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Vietnam - Top to Bottom (a motorcycle adventure through Vietnam)
Hey ADVers!
(I accidentally deleted my original intro of this RR trying to make my pictures bigger). :huh
Quick intro: This is my second RR of all time, but I felt obliged to get something down here on ADV. I just got back with my better half from a little scoot through Vietnam. We took the month of Nov this year to explore the north and work our way to the south - hence 'top to bottom'. It was incredible. The riding was amazing as were the vistas, views, food, people,... the list goes on. I highly recommend a moto-trip through Vietnam.
I have been inspired by so many of you here on ADV with your amazing RRs. Taking the time to make a motorcycle trip happen and then documenting it with words, photos and videos,... thank-you very much, my hat is off to you all who put in the time and effort. I feel it is my duty to take the torch again and to put something down here. :D
If you can get through the first bit of bull manure below, you might enjoy this RR.
Cheers, and thanks for following, :freaky
BA from BC
I love to travel. I've been lucky enough, and have worked hard enough (to give myself some credit) to have traveled quite extensively over the past 23 years. It all started when I was 17 yrs old. I took off on one of these Rotary Exchange Programs and I ended up going to Finland of all places. It was an amazing year, full of learning, experiencing a different culture, being away from my family for the first time, meeting new people, and most importantly, learning about myself and all things in between.
This year long journey to Finland literally changed my life forever. It sparked my desire for travel. I used to keep a running tally of countries I have traveled to since this youth exchange program but I have no idea where it ended up. The formal tally of countries is within me, those experiences all locked away for me to remember and enjoy.
This desire for travel all started before the internet age. I was a kid from British Columbia in the early 90s writing letters home for correspondence and organizing phone calls with my parents once a month. I was always excited on 'phone-call' day to chat with my parents in detail on what I had been up to, it was hard to pack it all in to a 30 minute call (we tried to keep it that tight as overseas phone calls were quite spendy at the time). As the years ticked on, when on my travels, I was able to email home to friends and family which was a much more efficient way of keeping in contact. I have a memory of being in Ecuador back in the day, 'chatting' to my parents online thinking that was so great to be able to have a 'live-chat' all the way home. I noticed a headset on the computer and remembered my parents had a microphone and speakers at home, so I decided to try a voice chat over the messaging. There I was, talking with my parents through the computer all the way from Ecuador with some obvious delays. I was thrilled.
A few years ago, I loaded up my dual sport motorcycle, strapped my surfboard to the side, and headed on an adventure of a lifetime. I rode solo from British Columbia south to the Panama Canal and then turned around and headed back home. A zippy 20,054 km sojourn which I completed in 90 days. My Sister was always wanting me to blog my adventures. She knew that I kept extensive journals of my travels and adventures, but I never shared those experiences aside from telling them the odd story here and there via email or through a slide show upon returned home. She ended up twisting my arm enough and I decided I would blog my moto-surf-adventure for friends and family. This also turned into a Ride Report on a global motorcycle trip forum called ADV Rider. It was a great way of documenting my trip and sharing my experiences. I still wrote a trip journal and I would share this as often as I could, which ended up being about once a week, and I posted tons of pictures for friends and family on my blog and I then 'cut-copy-pasted' it right into ADV Rider. (ADVers, see my RR 'A motorcycle-surf journey through Baja, Mexico and Central America below:)
My Central America moto-mission was a soul searching trip of sorts. It was something that I needed to accomplish on my own and I succeeded, I got home in one piece with some stories to tell. I'm not too sure what I was looking for on that trip, but after about 8 months upon returning home, I'm more than certain I found it. My life has been better each and every day that I get to spend with her. I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet and at the same time, I know with life's hurtles, I truly deserve this one. So, my next motorcycle trip was bound to include Amanda.
We just got home a few days ago from a month long motorcycle trip to Vietnam. We were in contact with family at home almost daily through social media, FaceTime, and iCloud photos uploaded daily (and efficiently). Times have definitely changed when it comes to communicating while on the road. As my sister mentioned to me the other day, it was the first adventure that she was fully able to be apart of because of these daily updates. She really enjoyed following along as did other family members and friends. Some think that constantly being wired on a trip can detract from the actual experience while being there. I would agree with this if you were online 24-7, but on this trip my better-half and I were online just enough to touch base, load some photos, have a quick chat and then turn off the devices and enjoy one another, our experience, and everything Vietnam had to offer.
This blog will now cover our 'Vietnam - Top to Bottom' Moto Adventure through photos, stories, maps, and some videos (granted I can post them). For all of you over on ADV Rider, I also plan to 'cut-copy-paste' these blog entries onto a RR (ride report) for you to also enjoy - remember this is coming from my blog, so hopefully the format will work out and the rest.
Hope you all enjoy.

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'I got a map, my passport, and I grabbed my Dong,... we are all set to go!'

Day 0 - (Travel Day) - Flights from Spokane, WA > Seattle, WA > Seoul, Korea > Hanoi, Vietnam (November 3 - 4th).
Day 1 - Hanoi, Vietnam - Tuesday November 5th

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Views from our hotel in Hanoi (Hanoi Symphony Hotel)

We had quite the long haul to get to Hanoi, but upon arrival, we both agreed that all flights went well. We flew from Spokane to Seattle on Alaskan Airlines and then with Korean Airlines to Seoul and onto Hanoi. Korean Airlines were great. We were stuck in the back of the economy section with loads of room and reasonable food. Our flight from Seattle to Seoul actually felt like a quick 10 hours which surprised us both.
I had arranged our stay at the Hanoi Symphony Hotel before jetting over and they suggested we arrange our hotel shuttle through them as well. After extensive research online, I had also read that hotel shuttles were sometimes cheaper than a regular taxi from the Hanoi airport. For us it was a no-brainer having the peace of mind knowing that we weren't going to get ripped off or brought to another hotel with the same name (common scam in Hanoi, but easily avoided), it was well worth the $18 and 50 min ride.
We arrived to Hanoi on November 3 in the evening. After our 50 min airport shuttle, we hunkered down into our $25/night hotel room and called it a night. We were bagged from travel and wanted to get our game faces on for the following day in Hanoi. We knew that Hanoi was hectic, but I don't think either of us were fully prepared. It was absolutely nuts.
Apparently there are about 80 million people in Vietnam. I have read that at least 1/4 of the population rides motorcycles - 20 million motorcycles! There is no doubt about it, that Vietnam is a country of motorbikes and a country to travel via motorbike. Motorbikes are the most efficient mode of transportation in this country, they are easy to acquire, cheap to fuel and easy to get fixed.
In North America we would call these bikes 'motorscooters' as they are generally 125cc or under. It is tough to own a bike over 125cc as you have to pay greater taxes and tariffs on those bikes in Vietnam. Another reason, is that the average speed that one travels is about 5 - 30 kph in and around cities, and roughly 30 - 60 kph on main roads and highways. There really aren't too many big bikes in this country as the amount of traffic and the average speeds really limits how fast you can actual go... or would WANT to go, it addition to the taxes and fees you have to pay to own and operate a big bike. 125cc works just well and fine in this country, and if you pin'it, these little bikes can rip just fine.
Our first experience crossing a busy street in Hanoi was terrifying. We were told that you had to start by slowly crossing and to keep crossing, without hesitation or stopping, otherwise you would get hit. This was tough. Our guts were telling us to stop as we had zippy scoots coming at us in each and every direction. I think at one point, I did hesitate and almost stop and this in turn almost caused a local to fall off his bike. After a few street crossings, we almost had it mastered. Keep your slow pace, keep walking, and don't stop. It works. It is surprising that in the midst of this chaos, it all seems to work. People get to where they want to go, bikes zip by going where they are going and everything flows. One thing we noticed, is when you put a car or bus in the mix, things go slightly array. These 'massive' forms of transport seem to disrupt the whole system as they are almost 'too big' for the process to work and have louder horns to create more disruption. Surprising again, even the big buses and cars get to where they need to be, although it takes them a great deal longer to sneak around.
One of our missions for our first day in Hanoi was to head to Flamingo Travel - their main office is in Hanoi where I secured our motorbike rentals for our month long adventure. I shopped around online before heading to Vietnam and I went with Flamingo based on reviews I had read from previous travelers posts and also from the vibe I got through their website in addition to email correspondence with them. I am very happy with our decision, Flamingo was excellent.
Hanoi isn't the easiest city to navigate. I was lucky enough to discover an amazing resource to navigate the city: my new iPhone... who knew? Now, I'm a relatively tech savvy kind-of-guy, but what I didn't know were the capabilities of these phones in 'offline' mode. The phone was brand new, therefore in Canada, we can't pop the SIM card out until after x3 months or something. So, I switched my phone to airplane mode and made sure the cell and roaming buttons were clearly clicked off. I then turned the 'location services' button on and low-and-behold, by opening Google Maps in my hotel room (using WiFi), getting a clear location of where we were, then walking out of the hotel, the phone was still able to use WiFi locations and cell tower locations to pin point my location on the map while walking around Hanoi. It was brilliant and a lifesaver to get around. I plugged in Flamingo Travel, and found it very easily following my 'active' location all the way to the Flamingo Office.

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Amanda in front of the Flamingo Travel office - Hanoi

I had planned our rough route through Vietnam before arrival to the country thanks to a few excellent ride reports on ADV Rider and route suggestions from Flamingo Travel based on the time we had. We knew that we were picking the bikes up in Hanoi in the north and then eventually dropping them in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC - formally Saigon) in the south, thus traveling 'top to bottom' or north to south. We arranged through Flamingo to put the bikes on the train back to Hanoi and we would then fly back up north.
I followed a very detailed Ride Report last year thanks to Stan and his son Zach who did a lengthy moto trip through Vietnam. I emailed him through ADV Rider and asked for some advice and suggestions. One of the things Stan mentioned was to pick up this map book once in Hanoi (see picture below). This map was invaluable. For anyone who is going to travel via the roads in Vietnam in whatever capacity,... motorcycle, car, donkey, walking, this is the map book to have: (Thanks again Stan!) I didn't even open the other two maps I had bought in Canada before leaving.
We weren't set to pick the bikes up for x4 more days as we had planned to head to Ha Long Bay first, but we were told to drop by the Flamingo Office upon arrival to get a few things sorted such as deposits on the bikes etc. We decided not to bring our bulky helmets from Canada, so once at the office, they wanted to fit us with helmets (which were included in the price of the bikes) therefore we'd be all set to go early Saturday morning - our day of departure on the motos. After seeing their selection of helmets, we decided to venture out on our own and purchase a couple of our liking that fit us well. The office staff were excellent in providing us with directions to the motorcycle shop area of Hanoi and in particular the 'helmet street'. We caught a cab there, shopped around for an hour and found our helmets of choice which was tough with the variety available. We paid $35 for both ($20/$15) and were very happy with our decisions having a good fit and more coverage than most of the others we had looked at.

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Looked cool - didn't buy this one.

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Hello Kitty helmet - complete with gap-in-the-back for pony tail

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Mmmmmm, street meat - looks like chicken!

After dealing with our bikes, arranging details for our Saturday morning departure, and buying helmets, we were set for lunch. We stopped in at a local 'Pho' restaurant close to our hotel and had a nice, steamy bowl of 'pho ga' or rice noodle chicken soup. It was delicious.

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Passed this Vespa dealership when on the search for our helmets

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'Yo quiero Taco Bell!' - Well little buddy, you have a long way to go.

We both really enjoyed our first day in Hanoi. It is a bright, vibrant city with loads going on. It was easy to blow and afternoon checking out the Old Quarter and sussing things out. We were very exhausted from both the jet lag and our first day of high-test-stimulus, so we grabbed a bite for dinner at Bun Bo Nam Bo (highly rated restaurant on Trip Advisor). There we had a really tasty meal, a couple of Bia Ha Noi's (local beer brewed in Hanoi) and we ended up calling it an early night.

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Monument near Hoan Kiem Lake - in Hanoi's Old Quarter

Next up... 2 night, 3 day boat cruise of Ha Long Bay and then we start on the moto-scoots!
Stay tuned.
Ah, BA this brings back memories!!
Looking forward to more
Bring it ! ! !
More!! More!! :freaky
I'm in, on my list of to do's :lurk
in like flynn
Thinking maybe February for me, pave the way my man
Man Cold
The minute we landed back in Canada, I was welcomed home by a good'ole Man Cold, which I'm barely surviving through at the moment... :evil
I'm sure I'll survive. Day 2,3,4 photos are being uploaded now :sick
Day 2,3,4 - Halong Bay
Day 2 - Hanoi to Halong Bay - Wednesday, November 6
Before leaving Canada for our Vietnam adventure, we had decided that Halong Bay was on our bucket list of things-to-do. We had read that it is super touristy and there are a million junkboats to choose from but we decided we would take the plunge, spend a bit of extra cash and make it happen. It was fantastic. A must do. I figure, the 'touristy' places in the world are touristy for a good reason, there is normally something amazing to see and experience and therefore people go to see it. The fact that there are loads of people doing the same thing, well, who cares.
Through our Hanoi Symphony Hotel booking I was able to secure dates for a 'Galaxy Premium' 3 day, 2 night tour of the Halong Bay area. Our boat had 12 state rooms and we managed to secure one of the nicest rooms on the middle deck of the boat towards the back (Our bathroom was just above the 'G' in the picture above, and our room were the two windows to the left of that).
We were picked up from our hotel in Hanoi at 8am and we had a 4.5 hr bus ride into Halong City before taking a smaller tender to our boat. We were welcomed on the boat in typical foreigner fashion with a Vietnamese 'welcome drink' which consisted of a fresh passionfruit juice. We were then told to get settled on the boat before lunch. We were given our state rooms and had a few minutes to check out the top deck of the boat before lunch was served.
Looking back at Vietnam's highest bridge just out of Halong City.
Looking at the edge of Halong City, the limestone karsts are visible immediately even before leaving the main harbour.
Another junk boat loaded with tourists and heading to the main areas of Halong Bay
Our trusty captain. He was steering with his feet, but when I asked him if I could take a photo, he didn't want me to capture his normal navigating position and switched to his hands - I was going for the picture with the feet.
Right after our amazing first lunch on the boat, we were off on a smaller boat to tour Surprise Cave. Our group consisted of 22 folks from around the globe, from Canada to France, Singapore to Germany, it was a great mix of both young and old.
Surprise Cave
It is difficult to show the vast size and scope of this cave system through pictures. Some of the caverns were massive and the loop through this particular cave system was fine tuned for tour groups to enter and exit with time for our tour guides to explain different aspects of the cave system. It was well set up for hordes of tourists with boardwalks to follow, stairs to enter and exit and loads of garbage cans to aid in keeping it tidy.
Our Galaxy Cruise tour-guide named Tan Nguyen - a vibrant and young Vietnamese man who had a great sense of humour and was excellent with everyone. It was a pleasure to have him tour us around for 3 days.
At the end of the cave tour, we were shipped off for some evening relaxing on a beautiful beach right at sunset. Our guide Tan suggested that we could hike up a rough path to the 'top' of the island to get some photos of the area. We headed up the first set of stairs you could see which was the access for the trail to the top, the views were amazing.
We headed back to the beach for a sunset beer and then it was back to the boat for a huge dinner.
Some squid fishing after dinner.
This woman was selling anything and everything from her little boat. She would paddle around and hound all of the tourists on the junks to buy stuff from her. (She had her daughter wrapped up sleeping behind her in this photo). She would pass up a net, you would put your money in the net, and then she would pass up you your item of choice. There were many women selling the same things out of the same boats. All of our food was included in the price of the boat tour, but not any of our drinks. The boats wanted you to buy drinks 'on the boat', but these local sellers were 'stirring the pot' by selling alcohol, beers and everything else at a reduced rate than you could find on the boat. At times, the tour guides and ship hands were telling these women to take off. Everyone tries to make a buck off the tourists.
Day 3 - Halong Bay - Thursday, November 7
Another Galaxy Premium docked beside our boat. I think they had a couple of these sized junks in their fleet.
When you choose to take a Halong Bay tour you are faced with the decision of taking a 1 night, 2 day cruise or a 2 night, 3 day cruise. I would say most people who we chatted with were on a 1 night, 2 day. We both found that having that extra day proved to be perfect for what we were looking for. The second day was much more relaxed, we got on another boat in the morning and had a much smaller tour group. We first headed to another cave with very few tourists - The Maze Cave. I think this is the benefit of taking that extra night and extra day, you are able to experience a part of Halong Bay that fewer venture off to. We really enjoyed the mix of people we met in addition to the activities we experienced on that second day (I definitely recommend the 2 night, 3 day cruise if you have the time).
Check out Galaxy Cruise:
At the base of Maze Cave - Halong Bay.
Amanda was excited to see the sun come out, we were lucky to have an incredible day. Thinking back, this was only a few days before the superstorm typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines and then traveled onto Vietnam, we were very lucky to experience Halong Bay with this great weather.
After Maze Cave on our second day, we ventured off to another set of islands where we had the opportunity to kayak around and spend some time on our beach of choice within this area.
In the afternoon of the second day, we cruised past this floating fishing village and then onto a Pearl Farm tour.
Halong Bay - Pearl Farm - This was a cultured pearl farm where the pearls were essentially created by man. Natural pearls are formed by nature or basically by chance, and the chance of a pearl forming in a mollusk or mussel is very rare... therefore most pearls are cultured. In this case, man made pearls are formed by inserting a graft into a mollusk and then a pearl sac forms and an actual pearl has a good chance to form in this controlled environment. They then cultivate, clean them up and sell them. It was an interesting tour.
The captain's helper, and a good one at that.
At the end of our second day, we had a chance to head back to the same beach we were at the night before. Instead, we opted to stay on the top deck of the boat, enjoy a Bia Ha Noi and relax before dinner. Cheers!
Amanda pointing out the exact same boat we were on.
The Galaxy Premium was a really great boat. We were noticing all different types of junks throughout the 3 days in Halong Bay and they varied in size and condition. The Galaxy Premium was on the smaller size of the overnighters.
All of our meals were excellent and the displays were very well done. For both lunch and dinner, they would serve us course after course after course, always too much food. Here our tomato swan was guarding our fried squid.
Day 4 - Halong Bay to Hanoi - Friday, November 8
Our last day on the boat consisted of another kayak tour of a local floating fishing village and then a tour of Bai Tu Long Bay on the way back to Halong City. We were also offered to partake in a cooking class on the boat just before lunch. We learned how to make the traditional Vietnamese spring roll which we also enjoyed for lunch.
Filling up the boat with diesel before the next group arrives.
After disembarking our boat on the 3rd day just after lunch, we got on a bus back to Hanoi, another 4.5hrs. We were dropped at our hotel just in time for another great dinner at Bun Bo Nam Bo which we enjoyed so much on our first night there, we figured, why not go back for more?!
We were both nervous going to bed as the next day was the start of our actual motorbike adventure, each riding a moto for the first time in Vietnam, and having to exit the chaos of Hanoi and head north... all part of the adventure.
Well that settles it, galaxy it us in March. What a great help , thanks for taking the time to put this out there.
Good stuff, and you're not even on the bikes yet! Keep it coming!! :ricky
My wife and I have lived here for 6 months. We love it here and can't wait to make the trip as soon as time permits . One or the other of us rides her ttr 250 every day (my xr 250 is broken) She teaches at a local high and middle school so she's very emursed in the Vietnamese culture.
First day on the bikes - North from Hanoi
Day 5 - Saturday, November 9
Distance - 217km ~ 8hrs (Hanoi - Cho Ra)
Route - North on Hwy #3 to Thai Nguyen to Bac Kan (#3), to Phu Thong (#3), onto Hwy #279 to Cho Ra
Hotel - Thuy Dung Guest House
Weather - Warm and sunny with good temperatures - some minor wind
We were both quite anxious waking up this morning as we knew what we had ahead of us. After getting back from a nice and relaxed tourist cruise of Halong Bay, we knew our 'real' Vietnam adventure was about to begin, on motorbikes. It was the start of navigating on our own, planning on our own, finding places to eat and to stay, and to top all of this off, we had to navigate Vietnam's crazy roads and traffic,... all on our own.
Both of us had our gear mostly packed up the night before so we had our hotel breakfast, checked-out of the hotel and paid our final bill. I was surprised that we didn't pay the hotel a penny or give a credit card deposit via email for reservations before arrival, and we also didn't pay them a penny upon arrival. We stayed at the hotel for x2 nights, arranged an airport shuttle through them and didn't pay a thing. Our Galaxy Premium Cruise was booked through the hotel, and then we went on the cruise for 3 days, and again, we still didn't pay them a thing.
We got our final bill this morning while checking out and then paid the whole lot. The manager of the hotel wanted to assure us that they strive on good service and if we deemed the service not adequate, then maybe our bill would be adjusted - with both his hotel and the cruise of Halong Bay. We were really impressed. We paid up on Visa (which, in most places they will charge an additional 3-5%) and caught a taxi to Flamingo Travel where we rented our bikes.
It was arranged that we would meet at the main Flamingo Travel Office on our morning of departure on the motorbikes, and they would take us to their garage. Once at Flamingo, we got our bags from the back of the taxi, threw our new helmets on, both hopped on different bikes as passengers and were whisked away to their garage. I was on the back of the new 2013 Honda XR 150 that I had arranged before our trip. I was happy to be a passenger for the quick trip to the Flamingo garage, even at 8am, the traffic in Hanoi was hectic.
Once at the garage, I got to work. I wanted to mount my GPS cradle on the handlebar of my bike for navigation. As mentioned, before leaving on our trip, I spent a great deal of time going over other ride reports of travellers who had spent time navigating Vietnam by motorbikes. Some had GPS units and maps, some just relied on maps. I figured for us, the more navigating power we had in our arsenal the better. Though a rider in Vietnam named 'VietHorse' who I found on ADV Rider - the motorcycle forum I frequent at home, I was able to find some great options for GPS map sets of Vietnam. Before leaving on the trip, I chose one, loaded it onto my computer and then onto a Garmin handheld GPS and hoped for the best.
The first 2 maps above (on the left), I had ordered from a local bookstore here in BC. The map book to the right was recommended by Stan who had done a trip through Vietnam with his son last year. This Vietnam map book on the right had very detailed route information of the entire country and was a great resource.
Amanda is fairly new to motorbikes. I took her out a handful of times last summer on my classic '78 CB 400 for riding practice and she was starting to get the hang of it just before the fall. At this time, we were both busy, it got cold in BC and the riding practice stopped. I had looked through the variety of bikes that were available for rental in Vietnam, and it was decided that the best bike for her would be a semi-automatic 2010 Honda Future X 125cc. It was set up almost identical to a bike back home, minus the clutch. It had a 4 speed gearbox, front brake on the right lever and rear brake on the right pedal, gears on the left foot levers, again, the only thing missing was the clutch. It also had handy reminder lights on the dash indicating what gear the bike is in. I paid a bit more and rented a more dual sport oriented bike and was lucky to be offered a new 2013 Honda XR 150 with only 1300km on the odometer.
The guys at the Flamingo Garage walked us through both bikes. They gave us spare tubes for both bikes (as my tire sizes were more unique to Vietnam, this would be more crucial for my bike), they gave us a tool kit for the bikes with basic tools and a chain oiler for my XR (seen in the green bag on the right of my bike), and they also gave us a prepaid Nokia cell phone for emergency. They had their numbers programmed into the cell phone and mentioned that we can call any of the numbers provided at any time for anything. It was nice to pack this cell phone for peace of mind.
Before our Halong Bay adventure and while at the Flamingo Office, I told them of our concern leaving Hanoi, the first time on the bikes, the first time riding in the traffic and the rest. They were aware of our planned route and they suggested we get a 'guide' to get us out of the city. Obviously, they are a rental company who deals with folks like us on a daily basis. Most of their business comes from actual guided tours, but in the odd case like us, some venture out on their own. The guy to the right above was our guide for the first 10km out of Hanoi and he was excellent. He rode super slow, took us for our first fill up (the bikes were empty when we got them) and got us well on our way ~10 km north of town. He didn't speak a lick of english, but it didn't matter. Once at the rough 10 km mark north of the city, I looked at my GPS and knew that we just had to keep on the same road for most of the day. He pointed north, I pointed north, we both nodded, I tipped him a few bucks extra, we highfived, and we parted ways.
We were on our own. It was exhilarating. Within the first 10 km, we were both figuring out our bikes, how they handled, how they braked and just how to ride them.
We stopped about 60 - 80 km north of Hanoi for our first proper break at a road side restaurant. The woman who owned the place didn't speak any english, so we pointed at our drinks of choice in the fridge and she sat down with us at the table.
The bikes looking all shiny and clean on their first few kms.
All smiles.
Lunch just south of the town of Bac Kan. A tasty stirred fired noodle with chicken and veggies, excellent with fresh lime and the MSG loaded chile sauce Chin-Su.
I tried to shoot a few photos and videos the first day with my Canon camera (above), most images were blurred so I resorted to my new iPhone for the rest of the trip, it took way better photos and videos and was easier to only use the one device. The Canon stayed in my bag the rest of the trip. As the iPhone was new-to-me, I was very impressed with the photo and video quality.
Amanda happy with her new steed.
While on our Halong Bay cruise and during one of our relaxing Bia Hoi moments in the lounge chairs on the top deck, we discussed safety and our expectations while traveling through Vietnam by motorbike. We both wanted to come home in one piece and had read some horrible things about travellers getting into accidents while on bikes in Vietnam.
We came up with an 'On-the-Road' mantra of sorts that we called the 'S's' - something for us to think about on a daily basis while on the bikes (I have no idea why we called it a 'mantra' as it was never sung or chanted, but thats what we called it):
The S's
1. Safety - (most important of the S's - and as Amanda always says: 'Safety doesn't take a holiday!')
2. Security - (both OUR security and the bikes security - without both of these, the trip can't happen)
3. Speed - (smell the roses,... or the hibiscus flowers, we aren't in a rush, lets take our time and 'reel it in' if we start going to zippy-doo-daa)
4. Sensibility - (always be sensible and aware)
5. Support - (each other - we are a Team!)
6. sFun - (silent 's' - why moto-scoot 'Nam if it isn't FUN! or sFun!)
7. Smile - (with the locals with each other and for the camera - this is easy)
Our final leg of the day took us off the main route north #3 and northwest along Hwy 258 which was an extremely fun, twisty 50 km which led us directly into the town of Cho Ra, our destination for our first evening on the road.
Safe and sound. First day complete. We made it!
And notice Amanda following the 'S's':
She is smiling.
She is having sFun.
We found a hotel in Cho Ra recommended in the Lonely Planet called the Thuy Dung Guest House. It was actually the only hotel we saw in the small village of Cho Ra therefore it was fairly easy to find.
Cho Ra is on the edge of BaBe Lakes National Park - a place frequented by tourists. Our intentions were to spend a day and see the lakes, but instead, we decided to push further north therefore we didn't end up seeing any of BaBe.
Traditional Pho Bo or beef noodle soup. An excellent hot meal in one of Cho Ra's more upscale eateries. They didn't have the merlot we were looking for so we opted for a beer and Coke, it was excellent.
Looking forward to the rest of the trip!
thanks for sharing .. there's not many RR from the orient ...
did a trip to central China a few years back but never made it to Vietnam
I'm in. Keep it coming.
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I'd be the first to admit that small-cap value stocks haven't been the greatest place to be the past year. For much of the period, they significantly trailed larger-cap stocks and struggled to keep up with rival small-cap growth stocks. But that has changed for the better in the past few months. Through July 9, small-cap value stocks as measured by the Russell 2000 Value Index were up 3% year-to-date. While that still trails the S&P 500, which was up 6.7% the same period, it has pushed the category well ahead of small-cap growth stocks, with the Russell 2000 Growth Index up only 0.1% over the same period. I expect small-cap value will widen this performance gap over small-cap growth stocks the remainder of the year, and potentially outperform the larger-cap S&P as well.
For one, we just had what's known as the Russell Reconstitution, the annual size and style reclassification that Russell Investments does to all of the stocks in its indices to realign each index with its defined purpose. For small-cap value, this meant that all of the large and all of the expensive stocks that no longer fit the parameters of the Russell 2000 Value Index have been thrown out of the benchmark, and smaller and inexpensive stocks have been brought in. This annual refreshing and reloading of the asset class, which takes place at the end of every June, is a key to the Russell 2000 Value's often superior returns, because the small value stocks coming into the benchmark are the exact ones that benefit from the small-cap and value effects, two academically supported tailwinds1 to the asset class.
As far as the longer term, the data undeniably reflect the superior potential return characteristics of small-cap value. According to Fama-Frech data (see footnote 1, below), since 1928 through 2013, small-cap value has returned 18.9% per year on average, easily outpacing large-cap stocks and small-cap growth's 14.1% annualized return over the same period. A great portion of this outperformance occurs during the bad times as small value doesn't suffer the major drawdowns that hotter corners of the market often experience when the environment no longer is so hot. In other words, by doing a better job of preserving capital during periods of economic struggle, this asset class is capable of producing attractive total returns over long periods of time. This is why small value can be such a great choice for long horizon goals such as retirement or college education for your children.
Watch for regression to the mean
In addition, there is something else special going on with the asset class today. It is an unusual time in the markets. Recall that the Russell 2000 Growth Index beat the Russell 2000 Value Index by 9% last year, and has in fact beaten value in five of the last seven calendar years. This is not a normal pattern of events, and in fact is something which has never happened before in the history of the Russell data. What does this tell us? It tell us that if you believe in regression to the mean, think value. When people talk about the overvaluation of stocks or small-cap stocks at this part of the market cycle, recognize that they are primarily taking about growth stocks, and if this overvaluation were to unwind, it is reasonable to expect small value to outperform.
OK, so of course one would expect me to be very bullish on small-cap value stocks. So don't take my word for it—take Paul Merriman's. The author, financial advisor and MarketWatch columnist who specializes in retirement issues recently reviewed returns for small-cap value vs. the S&P 500 for every 20-calendar-year period starting with 1934 and found of the 61 periods, small-cap value stocks beat the S&P 60 times. His conclusion: small-cap value stocks represent the one asset class that every long-term investor should consider owning. I couldn't agree more!
1 Based on research by Nobel Prize-winning economist Eugene F. Fama, of the University of Chicago, and economist Kenneth R. French, of Dartmouth College.

subset: commoncrawl


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Kampala — Pope Benedict XVI has appointed the Tororo Auxilliary Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Charles Martin Wamika, the new Catholic bishop of Jinja Diocese.
Wamika is replacing Bishop Joseph Willigers, who has retired, according to a letter from the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Paul Tschanga In-Nam.
Willigers has served for 43 years, making him Uganda's longest-serving bishop.
"I have the pleasure to inform you that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has accepted the resignation of His Lordship the Rt. Rev. Joseph Willigers, from his office of bishop of Jinja. The Pope has appointed his successor as His Lordship the Rt. Rev. Charles Martin Wamika," the apostolic nuncio said in a letter released to the press yesterday by Fr. Philip Odii.
Odii is the executive secretary for the Social Communications Uganda Catholic Secretariat at Nsambya.
Wamika was born in Budaka, Pallisa district on August 12, 1953. He studied primary school at St. Peter's Claver College and in 1964 joined St. Pius X Minor Seminary, Nagongera.
Wamika studied philosophy at the Alokolum National Seminary, Gulu and theology at the National Seminary of Ggaba, Kampala.
He was ordained a priest on September 22, 1979. In 1992, he was appointed auxilliary bishop.
Willigers was born on October 26, 1930 in the Netherlands and ordained priest in 1955. He became the first Bishop of Jinja in 1967. He was appointed bishop by the then Pope Paul VI.
The apostolic nuncio thanked Willigers for his long and fruitful service and prayed for the new bishop.


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Ask a Cicerone: The Best Beer With Sushi
We asked our crew of beer-pairing pros for their advice: what's the best beer to drink with sashimi, nigiri, or sushi rolls? More
We asked our crew of beer-pairing pros for their advice: what's the best beer to drink with sashimi, nigiri, or sushi rolls? More
Sushi and beer are an awesome combination, and many folks like to order sake with sushi (even if it might not be strictly traditional), but you might be surprised how delicious wine and sushi can be together. Whether it's a salty-seeming coastal white wine from Italy, or a palate-cleansing sparkler from France or Spain, wine can make for a truly special sushi meal. Which bottles should you pop? We asked 11 sommeliers for tips. More
Like that old (and often incorrect) adage that fish always tastes best with white wine, people often assume that hard cider and fish (both light in body) are always going to be a natural match. It's sometimes true, but not all ciders are the same, and there are many, many kinds (and preparations) of fish in the sea. Here are a few tips for finding a delicious pairing. More
When pairing beers with sushi one might first be tempted to deal with that sinus-clearing wasabi. But many of sushi's main constituents are big umami providers, including soy sauce, seaweed, and of course raw fish. The best pairings enhance these flavors, in turn toning down the horseradishy heat of any wasabi. More


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Rosenberg applies the brakes on risk control
Kerrin Rosenberg, chief executive of the UK operations of Dutch consultant Cardano, likes to compare market volatility with a trip to the Lake District. He said: "At certain times, you are travelling along motorways at 60 to 70 miles an hour. At others, you are creeping along dark, country roads at 30."
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iMED Card
The iMED health insurance card is an essential piece of identification, along with your UBC student ID. During your coverage dates, keep your iMED card and your student ID with you so that you (or someone on your behalf) can access them in case you need medical attention.
Didn't get your iMED card?
Within 10 days of registering for classes, your iMED card will be emailed to you at the address on the record at UBC.
If after 10 days you do not get your iMED card, contact DCIS at email@example.com. In your email please write "Missing iMED card" as the subject, and in the message please include your name, student number, and date of arrival in BC.
Incorrect iMED card?
If your iMED card has incorrect information contact DCIS at firstname.lastname@example.com. In the email please write "Incorrect iMED card" as the subject. Include your name, student number, and date of arrival in BC in the message.


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Movement EditionJanuary 6th, 2011
Nice! We really like the new look. It is like lava much sleeker!
I was planning to get the 2010 Indie, but after seeing this, I will wait for 2011. I hope the launch is before April.
I would love this stroller!! My daughter Olivia was a persistent one who decided to come a month early and tried three times to come before her due date. Here she is 15 months old and as perfectly sassy as ever. We would love this stroller. Having gone with less expensive brands I know we would absolutely love this stroller for our last baby. We love the Vita color and would tell the world to buy this stroller!!!
Thank You!!
Love the 2010 versions but would like to wait for the 2011 version of the Indie. I Just hope that the colors are as pretty as the 2010 strollers. I am due in Jun and don't want a black stroller.
can't wait for this to come out… super xcite!
[…] Bumbleride Movement Edition will be released in Spring of this year and has a sleek modern design with some actual practical […]
Hello! Just wondering if the Maxi Cosi car seat adapater for the 2011 Movement edition will fit on the 2010 Indie? Thanks!
Is the new fabric stain resistant and treated with chemicals? Any flame retardants used? My baby is very sensitive to chemicals so I need to check first before buying
When will this be available?
When will you have photos up of the different colors and looks?
I love these strollers! Super Strong,Super Lasting! Very Durable!
Do you know when the new movement models will be shipped in April? Our little girl is due on April 16…
Will the Movement Edition replace the 2010 Indie? Or will the 2010 still be available? I have seen this question above but I haven't seen a response.
Hi – I thought that we were supposed to be able to pre-order the Movement Series in March. When will the website be updated to do that? Thank you!!
Hello, I have found one website to pre-order the 2011 Movement Series and Chicco car seat adapter. Problem is that paticular site is not listed as one of your online dealers and I would prefer not to void the warrantly on such a hefty purchase. Any idea when the new strollers and car set adapters will be available for purchase? Thanks
Does the New 2011 Indie Movment still weigh the same as the 2010 Indie? Thanks!
I am interested in purchasing a bumbleride and the 2011 model looks fabulous. The only concern/question I have with the current model to new model is the easy release harness. My daughter is a smart cookie (aka Houdini)-I do not want her to be able to "easily" get out of her seat without me wanting her out. So will the current 2011 model have that feature or will it be a tad harder for the child to get themselves out? Thank you.
Too bad I had to buy one asap… This one is taking taking to long to finally be available. I bought the indie 2010. I hope I don't regret
Nevermind-did a better job at researching and found out it is exactly the same. Oh well. I'll probably still buy the stroller. =)
Hi, Can you tell me if the new Indie Movement for 2011 is still the same weight as the 2010 model?
Hello! I am looking forward to buying the fabrics of movement clooection for my Indie 2010, but now I see that the canopy is redesigned in 2011 models. Does it mean that the canopy fabrics (of movement) will not match Indie 2010 canopy?
Hi, I need to know when in April you will be shipping the Movement model. My baby is due in April so I need a date more specific. Thanks!!
I am interested in purchasing the 2011 indie twin and was wondering since it will be able to fit 2 car seats will that make the stroller wider?
also, when will we be available to view the new indiw twin?
Finally, what retailers will sell the 2011 version and how will we know if it is the 2011 or 2010 verion that they are selling?
Just wondering when I can order the movement edition? Also, why can't you order it from the bumbleride website anymore, or can you?
The Movement and 2011 classic colors are now available for pre order via http://www.bumbleride.com and shipping in late April.
Natural Edition will be available for pre order in the coming weeks and will ship in late April. Stay tuned for the Natural pre-order announcement.
Canada pre-ordering is available and we are working on adding the link to the Canadian online Bumbleride store asap.
Thank you so much for your interest in Bumbleride! -Ryan


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Coach Bagatskis has used 11 different players in his starting lineups so far this season; Semen Antonov is the only player to have started every game.
Taylor Rochestie is the Euroleague's leading scorer this season with 19.4 points per game.
Rochestie has scored in double figures and made at least 1 three-pointer in each of his last 11 Euroleague games.
Rochestie has made 21 consecutive free throws in Euroleague games.
Rochestie was a teammate of Anadolu Efes players Milko Bjelica and Thomas Heurtel during the 2012-13 season at Laboral Kutxa Vitoria.
Trey Thompkins is tied for the Top 16 lead in rebounds with 9 per game.
Tarence Kinsey spent the 2011-12 season with Anadolu Efes. He was a teammate there of current Efes players Cenk Akyol and Dogus Balbay.
Art Parakhouski has blocked at least 1 shot in six straight and 10 of his last 11 Euroleague games.
Parakhouski anchored the defense with 4 blocks to help Nizhny beat Anadolu Efes 61-65 in Istanbul last month.
Coach Ivkovic has used 12 different players in his starting lineups so far this season. No player has started every game.
Thomas Heurtel has made 14 consecutive free throws in Euroleague action.
Matt Janning's streak of consecutive Euroleague games with at least 1 three-pointer made came to an end last week at seven.
Dario Saric has recorded at least 1 steal in eight consecutive Euroleague games.
Cedi Osman has recorded at least 1 steal in six consecutive Euroleague games.
Dontaye Draper has recorded at least 1 steal in five consecutive Euroleague games.
Nizhny Novgorod dominated Anadolu Efes Istanbul from start to finish for a historic 109-90 victory on Friday. Art Parakhouski had a career night with 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting, Taylor Rochestie set a Top 16 record with 15 assists and Trey Thompkins added a double double as the hosts improved to 2-2 in Group F, while dropping Efes to the same record. Rochestie recorded 11 points and 3 assists in 25-10 Nizhny start and the hosts never looked back. They racked up 65 first-half points, which were the second-most ever in a Euroleague game since the turn of the century. Thompkins had the honor of taking Nizhny over the 100-point mark midway through the fourth quarter. Parakhouski added 6 rebounds and 3 blocks to his outstanding effort. Thompkins finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Rochestie scored 19 and only committed 1 turnover. Tarence Kinsey added 16 points, Dimitriy Khvostov scored 12 and Semen Antonov 10 for the winners. Milko Bjelica was 3 for 3 from downtown for 15 points to lead Efes, while Nenad Krstic and Stephane Lasme netted 13 apiece and Thomas Heurtel dished 8 assists in defeat.
Antonov scored on the game's first possession and left open, Dario Saric got the visitors on the scoreboard with a three-pointer. Rochestie ran the pick-and-roll to perfection with Parakhouski, who finished with ease, Rochestie then found Antonov to make it 9-3. Krstic scored inside and Matt Janning buried a three to bring Efes within 3, but Parakhouski turned a missed layup into a three-point play to keep Nizhny in control. A Rochestie jumper and then free throws gave the hosts their first double-digit lead. Krstic's hook shot made it 18-10 midway through the quarter. Rochestie buried a three and after the TV timeout attacked the basket for a layup, which gave him 11 points – more than the entire Efes team to that point. Maksim Krivosheev made it 25-10 before Krstic scored inside again. Cedi Osman's fast-break layup and foul drew Efes within 26-16. Bjelica added a basket on the offensive glass. Khvostov answered with a mid-range jumper, but Osman buried a three. Kinsey's jumper on the buzzer ended the quarter at 31-21.
Lasme soared for a layup for Efes. Parakhouski muscled his way to a bucket for the hosts. Rochestie added free throws, but Furkan Korkmaz hit a three. Kinset twice ran the pick-and-roll with Parakhouski, which resulted in a two-handed slam and a short jumper. In between, Bjelica connected from downtown for Efes. Antonov buried a three to make it 42-29. Krstic remained a force for Efes with 2 more free throws. Kinsey converted a three-point play and then stripped Thomas Heurtel to trigger a fast break that Parakhouski finished. The center added 2 free throws on the next possession for an 18-point lead. Bjelica canned a second triple to make it 49-34 midway through the quarter. Rochestie hooked up with the unstoppable Parakhouski for another bucket and Levan Patsatsia finished a fast break for a 19-point advantage. Saric scored 2 at the line, but the difference was soon in the 20s after a Rochestie layup and Parakhouski free throws. Thompkins free throws made it 59-36. Dontaye Draper tried to revive the visitors with 4 straight points. Kinsey stayed hot with a mid-range jumper. Stratos Perperoglou countered with a spin move, but seconds later Kinsey scored again. Draper closed the difference to 65-47 with a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the half.
Efes looked to set a different tone for the second half as Lasme started things with a monster slam. Antonov sank a jumper and Parakhouski continued his dominance with a blocked shot at one end and a layup at the other. Thompkins bettered Lasme's jumper with a three-pointer and then added a put-back. Rochestie's floater made it 76-51. Heurtel found Bjelica for a slam and the two soon hooked up again when Bjelica netted his third three. Khvostov sandwiched a pair of threes around Heurtel's long jumper. Rochestie found Parakhouski for a slam. Korkmaz drew a foul shooting a 3 and made the resulting 3 free throws. Thompkins stayed with his own miss and scored to become the sixth Nizhny player in double figures in points. Perperoglou nailed a three to bring Efes within 86-68. Thompkins and Saric traded jumpers to make it 88-71.
Korkmaz added 2 more from the line. Thompkins and Khvostov kept the Nizhny offense rolling. Kinsey's pull-up jumper made it 94-73. Perperoglou and Thompkins traded jumpers. Bjelica sank a shot over Thompkins. Rochestie came back in and hit a floater. He then tied the Top 16 record for assists on a Thompkins three. Krstic split free throws and then Rochestie set the Top 16 record by dishing another assist to Parakhouski. Krstic dunked. The hosts remained aggressive with Kinsey soaring to grab his own miss and scoring to make it 107-82. Heurtel found Lasme for an alley-oop layup. Heurtel then scored 4 quick points in a late 0-8 Efes run. Parakhouski scored the final basket as Nizhny wrapped up a historic victory.


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Home | About CSN | CSN Help | Contact CSN
NPC Support Group
The aim of this blog is to publicize activities related to the Nasopharyngeal Cancer Support Groups at NUH and TTSH Singapore. It is also a site to share your experience or ask for advice.
When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, I tried seeking out books on the subject. I was a bit disappointed to learn that there wasn't a whole bunch of written information to choose from. However, I found Lorna Brunelle's "Dirty Bombshell: From Thyroid Cancer Back to Fabulous!" book truly invaluable. It has valuable information, light humor, dark humor, poignant reflections, and everything in between! In 2 weeks I'll be receiving my I-131 radioactive treatment and I'm happy to say that I am less afraid and more informed than I was before reading this book. Lorna's eloquent ability to chronicle all of her fears, vulnerabilities, and experiences in this book has made thyroid cancer a lot less intimidating. Thank you, Lorna and God bless!
I use "caringbridge.org" to commicate to friends and family the conditon of your cancer patient.. It really saves a lot of phone calls and letters..You post your info and your friends and family gets an email after they sign up on the web site.. it really works good.. try it you ll like it,, caregiver..
Beauty for Ashes/Dile adios a tus temores
The Appendix Cancer Connection
17 year old schoolgirl Angela Zhang's pioneering research work on cancer detection and possible treatment
Good source for info on Neuroendocrine tumors and Carcinoid Cancer.


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Iowa City-Fans and local reporters are talking Heisman consideration for Iowa runningback Shonn Greene, but the University is low keying all the talk so far.
Should Iowa beat Illinois on Saturday and Greene would have another great day, the Iowa marketing department might get more involved in an active campaign to bring national attention to Greene.
Greene has come on the scene much as Brad Banks in 2002. Banks didn't get much consideration until after the Hawks flattened Michigan on a game on ESPN.
Iowa's next two games will be on ABC.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa News, Sports, and Weather
Iowa to Wait on Heisman Hype
By John Campbell, TV9
Most Popular


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Update: Dobbins did apologize — to the student and her family, to the board, to the rest of the school community — and said he was wrong. He also said that he had good intentions, and that there was "no inappropriate contact."
The Oakland school board meets tonight for the first time since calling for the resignation of Chris Dobbins. According to the terms of the censure (no committees, no appointments), the board is pulling Dobbins from the Chabot Space & Science Center board of directors and replacing him with David Kakishiba, board president.
Maybe Dobbins will apologize to the public tonight. Maybe not. Last week, after a report detailing his relationship with a 17-year-old former student was read aloud, the board member said he wouldn't step down. He said he made an error in judgment, but that the board's action was unfair.
Also tonight, district staff present a back-to-school report that includes enrollment (40,084) figures, construction project costs, a test score analysis and a staffing update chock full of pie charts and line graphs.
Although just over 300 teachers left the district, there were a total of 503 vacancies — some, because of internal transfers. As of this week, 18 remained.
Another interesting tidbit: 15 of Oakland's new teachers came from Spain and Mexico.


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Topic: Events
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We often take URL, our amazing Mexican wonder dog, for a morning walk up the Paseo de Montejo, a wide, tree-lined boulevard near our house. Stately mansions – most of which are banks or restaurants today – as well the Paseo itself were built during Merida's bella epoca, between 1870 and 1910. With everything French so in vogue here at the time, it was designed to be Merida's Champs Elysees.
The bella epoca years were boom years for Mexico, when the president-turned-dictator Porfirio Diaz enforced liberal economic policies that brought wealth into Mexico, probably for the first time. (A lot of wealth had been leaving Mexico for years, in the form of gold, silver and other natural resources.) Under Diaz, the rich got really rich, especially in Merida where the hacendados (the owners of most of the land) were cultivating and shipping sisal (rope) to the world.
Unfortunately, the poor got really poor, and there were, as always, a lot more of them…
All of this history had a direct effect on our doggy stroll this morning, because as we turned the corner onto the Paseo, we were surprised to discover hundreds, perhaps thousands, of school-age children milling about dressed in white shirts and trousers and bedecked with wide sombreros, ammunition belts and rifles! Que hay?
Does November 20th ring a bell? (Actually, no. They ring the bell on September 15th for Mexican Independence Day. That's called El Grito and it happened in 1810. )This was Revolution Day, the day that Francisco Madero proclaimed himself president and called for an insurgency after Diaz thwarted a legal election in 1910. The poor Mexicans were muy listo (very ready) and dutifully provided the insurgency, bringing such colorful characters as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata onto the national stage (and ultimately into legend).
The revolutionaries this morning were not nearly as bloodied, but they were just as colorful. At this early hour, they were busy staging for the big parade, putting on their gear or practicing their bugle fanfares prior to the march down to the zocalo or main plaza. Loud speakers on nearby trucks blared Queen's "We Are The Champions" and a Spanish version of "My Sharona" in classic Mexican dissonance.
It looked to us like every town from the state of Yucatan was represented by some school or club.
One of our favorites was the group of girls wearing white mini-skirts trimmed with embroidery like a huipile, as if they were Britney Spears' Mayan backup dancers. But the perennial favorites are the fierce young ladies dressed as revolutionaries like the boys, but wearing plaid blouses and long skirts.
URL the dog was not the least bit intimidated by the revolutionary mayhem. He is Mexican after all. We meandered up the Paseo, enjoying a leisurely stroll and the justicia, tierra y libertad that made it possible for all these kids to walk here, too.


text: Stephen Lam, Getty Images [ Post-Vacation, Obama to Face Egypt, Spending Talks By Associated Press August 19, 2013 Fresh from a weeklong vacation, President Barack Obama has to confront such issues as the crisis in Egypt and federal spending before getting back out on the road to sell his economic proposals. Read More|Comment Category: Associated Press, National News, Politics Tags: Egypt, Obama, Spending Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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Mobile apps for trade shows
Reach out to your visitors with mobile campaigns
Easily create an event app for your conference, tradeshow, corporate or leisure event. Create interaction between attendees with the "Meet Me" feature and enable real-time voting and Q&A. Generate leads for exhibitors and sponsors and use push notifications for promotions and last-minute messages.
Mobile Apps & Campaigns
For trade shows, conferences and corporate events
Publish a professional mobile guide for your event visitors. The app senses user interests, provides personalised recommendations and creates valuable leads for exhibitors. Attendees can easily connect with each other and interact in real-time with speakers.Want to know more?
Some of our flagship event cases
Horeca Expo
Art Brussels
KPN Wholesale Event
Offer lead capturing to exhibitors
Get to know your audience
The "Personal Conference Bag" allows visitors to opt-in, indicate their interest in products, capture brochures, bookmark contacts and tag content throughout the event.
This unique service provides relevant content to your attendees and turns your mobile event app into a powerful lead generator for exhibitors and sponsors.
Maximum visibility for sponsors & exhibitors
Monetize your app
Your event app isn't just a great tool for your visitors. It allows you to sell extra services to sponsors and exhibitors.
Turn your app into a new revenue stream by selling banner ads, premium listings and sponsored push notifications.
Premium Listings
Exhibitors are listed on top of the exhibitor list for maximum exposure.
Integrated Ads
Easily integrate banners in your app to promote sponsors.
Push Notifications
Send targeted messages to attendees, based on their profile and interests, to promote exhibitors, speaker sessions and upcoming events.
Networking for attendees
Create valuable connections
Promote networking among visitors with an interactive attendee list, and easily integrate Linkedin.
Real-time interactions
Voting, speaker rating, surveys
Allow attendees to interact during a speaker session, with real-time voting and moderated Q&A functionality on their smartphone or tablet. Use surveys and speaker ratings to get valuable feedback.
Benefit from viral campaigns on social media
Promote your event on Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter
The "Photo Sharing" module in the BIS app allows users to join a contest, take pictures and share on Twitter and Facebook, resulting in a highly successful viral campaign.
Take control over your app
Manage and monitor your app with ease!
App Creator
Build, publish and maintain your app
Building a professional looking mobile app for your trade show or conference has never been easier. Read on to find out how you can start building your app today. No technical skills required!
Statistics & real-time user behaviour
TapCrowd Insights allows you to keep track of how your audience is using your app. This also allows you to watch and analyse real-time user behaviour. Want to feel the power? Read on!
Mobile Marketing
Send push notifications, engage users
TapCrowd's integrated mobile marketing platform allows you to bring visitors and exhibitors together. Based on user interests the Mobile Marketing platform allows you to act on user behaviour. Read on to learn more!
The App Creator
Create a professional mobile app in minutes!
Create a mobile guide for your event!
The TapCrowd app building platform allows event organisers to easily create a professional mobile app for their event. The platform offers all necessary functionality to offer the best mobile event app available today to your visitors. Updating content or changing the look and feel of your app is easy as pie. Updates are live instantly!
Make it yours.
Integrated in the TapCrowd platform are over 30 app design templates which turn your app into a fresh creation. This also features an advanced which allows creative geniuses to tweak every pixel in the app. You can upload your own logo's, backgrounds to fully align the app with your event or corporate branding.
Powerful Insights
Keep track of your audience
TapCrowd Insights offers a complete real-time dashboard. It allows you to keep track of your audience and see how they engage with the mobile app, exhibitors and other visitors. Viewing download statistics and statistics on active app users also belongs to the possibilities.
Connect exhibitors and visitors.
Watch real-time interactions.
See how real-time interactions are made between visitors and exhibitors. Coloured markers indicate the interactivity and interest level in a topic, session or exhibitor per attendee. This crucial information is the basis to trigger campaigns and steer the audience to certain exhibitor booths.
Visually build mobile campaigns
Disruptive event marketing
TapCrowd's visual campaign builder allows you to create a communication plan in no-time. Blocks represent a certain aspect or factor of your communication plan e.g. the job of the people you want to target, the sessions they are attending, the booth they are close to etc.
Personalised context-aware communication
Example: targeted invitation for a sponsored session
Visually build a one-to-one communication plan, taking into account your attendee's location, their interests and their real-time context.
Define locations that trigger an interaction, such as shop locations and digital signage screens. Locations are detected on the smartphone of your audience based on GPS, TapConnect wifi beacons and interactive QR codes.
Configure schedules to target users during certain time intervals, e.g. during opening hours.
Take into account the profile and interests of your audience, create segments and push personalised recommendations. User profiles are automatically created based on the user's activity in the app.
Link user context to your communication plan, in order to communicate at the right moment with each user. The user context includes the current activity of each person, e.g. whether they are at home, driving or shopping.
Send a push notification with personalised offerings. The message will be delivered only to relevant users, based on their profile, context and location.
Features of your future event app
General Info
List important information regarding your event. From opening hours & event location to ticketing information.
Exhibitor Catalog
The exhibitor catalog is a list which offers detailed information on each exhibitor.
Sessions & Speakers
A list with sessions and detailed speaker information which can be divided into tracks and rooms.
Allow attendees to easily network which their peers. Efficient networking has finally arrived!
Personal Agenda
Your audience will love creating their own schedule filled with the sessions they want to attend.
Push Notifications
Send last-minute event information to all users of the app. Enable your partners to send sponsored messages.
Keep your audience up-to-date with the latest event news.
Interactive Floorplan
Easily guide visitors the way with a multi-level interactive floorplan including indoor navigation.
List of your event partners with detailed information.
Conference Bag
Visitors can tag content they would like to take with them e.g. product brochures from a certain exhibitor.
Social Media
An integrated Twitter and Facebook feed with the possibility to send tweets from within the app with the official event hashtag.
Live Q&A & Polls
Voting for attendees with live displaying of results, and asking questions to speakers (with moderation)
Session & Speaker Rating
Request ratings from attendees after sessions and speaking slots.
Ad Banners
Integrated ad banners offer extra visibility for your sponsors.
Attendees can send messages to each other to improve networking.


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New column idea: (No longer) Our Neighbors
(Please take that header in jest ... )
When I came up with the concept for the Our Neighbors feature, the goal was simple: For the local community newspaper to shine the spotlight on locals who were worthy of being covered in the news even though they may not necessarily do something typically considered "newsworthy."
Since its inception, the front page, weekend staple has featured plenty of local newsmakers (in their own rights), and even won some awards (first place at the New England Associated Press News Executive Association for feature writing in 2011).
This past week, I almost feel compelled to craft a new column about folks who left the area but are still doing incredible things. There was a one-time local firefighter recently announced as Fire Chief for the Portland (Maine) Fire Department; a Brattleboro Union High School graduate honored at a Palm Beach food event for cuisine crafted in his restaurant on wheels; and a one-time local woman studying abroad when she was involved in a traffic accident (and was temporarily places in a medically induced coma!).
It's hard to track all of these types of stories down, but they're still just as interesting to readers as the regular Our Neighbors features. So, while we probably won't dedicate a permanent spot to these one-time locals, we'll still make a point to report on as many as we can.
Update: After calling the editor at the Palm Beach newspaper, I was able to get a release to run their coverage of the food event, crediting their publication and writer, in a future edition of the Reformer.
No trackbacks yet.


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On 29 June 2012, the Negotiations with Montenegro on its accession to the European Union were opened at the first meeting of the Accession Conference at ministerial level. This followed a decision by the General Affairs Council on 26 June to open the talks, as endorsed by the European Council.
The EU Delegation was headed by Nicolai Wammen, Danish Minister for European Affairs, and the European Commission was represented by Štefan Füle, Member of the EC in charge of Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy. The Montenegrin delegation was led by Milan Roćen, Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration.


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The IHSAA winter sports playoff season is upon us, beginning with wrestling sectionals Saturday and the draw for girls basketball sectionals Sunday. With that in mind, here are postseason primers for each sport, complete with my fearless predictions.
Sectional: Saturday (sectional draw was Monday).
Shenandoah Sectional (9 a.m.): Eastern Hancock, Blue River Valley, Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Hagerstown, Knightstown, New Castle, Northeastern, Richmond, Tri.Defending team champion: New Castle.
Warren Central Sectional (8:30 a.m.): Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon, New Palestine, Beech Grove, Franklin Central, Marshall, Roncalli, Shelbyville and Triton Central at Warren Central, Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Defending team champion: Warren Central.
Returning individual champions at WC: Taylor Fee, NP, 113 pounds last year/126 now; Sam Locke; G-C, 126/132; Josh Farrell, G-C, 138/152.
Regional: Top four in each weight class at sectional advance to regional meet. Eastern Hancock at Richmond Regional, Feb. 2, 8 a.m.; Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon and New Palestine at Perry Meridian Regional, Feb. 2 at 9 a.m.
Semistate: Top four in each weight class at Richmond, Perry Meridian regionals advance to New Castle Semistate, Feb. 9 at 9 a.m
State finals: Top four in each weight class at semistate advance to state finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. First round is on Feb. 15 at 6p.m. Quarterfinals Feb. 16 begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by semifinals. Consolation finals at 5 p.m., then spotlight finals at 7:30 p.m.
Fearless predictions: First, a newsworthy note: New Palestine's Tommy Cash, the reigning 106-pound sectional champ and current No. 2 ranked grappler at 120, is out for the season. That will strike a blow to the Dragons' chances at the team title. … Hancock County's pair of undefeated wrestlers — NP's C.J. Red (106) and G-C's Josh Farrell (152) — will cruise to the regional round. … Other sectional winners will be G-C's Sam Locke (132), NP's Gordon Wagner (138), G-C's Austin Rose (170) and NP's Brian Wagner (182). … Keep an eye on MV's Dustin Tackett in the 160-pound weight class, a division that is wide-open. … Eastern Hancock moved into a new sectional this winter, stepping into a tourney with more similarly-sized schools as opposed to its previous Warren Central Sectional. Last year the Royals had two wrestlers seeded at sectional. Now, EH has four wrestlers seeded in the top five alone, and the rest of the squad is seeded no lower than eighth. Hunter Knopp (170), the top seed at 170, will bring home an individual sectional title for the Royals.
Girls swimming & diving
Sectional, Jan. 31 (prelims), Feb. 2 (swimming and diving finals): New Palestine hosts Centerville, Connersville, Eastern Hancock, Greenfield-Central, Hagerstown, Mt. Vernon, New Castle, Richmond, Rushville, Shenandoah. Defending team champion: Mt. Vernon.
Returning event champions: 200 medley relay, MV; 200 individual medley, Carly Fernandes, G-C; 100 butterfly, Taylor Johnson, G-C; 100 backstroke, Carly Fernandes, G-C; 100 breaststroke, Emily Trimpe, NP.
Diving regional: First-place sectional finishers qualify for Plainfield Regional, Feb. 5.
State finals: First-place sectional finishers and any contestant who equals or betters the state time standard at sectional qualifies for state meet. Places one through eight at diving regional advance to state meet. State finals held at Indiana University Natatorium at IUPUI. Swimming prelims at 6 p.m. on Feb. 8, with swimming and diving finals beginning at 1 p.m. on Feb. 9.
Fearless predictions: Fernandes and Johnson will be repeat individual winners. … Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon and New Palestine placed in the top six last year; all three will be in the top five this go-around. … The Marauders, winners of three of the past four sectional meets, always seem to swim well in this meet, so they'll make it four championships in five years. … Eastern Hancock's Sarah Henderson will qualify for an individual event final, a program first. The Royals will also advance two relay teams to the final round.


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Garden Philosophy
Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come
(Chinese proverb)
To be the custodian of this magnificent land we call Merribrook is both a privilege and an awesome responsibility. Our land must remain magical, colourful and playful always calling you back for another experience in this golden garden we named Merribrook.
It is our vision to continue supporting this land to be the Garden of Eden it has always been. Our vision is one of great natural beauty, abundance, love and balance..
We are eclectic in our approach to garden design at Merribrook, drawing strongly from two philosophies, Permaculture and Natural Gardening, plus the readings of Rudolph Steiner.
The Permaculture influence is evident in the physical design of our exotic gardens around the original development and the farm tree plantings. The Natural Garden approach is that of working with nature enhancing what already is. We are not gardening in a vacuum. Our decisions for design and plant choice directly impact on wildlife and water quality.
We see the 160 acre Merribrook property divided into zones;
1) The Native Bush – 80 acres ungrazed by stock, abundant in fantastic flora and fauna diversity, now a dedicated Land for Wildlife area.
2) The Creek Lines – Valuable wildlife corridors and environments for healthy water and many frogs!
3) The Pastures – These cleared areas contain human habitats, sheep, agro forestry, orchards and exotic gardens.
Each zone has specific needs and we are developing values and knowledge accordingly.
1) The Native Bush is already magnificent and as we carefully construct walking and meditation areas it is with utmost care and respect. Weed control is a major goal in the Bush. We have planted over 1000 trees and countless shrubs and rushes.
2) The Creek Lines have specific management guidelines
Healthy restored Creek Lines are our aim and we are well on the way to achieving this.
4) The Pasture zone or white man's influence reflects and honours our European psyche. The smelling of the roses, the colours of the deciduous trees, the comfort of the ordered vegetable garden, all nurture our ancestral past.
The Natural Garden Philosophy divides this 'man made' area in to 3, to give it essential cohesiveness and manageability. These areas are not sharply delineated. The inner area is that around the buildings, the inner sanctum. Our vision here is to make this area magnificent to all the senses. The in-between area is the 'view' from this core space – this is always ambitious, seductive and a true design challenge. The outer area is where the exotic and planned areas merge with the Native Bush or the Creek Lines. An area of responsible plantings.
Quality, simplicity and order
Knowledge is power-sit in nature and all will be revealed
As we venture into more garden development especially in the new orchard area, The Golden Garden of Eden, we do so with all our past knowledge, plus 28 years of experience living on this land. The rhythm of this wonderful land must be respected with careful thought always before any changes happen.
Merribrook is for people, for wildlife, and for abundant vegetation. It must flow and evolve – it is our golden land of 'milk & honey'. We need a clever link between the established flow of the exotic gardens to the new orchard gardens and out into the old and new Bush. We will do this with repetition of colour and plant choice and with an emphasis on this being a working garden for our food production.
It is our intent to be as environmentally friendly as possible. We are moving always towards organic sustainable practices. Noxious weeds still need to be destroyed. Where possible mulching, composting and natural fertilising is used for nutrition.
We garden in this land to create and share great beauty, nourishment and lasting visual pleasure. By remaining in integrity, Merribrook can continue to sustain and heal many people and allow them to grow, to learn, to relax and restore.
Our land must remain magical, colourful and playful always calling you back for another experience in this golden garden of Eden, we named Merribrook.


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From that eventful day in August last year when Stephen Kiprotich won Uganda's only gold medal in 40 years at the London Olympics, his fortunes have kept piling.
In fact, conservative estimates indicate that in the aftermath of his medal success, Kiprotich's prizes and cash rewards have totalled Shs 1bn. For a man who was a prison guard in the Uganda Prisons services in Luzira, this was unprecedented.
Even at his workplace, he was promoted nine places to Assistant Superintendent of Prisons from Warder. He now owns a double-cabin pick-up and his endorsements from a myriad of companies have made him a billboard icon. In one, he is seen advertising Aqua mineral water whose tag line (Kip siping) was coined from his name.
Last Friday, Kiprotich was again handed the award of athlete of the year 2012 by the Uganda Athletics Federation and a day later, he bagged a brace at the Uganda Sports Press Association (Uspa) annual gala awards night. He was the male athlete of the year and overall sportsman of the year 2012.
So the question is: what is it like to win? Kiprotich told The Observer on Saturday that one thing he has discovered all this time he has been winning prizes is that it can be overwhelming. "It is difficult to get used to winning. Each time you win, the feeling is different from the previous time and so you want to win again," he explained.
Other sports personalities of course haven't had Kiprotich's rewards and tributes but they too, in the Uspa award, have revelled in that feeling of winning. Brian Odong, winner of the Uspa award for best male rugby player, told The Observer that when you stand on that podium to pick up your award, you feel like you have conquered.
"It's like you have the world at your feet; you feel special and until you are in the spotlight like I was on Saturday night, you can't imagine the feeling."
In essence, being a winner is something every sports personality strives for because it is life-changing. For Odong, now the added advantage is that he has to work even harder to defend the accolade.
Flavia Okecho, the basketball MVP women in 2006 and 2008 for Lady-Bucks and UCU Lady Canons respectively, says winning is a habit. With a glittering career, where she is arguably the best female basketball player in the last 10 years, she was voted Uspa female basketball player of 2012 and Fuba 2012 play-off MVP.
To some basketball commentators, Okecho is the consummate winner, always defying the odds to win it all. After taking a break from the game in 2010 to have her child, few expected her to get back into the game, let alone have the form to inspire any success. But she did.
"Unless you have won before, you will never value what it is like being on top with everyone applauding you. These accolades will inspire my children to become great athletes for this country like I have been. They will want to walk in my footsteps," she says.
That said, the Uspa awards have come a long way. Because of Nile Breweries, the sponsors, and Uganda Telecom, their predecessors, the awards gala night is such a colourful class act. The guests list is a who-is-who in the sports arena, something akin to events like the Fifa Ballon d'Or.
With great entertainment, food and lots of drink on the house, the Uspa event has moved places. Hassan Badru Zziwa, a veteran sports journalist recollects: "Back in the early 1990s, award winners used to take home plastic cups, plates or basins as prizes. But now, winners take plaques that are well engraved which they can keep for years."


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Press release from Business Wire
Fiber One Introduces Fiber One Protein Bars to Satisfy Cravings and Stay on Track in the New Year

 Trade in Your Candy Bar for a Fiber One Protein Bar that's Loaded with Protein, Fiber, and a Delicious Chocolaty Taste

Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Fiber One Introduces Fiber One Protein Bars to Satisfy Cravings and Stay on Track in the New Year10:10 EST Tuesday, January 15, 2013 MINNEAPOLIS (Business Wire) -- As Americans make New Year's resolutions to improve their eating habits, research shows that snacks can play an important role in healthier diets*. To help candy bar lovers stay on track and satisfy afternoon snack cravings, Fiber One is introducing Fiber One Protein Bars – delicious, chocolaty, chewy bars with the added benefits of fiber and protein to provide you with a delicious way to keep you going in the afternoon. The new bars are available in two indulgent flavors: Caramel Nut and Coconut Almond. Fiber One Protein Bars are available at major grocery stores nationwide in five-count boxes, at a suggested retail price of $4.19 (Photo: General Mills, Inc.) You know that feeling when your afternoon craving hits, but you want something more nutritious than what is in the vending machine and more exciting than what you packed? Fiber One® is here to help. Fiber One Protein Bars can help keep you on track with 20 percent daily value of fiber with at least six grams of protein in a delicious 130-140 calorie bar: At 130 calories, Caramel Nut contains seven grams of protein At 140 calories, Coconut Almond contains six grams of protein "At the start of the New Year, many Americans make resolutions to eat healthier, but it can be difficult to find smart options in the snack aisle that deliver on both nutrition and flavor," said Katherine Zonino, associate marketing manager for Fiber One. "It's time to find a snack that truly satisfies. Fiber One Protein Bars deliver the taste you crave, but with the nutritional benefits of fiber and protein, making it easy to stay on track." Fiber One Protein Bars are available at major grocery stores nationwide in five-count boxes, at a suggested retail price of $4.19. Visit FiberOne.com for more information about Fiber One Protein Bars and other Fiber One products. About General MillsGeneral Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries. Its consumer brands include Cheerios, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Progresso and Old El Paso. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2012 net sales of US$16.7 billion. Visit www.generalmills.com. *http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Market/More-snacks-healthier-diet-report-finds Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130115005104/en/ Cone CommunicationsLindsey Shumway, firstname.lastname@example.com One® Public firstname.lastname@example.com


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Robin 101: One Name, Many Heroes
This Just Happened: Is this the end for Terry McGinnis?
SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read THE NEW 52: FUTURES END #46 yet and do not wish to know what happens, stop reading this post now (major spoilers ahead!).
Looking Ahead: Stewart, Fletcher, Tarr and Wu Talk Black Canary and Batgirl
Friends share all sorts of things with each other. But for Barbara Gordon and Dinah Lance, what they're about to share is a new look, tone and relevance.
The #DCTV Secrets of ARROW – Episode 3.16: "The Offer"
The secrets (and bodies) are piling up in Starling City and only we know what they really are. That's why we're here to tease you with all the #DCTV Secrets hiding in each episode. If you really want to know some of the answers to these questions, check out the spoiler section... and get to the point.
iZombie: Three Reasons You're About to Fall in Love with a Zombie
Vampires can be attractive, but zombies? Zombies are usually little more than rotting beasts. At least, until now...
Just Add Zombies: Four Genres Made Even Better by the Undead
No matter your favorite genre of movie, TV show or book, it may be at risk of a sudden attack of the undead. But that may not be a bad thing. It appears audiences enjoy storytelling even more when it has some teeth.
Convergence Confidential: Harley Quinn
Love hurts. But the pain is rarely as physical as it is with Harley Quinn, who won't let anything—or anyone—stand between her and her "puddin'," the Joker.
The #DCTV Secrets of THE FLASH: Episode 15 – "Out of Time"
The disaster at S.T.A.R. labs has scattered secrets all over Central City and we know where they are. We're here to tease you with all the #DCTV Secrets hiding in each episode. If you really want to know some of the answers to these questions, check out the spoiler section... in a flash.
The Roundup: Batgirl Enters the Endgame
It's another big week for DC Comics and Vertigo fans, and we have previews of all our must-read comics, from Superman and Batgirl to The Kitchen. See you in the shops!
iZombie: If I Were a Real Life Liv
To celebrate iZombie, we asked the cast one question: if you could become a real-life Liv for a day and experience the memories and personality of someone, who would you choose?
Preview Monday: BATMAN/SUPERMAN #20 and STRANGE SPORTS STORIES #1
Welcome back for another installment of Preview Monday! This week, we're giving you exclusive first looks at BATMAN/SUPERMAN #20 and STRANGE SPORTS STORIES #1.


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The Community Relations Office is an integral part of the Police Department and coordinates all community relations activities for the Police Department. The Community Relations staff is dedicated to the education of everyone that is a part of the NAU campus and the Flagstaff community.
The program utilizes crime prevention presentations to provide the NAU community with the information and techniques to minimize the possibility of becoming a crime victim. Presentations are held throughout the campus in residence halls, academic buildings and business offices. Examples of presentations include:
|Drug Education
|Alcohol Awareness
|Burglary and Theft Prevention
|Domestic/Relationship Violence
|Harassing and Obscene Phone Calls
|Arson and Fire Safety
|Sexual Assault
|Violence in the Workplace
|Winter Driving Tips
If you would like to schedule a presentation or have a question about crime here on campus, please call our non-emergency line at 523-3611, or fill out the request form here! I will be happy to assist you.
2013 Law Enforcement Torch Run


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- Home
- Clearance
- Wetsuits Less Than $199
- Orca Women's Apex 2 Full Sleeve - Size L
Orca Women's Apex 2 Full Sleeve - Size L
Product Reviews
Worth the money
Posted by Ellen on 26th Sep 2012
I bought this suit for an upcoming half-ironman. I've worn it for a few practice swims, and it's so very comfortable. I practically glide on top of the water. I'm 5'6 and 155 (evenly proportioned), and the women's L fits me perfectly. I'm only giving this product 4 stars because I have no other suits to compare it with. I can't wait to race in it!
excellent fit. Used it in my first half ironman event.
Posted by Teresa on 5th Sep 2012
It made the 1.2 mile swim effortless !
Great Suit
Posted by Unknown on 14th Aug 2012
Floatation is fantastic! Comfortable suit, just a little tight around the neck. Will have to use glide for the first few uses to avoid the neck burn.
Too snug
Posted by Unknown on 28th Jul 2012
I really liked the look of this suit. The hot pink accents are cute. Unfortunately, it was too snug. I couldn't get close to zipping it.
Kudos to Jason in Customer Service, who was very knowledgeable about a suitable replacement and who reassured me that Orca suits are cut slim.
Very good suit for the price!
Posted by Leah Johnson, Two Harbors, MN on 19th Jun 2012
This is probably the best deal on an orca suit anywhere. I got it last week and the suit fits well. My previous suit was also an orca and as with all orca suits they fit very snug, so even though I am a bit smaller than the size chart indicated, the suits fits just fine. I weigh 132 lbs and I can see how someone heavier can fit the suit too, but I am certain that someone in the high 120s can also fit the suit. The suit was a little stiff at first, but after a few swims, it feels great. I am very happy with this deal and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good suit at a very good price
Product Description
This clearance special is on brand new Orca Apex full sleeve wetsuits in a size Large only. All wetsuits are in their original packaging and have not been worn.
For the first time in a triathlon wetsuit, the Orca APEX utilizes air within the suit's construction to give you a whole new definition of lift and speed on the water.
The world-first AirLite Body Panel, features internally crafted air cavities sealed within the neoprene. This extremely buoyant 4mm body panel lifts the wearer into the most natural swimming position. Drag is eliminated; buoyancy, flexibility and natural range of movement increased. Glide on a cushion of air. Key features: Duo-smooth Neck, AirLite Body Panel, Powercurve Shoulder Panel, Flex-sector Underarm, Freespan Arm Panel, Aquacatch DPS Panel, Speedseal Cuff and Slipstream Zip.
Size Fits:
|Height (ft/in)
|Weight (lbs)


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Take your next step with Iowa Valley Continuing Education
Welcome to Iowa Valley Continuing Education!
Iowa Valley Continuing Education (IVCE) is the non-credit unit of Iowa Valley Community College District offering training and courses throughout Hardin, Marshall, Poweshiek and Tama Counties. Continuing Education provides development courses for certification and relicensure of professionals; skills training for starting a new career or expanding your value on the job; classes that teach upgrades and the latest information in a wide range of topics; summer courses for youth; health and wellness; basic education classes for high school completion or English as a second language.
There are classes to take just for fun or your own personal advancement or knowledge: upgrade your computer skills to utilize the latest technology; step out with dancing lessons, join a book club or a writing group! Try a new craft: create a design with metal or woodcarving and more.
Join our Creative Retirement group whether you are retired or not and enjoy learning at lunch-n-speaker events, class series, and fun day or weekend trips.
If you are an employer, call our business and industry team to help you plan training to strengthen your workforce skills.
Iowa Valley Continuing Education has so much more to offer. Check the current EdVenture course schedule or give us a call with your questions at 1-800-284-4823 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
We look forward to serving you!


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Katie Tate poses in the banana costume she wore to Chuck E Cheese's after the Feed My Starving Children Trip. Tate's class raised the most money through the penny war the fifth-graders held to raise money for their trip.
Read the article: Students spend field trip feeding the world's hungry


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Edward Daniels, 21, could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison if he's convicted of manslaughter. He's also charged with marijuana possession and tampering with evidence for allegedly washing the blood from the animals after the April 2 attack on Tyler Jett in his front yard.
The community rallied around Jett as he clung to life in a
Prosecutor Larry Basford has filed notices that he plans to put forth evidence that Daniels had been an irresponsible custodian of dogs even before M.J. and Fat Boy, two bulldogs, got loose and killed Jett. The dogs, which were euthanized after mauling Jett, had cornered a neighbor's grandfather just days earlier. The neighbor later told reporters he was moments away from shooting the dogs.
Daniels had another dog named Dude that was declared dangerous after it bit a 9-year-old in the face in 2012. Basford intends to put that incident in front of the jury. He will have to convince the jury that Daniels knew the dogs were dangerous, and the "actions of the dog(s) and the defendant are inextricably entwined with the facts and circumstances this case (sic)," according to records.
Public Defender Kevin


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Hi everyone,
For the last week or so, GMail has been hit or miss, as far as push notifications. Sometimes I get them, sometimes I need to open the email app to download them.
I know that Google sunsetted the exchange/push feature for new signups, but I've had this phone for over a year and it's been working fine.
Has anyone else experienced this? Should I modify my email settings NOT to use exchange?
Any help or insight would be appreciated.
....annnnnd I managed to post this like 4 times. I fail.


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I used to play football, I love wrestling, but I love weight training as well. I'm 17, I weigh 175 right now, I'm 6'-1/2", and I bench press 245, squat 245, and shoulder press 155. I also can do up to 74 push-ups at a time, 20 chin-ups at a time, and jump rope at a fast pace for 5 minutes (around 500 jumps). However, last year was my first year wrestling, I started in J.V. and won a silver medal in my first tournament after practicing for 2 weeks (i started late because i joined right after football season ended). I went on to Varsity about 2 weeks after that (my record was 6-2 before). I missed a practice every now and then due to sickness and my record went down from there. My season ended with an 8-8 record. I tend to use power too much rather than technique. I'm best on the ground, but I know I could be even better at takedowns because of my football background and powerful core. I have a high strength-to-weight ratio.
Im already in great shape and know enough about strength training. I just really need suggestions for how to start on my technique. Some conditioning tips would help too!