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What is it? We're told they've taken the 10 best bakers from around Australia and brought them together to choose a baking champion and a failed flan, all in the grounds of Bakeingham Palace, a mysterious estate on the outskirts of Wonderland.
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Watching a review of people watching a TV show of people watching TV. Does it work?
The Great Australian Bake-Off
It's not a cooking show, it's a baking show. But does it provide enough of a point of difference from the melee of perishable TV fodder.
Our view The Great Australian Bake Off has all the ingredients to succeed, up to and including a catchy acronym, GABO and hashtag #GABO.
Unfortunately, like a social media phenomenon and baking powder, the various elements of GABO don't just work by being thrown together in the same place.
In the grounds of an estate sits a marquee that someone has put an incredible amount of time, money and skill into designing to look like a perfect Alice in Wonderland themed cooking venue. That's a brilliant idea, which bears no practical relationship to anything that goes on within it, bar a tacit nod to baking for kids in tonight's third challenge.
Outside (but soon within) the marquee, we meet our hosts Anna Gare and Shane Jacobson, both highly capable presenters, the latter one of Australia's best entertainers, yet here they are reduced to four highly scripted sound-bytes to camera and we're away. Over the course of the evening Jacobson manages to launch into some energetic interaction with the contestants on a handful of occasions, each of which highlights more what we're missing than anything else.
Now we see 10 bakers baking, which sounds like the third last verse of The Twelve Days of Christmas but as a concept is actually less interesting. That's OK, the same could be said for a room full of chefs cooking, that's why reality TV isn't at all real. In fact, that's where we need our hosts whipping up a frenzy or our experts frenzying the bakers with a whip.
Speaking of which, we meet our judges, Kerry Vincent and Dan Lepard, who are both experienced and clearly intimidating in the world of baking, yet far more standoffish than the two experienced chefs and one lauded food critic they are always going to be compared to. In fact, this "brand new format" so closely resembles MasterChef that it could conceivably be called MasterBaker (just don't say that out loud at work, and if you do, don't mumble).
Add Shane and Anna (doing her best Sigrid Thornton) providing voice over narration and you have the complete list of ingredients for our evening's television, all certified fresh, but harder to combine properly it seems than those in tonight's technical challenge.
Which brings us neatly back to Australia's "10 best bakers" REALLY? Ten quirky back stories highlight nothing if not the careful selection process – and criteria – that went into their selection, and baking was clearly more a minimum requirement than anything else.
In fact, by any interpretation of demographic balance, let alone by all practical measures of good baking, there should have been at least one granny on this panel. The one who has won the baking prizes at her local fete since the invention of the internal combustion engine.
Instead we get a health-conscious boxer who, with the best will in the world, was there at least as much for boxer-baker wordplay as for his oven skills.
I wanted to love what was happening, but I couldn't quite work it out or invest in it.
The challenges are well conceived, a broad two dozen cupcakes of your choice, then the technical bake with a checkerboard cake, finally a bake-for-kids fantasy challenge. It's a decent cake spectrum and swiftly separates the field.
It's also weirdly uninformative. At one point a moon cake arrives with a rocket on it and the greatest tragedy is that we have not the first clue how it was constructed. The icing seems to have been applied with an airbrush. That would have been different and interesting even for non-bakers.
This brings us to the biggest problem. By not committing to a single concept – energy, criticism, or information – we are left with a sterile, safe, lifeless set. An obscure scoring system of "on the rise" and "falling flat" means nothing really.
One baker fears after the first challenge that "I'm so far behind the pack now", but is she really? We're told this is a weekend challenge and it feels more like a relaxing weekend retreat. The contestants seem to feel pressured but it doesn't come across on screen.
At the final presentation, a contestant refers to her two figurines in a jelly pool cake as Rhonda and Katut, and that one line of improvisation was the energy the show needs throughout.
Rainbow cakes with whiteboard markers are actually cool. So are their beehive cousins. I wanted to love what was happening, but I couldn't quite work it out or invest in it.
Finally, where are we? Sadly the lame Bakeingham Palace gag was ours not theirs as it would have been nice if our location was even given a fictional name. We know the networks are afraid to say a show is in New South Wales for fear that the people of Melbourne will turn off in a perverse fit of patriotism, but it's just kind of weird when you can only work out the location of Castle Crumb by reading the Byron Resort and Spa logo that flashes up in the credits.
In a sentence
It's MasterBaker without the competition – which can work – yet with nothing such as tips or secrets to replace elimination fervour, it results in safe reality television. Ouch.
Best bit
Aside from Rhonda and Katut, Kerry Vincent is a great hanging judge who should be allowed to play up her role a lot more.
Worst bit
The wasted potential is everywhere, but Shane Jacobson's talent would be described as boundless except that somehow, here, it has been bound. He's fine, but he can be so, so much more.
Worth watching again?
Very much so, in a few weeks. If only to find out if they commit to a style; at which point it could all get very interesting.
C for colourful cooking without any character.
Post Script
I am informed the location is Werribee Mansion, outside Melbourne and that I just missed that nugget ... my crumblest apologies if that was indeed obvious to one and all.


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Relativity Sports is trying a new way to market their sports management services for professional athletes — produce a movie trailer parody that makes absolutely zero sense.
In a video that features Amar'e Stoudemire as the President of the United States and a cast full of other NBA stars, the "RelativityAvengerables" have to stop an evil scientist's plot to destroy the world.
Unsurprisingly, they manage to do so, thanks in part to Dwight Howard's ability to shoot lasers from his eyes and DeAndre Jordan's karate skills. Former Celtics swingman Courtney Lee even makes an appearance, taking on the role of "the creepy close-talker."
Also starring in the movie trailer are DeMarcus Cousins, Iman Shumpert, Chandler Parsons, Corey Brewer and Larry Sanders. Although the main selling point of Relativity Sports isn't clear in the video, perhaps its efforts to potentially go viral will garner enough attention to warrant the clips' production.
Check out President Stoudemire's tweet and the ridiculous trailer below. [tweet https://twitter.com/Amareisreal/status/433651381660946432 align='center']
Photo via Facebook/Relativity Sports
H/T thanks to Yardbarker.
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Is Royal Caribbean Trying to Swim Upstream?
Written by: Kuki
I've witnessed Salmon swimming upstream during spawning season in Alaska, and watched the bears "fishing" for dinner, swatting at the Salmon as they tried to get upstream. I'm wondering now if Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is also attempting to swim upstream.
Economists throughout the planet have pretty much agreed the world economy is fragile at best. Consumer spending is lagging, unemployment rates are climbing, and the cruise industry is trying to react, to make certain they survive, and hopefully even flourish. Travelers are sitting on the sidelines needing to be lured with great deals.
The last two months my email inbox has been flooded with all variety of sale and discount offers from the cruise lines, including the premium brands. Even the luxury brands are offering all forms of incentives from 50% discounts including free airfare to $2000 shipboard credits.
Yet, frankly, in the past several months it seems to me that Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is acting as though this battle doesn't exist for them. They have at the very least taken a different tact.
On January 6th of this year I wrote a block entitled "The Nation of Why Not.. Charge More".
It discussed the fact that RCI seemed to be out of touch with the economic times, and the competition going on in the industry, with other lines steeply discounting their pricing to attract business, while they were introducing additional fees.
RCI's reaction to address the issue of competition and discounting in the industry was an announcement by CEO Richard Fain stating that he'd rather RCI sail with empty cabins than discount the prices.
Since that proclamation it seems Royal Caribbean has taken a series of steps which to this admittedly feeble mind seem contrary to the marketing required to attract more business in today's world. Some of them may seem insignificant, and some may be viewed as understandable steps to attempt to increase onboard revenue, but when viewed as "a package" or over-all strategy, they may illicit the opposite reaction by the cruising consumers than what Royal Caribbean envisioned.
Not necessarily in chronological order, but here's the basics of the changes I've been referring to.
-Richard Fain's proclamation of no deep discounting
– the cessation of dividends paid to shareholders.
– Reducing shareholder benefits- When those owning a minimum of 100 shares were able to receive a shipboard credit, they are still able to, but it is no longer combinable with other onboard credit offers, general loyalty offers, "dollars off" promotions and savings certificates. Guests have the option to choose between the shareholder benefit or the other offer.
– $3.95 Room service fees for room service orders after Midnight.
– a price increase for Johnny Rockets Diners onboard – to $4.95 per guest
– $14.95 for a "better quality" steak in the Dining Room
– no longer offering complimentary cocktails at the Crown & Anchor repeaters party
– Reserved sun-loungers by the main pool for Suite guests only, as well as reserved seats in the theatres and Studio B for ice shows (where applicable)- which naturally means restricting access for those who are not Suite guests.
– A $7.95 charge for a children's lunch and play program for those ages 3-11.
– The reduction of benefits to the most loyal members of their "Crown & Anchor" repeat cruisers program. No longer allowing "Diamond members" of the program (those with more than 9 cruises) access to their Concierge Lounges.
As well, while instituting these policies Royal Caribbean recently took a Public Relations "hit" when it came to light they had been working with Buzz Metrics since 2007, establishing a viral marketing campaign at work on several Internet Message Boards called "The Royal Champions"; as first brought to the forefront by Anita Dunham Potter on MSNBC.com
– with follow ups other journalists covering the industry.
I am not going to comment on the problems I see in each of the above listed items individually, but the cumulative affect seems to have ignited a firestorm of backlash. At least that seems to be the immediately obvious reaction when scouring the message boards and Internet blogs for reactions.
Considering Royal Caribbean is the 2nd most successful cruise line in the world, the planning, sequencing, and implementation of these changes seems to be uncharacteristically badly thought out.
This is normally a company which is tremendously forward thinking, particularly in their ship designs; adding unique activities and amenities to each new ship as it is floated out of the shipyard, but…..
The question is – will this backlash negatively impact Royal Caribbean in real ways; real dollars going to bookings on competing lines by both customers looking for lower prices, and by their own past guests and shareholders feeling damaged by the additional new charges, and RCI having moved the goal posts to access their repeater's program perks?
Is Royal Caribbean the fish swimming upstream, and will be they be swatted at by the hungry bears of the other cruise lines as they try and swim by?
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Posted: March 31st, 2009 under Kuki.
Comment from Ephraim
Time April 1, 2009 at 5:58 am
I wonder what the employees paid from tips think of all those empty rooms on the ship….
Comment from Trip
Time April 1, 2009 at 7:56 am
While many of the issues, discussed separately, to actually see all the cutbacks as a whole, listed, is actually shocking, as is, Fain's statement about sailing with empty cabins, rather than discount the rates.
The velvet rope around the pool, to me, just smacks of elitism. I know, suite guests, get perks, and they should, for paying for a premium cabin…this is not one of them. If I did indeed book a suite,this is one perk, I would walk right by…
By slowly implementing some of these charges, over the course of time, I bet many cruisers had little knowledge of them, till they got onboard. RCI, does need a dose of reality, and maybe they will get it, sooner than they might expect.
Good artilcle Kuki, thanks….
Comment from Beth
Time April 1, 2009 at 8:11 am
Comment from Bye Bye RCI
Time April 1, 2009 at 8:16 am
Great summation of all the bone headed things RCI has been up to lately.
After cruising exclusively with RCI for the past 19 cruises, they've convinced me that I should look around a bit before my next vacation. I was climbing RCI's loyalty ladder so I could continue to use the concierge lounge. Now that the lounge has been closed to loyal continuously repeat cruisers and left open for suite guests only, my vacation dollars are up for grabs. Princess, Carnival, HAL do you hear us??? Let's see, how many suites are there on a ship vs how many non suites are on a ship? If they want to sail empty, so be it.
Comment from Coxswain
Time April 1, 2009 at 8:25 am
Brilliant Article Kuki – Head in the Sand sums up Royal Caribbean.
Comment from Todd De Haven
Time April 1, 2009 at 8:35 am
As I've stated previously, I've only sailed on the Explorer of the Seas twice previously in June and am doing so again this June 11.
Out of curiosity, I've kinda' kept tabs on the vacancy rate but not as closely as I have this year due to the economy. So what follows is certainly not to be construed as any "scientific study."
That being said, this morning the vacancy rate on our cruise was a total of 48 cabins or using an average of two per cabin, 96 passengers.
This might be close to "normal" for this stage of the game for this ship on this itinerary. I don't know. There are some $100 senior discounts on some of the cabins.
But what appears to me at least to be unusual, are the number of suites and balconies still available.
I shan't bore anyone with the details of the differences in the categories within a specific type of cabin save to say, the higher you go in the alphabet, the lower grade the cabin.
They are as follows:
5 vacancies, all on Deck 10
1 vacancy on Deck 10
4 on Deck 10
1 on Deck 6
1 on Deck 8
1 on Deck 9
Guarantee Only
5 on Deck 6
1 on Deck 8
3 on Deck 6
1 on Deck 7
F (large outside):
2 on Deck 7
3 on Deck 9
Inside Promenade 3 on Deck 6
L: 5 on Deck 10
M: 3 on Deck 9
N: 5 on Deck 6
Comment from Snoozeman
Time April 1, 2009 at 9:15 am
If we didn't know it to be true one would think this was an April Fools joke. Quite a list of cut backs and changes.
Great blog, yes I think RCCL is swimming upstream.
Comment from Martha Pennington (aka Msblackjack)
Time April 1, 2009 at 10:49 am
Wow. I tend to agree with Snoozeman it would seem like an April's Fool joke…. but we all know the changes have been in the works, so maybe they just hired a Fool to
Comment from CruiseNOID
Time April 1, 2009 at 11:05 am
Great article.
In an economy and time when some businesses will end up making it though this rough time only by their service, Royal will see the impact as the months follow. Once everyone really begins to experience the full financial impact of the free perks they were so used to getting, (especially after this summer), Royal's bookings will show a decline.
I do think that their "forward" thinking on thier plan is that they expect other cruise lines to follow suit and start charging for these additional service. It is all too similar as the airlines have done – charging for the first checked baggage to compensate for the increased cost in fuel. Now that fuel has come does to a semi reasonable price, we haven't seen these fees removed.
Comment from WildRover
Time April 1, 2009 at 11:15 am
I agree RCL's approach to these economic times is puzzling when compared to the other cruise lines. Maybe sailing empty and annoying their loyal base will work for them, though it seems unlikely.
I can't help making a comparison of RCL to the banks who were too slow in recognizing the subprime mess and then failed. Like a massive cruise ship, RCL's management may prove to be unable to stop on a dime and turn the ship around when needed.
It'll be interesting to see what each cruise line looks like a year from now. Some may not be able to weather this storm.
Comment from Mike M
Time April 1, 2009 at 11:37 am
I just took advantage of a deeply discounted by Carnival on the Pride. While the cost of the aft balcony cabin was under $100 pp/day Carnival will make at least $500 on tips and onboard expenses.
The point of this is that by sailing under 100% capacity the cruise lines will sacrifice the fixed costs of operation (fuel, salaries, operating expenses) and the tip salaries for the tipped staff.
Royal Caribbean may be able to get by with this strategy but I believe it will deteriorate service and in the long run it will make many first time and repeat cruisers look for another line. Looks like they are taking short term gain and sacrificing long term profitability.
It will definitely reinforce the "Nickle and diming" stereotype that cruiselines have.
Take care,
Comment from Trackypup
Time April 1, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Excellent Article Kuki…kind of scary when you see all these cut backs listed together. You seriously have to wonder where there head is at. And to the person that posted how many cabins were available on their cruise, if you're getting that info from a website, you're never going to see all availability.
We just booked HAL 7 day Alaska, VA Balcony for under $100 pp pd. We hadn't planned on cruising this May, but that was too good a deal to pass up. RCL is going to be in so much trouble when Allure comes out. There's no enthusasium
Comment from blahblahgirl
Time April 1, 2009 at 5:29 pm
im a travel agent and i myself have been wondering why this is the case- when carnival is offering an earluy saver promotion where i can get a balcony for 700$ per person rccl still has prices of 1500 or more. their prices ahve not fluctuated very much unlike the other cruise lines. then again, rccl has ALWAYS run higher than the other cruise lines, and they've still managed to survive, so you really cant judge at this point. only time will tell!
Comment from Clearvoice
Time April 2, 2009 at 11:39 am
It is amazing the bold attitude they are taking.
While their ships do amaze most, their prices are often the highest in the mass market lines.
There food has slip to new low levels. They gave a poor excuse for charging $14.00 for a steak in the main dining room. This took nerve which most object.
They took away the coffee, hot tea and ice tea station in the buffet dining room to save a buck. No more chocolate mints on the pillows. There are many ways to raise revenue without sticky it in the guest's face. As a travel agent, my sales for Royal Caribbean have been cut in half while my sales for Princess a clearly superior line have doubled. Best cruise value of any.
The problem is their lack of Caribbean presence in the summer.
Comment from Gordon
Time April 2, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I've never sailed RCI, and I can't see any reason why I would.
I have lived in towns with smaller populations than the passenger load on Freedom class, and Oasis – forget it, there aren't enough amenities in the world to convince me to share the lido buffet with 5000 others at lunch time, or the show rooms with these mobs at night.
Both Carnival and Princess undercut RCI on cost, and they beat RCI on food and service, too, from what I read.
They've got the names of their new ships all wrong – instead of "Oasis" and "Allure," it would be more accurate to call them "Hubris" and "Nemesis."
Comment from Bryan
Time April 2, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Princess is also shooting themselves in the foot in my case. I booked a cruise from Sydney to Honolulu, actually Sydney round trip but I got a variation to disembark in Honolulu. However, Princess flatly refused to rate the cruise on a per night basis (i.e. pro-rate the fare, but insisted that I had to pay the entire r/t fare, notwithstanding the fact that they are selling space from Honolulu to Sydney and would need empty cabins to book.
Of course I cancelled the booking, so they are now out the money I would have paid them and will also have an empty cabin.
Comment from Bruce
Time April 3, 2009 at 4:44 pm
It is amazing to me that the loyal customers of RCI are seeing that RCI is not loyal to them. Looking at all these cutbacks togather is very shocking, no a better word would be OUTRAGEOUS.
Comment from Fireba11
Time April 3, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Excellent article Kuki. I have never sailed RCI, because of their higher pricing, and probably never will. They do have remarkable ships, I have seen various ones on the travel channel, but not remarkable enough to earn my vacation dollar. Why would I pay almost double for a RCI vessel going to the same ports of call that I can sale to on other lines for almost half the price?
I also hate nickle and diming, such as the extra pay in the dining room for a bigger steak. I have enjoyed every cruise I have been on so far and If I can sail cheaper and still enjoy myself, so much the better.
Comment from Timmy Kerwin
Time April 4, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Nice article; however, I must say, I am in a Grand Suite in May. RCI just dropped my price by $1860, combine that with C&A discount and my grand suite is gonna be pretty darn cheap. That being said, I have paid more, and now find out that RCI is giving me all these added perks. I did not book the GS to get perks, I booked it because I'm on a 12 day med cruise and wanted extra space for my wife and myself; perks didn't exist when I book last July. So that being the case, I will take the perks, and those who booked inside cabins should not be mad at me. When people pay for a 1st class ticket for international travel, they know they will be getting a choice of meals, lg pillow and nice blanket, amenety kit, lie flat bed, etc; so booking suite should be no different. As far as how RCI handled the announcement, that may be a PR problem, but it shouldn't count against those of us who paid the extra price up front. The loyaty program is no different than airline loyalty programs. I hold elite status with three major us airlines; I have no loyalty to one single carrier, as I also have elite staus at major hotel chains. These loyalty status does not mean I will always fly one airline or stay at one hotel; same with cruising; the loyalty program, or cutbacks will not keep me from looking at other cruiselines. Whoever offers the best price, for the amount of days, and the itinerary I like will win my vote.
Comment from Marion
Time April 8, 2009 at 6:51 am
Not only did I take a hit on my stock but I also lost the OBC perks – one of the reasons I purchased the stock in the first place.
I am now shopping price and don't even look at the cruises that are regular price, why should I. The discounts have been wonderful and we all should take advantage of them while we can. These are not good marketing decisions for RCCL. How are they going to fill their mega ships and continue to make money? I would think they would keep the money coming in by discounting the cabins – passengers still spend a lot while on the ship…just foolish – what is RCCL thinking?
Comment from Rita
Time April 8, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I'm going to go out on a limb here … sort of swim upstream, if you will … and say that I agree with RCI. They should NOT discount their cruises at all in these trying economic times. Why? Because that's what everyone else is doing and it shows that you are just another face in the crowd. If I ran a cruise line … especially one well-known for being innovative … my feeling would be that our cruises cost more BECAUSE THEY ARE WORTH MORE. And, anyone who wants to take a sailing on my cruise line should be willing to pay a premium for doing so.
Look at Disney. You don't see them doing too much discounting, do you? Disney has a unique product and yes, there are many people who either can't or won't spend the amount required for a Disney cruise, but there are a lot who will … and for them Disney needs to keep the experience unique and special, and it costs money to do that. If I discount all over the place, now I'm not making the kind of money I need to make in order to keep my cruises special.
Now, of course, this opinion isn't really just for RCI … but for any cruise line … and it pre-supposes that the cruise is special and will be kept that way. For example, if a cruise line routinely starts discounting seven-day Caribbean cruises, I would imagine the effect of that discounting is gonna show up in the finished product … less of the personal touches that made the cruise line special to begin with. So, I am assuming that RCI is planning to also keep their standards high along with their refusal to discount.
Maybe I'm in the minority here believing that these economic conditions are not permanent. We are just going through a very bad time right now, but things will surely improve. If I've discounted my cruises deeply, and also cut a lot of the special touches out in order to accommodate that deep discounting, when the economic climate changes, my cruise line is no longer going to be known as something special. Now I'm gonna be lumped in with everybody else … because I am delivering exactly what everyone else is. So, I'd rather sail some of my ships at less that full capacity now, but keep my prices and standards up … which will stand me in good stead later, when the economy is much better and all those former customers want to come back to what they remember as my unique and special onboard experience.
Just my opinion.
Blue skies …
Comment from Kuki
Time April 8, 2009 at 9:46 pm
There's certainly plenty of varying opinions when it comes to marketing anything…. from automobiles to widgets to cruises.
And suggesting they "pretend" they're special would be one of them. I'm thinking it might be the tact that General Motors and Chrysler took 🙂
RCI does build special ships, but beyond the hardware I think they are a mass market line.
That's the point I was making in my first blog on the topic (The Nation of Why Not Charge More). I think they think they are really overconfident in their product. And that's been further demonstrated with the lates moves I wrote about.
Now.. whether they are right, or I am, I suppose only their financial reports at the end of '09 will tell.
Comment from Dave Beers
Time April 9, 2009 at 4:02 pm
>>RCI does build special ships, but beyond the hardware I think they are a mass market line.<<
Exactly what I think. To me, RCI's latest cutbacks and extra fees are akin to Burger King putting one less pickle slice and a smaller patty on a whopper and thinking they are superior enough to Wendy's to get away with it. They aren't.
Comment from Robin
Time April 10, 2009 at 2:28 pm
In relation to the Burger King pickle analogy, it sounds pretty goofy but when a company is doing that much volume, the savings on one pickle would be huge.
I prefer a higher end, more intimate cruise atmosphere than the RCI product, but I think the Oasis is going to be the ship that raises the bar once again and will have the other cruise lines who serve the same demographic scrambling to copy or create similar product. Just Central Park alone is enough for me to want to cruise on the Oasis. I love the idea of sitting in a park at sea. It's as googy to me as removing that pickle! =)
Comment from lysolqn
Time April 11, 2009 at 10:47 am
Since many cruises are planned for and purchased so far in advance, and because RCI is such a popular cruise line, perhaps it has yet to feel the full effect of the economic slowdown, thus the somewhat cavalier attitude of Mr. Fein. If, going forward, bookings get soft and take a hit, I suspect Mr. Fein will fall into step with the competition and do whatever needs to be done to fill unsold berths as sail dates near.
Comment from MagnoliaBlossom
Time April 12, 2009 at 3:39 am
After watching CNBC's Cruising, Inc. special and seeing the profit margins of cruising, one has to wonder what RCCL is thinking when choosing to sail with empty cabins. I can't believe that cost of operation is dramatically different between lines so NCL's figure of needing to sail at upper 90 percentile doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room. Maybe Mr. Fein is willing to take the losses associated with overpricing and reduced quality, but will his board of directors?
Comment from Paul Motter
Time April 12, 2009 at 9:59 am
Well, I think people may be assuming too much when they say RCL is sailing with empty cabins. No one knows the exact occupancy rate they have been sailing with until they announce their earnings, probably within 2 weeks. That will tell us a lot about where they are as a company.
Comment from MagnoliaBlossom
Time April 14, 2009 at 6:35 am
Like many of you, I received an email today from RCCL reacting to feedback they've received from C&A members. I had to chuckle when he remarked that they knew there would be unhappiness with the changes they'd underestimated the degree – duh! At least they are listening – how refreshing.
Comment from Kuki
Time April 14, 2009 at 9:46 am
I actually don't think there would have been near "the uproar" to the cutbacks in the C&A programs if not for all the PR miscues that proceeded it.
The cumulative effect is what pushed it over the top.
I think it naive to believe that any of this will push RCI to bankruptcy. Though I do think that Mr. Goldstein's letter proves it put a significant dent in their bookings, I don't believe it any way would be terminal for the company.
As far as the actualy theories explained in implementing the new new D benefits, it's really pretty simple. If overcrowding was the total issue, they could have simply opened the newly designated lounges for Diamond members, and offerred the same free drinks they do in the Concierge Lounges. Instead they are offering a 25% discount. So the reality is they are giving back 1/4 of what they took away.
And all the other changes they made adding additional fees, and making discounts non-combinable still exist. Yet many folks seem to be pleased that RCI "listened" to them. Pretty funny really.
Comment from Cathie
Time April 30, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I LOVE RCCL, and in the past they've always been my first cruising choice. Yes, I paid more on each sailing than I would have with the same itinerary with another cruiseline. BUT…I didn't mind because I felt they gave the best service, had the best food & I loved their ships.
Now they want to make it more expensive with more "add-ons"? Are they NUTS!?!?!???! I don't think they realize that people like me who kept them "afloat" (sorry for the pun!) before these changes will only take so much before we look to other cruiselines. I'm loyal, but not to a disloyal company. Thanks for bringing these issues to light. We are right now looking a booking a cruise and this article has changed my mind of putting RCCL on my first choice list.


text:
collar(redirected from collar her)
against the collar
Difficult, exhausting, or problematic. The phrase originates from the collar on a horse's harness, which tightens on the horse's neck when it travels uphill. Primarily heard in UK. I was doing fine in the marathon, but it was a bit against the collar for the last couple miles. I don't think I have time to meet you today. Work has been a bit against the collar recently.
collar (someone)
1. To detain or restrain someone, either physically or figuratively. Likened to grabbing someone by the collar. I was trying to get out of the office early, but my boss collared me on my way out. I spent all afternoon running around collaring the kids to bring them in for supper. I thought I'd be able to sneak out of the assembly, but one of the nuns collared me and pulled me back inside.
2. Of police, to arrest or detain someone, such as a suspect of a crime. Police were able to collar the suspect after he fled down one of the neighborhood's back alleys.
get hot under the collar
To become angry. I'm sorry I got hot under the collar just then, I have a hard time hearing criticism about my novel. I know you get hot under the collar at times like this, but please, stop yelling at me!
make (one) hot under the collar
To anger someone. I wouldn't say anything that could provoke the boss—it doesn't take much to make her hot under the collar! The way you kids deliberately disobey me makes me hot under the collar!
work up to the collar
To work hard; to exert oneself. This now-outdated phrase refers to the collar on a beast of burden. I ended up doing most of the project myself because I didn't trust my partner to work up to the collar—he's lazy.
blue collar
Characteristic of the working class, especially manual laborers. The phrase refers to the collar of a laborer's uniform, in contrast to the "white collar" shirts that typically accompany formal dress. I come from a blue collar family, so I will always champion the common man's concerns. Blue collar workers have always been an important part of our economy.
collar-and-tie men
A phrase that refers to businessmen collectively by their usual attire of a dress shirt and tie. I like working with my hands too much to ever become one of those collar-and-tie men who stay cooped up in an office all day.
See also: men
blue collar
of the lower class or working class; of a job or a worker, having to do with manual labor. (Also, when used as an attributive adjective, often blue-collar. Compare this with white collar. Alludes to the typical color of work shirts worn by mechanics, laborers, etc.) His parents were both blue-collar workers. He was the first person in his family to go to college. They bought a house in a nice, settled, blue-collar neighborhood.
collar-and-tie men
Rur. businessmen who wear dress shirts and ties. After Jim graduated from college, he went off to join the collar-and-tie men. Us working folks at the plant have an awful time getting the collar-and-tie men to see our point of view.
See also: men
hot under the collar
Fig. very angry. The boss was really hot under the collar when you told him you lost the contract. I get hot under the collar every time I think about it.
hot under the collar
angry The criticisms seemed unfair to me and I got pretty hot under the collar when I thought about them later.
a blue-collar worker is someone who does physical work, often in a factory (always before noun) Blue collar workers in the factories and shipyards were demanding wage increases. They are hoping the new factory will create many more blue collar jobs. (= jobs for blue collar workers)
hot under the collar(informal)
if someone is hot under the collar, they are angry He got very hot under the collar when I suggested that he might be mistaken. The issue of waste disposal is getting a lot of people hot under the collar. Don't get all hot under the collar -- I'm only suggesting some minor changes to our plans!
pink-collar jobs are jobs that women usually do, often in offices and for little money Most women returning to work after raising children, head for pink-collar jobs in sales and service.
a white-collar worker is someone who works in an office, doing mental rather than physical work (always before noun) The ratio of white-collar workers to production workers in the American manufacturing industry was declining. The earnings of women in white-collar jobs are the second highest in Britain. The 1980's saw an explosion in white-collar crime. (= crimes committed by white-collar workers, especially stealing from the organization they work for)
hot under the collar
Angry, as in She is quick to get hot under the collar, but once the problem is ironed out she forgets it entirely . This expression alludes to the heat of anger. [c. 1900]
black-collar workers
n. people, usually affected, who wear black all the time. (Contrived. A play on white-collar and blue-collar workers.) I hate to go over to the gallery. It's filled with black-collar workers. Reminds me of the Adams Family.
See also: worker
1. tv. to arrest someone. (see also collared.) The cops collared her as she was leaving the hotel.
2. n. an arrest. It was a tough collar, with all the screaming and yelling.
mod. arrested. Got collared during a routine traffic stop.
dog collar
n. the collar worn by priests and some other clerics. The man in the dog collar prayed for a while, then we ate dinner.
1. and hot under the collar mod. angry. Gee, that guy is really hot under the collar. What did I do?
2. mod. wanted by the police. (Underworld.) Lefty is hot because of his part in the bank job.
3. mod. stolen. Rocko won't touch a hot watch or anything else hot.
4. mod. carrying contraband and subject to arrest if caught. Lefty was hot and needed a place to stay.
5. mod. having a run of good luck in gambling. I was hot when I started. I'm broke now.
6. mod. of great renown; doing quite well for the time being. The opera tenor was hot, and even the lowbrows would pay to hear him.
7. mod. alcohol intoxicated. (Old.) Willy was too hot to stand up.
8. mod. selling well. These things are really hot this season.
9. mod. sexy; sexually arousing. Wow, who was that hot hunk you were with?
hot under the collarverb
See hot
righteous collar
n. a justifiable arrest. (As opposed to a setup or a frame.) Spike was taken in, and the gang agreed it was a righteous collar. Mooshoo was caught red-handed.
hot under the collarInformal


text:
welcome to a unique club
where EVERY child is a champion!
have fun, stay fit and excel in a safe,
effective and child friendly environment
join the hundreds of other young
people who train at esprit every week
giving young people a spring board to a great life!
Give your child a birthday party they'll never forget!
learn more
As a six year old, Laura was identified as having the potential to succeed as a high level rhythmic gymnast.
Since that time Laura has become one of Britain's greatest ever rhythmic gymnasts. Winning the British Championships title 3 years in a row (so far)! She also won an incredible 3 Commonwealth Games medal in Glasgow 2014, as well as her best ever result at the World Championships!
Already at the top, after more than 10 years in the sport, Laura is still only at the beginning of her amazing journey.
As a young gymnast, Georgie learnt the key to success was hard work, dedication and practice, practice, practice.
A work ethic she has continued to apply as a graduate of the Arts Educational School London and subsequently as a successful West End musical theatre actress. Georgie has already appeared in the West End and throughout the UK in some of the leading Musical Theatre productions, including A Chorus Line, Legally Blonde, Singing in the Rain and Barnum, as well as several performances at the Royal Albert Hall in the BBC Proms. Georgie is living proof, if you start here, you really can go anywhere!
As one of the most successful artistic gymnasts ever trained in Swindon, Courtney, after qualifying for the British Championships, went on to win academic scholarships and become an excellent all round sportswoman.
Since winning a coveted place at one of the Countries leading performing arts schools, she now focuses on her passion for singing, and performing, but will always have a love for gymnastics and still coaches the sport at a club in London in her spare time.
Starting as an artistic gymnast, before making the switch to the rhythmic discipline, Elise developed a unique understanding of the body and how it works.
Elise's knowledge is now helping her in an exciting career as a sports therapist and runs her practice from Esprit's facility here at Headlands.
Swindon born Rebecca was four times Senior British Rhythmic Gymnastics Champion and has enjoyed a high flying career, travelling the world with the internationally renowned, Cirque du Soleil.
A great friend of Esprit and now a mother herself, she regularly stops off to pass on her extensive knowledge to our gymnasts when she is in the UK.
A member of the British Women's Artistic Gymnastics Squad, the pinnacle of Hannah's career was to be crowned British Vault Champion.
Now as a valued member of Esprit's elite coaching team she is, along with a strong team of coaches, helping Esprit's young squad gymnasts achieve their own personal best. An exceptional role model herself, Hannah is working hard to help develop the next generation of Champion gymnasts!
© esprit gymnastics 2014
website by the mhd partnership


text:
Several stories making the rounds today:
Supposedly Arsenal's 2011-2012 kit has been leaked, and you can find the pictures of it here. I
don't like it as good as this year's, but this year's home shirt set the bar pretty high. If that's
really it (and I stress that this has not been confirmed) .
Well, that really took the wind out of our sails, didn't it?
I was travelling pretty much all day and late night last night to and from a banquet, so I
didn't get to see the match. So I won't be doing player ratings or discussing the match in any
great detail. And, fair warning, I tend to be a bit more placid and level-headed when I haven't had
to watch a poor Arsenal performance, so know that going in.
Lineups are in:
Wigan: Starters: Al Habsi, Stam, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Gohouri, Thomas,
Diame, Cleverley, Watson, N'Zogbia, Rodallega Bench: Pollitt, Boselli, Steven Caldwell,
Gomez, McArthur, Figueroa, McManaman
Arsenal: Starters: Fabianski, Sagna, Squillaci, Koscielny, Rosicky,
Denilson, Arshavin, Eboue, Chamakh, Bendtner, Diaby Bench: Szczesny, Nasri, Vela, Walcott,
Wilshere, Djourou, Clichy
We're without Cesc today who is probably curled up in a blanket at home watching on his tv after
picking up his 5th yellow card on Monday.
Wigan Athletic
Position: 16th, 4-7-7 (19 points, -14 goal differential)
Home Form: 2-4-3 (-9 goal differential)
Recent Form: LLDDW
Last Meeting: Arsenal 2 Wigan 0 (Carling Cup) (November 30, 2010)
Still feeling euphoric after yesterday's win over Chelsea, Arsenal need to be very careful to
avoid a let-down against Wigan tomorrow.
It's a Christmas miracle! Our boys did it. With all the pressure and expectation, they went out
there and beat Chelsea. It was probably our best 90 minutes this season if you look at our
consistency and overall play during the match. With the help of some personnel changes, including
the beast I call Theo van Nasregas, the players stepped up, worked their socks off, and pulled off
the win we all knew they were capable of getting.
Arsenal: Starters: Fabianski, Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy,
Wilshere, Song, Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott, Van Persie Bench: Szczesny, Diaby, Rosicky,
Squillaci, Arshavin, Chamakh, Bendtner
Chelsea: Starters: Cech, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Essien,
Mikel, Lampard, Kalou, Drogba, Malouda Bench: Subs: Turnbull, Ramires, Bosingwa, Van
Aanholt, Bruma, Kakuta, McEachran.
Position: 4th, 9-4-4 (31 points, +19 goal differential)
Away Form: 3-3-3 (+5 goal differential)
Recent Form: LLDDD
Last Meeting: Chelsea 2 – Arsenal 0 (October 3, 2010)
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Martin and Sairax of the Arsenal
Many thanks to our good friend dreamfight3r for creating the lovely image
12 Days of Arsenal Christmas
On the 12th day of Christmas, Arsenal gave to me:
12 Wenger meltdowns
11 fouls on Wilshere
10 misplaced crosses
9 chips from Vela
8 crazy hairdos
7 runs from Theo
6 Gunner manpiles
5 yellow cards
4 French defenders
3 Fab saves
2 Cesc assists
And a wonder goal from Samir Nasri!
Apologies for the lack of any kind of real post today, but there just isn't much in the way of
news going on.
There's a lot of pre-Chelsea talk, but honestly, it's all so boring that I can't even be
bothered. Some people saying Arsenal won't win because we're scared, some people saying it's
Arsenal's time, yada yada yada.
Here's a look back at some of the more memorable posts from the Arsenal Offside this
On "Knowing Players", Fandom, Intelligence, and Twitter
November 17th, 2010
Martin attempts to look at the influence of twitter and how it helps shape our views on
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Songinho?
First-half Player of the Season:
1. Samir Nasri (Average Rating: 7.24, Man of the Match 5 times):
You could tell in preseason that Nasri was rested, motivated from his World Cup snub, and
generally ready to kick some ass this season.
I don't do much in the way of coverage of Arsenal's youth and reserves. If you want regular
coverage of those types of things, I highly recommend both Young Guns Blog and Jeorge Bird's
Arsenal Youth. But I do like to check in from time to time and see how some of the youngsters are
faring. So let's dive right in and see how well our young players out on loan have fared this
Well, in the absence of any actual Arsenal news, Sairax and I thought this week would be a good
time to do a midseason review in the long run-up to the Chelsea match a week from today. Yes, we
know it's not technically midseason yet. But given how fast and furious the matches are going to be
coming starting next week, this is probably our only chance for a while to have several days of
non-match preview/review stuff to put up.
The club has just announced that today's match against Stoke City is postponed due to snow and
wintery conditions.
And it's probably a good decision. As much as I was looking forward to making a mug of hot
chocolate and watching this match with MLSF and the cats, the conditions look pretty tough:
And supposedly things got a bit worse from there, it sounds like it was pretty much a full-on
blizzard in North London.
Stoke City
Position: 12th, 6-3-8 (21 points, -1 goal differential)
Away Form: 2-1-5 (-3 goal differential)
Recent Form: WWDDL
Last Meeting: Arsenal 3 Stoke City 1 (February 27, 2010)
Back in league action tomorrow against Stoke City, in a game that is important for this team on
several levels.
Well, after several years of getting lucky in Champions League draw, it seems like our gambler's
luck has caught up to us. It always does. For the second consecutive draw, we draw FC
Let me just honestly say I'm not too upset about this. Yes, I would have preferred any of the
other 3 teams we could have drawn.
It's the question of the moment, isn't it? Manuel Almunia came into the season as our # 1
keeper, then, depending on what you believe, either got injured or got benched. Lukasz Fabianski
came in and has performed very admirably, making a number of top-class saves that have kept us in
some big games.
I have to admit, I took it pretty hard losing to ManUtd on Monday. I got a lot of it off my
chest in yesterday's post, though I really cannot remember what I wrote. Hopefully it was coherent.
After being in a funk for most of the day, I decided to at least give myself some perspective to
lift my spirits.
Manchester United v Arsenal
Uploaded by tappasgood. More professional, college and classic sports videos.
I wish I knew where to begin. I apologize for the lateness of this post, but I just could not
manage to string a sentence together after the game. Looking at the league table and watching the
game, it is hard for me to understand how the two relate to each other.
Manchester United: Starters: van der Sar, Rafael, Ferdinand, Evra,
Carrick, Anderson, Fletcher, Nani, Park, Rooney Bench: Kuszczak, Hernandez, Berbatov,
Brown, Smalling, Obertan, Giggs
Arsenal: Starters: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy,
Song, Wilshere, Nasri, Rosicky, Arshavin, Chamakh Bench: Fabianski, Djourou, Fabregas,
Walcott, RvP, Denilson, Bendtner
Our young Pole Szczney is officially going to be making his Premier League debut against
Manchester United.
That's the unconfirmed rumor.
And I do stress that this is an unconfirmed rumor. The club has not said anything official about
this. Here's the evidence we have.
The Sun's Charlie Wyett has reported that Flaps picked up a "leg" injury in training, and that,
given Almunia's "arm" injury (apparently we have caveman doctors, unable to pinpoint any injury
beyond merely identifying the offending appendage), that puts Szczesny in line for a shock
Manchester United
Position: 2nd, 8-7-0 (31 points, +19 goal differential)
Home Form: 7-1-0 (+18 goal differential)
Recent Form: WDDWW
Last Meeting: Arsenal 1 Manchester United 3 (January 31, 2010)
Well, tomorrow is a huge, huge match that needs no build-up.
A weekend without Arsenal just isn't as much fun is it? It already feels like Monday can't come
soon enough. It's a big match, first place v second place, and one that has a history of being
intense and full of drama. That's why recent comments from Patrice Evra can still get us all fired
up before a game, it's all part of that age-old rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal.
We have a special treat for all of you readers of Arsenal Offside. The Manchester United game is
on Monday, so we are holding a little contest to get you all excited. The winner of the competition
will recieve this:
It is a limited edition Dennis Bergkamp "God Returns" t-shirt. It was designed by Lady Arse, in
collaboration with Live Breathe Futbol.
I didn't get home from work until very late last night, so didn't get finished watching the game
until 1 a.m. For what it's worth, here were my stray thoughts, although I thought Sairax's write-up
captured the match pretty well. But that's won't stop me from chiming in with my thoughts
In no particular order:
Did I miss something, or did we win 3-1 to go through to the knockout rounds of the Champions
Did I miss something, or did we win 3-1 to go through to the knockout rounds of the Champions
I think that taking over for Martin during these midweek games has eternally cursed this Arsenal
team. Except for that Newcastle Carling Cup game. Anyway, I can't feel my toes but I'm going to
give this review a go.
The first half was almost all Arsenal. Chamakh and Captain van Persie got their very first start
together playing upfront.
Arsenal: Starters: Fabianski, Koscielny, Squillaci, Gibbs, Sagna,
Song, Denilson, Nasri, Arshavin, van Persie (c), Chamakh Bench: Szczesny, Rosicky, Vela,
Walcott, Wilshere, Eboue, Bendtner
Partizan: Starters: Stojkovic, Medo, Petrovic, Cleo, Moreira,
Jovanovic, Savic, Lazevski, Krstajic, Ilic, Babovic Bench: Ilic, Stankovic, Brasanac,
Davidov, Kizito, Illiev, Smiljanic
Three points.
Well, aside from the Carling Cup matches, this is the first match that can honestly be called a
"season decider," simply because it is a match we have to win if we want to ensure our place in the
next round. It is a bit of a departure from past seasons, when we've been comfortably through by
the sixth group stage fixture and could afford to basically field the Carling Cup side in the final
Just a quick Monday news round up for you all. I know that many of you, like me, are still
reeling from the exquisite Nasri goals this weekend. Here's what Super Samir had to say about
You can tell by the way he speaks about his performance that he is self-aware and possesses an
intelligence that is shining through on the pitch.
"Song is a bit naturally high up because I want him to be." I believe when I read those words
from Wenger, my reaction on twitter was "Son of a.....! Wenger no!" I've gotten over my snap
reaction from yesterday, but there are still concerns that arise from these comments and also our
defensive performances this season.
Highlights of yesterday's scrappy victory below the jump.
Watch Arsenal v Fulham in Sports | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Sairax back to cover your needs for all things Arsenal tomorrow.
Well, it wasn't always pretty, and I don't know that we exactly looked like title contenders.
But title winners generally find a way to get 3 points when they aren't always at their best, and
that's what we did today, mainly due to a virtuouso performance from our player of the season up to
this point, Samir Nasri.
Arsenal: Starters: Fabianski, Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy,
Song, Rosicky (c), Nasri, Wilshere, Arshavin, Chamakh Bench: Wojo, Gibbs, Djourou,
Bendtner, Denilson, Walcott, van Persie
Fulham: Starters: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Briggs,
Davies, Murphy, Etuhu, Dempsey, Gera, Kamara Bench: A.
Position: 17th, 2-9-4 (15 points, -3 goal differential)
Away Form: 0-5-2 (-2 goal differential)
Recent Form: DLDLD
Last Meeting: Arsenal 4 Fulham 0 (May 9, 2010)
Back in league action tomorrow against Fulham, and this is a match we could very easily lose
points from.
So Arsenal have drawn Ipswich for the Carling Cup semifinals. You know, their manager looks
awfully familiar to me.....
Oh that's right, it's our old friend Roy Keane! Perhaps Paddy could drive over from Manchester
for a friendly reunion. Arsenal will face Ipswich Town at Portman Road on January 10th while West
Ham host Birmingham in the other semifinal match the same day.
Arsenal v Wigan Athletic
Uploaded by paScali300. Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
Well, in the words of the great warrior-poet Ice Cube, "I have to say it was a good day."
Now, I'm under no illustions that we played great. Or even good.


text:
Biz Buzz, March 17, 2013
Downtown Vineyard Church wants to make people feel welcome — and save a few souls in the process.
The proprietors of the adjacent Downtown Coffee — the same ones as the church — similarly want people to feel comfortable. But the only message here is an invitation to enjoy a cup of traditional drip or French press coffee while helping some worthy causes in the process.
"People kind of freak out when they hear 'Jesus,' " said coffee manager Leah Rice. "But we all know how to take care of each other."
Downtown Coffee opened Friday at 644 Main St. in the space formerly occupied by Coffee Muggers. It's a nonprofit venture operating under the Downtown Vineyard umbrella.
"We want to create a space where people can feel comfortable with who they are and loved through a cup of coffee," Rice said.
The shop purchases organic, fair trade beans and ground coffee from Colorado Legacy Coffee, where it's roasted weekly. It offers limited breakfast and lunch menus featuring quiche, pastries, oatmeal, yogurt, sandwiches and salads. It also sells coffee by the pound.
The shop also features so-called cause boxes, which line one wall and display items from and information about local nonprofits and programs, some of which are connected to the church. All tips go to the causes. New causes will be featured every three months or so, Rice said.
Downtown Coffee is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It also will be open in conjunction with events at the Avalon Theatre.
■ Doug and Ann-Marie Nielson wanted people in the toughest moments of their lives to have options.
They felt like several funeral homes in the Grand Valley offered quality service. But when it came to people who didn't have a lot of money at their disposal, the Nielsons believed families were being forced to make arrangements based on what they could afford instead of what they felt most honored their loved ones.
After researching buying another funeral home in town, the couple on March 1 opened Legacy Funeral Home, 762 Horizon Drive, pitching the business as an affordable alternative without compromising customer service and individuality.
Funeral director Molly van Lawick said funerals are a difficult event to plan, and a culture that encouraged saving money — and an economy that more easily permitted it — aren't so prevalent anymore.
"One of the things we realized is how few options people have when they don't have the funds to be able to pay for a service. We found that to be tragic, that a person could live and contribute to their family, society and community and then all of a sudden because of cost limitations, they couldn't have a service that is reflective of their life," van Lawick said.
This is the first venture into the funeral service business for the Nielsons. But Ann-Marie has a medical background as a certified medical technician, and Doug owns other businesses. And van Lawick joined Legacy after working for a few years for another mortuary in town.
Legacy offers all-inclusive cremation packages for $1,599, while traditional burial services start at $2,999. Cremation packages for military veterans are $995.
Van Lawick said something else that separates Legacy from other funeral homes is its services are all-inclusive. She said some funeral homes offer a basic cost, then tack on professional service, transportation, container and handling and mileage fees.
"We have decided that some of those things should be included," she said "Some of those things are things that you would have to do anyway."
Legacy is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Staff are available anytime by appointment by calling 609-2233.
■ Starting Tuesday, it will be a new Old Chicago.
The Grand Junction restaurant at 120 North Ave., known for its array of deep-dish pizzas, calzones and draft beers, will close at 9 p.m. Monday. When it reopens at 11 a.m. Tuesday, customers will find an expanded menu as a part of a rebranding effort intended to increase the restaurant's appeal to a wider audience.
Old Chicago will introduce a new tavern-style thin crust to its lineup of pizzas, nearly double its selection of salads and add seven new appetizers and six new draft beers. Pizza dough will feature a higher grade of flour, and the restaurant will rotate in and out a limited selection of beer every two or three days rather than every few months, according to Brittney Myers, who is representing Old Chicago in its grand reopening.
"We're trying to make it a better dining experience," she said.
Patrons will notice one other significant change. The restaurant's game room has been converted into a banquet and conference room. The room, which was previously open, now features doors and can seat up to 36 people for business meetings, private parties or other events.
This is the third Old Chicago restaurant in Colorado to undergo the rebranding effort.


text:
mycroftpsaras Mycroft
- Totally has 136 visits
If you know mycroftpsaras, you can leave a message, send a greeting or add him/her to your friend list. Once you become friends, you can see each other's latest updates.Add Friend
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- mycroftpsaras: Hi Tom,Mycroft:
I downloaded your list and will put it through my Friedrich Investing System and if I find any Friedrich 100% scores I will forward them to y
Thank you.
Are you open to having a conversation with American Association of Individual Investors regarding your process?
- mycroftpsaras : Hi Tom, I downloaded your list and will put it through my Friedrich Investing System and if I find any Friedrich 100% scores I will forward them to y Mycroft: Thank you for replying and I did subscribe to the site. I am having some trouble following your 3M example as what you said and numbers from the Value Line sheet you provided are are not matching. I am working on my reply on the originating chain. Regards, Tom ...
- Mycroft: Thank you for your work and I just posted a portfolio I created regarding concentrated guru positions. I took all the Guru Focus Portfolios and sorted them out by Top Postion and/or positions greater than 3%. If the quarter end data was unable (Fairholme Fund, Fairholme Income Fund, 3rd Avenue) I used the last current portfolio available. In addition, I filtered the data by eliminating warrants, preferreds and redundant stock classes (I took BRK.B instead of BRK.A as BRK.B is a more t ...
- Love your system and your back testing of the Dow. I have a question. In your equation for price to owners earnings, wouldn't it be better to add the debt and subtract the cash from the price for it to be more accurate? For a company like GOOG, that has a lot of cash, the purchase price would be a lot less. Do you think that it would adversely affect your back testing results? Thanks, Mark
- mycroftpsaras : Hi Ron, I have successfully advanced my system to the maximum point and it is much more advanced then what you see in my articles. The final system Mycroft; I wouldn't expect you to divulge your system. Congratulations on your creation. I guess what I was getting at was in trying to use those ratios which I like and want to use, I believe at the time of those articles in April 2011 you said they were all steals. Assuming now is an uncertain time ...


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The Music Education/Classical Performance and Music Education/Jazz Performance degrees may be taken in one of two areas of concentration, instrumental or vocal, with placement dependent upon the student's major instrument. Students majoring in piano, organ, guitar, or voice pursue the vocal concentration while students majoring in brass, woodwind, string, or percussion pursue the instrumental concentration. All students receive a weekly 50 minute private lesson on their primary instrument and perform at the weekly recital hour.
The Bachelor of Music - Music Education/Classical Performance and Music Education/Jazz Performance degree programs are housed in the Music Department of the School of Arts and Communication. The department is a member of the National Association of Schools of Music and enjoys a reputation for excellence.
Instrumental Concentration: brass, woodwind, string, or percussion major Vocal Concentration: piano, organ, guitar, or voice major
* For students entering before Fall 2011, please see the four-year plans in the Student Handbook (available HERE).
Students seeking teacher certification will work closely with the College of Education to complete the certification requirements. This includes general education coursework and pre-service field experiences in the New Jersey public schools, which are administered through the College of Education's K-12 Subject Area certification program. Each of these opportunities exposes prospective music teachers to different aspects of education and allows each to more fully develop teaching and organizational skills. Upon successful completion of all course work and field experiences, students passing the Praxis Exam receive a New Jersey teaching certificate for comprehensive music, grades K-12.
Students who have already completed an undergraduate degree in music may obtain their New Jersey teacher certification (Subject Matter K-12 in Music) through the Graduate School of Education at William Paterson University. Students desiring to enter this program should contact the Office of Graduate Admissions for application information and also speak with the Director of Music Education.
William Paterson University
300 Pompton Road
Wayne, New Jersey 07470
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(2 of 2)
A Liberal Democracy or Not?
In truth, the Arab Spring has forced Turkey to confront the question of exactly what kind of emerging power it wants to be. It could end up like China, nationalist and self-interested, using its economic muscle to advance its political ambitions. Or it could be ready to take on the challenges of multilateral diplomacy and regional leadership. "I don't think that Erdogan wants Turkey to be seen in the same light as China, as a country that will do anything to preserve its economic self-interest," says the New America Foundation's Molavi. "But the big question that Turkey has to ask itself is this: Are we a liberal democracy or not?"
The answer will have ramifications both at home and abroad. For years, the AKP has been trying to rewrite Turkey's constitution to limit the power of the military, which since Ataturk's day has been the enforcer of the secular order, occasionally by force. The party would like to loosen rules regarding things like the wearing of headscarves, which are banned in state-owned spaces such as universities, courtrooms and political institutions. Erdogan would also like to shift the country from its parliamentary system to a presidential one, which would allow him to further consolidate power. But while the AKP did well in the parliamentary elections, it didn't win enough seats to rewrite the constitution without consultation. The election "gives Erdogan the message that he needs to work together with opposition parties to do this, rather than trying to do it on his own based on his own principles, which wouldn't be healthy," says Sahin Alpay, a political professor at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul.
The constitution has been repeatedly tweaked, most recently last year, but there's widespread agreement that it needs updating. The document does more to protect the state than the nation's citizens and is reflective of the insecure Turkey of a previous era that desperately wanted to move into the modern (read: Western) world. The headscarf ban that is supposed to be a reflection of the secular state, for example, is now considered by many a violation of civil liberties. Updating the constitution would allow more freedom of speech and protect the rights of minorities like the Kurds, 14 million strong, who live in the southeastern part of the country. The current constitution allows the government to prevent Kurds from speaking their language and gathering for cultural events.
In the past, Erdogan has been a defender of the Kurds, giving them more freedom and autonomy. He's promised more still, including amnesty for the guerrilla fighters of the PKK, a Kurdish separatist group whose leaders are based in the mountains of northern Iraq. But Erdogan hasn't yet delivered, leading to a mounting sense of unrest in the Kurdish southeast. Meanwhile, there are growing concerns about the AKP's suppression of civil rights within Turkey. Under Erdogan, the police have become increasingly powerful and are allegedly dominated by a tightly knit religious brotherhood. Two internationally acclaimed Turkish journalists investigating the police were detained and jailed in March and have yet to be tried. Journalists now assume that their phones are tapped; public leaks of private conversations have become commonplace. Many believe the AKP was behind the recent release of a spate of sex tapes showing senior members of an opposition party in bed with women who were not their wives.
Erdogan's critics are also concerned about runaway economic growth and its impact on the environment. Just as in China, breakneck development in Turkey has had serious consequences. Yet when thousands of villagers along the Black Sea and the Aegean coast gathered to protest pollution from power plants, Erdogan called them "bandits." He has been similarly dismissive of opposition to the plans to build the country's first nuclear power plant in an earthquake zone, though polls show a majority of Turks to be against the project.
All this raises questions about exactly what Turks can expect from the AKP in its third term. Erdogan's party may have scored an enormous victory, but challenges are brewing on many fronts. The economy, while still robust, needs rebalancing. Exports are beginning to slow, and the country's current account deficit is growing. There's a lot of hot money in the country, which could leave at any moment. Policymakers badly need to loosen the labor market and institute tax reforms. And Turkey's ambition to shape the future of the region remains a hostage to the many conservative Turkish entrepreneurs doing business with the Middle East's old regimes.
Yet for all the concerns about Erdogan and the challenges facing his new government, both the U.S. and Western Europe have a stake in seeing Turkey succeed and become the sort of open, economically dynamic, politically confident nation that can act as a model in the Islamic world. The test will come over rewriting the constitution. If Erdogan uses the negotiations primarily to try to push forward a religious agenda and consolidate his power base, he could end up alienating both Kurds and secular liberals and make it impossible for Turkey to serve as a model of liberal Islamic democracy. But if he makes civil rights and individual liberty the focus, he may be remembered as the man who brought Turkey into its next stage of development on its own terms. Either way, the eyes of the world will be on him.
With reporting by Pelin Turgut / Istanbul


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There is a new Pace Salsa Coupon available for $0.50/2 Pace Salsa Products. This is perfect if you have a store that doubles coupons, these often go on sale for 2/$4 in my area so I'm thinking you could grab these for around $1.50 each if you wait for a good sale.
There are some other coupons you don't want to miss right now


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Tesco has broken cover and announced its FIFA 12 price – and perhaps surprisingly it has once again gone for that magic £25 price point.
But unlike in 2009, when FIFA 10 was available for £24.97 no strings attached, this year there is a condition. The deal will only be available to those who buy another Top 20 chart game at the same time.
Examples cited in Tesco's national newspaper ad include Deus Ex: Human Revolution for a bargainous £25, F1 2011 for £36, a £25 PSN card or a £38 Xbox Live membership card.
Meanwhile, Frugal Gaming reports that Sainsbury's is selling FIFA 12 for £28.99 when £30 or more is spent in-store. Morrisons has gone for a £30 price when purchased with any other chart game
FIFA 12 goes on sale in the UK at midnight tonight.


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WBEZ News
Suburban YMCA centers get creative to keep doors open
YMCA facilities in north suburban Vernon Hills and Waukegan have found a way to stay open--at least through the end of the year.
The two Lake County centers were set to shut down at the end of October. Now in Vernon Hills, there is a plan for the YMCA to stay open until the Village Park District to takes over the facilities in January.
And Anne O'Connell from the Lake County YMCA said community support has bought the Waukegan center some time, too.
"In Waukegan we have just announced that we have two more months to try to further develop our financial partners and look at long term sustainability in that community," O'Connell said. "So it's good news, all in all."
Hal Catz is CEO of the Lake County Family YMCA and runs the two facilities in the Chicago suburbs.
He said in October that declining membership and budget shortfalls are to blame for the closures.
"These issues have been plaguing the Y for the last several years," Catz said. "The board has been very much aware of them and taking action in a variety of ways to see if there might be a way to change the direction of the YMCA."
The struggling Lake County YMCA is not alone in the Chicago area this fall.
A YMCA in the northern suburb of Grayslake closed in September.
The Chicago Metro YMCA also closed a facility in the Austin neighborhood this fall in response to declining membership at that location.


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CHATHAM, NJ - AT&T presented three expert witnesses in making their case for a variance that would allow the cell phone company to install 12 antennas on the water tower located on Buxton Road in the township on Thursday at the Board of Adjustment meeting.
The hearing will continue at the next scheduled meeting of the Board of Adjustment on March 20.
As requested by residents and the board, AT&T compiled propagation maps of other sites for the antennas in the area that might serve the company's quest to eliminate gaps in their coverage.
The conclusion by Yvan Joseph, AT&T frequency engineer, was that none of the sites would meet those goals. Because 63 Buxton Road is on top of a ridge, it is the highest site in the area. The other sites were lower and could not reach areas north of the ridge.
Yvan Joseph, AT&T frequency engineer, explains how the coverage is affected by other proposed sites
That analysis was backed up by the consultant for the board, Dr. Bruce Eisenstein.
"They have a gap in coverage and the difference is the coverage to the north of the Ridge, which you can't get from below," Eisenstein said. "What they're saying is true about it being the best site for coverage in that area. That doesn't mean it should be placed there. That's for the board to decide."
AT&T announced that it had made a bid to place antennas in Summit at 3 Constantine Place, which is near Summit's recycling center. That site will provide more gap coverage, but not north of the ridge.
AT&T attorney Judy Fairweather confirmed that AT&T has a co-location agreement with Verizon, the other bidder for the Constantine Place site. Either way, a mono pole will be built there and both companies will place antennas there. Whomever wins the bid will build the pole and have access to the highest spot, about 150 feet, for their antenna.
Yvan Joseph, AT&T frequency engineer, shows the difference in coverage from other sites
Ron Peterson, who worked at Bell Labs for 40 years and serves on a number of safety boards, testified that the antennas would measure 1.6 percent, well below the minimum safety standard.
Petersen noted that all scientific studies, internationally and the U.S., have so far concluded that there is no danger to the public in the radiation produced from cell antennas because it is infinitesimally low. Dr. Eisenstein agreed with Petersen's assessment that the cell antennas posed no danger to residents, even children.
Ron Petersen, who worked at Bell Labs for 40 years, testifies about safety of cell antennas
The other sites that AT&T explored were 3 Constantine Place in Summit; the water tower located on Longwood in Chatham Borough; Merck at 556 Morris Ave., Summit; two PSE&G sites on River Road, and Lucent Facility at 600 Mountain Ave., New Providence.
AT&T site manager, Tony Gualtieri, began his testimony on where and how the antennas would be placed on the tower. He will answer questions at the March 20 meeting. AT&T's planner will also testify at the next meeting.


text: kimifan! @dugaldmac active 4 years, 4 months ago ActivityProfileFriends 0Groups 1Forums PersonalMentionsFavoritesFriendsGroups Show: — Everything — Updates Friendships Group Updates New Groups Group Memberships Posts Comments Topics Replies Tayyib replied to the forum topic Favorite F1 Season in the group F1 4 years, 6 months ago 2003 was brilliant a season it was really good. Kimi should have won.


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LOS ANGELES Chef John Rivera Sedlar is opening a pan-Latin restaurant, Rivera, downtown tomorrow. For inspiration for the menu, the chef looks to a list of destinations: Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, the American Southwest, Spain, and Portugal. Also on offer are Rivera's own brand of extra-aged tequila plus seasonal tequilas, which Sedlar infuses with fruit, blossoms, herbs, and spices, and serves in flights.
The space is visually separated into several areas: The entrance features a glass-enclosed cave with wines on display; the Samba Lounge has a 40-foot-long video art instillation, and the bar decor is inspired by the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.
The venue features an Iberian-inspired private dining area for 30, and is available for full buyout with a capacity of 300 for receptions. In addition, there is an adjacent courtyard that holds 250. The restaurant also offers off-site catering for special events.


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After being denied the MCAL title for two years in a row, the Drake High boys were hungry, and poised to reclaim the title their program had so long possessed. With a senior-laden team, coach Matt Swanson looked to Mitch Young to step up. Young, who led with five goals in the team's 13-9 win over second-seeded Redwood in the league championship, earned the honor of boys water polo player of the year from both the MCAL and the Marin Independent Journal.
"In our system, everyone kind of has a role, and Mitch's goal this year was to score goals," Swanson said. "He had a lot of pressure to score this year (and) he did a great job of it. He went above and beyond and was really the offensive backbone of our team."
Swanson didn't keep offensive stats for the season, but Young was clearly the team's leading scorer.
"It's kind of a humbling idea," Young said of his player of the year accolades. "The only way I can do that is if I have my team around me. All the other six guys in the water with me were key roles in (my success)."
For most of his high school career, Young had to watch Marin Catholic dominate the league championships but this year, with the departure of MC's seniors and the arrival of Drake's, the time was right.
"Being able to win the championship was our goal from Day 1," Young said. "To be part of that team who got Drake back on track and won MCALs was fun."
Young will swim for the Pirates this spring and is currently still deeply enmeshed in the college application process, but playing water polo is definitely part of his plans.
When he looks back on this season, he said, what he'll remember most is "How it was a true demonstration of how hard work really pays off. No one was down on themselves, we all got really fired up."
— Jamie Wells


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Golf analyst David Feherty is known for his quick wit and impeccable analogies, his Irish accent and unapologetic sense of humor. Perhaps that's why the Golf Channel gave him his own show, Feherty (Tuesdays, 9 p.m. EST), where Feherty's multiple talents promise to be displayed.
If the "Missed Cuts" video from his interview with Lee Trevino is any indication of the show's future content, then Feherty is off to a nice start. The topics –- everything from Jack Nicklaus to Trevino's influence on Latinos to his current analysis of the game's young players –- were diverse, informative, and sincere.
That's not to say Feherty is going to be boring or traditional. As Feherty himself said during his extended preview, "What's the point of doing a show like this if you can't make a few Golf Channel suits a little jumpy?"
From the look of the extended preview, it seems as if the mood surrounding Feherty will depend as much on the guest as anything else. Interviews with golfing greats Tom Watson and Johnny Miller are scheduled. Charles Barkley and actor Don Cheadle also will be on the show.


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Chef Hung At Diamond Jamboree Formally Opens; Discounts All Day Today
Yes, I'm as puzzled as you are. Chef Hung, the Taiwanese beef noodle soup peddler that opened in August at Diamond Jamboree in Irvine, just announced their official debut will be today, Monday, October 24th.
I guess this means the past two months have been just a practice run? Does that invalidate the middling online reviews that has plagued the restaurant since then?
If you're like me, and have not tried it, perhaps today would be a good day to do so, if not just for the one-day-only 20% off all items.
The festivities will begin at 11:45 a.m. today, Monday, October 24, 2011 and will include a lion dance performance, ribbon cutting, sign unveiling, and a video crew to record it all. The restaurant itself will open to the public at 12:30 p.m.
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Jan 3, 2012
Trying to make it through the day.
REM have some class tunes!!!!
Whats up Scott, first day back at work was it???
yup. **** it was too.
o well, at least I get free hot chocolate.
chin up scott!
i was back today too mate!
have you had "the meeting" yet?
not yet mate.
12th, can't wait.
bring on retrain or relocate.
easy tiger!
dont do a solly! they dont have to employ you! nobody is indispencible!
I know mate.
I do my job and what is expected of me but at the same I hate it.
Count yourselves lucky, i only got 3 days for Crimbo n 1 day on new year!
On the upside, least things are back to normal, hate the spell after Crimbo, most depressing of the year!
Separate names with a comma.


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what is the highest power scope mostly used in long range shooting
View Single Post
March 13, 2011, 03:55 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: November 13, 2006
Posts: 5,184
Things get compromised more with lower quality scopes,but even with the ideal optics,look at the relationship between power and objective lense.Look at traditional binoculars.7x35's,8x40's,10x50's.Night-marine binocs,7x50's.
When you divide the power into the objective lense size it will give you the exit pupil size.Note the traditional binocs it comes out to 5mm,and the night/marine it is 7 mm.This is matched to the size of the pupil in the human eye.In low light,we have about a 5mm eye pupil.At night,we go up to a max of 7mm.Very bright light,we go down to maybe 2.5 mm.
You will notice a drop in image quality when the optic exit pupil is smaller than the eye pupil.
I have a pretty good spotting scope.Its a Kowa with a 77 mm flourite crystal objective lense.it has a 20-60 eyepiece.Looking at bullet holes at 300 yds,things just do not get better than something near 40 x in very good light.
According to this theory,with a 50 mm objective,and ideal light,about 20x is all that will provide better image quality.More magnification will zoom it up,but its like overzooming a photograph.Image quality does not get better,field of view just gets smaller.
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Loving stage-drama paeans to the era of Elvis and the emerging American archetype of the rock 'n' roll idol don't come more loving than "Bye, Bye Birdie."
Inspired in part by The King's own military service during our nation's time of conscription, the drama finds rock 'n' roll singer Conrad Birdie all packed up and ready to fight, until his manager conspires to find his charge a new song, and the loving heart of a longtime fan. Using a cast of almost 40 from Acting Up, the audition-only troupe of Utah's best young acting talent from across the state, SCERA's production of this popular musical is directed by wife-and-husband team Kathryn and Howard Little.
Christian Wawro plays Conrad Birdie with Megan Hill as Rosie, Maren Wilson as Kim MacAfee, Cody Whitlock as Albert and Brennon Schow as Hugo Peabody. "I decided we needed a show where people could sit down, smile and just have fun watching this parody of teen idols that is truly done with the fondest affection," Kathyrn Little states in press materials for the production. "As a totally appropriate family show, I hope everyone leaves the auditorium happy."


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Mountain Waters Rafting Inc
643 Camino Del Rio
Durango, CO
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Durango RV Park has recommended Mountain Waters Rafting for years. They are a quality rafting company.
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March 3, 2011
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When NBAPS Superintendent Deb Henton stepped up to the podium to address the audience at the school board meeting Thursday night, she noted residents don't always get to "hear the good things that happen in the community."
What happened to retired North Branch Area Public Schools teacher Marlin Ness because of the generosity of former student and good friend Kevin Noyes was a good thing.
The board invited Ness, Noyes and Anne Peterson of American Donor Services to the meeting to share the story of donation between Noyes and Ness.
On June 1, 2012, Noyes donated one of his kidneys to Ness after finding out about a year prior that Ness was suffering from polycystic kidney disease.
Noyes has known Ness since third grade, ever since he and Ness' son, Eric, became friends.
When Ness was asked to speak, he lauded Noyes for his donation.
"I'm doing just great," he said. "I thank Kevin for the gift of life."
He also joked that to make Noyes' kidney feel at home in his body, Noyes told him that he'd have to drink a Coors Light — Noyes' favorite beer — every once in a while.
That quip garnered a round a laughter from those in attendance.
As a result of his donation, Noyes was invited to walk with the Donate Life Float during the Rose Parade on New Year's Day in Pasadena, Calif.
He told the School Board that being part of the Rose Parade was an amazing experience.
Noyes said he thinks of his donation as a "no big deal" type of thing, and it was simply the right thing to do.
"I was able to talk to a number of other living donors as we walked in our fine yellow sweatshirts, and a lot of them felt the same way (about donation)," he said.
Noyes said the float was adorned with 81 memorial "floragraphs," or floral portraits. Each floragraph represented a donor who gave the gift of an organ, eye or tissue donation upon their death.
"It was bittersweet," he said. "They were not able to be there, except in spirit."
He called the trip the "experience of a lifetime," and it made him realize even more the importance of organ and tissue donation.
"My job as a living donor is to now spread the word and see if people will step up and do the same thing," Noyes said.
Other board actions
• Aaron Gibbons, a candidate in the last election, was appointed to the open School Board
seat that was vacated when Kim Salo resigned at the end of last year, and Kirby Ekstrom moved into her former post as board chairperson. The vote to accept Gibbons as the new board member passed by a 5-1 vote with Randy Westby casting the lone dissenting vote. Prior to Gibbons being appointed to the seat, Westby had nominated Bob Bernier, another candidate in the last election, but Westby was the only board member to vote for him.
• Tim MacMillan was named vice chair, and Linda Heidelberger treasurer. Jay Falk will remain board clerk.
• The ECM Post Review was selected as the legal newspaper for the district via a 5-1 vote. Westby voted for the Chisago County Press.
• It was noted in the board packet that North Branch Area Public Schools will make up the Jan. 7 weather cancellation on Monday, Feb. 24. It will be a typical, full-day schedule.


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WORRIED residents in a street plagued by parking chaos watched as firemen had to leave two engines at the top of the road and walk to a house where there was a suspected fire.
People in Holland Road, Westcliff say they are sick of parking problems in their road and were amazed when the engines were forced to park at the top of the street when it looked like they couldn't get access.
Crews then had to trudge down the road on foot on Tuesday afternoon, but luckily the call had only been a false alarm.
Julian Lowes, chairman of Milton Community Group, said: "People are worried about emergency services reaching them. This call-out was probably very minor by the look of it but what happend if there was a raging fire? They will have to run hoses all the way down Holland Road or all the way down from the seafront. "
It's not the best way to fight a fire, especially as there are so many elderly residents in the area." P
arking pressures in the area have reached boiling point with many residents blaming Southend Council for letting homes be converted into flats.
The extra people they house have been clamouring to park in the street along with commuters who use Westcliff railway station.
Cheryl Hindle-Terry, Southend Council's Team Leader of the Parking, Traffic Management and Road Safety Team, said: "Holland Road is not subject to parking restrictions and vehicles regularly park on both sides of the road. "
However we do work closely with the Fire Service and if they identify a parking concern, we will of course propose action to avoid any potential delays to emergency situations."
She said they had surveyed residents in streets around Westcliff railway station in 2011 about parking controls .


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"What do I have to do to become a CSP?"
One of the most common questions by potential candidates is "What do I have to do to become a CSP?" The CSP process has several stages, each one building on the other, to create a knowledgeable safety professional.
First thing potential candidates need to do is determine application eligibility. It's recommended for candidates to download the The Complete Guide to the CSP (PDF) for more detailed information.
There is no waiver of the academic requirement and proof of a minimum qualifying degree must be provided. For U.S. degrees, BCSP requires the educational institution hold institutional accreditation from an accreditation body with institutional accrediting authority recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of Education. Degrees earned outside the U.S. must be evaluated for equivalency. Unaccredited degrees are disqualified. The degree must be awarded during the period of accreditation. Further details on these requirements and the evaluation of international degrees can be found on our education standard webpage.
In addition to the academic requirement, CSP candidates must have four (4) years of professional safety experience. Professional safety experience must meet all of the following criteria to be considered acceptable by BCSP:
Apply online by selecting the My Profile button on the BCSP website, your login for BCSP's Certification Management System (CMS). BCSP reviews application materials determining eligibility for the CSP examination. Unless waived, candidates must first pass the ASP examination and meet education/experience standards before becoming eligible for the CSP Exam. BCSP randomly selects applications for audit. If selected for audit, you must submit all supporting documentation.
Once their application is approved, new candidates may register and pay for their examination online by logging into "My Profile" and selecting "Purchase Exam" from the menu buttons. Candidates will have one-year once their application has been approved to schedule and sit for the examination. Those qualifying for the GSP designation and some candidates who have been examined through other acceptable credentialing programs, and currently hold such credentials, may be granted a waiver of the ASP Examination. BCSP currently accepts only the following certifications, licenses or memberships for waiver of this examination:
You may purchase an examination at any time, as long as you are authorized. BCSP will notify the examination service that you are an eligible candidate.
* Must meet eligibility requirements when pursuing CSP
BCSP's examination provider, Pearson VUE, has hundreds of test centers located around the world, which are open every business day (some also have weekend and holiday hours). Examinations are delivered via computer at the test center. As soon as candidates submit their exam, results are available.
After completing all of the requirements, BCSP will award candidates who pass the exam the CSP certification. An annual fee also applies to those who pass the CSP exam and earn the CSP credential. CSPs must remain up-to-date with changes in professional practice by compiling 25 Recertification points every five years.
"One significant benefit is that as people obtain the well-balanced perspective I believe certification provides, they can do their jobs much more efficiently."
John L. Henshaw, Past Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
"To me the CSP designation reflects the highest credential one can achieve in the overall field of hazard recognition, evaluation, and control. The CSP has allowed me to advance in my career to more and more responsible and financially rewarding positions, and to be recognized as a professional."
Allen Macenski, CSP, JD
"I have found the CSP designation to be a valuable asset as a safety consultant. Increasingly, clients are demanding this certification of all consultants providing safety and health services."
Mark Briggs, CSP


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- Stylist:
- Kateri
Oct 25, 2011 - A friend had recommended Kateri for cutting curly hair. When I saw her beautiful hair in a picture, I knew that I had to have her cut my hair. I was not disappointed. Kateri has cut my hair two times now. I so relieved to have finally found someone who can cut curly hair, probably the only one in my entire life. I leave her salon so pleased with my haircut. I have fairly long hair and she is one of the few stylists who hasn't ended up taking off significant length during my haircuts. She shapes my hair beautifully and I am quite happy with the Curl Solutions products she uses. I leave with the feeling that she styles my hair based upon what she feels will look best and not based upon a desire for profit. Both times I have had no trouble getting an appointment with her and I just love the on-line appointment request system.


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Berlin (Oct. 20)
Two motion picture theatres in the town of Schoenberg were today ordered closed by the chief of police on a charge of having concealed their Jewish ownership.
Legal proceedings have been instituted against a dummy "Aryan" director of the two theatres. The actual Jewish owners are also being prosecuted.