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The rates in this article have changed since it was printed. Almost all of the activities below are still available but with updated prices and additional options for travelers. Please use the links at the end of the article to help plan your vacation.
This one wasn't exactly like touring the entire United Kingdom in a motor coach, with overnight stops and pubs and bards and abbeys and castles along the way.
This was 51 civilians, one driver, one tour director and one destination:Branson, Missouri.
Just Branson.
Live Music Capital of the Universe. Ozark Paradise. Outlet Mall Heaven. Lawrence Welk's Bubble Machine. Osmonds. Lennons. Country. Still No Casinos, Not Now and Not Ever.
Most important of all, and this is really why we did this: Best All-Around City for Motorcoach Travel, according to the American Bus Association.
In other words, considering the theme of this series: We had to.
It was 12 hours each way, 500-and-something miles, just about all of it on Interstates that essentially buried old Route 66--which didn't come up much. Our stops were mainly for restrooms, not highway history.
We didn't even stop for Meramec Caverns, Jesse James' Hideout. Not even for Jesse James' Restrooms.
This was, officially, the "Branson Showtime Tour," brought to you by Mayflower Tours of suburban Downers Grove. Four days, three nights, most meals (all except lunches) included, and five (yes, five--or maybe six) shows.
It was exhausting. These weren't kids on this little junket. But there were no casualties.
It was, mostly, a hoot.
Day 1: The journey
"It doesn't matter what you call it--it's still a piece of equipment designed to convey people. But it's more comfortable than a school bus."
--Stan Short, coach-motor coach-bus driver
They pick you up at home, in vans and limos. That's a sweet part of this deal. They come get you and your bags--you don't lift a thing, don't drive a thing, don't impose on anyone--and they haul you and the luggage to a parking lot where the actual bus is waiting.
I stepped outside my place Monday morning at 5:22 a.m., eight minutes early. The sun wasn't there, but the van was. Tom Egan, far too alert at that hour for anyone but a dairy farmer, grabbed my bags.
"Everybody has fun in Branson," Egan said as he loaded a suitcase into the back of the van. "It used to be the place where I went fishing every spring, when I got out of the Air Force. Then overnight, it became 'the country music capital.'
"But you're going to have fun. Just watching the people. "
I was his first stop. This van would pick up two Northwest Side ladies, Charlotte and Cleo, then a married couple, Angela and Charlie, not too far away, and bring us to a Steak n Shake parking lot in Rosemont. Two more couples--they had arrived in two limos--were waiting for us. And our bus was there. Our motor coach. Our coach.
Also onsite: our Mayflower tour director.
Sheri Korth is a 10-year veteran of tour-directing. She has, despite a decade of coping with inevitable crises and the occasional crotchety grump, somehow managed to retain a wholesome freshness and energy, mostly because that's what happens when girls grow up in small-town Iowa and Wisconsin.
"Our next stop is the Denny's in Bolingbrook," she bubbled into the coach's little microphone. More passengers would meet us there, she said. "When we have everybody onboard, I'll go over everything."
A voice from the back of the bus.
"Can you switch us to Bobby Vinton?"
"No!" Sheri said, the bubble strained. Then came a quick recovery. "We can't switch any of the shows we have--but he could be an option for Tuesday evening . . ."
After the stop in Bolingbrook came a stop in Joliet, at a McDonald's, where more vans and limos had brought the rest. Now we were gathered together: passengers, tour director and our bus driver, named Stan Short, who wasn't.
Here's a guess: Average passenger age was somewhere around 70. Maybe a little higher. One woman turned 70 during the tour, and the news barely made a ripple. Two couples will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversaries this year; a third, their 63rd.
We were not children on a school bus.
There were pairs of ladies, and there were married couples, and there were a couple of couples who were traveling together, and there was me. The bus carrying all this life-experience eased out of the Joliet McDonald's at 8:40 a.m. It would arrive at our hotel in Branson at 8:38 p.m. You already know the math.
Sheri Korth's job, besides staying sane and not losing anyone in, say, Litchfield, was to convert this collection of disparate beings into a unit.
"You might want to say hello to the people across the aisle, and the people in front and back of you," she suggested through the p.a. system. Turned out some might, some mightn't. Too early. Too gloomy. A light, chill rain added to a feeling that 47 of us, at least 47 of the 51, really wanted to be back in bed.
"Now," she said, "let me take a few minutes and tell you what we'll be doing."
This, to reiterate, was Monday. The schedule:
Two shows on Tuesday: the Brett Family Singers at 9:30 a.m. and the revue on the Showboat Branson Belle at 4:30 p.m. (a dinner show).
Three on Wednesday: Yakov Smirnoff at 9:30 a.m., Shoji Tabuchi (more about him later) at 3 p.m., and "Spirit of the Dance" (described as a "Riverdance"-type thing) at 8 p.m.
And between shows? "I try to keep you as busy as I can," she said.
Someone in back shouted something about Jim Stafford--another Branson show--which revived the call for Bobby Vinton. Yes, she said, there's time for a third show Tuesday night for anyone willing to pay the extra $27.50 a ticket.
"I can check to see if they're available for Tuesday night," said Sheri. The bubble was back. "I'm kind of the social director on the coach. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to let me know . . ."
Illinois along Interstate Highway 55 is not compelling. Sheri's chatter was a happy distraction from the dull flatness. The first rest stop would be just after 10 a.m. at another McDonald's, this one at Bloomington. McDonald's, along with having the world's hottest coffee, also has consistently clean restrooms. Even though there's a one-holer at the back of the bus, rest stop restrooms are big on bus tours.
Thirty minutes later, we were rolling again. No one brought food back. Many came stocked.
One couple's actual carry-on stash: wheat crackers, peanuts, Twizzlers, Poppycock, malted milk balls, pretzels, M&Ms (peanut), saltines, chewing gum, Tootsie Pops, apples, bottles of water and I'm sure I missed something.
Sheri kept communicating on the p.a. Promptness mattered. "What's the difference between a Mayflower passenger and a hitch-hiker?" Pause. "Fifteen minutes." Uneasy laughter from the crowd.
("No," she said later, "I've never lost anybody.")
And just past the Dixie Trucker's Home in downstate McLean: the first game.
"I have to see how alert you are," Sheri began. "I have some advertising slogans here.
"`How do you spell relief'?" A few mumbled answers came mid-bus. "`When you care enough to send the very best'?" A few more. " `I can't believe I ate the whole thing'? " Stumped.
We were already in Springfield. Her strategy--creative distraction--was working. "When you get up to the viaduct here," said Sheri, "you can see the dome of the Capitol building . . ."
We were about 10 minutes from our lunch stop. The tour director moved up the aisle, passing out name badges. My badge said "Rosalie."
That was the deal. Everyone got wrong badges. The game: At the restaurant, find the person wearing your badge. "Tell the person two things about yourself. Then you give them your name, and they will give you the badge."
Lunch would be at a Ponderosa, the chain steakhouse. "As you walk in," said Sheri, "the restrooms will be on your right."
It took me exactly 1 hour 12 minutes to find "Alan."
Back on the road.
"Somebody was asking me about the Mississippi River," said Sheri. "Well, we're going to cross it when we go from Illinois into Missouri in St. Louis. Has anybody ridden up the Gateway Arch?"
Hands went up. Miles went by. Corn sprouts, in perfect rows, were ankle-high . . .
"For anybody who is interested, we're now going to play bingo."
Most played bingo, which beat staring at corn stalklings.
At 2:35 p.m., the Arch was in sight. A few cameras came out. The cameras wouldn't come out again until Branson.
"I have a video," Sheri announced. It was about the building of the Arch. Bob Costas was giving us the section-by-section when the Meramec Caverns went by, unannounced. Half the bus was asleep when Costas signed off. It was 3:45.
"For those of you who are still awake," said Sheri, "I have some clues about candy bars . . . " It was another game. She found players. The bus found more rain. The driver found our next rest stop: St. James Winery.
"They're expecting us," she said. "The restrooms are into the first door, through the gift shop and to the right."
In 30 minutes, between restroom visits, passengers bought--along with dressings, dipping sauces, candles and corkscrews--33 bottles of St. James Wine.
Another game: Missouri trivia. The land, though, had become a nice distraction: It was hilly here in the Ozarks along I-44, and the tightly bunched deep-green treetops looked like broccoli.
Dinner, included in the package, was a simple but good buffet (chicken or ham, pies for dessert) in a party room at the Ft. Leonard Wood Ramada Inn. Restrooms were ample. As we dined, Sheri Korth made calls.
Back on the bus.
"I talked to both shows," came the announcement, "and they have seats available." Bobby Vinton or Jim Stafford. "Our driver can take you to the shows, then pick you up . . ."
(Eighteen people from our bus would add Vinton's show, and eight would see Stafford's--meaning 26 people from our bus, and these were not kids, would see six shows in two days.)
We were still two hours out of Branson. The bus was peaceful. And then . . .
"I've got some trivia questions for you," Sheri announced. No one hurled St. James wine bottles at the tour director. "What was Li'l Abner's hometown?"
It was almost 7.
"I've got a video I'm going to put on, called `Lights, Camera, Branson,'" she said. The video was mainly interviews of Branson's stars. Unfortunately, the video was obsolete. Stars come and go quickly in Branson. Fortunately, most of the passengers were asleep 10 minutes into the thing anyway.
At 7:45, the bus left the interstate for U.S. Highway 65, the road into Branson, a road of Serious Billboards: for Vinton and Andy Williams and the Presleys and the Osmonds, for Jim Stafford and various Lennons and Mel Tillis, and for the shows on our schedule too.
"Oh," said Sheri, "look at the beautiful sunset."
"A dollar sixty-nine," said a voice, who spotted a beautiful gas price.
Then, the theaters, the clutter of motels, and more theaters, and a Wal-Mart, and outlet malls, and more motels and mini-golf and go-kart tracks and more theaters.
Branson is still a mess.
But, hey . . . everybody has fun here.
Day 2: Showtime
"Some days, it's better than others. Last week one day, we had seven buses."
--Musician with the Brett Family Singers show
Motor coaches, according to the Branson tourism people, bring in only about 6 percent of the nearly 7 million people who come here every year. Much of that is seasonal (spring and fall) and seniors; in summer, it's mostly cars and vans--and kids.
But in all seasons, everyone on those buses sees lots of shows.
Record number of coaches for one Branson show, according to driver Stan Short: 52, for a performance by pianist/showman Dino. More than 100, he said, brought passengers to one day's three Shoji Tabuchi shows.
Motor coach trivia, same driver: A new Cavallo bus like the one used on this tour sells for about $400,000; its engine is designed to last 1 million miles; you don't want to sit in back if you get car sick; and the seats on the right have a little more leg room than the ones on the left.
It is a beautiful Tuesday morning in Branson. Breakfast at the Settle Inn, as it will be for three mornings, is "continental" (i.e., eggless), unexceptional (like the Settle Inn) but included.
The bus leaves promptly at 9 for the 9:30 a.m. show at the Legends Family Theater. At night, the theater is home to the "Legends," celebrity impressionists who are not really a family; mornings, it is home to the Bretts, who are.
Moments after the bus eases onto the theater lot, an actual Brett climbs onboard to greet us, a gesture that happens nowhere on this planet except in Branson or during hijackings.
"We're excited to have you," chirps Tom Brett, father of three of the Brett Family Singers and husband of the fourth. "God bless you, have a wonderful time, and come see us after. God bless y'all."
Sheri Korth tells us where the restrooms are--"The women's, of course, is right by the gift shop"--and we're off the bus.
The Legends Family Theater seats 950 people. For the Brett Family Singers' morning show, there are 51 of us, plus our tour director, plus maybe a dozen others in the seats. That's it.
It's a pretty good show. Tom sings, plays the piano, plays the guitar. Andrea, his wife, sings and arranges. Briahna, the college student, sings, dances, plays piano and is cute. Brydon, 16, sings, plays drums, dribbles a basketball and is cute. Garon, 11, is mostly cute, but sings, dribbles and plays drums.
The Brett Family Singers also sell a large number of lighted yo-yos at intermission and earn a standing ovation at the end.
"The morning shows depend on the coaches," Tom Brett says later. "That's for sure. A lot of our fall shows are already sold out--because of the coaches."
We're back on the bus. So is Briahna Brett.
"So--did you like me?" There is an enthusiastic group "yeah," and applause. Tom Brett joins her, with Mom Brett alongside. "I hope you enjoyed it," says Dad. "We had a blast. Come back and see us."
The bus moves out. Sheri tells a joke, then slides into guide mode. "The theater on the left is where Ray Stevens performed," she said. "He left about five years ago, and it's been `Country Tonight' ever since. . . . There's the Shoji Theater on the left. The picture is of Shoji and his wife. . . . To the left, Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Co."
Which is our rest stop. Austin Hartley, presumably one of the Mountain Men, boards the bus. "If you need restrooms . . . "
Lots of samples. Back on the bus, and on to downtown Branson for a couple of hours.
"All the restaurants have restrooms, of course," Sheri says. "But if you're looking for public restrooms . . . "
Downtown Branson is about two blocks in one direction and two blocks in the other, and that's about it. As bus passengers descend on the shops, Branson suddenly feels like a rube St. Thomas under attack by cruise ships.
I buy two outdated ("Branson 2000") but clean T-shirts for $2.33 each, enjoy blackberry cobbler a la mode for lunch and get back on the bus.
"Did you find some good things to buy here in Branson?" Sheri's question gets a smattering of yeses. The bus rolls to the little neighboring town of Hollister, which is under repair except for the College of the Ozarks, which we motor through. A stop at a scenic overlook offers a hilltop view of Branson, which doesn't look much better at altitude. We do, however, get a glimpse of the roof of Andy Williams' house.
"We're on our way to Showboat Branson Belle," says Sheri. When we get there, a greeter named Sandi hops on. "We have nice, clean restrooms in the gift shop . . . "
The boat, built in 1995, is nice. This is a dinner-theater-cruise setup, and the three-level hall is packed. How much of it is coach-people? "A good 80 percent," says Kim Brokaw, a waitstaff supervisor. Dinner is prime rib--kind of a brownish gray and, remarkably, not bad. The show is better. Lots of singing and dancing, a hilarious ventriloquist named Todd Oliver plus the usual gospel interlude and the standard patriotic finale. (Ninety percent of all Branson shows include a gospel interlude and a patriotic finale, usually including a salute to our veterans. They just do.)
Back on the bus.
"How was dinner?" Sheri asks. "Great," says everybody, but they really want to talk about how Todd Oliver made the live dog's lips move while his didn't.
Stan lets a few folks off at Jim Stafford's theater, and a few more off to see Bobby Vinton. The rest of us head back to the hotel, figuring by all rights we should be tired.
It is a mistake. Sleep comes reluctantly, both shows draw raves next day from our fellow passengers--and, when in Branson . . .
Day 3: Extreme Showtime
"What is it that will appeal to the next group of people who come to Branson? Oh, I'd love to have a Billy Joel Theater. Billy Joel. Neil Diamond. Elton John. Get 'em here."
--Claudia Vecchio, Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce
It is before 9 a.m. Stan Short takes the 51 of us past Mickey Gilley's theater and the former Roy Clark Celebrity Theater, past the former Charlie Pride Theater and alongside Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet Theater, which is across from the Buck Trent Breakfast Show and, the other way, across from Andy Williams' Moon River Theater.
Williams will appear this fall with Glen Campbell, who used to have his own theater. So did Tony Orlando and Charlie Pride, and so did the Osmonds, whose theater has been taken over by Ripley's Believe It or Not, believe it or not. But they'll be back later. Wayne Newton's sculpted horses are still in front of his former theater.
Someone leaves, someone takes his place. The Branson Shuffle.
The former Ozark Theater is now the Yakov's What A Country Theater.
Sheri Korth is on the mike.
"This morning. We're going to see Yakov Smirnoff, the Russian comedian," she says. "He's the one who goes, `What a country!'
"There are two sets of restrooms for the ladies, so that's nice . . . "
When the bus stops in Yakov's Parking Lot, a woman hops aboard.
"Good morning, everyone. My name's Connie." We will follow Connie's black and white checkered flag to our seats, which we take while a dancing accordion player on the stage dances while playing the accordion. Of the shows we will see, only Yakov Smirnoff's show begins with the National Anthem. Ours. The theater, which seats 1,350, is packed. It deserves to be.
In the parking lot are 17 buses. When the show is over, Smirnoff is in the lot, bounding one-by-one onto every bus that hasn't left--including the Mayflower bus.
"Did you enjoy the show?" he asks, smiling broadly and genuinely. From the response, everyone did. He makes small talk for a few seconds, shakes all hands within reach as cameras flash, waves and thanks us for coming, bounds off our bus and bounds onto the next, the smile never leaving his face.
What a country.
We have a couple of hours between Yakov's outward bound and Shoji's 3 p.m. show, and we're on our own for lunch. Our tour director gives us two choices: a 90-store outlet mall, which has a few places to get a bite; or a burger-diner joint that's part of a Wal-Mart mall.
I find a third option down the street. It isn't good.
Back on the bus.
"Someone said we're doing a mini-international tour today," Sheri says. "This morning we started off in Russia with Yakov. Now we're going to see the Japanese violinist, and tonight, we'll see the Irish dancers!"
We were off to see the Japanese violinist.
"Shoji welcomes you," said a woman who jumped onto our bus. "My name is Nancy." Her flag is pink. The ladies room is on the left side. There is a fireplace in the ladies' room. We get a pool table in ours.
Pure Branson: They sell postcards of Shoji Tabuchi's restrooms.
Shoji Tabuchi plays the violin, mainly. He sings a little, sort of dances a little, tells a few jokes and makes fun of his own accent. The show is music, costumes, dancing, spectacle and corn, but mostly music, and mostly Shoji and mostly wonderful.
Heavy rain pounds on the theater's tin roof during the patriotic finale, a rousing version of Neil Diamond's "America."
Outside, when we reach the bus, over the Ozarks we see a rainbow.
Shoji also does miracles . . .
Dinner is in a restaurant called McFarlain's. Good pot roast. Yummy apple crisp.
"Spirit of the Dance" plays Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet Theater when Vinton doesn't. Two spirited dancers pop into the bus: "We hope you enjoy the show, make a lot of noise and have a great time."
The gift shop is on the left, Sheri says, and the women's restroom is just beyond that.
The crowd is small. The orchestra is prerecorded. The dancers are energetic and engaging, but as they give their spirits a rest, a round male singer's overloud and generally unforgivable rendition of "The Impossible Dream" sends me literally racing to the lobby, then out of Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet Theater, in quest of relief.
Later, he returns. I had too. When he breaks into "Bring Him Home"--an all-time favorite from "Les Miserables"--I'm out the door again.
"I have never seen a bad show in Branson," Sheri had told us back near Joliet.
This is my third Branson visit. This was close.
Day 4: The journey home
"Anything that happens at home happens on tour. I've had a person die on tour. It was in the hotel, not on the bus. I guess if it's on the bus, it's a major problem."
--Sheri Korth, tour director, Mayflower Tours
Thursday. Our luggage was outside our hotel doors by 7 a.m., as ordered, and gone by 7:10. The bus rolled out of the Settle Inn parking lot at 8, on time, on the dot. No one was late. No one had to hitchhike home.
Our bus took us past one outlet mall and behind Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet Theater, past Mel Tillis' billboard, up an Ozark, past another outlet mall and past the former Wayne Newton Theater and past the hall where the Incredible Acrobats of China tumble twice daily.
When Stan Short turned our motor coach-coach-bus north on U.S. 65 toward the Interstate, the billboards were all facing the wrong way.
At 8:20, Sheri Korth was back at the mike.
"I want to see how awake everybody is," she said. "I've got some trivia questions. What's the address of the White House?"
Answers came, not so much because people were awake and wanted to prove it, but because by now, no one wanted to disappoint Sheri. Over three days and part of a fourth, she had been patient, charming, fun and in every way the perfect tour director.
And her passengers had become, if not a exactly a unit, certainly 51 people, good people, who enjoyed each other's company.
It was 8:38. "If you have a good joke, I have a wireless microphone, so here's your opportunity . . . "
It was 9:04. "I heard you singing at some of the shows. I have some song sheets. . . . We'll start off with `Mr. Sandman.' . . . "
It was 9:40. "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey" took us into the parking lot of our morning stop, a walnut bowl factory in Lebanon, Mo.
"There's restrooms on the ground level of where we go in . . . "
It was 10:20. We were back on the road.
"OK," said Sheri, "let's do the horse races!" There would be cash prizes, the cash put up by the players: a quarter a race.
"These are quarterhorses," she explained. "While we sign people up for the races, I'll put on a Mitch Miller sing-along tape . . . "
People sang along, and they signed up.
The horses were six numbered fly-swatters. Dice moved the horses up one side of the bus and down the other. People got involved.
"That truck driver," said Jim, behind me, "was looking at us funny."
The No. 2 horse won the first race by a couple of seats. Winners pocketed $1.50. The races lasted until the lunch stop, at a Cracker Barrel in Fenton, Mo.
"The restrooms are pretty much straight through the store."
Back on the road. The corn seemed much taller than it had been Monday.
"Let me give you some movie trivia . . "
"OK, I have a game with famous couples. `Ozzie and--' . . ."
"Let's see--I have a few more advertising slogans for you. `You'll wonder where the yellow went' . . . "
It was 6:55 p.m. Already. Incredibly. The bus rolled into the parking lot at the Joliet McDonald's.
"I hope," Sheri Korth said into her little microphone, "you had a good time on this tour."
She got Shoji applause. Outside, the first convoy of limos and vans was waiting.
On the coach-motor coach-bus, and then in the parking lots at the Joliet McDonald's and the Bolingbrook Denny's and finally at the Rosemont Steak n Shake, there were hugs among people who, days earlier, were strangers.
It worked.
Four ways to tour Branson
COMPANY AND TOUR: Mayflower Tours: "Branson Showtime"
www.mayflowertours.com, 800-323-7604 or through travel agents
LENGTH: 4 days, 3 nights
INCLUDES: Home pickup, Chicago and neighboring counties; transportation; accommodations; 5 shows (possible dropoff and pickup for optional 6th show); sightseeing; 6 meals (3 dinners, 3 hotel continental breakfasts).
SHOWS: Shoji Tabuchi, Showboat Branson Belle, Brett Family Singers, Yakov Smirnoff, Spirit of the Dance.
COMPANY AND TOUR: Van Galder: "Branson Fest"
www.coachusa.com/vangalder, 800-747-7407 or through travel agents
LENGTH: 5 days, 4 nights
INCLUDES: Pickup at Janesville, Wis., Rockford or South Beloit, Ill.; accommodations; "Branson Fest" -- time with and performances by stars, and two matinee shows (this tour available April only); 4 additional shows; visit to Laura Ingalls Wilder home; 6 meals (1 dinner, 1 lunch, 4 hotel continental breakfasts).
SHOWS: Shoji Tabuchi, Hughes Brothers, Lawrence Welk Show, Jim Stafford.
COMPANY AND TOUR: Peoria Charter Coach: "Best of Branson"
www.peoriacharter.com, 800-448-0572 or through travel agents
LENGTH: 4 days, 3 nights
INCLUDES: Transportation from Peoria ($27 shuttle each way to Peoria from O'Hare or Midway); accommodations; 6 shows; visit to Silver Dollar City; 5 meals (3 dinners, 1 continental breakfast on coach, one hotel breakfast).
SHOWS: Shoji Tabuchi, Hughes Brothers, Osmond Brothers, Dixie Stampede, Brett Family Singers, Presley Country Jubilee.
COMPANY AND TOUR: Mid-America Tours: "Best of Branson"
www.midamericatours.com, 800-323-8383 or through travel agents
LENGTH: 5 days, 4 nights
INCLUDES: Transportation from Elk Grove Village or neighborhood pickup (free); accommodations; sightseeing; 5 shows; visit to Silver Dollar City; 7 meals (2 dinners, 2 lunches, 3 hotel continental breakfasts).
SHOWS: Shoji Tabuchi, Yakov Smirnoff, Osmond Brothers, Jim Stafford and Showboat Branson Belle.
NOTE: Dates vary by company (all offer Branson Christmas tours), and prices may vary by season. Showselections and all prices subject to change. In addition, several coach companies (including these) can provide charters with custom packages for your groups; and a myriad of companies offer tour packages out of St. Louis, Kansas City, Des Moines and other cities.
For information, call 800-296-0463, or check www.explorebranson.com
Stage coach to Branson


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2017 Ford Escape SE
Stock #CT40499A
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|Bluetooth Connectivity
|Back-up Camera
|Cruise Control
Fuel Efficiency Rating
City MPG
Highway MPG
Based on 2017 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your mileage will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, battery-pack age/condition (if applicable), and other factors.
Standard Features
- Head Airbags - front and rear
- Passenger Airbag Deactivation - occupant sensing deactivation
- Side Curtain Airbag Rollover Sensor - side-curtain airbag rollover sensor
- Side Airbags - dual front and dual rear with head protection chambers
- Knee Airbags - driver only
- 2nd Row Center Seatbelt - 3-point belt
- Spare Tire Mount Location - inside
- Spare Tire Size - temporary
- Rear Spoiler - rear spoiler
- Exterior Camera - rear view camera
- Overall Width Without Mirrors - 72.4
- Wheelbase - 105.9
- Minimum Ground Clearance - 7.8
- Overall Length - 178.1
- Overall Height - 66.3
- Overall Width With Mirrors - 81.8
- 1st Row Vanity Mirrors - dual illuminated vanity mirrors
- Exterior Mirror Adjustment - power
- Height Adjustable Driver Seat - height adjustable
- Driver Seat Adjustable Lumbar - power adjustable lumbar support
- Number Of Driver Seat Power Adjustments - 8
- Number Of Passenger Seat Manual Adjustments - 4
- External Temperature Gauge - external temperature display
- Compass - compass
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System - tire pressure monitoring
- Tachometer - tachometer
- Trip Computer - trip computer
- Clock - clock
- Front Air Conditioning Zones - dual
- Front Air Conditioning - automatic climate control
- Rear Heat - rear ventilation ducts
- Air Filtration - interior air filtration
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subset: commoncrawl


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|System: Xbox 360*, PS3, Wii
|Dev: FunLabs
|Pub: Activision
|Release: May 22, 2012
|Players: 1-4
|Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p
|Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
The game feels pretty arcadey, like it was meant to join the pantheon of cheesy alien shooters you used to find in the old arcades before console went and ruined everything by making multiplayer more "accessible."
I was surprised to see the cooperative options Alien Crisis offers, including two-player co-op and four-player competitive mode. Split-screen is an underrated feature these days, and it's one I think should be included in more games. Thankfully, it's an option here, and it's also pretty fun. If you absolutely have to play this game, I highly suggest going at it with a friend. The only downside to the multiplayer is it's limited to local-only, so there's no online multiplayer. Perhaps this is because publisher Activision knew the shelf life of a multiplayer for a game like Alien Crisis is pretty short? In any case, it's not surprising, and should you have a couple Zappers or Move controllers and a friend or three to share them with, Alien Crisis can actually be a pretty fun game.
I'm glad they tried to expand the vast and very interesting MIB universe with new characters and a brand new story, but the fact that it's a licensed game and the strict limitations that come with that definitely hold Alien Crisis back. There's an audience for a good MIB game, because the world is vibrant and quirky, and there really isn't anything else like it. It's all so deliciously cheesy, but that works for this franchise, and I'd like to see what could be done when a developer is finally given enough time to experiment a little rather than quickly churn out a game to coincide with a film. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet, and this is a painfully bland game with little inspiration and even less going for it. You can do better than spend your money on MIB: Alien Crisis.
Adam Dodd
Contributing Writer
Date: May 29, 2012
Game Features:


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There is another new Tween engine from Grant Skinner called gTween, further demonstrating the fun in coding with AS3. Frameworks and kits are duplicating much like the Python community because the language and platform are quite empowering. Do we have too many Tween engines, maybe but be glad the flash community has this many and share, it only makes each iteration better.
Additional Features
gTween has a lot of additional features. I'm not going to write about all of them, but here are a few:
- autoHide, sets the target's visible to false when the tweened alpha is 0
- autoReverse, reverses the tween when it ends (and plays it backwards if autoPlay is true).
- smartRotate, rotates in shortest direction
- supports using setSize for tweening height and width on components
- support for updating properties like matrix and colorTransform automatically during a tween.
- jump to any point in a tween by setting position.
- loop a tween by setting nextTween equal to the same tween.
- determine the state of a tween with the state and paused properties.
Download (Beta 1)
To access the API documentation, and download the latest build of GTween, visit the GTween page at gskinner.com/libraries/gtween/.
Here is a list of all open AS3 Tweening engines and base kits


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PsKiller was written in perl, and converted to an executable program.
It is a simple command line tool which is a very useful tool to have when trying to kill processes
without using the windows task manager. PsKiller will supply you with a list of process ids and program names,
along with the number of threads each program is using. Also, if you are a programmer, you'll find it easy to
incorporate psKiller into other programs or scripts.
Supported Systems: Only tested on Windows XP.
If you find it works on any
systems other than Windows XP, please let me know.
The zip file includes the following files/programs:
psKiller.cgi - The source code for the psKiller.exe.
TEST.exe - Test program that doesn't "do" anything except
allow you to "test" the psKiller.exe program.
(ie. c:\psKiller TEST.exe)
psKiller.exe - the program used to stop/kill processes that
are running.
Readme.txt - Directions.
Command Line: psKiller [options...] <program> or <pid>
Supported options and arguments are:
<program> =Name of program to kill.
-all =Will kill all instances of <program>.
<pid> =Process id of program to kill.
Supersedes <program> and -all option.
-list =Prints a list of all current processes.
Supersedes all other options and arguments.
-help =Prints this menu. Supersedes -list option.
Perl: @output = `psKiller`; #backticks ` NOT single quotes '.
@output = `C:/path/to/psKiller.exe`;
print "<pre>\n";
foreach $line (@output) {
print "$line\n";
print "</pre>\n";
#If you use the command line to run your script
#Comment the print <pre> lines.
psKiller has been downloaded


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Steelers part ways with Willie Colon
Pittsburgh releases veteran lineman to clear salary cap space
The Steelers have released offensive lineman Willie Colon.
The team designated Colon as a June 1 release, which allows him to become an unrestricted free agent and sign with another team. It also clears $5.5 million in salary cap space for the Steelers, but only after June 1. The team will still have to deal with $4.3 million in "dead money" for next year's salary cap.
Colon's departure was expected after the team re-signed durable offensive lineman Ramon Foster to a three-year deal on Monday. Foster, 27, has played tackle and guard during his four seasons with the Steelers, including starting at left guard for an injured Colon last season.
Colon, 29, is coming off his third consecutive season-ending injury. He switched from right tackle to left guard last season, but his season was cut short by a knee injury after 11 games.
He signed a five-year deal worth $29 million in July 2011 after returning from a torn Achilles tendon that forced him to miss the entire 2010 season. In the 2011 season opener against Baltimore, he tore his triceps and again missed the remainder of the season.
Colon started 62 games for the Steelers over seven seasons.


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Q-PALL BV, like many other companies, has decided to implement digital billing. In February 2009, the Dutch legislation changed regarding electronic invoicing, and the electronic invoice is now legally recognized as equivalent to paper invoices.
As this system can be used on both the creditor and debtor side of our accounts, the improvedefficiency will bring significant cost savings for both parties. To make this streamlined billing possible, please fully complete and return this form.
To create a streamlined billing, it is important that your data, to our knowledge, similar to those of our system. To check this, we have placed a form whereyou can safely place your data for verification on our website. We ask you to fill it fullest possible. Through the link below you will enter the secure area.
We would like to thank you for your kind cooperation.


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- 4 Beds
- 1 Full, 3 3/4, 1 Half Baths
Property TypeResidential – Single Family
SubdivisionBerry Creek Ranch Filing #4
Listing Date01/08/20
Year Built2013
Lot Size0.40 Acres (17,424 SqFt)
ParkingOver 3 Car Garage
Property Description
Perched above Singletree's rolling hills of stucco homes is a breathtaking anomaly where you'll find a CO transformation influenced by a NY cosmopolitan vision. This sleek, urban Kyle Webb designed home makes a contemporary statement while showcasing panoramic views from Game Creek to Cordillera through its walls of floor-to-ceiling windows and from its sunny private patio bordering miles of BLM. Ample entertaining areas inside and out anchor this masterpiece of modern materials. 4-Car+ Garage.
Presented By
- See Remarks
- Mountains
- Ski Slopes
- South Facing
- Valley
- Clubhouse
- Community Center
- Fitness Center
- Golf Membership Option
- Health Club Membership
- Pool
- Shuttle Service
- Tennis Courts
- Air Conditioning
- Cable Available
- Deck
- Fireplace - Gas
- Hot Tub / Spa
- Jetted Bathtub
- Multi-Level
- Patio
- Vaulted Ceilings
- Wired for Cable
- Clubhouse
- Club Membership Avai
- Cable TV
- District Sewer
- District Water
- Electricity Avail.
- Natural Gas Avail.
- Phone Available
- Snow Removal
- Trash Pickup
- Natural Gas
- Radiant
- Zoned AC
- Dryer
- Washer
Financial Information
Additional InformationDocuments
About Singletree
Singletree is the perfect example of a community that embraces its natural surroundings. With a landscape of sage brush, on the sun-soaked northern side of Interstate 70, Singletree has large home sites, duplexes and single-family homes, many of which feature a Southwestern style of architecture that fits in with the surroundings. The 18-hole Sonnenalp Golf Club is one of the valley's most challenging and scenic courses, with a clubhouse that features a pool and restaurant. As you drive up the hill from the Edwards exit, it's hard to find a Singletree home without a view of something beautiful, be it the Sawatch Range, the valley below or ski runs in the distance. This community truly has something for everyone, all within a short distance to everything the entire Vail Valley has to offer.
Area Market Data
4 Beds 5 Baths
5 Beds 6 Baths
3 Beds 4 Baths
4 Beds 5 Baths
We get asked this question a lot. Below is a tool that gives you the ability to see what the market is like in your community. Find out what homes like your own are selling for right in your back yard. Simply enter in your address, choose the proximity of the search and find out market data for other homes that are selling near you.
While we'll provide you with plenty of information, this is a snapshot of your market data and there are real people behind the high-tech and automated tools. If you would like more detailed information or help in understanding the results we are here to help.
Until then, enjoy the tools!
The data relating to the real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of the Vail Multi-List Service, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Vail Multi List, Inc. (VMLS). The information displayed herein was derived from sources believed to be accurate, but has not been verified by VMLS. Buyers are cautioned to verify all information to their own satisfaction. This information is exclusively for viewers' personal, non- commercial use. Any republication or reproduction of the information herein without the express permission of the VMLS is strictly prohibited.
Listing courtesy of Slifer Smith & Frampton/Bridge


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What's Going Down: Lexington Apartments, 514 Brandon Avenue
The Lexington Apartments at 514 Brandon Avenue may not be paradise, but they are becoming a parking lot. The UVA Foundation purchased the two, two-story apartment buildings in May from owner Dorothy Quarles, who bought them in 1963 for $140,000.
"The property is being "land-banked" for future UVA use," says the UVA Foundation's Tim Rose. "In the meantime, we will replace the current structure with a parking lot."
ADDRESS: 514 Brandon Avenue
NEIGHBORHOOD: University area apartments
TRANSFER: Purchased 5/7/2009 by UVA Foundation for $770,000
SIZE: 6,216 sq. ft.
LAND: 0.751 acres
OWNERS: University of Virginia Foundation
DEMO PERMIT DATE: Permit to demolish 2 commercial structures applied for on 10/30/2009
CONTRACTOR: S. B. Cox Inc.


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DAVIE, Fla. – A study finds that children are 12 times more distracting to drivers than cell phones.
The Australian research study also found parents take their eyes of the road for more than three minutes during a 16-minute drive.
WPLG mounted a GoPro camera inside reporter Jen Herrera's minivan to see how many times she took her eyes off the road while driving her two daughters home from school. The trip lasted about 10 minutes.
"She handed them to you," said Herrera. "I watched the whole thing."
Video showed her glance over and over again into her rear view mirror.
"A mother is going to take care of the kids first. It's a main priority," said AAA manager Juan Rivera.
An AAA study found babies are eight times more distracting to drivers than adult passengers.
In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involved a distracted driver, according to AAA.
"Distracted driving, especially for mothers out there, if we care about our kids so much, let's care about their safety," said Rivera.


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More than 70 people have sent a mom in Utah a shirt that was discontinued from Target years ago after an emotional Facebook plea went viral.
Deborah Grimshaw Skouson posted to her Facebook page on August 7 that Cami, her daughter who has autism, loves her pink flower shirt, but it is worn out. She was asking her Facebook friends if any of them had one of the shirts, which was sold at Target in 2011 and 2012.
"She got her first one in kindergarten 5 years ago, and we have found 4 more since then, mostly on eBay. Her current one is almost unwearable, and eBay has gone dry," she said.
Her original post was shared more than 4,000 times. Then the plea was picked up by the popular Facebook page "Love What Matters".
With more than 9,000 likes, 13,000 shares and 500 comments, Grimshaw Skouson says the family has received 78 shirts so far, with many more on the way. Strangers have even offered to turn the shirts into teddy bears, pillows, blankets and more!
We love seeing the power of social media used for good!


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President Barack Obama began his second term on Sunday, emboldened by his renewed political capital but still chasing the grand vision he laid out four years ago, when he promised to lead a battered nation on a path to greater hope, unity and prosperity.
The next step in that journey comes at noon Monday, when Obama will stand outside the Capitol, place his left hand on Bibles used by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. and take the ceremonial oath of office. He kicked off the historic day by visiting St. John's Episcopal Church with his family. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden also entered the Washington church early Monday morning for mass.
Obama took the official oath of office at 11:55 a.m. Sunday in a private ceremony in the East Room of the White House. That's because Jan. 20, the first day of the presidential term mandated by the Constitution, falls on a Sunday.
U.S. & World
For full politics coverage, visit NBCNews.com.
Just a handful of people attended Sunday's ceremony -- including daughter Sasha, who greeted Obama after he took the oath by saying, 'You didn't mess up" -- but more than a half-million people will pack into the National Mall on Monday to cheer him on. It will be an impressive crowd but considerably smaller than the 1.8 million who showed up to witness the inauguration of America's first black president in 2009. Security will be just as tight as it was then, although authorities say there are no credible threats of any attack, terrorist or otherwise.
Obama, still riding his dominant re-election performance and a triumph in the fiscal cliff showdown, will then deliver an inaugural address to a country in need of a good pep talk.
Most Americans remain worried about the economy and see tough times ahead, polls show. And although Obama remains a popular and in many ways transcendent leader, they don't think he's achieved many of the lofty goals he set out for himself in his 2009 inauguration, namely rising above the partisan fray, reversing America's fiscal woes and pulling troops out of Afghanistan.
Obama is expected to address those challenges and remind the country of his most impressive victories, including health care reform, the killing of Osama bin Laden and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, while sketching his plans for his remaining time in office.
Spurred by the schoolhouse massacre in Newtown, Conn., Obama has put gun control at the top of his agenda, along with reforming immigration and tax laws and taking on climate change. He may choose not to delve into specifics of these plans on Monday, and instead save the details for his State of the Union speech Feb. 12. By then he could very well be engaged in a battle with Congress over the debt limit and automatic spending cuts.
Obama might also make reference to the fact that his second inauguration falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, nearly 50 years after the civil rights leader delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech across the mall at the Lincoln Memorial. It would be a reminder that the president is still negotiating his role as a "post-racial" black leader, even as he tries to show African Americans that he remains focused on issues of inequality.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Barbara Perry, a presidential scholar at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, likened a second inauguration to a couple renewing their wedding vows. "They've had all the fights, they know all the strengths and weaknesses, but they try to fall in love again," Perry said. "After his re-election, the American people want to fall in love with Barack Obama again."
Will Obama aim to make his second term about building an ideological legacy? He is already a transformative president, by virtue of who he is, and what he represents. So he will likely approach the next four years as more of a pragmatist, using his talents as a strategist and tactician to secure meaningful but measured advances from a combative Congress, analysts say.
"Obama has four years of job training under his belt. He has a better sense of what's possible and what's not," Perry said.
In 2009, "he believed more in the hope and change business, and he probably thought he could be more of a change agent in that realm…But I think he's learning how to deal with Congress and in the last few weeks he does seem more aggressive in putting forward new policies, such as gun control."
History is lined with second-term presidents who overestimated their political capital and stumbled, or lost focus and allowed stasis or scandal to set in. Obama, the 20th president—and the third in a row—to serve all or part of a second term, hopes to strike a balance between boldness and prudence.
He'll be working against the clock. Historians warn of a turning point somewhere at the two-year mark where allies and enemies alike begin to think of the next election, and a sitting president's influence begins to wane.
At his first inauguration, with the country reeling from a near-economic meltdown and "a sapping of confidence across our land," Obama told Americans they had "chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord." He called for "a new era of responsibility."
That goal remains a work in progress.
About a third of Americans think the nation is headed in the right direction, and nearly three-quarters don't like where the economy is headed. Democratic pollster Peter Hart told NBC News last week that the results of his latest survey showed that "if 2009 was all about hope, 2013 is about the ability to cope."
But Obama still has a way of inspiring positive vibes. Most Americans say they like him and that he has been a good president.
For his second term, he'll need to draw on that source of goodwill.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


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Transfer News: Newcastle not interested in re-signing Andy Carroll
Newcastle United say they have no interest in re-signing striker Andy Carroll
Last Updated: 22/05/13 9:20pm
West Ham had reportedly agreed a £15m fee with Liverpool for the 24-year-old striker on Tuesday but reports claimed that Newcastle were set to hijack the deal.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew last week admitted he would be interested in signing Carroll "should he become available", but the club have now denied any interest in the England man.
Carroll played the final match of his season-long loan from Anfield in the Hammers' 4-2 Premier League win over Reading on Sunday.
His seven goals, including a late-season flurry, earned him a call-up to the latest England squad but the giant striker was forced to pull out with a heel injury.
The Hammers have made little secret of their hopes of securing the services of
the Gateshead-born frontman on a permanent basis and West Ham boss Sam Allardyce said keeping him at Upton Park was a priority.
Carroll moved to Liverpool from Newcastle in a £35million deal in January 2011, but struggled to make his mark on Merseyside scoring just six Premier League goals for the Reds in 44 games.
They sold Carroll barely a month after Pardew's arrival on Tyneside after Liverpool made them an offer they simply could not refuse, but the striker struggled to make an impact on Merseyside and Kenny Dalglish's untimely exit heralded a further downturn in his fortunes.
Pardew had no desire to let the player leave - indeed, he had repeatedly insisted he would be going nowhere until the Reds broke the bank to get their man - and whenever asked about a possible return, he has always indicated his willingness to see the 6'3" powerhouse back in a black and white shirt.
When it became obvious that his short-term future lay away from Anfield, Carroll was keen to return to familiar territory, but it was West Ham who eventually managed to reach agreement, with the Reds simply unwilling to deal with the club which had profited so substantially from their initial investment.


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WTC7 seems to be a classic controlled demolition. WTC 1 &2 destruction appears to have been enhanced by thermate (a variation of thermite) in addition. Pentagon was not struck by a passenger aircraft. It was a drone or missle.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Bloglines - Balloon Flower Magick
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By Justice Deng Biong
February, 6, 2013 - Since the indictment of Omar Hassan el Bashir, the incumbent president of the Republic of Sudan was ordered by the ICC, to answer and account for war crimes and genocide he allegedly committed in Darfur, the argument between what comes first between justice and peace came to the fore. Supporters of that indictment and victims of those alleged offences argue for justice now and not tomorrow! While opponents of same indictment have decided for reasons best known to them, to hide behind the false slogan of "Peace first and Justice later". In other words, their argument is based on their false belief that, if Bashir is arrested, there will be no peace anymore in Sudan! Now that he is still at large is Sudan enjoying peace?! The answer of course is no million of times. I believe Bashir's victims in Abyei,Kiir-adem,Panthou, Jau, Northern Upper Nile, Nuba Montains, Blue Nile, Darfur and many other places would add more millions Nos!!
In South Sudan, it is unfortunate that some of our leaders opposed Bashir's indictment for various reasons, also, mainly best known to them. Before the independence of the South, such positions could be understood for we had to buy our independence at all cost! But today, what I find difficult to comprehend is why some of those leaders continue to oppose indictment of Bashir even after our independence. Supposedly, they are not concerned about the daily death toll in Darfur or moved by the systematic genocide committed against our yesterday comrades in Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile who contributed greatly in the independence of this country; don't they mind about the innocent South Sudanese civilians killed almost every week by orders of same fugitive Bashir; or don't they value the precious lives of the soldiers of our gallant SPLA army dying in the defence of this nascent country against the aggression of the same war monger Bashir!! Who is important to them: Bashir or our patriotic and brave SPLA soldier?!
The preceding prelude is intended by way of illustrating the gravity of undermining justice and accountability for the sake of an elusive peace or an unattainable reconciliation, the topic of this article. Also, it is intended to expose the idealists' mentality and draw their attention to realities of the suffering of our people on the ground.
Public and private media houses these days are highlighting a new initiative for national reconciliation under the auspices of H.E. the Vice President Dr.Riek Machar Teny. The last was his meeting with the religious leaders shown on SSTV yesterday evening (5/2/2013) in which he asked them to use their places of worship to facilitate the newly launched National Reconciliation project. The project includes conduct of reconciliation conferences, especially in the states where what is assumed to be tribal conflicts often occur. These proposed conferences shall culminate in a bigger one to be held on April, 18th, 2013. It seems the Government, under the current stringent economic policies and financial difficulties, is being asked to approve and avail millions of South Sudanese Pounds for the project!
Personally, I am not against reconciliation of our people. I pray every day to see our various communities peacefully co-exist and live above their tribal differences. I am for unity of our people in their diversity. What I am against is the timing of this National Reconciliation. On the other hand, people need to know what has really gone wrong among them at the national level that necessitates a national reconciliation now. Like the doctors do, can we diagnose the disease first before applying any drugs for its treatment?!
If the reconciliation envisaged relates to grievances inflicted on our people before the liberation and independence of our country; like some former NCP die-hards who assisted Bashir to kill and torture our freedom fighters and internal nationalist supporters, but who overnight decided to change the NCP suit with the SPLM one without first repenting or apologizing to the South Sudanese people for their dark past, then this is done in Truth and Reconciliation fashion like the South Africans and Rwandese had done by confessing in public the atrocities and grievances you inflicted on your people, apologize and expressly seek their forgiveness. When such persons are forgiven, they are reconciled with their victims. Here the disease is diagnosed or the wrong is accounted for and treated with forgiveness and hence the reconciliation. Such process of truth telling and reconciliation had been successfully tested in the two African countries mentioned above and if applied here, may serve as a deterrence to any future like-minded wrong doers in our country.
If the proposed National Reconciliation project is targeting the alleged tribal or sectional conflicts, then I have the following to say:
First, I do not believe what is commonly called today tribal conflicts are purely tribal in nature. In my view, the rampant tribal fights in some of our states can easily be blamed on:
• Failure of our security organs to disarm the civil populations we armed during the struggle. Since we have already achieved our objective, the Independence, there is no need for such weapons to remain in the hands of civilians;
• Failure of our security organs to weed out Khartoum sponsored militias or their remainants from the rural areas;
• Failure of the Justice sector to identify and prosecute culprits and ring leaders in those so called tribal fights;
• Endless amnesty periods. Amnesty is always an offer with a limited term, to be accepted or rejected without conditions placed on it by the offered or those covered. The case of Militia leader Yau Yau sufficiently illustrates this point. He was granted amnesty, came back to Juba, got rehabilitated and financially facilitated, but still he went back to his masters in Khartoum who rearmed him and sent him back to his home area of Murle where he is creating havoc up to date. So can we still call this conflict in Jonglei a tribal conflict? What if we do not apprehend Yau Yau or stop his militia activities before April, 18th, 2013. Can we still go ahead with our National Reconciliation Conference while a dear part of the country (Jonglei) is bleeding?! Will the conference still maintain the status of National Conference?!
As for some of the tribal fights that might truly be tribal in nature, the traditional approach for their settlement, as local government administrators, judges and police officers may share with me the view, runs as follows:
1) Stop the fight, apprehend ring leaders and establish law and order;
2) Investigate the culprits/ ring-leaders and generally establish the damage caused in terms of human and material losses ;
3) Charge and try the culprits/ring-leaders;
4) Restore to owners any property recovered or compensate any property lost;
5) In some cattle keeping communities, who do not see any benefit accruing to them from the imposition of capital punishment, payment of blood compensations (Dia) for their relatives killed in such tribal fights; and finally after this judicial settlement of the case;
6) Traditionally reconcile the communities involved in the fight.
In light of the above, Comrade Vice President, what our people need most is law and order, the rights to life and personal security and safety. When these are done and the threat from Khartoum to invade our newly born country is contained, then the ground will be ready for, especially, a national reconciliation.
Justice Biong is the current Chairperson of the National Public Grievances Chamber-RSS-Juba. He can be reached at email@example.com


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once again testament to the fact that i love pretty clothes but don't really know anything about the fashion world. why do the fashion designers reveal collections for an entire year ahead? i mean, pre-fall is technically the base of the fall collections, but the northern hemisphere is only starting to come out of their winter now (it's not even SPRING there yet, so they still have 2 entirely different seasons to get through). yes so…. yes. don't roll your eyes at me, fashion people! perhaps if you know better than me you could tell me why i ask such silly questions ;)
anyway this is kind of nice for us southern hemisphereans, since we'll soon be pre-autumn (well, in march/april)
Carolina Herrera:
Diane Von Furstenberg:
Jason Wu:
Matthew Williamson:
Rachel Roy:
Temperley London:


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My Poll
Thanks for voting!
Here are the current poll results
Lynx Tigress Hybridview other products
If you struggle on longer par-3s or tougher par-4s, playing a powerful hybrid can really help, which is why Lynx created this option for lady golfers.
You can stand out from the crowd with this Tigress hybrid from Lynx, which is as colourful as it is forgiving and powerful.
Key features and benefits include:
- Versatile head shape
- Progressive Face Thickness for off-centre power
- Bold lavender metallic PVD finish
- 23° 4-hybrid available
Getting the right shaft in your hybrid is crucial, which is why we highly recommend coming to try a few with us before settling on your favourite.


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It took more than just two years of eligibility for Bill Parcells to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It took 55 minutes.
That's how long the committee that decides on enshrinements took Saturday to debate the Canton worthiness of the man who turned around the fortunes of four franchises, won two Super Bowls and spawned a coaching tree that lasts to this day. It was one of the longest discussions in the history of the selection committee.
Ultimately, though, Parcells' record and legacy proved enough for him to earn his bust. He and six players were voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and will be inducted on Aug. 3 in Canton, Ohio.
"It's just unbelievable," Parcells, 71, said in an NFL Network interview during the broadcast of the announcement. "It's exhilarating. It's such a great thrill to join such an elite group, especially the coaches who preceded me in the Hall of Fame because they're the ones who paved the way for guys like me. I'm just grateful for those who were ahead of me who made it so great for coaches in the NFL. Hopefully maybe someday I can help some others that way."
One of them may wind up being Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who was an assistant under Parcells with the Giants.
"I don't think there's any question that Bill Parcells is a Hall of Fame coach," Coughlin said. "Bill Parcells is a great football coach. He has tremendous instincts. He has the ability to say the right thing at the right time, always did. He was a guy who set a very, very high standard and then held players to it."
Parcells was coach of the year in 1986 and 1994. In 19 seasons as a head coach, Parcells posted a regular-season record of 172-130-1 and was 11-8 in the playoffs, giving him the 10th- most wins in league history. He is the only coach to guide four different teams to the playoffs. He went to the Super Bowl with two of them.
He had the most success -- two Super Bowl titles -- with his first team, the Giants.
"He turned our franchise around," team president and CEO John Mara said. "We went through a long period in the 1960s and '70s when we were a laughingstock. When Bill took over in 1983, he survived a very difficult first year but then turned us into a perennial playoff contender and won two Super Bowls for us. He coached three other teams and everywhere he went, he had great success. I'm very happy that he will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
Parcells is the 19th person affiliated with the Giants to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is the 16th modern-era head coach to make it in.
Three of his former assistant coaches -- Coughlin, New England's Bill Belichick, and New Orleans' Sean Payton -- have won a combined six Super Bowls in eight tries. The only losses were Belichick's to Coughlin in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.
Parcells, who was in his second year of eligibility, said he was more nervous waiting to hear the announcement last year than this year because he was hoping to be enshrined with his favorite player, Curtis Martin. The running back, who played for the Patriots and Jets, was a part of the Class of 2012.
"I was kind of hoping that maybe we could do it together, but things didn't work out," Parcells said. "That being said, I'm happy to join him now."
Martin is glad to have him. Shortly after the announcement, Martin tweeted: "I feel just as happy as when I made it!"
Coughlin said one of Parcells' best coaching jobs came in 1990, when the Giants lost starting quarterback Phil Simms to injury after 14 games and went on to win Super Bowl XXV.
"I remember his strength," Coughlin said. "The way that he developed his team, we were a very strong defensive football team, we were a very good special-teams team. We ran the ball and threw play-action passes. We did not turn the ball over. Bill's game was about not making errors, not making mistakes. It's a long game. He believed in it. His teams could force things to happen and turn things around."
Parcells will fly to New Orleans Sunday to take part in a pregame ceremony that will honor him and the six other new Hall of Famers: Larry Allen, Cris Carter, Curley Culp, Jonathan Ogden, Dave Robinson and Warren Sapp.
Parcells was known as much for his personality as his coaching, and although he could converse on any number of topics, what he loved to do most was talk about football. Now he might have the chance to do that forever.
Coughlin recalled how, in John Madden's Hall of Fame induction speech, he imagined that at night, the busts in Canton come alive and talk about the game.
"I'm telling you, Parcells will hold his own in every one of those conversations," Coughlin said. "I guarantee that."


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Whether you're heading off on holiday, exercising, or need casual wear, our range of men's shorts are just the thing for you. We have a selection of quality branded shorts at great prices. Shop from cargo pants, chino shorts, gym or running shorts as well as official branded shorts from your favourite football team. We stock all the top sportswear brands including Nike, adidas, Under Armour, Lonsdale, Kangol and more.
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Magic: Free Casual Play Night
- This event has passed.
Magic: Free Casual Play Night
November 5, 2019 @ 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, repeating indefinitely
Entry: Free!
Come in with your Casual, Homebrew, Commander, Pauper or any other deck to play Magic!


text:
Interventional Management of Head and Face Pain
Nerve Blocks and Beyond
- Editors
- (view affiliations)
From the Foreword, by Stewart J. Tepper, MD:
"Dr. Samer Narouze was the first Pain Management anesthesiologist specialist in the US to become Board-certified in Headache Medicine by the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialists (UCNS). It is therefore fitting that he decided to put together a textbook on blocks, interventions, injections, and neuromodulation possibilities in this integrated interdisciplinary area of treatment for head and facial pain…
"This constellation of authors and topics should offer a comprehensive roadmap for interventions to contemplate beyond conventional medications in both primary and secondary head and face pain disorders. The chapters are precise, concise, and immensely readable, and I am honored to have been offered the chance to introduce them and encourage my colleagues to read them."
This is the first book on interventional management of intractable, medically resistant head and face pain. It is edited and written by world-class leaders in headache medicine and features practical presentations of the entire spectrum of procedures, from simple to complex. Designed to help shorten the learning curve of practitioners who are beginning to use interventional headache procedures, it provides guidance in identifying patients who are appropriate candidates for this approach and includes a unique compilation of outcomes-based algorithms for different headache and face pain syndromes.
Neurologists, anesthesiologists, pain physicians, physiatrists, neurosurgeons, and interventional radiologists are the intended audience.


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Mom's new line of diverse emoticons includes same sex couples, brown faces
A Houston area mom laid off from NASA last year has shed her spacial past and reinvented herself with the launch of a range of diverse emoticons.
Instead of the one size fits all yellow smiley, sad, crying or lol-ing faces, her line includes all shades of brown, multicultural clothing, same sex couples, racially blended families and more.
"My daughter came home from college one day and she said, 'wouldn't it be nice for me to send an image that looked like me to my friends?'" said Katrina Parrott, a mom of two from League City, and now app developer.
"I said, "hmm, that might be something we could do."
Parrott didn't waste any time, immediately researching her patent options and hiring an illustrator.
By October 2013 her app was live in Apple's app store, funded by her own money.
"Oh my goodnees, first off I got excited about being an Apple developer," she said, but the newly defined technical wizard said what was more important was that people felt represented by her product.
"One thing we wanted was an app that represented not just African Americans,we wanted one that represented the world," said Parrott. Her own family is African American but "iDiversicons," as they became known, grew to cover much more than that.
"We wanted all people to be able to find an emoji that looked like them," she said.
In addition to different skin colors, her icons show different hair styles, head coverings and even piercings. Biracial and same-sex couples and family groups are shown.
Gender stereotypes are balanced with female construction workers and soldiers appearing alongside male nurses and artists.
Her company even takes requests.
"We even responded to a Wall Street petition for a hot dog emoji," Parrott joked adding, "If you have something you want as an emoji, just let us know."
There are currently a whopping 900 iDiversicons available on their app from the Apple app store and for Android via Google Play. Users must open the app, where they can select up to five iDiversicons. From there, users have the option of sending the icon via text message, email, Facebook or Twitter.
The next step for Parrott is getting iDiversicons integrated as a keyboard option, so users will not have to go to the app each time they use an emoji. She is due to pitch her product to the Unicode technical committee, who make that decision, next month.
Diverse emoticons would be good news for Apple. The tech giant made a statement in response to a year long campaign for more repsentative emojis back in May admitting it was a problem area. High profile stars like singer Miley Cyrus and actor Tahj Mowry have also called for more diversity.


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• adulterate •
ê-dêl-têr-rayt • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Verb, transitive
Meaning: To reduce strength or purity by adding inferior ingredients.
Notes: No, this word doesn't mean "to make adult". If you adulterate writing, in fact, you make the reading of it less adult. Today's Good Word has nothing to do, historically (see Word History) or currently, with adults; even children can adulterate things. The nouns are adulteration and adulterator. The past participle may be used as an adjective, often negated: unadulterated, as in the unadulterated truth. The positive adjective is spelled the same as the verb only pronounced differently: [ê-dêl-têr-rêt]. However, be careful how you use this word; it also means "adulterous".
In Play: Today's Good Word started out meaning "to water down", as in to water down drinks: "I don't frequent that pub because I suspect the bartenders of adulterating the whiskey." But then the meaning expanded to include reducing the strength or purity of anything: "Don't adulterate your words: say what you really think."
Word History: Today's Good Word comes from adulteratus, the past participle of Latin adulterare "to falsify, corrupt (a woman)". This verb combines ad "to" + alterare "change". The stem of this word gave us alter and alternative. Obviously, the whole word served as the basis for adultery. Adult, on the other hand, is taken from the Latin word, adultus "having grown up, mature," the past participle of adolescere "grow up, mature". The present participle of this word, adolescen(t)s "growing up, maturing", was borrowed into English as adolescent.
P.S. - Register for the Daily Good Word E-Mail! - You can get our daily Good Word sent directly to you via e-mail in either HTML or Text format. Go to our Registration Page to sign up today!
Come visit our website at <http://www.alphadictionary.com> for more Good Words and other language resources!


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get on the horn
get on the horn
1. To make use of or speak (to someone) on the telephone. Don't disturb me, kids, I'm on the horn to your father at the moment. After our dreadful meal that night, I was on the horn to the manager the very next morning.
2. dated To become lustful or sexually excited, especially of a man; to have an erection. Sarah became quite embarrassed when she noticed that her date was getting on the horn in the middle of the movie.


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Graham Artist's Watercolor
Size: 15 ml
Color: Quinacridone Red
M. Graham Watercolors are manufactured in small batches with pure honey, gum arabic, glycerine, and the finest pigments available. Each color's formula is individually developed and crafted to bring out the unique character of the pigment.
Each color in this small watercolor line is intensely pigmented, and every color is based on a single pigment, excepting a few convenience mixtures of historic colors. Best of all, each transparent color has a counterpart in the M. Graham Gouache line, perfect for adding detail and areas of opaque color.
Colors made with honey do not dry up in the tube or on the palette, and they always dilute easily, often after months or years of disuse. Honey has been used extensively throughout the history of art as an ingredient in waterbased colors.


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Tiger Woods apologizes to Ryder Cup rookies
When you are Tiger Woods you don't have to apologize for anything.
Unless you want to. Or feel you need to.
Tim Rosaforte of the Golf Channel says Woods spoke to Ryder Cup rookies Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson and Jason Dufner and apologized for under-performing in the USA's loss to Europe.
Appearing on Morning Drive, Rosaforte said "Brandt shared with me that Tiger got all the rookies in a room, closed the door and personally apologized to everyone for not doing more, for not getting the points he needed to get to get a U.S. victory. For people who don't think Woods really cares, whenever that turn or that pivot occurred in his career, it has fully turned."


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You are here: Home > Events > NatSci Christmas Meal
Date: Tuesday 10 December 2019
Time: 7:30pm - 11pm
Location: Wildwood Nottingham
Tweets by @UoNSU
Tweets by @UoNSU
The University of Nottingham Students' Union is a registered charity no. 1136986 and a company limited by guarantee registered in England no. 7229624.
UNU Services Ltd is a private limited company registered in England no. 02223522.


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Obama: No charges for harsh CIA interrogation
- |
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama absolved CIA officers from prosecution for harsh, painful interrogation of terror suspects Thursday, even as his administration released Bush-era memos graphically detailing -- and authorizing -- such grim tactics as slamming detainees against walls, waterboarding them and keeping them naked and cold for long periods.
Human rights groups and many Obama officials have condemned such methods as torture. Bush officials have vigorously disagreed.
In releasing the documents, the most comprehensive accounting yet of interrogation methods that were among the Bush administrations most closely guarded secrets, Obama said he wanted to move beyond "a dark and painful chapter in our history."
Past and present CIA officials had unsuccessfully pressed for more parts of the four legal memos to be kept secret, and some critics argued the release would make the United States less safe.
Michael Hayden, who led the CIA under George W. Bush, said CIA officers will now be more timid and allies will be more reluctant to share sensitive intelligence.
"If you want an intelligence service to work for you, they always work on the edge. That's just where they work," Hayden said. Now, he argued, foreign partners will be less likely to cooperate with the CIA because the release shows they "can't keep anything secret."
On the other side, human rights advocates argued that Obama should not have assured the CIA that officers who conducted interrogations would not be prosecuted if they used methods authorized by Bush lawyers in the memos.
Obama disagreed, saying in a statement, "Nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past."
The Bush administration memos describe the tough interrogation methods used against 28 terror suspects, the fullest and now complete government accounting of the techniques. They range from waterboarding -- simulated drowning -- to using a plastic neck collar to slam detainees into walls.
Other methods were more psychological than violent. One technique approved but never used involved putting a detainee who had shown a fear of insects into a box filled with caterpillars.
The documents also offer justification for using the tough tactics.
A May 30, 2005, memo says that before the harsher methods were used on top al-Qaida detainee Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, he refused to answer questions about pending plots against the United States.
"Soon, you will know," he told them, according to the memo.
It says the interrogations later extracted details of a plot called the "second wave" to use East Asian operatives to crash a hijacked airliner into a building in Los Angeles.
Terror plots that were disrupted, the memos say, include the alleged effort by Jose Padilla to detonate a "dirty bomb" spreading nuclear radiation.
Even as they exposed new details of the interrogation program, Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, offered the first definitive assurance that the CIA officials who were involved are in the clear, as long as their actions were in line with the legal advice at the time.
Holder went further, telling the CIA the government would provide free legal representation to its employees in any legal proceeding or congressional investigation related to the program and would repay any financial judgment.
"It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department," Holder said.
Obama said in his statement and a separate letter sent directly to CIA employees that the nation must protect their identity "as vigilantly as they protect our security."
Current CIA Director Leon Panetta said in a message to his employees: "CIA responded, as duty requires."
Some parts of the memos were blacked out, and Panetta had pushed for more redactions, according to a government official who declined to be named because he was not authorized to release the information.
The CIA has acknowledged using waterboarding on three high-level terror detainees in 2002 and 2003, with the authorization of the White House and the Justice Department. Hayden said waterboarding has not been used since, but some human rights groups have urged Obama to hold CIA employees accountable for what they, and many Obama officials, say was torture.
The memos produced by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in 2002 and 2005 were released to meet a court-approved deadline in a lawsuit against the government in New York by the American Civil Liberties Union.
"It's impossible not to be shocked by the contents of these memos," said ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer. "The memos should never have been written, but we're pleased the new administration has made them public."
In addition to detailing individual techniques, one memo also specifically authorized a method for combining multiple methods, a practice human rights advocates argue crosses the line into torture even if any individual methods does not.
The methods authorized in the memos include keeping detainees naked, keeping them in painful standing positions and keeping their cells cold for long periods of time. Other techniques include depriving them of solid food and slapping them. Sleep deprivation, prolonged shackling and threats to a detainee's family were also used.
Interrogators were told not to allow a prisoner's body temperature or food intake to fall below a certain level, because either could cause permanent damage, said senior administration officials.
The Obama administration last month released nine legal memos from the Bush administration. It probably will release more as the ACLU lawsuit proceeds, the officials said.
The lawsuit has sought to use the Freedom of Information Act to shed light on the treatment of prisoners -- though the Bush administration eventually abandoned many of the legal conclusions put forth in the memos and the Obama administration has gone further to actively dismantle much of President Bush's anti-terror program.
Obama has ordered the CIA's secret overseas prisons known as "black sites" closed and has ended "extraordinary renditions" of terrorism suspects to other countries if there is any reason to believe those countries would torture them. He has also restricted CIA questioning to methods and protocols approved for use by the U.S. military until a complete review of the program is conducted.
Also on Thursday, Holder formally revoked every legal opinion or memo issued during Bush's presidency that justified interrogation programs.
The documents have been the subject of a long, fierce debate inside and outside government over how much should be revealed about the previous administration's approach.
In his statement, Obama said he was reassured about the potential national security implications by the fact that much of the information contained had already been widely publicized -- including some of it by Bush himself -- and by the fact that the program no longer exists as it did.
Withholding the memos, Obama argued, would only serve to deny facts already in the public domain.
"This could contribute to an inaccurate accounting of the past, and fuel erroneous and inflammatory assumptions about actions taken by the United States," the president said.
Those assurances are not likely to inoculate Obama against criticism from conservatives. Last month, former Vice President Dick Cheney said that Obama's decisions to revoke Bush-era terrorist detainee policies will "raise the risk to the American people of another attack."
Associated Press writer Pamela Hess contributed to this report.


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Cook's Scratch Kitchen & Bakery opens in Northport
Two brothers, Josh and Dave Cook, are the co-owners of the new Cook's Scratch Kitchen & Bakery, which replaces 1014 Coffee House in Northport. Josh Cook said the place is both a cafe and bakery that serves breakfast and lunch. Just about everything served is made "from scratch."
At the new Northport eatery, eggs and poultry are sourced from Raleigh's Poultry Farm in Kings Park. Chef Stacey McDevitt is roasting, curing and smoking all the meat, poultry and fish served. Even the pickles and sauerkraut are house-made, as are English muffins and all manner of baked goods. The only items brought in are bread, from the highly regarded Tom Cat Bakery in Long Island City, and gelato, from Gelato Giuliana in New Haven, Conn.
On the menu: an egg and Cheddar sandwich on a house-made buttermilk biscuit ($5), steel-cut Irish oatmeal ($5), two kinds of Reuben sandwiches -- one made with corned beef, the other with pork ($10.50 each) -- and a salmon Nicoise salad ($10). There's also freshly squeezed juice and locally roasted coffee and tea from the nearby Clipper Ship Tea Company in Northport.
McDevitt recently worked as pastry chef at Jellyfish in Centerport, where her husband, Newsday all-star chef James McDevitt, formerly was chef.
Cook's Scratch Kitchen & Bakery is at 1014 Fort Salonga Rd., Northport, 631-651-5480, cookskitchenny.com.


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Reese Witherspoon is ready to "Rule" the box office again.
Reese has signed on to star in and produce "Rule #1," a drama about a New York woman who befriends a Puerto Rican girl with attention deficit disorder, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Access' Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies Of 2010
Terrel Seltzer, who co-wrote the George Clooney/Michelle Pfeiffer 1996 romantic comedy "One Fine Day," penned the script for "Rule."
Reese most recently lent her voice to last spring's animated hit "Monsters vs. Aliens," but was last seen on the big screen opposite Vince Vaughn in 2008's "Four Christmases."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Fall Movies 2009
She will next star in a still-untitled James L. Brooks ensemble comedy alongside Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson, which is due in theaters in December 2010.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Reese Witherspoon
PLAY IT NOW: Reese Witherspoon Gets The Royal Treatment In NY (October 28, 2009)
PLAY IT NOW: Reese Witherspoon Talks 'Monsters Vs. Aliens'
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Reese Witherspoon - Movies - Casting Call


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[Samui hotels]
中 文
日 本
Coral Cove Resort
Coral Cove Beach (Between Lamai & Chaweng Beach)
Koh Samui, Suratthani 84310
Coral Cove Bay
Hotel category:
Traveler ratings
Summary of 15 reviews :
Room :
Facilities :
Service :
Location :
Coral Cove Resort is an family run Samui style resort located right in the middle between the two famous beaches Lamai and Chaweng on the hilly slope. The almost private beach is only about 200 meters long but beautifully framed with big granite rock formations, ideal for swimming, snorkeling and relaxing. If you are looking for solitude in a tranquil surrounding but once in a while connect to the outside vibes, you will be totally happy at this resort. For the budget traveler it offers fan rooms, some on the beach, as well as Superior and Deluxe Bungalows with air-condition. All sightseeing spots and other beaches on the island can be easily reached and the nightlife is only a few minutes drive away.
Hotel summary
Rates & Reservation
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Travel reviews for Coral Cove Resort
Date of stay:
Jul 28, 2017
Accommodation and facilities:
Perfect : -)
Reservation service:
Aug 09, 2017
written by:
Date of stay:
Mar 18, 2016
Accommodation and facilities:
Это любимое мое место на Самуи. Красота необыкновенная!!! Это тихий отдых для тех, кто не нуждается в тусовках.Рекомендую. Все очень просто в плане сервиса. Все по -домашнему. Езжу уже третий год и еще собираюсь только туда
Reservation service:
Mar 21, 2016
written by:
Victoria Rineyskoy
Date of stay:
Jul 27, 2015
Accommodation and facilities:
ottima posizione, bungalow molta bello arioso e spazioso, staff amichevole e competente, ottima la colazione. siamo stati molto bene grazie e speriamo arrivederci
Reservation service:
grazie Ms Kanun hai capito perfettamente le nostre esigenze, competente capace e veloce ancora grazie
Jul 31, 2015
written by:
Laura Bernardelli
Date of stay:
Mar 11, 2015
Accommodation and facilities:
its a lovely place , very beatiful mountains , very close to the beach, just several steps. water is clean , though snorkilling is not good there. If you had visited Koh Tao or Phi Phi Don you will be dissapointed. in the day time a lot of pepople come from Chaweng and the beach is overcrowed , i didnt like this. Room is clean , though sanitary engineering need to be renew. There is only one restoraunt , prices are ok , but guys forgot to bring some dishes, but put it into our bill. we pointed this and our bill became less 150 baht. we stayed there 3 nighs and it was enough , i dont think its a good place to stay longer.
Reservation service:
Sawadee is just perfect . as always :) got a confirmation very quickly. Thank you sawadee !
Mar 16, 2015
written by:
Aleksandr Lakiza
Date of stay:
Sep 01, 2014
Accommodation and facilities:
The location is beautiful, but we had a building site next to the beach restaurant, which was noisy and dirty. Regarding upkeeping, maintenance and service there is room for improvement. We enjoyed ourselves anyway, because the view from our bungalow was spectacular.
Reservation service:
Sep 04, 2014
written by:
Renate Steinebach
Date of stay:
Mar 08, 2014
Accommodation and facilities:
Best beach on Ko Samui! Deep water, perfect for swimming and snorkeling, great rock formations, absolutely quiet, nice little restaurant on the beach, same distance to Lamai and Chaweng. We recommend the bungalows (Coral Cove Villas)
Reservation service:
Mar 11, 2014
written by:
Dirk Feldmann
Date of stay:
Mar 08, 2014
Accommodation and facilities:
Reservation service:
Mar 10, 2014
written by:
Dirk Feldmann
Date of stay:
Feb 19, 2014
Accommodation and facilities:
Das Preis-Leistung Verhältnis paßte leider gar nicht. Die Bungalows waren abgewohnt und schmutzig. Für das Geld, daß man im vorhinein bezahlen mußte, eine Frechheit. Wir werden das Resort sicher nicht weiterempfehlen.
Reservation service:
Feb 22, 2014
written by:
Hauer Reinhard
Date of stay:
Jan 02, 2012
Accommodation and facilities:
The beach view rooms is very basic and has no luxuries,but has everything you need,clean linnen and toilet and a beatifull beach on yor doorstep.
Reservation service:
Very simple and easy Fast reply
Jan 05, 2012
written by:
Reinardt Gilfillan
Date of stay:
Jan 01, 2012
Accommodation and facilities:
schöne ruhige Bucht. dr totale Gegensatz zu Lamai & Chaweng !! - Moped (100-200 B/ Tag) erforderlich - bringt eigenen Kaffee mit das Zeug hier ist so scheusslich !! Total saubere Zimmer,günstiger Preis, nicht richtig gastfreundlich aber man wird nett geduldet
Reservation service:
Jan 07, 2012
written by:
Date of stay:
Feb 25, 2011
Accommodation and facilities:
We have been to thailand in other appartements from 500 - 3000 BHT per Night, but we have never seen such a dirty room before. There were deposits of pupated insects, on the elastic band of the fridge there was grey horse... We think the room wasn´t cleaned for a long long long time. We booked 3 nights, but stayed only 1 night. One good think about Coral Cove Resort. The beach is nice and although it was so dirty we fell asleep really quick because of the sound of the crashing of the waves.
Reservation service:
You have to wait one day for the payment confirmation. So you can´t move on the same day.
Mar 19, 2011
written by:
torsten fillsack
Date of stay:
Jan 10, 2011
Accommodation and facilities:
Small hotel with very poor rooms (bad smell, not very clean) but the houses are right on the beach which is quite good. The reastiant is ok, but staff does not speak English (recepcionist does only)
Reservation service:
Jan 13, 2011
written by:
THB ฿ Thailand
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Coral Cove Resort
is located right in the middle between the two famous beaches Lamai and Chaweng. Here, at one of the most beautiful and idyllic beached on Samui Island you will find your own private paradise. The beach, only about 200 m. long and framed with big rock is ideal for swimming, snorkeling SCUBA-DIVING and relaxing.
Only place where is a private beach. We offer spectacular view out across the picture bay. Enjoy your time with swimming and near your room. Coral Cove Resort is perfect for families, honeymooners and Small group who love to stay in the peaceful natural surrounding of mountain and white sandy beach.
We provide you and opportunity to truly relax, to get to the fast-paced lifestyle with its comp laxities. All our 30 full finished bungalows are faced to the sea completed with fan or air-con and private bathroom.
:: Superior Sea View Room ::
Hillside + Mini bar + Hot water + TV.
:: Superior Garden View Room ::
:: Deluxe Bungalow ::
:: Deluxe Sea View Room ::
Hillside + Mini bar + Hot water + TV.
:: Beach Front, A/C ::
Air - con room at reasonable price
Clean and private rooms in quiet beautiful surrounding
Coffees shop and restaurant with friendly atmosphere
Varied menus of Thai and international cuisine
Fresh seafood from local water
Beachfront swimming pool
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[Coral Cove Resort ]
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text:
Browsing the new library
Four hundred computing devices and 1,250,598 volumes. Snazzy 3-D printers and vintage opera librettos. An eye-popping video wall and bound copies of Good Housekeeping magazine. From 1885.
In addition to being huge, the new San Diego Central Library at Joan and Irwin Jacobs Common is all-encompassing. Whether you are a gadget fiend or a dead-tree hugging Luddite, the library probably has what you want. Even if all you want is a cushy chair and killer view.
Our $196.7 million library opened for business on Monday. Here is a little chapter and verse on what I found when I dropped in earlier this week.
Great expectations: Just as you can't judge a book by its cover, you shouldn't judge the entirety of the Rob Wellington Quigley designed library by its looming entrance. With its dramatic arch, three-story high ceiling and mass accumulations of concrete and steel, the lobby is a stun-gun statement that will leave you gasping. It may also leave you wondering if there is room in this epic edifice for a little bookworm such as yourself. Don't worry. While the indestructible lobby looks Grand Central Station-esque, the rest of the library is full of sunlit reading nooks and literary extras that were clearly designed with the hearts of book-lovers in mind.
Up, up and hooray: Between the brassy acoustics and the crowds surging around the customer-service desks, self checkout stations and banks of public computers, the ground floor has a busy communal buzz that can feel both invigorating ("Community engagement! Yay!") and a little nerve-frying ("Man, it's loud in here.") For a more serene experience, head up and out. During my visit, much of the ground floor was a swelling sea of lookie-loo humanity, while the upper floors (particularly 3 and 5) had oodles of seating, many open computers and no lines at the self checkout kiosks. (Maybe the narrow staircases and pokey elevators were keeping people away.) And as you get closer to the windows, the lobby's echo-chamber hubbub fades mercifully away. Ahhhh.
"A" is for amenities: For a building that is so much about the Big Statement, there is clearly a human touch at work here. From the deep, wicker-like chairs used throughout the library to the beanbag chairs in the Pauline Foster Teen Center, the seating choices are generous and ridiculously comfortable. There are board games in the teen center, a California Oak tree in the courtyard, a large homework center on the second floor, kid-friendly restrooms in the cheery children's library and electrical outlets everywhere for your many device-charging needs. Designed for posterity, built for people.
Best refuge: The high-ceilinged, sun-filled, view-engorged Helen Price Reading Room is the library's dazzling crown jewel. This eighth-floor showcase is also destined to be one of the most-visited, perpetually-photographed spots in the whole building. If crowd scenes are not your thing, head for the far end of the third floor, past the map drawers and the bookcases filled with many volumes of "Decisions and Orders of the National Labor Relations Board" to the under-the-radar oasis that is the Sidney Lerner Window Alcove. With its quiet cubbies, under-occupied tables and surveillance-worthy view of J Street, the alcove is a little piece of meditative heaven. With free Wifi.
Best of the rest: Best time capsules? The third-floor periodical section, where you can find copies of The New Yorker from 1932, Hot Rod magazine from 1951, Ebony from 1960 and Oil and Gas Journal, which is timeless. Best grab-bag? The ground-floor Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Popular Library, for those days when you need a "Hunger Games" DVD, a copy of the "Follies" soundtrack and about 30 pounds of James Patterson. Best fresh-air option? The ninth-floor terraces, where you can have a picnic at one of the red cafe tables and drool over the view. Best good-news indicator? The long line of people queuing up to get the must-have item of the day — a library card.
A few footnotes: With just 170 spaces in the underground garage and metered street spaces at a premium, parking is going to be an issue, particularly during Padres games and when Comic-Con is in town. As for the garage itself, it could use more directional signage. The same goes for the library, where more floor-by-floor guides and some You Are Here maps would be a big help.
The verdict: "What a great place to find yourself, whether it's spiritually or intellectually," said Karen Plummer of Coronado, who was taking in the ninth-floor view with her father-in-law. "If this can't encourage people to open a book, I don't know what will."


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Transfer news: Wigan agree fee with Norwich for striker Grant Holt
Wigan Athletic have agreed a fee with Norwich City for striker Grant Holt, according to Sky sources.
Last Updated: 08/07/13 7:59am
The Latics will now discuss personal terms with the 32-year-old who has been with the Canaries since 2009.
Holt netted 15 league goals in Norwich's first season back in the top flight in 2011/12, but he only scored eight Premier League goals last term and City manager Chris Hughton has been actively seeking reinforcements up front.
The former Sheffield Wednesday, Rochdale, Nottingham Forest and Shrewsbury striker does have a prolific record in the Football League, though, and new Latics boss Owen Coyle wants Holt to spearhead his strike-force in the Championship as Wigan seek an immediate return to the Premier League.
Sky Bet had earlier suspended their betting on Holt's next club after he was repeatedly backed at 1/5 to join Wigan.
Sky Bet football trader Chris Spicer said: "We had to pull the plug on Holt's market due to the sheer volume of bets we've taken on.
"Our customers have been queuing up to back the move, which was an even-money price just two days ago and as long as 8/1 last week."


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IMMA is home to the National Collection of modern and contemporary art, with over 3,500 artworks by Irish and International artists.
The Collection is firmly rooted in the present and important new works are added to the Collection each year. Our collection of modern art is regularly enhanced by purchase, commission, donation or loan with a particular emphasis on work from the 1940s onwards.