text:
Valle Verde - Marciana
This hotel has 2 restaurants. If you want low-key dining options, you will be pleased to find a snack bar/deli and a picnic area. Beach amenities include sun loungers and umbrellas along with on-site recreation like snorkeling. Scuba diving, boat tours and sailing are nearby. Guests can also enjoy drinks at the beach or in the comfort of the lounge as there are bars both in and out.
Leisure facilities on offer include outdoor tennis courts. Child-friendly amenities at this hotel include a free children's club and free supervised childcare/activities. Free WiFi is provided so you can check your in-box whenever you like.
Valle Verde - Marciana
Hotel Info: 1-877-214-4288from $95
- Comfort Triple Room, Balcony, Sea View
- Classic Triple Room, Balcony, Park View
- Standard Triple Room, Park View
- Comfort Double Room, Balcony, Sea View
- Comfort Triple Room, Balcony, Sea View
- Classic Triple Room, Balcony, Park View
- Standard Triple Room, Park View
- Classic Double Room, Balcony, Park View
- Standard Double Room, Park View
Also popular with travelers from the USA
At a glance
Key facts
Hotel size
- This hotel has 48 rooms
- This hotel is arranged over 2 floors
- Check-in time starts at 2 PM
- Check-out time is 10 AM
- Express check-in
Required at check in
- Credit card or cash deposit required
- Government-issued photo ID required
Travelling with others
- Babysitting/childcare
- Free children's club
- Pets allowed
- Free WiFi in public areas
- Free WiFi in rooms
- Free airport shuttle at scheduled times *
- Free ferry terminal shuttle *
- Free valet parking
- Free nearby parking
- Free RV/bus/truck parking
In the hotel
- Children's club (free)
- Supervised childcare/activities (free)
- Free buffet breakfast daily
- 2 restaurants
- Bar/lounge
- Coffee shop/café
- Snack bar/deli
- Beach bar
- Room service (during limited hours)
- Coffee/tea in a common area
- Beach sun loungers
- Beach umbrellas
- Free use of nearby fitness center
- Outdoor tennis courts - 2
- Tennis on site
- One meeting room
- Computer station
- 24-hour front desk
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Laundry facilities
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Luggage storage
- Multilingual staff
- Porter/bellhop
- Number of buildings/towers - 2
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Garden
- Picnic area
- Terrace
- Television in common areas
In the room
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Air conditioning
- Minibar
- Frette Italian sheets
- Pillowtop mattress
- Private bathroom
- Shower only
- Bidet
- Hair dryer (on request)
- Cable TV channels
- Desk
- Free WiFi
- Phone
- In-room safe
Special features
On Site
- Outdoor tennis courts - 2
- Tennis on site
- Playground on site
- Scooter/moped rentals on site
- Snorkeling on site
- Windsurfing on site
- Bicycle rentals nearby
- Golf lessons available nearby
- Golfing nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
- Mountain biking nearby
- Sailing nearby
- Scuba diving nearby
- Water skiing nearby
Valle Verde - Marciana's small print
Also known as
- Valle Verde Hotel Marciana
- Valle Verde Marciana
All guests, including children, must be present at check-in and show their government-issued photo ID card or passport.
Cash transactions at this property cannot exceed EUR 2999.99, due to national regulations. For further details, please contact the property using information in the booking confirmation.
For transfers, guests must contact the property 48 hours prior to arrival at the number on the booking confirmation.
Optional extras
Rollaway beds are available for an additional charge
Cribs/Infant beds are available for an extra charge
We have included all charges provided to us by this hotel. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.


text:
The Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE) is an association of Victorian councils committed to the creation of a sustainable built environment within and beyond their municipalities.
CASBE provides a forum:
CASBE's focus is on applying Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) principles to the built environment through the statutory planning system. This coordinated program of formal and consistent measures is called the Sustainable Design Assessment in the Planning Process (SDAPP) framework.
While CASBE's role is primarily related to the SDAPP framework, the alliance also helps councils incorporate ecologically sustainable development into council-managed buildings and capital works projects.
CASBE member councils include: Banyule City Council, Bass Coast Shire Council, Darebin City Council, Greater Dandenong City Council, Hobsons Bay City Council, Hume City Council, Kingston City Council, Knox City Council, Manningham City Council, Maribrynong City Council, Moonee Valley City Council, Moreland City Council, Port Phillip City Council, Stonnington City Council, Whitehorse City Council, Whittlesea City Council, Wyndham City Council, Yarra City Council.
CASBE operates under the auspices of the Municipal Association of Victoria.
For information on being part of the CASBE Network or becoming a member of CASBE, contact the CASBE Executive Officer on firstname.lastname@example.com
The Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard (BESS) is an assessment tool created by local governments in Victoria. BESS helps building professionals and developers demonstrate how a proposed development addresses sustainable design at the planning permit stage.
The BESS tool covers key elements that form good liveability and design practice. It supports councils with developing a productive, sustainable and resilient community.
BESS is designed to support the Sustainable Design Assessment in the Planning Process (SDAPP) framework. BESS replaces two tools that have been used for the past decade. These are:
STEPS and SDS will be retired from use at the end of August 2016. Developers may use any tool of their choice to complete an ESD assessment for a planning permit application however it is recommended that all new applications use BESS.
The CASBE Group on Yammer is a forum for council officers to share ideas and collaborate. Please contact the CASBE Executive Officer if you wish to be part of this online discussion group - firstname.lastname@example.com
For further information about CASBE, contact:
Natasha PalichCASBE Executive email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The opponent's clan Bonus, if activated, is cancelled. If the opponent's clan Bonus is not activated, then the ability has no effect.
The Power of the opposing character is reduced by 2 points or up to a minimum of 1. If the opposing character's Power is lower than or equal to 1, then the Ability has no effect.
Rate green if you think Cr card need their own nameplate's color
-a very powerful 5star card
-6/8 with SOB (stop opp bonus) and can reduce power of opponents' cards (-2 min.1) as a bonus = can beat almost any card
-with a good base power and very high damage, this card is indeed very strong
-downside: he becomes a 5star version of Gertrud if he doesn't get his bonus
-a definite must have if you plan to play All Stars in a non-ELO environment
This is obviously Barry LAMAR Bonds because the same year Lamar went Cr, the same year Barry Bonds officialy quit from baseball AND the name of the heading of when Lamar went Cr is "End of the game" which also would refer to the end of Barry Bonds' career rate green if you agree
It makes me really sad, when I see this card´s price jumping all over the place... BECAUSE I BOUGHT IT FOR 199 000 CLINTZ!!! I mean, come on! How come it can be so expensive today and 50k cheaper on other day?! That´s ridiculous! Keep the prices at the same value. It pisses me, because I feel I´ve spent 60k clintz for nuthin´...
But something about this card:
Lamar Cr is 6/8 with SOB at level 5. And there we already have it. The reason he´s banned. Considering his clan bonus... You Don´t mess with him. You pill up or take the hit. And to take 8 damage hit on first turn for example, that´s one hit you may not recover from...
Overall, great CR for All Stars. I am proud to have him in my collection, but the price changes makes me sad...
BTW, this was my first, real comment. Rate it x3
With all the new releases, I think it's time they unban Lamar Cr. He's not that godly anymore, given that he only has 6 power and many new cards nowadays have 8 base power (like Vortex) to tie up with this guy. 8 damage? Sure it's great but so do many cards that aren't banned and are being used in elo.
Rate green people!
The Question Many of us ask ourselves; Should Lamar Cr be allowed in Elo?
You have to look at many factors, like how strong he is, how easy he is to win with...ect.
So first 6 power and 8 damage, those are pretty nice stats...not the best for a 5 star, but still pretty high up there. Next his ability, SOB, when paired with the All Stars clan bonus (-2 power, min 1) this leads for a deadly combo.
In a nutshell, you typically need a raw base power of 8 to tie with Lamar Cr. Now, back lets even say 2 years ago...this was simply too overpowered...very few could come close to killing him, but is this the case anymore?
The simple answer is NO.
With newer cards like Desmond, Beeboy, Fixit, Dr Falkenstein, Shifou, Mikaal, Mok, Jean, Bencio, Tolliver, Baba, Lizbeth, Lucy, Buckler, Tuck, Stella, Sammy, Jackson, Fanny, Douglas, Hefty, ect..... There have been so many cards since he got his ban that can beat him, it just isn't funny any more.
I think give it 1-3 years, and UR will come to there senses. What makes matters even better in his favor, can you really afford a card who costs nearly 1m clintz? With less of him going around, and the large stock of characters coming out each week that leaves him in the dust...is he really even worthy of his ELO ban anymore?
I sincerely hope they reconsider his case.
If you still think he's OP just compare him to the rest of the other clans 5 stars. You will end up seeing that in most cases the battles will result in a tie or a loss for Lamar Cr, due to so many cards having a raw power of 8 these days.
A very nice card, i bought it myself for 60 000. More than happy
permanent elo ban that was very understandable at its time.
However considering the current cards coming out and the meta game the UR staff is soon going to have to consider making cards that have a permanent elo ban legal again. A 6/8 SOB with bonus isnt necessarily overpowered. Fuzz? Cliff?
Then Look at the newly released cards like Isatis, Possible 9/8 4 star?
the time is coming.
Kendrick Lamar up in here
IMO The best card
Well, there's not much to say, do not waste time even to bring His statistics because it is unnecessary, it is a paper and slap against trovarsela puts a fear Executioner ... Mazza practically every clan view the combination bonus- devastating power (Data which eliminates those clans that link the bonus type Montana, Bangers, Ulu Watu, Uppers, etc ... and to make matters worse it also reduces the power) ... the damage is very high and secure (not virtual as in many papers) , makes you win 3/4 of the game if it passes (And pass it does not take long) and two shotta with virtually the whole clan ... Brought to 0 pillz as a bluff is to eat at least 6-7 pillz opponent .. .
In practice it's a real beast, which is essential in every bunch All Stars really competitive ... The price is high, but a cr "elderly" with so much power what can you expect?
Unfortunately since I started playing I the price has more than tripled, sin, otherwise I would have definitely taken now
It is useless to write in that type of deck is fine, since both in type 1 than in type 2 makes her look great and may very well (It should!) Be in any deck All Stars ... if you really need a council put it in pair with Data-character-id="269">Ambre Data-character-id="271">Hugo or to have incredible rewards and put together a outsider like zatman, clear & co. to make two shot by fear (biclan In fact, it is not bad!)
Rating the card: 9.10 (Well, I can not give it more because it would be an insult to legendary cards as Guru and Data-character-id="223">DJ Korr Cr Cr ...)
Voting in clan: 12.10 And the best 5 star and by far the strongest card
Picture Rating: 8.5 / 10 (Bella, put it again in a bunch for the image as well as the strength ... Congratulations to Phalloide)


text:
Now that "Jersey Shore's" Snooki has been fired from her job as a receptionist, she's going to need to pay the bills somehow. Maybe she can follow in the footsteps of other MTV reality stars. Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port have fashion lines, why can't Snooki?
(Oh, and busted "trash bag" models need not apply for Snooki's runway show either).
Here's what we could expect if Snooki became a fashion designer:
Perfect for meeting your guido's parents for the first time or throw it on for that important job interview! Let them know you're the queen of the Jersey jungle.
Throw that one piece out, pear-shaped guidettes! Snooki is all about positive body image. Strut what yo' momma gave you. Belly button ring not included.
Don't you hate it when you're downing twenty shots and they spill all over you? Snooki has your back with black fitted tops (with a pop of color). They don't show the stain and the stretchy fabric won't slow you down when you're reaching for another. You can drink those guidos under the table, yet look like you've only just started.
Scared to be seen without a killer "hair poof"? Snooki knows that sometimes a girl can't get to her bumpits. In those occasions, throw on one of Snooki's signature trucker hats. They're water and hook-up proof!
All Snook's looks accentuate a guidette's assets: her formidable rack. Guidos know what they want and Snooki wants to make sure they can window shop. Even your "moms" would approve.
Snooki makes looking "Shore-chic" so easy! What's your fave "Snook look"?
Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Facebook for the latest TV, movie and celebrity news.
'Jersey Shore': House can make you do dirty things
'Jersey Shore': Snooki's punch faded to black
'Jersey Shore': Snooki-puncher Brad Ferro apologizes
'Jersey Shore': MTV pulls Snooki punch, blames viral video
Photo credit: MTV


text: County Delays Tax Vote ShareTwitter Facebook Google+ Email By Andrew Cluley Listen Listening... / Washtenaw County, MI – Washtenaw County's board of commissioners has held off on approving a plan to levy a point-zero-four mil tax to promote agriculture and economic development. Hear more from WEMU's Andrew Cluley. View the discussion thread.


text:
Nb: infants must be under the age of 2 and
children must be under the age of 12 at the time of
The LES CHALETS DE LA MOURIA ski apartments in Courchevel 1650 are located 300m from the resort centre (all amenities) and the ski lifts (free shuttle buses between residence and ski lifts). The residence is 500m from the snow kindergarten and ESF ski school.The property is made up of chalet-style apartments, with independent exterior entrances.
Free of charge
Payable services
Practical Info
State at time of booking and pay locally when required
PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE: Security deposit (500 euros - returned by post), local tourist tax.


text:
This is the place for members to say hello, socialise and participate in general Fashion Doll chatter. In order to interact with other members about more specific dolls, such as Barbie, Superdoll or Fashion Royalty, as well as other doll related topics, be sure to check out our Fashion Doll Groups page!
Hi Everyone, I joined the forum in December but only started to navigate through the site yesterday. : )
I am a devoted doll collector for well over 10 years. I started out with Barbies and Baby dolls. Then quickly moved on to fashion dolls.
My doll collecting became much more passionate when I discovered Blythe dolls while visiting and Anime store with my Daughter. Browsing through the book section of the store I came across a copy of Blythe Style. I was immediately smitten with the doll in the pics and went right home to look her up on the web. I bought 3 Blythe dolls right off and have had so many dolls come in and out of my home that I've lost track. I currently have almost 40 Blythes.
Besides Blythe I also love Antique dolls and Tonner dolls. I am currently enjoying collecting Ellowyne and the new Patience line. I also have several BJD's. : )
Besides collecting dolls I really enjoy frequenting the Forums, making friends and just chatting about my favorite subject! : )
I look forward to meeting everyone and getting to know you all and the forum better. ^__^
You need to be a member of DollObservers.com to add comments!


text:
I tend to save biscotti for wintertime baking because making them, while easy, involves a bit more time working near a hot oven than I usually want to spend on a hot summer day. That being said, one recipe for biscotti makes a lot of cookies – cookies that keep very well, where one batch will last you quite a while – and they go ... Read More »
Category Archives: Cookies
Pomegranate, Chocolate and Pecan Brownie Cookies
Fresh pomegranate seeds (actually called arils) are a little too moist to do well in a batch of cookies. Dried pomegranate seeds are a little bit too dry and crunchy. Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegranate seeds, however, seem to be just right. The dark chocolate brings out some of the fruity notes of the dried pomegranate flesh, while it also serves to temper the crunch of ... Read More »
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
The key to a good peanut butter cookie is to make sure that it has a lot of peanut butter flavor. You can achieve this in a number of ways. One is by simply using a good, flavorful brand of peanut butter (always a good idea, actually). Another is to stuff the cookie with a peanut butter filling, or sandwich two cookies together with a ... Read More »
White Chocolate and Pistachio Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies are often plain, with just a hint of vanilla and butter flavoring to them. But a sugar cookie can actually be a great background for other flavors, allowing them to really stand out in. The dough worked out particularly well with these White Chocolate and Pistachio Sugar Cookies, where the light cookies set off both the colors and the flavors of the two ... Read More »
Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
I have to admit that pecans are probably my favorite nut to put into a cookie, judging by the fact that I use them more than any other nut, but I can go for anything from walnuts to macadamias to pistachios. This time around, I decided to use hazelnuts to add some crunch to a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Hazelnuts and chocolate make a ... Read More »
Very Berry Oatmeal Cookies
Raisins might be the go-to dried fruit for a batch of oatmeal cookies, but I'm fairly certain that other berries aren't off limits because of it. The variety of dried fruit in these cookies makes them taste lighter, maybe even a bit fresher than your average (if still tasty) batch of oatmeal raisin cookies. I purposely did not include any spices, like cinnamon or cardamom, ... Read More »
Triple Threat Dark Chocolate Cookies
These cookies have a great name that promises to deliver a lot of chocolate – and there is no disappointment when you take a big bite, because these definitely pack a chocolate punch. The inspiration for this recipe came from a Sunset magazine article that featured a Portland, Oregon bakery – The Sugar Cube - recipe for Triple Threat Dark Chocolate Cookies. I made the ... Read More »
Toffee Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Fans of the Girl Scout's Do-si-do cookies, also known as Peanut Butter Sandwiches, will notice some similarities between them and these Toffee Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies. They look similar and both have a great peanut butter flavor to them. The signature element of those cookies is their light, crisp texture. These are chewier, making them a little more substantial, and I think they have an ... Read More »


text:
This is likely a controversial stance to take, and I'll very likely get bashed as "no idea what I'm talking about" by people much cleverer than me. With that said…
Why do almost no web frameworks provide any default authentication/authorization functionality, with default examples of best practices for common use cases. The standard response I've gotten for years was/is "well, everyone's needs for authentication are different".
No, they are not. A (very?) large majority of web applications (which is what most web frameworks are used to build), require some form of user login and authorization management, and often self-registration, dealing with lost passwords, etc.
Yet somehow, everyone's essentially forced in to writing their own user login and management from scratch. This leads to potentially loads of security holes from people writing insecure code.
So many frameworks promote their routing and database layers, configuration management, etc.; those are all things that one could argue people might need to function "differently" – in many cases, the default code is configurable enough to handle many edge cases. In rare cases when the stock code can't handle things, you can override it with custom code.
But with authentication/authorization, everyone is left to fend for themselves. Every. Single. Time. And they *often* get it wrong (sensitive info in a cookie, unencrypted passwords, etc).
Put another way, when left to fend for themselves, developers need to learn a lot of concepts. Every decision point is a point that can be made wrong (or poorly). Making a poor decision about your CSS colors or URL structure or JavaScript helper library might be painful or annoying, but will likely not have any major repercussions. Making a poor decision about authentication can be devastating. Yet, somehow, this is one of the prime areas in the web framework world where users are not given anything out of the box (in most cases, at least) and are left to 'educate themselves' (with quite a lot of bad, wrong or outdated information floating around).
If you're not going to ship some basic authentication/authorization functionality with the rationale that not everyone's needs are 100% the same, perhaps you should stop shipping routing, forms management, database libraries and more – after all, someone might want to do it their own way. Not everyone's queries are the same, don't you know.
I titled this post "almost", because I've got a hunch there may be a few that I don't know about. With that said, what web frameworks do you know of which ship with authorization/authentication out of the box? My own experiences indicate:
In the PHP world, it looks like Symfony2 ships with an ACL component, and the recommended 'default bundle' distributions ships with Authorization and Authentication components out of the box. Zend Framework ships with an ACL component as well, but in both cases (ZF and Symfony) there is no default way of allowing users to register/login/reset passwords, etc. FWIW, the Symfony approach of distributing recommended bundles of packages which (from what I can tell) could be updated independently if and when need be might be the best middle ground I've seen so far. "Decoupled but packaged".
The Rails community seems to (nearly) universally rely on Devise, but it's not shipped by default, and many people end up 'rolling their own' (probably very often with bad and possibly even hard to spot flaws).
Grails users often rely on the Spring Security plugin, but again, not a default plugin. To its credit, there is a basic user/role management screen with searching, account disabling, and other maintenance functionality, and the basic system allows for user login and 'lost password' pretty much out of the box (self register is a bit more work). But again, not shipped with the base, and people may be tempted to roll their own (although a default ORM means people are far less likely to be susceptible to SQL injection vs building SQL by hand).
ASP.NET ships with a membership system (though it's been a long time – my memory may be out of date), with web controls for user login, registration, lost password, etc. Whether it's necessarily the 'best' security approach is not really the point here – it's a standard that is provided, and more than likely has prevented people from (re)writing code in an insecure manner.
What am I missing?
UPDATE: One thought is that no one wants to be even remotely possible for providing out of the box security because they're afraid they'll be a target for a lawsuit. I suspect that's not really a factor, but perhaps it is in some cases?
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!
Tech partisanship doesn't help much
I shared a small rant at a local web meetup the other day, and thought I'd recap it here. It was triggered by sitting in on an interview with a local developer for an idea-stage startup I'm counseling.
The startup in question has had some false starts on an MVP before, once in ASP.NET, and once in PHP (or maybe twice). What's come out of this was an understanding that the particular tech chosen is less important than finding sharp people who can see the project through to the first phase being functional. I helped write a Craigslist ad to that effect, it was posted, and we've sifted through some of the applicants and did a couple interviews.
What's been interesting to me is that many of the people applying are .net developers. I've nothing against .net, but typically, you don't find too many looking to jump in to the entrepreneurial space; it's very much a corporate-enterprisey sort of thing. I know .net-startups exist, but they're a small fraction compared to the number of web startups based on dynamic languages (php, python, ruby, etc).
So we met with someone, and he asked what the site was written in. My friend explained there's no current site, but an early draft had been done in PHP. The .net-dev grimaced. "PHP is just not capable, it just won't work for some things, it's not efficient, there's things it can't do, C# is much better technology," and so on. This was not a 5 minute diatribe, I'll grant you, but it was long enough, and … ill-informed enough to make me question his judgement skills on other things.
I can expect this sort of tribalism from someone just starting out in development. I don't expect it from someone with 15 years of experience. I would expect that you'd mature to the point where you understood that almost all tech out there is suitable for a wide-range of applications, and that the language itself is rarely a bottleneck (compared with database servers, network latency, etc.) And yes… I expect this because I've seen these attitudes diplayed out over many colleagues, but also definitely in myself.
I'm ashamed of some of the partisan writings I posted back 10 years ago; I was wasting huge amounts of time arguing pointless stuff that had no real impact. Perhaps that's half the purpose of internet forums in general, but it took me a while to realize the emptiness in those pissing matches, and regret much of what I contributed all those years ago. But it does help give me a sense of perspective, as does my shifting tech skills: I've gone from MS/VB/Access to Notes to Perl to PHP to ASP to PHP to Java with a bit of C# thrown in over the years. After you've done this long enough, you realize that there's enough change in tech that few of the skills from 10 years ago really matter, which is another way of saying that little of what you're learning now will have much utility in 10 years.
I've got another rant on reusing software coming up soon; stay tuned (or come back, or subscribe to the RSS) to have a read.
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!
Things a web developer might need to know
I saw a post on reddit the other day, and answered there, but thought I'd clean up my response there for here, fleshing out a couple more ideas, and get your feedback as well.
The original question from was a 16 year old who's been doing some basic CRUD apps, but is getting bored and wanted to move on to 'real' development. There were some good replies, but few went in to the depth of detail that I think beginners are even aware of. Granted, this might scare off some, but for others it might give them some ideas about what's possible and what's involved in professional web development. I know I'm going to leave off some topics, so feel free to add on!
Generally, in professional web programming gigs, the "programming" part is just that – a part of the job, and often not even a majority, unless you're fast and loose with the definition of programming. I'm taking it to mean primarily one language – usually a server side tech like C#, PHP, Ruby, etc.
Version Control
Understanding the basics of version control – when, how and why to use it – is essential for professional software development. Git and subversion are probably the most widely used today – mercurial, darcs, cvs and others are either gaining or losing ground daily, but understanding the basics of git and svn (differing systems certainly) will stand you in good stead in 2012, 2013 and beyond.
Even working by yourself you really should be using it as well, but I frequently talk to solo developers who say "well, I don't need it, because I just work on my own projects". A few reactions I have to that sentiment are:
- Much like backups, you won't really understand how much you need it until you need it.
- Branching opens up a whole world of possibilities in your approach to development, allowing you to work non-sequentially when necessary, that you're only thinking with part of your brain without version control.
- Most professionals use some form of it. To work with anyone else, you'll need it, and you may as well start now.
Ticket/issue systems
I don't have a horse in this race specifically, and personally am not a 100% convert, but the more I work, the more I need things written down in a centralized place which others can use and modify, but that also allows me to hook in to with my code. Being able to commit code and indicate "this is for ticket #723", and having that tie in to the ticket system so that I can see the code from the ticket system, is very powerful.
Go back to issues 6 months later, and see the code changes in context with the notes on the issue in question – it gives you a different (new?) perspective on how you write commit messages, what's important to note, what's not, and so on. Personally, I'm using redmine right now, but have used other tools in the past. Find something that works for you and/or your team and stick with it.
Unit, integration, load, performance, scalability, acceptance – there are loads of 'types' of testing, and you may lump some together, and your process may change over time. I'm less concerned with whether you have load/performance/scalability testing processes – those aren't always considerations for projects. Unit and/or integration testing are generally useful regardless of the size/scope of the project.
Get comfortable with a testing tool (junit, nunit, phpunit, cucumber, rspec, etc).
Continuous integration
Hand in hand with testing is a way to automate the testing process. Every time you check in code, have a set of tests run and show you the results. Again, once you make this a habit, it can be very powerful.
Jenkins is the current standard in the Java world – there are probably others for other technologies – search for "<my tech language> continuous integration" for specifics.
Along with other types of testing, you should be aware of security testing strategies to employ against your sites. Mess with URLs, try to POST bad data to your scripts, etc. Automate those tests. Find tools to do the same. sqlmap is a tool to automate SQL injection attacks against your site – using that is eye-opening.
Are you using prepared statements over raw SQL strings? Stored procedures? Various levels of access to your database(s)? There are a number of techniques to help avoid or reduce SQL injection attacks.
Learn about Cross-Site Request Forgeries (CSRF), and how to protect against them. Learn about Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks.
SQL injection, CSRF and XSS still make up the vast majority of security holes in websites. Learn how to protect against them and you'll be a long way towards being secured (but never take it easy!)
There's a whole world of topics to cover under performance – code caching (do you write optimized and optimizable code?), data caching, page caching, HTTP caching headers (etags, etc), asset caching, compression, minification, CSS sprites, mobile-optimized sites.
As I said before, many of these may not be useful to all developers all the time – they may never rise beyond the level of 'interesting' at your current project/gig. Be aware that the tools, techniques and trends may change quickly as new tech and usage patterns emerge, so even if you 'know' this stuff, revisit it every so often if you're not immersed in it day to day.
The rise of mobile – smartphones, tablets, etc – has opened up a new set of opportunities and challenges to be aware of. Data caps, optimized graphics, new UI controls for touch interfaces, and more. Understanding 'best practices' for mobile, and keeping up with them, will keep you busy for a while.
Other technologies
How good are you with search tools? Business dashboards? Data gathering and analytics creation, interpretation and action? There are a number of things that businesses need which don't particularly relate to any one specific tech, but they'll all need (quick way to search for data, generate reports, etc.) Find some common business problems in your current situation and look for some of the top packages out there that solve those problems that you can integrate (SOLR, Lucene and ElasticSearch on the search side, for example; Jasper Reports or Pentaho on business reporting options, etc.)
What language again?
Notice that I really didn't focus on any language or particular tech. All of the above are skills that professional web developers need to have – or, if not possess 100%, be *aware* of. I'm certainly no master of web tech, but I keep up with it enough to know who the real masters are in various areas.
What surprises me some is students coming out of school, and sometimes with more than a couple years under their belt, who've never heard of some or many of these ideas. Perhaps I'm just meeting more than my fair share of true 'code monkeys' who copy/paste PHP/jQuery from 9-5, but I'd like to think, but that initial reddit post got me thinking a bit about this (that and some recent conversations with beginners and seasoned experts at a few regional meetups lately).
Won't this all change?
Yes and no. The idea of continuous integration was certainly not popular when I started in software development …. 18 years ago. No doubt it was being done, but not by people I knew, nor in any popular literature I could find. Some of these ideas take hold, and some don't; Test-Driven Development, 'Agile', etc may come to be seen as fads in a few years – I can't say for certain. But… the fundamentals of communication and being aware of multiple aspects of a project (accuracy, speed, security) won't go away. These are issues that *will* be addressed on a project eventually, either during the initial work when it's under your control, or at 2am on a Saturday morning because everything's broken or you've been hacked
Gentle plug: if it's before November 17, try to make it to indieconf, a conference for independent web professionals (and maybe just those that act like it!)
Side note: one of the upsides of freelance work is you often get to control the tools/processes for the work, and can pick/choose the tools you want. One of the downsides is that sometimes you end up working with a team who "doesn't believe" in any of this stuff, and you end up wasting a lot of time fighting problems that continually get reintroduced because of lack of testing. I'm no saint on all this – I've done my share of skimping, and I speak from experience when I proclaim the value of using these sorts of tools.
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!
Code testing
The TriJUG last night had a speaker cancellation, and someone from the group presented an ad-hoc talk on testing – outlining various types, pros/cons, some metrics and code samples he uses, etc. Overall it was useful for a topic, and I hope he polishes it up and presents it next year as a fuller talk more fleshed out.
I'd interrupted a couple times with my own questions and experiences, but there was one I wanted to share which I didn't last night. He was talking about the justification for testing (unit and integration primarily), and couched it in terms that developers would be familiar with. "Without tests in place, you can't be confident that your changes won't break anything!". It's true, and for some audiences (last night's) it makes sense.
Let me preface this by saying that I do not do enough testing myself in my projects – this is a 'do as I say, not as I do' post, somewhat, but hear me out.
There's a more fundamental reason to 'do testing', as it's often referred to by non-techies (and even some techies I know). In fact, you can't *not* test, which is the fundamental point I was going to make last night. Testing *happens*. *When*, *where* and *how* you test is totally up to you. You can have testing procedures before changes are pushed out, have a test suit to give a sense of confidence to the team, and so on. Or… you can just push code to production servers. It'll get tested with real world data by real users, with often real (bad) consequences.
Again – *testing always happens*. Testing on your own terms, with defined procedures, steps, processes, etc. is better than testing 'fixes' at 2am on a Thursday morning.
"But there's no time to test!" is what I often get as push-back from people I present to (and, yes, I use it myself sometimes on myself!). Let's just say, for argument's sake, 'testing' (writing tests, defining them, checking them, etc) will take 100 hours on top of 'development' (as if they're somehow distinct entities!) If you skip those 100 hours, you've only shifted them around. You'll spend *at least* 100 hours cleaning up stuff after the code has gone live, and in the process you may damage the reputation of your department, company or yourself in the process. No amount of time (100 hours? 1000 hours?) can replace the damage that's done by lost orders, lost money, privacy exploits, security breaches or worse.
So to reiterate – the testing *will* happen. Under what circumstances do you feel most comfortable testing? In non-public controlled situations? Or out in public where your customers and competitors can see and exprerience your mistakes?
Check out the conference for web freelancers while you're here…
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!
a dumb programming mistake
I had a couple of dumb development mistakes come and bite me in the butt this week, and I thought I'd share them here – well, at least one for now.
Without going in to the type of data too much here – the specifics aren't important – the system I've got needed to show a list of data to a user. Initially we just showed all the data to the one user. Later, we added other user types. However, my controller code (MVC-style) simply defined different views to use based on user type, but never changed the query. So, whether you were an admin, or an area user, or a distinct individual which should only have seen a few items from the list, your view was passed all of the data. The views simply filtered out which ones to display during a loop.
Stupid? Yes. Noticeable? Not at all. I looked at this code yesterday and remember thinking at the time "yeah, I'll go back and make this better later" – I was planning on overhauling the user/role system, and I'd fix it all later. That never happened, and over the past couple years, this has become slower and slower.
Fast forwards to yesterday, and we had 80 processes each being handed *290,000* objects ina view, in most cases to filter and display, say, 60. Even getting new updated software on the server today was a pain, because we were continually hitting loads of 40-70 (unix loads, 15 min avg of 60 was where we were at most of today).
This came to a head the past couple days because our usage patterns changed – user load spiked both because of timing in the month and the user base has grown. It was a perfect storm, and I was caught in the middle. The upside is that I found this major issue and it's resolved. The downside is that it took almost 2 days (mon and tue) because I was finding other things I thought were the culprits; they were issues, but had no major impact given the 800lb gorilla in the room.
Lessons learned? I'm not immune to even basic stupid oversights. The moment I saw this code, I knew the issue, but I've not looked at it in… 3 years? There was no need to, so I never went back to audit for stupid code. Perhaps I need to budget more time for stupidity audits?
Any major faux pas you care to share or admit to?
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!
indieconf 2012 open for registration
indieconf 2012 is open for registration. The early bird pricing of $79 is available through August 15. We're still putting together our schedule – it will be finalized by the end of August.
indieconf is the conference for web freelancers, solopreneurs, and others who make their living working for themselves on the web. Developers, designers and everyone in between are all welcome. Sessions cover more of the business side of freelancing – legal, financial, business, marketing, etc – vs technical (although we're planning some technical sessions as well).
At the site above, we've got 4 videos from last year's event (possibly more coming shortly) – here's two examples from that site embedded here to give you an idea of the types of sessions we'll have this year.
Referrals: Interested in earning affiliate referrals fees for the conference? Register with eventbrite and earn a referral fee for each ticket you sell!
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!
Working your network
I presented a session on freelancing at Codestock 2012 – there were actually quite a few of them (4, I think). I'd wanted to see Michael French's session, as he sat in on mine, gave me good feedback, and mentioned some areas of freelancing that I don't discuss in mine (or certainly not enough) – cash flow and insurance. Alas, I didn't get to see his, but I suspect it went well.
On to the topic of this post. I got to recapping some of my talk to a smaller group of people in an open spaces segment, and the subject of "how do you find work" came up. "Grow your network, work your network" was the crux of my answer, and someone rightly challenged me on what "work your network" actually *means*. Good catch, and I wanted to outline some concrete examples of what you can do to "work your network".
1. Find someone in your network who's better at X than you, and take them to lunch for a short tutorial on X to get you better. This is one case where you'll actually be spending time on a technical subject, but the goal is not specifically that. Getting some one on one time with someone better than you in a tutorial/teacher scenario is generally good – you give them the ability to hone their presentation/explanation skills, and let them know you're genuinely interested in topic X (you have to be sincere about the request and the topic). You will learn something new, but also have deepened a connection with someone. If/when they have a work referral, you'll be closer to top of mind for that person.
2. Go to user groups and actively mingle. Invite friends to join you, or ask someone in your network what groups they go to that you don't know about, and ask to join them during their next meeting. Have that person introduce you to a few people there. You're actively growing your network, but also positioning your friend in their network as someone who is a connected person with fun/interesting/useful connections. That means you have to be fun, interesting or useful to people at some point.
3. Take #1, but invite other people, and turn it in to a small group "lunch and learn" session. "Lunch and learns" are often used inside companies, but doing some ad-hoc ones among small groups of people will associate you with that group as someone who makes things happen and brings people together.
4. Related to number 3, but don't bother with having someone make a technical presentation – just invite a small group of people who you know but that you know don't know each other directly. Go to lunch – have a good time. Again, your reputation in this group will become one of someone who knows people, has connections, and can mix with people of multiple backgrounds.
In any of these above, asking people to bring others you don't know is probably a good idea, but you may want to hold off on that from day 1 if you're on the shy/introverted side. You can build up to that, and practice these skills with colleagues/friends first.
All of these sound like I'm trying to make you in to a socialite vs a technical worker, and … in some ways that's true. I have to assume that you already have some technical chops to be working as a freelancer already, or that you can get those chops quickly. The problem many have, especially when first starting out, is finding projects. The primary way to get around that is to have a network of people who feel comfortable calling on you when they have work. They'll feel more comfortable knowing that you're someone who will not embarrass them when they introduce you to people on their team or in their network. That is probably the most key aspect that tech people sometimes forget or ignore. Most people really really really don't care if you have the best technical chops – in some cases they don't really even want to be outshone, but they do need someone who can get the work done without causing them embarrassment. Helping them meet their goals of work done while making them look good is paramount.
How many projects have you been on that failed because you didn't know how to write to a file, talk to a database, send output to a browser or take input from a form? I bet that number is 0. Projects fail because of communication between client and dev, or amongst the team. Likewise, people don't necessarily hire you just because of your skill. Indeed, they may keep someone on a project *despite* the person's skills, because they have no choice in the short term. In the long term, they'll get rid of that person if they're poisonous to the project/team, even if the replacement is less skilled.
In short, "working your network" involves being social with other people. That may be a stretch outside your comfort zone – many developers like working with computers vs people. However, the technical skills you have now with PHP, C#, Java, Ruby, Python, Perl, whatever… – those may change, or become irrelevant if you change industries. Being comfortable talking to people in social situations is a skill that will never go out of fashion, and you can learn and practice this skill in controlled situations by creating social settings with your current network, and at the same time grow that network with new and interesting people.
I hope this helps give you some ideas about how to manage and grow your network. Are you in violent disagreement with that I wrote above? Let me know
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!
Freelance to fulltime
NOTE – this is not autobiographical – I'm currently still a fulltime freelance/independent contractor and have immediate plans to make any changes in that status.
I've had a few friends and acquaintances recently go through periods of transition, shifting from contract and freelance work to something else. In some cases the transition was voluntary, sometimes not. I wanted to share some thoughts on what I've observed so far.
In more than a couple cases, friends looking out in to the job market – interviewing at companies and such – don't have a good idea of the market rate for either their skills or the value they'd bring to a company. To whatever extent possible, survey your friends/colleagues in an area with similar skills, get ballpark estimates from then about what they're earning, and try to get them to indicate salary vs benefits/perks. Money is a personal subject for many, and you may not get a full honest answer from someone. Ask them to just give you a range.
If there's hesitation or a privacy concern, rephrase the question a bit – "if I was to apply for a job doing XYZ at your company, what should I expect as a salary?". I don't know too many people who would have a problem answering that – it allows them to give specifics without disclosing what they make personally, which may be higher than what they quote you based on other factors. Knowing that most people would be making about $80k doing mid-career PHP or Python development at companies X, Y and Z will help you when talking to company K, assuming they are of similar size/region/industry, and you'll feel more comfortable if/when the money question comes up during an interview.
In some cases, this question comes up very early on, primarily as a screening tactic by HR departments. If they're thinking $60k, but you're thinking $150k, there's no point in moving forward. Unfortunately, most HR departments I've talked with over the years are a bit too cagey, and demand a number from you first vs just giving you a range they have in mind. Bear in mind, if they have a range of $60-$75k, that doesn't mean the company may not raise that range to meet you, but that usually won't be a consideration until after a few interviews.
A freelance friend of mine recently landed his 'dream job' doing R&D work for a large company. I was sad to see him leave the freelance world, but I knew for him it was for the best. What worked for him? Hard to say if it was any one thing, but he was fairly 'plugged in' to the community at large – he's blogged in public for years, spoken at many conferences, published magazine articles, and contributed some notable open source code to projects. Whether any of those specifically were factors in this particular job offer, I can't say, and I'm not sure he could either. In my view, they all contributed to his profile. When new positions come open, they're often floated by connections in personal networks first. Having a strong personal network, and letting people in that network know you're looking for new options, is a very useful tool, but also one which you can't get overnight.
The other side of personal networks – if someone reaches out to you with an opportunity, *acknowledge* them. I'm speaking from experience here. When I reach out to someone with a project or job I think would be a good fit for them, and they simply ignore me… they're not on my good list any more. It's not as if I hate them personally, but I won't bother to go out of my way to spot opps or jobs I think would be beneficial for both parties.
This happens to me multiple times per year – I hear someone is looking for a new job, I forward some one or more opportunities, and *nothing* ever is responded to. This behaviour is just *odd*, and possibly may help explain why person X may not be happy in their current job or may be continuing to look for IT work when the current IT market is pretty hot. Few projects of mine have ever failed due to technical issues – many have failed or been derailed due to personality conflicts or communication problems. Bottom line – if someone is courteous enough to be thinking of you and your needs, reply to them acknowledging that you received the information. Even if the position isn't necessarily what you'd consider a good fit, replying is just good manners.
Another friend recently transitioned from part time contractor to full time employee. After several years contracting for one department, he was offered an expanded role full time, which seems to be suiting him quite well. This one is not something you can easily plan for, and in his case certainly took me by surprise. Not because he's not capable of the work, but I didn't think the company was looking to expand their service offerings. Maybe they weren't until recently – who knows? But an opportunity came along and he was ready to transition from freelance to full time.
Are you looking for a full-time gig? What's worked for you? What have been the stumbling blocks? Let me know!
Are you freelancing, or considering it? I've got a web freelancer support group to help people who are getting started or looking to grow.
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!
Lack of fundamentals in web programming education
Wasn't sure what to name this entry, but have had a few discussions with some people over the past month or so about their experiences. All of them were finishing up "web development" degree programs (under somewhat different nams) at institutions in the area, and all were talking about looking for jobs.
I was dismayed (but not necessarily shocked) at how little understanding they had about the basics trade skills that are necessary for most real world webdev work. Now, I'm obviously passing my own judgement here, but bear with me.
Task/project breakdown – the idea of taking a project requirement and breaking it down in to written steps – whether inline documentation, external 'requirements' doc, or tracking in an issue database. This was not something that any of these people indicated was covered in their classes or coursework. Whether you're working alone or on a team, this is a fundamental basic skill that is missing in most jr devs I meet – loading an editor and starting to code is the default mode.
Version control – none of the people I spoke with had any version control in their class work. One knew *of* version control, but his internship mentor didn't feel it was useful because there was just two of them working, and they could easily schedule time to edit the same files on an FTP server without stepping on each other's changes. I don't expect someone to be an svn master or git guru – the specific technologies may change. One company may use clearcase, another MS TFS, another git, and so on. The nuances of each will be different, and the dynamics of the projects will be different. But the core value of using version control, even on projects for yourself, isn't even being mentioned in some of these courses.
Testing – this is going to be different based on the project, of course, but a 'web degree program' that doesn't expose students to some testing tools – selenium being the one I'd default do – is doing a poor job of equipping these students to be proficient in their craft. Put another way, students from a degree program that exposes them to testing concepts will produce better, more desirable/employable students. However, if *no* programs do this, then the bar is uniformly low across the board. Exposing students to the concept of unit testing their code – xUnit style – and understanding that code is more testable when it has fewer hard coded stuff in it – these are things that should be being taught.
Note that, excepting for a ref to selenium, I'm not really advocating a particular technology (and not really even in that case), but concepts. The need for Android developers may be gone in 5 years (at least, Android as we know it know). The need for "PHP5 developers" may be radically lower in 5 years. The need for Ruby3 developers may be through the roof in 5 years, and there's not even any degree programs *talking* about Ruby3, because it doesn't exist yet. The need for developers who understand testing and version control will definitely be strong in 5 years. It was strong 10 years ago, although the tools were different. It will be strong 10 years from now.
These universal lifelong skills that are *fundamental* to the practice of good software development are not seeming to be taught in software development courses at a college/university level. Some programs will have an emphasis on data structure and algorithms – certainly nothing *wrong* with them – they're universal truisms too. But there seems to be an ignoring of the realities of day to day work. And I'm not just talking about the 4 year 'big league' schools – local community colleges that traditionally have a more practical emphasis on 'vocational skills' are seemingly ignoring this.
I don't remember any of these skills being in course descriptions 20 years ago in my university, and I'm not seeing much reference to the few colleges I searched about for recently, and certainly not getting this from talking to people about to graduate from "web developer" degree programs. Is this your experience too? Or am I just getting a statistically skewed sample?
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!
ning user subscription service
I've been working with a local chap investigating the feasibility of adding paid user memberships to ning.com sites. We'd settled on one model which will work for him, but is a bit manual. I've got another approach in mind which would be fairly automatic. Essentially it involves a service in the middle which sits between the ning system and an external billing service such as paypal or spreedly, and uses the APIs of each to manage account access. If a user's paid subscription status lapses, there's an API call on ning which disables the account.
I used to have a ning site (actually, I think we've still got a small family one I'm paying for too) but have not done much with ning since 2006/2007. They've changed their focus a lot since the very early days where they'd let you run your own PHP code on their servers, and have shifted to a more locked-down API approach. There seems to be a small but loyal set of ning network managers, and it seems to me that paid monthly subscriptions is a service many ning network owners are looking for.
So… are you interested? Drop me a line if so and you can be part of the first set of test users.
I'm currently working on a book for web freelancers, covering everything you need to know to get started or just get better. Want to stay updated? Sign up for my mailing list to get updates when the book is ready to be released!


text:
There are no articles in this category. If subcategories display on this page, they may contain articles.
The official language of Sierra Leone is English but there are 23 living languages in the country. The most widely spoken (or major languages) are Mende, Temne, Limba and Krio. The most widely spoken is krio.


text:
HourlyLess than 30 hrs/week
We are creating a 100-150 page workbook that is focused on personal finance. It contains written information, stories, pull quotes, illustrations and many fill in forms, tables, charts and infographics. (We may outsource the illustration and infographics components if we choose a designer who doesn't focus in those areas.)
We are seeking a graphic designer who is experienced, creative, motivated and capable. The following abilities and traits are critical:
• Previous experience in workbook development (we'll want to see prior samples)
• Enjoy collaborating via email/phone/skype
• Ability to give design direction and creative input
• Ability to take a dry subject and make it look FUN
• Can balance a fun look with clean lines and presentation
• Ability to understand how other people will interact with the book, and create a workbook that works for users
• The very important trait of meeting deadlines. And if deadlines can't be met (because no one is perfect), communicating ahead of time.
• To be a thought partner in completing the workbook, meaning that if the workload becomes too much, suggesting alternatives to complete the work.
We have one chapter that is 90% complete that we would like to use as both a prototype to nail down all of the design and formatting issues, and to test our working relationship.
The job I am posting is for the one chapter, approximately 20 pages plus forms. I would like to see design concepts within one week, and draft layout within two weeks.
I am willing to pay either by project or hourly, but expect that the 20 pages plus approximately 10 forms in this chapter will result in approximately $750-$1,000 of billing.
Skills: layout-design, design, test
Activity on this Job
Last Viewed by Client: 3 years ago
Invites Sent: 6
Unanswered Invites: 0
Hired: 2
About the Client
United States
Sacramento 12:17 PM
Jobs Posted
69% Hire Rate, 1 Open Job
Total Spent
29 Hires, 5 Active
Avg Hourly Rate Paid
393 Hours


text:
O Death, where is thy sting?
O Grave, where is thy victory?
O Life, you are a shining path
And hope springs eternal, just over the rise
When I see my redeemer beckoning me
Oh row my ship over the waves of your sea
Let me find a safe port now and then
Don't let the dark one in your sanctuary
Until it's time to pack it in
Cash covering the New Testament


text:
Callaway's Mack Daddy PM-Grind
Appeared in May 2015 HOTLINKS
If Phil Mickelson is looking for something to do when he's done with the Tour, he might consider club design. Based on his input to a new wedge from Callaway—the Mack...
5 Myths About Course Maintenance
By Tim Moraghan
Appeared in May 2015 HOTLINKS
The Superintendent Likes To Overwater
If the course is too wet, don't blame the super and his crew, who know better than anyone that too much water is bad for...
The Virginian
Appeared in March 2015 HOTLINKS
The rolling terrain of southern Virginia used to be tobacco country. The Virginian, a charming community that features a Tom Fazio golf course and a relaxed pace of life, is sowing...
Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club
Appeared in March 2015 HOTLINKS
When the recession hit a few years back, Superstition Mountain—located in the less populated, more expansive area east of Phoenix, about 30 minutes from downtown—opened its two dramatic Nicklaus-designed courses to...
Blackstone at Vistancia
Appeared in January HOTLINKS
Situated in the rolling foothills of the Northwest Valley near Phoenix, the private luxury golf course community of Blackstone at Vistancia offers a relaxed, family-friendly lifestyle surrounded by the special beauty of...
Libations: Our Garden Pointe of View
Appeared in March 2015 HOTLINKS
It can be hard to keep cool under the Arizona sun, especially if your golf game is being as prickly as a giant Saguaro cactus. At the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs...
Golf's Fort Knox: PING's Putter Vault
Appeared in March 2015 HOTLINKS
When a pro wins a tournament, he or she receives a check and a trophy. But if the victory came using a Ping putter, that equipment company gives the champ another...
5 Myths About Golf Clubs
Appeared in March 2015 HOTLINKS
Myth No. 1: Lower loft means longer shots
It may work that way with most of your irons, but not so the driver. The slower the swing speed, the higher the driver loft...
Libations: Dark 'N Stormy
Appeared in January 2015 HOTLINKS
The Dark 'N Stormy is as inherently Bermudian as onions, triangles, and shorts. As a native, it is available everywhere on the island, and is especially popular as a post-round refresher...
Viewpoint | They Were Better
Today's best players are very good. The best players of decades ago were better. They had to be.


text:
Okay so I had a natural miscarriage (my only without a d&c) a little over 2 weeks ago. I didn't have a ton of bleeding since it was an early loss. This past weekend and early this week I was having cramping and pressure (no bleeding) which I never had before after my d&cs. I thought for sure I would start because of all of it. Here I sit on Thursday and still nothing. The cramping went away on Tuesday. I am just wondering if anybody else has had this happen?
Cramping question
4 posts / 0 new
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 08:27#1
Cramping question
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 09:40#2
It can take a long time for your body to get back to normal after a m/c. Your body could be getting ready for your next AF, or it could be trying to get rid of some left over stuff. Hang in there.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 11:55#3
Thanks I figured that it would take awhile but It just threw me off since I was having the cramping but no bleeding and now it is gone.
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 11:58#4
I think that is pretty normal.


text:
The WeddingWire Social Atlanta was a fashion and beauty-themed treat for brides-to-be! The event was held at Neiman Marcus in the Lenox Mall, and was hosted by local bride Mone't. Guests were welcomed with champagne, wine, and hors d'oeuvres, and enjoyed a fashion presentation featuring designer looks for pre-wedding parties—and some gorgeous lingerie, too! Afterwards, Tom Ford Beauty selected one guest to receive a total makeover and guests were able to ask the experts questions about makeup application and skin care. A lucky raffle winner received a pair of pearl earrings from Neiman Marcus, and all attendees received gift cards.
Interested in hosting a WeddingWire Social event in your area? Visit our Forums to get the scoop!


text:
Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion
000 AXNT20 KNHC 250555 TWDAT Tropical Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 155 AM EDT TUE OCT 25 2016 Tropical Weather Discussion for North America, Central America Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, northern sections of South America, and Atlantic Ocean to the African coast from the Equator to 32N. The following information is based on satellite imagery, weather observations, radar and meteorological analysis. Based on 0000 UTC surface analysis and satellite imagery through 0515 UTC. ...TROPICAL WAVES... An Atlantic Ocean tropical wave is along 36W/37W from 15N southward, moving westward 10 to 15 knots. Convective precipitation: numerous strong from 04N to 08N between 33W and 38W. A Caribbean Sea tropical wave is along 60W/61W from 17N southward to Trinidad, moving westward 10 to 15 knots. Convective precipitation: isolated moderate from 10N to 20N between 55W and 65W. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... The Monsoon Trough reaches the coastal areas of Guinea-Bissau near 11N15W to 09N20W and 07N34W. The ITCZ continues from 08N41W to 10N50W 12N58W. Convective precipitation: numerous strong from 09N to 13N between 27W and 32W. Isolated moderate to locally strong elsewhere from 02N to 13N from 40W eastward. Isolated moderate from 06N to 14N between 46W and 60W. ...DISCUSSION... ...THE GULF OF MEXICO... Upper level anticyclonic wind flow and high level moisture cover the area from 92W westward. An upper level ridge is in the eastern half of the Gulf of Mexico. A comparatively weak upper level trough is along 92W/93W. A surface ridge extends from a 1024 mb SW Mississippi high pressure center toward the SW corner of the Gulf of Mexico. Scattered to broken multilayered clouds span the area. ...FOR THE OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM SITES THAT ARE IN THE AREA WHOSE BOUNDARIES ARE FROM 27N NORTHWARD AND FROM 88W WESTWARD... LIFR: none. IFR: none. MVFR: none. LOW LEVEL CLOUD CEILINGS AND WEATHER...FOR THE COASTAL PLAINS OF THE U.S.A. FROM THE DEEP SOUTH OF TEXAS TO FLORIDA... TEXAS: VFR/no ceilings. LOUISIANA: MVFR in Lafayette and Patterson. Elsewhere from MISSISSIPPI to ALABAMA and FLORIDA: VFR/no ceilings. ...THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA... Upper level anticyclonic wind flow covers the area that is to the east of the Windward Passage-to-14N74W upper level trough. The 24-HOUR rainfall total in inches for the period ending at 25/0000 UTC...according to the PAN AMERICAN TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION TABLES...MIATPTPAN/SXCA01 KNHC...is 0.71 in Guadeloupe. ...HISPANIOLA... Upper level SW wind flow is moving across Hispaniola, being on the eastern side of an upper level trough. Convective precipitation: Isolated moderate to locally strong from 17N to 22N between 68W and 75W, around Hispaniola and Cuba, and just to the ESE of the southeastern Bahamas. SURFACE OBSERVATIONS...FOR PORT-AU-PRINCE IN HAITI as of 25/0000 UTC: rain. FOR THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...Barahona as of 25/0000 UTC: thunder and rain. Santo Domingo/La Romana/Punta Cana: VFR/no ceilings. Santiago: thunder and rain have ended for the moment; few cumulonimbus clouds. Puerto Plata: thunder and rain. The GFS MODEL forecast for 250 MB shows that a trough will move across the area at the beginning of day one. The trough will be followed by NW wind flow, and then a ridge at the end of day one. Day two will consist of SW wind flow, as the ridge shifts eastward for all of day two. The GFS MODEL forecast for 500 mb shows that NW wind flow will cover Hispaniola for nearly all of day one. Southerly wind flow will move across the area at the end of day one as an anticyclonic circulation center positions itself to the south of Puerto Rico. SW-to-W wind flow will cover the area for the first half of day two. The rest of day two will consist of some variable wind directions, followed by anticyclonic wind flow. An anticyclonic circulation center will position itself to the south of Haiti at the end of day two. The GFS MODEL forecast for 700 mb shows that day one will start with an inverted trough across the area for the first half of the day. The second half of day one will consist of NE wind flow. NE-to-E wind flow will move across the area during day two. ...FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN, THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE, INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA NEAR 14N74W... A deep layer trough passes through 32N69W to 27N71W, through the Windward Passage, into the Caribbean Sea near 14N74W. A stationary front passes through 32N57W to 29N60W, to 22N70W and SE Cuba. A shear line continues from SE Cuba to 19N78W and 15N83W. A surface trough is to the ESE of the stationary front in the Atlantic Ocean, from 28N60W 24N62W and 19N66W. Convective precipitation: widely scattered moderate to isolated strong from 12N to 18N between 78W and 87W, in the waters. Isolated moderate to locally strong from 17N to 22N between 68W and 75W, around Hispaniola and Cuba, and just to the ESE of the southeastern Bahamas. Isolated moderate elsewhere in the Atlantic Ocean from 20N northward between 56W and 70W. ...THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... An upper level trough is along 25N55W 19N52W 08N48W. It is possible that more than one cyclonic circulation center is embedded in the trough. A surface trough is along 18N48W 13N50W. Convective precipitation: scattered strong from 15N to 18N between 44W and 47W. Isolated moderate elsewhere from 14N to 20N between 42W and 48W, from 07N to 13N between 46W and 54W. High level clouds are being spread northward, from 20N to 32N between 35W and 52W. An upper level trough passes through 32N19W to 27N21W 22N24W and 17N30W. Surface anticyclonic wind flow covers the area that is from 20N northward between Africa and 30W. Convective precipitation: isolated to widely scattered moderate from 27N to 32N between 15W and 24W. Surface anticyclonic wind flow covers the area that is from 20N northward from 54W eastward. For additional information please visit http://www.hurricanes.gov/marine $$ MT


text:
Mark Indelicato Might Intern at Carolina Herrera; Marc Jacobs Dresses Miss Piggy
Also, designers eat and cook.
• Ugly Betty's Mark Indelicato showed Carolina Herrera some sketches of the denim line he's planning when he toured her showroom last week. The designer then reportedly offered him an internship on the spot. [NYDN]
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized $3.9 million of counterfeit True Religion and Rock & Republic jeans and apparel at the Los Angeles–Long Beach port. The fakes came from China. [WWD]
• Fatma Dabo, one of the models featured in Lifetime's new Project Runway spinoff Models of the Runway, describes living with sixteen models as a "bloodbath." [Radar]
• Marc Jacobs fitted Miss Piggy for her red-carpet appearance at Macy's Glamorama bash in Chicago on Friday. [WWD]
• Top designers including Carolina Herrera, Derek Lam, and John Varvatos contributed their favorite recipes to American Fashion Cookbook. The book features 100 designers and their recipes, and is available for preorder now for $45. [Refinery 29]


text:
TP53 is a "tumor suppressor gene" in cells which produces a protein called p53. It is a tumor inhibitor which triggers apoptosis in abnormal cells, such as cancer cells. It has been said that p53 protein is the ultimate tumor suppressor in the human body, and that a cell which has normal p53 will not […]View Post
Alteration of Cancer Development by Nutraceuticals.
Posted on by Dr. Gary Pack
To read the author's abstract of the article, click on the title of the article. Then, to read the full article, click on the full text icon. KEY WORDS: Allicin (as in garlic), Angiogenesis, Apigenin (as in parsley), Apoptosis, Berberine (as in goldenseal and Oregon grape root), Caffeic acid (as in coffee), Cancer, Capsaicin […]View Post
Goldenseal as a LDL-Lowering Agent.
Posted on by Dr. Gary Pack
Berberine (BBR) is the active ingredient in goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis or the Chinese huanglian) root and in coptis (Coptis chinensis). BBR is an alkaloid that stabilizes mRNA to increase the production of a protein, called low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), which takes up LDL-cholesterol. About 70% of LDL-cholesterol is removed from the blood by the liver […]View Post
- About Rainbow
- Coop
- Dept
- Shop
- Info


text:
Women, Voting, and Public Service
The Global Connections Initiative at TWU, the nation's largest university primarily for women, seeks to further our mission of a global understanding through opportunities, experiences, and connections for TWU students, faculty, and staff. This academic year, we take as our focus voting, suffrage, and women in public service, nationally and globally.
Upcoming Fall 2016 Events:
September 26: Debate Watch
6:30-10:00 PM in CFO 205
The first Presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be screened live in CFO 205. Prior to the debate, there will be pizza, voter registration and information tables, and a panel faculty from multiple fields who will talk about how their areas of expertise apply to the debate. The faculty will also tweet commentary about the debate in real time. This event is free.
October 3: Women and the Vote: Making It Count
4:00-8:00 PM in CFO 203
Texas regularly ranks last in the country for voter turnout. Learn why voter turnout is especially low in Texas, how it compares to national trends, and the significance of women's votes in determining elections. This event, co-sponsored by IGNITE Texas, will include a workshop led by Dr. Margo McClinton Stoglin; free pizza and voter registration; and a screening of Iron Jawed Angels. This event is free.
October 19: Valerie Hudson, The Hillary Doctrine: Sex and American Foreign Policy
Reading Discussion: 3:30-4:30 in CFO 204
Lecture: 7:00, followed by reception, in CFO 204
Does the insecurity of women make nations less secure? Join us for a lecture and reading discussion with Dr. Valerie M. Hudson, as she answers this question and explores the findings of her book The Hillary Doctrine: Sex and American Foreign Policy (2015). Blending history, fieldwork, theory, and policy analysis while incorporating perspectives from officials and activiests on the front line of implementation, this book is the first to thoroughly investigate the Hillary Doctrine, Hillary Rodham Clinton's argument that the subjugation of women worldwide is a serious threat to U.S. national security and that the empowerment of women is a stabilizing force for domestic and international peace. Dr. Hudson explores how the doctrine has changed U.S. foreign policy and altered its relationship with other countries such as China and Saudi Arabia, and she examines the complexity and pitfalls of attempting to improve the lives of women while safeguarding the national interest. This event is free. The lecture is open to the public.
October 26: Education Abroad Fair, with student poster session and panel
11:00-1:00 in the Student Union; Poster Session and Panel in SU 207
Learn about study abroad opportunities at the Education Abroad Fair. Find out when to plan, where you can go, what classes to take, and how to pay for your travel. Attendees and visit with students during a poster presentation session (11:00-12:20) and learn more about their experiences during a panel discussion (12:30-1:00)
October is Global Awareness Month
Global Awareness Month is a month of events, guest speakers and student activities that are dedicated to the overall Global Connections Mission. Launched in 2009, the goal of the TWU Global Connections Initiative is to provide global opportunities, experiences and connections for TWU students, faculty, staff, and the community. The initiative also is charged with helping all TWU students become global citizens with the knowledge, skills and abilities to excel in learning, living and working in a global, diverse and complex society.
Current World News
From bombings, unemployment and immigration in Europe to revolutions in the Middle East and Africa, find out how these instances are all related and resemble similar situations in the United States.
How and why does global news affect the US? Check our Facebook page for news articles with updates on the internal conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, the bombings in Norway, economic struggles in Greece, Italy, and Spain, and US involvement in these global events.


text:
Broadway Preview: Lombardi
LOMBARDI, a new play by Academy Award® winner and Steppenwolf Theater Company member Eric Simonson, is based on the best-selling biography When Pride Still Mattered:...
William H. Macy: "This may sound pretentious, but I am getting better at what I do every day"
"I love the fact that I work every day." - William H. Macy
Luke Hemsworth on 'Westworld': "It was a no-brainer to me. I was absolutely going to jump onboard"
"As an actor, if you're given very little information about what's going on, then you're forced to make it up." - Luke Hemsworth
Khary Payton on His 'Walking Dead' Audition: "It was one of the more substantial auditions I've ever done"
"I always say I'm in the hope business. You've got to stay hopeful. You've got to get up off your behind and try again..." - Khary Payton
Hayley Atwell's Best Career Advice: "I'd say the main thing is: show up. Show up and be professional"
Atwell reflects on her career and recounts why she wanted to become an actress since she was a child and what was the best career advice she ever received.
Mike Colter on Playing 'Luke Cage': "I was looking at it from the standpoint of an artist"
Colter says that it didn't take long for him to understand the importance of the character in comic book history.


text:
- Game Details
- News (4)
- Review
- Previews (4)
- Videos (13)
- Images (15)
- Cheats & Walkthroughs
Kinect Star Wars Videos
Displaying 1–12 of 12 videos
Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle
The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle features a 320GB R2D2 console, a C3P0 controller, Kinect Adventures and Kinect Star Wars, and comes in at $450. Morgan Webb and Blair Herter get...
The Unboxing Of The Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle
G4tv's Rob Manuel is in the studio unboxing the Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle to show you all the product features it has. This is something fans of Star Wars don't want to miss.
Kinect Star Wars X-Play Exclusive
Creative Director Kudo Tsunoda gives Morgan Webb a hands-on preview of Kinect Star Wars, with an exclusive look at "Duels of Fate" mode, as well as Galactic Dance Off, Podracing, and the R2D2 Xbox...
Kinect Star Wars "Darth Vader vs Obi Wan Duel" Comedy Trailer
The great battle between Darth Vader and Obi Wan have been remastered for Kinect Star Wars. However, Obi Wan looks a bit different in this trailer.
Comic-Con 2011 Star Wars Kinect Preview
Star Wars Kinect revealed a special new R2D2 Xbox at Comic-Con 2011, and Morgan Webb welcomes Star Wars Kinect Lead Prod. Craig Derrick onto the stage for a first look at this, pod racing, and more.
Kinect Star Wars Xbox 360 Bundle Comic-Con 2011 Announcement Video
Get ready Star Wars fans as the Xbox 360 is getting a Star Wars make-over. See as LucasArts announce a R2-D2-themed Xbox 360 and CP3O-inspired controller at Comic-Con 2011.
The Latest Microsoft Gadgets!
Grace Helbig checks out the Microsoft party in New York where she previews their latest gadgets, including the new Mango phone, cool new games on the Kinect and the HP Touchsmart 610. Sounds like...
Kinect Star Wars E3 Gameplay Demo
Adam Sessler hits the E3 2011 floor with Craig Derrick to check out 'Kinect Star Wars' where he can control the game through his hands as Jedi Knights, just like The Force!
Kinect Star Wars Doug McBride E3 Interview
Art director, Doug McBride takes some time to answer questions about Kinect Star Wars at E3 2011. It's still in development so he couldn't say much, but he lets us know where this takes place in...
Kudo Tsunoda E3 2011 Interview
Kudo is interviewed about the Xbox 360 Kinect peripheral at E3 2011. There were a huge variety of Kinect enabled games introduced at E3, including Kinect Star Wars, and Kudo touches on future...
Kinect Star Wars Announcement E3 2011 Live
Kinect Star Wars was one of many big announcements coming out of Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference. Kevin Pereira and Morgan Webb take a look and wonder out loud if waving our arms around will...
Microsoft E3 2011 Press Conference Video
Check out the entire Microsoft E3 2011 press conference video, including a 'Halo 4' trailer, 'Modern Warfare 3' and 'Tomb Raider' demos, plenty of new Kinect games, new Xbox Live television...
Videos 1–12 of 12
Server Error in '/' Application.
Runtime ErrorDescription: An application error occurred on the server. The current custom error settings for this application prevent the details of the application error from being viewed remotely (for security reasons). It could, however, be viewed by browsers running on the local server machine.
Details: To enable the details of this specific error message to be viewable on remote machines, please create a <customErrors> tag within a "web.config" configuration file located in the root directory of the current web application. This <customErrors> tag should then have its "mode" attribute set to "Off".
Notes: The current error page you are seeing can be replaced by a custom error page by modifying the "defaultRedirect" attribute of the application's <customErrors> configuration tag to point to a custom error page URL.


text:
What's the best [fill in: pizza, steak, dessert] you ever had at sea?
If you're like us, food is a key component of your vacation experience. You plan for it ("let's visit the steakhouse on the first sea day"), you talk about it ("I'm so excited for ribs at lunch today"), you inquire ("where on the buffet did you find burritos?") and -- once you're back home -- you reminisce ("do you remember that luscious creme brulee we had on our Caribbean cruise?").
And, when you meet other cruise travelers, you compare. You want to know where the best food finds are; have you had the epitome of amazing onboard dining, or have you been missing out? Perhaps the tale of a heavenly meal will convince you to try a new cruise line -- or your story of a dinner not to be missed will persuade a shipmate to book at the specialty restaurant after all.
The staff here at Cruise Critic is no different. We talk a lot about cruise food, arguing about which menu items are "best," based on our favorite binges. To include you in our food-focused conversation, we've come up with our top picks for a number of foods, based on our collective cruise experience. Just like Johnny won Most Likely to Succeed in high school, these cruise food superlatives are Most Likely to be Scrumptious (and, many times, even free). Spoiler alert: The chocolate melting cake did not make best dessert, and the best hamburger may be overshadowed by its fries!
To find out what did win, click through our slideshow. A word of warning: You may be drooling by the end.
Photo: Cruise Critic
Best Hamburger: Guy's Burger Joint (Carnival)
"They must put crack in those burgers," Cruise Critic member Romey050500 writes about our best burger winner. "Once you have one of those you're hooked." Guy's burgers do not contain drugs, but donkey sauce (defined as "jacked up secret mayo") and S.M.C. (super melty cheese) top these juicy, handcrafted beef burgers to produce an irresistible delight for carnivores. Plus, there's no extra fee to chow down. Don't count out the hand-cut fries, though. They're coated in a spicy signature seasoning. Try eating them outside -- the combination of zesty fries and salty ocean air makes the snack extra tasty.
Photo: Jen Wesolowsky/Cruise Critic
Best Sushi: Sushi Bar
Located inside Crystal's Silk Road restaurant, the aptly titled Sushi Bar boasts the handiwork of Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, highly acclaimed for crafting exquisite and outlandish sushi worldwide, from Dubai to Hawaii. If the words "Japanese-Peruvian fusion" don't pique the interest of your taste buds, then how about tuna tataki with ponzu sauce, yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno or sashimi-style Wagyu beef? Silk Road and its interior Sushi Bar are available at no additional charge on both Crystal ships.
Photo: Crystal Cruises
Best Pizza: Alfredo's Pizzeria (Princess)
We've had more lackluster pizza than memorable on cruise ships, so thank goodness for Princess, which delivers a satisfying slice. Alfredo's Pizzeria, our top choice (found onboard Grand, Royal and Sapphire Princess), keeps even the skeptics satisfied with six hand-tossed pies on its menu, created by Alfredo Marzi, the line's master chef. Minimalists will appreciate that pizza is the only thing on the menu. The crust is wafer-thin, but it easily accommodates fresh and sumptuous ingredients like Parma ham with cherry tomatoes and avocado with squash. Lucky for you, these Neapolitan-inspired pies won't cost you extra -- Alfredo's is a casual dining, no-fee restaurant.
Photo: Princess Cruises
Best Pasta: MSC Cruises
Keeping with its undeniable Italian heritage, MSC honors "the masterpiece of Italian gastronomy" with its homemade pastas, available on every ship, winning our top marks. The line uses only the highest quality semolina from select Italian mills, and pappardelle, tagliatelle, caserecce, gnocchi and ravioli are just a few types of fresh pasta that sound almost as fun rolling off the tongue as on it. Aside from the pasta du jour in the main dining room, alternative, for-fee restaurants like Le Obelisco, onboard MSC Poesia, offer delectable dishes that include sauteed vermicelli pasta with carpet-shell clams and cherry tomatoes, and tagliolini pasta with lobster sauce, prepared in front of you.
Photo: MSC Cruises
Best Indian Food: Sindhu (P&O)
Atul Kochhar is the first Indian chef to win a Michelin star, so it's no surprise his restaurant, Sindhu, onboard P&O's Azura, tops our charts for its South Asian cuisine. The limited menu features contemporary Asian dishes paired with Indian classics. One aromatic whiff of Kochar's spices will put your senses at attention, and dishes like traditional lamb curry and pan-roasted lobster in coconut sauce will make you a believer. The venue is a cut above the average land-based Indian restaurant; the dishes are beautifully presented, and the spice is more subtle than overpowering. However, there is a cost to spicing up your life -- Sindhu requires a cover charge to dine.
Photo: P&O Cruises
Best International Cuisine: Qsine (Celebrity)
The highlight of Qsine may be the whimsical presentation and the variety of choice even more than the food itself. The meal is fun, with spring rolls arriving in metal springs, sushi balancing on lollipop sticks and Mediterranean mezze perched on shelves in a window-frame type display box. Plus, there's a ton of choice, as the menu comprises dishes from a variety of cultures. Meat-and-potatoes types can stick to sliders, tacos and filet mignon, while more adventurous palates can seek out Indian food, Persian kebobs, ceviche and the aforementioned mezze. Throw in quirky decor with upside-down lamps, iPad menus and puzzle-box dessert lists, and you've got a dinner that's unlike any other meal you've eaten onboard or off. Qsine is a for-fee dining experience, currently available on six Celebrity ships.
Photo: Erica Silverstein/Cruise Critic
Best Fish: Remy (Disney)
Sure, you get intimate service, inspired plating and spectacular French cuisine at Disney's Remy (onboard Disney Dream and Fantasy), but the surprising standout there is the seafood. Our top pick for best fish onboard -- it's harder than you think to do fish right, even in the middle of the ocean -- Remy offers dishes that are elegantly prepared and perfectly cooked. The black cod is delicious, subtle yet flavorful. Forget "Finding Nemo"; you'll swear you hear Chef Louis from "The Little Mermaid" singing "Les Poissons," his love song to a seafood diet. Eating delectable fish will come at a price; Remy is one of the most expensive specialty restaurants at sea.
Photo: Disney Cruise Line
Best Ice Cream: Ben and Jerry's (Royal Caribbean)
Their funky flavors have long been staples in living rooms and college dorms across America, but, for years, Ben & Jerry's has been bringing a taste of Vermont to international waters aboard a dozen Royal Caribbean ships. How could we not vote the purveyors of Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey over the standard vanilla and chocolate soft-serve dispensers found on the Lido Deck? This ice cream will set you back a few bucks, but it's well worth the cost for anyone with a serious cookie dough milkshake craving at sea. Just know that the ships stick to tried-and-true standards; the full Ben & Jerry's menu is not available onboard. (Tip: Book cabin 6305 on Freedom-class ships, and you'll get free frosty delights to make up for the cow's behind that blocks your Promenade view.)
Photo: Royal Caribbean
Best Dessert: Cupcake Cupboard (Royal Caribbean)
The frosting versus cake debate rages in many inner cupcake circles, but there's no debating that cupcakes are delicious, winning our Best Dessert at Sea category. Those who have eaten from the Cupboard cite the baked goods as a meal unto themselves; the oversized cupcakes can feed a hungry couple or small family. (Two to three people to a cupcake is recommended.) Minis are also available for less ambitious appetites. The bakery's best-selling flavor is red velvet, but you'll also find variety for satisfying any voracious sweet tooth, including bubblegum, coconut, cola, turtle and, of course, traditional chocolate and vanilla. Frosting fans will rejoice in the amount of sugary goodness layered thick on top of these dominating desserts, available for purchase onboard Allure and Oasis of the Seas.
Photo: Royal Caribbean
Best Specialty Buffet: Chocolate Buffet (Norwegian Cruise Line)
If you love all things chocolate, this gratis late-night buffet is a dream come true. From tasty cakes and scrumptious pastries to beautifully carved chocolate sculptures, Norwegian's Chocolate Buffet will bring chocoholics to their knees -- and impress even the most adamant salt- and savory-lovers. Just beware of sensory overload on the Sun- and Jewel-class ships, which lay out these rich, mind-boggling variations of cocoa, crafted to appeal to both your sight and taste receptors.
Photo: Norwegian Cruise Line
Best Afternoon Tea: Oceania Cruises
Oceania takes cruise ship afternoon tea service to the next level and wins our top award. If you're the type who cares for a spot of tea, you'll be delighted with the white-gloved waiters who push trolleys laden with pastries, finger sandwiches, and scones with jam and clotted cream. Even those typically unaccustomed to the mid-afternoon tradition will be enticed to partake in this free special snack, complete with white-linen tablecloths, silver, china and a string quartet. Tea is served in the Horizon Lounge, which provides stellar panoramic views, especially on sea days.
Photo: Oceania Cruises
Best Steak: Prime 7 (Regent Seven Seas)
If a fine cut of meat tickles your fancy, the steaks at Prime 7 onboard Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner get our stamp of approval. They're USDA Prime and dry-aged for a minimum of 28 days. Choose from 12-ounce New York Strip, 18-ounce bone-in rib steak, the classic Filet Mignon, prime rib, American Wagyu chopped steak and a whopping 36-ounce Porterhouse, which is carved tableside. Explore other meats with New Zealand double-cut lamb chops, center-cut milk-fed veal rib chop, double-cut Kurobuta Berkshire pork chop or an oven-roasted half chicken. Seafood is also present on the menu, with plenty of options for surf and turf. Even the appetizers excel, offering delicacies like foie gras sliders with rhubarb chutney. Prime 7 is part of Regent's all-inclusive dining, so there's no additional charge.
Photo: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Best Authentic Pub Grub: Golden Lion (Cunard)
If you want the real English pub experience on a British cruise ship, look no further than Cunard's Golden Lion Pub, available on all three of the line's vessels. People go as much for the atmosphere and the real ales as the classic pub lunches. After the elaborate dishes they get in the other restaurants onboard, passengers relish the simpler comfort food of this truly authentic pub at sea. Staples like bangers and mash, fish and chips, chicken korma and cottage pie complement the vast beer selection quite nicely. The Golden Lion is open for pub lunch only, but it's free of charge. Drinks are additional.
Photo: Cunard Line
Best Faux Pub Grub: O'Sheehan's (Norwegian Cruise Line)
The British lines may offer more authentic pubs, but the American ships offer a slew of fabulous faux options, and we wanted to give props to our favorite, Norwegian Cruise Line's O'Sheehan's. Billed as the first Irish pub at sea, O'Sheehan's has a distinctly American overtone. Food is offered 24/7, and options range from create-your-own omelets and breakfast platters to comfort food spanning chicken pot pies, meatloaf, wings and more. A popular dessert is the strawberry pound cake. An international beer selection is available to accompany your meal, along with other beverages (even malts and root beer floats) for an added fee. The food at O'Sheehan's -- found on Norwegian Epic and Breakaway -- is available at no additional charge.
Photo: Teijo Niemela
Cruise Dining Superlatives: Our Cruise Ship Food Favorites
Sponsored links


text:
In 2012, Kate joined the Royal Family for her second Trooping the Colour ceremony, a special celebration that marks the Queen's birthday. Kate travelled in the procession with Camilla, both ladies looked elegant in blue: The Queen wore a canary yellow outfit. You may recognise it from Kate and William's wedding in 2011. Here we take a look at The Queen (left) and a picture of Kate laughing with Prince Philip on the balcony during the traditional Royal Air Force flyover … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2012
Kate attends the wedding of Emily McCorquodale and James Hutt
You can really tell it's wedding season, as Kate was spotted at yet another wedding today! Kate was accompanied by both Princes William and Harry to the occasion, where the Princes' cousin Emily McCorquodale was marrying James Hutt. The wedding took place in Stoke Rochford, a small village located in Lincolnshire. For the wedding, Kate wore a number of recycled pieces, most of which you'll recognise from previous official occasions and events: … [Read more...]
Get Kate's Style: Lace Alexander McQueen look-a-like from the Queen's Jubilee service
We can't deny that Kate's outfit for the Queen's Jubilee service was absolutely stunning yesterday and after the Queen herself, Kate was the best dressed lady in St. Paul's. The lace Alexander McQueen number appears to have been custom designed for Kate, so there's little chance of us ladies snagging the style off the peg. Even if the dress was part of McQueen's current collection and available to buy in stores, it would still cost a small fortune to buy. Enter my "RepliKate" I found … [Read more...]
Kate accompanies the Queen & Royal Family for special jubilee service at St. Paul's Cathedral
Today, the Queen and the Royal Family marked the last day of the Diamond Jubilee weekend with a special Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral. The morning service included a special prayer given for the Queen and her Diamond Jubilee. Most of the Royal Family and a number of key politicians took part in the proceedings too. Kate's outfit: The Duchess wore a peach lace dress by British label Alexander McQueen. She opted for her trusty L.K. Bennett Sledge pumps in … [Read more...]
Kate attends the Queen's Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace
Tonight Kate attended the Queen's Jubilee Concert along with a number of prominent members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles, The Duchess of Cornwall, Princes Harry and William, plus Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The Queen joined in with the festivities later in the evening. … [Read more...]
Kate joins river pageant as Queen leads flotilla down the River Thames
On June 3rd 2012, Queen Elizabeth II led a flotilla of more than 1,000 boats along the River Thames to mark her Diamond Jubilee. This is only the second time in history that a monarch has celebrated a 60-year rein on the throne (The Queen's great grandmother Queen Victoria celebrated the same achievement back in 1896.) The River Pageant: Onboard The Spirit of Chartwell, at the centrepiece of the flotilla, the Queen was accompanied by immediate members of the Royal Family, including the … [Read more...]