Feeling the need for some cultural enrichment? Craving the flavours of traditional Italian cuisine? Why not head to Bergamo Italy for the weekend?
An enchanting and picturesque city distinctly divided into two. The older, historic medieval Città Alta or Upper Town perched elegantly on a hill, and the more modern, lively and bustling centre of Città Bassa, the Lower Town, at its feet. A pocket-size destination that bundles UNESCO World Heritage, original recipes, an internationally renowned composer and numerous artworks into a walkable radius. The most beautiful (and practical!) way to visit Bergamo is on foot, so put on a pair of comfortable walking shoes and prepare to be catapulted back in time to the Middles Ages.
Make your way to Piazza Vecchia, the beating heart of the Upper Town. Its centre piece is the Contarini fountain, a gift from the Venetian Doge Alvise Contarini. With the main street behind you, you are faced with the elegant Palazzo della Ragione, to the right is the Palazzo del Podestà and the soaring Campanone Bell Tower. At 10pm every evening the bell rings one hundred times, puncturing the tranquillity, echoing throughout the city. Historically the chimes signified the closure of the gates into the Venetian Walls, nowadays it's just a reminder of the past. For an unparalleled panorama climb to the top of the Campanone, either with the lift or for those feeling particularly energetic a staircase also leads you skyward. Once at the top, relish a 360-degree vista over the entire city, plain and surrounding pre-Alps. On a clear day, the view stretches all the way to the Milanese skyline and the Apennine mountain range.
After descending the tower and turning right you'll find yourself in Piazza Duomo, home to an exquisite quartet of structures, the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, the Colleoni Chapel, the octagonal Baptistery and the Cathedral. The Basilica's rich Baroque interior decoration includes wooden inlays by the renowned Lorenzo Lotto together with plentiful tapestries and frescoes. The Basilica also contains the tomb of the internationally renowned Bergamasco composer Gaetano Donizetti, whose childhood home can be visited in nearby Via Borgo Canale. The Colleoni Chapel with its stunning red and white marble façade is the final resting place one of Bergamo's most powerful leaders, Bartolomeo Colleoni. Don't forget to rub the golden effigy on the entrance gate for good luck! To the left of the square is the Cathedral. While it has a much plainer interior compared to its neighbour, the magnificent Cathedral contains paintings by Giambattista Tiepolo and Giovan Battista Moroni.
Sightseeing can certainly build up an appetite, for some traditional Bergamasco fare meander back through Piazza Vecchia to the main street and into the welcoming doors of Ristorante Sole. This cosy, family-run establishment offers a plentiful menu but opt for something typical such as the casoncelli pasta or golden polenta with either stew, rabbit, goat or mushrooms. Hold off on dessert however, and after lunch stroll along Via Colleoni, locally known as the "Corsarola". Pass through Piazza Mascheroni and Piazza della Cittadella until you get to La Marianna Patisserie which sits to the right you will see Porta Sant'Alessandro, one of four entrance gates into the historical Venetian Walls. It is here where the famous "Stracciatella" ice cream flavour was invented in 1961. Enrico Panattoni gained inspiration from a broth based soup with a beaten egg with the same name, and applied similar principles with a milk flavoured ice cream and melted dark chocolate. He found that the chocolate coagulated as it hit the cold temperature and solidified. And thus, the Stracciatella was born. A must try for anyone visiting Bergamo!
Ice cream in hand, now it's time to walk the Venetian Walls that gained UNESCO World Heritage status in July 2017. Stretching for over 6km, they embrace Bergamo's Upper Town in a history-filled hug. Offering a spectacular view over the lower town and surrounding hills, they were originally built to protect the city from enemy attacks. Pass by the majestic white Porta San Giacomo and continue all the way downhill until Porta Sant'Agostino, now the main access gate for car traffic into the upper town. Passing through Porta Sant'Agostino continue moseying along the grandiose Viale Vittorio Emanuele admiring the stately villas on either side until you arrive at Sentierone, the beginning of the main artery of lower Bergamo's fashion and social life. Stop off for an espresso and check out some local boutiques or just relish the sound of busking accordion players and the high fashion locals taking their evening passeggiata. Once in Piazza Pontida, a popular local hang-out, try to nab an outside table at Tassino and watch life go by with a spritz in hand for a true Italian aperitivo experience. Make your way back to the Upper Town using the historical funicular, connecting the city's two poles for over 120 years.
The next day, get ready for some art appreciation. Via San Tomaso is home to Bergamo's artistic core. On one side, you'll find the Accademia Carrara, one of Italy's most important picture galleries, containing significant artistic heritage, including painted masterpieces by Botticello and Raffaello as well as a rich collection of sculptures. Across the way, jump back to the present day at GAMeC, Bergamo's contemporary art gallery.
No trip to Italy would be complete without a pizza. Back in Via Colleoni, Da Mimmo's exposed brick dining rooms are the perfect place to sink your teeth into a wood-fired pizza. Whether you are after a simple Margherita or prefer some freshly sliced salami or even pieces of swordfish, the pizza menu has something for everyone.
To make the most of your final afternoon, walk through Porta Sant'Alessandro and take the city's second funicular up to San Vigilio hill. Here, the San Vigilio Castle sits almost 500m above sea level and is the remains of strategic fortification, previously used for the city's protection. Nearby are a couple of cafes offering impressive city views, or if you'd prefer some greenery before take-off, walk around to the Belvedere café for a spectacular view over the valley.


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HomeDocumentary FilmsAir War SeriesDeopham Green
Deopham Green The Saga of the 452nd Bomb Group (H) in World War II
Reactions to Pearl Harbor by men who knew that war was coming on the heels of the Japanese attack.
Life in Deopham Green during the war for British families and the Yanks.
A close look at combat missions and the toll that it took on the men of the 452nd Bomb Group in the skies over Europe.
The Red Cross and the Aero Club in support of the air war at Deopham Green.
Potava missions to Russia as the end soon follows.
"I can remember the first two Americans that we saw–these very smart young men marching down the road together, exploring things I suppose. And my mother said to say hello and ask if they have any gum, chum."
Deopham Green quantity
SKU: 0837654184639 Category: Air War Series
Deopham Green tells the dramatic story of the men of the 452nd Bomb Group and the British families who lived on or near their base at Deopham Green in World War II England. The documentary begins with the Pearl Harbor attack and the story of activation and training in the United States. The film tracks the air crews and ground personnel as they acquire the tools of war, and then make their way to England and the front lines of the air war in the European Theater of Operations (ETO).
This documentary contains eye witness accounts from both American servicemen and British family members as they remember the air war over German-held territory, and the stories of sacrifice and courage that played out every day at Deopham Green and over the skies of Europe. This film provides an exciting look into the human side of war as nearby British families suffered the threat of German air attacks and wartime sacrifices while ground crews labored to keep the B-17 flying, and the air crews struggled to beat the odds over Nazi Europe. Deopham Green is the breath-taking story of ordinary people rising to greatness in the struggle against darkness and evil. Winston Churchill's words certainly apply to Deopham Green and her people, both British and American: "This is their finest hour."
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Rendezvous Over Berlin: A Texas Cowboy Finds His Destiny Over the Skies of Nazi Germany, 1942-1943 This new historical documentary explores Davis' service in the…
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Bedfordshire and the Anglo-American Struggle for Victory in World War II The beginning of the war for England and the Prime Minister speaks to the…

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Woman who says chief asked her to pose nude files lawsuit
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A woman who accused the the former police chief in New London, New Hampshire, of offering to drop a drinking charge against her if she posed for nude pictures has filed a lawsuit against him and the town.
David Seastrand resigned as the New London police chief in April 2013, a month after Janelle Westfall said Seastrand offered to drop the charge if she posed for him.
The attorney general's office said the allegations were disturbing, but didn't rise to the level of criminal conduct.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in Merrimack County Superior Court says Seastrand "manipulated the criminal justice process for his own prurient ends." It seeks unspecified damages.
Seastrand's lawyer, Nicolas Brodich, couldn't be reached to comment. Town Administrator Kimberly Hallquis said she hadn't seen the lawsuit yet.


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Readers offer their views on local elections: Letters
Support funding for the Clinton Community Library
Residents of the Town of Clinton are fortunate to have an active and vibrant library to support their literary, educational, and social needs. Today, only half of its operating funds are allocated through local taxes. This creates an increasing challenge to fund the balance through unpredictable sources.
The Clinton Community Library has placed a proposition on the ballot for Nov. 7 to insure stable operating income. This would change the funding by earmarking a specific amount of taxes approved by voters through Chapter 414, just like 16 of the 19 libraries in Dutchess County have done. Annual taxes would increase from about $20 to $40 for a property assessed at $250,000.
This vote is critical to the future of our library with "more than books" programs and services that support youth through seniors. Please turn over the ballot and vote "Yes."
Craig Marshall
Re-elect Donald Sagliano in the Dutchess County Legislature
I write you with the hope you will publish my support for re-election of Donald Sagliano, District 2, Dutchess County Legislature.
I grew up in LaGrange and have worked in Dutchess County for 26 years, currently as senior vice president of Rose & Kiernan, Inc. in Fishkill. I am also involved in the Dutchess County community as chairman of the board for Abilities First in Poughkeepsie, and a trustee for Anderson Foundation for Autism.
I have known Don Sagliano for 18 years, both through his professional career as CFO for Arnoff Moving & Storage and his service to our community first in Pleasant Valley and now the Dutchess County Legislature.
Don's commitment to his profession, community and family makes him an ideal candidate. His experience and professional acumen enables him to guide the legislature in the best direction for his constituents.
I have witnessed first-hand through my work at Abilities First and Anderson Foundation for Autism Don's support of Dutchess County's Think Dutchess initiative. He has brought needed county support for community resources for the special needs population.
Please join me in support for the re-election of Donald Sagliano, District 2, Dutchess County Legislature.
David W. Melby
New Milford, Conn.
Support Lori Jiava and Bill Ciccarelli on Election Day
I am writing this letter voicing my support for both Lori Jiava and Bill Ciccarelli in this Nov. 7 election. I have lived in this community for a lifetime and what has really bothered me in this election is the underhandedness. I have placed signs around town (Chelsea) and they have been taken. Moreover, I have listened to both of Lori and Bill's opponents to hear what they had to offer and say about their campaign. How disturbing to hear that they do not have a campaign, their campaigns are nothing more than lying about their opponents. Down right lies and distractions. I am in disbelief that someone could offer literature about someone else that has nothing but negativity and lies. This is outrageous. Who behaves this way? I support who I want to support, not who I am told to support.
I do not speak about the lack of credentials of their opponents because negativity does not make winners. Rather, I will speak about the accomplishments of Lori and Bill. The Town of Wappinger is a much better place with those two on the board. The communication from the supervisor has been so welcomed. Her weekly articles in the Southern Dutchess News and her Supervisor's Open Houses are things no one before her ever even attempted. Her camaraderie with the town board is evident as they work collectively for the betterment of our town. The outreach alone has been so welcomed and issues that have been of concern are finally being dealt with.
I will not buy in to the negativity of the other's campaigns and I sure hope that the rest of the residents that care about the Town of Wappinger realize that. If you have a question about something you are being told, I urge you to contact Bill or Lori directly, they will not only tell you the truth, they will support it with the facts. Both Lori and Bill have been lifetime residents, they know what we need to be, a small town community.
Please remember to vote on Nov. 7 for Lori Jiava, Town Supervisor and Bill Ciccarelli for Ward 2 Councilman.
Lynne M. Sheppard
Vote for Judge Christi Acker on Election Day
I am writing to urge voters to elect Judge Christi Acker to the New York State Supreme Court.
While serving for almost a decade as a town justice and for over 15 years as a principal court attorney in County Court and Supreme Court, Judge Acker has established a well-deserved reputation for her knowledge, impartiality and devotion to the rule of law. She is widely admired by her colleagues in her devotion to public service throughout her 25 year legal career.
Judge Acker is a very dedicated jurist and lawyer. She is the outstanding choice for Supreme Court in this important judicial election.
Please join me as I vote for Judge Acker on Nov. 7.
Sara Fuentes Nieves
East Fishkill
Support Lee Klein for councilman in Ward 4, City of Poughkeepsie
Our dad, Lee Klein, City of Poughkeepsie Councilmember from the Fourth Ward, is running for re-election.
We have witnessed our dad's diligence in working for his Ward, the Council and our City. Whether fielding residents' phone calls, speaking face-to-face with constituents on their doorstep, or listening to public comments in Council meetings, our Dad makes the City's problems and concerns his own. He has effectively promoted the City's best interests throughout his tenure as a City Councilman, as a former City of Poughkeepsie Judge, and in his many years' involvement with the Zoning Board, the Chamber of Commerce and the IDA.
As council minority leader, he garners partners on both sides of the aisle to advance measures that serve our community well, both now and in the future.
We support our dad and his vision for a prosperous City of Poughkeepsie. His dedication to his hometown for over three decades is a testament to his character.
Dana Klein and Benjamin Klein
Vote for these candidates to represent Pleasant Valley
It is my pleasure to support and endorse a slate of candidates who will represent and serve the residents of Pleasant Valley with actions and results. The Team of Mark Figliozzi for Supervisor, Nick Becker and John Delvecchio for town council bring a progressive enthusiastic approach to local government.
In one way or another they have all served our community and in Nick's case (country as well) and have brought about improved services and a greater sense of civic pride with a keen eye on holding the line on how our tax dollars are spent.
In addition to our town board slate, Dutchess County District 2 candidate Don Sagliano and District 25 Candidate Deidre Houston, have a proven track record of being fiscal watchdogs when it comes to how our hard earned tax dollars our spent and invested in our community.
Please join me on Nov. 7 in voting for a slate of candidates who not only care about and will work for our community but will stand up as well and continue to fight for all of us
Christopher Hart
Vote no on the Constitutional Convention proposal
Unless they are deep-pocketed billionaires, average voters like myself need to vote "NO" on Proposal 1, whether or not New York state should hold a Constitutional Convention. To do so, we must turn the ballot over and vote against Proposal 1 (Con Con) Constitutional Question 2017.
It is essential to remember that Con Con is on the back of the ballot and that voting "no" this Nov. 7 is a simple legal method of preventing passage of this issue which, if passed, will not support our well-being.
Judith Clemente


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eSummits
PLUS Training
Best Practices for Securing Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
By Drew Todd
Read more about the author
Thu | Dec 3, 2020 | 9:10 AM PST
The pandemic and the resulting shift to remote work greatly increased the usage of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
While RDP has become more important to many organizations, expanding RDP usage also expands the attack surface for cybercriminals.
The Center for Internet Security (CIS) recently published a report on securing RDP, and it includes a powerful statement on where we are in cyber history:
"We are at a point in cybersecurity where offense must inform defense in order to help protect against the most prolific cyber threats to our environments. Telecommuting has always presented challenges, balancing security with usability. Open-source reports indicate that Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) usage jumped an estimated 41% when COVID-19 struck."
Open-source reports also tell us that over 3.5 million devices have RDP open publicly. However, just because these are open publicly does not mean the devices are actively exploited. It just means that the surface area for attacks is very large for bad actors to exploit.
The The Multi-State Information Security & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) notes that RDP is one of the most attacked protocols.
4 major benefits of RDP for your organization
Some may think that the best way to avoid an RDP attack would be to simply turn RDP completely off. But this is a problematic option since some applications require the Microsoft RDP for daily functions.
The CIS report says there are four major benefits of RDP.
"End-users are able to connect to organizational systems from home, or while they are away, using a graphical user interface (GUI).
For organizations on a limited budget, purchasing expensive software to set up a remote environment may not always be feasible. Therefore, utilizing RDP may be the only available option.
The ability to harness the remote system's full processing power, which is especially beneficial when running very resource-intensive applications. This, in turn, also reduces the need to purchase additional hardware to support those who may work both in the office and at home.
Another benefit that may not always be visible is an increase in productivity for employees. In the current world where many organizations shifted quickly to a remote environment, it is critical to keep employees happy. If multiple barriers are put in an employee's way, it will only tempt them more to break security policies in order to 'get the job done.' Without providing a secure remote protocol to access organizational assets, employees may send sensitive data to their personal assets, or upload them to unsecure cloud providers. While maintaining a secure environment should always be a top priority, a balance between usability and security should be kept in mind when making decisions that will impact an organization's workforce."
These benefits are fantastic for an organization, but how can you mitigate the risks that come along with RDP usage?
7 best practices for RDP security
The CIS report outlines seven ways to improve the security of RDP, which are low or no cost to an organization. They are:
"Place RDP-enabled systems behind a Remote Desktop Gateway (RDG) or virtual private network (VPN).
Update and patch software that uses RDP.
Limit access to RDP by internet protocol (IP) and port.
Use complex, unique passwords for RDP-enabled accounts.
Implement a session lockout for RDP-enabled accounts.
Disconnect idle RDP sessions.
Secure Remote Desktop Session Host."
RDP-based attacks are most effective when organizations lack basic cybersecurity controls, including those listed above.
For more detailed information regarding RDP and RDP-based attacks, you can check out the CIS report.
Tags: Network Security, Remote Work,
Biden's COVID Plan Includes Billion$ For Cybersecurity
Payment Card Fraud
Hacked Credit Card Numbers: $20M in Fraud from a Single Marketplace
Microsoft: 'Hackers Viewed Our Source Code'
See what SecureWorld can do for you. Contact us today!
Copyright © 2020 Seguro Group Inc. All rights reserved.


I've made a lot of mistakes, and I will continue to make them in the future. Although it's very hard to accept at the time, the more mistakes I make, the better I become. No one is an expert, or even any good, after the first or even after several attempts at a new skill.
Failure and mistakes are the way we learn and develop skills. This is particularly true of interpersonal business skills that require an improvisational approach such as leadership, sales or coaching conversations.
"Learning from our mistakes" is a common concept that most of us believe in, but do we put it into action? Is it part of our corporate culture, learning and development (L&D) or talent development strategy? I'd say not very often. In fact, I'd say that most organizations have a very low tolerance for failure and mistakes and perhaps understandably so, considering that mistakes often cost money.
If you see a star in your organization that is a better salesperson or coach than you are, that means they have had the time and opportunity to fail more often than you have. The star salesperson held up as an example of how everyone on the team should be executing the sales process is the star because they have had more opportunities to fail. Put another way, the scope of your success is based on how many mistakes you've made, assuming of course that you've learned from your mistakes and don't make the same ones again and again.
If you believe that some people are just naturally gifted salespeople or leaders, think again. Geoff Colvin in Talent is Overrated (2008), and Andres Ericsson in Peak, Secrets from the New Science of Expertise (2016) both make a compelling argument through research that whether it's sales, business, music or athletics, individuals that work hard and practice far longer and more effectively than their peers are more successful. No one is born a great investment banker, coach, or salesperson – they've had the opportunity to survive the consequences of their failures and have taken advantage of them by learning and improving.
I cannot recall how many times (but it's a lot) that I've heard an executive say something like, "We just hire smart and experienced people, we don't need to spend much on training." The same executives say equally senseless things like "failure is not an option" or "all we need is perfect execution." Perfectionism is one of the plagues of our society because it promotes a fear of failure.
We avoid moving outside our comfort zone and embracing risks as a result. People will not take risks if they are managed by fear of failure. If they don't take risks, they won't try new things in order to improve. "I've been coaching people (or selling) successfully for twenty years, obviously I'm good enough!" is another equally foolish thing I often hear. Experienced people reject traditional training because it does not focus on improving their skills, it concentrates on telling them what they already know. There is also a body of research (see aforementioned books) that proves that if you do something the same way for a long time, the state of automaticity, without trying new things, without seeking to improve through deliberate practice, you get worse at the skill over time. The next time you hear a salesperson say they don't need training because they've been selling the same way for 20 years, odds are they're getting worse every year.
Learning from our mistakes takes a level of personal responsibility that is difficult for many business people to accept, mainly because of our need for perfection and control. Unfortunately, blame and finger pointing are the usual outcomes. Avoiding failure has been drilled into us since we were in school but consider that the willingness to fail is willingness to succeed; people who avoid failure, avoid trying to improve.
All too often, blaming others is accompanied by a sense of entitlement that is driven by an unwillingness to accept that you may not perfect. Blame is far too prevalent as a means to avoid responsibility. I have witnessed corporate cultures where it's common practice to hunt for mistakes and to assign blame for every one of them. Don't get me wrong, mistakes can hurt and cost a company, but if they are punishable, everyone will avoid taking responsibility, work in fear, and not learn or grow. If you don't own your mistakes because you can't afford the consequences, you won't learn from them.
The solution is two-fold: mistakes made in the spirit of trying to improve should be judged differently and a safe place for people to practice interpersonal business skills is required. A safe space where people can practice new skills and make mistakes without financial or social consequences would amplify the return on investment of L&D investments such as leadership, coaching, sales, etc. Safe practice also needs to include a coaching and feedback system that does not negatively affect promotions or compensation. The practice should be deliberate, measurable and delivered by a professional that can focus on practicing not 'telling' the learner what to do.
I envision practicing content from learning programs as well as situational practice sessions, focusing on developing skills, receiving relevant feedback, and exploring difficult conversation topics like diversity and inclusion. There are two kinds of feedback that are critical to deliberate practice. When a learner fails to apply a skill in the conversation, the feedback should point this out and ensure there is an understanding. For example, if during a sales conversation the learner neglects to respond appropriately to an objection (using empathy and good open-ended questions, for e.g.), the coach should discuss during the post-scenario debrief and target it during practice.
Most learning and development organizations still focus on knowledge transfer, during which they tell their learners what to do and let them figure out how to turn that knowledge into real skill on the job. The 70-20-10 model is evidence that most skills (70 percent) are acquired by doing, yet the majority of L&D budgets still focus on what to teach. By embracing safe and deliberate practice, budgets can shift to helping individuals improve their skills, develop their own style, and to make those inevitable mistakes without consequences. The results are a faster time to value for new hires, increased revenue and skills for experienced learners and a decrease in the amount and costs of mistakes.
Randy Sabourin is the co-president of Practica Learning (formerly e-roleplay Inc) and co-founder of Anderson Sabourin Consulting Inc (ASCI). Email Randy at rsabourin@practica-learning.com.


The hotel can be reached within 15 minutes. Major tourist attractions such as Geylang Serai Market, Malay Culture Village, and Shopping Mall are conveniently accessed. It is also located amidst cultural and traditional heritage shop houses, including exotic and authentic eateries along Joo Chiat and Katon. The East Coast Park is within a 10-minute drive.
This hotel is right near Chinatown MRT and close to all Chinatown has to offer. There are so many good restaurants, and also a shopping mall near the area. It is located within walking distance to Indian temples.
The hotel is right in the heart of Chinatown. It is near vendors, train station, and hawker center. It is also a 5-minute walk to an MRT station, and 5-minutes- walk to bus, and taxi stands. Eateries are everywhere.
This hotel is near I12 Katong shopping place and Joo Chiat area which are surrounded by restaurants offering great value. The shopping centre is a 5-minute walk away with a lot of restaurant choices. It is a 10-minute walk from the East Coast Park and is very accessible from the airport.
The hotel is located in Geylang, near the Aljunied rail station, which in turn is between downtown Singapore and Changi Airport. It is about a 10-minute walk to the MRT station.
This hotel is in an excellent location in the heart of Singapore with lots of great places to eat nearby. MRT is only a 10-minute walk.
The hotel is centrally located within the historic Bras Basah neighbourhood. It is convenient for getting to the heart of the city, as it is near the historic Bugis Street, modern Bugis Junction, National Library Building and Bras Brasah Complex. It is also within walking distance of Raffles place, SMU and Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre at Suntec City, Mass Rapid Transit stations (MRT- Bugis and City Hall stations), Raffles City and Marina Square Shopping Centre and the Singapore Art Museum.
This hotel is located in the red light district, but also close to the subway that takes you conveniently to the city center. There is a convenience store just around the corner and a hawker center which is a 10-minute walk from the hotel. It is easy to get to from the airport by either MRT or taxi. The Geylang MRT station is less than a 10-minute walk, also very easy to get a cab or bus.
The hotel is near the Al Junied MRT station which is 15-20 minutes' walk from the hotel, and only a few meters to the best Chinese cuisine in Singapore. It is also right in the middle of a red light district.
The hotel is located in the Red Light District. The Al Junied MRT station its just 15-20 minutes' walk. There is also a 7-11 and many hawker centers nearby. A lot of choices is also available when it comes to food within the area.
The nearest train station is Kallang, which is about 10-15 minutes walk from the hotel. It is also just 2 minutes to 7/11(convenient store), bus stop. and many nice shops with amazing and cheap food.
The hotel is located at the edge of the Geylang with a whole heap of excellent eating places. The CBD can be reached via MRT (Kallang station) or cab in only 10-15 minutes. Its location is in the red light district area. There are also plenty of eateries nearby.
This hotel is a 10-minute walking distance from the nearest MRT station connecting it with direct line to the airport (35 min) and the city. The location is considered a Red Light District. It is easy to get to both the Airport and Orchard Shopping. It is also a 30-min walk to Little India and Kampong Glam.
The area is lively, full of nightlife, restaurants, a giant bazaar, etc. It is surrounded by a residential area. The hotel is also close to the airport and approximately 20-25 minutes' walk away from the MRT Station.
Nearest MRT - NovenaThe hotel is very close to great hawker food courts and convenience stores. The Rose is not near any MRT ("subway/"metro" rail station) -- but there is a bus stop about 2 minutes' walk away and will get you to the nearest MRT station Novena.
There is a bus stop right in front of hotel, and MRT is about 15 minutes' walk.
The hotel is located near Vivo City which can actually be reached by walking.
It is not located close to any attractions but the public transport is good and cheap. The hotel is near bus stops and other amenities such as coffee shops, restaurants, ice-cream outlet, shops like laundry, 7-11. All are within 5-minutes' walk.
The hotel is located at the West Coast, at the far end of Pasir Panjang Road, near Clementi Road. It is a short cab ride from Changi airport and the shopping centre VivoCity (which is near Sentosa Resort Island). Food outlets are just around the corner, also massage shops, 7-11, nail salons, and a gelato place. The hotel is also convenient if you want to be near NUS or NUH.
Walking distance to the Bugis MRT Station and within the vicinity of Bugis Junction, Suntec City, Raffles City and much more. Several art galleries and museums within close proximity to the hotel. An easy stroll as well to the central business district, entertainment area, major shopping malls and both economical and luxurious eateries. About 30 minutes drive from the Airport.
The Hotel is near to the train station (MRT) and about 40-60 minutes away to the airport.
The hotel is a 15-minute walk from Paya Lebar MRT Station and is a 15-minute drive from popular Orchard Road and a 25-minute drive from Changi International Airport.
The hotel is situated in the heart of Singapore's red light district. It is very convenient. The MRT is 10 minutes away from the hotel, the bus stop and sky-train is also nearby.
The hotel's convenient location makes it relatively easy to visit the city's many attractions such as Geylang Serai Malay Village. Gatong and East Coast Park can be reached by all modes of transport.
The hotel is a 20-minute drive from Changi Airport. It is a 15-minute drive from Orchard Road and the Central Business District. Also, Bugis Street is just 3 stops from Aljunied MRT Station. Local dishes can be found in the eateries and coffee shops along the Geylang district.
The hotel is quite centrally in located. There are food stalls just outside the hotel, a convenience store, and a 10-minute walk to Paya Lebar MRT station.
This hotel is a very good option to stay Near Bugis Street/ Sim Lim Square. The MRT, taxi stand and 24-hour food stall just walking distances. The closest MRT station to the hotel is Brasa Basah (2-3 minute walk). Bugis train station is also close by (about 10-15 min walk), and the National Art Museum (5 min walk).
The hostel guarantees a pleasant stay whether in Singapore for business or pleasure. It's near Singapore General Hospital, Zouk Nightspot Club, and Robertson Quay. The hotel's host of recreational offerings ensures you have plenty to do during your stay.
Good location with Whampoa market behind it (parallel street) with wonderful local food. Plus the bus stop right at the hotel door step and restaurants surrounding the place.
The hotel has a good location, 5 minutes walk to Novena MRT. It's centrally located and easy to get around.
Albert Court Village Hotel best asset is its location. The location (Little India) is great with lots of nice restaurents around. It's a mere two minute walk to Sim Lim Square, five minutes from Bugis streetmart, and 15 minutes walk to from Mustafa mall. It has 3 MRT stations nearby, Dhoby Ghaut and Bugis, and Little India MRT station just behind the back entrance of the hotel.
The hotel is situated about four kilometers from the city center. The hotel is a five-minutes walk to Farrer Park MRT Station and City Square Mall. Bugis junction, Bugis Street, Sim Lim Square and are just one kilometer away.
The hotel provides easy access to famous dining places and cultural and historical sites which include Little India, City Square Mall, Jalan Besar Stadium, Sri Manmatha Karuneshvarar Temple, Holy Trinity Church, and Mustafa Shopping Center. You can reach Orchard Road and the financial district in 15 minutes and Changi International Airport and Singapore Expo in 30 minutes.
Aqueen Paya Lebar is located within close proximity to the revamped Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre, Tanjong Katong Complex, Joo ChiatComplex and City Plaza. Shopping options abound at Paya Lebar Square and OneKM Shopping mall.
The hotel is near Vivo City and St. James Powerhouse. Harbour Front MRT is very close by. It is also just a 20-min walk away from Resorts World Singapore.
The free shuttle to Universal Studios Sentosa is only a 5 minutes' walk away, and the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station is only a 10 minutes' walk away. The southern tip of Orchard Road, which is the eclectic Singapore shopping hub, is just a 5 short minutes' walk from the hotel. The Suntech Mall and Convention Centre, is only about 15 minutes' walk away. Just a few hundred steps from the hotel is the Bras Basah Circle MRT line that will take you directly to Marina Sands Hotel.
BIG Hotel is conveniently located near Orchard Road and Bugis and is only 20-25 minutes' drive from Changi International Airport and just minutes away from Bugis Junction and Plaza Singapura shopping malls, Sim Lim IT Mall, Singapore Art Museum and National Museum of Singapore. The CBD, Suntec City Convention & Exhibition Centre, Marina Bay Sands, and Marina Bay Financial Centre are 10 minutes' drive away. Dhoby Ghaut, Bugis, and Bras Basah MRT stations are within walking distance.
The hotel is a stone's throw away from Singapore's Little India. Cherryloft is within 5 minutes walking distance to the Farrer Park MRT Station, Mustafa Centre (Singapore's famous 24-hour departmental store), eateries, wet markets and a host of other retail stores. The city is only 2 km away and the Tan Tock Seng Hospital is located nearby.
The hotel is a 5-minute walk to Masjid Sultan Mosque and within walking distance of boutique shops and food and beverage options. Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple is 1 km away while Suntec Singapore is 1.2 km from the property. Changi Airport is 15 km away.
This boutique hotel is located in the Clarke Quay/Riverside area of Singapore. Only two kilometers from the city center, it is in the vicinity of popular city attractions such as Boat Quay, Clarke Quay MRT Station, and Yeo Swee Huat.
The hotel is a five-minute walk to Central Mall. The popular night spots, wine bars, entertainment spots and retail shops at River Valley Road can be easily reached within walking distance.
The hotel lies five kilometers from the city center and provides accessibility to important town facilities. It offers total renewal just steps away from the city's numerous attractions such as Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Hotel Fort Canning, Singapore is located in the historic Fort Canning Park within an easy walk of to Dhoby Ghaut Subway Station. It's also close to the Singapore National Museum, the Peranakan and the National Archives.
The hotel is close to Clarke Quay and the subway. It is also near the MRT, restaurants, and nightlife.
Situated only 17km from the city center, the hotel is conveniently located near shopping malls like JCube, Jem, and Westgate. The hotel is located near the International Business Park, JTC Corporation, German Center Singapore, and Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
The hotel is located in Little India not far from nice locations in Singapore like the Mustafa Centre which is only a 15-minute walking distance. There are also numerous 3-for-10-dollar and ABC shops, great for cheap shopping. Serengoon Road is also next to the podium block.
The hotel is within a short walk of Mustafa Centre and moments from the area's well-known establishments, plus the Masjid Sultan Mosque, Jalan Besar Stadium and Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple are just 20-minutes stroll away.
The hotel is situated close to Raffles and only a short bus ride from the bay and Chinatown. It is within walking distance to Raffles Mall, Bugis mall, Bugis street markets, CHIJMES, Clarke Quay, and Marina Bay ( Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Art Science museum, Singapore Flyer etc). Jurong Bird Park, Botanic Gardens, Wild Wild Wet water park and other attractions are also easily accessible by bus, MRT or (plentiful) taxis.
Totel is strategically located right in the heart of Singapore's most exclusive district and is only minutes away from the renowned shopping and entertainment haven of Orchard Road. Approximately 25 minutes drive from Changi International Airport. Directly above the MRT station are 3 shopping malls namely Novena Square, Square 2 and Velocity. Public bus-stop located right in front of the hotel has buses that can reach Orchard Road, Newton Food Centre, Clarke Quay, Suntec Convention Centre, The Esplanade, Singapore Museum, Chinatown and VivoCity (HarbourFront to Sentosa).
This hotel is very close to Little India, Orchard Road, and the bus stop is also nearby.
Located in the heart of Singapore's business and cultural district, the hotel is just minutes away from the Bugis MRT station, and Changi Airport can be accessed by direct MRT line in just 30 minutes. Bugis, City Hall, the central business district, Little India, Mustafa Center, and Orchard Road can be reached within walking distance.
From the hotel, you can hop on the complimentary shuttle to Novena MRT, Singapore's main shopping belt, Orchard Road, and other tourist destinations.
Landmark Village Hotel is an old fashioned (80s) hotel and is integrated to a shopping center.
The hotel is near Bugis MRT station so getting to anywhere via this super efficient mode of transport was easy. It is also close to Suntec and other malls, and within walking distance to Raffles Hotel, Marina Bay Sands, Kampong Glam, and Little India.
The hotel is not too far from the city center: just 3 km away, and it normally takes about 18 minutes to reach the airport. A well-kempt environment and its proximity to Sim Lim Tower, Sim Lim Square, The Verge Shopping Mall give to this hotel a special charm.
This hotel is an ideal starting point to enjoy the many attractions of Singapore. Two MRT stations, Bugis and City Hall are both within walking distance. The Shoppers paradise Orchard Road is also nearby. Bugis Street, Raffles, Singapore National Museum and Little India are all easily accessible.
This hotel is very close to Bugis MRT, and a nice, easy walk to City Hall station, and a 5-min walk to Raffles Hotel. It is ideal for getting around to all the spots in Singapore.
The hotel is at least 10-15 minutes' walk to the bus stop, and about a 15 to 20 minute walk to the famous Orchard street with many Starbucks and other western brands/stores.
The hotel is a few blocks away from the shopping mall, 5 minutes walk to the Bugis train station (MRT) and 15-20 minutes ride to the airport.
Summer View Hotel is a very basic hotel with small rooms, clean and comfortable beds, nice and helpful staffs. The place is a 5 minute walk to Bugis St. and Bugis Junction where the closest MRT station is, and is also close to Little India and a short drive to Chinatown. There is also a bus stop across the street and a taxi stand right outside the hotel. Just up the road a bit is Sim Lim Square where you can check out electronics and a food court - great for the budget traveller, who likes to eat locally. 20minute walk to Clarke Quay.
Hotel is located above the Lavander MRT station, 20 minutes train ride away from Changi International Airport and minutes away from Orchard road. Jalan Besar Stadium and the Singapore Indoor Stadium is within the location. The hotel is new and modern and it also has a pool.
Amara Hotel is in the center of the city. It is only a few minutes to the subway, Chinatown, shopping centers, and other major attractions of Singapore. It is an excellent location for both business and leisure.
A typical business-type hotel with quick & efficient service. The hotel has a very good location being in the heart of Orchard Road. It is within walking distance to restaurants, shopping centers and train station.
Situated in the private and exclusive enclave on Mount Elizabeth, it is within easy access to one of the world's most famous streets – Orchard Road.
Grand Park City Hall has a very central location, a 5-10 minute walk to Singapore attractions (Merlion, Kampong Glam), Raffles MRT, the Underground, the Esplanade, Clarke Quay, Orchard Road, Chinatown, Suntec City Mall, Funan IT Mall and Raffles city. Two malls directly adjacent.
The hotel is well located at the heart of Orchard Road. The Orchard or Somerset MRT stations are within minutes of walking. Buses are everywhere and taxis are easy to find. Takashimaya is just across the street. Paragon is just next door. Endless shopping and dining options are also available around the area.
The hotel is situated in the CBD, and about a 10-minute walk to the heart of Chinatown. It is near the Tanjong Pagar MRT station which is about 3 minute by foot.
The hotel is conveniently located right next to the Novena MRT station, which is just 2 train stations away from the bustling Orchard shopping belt. The hotel is also 1-minute walk from the Square2 and Velocity shopping malls, and leading-edge medical facilities.
The hotel is walking distance to shopping malls and restaurants. The hotel staff here is polite, courteous and helpful.
Orchard Hotel is situated right on Orchard Road, the ideal location for both business and leisure. The main attractions of Singapore is only an arm's length from Orchard Hotel, from shopping to sightseeing and to dining.
Situated only one kilometer away from the city center, guests may enjoy the town's attractions and activities via two Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train stations. Guests are within a less than 10-minute walk from Little India and Bugis. The hotel has easy access to the city's myriad attractions and landmarks, such as Sim Lim Square (IT Mall), Bugis Street and Mustafa Centre, which is the famous 24-hour Shopping Mall. This city hotel is a seven-minute drive to Orchard Road and a 25-minute drive away from Changi International Airport.
Parc Sovereign Hotel - Tyrwhitt Rd.
The hotel is 600 metres from the ethnic enclave of Little India and the 24-hour Mustafa Shopping Centre. Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple and Bugis Junction are within 1.8 km away, while Changi International Airport is 14 km from the property. Singapore National Stadium can be reached with a 4 km drive.
The hotel is near the MRT station at Buona Vista Road, only around 5 minutes of walking. There is a supermarket that is around a 10-minute walk away.
This hotel is near the Suntec City Convention Centre that enables guests to choose from a vast array of attractions. The Suntec City Convention Centre is also conveniently located next to the Central Business District (CBD) and is connected via air-conditioned tunnels to over 1,000 shops, 300 restaurants and the world-class performing arts centre, Espalanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore's foremost performing arts centre.
The location is close to all great shopping - walking distance to Mustafa shopping center and little India where most people shop. The MRT and buses are right next door, so getting around is no problem.
Park Hotel Clarke Quay is walking distance to restaurants and bus stops. A covered walkway from the hotel which brings you to the river and all the nightlife of Clarke Quay.
The location is walking distance from everything you need and a small supermarket underneath the hotel complex for any late night snacks. Its also within walking distance to Clark Quay, Raffles Hotel, Orchard Road, and the City Hall MRT train station.
Located in the heart of Singapore's commercial and cultural district, Rendezvous Grand Hotel Singapore is just a three-minute walk from the city's world-famous Orchard Road shopping belt. Getting around is a breeze thanks to convenient transport options on our doorstep, including two subway stations within walking distance.
The hotel is surrounded by many restaurants, sightseeing, and cultural areas. Robertson Quay, Tan Si Chong Su Temple, and Singapore Repertory Theater are all nearby the hotel.
The hotel is in the heart of the entertainment and dining hotspot Clarke Quay. Conveniently situated next to the train station, the hotel is accessible to many tourist attractions, including the shopping belt along Orchard Road, the Chinatown heritage site and the business district at Raffles Place.
Traders Hotel has a couple of bus stops nearby, making it easy to get around the city. It is also connected via bridge way to Tanglin Mall which is very convenient to shop and dine. There is a "hop-on hop-off" shuttle that takes you to and from various places.
The city center is merely one kilometer away and the airport can be reached within 25 minutes. The hotel is also not far from Bras Basah MRT station as it takes only 10 minutes to reach it. This modern hotel is in the vicinity of popular city attractions such as Action Theater, Sunshine Plaza, PoMo, and Singapore Arts Museum. For shoppers, there are numerous shopping centers for you to enjoy close-by, such as the popular Bugis Street, Sim Lim Square, and Raffles City Shopping Center.
Within easy walking distance, you will find Golden Mile Complex, Jalan Besar Stadium, and the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Gallery Hotel's location is its best asset. It's right on the river of Robertson Quay, a quiet and peaceful area and a short walk down to Clarke Quay, Boat Quay or Riverside point, Fort Canning, etc. The MRT is a 15 minute walk. Along the way were a lot of expats and tourists milling around here in the evening and if you want restaurants and bars.
The hotel is halfway between the Chinatown and Outram MRT stations. It is also very close to the Maxwell Food Market. It is easy to get to the other parts of town you'll want to explore like Little India, Arabtown, the Quays, and Bugis.
Average hotel within walking distance to China Town where you can get excellent food. In the morning, there's a market place you could walk to and on the first floor it's where there's hawker stalls selling local economic delicacies. Located outside the main building is a convenience shop called cheers.
This hotel is located in Chinatown,very cose to the metro station. The Outram Park MRT station. Exit H is within walking distance to the hotel.
This hotel is within walking distance of the Marina Bay area and there are loads of really nice restaurants on both the Marina Bay side and the China Town side. It is only a quick walk to the underground station and within walking distance of Clark Quay.
The hotel is located in central Singapore (Mount Elizabeth), close to Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, Orchard Road, and National Orchid Garden. It is a 5-minute walk to Paragon Shopping Centre, 8-minute walk to Takashimaya Shopping Centre, and 25-minute drive to Changi International Airport.
The hotel is situated between Erskine Road and Ann Siang Road within the central business district, giving easy access to the city's popular attractions and excellent dining venues.
It is a short walk to Roberson Quay and also to Clark Quay, which are both full of busy bars and restaurants. It is not near any MRTs (underground stations), but taxis are cheap.
The hotel is easily reachable by metro from Changi airport -direct MRT line to Outram Park. It is possible to walk to Chinatown and the Marina Bay area, and a short shuttle ride to Orchard Road. The hotel is convenient near the MRT and shuttle bus.
The hotel is situated 10 minutes from the nearest MRT station (Bugis) and about a 20-minute walk from Orchard Road. The location is perfect, at the edge of Little India.


Please stay tuned as we finalize our options for programming for the 2018/2019 season after the untimely closure of the Leo Boivin Community Centre in Aug 2018.
Previous PostIce Show 2018 – Destination …. Vacation!
Ice Show 2018 – Destination …. Vacation!


Personal Finance is all about control and FiRe chasers have to be the biggest control freaks in the game. If we don't have all the strings in a firm grip, know exactly how long they are and when to pull them, how else are we going make it happen?
But there are times when the best strategy is to stop trying to make things happen and sit back and ride it out. It's fast looking as if this is one of those times. I've never "seen" a market crash or bear market. Of course I've lived through them, I've even been invested through them as I've held, and regularly paid into, a S&S ISA for around 10 years. However up until 18 months ago I wasn't remotely interested in what I was actually doing or even tracking how things were going, apart from glancing at the annual statements and thinking "that doesn't seem to have gone up much" (or the opposite). I was far too busy with kids, life, work and all the rest. This time it's very different.
Letting go of control and not being able to do anything but roll with the punches, sounds and feels more than a little scary until you realise that doing so should actually be part of the plan. Exactly as a pilot trusts his instruments to know better than he does at times, so we have to trust our PF plan to work to our best advantage when we can't see what's ahead (and as Monevator said at the weekend if you haven't got a plan get one quick:-)) Leaving the plan to do what it's meant to do is the whole reason we have it, it's there to prevent us having to make decisions when we don't have the tools to be able to do so.
I recently watched a television documentary about the terrible Staines air crash in 1972 which killed 118 people. The causes of the accident were complex but at least some of the blame has been placed with the pilot who, just before take off, had had a violent disagreement with a fellow pilot and so can be presumed to have been in an heightened emotional state. It appears that whilst the plane was coming out of take off he didn't climb quite high enough and then, when problems started to become apparent, an automatic stall warning and recovery system were overridden. As a result the plane went into a "deep stall" (from which recovery is impossible) and fell to the ground. Human intervention and faulty decision making disrupted the pre-programmed routines of the take off and tragedy ensued. The parallels with investing are clear.
Markets across the world are tumbling, and for the first time I'm watching it happen. I'm very glad that I sold our CIS UK Growth funds a couple of months ago and took out the cash that we will need for the next two years as there is no indication of when things will recover and according to some commentators we could be in for a very bumpy time.
Yes, this might be a good time to buy our Monkey Stocks, I can't see that prices will have recovered fully by the end of September!
As someone who is going to need the money in my SIPP/FSAVC pretty soon (hopefully within the next two years) I do feel a bit twitchy. However I have made sure there is a far lower equity allocation in there than in our ISAs and the biggest chunk of money is in a "smoothed" pension fund which seems to be holding out perfectly fine (at the moment). I'm in the middle of transferring this to my SIPP where I will hold it in cash. I really don't want the pressure of market volatility when my money will be needed so soon.
I'm not on autopilot yet... I know it's the best way but I like to be in control of exactly when I am putting money in. I wouldn't exactly call it timing the market as I'm not buying then selling later but maybe we can call it micro-timing. Also I don't put in a set amount each month (at the moment) so it's hard to set up anything on a regular payment scheme.
It could turn out to be a great idea :-) (or, possible a disaster as I'm working to a pretty tight plan here). I need about £35,000 in my SIPP to cover all bases as regards definitely being able to retire in April 2017. At the moment (once my FSAVC transfers in) there is about £34,000 in there. When the £20,000 FSAVC turns up I've initially asked for it to be left as cash but I'm not sure that's the best thing to do with all of it as it will actually be losing value if I do (in the form of inflation and the 0.35% fee I'm paying to Fidelity to hold it).
You're quite right - putting extra cash into my SIPP would give me the tax boost (which is not to be sneezed at) but I will need a fair chunk of that cash before I start drawing down the pension so there's a limit to how much I could use in this way - if I started drawing it down before I finished work I'd end up paying the tax back (although I suppose I could take the TFLS).
You have given me food for thought though so I will take another look at this. Thanks.
"although I suppose I could take the TFLS": when one passes 55, the existence of the TFLS makes pensions pretty flexible even for people still at work. As long as you restrict yourself to the TFLS, your annual allowance for pension contributions will stay at £40k: take a penny more and it drops to £10k. The latter might constrain last-minute pension-stuffing.
Come to think of it, the other possible constraint on last minute pension-stuffing for someone who has taken a TFLS is the continued existence of the Recycling Rules.
Many thanks dearieme, it's useful to know that taking out the TFLS doesn't impact on how much you can continue to pay into a pension (I'll need to look up the recycling rules though if I ever do decide to put much more in there).


Ventura-based Clean Diesel Technologies has promoted Christopher Harris to president and CEO, filling a vacancy created by former chief executive Craig Breese's sudden departure in late 2013.
Harris joined Clean Diesel as chief operations officer in late 2010, with the merger of Clean Diesel and Catalytic Solutions. He has served as the company's chief operating officer and vice president of integrated supply chain and research engineering since April 2012.
At Catalytic Solutions, Harris was president of the firm's catalyst business unit for two years. Before that, he held leadership positions at early-stage nanotechnology firm Aculon, Avery Dennison Corp.'s performance polymers business and speciality chemical firm Rohm and Haas Co.
In April, the firm raised $6.9 million in a sale of stock and warrants. The raise came about a month after it started production on a new series of catalytic-emissions reduction products for the 2015 version of Honda Motor Co.'s gasoline-powered Acura TLX model.


The Super Eagles of Nigeria have dropped a point from last month's 47th position to 48th place in the world, and from sixth to seventh in the continent, in the latest FIFA rankings as they head into the 2018 Russia World Cup.
According to Premium Times, the team dropped from the 47th position to 48th in the latest ranking released on Thursday.
While the top three positions are unchanged as Germany, Brazil and Belguim sit respectively, the Russia-bound duo of Poland and Uruguay have succeeded in making strides within the top 20.
Super Eagles World Cup Group D opponents Argentina, Croatia and Iceland are on fifth, 20th and 22nd positions respectively. In Africa, Tunisia moved seven places down from 14th in the previous rankings to 21 as the continent's top-ranked team.
Nigeria has failed to win any of their last 3 matches, losing 1-0 to the Czech Republic, 2-1 to England, and drawing 1 – 1 to DR Congo.
The Super Eagles also dropped from 6th to 7th in Africa, behind Tunisia, Senegal, Congo DR, Morocco, Egypt, and Ghana.


April 19, 2019 at 10:00AM (with Ellerslie Road Baptist Church). We will have an intimate reflective service as we consider the cost that Jesus paid. Childcare provided for Ages 0 - Kindergarten.
April 21, 2019 at 2:30PM.
The Resurrection of Christ is meant to be transforming. A transforming reality in our day-to-day. It's not just a ground of hope for our future, but a reality in our present life. Join us as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus through songs, testimonies, and preaching.
Easter Program for children starts at 2:30PM! Please register your kids at the sign-in booth in the foyer!
Easter Egg Hunt for all ages starts at 4:30PM after our worship service!


How Much "Me Time" Do You Get Every Day?
Eating These 3 Foods Can Screw Up Your Sleep!
Are We Too Old To Use Slang?
Pizzas & Pies That Are Free On Pi Day!
America's Got Talent To Get New Host/Judges!
RECALL ALERT: Chicken Nuggets May Contain Wood!


Harwood part #26000: 1987 - 1993 Mustang GT Fiberglass Front End for race cars. This is a new manufactured part that is a light weight fiberglass front end for racing only. Not for street use. This part is built out of a three piece mold and will have mold seams. This is normal and they will sand out and not be seen prior to paint. Contact Harwood at 1-800-822-3392 prior to ordering if you have any questions.


The independent dark comedy The Guard made its debut at the Sundance Festival in January. It stars Brendan Gleeson as Sergeant Boyle, a Irish policeman (known as the Guard) who is kind of crooked, but kind of not. He adheres to his own morale code which includes doing drugs and prostitutes but not being bribed by drug dealers. So when squeaky clean American FBI agent Wendell Everett seeks the help of the foreign police force to help him track down a trio of drug lords only Boyle can be trusted despite his bad habits.
There is a slick and dry wit to The Guard. Its sense of humor is certainly dark, but because of the great performance of Brendan Gleeson, it does not come across as dark or as perverse as it should. Gleeson as has a likability to him, so when Boyle takes drugs, utters racial slurs, and even frequents prostitutes there is an odd innocence to it. The vibe of the entire film is odd, so while it is often not laugh out loud funny (most of those parts are featured in the trailer) the movie never fails to entertain.
In addition to Gleeson, the film is packed with great character actors which pump life into all the roles. Don Cheadle is a great straight man mixed in the insane world built around him. Cheadle look of disbelief at what the people say and do around him raises the comedy of it all. Mark Strong is entertaining as the philosophical drug lord pondering the meaning of life while pulling off a huge drug heist. There is not a bad performance in the film.
The movie is entertaining but it certainly is not for everyone. There is a large amount of profanity used in the film, so if you don't like swearing stay clear. Everyone in the movie has a very thick accent except for the lone American, so at times it can be difficult to understand the dialog. The plot is fairly straight forward as the movie spends the bulk of its time building its characters rather than building the complexity of the plot. I personally like that, but those looking for a good crime mystery will be disappointed.
The Guard is a pleasant excursion from the big popcorn movies released by the major Hollywood studios. It felt like a less complicated and much lighter "Fargo" type of movie. If you are looking for a different type of comedy than the high profile gross out films that have been released over the last few months the Guard is worth a look.


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Jim Carrey put his artistic talents to use to tackle gun manufacturers and the rash of school shootings with his latest work on Monday, offering a somber view on the topic.
The work, posted to Carrey's Twitter account on Monday — days after the nation's latest school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas — offered his thoughts on the topic, both in picture and text.
"New Pledge for a Generation Betrayed," Carrey wrote of the art, which depicted a classroom with rows of empty desks and windows riddled with bullet holes.
On Friday, a gunman opened fire at Santa Fey High School in Texas, ultimately leaving 10 people dead, CNN reported.
The suspect has been identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, who allegedly used a shotgun and a .38 caliber revolver to carry out the shooting.


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Washington Area Is Tops in Income
Elizabeth Williamson
Updated Oct. 19, 2011 9:52 pm ET
Washington, D.C., nosed out San Jose, Calif., as the nation's highest-income metropolitan region, fueled mainly by its army of attorneys, consultants, lobbyists and outside government contractors.
Census data for 2010 show median household income was $84,523 in the D.C. area, compared with $83,944 for the San Jose region, the epicenter of Silicon Valley. Both numbers are well above the median income of about $50,000 for the nation as a whole. While Washington's incomes in 2010 were lower than in 2009, paychecks in the D.C....


Laurent Chevalier, 31, Visual Artist.
In the future, I want us to be recognized, but not homogenized. It is one thing to be acknowledged for the value and worth that you already have, and it is another thing to shape your experiences and actions in order to meet standards set outside yourself.
Meaning that I wouldn't want to see Black culture get lost in the progression forward on the quest for recognition of our humanity. The particularly American form of Black culture has many of its roots in the oppression. As much as we all want everyone to be treated equally, a culture has been born out of the fact that we do have different interests, experiences, and points of view. That culture should not be lost in order to achieve a false sign of equality.
In that vein, what I'd like to see is less-reactive Blackness, Blackness less in response and comparison. I want to see work that isn't always created to combat a problem, but more art that explores what it is that moves us. Even positive things like #BlackMenSmiling still come from the idea of that being the antithesis to a norm. In this technological age, because of the proliferation and speed of information out there, there are so many things for us to be aware of and to be angry about. We have to be careful about that being our only method of discussion, action and exploration. This by no means insinuates that we shouldn't combat negative stereotypes, oppressive systems and the like, it just can't be the only mode of operation. We need to think of ways to combat the idea of only equating Blackness with the struggle.
As I proceeded, I sought to approach my work in the same manner of a lot of the classic street photographers. Candid, quick, and observational. Often, those classic lenses weren't consistently pointed on Black culture and if they were, the widely disseminated images very often were not done by Black photographers. I also think of utilizing those skills to represent Blackness without necessarily making it "protest work." Our art is inherently political because of the way the art and the artists are interpreted. The work doesn't have to directly address big policy issues or specific structural/societal issues in order for it to be political.
If you look to the past, there are lot of examples of that being done already. For example, Gordon Parks, when looking beyond a lot of his known work, he found it very important to document the environments and the lives around him, and he was conscious of the locations in which he placed himself. He also was photographing fellow Black creatives in his world. Another example is the photographer Roy DeCarava, who was capturing and preserving Black life in and of itself. It wasn't really about necessarily capturing oppression; it was preserving the actual lived moments of people who were Black.
I see people attempting to shake that reactive narrative in the arts. They are creating an ecosystem where people are able to see themselves and not have it always be about being in opposition or in response to something. The overwhelming general consensus is not there yet, but I think I see it getting there slowly.
For example, Gordon Parks, when looking beyond a lot of his known work, he found it very important to document the environments and the lives around him, and he was conscious of the locations in which he placed himself. He also was photographing fellow Black creatives in his world. Another example is the photographer Roy DeCarava, who was capturing and preserving Black life in and of itself. It wasn't really about necessarily capturing oppression; it was preserving the actual lived moments of people who were Black.


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text therapy
Services place users in a private chatroom with a designated counselor or therapist.
It's meant to be more affordable, discreet, and convenient than traditional therapy.
Text therapy is not intended as a replacement for face-to-face therapy.
An Instagram ad for Pride Counseling.
Your therapist is typing
Ads for text therapy are everywhere, but people who have tried it say it's surprisingly unhelpful and expensive.
Paris Martineau Feb—20—2018 04:29PM EST
Sheyda Brown had seen the ads for BetterHelp time and time again, on social media platform after social media platform, before she decided to sign up. Though she'd never tried text therapy before, the service's allure was hard to deny. Who wouldn't want a caring licensed therapist at their fingertips, only a simple text away, all-day every day? Especially if it was supposed to cost, as explicitly promised by nearly all text therapy sites, "significantly less money than traditional therapy." Brown had a busy schedule and found the cost of traditional therapy to be way too high, so she figured BetterHelp was at least worth a shot. "I just wanted something more in the moment," Brown told The Outline. "Like a conversation in the moment while i'm thinking about an issue. To kind of like, work through it right then and there."
The Outline spoke with 6 current and former clients of Talkspace, BetterHelp, and Pride Counseling (one of BetterHelp's many subsidiaries). Each turned to text therapy after being inundated with ads for the service on social media. All but one expressed concern over the inadequacy of the care they received while using text therapy, and the exorbitant price associated with that low-quality care. Some of those interviewed requested anonymity given the stigmas surrounding mental health.
Most of the ads Brown saw lauded the company's seven-day free trial — a promotion she confirmed was legit after reading dozens of reviews — so she figured there was no harm in trying and signed up. "I kind of thought it would be like a tech service, like while I was texting someone it would be be an ongoing conversation, and so one of the things that I really disliked about the service was that it wasn't that way at all," Brown told The Outline in a phone interview. "Someone would check in maybe once a day, so basically it would be just like one long message that I would send and then they would send one long message back — and I didn't even hear back from anyone until the second day."
This is the most ridiculous service.
— Sheyda Brown, text therapy app user
After three days of sporadic and generally unhelpful "counseling," Brown tried to quit; the service obviously wasn't for her. Seconds before hitting cancel she realized that, despite the fact that she had clicked on the seven day trial ad to sign up, BetterHelp had already charged $250 — a month's worth of text therapy fees — to her credit card. She was instantly furious. Her therapist pointed her to a customer support line, which denied her claim to the seven day free trial (apparently they "don't offer the trial to everybody"). Customer service insisted that a total refund was out of the question; she at least had to pay for her first week, as she did use the service for three days. Brown called her credit card company and reported it as a fraudulent charge.
"Honestly at this point I'm more frustrated than when I came to you all and you're exacerbating any issues I had previously. " thought Brown at the time. "This is the most ridiculous service."
Unfortunately, Brown's experience is anything but out of the ordinary. In the sketchy and seemingly-boundless world of text therapy, unresponsiveness, frustration, and confusion are practically industry standards.
The lengthy FAQs hidden in the navigation bar of most text therapy sites are often peppered with CVS-receipt-long lists of studies (most of which have glaringly small sample sizes) comparing text therapy to traditional. While there are a few which claim the two forms have similar success rates, there's a noticeable lack of peer-reviewed research on the matter that has both robust participant pools and smartly designed control groups. Text therapy is also relatively new phenomenon, so there aren't many studies comparing its effectiveness long-term to more traditional methods.
An ad for BetterHelp on Instagram.
Another (somehow more disturbing) ad for BetterHelp on Instagram.
"I first found out about them because they partnered with a semi-large YouTube channel I subscribe to," said one former BetterHelp client, who spoke to The Outline over private message on the condition of anonymity (given the various stigmas surrounding mental health). "This channel advertised them as basically somewhere to seek help online when you didn't have money or the means to get therapy face to face."
The BetterHelp ad is wedged into the tail end of a video entitled "[ASMR] DOG EATS TOAST(+Special Announcement)." After roughly a minute of a Shiba Inu loudly crunching on some slightly burnt bread, the (human) YouTuber announces his new partnership with BetterHelp, describing the online service as the perfect alternative to pricey traditional therapy.
"I was under the impression that it would be a LOT cheaper than seeking face to face help," the former BetterHelp client said. But she soon found that the service she had signed up for was significantly more expensive than she'd anticipated. Text therapy through BetterHelp (or through any of its offshoots, like Pride Counseling, Faith Counseling, or Teen Counseling) costs between $140 and $280 a month, depending on the plan purchased (perhaps cheaper than paying out of pocket for a real-life therapist, but not by very much). As exorbitant as that may seem, Talkspace, another popular text therapy site, charges even more: a month of text therapy costs between $196 to $316. This is a considerable increase from Talkspace's 2016 prices, which were $128 and $276 respectively.
So what does hundreds of dollars a month get you in the world of online therapy? For most, not much.
"Talkspace does not have a free trial, and offers subscriptions that renew every one, three, or six months," Michael Kuznetsov, VP of Marketing at Talkspace, said in a statement to The Outline over email. (BetterHelp did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) Specifics regarding these fees are also rather difficult to parse before signing up. I spent multiple hours combing through BetterHelp's many websites, and I was unable to find details regarding exactly which pricing tiers were available and what the differences between them were.
So what does hundreds of dollars a month get you in the world of online therapy? For most, not much. "I only interacted with one counselor, who basically seemed to be uncomfortable with text-based interaction," a former Pride Counseling client told The Outline over private message. "I got the impression that she was on mobile, as she could not type quickly. She asked me many times to do a video chat" — a request some text therapy companies require their therapists to make, according to The Verge, as it apparently costs more — "which I repeatedly said I was not comfortable with. She also didn't give me any substantial feedback and justified it by saying her job was to 'let [me] talk it out.' What it boiled down to is that she seemed to be half-assing it and wasn't a good listener."
Compare this to what one current BetterHelp client, Andrea Lambert, told The Outline. "The quality of care I receive from Pride Counseling is excellent and uniquely tailored to my special needs," she said over email. "We communicate through email, which I can do as much or as little as I need to. My counselor always responds in a timely fashion, usual a few hours later the same day... The first week I was emailing my therapist nonstop and she kept up, giving me a bunch of great breathing exercises for my anxiety and PTSD that have really helped."
Online reviews of the apps paint a different picture. "Kept seeing ads for this on social media, figured I'd try it out," wrote one user about Pride Counseling. "I fill out their survey, give them my email, and then they tell you the subscription price lol. They charge you monthly, so the initial payment is $180. I'm upset because I already gave them my email and I don't need the spam. Had they just been upfront at the beginning of their screening survey that they were gonna charge more than the price I see a face to face therapist for, I would have known to stop proceeding…"
"This company charged my account for services I asked to cancel before I received anything," wrote another. "I have not heard back from them. I have repeatedly tried multiple types of communication with no response. Unacceptable. Fraudulent. Do not use this app…"
What it boiled down to is that she seemed to be half-assing it and wasn't a good listener.
— Pride Counseling user
The quality of care experienced by text therapy users is anything but consistent. What holds true for one client is rarely applicable to the next. Part of issue is that text therapy companies like BetterHelp and Talkspace may seem like medical providers, when in reality they're merely platforms. Customers may think they're getting matched up with a BetterHelp employee when they sign up for the service, they're actually just paying BetterHelp to put them in a private chatroom with an independent contractor.
BetterHelp's Terms and Conditions agreement quite literally says that it "do[es] not control the quality of the Counselor Services and [it does] not determine whether any Counselor is qualified to provide any specific service as well as whether a Counselor is categorized correctly or matched correctly to you." The company repeat time and time again that it's merely a platform for connecting customers and independent contractors — not a mental health services provider — and forces any potential user to explicitly acknowledge that BetterHelp "do[es] not represent to verify, and do[es] not guarantee the verification of, the skills, degrees, qualifications, licensure, certification, credentials, competence or background of any Counselor."
These sorts of details are likely why platforms such as BetterHelp and Talkspace don't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to taking care of their independent contractors. A 2016 investigation by The Verge into Talkspace "described an atmosphere of micromanagement and disillusionment, a therapy clinic placing too big an emphasis on client retention at the expense of therapists' well-being. All but one of the therapists" interviewed by The Verge "expressed concern that the company doesn't place enough focus on patient safety."
Despite the fact that the fleet of (supposedly) licensed therapists employed by text therapy companies make up one half of the whole business, and the clients the other, neither group seems to be adequately served by the services provided. The ad practices and signup tactics employed by these companies could be described as predatory at best, and potentially dangerous at worst, leaving both clients and contractors hung out to dry in the name of profit.
You don't have to text us, but you're welcome to.


The images of the Persian Army found on this page are from several old history books that are in the public domain. I hope you enjoy this artwork relating to the Persian Army as much as I do. Make art!
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Alec B. Wisner has a rare gift for facilitating positive communication between even the most contentious parties and an ability to provide clients with a clear understanding of complex underlying issues.
Since forming Wisner Dispute Resolution Services in Tarzana, California, in 2003, Alec has been using his unique and diverse background to help hundreds of clients successfully resolve disputes through mediation. While he has had particularly extensive training, experience and success with disputes involving commercial law, family law and closely held corporations or family-owned businesses, Alec also mediates disputes involving virtually all areas of the law, including real estate law, tort law and insurance law.
In 2013, Alec joined the panel of distinguished neutrals at the Agency for Dispute Resolution in Beverly Hills, California. By doing this, Alec can marshal a strong, nationwide support network in addition to his own resources.
Alec brings a rich and diverse background to his mediation practice. While attending U.C.L.A., he won numerous national debate awards, graduating in 1971. Alec matriculated at the University of Southern California Law Center, earning his J.D. in 1974.
From 1975 through 1978, Mr. Wisner developed his legal skills in the areas of family and commercial law. In 1978, seeking new challenges, he entered the world of corporate business. During the ensuing eighteen years, Alec served in top management in the printing/publishing industry. In this capacity, he managed the growth or several medium-size corporations and was personally responsible for the spinoff of several new, successful enterprises. Mr. Wisner is still actively involved as a director of such corporations as Golden Triangle Financial Services, located in Las Vegas, NV.
Returning to the full-time practice of law, Mr. Wisner became a principal in Stanbury Fishelman & Wisner, Inc., in Los Angeles, California. As an attorney, Mr. Wisner's practice encompassed complex civil litigation, including class actions.
With his legal and business backgrounds as well as his divorce training, Alec's special niche is the mediatiion of disputes within family owned or closely held corporations or other business entities.
Finally, Alec is a founding member of Mediators Beyond Borders, an international group involved in peacemaking overseas.


This year, the IGS Workshop will feature a special keynote lecture on the Galileo system, given by Marco Falcone of the European Space Agency (ESA). The keynote will address the current status of the now 18-satellite constellation, with special focus on the commissioning of the last four satellites, which were launched in November 2016. Overall system performance will also be discussed, including availability of signal in space, satellite ranging, positioning, and associated availability at the user level. Falcone will address timing performance with regard to Galileo System Time in contrast to UTC as well as GPS to Galileo Time Offset. He will also discuss the mission recovery of the GSAT201 and 202 satellites in elliptical orbit, plans for GSAT104 usage, satellite production, and the path ahead to full operation capability.
Marco Falcone currently serves as the System Manager in the ESA Galileo Project Office in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. He earned master's degrees in Computer Science from the University of Pisa in 1987 and in Space Systems Engineering from the University of Delft in 1999. Falcone brings thirty years of large space systems engineering experience to the Galileo System Office, where he leads a dynamic team of ESA and industry personnel responsible for systems engineering, mission operations, and security efforts.
Workshop registration closes on June 16th; please visit the workshop website for more information.


text:
The Gallaudet D-4 was an unusual biplane designed and built by Gallaudet Aircraft Company for the United States Navy. It was powered by a Liberty L-12 engine buried within the fuselage which turned a large, four-bladed propeller attached to a ring around the center fuselage. Only two were constructed, with the second being accepted by the Navy for service as an observation aircraft.

Development
In response to a requirement by the U.S. Navy for light floatplanes capable of being launched off catapults by ships underway, the Gallaudet Aircraft company began development of the "D-4", based on the earlier Gallaudet D-1. The D-1 was powered by two Duesenberg engines of  each and used a clutch mechanism to allow the use of one or both engines. The D-1 made its first flight on 17 July 1916 and despite numerous mechanical difficulties the Army bought four of the improved D-2 versions.

In an effort to produce an aircraft with the best possible forward visibility for the observer, Gallaudet developed the D-2 into the unconventional D-4, which placed the observer in the nose, followed by the pilot, with the propeller attached to a ring that circled the fuselage behind the wings. The four blades spun around the fuselage just behind the pilot.

Power for the D-4 was supplied by a  Liberty engine buried within the fuselage just behind the pilot. A large pontoon was mounted below the fuselage, and small outboard floats were mounted near the tips of the swept-back wings.

Operational history
Two D-4s were built, serial numbers A:2653 and A:2654. The prototype crashed as result of a failed elevator control during flight testing on 19 July 1918, killing the pilot, Lt. Arthur Souther. The second D4 first flew in October 1918 and was accepted by the U.S. Navy in April 1919. This aircraft was entered in the Curtiss Marine Trophy Race during the National Air Races in Detroit Michigan on October 8, 1922, but had to leave the race after the fifth lap because of a broken propeller. No further aircraft were built, as Gallaudet turned their attention to constructing Curtiss HS-2L flying boats.

Operators

United States Navy

Specifications

See also

References

External links
Photos of D-4 at airminded.net.  Accessed 2011-09-30.
Photo of D-4 at earlyaviators.com. Accessed 2011-09-30.

D-4
1910s United States military reconnaissance aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1918

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


As the days get shorter and the temperatures get colder, many people begin to feel a little down in the dumps.
Come join us on October 28 at 11am for an incredible yoga experience!
Our dedication to healing your entire body continues with our newest cupping services.
With endless school supply lists and back to school shopping, it's easy to get overwhelmed.
We are excited to share that we have added a Carbon Infrared Sauna for our clients to experience, benefit from and enjoy before and after treatments.


Fig. 12.26 depicts a racing track whose left and right ends are semicircular. The distance between the two inner parallel line segments is 60 m and they are each 106 m long. If the track is 10 m wide, find : (i) the distance around the track along its inner edge (ii) the area of the track.
In Fig. 12.25, ABCD is a square of side 14 cm. With centres A, B, C and D, four circles are drawn such that each circle touch externally two of the remaining three circles. Find the area of the shaded region.
In a circular table cover of radius 32 cm, a design is formed leaving an equilateral triangle ABC in the middle as shown in Fig. 12.24. Find the area of the design (shaded region).
Doubtnut one of the best online education platform provides free NCERT Solutions of Maths for Class 10 Areas Related To Circles which are solved by our maths experts as per the NCERT (CBSE) guidelines. We provide the solutions as video solutions in which concepts are also explained along with answer which will help students while learning , preparing for exams and in doing homework. These Solutions will help to revise complete syllabus and score more marks in examinations.
Get here free, accurate and comprehensive NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Maths Areas Related To Circles which have been reviewed by our maths counsellors as per the latest edition following up the CBSE guidelines. We provide video solutions in which solutions to all the questions of NCERT Class 10 Maths textbook are explained in step by step and detailed way.
We have covered all the exercises and also Solved examples in the videos. Along with the practise exercise Students should also practise solved examples to clear the concepts of the Areas Related To Circles. If incase you have any doubt you can watch the solutions for the given questions.Watch the solutions for the given questions in which it is also explained in the video steps to solve the questions along with answers.


Note: I'm posting all my old, pre-blog race reports. Here's how my second half marathon went.
This was supposed to be a standard, run of the mill training run. Last weekend represented my peak mileage weekend for this training cycle. The race was miles 38-50 since 5am Saturday so my strategy going in was to go out easy (3 miles at MAF heart rate) and then run whatever felt comfortable. I had already run parts of this course before so was planning on 11-12 minute miles to start out and then settling in to about a 10 minute pace. This was the smart, low risk way to run the race. This is what I should have done.
You can see by my time and pace above that I didn't come remotely close to executing this plan. Frankly, it didn't even last 200 yards. As soon as my watch started chirping at me that my heart rate was too high; I slowed to a walk, shook my head that it was way too early for this (even though this worked perfectly for my last race!), then immediately started jogging again. I caught up with Kate,who had moved ahead of me, in the parking lot and told her I felt like running. She encouraged me so I took off. I guess it's all her fault then. My legs were tired a day later, but not absolutely destroyed so I think I made it through the experience without hurting myself. Better lucky than good I guess.
I turned my heart rate alarm off, hit the paved path, and started to run. A bunch of coworkers had signed up for the race and we all started in the third of 3 waves. So by the time I started running, virtually the entire field of runners was in front of me. I said hey as I passed each of them and everyone seemed to be doing well. One of the reasons I went off plan so early was that my legs felt pretty good despite all the miles I had already put on them. My watch showed a split of 9:47 at mile 1, which was quicker than I really wanted to be running but it didn't feel too bad. Mile 2 had me in the mid-8s and this is when I knew my plan was completely and utterly out the window. I passed my last co-worker Bill during mile 3. He asked our pace and I told him we were running 8:17. We both agreed that this was too fast, yet on ahead I pushed. About a mile later I noticed Ryan ahead of me who was the only coworker that I hadn't passed yet.
I was steadily passing people (running just off the path when it was blocked) and figured it was only a matter of time until I reeled Ryan in. I got a little closer to him over the next mile or so, but then couldn't quite bridge the gap. Ryan, myself, and this other lady steadily passed people, singularly and in packs, for the next 5 miles. It's funny how you can get into a rhythm with other runners without even trying. The three of us were probably never more than 50 yards apart over this span, however yo-yo-ed back and forth a bit.
It was in here that I noticed that I was running "comfortably hard". It wasn't an easy pace, but it wasn't an all out effort either. I felt like I was working, but not so hard that I couldn't maintain the pace for an extended period. In hindsight, mile 5 was when I moved from comfortable to a hard effort. This is also when I started counting down the miles. When I'm running easy, I never give thought to how much farther I have to go. It's just an in the moment, having a blast kind of thing. But on Sunday, I counted down each of the last 8 miles.
I was clocking mid- to low-8 minute miles through mile 8. Mile 9 is when I started to fade a bit. We had moved from the paved path onto a nice little trail section about mile 7 and I was enjoying the change. Most of those I spoke with afterward didn't seem to like the trail section, however it was far from technical (maybe a 3 on a scale of 1-10). I much prefer trails to road/paved sections so was my favorite part of the race. I started to lose sight of Ryan ahead of me and noticed my pace had slowed to high 8s. I very briefly entertained the thought of pushing to keep pace, but quickly remembered that this was only supposed to be a training run for me. This may have been the one thing that kept me from injuring myself. I decided to just maintain my level of effort from this point on and accept the slowing of pace. I don't want to imply that I had multiple gears left at this point. If I had wanted to, I probably could have saved a couple minutes of finishing time but that's about it.
This was the second time I have ever run a half marathon. Going in, I honestly didn't think I had a shot of going sub 2 hours let along breaking my half marathon PR of 1:51. I checked my pace at mile 7 and noticed that the 8:30 pace was right on track to match it. I never gave it another thought though the rest of the race and was surprised to see that I came up only 16 seconds short of setting a new PR for the distance. And I couldn't care less largely because I've run half marathon splits in the 1:40s three times in 2 of my flatter marathons. So it's not like I don't know I'm quite a bit faster than that time. I've just never raced 13.1 miles in the 2 years since I set the PR in my first race. I don't have much interest in races these days less than 30 miles so it's likely I'll never break this record.
I can see a point in the not too distant future where time goals go by the wayside entirely. That's not to say I wouldn't like a "good time" in the races, it's just that running the distances themselves are challenging enough that you don't have to layer on added goals like finishing in X amount of time. The courses are also so varied that the times aren't even remotely comparable even at the same distance. Or maybe I'm just telling myself this because I'm on the wrong side of 40 and my times are going to start getting slower pretty soon regardless of what I do. Overall, a great race and a fun time. I just hope I haven't had all my great runs before I even get to my A race. We'll know in 4 weeks. . . .


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By Joshua Khan Album Reviews August 16, 2011
REVIEW: Portugal. The Man – "In The Mountain, In The Cloud"
Portugal. The Man / In The Mountain, In The Cloud / Warner
For Alaskan psychedelic rock group Portugal. The Man, channeling an expressive combustion of straight-up trippy recordings isn't a primary objective. Given they've released more material in the past four years (six albums) than multi-layer lovers The Flaming Lips and MGMT (two each), guitarist John Gourley, bassist Zachary Carothers, keyboardist Ryan Neighbors and drummer Jason Sechrist have become underground pysch opportunists. In The Mountain, In The Cloud, an elaborate mosaic enclosed in the concept of people helping each other, models Portugal. The Man's best work in a start to finish format. With Gourley's graceful howl, each song floats in and out of jam rock perfection, forcing out choruses that are too hard not to pay attention to or replay.
"Senseless" surges into a atmospheric fuzz that staggers with every strike of the keys while "Got It All" opens its curtains with violins and a wave of orchestra pop before dropping into the group's trademark and lines of love and revolution. Even when their world seems bigger and much more complicated to our naked eye, Gourley shows he's still human, knowing there are times to persevere ("Floating") and live a little ("Share With Me The Sun"). The blinding audible jump of In The Mountain, In The Cloud finds itself punching the glam button a bit more than say The Satanic Satanist and even storms symphonic grounds – "So American" rolls with a Sgt. Pepper.. vibe. But when the four-piece click with Gourley's falsetto and addictive verve ("Everything You See"), they click. And it's rather difficult to not applaud such sincere art.
Download: "Everything You See", "Got It All"
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