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I haven't posted any "Road Reports" since I was in Japan in mid-October. That doesn't mean I haven't been traveling though! I spent Thanksgiving in Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon with Lindsey, Zac and Zoe. Went to DC for several days immediately after that and then to Pasadena, CA for a surprise birthday party for my dear friend Brian the early part of December. And then it was Christmas! Hope everyone had a great Christmas.
On Tuesday, I departed Nashville to Atlanta to meet all the California participants and spend the night there. This year's tour includes the Improv group of Karri Turner, Michael Hitchcock, Jordan Black, Cedric Yarbrough, Tim Bagley, and Steve Little. They have all toured over New Year's for the troops for many, many years. Dave Price handles the "stand up" comedy and he has been on this tour since the first one in 2007. Our "newbie" this year is Jordan Bross and he is handling our production. Dave and Jordan were flying in early Wednesday morning to meet the group before we fly to Honduras.
Tim Bagley was the first to arrive. I was distressed to learn earlier in the day that we had put him on a flight from LaCrosse, Wisconsin to Chicago and then to Atlanta but there was a STOP in Charlotte, NC s well! I'm not sure how that slipped by us but it did! I talked to the travel agent and had him a seat held on a direct flight by the time he landed in Chicago. I called him the minute he landed but he said he was fine with taking the flights he had booked. The gate agent had told him that he could stay on the plane when it stopped in Charlotte so he was fine with that.
About a week before our departure, Michael Hitchcock received an email from Delta telling him that Delta had made a mistake and booked two people in the same seat on the 5+ hour flight from Atlanta to LAX on January 4th. Since 1st Class was sold out, they were moving him to a coach seat and giving him a $200 voucher for the "inconvenience". As most of you have seen from my postings on Facebook and Twitter, I went nuclear. I had paid for full-fare refundable first class seats and Michael was flying with 3 other entertainers. I was shocked that an airline could move a full-fare first class passenger to a coach seat and just say "oops"! Of course, all this hit the fan after everyone had closed for the holidays. I was able to reach my travel agency but did not hear from anyone with Delta until a couple of days ago. Delta's solution was that they could move all 4 passengers to a later flight which of course was not acceptable. Their response was that "due to legal reasons", they were not allowed to tell me why it happened!
I was able to secure a printout of the flight history booking and learned that there were several people still in 1st class who had booked their flights AFTER my group were already confirmed as well as several people who paid for a coach fare and were upgraded based on their Elite status free of charge. I informed Delta about that and Michael Hitchcock tweeted the situation to his 53,000 followers. FINALLY, when we landed in Honduras, I had confirmation that Michael was back in his first class seat….as he should have been from the very beginning!
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. When I landed in Atlanta, I took the hotel shuttle to the hotel. I was talking to the driver and told him that I needed to arrange for taxis to take the group of 7 people plus luggage to the airport the next morning. We couldn't take the hotel shuttle because it only goes to the domestic terminal. "Judge" – the shuttle driver said that he would arrange with "Ramirez" – his replacement the next morning – to take the group to the International Terminal. I asked him if I should tell the front desk and he said to tell "Rose Marie" when I checked in.
So, I asked for Rose Marie and at first, she said it wasn't possible. Then she told me to wait until 11 pm and she would let me know. It was about 10:00 by that time, so I met up with Tim Bagley and Steve Little for a few minutes and waited for my group to come in from LAX. They didn't arrive until around 11:30 pm and when I checked with Rose, she still could not give me an answer. I told her that I needed to confirm taxis if we couldn't take the shuttle and she said she would let me know in a few minutes. I went back to my room and worked and when I still hadn't heard from her at 1:30 am, I called the front desk. Rose did not talk to me but someone at the Concierge said they would arrange for two taxis – either vans or suburbans – to take us to the airport at 6:30 am. By the time I got in bed, it was 2:30 am and I had to get up at 5 am. Brutal!
I was in the lobby and checked out by 6:15 am. There was only ONE van waiting for us and when I questioned where the other van was, he said the driver had gone to another hotel to "check it out". What the heck??? Everyone was ready to go and still no second SUV, so the hotel called for a "taxi van". We left and then the driver got a call and he said we had left someone at the hotel! We went back and it turned out that Cedric had gone to get a cup of coffee and we left hm. We collected him and as we were driving to the airport, I noticed that the meter was not working. I asked our drive (who had a major attitude!) what the cost would be and he said $40 to each drive plus the tip. Seemed very high for a 7 minute drive to the airport but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I gave him $80 for the two taxis and another $40 as a $20 tip to each. He insisted that I pay him for BOTH taxis and he would pay the other person. When we arrived at the airport, the other taxi was already there and they told me that they paid the fare of $20 for the trip! I told our driver that the cost was only $20 – not $40 as he had stated. He was trying to rip us off big time!
We got checked in and I went to the Lounge to work and the others went to TGIF for "breakfast". Dave and Jordan Bross were not landing until around 9:30 am. AND, Jordan had sent me a text that I received first thing this morning saying he had woken up at 2 am this morning with fever and a sore throat! He was going to make the flight, thank God, because without him, we wouldn't have any sound equipment – which means, no show! I made arrangements to have him go to the Medic as soon as we landed.
Everyone eventually gathered at the Lounge and then we walked to our gate. Once we got on the aircraft, we sat and sat and sat. The pilot finally came on and said that there were 6 bags on the plane but the people owning the bags were not on the plane. I'm not sure how that could happen but we had to wait for them to find the bags and take them off. We departed almost an hour late and I sat with Karri and we watched "Bridget Jones' Baby"….cute but mostly "fluff". The flight was also quite turbulent. Half of the group slept most of the way on the 4 hour flight.
We landed and an escort met us and walked us through Immigration. No issues with Immigration and "sick Jordan made it into the country! Steave – our MWR escort – and a couple of his staff met us and waltzed through Customs. They had a big passenger van and a cargo van for the 1 ½ hour drive to Soto Cano Air Base. We were one room short of having everyone in a single room, so I had assigned Dave and Jordan Bross to room together. Since we didn't want Dave to get sick as well, Jordan took the room as a "single" and Dave roomed with Steve Little. We are in the same DV quarters where I stayed with Darryl Worley in April and these are great – bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom. Only negative is "no WiFi". Steave had secured a USB WIFI stick like I used when I was here with Darryl, but this time it would not connect. Having to use my mobile phone as a hot spot – when it works!
I rode over to the Medic's office with Jordan and left him there to get checked out and went back to help the others get their international package activated on their cell phones. Thankfully, I have T-Mobile which is the bomb overseas but very poor coverage in the USA. But since I only really travel overseas, it works for me.
Jordan does not have strep (my fear) and they gave him antibiotics to take. We all met at 5 pm and took a "driving tour" of the base then had dinner at the DFAC where the Deputy Commander met us and had dinner with us. VERY nice lady. Karri and "sick" Jordan went back to lodging and to bed. The rest of us went to the exchange to shop. There's no soap in lodging so we were all shopping for the same thing.
I came back to the room to fight a losing battle with WiFi and the others went to the MWR building to use their WiFi. I have a "date" first thing tomorrow morning to try and get it connected. In the meantime, I'm on T-Mobile's hotspot with "snail" speed!
Not sure if I can get this "report" out until I have better Wi Fi but will at least give it a try! I'm sure I forgot lots of important details from these past two days, but I'll add them later. Going to bed very soon because I have to get up at 6 am.
The "morning after" is when you start to realize the important things you forgot to pack. J I forgot my hair dryer which is a disaster for me. I just spent an hour trying to dry it under a ceiling fan. Still not dry and trust me, I don't have thick hair. Means another trip to the Exchange today. We went by last night after having dinner at the DFAC and everyone purchased soap. I didn't remind anyone to bring soap because we had it in lodging when I was here with Darryl. Not this time.
So, I purposely did not put this in my report last night just in case Karri decided to get on WiFi and read my report. When Cedric got back from dinner and the MWR WiFi visit, there was a SNAKE in his room. Steave had warned us yesterday that there were snakes and they are poisonous. Karri is deathly afraid of snakes and I don't particularly care for them either. As he was telling me, I had the urge to stand on a chair! He said he just kicked it outside with his foot. I was hoping he had killed it because now I have to worry that it will show up in my room. I slept with most of the lights on last night – as if snakes are afraid of the light? I've found myself checking everywhere that they might be able to hide…over and over and over again. Then there's the fear that one will crawl inside one of my bags and I'll take it with me to Cuba.
I stole a container of yogurt from the DFAC last night so didn't go to breakfast with the group at 8 am. We have a full kitchen, just no food items in it. Microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, big water cooler, and a huge closest with an iron and ironing board. I wonder if I can switch my iron for a hair dryer. Or maybe try using the iron on my hair if the exchange doesn't have one! Steave picked me up and we went to the "cigar" shop to purchase a WiFi stick for my computer. Unfortunately, the lady I talked to yesterday was not there and the other lady couldn't get it working properly. She told us to come back at 11 when the other sales clerk would be on duty.
We also learned yesterday that Honduras has the highest "murder" rate second only to New Guinea! Tegucigalpa (where we landed at the airport) has a lot more crime than 1 ½ hours away where we are at Soto Cano Air Base. Reason the crime rate is so high??? Gangs and Cartel. Drugs, drugs, drugs! Needless to say, we "exited" the airport area as quickly as possible and delighted that we don't have to fly out of there tomorrow!
I thought I was being paranoid about the snake situation until I talked to Tim Bagley. He actually had one of the other guys come into his room and help him move his refrigerator to look under and behind it. Wish I had thought of that! J
So first stop today was a briefing at headquarters by LTC Bryant. As always, this group had a LOT of questions and since he was in uniform, there were quite a few that he could not answer. But, we learned a lot about this base and our purpose here.
Next stop was AFN for a quick interview and to cut some liners for Cuba since we won't have time to visit AFN there before our performance on New Year's Eve.
After the interview, we went to visit the 1-228 at the flight line and get a tour of a brand new Chinook! My God….where were these when we were flying over Iraq and Afghanistan. So nice for our troops!
Had a 30 minute break before going to lunch, so the gang went to MWR to check emails and I rushed back to the Cigar Store to purchase the WiFi Stick. The same lady was there but this time, she knew how to activate the WiFi stick. NOW I have internet in my room!
Lunch was really good again today but several of the group decided to walk down to the Taco Hut and pay for their lunch. We all met up again after lunch and split up to go to MWR or lodging or the Exchange. "Sick" Jordan (as we are calling him – Sorry Sandy!) is feeling a little better today. He went to the venue to set up the sound system. I rushed to the exchange to purchase a hair dryer! The power has been off all morning because there is a 'scheduled' power outage for some work to be done.
We did a quick "mic" check and checked out the venue. It's a nightclub called "The Last Resort" and it's where Darryl Worley performed this past April, only his show was outside.
Next on the agenda was a visit to the 612 Fire Department which is under the control of the Air Force. Several of the guys got to "play" on the trucks and the folks we met there were great as well. Hopefully all these people we visited today will come to the show tonight!
We finished 30 minutes early and everyone wanted to go back to lodging to "chill" until 5:30 when we are scheduled to go to dinner. Only problem is, we were told the "scheduled" power outage ended at 12:30 pm and that was wrong…no power in lodging and won't have any until at least 4:30 pm.
Actually, just when my laptop battery was about to die AND my mobile phone battery was almost dead, the power came back on at 3:50 pm. Yea!
We had dinner at 5:30 pm and then arrived at the venue at 6:30 pm. The place was PACKED! Everyone was drinking and having a great time but we had to ask for the bar to quit serving alcohol during the show, since Improv requires a listening audience. After a minor glitch with the sound on the video intro, the show ran smoothly. Sound was really good, Dave did a great job with his 20 minutes of stand-up and the Improv comedians were excellent for another 60 minutes. The group took photos with everyone for about an hour after the show ended.
I left the group at the bar and came back with Jordan and the equipment so I could WORK. We have an 8:30 am breakfast call which I am going to skip and go jogging instead. Then a 9:30 am "shopping" trip (mostly for snacks for the flight!). Bags out and ready to roll to the flight line at 11:45 am. Sad to be leaving here so quickly….
I didn't realize this was Steave's first celebrity entertainment at Soto Cano since he arrived here a few months ago. He and his "team" did an excellent job taking care of us…very professionally and truly "fun" to work with! You can tell he has experience in entertainment. Hope we can get him some more celebrity entertainment down this way soon for his men and women serving.
I've done 4 "room" checks for snakes today and now it's time for the final one before going to bed. J
Got up at 7 am to go for a jog before our flight to Cuba today. First thing of the day was an email from our MWR rep in Cuba saying out pilots would not be able to land at Soto Cano Air Base as scheduled because the base is closed today for the holidays! Now, these flights have been booked for more than a month and I couldn't believe no one took that into consideration. I was able to reach Steave before he left and he said everything was under control. Evidently, the air field was going to open "just for us"! Theo at AFE also called me a little later to confirm that all was well.
So, I got in a good long jog and now I have a much better idea of where things are located on the base. Not saying I didn't get lost a couple of times though. Ran into Cedric on the way back and he was walking to the DFAC. He missed the ride with the group at 8:30 am so I walked with him to make sure he could get in okay. Decided to go ahead and grab an egg white omelet since I was there and took it back to lodging to eat.
Showered and walked back up to the DFAC to grab something to eat on the flight. We thought the DFAC opened at 11 but it actually didn't open until 11:30, so I had to grab something from Subway since we had "lobby" call at 11:45. When I got back to lodging, Dave was out front waiting for a ride to Subway to grab something as well. I told him no one was coming back until it was time to depart to the airfield at 11:45. I put his bag in my room and he took off to Subway. Then about 5 minutes later, Karri came by and asked how long it would take for her to walk to Subway. I was able to reach one of the girls helping MWR and got her a ride.
We had a cargo van for our luggage/equipment and we all rode on the Easy Go's to the terminal. It was deserted except for 2 people checking us in, one person handling the immigration, one guy with a truck and one guy with a van to transport us to the planes. We got everything weighed and I was able to talk to the pilots to get some details about the flight. We had to weigh out bags and ourselves and all our carry on items. It is a 3 ½ hour flight and there are NO toilets. There is a funnel with a tube attached that empties outside the aircraft. So the boys can use that but the girls are out of luck. There is a "toilet" similar to one on a tour bus that if there is an emergency, the flight crew will put a plastic bag in it so it can be used. But, whoever uses it, "owns" that bag for the rest of the trip and has to dispose of it after landing. (Reminds me of a joke we played on our flight crew many years ago when the military gave us our own aircraft to fly around in for the tours!) Trust me, none of us had a drop of anything to drink from the time we arrived at the airfield until we landed in Cuba.
We waited so long that I became concerned that we had been forgotten. All the people that had checked us in had left and there wasn't anyone around that we could ask to get in touch with our pilots. Dave and I decided to walk out onto the flight line to see if we could see the planes. I'm pretty sure that is off-limits to civilians and had anyone been working today, we would have probably been escorted off under armed guard! We couldn't see any aircraft anywhere on the air strip but when we got back to the terminal, a van was there to pick us up!
The 5 guys in the flight crew are super nice. They split us and our bags up according to "weight" so 4 people were in one plane and 5 people in the other. Then they "assign" which seat you sit in. The people who weighed the post sat in the front and the people who weighed the least sat in the back near the luggage. Jordan and I were in the back.
After take-off, the plane with the rest of our group flew right beside us for quite a while. We got some great photos of it. We also hit some pretty severe turbulence and in a plane that small, it was not fun. Just FYI, the C-12 only has 5 "official" seats and one "bench" seat. But, it is a twin engine prop.
A couple of the guys took turns sitting up in the cockpit with one of the pilots. It was a long flight but no more turbulence until we were landing. Ansley was there to meet us and we said good-bye to the great flight crew. A couple of them are scheduled to fly us back to Miami on January 3rd (Only a 2 ½ hour flight).
We had to take a ferry to the other side of the island and we were the only ones on it. We drove the truck and van onto the ferry for the crossing. We stopped at lodging first to drop off our bags. The lodging is the best this group has ever had on a tour on a military base. We all have two bedroom townhomes with 1 ½ baths, kitchen, living room, and washer and dryer! Karri and I are sharing, of course.
Dinner was at the Windjammer and the food was amazing – especially for a military base. I had a salad from the salad bar, seafood soup and grilled salmon with broccoli and carrots. As good as any restaurant in the states. Dinner was a pretty "fun" affair with lots of comedy involved. The talk turned to the banana rats on the island. There are LOTS of them. They don't bite. When I was here in 1994, I took a photo of one that was the size of a Volkswagen bug! No kidding.
After dinner, we drove by the venue to check out the stage. Both our shows in Cuba will be outdoors which is really "Hard" for Improv. But I have faith this group will pull it off just fine. Last stop for the evening was the Mini-Mart to buy food for breakfast and laundry detergent. We also found the banana rats – stuffed animal versions. I got two for Zac and Zoe.
The group gathered in Jordan's townhouse to sign some autograph cards and I began unpacking. I hooked up my computer and had already been warned that the Wi-Fi wasn't working. I had brought my LAN cord but couldn't get it to connect either. I tried to call the base operator but all our telephones in our rooms are dead. I sent Ansley a text and left her a voice mail, but she did not respond. There's a "book" in each bedroom that give information on how to use everything in the Townhouse. It says that internet is free and to read the instructions in the book on how to connect. Only there are no instructions in the book! We have the same problem with the TVs. Karri worked on the TV for about 30 minutes and finally got it to turn on and found one channel that works…sort of!
Priority tomorrow is to get a phone number for Ansley where we can reach her at any time … day or night!
Struggled with the internet until 2:30 am and honestly, my mobile phone T-Mobile HotSpot has great coverage here. Guess it's because T-Mobile is the cell service used by the military here. And, of course, because it's T-Mobile, it's free with my plan!
Did not get up and jog because I forgot to ask Ansley "where" I could run. Plenty of time to do that tomorrow. It's too far from lodging to walk to the gym so I'd have to take a shuttle and those only run at certain hours.
I skipped breakfast and met everyone at 11 am to go to lunch. While we were waiting for everyone to come out to the vans, we all took photos of a HUGE Iguana that was in the middle of the road. He was just sitting there and at one point started walking towards us. One of many we saw today. I had to go back in the room for a minute and when I opened the glass door, "something" fell on me. I nearly beat myself to death trying to get whatever it was off. I did, but it was a little gray lizard and it ran right inside our rooms! I chased it but it ran up under the sofa. I guess he's still under there and will probably climb the stairs and get in bed with me tonight.
After lunch, we stopped by the huge base exchange. I bought K-Cups for our coffee maker, real cream and some t-shirts for my family. We dropped everything off at lodging, changed clothes and headed to the beach. There's 4 beaches that the military are allowed to use and we went to the "nicest" one. Right on the bluff above the beach was a Detention Center (which we are not allowed to photograph) but this one was for the "children". Evidently there were numerous kids 12 years old and younger being detained there. They could not be put into the general population because the other prisoners would have raped them!
It was beautiful but there was no "sand" like we are accustomed to in Florida and Hawaii. There were small pebbles leading up to the water and then there were big rocks everywhere—including in the water. I touched the water with my foot but didn't go in because the waves were rough and I didn't want to fall on the rocks. "Sick Jordan" and Tim ventured in and Tim got knocked down and his prescription sunglasses were swept away immediately. Tim, "Sick Jordan" and the other Jordan donned snorkeling gear to look for them…as if! No luck.
There was no sun out and the wind was pretty strong, so "Sick Jordan" and I came back to lodging to work and left the others there. They only stayed about another 30 minutes and came back as well.
We had lunch at the "Jerk House" and sat outside to eat. Weather was perfect. Had about an hour to dress for the show. As we suspected, this was a challenge because it was outdoor and alcohol was being served. Usually we are in countries where alcohol is prohibited, so we have more of a "listening" audience. But, it was a great show and people in the autograph line were thanking us for coming over and giving them a reason to laugh!
The show ended at 10:30 pm and DJ John played music until time for the countdown. All the entertainers went back up on the stage to count down to midnight. By that time, it was a pretty rowdy, inebriated crowd and they started jumping up on the stage with the entertainers. Our MWR escorts – Ansley and Michelle were literally pushing them off the stage. Trust me, these are two "small" females but they did a great job of doubling as "security"!
There was a massive fireworks display – maybe bigger than at Disneyworld – that went on for 15 minutes. Nice ending for 2016 and spectacular beginning for 2017.
Happy New Year, Everyone!
Got up at 7 am so I could get in a jog before it got so hot. But, that didn't work out so well. It was already brutally hot. Ran for what I think was around 3 miles and there were lots of "hills" along the way. Showered and met the group for lunch at 11 am. The menu at the restaurant is definitely better than some of the places we have eaten on this tour but when you're trying to eat "healthy", it's a challenge to find something different to eat each meal. I had a couple of grilled chicken breasts and they were okay.
First thing on today's agenda was a "base tour". We went up a big hill where all the windmills are located and there was a spectacular view from there. We weren't allowed to take photos from the side where the Detention Center is located. On the way back down the hill, there was a windmill and Dave asked if we could stop and take a photo. Turns out it is the Windmill Museum and is only open the 3rd weekend of every month. But because that was Christmas, it was open today. It was really interesting but also we were excited to see a photo of Johnny Cash from his visit in 1987 and a collage of photos from Bob Hope's tour to GITMO in 1971! Charley Pride was on that tour and I took a picture of his photo to email to him.
Last stop on the tour was The Glass Beach and yes there were pieces of glass everywhere. The beach area was really small compared to yesterday but there weren't any big rocks like yesterday. Instead we walked on pebbles and glass! The water was also much calmer. Part of the group decided to stay and swim and several of us came back – some to take a nap and me to work!
Dinner was at 5:30 pm and I had the chicken fajitas without the tortillas. Several people had been talking about how good they were and I was not disappointed. We left from there to go straight to our "shuttle" ride to Camp America. Since that is where the Detention Center is located, we had to be escorted in by "Security". One of the ladies escorting us was from Birmingham, Alabama and I told her I grew up in Prattville, Alabama!
The venue tonight was an outdoor amphitheater with permanent seats. The trailer that we used for our Green Room last night had been brought over for our use tonight. Right before the show started, someone from the base press office came by for an interview.
It was a small crowd tonight – around 75 people, mostly Army and mostly MP's. Lots of people had to work and those that weren't working had to get up really early tomorrow to work. Size of the crowd doesn't matter. We like to get to the people who rarely get entertainment and that was definitely Camp America! It was a really great show with good audience participation.
I was using my iphone flashlight to walk from the seats to the trailer and just as I was about to step off the concrete walkway, I noticed something strange on the ground. It looked like a huge snake had crawled halfway under the concrete and its long tail was sticking out. It took all my will power not to scream and interrupt the show! After I calmed down, I took a photo of it and showed it to the reporter who had interviewed them earlier. He informed me that it was an Iguana's tail! Sure looked like an Anaconda to me!
As Dave was going back up on the stage for the closing "thank you's", several Banana Rats ran right in front of him!
I shared the photo with the group after the autograph session and several of them took the long way around to the trailer. I'm still not 100% convinced it was an Iguana Tail!
Tomorrow is our last day here. We have a couple of "meet and greets" scheduled and a sunset boat cruise. The trip seems to have just flown by!
Got up earlier today and got in my jog. It was hot but not nearly as bad as yesterday. Showered, worked, and met the group at 10:15 am to go to the North East Gate for a tour. We had an excellent "host" (Marine) and the things he told us were fascinating. There were certain things we couldn't photograph but also lots we could. He gave us a great "briefing" on that area as well as policies and procedures at GITMO. Fascinating.
After that, we went to the "Galley" (Navy name for DFAC) for lunch and the food was really good. Was a nice break from O'Kelley's and Windjammer where we have eaten almost every meal (same menu at both). Food was good at those two restaurants, too.
We had about an hour to gather our "beach wear" after lunch and then had a "formal meet and greet" for about 45 minutes with the Navy. People just wandered in and out so it gave the group some quality time to chat with everyone.
Next stop was the dock for a pontoon boat ride. Had a super nice guy driving the boat and he was also very informative. We spent about two hours out on the water and some of the guys got in to snorkel. Karri also took a quick swim. The weather was perfect and it was beautiful out on the water. Not a bad place for our military to be deployed if they have to be deployed!
We headed back to lodging and right after we arrived, Michael came over and said he thought we had left Tim at the Marina. I knew he was helping load the ice chest from the boat back onto the van, so not sure how we left him, but we did! I called Ansley and she said the Marina had just called her and they were on their way back to pick him up. Evidently, he saw a T-shirt he wanted to buy and asked Michelle if it was okay for him to go inside and purchase it. Then in the process of loading the two vans, no one noticed that he wasn't with us! First tour I've LEFT two of our guys behind – Cedric in Atlanta and now Tim. Losing my touch. L
We had about 30 minutes to change and then had dinner at the Galley (only thing open today). I'm working and packing and the others are having "fellowship" next door. I'm going to try and get this posted and join them but I have to get up at 5 am so it will be a short visit.
It's been such a wonderful tour and a very "different" experience for these amazing entertainers who give so generously of their time. Steave in Honduras and Ansley and Michelle at GITMO have been exceptional hosts!
Up at 5 am for a 6:45 am departure to the Ferry. Everyone was ready on time and it was a quick ride across the island. Our flight crew was on the same ferry with us. Arrived at the terminal and had to wait for quite a while because the flight crew had to manifest us. We learned that there were 3 other people with bags who were going to be flying with us. I was worried because we had been instructed to keep our bags at a certain weight or we would not be able to get everyone on our flights.
We were able to get the 3 extra passengers on the flight but departed an hour late and arrived an hour late into Miami. Miami had just had a thunderstorm so it was a turbulent landing….just the thing I love most in this world. Since we had to fly around Cuba instead of over Cuba, we were able to see Honduras out the window of the plane. Our van and trailer was waiting for us and Immigration and Customs was a breeze. It was only a breeze because we flew into the private terminal. Yesterday, Immigration and Customs was closed because of a computer outage at the Miami International Airport. Glad we dodged that bullet!
When we were ready to depart Cuba today, I called the Van Company to give them our tail number for the planes as they had requested so they could track our flight. They asked if we were still landing at 12:13 pm and I told them no, because we were leaving an hour late. He said he would change the pickup time to an hour later but I told him that wouldn't work because we weren't sure what time we would land. He said, "Don't worry. We'll just be there waiting". I assumed they would track the flight with the tail number as they had indicated previously. When I got ready to pay the bill for the van pickup, they had added $84 to the price for "waiting an hour". I went nuclear, of course! The poor driving couldn't do anything and the manager was out until tomorrow. I'm calling him first thing tomorrow!
We said good-bye to Dave who was going to visit his parents in Ft. Lauderdale and left for the Embassy Suites by the airport. Rooms were ready and we had several hours to rest before going to dinner. I wanted to go to Joe's Stone Crab House but one person didn't eat shellfish and we were also worried about traffic and having a long drive. Cedric recommended Prime 112 but it was an even longer drive. We finally took a chance and went to Trulucks and it was amazing food!
We had a wonderful "last" evening together with lots of laughs! Seems like this tour just flew by except for missing Zac and Zoe so much.
Have a 7:30 am Lobby Call tomorrow and everyone connects through Atlanta. "Sick Jordan" leaves earlier than us and Tim is going to stay over and visit his brother for a few days so 6 of us will be on the Atlanta flight.
Well, that wonderful meal at the restaurant last night either gave me food poisoning or my body just wasn't accustomed to "rich food". Strange because what I ate was only fish and nothing "fried". Wasn't sure I would be able to get on the flights today. Was scared to take a Phenergan for nausea because it knocks me out and I didn't want to sleep past my wake-up call. It got so bad, that I took one at 5:30 am and was pretty much a walking zombie all day – but the nausea passed.
Sick Jordan departed earlier than us and took the hotel shuttle. I checked in with him and he said everything ran smoothly – even down to not having to pay excess on the equipment since we are on military orders. Tim was going to sleep in and depart later in the day to spend time with his brother and then fly home on Monday, January 9th.
The rest of us met in the lobby and took our reserved van and trailer to the airport. Check in was quick and easy and we had about an hour to grab some breakfast. I worked in the lounge and was finally able to get a little food down. We boarded the flight on time and someone was sitting in Michael's seat. The flight attendant checked and both passengers had the same seat number. But, when she looked at the lady's boarding pass with the same seat number, it had Michael Hitchcock's name on it. I know when we were boarding the gate agent said that Michael was showing that he had already boarded. No idea how that happened, but Michael got his seat. Delta had moved everyone around so I wasn't sitting with Karri. Had a "stranger" next to me. Didn't matter, I slept almost the entire 2 ½ hour flight from Miami to Atlanta. After we boarded, we sat on the tarmac for over 45 minutes. Supposedly "weather" was the issue. I was worried that the group would be able to make their connection in Atlanta and it was very tight. The good news was, they landed in Terminal A and departed from Terminal A, and their flight was already boarding when we landed.
I had about an hour in the Lounge and then my flight to Nashville boarded on time and landed a few minutes early. Had text messages and emails from the California passengers saying they were home and their bags made the flight as well.
This was a fantastic visit with the men and women serving in Honduras and Cuba. We had amazing "escorts" – Steave, Ansley, and Michelle – and sweet, funny, entertainers – Karri, Michael, Jordan, Tim, Cedric, Steve, and Dave and a great production manager – "Sick Jordan". Theo at AFE in DC was on the ball for us even over the holidays and ensured that our tour ran smoothly.
Seems I typed up the Road Report for December 30th but forgot to email it. It's below if you are feeling unloved from not hearing from me that day!
Here's to a wonderful 2017 for EVERYONE.


text:
Aleksander Porfirievich
[al-ig-zan-der per-feer-uh-vich,, -zahn-;; Russian uh-lyi-ksahndr puhr-fyee-ryi-vyich] /ˌæl ɪgˈzæn dər pərˈfɪər ə vɪtʃ,, -ˈzɑn-;; Russian ʌ lyɪˈksɑndr pʌrˈfyi ryɪ vyɪtʃ/ (Show IPA), 1887–1964, U.S. sculptor, born in Russia.
Aleksandr Porfiryevich (alɪkˈsandr parˈfirjɪvitʃ). 1887– 1964, Russian sculptor and painter, in the US after 1923, whose work is characterized by economy of form
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Alexander P [uh-lyi-ksahndr] /ʌ lyɪˈksɑndr/ (Show IPA), 1894–1956, Russian motion-picture director. noun Aleksandr Petrovitch (alɪkˈsandr peˈtrɔvɪtʃ). 1894–1956, Soviet film director. His films include Zemlya (1930) and Ivan (1932)
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Archibald Philip Primrose [prim-rohz] /ˈprɪmˌroʊz/ (Show IPA), 5th Earl of, 1847–1929, British statesman and author: prime minister 1894–95. Contemporary Examples Mark the sequel: Not long afterwards, I was at a reception in the Rosebery Room of the House of Lords. Hitchens on Thatcher's Sex Appeal David Frum January 11, 2012 Historical Examples Rosebery, though he […]

subset: commoncrawl


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Thousands of people in the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District in northern Escondido are being told not to drink their tap water without boiling it first, after random testing showed the presence of coliform bacteria, water district officials said.
The notice affects 6,300 of the district's 7,800 customers who live in the northern part of the city and in the area around Auto Park Way, which includes many businesses, said water district spokeswoman Julia Scamilla.
The order will likely be in effect until Sunday or even longer, she said.
Coliform bacteria is naturally present in the environment, but its presence is also used as an indicator that other, potentially harmful, bacteria may be present. Pending further testing, the district is advising customers to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking and cooking as a safety precaution.
The district has two sources of water that is delivered to customers according to specific geographic boundaries. The boil-water notice is specific to Rincon customers with account numbers starting with: 01 through 48, 94, 96, and 97.
The district said water needed for cooking or drinking should be boiled for five minutes, and then cooled before using. Customers could also use bottled water instead.
Failure to follow the advisory could result in stomach or intestinal illness, the district said.
For updates visit www.rinconwater.org and click on Breaking News.
Random testing conducted Tuesday led to the discovery of the bacteria, Scamilla said.
For customers who do not have access to gas or electricity alternative methods of disinfection include using fresh, unscented, liquid household bleach (Clorox, Purex, etc.). To do so, add 8 drops (or 1/8 teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of clear water or 16 drops (or 1/4 teaspoon) per gallon of cloudy water, mix thoroughly, and allow it to stand for 30 minutes before using.
Another method is to use water disinfection tablets and following the manufacturer's instructions.


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I have finally gotten around to uploading pictures from the end of last year (link to my flickr page is in the side menu). So there are some more pictures of Beppu, most notably a bazillion pictures of monkeys (cute!!), as well as some from New Year.
Well, the monkeys are technically Japanese macaques, but to me they are still monkeys. I had to rush to catch my fligth back to Tokyo after seeing the monkeys - I stayed much longer than I should have, but couldn't stop chasing after the little babies and oooo-ing and ahhhh-ing.
Monday, May 14, 2007
New pictures on flickr!
at 11:17 PM
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Diddy Sport: It's 3AM and Time to Find a Daytime Fragrance for Summer 2017
I suppose that going from the Donald Trump fragrances to Sean John's line is a bit like jumping from the frying pan into the fire, but what the heck. Somebody has to tell the truth about Sean John 3AM (if not … Continue reading
Notes From The Trumderground
Dear Renato, Funny you should ask about Perfumania's decision to act as it did, in regard to the Donald Trump line of celebrity fragrances. In my role as a Basenotes moderator, I try to avoid politics, having friends on … Continue reading
Posted in Fashion, Fragance, History, News and politics Tagged cultural Marxism, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Empire, Donald Trump Success, Macy's, media, Parlux, Perfumania, Peter Thiel
UGHLLO. This is Grumpy Cat. Technically, it's DOCTOR Grumpy Cat. However, MISTER Grumpy Cat will be fine. I'm so pissed off at my latest alma mater for encouraging Marxist faculty in their coercion of useful idiot students into "safe space" insanity, that … Continue reading
Posted in Books, History, News and politics, Science, Science Fiction, Travel, Uncategorized Tagged Beyond Earth, energy, exoalchemy, exobiology, Grumpy Cat, nuclear energy, oxygen, space colonization, space travel, thorium, Titan
Chanel No. 0.5 Eau Final
If there is anything which proves that I have finally reached the status of true fragrance fanatic, it is the fact that I am about to take a five-dollar fragrance seriously. Very. Seriously. BUT WAIT! It's not like this is just … Continue reading
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Red's Ultimate Fragrance Blogroll Post
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Four Dudes, a Classy Dame, and a Boozy Babe
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Opera for all: how ENO is hoping to reach new audiences
It's been a tough few years for English National Opera. In 2014, Arts Council England announced plans to cut the company's funding by £5 million – a reduction of almost a third. In a statement explaining its decision, ACE praised ENO's "ambitious work" and "important role in developing talent" but said it had struggled to reach box office targets and achieve "long-term stability".
ENO was one of dozens of organisations to have its funding cut by ACE but few received such a significant reduction in grants. The Royal Opera House – based nearby in London's Covent Garden – received a cut of just £800,000. ENO chairman Martyn Rose stood down in early 2015 and long-standing artistic director John Berry left soon after.
The company has since appointed a new artistic director, Daniel Kramer, and a new CEO, Cressida Pollock, who has set out a plan to improve its finances while living up to its remit of delivering "artistically excellent" opera to "the broadest possible audience". Her strategy includes cutting the number of productions, increasing box office and funding targets and reaching new audiences by making tickets more affordable.
In addition to making a series of management and business changes ahead of next year's cuts, ENO recently carried out a review of its branding. Design studio Rose was then appointed to carry out its own review of the brand and for the past 18 months, has been working with ENO to create a new brand strategy, visual identity and brand assets, including a new logo.
The studio has devised a new approach to marketing productions and designed campaigns for 20 operas spanning three seasons. It has also worked with web designers Substrakt to create a responsive website for ENO and designed branding for Opera Undressed, an initiative aimed at introducing young people to opera. It is now working with ENO to create new staff uniforms, signage and wayfinding for the London Coliseum theatre (the home of the organisation since its founding in 1974) as part of a long-term initiative to encourage more visitors to the venue.
ENO commissioned a review of its branding after research revealed that consumers struggled to differentiate it from other opera companies. It was founded with the aim of making opera accessible for all and its productions are sung in English – but few people were aware of this, says Carolyn Sims, director of marketing and audience engagement at ENO.
"We did some research and found that people's attitude to ENO had somehow got mixed up with opera in general," says Sims. "We'd kind of lost our identity and what makes us us … and I think that's where the review piece started, [with looking at] 'Why are we different? What are we doing that's different? And how do we make ourselves as relevant now as we were 10 or 15 years ago?'"
Simon Elliott, partner at Rose, says the studio set out to help ENO connect with new audiences and transform people's perceptions of opera. "There's an assumption that opera is very elitist. A lot of people think it isn't for them," he says. ENO was keen to target people with a keen interest in culture and the arts – people who go to galleries, museums, theatres and the cinema, but who might not have considered going to the opera – without alienating existing audiences.
The studio devised a new approach for marketing based around the idea of summing up operas in a single sentence. Previously, ENO led with the title of an opera and an image from the production – an approach that appeals largely to people who have heard of that opera or know what it's about. "We had drifted towards more of a production-led, 'you have to be in the know' approach, rather than 'come one, come all'," says Sims.
The new marketing features a brief synopsis of each opera accompanied by a striking image, an approach that is designed to spark people's interest in a similar way to the blurb on the back of a novel. "A book's cover might engage you visually, but it's the synopsis on the back that makes you want to buy it," says Elliott.
This is a tried and tested formula in publishing, but it's less common in other areas of cultural marketing – particularly opera and theatre. "[Most organisations] tend to lead with the title … but the title is no use if people don't know what the story is," says Elliott.
"We decided to lead with the story, the title, then the dates and ticket prices, so the messaging is really clear and consistent," he adds. "I'm not aware of anyone in the cultural sector marketing this way … and if they do, I don't think anyone leads with this principle as purposefully or consistently as we are doing with ENO."
This approach helps differentiate ENO's marketing from that of other opera and theatre companies. It also allows the organisation to be more creative with the imagery used to promote its productions. Rose has so far commissioned a diverse set of emerging and established creatives to produce imagery for campaigns, including papercut artists, photographers and sculptors.
Creatives are asked to create an image that reflect a particular aspect of a production – from its setting to key themes – without telling the whole story. The result is a bold and intriguing set of images that capture the mood of a piece: Toby Leigh's colourful illustrations for the Pirates of Penzance (ENO's most successful production to date) reflect its sense of humour and fun, while Mat Maitland's surreal artwork for the Magic Flute hints at magic and fantasy. Rose also worked with FGreat to create an animated teaser for Madam Butterfly, based on an image by Paul Zak.
"A still image is never going to be able to convey the whole story, so we asked image-makers to interpret an aspect of each opera in an interesting way, to help support the written story," says Toby Edwards, design director at Rose.
Instead of designing campaigns on an ad-hoc basis, Rose has been working with ENO to create each season's marketing in advance. Working on campaigns for several productions at once can be challenging but Elliott says it allows the studio to look at each set of campaigns as a whole and ensure that no two feel too alike.
Sims says the new approach is already having an impact: ENO's customer base has traditionally been made up largely of over 55s but the average age of attendees at the Magic Flute was around 30. The response to posters and marketing in focus groups has been positive, with many people saying imagery and descriptions made them want to find out more about that opera.
Mobile traffic to ENO's website has increased by 400% and the company's latest annual report reveals a significant increase in box office takings – up from £8,629,000 in 2015 to £11,406,000 in 2016.
This increase in sales is in part due to an initiative to make tickets more affordable. ENO has made 500 tickets available at £20 or less for each of this year's productions, which Sims says has resulted in "a different type of audience" sitting in seats. More than 237,000 people attended an opera at ENO this year – up from 195,000 the year before – and 29,795 of them did so for the first time. "We've had responses on Twitter from people saying, 'I didn't think opera was that good' … which is great,'" she adds.
ENO has also increased its audience by putting on cinema, TV and radio broadcasts of its work, and running Opera Undressed, an initiative aimed at young people and those who are new to opera. The initiative is promoted through social media and offers tickets for £20. The price includes a free drink, a briefing on the plot and key themes before the production and a chance to meet the cast afterwards.
"We've seen a really good uptake for that … and we've had a lot of people come away saying, 'that was superb'" adds Sims. The branding makes use of 'un', 'de' and 'dis' prefixes, reflecting the initiative's aim to challenge people's perceptions of opera. "The idea [with the branding] was to inject a bit of fun – it's something everything can enjoy, but it's specifically targeting a younger demographic," says Edwards.
In addition to its work on marketing initiatives, Rose has updated ENO's visual identity. The organisation's logo – created in 1991 by Mike Dempsey – has been subtly updated, with Edwards creating a lighter version of the brand's famous mark using a bespoke version of Lineto typeface Brown (now used throughout its communications). The basic structure, however – an 'E' and 'N' above the letter 'O' – remains the same.
"We went through different options – one was to keep the logo the same but that made [ENO] a little nervous," says Elliott. "The option they liked best was our idea to keep the integrity of the original design, but streamline it…. That logo was really cherished within the design community, and when you're working with cultural clients – particularly brands that have been around for a long time – you don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater and get rid of something that has a lot of brand equity."
Rose's signage and wayfinding for the London Coliseum has still to be rolled out but form part of a plan to turn the venue into a destination in its own right. The building's cafe was recently taken over by Benugo and Rose is in the process of designing crockery, bags and takeaway cups for it using artwork from marketing campaigns. There are also plans to launch a range of merchandise – depending on budgets – and Rose recently created a display for the box office area using props from previous productions to help tell the story of ENO.
"The intention is to open up the ground floor space and find new ways of making the Coliseum a place to come and visit, rather than just to see a production," says Elliott. In turn, the hope is that this will generate some much-needed additional income for the company.
As ACE's chief executive Darren Hendley recently pointed out, opera companies have been facing declining audience figures for years. If those companies want to survive – particularly in a climate of cuts to arts and cultural organisations – they must "adapt or die".
ENO faces a difficult time as cuts come into force but with new management, a focus on innovation and reaching new audiences and a clear vision for the brand, the future is perhaps starting to look a little brighter. Sims sees the company's new branding as integral to its progression, helping make audiences aware of what ENO stands for. The long-term aim is to create a consistent customer experience and an identity that feels fresh and contemporary, reflecting ENO's focus on making innovative work that appeals to the masses.
"Things are looking up [for ENO]," says Sims. "We have a very clear vision, we have a great CEO and fantastic artistic director and we're ready to move forward. I think the way we're approaching the visual assets help us to have that focus and level of consistency. Most arts organisations tend to hate the word brand, because it's a very corporate, commercial word … but we do need to rally around our brand because it's merely a reflection of our personality, of who we are and why we are," she adds.


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07 February, 2009
Cause and Effect
At the end of that diagram, you can clearly see the cliff Bush drove us over. That is, of course, after he drove us over the first cliff in 2001. You can't blame the terrorists when you're the one that ignored the intelligence warnings.
I have no idea where this myth that the Cons are the party of fiscal responsibility came from. They spend like drunken sailors when they're in charge. Check out the deficit:
My goodness me, it does appear that the deficit has exponentially increased under Cons ever since Reagan.
Here's another myth-shattering chart. Corporate profits increase under Dems:
Funny how when more people can afford to buy your products, you sell more, innit?
So, with all that being the case, let me ask a question: how the fuck is it that Cons are allowed to discuss the economy, much less get their grubby hands on it? According to these charts, we should be laughing ourselves sick every time they open their mouths, and never ever again let them come within spitting distance of the economic controls.
The article I took those last two charts from is well worth reading in its entirety, btw. And it's got plenty more pictures drawn from government sources for the terminally hard-of-thinking. Time to explode those myths before that precipice we've fallen over drops us into a chasm not even a Democratic president can pull us out of.
2 comments:
- Woozle said...
David Brin was talking about this stuff a great deal in the lead-up to the election (wasn't able to find any specific links quickly, but I heartily recommend his blog, although it has become more occasional of late). "Tax-and-spend liberal" would seem to be entirely a lie, created and nurtured by the Right.
I know, I didn't quite believe it myself at first; after all, aren't liberals always liberally splashing money around, while conservatives are always trying to conserve it?
Wrong. Liberals put their expenditure proposals out in the open; conservatives hide theirs in tax cuts and other less-obvious places -- and tend to use those expenditures for political payback -- with benefit that is at best short-term and is often economically destructive in the long run (e.g. wars, bad education plans, anti-science projects). They eat the seed grain rather than planting it and judiciously consuming a portion of the harvest.
We need to hammer on this point and break the grip of that meme. ...although I'm not sure who we're trying to convince, anymore; looks like most of the sane people have already left the Republican fold.
It's probably worthwhile keeping the heat on, just so they can't start building their numbers again. One way to keep the heat on is to maintain a repository of facts like this for easy future reference.
Obviously I need to set one up for a comparison of conservative vs. liberal economic policies, too. (Sometime when I'm not way behind writing code for a paying client, which will presumably happen sometime soon.)
- February 7, 2009 at 6:20 AM
- Cujo359 said...
So, with all that being the case, let me ask a question: how the fuck is it that Cons are allowed to discuss the economy, much less get their grubby hands on it?
It's simple, really. They speak and act for the rich. The rich own the news, and they largely finance elections.
Why do the rich want things the way Republicans make them? Because it's what's easier or more profitable for them, at least in the short run. They don't have to mess with unions, workers' rights, environmental laws, etc. They can keep more money for themselves. That society suffers from this sort of thing in the long run is something they seem to find debatable, at best. Unfortunately, as several nationwide laboratory experiments (including the one we're in now) have shown, it just happens to be true.
- February 7, 2009 at 2:25 PM


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Sunshine Ace Hardware recently raised approximately $50,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) during the store's first Grill & Chill event, the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce said.
The event featured grilling demonstrations, offers, giveaways and some activities for families in the Naples area, the Fort Myers Chamber said.
Sunshine Ace presented a check to the MDA. They raised the money with help from the southwest Florida community through the Shamrock program. The funds will help send local kids with the disease to a summer camp, according to the Fort Myers Chamber.
"Each year, our employees and customers spread a little more luck to MDA families around St. Patrick's Day by purchasing MDA shamrocks," Michael Wynn, president of Sunshine Ace Hardware, said. "We are extremely thankful to the southwest Florida community for helping Sunshine Ace Hardware make a difference in the community."
The Sunshine Ace Hardware participated in the Shamrock program in February and March. The company joined the program in 2011 and has raised about $176,000 since then, according to the Fort Myers Chamber.
2310 Edwards Drive
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Vendetta came out of nowhere and ended up being a riveting revenge thriller with some despicable bad guys. We Still Kill the Old Way is from the same company and it looks like it has some equally mean villains that just need killing.
When retired East End villain Charlie Archer (Steven Berkoff – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) is brutally murdered at the hands of a vicious mob of youths, his brother Ritchie (Ian Ogilvy – Return of the Saint) hits the savage streets of London, returning to his gangster roots on a violent quest for vengeance. Rounding up his old firm including Arthur (James Cosmo – Game Of Thrones), Roy (Chris Ellison – The Bill) and Butch (Tony Denham – The Football Factory), Ritchie leads a vigilante crusade to find and punish his brother's killers, using every brutal method possible.
From director Sacha Bennett (Bonded By Blood) and also starring Alison Doody (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), Lysette Anthony (Dracula: Dead and Loving It), Danny-Boy Hatchard (Eastenders) and introducing Dani Dyer, WE STILL KILL THE OLD WAY is an explosive, bullet-riddled showdown for peace, justice and retribution.


text: I live in Alaska and our local wireless service (Alaska Communication Systems) gets phones about 6 months or later than the lower 48. We have just this week been offered the Hero (Sprint version)...first Android phone sold locally. My spouse and 3 teens have iPhones, but we've already been to a couple of spots in AK where they didn't have service. Do you like your Heros??? If you had the chance at a different phone would you choose something other than the Hero? Why? Thanks for your input, sherri


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Kathy Griffin David Letterman
January 21, 2012 by staff
Kathy Griffin David Letterman, Three weeks ago, Kathy Griffin stripped for Anderson Cooper on New Year's Eve while hosting the countdown in New York with the CNN host and made him more than a little nervous. Now, Griffin has stripped on the air for talk-show host David Letterman.
Drew Barrymore had done something similar for Letterman in 1995, famously flashing him. This week comedienne Griffin continued her stripping practice in the New Year by dropping her dress on Letterman's CBS "Late Show." It was a clumsy event, and she even had to get Letterman to help unhook the dress.
It all came about as Griffin was talking with Letterman on his talk show about when she stunned Cooper during the New Year's Eve coverage. The "Late Show" played a clip of it, and then she offered to do the same for Letterman.
"I'll do it right now," she said. "Go ahead," Letterman said.
So Griffin proceeded to drop her black ccktail dress, revealing a black bra and some torso flesh. Letterman, 64, stood close by watching with an awkward glare, before helping her with the unhook.
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text: Historical Inquiry is for students considering a major or minor in history or related field. The main purpose of the course is to investigate what it means to be a historian. This course explores the nature, uses, and methodologies of historical inquiry as well as the various career options available for those interested in History.


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US stocks Monday rose in early trade following a holiday-lengthened weekend as a busy week of earnings kicked off with solid reports from Halliburton and Kimberly-Clark.About 30 minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 40.84 points (0.25 percent) to 16,449.38.The broad-based S&P 50 added 4.90 (0.26 percent) at 1,869.75, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 17.04 (0.42 percent) to 4,112.56. With a relatively light slate of economic data, investors are focused on corporate earnings results. Major companies to report this week include Apple, Boeing, Caterpillar and General Motors.Both oil-services company Halliburton and consumer-goods company Kimberly-Clark bested expectations in the first quarter reports.Operating earnings at Halliburton rose to 73 cents per share, two cents better than expectations. The company reported strong revenue increases in most regions, including North America and Middle East/Africa, making up for declines in Latin America. Shares jumped 4.2 percent.Kimberly-Clark, which makes Kleenex and Huggies among other personal-care products, dipped 1.1 percent despite earnings that bested expectations by a penny at $1.48 a share. But sales slipped 1 percent from a year ago to $5.28 billion, below the analyst projection of $5.32 billion.Toymaker Hasbro reported earnings per share of 14 cents compared with expectations of 10 cents. Revenues came in at $679.5 million, below the $690.2 million projected by analysts. Shares rose 0.6 percent.A report that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is considering a $100 billion takeover of British rival AstraZeneca lifted Pfizer 1.5 percent. US shares of AstraZeneca jumped 5.6 percent.Newmont Mining shot up 6.8 percent on reports that merger talks with Barrick Gold could be revived. Barrick fell 2.0 percent.Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury fell to 2.70 percent from 2.72 percent Thursday, while the 30-year declined to 3.49 percent from 3.52 percent. Bond prices and yields move inversely.
GMT 23:50 2017 Monday ,20 NovemberBahrain Bourse daily trading performance
GMT 14:54 2017 Sunday ,19 NovemberBahrain Bourse daily trading performance
GMT 03:16 2017 Saturday ,18 NovemberAsian markets head for positive end to volatile week
GMT 11:57 2017 Friday ,17 NovemberUS stocks boosted by solid Wal-Mart, Cisco earnings
GMT 06:51 2017 Friday ,17 NovemberBahrain Bourse daily trading performance
GMT 03:57 2017 Thursday ,16 NovemberStock markets retreat as oil slides
GMT 15:05 2017 Wednesday ,15 NovemberBahrain Bourse daily trading performance
GMT 02:47 2017 Wednesday ,15 NovemberAsian markets down as fears grow for US tax reform


text: The first trailer of gameplay for Ghost Recon Future Soldier is out and the comparisons of you-know-what-clone are in abundance. So much so, let us stick the trailers together side by side... There's a heavy action focus and the heartbeat G minor chord sound in the background. Oh, yeah and there's no zombies. To the untrained eye, this was the same game out around last Christmas. Ghost Recon Future Soldier is due May 22, 2012. Ghost Recon Future Soldier Debuthttp://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-gameplay-trailer/726463 Vs Ghost Recon Clonehttp://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-trailer/714154


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