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Talk:Monastery of Gorgoepikoos (Geelong, Victoria)
I'm not really sure how the genealogical information of the abbess is significant to the monastery enough to include in this article. Perhaps there should be a separate page for Mother Kallistheni, with that information moved there? Also, is there a page to link to for the monastery's service schedule? —magda (talk) 15:49, February 1, 2008 (PST)
- A justification for keeping that one article is that there just isn't enough information to make a separate article, and she is basically the only public figure of the monastery. Additionally, most of what is there is about her great-grandfather - an influential figure, assumedly, but more of passing relevance. There is no link for the monastery at all, nor it's service schedule. — edited by Pιsτévο talk complaints at 18:18, February 1, 2008 (PST)
History of the icon Section ...
Hi father, this paragraph should be a direct link to the artcile on Panagia Gorgoepikoos the icon? Vasiliki 07:06, May 7, 2008 (UTC)


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|Hemet, Calif.
|High School:
|History/Humanities Science
2011-12: Played in 12 matches as a senior … finished the season 3-3 in both singles and doubles … won three consecutive singles match in the fall against opponents from Springfield (10/8), Wheaton (10/11) and Roger Williams (10/14) … also won all three doubles matches against the same opponents with partner Hillary Jenny.
2010-11: Did not play.
Off The Court at MIT: Majoring in history/humanities science … minor in chemistry … concentration in anthropology.
High School: A 2008 graduate of Hemet High School … twice selected as her team's MVP … four-time all-conference player … named the CIF Southern Section Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior … four-time qualifier for CIF individual competition … named Most Inspiration Player in 2005 … helped her team to a league championship all four years … class Valedictorian … recorded the highest score at the Riverside County Academic Decathlon … National Honor Society … Governor's Award for Academic Excellence … national AP Scholar … Riverside County all-county Academic Team.

subset: commoncrawl


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amandamateri needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 122 designs submitted by 28 freelance designers.
Missing Sock Laundry
We are located on a well-established street in NW Portland, OR.
The neighborhood has a trendy but homey feel, and we'd like to fit in with this.
We have nice, new machines, a comfortable and artistic interior, a playful attitude, and a strong sense of duty to bring this much-needed business to the area.
We will be offering wash and fold service as well.
Many apartment buildings in the surrounding area only offer 1 washer and 1 dryer for the whole building. We would like to entice these typically 20-40 somethings to come to us instead.
There are also multiple college/universities in the nearby area (including 2 art schools), and a hostel next to a Trader Joe's.
Many people in the area will be hearing about our wash and fold service via mailers.
Hip, fresh, modern. Funky, cool and desirable. Bright colors...Yellow, Blues, Oranges. We need both an icon and text. Please don't use clip art. My business partner likes the idea of a sock on the side of a milk carton. While I think this could be cute, I'm not entirely sure it can be pulled off. I guess I'd like to see what can be done with that, but I'm sure there are also some other creative ideas out there that can be played with. Obviously the "sock" in Missing Sock Laundry is the key element.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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At a Glance
Plus +
Instant torque, build quality, well-sorted suspension and, of course, fuel economy
Minus -
The seat belt noise is getting more irratating, brake feel (but not stopping power)
Fuel Ecomnomy:
39.1 mpg
Phew, lucky this thing does give great mileage. The state of California hasn't been a big fan of diesel in these past few years and whereas pretty much every filling station in Europe will have at least one diesel pump, that's not the case here, even on this industrialized stretch of Route One, just a few blocks inland from Venice and Santa Monica beaches.
After trying four gas stations of differing brands, I finally get to fill up european car's long-term VW Jetta 2.0 TDI and start this test properly. What follows will be the diary of a tankful of diesel: the miles, the motions, conveyance and convenience. That last aspect has already taken a hit by having to drive around looking for somewhere that sells diesel fuel.
Then the one pump stuck in a neglected corner of an otherwise large, glowing, pristine forecourt is sticky and smelly with the stuff. No disposable gloves around, so my first recommendation to anyone considering a TDI or its new, clean ilk would be to always keep a stash of wet wipes and tissues in the car. Even after I get home and wash my hands a couple of times, the smell is hard to shift. Luckily, such occurrences don't spring up that often. By the time I have to fill up again, this will become a distant memory because of all the life lived in between.
Trip zeroed, it reads 4.2 miles once I get home to Marina Del Rey. OK, it hasn't been the most auspicious of beginnings, but there's a long way to go and plenty of opportunity for this Jetta to wheedle its way into my affections-because the last one I drove (about two years ago) did not impress me. Although its gasoline-powered engine was punchy enough, the soft suspension was a big disappointment. From the admittedly short time spent in this driver's seat, the difference is obvious. There's so much more body control and a general feeling of being well sorted.
So with a firm yet comfortable chassis, leather-covered seats that answer to the same description and a thirst that has more in common with a recovering alcoholic than most American vehicles, the Jetta TDI is a perfect road trip car. An ideal excuse to take my wife, Claire, to Santa Barbara for the day. It's a wonderful drive, taking in a beautiful section of Pacific Coast Highway before joining Route 101 at Oxnard. The freeway still comes close to the shore, though, and it's sometimes possible to see dolphins breaking the ocean's surface, a pleasure best experienced by the passenger.
Playful sea mammals, however, aren't our focus today. Instead, we're going after butterflies. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History has a giant mesh marquee full of them. What's more, there are no feelings of guilt on our part. Since California has some of the toughest emissions laws on this beleaguered planet but still allows VW's clean diesel technology through the door, it's nice to know we're not making too much of an environmental impact, so these beautiful creatures might still live.
Everything's working well. With a lusty 236 lb-ft of torque just under the right foot, there's more than enough urge to reach freeway speeds, with plenty in reserve for overtaking. It all feels so effortless. The air conditioning performs exactly as it should, the steering has a fine balance of meatiness and precision, and the turning circle is a boon in tight places. There's the odd mild ticking noise in my left ear coming from the seatbelt apparatus, but it's tolerable. The only other fly in the ointment is that Claire, whose idea of hell would be working as a rally driver's navigator, is feeling a tad sick. It could be the car or maybe just one of those things. After a light meal followed by a couple of Dramamine, we head for home. By the time we park, the dash is reading 206.7 miles in red LEDs and the fuel gauge has hardly moved.
I wear a couple of hats. Writing about cars is one of them and playing guitar is the other. So the next trip is one of those times when my two worlds collide: a Sunday brunch gig in Valencia with the soul/blues/rock/jazz band I play in. The Jetta's trunk can easily take my amplifier and bag (full of cables, tools, stands and a couple of effects pedals), but I prefer to put my guitars (I always take two, just in case I break a string) on the back seat, even though they could probably have gone in the trunk too. If someone does slam into the back of me, at least my babies are better protected. I get like that about guitars.
There's always a chance some accident might happen on the dreaded 405, a freeway that runs north-south, although "runs" is way too optimistic. Most of the time it's a car park, plagued with pile-ups, and traffic moving at a geological rate, but early Sunday is easy enough. Even so, it takes a while to get fingers and brain warmed up-musicians aren't usually morning people. The gig is made all the more enjoyable by a party of people right near the band who are really into the music.
On the way back home, the 405 returns to form. It's now that I become more aware of the brakes. They feel as if they could use more initial bite. I thought the pads might be a bit worn since the car has over 17,000 miles on its odometer, but my ec colleagues tell me subsequently that they've always been this way. Stop-go-stop traffic doesn't help consumption figures at all, but one open stretch sees the trip computer reading an average of 40 mpg. Before taking out the key, I note the mileage: 287.5 miles and still plenty of fuel.
The next couple of days are spent running errands around west Los Angeles, Santa Monica (including changing 150 euros into dollars: $190, thanks very much) and up to my sister-in-law's place in rural, hilly Topanga. I quickly become grateful for two more of the Jetta's assets. The six-speed DSG gearbox is an absolute joy, whether using it as a normal automatic or shifting gears manually, especially on canyon roads. Shame there aren't steering wheel-mounted paddles, but the lever works. And Topangan topography usually turns radio signals into static, though satellite radio still comes through loud and clear.
One sound that's less welcome is the deep, sporty front lip scraping the ground. The lack of clearance means extra care is needed for going up steep driveways and the like. Still, after 341.5 miles, the fuel gauge has only just dipped below halfway. The weekly shop at Trader Joe's takes the distance to 358.3.
Two more gigs in Valencia, Friday and Saturday night. Tackling the 405 again at the tail-end of Friday's rush hour (in the aftermath of what was a fatal crash) makes me appreciate the Jetta's safety features, not just the standard-issue ESP and six airbags, but also that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has made it a top pick for 2009.
Driving home late at night, it's a nice cruise at 2250 rpm with average consumption comfortably in the mid-to-high 30s. And sorry if this sounds petty, but I love sweeping past Prius drivers while still achieving that kind of economy. The early hours of Sunday morning see 520.4 on the trip. Later that day, Claire and I go to see some friends in Hollywood, up near the famous Capitol Records building. At 530.3, I decide to fill up again. The fuel light hasn't come on yet, but I remember looking for diesel before and opt for taking the opportunity when it presents itself. In goes 13.551 gallons ($37.93), which gives us 39.13 mpg overall. The best figure on the trip computer was 45 mpg, an office record.
I wish I'd had the time and reason to drive to San Francisco. On such a trip, I'm sure a tankful could cover 600 miles. But the great thing about the Jetta is that every one of those miles would be enjoyable. It proves that fuel economy doesn't have to involve sacrificing the things that matter to drivers. Just remember the wet wipes.


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by Lane Blackmer
A long-empty Germantown Avenue shop will finally be occupied. And by a familiar face.
The former site of Roots, at 7946 Germantown Ave., which had been vacant for about a year, will become the new site of Maloumian Carpets, scheduled to open in September.
Owner Roy Maloumian also has an Oriental rug shop located in Mt. Airy on West Mt. Pleasant Avenue, but the Chestnut Hill shop will house kilim rugs, which, he said, are a bit of a different product.
"It's something I don't think has been sold or shown in the Chestnut Hill market," he said.
According to kilim.com, kilim rugs are Turkish or Persian rugs that are woven differently than the typical Oriental rug.
Maloumian said the store will sell not only rugs, but piano benches, footstools and similar furniture with upholstery.
Maloumian also has a shop in Ft. Myers, Fla. and will open another in Naples, Fla., in December.


text:
Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops
recipe adapted from: Food.Com
6 pork chops, thin and boneless
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning (use less if you dont like a lot of heat)
DIRECTIONS: Combine all of the ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Shake to mix and coat pork chops. Place bag in the refrigerator and marinate for 2-3 hours.
Heat an indoor grill pan or skillet to medium heat. Drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom of pan. (about 1 tablespoon) Place 3 pork chops at a time onto the pan and cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until completely cooked.
Set cooked chops on a plate and tent with foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining pork chops.


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The development and usage of smartphones, tablets and iPads is growing at an exponential rate. Consumers are lining up in droves to get their hands on the latest gadgets, while tech giants are developing more creations to "wow" a technology-hungry crowd.
According to a recent comScore study, more than 100 million U.S. mobile subscribers use smartphones and nearly 234 million Americans use various mobile devices. These numbers increased by double digit percentages from its last time period ending October 2011 to the current study time period of January 2012.
With mobile usage so high, online businesses are realizing the need to optimize the mobile experience for their website visitors. And many are using responsive design to accomplish this goal.
Responsive design allows websites to automatically change layouts according to the visitor's screen resolution whether on a desktop, tablet or smartphone. This allows for a more user-friendly interface when visitors view websites.
The businesses that will benefit most from responsive design are those that service customers who frequent mobile devices to navigate their websites.
How many of your visitors access your site from a mobile device? Check your Google Analytics to get a percentage! From the left-side menu, click "Audience" and browse the operating systems and devices your web visitors are using to find your site.
How does responsive design affect online businesses?
One obvious reason for implementing responsive design is to enhance the user experience and thereby increase conversions. When a full website created for the desktop shrinks to the size of a smartphone screen, it makes it hard for the user to navigate through the site. There is constant zooming in and out, and scrolling to find relevant material. A "responsive" website would automatically shrink the data to facilitate easier reading and allow for an overall more enjoyable web browsing experience.
There is another side to the story, however. Many web designers/marketers feel that creating a separate site for mobile website visitors is superior to responsive web design. One reason is that heavy Javascript elements and large images slow the website's load time even if they are hidden because users must still download them.
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In addition, website visitors may benefit from an entirely different interface when accessing your site on a mobile device.
Here is an example:
A realtor may want to display a completely different site to mobile users who are looking for house information after driving by a "For Sale" sign. The agent may want to optimize the mobile interface to include specific listing and contact information to capture the lead immediately and keep the load time fast. If the mobile site is simply a more user-friendly version of the desktop site, the conversions may not be as high.
Businesses create multiple sites to meet the needs of smartphones, tablets and desktop browsers. This equates to three sites with separate content, maintenance, costs, and requirements. Once a new device comes out, webmasters must shell out more money to create a new site. With responsive design, you have one site to contend with.
Some SEO experts are touting the benefits of responsive web design because of its ability to maintain the links pointing to the desktop domain instead of passing link equity to additional domains.
In response to industry questions about responsive design, the search engine Bing offered answers on how to best optimize websites for different platforms.
Bing suggests using the "one URL per content item" strategy to avoid "sub-optimal and underperforming results." Additionally, Bing mentioned the added cost of updating more than one website and how it can overwhelm small businesses.
Here is what Bing had to say about responsive web design:
Bing recommends that webmasters consider if the "one URL per content item" strategy will work for their websites to improve their SEO.
According to Bing,
"Occasionally, it may make sense to keep some URLs targeted at specific clients (e.g. mobile devices), which you can opt to block from us via the usual methods (robots.txt, webmaster tools) or not. Our real concern is the hundreds of millions of additional URLs that are created on mobile-only domains, which for most of them will never accrue any value and rarely, if ever, rank in any form of search, yet still consume resources on both your servers and ours."
Some SEOs have dismissed the idea that dedicated mobile sites split link equity making it difficult for the mobile site to rank. They mention Google's skip redirect update and say that proper redirection will cause mobile URLs to rank in search results.
Here is the Google update as per the Inside Search blog:
Faster mobile browsing. [launch codename "old possum", project codename "Skip Redirect"] Many websites redirect smartphone users to another page that is optimized for smartphone browsers. This change uses the final smartphone destination url in our mobile search results, so you can bypass all the redirects and load the target page faster.
The Real Purpose
Many marketers believe that regardless of SEO benefits or non-benefits, ultimately your customer's goals and site speed should be a priority. They claim the browsing device a customer uses will offer a clue as to the user's intentions for the visit. Businesses may need a separate mobile site if the situation warrants it. SEOs would argue that "real SEO" has more to do with providing value to the visitor more than keywords and links.
For example, if you run a restaurant, you may have two types of customers depending on where and how they access your site. The bulk of mobile users are most likely not at home. They may be on the road needing information like directions, reservations or contact details. A separate mobile site could cater to these customers without "bogging down" the load time with unnecessary features like images of the restaurant and media information. The same principle would apply to an auto insurance company whose customers may need towing services, a detail not as important for a desktop version of the site.
Webmasters could essentially lose out on qualified search traffic if they do not research the goals of their visitors.
Implement responsive design not because it is a trend, but because it will meet your visitor's goals. If your mobile website visitors require a unique experience from your desktop website and you rely on mobile users for leads, it may signal the need for a mobile-specific interface.
User Experience
We discussed user experience as it relates to conversions. The quality of the design and where elements are situated also play a role. A well-planned responsive design will enhance the visitor's user experience.
But there is another side to the story. With more versions of the same site, users are fed different sites depending on the device. What if they need to find something specific while on their iPads but the webmaster removed it from the full site for the mobile version? This may not equate to a user-friendly experience. Some users may expect to see the full version of the site when using mobile devices.
It's All About the User
Will your visitors know if your mobile site is responsive? Will they recognize the lack of white space? Most will not recognize the technical details, but they will know how they feel during the experience.
Success depends on pinpointing how your visitors interact with your site when on a mobile device, and defining what solution would give them the best experience.
Mobile users are interested in getting what they want (targeted) and fast (speed). However this is accomplished is up to the webmaster. Essentially, increased conversions will only come when users love their experience on your site and walk away with a good feeling about your brand.
The Solution?
Some marketers are suggesting that businesses create one fast-loading, user-focused mobile site with the option to click to the full site. The full site would take advantage of responsive design.
The debate continues…what do you think? Do your clients prefer responsive design or multiple mobile interfaces? What do you prefer?
Below are some responsive design examples:
1. Boston Globe
2. Spark Box
3. Forefathers
4. Ray Macari


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After suffering through a prolonged slump, the Memphis commercial real estate market this year began to shake off the rust that gathered during the "Great Recession," and brighter days could be ahead for the prime markets in the apartment, retail, office and industrial sectors, according to local experts.
Brad Kornegay, president of Colliers International Memphis' asset services division, says incentives programs are necessary for commercial real estate – and the local economy – to thrive. Kornegay was among the speakers at the 2013 Commercial Real Estate Review & Forecast Nov. 7.
(Andrew J. Breig)
However, to make sure the commercial real estate market continues its rebound, civic and business leaders must maintain a laser focus on job creation.
Those themes emerged during the 2013 Commercial Real Estate Review & Forecast hosted by The Daily News on Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.
"The biggest question for Memphis is, 'Is the city going to do what it takes to lure jobs?'" said Brad Kornegay, president of Colliers International Memphis' asset services division. "Are we willing to do what it takes to bring (jobs) in? I don't know."
Kornegay praised Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell for their economic development efforts but said other elected officials and policymakers must grasp a better understanding of local incentives programs and need to present a more business-friendly posture for the local economy – and commercial real estate – to thrive.
"It's not that you want to give out incentives. You have to," said Kornegay. "The concept is that we're giving all this money away (in incentives). We're not giving money away because we never had it."
Kornegay has watched as DeSoto County has transformed itself from a sleepy, largely rural suburb into a powerful competitor for residents, jobs and investment. New industrial development has been on the rise in North Mississippi for years, while activity inside Memphis has slowed. No speculative industrial space has been built in Memphis since 2007, and 59 percent of all absorption in the Memphis industrial market over the last few years has happened in DeSoto County, Kornegay said.
"That submarket has become the second largest submarket for Memphis, and the crazy thing is that it just started in the early 2000s," Kornegay said. "We said it would continue to dominate and it has, and we don't see any reason for that slowing down anytime soon."
This year, IDI launched an expansion of the 478-acre Crossroads Distribution Center with two new speculative buildings: the 241,000-square-foot Crossroads L building and the 430,212-square-foot Crossroads D building.
Hillwood Investment Properties announced plans for a 514,980-square-foot building at DeSoto Trade Center, and Panattoni Development Co. is building a 554,000-square-foot speculative warehouse in the Marshall County, Miss., portion of the 1,500-acre Gateway Global Logistics Center industrial development.
"I think everybody is preparing for what they hope will occur in 2014," Kornegay said.
A CB Richard Ellis Memphis third-quarter industrial report said the Memphis market has a chance to end the year with 3 million square feet of absorption, the first time the Memphis market would hit the 3 million-square-foot level since 2008.
On the office side, the overall vacancy rate for the Memphis market increased 1.5 percentage points to 20.1 percent during the third quarter, according to Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors.
"That's not good news, but we do have good news coming," said Wyatt Aiken, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors.
Wright Medical Group plans to move its corporate headquarters to Cherry Road in East Memphis from Arlington. Highwoods Properties is constructing a new office tower for Memphis-based International Paper. National Bankers Trust will move its headquarters to 813 Ridge Lake Blvd. from 8245 Tournament Drive in Southwind.
While the overall office market numbers have not impressed, the city's most desired office market, East Memphis around Poplar Avenue and Interstate 240, is starting to show strong vital signs. The vacancy rate for what Aiken described as "Class A+" space in six buildings along the Poplar corridor in East Memphis has been cut by more than half, dropping to 7.7 percent in third quarter from its peak of 20 percent in 2010, according to Cushman & Wakefield/Commercial Advisors.
"This is where the really good news is in our office market," said Aiken. "Those buildings are finally making money again."
As supply tightens in the highly coveted submarket, real and quoted rental rates should increase. And as occupancy and rental rates rise in East Memphis, some tenants – especially those looking for more than 8,000 square feet of space – may turn to other submarkets, and developers could launch new speculative office space.
In the multifamily sector, overall occupancy through the third quarter was 92.4 percent, up 0.7 percent since year-end 2012 and below national occupancy rates, which hover around 95 percent, according to Blake Pera, executive vice president of CBRE Memphis' multifamily division.
However, a closer look reveals occupancy rates for properties built in the 1990s and later is between 94.1 percent and 94.7 percent. Pera said the newer Class A locations, mostly in Downtown, Collierville, Germantown and DeSoto County, have been able to rebound much faster than older properties over the last few years and are seeing increased rental rates.
"We have been able to recover over the last few years," said Pera. "Class A submarkets didn't get beat up that bad and have really rebounded after the recession."
Pera said the new supply coming online over the last few years has been orderly and is creating a new upscale tier in the rental market.
"We have a very manageable pipeline going forward," said Pera. "The ones we're seeing now are unbelievable, with amenity packages that are just incredible."
On the retail side, the Memphis-area retail market closed the third quarter with positive absorption of 95,242 square feet, the seventh consecutive quarter of positive absorption for the retail market, according to CBRE Memphis. The market vacancy rate remained relatively stable, dropping 0.1 percent to 13 percent.
Jason Polley, managing leasing director for Stonecrest Investments LLC, said the prime retail submarkets in East Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, Cordova and DeSoto County continue to perform well, while other submarkets struggle.
"We are seeing declines in vacancy rates across many of the submarkets, but it has been uneven," Polley said. "Vacancy rates will continue to decline, but the rate of improvement will remain uneven."
The city of Memphis is seeing a bit of retail resurgence in the core city, with Bass Pro Shops' plan to transform The Pyramid, Loeb Properties' redevelopment of Overton Square, The Fresh Market's plan to repurpose the Ike's store on Union Avenue and the proposed transformation of the long-vacant Sears Crosstown building.
Memphis' suburbs are also experiencing retail growth.
The Shops of Saddle Creek in Germantown will be getting a multimillion-dollar makeover and expansion, and Whole Foods Market has submitted plans to the city of Germantown to develop a new store at the southeast corner of Poplar Avenue and Pete Mitchell Road.
In Olive Branch, Malco Theatres Inc. is building a 12-screen movie theater, and Michael Lightman Realty Co. has plans to build a 5,500-square-foot retail building in front of the Malco. In addition, Stonecrest Investments plans to expand its Wedgewood Commons development at the northeast corner of Goodman and Pleasant Hill roads.
"The retailers are always going to follow those rooftops," Polley said.
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by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


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I have been craving curry for a few days, and I wanted to make the yummy looking flatbreads over at Pod & three peas . When my vege box arrived, the huge pile of spinach was so fresh looking I knew that had to be in the curry somewhere (and lets be honest, the quicker I use it, the quicker I get a quarter of my fridge space back...). Combine with potato, and you have my version of the Indian classic sag aloo.
Nigel Slater's spinach and potato recipe, in his wonderful vegetable book Tender was the inspiration, but I fear his tastes may be slightly more austere than mine. I like my spinach well wilted with the potato, and the splash of lite coconut cream (I know, how unlike me to use lite anything, but actually it was fine) gave a lovely creaminess at the end. But if you don't have coconut cream, don't worry, you could use a spoonful of yoghurt, or indeed nothing at all, it will still taste fab.....
Potato and spinach curry
2 medium potatoes (or about 500 grams baby potatoes) peeled and cut into chunks
2 small onions peeled , halved and cut into thin crescents
1 tbsp mustard oil (if you don't have mustard oil, just use canola or olive)
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red chilli, finely diced (OR a good pinch of chili flake)
1 tsp of grated fresh ginger OR large pinch ginger powder
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt & pepper
LARGE bunch spinach (about 400 grams) OR 2 bags of baby spinach
1/4 cup lite coconut cream (optional)
Big squeeze lemon juice
Boil or steam your chunks of potato until tender when you put a sharp knife into them. Meanwhile heat the oils in a frying pan (I use a 23cm for this) over a medium heat and fry the onions for about 10 mins until tender. Add the garlic, chilli and the spices and stir for another minute or so, to get rid of the raw taste.
Season with salt & pepper, then add the potatoes back to the pan, stirring to coat them with the oil mix. Add a cup of cold water and stir again. Place all your chopped spinach on top of the potato and put a lid, or piece of foil over the top. Turn the heat to med-low, and cook for another 10 mins or so until the spinach is wilted, and about half the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the coconut cream, check the seasoning and serve, easy.
I was dealing with an electrician when I got home from work, and realised I would not have time to make the flatbreads, so we has these parathas from the freezer instead. I get them from New World, and they are so easy, just chuck in a heated frying pan straight from frozen, they are done in about 2 minutes, genius!
You might also notice a handful of broadbeans in the curry picture, I picked them fresh, and just chucked them in about five minutes from the end of the cooking time, but 1/2 a cup of frozen peas would also be perfect.
I cant say this is terribly authentic, but it was really tasty, filling and quick to prepare, so I will definitely be making it again....
On a totally different note, I was out walking last night (yep, Plum K is still trying to get leanish....), trotting along at a decent clip and feeling pretty pleased with my efforts, when I was overtaken by a guy with a backpack........... walking home from work! Not out exercising mind, just returning home (I assumed) from a day at the office. And as he whizzed past me he turned, smiling, and reassured me I was "doing really well"........??!


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AW l Army Tests Wireless Detection Technology
December 20, 2011 § Leave a comment
The U.S. Army isn't shy about promoting its efforts to revolutionize the way it buys communications gear, sensors and ground robotics, while at the same time refocusing doctrine to push tactical decision-making down to its rifle squads as much as possible. The two efforts go hand-in-hand. Over the past two years, the service has been asking industry to come up with mature solutions for everything from ad hoc mobile networks, to iPhone-like handheld devices, to communications equipment and portable solar equipment that keep soldiers connected and powered up on long dismounted patrols, all in the name of modernization and empowering the squad.
This was the focus of efforts recently at the Maneuver Center of Excellence here, where the Army put 46 new technologies in the hands of several squads before turning them loose on a weeks-long war game against a hybrid opposition force (Opfor) that was given access to drones and night-vision equipment.
Dubbed the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE), the effort hasn't received as much ink as the Army's much larger, brigade-sized Network Integration Exercise (NIE) that takes place twice a year at Fort Bliss, Texas. But this set of tests has in previous iterations proved critical technologies like the 1.2-lb. ReconScout "throwbot," hundreds of which have since been shipped to Afghanistan.
The Fort Benning tests are tied to the NIE, Col. John Wendel of the Army Program Executive Office for Integration tells DTI. He describes them as a "feeder event to the NIE" that gives the Army a chance to ensure that some technologies are mature before they reach the brigade-level exercise.
Run out of a small forward operating base, the company-sized AEWE used a 3G wireless network as a backbone to tie the smartphones, tablets and radios to sensors and unmanned ground and air assets that the squads used to gather situational awareness of their operating environment. This included the McKenna Urban Training Site and deep-woods operations.
Maj. Gen. Robert Brown, commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, says the goal of the exercise "is to enable mounted and dismounted elements to be linked more effectively, and to share better situational awareness and a common operating picture when they are on the ground and separated from the vehicle." With an eye toward a future in which irregular threats will require U.S. forces to operate in small, mobile teams, Brown adds that "the complexities of the contemporary and future operating environments have elevated the squad's impact to strategic levels." While major advances in individual soldier equipment and communications have taken place over the past decade, Brown says "dismounted squads are still unable to be networked together like their mounted counterparts, which keeps them from gaining situational awareness."
During one mission, a squad took positions in two houses facing the tree line at the Urban Training Site, awaiting an expected assault by Opfor. As "townspeople" strolled by, they were observed by soldiers who were on guard against suicide bombers. When a small group of men seemed to defer to one man, Staff Sgt. Robert Hollett grabbed his iPhone and snapped a picture of him. Using Raytheon's One Force communications system, he uploaded the image on a digital map viewable by everyone on the network, including the handheld devices issued to other squads in the village. The program allows soldiers to access feeds from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) on their smartphones or tablets, and gives them the ability to do "white-boarding"—drawing on digital maps and transmitting the drawings across the network. Raytheon's MainGate battlefield network hub was also used to connect the radios, smartphones and combat systems. When darkness fell the squad moved out, flipping on their Enhanced Night Vision Goggles (ENVG) from ITT that not only provides a 1X zoom capability, but a one-flip thermal-imaging mode so sensitive it can pick up residual body heat on a wall after someone leans against it, or left by recent footfalls on the ground.
While the soldiers set up in their new positions, an unmanned ground vehicle, the Squad Mission Support System (SMSS), made by Lockheed Martin, prowled the streets. The vehicle was operated by Spc. Roberto Alejandres, who set himself up on the roof of the police station at the McKenna site to have a good vantage point of the town. He "drove" the SMSS while monitoring the feed sent from another robot that soldiers had piggybacked on top.
The smaller bot, the Cougar 10 from robot maker TiaLinx Inc., detects human movements behind walls and closed doors. But the problem with it, according to soldiers, was that it was too slow and made mapping the inside of multiple buildings time-consuming. So they picked it up and put it on the back of the faster SMSS. None of this was stealthy—the SMSS is neither small nor subtle. The six-wheeled hauler carries 600 lb. of gear, and is quite loud when the engine is operating. Still, it performed the mission the soldiers wanted. With the Cougar 10 on its back, "it made our mission possible—a company cannot clear and occupy a town" by itself, one officer would later say.
Cougar "looks" through walls with a radiofrequency scanner mounted on a lightweight arm, while transmitting wideband signals to capture reflections from targets inside buildings or behind barriers. Alejandres later explained that when the Cougar "sees" though a wall—it's so sensitive that it can pick up breathing—it sends back an image that looks like a seismograph, with undulating lines that show humans.
While SMSS did what the soldiers wanted it to in town, it didn't always get such a glowing reception. Hollett says he would be reluctant to take the vehicle on a dismounted patrol given its limitations in wooded or extreme terrain, the noise it makes, and the fact that it can't be left alone if the unit has to disperse or move quickly.
Still, SMSS was effective—with some caveats—during a night ambush when it was mounted with a Lockheed Martin Gyrocam 9, which includes thermal and high-definition color imaging, laser pointing, geo-location and a laser range finder that marks targets 20 km (12 mi.) away. SMSS was driven to the northernmost point of the ambush site and parked in the woods, protecting the unit's flank. An iRobot PackBot was placed a few dozen meters down the trail to provide more coverage, and a single soldier was able to access feeds from both platforms on a laptop screen.
Standing silently in the dark with the Gyrocam's thermals on, the soldiers assigned to it were able to keep watch on their sector, with one problem. Once an hour, they had to turn the SMSS on for 5-10 min. to keep the battery charged. When sitting silently in an ambush in the dark, that noise is unwelcome. (Riflemen down the line communicated with one another and positioned their squads by texting on their Nett Warrior handhelds—which were given to squad and team leaders—and would later praise the system for silently keeping them in touch.) As it turns out, the opposition force walked into the ambush further down the line that night, but later the opposition commander said he had redirected some fighters toward the SMSS when he heard the engine kick in from hundreds of meters away.
Tests like this, and the NIE, are an attempt by the Army to "buy what it needs, when it needs it," as Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli put it earlier this year. "This allows us to buy less more often and incrementally improve network capability over time," he added.
Since the AEWE just ended, judgments about the technologies are premature, though a few early winners—and losers—stand out. Raytheon's One Force was hugely popular with soldiers, as were ITT's night-vision goggles. Also of interest was FLIR's "water from air" truck, which produces 500 gal. of potable water a day by concentrating humidity. The Nett Warrior system was seen as effective, particularly its texting function. On the other side of the ledger was Northrop Grumman's Hercm scalable 4G wireless waveform, which was abandoned after the first day following repeated failures. PSI Inc.'s InstantEye quad-rotor UAV crashed both days that DTI viewed the exercise.
But this was from only a few days of testing. As Brown says, the experiment "is not about passing or failing, or even rating the technologies. It is about collaboration and providing a look at how a technology may work when applied."
By Paul McLeary
Fort Benning, Ga.
Dec 19, 2011
Aviation Week l Army Tests Wireless Detection Technology


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25,000 Friends Against Scams
The Friends Against Scams Team is excited to announce that we have reached the milestone of 25,000 Friends Against Scams.
We would like to thank all Friends, Scamchampions, Organisations and Partners for their help and support in achieving this, and being part of this amazing initiative.
Particular thanks go to our first financial partner NatWest, who have tirelessly committed to help the Friends Against Scams Team fight scams and they have trained over 17,000 staff members. These staff members are on the frontline of helping protect and prevent people from being scammed and targeted by criminals.
With new Friends signing up every day and sessions being held all over the country, we are positive that you all are making a difference, spreading the message in your communities to Take A Stand Against Scams.
Now onwards to 1 million by 2020!


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Shortly after I launched this blog, a friend suggested that I feature stories about people who lost their jobs but ended up triumphant, which got me to thinking about this seductive and increasingly iconic Great Recession storyline.
The appetite for such stories is easy to understand. They're a welcome antidote to the anxious uncertainty that pervades our times. They fuel our optimism, calm our fears. They tell us that no matter how bleak things may seem they're still likely to end well. "This is a series about people who stared down the Great Recession—and reinvented themselves along the way," is how the online magazine Salon describes its series "My Brilliant Second Career."
But for all this narrative's compelling appeal, I've found myself balking at it, uneasy with the vision of a fantasy future squared off against the past. In particular, I worry that in our eager rush towards happier times, we risk losing sight of what these years have had to teach us—that we'll come to view this era's difficulties as things that "shouldn't have happened to me" rather than as a shared experience that shaped and transformed our lives.
Our individualist culture thrives on hierarchies and dichotomies. Good vs. Bad. Success vs. Failure. Winner vs. Loser. It's easy to fixate on securing a spot on the right side of the divide. When we come to the end of a challenging stretch, we often heave a sigh of relief and do our best to forget. That was then. This is now. I am not that person anymore. (Thank God, I am not that person!)
But there's another way through such transitions, one that involves expanding to encompass even the hardest parts of our pasts. I thought of this recently when reading my friend Allegra Jordan's beautiful guest post on how the abrupt end of her marriage, which also coincided with a job loss, led her to launch her public-spirited Innovation Abbey consulting firm. What I especially loved about his piece was its recognition—and acceptance—of the ways in which past and present necessarily coexist. As William Faulkner famously wrote, "The past is never dead. It's not even past."
Why does this matter? Because once we accept that our lives are inherently messy, imperfect, and informed by a past we didn't choose, we can start to let go of the futile notion that life should be an endless progression upwards. We can be kinder to ourselves—and kinder to each other. We can start to understand—really understand—that we are not good or bad, successes or failures, winners or losers. We are all of these things, many times over, and many more besides.


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1 3/4 cups (about 14 to 16) shortbread cookies, crushed
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (about 25 to 30) crushed toffee candies
1 container (8 oz.) sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel ice cream topping (optional)
PREHEAT oven to 350° F.
COMBINE cookie crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press onto bottom and 1-inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
BAKE for 6 to 8 minutes (do not allow to brown). Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
BEAT cream cheese and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, cornstarch and cinnamon; beat well. Pour into crust.
BAKE for 60 to 65 minutes or until edge is set but center still moves slightly. Remove from oven; top with toffee candy pieces.
COMBINE sour cream, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in small bowl; mix well. Spread over warm cheesecake.
BAKE for 8 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of sprin gform pan. Drizzle with caramel topping before serving.


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All applicants must complete and submit their applications via the Embark Fulbright Online Application. This iswhere you enter data, upload documents, and register your recommenders and foreign language evaluator. The following items comprise the components of the Academic application:
The first pages of the application ask for all of your basic personal information, such as your name, contact information, birth date, etc. They also ask for the details of your academic background, occupational experience, extracurricular activities, publications, and previous foreign experience. Here, on the Program Information page, you must include a project title and an abstract of the Statement of Grant Purpose, along with a brief explanation of your future plans upon returning to the U.S.
This 2-page document outlines the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of what you are proposing for your Fulbright year. If you are pursuing a research project, developing a strong, feasible and compelling project is the most important aspect of a successful Fulbright application. The first step is to familiarize yourself with the program summary for your host country in order to verify the type of grant you can propose. Depending on the country, applicants may also propose to complete a graduate degree program. Some countries have specific arrangements or awards for graduate study and applicants may propose to complete a graduate degree program. In this case, applicants should focus on demonstrating the reasons for pursuing the proposed program at a particular institution in the host country.
Whether you are applying for a research project or a degree program, the proposal should indicate a clear commitment to the host country community and a description of how you will engage with it.
Format: single spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, 1 inch margins.
A majority of Fulbrighters undertaking study/research awards will affiliate with universities, although in some countries it is possible to affiliate with other types of organizations, such as research institutes or government ministries. Affiliation requirements vary by country, so before starting the application you should note the specific requirements for the proposed host country. The affiliation letter should come from the institution/individual in the host country with whom you are proposing to work. It should be written in or translated to English, printed on official letterhead and should be signed by the author. Email correspondence is not acceptable.
This 1-page narrative is designed to give the reviewers a picture of you as an individual. It is an opportunity to tell the committee more about the trajectory that you have followed and what plans you have for the future. Whereas the Statement of Grant Purpose focuses on what you will be doing in the host country, the Personal Statement concentrates on how your background has influenced your development and how that relates to the Fulbright opportunity.
The statement can deal with your personal history, family background, intellectual development, and the educational, professional, or cultural opportunities to which you have or have not been exposed; explain their impact. This should not be a reiteration of facts already listed in the Biographical Data sections or an elaboration of the Statement of Grant Purpose.
Format: single spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, 1 inch margins.
Language requirements vary by country, so before starting the application you should note the specific requirements of the proposed host country. You must possess the necessary language skills to successfully complete the project you are proposing.
For programs where language skills are Strongly Recommended, you must submit both a Language Self Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form, which is completed by a professional language teacher. Submission of both forms is mandatory, even if you have advanced skills or native-speaker ability. Failure to submit the forms may affect your eligibility.
For programs where language skills are Recommended or Not Required, if you possess some language skills you should submit both a Language Self Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form. It will be advantageous to have your language ability documented, even though it is not required. Remember, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of Community Engagement, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.
For programs in countries where English is one of the national languages, you do not need to submit any foreign language forms unless a foreign language is required for your project.
If you have little or no knowledge of the language, you may discuss your plans to study the language prior to beginning a grant in your Statement of Grant Purpose. You should not submit a Language Self Evaluation or a Foreign Language Evaluation.
You must submit three recommendation letters as part of the application. The authors should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed; they should discuss your intellectual and professional preparation, and your ability to represent the U.S. abroad. You should provide the recommender with a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose before requesting the recommendation letter. The recommendation letter should NOT simply be a character reference, as this will be of no value in assessing your ability to complete the proposed project. All recommendations must be written in English. If the original recommendation letter is written in a language other than English there must be an official English translation. Because the recommendation letter is confidential the translation cannot be done by the applicant. Both the original recommendation letter and the English-language translation must be uploaded into the Fulbright application.
The Fulbright Program requires a complete academic record of your higher education. You must provide transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions from which you received degrees. Transcripts must also be submitted from other institutions where you studied and received credit for coursework.
Failure to submit any required transcripts will result in your being declared ineligible.
If you are applying for a Critical Language Enhancement Award, you must complete the Critical Language Enhancement Award Statement which details your language preparation, the host country language program desired, and a brief explanation of how the additional language training will impact your Fulbright experience and future career plans.


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Seasons Greetings Card
Seasons Greetings Card
This 2-color screen printed Holiday card features hand-drawn illustrations and text. Printed in red and gold.
- A2 size (4 1/4" x 5 1/2" when folded)
- Blank interior
- Paired with a French's Speckletone Kraft Envelope
- Printed on 100 lb. French's Pop Tone Whip Cream
- Lovingly handcrafted in Norfolk, Virginia
Available as a single card or as a set of 6


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SUBSCRIBE ►► http://smo.sh/SubscribeSmoshGames
Mari Becomes a MKX Master ►► http://smo.sh/MariKombat
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Voiceover Narration by Jon:
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I'm exploring the web to find sites I like
Avenida Alemania, El cortecito, Bavaro. Dominican Republic.
good hotel with good value
Posted by: micah on Jul 8, 2014
see all reviews
#5 of 29 Hotels in Bavaro Beach
based on 31 review(s)
The Barceló Dominican Beach Hotel is immersed in the green and freshness of tropical palms, blending perfectly with the surrounding environment to create this paradise with 24 hour all-inclusive services. Located in one of the most beautiful white sand beaches of Bavaro-Punta Cana.
Share your experiences with others. Don't forget to send your review to Debbie by using an easy form.
I will recommend this resort to my friends.
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Hector & Lise from Beresford, NB on May 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: May, 2009
633 people found this review helpful
Arrival: 02 to April 09 2009 The arrival was on time at the airport and at the resort.
Rooms: They have nice rooms and they were very clean.
Restaurants and Bars: The food and service was excellent. But go easy on the sea food.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: The beach was beautiful and very clean. The grounds were nice and flowers everywere. A real paradise.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: There was shows every night. At the beginning of the evening, they have entertainment for the kids and later for the adults.
Other Comments: I will recommend this resort to my friends. The only thing we didn't like about our vacation was our flight on Sunwing to & from Punta Cana. The plane was very small and we were jamed in that plane like sardines in a can.We don't recommend Sunwing for this trip.
We were happy and would probably go back if we could get the same price.
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Joe from Canaan, NY on May 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: May, 2009
673 people found this review helpful
Arrival: April 8-April 18
Arrived at the airport at 12:30pm. Did not use porters. We used Turinter for our transfer to the hotel. I would recommend their service. Check-in was fairly quick. There were four of us travelling together. Only one of our rooms were ready.That was not a problem because it was clearly listed that check-in was not until 3pm. We changed and went to the beach.
We stayed in the 1000 block. THe rooms were dated. The rooms were very clean and roomy. No problems with hot water, a/c. We did leave the maid a tip daily. Great service. No complaints.
Restaurants and Bars:
We ate at all of the restaurants. Italian nothing to speak of, just ok, Spanish was good, Japanese was good, Mexican was good. The two buffets were fine. Plenty of variety. Service was ok. At the al-a-carts we tipped $5 per meal. Buffets we tipped $2. Bars were fine. Never had to wait. Staff were friendly.
Beach was beautiful. You could walk for miles on the beach. Pools were clean. Spent all of my time on the beach.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
The hotel offers a free shuttle to the mall. My wife and in-laws went there a few times.
Other Comments:
The casino is small. Service there was spotty. Some dealers friendly others not so much. Dealers count extremely quick. Don't be afraid to slow them down or pull the last hand from the card bin if you have any questions. All in all we felt that this was a good resort for the money. We were happy and would probably go back if we could get the same price. WEATHER WAS FABULOUS!!!
Our Family Vacation
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Peter & family from Toronto on Apr 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Apr, 2009
702 people found this review helpful
Arrived at the airport and had a smooth time getting to the hotel bus. I was going to use a porter but they didn't come chasing after us so we took our own bags. We arrived in pouring rain at the hotel. The rooms weren't ready so we went for lunch. Everyone had to come back at 3PM which was a minor pain.
The first rooms (we had 2) were in 3000 block. The rooms were modest, clean and comfortable with a view of the gardens. I seem to recall the bed being soft. The only thing we didn't like was the nightly entertainment started at 10PM (too late for us) and we could hear it clearly in our rooms. The rooms were too close for our liking. We had only two bath towels. Through a connection, we were moved after 2 days to the 6000 block to a terrific room but it was at the edge of the property so it could be noisy at times with construction nearby. We saw someone's room in the 7000 block and it was like our original room but in a quieter location.
Restaurants and Bars
The food was ok, about what I would expect from a 4* as opposed to 5*. The selection was limited compared to our last resort (a 5*) but we found something to eat at every meal. Two of us are vegetarians and we managed. We liked the main buffet for breakfast and the smaller buffet by the tennis courts for lunch. I tried the pizza place and the pizzas were good although at meal time it seems that they were gobbled up as soon as they were taken out of the oven. We tried the rest. by the beach but didn't enjoy it. We tried the Mexican, Italian and Japanese a la carte restaurants. We really enjoyed the Italian and the Japaense was good too. No sign up for any but the Japanese. We went at 6PM to the a la carte's just as they opened and we always got a table but I guess by 6:30 there was a line up. The service in the restaurants was just ok but I think that was largely because most of the service staff spoke very little English and so they couldn't communicate.
I didn't find anyone who served me at the various bars to be a standout and worthy of a decent tip. The favourite place for us was the coffee bar. They made different drinks including great coffee & hot choc. from 10am to midnight. The staff were good even if they didn't speak English.
The grounds were lovely and the beach was cleaned every day. No complaints except for the weather. A few rocks in the ocean where the swim area was and bits of seaweed but nothing worse. The water outside the swim area was a 'major' route for the local boats ferrying people to various places so it was not the best place to try wind surfing or sailing. Other than a couple of kayakers, we didn't see anyone at the resort using watersports. The pools were ok, lots of chairs around the pool. It seemed like finding some chairs with good cover/shade at the beach or by the pool was tough if you were not out by 8am.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We played tennis 3 times and the courts were in decent shape for a resort. We brought racquets and balls but they had them at no charge. Still I would bring balls. You could sign up a day in advance. We brought ping pong racquets and balls and they had a couple of tables in various locations. They also had several pool tables that were in good condition. The activities weren't as intrusive as at other resorts. If you wanted to participate you went to the location. Seldom did they try and coax you to participate. Beach volleyball and bocce were popular beach activites.
Other Comments
My only complaint was with the wi-fi/Internet. When we arrived Internet was down. I never bought the wi-fi but from what I could gather it has limited range depending upon the room you were in. As a result we had to use their computers and other than shutting down if you didn't send/receive frequently they worked and weren't too busy. Rates started at US$5 for 15 minutes but they had 50% off specials.
I think this resort was great value for the money. You can see the 'wear' in some areas but overall it was clean. We had modest expectations and so we weren't disappointed. We have 2 girls 12 & 16 and they found enough to keep them busy.
We booked a couple of months in advance and paid about $1K p.p. incl taxes for the week at the end of March break. I would bring lots of US$1's for tips rather than try and get them when you arrive. Not always easy for them to make change. Old clothes and chocolate bars seem to be appreciated by the staff as well as $$$ (not Loonies or Toonies).
Over all we all liked the Resort
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Bob from Center Harbor, NH on Apr 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Apr, 2009
678 people found this review helpful
Arrival: March 31 thru April 9
We flew non-stop from Boston on US Air and arrived 20 minutes early! Great way to start. No problems at airport. We were three couples and transfers thru CoCo tours was included. Just went to tour desk and the six of us were taken in van straight to BDB.
We had booked Honeymoon suites with ocean view. When we got to check-in we were directed to sit at a desk and wait a minute. Beatrice soon appeared to finish checking us in and informed us we were upgraded to Elite and had some special benefits which included top shelf liquors, romantic dinner on beach, romantic breakfast in room, room service at no charge, 10% off any tours booked with them and 15% off any motorized watersports. All three couples were booked in fantastic third floor rooms in building 6 with AWESOME view of ocean and beach!Large room with King sized bed and Jacuzzi tub with view as well.
Restaurants and Bars
I believe we ate at all the resturants and as stated many times Japenese was great and does require reservations the rest of ala cartes do not. We also liked Mexican. Italian and Spanish was okay..service at both of these was very slow. Main Buffet was good and service here was very good. Ate most lunches at Bahia near beach and the snack bar service was bad and very hit or miss as to whether there was anything there to eat. This was one of our biggest complaints...but not really a big deal.
Bar service was pretty good with some exceptions. Try to speak some basic spanish phrases as it helps. Pool bar stays open pretty late and is a nice place to go have a drink after dinner. Lobby bar is small and can get busy but they move people right along. One thing I want to note about drinks is that we were "lucky" and got upgraded and that included top shelf drinks. If you are not in that classification(gold band)you will need to pay extra for stuff like Stoli's, Tanguray, and Bailey's. I did not know this prior to getting there and would have been dissappointed to find this out had we not been upgraded. But rest assured there is still plenty to drink!
The Beach is IMHO is the best of any Resort we have been to! (We have been to Dreams PC, Bahia Principe, IB Costa Dorda(PP), Gran Ventana(PP)and Costa Caribe(Juan Dolio)) as a comparison. It did not hurt either that our room was right on beach! Because the beach was so great we only used pools twice and they are fine and clean and plenty of chairs. It also was always easy to find chairs on beach and we never found any reason to save chairs. They have a great volleyball court on beach and we played everyday. We also did some of the the games on the beach with the activities guys and became friends with "Jimmy". If you like this kind of thing go join in and have fun or just watch...especially when they have the "Beach Olympics"..Lots of laughs.
Would and will definately return
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Brenda from Kitchener, Ontario on Apr 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Apr, 2009
652 people found this review helpful
Our arrival was great, on time and landing was a breeze!
Rooms: Block 92 Villa's
Rooms were great always clean, fridge replenished daily and staff were friendly and efficent.
Restaurants and Bars
Awsome, can't say enough about both, exceptionable!!!
Beautiful, clean and breath-taking!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Lots to do, staff went beyond to make everyone happy and entertained.
Other Comments
Don't take the negative rviews to heart, Barcello Dominican Beach Resort is definately a 4+ or better. Can't say enough good about this resort, when you find perfection, you don't mess with it. Would and will definately return. Enjoy!!!
I would highly recommend this hotel
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Dennis Canada on Apr 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Apr, 2009
677 people found this review helpful
We recently went to Punta Cana stayed at the Barcelo Dominican Beach Resort
We had a Blast to say the least, we were six of us together and we all share the same view
I am glad I did not pay serious attention to some of the views expressed on your website.
The flight Air Canada was excellent!! Not a single bump in the air, we arrived right on time both ways
I highly recommend Air Canada; they have better aircraft than any of the low budget charters you see around
And they always have Direct flights
The food /drinks, entertainment and service at the Barcelo were 5 stars*****, the staff at the hotel was superb and extremely friendly
The room service was great, there were no smells coming from any room or anywhere for that matter
I did not even see one mosquito??
I would highly recommend this hotel in Punta Cana
We had a fairly good time.
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Carol, US on Mar 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: Mar, 2009
646 people found this review helpful
The arrival was okay. We were glad to deboard as we had been on the plane for over 7 hours. We sat in the plane at Mlwk Mitchell for over 3 hours as they deiced the plane. Relieved though that this procedure was done. Staff at the airport were very efficient and helpful.
Room was in block six and we had a junior tropical suite. Room was very clean and did not smell musty at all. Sometimes the frig would be stocked and sometimes not. I would get 4 bottles of water daily as the housekeeper I believe thought that if we had 2 bottles in the frig at all times, that that was sufficient. Somedays we would not get any beer - 2 a day. We started getting a fruit plate our second week there every day. We did have a great deal of trouble with our key not working - this was frustrating as the guest services would say "no problemo" and I made 5 trips one day just trying to get this fixed so we could get in our room.
Restaurants and Bars
The food was good. Somethings I just wouldn't try as there were so many choices. You could always find something to eat and never go away hungry. Again, everything was very clean.
Beautiful and well kept. We got sand fleas and think we got this either from the lounge chairs in the reception area or on the lounge chairs at the beach/pool area. Not sure. Calydryl helped, but I still have 100's of bites and hope they all go away.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We went on the shopping tour and this was okay, but not anything we couldn't have done on our own had we known prior to booking. The hawkers were very agressive and I found this to be quite annoying, but just said no gracias and would try to walk away.
Other Comments
Overall, we had a fairly good time. Escaping the cold Wisconsin winter was a great reprieve. I would say that there front desk and guest services staff need a course on "customer service" and they need to follow through on concerns and problems and not just pass them on with no resolve. I imagine it would very difficult for the staff to communicate with people from so many different countries, but they do need to work on follow through. Would rate this place a 3.5 because of this fact. They would run the sprinklers with I believe sewer water to that smell was quite awful. We met some neat people from Germany and Canada and enjoyed getting to know them. Some of the ****** guests there were very rude, and I wonder how they came up with the phrase "Rude Americans". Being from the Midwest we are more considerate and wait our turn. I thought some of the ****** were very rude, pushy, and impolite. We did meet one couple from France and they were very nice - they sat by us for a drink and we all tried communicating, but difficult.Three times at 10 p.m. a housekeeper would come with towels and we had never requested them.
Next time we will try someplace else, maybe even a different country.
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Rhoda from Nova Scotia, Canada on Mar 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Mar, 2009
677 people found this review helpful
We stayed at the Barcelo Dominican Beach from Feb 14/09 to Feb 21/09. This was our first trip outside the country for both my husband and I. We flew with Sunwing, out of Halifax. We were one hour delayed, due to runway conditions, but it was nothing serious. The flight could have been better had we had a little more leg room, but I was on my way to the beach, what did I care! Being we were a little late with our scheduled arrival, we had to circle the airport about 4 times before landing. The only good thing about this, was we got a great aireal view of Punta Cana! Upon arrival, we entered the airport where there was a lady holding a Sunwing sign. We were greeted by two beautiful ladies in Dominican dress, and they took our pitcure, which we could later purchase on our exit out of the country...and that we did ($9 us). We proceded through a fast moving line, which was a little hectic for a first timer, you are expected to be well prepared and keep the line moving.
This is where you pay your $10 tourist fee, and present your passport to be stamped. Then it is off to pick-up luggage and find your bus. Which we did, with the help of someone that offered to help. I am thankful that he did. There were alot of busses, and he took us directly to the right one. He appreciated a tip of $5, well worth it to us! We had about a 20 minute drive, and thankfully, we were the first stop...no chance of loosing our luggage! Check-in was uneventful and the drink they offered was nice and refreshing. We checked in about 2pm, and we were told to come back in about an hour to get our key. We had friends waiting for us as they arrived the day prior, so that was no problem. We went to their room to change and we hit the beach until about 5pm.
We stayed in block 98, which is the furthest block from the beach. It would have been nice to have had a room next to our friends(block 64), but they traveled with sunquest, and I think that makes a difference when requesting rooms together. I am not a person to complain, so we took the room without a fuss, and were glad we did. We may have been far from the beach, but we were also far from the noise and people. When it came night time and we wanted to sleep, this was a wonderful feature. So what we had to walk a little! If I didn't have to walk there, I am sure this would have been a part of the resort I would have not gotten to see. We stayed in room 9830, which was on the third floor and I have absolutely no complaints about it. It had 2 double beds, which was fine, as we used one to hold our luggage and things...kept it off the floor. We had a huge double closet, and a nice sized bathroom, with a large vanity, which was great, when it came to holding all of our toiletries. The shower, sink and toilet were very clean, and that is what really mattered. There was a hairdryer that was attached to the wall, a make-up mirror, and a coffee pot. We had a patio door leading to the balcony, which had a clothes dryer and a table with 2 chairs...perfect, there was just the 2 of us. We had a tv, and a remote, but we didn't go there to watch TV, we went there to get away from it. Everything was ceramic tile...even the balcony. There was an iron and a safe in the closet, but we didn't use either. There was a bar fridge, and an air conditioner that always worked. Again, I repeat, we didn't have any complaints with our room. We had to check out of our room at 12 noon, but we were able to make a reservation for a complimentry room to get cleaned up, as our bus wasn't picking us up until 6:30pm. I found that this room was not quite up to my standards, but for the 15 minutes we were there, it was fine.
Restaurants and Bars:
I believe there were 4 a la cartes, and 3 buffets. We only ate at one of the a la catres. The only one you need to make a reservation at is the Japanese, which we heard was awesome, but we weren't able to get reservations. Apparently you should book that on your first day if you really want to attend. We ate at the Italian, and for me, I tried the lasagna, and didn't like it..and I am not a picky eater. The atmosphere was nice, but nothing to get excited about. We mostly ate at the buffets, the small buffet was best for breakfast...and the larger was best for lunch and dinner. The omoletes were awesome, you were sure to have a little wait, but it is worth it. I found the food to be just fine. Again I am not picky. I was game to try anything once. They have a little something for everyone. They have a grill next to the beach where you can have a burger and a 24 hour pizza place where you can enjoy pizza and we even found they had wings and fries one night. If you are looking for snacks, you should pack your own. There isn't any unless you buy it at the little shop and it is very expensive.
The beach is AWESOME!!! The Sand is like powder. I have no complaints about the beach at all. We always found chairs, and we were looking for 4. There is just enough palm trees to offer shade to someone who wants it, and sun for those who don't. They have activities at the beach daily, but we stayed clear of that. Friday nights they hold a Beach Party at 11pm...we retired before the real fun started, so I can't report on that. They have 3 pools, a small one near the beach, and a larger one in the middle of the resort, and one that is in a section tha we beleive is the Italian side of the resort. It is seperate from the others. The larger pool offers a deeper end, and a shallow end. There is a swim up bar, which gets a little crowded around mid afternoon. Again, here we never had trouble getting chairs, and we only reserved them once. We took our chances. The grounds are very nice. Clean, clean, clean. There was a pond that had a bridge/gazebo over it, that didn't have water the whole week we were there, but I am sure they had a reason for it. It was nice to stroll the walkways with the music playing from the rock speakers.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
We took the free shuttle bus to the Palma Real Mall,(5 minutes away) Very expensive little boutiques, but we went there for the Hard Rock Cafe. We spent 2 hours there, and enjoyed every minute. We had awesome food, nachos and wings, and bought souveniers from the gift shop. We got a cab back, for $10...not bad. Apparently there is a cheaper mall close by, but we didn't check it out. We did the Safari Outback Tour, and loved it. Our tourguide was Jose, and our driver was Victor. They were great. Jose speaks very good english, and was very informative. The drive to our destinations was worth the money. We got to see all kinds of things we never though we would. You certainly learn to appreciate the little things in life, that's for sure. We went to a typical home that is sponsored by the safari outback company. We visited a cocoa and coffee bean plantation, saw a crocodile, tried mamajuana(dominican viagara) and went boogie boarding at a local beach. The boogie boarding was the best! It was an 8 hour tour and we all enjoyed it...they serve drinks all day and a meal half way through.
Other Comments:
There is an internet hut on site, you can choose the time you want, $5 for 20 minutes, and it gets billed to your room. They offer massages on the resort too, but you have to pay. The girls go around asking you, they are not pushy, they take no for an answer. Also you can get braids done...no hassles here, as I have short hair. Friday nights they allow vendors on the resort. They do not bother you unless you go to their table. I actually thought it was fun to bargain with them. You can also walk to the left at the beach and visit the vendors. They try their best to get you to visit their shop, but don't really pressure you to purchase. If you are walking along the beach, and prefer not to be bothered, walk in the water, as they do not want to get wet. They will not approach you. Never pay full price...start about 1/2 of what they ask and go fom there. We didn't get approached at all by time share people, and we were told, not to buy cigars and rum on the beach.
The cigars could be made from banana leaves, and the run might just be water. We enjoyed our trip very much. Again this is our first time away, so we don't have anything to compare our trip to, but when you leave happy, that must account for something. We would definetly go back, but next time we will try someplace else, maybe even a different country.
All in all we had a great vacation
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Sandy from Woodstock, New Brunswick on Mar 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Mar, 2009
645 people found this review helpful
Arrival: Mar 2 - 16
We were storm stayed in Moncton for a day and half but finally arrived at resort at 2am on the 4th. Booking in would have been easier if clerk had spoken a bit of English and us Spanish but we all had patience and soon were in our room.
We were put in Block 2 and were in a perfect spot, close to everything. It was a bit noisy til 11pm, but hey, we were on vacation! The rooms were very clean, fridge filled and had no problems at all. The maids cleaned the rooms every morning ( if you were up or in the afternoon if you slept in)and we had plenty of clean towels and facecloths.
Restaurants and Bars
The food was great and I even managed to put on a few pounds. Yes you had to wait a few minutes for your drinks but we were in no hurry to go anywhere so it didn't matter. The waiters and waitresses were very friendly and courteous especially if you were that way with them.
The beach was gorgeous and clean and so were the pools with a lot of chairs for everybody. The grounds were kept immaculate and the keepers even cracked open coconuts for everyone.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Every Friday the vendors came and there were also a group of huts just to the side of the resort where we went quite a few times to shop. (cheapy, cheapy).The small town of el Cortecito is just 10 minutes down the beach and also has some shopping there.
Other Comments
All in all we had a great vacation even though we were really worried from the reviews we had read. Just go with an open mind and a happy attitude. After all you are on vacation so enjoy it!!
I would say that this is not a 4 star resort
Barcelo Dominican Beach
Posted by:
Rob from Brantford, Ontario on Jan 1, 2009 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Jan, 2009
662 people found this review helpful
Arrival: January 2009
Flew Skyservice out of Toronto. Delayed due to weather and the fact that they were down to one runway. Flight was smooth until Punta Cana when we had to fly around in circles due to a lack of visibility. Eventually the airport was closed and we had to land in Peurto Plata. After an hour or two we got back on the plane and headed for Punta Cana. Skyservice staff were excellent despite the delay. Arrival and check in were uneventful.
We had a room on the fourth floor of Block 3. The room had two double beds and was clean. It was a bit 'tired' and musty but no bugs. We brought Glad plug-ins for the bathroom and main area. (I would stronly suggest this). On the last day I asked my wife what smelled in the room and she said that she had taken out the plug-ins since we were leaving. The door in the bathroom didn't close properly and neither did the main door. We had to be careful to make sure it was closed but we managed just fine. Other reviews report that there were no bottle openers so we brough our own. Our room did have one attached to the side of the dresser. Our maid service was almost non existent. We too left a couple of dollars each day as well as small gifts for the maid. This resulted in NO beer and sometime no water or soft drinks. I had to call twice to guest services to get beer and water delivered. Some days the towels were not replaced despite leaving them in the tub as directed. As indicated by others, there are no face cloths. We brought our own so it wasn't a big deal.
Restaurants and Bars::
We have been to DR four times and this was by far the least enjoyable resort for food. We were fine at breakfast with the omlettes, toast, yogurt etc. We did have some trouble finding something to eat for the other meals but we did not go hungry. We did eat at the pizza shack a few times and found it to be good. They do let the ingredients sit around for quite a while which concerned me a bit but we just had to overlook it. We ate at the Italian, Mexican and Spanish al la carte restaurants. We enjoyed the Mexican the best but the other two were just fine. Lots of complaints about the wine but we always had the red which was fine. The bars were all good and the staff friendly and service good. The lobby bar was nice in the evening and we always tried the 'drink of the day' which was good. Beer on tap is cold and tasty. The tap indicates that it is Presidente but I have my doubts. They really slam the kegs around in the morning when they are being delivered and the result is foamy beer. There is considerable waste which could be easily eliminated by some care on the handling. (not a concern to travellers but the hotel could certainly be more efficient in this area). Pool swim up bar was nice and wasn't too busy at any time while we were there. The coffee house is excellent! We visited daily sometimes a couple times. The ice coffee drinks are fantastic as were the sweets and other specialty coffee's.
Beach is fantastic. Raked daily which was great especially since there were a ton of smokers there who treated the beach like a giant ashtray. The pools were well maintained and the staff worked hard to keep them debris free every morning. Grounds are very well maintained but overall the resort is old and tired and it shows. This is in no way a reflection of the staff, just the facts. In previous reviews there were comments about sewage smells. This is in fact true. There are several large green metal boxes here and there around the resort. They appear to be resevoirs for run-off or something. We did notice some foul odours here and there but they were hit and miss. After a good rain the smell is more obvious and lingering. Never had any trouble getting loungers at the pool or the beach. If you walk to the beach and decide to go for a walk to the right (south?) you will encounter people that approach you to show you a new hotel. They will give you a real sob story which may include showing you pictures of their children. They will tell you that they get a commission (to feed their kids) to get people to look at the hotel. The guy we met was very skilled in the art of making one feel completely sorry for his situation. I asked specifically if it was a time share and was told 'absolutely not'. Well, guess what....it was. An hour later and two high pressure sales people later we got out of there. Of course, the original contact wouldn't even look at me when I left the property. Just a heads up if you aren't in the market for a time share presentation. We did walk down to the market in the other direction and the vendors were not that pushy. People have complained about them in other reviews but they are friendly and respond well to 'no gracias'. There were no vendors to speak of on the beach in front of the resort. We were bothered more by the hotel photogrophers than anything, but even they were friendly and having fun. The vendors in Peurto Plata are FAR more aggressive and problematic than here.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel::
We did the half day dune buggy/beach/cave/horseback riding excursion. The equipment is not very well maintained (breaks are a luxury). The guide was pushy and rushed every stop. There were more aggressive vendors at the beach and cave locations. There were vendors right inside the cave! The horseback ride consisted of a walking lap around the pasture (waste of time and money). The animation team at the hotel works hard doing games at the beach and occasionally at the pool. They were fun and not as pushy to get people involved as I have seen at other resorts. The nightly entertainment was good, and again the effort put in by the employees was commendable.
Other Comments::
Overall, I would say that this is not a 4 star resort as it is advertised. The resort is just simply dated and a bit run down. The staff were friendly and they work hard to keep the grounds well kept. We were very unimpressed by the maid service despite the tipping and even a nice note requesting water and beer. (neither of which were left). I met one couple later in the week who indicated that they had not received anything but water in their fridge. They were shocked when I told them that they were supposed to receive 2 beers every day and soft drinks (as per the Barcelo Resorts book in the room). This was a reasonably priced vacation but I would likely not return and would spend the little bit extra to head to a different resort.


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Opportunities Unlimited invites readers to watch a competition celebrating the artistic talents of people with developmental disabilities. Cheer on your favorite performers as OUN highlights the many talents of people who participate in its programs.
The show begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2, at the Historic Riviera Theatre and Performing Arts Center, 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda. Admission is $5. Refreshments will be sold.
Sponsors include ARCEU NYSUT Local No. 4265 and NYSUT.


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Lolita Borgia is a Adult Model from Australia. She was born in Sydney on June 6, 1985. She is listed on FreeOnes since 2011 and is currently ranked 13035th place. She currently has 24 gallery links and 3 videos in her own FreeOnes section.
Our records show that Lolita Borgia is currently active which means she is still making movies, doing live shows and/or doing photo shoots.


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Check it out: a Webinar of interest to all AW researchers on 18 April
Dear AW graduate students, AW colleagues, and friends of the AW Program: Please consider participating in the following "Webinar," which will be of special interest to our Department's graduate students for methodological reasons, among others! Note that Prof. Laurent Dubois, our program's keynote speaker this Fall, is one of three eminent specialists in imperial history to be participating in the event. Happy viewing!
Dear H-France Subscribers:
A reminder that H-France's spring webinar is scheduled for 18 April 2013 at 4:00 e.t.. Designed particularly for graduate students, the seminar is open to anyone.
The topic for the spring webinar is "Writing the History of Empire: Past Approaches, New Perspectives." Eric Jennings, University of Toronto, will lead the seminar, and he will be joined by Alice Conklin, The Ohio State University, and Laurent Dubois, Duke University.
Charles Walton, Yale University, will serve as moderator of the webinar.
The readings for the seminar and questions to consider related to the readings are listed below.
We certainly would encourage you to include the webinar in any appropriate graduate course that you may be teaching and recommend it to your graduate students and to your colleagues.
Information will be forthcoming as to the procedures to sign into the webinar.
Best Wishes,
David K. Smith
H-France Editor-in-Chief
Webinar Reading List:
The readings below marked with an * may be obtained freely from the following web site: http://ux1.eiu.edu/~dksmith/private3/
User Name: H-France2
Password: Cityoflights
Gregory Mann, "What was the Indigénat? The Empire of Law in French West Africa" Journal of African History 50 (2009): 331-353.
Clifford Rosenberg, ""The International Politics of Vaccine Testing in Interwar Algiers," The American Historical Review 117, no. 3 (June 2012): 671-97.
*Alice Conklin, "Boundaries Unbound: Teaching French History as Colonial History, and Colonial History as French History," Forum, French Historical Studies 23: 2 (Spring 2000), 215-238.
The Chapter "Caribbean France" in Laurent Dubois' Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France (University of California Press, 2010).
*Laurent Dubois' syllabus for his "Global France" course.
*Laurent Dubois' blog.
Webinar Questions:
For discussion of the assigned materials, participants should consider the following broad categories: a) experimentation in the colonies b) national identity and the colonies, or the colonies as imperial nation state c) the question of law and practice d) recent historiographical trends and the boundaries and synergies between French colonial history and other colonial histories and/or area studies.
More specifically, we would like to raise the following questions:
What are the strengths of the different approaches taken by Conklin and Dubois in their syllabi, one on teaching "French history as colonial history," the other on "Global France"? How do the differences (one developed in the late 1990s, the other a decade later, reflect shifts in the historiography of France's empire over the past ten years?
Mann argues that the indigénat "enabled the fiction that institutions and procedures prevailed over individuals and practices" (p. 352). He also uses the term "alibi" to describe the indigénat. In what ways are "fiction" and "alibi" useful terms of analysis for understanding colonial violence in West Africa under French rule?
How can we best use colonial sources to write a social history of empire? Is that what Mann is attempting to do?
In Soccer Empire, Dubois attempts to use the history of soccer to examine the history of empire. To what extent does a cultural object like sport allow us to see aspects of colonial and post-colonial history that other approaches do not?
According to Rosenberg and Mann, what are some of the ways that the French colonial state practiced a form of government grounded in difference and coercion while maintaining a republican rhetoric of assimilation and eventual inclusion? Are Mann and Rosenberg's conclusions about the effects of colonial governance on colonizer and colonized, based on very different case studies, complementary?
How does Rosenberg's triangular framing of Algeria, France, and Geneva in his study of vaccine testing in Algiers offer a new way of thinking about "colonial" histories, especially the concept of "colonial laboratory"?


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Art Brokerage: Andrew Wyeth American Artist: b. 1917-2009. Pennsylvania Artist Andrew Wyeth had a vivid memory and fantastic imagination that led to a great fascination for art. Andrew Wyeth held his first one-man show of watercolors painted around the family's summer home at Port Clyde, Maine in 1937. It was a great success that would lead to plenty more. Andrew Wyeth was the Poet Laureate of the United States, the highest honor a living artist can receive. Wyeth was also honored twice by American presidents. Andrew Wyeth passed away on January 15, 2009.
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