text:
Try eggplant caponata in the South--one of the highlights for me. And don't forget gelati and canoli.
"Nature is a damp, inconvenient sort of place where birds and animals wander about uncooked."
from Speedy Death
So I supposed the rest of the schedule and allocation of days by areas are acceptable? Next time you want your life to be any more exciting, try to plan a trip to 20 cities in 2 weeks, and start planning 10 days in advance… .
Ok….. Revenons a nos moutons
Your next three priorities are:
- finalize the dates for each location (use my schedule if it suits you, or do your own).
- Reserve hotels (I will give you few suggestions). Once hotels reserved (hopefully on line immediately)…
- Reserve ALL your train tickets between major cities, or buy a Eurail pass.
Next: once you have hotels and tickets:
- plan artineraries in each city, reserve tours, buy tickets to museums on line, etc.
- Research local transportation, to and from the local attractions. The local transportation will NOT run away…
Below you will find:
- Suggested schedule (please feel free to ask questions, argue, change, complain, yell at me for missing something, etc..).
- Few hotel suggestions, for each location (within stated budget range).
- Information and websites for mandatory train and boat information.
June 20th – arrive Rome (Leonardo Express to Termini, Taxi to hotel).
June 21, 22, 23, 24 – in Rome
- 3 days local sites (you have the websites for various tickets already).
- 1 day trip to Tivoli/Haidrian/Villa De Este (if you are going to Pompeii, no need to see ruins of Ostia Antica)
June 25 – train to Naples (on to Sorrento or Capri/TBD the sequence).
June 26, 27, 28, 29 – Sorrento/Pompeii/Amalfi/Capri
June 30 – back to Naples, ex Naples train to Florence (will take most of the day).
July 1,2,3,4 – 2 full days Florence, 1 day – Siena, 1 day – St. Gimignano and/or Volterra, or visit to winery, or other…
July 5 – ex Florence morning train to Venice, ½ day in Venice
July 6, 7 – Venice/Murano/Burano/Lido….(???)
July 8 – morning train to Milan, ½ day in Milan, see Duomo/Galleria/p-za LaScala, centro… (1/2 day is enough to see the best of Milan "a la tourist" if you can't get into Last Supper).
July 9, 10 – trip to Lake Como, leave early in the morning, train to Town Como, boat to Bellagio, or Varenna. Overnight in Bellagio or Varenna (the second one is less expensives). The boats run between two towns every 30 minutes, takes 15 minutes in between. Night of the 10th return to Milan (hotel near Centrale Train Station). Or to hotel near Malpensa Airport. Or if you departure flight ex Milan is late at night – then return to Milan or Malpensa morning of the July 11th.
July 11th – flight to PEK
If this schedule will work for you, I will proceed checking hotels BY DATES, because a lot of hotels (better ones, location and price wise) are full, given it's height of tourist season.
NEXT PROJECT: Trains for Major connections.
- go to the Trenitalia website (has English) - http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...0080a3e90aRCRD
- Book on line AND buy both a ticket, and a seat reservation (not just "ticket to ride").
- If for some reason the site does not work from your area (blocked or something), you can reserve tickets from RailEurope (overprices IMHO). This company are brokers and do mark up tickets 20-25% at least.
- http://www.raileurope.com/index.html
- Do look into Eurailpass, but it does not guarantee you a seat on a desired train/date/time – only a "right to ride on this segment/route if space available". Passes are sold on line, or through RailEurope (see previous ref).
If you can, get tix direct from Trenitalia. However, the website has "problems", it is not 100% user friendly. You will have to "register as client", may have to try several credit cards before the site accepts the one that "their bank accepts", etc.
You have an option of buying ALL tickets once you're in Italy, upon arrival to Termini, or while in Rome. Just go to Ticket Office at Termini and buy all your tickets. Small risk, yes, that you will not get "the best morning" or "best evening" departures and rides. But you will get tickets…
Next priority Hotels.
PLEASE NOTE: Some Hotel websites will give you TOTAL FOR ALL NIGHTS, not rate per day, so when you see "cost @ 450 Euros" it is not "per room" but "for total 3 or 4 nights stay".
Suggested hotels in Rome (these hotels do have rooms now fr June 20th to June 25th).
You will get discount if you pre-pay on line. Rooms are going quickly. There is not guarantee they will be there in 5 minutes. It's June…
HOTEL SAN CARLO/SPANISH STEPS – 3*** hotel in a 5+***** location, 2 blocs from Spanish Steps, the safest, full-of-people area. Number 1 choice for many.
HOTEL KING ROMA, via Sistina, 2 blocks above Spanish Steps, 3 blocks from Trevi Fountain. Choice 2 after San Carlo. Slightly cheaper too.
The Spanish Steps area hotels, for under 200 Euro, is IDEAL for a single traveler on a budget. If you can't reserve, or don't like any of these, your next best bet is P-za Navona/Pantheon area. The hotels listed on this site may suite your requirements.
If none of this works – there is plan B (info later if required). Or you can check hotel booking sites at your convenience - but remember – No hotels near Termini).
So…. Do the trains and Rome Hotels, and I'll put together a list of hotels for the next locations, boats and local trains info.
Please comment, so that I can check hotel dates:
- Do you like the Schedule? If not – what do you want to change?
- Do you want to stay 1 or 2 nights in Capri?? (i recommend "yes", at least 1 night). Capri is WORTH AT LEAST A FULL 2 DAYS visit (info later), but you can see "the best" in one and half day.
Tinami Amori thank so much for all of your work!
I found out last night that my mum's guide dog is being euthanised today so I am not in the best frame of mind and only intend to book the Rome hotel and then do my work and not much else for the rest of the day
I like the look and price of the first hotel in Rome, free wifi too, and breakfast included! 110 Euro seems like a good price! It's 5 nights, right? 20, 21, 22, 23, 24?
I think the itinerary is GREAT! I want to speak to my friend in Milan before only spending 1.5 days there though, but she has mentioned Como and Maggiore.
Yes, I'd like to go to Capri. What about Tuscany? Can I fit that in?
My flight leaves Milan at 11:20 a.m. on July 11th.
ETA: I checked the train site, and there are lots of options for each place, so I am not sure what to pick! For example, Roma has Tutti Le Stazioni, Termini, Aurelia, Tiburtina, Naples also has Tutti le Stazioni, Cantrale, Campo Flegrei, Granturo....I just select "all the stations/tutti le stazioni" and it gave me options (Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale is 19 Euro, leaving Roma at 1:45 p.m. (this also takes the longest, but there doesn't seem to be any morning ones!)
ETA: I can't get the Roma Card/other card site to work past the intro page! As soon as I click "BUY" it goes to a new page and says "not active".
Last edited by Angelskates; 05-31-2012 at 11:24 PM.
Where is your friend (who is on this board)? Let's have her/him participate…. . Hallo Friend! Please appear! I need you to check the Italian websites for the boats ex Naples, and see if you have any "connections" in Milan to get Angel in to see Last Supper on a short notice… and check if there are any good performances at LaScala, and please check on visitors' hours at Duomo, when the roof-top walk is open, and when the organ music is on. Thank you!
You can stay in Sorrento, take ferry to Capri, spend a full day there, and return with the last boat to Sorrento in the evening. In one day, given there is travel time you will be able to visit about 50-60% of "must see places".
Or, you can go to Capri directly from Naples, before Sorrento, spend 2 nights and 1 full day, take boat to Sorrento, and spend next 2 full days in Sorrento, 1 day to go to Pompeii, and 1 day down the Amalfi coast on a bus. Sorrento itself, the few nice blocks of tourist area, can easily be seen in 1 afternoon, and in the evenings after the day trips.
Which do you prefer, going to Capri for 1 day out and back to Sorrento. Or staying overnight and then arrive to Sorrento?
If you need more info on the two options, please let me know.
July 1,2,3,4 – 2 full days Florence, 1 day – Siena, 1 day – St. Gimignano and/or Volterra, or visit to winery, or other…
The recommendation is that you "plant" yourself in Florence, spend (in any order) 2 days in Florence sightseeing, and the other 2 days going on day-trips to famous Tuscany Towns. The ones suggested (within 1 to 1.5 hrs train/bus ride) from Florence are: Siena, St. Gimignano, and/or trip to winery but you don't drink, so no winery. Perhaps another hill-top town, like Volterra, but that is much further away from Florence.
In other words – while you'll be staying in hotel in Florence for 4 days and 5 nights, you will decide how many days you want to stay in the City, and how many days to go into Tuscany country side, in any order, depending on how you arrange the tickets to museums, and day-trips.
There is also daily airporter bus service direct between Lake Maggiore Town of Stresa in 50 minutes from Malpensa Airport from mid-April through early October. Fare is Euro ~8 or 9 one way. Schedules at www.vcoinbus.it or on this http://www.safduemila.com/alibus-2012.html.
Stresa is THE town to see on Lake Maggiore anyway, if you have only 1 day. You can walk around town, and go to Isolla Bella a beautiful Island with beautiful gardens and palace in the middle of the lake.
So it is possible (if there is an early bus) to spend night in Stresa/Lake Maggiore, and make it to the airport by 9 or 9:30 in the morning.
If that arrangement works, it makes no sense to come back from the lakes back to Milan. From Milan to the Malpensa airport takes 1.2 hrs on a bus anyway.
Here is a map showing proximity of Milan (Malpensa airport is not on this map but it is slightly North-West, 1 hour from Milan, but closer to the lakes).
Roma – Stazioni Termini (central and most convenient, you'll never be wrong selecting it). Tiburtina, Aurelia, Pyramida, are local/regional train stations, and yes, sometimes trans-national trains come to these stations on some routes.
Naples - Napoli Centrale - Piazza Garibaldi Station.
The other two stations are Mergellina and Campi Flegrei, they are usually used for local/regional trains, I don't expect you needing them on this journey.
Circumvesuviana local train which runs to/from Sorrento past Pompeii – leaves from Napoli Centrale (separate tracks/section of station), and services this geographic region.
Florence – Stazioni Centrale called Firenze Santa Maria Novella.
Regional/local trains come to the following two stations, also in central Florence: Stazioni Rifredi and Stazioni Campo di Marte.
Train from Florence to Siena (for day-trip) take longer than a local bus, it leaves from S-ta Maria Novella and 1 transfer in Employ Town. Local bus is better but we can get to this later.
We can check schedules on busitali: http://www.fsbusitalia.it/
Same situation with travel ex Florence to St. Gimignano, train is longer with 1 transfer, bus is direct and faster.
The only staion you need to remember in Florence is Maria Novella.
Venice – only has 1 station Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia, like the song… .
Milan has 7 major train stations, the main one and the one you'll need is – Stazione di Milano Centrale.
The other ones (in case a search refers to any of them) are:
Cadorna, Garibaldi, Porta Genova – are closer to central Milan than Milano Centrale, so if by strange event, you are offered any of these 3 – take them.
Lambrate , Porta Vittoria, Rogoredo – not that conveniently located in relationship to central Milan.
(I'll list more train info below the last answer to your questions).
Roma Super Pass (or called Roma & Piu Pass) are not on sale (for some odd reason).
Go this page.
On the left hand side you will see Option: Quantity (max 4) – Put "1" in the quantity window. Press continue on the bottom of the page.
This is next page. Press continue.
Now you're on this page.
You will need to input date of pick up 21/06/2012.
And location of pick up: 3 blocks from your hotel (San Carlo).
Check address: PIT Minghetti, Via Marco Minghetti (angolo Via del Corso). 9.30 - 19.00.
You will not be able to pick up the pass at the airport or at Termini on the day of arrival, since they close at 7:30 PM, and you're arriving much later. So, just pick them up few blocks from your hotel at the stated address.
Press "continue".
And then you will be in this page: that's were you need to put in your personal data, which must match your identification info when you pick up the pass. I cant go further than that.. the rest should work.
Let me know if it does not – we'll search other ticket options.
Now about trains on TrenItalia, dates, time connections (not RailEurope).
Train Rome – Napoli.
I am putting in "departure time" in the search criteria starting 7:00 am.
The Trenitalia site gives me a number of voyages, at least 12, departing from 7:39 am until 12:30 pm.
For example, I randomly trying to buy this one and it works.
Roma Termini 12:30
Napoli Centrale Monday
25/06/2012 Service : 2° Classe Coach : 8 Seats : 10A 36.00 € Delete
Add Return
Did you put in "early departure time" option? Is it possible you left that section blank, and it defaulted to 12 PM departure time, and the next available ticket was at 1:45 pm?
Make sure you check ALL sections which ask for information, dates, time, number of passengers, etc.
If you still have a problem, we can work it out by other means.
My next message will be about Naples/Amalfi area.
But, first can you clarify my question about time/nights spent in Capri vs. Sorrento, and if you want to cut any days to spend more time in Milan?
(May the earth be soft for your mother's doggy).
wow. what can I say, I'm totally impressed... Tinami's unbeatable when it comes to planning a trip!
I'll come into play at the very end of the trip: Angelskates will finally arrive at my place and we'll play tourists together! (plus I'll introduce her to my cats for a bit of pet therapy after being away from hers for a while!) I'm already thinking of something yummy to cook
One thing I though of just now: did you make plans for a phone or internet connection? Availability of free wi-fi is still scarce, so I was thinking about how we could keep in touch once you're here!!
The hotel I just booked in Rome has free wifi
Now I have booked my hotel and bought a Roma Pass
alhrayth - I have an iPad and an iPhone - what can I do to get connected??
What's your advice on Capri?
Okay, now that I have Roma booked (well, hotel and Roma pass!) What's next? I want to get the other card, but the site still won't work!!
And the trains, should I book them now? Which ones?
uhm I was looking through some site to see how the situation is with the wi-fi and it seems to have improved. You'd be visiting mainly touristic locations so you should be able to find some hotspots here and there. I wouldn't bother with grtting an internet connection, then -you can cound on the random free ones, and possibly some of our hotels will have it too.
I don't know if you'd really need a phone then - but if you want to, getting a new sim card with a re-chargeable plan (no contract) should be pretty quick - and not really expensive. I could give you info on the companies, if you wish.
trains: the sooner the better - and check that you'r booking the seat as well! (well, for some it's compulsory - e.g. intercity, freccia rossa - so you can't miss it!!).
Tinami I'll check the details about Milan, (we're not lucky with the Cenacolo: there were places to be found before she arrives, and after she departs... but not in those exact days!), but you were wondering about some sites for Naples? Just tell me which ones (I already said you're waaayy better than me in this trip-planning!) and I'll go check!
Okay, so what trains?
alhrayth - I definitely need a phone! And an internet connection (my iPad and my iPhone are both 3G)!
I need to get Tinami to plan my holidays!
Have fun Angelskates!
To think that fun is simple fun, while earnest things are earnest, proves all too plain that neither one thou truthfully discernest.
Have lots of fun! I am so jealous.
Tinami should be a travel agent!
I wrote a note at the bottom of my last post about trains between Rome and Naples.
As far as buying train tickets for the rest of the journey - you need to look at your schedule (since you agreed to the dates for each location) and on Trenitalia site buy tickets for each segment, keeping in mind departure and arrival times.
- Rome to Naples: June 25th, as early as possible (after 8 or 9 in the morning).
- Naples to Florence: June 30th, after 12 noon (so that you have time in AM to get from Sorrento to train station).
- Florence to Venice (if no changes to number of days in Florence) - July 5th (early)
- Venice to Milan (if no changes to number of days in Venice - July 8th (early)
If you like, I'll look at schedules this afternoon and give you exact train/time/journey number.
b) In order for me to give you next set of info for Amalfi Coast/Sorrento/Capri Area, I would like you to answer the question (pls read last post) how many nights you want to stay in Sorrento and on Capri and IF you want to spend nights on Capri, or just take a boat for a 1 day trip.
Once you finalize your choices of dates/days in each location for Amalphi area, I;ll give you hotels in Sorrento and Capri to reserve, and local tour operators, and local transportation.
And, then I would be able to give you next set for Florence/Tuscany area... Because if you change something in the Amalphi area dates (add or subtract a day), it may affect Florence/Tuscany area dates...
So please read my question in the previous post on Amalphi/Sorrento and Capri.
Hallo Italian Friend "A".....
About websites for boats. I meant "boats on the Lakes" (not "Bay of Naples") as in ex Como to Bellagio and Varenna and back", and boats to Isl. Bella/Maggiore".
Also, can you pls tell me if I need to give Angel hotel list in Milan, Malpensa, Bellagio/Varenna? or will you be taking care of the arrangements on that segment of the journey?
Maybe I am confusing you with so much info. So let me break up some of it into other format.
You have Hotel in Rome and RomePass, right? (we will worry about Vatican and other tours later, tomorrow, after hotels and trains reserved for the rest of the trip.
a) You next step is to reserve train tickets between Rome and Naples for July 25th.
Please let me know if you had any problems the 2nd time youve tried? Did you get any tickets BEFORE 1:45 PM departure option from last time? Let me know if youre heaving problems with train tickets. We can walk through the reservation pages.
If youre working on the Rome-Naples train tickets, then you might as well reserve the rest of the train tickets, IF YOU AGREE WITH DEPARTURE DATES listed in the proposed schedule and do not plan to ADD or SUBTRACT days from any of the segments/locations.
- Rome to Naples: June 25th, before 11 in the morning, or 12 noon.
- Naples to Florence: June 30th, after 12 noon (need time to get to Naples).
- Florence to Venice - July 5th (early)
- Venice to Milan - July 8th (early)
b) Next we need to finalize how many nights you want to stay in Sorrento and in Capri, between June 25th and June 30th.
Perhaps when I am asking to allocate time in Sorrento/Amalfi/Capri area, I am visualizing the area, and you are not.
So, here is the map of the Bay of Naples. Please see where Naples, Sorrento, and Island of Capri are located (and Town of Amalfi and Positano as well).
You see there are boats/hydrofoils/ferries run between Naples-Capri-Sorrento Triangle. There is sea connection between all the 3 places.
And there is a train ex Naples, which runs from Naples to Sorrento, and from Sorrento there are bus routes to Amalfi Town and Positano Town (Amalfi Coast is a name for the area and Amalfi by itself is town.
People base themselves in Sorrento to take 1-day trips to Pompeii, Amalfi coast trips, and other local attractions (like 1-day trip to Capri, or you can spend a night in Capri).
When you arrive to Naples Train Station on June 25th, you have 2 options:
- To go first by boat to Capri, spend 2 nights in Capri, then take boat to Sorrento, and spend 2 days and 2 nights in Sorrento. During these two days in Sorrento, you will: a) use 1 day to take a tour/train to Pompeii, b) use the 2nd day for a trip down Amalfi coast (to Amalfi and Positano).
- From Naples, go directly to Sorrento, by sea or by train, base yourself in Sorrento. And the next few days do same a) Pompeii, b) Amalfi coast AND instead of sleeping in Capri, take a boat from the port of Sorrento to and from Capri, and return to Sorrento on the same day.
I recommend spending 2 nights in Capri and then going to Sorrento. Sorrento itself (the best of it) can be seen in few hours and you will have plenty of time. Sorrento is good as a base for other day trips.
But if you rather not move around with luggage 1 extra time, from Capri to Sorrento, then plant your-self in Sorrento, and visit Capri for 1 day and come back. You can still see few best of Capri locations and views in a 1-day trip.
SO, NEXT, if youre done with train tickets, MAKE A DECISION ON SORRENTO/CAPRI nights allocation, AND reserve the hotels (for the dates of your choice) in this area (Sorrento and Capri if you chose to).
We will worry about local transportation and day-trips slightly later.
Todays exchange rate (Dollar to Euro) is 1 euro = 0.80 dollar (approximately).
So when you gave me your budget for hotel per night of 200 Euro, in USD it means youre ok with hotel rooms costing up to $ 220-$ 230 USD. My server defaults me to travel websites in USD, because I am in the US now. So, I will list prices in USD.
Here is a list of the hotels in Capri, with rooms available on any day between June 25th and June 30th (if you decide to spend 1 or 2 nights in Capri, instead of seeing Capri on a one-day trip from Sorrento).
The hotels listings state only 1 or 2 rooms left on most of them. Its good to decide quickly.
The following 4 Hotels are best located for a short stay in Capri. They all run between $150 and $ 210 USD per night, not including tax. Any of them are good if they suite you. The single rooms facing garden or mountain will cost the least, the ones with sea view naturally will cost more.
Hotel Regina Cristina
Hotel La Floridiana
Hotel A Pazziella
Hotel Villa Sanfelice
If for some reason the 4 hotels listed above do not suite you, here are two more, but they are my 2nd choices, because of locations in respect to centre, transport and pathways to major attractions.
Hotel della Piccola Marina.
In a very good spot for Transport and Centre of Capri. But it is a little further to the side from the centre of night-life and pedestrian tourist area. Beautiful views. $185 to $230 USD per night depending on the day of the week and type of room. Room with a View will cost more.
La Reginella
Further from Transport and Centre of Capri. Beautiful views. $ 125 USD per night for minimal single room. Room with a View is possible, at higher price.
HOTELS IN SORRENTO (hotels available for any of the dates between June 25th and 30th) $ 95 to $175 USD min single rooms. Rooms with View higher for the stated base rates.
There are only 3 hotels available in Sorrento under $220 USD, with in walking distance to city centre and transportation/Circumvisuviana train, for the specified time segment. (others are more expensive, or further up the hill). There are no hotels on the sea-cliffs overlooking bay of Naples for these dates and price range. It is a good idea to get a room with a View, because the whole point of staying in Sorrento (besides being a good base for local day trips) are the VIEWS OF BAY OF NAPLES AND MT. VESUVIUS.
Most hotels provide shuttle, as they are up on the hill, and walking in the evening may not be your choice.
Grand Hotel Vesuvio Sorrento Fantastic views from many common areas, decks, verandas, restaurant.
Johanna Park Sorrento 2X Fantastic views from many common areas, decks, verandas, restaurant.
Hilton Sorrento Palace (has everything pool! Wi-fi, shuttles, night bar and club
Grand Hotel President Sorrento
Hotel Rivage Sorrento
Let me know how it is going. I am starting to work on hotels in Florence, then Venice, and Friend A needs to tell me if shell take care of accommodations in Milan/Lake Region, or should I list hotel near Duomo which is FANTASTIC AND INEXPENSIVE?
There few good and well located hotels available in Florence for the dates of your stay (in June 30, out July 5th – 5 nights). You want hotels close to Arno River (with a "view") and close to the centre on the river side where Uffizi, Duomo, etc are located.
Don't worry about proximity to train station. In either case, you will need to take taxi, unless you stay "across the street" from Train station, and I don't recommend it.
So here are my few choices of hotels close to centre and Arno River banks/Ponte Del Vecchio. People walk around that area for 24 hours, and you'll be safe to walk around at any time.
Along Arno River (with in 1 block from river banks and few blocks from Uffizi Gallery)
Hotel Hermitage 3*** - $ 160 USD per night (right behind Uffizi Gallery)
Hotel Bercheielli 4*** - $ 195 – 210 USD per night (nice hotel with good services)
Residenza Castelli 4**** - $ 170 to 200 USD per night (right next to Hermitage Hotel, but more luxury)
(last choice, if others don't work for you).
Hotel Alessandra - 2 blocks from Aron River/Ponte Del Vecchio – old city street - $ 160 to $ 190 per night.
The above are my best recommendations (given what's available/dates/budget). If none work –we'll go to B-list.
Once you chose hotel, we'll start reserving Tickets/Tours while in Florence/Tuscany area.
There are plenty good hotels available in Venice for the dates of your stay (in July 5th, out July 8th 3 nights). 60% of hotel locations in Venice are good and convenient, its a matter of what you prefer, a view of Grand Canal, view of the Bay, view of Old Narrow Canal or Street.. There are at least 40 hotels which are decent and under $ 220 USD per night in good safe areas.
The best locations, IMHO either in Dorsoduro section, or any hotel with Canal or Bay view.
So . Let me give you the first 5 which I like and know.
Choice 1 Pensione Accademia Villa Maravege DORSODURO 3***, rooms start @ $ 124 USD, some have balconies. Close the bridge to San Marco, Accademia Museum, and wonderful area for walking and eating out (with 2 veggie restaurants!!!). Charming courtyard, well decorated rooms, home feel.
Do ask which rooms they have and check fotos all rooms are different, it was a private house, and still feels like a small palazzo. You want a room with en-suit bathroom and balcony/patio.
fotos: http://www.pensioneaccademia.it/gallery.htm
If you like this hotel, and can get what you require TAKE IT AND LOOK NO FURTHER. YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY.
Choice 2 Hotel Antico Fiore (on a corner of Grand Canal and a small side canal, old world decore) - $ 145 - $ 220 USD/per room. Do splurge on a Room with Canal View and watch gondolas go buy.
fotos: http://www.anticofiore.com/en/photogallery.html
Choise 3 Ca (Casa) Centopietre - 2** - $ 140 USD to $ 210 USD another private Venetian villa/house turned into bed and breakfast same area as Accademia in Dorsoduro.
Do ask which rooms they have and check fotos all rooms are different, it was a private house, and still feels like a small palazzo.
Choice 4 Ca (Casa) Di Sara 2** - $ 115 USD to $ 180 USD another private Venetian villa/house turned into bed and breakfast same area as Accademia in Dorsoduro.
Do ask which rooms they have and check fotos all rooms are different, it was a private house, and still feels like a small palazzo. You want a room with en-suit bathroom and balcony/patio.
Choice 5 Hotel Marconi right on Grand Canal, next to Rialto Bridge, center of Venice. Rooms start @ $ 140 USD TO $ 240. Canal View room is a must even if it costs more. Check foto and prices for canal side room.
YOU CANT GET ANY MORE POSTCARD-VENICE than this location
The above are my best recommendations (given whats available/dates/budget). If none work well go to B-list.
Once you chose hotel, well start reserving Tickets/Tours for Venice area.
Take a breath Tinami, because I have to!!
I already have a message from my bank saying I spent too much (or more than usual) money yesterday!!
I have no idea about Capri, I mean I really don't! What do people suggest? I would rather not lug my luggage around too much...
TA - is it possible to book all the trains at once, or do I have to book one by one? Every time I make a transaction on my credit card that is not in Australian dollars, I get charged extra, but I can't find a "multiple book" thing on the site.
I think I have worked out the train site - I was trying to go from the main page. I am assuming now that when I put in "6" it means 6 a.m. I'm not sure where you saw "EuroStar" though Tinami - I can't see what anyway.
For the train to Naples, I found:
Roma Termini 09:00 Napoli Centrale 10:10 Duration 01:10 FRECCIAROSSA 9501 Details 2ª CLASSE MINI 39.00 € BASE45.00 €
What do Mini and Base mean?
When I go to register as a customer, it asks for user ID - do I leave it blank or put in something like my passport number? (I don't want to click enter and see, in case it accepts and then is wrong!)
ETAA: I tried and it said, "User-id should consist of 6 or more digits (characters allowed: A-Z a-z 0-9 _ -)."
Last edited by Angelskates; 06-01-2012 at 11:47 PM.
I don't see why you have to spend more than a day trip on Capri and stay at your base the whole time. You will be moving around a lot so I'd minimize that as much as possible. It can be exhausting.
"Nature is a damp, inconvenient sort of place where birds and animals wander about uncooked."
from Speedy Death


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Availability: Best Western Plus Hotel At The Convention Center
Double Room, 2 Double BedsMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Double Room, 2 Double Beds, BalconyMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children, 3 infants)
Standard Room, 1 King BedMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Standard Room, 1 King Bed, BalconyMax Occupancy: 2 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Long Beach hotel near Aquarium of the Pacific
This smoke-free Long Beach hotel is less than a mile from Long Beach Convention Center and provides convenient access to The Pike and Belmont Shores.
Property Amenities
Newspapers and breakfast buffet with hot items are complimentary at this Long Beach Best Western. The hotel also offers fitness equipment.
Best Western Plus Hotel At The Convention Center guestrooms have complimentary wireless Internet access and beds with down comforters.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Best Western Plus Hotel At The Convention Center Amenities
- General
Located less than a mile from Aquarium of the Pacific, 6 miles from Long Beach Airport, and 6.5 miles from the Catalina Express Terminal, the smoke-free Best Western Plus Hotel At The Convention Center offers complimentary breakfast buffet with hot items, coffee, and Los Angeles Times newspapers.
The front desk is open 24 hours a day. A complimentary Internet kiosk, fitness equipment, and indoor pool are on site.
- Free breakfast
- Complimentary newspapers in lobby
- Fitness facilities
- Express check-in
- 24-hour front desk
- Express check-out
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Coffee/tea in lobby
- Number of floors - 3
- Elevator/lift
- Business center
- Concierge services
- Multilingual staff
- Total number of rooms - 66
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Smoke-free property
- Indoor pool
- Free Wi-Fi
- Internet
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi
- Parking
Self parking (surcharge)
- Room Amenities
- Pay movies
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Climate control
- Complimentary weekday newspaper
- Air conditioning
- Free local calls
- Coffee/tea maker
- Daily housekeeping
- Complimentary toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Shower/tub combination
- Desk
- Iron/ironing board
- Cribs/infant beds available
- In-room safe (laptop compatible)
- Cable TV service
- Free Wi-Fi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Premium bedding
- Premium TV channels
- Private bathroom
- iPod docking station
- Dining
A complimentary breakfast buffet with hot items is provided each morning.
The hotel does not have its own restaurant, but there are several dining options within the surrounding area.
Nearby restaurants:
Long Beach Cafe
Rock Bottom Brewery
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
Alegria Cocina Latina
The Sky Room Restaurant
Parker's Lighthouse
- Recreation
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or near the hotel; fees may apply.
- Accessibility
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible bathroom
- Braille or raised signage
- Accessible parking
- In-room accessibility
- Roll-in shower
Best Western Plus Hotel At The Convention Center Policies & Fees
- Check-in
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
- Check-out
Check-out time is 11 AM
- Payment types
Accepted at this hotel: American Express, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, JCB International, MasterCard, Visa
- General
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No rollaway/extra beds available
- Fees
- The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
- Self parking fee: USD 10 per day (in/out privileges)
- Deposit: USD 100 per stay
- Additional Details
Children 17 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.

subset: commoncrawl


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Treats & Snacks
Dog Treats & SnacksDog biscuits and treats play important roles for all ages of puppies and dogs. They can be used for all levels of training your pet such as house breaking and obedience and behavioral dog training. Or they can simply be used to reward your dog for being a good boy or girl.
Emerald Pet Smart N` Tasty Dog Treats 5 Oz - Duck & BlueberrySmart n' Tasty Duck & Blueberry All Natural Dog Treats-They're made with 70% duck meat and are grain, gluten, soy and dairy free. Treats are made in the USA with all US sourced ingredients.ONLY$7.99


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Susan Scheele, Senior Buyer at Isis Maternity, comments in a Boston Globe article on locally-grown stroller company, UPPAbaby, and the impact stars have had on their line.
They have gifted "UppaBaby strollers to actresses like Brooke Shields, Tori Spelling, and Denise Richards. (Ben Affleck and Tom Brady have also received strollers from the company, gratis.)," according to the Globe, and "paparazzi photos of celebrity moms using the strollers, it turned out, had even more impact than print advertising."
For the full article, go to boston.com.


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Oskaloosa Herald
Oskaloosa Chamber Executive Director Jon Sullivan is retiring on Aug. 9.
"I've been fortunate to have this job for the last eight years," he said.
Sullivan became the Oskaloosa Area Chamber and Development Group executive director after a 38-year career with JCPenney.
Sullivan said he wanted to give back to the community through using his time and talents at the Chamber office.
"It's time to move on. I'm 76 years old and none of us lives forever," he said.
Now, Sullivan said he will be happy to spend time with his wife and family.
"We'll stay here," Sullivan said. "We have a younger son who lives in Ankeny with his family. We've enjoyed it here."
Sullivan believes Oskaloosa is a special place due to its leaders and volunteers.
"I've worked with some of the finest people," Sullivan said of Oskaloosa's volunteers. "Our community is blessed with good leadership."
Sullivan believes that the "spirit of volunteerism is a sign of a good community."
As an example, for the RAGBRAI stop on Oskaloosa on July 25, more than 500 volunteers stepped up to welcome the thousands of people who visited the community.
Sullivan is proud that during the RAGBRAI stop, Oskaloosa showed off its town square, named in the top 15 beautiful towns squares in America by TravelandLeisure.com, and the only Midwest community named to that list.
Sullivan said his favorite part of his job is working with people and seeing what they could accomplish together.
He gave credit to the staff at the Oskaloosa Chamber office.
The Chamber staff is composed of "true professional people," he said.
Sullivan said his favorite events are the ones that the city has traditionally held — The Main Street Lighted Christmas Parade, Sweet Corn Serenade, Friday After Five, and Eggs and Issues. Sullivan said his staff and volunteers maintains the quality of the events year after year.
"You just try to make something good better," he said.
Sullivan said there will be a retirement party for him on Aug. 9. However, he doesn't want an elaborate event.
"I've retired once," he said.


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> View this now
Published on: September 01, 2009
Type of content: WHITE PAPER
Length: 8 pages
Price: FREE
To succeed in today's increasingly complex and demanding business environments, IT departments must be able to take on greater workloads, support greater demand for user productivity and manage larger systems - all with fewer resources. Through their experience working directly with customers in the IT industry, Citrix®, Dell® and Intel® have identified solutions that directly address such IT needs. These three companies have built a synergistic partnership with the goal of helping IT departments become and remain, viable and beneficial parts of their company strategy.
By taking an end-to-end approach, Citrix, Dell and Intel have integrated their products and made highly flexible, centralized, optimized and virtualized computing a reality. This paper introduces key components of this approach:


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By John Shimer
---- — WATERTOWN — The thrill ride is done for the Amesbury girls basketball team (11-11) after Watertown (12-10) ended the Indians' Cinderella run in the second round of the state tournament 47-32.
But for the second lowest seed in the Division 3 North sectional, the 14th-seeded Indians had quite the resurgent season, earning their first trip to the state tournament in seven years by winning twice as many games as a season ago, and then topping it all off with a first-round victory over a 16-win Excel team.
Tied at 16 after a scrappy first half in which both teams had trouble creating open looks or breaking down their opponent's defense, Amesbury faded in the third quarter as the home-side took control of the game.
"The difference was they stepped up their defense in the second half, I thought, and we just couldn't hit baskets," Amesbury coach Chris Perry said. "They'd make a shot and we'd immediately come down in their end, make a turnover and it was one of those things that just kind of snowballed."
Perry cited Courtney Borkowski for a stellar performance, chipping in seven points and 14 rebounds.
"They were a really tough team, so I wanted to match up," Borkowski said. "I wanted to show intensity, not let them push around, so I tried my best, really hustled and tried to get the rebounds, and tried to play good defense."
Emily Martin led the Indians with nine points and also had 11 rebounds.
"As the season went on we were better at working as a team and that helped today," Martin said. "Courtney Borkowski had an extremely good game and she was really key on defense. Her rebounding was off the charts, and on defense she wasn't going to let the other team have the ball.
"We kind of got tired — I guess you could say we ran out of steam and they turned the pressure on in the second half," Martin continued. "No one expected us to be as close as we were with them, and so I think it was kind of a time for them to turn it up and they did."
A fantastic season with plenty of improvement, all hope the Indians can build off their success from 2012-13.
"This season was definitely the best season for all of us," Borkowski said. "We were able to communicate better and really get to the basket for easier offensive looks score wise. We played more like a team this year."
"It was awesome I think it was 2006 was the last time Amesbury girls basketball made the state tournament and this year the six seniors wanted to leave it all out on the court because we knew it was our last chance and we did," Martin said.
"I think there wasn't one person that stood out. A lot of players stepped up. Emily Williams stepped up a lot really and was a key on offense with outside shots, and a few underclassmen really helped out as well," the senior captain said.
"I hope (this run in the state tournament) built a lot of confidence," Perry said of his program, which has languished in last place in the Cape Ann League for a number of season until this past year.
"I think it kind of surprised them, to be honest with you. None of the kids basketball-wise have played in the tournament before, so I think it was a good experience for them. The kids that are coming back next year hopefully they're ready for the next step. We'll see."


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Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Details Clarifiedby Nick Breckon, Sep 23, 2009 10:49am PDT
Valve has cleared up one of the two mysteries surrounding the Left 4 Dead 2 demo announcement, confirming to Shacknews that the demo will be exclusive to both Steam and Xbox 360 pre-order customers on October 27.
The company did not clarify if the later public demo will be released the following week on November 3, as some retailers are reporting. We'll report back when we find out.
Pre-order customers will also receive the exclusive in-game baseball bat weapon for use in the full version, though anyone playing on a server with a baseball bat-equipped player will be able to use it.


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From Business Today:
The slow-and-steady nature of the Buffalo Niagara region's economy has helped it sidestep much of the damage from the Great Recession. But that benefit may have run its course. A recent study by the Brookings Institution shows that the region is slower than most in coming out of the recession. Job growth and wages are slow. The study shows that the world's emerging markets are growing much faster than industrialized economies, and that a major economic shift to these high growth regions may be taking place.
HSBC Bank has been ordered to pay $25.6 million into trusts owned by the Knox family due to mismanagement and negligence in handling the money over five decades. The decision is one of the largest ever awarded by the Surrogate Court in New York state. The bank said it will appeal.
No surprise that the folks who hope to save and redevelop the Statler Towers in downtown Buffalo are seeking a three-month extension on the deadline to close on the purchase of the historic building on Niagara Square. A bankruptcy judge hears that request today. With no other bidders lined up to buy the building, there is little doubt the extension will be granted.
A promising local bio-tech company, Cleveland BioLabs, has been granted fast track review status for its anti-radiation drug Protectan. The drug is of interest to the Defense Department and possibly to cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy.
Who is getting hired, promoted or honored?
Buffalo economy, HSBC Bank ordered to pay, Cleveland BioLabs, promotions...
December 1, 2010 - 9:46 AM
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By Mike Kays
Phoenix Sports Editor
Hilldale's passing game picked up where it left off in a three-round playoff run in 2012.
The Hornets' running game found its way around too, making for two solid ground efforts in Friday's Hilldale-Haskell scrimmage at Hornet Field.
Chandler Puckett found his favorite target from 2012, Bradley Campbell, on a 38-yard strike on the third play of the first 10-play-and-out drive for the Hornets. On the final play of the session, the two connected for 12 yards and a score.
On their second 10-play series, the two went to work on a 44-yard catch to the 16, setting up touchdown run from that point by Hunter Woods. Puckett himself kept for 13 yards and another score before the ball reverted back to the Haymakers.
Then Seth Reheard, the new starter at tailback for Hilldale, broke loose on a 60-yard run on the third 10-play session. Reheard had a 26-yard carry earlier in the scrimmage and finished with 102 yards.
Puckett was 10-of-16 for 163 yards. Campbell had five catches for 119 yards.
"We came into this, I think, wanting to throw and thought we did that fairly effectively at times and at the end, really thought we ran the ball well," Hilldale head coach Chad Kirkhart said. "A lot of it when you go 10 plays like we did, it's not down and distance stuff, it's just working on things.
"But we saw a lot of good things. We saw a lot of effort and we've told the kids all along, that's the key. If you give good effort, good things will happen."
Haskell pounded its running game at the Hornets, which bent but didn't break until quarterback Alex Wheeland spun loose on a 55-yard keeper. Jordan Presley and Trey Lang combined at tailback and moved the ball at times, Presley finishing with 84 yards.
Adding a 60-run from the alternating JV scrimmage, Lang had 91 yards.
Hilldale, however, had the hits, and the stops, at the right times.
Jake Adams had two of those for losses as the inside linebacker showed he was fully back from a torn ACL suffered in week 10 a year ago. Tyler Gober, the 245-pound sophomore who is taking over at nose guard, also had a tackle for lost yardage.
Cornerback Kaden Weaver, who is battling for a starting spot, along with safety Dylan Duncan and outside linebacker Hunter Woods had pass breakups off the arm of Wheeland.
"Jake played really well coming off his injury. That was encouraging," Kirkhart said, adding he'll look at film to evaluate the competition for the one cornerback spot and what happened on the right side of the offensive line, all vacated spots in 2012.
Two other scores came on set-ups from each other's 5-yard line. Both teams scored in that situation, Presley scored on the first play from scrimmage, and Puckett found Justin Sanders on Hilldale's first play for a score.
"We need to get a little more creative in the secondary, although we knew they had what they had and it's something that honestly we won't see a lot of this season," said Haskell head coach Greg Wilson in regard to the Hilldale passing game.
"But our kids played hard. That's a team that went three rounds in the 3A playoffs last year and I saw that our kids won't back down. We wore down, but that's something we've still got to do a better job of on the conditioning side. We're just going to have to work 'em and work 'em and work 'em to get there.
"I told them standing here a while ago that if you walked off a better player than you were when you walked on, then the scrimmage worked. Because I've got kids who mentally want to be better players."
Both teams had their share of shoving matches as the scrimmage heated up to match the hot, humid night.
"We had some fireworks and that's going to happen," Wilson said. "Kids have been hitting each other, and in our case, some going brother against brother. They're kind of tired of doing that."
Hilldale is at Wagoner with Tahlequah on Thursday and Haskell is at Warner with Gore, also on Thursday, in the final preseason tuneups. The Hornets open in two weeks at home against Stigler while Haskell will go to Colcord.


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I think a more complete answer is required.
Yes, but....
Quote:Since I have two of these 1000mm/F10 reflex lenses, maybe there's some solution to join them together, to form a giant "binoculars?"
Quote:So, regarding the image, in which case from above mentioned, it will be brighter? if this was a photography question, I definetly know that F2.8 lens provides much much brighter image than F10 lens. But, in astronomy, where pupil matters, F number has no use?
Quote:This is what we're trying to determine, Rich.
Quote:How does one propose getting a proper interpupillary distance with two 100+mm diameter optics if these Maks are used? Do they have enough back focus for prism assys to be incorporated? Did I miss something here?
Quote:Say the 3 fold calendar, like this:https://sites.google.com/site/giffitti/3FOLDSHIPPINGCALENDAR.jpgis hang about 180 meters away and binoculars allow to distinguish and read smallest text ("week") on them. Such binoculars are considered good or bad?


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John A. Ludemann
DELHI — John A. Ludemann, 83, of Delhi, and former longtime Treadwell resident, died unexpectedly, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, at home.
Arrangements are pending with Robert A. Peet, Hall & Peet Funeral Home, Delhi.
A complete obituary will be published in Saturday's edition of The Daily Star.


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Quote:I am having trouble getting my VX mount properly aligned, I am unable to even take a 30 second exposure without getting star trails, this is what I am doing.(1) I move the tripod so that the Azimuth peg is pointing to North, I use a Map Compass. You need to compensate for local magnetic declination. http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag-web/#declination (2) I use a bubble level on top of the tripod, to level the tripod. Some will say there is no need to level. I'm not one of them. Level the mount AFTER you have everything assembled. (3) I place the mount on the tripod, and set my latitude.(4) Put the Telescope on the mount, install the weight, install the telescope, and balance the telescope in both RA and DEC.(5) I turn the mount on, and enter my GPS, date, and time.(6) I do the two star aliment, add one or two calibration stars, as my view of the sky is very limited.(7) I select and go to a star with the hand control.(8) I then press the Align button, then select Polar Align, then select Align Mount, and follow the directions.(7) I then turn off the mount, and return the mount to the default RA and DEC marks.(8) I then turn it back on, do the two star aliment, add one or two calibration stars, then start taking pictures.A few notes:(1) I am using a 12.5mm Reticle Eyepiece(2) I use a Telrad Finder(3) My telescope is a Sky-Watcher Pro 80ED, Aperture 80mm, Focal Length 600mm,Focal Ratio 7.5.(4) Camera is a Panasonic G3, Micro Four Thirds Sensor, with prime focus adapter.(5) I use the camera's 10 Self-timer to trip the shutter. What am I doing wrong ? If your hand controller is not prompting you to make mechanical adjustments in ALT and AZ, then you are not doing a Polar Alignment. The purpose of a Polar Alignment is to align the RA axis to the North Celestial Pole. The most accurate method is called a Declination Drift Alignment With that being said, your biggest mistake is putting the cart before the horse. Learning the ins and outs of being successful at imaging is not like baking a cake or assembling a kit of parts. You need to start slowly and methodically, taking things one step at a time, and to do that you need to forget about cameras and focus on learning how the mount works, how the software works, how to do a proper polar alignment, and so on. When you get to the point where you can set up, get aligned, and consistently GoTo and then accurately track an object, THEN you can start thinking about imaging. I have a Netbook, Bluetooth GPS dongle, guide scope with a somewhat sensitive camera, and the cables I need, but I would like to know what I am doing wrong before I try using the Netbook to control the VX mount.
(6) I do the two star aliment, add one or two calibration stars, as my view of the sky is very limited.
Quote:So what do I try next?
Quote:I have read threw the replies, there are a few things I need to bring up.I can not see Polaris as trees block its view, and I can not see any more alignment stars as trees also block them.The GPS is correct, as is the time, I am using my phone to get GPS and time, and no its not WIFI or AGPS, my phone has a real GPS chip inside.I use a 12V 7Ah sealed lead acid battery that I charge after every use.The magnetic declination were I live is 1-1/2+ degree.The hand controller "is" prompting me to adjust the ALT and AZ controls on the mount during the Polar Align/Align Mount routine.So what do I try next?Here are the stars that I use, as I only have a narrow view to the west.CapellaProcyonPolluxCastorBetelgeuse - if I can see itRegulus - if I can see itAlgieba - if I can see itAnd a lot of times the hand controller tries to limit me to stars I cant see, and wont let me select the few I can.I can cut down a few trees in my yard, but I can't cut the neighbors trees down, and the few trees in my yard that I can cut down wont help much.
Quote:Are you "unsyncing" from the star you are using for ASPA? After the ASPA is complete you should "unsync" that star before proceeding. -Tim
Quote:How much, in arc seconds, is a small amount of drift in 30 seconds?And in what direction is it relative to the Ra and Dec axes?It could be periodic error, in which case it will be in the Ra direction, or it could be polar align error, in which case it will tend to be more in the dec direction. More likely it's a combination of both.But without some information about what a small amount is no one can say.Chris
Quote:Not yet, but I have been thinking about something like that, problem is that my adjustment knobs seem over sensitive, just the slightest turn of the larger Latitude Adjustment knob moves the star halfway across eyepiece, and when I try to set the smaller Latitude Adjustment knob it it just becomes a fight between larger and smaller Latitude Adjustment knobs, I am going to try Alignmaster first, then move the scope to were I can see Polaris, as I found a small little hole in the tree cover that I can see Polaris, and I have a polar scope on order, problem is, the area has an even more limited view of the sky.I get it figured out someday LOL
Quote: problem is that my adjustment knobs seem over sensitive, just the slightest turn of the larger Latitude Adjustment knob moves the star halfway across eyepiece, and when I try to set the smaller Latitude Adjustment knob it it just becomes a fight between larger and smaller Latitude Adjustment knobs
Quote:The answer is real simple: Find a different place to do your observing.I know it a PITA, but at this point you are sweeping against the tide. Your current location is not conducive to being successful, and to be brutally honest, trying to get your gear setup and actually use it where you are is a waste of your time.


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POTO recently participated in the India International Potato Expo – 2010 (New Delhi) and came up trumps with the response from delegates, the general public and of course with the participation in the seminar of such luminaries like Dr M.S. Swaminathan, the father of the green revolution, and the Hon'ble Union Minister for Food Processing Shri Subodh Kant Sahai, amongst others. What this means for the Pailan Group is the huge endorsement of a project that is set to change the lives of an agrarian society.
Copyright @ Pailan Food Ltd.


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Results 1 to 4 of 4
Thread: Teachers and students taught to fight back - Good idea? Bad idea?
Teachers and students taught to fight back - Good idea? Bad idea?
Teachers, students in one Alabama city told to fight back if facing violent intruder | Fox News
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Police have a new method for dealing with armed attackers who get inside school buildings in Tuscaloosa: They're teaching educators and students to fight back.
School systems typically tell workers and students to lock every possible door and hide if an intruder enters a classroom building. But Tuscaloosa schools have started a program with city police in which employees and students are being trained to fight back if necessary.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down ones life for ones friends - John 15:13
"The Wicked Flee When No Man Pursueth: But The Righteous Are Bold As A Lion".
We lucky few, we band of brothers. For he who today sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~The opinions, beliefs, and ideas expressed in this post are mine, and mine alone. They are NOT the opinions, beliefs, ideas, or policies of my Agency, Police Chief, City Council, or any member of my department.
Interesting concept. A combination of both perhaps? I don't think I could just sit by and let something happen if I were a student or staff member.Do not war for peace. If you must war, war for justice. For without justice there is no peace. -me
We are who we choose to be.
R.I.P. Arielle. 08/20/2010-09/16/2012
Ever wonder why there are no school shootings or terrorist attacks on Israeli schools?
Meanwhile, fishing in Russia:
"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." -- Frederic Bastiat
"Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never really care for anything else thereafter." Ernest Hemingway
The opinions given in my signatures & threads DO NOT reflect the opinions, views, policies, and/or procedures of my employing agency. They are my personal opinions only, thereby releasing my agency of any liability, or involvement in anything posted under the username "Five-0" on Officerresource.com
09-02-12, 11:14 PM #4SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM-Ex-Sheriff Martin Howe to Will Kane in "High Noon"
"It's a great life. You risk your skin catching killers and the juries turn them loose so they can come back and shoot at you again. If your honest , your poor your whole life. And , In the end , you wind up dying all alone on some dirty street. For what? For nothing. For a tin star."
Far from being a handicap to command, compassion is the measure of it. For unless one values the lives of his soldiers and is tormented by their ordeals , he is unfit to command.
-General Omar Bradley, United States Army
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A Reading from St. John Chapter 8:
Five Spencer County Bears Baseball Players participated in Prep Baseball Reports College Showcase at Western Kentucky University on July 18. All five players are incoming juniors and have a goal of playing college baseball after high school. Pictured left to right: Brandon West, Blake Lambdin, Noah Dockery, Avery Vannatta and Jacob Cole.
As a baseball fan in the 70s and 80s, hardly anything ever excited me about the San Diego Padres. They played mediocre baseball out on the west coast when that market was dominated by teams like the Dodgers and Athletics.
The annual kids fishing derby at the Taylorsville Lake Tailwaters attracted almost 100 kids. Pictured are winners Dalton Helton, Elly Offutt and Trenton Shepard. Helton won the award for smallest fish caught, Offutt won largest fish caught, and Helton and Shepard tied for most fish caught. The Kentucky Department for Fish and Wildlife, the Kentucky Conservation Officers Association, the Spencer County Fish and Game Club and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers help sponsor the annual event.
Amanda Browning of Spencer County, left, and teammate and Julia Steinman win silver in the doubles competition in the Special Olympics USA 2014 Games. Browning earned a gold medal in Trenton, New Jersey at the USA Special Olympics. Thirty-five hundred athletes competed in Trenton last week in the games. Browning won gold in her individual competition and two silver medals, one each in doubles and team bowling. Coach Lynn Ware of Spencer County says Browning is the first athlete from Spencer County to attend a National Special Olympic Games.
Powdery mildew is probably the most common garden fungus around. It is not too terribly picky about where it spreads, it likes humid weather, thrives in the heat of the summer and is hard to control once it has started. The trick here is to prevent it from happening by proper plant selection, spacing, pruning and treatment before it spreads.
Daniel Boone was Kentucky's most famous frontiersman, but a historian says he did not get proper credit for being an accomplished land surveyor, and was the unfortunate victim of a misnomer that made him appear a bumbling backwoodsman.
Author-historian Neal Hammon of Shelby County says Boone was the leader of the westward movement and his land surveys show he knew what he was doing. Hammon has studied Boone's surveys and doesn't buy the often-heard allegation that the explorer lost his own land claims because of inattention or ineptness.
60 Years Ago
June 17, 1954
Spencer county farmers helped boost Kentucky's total fertilizer use in 1953 to 563,228 tons, reports the Middle West Soil Improvement Committee. The statement is based on compilations by the University of Kentucky's Department of Feed and Fertilizer.
The use of fertilizer on Kentucky farms has increased nearly sevenfold since 1940, according to the committee.
Summer is finally here, for real this time. After an exceptionally long winter, (luckily I was able to avoid my first full Kentucky winter) spring thaws have led into summer heat. This week the mercury is rising to 90 degrees and as such the true start of summer is here. I wanted to take this opportunity to say that a little over three months into my time here in Kentucky I have already been behaving quite a bit like it was already summer.
Copyright © 2014
The Spencer Magnet is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Spencer County, KY and the surrounding area.


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During a speech at the University of Kansas Monday, Governor Sam Brownback touted a tax-cutting bill he signed into law earlier this year.
The plan will cut personal income tax rates and eliminate income taxes for nearly 200,000 businesses. Brownback said that could help attract people and jobs to the state.
Preparations are underway for tax changes next year. Kansas Department of Revenue staff is working this summer to write the new rules and regulations that will guide the agency as it implements a sweeping series of cuts to the state's income tax system.
Secretary Nick Jordan says the agency is meeting with accountants and lawyers to discuss the new law and write the policies that will govern how taxes are collected for individuals and businesses.
Have you ever tried to play a violin? It's crazy hard. There are no frets on the fingerboard, so you have nothing except your ear to tell you whether you are putting your fingers in the proper places. Meanwhile, your other hand is sawing the taught, stretched horsehairs of a violin bow across those very same strings. Horrible, shrieking noises ensue for the first few weeks, or months, or—sometimes—years. The closest thing to that sound I can think of might be something like what would occur if a high-pitched dentist drill was being applied to the teeth of a cat in heat.


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COLUMBIA, SC — A former Columbia police captain fired earlier this month for insubordination has sued the city for wrongful termination.
David Navarro also has named his former boss, interim Police Chief Ruben Santiago, in the lawsuit for racketeering and violating the corrupt organizations act. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday at the Richland County courthouse.
In the suit, Navarro repeats previous allegations that Santiago asked him to perform "black ops" on assistant city manager Allison Baker by planting a stolen gun and cocaine in his car. The goal was to get Baker fired so that former police Chief Randy Scott could move up to the assistant city manager position and Santiago could be promoted to police chief, the suit and previous allegations said.
Navarro also said in the suit that he was asked July 9 to perform "black ops" on another officer, who previously had been demoted by Scott.
Navarro said he refused to participate in the schemes and claims he was fired in retaliation. Navarro was suspended without pay July 9 and a termination letter was signed July 12 by city manager Teresa Wilson.
Santiago has denied the allegations, and last week filed a defamation lawsuit against Navarro.
Under the racketeering claim, the lawsuit accuses Santiago of being the head of a criminal enterprise where favoritism is shown to officers and members of the public when it comes to enforcing laws and department policies.
The lawsuit alleges Santiago promoted an officer who had violated the department's special-duty policy while another officer who broke the same rule was demoted.
And, the lawsuit says, Santiago and other unnamed defendants obstructed justice by dismissing charges against prominent members of the community, including traffic tickets written to the leader of a business group and three charges filed July 12 against S.C. NAACP president Lonnie Randolph.
Charges against Randolph have not been dropped, but Santiago has said the department will not pursue a conviction in court.
Under city policy, fired employees may request a hearing before a grievance committee where they can explain their side of any disciplinary actions. The grievance committee then can uphold the decision or recommend the employee be reinstated. The city manager chooses whether to act on the committee's recommendation.
Navarro has not requested a grievance hearing but intends to do so, his attorney, Glenn Walters, said Thursday.
Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.


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About the SAG Awards®
Why the SAG Awards are Unique
Lauded by critics for its style, simplicity and genuine warmth, the Screen Actors Guild Awards® presented by SAG-AFTRA, which made its debut in 1995, has become one of the industry's most prized honors. The only televised awards shows to exclusively honor performers, it presents thirteen awards for acting in film and television in a fast moving two hour show which airs live on TNT and TBS. The awards focus on both individual performances as well as on the work of the entire ensemble of a drama series and comedy series, and the cast of a motion picture. These honors are fundamental to the spirit of the Screen Actors Guild Awards because they recognize what all actors know – that acting is a collaborative art.
In that same spirit, the SAG Awards® also commends the outstanding performances by film and television stunt ensembles. These accolades are announced from the SAG Awards red carpet during TNT and TBS' pre-show webcasts.
Other highlights of the Screen Actors Guild Awards include the SAG Life Achievement Award, presented to an established performer for fostering the highest ideals of the acting profession and tributes to the varied talents within SAG-AFTRA's membership. The 50th Life Achievement Award was presented to Rita Moreno at the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards are also unique in the size of its voting body. Two randomly selected panels of 2,200 members each from across the country choose the nominees for television and motion pictures. All active members of SAG-AFTRA in the United States -- more than 100,000 members -- receive voting information to select the outstanding performances of the year.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards is the only national network television show to acknowledge the work of union members. SAG-AFTRA is affiliated with the AFL-CIO through the Associated Actors and Artistes of America (the Four A's).
The Screen Actors Guild Awards also benefits the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, which provides opportunities for union members to contribute to the literacy of children through BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools), and its online component Storyline Online. SAG Foundation programs provide emergency relief to union members in economic distress, emergency funds for members with catastrophic illnesses, video and audio preservation of the creative legacy of members, scholarships for performers and their children, valuable casting seminars and related professional workshops. The Foundation also operates The Actor's Center and Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab. Details are available at www.sagfoundation.org, www.bookpals.net and www.storylineonline.net.
PEOPLE magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) will host the Screen Actors Guild Post-Awards Gala for the 19th consecutive year. This exclusive event honors the philanthropic causes and good works of the members of SAG-AFTRA. The gala, benefiting the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, will immediately follow the SAG Awards.
SAG Awards Facts
The 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards®, LLC will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT). Nominations will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014 at 9 a.m. (ET) / 6 a.m. (PT), carried live on TNT, sagawards.tntdrama.com and tbs.com. For our other key dates, please see our full calendar.
Connect with the SAG Awards®
Website: http://sagawards.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sagawardsofficialpage/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sagawards/
Google +: http://google.com/+SAGawards/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sagawards/
Tumblr: http://sagawards.tumblr.com
Blog: http://blog.sagawards.org
SAG-AFTRA represents more than 165,000 actors, announcers, broadcasters journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York, and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond.
Connect with SAG-AFTRA
Website: http://www.sagaftra.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sagaftra/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sagaftra/
TNT is television's destination for drama. Seen in 101 million households and ranking among cable's top networks, TNT is home to such original drama series as Rizzoli & Isles, Major Crimes, Falling Skies, Perception, Dallas and Franklin & Bash. TNT's upcoming slate of scripted dramas includes the original series Legends, The Last Ship and Murder in the First, as well as Transporter The Series, which will make its U.S. television debut on the network this fall. TNT also features dramatic unscripted originals like Cold Justice, Boston's Finest, Marshal Law: Texas, APB with Troy Dunn, Private Lives of Nashville Wives, Save Our Business and Inside Job, as well as the upcoming On the Menu, Wake Up Call and Life Flight. In addition, TNT is the cable home to popular dramas like Hawaii Five-0, Castle, The Mentalist, Bones and Supernatural; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
Connect with TNT
Website: http://www.tntdrama.com
Pressroom: http://www.tntnewsroom.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TNTWeKnowDrama
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TNTweknowdrama | http://www.twitter.com/TNTPR
TBS is basic cable's reigning champion among young adults in primetime. Available in 101 million households, TBS features original scripted comedies like Cougar Town, Ground Floor, Sullivan & Son and Men at Work, as well as American Dad!, which will become a TBS original series in late 2014. TBS also features original unscripted series like King of the Nerds and Deal With It, as well as the upcoming CeeLo Green's The Good Life and Funniest Wins. In late night TBS, is home to the Emmy®-winning series CONAN, starring Conan O'Brien, and The Pete Holmes Show. The TBS lineup also includes popular contemporary comedies, such as The Big Bang Theory and Family Guy, along with blockbuster movies and championship sports.
Connect with TBS
Website: http://www.tbs.com
Pressroom: http://news.turner.com/tbs
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TBSveryfunny
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TBSveryfunny | http://www.twitter.com/TBSPR
TNT and TBS are part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company. Turner Broadcasting creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.


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Star Trek the Original Series Tricorder
After the runaway success of Star Trek's classic-era Phaser and Communicator, boldly go where no man has gone before with this authentic Tricorder roleplay replica! Based on the classic 23rd century design, the electronic Tricorder features silver highlights over a black finish, as well as light and sound effects taken from the classic Star Trek series. Also included is... More at Amazon.
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Adam Troxtell
The Express-Star
It's safe to say by now that Chickasha will have much to look forward to when the real seasons kick off for baseball and softball.
The summer has provided a clear enough window into how the teams shape up going into their respective seasons, and youth is a common factor. Unfortunately, with the upside of longevity with a young team comes the downside that youth often breeds inconsistency. Some of that was evident in both teams' summer seasons. It begs the question of who will be able to take what they've achieved this summer and translate it to a better season.
My vote has to fall on the ladies' side, and for good reason.
Looking at the Fightin' Chicks baseball team, I see many good things. They'll have two fantastic fielders and batters in Luke Dixon and Derek Sullivan, seniors that will no doubt be responsible for leading the team. Their absence from the recent Chickasha tournament was evident, while the young squad that defended the Chicks' home turf did a decent job to fill that gap.
As was pointed out earlier this summer, Brock Henderson is the archetype star in the making. He has the talent, he's shown it this summer and with a top-ranked tournament team in the Oklahoma Cardinals, and he has bravely taken on the ranks of high school ball with the utmost confidence. Mainly a pitcher, he showed throughout the summer, but mostly over the past few days, that he can easily switch and do just as good a job at third or shortstop. Versatility is in his blood, and his performance at the plate points to Henderson's all-round baseball abilities.
But, as I said, his main job is pitching. Combined with other young players like Brooks Bush, Brandon Shumway and Braden Beldin, this is a very youth-filled rotation. Against Binger, Henderson, undoubtedly the leader of the stirling line of prospects, showed he still has a little more learning to do after the Bobcats took a 7-0 lead out of the first two innings. In the story I wrote about him, Henderson said he has been working on developing a larger variety of pitches to get around situations like this. That development continues.
When it comes to youth, the Fightin' Chicks seem to be relying on more of it. Sure, it is a great foundation for a team, and by no means do I think they will have a season to forget. But, my money is still on softball.
Last fall, the Lady Chicks reached the state final with a freshman pitcher in Gore, and they have retained almost all of their team. Their line-up of Gore, Snyder and Keeley Cauthen provides a great backbone to a talented squad.
Gore is also lethal from the plate, a great power hitter to balance the opening line-up with the more experienced Tawn Neidy and Shorty Clift. Throughout the batting order, players like Tristin Watkins, Tori Smith, and Amanda Bradford can make it difficult for teams to catch a break. In the Lady Chicks, you have a team that is more than capable of stringing together hits multiple times in a game, and that is nearly impossible to defend.
Again, this has not been the case all summer. Even head coach Dennis Furr has admitted he knows his team can hit the ball, but often times make it difficult for themselves. But, the late surge of offense cannot be ignored, especially when it continued on Chickasha's trip to Denver. This team is on a high, and the summer has provided them great momentum with the start of the season not all that far away.
There is a drive in the entire team to go one better this fall and lift the national title. After coming so close last season and many of the players knowing the pain of just barely missing out on a coveted trophy, they'll be doing everything they can to make sure it doesn't happen again.


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As University of California patient care workers returned to the picket lines Wednesday, hospital administrators said they were gratified that so many others chose to come to work.
More than three-quarters of union members who had been scheduled to work Tuesday did so, said Dianne Klein, spokeswoman for the UC office of the president. Hospital officials said they expected a similar turnout Wednesday.


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Related Stories
After not finding a willing trading partner during the draft, the Texans have opted to release WR Jacoby Jones, the team announced Tuesday.
Jones' production dipped last season after an impressive 2010 campaign. He had just 31 catches and two TDs a year ago, despite playing in all 16 games. For his career, the 27-year old has 127 receptions for 1,741 yards.
The Texans drafted two receivers — Ohio State's DeVier Posey and Michigan State's Keshawn Martin — in the first four rounds of last weekend's draft. Both players should help ease the loss of Jones on the Houston depth chart.


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The Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association will be giving away holiday tree ornaments during the 25th Annual Lighting of the Tree event on November 22nd. Beginning at 5:30pm, ornaments will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Guests must stop by the Visitors Information Center, located at 233 East Crogan Street, and sign-in to receive their free ornament. Also, be prepared to enjoy hot chocolate and cookies!
The 25th Annual Lighting of the Tree will be held in downtown Lawrenceville at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse on Thanksgiving Day, November 22. Festivities will begin on the Square at 5:30pm followed by the tree lighting at 6:00pm and a visit from Santa Claus around 6:45pm. In addition to a free ornament at the Visitors Center, the event will also host live performances, music, crafts, food vendors and more. For further information on this event and to catch a glimpse of Lawrenceville's upcoming New Year's Eve Bash, Lawrenceville Rings, visit www.visitlawrenceville.com.
Limit one per family. Offered Thursday, November 22nd from 5:00 PM to PM only.


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Despite Her Best Efforts
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Dorie Clark, Contributor
I write about marketing, branding and business strategy.
I first "met" Amanda Palmer in 1997 – though I didn't know her name – when I was a graduate student walking past her as an "8 Foot Bride" living statue in Harvard Square. She earned up to $20 per show – not bad for a performance artist, but a total she bested quite handily 15 years later, when she raised $1.2 million for her new music album from nearly 25,000 fans with her now-famous Kickstarter campaign. What's her secret? "The 10 years leading up to the Kickstarter campaign," she told me. That was the period during which she leveraged social media to build "an intense connection with fans, and trust between me and those who pledged."
Here are the highlights of Palmer's social media philosophy, which she shared with me during a recent interview at Grub Street's Muse and the Marketplace conference, where we both spoke.
Make it Fun. Yes, consistency matters in social media, and Palmer spends a lot of time on Twitter, Instagram, blogging, and using other channels. But, she says, "I don't plan it, ever…If I ever felt obligated, I'd probably never do it." Her love of the medium enables her message to stay fresh.
Humanize Yourself. "I had a hilarious exchange with my uncle [a California businessman]," Palmer told me. "We were on a walk on Thanksgiving and he said to me, 'Amanda, should I tweet?' My only answer is, do you have something to communicate? If you do, the answer is probably yes. Anything that can humanize your company is helpful." She cites her experience losing her wallet in Europe and tweeting about her plight – only to receive a rapid response from American Express offering to help. "In this moment of panic, lost in France with no wallet, a human from AmEx reached out – it blew my mind. That's a moment any company can learn from."
Transparency is the Future. The core of Palmer's connection with fans is their sense that they're getting an unvarnished sense of who she is – and she considers that an opportunity to push her own boundaries. "When I see people [like Margaret Cho] communicate things I wouldn't dare to communicate because it's so personal, that pushes me to new levels. They show things that are so brave, it'll kick my *#) to censor just a little bit less."
Fight the Scarcity Mentality. After her Kickstarter triumph, Palmer soon faced a hailstorm of online criticism when she put out a call for horn and string players to join her onstage for a few songs during her tour – pro bono. At least one musicians union was outraged, telling the New York Times, "If there's a need for the musician to be on the stage, then there ought to be compensation for it." Palmer sees similarities between those complaints and ones faced by well-known filmmaker Zach Braff, who raised $2 million in a recent Kickstarter campaign for his new movie. "It pains me to see him getting criticized," Palmer told me. "It's a scarcity mentality that there's not enough [money] for people to make art, and I think that's backwards. If Zach Braff has a successful Kickstarter campaign, it may be that it opens up the mentality of people who wouldn't have otherwise crowdfunded. Maybe it's a catalyst for them and they'll give 10 bucks to the kid down the street. The idea that there isn't enough to go around – that artists who are successful shouldn't be finding their communities – is bonkers."
"There are very blurry lines between what's good for marketing and what's a wonderful, fulfilling connection with fans," Palmer told me. "One often is the other. If you don't go into it connecting with people authentically, you're probably not going to be successful at it. I look at it as a way of finding friends…[and also] the more I connect, the larger the fan base, the more tickets I sell."
Ultimately, she says, social media – and its ability to mobilize the "1000 true fans" described by Internet sage Kevin Kelly – has enabled the rise of "an emerging middle class of artists who don't have to be superstars." For Palmer, it's a liberating trend. "We're starting to see through the old model of how to measure success," she says. "Success is no longer getting on MTV or being Madonna or Prince. We're now finding you can have a sustainable life in which you get to make art for people – which actually sounds much better."
How are you mobilizing your 1000 true fans?
Dorie Clark is CEO of Clark Strategic Communications and the author of the newly-released Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013). She is a strategy consultant who has worked with clients including Google, Yale University, and the Ford Foundation. Listen to her podcasts or follow her on Twitter.
Great article Dorie. At the Digital Hollywood panel I recently moderated, Darrell Miller, a deal-maker for celebrities said that if two comparable actors are competing for a role, the one with social media following will be chosen. In the worlds of book publishing, music, film or TV, it is time now to be prepared.
Congratulations to Amanda with her "Kickstarter Campaign". There are many start-up businesses and early stage companies looking for funding through VCs and through what is known as "Crowdfunding". Amanda used social media to build a following and then ran her Kickstarter Campaign far better than most Crowdfunding efforts that I have seen so far. Great example on why one needs to build the fan base first. Chances are good that if the base can't be built then the idea, product or service might not be ready for prime time.
Terry Stidham, President
Target Search Group
Very good article Dorie. In it, you have re-affirmed much of the "gospel" our Social Media colleagues have been preaching for years. Authenticity, transparency and humanizing business are truly the core of Social Media engagement, still and always.
There are a couple of things I would like to add to this conversation, though.
Amanda Palmer is an entertainer and enjoys a few freedoms and creative licenses that most of the more staid and strictly regulated business are disallowed in Social Media. Those in finance; namely banking, insurance, lending and financial services A) are highly regulated and B) must also maintain a somewhat conservative image when it comes to engaging clients and prospects regarding financial management. By virtue of their position in the business world, the definition of "fun" is a bit different from what Amanda Palmer's probably is. They need to be very careful what they say and share, online.
Also, this new concept of "crowd sourcing/crowd funding" has not been as successful for most as it has been portrayed by some. In fact, many looking for this kind of public investment are being turned away. A recent article in a major financial publication explained that crowd-sourcing/crowd funding investors are very skeptical of giving away dollars when the history of return on investment is not very good. Most, often never get their original investment back.
Like in everything else, there are success stories about "crowd sourcing/crowd funding" and we would all like to think people will invest in us to execute our ideas. From what I have read, these success stories are few and far between.
Hi Marc, I totally agree with your point on crowd-funding, it doesn't always work so well. But the reason why it worked so amazingly well for Amanda is that she invested the time in cultivating a close relationship with her fans and THEN asked them to back her Kickstarter campaign. The same fans that backed her are the ones that she has spent the last few years performing 'secret' shows for and chatting with on Twitter.
It's all about building relationships. Amanda built the relationships first, and then when she said 'I need your help', 25,000 of her fans answered her call and backed her Kickstarter project.
Many of the crowd-funding projects that flop are due to the people that run them trying to get money from people that have no previous relationship or connection to them. When did Noah build the Ark? Before the rain came.
"the more I connect, the larger the fan base, the more tickets I sell."
BINGO! This is what most brands can't wrap their heads around. Companies are so blindly focused on 'acquiring' new customers that they miss the enormous potential of acquiring new customers VIA THEIR FANS! Rock stars have the exact same endgame: They also want to acquire new customers and drive new sales. But while brands try to acquire new customers via ineffective (and extremely expensive) advertising, rock stars like Amanda are creating new customers by connecting with her EXISTING fans!
Amanda understands that her ability to acquire new customers tomorrow depends on how well she connects with her existing fans TODAY. When brands wake up and realize the enormous power of connecting with their fans, the world of marketing will be a much better place.
Social media can be a great channel for customer development for many businesses, but we shouldn't use one or even a few success stories in a specific industry as PROOF that it is the future for ALL (?) businesses. I get it, claims in headlines are meant to get a reaction out of readers, it certainly makes me comment. But lets please generalize less.
Just because something "works" doesn't mean it's effective and/or can scale infinitely. Marketing professionals and small business owners have to understand ROI for any channel they consider, and not invest their resources blindly. For a small business owner, corresponding with their prospective customers via email can be just as effecting as conversations on social media platforms. Newsletters that are educational and helpful can bring similar results. The post refers to great examples of successful customer development, but social media is just one channel.
- Small Business Owner
Part of her kickstarter success was timing, too. She was doing it at the very vanguard of the crowdfunding wave.
Unfortunately, since her overwhelming success, everybody with a project to do anything is now running a kickstarter. Speaking anecdotally, the number of "fund my album/art/DJ gig" requests that come through my inbox on a daily basis has tripled in the past few months. It's quickly going from the "cool thing that some one-the-cutting-edge artists do" to "that thing that everyone does to try and remain relevant." The last service that had that arc was MySpace, and we all know how that turned out.
So I guess we'll see if that's sustainable.
On a related note, an artist I know who ran a remarkably successful kickstarter effort ($14k on a $2k goal) has basically decided to never do it again – not becasue he didn't think it could be successful, but because he spent nearly 6 months getting all the premiums put together, personalized, and shipped out.
Part of me wonders how long it'll be before middleman services start cropping up to "guarantee success with your kickstarter!"
(on a side note, I was never angry at Palmer because she asked for pro bono musicians. Everyone's done that. I was angry that she asked for pro bono *professional* musicians, which carries with it a whole different set of implications)
Not knowing how to use Facebook or Twitter, but knowing that I needed to jump on the bandwagon – I gave readyBUZZ a call. And boy I am glad I made that call! readyBUZZ has been awesome – a breath of fresh air. Thank you readyBUZZ for making my business a huge success online.
-Ron G. Golden State Delivery
Visit: www.readybuzz.com


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Well I have some time to blog as family time has become more consuming. Work has become more demanding and last week my wife gave birth to our first child (daughter).
Being a first time parent is extremely demanding. Thank goodness I have the rest of this week off. I chose to take
the late night/early morning shift to help the wife get some sleep. I told her I'll go Midnight-7am if she can do
7am-230pm. We'll see how it goes... She has to pump every 2 hours, so she makes
So, yes, I'm not entirely pleased with the new Xbox One, particularly in that they are locking all games to your ID and console, much like Xbox Live Arcade games today. One truly amazing thing, though, is how deluded they are in thinking there's absolutely nothing wrong with this.
Let's analyze the words of Microsoft VP Phil Harrison and see just how life is different from Bizzaro Microsoft world compared to the one we all live in. more...
The new Xbox has been revealed at a big event on Microsoft's campus in Redmond. It will be called the "Xbox One", coming out later this year. Ultimately, it looked cool, but nothing groundbreaking. What worries and even angers me, is the information that's coming from off-stage. more...
I unlocked my first achievement on the Xbox 360 way back on April 7th, 2006. Since then, I have earned a total of 89,950 Gamerscore from over 4,600 achievements across 258 games. That averages out to about 35 points per day. It also puts me pretty close to the six-digit level. While it is certainly not going to win me any awards, as there are people far beyond my number, I would still consider it something of an accomplishment.
I've therefore decided to set myself a goal. I want to
DISPLAY: The screen is the U410s other weak link. (The keyboard being the other.) A resolution of 1366x768 is standard for ultrabooks and laptops at this price, so I cant really fault Lenovo for not exceeding the standard. But, my Dell 6000 had a 1680x1050 display and that was six years old. Why hasnt the industry pushed for better resolutions? Why are laptops lagging behind tablets? (Googles new Nexus 10 is 2560x1600!) For whatever reason, you cannot find affordable ultrabooks with nice resolutions.


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VR is one of the oldest and largest business sales network in the U.S. and internationally. The Springfield-Branson office of VR Business Sales serves central and southern Missouri.
We charge no up-front fees to business owners thinking of selling their business, and invest the time and advertising dollars in marketing our businesses for sale out of our own pocket. Then, if we have been successful in assisting the business owner in realizing their goal of an ownership transition, we receive a success fee at the closing of the sale.
We charge no fees to buyers, unless they engage us to search for a business to purchase that is not currently on the market.
VR has sold more business in the world than anyone. TM
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