most famous homes in the country, Chatsworth is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. It is approximately a 10 minutes drive from Bolehill Farm. It beholds stunning architecture and the gardens are not to be missed - it's a full day out. Chatsworth has something for the whole family. Its farmyard and playground is ideal for the little ones to explore and enjoy. The house, extensive gardens and the grounds are superb for the older children in us. They have an array of events throughout the year, including horse trials, country shows, special Christmas markets and spectacular Christmas decorations in December
One of the most popular destinations in the local area, this stunning medieval manor is situated just a couple of miles outside of Bakewell. It continues to be home to the Manners family. It features beautiful gardens and it has featured in many period films and TV shows, including 'Jane Eyre' and 'The Princess Bride'. Our favourite room is the long gallery - it's simply beautiful. It plays host to a number of events during the year, including Artisan markets and special Christmas exhibitions during December. There is also a licensed restaurant on-site which you can visit without going into the house or gardens. The restaurant has views over the river Wye - serving drinks, snacks, main meals and afternoon teas. We visited in the summer when the artisan market was on, which was an added bonus. We particularly liked the gardens which contained gorgeous flowers, providing inspiration for our own garden
BOLSOVER CASTLE - English Heritage
Set beautifully with spectacular views over Derbyshire, Bolsover Castle allows you to explore the lavish rooms of the Little Castle, the ruined terraces and admire the fountain gardens. This Stuart Mansion was built to impress guests and it is still fulfilling this purpose today. There is an audio guide available if you want to hear all about the history of the Castle and a tearoom onsite for a nice cup of tea and a treat too
HARDWICK HALL - National Trust / English Heritage
First created by the formidable Bess Hardwick in the 1500's, Hardwick Hall is famous for being more glass than wall. There is lots to explore here - a house, gardens and parklad (with lots of walks). The new Hall is owned by the National Trust. There is also the Old Hall which is on the same site (this is run by the English Heritage, with an audio tour available). You can choose to visit either individually or both.
KEDLESTON HALL - National Trust
Kedleston Hall, was built in 18th century and is presently owned by the National Trust. The house has been beautifully restored and there are some spectacular rooms, our favourite room being the dome. They usually have a daily introduction talk at 11:30am before the house fully opens to the public (ensure you call before attending to double check this is still the case). There are some lovely grounds to walk in, dogs are welcome in the grounds too. The cafe is a good spot to refuel after a walk around the grounds, the outdoor cafe seating is particularly recommended.
LYME PARK - National Trust
Located on the edge of the Peak District National Park, the Grade I listed house is surrounded by formal gardens and a sublime deer park. The house dates back to the late 16th century and has been run by the National Trust since 1946. There is the opportunity for talks on the history of the house and in most rooms if you want to ask questions, guides are present. Lyme Park is a popular location for filming, with accolades including Pride and Prejudice. There are many peaceful places to walk in the gardens and grounds. There is also a lovely cafe, for a coffee or maybe a lunch stop. Regency afternoon teas are an option, yet booking is required for this.
Set in the heart of the historic town of Bakewell, the Old House Museum is an original Tudor dwelling. After nearly 500 hundred years of continuous use, the house was rescued from demolition in the 1950's. Today as a museum it contains a wide range of artifacts telling the story of Bakewell and the surrounding Peak District
HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM - Matlock Bath
Probably not one for you if you have a fear of heights but if not, you will be rewarded with some spectacular views from the cable cars. If you brave the journey there is lots to enjoy at the top. There is a cavern to explore, High Falls and Treetops visitor centre. With 60 acres of park and woodland you can wander and explore, plus there are two play areas for the younger members of the family as well as picnic areas.
Hidden in the cliffs in Buxton, go wild in exploring the vast limestone caverns. You will see how crystal stalactites have lined the chamber over millions of years. A fascinating venue. This is the perfect place to visit on a rainy day
This Go Ape centre is just a 20 minutes drive away from our cottages. It is set in a woodland park within the same area as one of the Peak Districts largest cave systems, Pooles Cavern. The centre is located just outside Buxton. If you are not feeling adventurous enough to swing the high ropes, then you can walk up through the woods to Solomon's Temple for spectacular views over Buxton and the surrounding countryside.
Castleton village is about 30 minutes drive from our cottages. It's home to the four 'show caves' - essentially four old underground caves that have proved enormously popular due to their fascinating heritage and wonderfully interesting interior. They are called Peak Cavern (also known lovingly as The Devils Arse), Speedwell Cavern (with an underground boat trip), Treak Cliff and Blue John Cavern.
Set in a lovely location, the Crich Tramway Village is a top day out for all the family and dogs are welcome too! You can explore by riding the trams, visit the exhibitions and step back in time along the recreated period street. There is also an indoor and outdoor play area for the little ones to enjoy. There are a range of place to eat and drink, including the Red Lion pub, which serves cask ales.
With a wide range of water sports, cycle hire and fishing, Carsington Water has something for everyone. Explore the vast network of paths and trails that circumnavigate Carsington Water; explore on foot or bike. There is an adventure playground and an array of wildlife to see. There is also a visitor's centre and a couple of shops on site.
LATHKILL DALE (2 miles)
Lathkill Dale is on our doorstep and can easily be seen from our fields. There is a footpath a few hundred metres away which leads to Over Haddon village that provides access directly to the dale. Alternatively, a short walk along the road provides a second access via an old packhorse track. The Dale is famous for its wildlife (especially the Dipper) and for its crystal clear water.
MONSAL HEAD (4 miles)
Monsal Head is about 10 minute drive from our cottages and is a famous beauty spot with a magnificent view across Monsal Dale and up the Wye valley. The position is at a spot where the Wye, on its passage eastwards to meet the Derwent, encounters a band of harder rock and is forced to make a sharp turn southwards and carve its way through a high ridge of limestone. The view is spectacular, with the river far below, winding through a steep-sided and often rocky valley.
The route of the former Midland Railway makes its way along Monsal Dale and was carried by a viaduct over the river and into a tunnel which goes right beneath Monsal Head.
STANAGE EDGE (14 miles)
Situated north of Hathersage, Stanage Edge is an impressive and popular place for walkers and for rock climbing with stunning views of the Dark Peak moorlands and the Hope Valley. The gritstone edge rises some 100 metres above the moorland below and stretches more than 4 miles (6 kilometres) along its top.
DOVEDALE (15 miles)
The Dovedale stepping stones are just 20-minute drive away from our cottages. Although the stepping stones themselves can get very busy in summer it is always possible to see the river and its valley in their true magnificence by walking just a few hundred yards past the crowds.
LADYBOWER RESERVOIRS (16 miles)
About 30-40-minute drive from our cottages is the Ladybower reservoirs. In all there is the modern Ladybower reservoir and the two older reservoirs (Howden and Derwent). Derwent Dam is known for its use as a 'practise' dam for the famous Dambuster raids. At Derwent Dam there is a large car park, a visitors centre and easy access right up to the dam wall.
GOYT VALLEY (16 miles)
Lying a few miles from Buxton in the Peak District National Park, the Goyt Valley provides some wonderful walks across a gloriously picturesque landscape. They vary from easy footpaths down to the river bank (which is very much a stream at this point), to stone tracks laid across open moorland.
PADLEY GORGE (22 miles)
Padley Gorge is an ancient old beech tree lined gorge between Grindleford Station (well known for its cafe) and the National Trust Longshaw Estate. In Autumn when the leaves change to their golden colour Padley Gorge becomes a magical place to walk.
Over the last few years the Peak District has become a major destination for cyclists. The 2014 Tour de France passed through the northern portion of the Peak District and the annual Euroica cycling festival is hosted locally.
The Peak District is a brilliant place to explore on a bike, with a number of different off-road cycle paths for the whole family to enjoy.
We have recently invested in a specially designed cycle storage shelter, providing a dedicating place to store your bike. We also have a wash down area in order for you to ensure your bike is in the best condition after a cycle. There are also brushes available to clean your bikes with.
We are ideally located for most of the trails, about 3 miles from the Monsal, High Peak and Tissington Trails.
There are other routes in easy reach including Carsington Water and Derwent Dam.
We have a range of maps and route on site which are available to borrow. If you don't have your own bike to bring along on your holiday, there are places available to hire bike, these can be found on the links below, or we can advise when you arrive for your stay.
The Monsal Trail is the former Midland Railway Line which runs for 8.5 miles between Blackwell Mill in Chee Dale and Coombs Road in Bakewell. It is now a traffic free route for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair users. It passes through spectacular limestone dales, with a number of tunnels along the route. Along with the tunnels there is also a spectacular viaduct on the route. Cycle hire is available from Hassop Station. Contact them for more details on 01629 810 588. Cycle hire is also available from the other end of the trail at Blackwell Mill Cycle Hire, contact them on 01298 70838 for further details.
There are a number of different options on where to park to visit the trail:
- Bakewell - various options
- Hassop Station – next to the Trail (cycle hire available)
- Monsal Head – a short but steep walk to the Trail
- Tideswell Dale – about 1 mile from the Trail
- Millers Dale – next to the Trail
- Wyedale – a ten-minute walk along a bridleway to the Trail.
Suggested stop offs: The Hassop Station Cafe and Monsal Head Hotel are both just off the Monsal Trail
A former railway line, the Tissington trail runs between Parsley Hay and Ashbourne covering 13 miles in total. As with the other trails, it's a traffic free route for walkers and cyclists alike.
This is probably one of the most popular routes within the local area. It passes through or near some of the most picturesque villages in the Peak District.
If you don't have your own bikes, there is cycle hire available in Parsley Hay. Contact them for more information on 01298 84493. Or if you want to start at the other end of the trail, cycle hire is also available in Ashbourne call 01335 343156.
There are a number of places to park along the route:
- Parsley Hay (cycle hire available)
- Tissington
- Hartington
- Ashbourne (cycle hire available)
Suggested stop offs:
- Tissington is a lovely place for a well-earned break. We would say it is a must to pass through Tissington, as it is one of the best preserved old villages in the area, with a spectacular old Hall - Tissington Hall. There is a popular cafe just next to the Hall called Herberts. It gets very busy in the summer, especially if the weather is fine. We have enjoyed afternoon tea here a few times!
- Hartington is also a popular stop off along this route. It is a pretty village, with historic buildings arranged around the large green in the centre of the village. Again, as with Tissington it can become very busy in the summer months, particularly when the sun is shining. There is a fabulous cheese shop in Hartington. The village used to have a Stilton cheese factory, which sadly closed, but the shop still sells a varied range of local cheeses
The High Peak trail is the longest of the three trails in the local area spanning approximately 17.5 miles between High Peak Junction, (near Cromford) and Dowlow (just outside of Buxton). As with the Tissington and Monsal trail, the High Peak trail is a traffic-free trail suitable for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. It passes through some of Derbyshire's finest countryside.
Cycle hire is available from Middleton Top Cycle Hire. They can be contacted on 01629 823204.
You can access the route from a number of places including:
- High Peak Junction
- Hurdlow
- Middleton Top Cycle Hire.
- Cromford Wharf
Suggested stop offs:
- The Royal Oak pub is located just off the trail at Hurdlow, serving food all day (details in our 'Where to Eat' section of our 'Welcome Folder'
- Cromford Wharf - Cromford Wharf is the historic terminus of the Cromford Canal. Built at the end of the 18th century, it is a nice spot to enjoy
- High Peak Junction Visitors Centre
We are lucky to be located just 100 metres from the footpath which links to Over Haddon in one direction and Sheldon in the other. Within our welcome folder which is provided to you in your cottage, there are full details of the walks from the door, maps and of course recommendations of pubs stops too!
- Walk 1 - To Over Haddon
- Walk 2 - To Sheldon and Magpie Mine
- Walk 3 - Lathkill Dale
- Walk 4 - Ashford-in-the-Water
- Walk 5 - Monyash
- Walk 6 - Bakewell
There are many towns and villages to visit in the local area, below are some of our suggestions.
We are located just 2 miles from the centre of the historic market town of Bakewell – the only town within the Peak District National Park. With its rich history and fame stemming from the Bakewell pudding, it is a great place to spend an afternoon, or a whole day - it is the gleaming gem of the Peak District.
Idyllically situated on the banks of the river Wye, this is the perfect setting for a river walk. It houses the medieval five arch bridge and several quaint courtyards. If you need a coffee break, you will be spoilt for choice with a wide range of coffee shops or a number of pubs if you fancy something stronger.
Over Haddon is our nearest village and can be approached either by a 20 minute walk over fields from a footpath 100-200 yards from our cottages or via road (a few minutes drive). The village is perched at the top of Lathkil Dale with spectacular views over the dale towards the far hillside and provides easy but steep access to the Dale itself. There is a friendly pub, 'The Lathkil Hotel' that serves real ale and scrumptious food. During the summer months, 'The Garden Tea Room' is open, providing excellent tea and cakes on their front terrace during the summer months.
The beautiful village of Ashford-in-the-Water is just a few minutes drive from our cottages or alternatively a 30 minute walk across fields from the door. The village is well worth a visit if nothing else to see the 'Sheep Wash' bridge. The village shop is still thriving as are both of the pubs and the small tea room.
Tissington Village is part of the Tissington estate and as such has changed very little over the last 100 years or so. Tissington is roughly 30 minutes from our cottages. It is regarded as one of the most picturesque English villages and is a popular tourist attraction, particularly during its well dressing week. There are numerous small little businesses in the village from a candle maker to a an old fashioned sweet shop. In the centre of the village lies the terrific Tissington Hall. There is a popular cafe situated next to the Hall, called Herberts. It gets very busy in the summer, especially if the weather is fine. We have enjoyed afternoon tea here a few times!
This is another one of the more popular villages in the Peaks, with olde-worlde buildings arranged around a large village green. It can get very busy in the summer months. There is a lovely cheese shop in Hartington. The village used to have a Stilton cheese factory, which sadly closed, but the shop still sells a good range of local cheeses. It also has a couple of pubs and a range of cafes to choose from.
This pretty little village is part of the Chatsworth estate (10-15 minutes drive from your cottage). Originally the village was close to the River Derwent immediately below Chatsworth. However, between 1838 and 1842 William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire had it moved out of sight over a hill, apart from one cottage whose tenant did not want to move, which still stands in Chatsworth Park. It is a charming little village with every one of its small houses of a different architectural design. There is now a superb tea room where the old post office used to be.
Everyone tastes are different, so take a look and see what you think. There are so many places to eat in the local area - you will be spoilt for choice! There is a more extensive list of places to eat in our cottage welcome folder. There are also a range of menus available too.
All of the below are within a 15 minute drive and give you an idea on what is available before your visit. We are always happy to try and make suggestions if you need!
THE LATHKILL HOTEL - Over Haddon - 2 miles 01629 812501
You can walk to this pub directly from Bolehill! This is a pub with really terrific views over Lathkill Dale - one of the most spectacular in the Peak District. Although it's called a hotel; it's a pub with rooms. It serves a classic English menu, with a lunchtime buffet available throughout the summer. Featuring in the Good Beer Guide, it's the perfect place to enjoy an evening summer drink. Real ale drinkers rejoice!
- Dogs: Welcome in the bar area
THE BULLS HEAD - Monyash - 2 miles 01629 812372
Situated on the perimeter edge of the village green within the pretty village of Monyash, The Bulls Head is popular with locals and tourists alike. You can sit in either the bar or restaurant area and the menu consists of typical pub food.
- Dogs: Welcome in the bar area
THE COCK & PULLET - Sheldon - 2 miles 01629 12931
Along with the Lathkil Hotel, this is another option for a pub walk from the door! A classic, local village pub, it provides both bar snacks and a full menu. Seating is limited, so it is advisable to book, or turn up early in the evening. The pub has a pool table and darts board.
- Dogs: Welcome in the bar area
PIEDANIELS - Bakewell - 2 miles 01629 812687
A classic French restaurant with a French chef Eric, run along with his wife Christiana. The menu and the food are excellent. If you are looking for a special place to eat, this is the place for you. They offer a lunchtime and evening midweek set menu which is excellent value for money for the type of food served. We love it here for a special occasion - a definite favourite!
THE PEACOCK - Bakewell - 2 miles 01629 813635
Located in the centre of Bakewell. The Peakcock is one of the more expensive pubs in Bakewell. Serving all the pub classics with some rustic French dishes included, using locally sourced ingredients. They also serve a range of Peak Ales.
THE PACK HORSE INN - Little Longstone - 5 miles 01629 640471
This historic pub is located just off the Monsal Trail. They serve a range of traditional pub dishes and tapas. It has the very popular Thornbridge Brewery beers available (we wouldn't hesitate to recommend these!). The Pack Horse has a really cosy friendly feel, with candle light and fires burning, giving it a real atmosphere. One of our favourites, although this is a small pub with few tables, so make sure you book ahead.
- Dogs: Welcome in the bar
THE CRISPIN INN - Great Longstone - 5 miles 01629 640237
Situated in the heart of the pretty village, Great Longstone. The Crispin is a homely pub, serving good value homemade pub favourites. The mug ceiling is particularly spectacular – you'll see what we mean! Its cosy feel and log burning fires are perfect for those colder months. Alternatively, the sunny beer garden to the side of the pub is the perfect place to enjoy your food and drink during the lighter and brighter months.
- Dogs: Welcome in the bar area
THE WHITE LION - Great Longstone - 5 miles 01629 640252
This old village pub has been converted into a gastro pub with a more modern feel. It serves all the pub classics as well as a range of flatbread pizzas. The snug is the perfect place for walkers and dogs to enjoy.
Dogs: Welcome in the snug
THE ROYAL OAK - Hurdlow - 5 miles 01298 83288
This country pub is located a short jot off the High Peak Trail, serving traditional pub food in a cosy pub atmosphere. This pub is more of a restaurant, with a bar and a main restaurant area, both serving the same menu. The menu is extensive and can be reasonably priced, or expensive depending on what you choose.
We have always enjoyed our meals here, good food and service to match.
- Dogs: Welcome in the bar area
THE FARMYARD INN - Youlgrave - 5 miles 01629 636221
The words we would use to describe this pub are quaint, cosy, warm and snug. On the night of our visit we found this to be a gem of a pub. We visited on a Wednesday night, which is usually pie night. Great food, friendly service and reasonably priced. If you don't want to be disappointed, make sure you book.
- Dogs: Very welcome
2019 Events:
There are so many events which happen during the year in Bakewell and the local area, here we have tried to provide a list of some inspiration for any future visits or even help you plan when to visit us next! We will continue to update this throughout the year with any more events we hear about which you may find interesting.
- Haddon Hall Spring Artisan Market Friday 5th – Sunday 7th April
- Bakewell Food Festival Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th April
- Chatsworth International Horse Trials Friday 10th – Sunday 12th May
- Monyash Well Dressings Saturday 25th May – Monday 3rd June
- RHS Chatsworth Flower Festival Wednesday 5th Sunday 9th June
- Matlock Food & Drink Festival Saturday 8th – Sunday 8th June
- Ashford Well Dressings Saturday 15th June – Sunday 23rd June
- Over Haddon Well Dressings Saturday 22nd – Saturday 30th June
- Dogs Unleashed Bakewell Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd June
- Bakewell Carnival Week – Saturday 29th June – Sunday 7th July
- Bakewell Carnival Saturday 6th July 2019
- Haddon Hall Summer Artisan Market Friday 26th Sunday 28th July
- Thornbridge Peakender Beer Festival Friday 16th – Sunday 18th August
- Eroica Britannia Saturday 18th August
- Chatsworth Country Fair Friday 30th August – Sunday 1st September
- Matlock Bath Illuminations Saturday 7th September – Sunday 27th October
- Chatsworth Bonfire & Fireworks Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd November
- Christmas at Chatsworth 9th November – 5th January
- Chatsworth Christmas Market 15th November – 3rd December
- Bakewell Christmas Weekend Saturday 23rd and Sunday 23rd November
- Matlock Victorian Christmas Weekend (dates TBC)
- Tissington Hall – Christmas Star of Wonder – dates in November and December
- Christmas Creative at Haddon Hall (including Candlelit Tours (dates TBC)


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Feast of Our Lady of the Snows
So, why Our Lady of the Snows? The story goes this way: "During the pontificate of Liberius, the Roman patrician John and his wife, who were without heirs, made a vow to donate their possessions to the Virgin Mary. They prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour. On 5 August, at the height of the Roman summer, snow fell during the night on the summit of the Esquiline Hill. In obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary which they had the same night, the couple built a basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow."
The Basilica is one of the most beautiful in Rome! It is also the home of the pieces of the the Creche and the home of a striking statue dedicated to Our Lady of Peace. (above) Here she is no demure young lady, but a Motherhood strong in her maternal love. With her right hand she holds up her Child, with her left she holds up her hand as if warding off evil. (When I first saw this statue I had the most awful temptation to give her a high-five!)


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The recent proliferation of luxury real estate brokerage houses is irksome. I remember when Gibson – Sotheby's International Realty first hung its shingle in Dorchester, because Dorchester is a bastion of luxury real estate, about eleven years ago. Gibson – Sotheby's International Realty was borne out of Gibson | Domain Domain. I was working at Jack Conway & Co., Inc.'s office in Milton at the time, which has now since closed, and I remember when the new ownership of Gibson | Domain Domain raided the two Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage offices in Milton. I think that there were about 175 real estate agents working between the two Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage offices in Milton at the time. That's a huge number! The two Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage offices in Milton, by the way, were borne out of a merger of:
- "Coldwell Banker – Hunneman" located at 60 Adams Street, Milton
- "DeWolfe Real Estate" located at 17 Canton Avenue, Milton
I heard rumors of the new ownership at Gibson | Domain Domain offering the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage agents a 70% split which was unheard of at the time. Maybe the new ownership of Gibson | Domain Domain was flouting their new partnership with Sotheby's International Realty too? I don't know. I think that the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage offices lost about fifteen to twenty agents to Gibson | Domain Domain. I don't remember all of the people who jumped ship to Gibson | Domain Domain but I do remember that Lee Robinson was one of them and she's still with the Dorchester office of Gibson – Sotheby's International Realty today.
The question, if it's true that the new ownership of Gibson | Domain Domain was flouting its new partnership with Sotheby's International Realty, is: "Why?" Why did those agents scurry from Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage to Gibson | Domain Domain? I'm sure that some of the agents, if they were happy at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, could've renegotiated their splits and I'm sure that they would've stayed. Maybe some of them did? Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has it's own Previews International division but that wasn't enough. Not coincidentally, I did notice more of those Preview International yard arms in Milton shortly after the raid. So that leaves us with a flight to perception.
Maybe some of these real estate agents perceived that they would make more money with Sotheby's International Realty because, well, it's Sotheby's, right? But wait! Sotheby's wasn't a real estate brokerage! Sotheby's was, and still is, "… an innovative global art business serving the most discerning clients. Auctioneers since 1744…". Huh?! From the from page of Sotheby's International Realty's site:
"Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services. In February 2004, Realogy entered into a long-term strategic alliance with Sotheby's, the operator of the auction house. The agreement provided for the licensing of the Sotheby's International Realty name and the development of a full franchise system."
So, Realogy licensed the Sotheby's name because it sounded good. That's it. Some marketing genius probably used the phrase "win win" and the word "synergy" and the deal was done. Sotheby's had almost no track record in real estate brokerage but it seems like the strategy has worked because Gibson – Sotheby's International Realty is seemingly doing well. It's still able to recruit agents and I'm sure that the Sotheby's International Realty name is the initial draw for many of them now as it was when Gibson | Domain Domain first started raiding the offices of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and the like.
Other brands with a perception associated with luxury have also jumped into the real estate licensing game. Christie's International Real Estate, another real estate brokerage borne out of an auction house, is another example. Most recently, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has jumped into the real estate brokerage name game; it's another odd choice for the name of a real estate franchise because Berkshire Hathaway is Warren Buffett's company which is a holding company of many corporations across disparate industries. Sure, the name "Berkshire Hathaway" evokes a sense of success and wealth but if we follow that logic then why don't we just franchise the name "Rolls Royce Realty"?
I'd love it if just one real estate brokerage were honest and would market the phrase "we sell really shitty houses in really shitty neighborhoods" but that would never happen. Real estate brokerages are lined down any main street in Massachusetts and they fall over themselves to market the phrase "we sell overpriced real estate to people that have just enough credit and just enough of a minimum down-payment so that they don't demonstrate socio-economic or cultural inferiority". It's laughable.
And let's be honest, the majority of real estate agents that are working at any of these so called luxury real estate brokerages aren't selling anything. They're not making any money. The perception that they're aligned with a luxury real estate brokerage is enough for them. But if these real estate agents were smart and they really wanted to sell some luxury real estate instead of being perceived as selling luxury real estate then they'd align themselves with a laundry list of real estate brokerages that don't take their names from business in other industries. Here's a partial list of luxury real estate companies that are killing it in Massachusetts:
- Campion and Company – Boston
- Dean and Hamilton – Cohasset
- LandVest, Inc. – Boston
And don't get me wrong, I had, overall, a good experience with Liz Bone of MacDonald & Wood – Sotheby's International Realty when we did a deal together at 1 Phillip's Brook Circle, Duxbury last year so this isn't an indictment of all real estate agents at all luxury real estate brokerages that are named after auction houses or stock pickers.
Real estate agents should be more selective in the offices that they choose to affiliate themselves with. The trend is that real estate agents are chasing the perceived money but is that really what they should be doing? Loyalty and trust are two intangibles that truly can't be sold. I'm not talking about loyalty to a brand or trust in a brand but loyalty to a person and trust in a person. Forget the glamour and glitz; it's not going to make the average real estate agent any more money. In fact, the glamour and glitz sometimes lead to thoughts of self-doubt and "do I belong here". Those are thoughts that you can't divulge to brands and people that show little loyalty to you or brands and people that show little trust in you. Loyalty and trust are two way streets and neither can be cultivated immediately but use your five senses to the best of your ability and, hopefully, you'll land in a place that is right for you.