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Holy Fuck this list was a lot harder to narrow down and create than I thought.
Note: Many of these moments are based solely off of eyewitness testimony, and it's quite possible that some of the best moments will be excluded from the list, simply based on the fact of "lack of memory" of all participants.
Honorable Mention:
- My buddys' little sisters' quinceanera. Pretty sure my boys and I set the world record for most amount of alcohol consumed per pound.
- Eugene's 21st birthday...damn we threw a hell of a party, and holy fuck did we destroy that apartment that night, and that year for that matter...pretty sure the current tenants wish death and teh AIDS upon us
- Ryan's birthday when lets put it this way, but 4pm, I was hung the fuck over, and destroyed my room trying to find the right clothes to change into.
- The night that I finally professed my undying love to the Chili's waitress, telling her that she "took my breath away", only to get shot down. FML!
- Basically all of Coalition 27's shows at DiPiazzas
#10- How can I not start with the first time I threw up due to alcohol? It took a couple of years, but pounding shots of 95 degree Captain Morgan with my nemesis finally did the trick, with Ryan cheering me on, as I was puking my guts out. I probably shouldn't have continued going shot for shot afterwards, but when a girl gets in your face, calls you a bitch, and challenges you to keep pounding, how the fuck can you back down?
#9- Jaegerbomb Night! I'm not sure if I did anything that crazy that night, but if nothing else, I think it's pretty epic, when my buddy is bent over the toilet throwing up, and I'm getting in his face screaming "You're a fucking pussy" over and over again.
#8- The 4th of July like 2007. Drinking an insane number of beers, vodka, tequila, and inevitably walking up to some chick I knew, but whose name I couldn't remember, and saying "Who the Fuck are you?" before falling face down into the bushes.
#7- The party at by boy Erik's house, where regardless of who actually drew the King, I ended up drinking the entire cup in King's Cup. Obv. I was playing with a bunch of chicks. Having all the chicks all over me, playing I think well at beer pong, I'm pretty sure that the drunker I get, the better I play.
#6- Vegas August 2009. Getting probably 86ed from the Venetian, capping every hand every street of poker, getting cut off, but having the other people at the table ordering my chivas and just handing it to me (they obv. didn't want me to leave), setting the world record for most drunk dials in one night, getting to the final table of a poker tournament completely blackout drunk, like zero clue of any of the hands that I played.
#5- Vegas July 2009. Stripper cards, getting thrown in the pool by crazy drunk chicks, interviewing random people on the street, that awesome talk with those cool black guys, everybody getting lost, tearing it up on the dance floor, and double fisting a 190 and a chivas on ice. What an insane couple of days.
#4- Draftpicks for one of Coalition 27's shows. The moderator had drank his weight in beer and long islands, when he started dancing with some chick, who proceeds to kiss him after the end of the song. The moderator proceeds to run around the bar high fiving everybody, alerting them that he just got kissed.
#3- Wasn't drunk, but my friends were, but that night that we went to that bar/club in Costa Mesa, when every chick in the place wanted a piece of me. So awesome dancing with tons of hawt random chicks, including a stripper that I had previously got a dance from, who remembered me, and danced with me.
#2- Palm Springs Spring 2009. You know you've had a hell of a day, when you unblackout at 6pm, then proceed to get hammered again that night. Pretty sure that I got 86ed from that golf course, as well as that cab driver's cab for life.
#1.5- Halloween 2008 (the year I was Manny). enough said.
#1.25- 40 minutes. 12 shots of Smirnoff Vodka. 2 classes missed the next day. 1 horrendous fucking hangover.
#1- and its not even close. March 2006. Obviously always has been, and always will be FUCKING VEGAS, and the first time I ever got drunk. 190's FTW! Going crazy at Caesars, wooing it up walking down the strip, running into Phil Ivey, and his entourage, it truly was the ultimate first Vegas and Drunk experience, and I'll never forget it as long as I live.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Top 10 marc1313 Drunk Moments (Good and Bad)
Posted by marc1313 at 11:08 PM
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DescriptionPlastic mic holder with standard thread; the mic simply slides in and is held securely. Featuring swivel adjustment. High quality hard plastic.
Diameter (mm): 20(mm)
Depth (mm): 30 Height (mm): 61 Width (mm): 55
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This is offered on all products regardless of order value to all mainland UK postcodes. Your purchase will be with you within 3 working days of your order being placed.
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I need my products quickly- can you help?
Absolutely! At check out you can select the option that suits you best.
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When is the cut off for Next day delivery?
If you place your order before 2pm Monday- Friday, we will dispatch the same day.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Happy Anniversary to a Canadian shelter staple, recognizable all over North America!
Invented in 1968, these domed "eggs" were originally the brainchild of a young Winnipeg farm boy named Ray Olecko. Built primarily using lightweight fiberglass the original models could sleep up to 4 people. This was the vanguard age of plastics and new manufacturing technology, which heavily influenced design and production of the boler. [1] In a country renowned for it's wide-open spaces and sprawling wilderness, boler trailers were the perfect way to camp or travel cross country without having to erect a tent every night. In fact, you could say that boler trailer owners were some of the very first "glampers"!
Source: CBC
Here's a picture of Ray Olecko and his family with the original model!
While the 4-person egg may look like a tight fit to us today, once upon a time, bolers were also occasionally used as more permanent shelter; they would populate trailer parks the same way RVs do now! A new boler was a blank canvas that occupents retrofitted and upgraded to suit their needs and lifestyles. In fact, boler owners go to all lengths to trick out their trailers! [2]
Take a look at "Buttercup"!
In 1968, the original bolers cost just $1,400 - an affordable mode of vacation transportation and shelter for the average middle class family. But since they stopped being made in 1988 - edged out of the market by more popular 'pop-up trailers' and 'motorhomes' - the rare-to-find boler trailer will often sell for over $10,000!
To mark the half century celebration, boler trailer owners from all over are convening in the place of it's birth: Winnipeg!
Do you have fond family memories of boler trailers? I do! After all, they were just a camping convenience; these trailers garner so much nostalgia becasue they colour a specific time in Canadian history, and represent quality time spent with family and friends!
Happy Anniversary, Boler!!
~ Posted by Steven Fudge, the purveyor of houseporn.ca and proprietor of Urbaneer.com, a division of Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage.
Sources: [1] Global News [2] The CBC [3] CTV News


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Daniel Smith
Clean Coast Collective
Dan is a social entrepreneur and accountant that is passionate about businesses that are improving the world. His passion for the ocean led him to co-found Clean Coast Collective, a not-for-profit environmental organisation stopping ocean pollution at the source.
When he's not removing rubbish from our coastlines, Dan is also part-owner of The Corner Palm, a community focused co-working studio in Byron Bay.
From taking groups on two week expeditions to clean Australia's most remote beaches, to running events in Byron Bay, and then freelancing as an accountant, Dan's experience is about as broad as you can get'
Editors note: Please note Dan's podcast was recorded in his co-working studio so there is some noise in background


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Trump's troop boost in Afghanistan to cost over $1 billion a year
The U.S. military's top leaders told lawmakers Tuesday that the thousands of additional U.S. troops President Trump has ordered to Afghanistan will cost just over $1 billion a year, bringing the total bill for fighting America's longest war to $12.5 billion annually.
During wide-ranging hearings on Capitol Hill, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also said that the United States should remain in the nuclear deal negotiated during the Obama administration that constrains Iran's ability to build a nuclear arsenal. Mr. Trump has trashed the international accord, a cornerstone of Barack Obama's presidency, as the worst agreement ever negotiated by the United States and signaled he may abandon the agreement. Mr. Trump has yet to announce what he plans to do with the deal, after his first time at the United Nations General Assembly in September, even though he said he has "decided" what to do.
The release of the Afghan war cost information came as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., assailed Mattis and Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for withholding from Congress key details about Mr. Trump's new strategy for winning in Afghanistan that was announced six weeks ago.
McCain, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, declared that it was "bizarre" that Mattis and Dunford did not submit written testimony before the hearing started. That's customary practice for administration witnesses testifying before congressional committees. The written testimony is usually released in advance, giving members of the committee time to digest the information and prepare questions.
"We want to be your partners," McCain said. "But this committee will not be a rubber stamp for any policy or president. We must be well-informed. We must be convinced of the merits of the administration's actions. And unfortunately, we still have far more questions than answers about this new strategy."
McCain even told Defense News the committee will hold up the president's Pentagon nominations until members are satisfied with the administration's plans for Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mattis and Dunford, who appeared first before the Senate panel and later before the House Armed Services Committee, sought to assure skeptical lawmakers that Mr. Trump's plan for expanding the U.S. presence in Afghanistan would pay off. Several members expressed concern the U.S. was wading more deeply into a conflict at great expense without prospects for long-term success.
Mattis said that the Afghanistan military and police forces are fully engaged in combat operations for the first time during the 16-year-old war and are suffering fewer casualties as they continue to improve their competence on the battlefield.
He added that the Afghan forces are becoming bolder in combat because they know U.S. and NATO forces are using airpower to strike the Taliban and other militants on "the high ground." That frees up the Afghans to "take the fight to the enemy," Mattis said.
Dunford acknowledged, however, that the war in Afghanistan is currently a stalemate.
"We're not at a point where we can bring a successful political solution to the war," Dunford said.
Trump unveiled his new strategy for Afghanistan in August and said American troops would "fight to win" by attacking enemies, "crushing" al-Qaida, and preventing terrorist attacks against Americans. But Mr. Trump said U.S. support is not unlimited.
"Our commitment is not unlimited and our support is not a blank check," he said at the time.
But Mr. Trump's description of a win in Afghanistan notably did not include defeating the Taliban. He indicated that after an effective military effort it eventually may be possible to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan that includes elements of the Taliban.
As part of the plan, the Pentagon is boosting troop numbers by about 3,500, augmenting the roughly 11,000 Americans currently stationed there. The increase will expand training of the Afghan military and beef up U.S. counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda and a growing Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) affiliate in Afghanistan, as well as the Taliban and other extremist groups.
The White House delayed the president's Afghanistan announcement for weeks, as it hammered out the details.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan has long questioned the effectiveness of the resources spent on that war. The watchdog has called out everything from up $28 million wasted on "inappropriate" Afghan soldier uniforms, to $450 million wasted on a spy program under the Obama era.
The additional cost of the war comes as the president criticizes costs elsewhere. On Tuesday, while visiting Puerto Rico, the president joked the island is throwing the budget a "little out of whack" in the wake of Hurricane Maria, and his administration is fighting to explain how its new tax proposal doesn't add to the federal deficit.


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|Log in
EVOLVEO expands the range of receivers for the upcoming DVB-T2 format with H.265 / HEVC support with a simple and affordable EVOLVEO Alpha T2 set top box. The device with a well-arranged screen and intuitive control with easy installation and channel tuning enables smooth transition to a new transmission format and it adds multimedia functions to your television, featuring a possibility to record TV programmes on a connected USB device and to play multimedia files from connected devices on a TV screen. A smart remote control that enables you to control not only the Alpha T2 receiver but also a connected TV is included in the package. You can extend the receiver with a Wi-Fi adapter (optional) that provides connection to a home network with Internet and provides access to playing videos from YouTube channels.
Availability and Price
The EVOLVEO Alpha T2 is available at selected retailers and on-line stores. Recommended retail price is 28 EUR including VAT.


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Data Centre Management
A datacentre operator can plug CACTOS to enact performance optimisations in his datacentre. It is as easy as plug a new device to the power. In CACTOS we have developed a toolkit that was developed mainly upon OpenStack. But, also can be enacted using other cloud middleware tools.
Moving to the architecture, the OpenStack VMI and OpenStack VMI Controller enable CACTOS functionality for OpenStack-based Cloud Installations (cf. Figure 1). VMI enhances the default OpenStack REST interface to users so that they can also trigger application deployment. In addition, it intercepts calls to the standard OpenStack interface dealing with spawning and terminating virtual machines. The VMI Controller in turn executes tasks defined by CACTOS (mainly CactoOpt) on the data centre to enact optimisation decisions. The main component, which handles flows between CACTOS and an OpenStack Cloud Platform, is the Runtime Management.
Figure 1: CACTOS Architecture on an OpenStack-based datacentre
In detail, incoming REST requests to VMI are translated from OpenStack format to a generic CACTOS format and then passed to the Runtime Management. CactoOpt as well as the Runtime Management component use the VMI Controller to execute CACTOS generic tasks in an OpenStack specific way. The VMI controller may issue requests to the OpenStack REST API, or to one of the two proxy services for controlling physical resources and power state of compute nodes in the OpenStack data centre. For application instance deployment, CACTOS uses Cloudiator, a multi-cloud application orchestration software. The VMI and the VMI Controller communicate with Cloudiator's Colosseum service to handle actions on application level.


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How to capture digital talent for your business?
The labor market is growing and evolving by leaps and bounds. Nowadays, businesses are focused on using the best and most up-to-date resources possible to optimize the business strategy and to achieve objectives. For this reason, we should follow the same evolutionary direction when it comes to capturing the best talent. In this respect, it is very important to select good digital talent to develop this value within the company.
This world forces us to focus on the digital team as one of the strongest powers in the company. Reinforcing the digital marketing department of the enterprise will benefit us so that it evolves fast and constantly readjusts to new market trends without having to resort to external resources. Properly selecting these types of profiles will ensure a future adapted to the changes that may arise in this sector.
Today, capturing valuable digital talent is easier than it was a few years ago. Through various platforms and social media channels, we can find highly segmented profiles and we can reach a large number of candidates in a greater distance radius than before.
How to attract these digital profiles?
Before, companies sought talent on job markets or specific institutions for this purpose. Today, thanks to digitalization, there are infinite ways of attracting great talent, even if the talent is not actively looking for employment.
Thanks to platforms such as LinkedIn, for instance, we can find potential candidates and read details on their curricular information, skills, and abilities, which interests the business.
To attract the talent or profile that suits the job, we must take into account different factors. Some of the most important ones are:
- A solid branding strategy.
- A strong digital presence.
- Working conditions adjusted to the needs of the sector, such as flexible working hours and the possibility of teleworking.
- Other work benefits, such as, for instance, food vouchers, insurance, performance incentives, etc.
- Attractive employer branding: Make sure to have an amplification strategy on social media. Also, these profiles value highly the fact that your employees are your brand ambassadors and see it as a benefit.
The most popular digital talent's profiles.
The most demanded digital profiles are the following:
- SEO Specialist: Responsible for the organic position of the different "sites" on the website.
- SEM Specialist: Design, management, and analysis of online advertising campaigns.
- Web Developer: Encodes and designs websites and applications. Additionally, this profile is responsible for establishing quality standards and website policies, as well as the maintenance of the website.
- Content Curator: The person in charge of creating and designing a content plan and curing the content.
- Community Manager: Manages, monitors, and moderates the company's social media channels.
- Digital Communication Manager: Responsible for the company's digital communication.
- Data Scientist: Cleans and processes data. Moreover, this person draws conclusions using data analysis (mainly with statistical and computer tools) in different fields such as finance and marketing.
- UX and UI Expert: Responsible for the analysis of navigation behavior and the redesign of the landing pages on the website to facilitate the user experience.
- Data Analyst: Responsible for data processing, categorization, and analysis.
- Security Expert: The person in charge of the prevention and supervision of possible threats that could affect any of the business' activities.
- IoT Expert: An increasingly popular profile: This person is responsible for the interconnectivity between various devices using, in many cases, big data technology.
Employer branding as the key to attract and retain a company's digital talent.
Employer Branding is a strategy to make your employees feel identified with the brand and to make them become your best social media ambassadors. Not only is this is a way to give more online visibility to the brand, but it also makes the company's publications and values reach more people.
The employer branding strategy must offer advantages for the employees to implement, such as user-friendliness, convenience, and easy to use. If your company's policy complies with it, the members of the digital team will be the first ones to write about the enterprise and to amplify it to the other teams.
Furthermore, for the employer branding strategy to succeed, it is important to select the tool that best suits your needs. Here you can discover the Social Reacher plan that best matches your strategy. When selecting a tool, you should take several aspects into account:
- Have an attractive and intuitive visual design that improves the user experience.
- Accessibility: from different devices and places, facilitating the experience of your employees.
- It must be measurable to understand whether the strategy is succeeding or, on the contrary, if you have to correct it.
This way, you won't only have the best brand ambassadors, but you will also enhance your digital brand image, which is more attractive for talents who might become your future employees.


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Shell set to commence North Sea oil drilling project
Shell has announced that it will start drilling in the North Sea's Penguin oil field. The Penguin oil field is the corporation's first new manned project in the North Sea in three decades.
The project is expected the generate 300 to 400 jobs, during various stages of the new development.
"Shell has had a strong presence in this part of the northern North Sea for more than forty years," said Steve Phimister, Shell's vice president for upstream in the UK and Ireland.
"Having reshaped our portfolio over the last 12 months, we now plan to grow our North Sea production through our core production assets."
Click here to view roles that are currently available across the Drilling sector.


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Leather clutch made from vegetable-tanned cow hide in a British Tan color. Leather is finished with an avocado oil and lanolin leather balm. Hand stitched.
7" wide, 3.5" tall
Vermont cow hides are transformed to leather using environmentally sound chestnut-based solutions by the Meyer Family, who has passed their tanning traditions down over the past 400 years. I find equestrian tack to use as straps at auctions, on Ebay and in the occasional barn sale or dumpster, and design and sew the goods in my basement workshop in Charlotte, VT. I'm committed to building a resilient, equitable food system, and donate 5% of proceeds from online purchases to organizations that are working to meet these ends. See the Giving page to learn who the current beneficiary is.


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Awwww man. Can't you see I'm sleeping. Whats with the flashy thingy. You know my name is Alfie.
If you're not going to feed me then let me go back to sleep.
What's going on? Take my picture? Is that some dust? Is that a TV? My name is Bandit!!
too cute, they are sure lookin healthy
~ ♥ ~
So cute and beautiful.
Mine is similar! Have a look!
Are they Maine Coons or
Couldn't imagine being a day without a cat...
~ ♥ ~
Enjoy your Sunday
awe nice post dad. one of your best
My cat could be twins with yours... It's astonishing. Does SweetPea not like pats? My Leroy likes hugs when no one is looking, but if there is guests, he's a mean lil man.
Gorgeous!! but...how do you tell them apart?
We don't know if they are Main Coons or not. They have the markings and the personality traits common with Main Coons. Sweetpea and Bandit don't have the size but Alfie does. He's huge.
Like twins they are easy to tell apart when you know them.


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Growth Trends for Related Jobs
Teachers of the visually impaired teach students with varying degrees of visual impairment and those with total blindness. These teachers may provide Braille instruction, teach students to use assistive technology and support students in their endeavors to become as independent as possible. College programs for teachers of the visually impaired are limited, but some do offer online coursework for those who do not live near a college offering such programs.
Visit your state department of education website to find visually impaired teacher certification requirements. If information is not readily available, call the state department of education to inquire further.
Complete either a bachelor's degree in education with a visually impaired emphasis or complete an education degree and then pursue a master's degree specializing in the teaching of those with visual impairments.
Volunteer to work with visually impaired children while completing certification requirements in order to gain valuable experience.
Apply for a teacher's certificate or license with an endorsement in visually impaired instruction.
Apply for jobs at local school districts and at specialized schools for the blind.


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Bayern munich on-loan star James Rodriguez is keen on playing for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool according to reports in the Spanish media.
The reports are claiming Rodriguez believes he can be the perfect replacement for Barcelona new boy Philippe Coutinho and could join before tonight's transfer deadline if Liverpool are interested.
Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Philippe Coutinho would not be replaced in this transfer window, but with the Reds still in the Champions League and looking to end inside the top four, many of their fans feel they need reinforcements if they want to keep up with their current success.
Rodriguez is currently on a two years loan deal at Bayern Munich, but the Germans seem to be preparing for this season to be his last season at the Allianz Arena after they signed Leon Goretzka from Schalke 04.
Bayern Munich, however, currently hold all the cards in Rodriguez's future as they have the option of making the deal permanent at any time at all. If the Germans exercise their right to sign him permanently, he would likely be overpriced for Liverpool.
The Reds recovered from a two games losing streak to beat Huddersfield 0-3 at the John Smith Stadium last night, their next game would be at home to Tottenham at the weekend.


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IN A UNIQUE crossover deal, the chief executives at hotel development and management company NewcrestImage have purchased Dallas-based American Bank. Mehul Patel, Chirag Patel, and Mital Patel, operating under an investment group named Bright Force Holding, LLC, promise to streamline the banking process for small businesses.
Mehul Patel is chairman and CEO at NewcrestImage. Chirag Patel is CFO and Mital Patel is a managing partner. The company operates a portfolio of 28 properties.
American Bank, with $55 million in assets, is a single-location community bank established in 1974 as Pan American National Bank of Dallas, changing its name to American Bank in May of 1987. Bright Force closed the deal on the bank on March 8.
The bank's current President and CEO John Goforth while the Bright Force investors will become members of the board with Chirag Patel as chairman of the board.
"We will maintain the highly-personalized service that customers have come to expect from American Bank," Chirag Patel said. "In addition, we see a tremendous opportunity to introduce new banking services – such as the sophisticated, forward-looking solutions that young entrepreneurs and start-up companies expect. We understand first-hand the challenges and priorities that owners of small and medium-sized businesses have for fast, local decision-making without bureaucracy."
Goforth also said the bank will retain its highly personalized relationship with its clients.
"We have created a community bank where customers are known by their name, not their account number," said Goforth, who has served as president and CEO since 2010.
This is not the NewcrestImage team's first step onto new business ground. In November the company entered its first third-party management contract. The company is overseeing the 163-room Holiday Express Inn & Suites at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport North.
"We have launched a new third-party hotel management service so absentee owners of mid-market and upscale properties can benefit from our company's experience, expertise, and stability," Mehul Patel said previously. "Our immediate goals include increasing revenue, reducing costs, and improving the guest experience, while our long-term objective is to enhance and maximize market value of the property."


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President Ernest Bai Koroma said in Freetown yesterday that his Agenda For Change program is to improve the lives of all Sierra Leoneans . The President made the statement at the National Stadium , Freetown while commissioning 40 new buses that will soon start plying the roads of Sierra Leone , bringing tremendous relief to the nation. According to the All People's Congress (APC) , President Koroma stated that his Agenda for Change programme is to alleviate the suffering of Sierra Leoneans and today positive changes have been made in Agriculture, Energy, Infrastructure, Health and Education . While saying that his government has transformed the whole country in just four years, President Koroma promised that his government will do everything to make Sierra Leone a great nation once again.
The 40 buses were purchased by the Sierra Leone Government under the inspiring and progressive leadership of President Koroma. The government has not committed itself or the country to any more loans for the buses. The government's aim after constructing modern and state-of-the- art roads in Sierra Leone is to flood the routes with transportation to make life easier for the Sierra Leonean people. Again, this is a fulfillment of another promise President Koroma made to the Sierra Leonean people during his electioneering campaign in 2007.
At a time when Sierra Leone was steeped in chronic transportation crisis, with thousands of people stranded on the streets whole day looking for vehicles to take them to their destination, President Koroma promised the people that if they voted for him, he will make sure that good roads are constructed and enough buses provided to boost transportation in the country.
The news of the commissioning of the 40 buses brought tremendous joy to Sierra Leoneans. Many people interviewed by COCORIOKO expressed profound delight and were full of praise for President Ernest Bai Koroma .They gave their sincere opinion that President Koroma is a big blessing to Sierra Leone and five more years of his rule will make Sierra Leone one of the most developed countries in Africa. They extolled the fact that since President Koroma came to power , there had been lots of good news in the country. Many of them said that they will convince friends and family to vote for President Koroma in November's elections.


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Dennis Howard Marks was born in the small Welsh town of Bridgend. Marks had a reputation for being a young rogue that roamed the miner towns' streets, looking for trouble and trying to pick up girls. A bright young lad that gained access to higher education in Oxford, thanks to the high grades obtained in the school of Gawl, where he studied.
While he was studying, he had his first encounter with marijuana, or "Moroccan kif", to be more precise. In his autobiographical book, "Mr Nice", he explained how he felt when he had a taste of that thing he would shortly after call "green gold": "The effect was surprisingly soft but long-lasting. After some minutes I felt a tickling sensation in the stomach, but without the anxiety that usually goes with it. I felt like laughing while at the same time the conversation seemed funny enough to do so. Afterwards I became fully aware of the music I was listening to, "Please, please, please", by James Brown, as well as the estethic qualities of my immediate surroundings. Every one of these experiences was totally new to me and turned out to be very pleasant. I also felt everything moving in a slower pace. I ended up feeling hungry, like everybody else, so we burst into an Indian food place, a kind of food I was hooked on ever since".
The Mr Nice nickname is not accidental. Howard Marks took pride in not having ever used violence in his dealings with drug traffickers, in line with his Buddhist faith and its non-violence ideal: "the trick is not letting anybody know that you're afraid".
According to what is told in his book, that climbed up to a best seller status, Marks started his smuggler career so he could help a friend of his who had been arrested in Germany. Marks crossed the border with almost 200 kilos of first quality hash for the British consumers. The business went so well that he repeated the same operation hundreds of times. That way, through a series of fortuitous events, Marks became one of the biggest cannabis distributors in the world.
Amongst Marks' associates, we could find diplomats that introduced the drug in Europe inside their pouches, cult leaders that sought psychedelic revolutions and even Provisional IRA members, like James Mc Cann, depicted in the book as an unstable revolutionary of scatological taste that enabled the entrance of tons of cannabis imported by Marks in the Seventies decade. In Marks' words: "Mc Cann longed for criminal glamour and it was evident that he thought he would have a better chance of getting money, deceiving and acting maliciously if he became an Irish popular hero".
Not satisfied with mingling with people as dangerous as IRA members, thanks to an old college friend Marks was recruited to work as an informant for the British Secret Service: "James Bond. Not that I wanted a license to kill, I didn't want or need anything like that. But I thought I could use it as a sort of license to trafficking with hash. No doubt something like that would come handy. I decided not to tell Mc Cann. M16 was not very popular in Belfast. In fact, I decided not to tell anybody".
In lots of passages, Marks' book turns into a sort of "How to become an international drug trafficker" textbook, with lots of details on his operations, who talked to who, how the hash was being introduced in cars' double bottoms, how Mc Cann made it possible for the hash to land through Shannon airport, how many kilos, how much money and all sorts of details, so you get the impression that he was a man who knew his business well and knew why it was done that way.
But his adventure entered a blocked road when, in the middle of the expansion through North American markets, a ton of his cannabis was seized by police. Hidden amongst the musical instruments of bands like Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd, Marks had been delivering great amounts of his product to the American masses, until he was discovered. Marks managed to escape and hide away, but the justice got hold of him finally in Palma de Mallorca in 1988, where he had retired with his family while his finances never stopped growing and where he had remained a fugitive from British and American justice.
The court convicted him to 25 years in an Oakland prison. He got out after seven years, thanks to his good behaviour and his helping spirit towards the other inmates. Although he didn't have a very good time in Oakland (he got sick, lost most of his teeth and suffered abuse from the prison officers), that's where he wrote "Mr Nice", using the nickname he was known for by his clients because of his kind personality. The origin of said nickname, that he himself created, lies in one of the fake identities he adopted when he got the passport of a man called "Niis": "That man could pronounce his name however he wanted to. I just knew I had turned into Mr Nice".
After being released in 1995, Marks devoted himself to writing several books, give speeches and hilarious stand-ups and defending his creed of non-violence, legalization and regulation of Marijuana, while he kept critizicing the legal system, the US prisons and the unrelenting persecution by the authorities and their absurd "War on drugs": "Obviously, legalization of cannabis for medical reasons is very welcome. But, personally, I would never want to wait until I had cancer to be able to legally have a smoke".
"I want it to be legalized for recreational use, and I'm pleased to see that four states in the US have done that. After my experience in the hands of USA's legal system, it's the last place I thought would lead this cause", Marks told the Guardian in one of his last interviews.
Dennis Howard Marks died in Leeds in April 10th2016 of a colon cancer. His body left but his memory will live on as long as we remember him, like a rock star, a despicable and charming being. As a gripping read for a seventeen-year-old. As a legend.


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With Next BI's Business Intelligence managing the company's logistics become easier.
The stock analysis gives important and useful information to the business management and company's logistics. In fact, it is possible to trace in an effective and efficient way movements of goods, their esteem and many other information.
In particular, analyzing every single stock movement, products registries, their classification and products' costs it is possible to understand:
- Inventories (value and quantity);
- Slow moving (products that have not been moved);
- Cross Analysis (ratio between consumption and average stock).
Thanks to the support of our technologies, results can be filtrated by any level of analysis and obtaining a graphic representation of them. In this way, results can be interpreted easily and intuitively.
Transportation analysis gives to the user a series of important information related to this area such as:
- Total volume transported in a particular period;
- Total costs beard for line, product, client ext;
- Analysis of costs' trend over different periods.
The main strengths of the module are:
- Flexibility of the logic model of analysis at any level;
- Immediacy and ease of utilize for business users;
- Data integration and rapidity of consultation (even via Web).
Next BI has developed Transportation Analysis in order to answer quickly to the following questions:
- Which is the most convenient supplier;
- Which is the cost of optional expenses?;
- Where am I shipping more often?;
- Which is the average shipping time?;
- Which are the trend of the costs' tendency?;
- Which is the transportation costs' incidence on client/product/line/ext.
In Galileo EPM's Philosophy this model allows to control data with proper Data quality forms and the detailed transactions. This permits to have always a complete control of the area.
Thanks to the business strategy's suite it is possible to simulate what if scenarios regarding not only to logistics area but also to the other company's areas.
The achievable results through the Financial management model can be very useful to manage the planning and the finance of the entire company.
Purchases analysis and sales analysis can be integrated with this module.
The stock is near to the production area, so the related production solution can be combined with the stock analysis.


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So I am sure they would let me take this out for a spin. Wonder who I would call to see if I can take it for a spin
A lot of family fun, Happy moments…..
So I am sure they would let me take this out for a spin. Wonder who I would call to see if I can take it for a spin
Sex-Positive Erotica for an LDS audience
since october 2010, I´m posting a sketch per day
feel good food that's good for you
COED.com is a leading news, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle destination for millennials and beyond.
Current & Breaking News | National & World Updates
Sports news, podcasts, live interviews & some fun
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A lot of family fun, Happy moments.....
Advice on student style, collegiate dating discussion guides, relationship advice and women's studies.
Gear Reviews | SoCal Hiking Trail Guides | Backpacking Trips | Travel Guides
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delivered directly to my computer monitor on an all too regular basis...
Food Photography & Recipes


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Our Cannabis Products
Click the orange "Order Online" button to have us prepare your order prior to picking it up.
Note: In order to use the order-ahead service through Weedmaps you must create a WeedMaps account, upload your medical card and state ID to your account, and verify your patient license and ID when you pick up your order.
If you have any issues navigating the product menu below, click the button to go directly to our Weedmaps page/menu.


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|Photo courtesy of Wilkes Athletics
Wilkes falls to 1-5 overall and 1-4 in conference play with the loss while Albright improved to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in MAC contests.
Knight opened the game with a 16 yard rushing touchdown, giving Albright the 7-0 early lead following a Daniel Sobolewski extra point.
Following a 14 play drive by the Colonels that stalled at the Albright 24 yard line, Jordan Stiles (Camp Hill, PA/Cedar Cliff) forced a turnover for the second consecutive week when he punched the ball out of Albright's Brian Wickkiser's grasp, recovered by Wilkes Robert Moyer (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh).
After the two teams traded three punts, with the Lions pinned at their own 13 yard line, Jason Ugwu(Collegeville, PA/Perkiomen Valley) ripped through the line for his second sack of the year, taking down Lions quarterback Alec Vignola in the end zone for the safety. The Colonels received the ensuing free kick with 59 seconds remaining in the first quarter, and turned it into a nine play, 71 yard drive capped off by aMarcellus Hayes (Camp Hill, PA/Camp Hill) two-yard quarterback keeper to give Wilkes a 9-7 lead following a Carl von Glahn kick.
The final 11 Colonels drives resulted in ten punts and one turnover on downs, while Albright rattled off 55 unanswered points.
Ryan Dailey (Easton, PA/Wilson) finished 16 of 38 for 124 yards, with PJ Incremona (Wood Ridge, NJ/Wood Ridge) leading the rushing and receiving attack with 38 yards on 19 carries and five receptions for 46 yards. Isaiah Robinson (Pittsburgh, PA/Milton Hershey) and Tanner Stengel (Allentown, PA/Parkland) led the Colonels defense with nine and eight tackles, respectively. Both collected one sack along with Jason Ugwu (Collegeville, PA/Perkiomen Valley) and Michael Fitz (Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg), who had two sacks on the day.
The Lions were led through the air by Knight, and on the ground by Knight and Brian Wickkiser, who had 42 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Malik Gilmore paced the receiving corps with five catches for 94 yards and one score. Jamal Hayden led the Albright defense with six tackles.
Wilkes is on its bye this week, with its next action coming two weeks from today when it will host MAC opponent Lebanon Valley College on October 24th at 1 p.m. at Schmidt Stadium.
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Is It Time to Buy a Webcam?
A hosted predictive dialer service offers the user using a top rated automated predictive dialer on a monthly rental basis. The dialer is done sip.us ready for usage, supported and secured by the vendor and after that sent to the person ready for use within a few hours. A hosted predictive dialer can significantly improve the productivity of outbound contact centre staff. The average actual agent 'talk time' when manually dialing is 12 minutes per hour, by using a predictive dialer this increases to 44 minutes. This represents an increase in efficiency that could reach over 300%. This compatible massive cost savings for virtually any size outbound call centre and when you take under consideration an anticipated tripling of sales / leads / debt recovery based on your type of business due to increased agent talk time you can view why predictive dialer's are becoming so popular.
Phone System - If you curently have an IP based PBX then healthy for you since you will no longer invest about this aspect, but you are a starting business or somebody that just ditch a traditional telephone then it is better that you couple a SIP trunking platform with a hosted PBX as it involves less investments, basically all that's necessary are some IP phone handsets or soft phones, programming hours out of your service provider, a reliable internet connection and you are fine.
One of the many uses of the internet is always to connect those people who are for the different sides in the planet. It may be through a social media site, commentary or blog space, or through forums. All of these methods cause one goal- in order to connect people. Because of this, many people become accustomed with each other- strangers become friends, long-lost friends are saved in touch once again, family members are updated and individuals are gaining a growing number of acquaintances over the internet.
Learn about the Cable Internet Provider's Offers - Cable companies will invariably try to enlighten their competitors through advertisements that seem to be the best bargain among the others. No matter how tempting these may be, you should actually call or check out the cable company's website to be clear using their offers and rates. It will also do well to find out the huge benefits which is attractive making comparisons among different providers.
3. Stop Guessing in the Required Number of Telephone Lines Most businesses with older phone systems typically guess on the amount of telephone lines they need. The penalty for guessing wrong is paying too much for too many lines or losing business and frustrating callers with too few. Although many SIP services are priced base upon the number of concurrent calls that they can will pass, the purchase price point per path is really a lot below traditional service. In addition, many SIP providers can advise on whether an enterprise has got the correct amount of concurrent call paths.
September 2020


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We take extra care to ensure failsafe firmware updates and minimize service interruptions.
Your camera will go offline for a few seconds as the software update process is being finalized. Verkada Support lets your specify when these updates should occur during our regularly scheduled maintenance windows — and each Verkada camera comes with a redundant firmware bank to ensure failsafe updates — so service interruptions are minimal.
See Update your camera firmware and software for more details.
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Chiyogami: The moment we saw these sheets, we fell in love! They are Japanese silkscreened papers in a striking range of patterns. The pigmented colored designs are printed on mixed kozo and sulphite sheets. It has been said that Japanese designers today are tireless in their development of new fascinating patterns - you truly need to see these in person to understand the amazing range of options! Many wonderful uses too, such as collage, box making, card making, lamp shades, origami, covering book board, and even just hanging as art.
Katazome: Also made in Japan, these too are truly amazing sheets! The translation of "Katazome-shi" literally means stencil-dyed papers. Based on the traditional Kimono printing techniques, these elegant bold patterned papers were developed in Kyoto during the 20th century. Using persimmon-dyed kozo paper, the stencils are aided by "kojiri" paste (soybean juice) so the ink pigments absorb deeply into the paper. Great for book covers, boxes, cards and lampshades.
Japanese Lace Papers: Free-flowing and ethereal – that's one way to describe working with Japanese laces. In collage work, you can layer these endlessly and also use them as a stencil. Some of Wet Paint's staff favorites are Ogura Lace, Asanoha Lace, Amime Lace, and Uzumaki Lace. There is a wide selection of colors to work with as well.
Thai Unryu: In Japan, the name "unryu" means "cloud dragon paper" and the strands of kozo fibers that float through each sheet definitely give a cloud impression. The Thai Unryu Tissues are made of kozo mulberry, the strands of kozo create contrast and texture on each sheet. Great to layer in collage work, this is another paper you will enjoy working with. If you want a heavier sheet, try the Thai Reversible Unryu, which is two different colored sheets laminated together to create a crisp, lightly wrinkled and crinkled sheet. Both the Tissue and the Reversible papers have endless applications; you can use them for card making, book making, lampshades, or covering boxes, just to name a few. And these papers are great fun to experiment with!
Silkscreened Lokta: Like the Solids, the Silkscreened Loktas are just as amazing. The images can be subtle, like the Lama Li Cloud design (which is tone on tone), to bold and bright like the Mandchou designs which are bright colored backgrounds with metallic gold patterns on top. All the pattern choices are acid free and gorgeous!
Questions about our sheet paper? Want to place an order? Contact us using the form below or call 651-698-6431


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NOTICE: Requires the base game Worms Revolution in order to play. Activation key must be used on a valid Steam account, requires internet connection.
Want the ultimate Worms™ Revolution experience and the best value for money? Treat your self to the Worms™ Revolution Season Pass and get access to four downloadable content
packs for Worms™ Revolution at one discounted price:
This product has no expiry date and no service fee
1. Register an account
Go to www.steampowered.com and click 'login' at the top right corner of the website. After that, press 'Join Steam' in the middle of your screen to create your account.
2. Download Steam
Click the green button that says 'Install Steam' at the top right corner of the website, install Steam and login with with the account you created in step 1.
3. Click 'Games' at the top of your screen and select 'Activate a product on Steam'
4. Open the confirmation e-mail you received from Startselect and copy the code into the 'Product Code' box.
5. Confirm the code and install the game
6. You can access your games by clicking 'Library' at the top of your screen.
7. After the download is completed, you can enjoy your game!
Now on Startselect!
Now available at Startselect: Worms Revolution - Season Pass. At Startselect you can purchase your digital games and gift cards anywhere and anytime. All of our products are fully authorized and supported by the publisher or developer.
Do you want to purchase this product? Just pick one of the payment methods, check out and you will receive your digital code almost immediately in your mailbox. If you run into any problems or if you have a question, our support team is standing by. We want to give you the easiest shopping experience, so you can use your product straight away!
Happy with your choice? Be sure to check out all the other products available at Startselect!


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Children & Change Group
Event Dates:
Pre-registration required. Please call our office at 250-860-3181 for more information.
Wednesdays – January 22nd to March 11th, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm (no group on February 5th) (7 weeks)
This is a counsellor-facilitated group program for children, aged 6-12, whose parents have separated or divorced. Children and Change helps children heal and thrive through experiential activities, art, role playing, games and discussion. Together, we explore topics such as feelings, changes and loss, loyalty, "Being in the Middle", self-esteem, hopes and wishes.
Venue Information
- 204 - 347 Leon Avenue, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1Y 8C7


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Comment on an Article - Florida Power
This content was COPIED from BrainMass.com - View the original, and get the already-completed solution here!
Florida Power & Light Co contracted with German multinational Siemens AG to supply the utility with three next-generation H-Class gas turbines to modernize its Port Everglades natural gas-fired power plant in Florida.
The electrical utilities industry is a very mature industry. NextEra Energy in this article is taking advantage of external sources of change to have competitive advantage over competitors. In this case we can see how changing customer demand, changing fuel prices and above all keeping electrical bills low are the principal motivators for this company to build a new plant. Looking out for the future consumption and electrical needs for Floridians, NextEra Energy will build a plant that will provide that following benefits:
- $400 million in customer savings
- One third less fuel/megawatt hour
- Turbine technology with world record efficiency
- Cheaper electrical output
- More revenues
- Competitive advantage over competitors
Comment on this article.© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com June 4, 2020, 3:31 am ad1c9bdddf
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The electrical supply company is both highly competitive and highly regulated due to its natural oligopoly state. This means that companies like Florida Power and Light must find ways to increase their consumer base while not sacrificing quality. Florida Power and Light has found an effective way to do this, which is by contracting with efficient ...
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GARLAND (CBSDFW.COM) – Police believe he shot a 30-year-old Garland convenience store clerk to death last month and he was considered armed and dangerous. Today Luis Espinoza is in police custody.
Espinoza was found on the morning of June 12 at a house in Dallas. The 18-year-old is one of the two men who police say robbed a convenience store in the 4400 block of West Walnut and shot and killed worker Heng Lam.
Security video from the store shows two men entering with guns drawn. The pair demanded money from two clerks working just before midnight. Lam was shot during the robbery.
The investigation led detectives to identify one of the suspects as 18 year old Luis Alejandro Espinoza. An arrest warrant for capital murder has been issued for his arrest.
Officials say their investigation into the murder is ongoing and detectives area still working to identify and arrest the second suspect.
Anyone with information about the second robber is asked to call 911 or the Garland Police Department at 972-485-4840.
Tips may also be submitted anonymously to Garland Crime Stoppers online or by calling 972-272- TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest or grand jury indictment of the suspect.


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|History of Plessey by Plessey
History of Plessey by Plessey/Tellumat
Plessey History
Some notes for information of Management. Compiled by Information & Publicity Services, PTOSL, Beeston
Foundation of the Plessey Company
That company was The Plessey Company Limited, registered with limited liability on 11th December 1917, with nominal capital of Ł3,000, although only Ł1,000 was of shares issued for subscription. The shareholders were Heyme,
Hurst-Hodgson and two brothers, Raymond and Plessey Parker.
The story of Plessey thereafter is one of essentially continuous evolution and growth, moving progressively into whatever at the time was then the latest technology to be emerging. In 1922, in anticipation of the formation of the British Broadcasting Company (predecessor of the
present day BBC), A.G. Clark was the leader in establishing the British Radio Phone Company, set up to tender for bulk deliveries of radio sets, the intention being to
sub-contract the manufacture to Plessey. He was outstandingly successful, collecting orders for 10,500 radio receivers in 1922 alone.
The War Period
Decades before British Telecom (and even Post Office Telephones!)
No less significant is the parallel development of semiconductor technology in support of' the
main stream system development. Plessey Research at Caswell is well up among world leaders in the newer material and device technologies, and is prototyping many new 'chips' of special significance for the new telecoms systems and equipment projects. This parallel activity has had its greatest impetus since the general move towards totally digital systems, initially in transmission equipment for junction circuits, later for both
long distance and local links, now into switching centres and ultimately right down to and inside the subscriber's telephone.
These further evolutionary steps in the uses of digital technology for switching, control and other applications has led to System X, one of' the world's most forward looking system in its potential to adopt progressively developing technology whilst retaining a stable system architecture. It has a key role in the emergence of a new digital network which will serve Britain and other countries well into the next century, with its ability to handle speech, data and information of all kinds, giving users a better and quicker service, many new facilities and options. Plessey, at first just one member of the joint development group charged with System X planning and early development, was appointed prime contractor in 1982 for the further development of System X, with GEC as
sub-contractor, and is additionally producing UXD5, a small system compatible at network level with System X and able to provide the most modern services and facilities to users in remote, rural and
small town locations.
Equally significant has been Plessey activities in defence electronics. Apart from the acquisition of the former telephone companies ATE and ETL, Plessey also acquired the defence business of' Decca, the British radio, TV and gramophone record company. This brought in a substantial military/defence capability to supplement Plessey expertise gained from wartime and
post war developments in military radios and pack sets. From war-time experience of then secret airborne navigational aids came a range of avionic systems, later supplemented by the acquisition of' the avionics business of Standard Telephones and Cables, the former UK ITT company but now only
part owned by ITT.
Similarly, older activities are kept under continuous review for their 'survivability'
- balancing the need to confine the entire gamut and range of businesses encompassed to those which can be managed efficiently, against the need to move continuously into new business areas, and deciding for each in turn whether and when to make a drive towards new systems and products, to pull out of older systems (or perhaps to become the last remaining supplier of a specific older system so as to pick up all the extension and replacement orders.)
These notes were undated.
The history of Plessey / Tellumat
1917: The beginning
The Memorandum and Articles of Association defined the objectives of
the new Company to be "machine engineering and machining and manufacturers
of piano-forte actions, piano-players and musical instruments of all
kinds". From this inauspicious beginning the history of the PLESSEY
Company began. The new company had a nominal share capital of Ł3000, of
which only Ł1000 shares were issued and divided between Hurst Hodgson, Mr
C. H. Whittaker, a school friend of Heyne who held them on his behalf as he
was still technically an alien, and two brothers, Raymond and Plessey
Parker. The names of these original shareholders provide a clue to the
unusual name of the company, in that one of the shareholders was called
PLESSEY, and Heyne's wife, Elizabeth, came from the village of the same
name in Northampton - co-incidence dictated the choice. Furthermore, the
name sounded well and left the scope of the company open. The first
PLESSEY factory was in Marylebone and consisted of shop premises and a
large greenhouse in the back garden. Hurst Hodgson also had an interest in
British Electro Chemists Ltd, which Heyne joined as a salesman and then
took over for PLESSEY.
1922: The radio era
1930: The war years
1950: Growth into Telecommunications
: South Africa
1996: The Fire
1998: The Dimension Data Take-over
Last revised: December 11, 2019


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In the event you're getting married subsequent yr, now's the proper time to start out on the lookout for a wedding gown. Thursday marked the beginning of Bridal Style Week, which implies the trade's prime designers might be displaying their latest collections. Make Lady Getting Married your go-to vacation spot all through the week, as we'll be highlighting one of the best new wedding dresses and all the things you gained't need to miss.
Rime Arodaky kicked off Bridal Style Week together with her newest assortment, "'Til Dance Do Us Half," in New York Metropolis on Thursday. The runway present even included a efficiency by an precise ballerina.
In line with Arodaky, the gathering "explores the depths and results of motion inside a flaming connection between two lovers."
"Motion is the beginning of all the things round us. We select to maneuver ahead, transfer away, transfer on…"


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Post Turkey Ride
On Thanksgiving we had a marvelous turkey feast at my sister in laws house. She lives in the small town of Shine on the far end of the Hood Canal Bridge. I suggested we spend the weekend on the peninsula. The weather was marginal but miraculously we did not get rained on until we went to the rain forest!
On Friday we tried out the new section of the Olympic Discovery Trail. This portion went from a trailhead at Diamond Point Road and we rode it into the QFC in Sequim. This section was mostly trail with a couple miles on very quiet roads and a small portion on the shoulder of the 101 off ramp in Sequim. It was a delight to ride through farmland and thick forest with views of the Olympic Mountains to the south and Discovery Bay to the north.
As soon as we pulled into the lot an older dog came and sat looking at me through the window. Soon his owner followed and we learned his personal history of the area. It was a delightful conversation and the perfect introduction to the trail. Before we had even gotten on our bikes another car pulled up and began a conversation. This young man had just moved to the area and after watching the months of construction he was delighted the trail had opened. People and dogs were more open than in the city. The trail itself was fairly busy for a potentially rainy November day in a quiet part of the state. By busy I mean we saw about 20 people riding and a dozen or more walkers.
On this stretch you also ride past a native art gallery and a casino with a few dining options as well as a lavender farm and a state park or two. There is a long bridge over what used to be a rail trestle. It had some interesting historical information about the old train.
It felt good to get out into the country and away from traffic for this week's ride. I also tested my new tool roll under seat bike bag made from my far out paisley upholstery remnant. It passed with flying colors.


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Argentina Welcomes You Entre Cielos
I'm not really talented when it comes to learning now languages, but my small knowledge about Spanish and Google Translate have just cleared everything up for me. 'Entre Cielos' means "between skies", this being a brutal translation. Nonetheless, these words allows me to appreciate the name and this unique location even more.
The Entre Cielos hotel is located just outside Mendoza in Argentina, showing off a low-key exterior meant to complement the hotel's beautiful surroundings. Here you'll find yourself right in the endless vineyards of Argentina's Malbec country which await travelers to explore them and enjoy the most serene views from a perch at Entre Cielos.
Please note that only 16 lucky guests may enjoy the lovely accommodations here, adding to the exclusivity of this location. And if you appreciate a good wine, this is just the right place to be. Entre Cialos produces several in-house labels, and expert winemaker Hubert Weber was consulted in how best to shape the vineyard.
As such, the eight-acres of vines nearby the hotel produce several award-winning Malbecs that await you to take a sip. A good wine can be topped off with an enjoyable dining experience, as guests can sit down to traditional local fare in a relaxed setting overlooking the mountains.
Last but not least, Entre Cielos will also impress you with a gorgeous Spa and Hammam, that will deliver the ultimate relaxation to anyone who seeks it.


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Sold Out
This is an unusual and vulnerable aloe in its natural habitat in the dry northern Cape, it grows from Lamberts Bay to the Oranger River mouth. It should not be watered much in summer as it grows in a winter rainfall area. Aloe arenicola has a vulnerable status due to mining activities and overgrazing. Pale red flowers from July to December on a single raceme.


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Gujarat Jesuits Pioneer in Print Media
It would be no exaggeration, I believe, to state that the pioneers in the print media in Gujarat have been the Jesuits. Protestant missionaries, of course, had been active in Gujarat much before the Catholics, and they had even set up the first printing press in Surat in 1820 and started publishing biblical and educational literature in Gujarati. But Surat then belonged to the BombayPresidency.
The first Jesuit priest Fr. Augustine Martin, SJ came to Gujarat on Dec.16, 1894 as a missionary to work among the local people. But the first trail blazer Catholic Missionary was Fr. Manuel Gomes of Bombay archdiocese. He reached Gujarat in 1893 and in the same year he baptized 18 candidates from Mogari, a village near Anand and received them into Catholic faith.
The first Jesuit missionary Fr. Augustine Martin after studying Gujarati for one full yea r took up residence at Anand, the cradle of Church in Gujarat and also started simultaneously Vadtal mission. Soon many other Jesuits followed him in the course of time.From the beginning of Jesuit missionary apostolatein Gujarat, one of their priorities was to produce appropriate literature. According to Carlos Suria, SJ in "History of the Catholic Church in Gujarat", Jesuit pioneers published several books with many editions between 1903 and 1911.
Fr. Suria quoting earlier historians like Vath says that "Stories of Old Testament" and "Stories of New Testament" by Fr, Aloysius Gyr were published in 1903 in 1904 respectively. "History of the Church" (Katholic Shrisabhano Itihas) by Fr.
Constantin Einsiedler, SJ and a prayer book "Way to Heaven" (Swargno Rasto) by Fr. Josef Umbricht, SJ were also published in 1903. The two books saw many editions. Fr. Umbricht, also authored "Major Catechism" with 358 pages in 1904 and "Bibliographic Profile of Saints" in 1905 (History of the Catholic Church in Gujarat by Fr. Carlos Suria, SJ, p.127).
The pioneer Jesuits shortly after their arrival in Gujarat planned to launch a magazine. The plan materialized in January 1911 with the launching of the monthly The Messenger of Sacred Heart,DOOT in short, in Gujarati. The total numbers of
Gujarati Catholics in 1911 were less than two thousand! The vast majority of them were illiterate! With different Protestant denominations the total Christian populations then were less than 20,000 in Gujarat.
The Jesuits even without the mastery of the Gujarati language brought out DOOT month after month. The editor's name is not printed in DOOT from 1911 to 1926. History points out to Fr.Umbricht, as the editor of DOOT from 1915 till his death in 1922. Then, there was an interruption in the monthly publication of DOOT at his death in 1922.
Navajuni (NJ-Things Old & New) No.2 of June 1973 describing Fr. Umbricht's responsibilities says, "Another job that kept him busy was writing and publishing the Messenger of Sacred Heart, (DOOT) and his books and booklets of apologetics against the assault of the non-Catholics on unguarded villages. My impression is that some of the booklets were far above the
heard of the would-be readers, Catholics or otherwise. But his booklet on contribution was agem".
Jesuit missionaries who knew some Gujarati and the Catechists helped the Jesuit editors both with the content and with the distribution of the magazine to those who knew to read. The Catechists and school teachers them selves gathered the village people and read the articles in the magazine and instructed the people in faith.For the first 15 years from January 1911 to October 1926 DOOT was printed at the Examiner Press, Bombay. A land-mark in the Jesuit media pioneering is the starting of Anand Mission Press in 1926 and printing DOOT and other Christian literature from November 1926 onwards to promote faith formation of Christians and evangelization.
Another landmark in the print media ministry was the launching of Gujarat Catholic Truth Society (GCTS) by Fr. Charles Gomes, SJ in 1938. The Ahmedabad Missionary (TAM) has quoted Fr. Gomes about the origin of GCTS. "The very first donation I got as a Priest when I preached a mission in Bhavnagar was Rs.75/-(quite an amount in 1938!) And I got the Superior's permission to creditit to GCTS! And a good old French Missionary sent me, I think,Rs.100/- or so for the same purpose and that is how the Gujarat Catholic Truth Society was born".
From the beginning, as Fr. Hedwig Lewis in his book has quoted from TAM August 1974, GCTS carried on "Slowly but steadily its work of editing and propagating Catholic literature. After one and half year's work by several Missionaries, the
sixth edition of the Gujarati Catechism was published in December 1942, wholly renewed in style and Indian nomen clature".
"With Anand as its centre, the Gujarati Catholic Truth Society (GCTS) published a good number of Gujarati pamphlets and books and helped the clergy to build up their personal libraries with the best and latest publications.(The Catholic Church in Gujarat, A Historical Survey 1934-1973, Hedwig Lewis, SJ, p.107).Then, Fr. Joseph More, SJ, an erudite scholar and linguist was appointedas the Director of GCTS in 1957. He set up a GCTS bookstores at An and not only with liturgical, catechetical and other spiritual books in Gujarati but he also made it a real bookshop for missionaries and educationists and others religious men and women with books in English on a variety of topics like scripture, theology, spirituality, psychology,etc. On my visits to Anand while I was the editor of DOOT in 1970-73, I had the opportunity to keep into his bookstore.
Fr. Javier Diaz del Rio, SJ, while he was still the parish priest of Karamsad Mission parish was appointed to take over GCTS in 1972. He closed down the GCTS bookstores at Anand and rechristened GCTS with the name Gujarat Sahitya Prakash (GSP) and continued publishing liturgical and biblical literature in Gujarati.An outstanding contribution of the Jesuits to the people in Gujarat is the translation of the whole Bible into Gujarati by Fr. Isudas Cueli, SJ in collaboration with an eminent Gujarati translator.


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Monitor your fermentation remotely with the Brew Perfect Classic! Formerly sold under the name BeerBug, the company has since rebranded and made major software improvements to its new application. The Classic contains the same hardware as the BeerBug, but is fully compatible with the Brew Perfect mobile app and online dashboard.
The Brew Perfect Classic monitors Specific Gravity, Fermentation Temperature and Alcohol % and transmits that information to an online account in real time. Brewers can log in to the Brew Perfect Classic website or access their ferments via the free Android or iOS app to view real-time measurements and historical graphed data.
The Brew Perfect Classic helps brewers answer the important questions and gain real insight into how their beer ferments. Now it is possible to gauge real lag times, see the actual temperature impacts from different yeast strains, determine how yeasts behave in the time from high krausen to actually finishing fermentation and much more.
How it works
Specific Gravity is measured with the "Torpedo," whose buoyancy in the fermenting wort is monitored by the Brew Perfect Classic. This is the same principle a hydrometer works off of. The length of the line that the Torpedo hangs from can be adjusted to any length, making the Brew Perfect Classic compatible with any fermenter.
Temperature is measured via a built-in sensor that monitors the temp of the CO2 being released from your fermentation. On it's own this is very accurate, but for that extra degree of precision an external temperature probe is also available.
Alcohol percentage is calulated based on starting gravity and the amount of sugar that's been fermented.
Please note: Carboy, blow-off tubing, and stopper pictured are not included.
Woody's Home Brew
San Marcos, CA
Phone: 619-995-3062
Email: email@example.com


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It's Summertime!
After a long winter and a two-week spring, summer has finally arrived in Wisconsin! We had our first heat wave this weekend, temps in the 90s! My tomato plants will be ever-so happy.
Summer evokes images in my mind of a slowed-down pace and sipping lemonade on the porch. I find the season to be a bit more hectic, though. I'm planning much more road trips than normal (the northwoods in summer is exceptional as long as you have tick spray, anyway), tending to the garden and the never-ending weeds in the yard.
This summer I'm starting a Beth Moore study, The Quest that delves into greater intimacy with God. Isn't that what we all desire? To know God more. It's a never-ending quest, really. It will carry us all through our lives and we still will only know a fraction of His greatness. But with each passing year or season He fills us more. He fills us with the fruits of the Spirit, with His love, His wisdom. It's a glorious journey.
Hoping your summer is filled with God's goodness and blessed times of relaxation :)
6/7/2018 11:40:03 am
Kris, I share your love for summer and like you, envision it to be relaxing, when in reality it's a busy time. I wonder why we do that?
Leave a Reply.
I enjoy writing and I hope to encourage everyone to always see the blessings in life.
May 2020


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Kitchen Installations
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- Gas installation
- Painting of the newly designed kitchen
- Installation of new flooring
Our Services
At All About Town, our handymen are skilled and extremely professional. Our high quality services are laudable. Once you get in touch with us there is no looking back. You are bound to recommend us to family and friends for property renovations and maintenance, general repairs, office fit outs, kitchen and bathroom renovations, furniture assembly, painting and blinds installation.
Why Choose Us
With 17 years of experience we have earned a place in the industry. Our clients are a satisfied lot who put their trust in us to do the job for them. What's more, we do everything at an affordable cost. Your kitchen will be brand new and welcoming and you'll be pleased with the services of All About Town.
Our handymen are trained to be courteous and friendly and do the job as per your requirements. We even offer suggestions to make your kitchen looking good as new. We carefully inspect your home before we start with renovations. We are reliable and offer a complete range of handyman services.
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Hello guys! Thanks for the wait! As you know our April got to meet Miyavi so settle in for some hot topics and a concert/fanmeet review!
CAUTION: You might experience 3rd person Tabanca after hearing this. Catching feelings is quite possible. Don't say you weren't warned.
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Ending song: Bunji Garlin-Tabanca
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Hello Beautiful Thinkers,
Write a poem about the saddest word or phrase you can think of. Almost and Maybe are two big ones for me. There is so much potential in them that isn't quite seen through to the end. There is a lot of disappointment waiting in those words. Think past the words literal meaning.
Keep Dreaming Beautiful Thinkers,
The Boy In The Heart Shades


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Here are all the little pieces
Jawa's Junkyard at Florida Star Wars Celebration Answered
I am going to be going to Star Wars Celebration 2012 in Florida!!
I will be helping out at the Jawa`s Junkyard
We will be assembling and painting model Gonks with kids.
So If you will be attending, swing on by our booth.
Why is this in art?
Because I am so darned psyched that I drew some Jawas, and they turned out pretty decent, so I wanted to share.
I included the black and white scan of the sketch and the coloured in more 'final' product.
EDIT: Added two more images to keep it "Art" related.
My friend finished casting all the parts for the model gonks and jawas.
@jessyratfink We'll be wearing T-shirts. Nothing to fancy, hard to glue little models in costume. Thanks, I think he might make a good t-shirt, have to do a Gonk droid next.
@Jayefuu, thanks. I was looking forward to taking a stab at some artwork for your Total Views, but it looks like you've got it covered. (Too bad for me, maybe another opportunity to do something people will see will come up some time)
Cheers Guys (and gals, which are always included in my "guys"). Thats why I come on here so much, I love the support.
Do some anyway! No one's done any yet, some sketches would be good.
I love the second one with the crazy eyes!
I hope you guys will be dressing up for the celebration. :D
Wow, neat drawings. You're good.


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Stencil review | free online graphics editor with unique features | free social media tool
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As one of Europe's great (if not the greatest) gambling cultures, it should come as no surprise that nearly 150 full-on casinos exist throughout the United Kingdom from far up north in Aberdeen through London on onto the south coast in places like Plymouth, Southampton and Brighton.
The fondness the British and their neighbors have for games of chance may be readily seen in virtually any pub throughout the country as seemingly every single watering hole has at least one fruit machine beckoning from the corner. Plus, this is the country that essentially created modern sports bookmaking and today is well noted for its extremely liberal online gambling policy.
Naturally, London features a fair share of casinos in the UK – about a dozen are based in the big city. Britain-based Genting Casinos alone runs The Colony Club, Crockfords, Cromwell Mint, the Palm Beach and Maxim's Casino Club while big international players such as Harrah's Entertainment (British division) run locations such as The Casino at the Empire, The Golden Nugget and the Rendezvous London.


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You've probably heard how solar energy can reduce your electricity bills. Going solar is a great investment for any home or business owner. Not only are you taking a big leap towards securing a better future, but you are reducing your own dependence on the utility. This month, HelioPower is offering a year-end solar savings special. Starting today through November 30, 2017, homeowners who sign up to install solar will receive a rebate of $0.20 a watt, along with a free EcoBee thermostat installed. But that's not all, for any one of your referrals who signs up with us, we're giving you an extra $1000 upon the completion of their solar project!
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Star Wars Land Coming to Disneyland, Disney's Hollywood Studios in 2019
Disney has officially announced that two Star Wars theme parks are on the way—one set for Disneyland, and the other for Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger shared the news at the Walt Disney Company Q1 FY17 Earnings call.
Production on both attractions is underway, with the Disneyland theme park slightly ahead of the Florida based park. The Star Wars themed lands will be the largest expansions Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts have seen yet; At each location, guests will be taken to a fantastic new planet with a remote trading port where Star Wars characters live and breathe. Last year, Disney showed off the scale of the attractions, which include a Millennium Falcon guests can board and pilot, before firing its laser cannons and navigating the universe.
It's a fair wait till 2019, but in the mean time fans can look forward to Pandora – The World of Avatar, set to open this May 27 at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Stay tuned with the latest updates via the Disney Parks blog.


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China With Kids – Best 2 Week Trip Guide
Thinking of Doing China With Kids? Read on for our overview of the 15 day trip (self-organised as ever) and for top tips …
For your kids – they can read a kids' version by clicking here.
There is only one way to understand the sheer scale of China and that is to travel around. We only did two weeks. You could do two years – two decades even – and not cover this vast, vast nation.
'The Regime' and Average Day-to-Day Life
Travelling around China with kids might seem daunting, not least for this reason. Now I'm sure as a journalist you'd see a lot more of the regime and political control. Journalists have to have an official ambassador accompany them and tell them what you can and cannot film. Contrarily, as a tourist – you simply don't see it. Nor are there even many patriotic things like flags around that you'd expect in what has been a brutal communist regime. Frankly, we've experienced a lot more control and strictness with westerners in Turkey, Egypt, Dubai and Israel. So it's not to be feared in China!
Does It Ever Feel Oppressive?
Outside Beijing, the only police you see are traffic police and we saw not a single soldier anywhere else. Beijing, however, can feel pretty oppressive and I'm very glad we went there last. I would advise anyone else to do the same, because by this time you are used to the culture. To see the real exuberance of the Chinese people's spirits, you need to look elsewhere.
Of course there are things that still go on which prove that the brutality is alive and kicking. Yet day-to-day life in China for the very vast majority of Chinese is mercifully normal. Other than in Beijing, which is the exception, it is unmistakably westernised in the cities. This is where 55% of China's 1.4Billion citizens live and the government expect this to rise to 70% within ten years. Yet at the same time, they are desperately trying to persuade farmers to stay in their location. They need the profession to support the agricultural economy which is so crucial to the stability of the country.
We were told that all Chinese young adults learn English at school. Rather, the reality is that very few people indeed speak any Western language, let alone English. You MUST make sure you get an app that will translate English into Chinese for you. Preferably one that works in an offline mode. See also mobile phone coverage!
Getting Around (This is a long but crucial one)
Getting around on city days is relatively easy, as are all Metros (they all have apps in English if you search on the App Store). But also make sure you book English speaking guides to accompany you to places farther afield as it's nigh-on impossible otherwise. They change bus routes and bus stop locations at a second's notice. In my research before we travelled, I found forums littered with disaster stories of people who'd tried to get to places by bus.
TripAdvisor's app is excellent for giving addresses to Taxi drivers in China and in fact anywhere in the world. You simply press a button on the app and it translates the place you are wanting to go into the local language.
Lots of Long Journeys
I can't sugar coat this one – be prepared for long days. Early mornings and late nights. Unless you're a rich tycoon, you'll almost certainly have limited time, so you're going to naturally try and cram it all in. In China, a vast country, that means travelling *a lot*. An average of a flight or train every three or four days to get to new destinations. Also, an average of two and a half hours in the car every day to get where you want to go. It worked out well for us as we napped in the car and gave Miss GMT#2 a Stugeron tablet every day for travel sickness.
English Speaking Drivers ARE Worth The Extra
Always try to get an English speaking driver for airport or train station to hotel transfers. It might seem irrelevant or unimportant but these can be long and hot journeys and simple things like asking for air con are a real challenge. Plus it's much nicer to be greeted by your guide than just any old driver.
And it's usually not much more expensive either – £30 more. Very well worth the price as you learn so much more about the place you've just landed in. Most of our journeys were like this, but the odd one or two where we had Chinese-only drivers were a lot less interesting … and very hot!
Drive Yourself?
Driving? O.M.G. Just DO NOT try and drive yourself. For one, you'll get very tired. Secondly, if you want to drive in China you have to take a one day course and test at the municipal department of transport at the location where you first enter the country. We thought that was nuts and we didn't want to waste time with that. Thank God. Right decision.
We've now seen why they make you do this test. Everyone drives batsh*t crazy and that's from me, an aggressive and fast driver who has a penchant for rallying! This, however, is another dimension of crazy.
Can It Really Be That Bad?
Decide for yourself:
- Overtaking round a blind bend on a mountain road with no barriers? Normal. Just beep your horn, should be fine.
- Getting past a lorry that is already overtaking a lorry so you're three wide in one direction on a normal single carriageway? Why not.
- Drive at oncoming traffic even though you can see them and expect them to pull over or even stop? Sure thing. Go for it.
- Junctions? Pah. Whatever for? Everyone just keep moving and play a game of chicken with your lethal petrol-fired metal killing machines.
It really is that mad. Madder than anywhere I have ever been. And as for the selection of vehicles on the road – your mind will be blown! Here are a couple of our favourites:
'Scheduled' Flights
Flights are not 'scheduled' in any sense of the western meaning of the word. They're just hopes and best guesses, they change all the time meaning you have to change your hotel arrangements and when the 'schedule' finally settles down, the flight won't be anything like that time anyway.
A Warning About Air China
Air China are awful. Really. They were just terrible. You will almost certainly HAVE to use them for some legs (we used them on all legs) but use anyone else you can find because the service is appalling from start to finish. It all looks great when you book. Then about a week later the re-schedule email deluge will hit you and it doesn't stop even when your flight is less than 12 hours away, forcing you to have to rethink on your feet from hotels with less than ideal wifi (dial-up would be quicker).
On-board they were rude and unhelpful and won't let you touch your phone for the duration of the flight. Not even on airplane mode, that's not good enough for Air China.
Using Old Laws
Chinese Aviation Law until 2016 prohibited the use of mobile phones even being in flight mode, in flight. The law was officially relaxed in 2016 but some airlines like crabby Air China still uphold this rule despite its relaxation. It's bloody frustrating when you've got all of your books loaded on kindle for iPhone. Take a kindle – they are allowed on most Air China (but not all?! Go figure?) flights.
I don't know what other airlines' policies are on the relaxation of the rule. On two flights they even prevented Miss GMT#2 using her iPad. They truly couldn't care less and their staff are tasked with walking the aisles every five minutes with military precision to check that you're not misbehaving. Now THAT is what I expected from Police and Military. But no, they are perfectly lovely. Airline staff, not so.
So How Should You Travel Through China With Kids?
Our lesson – get bullet trains which are the exact opposite experience. Efficient, on time, airy, pleasant staff and a totally great experience with access to your luggage should you need it. Getting off the other end, there is no wait to disembark or wait for bags. Much easier. You'll need to book through an agent, but when you go to collect your tickets at your first rail station in China, you'll be issued with all of your tickets at this point.
We had a carriage to ourselves and if you choose to travel first class (a mere £10 a head more expensive) you will often find that this is the case. Most noteworthy is not to travel during Chinese holiday periods, but this accounts for all form of travel. You're best off researching when these are for the year you travel and avoiding at all costs.
Restaurant Food
Generally delicious, try and choose restaurants who have a photo menu because there ain't no way you're reading Mandarin. To say nothing of the hundreds of local dialects – even less chance! Don't go thinking that your pre-prepared flash card for chicken breast will mean much either. In some places they'll look at you, smile a knowing wise smile and then happily serve you a raw chicken heart. Worse, they'll wait whilst you eat it. If you have a guide with you, get them to order – we never once regretted it and had some outstanding food. Even in the most dubious looking places.
Street Food
With Street food, undeniably – you need to be choosy. Chicken can mean virtually anything. It can mean chicken breast or thigh, but it can equally mean chicken's toe nails. Because they eat any part of the animal that's edible and then they start on the inedible parts as second course. As for the variety of animals and insects that they eat, take a look for yourself. The kids might want to look away, although ours were fascinated, if a little mortified by the turtle-or-tortoise-like creature in a bucket! I was assured that the quails are killed 'humanely' before they are deep-fried in that way although the expressions are somewhat gruesome. Needless to say, this sort of food was not for us, but a fascinating insight nonetheless.
Breakfast Advice
In truth, even in international fast food chains, you won't recognise much as breakfast fodder. Why not pack a separate food bag, like we did? It was indispensible. We used three bags for our clothing and general luggage and a bag for food such as croissants, brioche, breakfast bars, crisps, squash concentrate, ketchup sachets (blame Miss GMT#2) etc. A stellar idea that we had that also served us well was to take those UHT 'Dairystix' because milk was hard to come by in its pasteurised form. Available from eBay.
Payments: Cash & Cards
For the purpose of the trip, I'd gone with a fully loaded Revolut card. To this end, I was totally disheartened that it didn't work either in any cash machine or at any pay point. Our normal bank cards worked perfectly, but consequently you get charged hugely by your bank for the pleasure of it. We went out with about half of the cash we needed and hence if I had my time again, I'd have taken double.
Most places are cash-only and even when they're not, often it's only UnionPay that is accepted – something Western bank cards (and Revolut) don't cater for. I would estimate that 85% of our transactions, including our guides and drivers, were cash.
Don't go to China in Winter! I'm sure it's beautiful but all of our guides said that the cities get very badly polluted, far worse than the spring or summer, despite me thinking it would have been the opposite way around. Spring is definitely the best time to go. The only place it was very noticeable was Beijing – in the photos below you can just see a yellowy tinge to the images. Mr GMT and Miss GMT#1 also noticed it when we first landed in Shanghai, but within a day they were used to it.
Internet and Wifi
GAFA sites (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, etc) are fiercely monitored and don't expect encrypted VPN's previously trusted to give you a get-out card either. Facebook posts can take up to an hour to post as they go through the 'Great Firewall'. If they don't like what you've said, you can expect it to show the 'taking a while to post' screen ad infinitum. Change what you wrote and you'll find it goes through easier. There don't appear to be repercussions for tourists, but be sensible with what you write whilst you're there. So you had a bad taxi experience? Tell it when you're back home.
Mobile Coverage
Our experience was that Vodafone's link-up partner is brilliant and generally provides 3G and 4G everywhere. Although remember that we weren't in Mongolia or the outer reaches.
O2 conversely was *dire*. Didn't get 3G once in two weeks – not even in Shanghai. Only got Edge reception (E) once or twice. Appalling service.
PLEASE do not rely on being a purely O2 party, or you will find yourself marooned. The wifi is not great and you'll be frustrated and possibly stuffed when you need to use the translation app.
I promise, they are not shouting at you although it feels like it! Everyone is loud. So loud it's ridiculous. We thought the first conversation we heard was a joke. The second and third, we presumed were arguments – but no. A quiet night out and a chat over some tea between a group of friends is roughly tantamount in decibels to a riotous debate in the House of Commons between a hundred or so belligerent MP's. Consequently, a group dinner is like being at a football ground.
Social Interaction
Firstly let me assure you that the people are lovely and warm. Very welcoming indeed.
That aside however, if you have white children, especially with blonde hair, expect to get stopped every few minutes for a selfie with a local. As well as a rural habit, this even happens in cities like Shanghai where they see plenty of us. They are fascinated by white children and some see it as good luck. It's a novelty at first and you agree and smile politely but soon becomes intrusive, so just say 'no thank you' and move on. Miss GMT#2 developed her own inimitable pose for people asking for selfies with her…
Personal Space
What is this? In short, it's so not a thing here. Not even slightly. You might as well give up and invite the person standing up over you on the metro to sit on your lap. They'll end up there anyway.
Market Shopping
Haggle! Never pay more than 35% of what they ask (unless it's a food market – fixed prices). To illustrate, if you were Chinese you'd pay no more than 20%. When they ask you your best price (because in markets, everyone speaks some English – they're smart!) tell them and if they say no, walk straight out of the store and I guarantee they will follow you out and say 'ok'. And if not, find it somewhere else. This is not ripping the locals off – they expect it and don't forget that you are still paying them 100% more than western wholesale importers pay! So no guilt necessary.
Brand Shopping
Basically, these are almost always these are more expensive than the UK because the government taxes them very heavily (circa 60% VAT). As an example, a Hugo Boss Men's T-shirt that's £75 in the UK was £132 in Chengdu. So don't go over with the expectation of filling (or indeed buying) your Jimmy Choo boots!
And Finally ….
If you've got kids who'd like to know what China is like from a kids' perspective, read Miss GMT#2's report here.
Last of all, click here to start reading our daily trip diaries. It will give you ideas on what to do when in China and shows photos of all of our adventures. Get in touch if you'd like to chat!
1 Comment
RoyalCBD September 28, 2020 (5:32 pm)
UDibBO Some truly superb information, Glad I observed this.