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My grilfriend and I are vacationing to St. Martin/St.Marteen this mid-August. This is going to be our FIRST time on the Island, not to mention the Caribeaan. We are still not sure where to stay?! I have been researching and I am almost sold on the Westin on the St. Marteen side. Here is our search criteria:
1.Nice beach, where I can go to the Hotel's beach and "get away from it all."
2. Somewhat of a lively atmosphere. Young to mid age professionals (we do like to party and enjoy being in the company of like minded people)
3. Not even sure if this last point exists; but, a hotel/resort with the best swim up bar and or beach bar! ??
I understand location is not that big of a deal? I have been advised to rent a car and the island for the most part is easily accessible? Are DUI's a big thing to look out for? Should I take a cab everytime instead?
We plan to go out alot and explore and def be a part of the dinning and the nightlife, we are in our early 30's professional types just looking to unwind and have a great time like everyone else.
Thank you all for reading and I do very much look forward to hearing the feedback. Any other pointers about anything regarding this trip I am ALL ears...please.
Happy 4th of July!
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Where do I stay in St. Marteen???
My grilfriend and I are vacationing to St. Martin/St.Marteen this mid-August. This is going to be our FIRST time on the Island, not to mention the Caribeaan. We are still not sure where to stay?! I have been researching and I am almost sold on the Westin on the St. Marteen side. Here is our search criteria:
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St. Maarten or St.Martin is a fun Caribbean getaway. The Dutch side has a vibrant night life and great restaurants. The French side is also nice quaint and a quiter than the dutch. Great duty free shopping all around.
Not sure about hotels with swim up bar, I haven't stayed at the Westin but it has good reviews. Wyndam Sapphire is also another nice hotel, it's not on the beach but it has incredibly close sea views and is very close to nightlife, restaurants, spas etc. No where is far so it is also easy to rent a car and drive around the island. Higly recommend renting a car and doing so online you'll save a lot as taxi fare can be expensive and even more so for tourists. Plus most car rentals give you cheaper online rates. Then when you go to organise the care rental keep an eye out for a coupon island booklet, filled with great deals for restaurants, shopping and tours.
On the French side you'll love orient beach. The historic ruins and the nature.
Hope this helps
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@bdshotsauce. I have read the same about the expensive cab fare. I'll just have to play that one by ear day to day. I have read only 1 con about the Westin and that is it's location, being that its so far off the beaten path. However in exchange for that, you have your own beautiful beach. In my mind, it's worth the trade off, can't have it all right! I am going to check out the Wyndam Sapphire. I keep hearing loads about Orient bay, so I'll def. plan a day there. Thanks for the response. If anything else jogs your mind, I am a sponge for info regarding this trip!
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"I understand location is not that big of a deal? I have been advised to rent a car and the island for the most part is easily accessible? Are DUI's a big thing to look out for? Should I take a cab everytime instead?"
Honestly please re read what you wrote-- "Are DUI's a big thing?
Well they are only a big thing if you kill someone. Or yourself.
You would probably be better off in an all inclusive in Mexico. Many swim up bars and the atmosphere that would be better for you and your girlfriend.
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The Westin is just about as far as you can be on the island from any sort of nightlife or beaches - apart from the one in front of the very ugly hotel. The inside of the place is OK, but the exterior is reminiscent of a badly designed barracks or penitentiary !
If you want the nightlife, I suggest that you stay in the Maho area of St Maarten on the Dutch side of the island. That side of the island is however very Americanized, with 12 casinos, KFC, Burger King and masses of timeshare highrises. Having said that - if you want the 'action', that is where you should be, and there are some good restaurants.
The French side is completely different. You will not find ANY of the above mentioned 'attractions' there, and it has a more relaxed atmosphere, superb restaurants - French style - particularly in Grand Case (acknowledged to be the 'culinary capital of the Caribbean', and of course famed Orient Beach.
Be careful driving - particularly at night - if you have been indulging at all heavily on the excellent drinks here. They are fairly reasonably priced, considering that they are 'free poured' and much larger than those you are probably used to at home.
There are already plenty of accidents involving boozed up tourists driving rental cars - which are a neccessity if you want to get anywhere in the island without taking a taxi.
It would be a shame to spend the remaining part of your holiday in hospital because you wanted to save the cab fare there and back (leaving your rental safely parked where you are staying) when you knew that you were likely to finish the evening rather less than sober.
Don't forget that the ENTIRE island is duty free, but water is expensive. If you live here, it is almost cheaper to flush the toilet with vodka or gin, but that would be such a waste !
Have fun.
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@Kona514 leave your personal feelings aside and do not take things out of context.
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One of the reasons I choose SXM is because of the vibrant flare of activity. We are dinning connoisseurs' and this of course was another draw for us.
Regarding places to stay, I am going to look into the Maho area as you suggested,. Aside what I am looking for, what would be some of your personal suggestions?
As far as transportation goes. I have NO problem with setting aside a budget for cab fare. I was just not sure how things worked down there on the island, and thanks for clearing that up.
Other than enjoying the cosomopolitan jazz, we also love to explore, and that is everything and anything, art, food, nature, sports, water activity, partying, HISTORY, local culture, of course the girl likes to shop . I'm sure I can find a peice of evertyhing on this Island.
I have read some of your other threads on this site, and you seem like a very credible source. SO, I am completely open to any and every peice of advice your willing to share.
Thanks for your time, and I do look forward to hearing from you again.
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Well I live on the island (though I am in Connecticut right now !) so I know my way around reasonably well, however I do live on the French side, and don't know the other side anything as well - largely because I am not fond of the 'attractions' mentioned in my previous text, nor do I frequent the licenced brothels there !
As I said before, the island nightlife is almost exclusively on the Dutch side, but to be on absolutely top of all that, you have to put up with the high rises etc. and far less relaxed atmosphere.
Art, nature, and water activity are more abundant on the French side. There is history on both sides, the shopping is - arguably - better on Front Street in Philipsburg (the Dutch capital) but Marigot (the French capital) also has a wide variety of excellent shops ranging from medium price to high end boutiques.
If your emphasis is on partying / nightlife rather than the nice beaches and a relaxed atmosphere, and you are prepared to accept a more American than Caribbean feel - then, as I said, try Maho, but if the other aspects are your priority, then you should stay on the Freench side of the island, and take cabs each evening to where the 'action'is. Just don't drink (to excess) and drive.
The whole island is only 37 square miles, so nowhere is far away, and though some of the roads aren't great, it's almost impossible to get lost.
There are some good restaurants on the Dutch side - mainly in the casino area of Maho, but the restaurants in Grand Case (on the French side) are renowned throughout the Caribbean for their cuisine, and there are plenty of other excellent eating options elsewhere on this side.
I am sure that you are now thoroughly confused !
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@DavidSXM, I actually am not confused at all. You are narrowing my field of search and painting a pretty good picture for me here. In the end the best way to find out is to actually do it yourself
I think you have nailed it for me -stay on the French side, and go take a cab by night to go play.-
Although, I hear quite a few places close up in August?
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Frankly, that is exactly what I would do - but I do admit to being somewhat predjudiced !
There are quite a number of good hotels on the French side, but do be a bit careful, as I get the impression that some of lesser ones create their own star ratings !
August IS bang in the middle of the hurricane season - but you get plenty of warning, and September is accepted to be the 'big' hurricane month. Most of the hotels usually close up for part of the 'off season' but not all at the same time, so you still should be able to find something OK - and at reduced rates.
La Samana might be ideal for you (if it is open and suits your budget) as, though it is on the French side, it is very close to Maho. It is one of the best hotels on the island (owned by Orient Express - and consequently not cheap) but a perfect location for the nightlife just across the border.
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@DavidSXM, You have sold me on the French side. Orient beach seems to be the place. Now, it's just a matter of where were going to stay. I'm going to research it more tonight, and hopefully have a decision made within the next day.
I will be there for two weeks. If you have any other suggestions with that in mind?
Thanks again
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Hi. Orient Beach is - arguably - the best beach on the island, and there is a range of beach bar / restaurants all along it. Some will be closed for vacation, but there will still be plenty of choice. My 'local pub' is Bikini Beach (closed September and October) where I am a regular with my dog Tiki ! The food there is above normal beach bar standard, and the bartenders are excellent !
There is a pleasant little - very French - village square around which are a number of restaurants, there are also a few shops and a convenience store opposite.
Most people seem to head for the Alamanda Hotel (absolutely central) the Esmarelda Resort (which has an excellent restaurant) or La Plantation Hotel (not exactly on the beach) but you might try the Caribbean Princess. The apartments there are nice and spacious, and it is pretty much right on the beach.
Good hunting - I think you have made a wise decision ! If I can be of further help let me know.
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Alright buddy, after, all the researching, and debating my girlfriend and I have finally come up with a decision. The winner is --Princess Heights--
Yes I know, it's not on the St.Martin side, and it still seems to be a ways from centralized activity. BUT- everything factored together (room, flight, rental car) We scored one hell of a deal. One that I could not turn down. Plus I've heard nothing but great things about Princess Heights. The rooms look beautiful with alot of privacy. Plus with all the money we saved, that simply goes to more fun out and about on the Island and the surrounding areas.
You've been a great help, and by far my best resource so far. My girlfriend and I would like to return the thanks at any pub of your choosing if your ok with that.
I appreciate your time, and I can not wait for SXM!
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not to mess you up - but I've spent many weeks annually on SXM - another place to stay is Simpson Beach in a condo - Simpson Beach is wonderful - a short walk down the beach is a very cool beach bar - Karacter - it's close to gourmet restaurants - i.e. LaGondola for example - and a 20 minute ride to Phillipsburg.....While I LOVE the french side - I prefer to stay on the dutch side and play/eat on the french side.......
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Hi. I've been peeking in on this particular post for days looking to get some insight on my upcoming trip with my boyfriend to St. Maarten in early Sept. I too will be travelling to the island AND the Carribean for the first time. In fact I just applied for my first passport 2 weeks ago! I've been booked for about 2 months now and have been scouring the net for things to do and places to be while we're there. I was interested in finding out your hotel pick and was completely floored when I read that your final decision was Princess Heights. That's where we're staying! You're correct, the hotel looks wonderful from what I've seen and the reviews have been great. The only thing we haven't done yet is reserve a car but I've been told numerous times that a car is essential in that part of town. I'd be on the fence in your case however since you lead me to believe you and your girlfriend are heavy partygoers. We drink but only in moderation so not drinking hours before driving wouldn't be an issue for us at all.
I'm so excited to hear that you've made your decision. Although I said I've never been there before I believe you made an excellent choice
Thank you DavidSXM for posting your knowledge of the island. You've been most helpful and thank you pittsburghsteeler for posting your question and helping me in the process. Please post any of your findings or new developments and I will be sure to do the same. Hopefully I'll be able to return the favor. Thanks again!
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I am pretty certain you will like Princess Heights. I don't know the property personally, but it seems to get good reports.
Dawn Beach is just on the Dutch side of the border at Oyster Pond, so you will be a fair way from any serious activity (apart from Captain Oliver's Marina) and you will most certainly need a rental car (Lady Virgo please also note the the fact that the hotel / time-share complex is not 'in a part of town'. It is as far away from either Phillipsburg or Marigot as you can get, but in a beautiful location.
Bearing that fact in mind, a car is obviously a must, but the entire island is only 37 square miles in all, so nothing is very far away.
Sorry BellaClaire, but I do not like Simpson Bay ! It is over-built, and the whole place is riddled with time-share, and doesn't have any 'island atmosphere' whatsoever.
As I have said before, I live on the French side of the island, on a hill overlooking Orient Bay, and openly admit to being predjudiced but, to my mind, the Dutch side has been ruined by over-development and the outright greed of the developers concerned, and the persons with whom they dealt in the openly corrupt DP Administration which, until last year, was in power for about 8 years.
A bit of bribery in the right place secured a building permit for just about anything - anywhere - and the result isn't pretty. Also, as a consequence, the infrastructure is so overburdened that the electricity and other utilities are, for the permanent residents there, disfunctional, and the authorities even, at times, have to buy water from the French side !
I fully accept that the nightlife is better there - on the French side it is virtually non-existant - so I wonder where you go to play ? Please let me know - I think I must have missed something !
@pittsburghsteeler, If you do happen to stop by Bikini Beach, in the center of Orient Bay, either at lunchtime or at Happy Hour - 6pm to 7pm - just ask for 'David and Tiki', and someone will point me out, and I will be delighted to meet you. I will be back home from the US next week.
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DavidSXM - I stayed in a Villa on Dawn Beach - frankly hated the location. I didn't like that it faced east - I'd rather see the gorgeous sunsets you can watch a short distance away at Mullet Bay...the water on Dawn Beach is rough.....it's all built up with that new Coral Reef Condo....even Mr. Busby's raised their beer prices.
While Simpson Bay has a lot of activity - Simpson Beach is AWESOME...not built up in the slightest - i.e. no massive ugly Weston Hotels..it's very low key without massive people! and you just can't beat the location....
Staying near dawn beach is a pain to go anywhere....having stayed on Dawn Beach, Grand Case, Maho, Phillipsburg,Simpson BAY and now Simpson BEACH (not bay but beach) there is no place else I'd rather stay....
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@LadyVirgo, I didn't mean to come off sounding like my girlfriend and I are lushes! lol Don't get me wrong, when were on vacation we do like to let go a bit and enjoy ourselves just like anyone else. My main concern with all that was simply going out at night. We are renting a vehicle and will reserve that mode of transportation for day time activity. One big aspect for me when it comes to vacation is limiting your worries. Therefore, for evening activities the rental is staying parked at PH and we are cabbing it. As I have told DAVIDSXM I already have a budget set aside just for that purpose.
Even though my final decision was a complete 180 with respect to all the info and suggestions DAVIDSXM provided me with. As in the famous words of Don Corleone PH "made me an offer I couldn't refuse."
Bottom line is, we're going to be at SXM for 16 nights. PH provided us with a rate that no one else came close too. I read endless top-notch reviews of PH, and the place looks beautiful, spacious and quiet. -I will provide you and your BF with a full report before your departure to SXM.
@BellaClaire, thank-you for your input. Being that you are an SXM veteran I will ceartinly take your suggestion into consideration and research Simpson Beach as well. Although my mind is just about set at this point; anything that provides serious competition with PH (will all factors considered) will not be overlooked. None the less, I will have ample time to check out the scene at Simpson beach while I am there.
Overall, La Samanna looked fabulous. The ONLY drawback was (as you stated) it was a bit pricy. PH seemed to come out of no-where. In fact, my girlfriend was the one who had found PH. With our combined research, the deal we got and all things considered , we are content with our decision. No matter what, in the end, I know were going to have a blast. You and Tiki can def. expect to see us at Bikini Beach. We will be in SXM from mid August until the end of the month. As always, a big thanks for all your help.
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Check out the following....I'm not affiliated at all - this is where I stayed....http://www.caribbeandays.com/st_martin/1392_unforgettable_at_las_arenas...This is a great location to get to great beaches - Mullet Beach (off the golf course - great for the day and sunsets - Cupecoy - great for sunset (grab a bottle of wine and maybe you'll even see the green flash).....it's close to great restaurants - La Gondola/Rare in the Cupecoy area - and in Phillipsburg - check out le escargot and Antoines....you can cut right over to Marigot - check out Marios (make reservations now).....not too far from Grand Case - where there are tons of gourmet /fine dining - and you have to go to the Lolos (BBQ - very tasty and inexpensive)....also - if you wanted to take the ferry to Prickley Pear (an island Anguilla owns - spectacular) you are a 5 minute ride to Pelican marina - which is where you catch the catamaran...or the ferry to St. Barts and Saba - 2 other islands you can easily do day trips too - which are also fantastic....Simpson Beach - you can check out the yachts in your "backyard" the Karacter Beach Bar - and Mary's Boon - which has a great history as well......I also suggest you take the $7.00 r/t ferry to Pinel Island - great water - great/easy day trip.....catch that from the French side - cul-de-sac...that is about a 25 minute drive - but well worth it...anyways - this is my 2 cents....wherever you end up - I wish you a fantastic holiday.
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BellaClaire - I am sorry, but I still maintain that the French side of the island is FAR MORE civilized !
You will find NONE of the following Dutch side 'attractions' on the French side : High rises, timeshare, casinos, KFC, Burger King or licenced brothels !
The area around Mullet Bay is - literally - a disaster area, and has been since 1995 when hurricane Luis devastated the Sun Properties development, the building of which have never been demolished and still, 15 years later, it resembles a war zone.
Cupecoy is 'high rise heaven' and Rhine Road which runs right through it would be a disgrace to a third world country !
I do fully accept that the nightlife around Maho is by far the best on the island, and there are some decent restaurants but, in my view, there is zero atmosphere, and the whole area is heavily Americanized.
If that is what you want on a holiday away from the US - then OK, but if you are looking for a more relaxed and 'gentle' atmosphere, then head for the French side - even though it has lost some of it's true Caribbean charm, it is still a far cry from Atlantic City !
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I almost feel like a stepchild being pulled in two different directions here. lol J/K BellaClaire and DavidSXM. You both have taken time out of your day to provide me with your knowledge and opinions, for that, I am sincerely grateful.
The data has been collected, and a final decision is about to be made. All that is left to do is wait and experience SXM first hand!
@DavidSXM, (on a side note) I read that prior to the Westin being erected, there was somewhat of big push by the local populace to stop the project. Due to the massive environmental displacement and destruction of an otherwise "untouched" Dawn Beach. I did not look deep into the story, but it caught my eye. Thought it was worth mentioning for conversation sake. Yet more evidence of how much free time I have at work!
Now, if anyone cares to tackle this pondering thought.....where can I find the best tasting, juicest steak on the Island? If there is one thing I and or my budget does not shy away from, it's food.....great food. After all, this is one of the big reasons I choose SXM.
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We stayed at the old Dawn Beach Hotel a couple of times 20 years ago. There was nothing over there except the Oyster Bay Hotel which was tiny back then. We rented a car and had no trouble getting around the island every night. Well, there was the one time we almost hit the cow standing in the middle of the road. I remember many wonderful meals at the restaurants in Grand Case.
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Isn't Princess Heights a high rise -not on the beach? And bring some Euros - as a lot of the establishments on the french side charge EUROS....and bring an adaptor as the electricity is different too.....I stand by what I write.....soon enough our friend will make up his own mind....the orient bay side is very pretty - our villa on dawn beach was FANTASTIC - I just choose not to stay there....another restaurant for you - on your way to Orient - Bikinis (also check out Kakoas (not sure of spelling - but great pizza and salad - right on Orient) - but there is another new restaurant called the view - high on a hill overlooking Galleon and Orient - views are wonderful - food is good and reasonable....also another excursion - Tintamarre! another wonderful place to visit.....and don't feel bad - just go and have a wonderful time - everyone has their own opinions.
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oh - for Steak - there is a place called the Keg (or something like that) supposedly great steak......
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@Pittsburghsteeler_12 It sounds like you are all set to go. After much passionate dialog lol. Have a great trip. Would love to hear about it.
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More and more, I'm so glad we made the decision to stay on the French side. We'll be there in the third week of November.
As for having to take euros, well, my Canadian dollar isn't accepted everywhere so it's normal for us to use a another currency when we're travelling to a foreign country
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The official currency on the French side of the island is indeed the Euro, however the US$ is readilly accepted virtually everywhere - except in the post office !
Not surprisingly then, prices are marked in Euros, however many places - particularly out of season - show prices based on $1 = Euro 1. Others use their OWN rate of echange which is usually clearly shown, and is ALWAYS favorable to the tourist BUT will only apply to payments made in CASH. If you intend to pay that way, establish - in adsvance - what rate will be used for the conversion.
If you use a credit card the charge will be debited in Euros, and your credit card company will treat the debit as a 'foreign currency transaction' and convert the Euro figure to US$ on your statement at whatever rate is being used by the card issuer on the day on which the debit is received.
In a VERY FEW establishments on the Fench side of the island - if you use an American Express card - you may be debited directly in dollars, BUT be aware, AMEX is NOT readilly accepted (very frequently not at all) in a large number of shops and restaurants.
The Dutch side of the island is totally different and is, effectively, a US$ zone - though the OFFICIAL currency is the Netherlands Antilles Guilder (or Florin) - so everything is priced in US$, and all purchases will be directly debited to your credit card in that currency.
It is advisable to, as far as possible, use cash (Euros or Dollars) on the French side of the island, but try to avoid carrying large wads of bank notes, and - if you do so - be sensible, and don't flash the money around.
If you gamble in any of the casinos (which exist only on the Dutch side) and 'win big' it is just as well to have a security guard accompany you to your car, unless it has been valet parked. A friend, staying with me last year, did not do so, and was 'relieved' of $9,000 early one morning after leaving a casino in Maho, and I have heard of other similar cases.
Just use common sense, and don't leave your brain at home !
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DavidSXM helped us alot with St.Maartin, although we havent gone & plan to go soon, I found out so much about Grand case Beach Club & although I havent gone , I wanted to tell you that there rates right now are cheaper then Feb when I was considering & they have an oceanfront bedroom available at this time. If you are considering the French side with less tourist traps.Enjoy
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Grand Case Beach Club is in an excellent location, and - pittsburghsteeler - if you haven't yet firmed up your booking,it could suit you perfectly, and it is far better located (more centrally for the French side of the island, Orient Bay, Marigot etc.) than the Oyster Pond / Dawn Beach area which you are considering, which is as far away as possible from everything..
If you do book there, you should make sure to get a beach front unit - really 'toes in the water' to the resort's private beach.
The fact that the excellent restaurants in Grand Case Boulevard start about 300 yards down the road is a plus as well.
It's certainly well worthwhile checking out the deal.
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pittsburghsteeler-did you get a chance to read my trip report on here? We stayed at GCBC for a night. It also lists all the places I would recommend checking out.
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@DavidSXM, Kellybeaches, bdshotsauce, BellaClaire. First and foremost, as always...thanks so much to all of you!
I HAVE NOT made a final decision yet. This Thursday the 15th -in two days!- I book our flight and place. Needless to say, right now is crunch time. Work has unpredictiblity become a bit crazy. With that said, my g/f has taken the bulk of the last minute research, and she is following this post as well. This is one website we are currently checking out: http://www.st-maarten-rental.com/villa.php as suggested by kellybeaches...Happy Bay Villas looks awesome BTW- and I finally had the opportunity to sit down and read your full report. I must say, you do not miss a beat! Very enjoyable and discriptive review to say the least.
In a perfect world. I would have a place with the rates of Princess Heights, right on the sand of Orient Beach!
@drsaloni. Yes, DavidSXM has been extremely helpful with us as well. I thought I was completely sold on PH until a few more posts appeared. Truthfully, I would absolutely love to find a nice place on Orient beach. Its mostly a budget factor at this point. Were going to be there for 15 nights/16 days. So we also want something a little accomadating.
@Birdie, Good to hear you didn't have any trouble getting around the Island from Dawn Beach. I hope the cow was ok!
@BellaClaire. Thankyou for the desscriptive inputs! The website at ....http://www.caribbeandays.com/st_martin/1392_unforgettable_at_las_arenas...This
and the steak house! (Keg) I have not looked into yet, but I will let you know
@DavidSXM, very nice rundown on the Island finances.
Well if everyone were present at SXM during our stay down there. We would ceartinly stop by at your favorite watering hole and treat you to some of your favorite cocktails! We very much appreciate the time. This is valuable knowledge, and such a great site.
Of course, on Thursday...I will let everyone know what the "For real, wirtten in stone, after I book it, final decision has been.
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FYI--Don't hold anything against me. It's late, my head is a bit cloudy. I forgot to do spell check b-4 I sent this last post. Thanks!
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my wife and i went in February, Stayed in a little studio with a loft called residence La plage, right behind Bikini's. Hung out mostly at la playa beach bar (free lounges for the stay) and at Pedro's by club orient(good snorkling). The village has a number of good restaurants and a grocery for later. We went back in June and took four kids and still had a great time. we stayed at the carribean riviera behind kakao beach bar in a three bedroom with plenty of room. If you are interested in Orient Visit edsandra.com they have a great large panaroma picture with the sites labeled. The area has a great vibe.
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I haven't stayed at Grand Case Beach Club - only at L'Esplanade. One of the things that staying right in Grand Case has going for it (among a host of other things!) is that you can walk to the restaurants. You won't need a cab, and you won't have to worry about finding and paying for parking (which probably isn't a problem in August anyway, though), and you can walk back to your hotel after eating and drinking.
It always seemed like there was something going on at night somewhere in Grand Case when I've been there, maybe not a real hopping nightlife, but it didn't seem that it was completely non-existent...
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As I think I mentioned before, take a look at Caribbean Princess - no it's NOT a cruise ship - it is a hotel on the beach at Orient Bay. The apartments are spacious and well furnished (at least the only one I have been inside was)!
Rates pretty much everywhere should be negotiatable at the time of year when you will be here - though that may not apply to the Grand Case Beach Club which usually has a high level of occupancy, with lots of repeat visitors (like my son and daughter-in-law) which says a lot about the way the place is run.
Don't forget to let us all know when you have made 'the executive decision' !
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@DavidSXM and all others. In the end, Princess Heights was victorious. All plans are official at this point, just a matter of counting the days now.
Expect a full report from me come the first week of September. I can't thank everyone enough for all their help.
Two weeks of a kicked back lifestyle cannot come soon enough. It's going to be a long flight with a connection in one of my favorite cities (Amsterdam) but all well worth it in the end.
DavidSXM, were looking forward to enjoying a toast with you and Tiki!
Enjoy the rest of the summer, be safe and look forward to my SXM review! Thanks again!
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Hi pittsburghsteeler.
Glad to have been of some help.
Have a good and safe flight. See you at Bikini Beach when you have got settled in.
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Hello everyone....
I'm glad to see that the Mister decided to explain why we made our choice of PH. In his posts, he failed to mention that he is one of the biggest adventure junkies I know. Having a beautiful place to stay (although, yes we know it's a bit off of the beaten path) at half the price of a villa or even Grand Case would seriously cut down on his "crazy things to do" list.
If given the option to be in the heart of the action and being more secluded, I personally like the second (Mister would probably go with the first ). Yes, we will be going to visit lots of beaches around SXM, going on the day trips to other islands, sightseeing like crazy, and hopefully engaging in something that neither of us will ever forget. I can't imagine having to turn down an opportunity to cliff dive or parasail because we decided to spend the extra money on the place that's closer to the action instead of having fun.
If we decide to come back one day with friends, we will probably go with the villa option. It ends up being so much cheaper when you share the cost. The places are amazing, and I can see why they were recommended.
After all things considered, our list of adventurous possibilities seem almost endless just to sacrifice a little bit of driving time. Location was truly only our con for this place.
Plus they have poolside yoga at the Westin (right next door and we have free access to) for me.... and a swim up bar for him to sit at and watch...
Seeing him again will be amazing (we have sort of a work related long, long, long distance thing going on....) and I'm sure that you will be hard pressed to not see a smile on our faces at any given moment, even if we get hit with a hurricane.
So, the countdown is on. I'm buying things like crazy, and can't wait to get on that plane for a beautiful vacation!
DavidSXM, I'm super excited to meet you and Tiki!!!
Thank you all for the tips and suggestions. Every option we were given was considered. If anyone else is there the second half of August, let us know.
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Hi MrsPittsburghSteeler !
Sounds like you two are intent on having fun !
I am not quite sure what you mean by "engaging in something neither of us will ever forget", but my imagination is running riot !
Under the circumstances, as you describe them, I don't suppose either of you will give a damn if there is a bloody hurricane !! As a matter of interest, I spent a few days shut in a bedroom in Bermuda years ago, for pretty much the same reason, and I still have very pleasant memories of that island !!
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haha, that was not intended to hint anything other than doing things that we can't do here in PA. Vacations for me (usually Hilton Head Island) have always been on the calm side and typically the only exctiement we want is deciding where to go to dinner. Now with him I will be doing all the crazy adventurous things. Thus, something neither of us will ever forget. But on the other hand, a hurricane probably wouldn't phase us at all!
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Looking forward to meeting you both.
You sound like fun people !
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@DavidSXM, since you seem to be an expert on the French side of the island, I was hoping for some advice. My husband and I as well as another couple are coming to St. Martin in March and we are planning to stay of the French side. We are planning two rent villas/condos. We found a couple of great options for the price. One in the front building of the old Hotel Mt Vernon so it has wonderful sea views and another beachfront in Cul De Sac. I am wondering if you could provide insight to the safety and ease of getting around in the two areas.
I am not asking for a safety guarentee, as I know better than to leave my lap top in the back seat of my car at home and should not expect to do so while I travel, but because we are not staying at a hotel I am wondering if we need to take saftey into consideration when we rent a villa/condo.
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I think that your best bet would be to address this question to kellybeaches or Kristin.
They both wrote extended trip reports of their last visit to SXM and, if you scroll down to the bottom of the St Martin/Sint Maarten forum, you will still find both accounts.
They rented a villa (I think in Happy Bay) and were, apparently, delighted with the accomodations etc. It might possibly be a good property for you to consider.
Personally, I am not a fan of the Mont Vernon Hotel - though if the villa is a completely separate property, you may be OK.
Cul de Sac and the Mont Vernon areas are pretty safe, but always use caution, and make sure to lock the property, and firmly secure the shutters when you go out.
It is also not a good idea to walk back to Mont Vernon along the beach from the bar areas on Orient Bay after dark. You would almost certainly be OK, but there have been isolated instances of problems there late at night.
As far as general safety goes, just use common sense, and don't leave your brain at home just because you are on vacation - as a lot of people seem to do when they come here !
Also, bear in mind that this is a completely duty free island - though water is expensive, so it is almost more cost effective to flush the toilet with vodka ! The drinks are therefore a lot stronger than you are probably used to at home - all the bars 'free pour' spirits, so you nget a larger measure.
Both Mont Vernon and Cul de Sac are easy to get to and from but, having said that, a rental car is pretty much essential if you intend to be here for more than about 48 hours. A third world country would be ashamed of the roads but, as the entire island is only 37 square miles, you really can't get lost !
Public transport (such as it is) is a complete no no, so it boils down to a rental car or taxis - the latter are not cheap, while car rental is.
I hope this helps a bit.
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Yay! Congrats on your decision Mr & Mrs Pittsburghsteeler!
Hope you won't be too tuckered out from your trip to put your review up before I head out there myself on Labor Day. Can't wait to hear what you think of PH so I know what to expect. While I know everyone has their own opinions and expereiences your review of the hotel and island should be the most accurate and up to date for us. So excited for you. Have a wonderful time.
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Just days after a Southern California diocese announced the settlement of two child-abuse lawsuits, a lawyer says he has no plans to settle a third suit against a former Catholic priest.
Attorney Anthony De Marco tells the Sun newspaper the proof will be revealed as the case goes forward against the ex-priest, Alejandro Castillo, and the Roman Catholic Bishop of San Bernardino.
De Marco filed the lawsuit in 2012 on behalf of his client, claiming that sexual abuse by Castillo occurred as far back as the 1970s _ and the church knew about it. The trial could start in May.
Church officials declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
On Sunday the Diocese of San Bernardino announced it had paid $3.8 million to settle two child-abuse lawsuits brought against Castillo.

subset: commoncrawl


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I'm involved with a group of ladies who support the right of a woman to give birth by maternal request cesarean. Many of these ladies have come by this based on tokophobia and other psychological reasons but also family and personal history both medical and private. I believe in informed consent on this matter but also having your personal medical history evaluated as to whether or not your a good candidate for surgery.
Homebirth is quite common where I am and I have noticed that to them this is also a bodily autonomy issue. But is also an issue where families choose this based on history and beliefs. I think with full informed consent and an evaluation of medical history and current pregnancy to see whether or not they are good candidates is always the best idea.
So just on this we can see that both of these deal with a similar level of autonomy to make one's medical decisions being desired. It's been tossed around that if we could stop being at each other's throats we could see how similar we really are.
I know that there are a lot of people on here that don't care but this is also the place that I've seen the most let's call it disagreement on this topic.
So what could help us make peace?
If you have no opinion a bump would be nice.
Asked by lizziebreath at 12:13 AM on Feb. 3, 2013 in General ParentingLevel 19 (6,846 Credits)
Answer by PMSMom10 at 12:15 AM on Feb. 3, 2013
Answer by staciandababy at 12:15 AM on Feb. 3, 2013
Answer by PMSMom10 at 12:19 AM on Feb. 3, 2013
Both my kids were planned c sections. My daughter because she was 10 pounds, and the doc was afraid she would get stuck, and my son because the doc asked me what I preferred. They thought he was going to be large too, so I chose c section. He ended up coming 2 weeks early so he was only 8.1 lbs.
Answer by musicmaker at 12:40 AM on Feb. 3, 2013
Answer by Dardenella at 12:56 AM on Feb. 3, 2013
Answer by Ballad at 1:06 AM on Feb. 3, 2013
Answer by Dardenella at 1:54 AM on Feb. 3, 2013
Next question in General Parenting
My daughter keep getting mass in her ear it is like a knott that has puss...
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Quantitative blood test?


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Lehighton news
Thrift store not accepting donations
Due to limited storage space, The Trinity Thrift Store, 175 S. Third St., Lehighton, cannot accept donations until Tuesday, Feb. 16. Donations will only be accepted on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proceeds from the thrift store benefit the needy in the Lehighton community.
LAHS class of 1970
Lehighton Area High School Class of 1970 will hold a reunion planning meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, at the Lehighton Orioles Nest No. 183, Orioles Drive. All class members are invited to attend.


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Ozaukee Family Services, Grafton, WI, USA
Twenty five years ago, when I was a newly hired school administrator, I was looking for all the resources I could find to help my students and their families. Ozaukee Family Services soon became one of my favorites. They helped our Counselors by providing presentations in our schools. They helped our Technology staff by providing Internet Safety classes. They helped our students and families going through divorce with counseling sessions out of school. Realizing that most learning takes place BEFORE children are old enough to attend school, they provide in home parenting classes (Parents As Teachers), which helped our district by improving the behavior and academic readiness of our incoming Kindergartners. BUT it wasn't until I volunteered to be on the Board after I retired that I understood just how many of the parents in the district donated financially to support all of those wonderful programs. Wow! Great programs trying to fill real needs of the community supported by the generosity of the members of the community. It doesn't get much better than that.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the help it has provided to students and families in our school district.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every month
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?


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Posted by + Show Post
If you drink, what is your favorite alcoholic beverage?
Replies (11-15):
I'm a big time wino too.....all kinds, I love trying new kinds. We got married at a Vineyard and they make awesome wine, all fruity kinds!! YUM!
Malibu rum and coke or Malibu rum and pineapple juice. I also like wine, I don't drink very often at all but its those I chose from.
Usually its a glass of wine, but sometimes a margarita is just so yummy. Especially when its really hot out. Man, I'm ready for summer.
I love Bailey's Irish Cream or Pina Colada's, but I was introduced to a Cupcake Shot the other night and fell in love with it. :-)
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" Brand: Whole Earth / Type: Crisps "
I have a constant Love/Hate relationship with "rice cake style snacks", I want to Love them, but find the polystyrene texture of them very off putting.
A couple of weeks ago whilst out shopping I nipped in Holland and Barrett, whilst hungrily scouring the shelves, I came across these, the gorgeous powder blue coloured bag initially caught my attention( I don't like admitting to liking the colour blue).
"SOcrispy Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar flavoured light & crunchy bites made from natural ingredients". As stated on the bag, sounds Lovely~ Sold.
As Ive already said, the 28g bag is a gorgeous eye catching colour, not a shiny bag, it's more "matt" and the writing on the front is as above, with the whole earth tree symbol and a picture of large wooden casks of balsamic vinegar, with a bottle of vinegar and the rice snacks themselves. Im also told 109 calories, less than 4g fat, baked not fried.
On the back we have a little of the company story~
The Whole Earth Story began in 1967 when Craig Sams along with his brother Gregory opened "Seed" a vegetarian, organic and macrobiotic restaurant in Paddington, London. It goes on to tell us their products are natural and don't contain any artificial ingredients.
Whole Earth Foods,
Coopers Place,
We are invited to contact them and tell them what we thought of their product.
Soya flour 43% , rice flour 42% ,sunflower oil, sea salt 3%, balsamic vinegar powder 3%, cane sugar, malt vinegar powder, acid: citric acid, yeast extract, natural flavouring.
This product contains soya and may contain traces of sesame seeds.
Nutritional Information~
Per 28g bag
Energy~109 kcal
Best Before 01/2010.
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans alike.
High fibre, cholesterol free, no GM Ingredients and gluten free.
Price 65p available from Holland and Barrett and independant health food stores and direct from www.wholeearthfoods.com.
How do they taste and smell?
Upon opening the bag, Im greeted with a fresh salty smell mixed with the sharp, slightly sweet tang of balsamic vinegar, they certainly smell appertising.
Each small, creamy white coloured rice snack(approx 1& 1/2 inc in diameter) is round and "knobbly" and covered with a dusting of flavour .
They are really light to hold and light to eat, with a great crunchy ,dry texture, no grease or "polystyrene" any where in sight.
What to liken them to, I have no idea, they aren't like crisps or rice cakes, infact they are unique I would have to conclude and "Light and Crunchy Bites" is a perfect description.
The flavour is strong but not artificial and doesn't leave a nasty "after taste" and the "dusting of powder" on each bite lingers on the lips. They are delicious, very tasty, the one down side, as with all rice products, they don't fill you up for long so they are good as a snack to tide you over or as part of your lunch.
As they are gluten and cholesterol free and low in fat they really are a healthy alternative to crisps. Looking at a 25g bag of Walkers crisps they have 8.3g fat compared to a 28g bag with 3.1g, so the rice bites do win on that count.
I enjoyed them sooo much I went straight back into the shop to buy more for home and they have even passed my other halfs taste test and he is very sceptical about any "healthy snacks especially rice cake types". In fact I wish he didn't like them as he keeps "snaffling" my supplies, I may have to resort to hiding them!
Other flavours~
Cheese, Onion & Chive~ very tasty.
Smoky Paprika~ nice, don't particularly like the smoky taste but 3rd in line.
Italian Herb~ have yet to sample these.
The sea salt & balsamic vinegar are definitely the favourite.
Whole Earth have a large range of products~
Organic sparkling drinks.
Peanut butter
Baked beans.
For a tasty, tangy, crunchy snack or little addition to your lunch, they definitely get 5 full flavoured stars from me.
Thanks for reading my review.


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Beauty ingredients need not always be exotic in nature. Even the simple ingredients in your kitchen can help to enhance your beauty. Most of the home remedies for skin that we have inherited from our grandmothers are made from common kitchen ingredients. Usually fruits, vegetables, herbs and dairy products constitute safe beauty ingredients. After all, if they are safe enough to eat, they must be safe to apply on your skin.
The best part about these beauty ingredients found at home is that, they have no chemicals in them. When you apply turmeric on your skin, you know the exact composition of your fairness face mask. However, when you apply a fairness cream, you don't know what all is present in it. Even if cosmetic companies claim to make 'natural' products be can never be cent percent sure.
That is why it is much better to use these beauty ingredients from your kitchen for fairness, healing acne, getting rid of marks and various other skin treatments.
Here are some of the common kitchen ingredients that can be used for beauty treatments.
Turmeric is the ancient formula for spotless fairness. It is also antiseptic and thus heals skin infections and removes dark patches from the skin.
Tomato is citrus and thus very good for removing tan from your skin. Just rub a piece of tomato on your face to get rid of dark layer on your skin.
Milk is used for many beauty treatments. Milk nourishes the skin and hydrates it from within. It is also useful for making the skin soft and supple.
Salt are usually used in scrubs to exfoliate dead skin cells. Due to its coarse nature, salt makes a great scrubbing beauty ingredient. It also gives skin a boost of minerals.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is used both for cooking and skin care. The antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids in virgin olive oil delay ageing and helps to ease out wrinkles.
Onion is great ingredient for skin because it has zinc. Zinc is an anti-bacterial property that helps in healing skin infections easily.
Sugar, like salt makes great scrubs for your skin. The sticky element of sugar makes it a great exfoliator of dirt. Sugar can be used to prepare homemade peel-off facials and it also help in getting rid of facial hair.
Fresh cream adds a thick consistency to face packs and it helps to soften the skin. Cream facial are also associated with fresher and fairer skin.
Lemon is citrus, so it removes infections and sun tan. But lemon is also a great bleaching agent. It can be used in various fairness face packs.
Due to its granular texture, oats are great beauty ingredients for scrubs. You can use oats to clean the skin pores and allow them to breathe. This also reduces the break out of pimples.
Yoghurt is filled with the richness of milk and thus helps to soften skin. It is sour and has vitamin C, so it also helps to get rid of tan. Yoghurt also has a cooling effect on skin and absorbs excess oil from your face.


text: We have a couple of t1000s, and while our workload is a little odd (we're an automation company, so all our several hundred databases do is get installed, patched, upgraded, uninstalled, etc.), anything involving data dictionary activities (running catupgd.sql, etc. - high-cpu single threaded activities) is slower on the t1000s than our ancient v210s. Supposedly the t1000/2000 are perfect for J2EE apps - lots of threads, not a lot of heavy-lifting, parallelization of execution is the most critical piece. Thanks, Matt -- Matthew Zito Chief Scientist GridApp Systems P: 646-452-4090 mzito@xxxxxxxxxxx http://www.gridapp.com -----Original Message----- From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of ~Jeff~ Sent: Thu 2/12/2009 6:42 PM To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: Oracle Performance on Sunfire T2000 Hi all We've also been benchmarking for a provisioning app on m5000 vs t5120. While the database hasn't been driven particularly hard for this we're still seeing some surprising metrics, like "log file sync" taking twice as long on the t5120 (same configuration on backend SAN). Curiously the (multithreaded, non-oracle) app improved performance on the t5120 when the LDOM had it's "CPUs" reduced from 8 to 4. We think this might be to do with time slices or something, but are still investigating with the Sun guys. This reduced the context switching, and isn't relevant to the RDBMS. On another project individual response sucked, but aggregate throughput was acceptable especially after changing FILESYSTEMIO_OPTIONS to SETALL. On the whole they can be a great little server, but it's not always a plug'n'play proposition - it seems a degree of optimisation is needed: http://blogs.sun.com/glennf/tags/cmt http://blogs.sun.com/mandalika/entry/running_batch_workloads_on_sun regards, Jeff Wong 2009/2/13 Bobak, Mark <Mark.Bobak@xxxxxxxxxxxx> Brandon, We went through something very similar. In our case, we also moved from an old V440 to a new server w/ the new "Coolthreads" CPU. We also ended up moving back to the old server. -Mark -- Mark J. Bobak Senior Database Administrator, System & Product Technologies ProQuest 789 E. Eisenhower, Parkway, P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 +1.734.997.4059 or +1.800.521.0600 x 4059 mark.bobak@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:mark.bobak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> www.proquest.com <http://www.proquest.com> www.csa.com <http://www.csa.com> ProQuest...Start here. From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Allen, Brandon Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 12:37 PM To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: Oracle Performance on Sunfire T2000 I just found Metalink note 781763.1 that addresses this exact issue and unfortunately the only solution appears to be moving to different hardware.


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What Is Manifesting?
Manifesting it something you can see, most of the time with your eyes!
A person, money, anything that deals with the material world.
We Visualize Them
We Think, We Take Action, Then It Materializes.
You can manifest anything you want in your life, you just need to experiment with this.
It is not about getting what we want now, believe me it does take time.
Manifesting Means Good Or Bad!
It is not about struggling, as long as you are clear about your intentions.
What ever you have in your life now you have created Right?
It Is What It Is!
Your Intentions Create Your Reality.
All your actions are linked to the decisions you make. When manifesting you need to welcome the change, you cannot resist it.
Don't let your fears overcome you, set those goals and you will manifest when you are ready.
You will need to be very clear on what you want though.
Know your value and let go of that protective barrier that is around you.
You Need To Learn To Live In Simplicity.
Who we are comes from our heart not our minds.
Be yourself, don't get stressed over this, get in balance. Take note of that protective barrier then learn how to let go of this.
This may be many things, mine was acceptance.
I Felt I Could Never Fit In.
Ok Perhaps this wasn't the best picture but I do hope you understand that you need to learn that you deserve anything in life that you want.
I have learned you need to love yourself first and get rid of the belief that you are not good enough.
You are loved, Yes you can attract everything and everyone.
We are conditioned to how we are supposed to do, be, have!
Yes you will make mistakes, this is the way we learn.
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to see all the positives of our mistakes?
This would be a great way for us to learn wouldn't it?
Manifesting What You Want
You need to quit judging yourself.
These are just delusional stories you are telling yourself.
You are not superior to anyone you need to be grateful for everyone and everything that has come into your life.
You Need To Wake Up, This Is Who You Are!
We all tend to give to much importance in what we don't have or even want!
From the words you are using and the actions you are taking.
You not only need to have clarity of what you want you also need to feel this. You can choose to start manifesting anything you want.
Get clear and live in the emotion first.
Don't work hard, work smarter.
The universe will bring more then you are asking for if you focus on what you want and then become aware of this feeling.
Make everything possible so that you can start manifesting what you want!
Act, then let go!
Do not get attached, be happy as you are now!
Say the right things.
What makes you feel good right now?
Use language like..
" I Have All I Want Right Now!"
"I Am All I Can Be!"
There will be moments when you will just freeze, but let it go this is just fear.
Your fear of not having enough.
You are blocking this because you are afraid of the outcome.
Believe me you are not alone!
This is very common, these are just your beliefs and everyone has beliefs, don't deny them.
When you set goals you are choosing to empower your beliefs to help you reach those goals through manifesting.
Push That Wall Down!
Let yourself go. Don't think about the outcome, just take action!
Worrying about he outcome is not going to help, you cannot control the outcome!
Just get specific about those goals, be in the feeling, take action and let go.
Trust Yourself!
One good thing about manifesting is that it will take your attention away from the bad things in life over which you have no control.
By focusing on what you want you may not dwell so much on the bad things.
So does this make sense to you?
Please Learn From This And Start Manifesting More of What You Want With Your Life Starting Today!!
As always, Thanks for visiting my blog.
Here's To Success. Here's To Happiness
Chery Schmidt
Skype: cheryschmidt


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Six Indian-origin candidates have India closely watching this US election, as India's diaspora continues to grow in influence in America.
According to India's DNA newspaper, Dr Ami Bera, the Democratic Party candidate from California's seventh Congressional District, has the best chance of winning a Congressional seat out of the six Indian-Americans vying for a seat in the House of Representatives.
So far, only two Indian-Americans have been elected to the US Congress. Dalip Singh Saund was the first Indian-American elected to the House of Representatives in 1950s, while Bobby Jindal, now the Louisiana Governor, was the second, DNA noted.
The Indian-origin candidate with the second best shot is Republican Ricky Gill, from California's ninth Congressional District, the paper said.
After Gill, a weak Republican candidate in Michigan's 11th Congressional District has brightened the chances of Democratic Dr Syed Taj, who hails from Bihar and is the younger brother of Syed Shahbuddin, a noted Muslim scholar, DNA reports.
Read on here for the full list and comparative stats on the fund-raising efforts of the candidates.


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Review of AS 4707
The Australian Standard® for Chain of custody of forest products (AS 4707) is reviewed approximately every five years to ensure it remains consistent with any changes in technical and operational considerations and reflects community expectations at both the national and international level.
The most recent review was completed in 2014 and the revised version of the Standard was published (AS 4707:2014) on 31 July 2014.
The review was undertaken by an independent Standards Reference Committee made up of experts and representatives from a broad range of stakeholders, including forest managers, wood processors, traders and wood/paper products customers. The review followed the standards development procedures and requirements set down by the Accreditation Board for Standards Development Organisations (ABSDO) to ensure the consistency, accountability and transparency required of an Australian Standard®. The successful completion of this review demonstrates that the Standard continues to provide what businesses and consumers need – objectivity, transparency and consistency.
The Australian Forest Certification Scheme, of which AS 4707 is a key component, is endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). PEFC is the world's largest certification system for sustainable forest management. The Standard Reference Committee has sought to ensure that the Australian Standard (AS 4707) continues to be consistent with PEFC requirements and AS 4707:2014 is based closely on the recently revised PEFC Chain of Custody Standard (PEFC ST 2002:2013).


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Anal Rotator Dark Knight Vibrator
Average customer review 4 out of 5 stars4 reviews
Sorry! This product has been discontinued.
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Product Description
A rabbit-style vibrator that adapts to suit you! The rotating, wiggling shaft creates incredible internal sensations whilst the massaging tail is flexible and powerful enough to use anally or clitorally.
The shaft of this ingenious vibrator has 5 rows of beads inside which rotate at 3 different speeds and in either direction!
The sculpted head of the toy wiggles in time with the 3 escalating speeds and also has a reversible direction option.
The beaded tail is perfect for inserting anally as the beads are graduated in size but it is flexible enough to be used on the clitoris too.
The vibrations in the tail are ultra powerful and there are seven modes to choose from including 3 varying steady speeds, 1 escalating mode and 3 pulsating modes.
To control all these amazing and unique functions, simply click the soft-touch control panel with its bright red indicator lights and easy-to-use buttons!
There are On/Up, Off/Down buttons for the shaft speeds and an on/off button and 7 functions button for the vibrations in the tail. It even has a 'reverse' button for when you want the shaft to go the other way!
It's also waterproof. Bonus!
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Anal Rotator Dark Knight Vibrator 4 4 out of 5 stars
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Anal Rotator Dark Knight Vibrator
RRP: £29.99 You save: £4.99 (17%)
Purchase for couple pleasure
Reviewed: 09 February 2014 by Tom-88, a Straight Going Steady Male
The item was bought mainly for my girlfriend due to need for a replacement for the old.
It was found to be a great option as she enjoys both forms of sexual play. When brought into group play it can state I found I liked the range of different speeds it vibrated at and rotation speeds plus directions as well. It's also a good waterproof toy for many activities.
- Pros
- Amounts of rotation and vibration given, plus the arm vibrator.
- Cons
- The range of colour options given when buying.
- Bottom line
- A great buy if women enjoy both vaginal and anal sexual play,
- 1 person found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes
Dark Knight to the rescue
Reviewed: 06 April 2011 by Carousel, a Straight Single Female
I'm a greedy gal and love triple stimulation - clitoral, vaginal and anal. I tend to use a few toys during a full-on play session, and whilst I can usually 'juggle' the toys to get the best result, inserting/holding an anal toy isn't always easy. The Dark Knight vibrator seemed like the answer to my problems...
Looks-wise, it's perfect for me. I don't know why, but I love my anal toys to be black, much like I love any bondage gear to be black - Black seems to evoke a naughtiness that I love!
'He' requires 3 x AAA batteries, so make sure you have them handy, as if you're like me, you won't be able to wait to give 'him' a whirl.
The shaft is about the same size as the Slim Jessica Rabbit - noticeably slimmer than the regular Jessica Rabbit. It features some vein detailing and a nice prominent head. The beads within the shaft are very similar to Slim Jessica and rather than rolling around like mad, they rotate on a frame, which I personally find much more comfortable when in use.
I love the matt black controls/handle as not only is this comfortable to hold, I think it looks very sexy too.
There are 7 functions: 3 x Speeds, 1 x Escalating and 3 x Pulse settings. It took a little bit of pre-play experimentation to work out which buttons did what and what I would like to try. You can also change the direction of the rotation!
The anal stimulator is soft and flexible, kind of a jelly feel to it. I'd say it was no bigger than my middle finger and a slim tip would make it ideal for those new to anal play. I must confess, I enjoy much bigger anal toys (more penis shaped/size) and wondered if this slim probe would satisfy me, because in real life it seemed slimmer than I had expected.
I found it very easy to insert both parts of the vibrator. The hard part was remembering which buttons to press! As soon as I got going, the vibrations through the anal probe were strong and I was surprised at how good it felt. The clarity of the pulse settings delivered sensations I'd never tried before!
The shaft felt good too and I really, really enjoyed both elements together. The fact it was so easy to achieve dual stimulation meant I was able to just lay back and enjoy, which made for a great experience.
Noise wise, well, it was a little noisy, but by no means the loudest vibrator I own. It's pretty much the same as any rabbit - you can hear the 'whirring' of the bead rotating, but that's to be expected.
Given the enjoyment I had with the Dark Knight, I can't help but wish there was a chunkier version for the more advanced anal player, because I bet that would be amazing! The only other improvement I can think of would be for they're to be a clitoral stimulator too (told you I was greedy!). The anal stimulator can be moved round to stimulate the clitoris, though given this is s'posed to be an anal vibrator, that seems pretty pointless. I guess if you bought it to test whether or not you like anal, if you didn't get on with anal play, this would still be a fantastic vibrator for clitoral stimulation.
Though I have really enjoyed using this vibrator, I think it would be perfect for anyone new to double penetration or exploring anal play. If like me you enjoy anal play on a regular basis, I think you'll still love this twist on a rabbit, but you may crave something a little heftier.
- Pros
- Sleek appearance, excellent vibrations through the anal stimulator.
- Cons
- For me, the anal stimulator could've had more girth.
- Bottom line
- A sexy and easy way to achieve dual stimulation.
- 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes
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Perfect for a newbie
Reviewed: 06 June 2012 by Sonicsam, a Straight Single Female
I love being stimulated all over and was looking for a new toy that could help me start to explore anal play so I picked the Dark Knight.
The rotation in the main shaft is very good and slides in easily, and the vibrations in the anal probe are very very strong and enjoyable!
I had a little trouble using the probe at first as it is just rubber so it is very flexible. I needed to slowly insert it with my fingers as otherwise it just folded in half!
Other than that I am very pleased with this toy and use it regularly. Now I am more used to anal play I feel more confident going on to something slightly larger.
Perfect for a beginner.
- Pros
- The controls and vibrations.
- Cons
- Size of the anal probe.
- Bottom line
- Fantastic if you want to test the waters of double penetration.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes
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A software solution connecting Financials, Customer Relationship Management and Business Intelligence.
2 time winner of the NetSuite 5 Star Partner Award
5 time winner of the Sage Custom Solutions Partner of the Year Award Read more...
Eureka Solutions take time to fully understand your business so we can recommend the right solution for you and your business
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Integrate your inventory, order management, accounting, human resources, customers and beyond with a market-leading ERP solution from Eureka Solutions.
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Manage your company's entire financial processes including expenses, income and assets with Financial Management Software.
Accurately manage your finances and reporting with a market leading Financial Management software solution from Eureka Solutions.
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PSA Software from Eureka Solutions enables you to gain control over your projects, accurately invoice your clients or deliver more with less.
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Business Intelligence software enables you to make discoveries in your data via an easy to interpret graphical dashboard.
Business Intelligence software from Eureka Solutions provides you with a self-service BI solution which enables innovative decision making.
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Manage your documents and collaborate with colleagues anytime, anywhere with Online File Storage from Eureka Solutions.
Online File Storage Software from Eureka Solutions allows you to do more with your content whilst reducing your paper-based office processes.
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Technical expertise and outstanding customer service is our main focus
With 20+ years' experience of working within the software market, we have gained a reputation for developing innovative solutions and extensions tailored to your specific needs, with awards from Sage UK for the last 5 years running and NetSuite – New Partner of the Year 2012, and a NetSuite 5-Star Partner Status 2015 and 2016.
"Excellent customer service approach and understanding"
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"Excellent service - keep it up!"
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Graeme Rogerson became the most successful horse trainer in New Zealand after he notched win number 1,878 in New Zealand when Minno Noir won at Tauherenikau yesterday.
Rogerson's new mark surpassed the previous record of 1877 wins set by the now retired Dave O'Sullivan.
His reaction to the news reflected the inevitable.
"It feels no different," Rogerson said. "But it's great to have it. We have had a great run."
The run started nearly 40 years ago when Rogerson, in his early 20s, trained Morven Queen to win at Rotorua.
"I trained the first horse I ever raced and it won," Rogerson recalled of Morven Queen. "I was 20 or 21."
Rogerson, 60, has won honors as the annual New Zealand trainers' premiership on 12 occasions, and has long operated a trans-Tasmanian operation with stables in Australia. Last November he achieved a career high after training Melbourne Cup winner Efficient.
That win completed the big triple in Australia for Rogerson. The other two legs were completed with Polar Success in the 2003 Golden Slipper in Sydney, and Savabeel in the 2004 Cox Plate in Melbourne.


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Easy-to-Make Personalized Cross Stitch Alphabet Sewing Patterns. We sometimes want to add names, dates, and other information on our cross stitch projects.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews: My First Embroidery Book is helping me make stitches in fabric squares. I like looking at the pictures that show you what to do. Carley
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At The Purl Bee we strive to create fun and approachable projects for you to knit, crochet, sew, stitch and more! You can search for our past projects below by typing
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DOS emulator brings Raspberry Pi back to the '90s for Doom LAN parties, from engadget:
Who can forget the first time they obliterated their buddy with a BFG9000 during a spirited Doom game? Raspberry Pi coder Pate wants to resurrect those good times with an rpix86 DOS emulator that opens up the world of retro PC games like the aforementioned FPS pioneer along with Duke Nukem 3D, Jill of the Jungle and others. It works by creating a virtual machine your Dad would be proud of, based on a 40Mhz 80486 processor, 640KB base RAM, 16MB extended memory, 640 x 480 256-color graphics and SoundBlaster 2.0 audio. Of course, the Pi is worlds beyond that with a 700Mhz ARM CPU, 512MB or RAM and HDMI out — so, most enthusiasts with one of the wee $35 boards will likely be all over hacking it to play those classics.
Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit, be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Have you tried the new "Adafruit Raspberry Pi Educational Linux Distro" ? It's our tweaked distribution for teaching electronics using the Raspberry Pi. But wait, there's more! Try our new Raspberry Pi WebIDE! The easiest way to learn programming on a Raspberry Pi.
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1 Comment
Nostalgic! will give a try to put the kids with mario from last decade.g
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State police said the untimely death of an infant in Putnam appears to be accidental.
Authorities began investigating after Putnam police recieved the initial report of an unresponsive baby around 4 a.m. Friday.
Emergency responders arrived at the home on Mohegan Street in Putnam to provide emergency care for the infant. The child was taken to Day Kimball Hospital and pronounced dead, police said.
Putnam police and State Police Major Crimes detectives arrived on scene to interview witnesses and examine the scene.
The Office of the Chief States Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy on the infant and said the death appears to be accidental, pending further studies.
Police have not released the child's name, because family members are still being contacted.
This is the second death of a young child in Putnam in less than three weeks.
Around 11 a.m. on March 26, police responded to a home on Mechanic Street after receiving a 911 call reporting than the 2-and-a-half-year-old boy was unresponsive and not breathing.
The child was pronounced dead soon after arriving at the hospital.


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Grab her neck when you kiss her, it's a real turn on. Not her butt/boobs. Stay on the phone with her even if shes not saying anything. When she's mad hug her tight and don't let go then kiss her. When she says she's ok dont believe it talk with her.Never cheat on her because 10 yrs later she'll remember you. Call her at 12:00am on her birthday to tell her you love her. Call her before you sleep and after you wake up. Treat her like a person and not something to show off for. Tease her and let her tease you back. Stay up all night with her when she's sick. Watch her favorite movie with her. TRUST HER WITH HER GUY FRIENDS. Let her wear your clothes. When she's bored and sad, hang out with her. Let her know she's important. Kiss her in the pouring rain. When she runs up at you crying, the first thing you say is; "Who's ass am I kicking babe?" ♥
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Friday Box Office: Is It Time to Panic Yet?
'Warm Bodies'
Another post-holiday Friday, another dismal box office report. And with the Super Bowl upon us, the weekend is unlikely to get much better.
The top ten films yesterday grossed around $22 million, compared to $31 million last year (also opposite The Big Game). This continues a trend for recent weeks for Fridays to be significantly below their counterparts in 2012. What has salvaged the weekends somewhat have been improvements for the other two days, reflecting the older audience component that has been evident since October. But that is less likely this week.
What is continuing to happen is a clear drop in interest among teens and young adults in going to the movies at anything close to normal levelson Friday.A big date night, when many avid moviegoers want to be the first to see the bigopening of the weekhas suffered the biggest drop as newfilms (now through five weeks) continue to underperform overall.
The #1 film for the night was Lionsgate's "Warm Bodies," a PG-13 zombie romance that has gotten some decent reviews to a decent$8.1 million total. But this figure was below what two new opening films — "Chronicle" and "Woman in Black" — grossed last year (both over $8 million). The top four films last year amassed what the whole top ten did yesterday.
The other new wide release — veteran action director Walter Hill's first time ever with Sylvester Stallone, "Bullet to the Head" (Warner Bros.) — came in a dismal fifth.It could end up lower for the whole weekend, with a likely total gross under $5 million. Like its predecessors in failure ("The Last Stand," "Parker," "Gangster Squad") it feels like the deathknell domesticallyfor male-star driven action stars in movies aimed at the international market.
The rest of the top ten is divided between two other young-audience driven genre films ("Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" and "Mama") which took normal drops of over 40% from last Friday, and Oscar-nominated films that held up quite well. The clear standout among these is "Silver Linings Playbook," which added more theaters this week and was up slightly for the day in third place and a possible run at second for the weekend before things are through. Meanwhile "Zero Dark Thirty," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," and even "Lincoln" (looking like it will return to the top ten) held well despite losing a substantial number of theaters, all falling less than a third from last Friday.
Top 10 (grosses in millions)
1. "Warm Bodies" (Lionsgate) – $8.1
2. "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" (Paramount) – $2.9
3. "Silver Linings Playbook" (Weinstein) – $2.4
4. "Mama" (Universal) – $2.3
5. "A Bullet to the Head" (Warner Bros.) – $1.7
6. "Zero Dark Thirty" (Sony) – $1.6
7. "Parker" (Lionsgate) – $1.1
8. "Django Unchained" (Weinstein) – $.9
9. "Les Miserables" (Universal ) – $.7
10. "Lincoln" (Buena Vista) – $.6