You will need to arrive at least one day prior to the boat departure date.
The evening before boat departure, an Undersea Hunter representative will contact you to confirm your pick up time the next day.
The following day, between 8am and 1pm you will be picked up from your hotel and transferred by bus to Puntarenas where you will board the vessel. The drive takes about 2.5 hours, and gives you a chance to view the lush forest and rich farmland of the region.
Due to occasional low tides the boat may need to depart from the pier earlier in the day. Should this occur, you will be transferred by skiff to the vessel. When all passengers have arrived on board, the vessel will take a 32-36 hour cruise out to Cocos Island.
A travel day. There will be time to arrange dive and camera gear as well as enjoy the Pacific and the sunshine. Also, the group of incredibly experienced divers provides plenty of stories to pass the time. There are videos and the experience of the Captain and crew to help you get excited for the diving... as if you need them!
Spent diving the pinnacles around the perimeter of Cocos Island. Divers usually average three dives per day at depths of 18-30 metres or more. This, of course, is what the whole trip is about. It will also be possible to do at least three night dives during the trip.
Travel day - all day to discuss the diving and to compare your adventures!
Arrival to Puntarenas. Immediately after breakfast you will be transferred back to San Jose. It is recommended that you stay one more night on land, before flying out, in case of any unforeseen delays.


text:
Redbank, a rural village on the eastern slopes of the Pyrenees range in central-west Victoria, is on the Sunraysia highway, 22 km north-west of Avoca.
A gold discovery at Redbank in 1860 resulted in a rush of about 2000 people, and a town was surveyed in 1861. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it possibly described a mine earthworks or something similar. There is red clay soil.
A gold discovery elsewhere later in 1861 emptied Redbank of much of its population, and it settled into being a minor mining locality with some farming. A school was opened in 1867. Mining continued until after 1900, and in 1937-41 electric dredging and sluicing were used for gold extraction. In 1903 the Australian handbook described Redbank:
(The Shamrock Hotel is a structure dating from 1861 and continued trading as the Shamrock and Thistle.)
Several streams leave the slopes of the Pyrenees and enter the Redbank Creek, providing useful areas of farmland. In the early 1970s the Redbank vineyard was established, the second of several making up the Pyrenees wine region.
Redbank has three former churches, a former racecourse, a hotel, numerous old gold workings, a substantially intact cemetery, and a reservoir which supplies reticulated water. The school closed in 1993.
Redbank's census populations have been:
W. Jacobs and K. Twigg, The Pyrenees Shire Avoca heritage study 1864-1994, 1995
<< Redan >>
<< Redcastle >>
Redbank Hall, 2000
St Paul's Church of England, Redbank, 2000
Hotel Redbank, 2000

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Gather with family and friends at this lovely oceanfront home located in the elite, gated community of Buck Island in Corolla. Soothe your soul with panoramic views of the Atlantic and watch for porpoises while enjoying your morning cup of coffee. Find yourself on the beach dipping your feet in the ocean in just moments, as there is a walkway conveniently located next to the home. Splash around with the little ones in the private pool or sip on a refreshing drink at the pool bar and built-in outdoor eating area. At night, truly unwind while you soak in the hot tub and listen to the sound of waves breaking on-shore. Inside the home, you'll find all you need and more! Engage everyone in a friendly game of foosball or pool. Whip up a delicious meal for the family in the gourmet kitchen and dine al fresco as you enjoy the cool ocean breeze. Open, spacious rooms provide plenty of areas to both gather and retreat. Take advantage of some peace and quiet on any of the three covered decks. Freshly manicured landscaping and inviting curb appeal round off a number of thoughtful touches that this home offers. The community Olympic-sized pool and tennis offer additional excitement for all ages! Local restaurants and shopping are only a short walk away. "Whitecaps Corolla" is waiting to host your dream vacation!
MBR (Q); two BRs (Q, 2Duo/Tr) with semi-private bath; rec room (QSS) with pool table, foosball and kitchenette with full refrigerator; double laundry.
Four MBRs (K, K, Q, 2T).
MBR (K) with gas fireplace; great room with gas fireplace; kitchen with two refrigerators, two dishwashers and two ovens; dining area; sunroom; half bath.
Private pool with heated option for an additional fee, hot tub, Buck Island beach cabana service from Memorial Day to Labor Day includes set up of 6 beach chairs and 1 umbrella, no smoking, no pets allowed.
We've stay in this house before. The improvements that where made were appreciated. We enjoyed evening playing pool, and the new upgrades to this room were nicely done.
The home was very nice...great location...loved having the beach chairs and umbrella set up for us each day. Kitchen was well stocked and the rooms were very nice.
Great location with a terrific beach.
How far is the community basketball court from the house?
Thank you for your inquiry, Riley! The community basketball court is approximately a 6-minute walk or 2-minute bike/car ride from I081.
Do the closets already have hangers?
Lacy, hangers are provided in the closets.
Is there a basketball court nearby?
Great question, I081 has access to a community half basketball court.
Do any of the bedrooms have closets?
Great question, Kate! Yes, the bedrooms have closets.
We will be flying in from Denver, CO. What is the nearest airport?
Great question, Ira! Virginia's Norfolk International Airport (ORF) is the closest major airport to the Outer Banks with a 2 hour drive.
How many bedrooms on Level 2 overlook the ocean?
Jen, all 4 of the Master Bedrooms on Level 2 face the ocean and have direct doors out to the deck.
Is the semi-private bath on the first floor a jack and jill style bathroom or a hall bathroom?
Excellent questions, Alex! The Level 1 semi-private bathroom is a bathroom that has two entries; one from the bedroom and one from the hall.
Are there laundry facilities in the house? If so, how many?
Rachael, a washer and dryer are a standard amenity in every Twiddy vacation home. This home has 2 washers and 2 dryers. To view our list of standard amenities, please visit www.twiddy.com/abbreviations-definitions.aspx#stfurneq.
Hello. Is there any baby equipment at this house? Or should we bring our own? Thanks!
Hello Lauren, baby equipment is not guaranteed for any of our vacation homes. Baby item requirements and recalls constantly change and many become obsolete after just one vacation season. In that regard Twiddy, along with our homeowners, made the decision to remove advertisement and discontinued the tracking of any baby equipment in our homes beginning in 2012. We recommend that you bring your own, however, if you would like to rent baby equipment for your stay, Just for the Beach, Moneysworth, and Ocean Atlantic Rentals all provide baby equipment rentals. For contact information, please visit www.twiddy.com/activities/services.aspx.
Thank you for your question, Chuck! This home does offer TVs in all the bedrooms. Please keep in mind that bedroom TVs are not advertised or guaranteed amenities and are subject to change at any time.
What size are the beds are in each room?
Becky, I081 provides the following bedding: Level 1 Master Bedroom (Queen); two Bedrooms (Queen, 2Duo/Trundle); rec room (Queen Sleeper Sofa). Level 2 Four Master Bedrooms (King, King, Queen, 2 Twins). Level 3 Master Bedroom (King).
Is the beach access a public beach access, or is it only for this house?
Great question Sam! The home shares a private walkway with the adjacent oceanfront home I082 next door.
Which bedrooms have there own bathrooms?
Samantha, all bedrooms labeled MBR have a private bath. In this home all bedrooms are masters with their own private bath except the 2 BRs on L1 (Q, 2Duo/Tr) which share a semi-private bath.
What neighborhood is this home located in?
Maelys, this home is located in the Buck Island community located in Corolla.
Ruth, the stove at I081 is electric.


The Board was created on 27/5/94. And its major function is the management of basic education in the State.
Promotion of uniform, qualitative and functional basic education.
We shall operate as an intervention, coordinating and monitoring of Local Government Universal Basic Education Authorities with a view to improving and providing unfettered access to high quality basic education in Oyo State.
Carrying out the policy guidelines prescribed by Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and other relevant agencies as approved by the State Government.
Oyo State Primary Education Board (SPEB) was established through Edict No 2 of 1994.
The SPEB later metamorphosed into Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) with the enactment of Universal Basic Education Law which was passed in 2004 at the Federal level and replicated by the State in 2005.
Participating in the monitoring of UBEC Intervention in Special Education Projects.
Co-ordinating all UNICEF assisted activities and conduct of annual orientation & training for school environmental Health Club.
Effecting payment to contractors after due approval by the Executive Chairman.
Co-ordinating delivery and distribution of instructional materials supplied to the Board by UBEC, Abuja to all Public Basic Schools in the state; and Procuring and distributing of stationery and office materials.
Promotion of Teaching staff including advancement etc.
Posting/ Development of Teaching/Non-teaching Staff.
Retirement processing of Teaching and non-Teaching staff.


text:
Tom Steffen
Comedian best known for his appearances in the 2009 CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Comedy Central's Open Mic Fight Contest.
http://www.funnyman-tomsteffen.com/
Tom Steffen has been on 1 show
KATG 1609: #1 in Music and Fun!
Stop staring at my gayness, you obsessed freak! June 19, 2012
— Kazoo: Comic/DJ Tom Steffen relates his experiences from playing top 40 songs in Kentucky
— Press-A-Button: Tom quit DJing after the company overworked him and canceled on his promotion
— Eroding Nose: Recently-discovered evidence revealed that Adolf Hitler was a cocaine addict
— You Can't Take Pictures: A Picasso painting was spraypaint-stenciled in a Houston museum
— Back To School: Tom didn't come out or start having a love life with men until he was 30 when he was cast as a gay man in a play
— Lozenge: Keith's dad believes Harvey Fierstein's voice comes from swallowing cum
— Unplanned: Tom's mom figured out he was gay when he went to a gay bar, and a friend of his asked him questions for hours to get comfortable with it
— Your Process: Tom is dating a comic who is 20 years younger
— Playing With Girls: Keith won the bowling etiquette forum poll with 75% of the vote
— Public Figure: A KATG fan recognized Chemda when she went bowling, and another recognized Ben Lerman after almost hitting him with a bike
— Push: Alec Baldwin hit a paparazzo who provoked him
— Special Stupid Jail: A former cop was arrested for continuously shoplifting at an Apple Store while being their security guard
— Duh Weekly: 11 infants were confirmed to have been infected with herpes by rabbis getting their oral tradition on
— The Tickle Monster: The last of Jerry Sandusky's accusers gave their testimony in court


AirBridge Cargo (ABC), Russia's first international scheduled cargo airline, has delivered 22 tonnes of fresh roses from Ecuador and Colombia to Moscow on board one of its Boeing 747 freighters. The transportation was accomplished through ABC's interline agreement with Cargolux Airlines.
The first Russian scheduled all-cargo airline, AirBridge Cargo announced that they had started scheduled cargo flights four times a week from Frankfurt (Germany) to Shanghai (China) through Sheremetyevo airport (Moscow, Russia). AirBridge Cargo also operates a service once a week to Beijing (China) via Novosibirsk (Russia).
Volga Dnepr Group represented in the scheduled cargo market by its brand AirBridge Cargo announced the commencement of regular services via Krasnoyarsk international airport.
Volga-Dnepr Group's scheduled airline AirBridge Cargo delivered a 14-month old giraffe to the Moscow Zoo from Luxemburg.
The world's leading An-124 outsize and heavyweight cargo carrier Volga-Dnepr Group and its scheduled cargo airline AirBridge Cargo commence scheduled services today to and from Sheremetyevo International airport.
The world's leading An-124 outsize and heavyweight cargo carrier, Volga - Dnepr Group, took delivery of its second Boeing -747-200 for its scheduled cargo airline, AirBridge Cargo.
HSBC Bank has granted Volga-Dnepr Group a US$14 million loan, to be repaid over a five and a half year period.
Volga-Dnepr Group is to play a key role in helping to create a new cargo hub at Krasnoyarsk Airport following the signing of a tripartite working agreement by Alexey Isaikin, President of Volga-Dnepr Group, Alexander Khloponin, Governor of Krasnoyarsk Territory and Boris Abramovitch, Director General of KrasAir airline.
Volga-Dnepr Group have appointed Mr. S.P. (Sander) Van Woesik as Sales & Marketing Director Europe, Middle East and Africa of AirBridge Cargo, Volga-Dnepr's new scheduled cargo airline subsidiary, to support its long-term strategic development plan in the region.
The creation of a cargo hub by Volga-Dnepr Group at 'Emelianovo' Airport in Krasnoyarsk has gained support during a meeting at the Kremlin between Russia's President Putin and the heads of administration of Krasnoyarsk region, Taimir region and Evenkia region at the Kremlin.
The decision to launch scheduled cargo operations was taken by the Volga-Dnepr management team in autumn 2002.


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Arsenal News Arsenal Rumours
Arsenal gets a major boost as Borussia Dortmund is prepared to release their Bundesliga target
By Admin Martin - 21 March 2020, 21:00
Arsenal could land world cup winner in the summer
Arsenal has been handed a boost in their bid to sign Mario Gotze in the summer as German media outlet Bild claims that the German may become a free agent after this season.
Gotze scored Germany's winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final, but his career hasn't really taken off.
He returned to Borussia Dortmund in 2016 after struggling at Bayern Munich but he had a metabolism issue shortly after.
Since returning from the layoff, he hasn't been the same player that helped Borussia Dortmund reach the final of the 2013 Champions League.
He, however, still remains a good ball-playing attacking midfielder and has struggled much of this season because he has been played in an unfamiliar role.
His current deal will expire at the end of this season and the same report claims that the German title challengers have no appetite to give him a new contract.
Arsenal has been linked with a move for him, but the Gunners would have to beat off competition from the likes of AC Milan and Hertha Berlin to sign the attacker.
Mikel Arteta is looking to rebuild his Arsenal team ahead of next season, but the Spaniard knows that he would have to add some bargain signings after Arsenal spent so much in the last summer transfer window.
More Stories / Latest News
RB Leipzig makes a decision over the transfer of Arsenal target
Torreira gets first start in a month and other Arsenal loan players update
"Arsenal cannot stop winning now" Mark Lawrenson predicts Arsenal vs Palace
Admin Martin


Gold-tone stainless steel case and bracelet with blush acetate center links. Crystal accented bezel. Rose-tone gold dial with gold-tone hands and crystal index hour markers. Arabic numeral marks the 12 o'clock position. Date display between 4 and 5 o'clock positions. TLhree sub-dials displaying 24 hour, 30 minute, and 60 second. Quartz movement. Mineral crystal. Push/pull crown. Case: diameter 39mm thickness 12mm. Band: width 12mm length 7in. Pushbutton clasp. Water resistant up to 100 meters/330 feet. Functions: hour, minute, second, date, chronograph. Michael Kors Women's MK6326 Parker Chronograph Rose-Tone Gold Dial Two-Tone Bracelet Watch.All measurements are approximate and may vary slightly from the listed dimensions.Women's watch bands can be sized to fit 6.5-inch to 7.5-inch wrists.


Get this amazing style leather racing jumpsuit online. Made from dual color lamb skin leather this jumpsuit has round neckline with long sleeves. Also this sleeve has front zip closure. The sleeves have zip cuffs with star patch. The top and the pants are attached with the waist with the zip. So what are you waiting for?? Get this cool style leather jumpsuit for men now. Hurry Up!!


Steagall, Carrie Lynn W/F DOB: 3/29/1978 of Ste. Genevieve MO was arrested on a Warrant through Ste. Genevieve Police Department on the charge of Assault. Bond was set at $250.00 cash only.
Vazquez, Heidi Sue W/F DOB: 8/14/1986 of Ste. Genevieve MO was arrested on a Failure to Appear Warrant through Farmington Police Department on the original charge of Failure to Show Proof of insurance. Bond was set at $153.00 cash or surety.
Maxwell, Wiley Leon W/M DOB: 2/06/1967 of Bloomsdale MO was arrested on a Warrant through Farmington Police Department on the charge of Driving While Suspended. Bond was set at $596.00.
-Failure to Appear Warrant through Jefferson County on the original charge of Non-traffic. Bond was set at $211.00 cash only.
-Failure to Appear Warrant through Jefferson County on the original charge of Moving Traffic Violation. Bond was set at $211.00 cash only.
Evans, Cheryl A. W/F DOB: 2/06/1967 of St. Louis MO was arrested on a Failure to Appear Warrant through Ste. Genevieve County on the original charge of Exceeded Posted Speed Limit (exceeded by 16-19mph). Bond was set at $171.00 cash only.
-Failure to Appear Warrant through Washington County on the original charge of Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility. Bond was set at $3,000.00 cash or surety.
-Failure to Appear Warrant through Washington County on the original charge of Failure to Wear a Safety Belt. Bond was set at $1,500.00 cash or surety.
-Failure to Appear Warrant through Washington County on the original charge of Failure to Display Plates on Motor Vehicle. Bond was set at $3,000.00 cash or surety.
Deputies were called to the area of Colony Church Rd. to assist another agency.
Deputies were called to the 13000 block of Highway 32 for a theft.
Deputies were called to the 17000 block of State Route N to check the well-being.
Deputies were called to the 18000 block of Buckholtz Rd. for animal control.
Deputies were called to the area of Creative Parkway and Highway 32 for animal control.
Deputies were called to the 20000 block of Sugar Bottom Rd. for a brush fire.
Deputies were called to the 19000 block of Turley Mill Rd. for an alarm.
Deputies were called to the 4000 block of Concord School Rd. for suspicious activity.
Deputies were called to the 5000 block of Meadowview Lane to assist EMS at this location.
Deputies were called to the 20000 block of Birch Lane for a peace disturbance.
Deputies were called to the 10000 block of State Route Y for a careless driver.
Deputies were called to the 7000 block of Sprott Rd. for a domestic disturbance.
Deputies were called to the 5000 block of Tuck Dr. to check the well-being.
Deputies were called to the area of State Route O south of Grayhawk for motorist assist.
Deputies were called to mile marker 161 for a vehicle fire.
Deputies were called to the 13000 block of Highway 61 for animal control.
Deputies were called to the area of Highway 32 and Siebert Rd. to check the well-being.
Deputies were called to the 20000 block of Dorlac Lane for a missing person.
Deputies were called to the 4000 block of Highway 61 for property damage.
Deputies were called to the 18000 block of State Route D for suspicious activity.
Deputies were called to mile marker 160 to check the well-being.
Deputies were called to the area of Hill Rd. and State Route O for a road hazard.
Deputies were called to the area of Bidwell Creek Rd. and Lenz Dr. for motorist assist.
Deputies were called to the 15000 block of State Route D to check the well-being.
Deputies were called to the area of State Route DD and Dry Fork for a careless driver.
Deputies were called to the 4000 block of Kari Lynn Lane for a domestic disturbance.
Deputies were called to the 300 block of Elm St. in St. Mary for an assault.
Deputies were called to the area of Oak Lane for an alarm.
Deputies were called to the area of O Commuter Lot for suspicious activity.
Deputies were called to the area of State Route N for animal control.
Deputies were called to the 300 block of Elm St. for an assault.
Deputies were called to the 13000 block of Lakewood Dr. to assist EMS.
Deputies were called to the area of Interstate 55 and State Route O for a road hazard.
Deputies were called to the area of Jersey Lane for an alarm.
Deputies were called to the 50 block of Mill Hill Rd. for an alarm.
Deputies were called to the 8000 block of Enterprise Rd. to assist a person.
Deputies were called to the area of State Route M and Gisi Rd. for a road hazard.
Deputies were called to the 8000 block of Snowdell Rd. for trespassing.
Deputies were called to the 600 block of Hager Rd. for theft.
Deputies were called to the area of Cave Rd. and Saline Creek Rd. for suspicious activity.
Deputies were called to the 11000 block of Bodine Rd. for suspicious activity.
Deputies were called to the 20000 block of Minnith Rd. to assist EMS.
Deputies were called to the area of Industrial River Rd. and Highway 61 for a careless driver.


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{November 11, 2019} {ARC Review} Coral by Sara Ella
From Goodreads: There is more than one way to drown.
Coral has always been different, standing out from her mermaid sisters in a society where blending in is key. Worse yet, she fears she has been afflicted with the dreaded Disease, said to be carried by humans—emotions. Can she face the darkness long enough to surface in the light?
Above the sea, Brooke has nothing left to give. Depression and anxiety have left her feeling isolated. Forgotten. The only thing she can rely on is the numbness she finds within the cool and comforting ocean waves. If only she weren't stuck at Fathoms—a new group therapy home that promises a second chance at life. But what's the point of living if her soul is destined to bleed?
Merrick may be San Francisco's golden boy, but he wants nothing more than to escape his controlling father. When his younger sister's suicide attempt sends Merrick to his breaking point, escape becomes the only option. If he can find their mom, everything will be made right again—right?
When their worlds collide, all three will do whatever it takes to survive, and Coral might even catch a prince in the process. But what—and who—must they leave behind for life to finally begin?
Taking a new twist on Hans Christian Andersen's beloved—yet tragic—fairy tale, Coral explores mental health from multiple perspectives, questioning what it means to be human in a world where humanity often seems lost.
Sara Ella's Coral is a novel that deals heavily with mental health, and all of her characters are touched by it in some way, shape, or form. Ella's descriptions of depression, anxiety, and suicide are brutal, and so she's placed a trigger warning at the beginning of the novel, one I didn't note when I was eagerly flipping through to the start of the story, and I regretted it. So, since Ella has published her trigger warning note on Goodreads as well as in the beginning of her novel, I'm also posting it below, because it's powerful, and you need to know about it before you start this novel:
"Trigger Warning & A Note to My Readers: For my friends who have experienced trauma, a warning—this story may be triggering. I have done my best to approach the mental health topics addressed in this book in the most sensitive and caring way possible. But even all the research and sensitivity readers in the world would never make it so I could approach every aspect of mental health from every perspective. Your experience is unique to you.
Potential triggers include suicide, self-harm, emotional abuse, anxiety, depression, PTSD, eating disorders, and unwanted/non-consensual advances.
With that said, while some of what I have written comes from research and some from the caring eyes of sensitivity readers who have lived through many of these experiences, other pieces come from my own personal experience with emotional trauma. If you have lost a loved one, I'm with you. If you face depression or anxiety, my heart aches with you in a truly personal way. If you have ever felt misunderstood for these things or simply wanted to escape altogether—I understand.
For the girl who is not okay. For the boy who wonders if it will ever get better. This story is for you.
My hope is that Coral's tale may be a small pinprick of light in your darkness—a reminder that you are seen. You are loved. You are not alone. You are not nothing, my friend. And neither am I.
Sara Ella"
I think if I'd read that trigger warning before starting this novel, I would have approached it in an entirely different light, and that is on me, and also why I need all potential readers to be ready for it. This is not a lighthearted tale, even though it deals with mermaids, and readers might think it's going to be specifically a retelling of "The Little Mermaid." It's not. It's not really a mermaid story at all, but rather an in-depth gritty look at characters who are emotionally broken, who are truly hurting for a multitude of reasons. I've read a number of books that tout that they deal with tragedy and mental health, but then find that the author sugar coats it all to create a happy ending. But this is not that story, and Ella does not sugarcoat anything.
I also think that had I read the trigger warning, I would have understood what was happening within the novel much quicker than I did, though the foreshadowing and hints are woven throughout.
What I mean is, Ella does not clearly connect the stories and points of view together for a very long time, which she is doing on purpose, but it is also frustrating for the reader, especially because she continually mentions happenings and starts down a pathway for the story and then just leaves the loose ends hanging for a majority of the novel… so long, in fact, that I nearly put this novel on my "did not finish" pile a number of times, because even at the halfway mark, I was still wondering what the purpose of the story was, and when the exposition would end and the rising action would begin.
The novel starts by introducing us to Coral, "the littlest mermaid" as she readies to turn 16 and take her place within her family. However, the Red Tide is coming for her oldest sister, and it's bad… and that's about all we initially know. Throughout the whole novel, we're given many tidbits of information, but nothing concrete enough to really know what's going on or what has happened in the past to these characters for us to make much sense of it all, or to begin making the connections needed. And while I think this was done in order to drive suspense, I think for me, it did the opposite, and confused me more than anything else. We jump from Coral to Brooke without much connection, then to Merrick, and round it goes, until suddenly, the mermaid world is no longer discussed and everything takes place on land. It's here that I began to suspect what Ella was attempting to do with the story, yet the information we're given is so halted that I felt like I always had more questions than answers as I read. It's not until near the end that Ella confirmed my suspicions about who these characters are and how they're all connected, and while I think it was a great plot twist idea, the execution of it fell a bit flat as it took so long and there was so much confusion prior, that it almost just fizzled out for me.
And yet, it works. While I did spend a majority of this novel thinking, "what is happening" and feeling like too much was glossed over and not fleshed out enough, when the plot twist was finally revealed, I felt validated—and this is when the real emotion of the novel hit me. That, and then another part towards the end, which I'm sorry to post about, as it's a tiny spoiler, but one I feel potential readers need to know about because it is beyond tragic: a child commits suicide. That broke me. I was hanging on pretty well up until that point, but that is something that I did not expect and it really triggered me based on my own personal life, and I just… well, like I said, Ella does not sugarcoat, and she shouldn't if she's going to do a book on mental illness that hits home.
And this brings me to my conclusion—all this to say that this is a good book, although confusing and perpetually dark. Three stars.
I recieved an ARC of this novel, which releases today, from Thomas Nelson Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Did you know that you can read this novel for FREE with a FREE 30 day TRIAL of Audible? Try it today!
Kindle | Audible | Hardcover
ABookVacation @ 12:01 am [filed under Book Reviews Comments Off on {ARC Review} Coral by Sara Ella


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Q: Find cells containing not null value between date range in Excel I have a table where Column A is a list of every day this year. In column E I have hours worked on each given day. Some of these cells are blank for days not worked. Because I've also entered work hours on some weekends, it's important I isolate the weekdays in this query
I need to know the number of WEEKDAYS from column A between the start date (A2) and TODAY where there IS A VALUE in column E.
In other words the number of NETWORKDAYS between A2 and TODAY where the value in column E is NOT NULL.

A: If you use Josh's suggestion but use a slight variation, e.g. in F2 copied down you can use this formula
=WEEKDAY(A2,2)
Using that version Saturdays = 6 and Sundays = 7 so to count weekdays so far this year with hours in column E you can then use COUNTIFS like this:
=COUNTIFS(A:A,"<="&TODAY(),E:E,"<>",F:F,"<6")
......or it's possible to do the same without a helper column (column F) if you use SUMPRODUCT, e.g.
=SUMPRODUCT((A2:A400<=TODAY())*(WEEKDAY(A2:A400,2)<6)*(E2:E400<>""))

A: The quickest way to do this is to add a column in which each cell is =WEEKDAY(A2), all the way down. This will give you the day of the week. Then just filter your data: assuming your weekend is Saturday and Sunday, filter out 1 and 7 in the 'weekday' column, then filter out blanks in Column E, and then just select Column A and the COUNT (number of cells) will be displayed in the bottom right corner.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Home Depot Center selected as MLS Cup 2011 host
May 10, 201110:30PM EDT
NEW YORK — MLS Cup is headed back to Tinseltown.
For a record fourth time, the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., will play host to Major League Soccer's championship match this fall, the league announced on Tuesday.
MLS Cup 2011 will be contested on Nov. 20, 2011, on the home pitch of the LA Galaxy. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET and the match will be televised live on ESPN and Galavisión in the United States and on TSN2 in Canada.
"We are proud and excited to bring Major League Soccer's championship event back to Los Angeles and the Home Depot Center, one of the finest sports venues in the United States," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. "MLS Cup has grown into a four-day celebration of the world's game in North America. We believe that Los Angeles and the Home Depot Center will be a superb stage for MLS Cup 2011."
Fittingly for a town that loves its stars, LA has been the Hollywood-like set for some of the best individual performances in MLS Cup history.
Guillermo Barros Schelotto dominated MLS Cup 2008 at the HDC, setting up all three goals in leading the Columbus Crew to a 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls for their first-ever league title in front of 27,000 fans.
In 2004, Alecko Eskandarian bagged a brace en route to D.C. United claiming their record fourth MLS Cup championship with a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Wizards. A year earlier, current Galaxy captain and LA-area native Landon Donovan also netted a pair in guiding the San Jose Earthquakes to a wild 4-2 win over the Chicago Fire on the home pitch of their Southern California rivals.
The Los Angeles area first played host to MLS Cup in 1998, when current Philadelphia Union manager Peter Nowak dished out two assists in guiding the expansion Fire to the title in 2-1 win over D.C. United at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
As the official host team of MLS Cup 2011, the Galaxy are hoping to do something extremely rare: win the championship on their own turf. It's only happened once in league history, when D.C. United claimed MLS Cup '97 at RFK Stadium. The New England Revolution nearly did it in 2002 at Gillette Stadium before falling to the Galaxy 1-0 in double overtime.
"Los Angeles is very familiar with hosting major events and this championship game is going to be embraced by the entire city," Galaxy president Tom Payne said. "We would like nothing more than to be playing in MLS Cup 2011 at home in front of our fans."
MLS CUP SITES
2011 – The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.)
2010 – BMO Field (Toronto)
2009 – Qwest Field (Seattle)
2008 – The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.) [WATCH HIGHLIGHTS]
2007 – RFK Stadium (Washington)
2006 – Pizza Hut Park (Frisco, Texas)
2002 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
2001 – Columbus Crew Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
1999 – Foxboro Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
1998 – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)


Entrepreneurs in the Rushmore Region have a new resource to help them take their concept from dream to reality. The Rapid City Economic Development Partnership, in conjunction with the South Dakota Enterprise Institute and its regional economic allies, is launching Black Hills Regional Angel Fund, LLC. The Angel Fund will provide financial resources for local startup companies that exhibit potential for growth and high economic impact. The Black Hills Regional Angel Fund is completely funded with local money from accredited private investors in the Black Hills. Ben Snow, President of the Rapid City Economic Development Partnership, and Tim Weelborg, Executive Director of the South Dakota Enterprise Institute, explained the new Angel Fund.


text:
Das Team 2006 war eine vom Deutschen Fußball-Bund gebildete Perspektivmannschaft aus Fußballspielern, die im Hinblick auf die Weltmeisterschaft im eigenen Land gefördert wurden und die deutsche A-Nationalmannschaft ergänzen sollten.

Geschichte und Auswirkungen
Nach der Vergabe der Weltmeisterschaft 2006 an Deutschland wurde infolge des schlechten Abschneidens bei der Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2000 am 7. Oktober 2001 eine Auswahlmannschaft ins Leben gerufen, die insbesondere jungen Spielern die Möglichkeit bot, sich durch internationalen Spielbetrieb für die A-Nationalmannschaft und zukünftige Turniere zu empfehlen. Erster Trainer der Mannschaft war Uli Stielike, auf den am 8. April 2003 DFB-Trainer Erich Rutemöller folgte.

Das erste Spiel fand am 6. September 2002 in Mönchengladbach statt und endete mit einer 1:2-Niederlage gegen die A2-Auswahl der Türkei. Für das Team 2006 kamen zum Einsatz: Hildebrand – Lense (Kern), Friedrich (Fahrenhorst), Wenzel, Meichelbeck (Kling) – Korzynietz, Fritz, Kreuz (Borowski), Dabrowski (Voss) – Daun, Bierofka.

Das zehnte und letzte Spiel fand am 15. November 2005 in Mattersburg statt und endete mit einem 5:2-Sieg über das Future-Team Österreichs. Das Aufgebot: Weidenfeller (Wessels) – Ottl, Madlung, Weigelt, Kringe – Marx, Rolfes (Cimen), Gentner, Gerber (Schäfer) – Auer (Krontiris), Gómez

Joachim Löw, damaliger Assistent des Bundestrainers Jürgen Klinsmann, begrüßte die Möglichkeit "Spieler einladen [zu] können, die sich solch eine Nominierung durch gute Leistungen in der Bundesliga verdient haben und im erweiterten Fokus der A-Nationalmannschaft stehen." Von den eingesetzten Spielern nahmen letztendlich Tim Borowski, Arne Friedrich, Mike Hanke und Timo Hildebrand an der Weltmeisterschaft 2006 teil.

Nach der WM schafften noch Manuel Friedrich, Alexander Madlung, Clemens Fritz, Stefan Kießling, Simon Rolfes, Robert Enke (der bereits am Konföderationen-Pokal 1999 teilgenommen hatte), Patrick Helmes, Mario Gómez, Christian Gentner, Marcel Schäfer, Jermaine Jones und Roman Weidenfeller (erst 2013) den Sprung in den A-Kader. Vor der WM spielten auch Daniel Bierofka, Mustafa Doğan, Marco Engelhardt, Fabian Ernst, Frank Fahrenhorst, Ingo Hertzsch, Tobias Rau zeitweise in der A-Mannschaft. Andreas Hinkel und Kevin Kurányi kehrten nach der WM ins A-Team zurück.

Spiele
Insgesamt bestritt das Team 2006 zehn Spiele. Davon wurden vier gewonnen, vier endeten Unentschieden und zwei wurden verloren (Torverhältnis 19:13).
Fünf Mannschaften waren Gegner des Team 2006, häufigste Gegner waren Schottland und die Türkei, gegen die jeweils drei Spiele bestritten wurden.

Eingesetzte Spieler

Für das Team 2006 kamen 73 verschiedene Spieler zum Einsatz. Die meisten Einsätze hatte Simon Jentzsch, der sieben der zehn Partien bestritt. Zwölf Spieler erzielten mindestens ein Tor, mit vier Treffern war Benjamin Auer der erfolgreichste Torschütze.

Weblinks
 DFB:  (abgerufen am 15. Oktober 2009)
 DFB:  (abgerufen am 15. Oktober 2009)
 Peter Ahrens: Team 2006 des DFB: Einer kam durch Artikel über das Team 2006 auf SpiegelOnline vom 26. März 2013
 Christoph Vogel: Team 2006 - Ein Perspektivteam der Vergangenheit Artikel über das Team 2006 auf torfabrik.de vom 30. März 2009

Einzelnachweise

Deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft

en:Germany national football B team

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sacramento CA— PCBC is recognized as the premier homebuilding trade show on the west coast, but what does that really mean to the homebuilding industry? Simply put, it's the homebuilding industry's best opportunity to highlight business solutions and experience surprising innovations that will shape the industry in the coming year. From planning and construction to interior design, to the newest products and unique opportunities to build connections, you must step inside this world class event to be immersed in the overall inspiring experience of PCBC 2019.


text:
Plexaderm Reviews from Real Customers!
Following are Plexaderm reviews. They are from satisfied customers who have experienced incredible results, including visibly reduced under eye bags, decreased crow's feet, smile lines, and forehead lines. Enjoy the Plexaderm reviews below:
Jackie S.
"To see Plexaderm put under my eyes, I thought I would see a little difference, but to see that big of a difference? It's amazing."
"At one point, I weighed over 400lbs. Once I had my Gastric Bypass, all of a sudden, I started having wrinkles. The Plexaderm helps to erase a lot of that. It just tightens it back up the way nature intended it. It gives you such a boost in confidence."
Peggy C.
"I really love this stuff. eye bags do not show. Feel much prettier. I am a widow and 63. Plexaderm makes me look and feel younger. Thank You."
Sandi G.
"I ordered you product, tried it and its the best I've ever tried. It works just like you said it would! I will recommend this to all my friends."
Frances M.
"I was just on a "girls" cruise and had just purchased Plexaderm. The reaction from my friends was incredible. They couldn't believe how fast and effective the product works. I shared a little and we were all happy!"
"This product does exactly what it promises. I've been using it for about a year and I'm still amazed."
Monica L.
"I purchased this for my 67 year old mother. This was like magic...She looked 10 years younger!!! This product is amazing."
"I love, love this product. It is so easy to use and does exactly what it says. I am 62 years young, and before this I was using another product for years which for the most part I was happy with, but was a little tricky to put on due to white residue left around the eye if you didn't do it right. Not so with Plexaderm. It's amazing-looks so natural, blends in so well with my skin tone. I tried a lot of products in my years and have been disappointed but this one is a home run. I am a big fan and will be a customer for life."
Jennifer N.
"I have purchased many beauty solutions to help me with the aging skin around my eyes, but this one is the only one that make s avisible difference. It really works..."
"Dear Plexaderm,
Just received my order and tried the cream and wow what a difference.This is absolutely phenomenal, great product. I AM SOLD! Nothing on the market works like this.
Thank you so much!"
Dominique A.
"I love it!"
"I am a 21 year Navy Submarine Veteran and with these photos you can truly see the transformation of my eyes and forehead area!"
Scott R.
"Wow is all I can say. Package came 10 minutes ago, I tried it right away, and 5 minutes later, boom. They're (eye bags) tight, firm and look great! I haven't looked like this since Freshman year of high school."
Mona K.
"I look in the mirror and I say, oh my goodness, I'm not young, and look at all those lines. What am I going to do for them? The Plexaderm helps. This is great stuff. It's easy to put on, and then you look better."
"Not only does it change you on the outside, but something on the inside, knowing you are looking better. This is essential for me now. I'm hooked."
"I am a mother of 6. I don't have time to do make-up. My daughter bought me this product because I was not happy about the dark circles under my eyes. I didn't think it would work, to my surprise it works and I love it. Thanks for a great product that you can actually see the results in minutes."
"I'm 81 and use this product. This is the most amazing cream I've ever used in my live. It works like you advertise, and I just ordered my 3rd time."
Wanda D.
"I will never be without Plexaderm again. It is nice to be told by people that I look 40 when I will actually be 71 in April. Thank you so much for a product that really does what it is adverised to do."
Lee W.
"The wrinkles and bags under my eyes made me want to keep sunglasses on. Now I don't have to hide behind my shades anymore. I love this product."
Antoinette V.
"Thank you Plexaderm for the best product on the market for reducing lines and wrinkles! I am 62 yrs old and honestly still feel like I'm in my 30's, and now thanks to Plexaderm, I look younger and more vibrant than I have in years! I highly recommend this product! 5 stars."
"By the way your product is awesome! i told my plastic surgeon he should offer it to his patients. It worked better for me than $3,600 worth of surgery/skin tightening procedures. Also, I have at least 5 other similar products and none of them worked as well as yours. I am also using your mineral powder foundation and I think it's fantastic! Thanks again for terrific products and excellent customer service."
Sharon D.
"I am very happy with plexaderm. I have been referring friends to try plexaderm. I went to buy eye shadow and the girl that was putting it on me said my eyes look good. I told her to use plexaderm and gave her the information to pass on to her friends."
"I learned about Plexaderm from a TV commercial and just had to try it for myself. Since I've been using Plexaderm, the change in my skin have made me feel confident, energized, youthful, and absolutely beautiful. Plexaderm gives me a flawless complexion. I receive compliments on my skin everyday - it makes me look years younger. It's a product I cant live without. I absolutely have to have my Plexaderm!"
Linda T.
"I am 80 years young and , although I did not receive the genetic blessings of my father, who had very few wrinkles, I received the genetic "not so blessings" of my mother... wrinkles at the age of 40. That being said, Plexaderm has been my lifesaver! I dont use it every day but when i do use Plexaderm the bags under my eyes diminish substantially. Thank you."
Joe S.
"Using a hairdryer on a cool setting, it can help speed up the drying time."
Sheer Science
777 Yamato Road
Customer Care (800) 681-0366
Order Safety
Copyright © 2023 Sheer Science. All rights reserved. design by Sheer Science
^ Discount already reflected in the advertised product price.
** Free Standard Shipping applies on all orders within the contiguous United States. Additional shipping and processing fees may apply to orders shipping to Alaska and Hawaii. International Shipping rates are calculated by weight and destination and will vary.
⬥Discount applicable on orders of 59.95 USD or more, coupon codes cannot be combined; limit one (1) coupon code per order; some exclusions may apply.
†† 1 free item per order, not valid on 6-application or any other trial packs.
* Based on a 43 person clinical study.
Δ Compared to Plexaderm Rapid Reduction Serum pump
† Individual results may vary.


text:
/*
 * Plugin that holds the current application cofiguration.
 *
 * Currently implemented on top of [nconf](https://github.com/flatiron/nconf).
 *
 */
var nconf = require('nconf')
  , path = require('path')
  , logger = require('winston')
  , util = require('util')
  , YAML = require('js-yaml')

/*
 * private nconf parser interface implementation that provides
 * support for YAML configuration documents.
 * Since a YAML file can contain more than one YAML document,
 * we take only the first one (and warn if there are more)
 *
 */
var YamlConfigParser = {
    parse: function(str) {
        return YAML.safeLoad(str);
    },
    stringify: function(o) {
        return YAML.safeDump(o);
    }
};

var Plugin = module.exports = {};

/**
 * This plugin loads a new nconf provider and attaches to `app.config`.
 *
 * The following options are supported, in order of precedence.
 *
 * @param {Boolean} options.argv Loads the command line arguments passed to node
 * @param {Boolean} options.env  Loads the environments variables
 * @param {String} options.yaml  Loads a YAML configuration file from the path passed as string
 * @param {Object} options.defaults Loads a programmatic set of defaults with top priority
 */
Plugin.attach = function(options) {

    var app = this;

    var cfg = app.config = new nconf.Provider();

    if (options.argv) {
        // 1. Command line
        cfg.argv();
    }

    if (options.env) {
        // 2. process.env
        cfg.env();
    }

    if (options.yaml) {
        cfg.use('file', {
            file: path.resolve(global, options.yaml),
            format: YamlConfigParser
        });
    }

    if (options.defaults) {
        cfg.defaults(options.defaults);
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Digital disruption is not coming in health care – it is already here. For too long health has been lagging behind other sectors.
For Australia to embrace digital health and benefit from its huge potential, we need national leadership.
Australia now has many of the building blocks in place to roll out a digitally enabled health system that could transform care services, an expert report has found.
The report, developed after an expert roundtable initiated by the Consumers Health Forum and The George Institute for Global Health, says "the time is now ripe" to support the expansion of digital health technology in vital areas including chronic care and residential aged care.
The report is based on discussions held by around 40 consumers, clinicians, academics, government and industry supported by the Australian Digital Health Agency.
Roundtable attendees considered four sectors — chronic care, residential aged care, emergency care and end of life care — in terms of what is wanted from digital health, the current state of digital health in that sector and how to meet goals for the future.
The report says major progress is being made with My Health Record, e-prescriptions, patient registries, shared care portals, state-based digital health strategies and linked hospital patient information systems.
Professor David Peiris, Director of Health Systems Science at The George Institute, said emerging digital health strategies had the potential to transform Australia's health system for both health care providers and consumers.
"Our report sets out clear recommendations on what is needed to enable people to be much more in control of their own health needs and to make informed choices about the care they choose – from urgent life-saving situations through to respecting their wishes at the end their life.
"We also want to ensure that every health professional in Australia can take full advantage of the digital health eco-system to improve people's healthcare experience and provide care that can be co-ordinated across the system. Many Australians are tired of having to constantly repeat their story to multiple care providers and it's vital that we tap into digital technology to ensure we deliver a more person-centred, safer and sustainable healthcare system.
In chronic care: To trial virtual care teams to support patients with high care needs; and trial a "Patients Like Me" platform to enable patients with chronic and complex care needs to safely connect and share experiences with one another.
In residential aged care: Ensure that residents' health and social services information is available in a single location, on a platform easily accessible by consumers and providers anywhere, anytime and on any device. Collate and publicise data that allows patients, their carers and future consumers to compare residential care facilities based on health outcomes and patient experiences.
In emergency care: Develop digital health technologies that leverage My Health Record data to be rapidly accessible to paramedics and other emergency providers; develop a text/image message system to support improved communication between emergency care and other medical teams and assist with referrals to other health care providers for post-discharge care.
NACCHO #ANZACday2019 tribute : Our black history: #LestWeForget Boer War , WW1, WW2 Vietnam etc Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women veterans.


text:
Ireland's mental health took a beating, says professor
Jim Lucey tells Merriman Summer School one in four will experience a mental disorder
Jim Lucey: said recognition of the importance of emotional health was "necessary and progressive". Photograph: Dave Meehan
Gordon Deegan
Thu Aug 14 2014 - 01:18
Our path to recovery as a nation can only be sustained by promoting our emotional and mental health, a leading psychiatrist said last night.
"In Ireland, as in life, traumatic experience has not been avoidable, and our mental and emotional health may have taken a beating, but what matters now is that we can respond," Prof Jim Lucey said in the opening address at the Merriman Summer School in Ennis.
The theme of this year's school is "Emotional Life in Ireland" and Prof Lucey, who is clinical professor of psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, said much of our national dialogue appeared to be about the economic and political agendas as though these existed in a vacuum.
Prof Lucey, who is medical director at St Patrick's Mental Health Services, said recognition of the importance of emotional health was "necessary and progressive".
"Mental and emotional health issues are still stigmatised in Ireland, even though mental health is the largest unmet health need in our society. It is the real agenda behind most of our national narrative. One in four of us will have a mental disorder in our adult lifetime, and our rates of addiction and dependency are excessively high.
"Unfortunately the typical response to mental distress in Ireland is neglect – or postponement at best . . . It has been said that if your car breaks down today you could probably have it repaired within an hour, but if you or I have a mental breakdown today it is unlikely that we will get help for at least 18 months.
"For anxiety and depressive disorders, the delay can be as long as 10 years before an effective intervention. The delay is largely in our inability to have the mental health conversation."
In jeopardy
The mental and emotional health of nearly one-quarter of our population was in jeopardy, he said, and the most common disorders were depression and anxiety.
"How many compassionate values have been re-articulated and re-emerged since the departure of the troika and with them the departure of our cash. Surely a renewed conversation about values would be restorative. Perhaps then the emotional and economic value of our homeless and unemployed would be acknowledged."
He said there was "great hope for our future, if we come to terms with our past. International experience provides powerful examples where the discovery of a dynamic process made it possible to wrestle even with the complicity of church and state in terrible crimes".
If such a process were to gather momentum a rebirth of cultural values could begin. "Out of a sincere re-engagement with our history we could make peace with ourselves and rediscover what it is to be truly mentally and emotionally well."
Gordon Deegan is a contributor to The Irish Times
Merriman Summer SchoolJim Lucey
Medical gaslighting: 'No man would be asked if they suffer from panic attacks while having a heart attack'
How to have great sex during the menopause and beyond
Webdoctor.ie company valued at €62m after €7m investment
Up to 30 babies' lives could be saved each year through new screening process, solicitor says


text:
package kr.lul.kobalttown.document.service.params;

import kr.lul.common.data.Context;
import kr.lul.kobalttown.account.domain.Account;
import kr.lul.kobalttown.transfer.account.UserParams;

import java.time.Instant;

import static kr.lul.common.util.Arguments.notNull;
import static kr.lul.common.util.Arguments.positive;

/**
 * @author justburrow
 * @since 2020/04/04
 */
public class DeleteNoteCommentParams extends UserParams {
  private long note;
  private long comment;

  public DeleteNoteCommentParams(final Context context, final Account user, final long note, final long comment,
      final Instant timestamp) {
    super(context, user, timestamp);
    notNull(note, "note");
    positive(comment, "comment");

    this.note = note;
    this.comment = comment;
  }

  public long getNote() {
    return this.note;
  }

  public long getComment() {
    return this.comment;
  }

  @Override
  public String toString() {
    return new StringBuilder()
               .append("{id=").append(this.id)
               .append(", user=").append(this.user.toSimpleString())
               .append(", note=").append(this.note)
               .append(", comment=").append(this.comment)
               .append(", timestamp=").append(this.timestamp)
               .append('}').toString();
  }
}


Cheryl Erikson doesn't like playing DEA agent, but when a dangerous new drug named Plast finds its way onto the streets of Dallas, and the dealers just happen to be vampires, then she has to take action.
With the help of her best friend Virgil, and a mysterious Vampire Hunter named Rev, Cheryl must work to eradicate Plast from the streets of Dallas. It's a task that becomes more difficult as she dodges assassination attempts; evades a nosy police detective who wants to peg her for a triple homicide; figures out what a shadow government organization wants from her; as well as deal with a powerful vampire who has a sudden interest in her activities.
Her path takes her through the Spiral X nightclub, where everything she thinks she knows, and everything she stands for, is challenged in ways she never imagined.
WOW!! This book is awesome. I read it this week and it is one of those books you do not want to put down. The plot was great with twists and turns that kept you turning the pages..
If you are into books like this you will love this one for sure.Also I really think this book would be wonderful for a book club.
I really hope J. J. Westendarp turns this into a series.


text:
Tag Archives: margaritas
Tourist Times in Tinseltown
While a lot of my time in Los Angeles was spent hanging out with my new friends, there were a few times when I had to play the tourist card and actively make an attempt to see some of the typical or cliché LA sights. One afternoon when Jake was busy with work, I met up with a guy who I had chatted to on Couchsurfing just before my arrival in LA. This was before I had met Jake, who had assured me that he had no problems with me staying with him for the entire duration of my time in the city, but when I explained to David that I was no longer seeking a place to say, I told him that I was still keen to hang out and meet new people while seeing the city. And so that's how David ended picking me up with his boyfriend Danny (who ended up knowing Jake because he played dodgeball – he knew everyone!), and we went for a drive from West Hollywood down to Santa Monica Pier.
Traffic was pretty terrible, and since most of the commuting I'd been doing around LA was between WeHo and the neighbouring suburbs, it was really my first experience of the notorious LA traffic. But we eventually made it to Santa Monica and found a park, and Danny and David took me to one of their favourite bars in the area that did cheap and strong margaritas. I had a couple before we wandered further down to the pier itself.
Santa Monica Pier.
Route 66, one of the original roads of the US Highway System, starts in Chicago, Illinois and finishes here in Santa Monica.
When I was told we were going to Santa Monica Pier, I didn't know exactly what to expect. A rickety old wooden platform over the ocean with a couple of old dudes fishing on it, perhaps? I couldn't have been more wrong: similar to Pier 39 in San Francisco, Santa Monica Pier was almost a small theme park in its own right, with carnival rides, shops, restaurants and food stands. It looked like a partial tourist trap, but it also looked like the place some of the bored teenagers on The OC used to hang out, like an outdoor mall with a Ferris wheel.
Sunset over Santa Monica Pier
We wandered down to the edge of the pier, and while it was fun to check it out and take a few pictures, I wasn't particularly interested in any of the rides or games or shops. If I'm totally honest, the thing that probably excited me the most about being at Santa Monica Pier was seeing the sunset over the ocean. As a dweller of the east coast in my own country, a sunset over the ocean was something that was actually impossible for me to witness, and I was never one to get up early enough to watch an ocean sunrise. I suppose Hollywood being on the west coast of the US has probably played a part in the way the idea of ocean sunsets have been romanticised into popular culture, but regardless, it was still nice to watch the big burning ball of gas sink below the watery horizon.
Sunset over the Pacific Ocean.
"Are you going to any TV show tapings? Be a part of a live studio audience?" A few people had asked me these questions in my first few days of being in LA.
"Um… I… I don't… is that… is that something people do?" I hadn't made that many plans at all, but going to watch a TV show being filmed hadn't even popped up on my radar. There weren't any TV shows with live studio audiences that I could think of that I'd really want to watch, or at least not enough to pay for it. Maybe something like being in the audience for Ellen DeGeneres' show, but even my experiences with The Katie Show in New York had showed me that those tapings were lengthy ordeals (although I won a computer for my efforts, so I'm not really complaining).
Enter Jake and his endless connections to people all over the city.
"Hey, Warren works at the CBS Studio Center! Perhaps I could see if he could get you into a studio audience?" So he made the call where Warren confirmed that he could, and I figured that I might as well go along and do something typically Hollywood, especially if it was free anyway. Jake drove me out to the studio and dropped me off, but not before running through the complex and helping me take a few photos of things that caught my eye. I couldn't go past the memorial plaque of Will & Grace, and I also stopped for a picture on the outdoor set of New York City, a strip of street that was done up to look like the east coast city, which had provided the filming set for a number of shows that had been set in New York City, like Seinfeld.
New York in Los Angeles.
Afterwards, I headed to the studio where I was going to sit in on the live studio audience of the Melissa & Joey show, a sitcom that I had never previously heard of. I was excited, however, when I realised that the Melissa from the show title was none other than Melissa Joan Heart, the one and only Sabrina, the teenage witch. I'd loved that show as a kid, and while Melissa was definitely not a teenager anymore (she's a mother of two, actually), she was still a decent comedic actress. It was also kind of interesting to be a part of the audience while the show itself was being filmed. They did each scene at least twice, even if they nailed them, just to make sure they had enough good takes during editing and producing, which meant that the filming of a 20 minute episode turned into at least a couple of hours. It was a light-hearted sitcom though, and I enjoyed watching it – if you ever find yourself watching an episode where there's a distinct snort of laughter coming from the studio audience, you're welcome. Warren worked on the production side of things, so I didn't see him again until the filming was over. He came and found me once everything had wrapped up, and while I didn't get to meet any of the actors on the show, he was able to give me a an autographed photograph of the cast. Free experiences with free souvenirs – doesn't get much better than that. When he finished work, Warren drove me to dodgeball, where I was reunited with Jake.
My only other brush with anything related to TV was actually one of my biggest highlights in LA, at least as far as touristy sightseeing goes.
"Well, there is one thing that I'd really like to see," I confessed to Jake one afternoon, when we were brainstorming about things to do. I explained to him how I was a huge fan of the TV show Charmed, and how I had been shocked to learn that the house itself was not located in San Francisco.
"Oh yeah! It's here in LA, I think. There's a bunch of streets over in Echo Park that are just filled with famous houses from movies and TV shows. We can totally take a drive out there." So that's what we did, and I finally got my photo with the Victorian style magical manor.
The Halliwell Manor – easily one of the biggest highlights of my time in LA.
Now, there's probably one glaringly obvious tourist attraction in Los Angeles that I haven't mentioned yet. But the truth is, I never really had any intention of going to Disneyland. As a child, I'd been to Disney World over in Florida, and it had been awesome, but I'd also been 9 years old. Not that I wouldn't have had fun in Disneyland as an adult, but being on the backpacker budget that I was, it wasn't a priority. I also learned just how enormous and spread out LA actually is when I tied to locate Anaheim on a map, and realised that it was at least an hours drive to get out there. Coupled with my lack of burning desire to go there, I had written it out of my plans. Until I remembered someone I knew who actually lived in Anaheim.
The Trans-Siberian Railway felt like almost a lifetime ago, but the friends I had made on that once-in-a-lifetime journey were still fresh in my memories and blog posts. During our emotional goodbyes in St Petersburg, I told Kaylah that I was definitely going to be in LA at the end of the year, since I already had my final flight booked out of LAX. So we made a promise that we would catch up when I was there, but it was only when I got to LA that I realised just how large the city actually was. West Hollywood and Anaheim felt like worlds away, and while I wanted to see Kaylah, I didn't want to make her drive across the city on her day off, just to hang out in WeHo, where I'd been spending most of my time anyway. Though as fate would have it, when I mentioned it to him, Jake informed me that he actually had a reason to drive out to east LA.
"My dad actually lives out that way, and he's got a whole bunch of furniture and other stuff that I need to pick up!" he told me. "So, if you wanna go meet her out that way, I could drive you somewhere and then go see my dad while you two hang out?" As things had seemed to be happening lately, everything turned out pretty perfectly.
We met up with Kaylah, and set a rough meeting time for later in the afternoon. I was so excited to see Kaylah again – she'd been one of my favourite people on the Trans-Siberian tour, and we'd always had ridiculous amounts of fun together. Kaylah was a correctional officer in a juvenile detention centre, and before we'd met up she told me that Knot's Berry Farm, a rollercoaster theme park over near where she lived, was doing a free entry promotion for all law enforcement personal, a category in which she was included. Free entry was also extended to a second person, so we agreed that that would be a fun way to hang out and catch up, interspersed by some rollercoaster rides.
It wasn't until we actually got there, though, that Kaylah admitted she wasn't even a huge fan of rollercoasters. I started to feel bad, but she assured me that she still wanted me to go on them if I wanted to. It hadn't been that long since I went on a bunch of rollercoasters at the Six Flags in New Jersey, but I do love them, so Kaylah took photos of me while I screamed my lungs out on the various rides. We also rode dodge 'em cars together, which was a bit of a throwback to the time Kaylah and I had rode quad bikes through the Siberian wilderness, and I had been sure that I was going to end up flipping ours and crushing us. Luckily there was slightly less chance of doing that in an LA theme park.
After a few hours at Knot's Berry Farm, we left to grab a bite to eat at the nearby TGI Fridays. We also ordered some ciders, and it was there that I experienced for the second time what had happened to me in that little bar in Flagstaff – the waitstaff would not accept my drivers licence as a valid form of ID, saying that it needed to be federally issued. Most Americans aren't even aware of the fact Australia actually has states, so it is pretty infuriating that they can be such sticklers about little things like that. What's worse is that I had been using my drivers licence in every other place in California, so I knew it wasn't actually a legal thing like it had been in Arizona.
"Look, this is my ID, I'm clearly over 21!" I tried bargaining with him.
"I've never seen an Australian drivers licence before though," the guy said with a laugh, clearly nervous but trying to deflect my clearly mounting irritation. "It could be a fake." I put the licence in my mouth and bit down on it, tugging at the plastic.
"It's very real! And what, you know exactly what an Australian passport looks like? Do you want me to Google a New South Wales drivers licence? It's real!"
I even sent the dude back to check with his manager, who also regretfully informed me they were unable to serve me.
"Whatever," I said and just rolled my eyes. I mean, I didn't need to have a drink or anything, but it was more just the principle of being refused that annoyed me.
After all that, Kaylah and I wandered down to the nearby Disneyland. There was a whole street of shops and smaller things to look at before actually entering the gates into Disneyland proper, so we just walked down that, taking photos and dodging toddlers and families and mothers with prams as they made their way to the happiest place on Earth.
Dragon and knight made entirely out of Lego.
Lego Beauty and the Beast characters, made out of more Lego. Meta.
I mainly just had fun hanging out with Kaylah, telling her all about what I'd been up to since we'd parted ways in Russia, and reminiscing about all the fun we'd had all those months ago. Eventually it was time for Jake and I to head back to WeHo, so Kaylah and I drove to meet him and then said our goodbyes once again. Though the fact that it was our second goodbye, and that we'd met each other again on a completely opposite side of the world so many months later, proved that in a world as small as ours, for travellers like us, goodbyes were only ever temporary.
Trans-Siberian Railway buddies united!
The day spent out in Anaheim with Kaylah was actually my last full day in LA, and that evening would be my last night before I flew out the following morning. Jake was feeling a little glum about it, considering how I'd been living with him for over a week now, and we'd been having so much fun. Yet even to the last moment, he was still thinking of cool and interesting things we could do in LA. "Something you wouldn't know about if you weren't from around here. I want you to leave saying just how awesome a time you had in LA."
There's a place up on the hills of Hollywood Heights called the Magic Castle. It's the clubhouse of a private organisation that promotes and supports the art of magic and magicians. You have to either be a member or be signed in as a guest by a member, and of course Jake knew – through dodgeball – a member who was a magician. The dress code of the Magic Castle was formal evening wear, so I had to borrow a shirt and tie from Jake, and on my last night we made our way up to the Castle, where we were greeted by Jake's friend Jeb. The castle itself is technically more of a Victorian mansion, and stepping inside felt like you were stepping back in time itself, with the polished wood furnishings, luxurious deep red carpets and dapper gentlemen and elegantly dressed woman gliding through the hallways. Jeb gave us a tour of many of the castles quirky and interesting rooms. I'm not supposed to give away too much, but there was a piano that plays by itself (or is played by ghost, depending on who you ask), and can even take requests (I requested Pokerface).
There was also a table in a more open area where magicians could set up and perform card tricks and other small magical shows. Jake and I sat around the table while Jeb performed one, and I wish there was more I could say to explain what he did but then if I knew I would probably be a magician… and then I definitely wouldn't tell you. There were also a few other shows that you could attend while visiting the Magic Castle, and Jake and I got almost front row seats to a show with a mentalist. Now, I have to admit this show actually scared me a little bit. I don't want to give away too much, but the general idea was that he could supposedly see our thoughts or read our minds. It seemed like more of a psychic than anything to do with performance magic or magicians, but I was curious. He asked for three volunteers: someone who was good with drawing, someone who was good with numbers, and someone who was good with words. I enthusiastically volunteered to the be wordsmith. After watching the mentalist successfully sketch a drawing that the first woman had secretly drawn, without ever seeing it, and know the number that another woman was thinking of, which she had picked from the top of her head and hadn't told him, it was my turn. Out in the front of the theatre room with him, he asked me to imagine I was in a library. I was to go over to one of the shelves and pull out a book. I had a bit of a brain freeze, and for a few seconds the only book that came to mind was the Bible. But then, for some reason, I'm not sure why, The Jungle Book came to mind, and so my word that the mentalist would have to correctly identify was 'jungle'.
He asked a handful of questions, all which had seemingly nothing at all to do with The Jungle Book or the word 'jungle'. I was so confused. Yet when he claimed that he had it, sure enough he scribbled on a big sheet of paper and produced the word 'jungle' in big, black block letters. I was actually stunned. I'm not exactly a skeptic when it comes to psychics or magic, but this seemed way above the pay grade of a normal magician. I was dying to know how he knew, short of believing he was actually a psychic, but of course a good magician never revealed his secrets, and I left the Magic Castle with a burning curiosity, as well as a reluctant resignation to the fact that I would probably never find out how he'd gotten inside my head.
"So. Last night in LA. Anything else you really wanna do?" Jake said to me as we climbed into the car after the show was over. We locked eyes for a moment.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I said with I grin.
"I don't know… I might be…?"
"Taco Bell?"
"Let's do it!"
And so after having such an amazing time in LA, having more fun than I ever thought I would and meeting such a cool bunch of people, it was time for me to get travelling again. It was something that you think I would be used to by now, and while I can admit that it does get a littler easier, it's never exactly easy. I'd travelled all around the world, and fallen in love with a handful of places, and LA was definitely high on the list of places that had actually started to feel like home. Combined with the fact that endless travel had eventually started to wear me down, I was almost reluctant to leave.
"You're gonna have such a great time in Hawaii," Jake said to me as he drove me through the mid-morning traffic to the airport. "I mean, I'm gonna miss you like Hell, but I'm also excited for you," he said with a smile. I was pretty quiet. I guess saying too much during goodbyes always made them a little harder. Eventually we arrived at the airport, and Jake hopped out to help me get my bag out of the car. Then we had our final hugs and kisses, and I told him that I would definitely be back one day. How could I not? Jake had done so much for me during my stay in LA, literally driving me across the city to see things and meet people, introducing me to all of his friends, rescuing me from creepy guys and giving me a place to stay for the entire time too. He'd gone so out of his way to make sure I'd done and seen things that would make me remember my time in LA as something amazing, but in reality it had just been him being himself that had made it so awesome, and that was the reason I knew I'd one day come back.
He was parked in the cab drop-off point though, so we couldn't draw the farewell out too long. So we said our goodbyes, I waved as he took off down the road and out of sight, and then I headed to the terminal to catch the flight to my final destination.
As weird as it sounds, even the LAX sign was a sight that I had seen in TV shows and was therefore somewhat exciting.
Posted in California, Los Angeles, North America, United States of America | Tagged adventure, alcohol, America, Anaheim, bar, CBS studios, Charmed, charmed manor, Couchsurfing, Disneyland, dodgeball, Echo Park, friends, gay, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, ID, Knot's Berry Farm, LA, LAX, licence, live studio audience, magic, Magic Castle, magician, margaritas, Melissa Joan Hart, mentalist, New York set, refused, reunion, rollercoaster, Route 66, Santa Monica, santa monica pier, show, sights, Taco Bell, television, tourist, traffic, Travel, traveller, TV, TV houses, TV set, WeHo, West Hollywood, writing | 1 Reply
Confessions Part 2: My date with a Cambodian girl
Posted on May 1, 2013 by Tiny Tino
On my first night in Phnom Penh, a thunderstorm ravaged the sky and the heavens opened up to release a torrential downpour of which I hadn't seen the likes of since I was in Singapore. I took a seat in the common room of the hostel and watched the storm roll through the sky. The common room was more of an open terrace area, with a bar, pool, and snooker table. As I sat watching the storm, one of the Cambodian girls who worked at the hostel approached me and introduced herself, before asking if I wanted to play a game of pool with her. I told her that I wasn't very good, but she just laughed and said it didn't matter. Her name was Sana, and throughout the course of our few games she even gave me a few pointers and tips, so that I began to be not quite as bad as I had been at the beginning of the evening. However, I had a big day of sightseeing ahead of me the next day, so after a few games I said goodnight to Sana and went to bed.
The next evening Sana was off duty, and after she finished she asked if I wanted to join her at a local bar down the road to play some more pool. They had cheap jugs of beer, she told me, so I got dressed and we headed down to continue my education in playing pool, and sink some balls and beers. A few more of her friends turned up, coming and going and having a beer or two here and there, and before long I realised that we'd been there for a couple of hours, and had polished off several jugs of beer. It was at this point that Sana mentioned something about going dancing. After a few more probing questions, I gathered that Sana was talking about going to a nightclub later. Sure, I thought, why the hell not?
I'm not sure if something got lost in translation, or whether I was just oblivious to the signs, but to me the whole thing still seemed totally innocent at this point – a few beers and a drunken dance with a new friend. We went back to the hostel, because Sana said that I needed to get changed, and that she had "a nice dress to go dancing in" that she wanted to put on. Figuring we would be going to some of the nicer places in the area, and not just the street side beer gardens, I switched my singlet and thongs for a collared shirt and enclosed shoes. After I got changed, she told me that we had to go back to her house first, so she could change into her dress. I didn't know why she couldn't just change at the hostel too, but at this point I had relinquished any control over the direction that the evening was taking. So as I stood at the top of the stairs while Sana chattered to her mother and sisters from inside another room, who occasionally peeked through the ajar door to get a better look at me, I came to the realisation that I had unwittingly let this scenario become, for all intents and purposes, a date.
The first bar we went to was called Heart of Darkness, which only had a handful of patrons, most of whom were nursing beers and playing pool. As we sat down on one of the couches, Sana scooted right over next to me so that our knees were touching, and that was when alarm bells really started to go off in my head. So naturally, I asked what she wanted to drink. "Whatever you're having, you're the boss." As I ordered two margaritas, I also realised that this time the shoe was on the other foot for me – as the man in this situation, it looked like I would be paying for this date. I still had no idea how it had happened, or how I was supposed to get out of it. Sana became even more flirty and a little bit tactile, getting closer so our knees where pushed together. Despite my best attempts to shuffle into a less suggestive position, I had to face the fact that my inaction or disinterest in the situation were not going to get the message across. So that was when I grew some balls and finally said what I thought everyone should have already been thinking.
"Hey, I need to say something. And I probably should have said it ages ago, and sorry that I didn't… But you should probably know that I'm gay." I didn't feel the immediate change in atmosphere that I was expecting, and for a moment of horror I thought she hadn't heard me, and that I would have to repeat the awkward confession again. But after a moment, Sana half-heatedly mumbled something, barely audible over the music. "Whatever you want to do, that's cool. Whatever you do, that's okay." It was a better reaction than I had expected, though it wasn't a hundred percent clear that she had understood what I had said. I tried to keep the positives coming by assuring her that I still wanted to dance, so we changed venues to another club called Pontoon, which had a few more people who were up and dancing. That still didn't help the mood though, and I ended up buying her another drink, just because I felt so bad. We did dance for a little bit, but the mood had officially taken a nose dive since I dropped my bombshell, and in the end she was feeling drunk enough for me to walk her home. I did that, thanked her for the evening, and gave her a hug before retiring back to the hostel.
Coming out is a very peculiar thing. Most of the time we think that once we've done it – made that big step towards being openly homosexual – we're out of the closet and that's that. I still remember the little thrill I had after confiding in many of my close friends, one by one, and the relief that came with releasing another fragment of that burden. But once it's done, you never really expect to have those nerve-wracking experiences, uncertain of how people will react or how you'll be received. I had a pretty gay life back at home – I worked in a gay owned business, I went out to gay bars every weekend, most of my friends were either gay men or fag hags. I also took a lot of gender studies classes at university. I never made a huge point about disclosing my sexuality, but I was just used to people assuming I was gay based on a lot of the facets of my life. Either that, or it just comes up in conversation when meeting new people. I mention it in passing, or add it into part of a story to provide some context, but I never had to flat out say it just for the sake of saying it.
But when I was so removed from my old life, and thrust into a position that was blatantly assuming my heterosexuality, I really struggled to stay true to my identity as a gay man. Coming out the first time is hard, but having to do it again can be just as difficult. It feels as though you're in a constant backslide, with a constant need to reaffirm your identity and save yourself from falling back into the script of normativity. Especially in South East Asia, where even the legalities of homosexuality still seem a little blurry, you never know how people are going to react. Maybe Cambodian girls just have really bad gaydars: in Sihanoukville I had another hostel worker girl doing splits by the pool for me in her bikini, and begging me to buy her a beer. It was uncomfortable, and there was no real way to stop the suggestive advances without making some kind of proclamation that would only result in more awkwardness for everyone.
And that really does suck. I hate feeling uncomfortable just for being myself. And I hate to think that I probably made Sana quite uncomfortable too. She was a lovely girl and I wouldn't wish what I put her through upon anyone. Having said that, I don't think what happened was entirely my fault. It was just a failure to communicate my feelings on something that Sana herself was being very clear about. In my journey so far, I've learnt a lot about myself, done some things I never thought I'd do, grown as a man, and ultimately, I've changed. There's nothing wrong with that, but amongst all the change I need to stay true to myself, and not let go of the fundamental things that make me who I am.
Posted in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Reflective, South-East Asia | Tagged awkward, backpacker, beer, Cambodia, coming out, Confession, dancing, date, gay, girl, Heart of Darkness, heterosexuality, homosexuality, hostel, jug, margaritas, normativity, Phnom Penh, Pontoon, pool, rain, romance, snooker, South East Asia, thunderstorm, Travel, writing | 1 Reply


We carry the yellow, red, white, and blue with the same pride that our fore fathers did. This website is dedicated for peace and security news and updates. NoToViolence.PH believes that our country the Philippines is under attack by violence and extremism online and offline. As Filipinos all over the world arise in taking the necessary steps to counter extremists, NoToViolence.PH strives to make a difference.


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Real Estate Focus January 19, 2016 <January 19, 2016
Affordable housing project begins in Hillsboro
by Patty Decker
Six new twin homes to accommodate 12 families will open by late summer in Hillsboro, according to Mark Cox, owner of Vintage Construction LLC, general contractor and one of the partners.
The difference between a twin home and a duplex, Cox said, is the twin home is one-half of a house that at some point can be owned by the renter, unlike a duplex that typically is a rental property only.
?These twin homes will have three bedrooms, two baths and a garage that enters into the house,? he said.
In addition, the homes will have durable flooring rather than wall-to-wall carpeting, refrigerator, range and washer and dryer.
?We will offer these to people who are lower income, and who may not have other options,? he said.
?It?s a good solid product with an extremely efficient furnace, (central) air conditioning and all energy star rated.?
The six buildings are at three different locations with four buildings at the corner of Third and Lincoln streets, one at 309-311 N. Ash St., and the other at 405-407 Cedar St.
?The only difference on Ash Street is that the twin homes there will not have a basement,? Cox added.
The two-family attached dwellings, he said, are designed more like a home with each side having a shared center wall.
?When the homes are finished,? Cox said, ?they will be surveyed and split down the middle.?
In the beginning, the homes will be available for rent, but at the end of 15 years when the tax credits are over, he said they will be offered for sale to the low income tenants if they are qualified to purchase them.
?It?s not a savings account,? he said. ?If a family lives there 10 years, they don?t get credit if they move out. They only get to use the credit to apply toward purchase.?
Citing an example, Cox said that if someone lived in the home the entire 15 years, that family, as a qualified low income tenant, would receive 3 percent off the appraised value each year for the 15 years or a 45 percent discount.
?It?s a great deal,? he said. ?And all (tenants) have to do is live there, take care of the property and learn how to become a homeowner.?
These 1,500 square feet homes are being built as tax credit developments, he said.
?The (Hillsboro) homes are almost identical to ones in Parson and Neodesha,? he said.
Cox said he?s been trying for three years to start a development in Hillsboro, and with the investors in place, the project is moving forward.
Using the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development tables, families of four making $37,140 or less are eligible for one of these homes, he said.
Families with five people must be making $40,140 or less in order to qualify.
Rent, depending on a family?s income, could be $485 for lower incomes to $525 for higher amounts.
?This is not age restrictive,? he said. ?It is only income restrictive.?
Potential renters who are in the Kansas Section 8 program, also called the housing choice voucher program, are also encouraged to apply, he said.
?We will accept applications with Section 8 vouchers in which the government pays part of the rent and the tenant pays the rest,? Cox said.
One example, he explained, involved a single mother with three children who was a part-time bus driver.
?She had some income, but not a lot. Her rent was $525, and she paid $150 with the government paying the other $375,? he said.
Cox, who was born and raised in Wichita, said he?s been doing these types of projects all over the state.
?When I am asked to help, I go,? he said.
He said he went to Independence after housing was lost after a flood in 2008.
?We had a 28-unit project there,? he said. ?The city of Parsons also called me when they heard (about the work done in Independence).?
He has also completed projects in Coffeyville, several in McPherson, Wichita, Clearwater and more.
?I wouldn?t call myself an expert, but I do know something about this, and we are confident we can help,? he said.
?With the investors in place and the project started,? he said, ?I want to give good props to city of Hillsboro, and single out Mayor Delores Dalke because of her diligence and pa?tience and willingness to cooperate and work with me.?
Along with Dalke, Cox said, he needs to include her staff.
?Everybody in city of Hillsboro has been wonderful to deal with on this.?
For any and all he needed on this project, Cox said the city stepped up to help.
?That speaks volumes because of all their efforts collectively,? he said.
According to Cox, these type of projects take a long time to complete.
?Tax credits are in such high demand,? he said, ?and it?s hard to get them because they are limited.
?There?s about 50 submitted (to HUD), and less than 15 or a 4 to 1 ratio of those get approved.?
The process includes a 22- page application, exhibits and supporting documentation, market studies, Phase?I environmental studies, geo-technical studies, underwriting guidelines matching the state, banks and investors and what HUD wants.
?Everything has to go together,? he said. ?But on the third try we got it approved.
?I told Delores I would get it done, but it took three times.?
Without these tax credits, the type of housing project going on in Hillsboro, and across the country, wouldn?t have been built.
Fred Bentley, director of rental development, Kansas Housing Resources Corporation at Topeka, said his responsibility in the project is administering federal housing programs.
Bentley explained the cost of building housing is getting out of control.
?Everybody is having so much trouble with housing because of these costs, and if there isn?t some sort of subsidy or incentive, then it?s difficult to get it built,? he said.
For developers who do get housing built with tax credits or other incentives, though, the rent would be astronomical, he added.
?Instead of costing between $485-$525, it would be more like $1,000 in rent,? Bentley said.
It is going to be a good comparison to see the differences between market-driven development with no assistance and ones that have it. New banking regulations have tightened up credit and made it more difficult for people to qualify for housing loans, he said.
?Homeownership is more difficult, and there?s more dynamics that make it harder.
?A lot of younger people are not wanting to buy homes because they don?t have enough money to do it, they?re not sure if they want to do it or they are not ready for that responsibility yet,? Bentley said.
Some people even got caught in the financial meltdown when homes sold for higher prices, but now aren?t worth the same amount of money, he said.
Cox is working alongside Mid-Kansas Community Action Program of El Dorado to help people move out of poverty and into independence.
Affordable Housing Project
Patty Decker
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Free Press Classifieds
Free Press Classifieds (Feb. 22, 2012)


Historically the validation and settlement of claims (electrical and otherwise) has been in the hands of providers who will claim to have specialist product and market knowledge which enables them to ensure the best possible claims settlement for all concerned.
What about repairs? Do they repair enough or is there a vested interest in them offering a replacement instead?
What about replacements? Is it like for like or have they got boxes to shift? Did the policyholder actually want a replacement or would they rather have had cash?
What about salvage? Is there money to be made from any of the components in the damaged item (especially IT and mobile phones)? Who's making money here?
What about the price? Just how genuine is it? Has everything been factored in, including volume rebates and what is often referred to as 'training support or 'marketing allowances'?
If you want to have strong, fair and effective arrangements in place, arrangements which treat you and your customers fairly then you will want to contact us at iClaim Solutions.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss with you in detail our technologically advanced "21st Century Claims Handling" system and demonstrate the key features we have integrated, and other cutting edge unique innovations.


Timeline - where are the best books?
where are the best books?
I try to review some of the books I've read and most of the ones I'm reading, share what they inspire me, what I love, like or dislike. I'm not always crazy about the big library successes (I hate Fan Brown's books) and love some unknown ones (suspense books by Lynne Heitmann). Books make you think, entertain you, connect you with the world. Of course, I dream of writing a great novel. Who knows?


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Oliver, Mary
The winner of many literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, Mary Oliver (b. 1935) is a popular American poet whose lyric poems contemplate the beauty of nature and the place of human beings in…
Hallelujah the Saviors are Here
Smith, Rachel
Rachel Smith wrote the poem, "Hallelujah the Saviors are Here," when she was 18 years old and a member of the Kenwood Academy Slam Poetry team. She performed this poem at the 2012 Louder…
Significant Other
Espaillat, Rhina
Poet Rhina Espaillat was born in the Dominican Republic, but came to the United States in 1939 after her family was forced into exile for opposing the Dominican government. For many years, she taught…
Monet Refuses the Operation
Mueller, Lisel
German-born poet and translator Lisel Mueller (b. 1924) fled the Nazi regime with her family when she was fifteen and settled in the Midwestern United States. In this dramatic monologue, Mueller…
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Tripoli Port becomes
transshipment hub for E.Asia
CMA CGM will start sending mother ships in August
CMA CGM has launched a direct route between China and Southeast Asia to North Europe, passing through Port of Tripoli (PoT), as a transshipment port.
The route will become operational as of August 16. "This move will transform the port from a secondary hub into a primary one," said PoT Director Ahmad Tamer.
CMA CGM ships up to 200 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) per week. Starting next month, at least 800 TEUs will pass through PoT per week. Feeder vessels will then move the merchandise to neighboring ports.
CMA CGM was using Malta's port as a primary transshipment hub, where feeder vessels would be sent to PoT. Its strategy has since changed, particularly following its 20 percent acquisition of Gulftainer, the company that manages PoT.
Freight costs will drop by at least 20 percent, according to Tamer. "Prices will become very convenient for merchants and importers. It will increase demand and hence, encourage other shipping lines to use our port," he said.
The first mother ship to arrive, Nerval, is 300 meters long, and has a gross tonnage of 73,000.
Reported by Yassmine Alieh
Date Posted: Jul 16, 2018


Find details of Home Interiors & Furniture - Costa Blanca, Spain.
Including items and services such as Beds, Bedding Shops, Curtains, Carpets, Rugs, Interior Design, Blinds and IKEA Furniture collection & delivery.
Find details of Businesses offering Furniture & Beds.
Find details of Interior Design, Curtains & Blinds.
Find details of Soft Furnishings & Bedding.
Lotus Homestyling offers an Interior Design Service on the Costa Blanca, including Made to Measure Curtains, Blinds & Soft furnishings. Lotus Homesyling is based in Benitachell, Spain.
Michael's of Javea is a furniture shop in Javea, specialising in buying and selling top quality second hand furniture, electrical goods and new beds and mattresses in the Javea area. Michael's of Javea also offer house clearances on the Costa Blanca.


Took this on Saturday in the cool of the morning, actually, mid morning after a breakfast in the bakery café opposite.
The camper was parked right in front of the Courthouse and as we walked back over the road, I spied the building then decided to have a crack at it. I was caught between the 65mm with oodles of spare negative, or a very tight fit with a 90mm; chose the 90mm.
As the lighting was cloudy to cloudy bright, the colours of the facade were rather muted. I opted for an orange filter to lighten the brickwork and make the render and other stuff stand out a bit; that was the theory.
Shen Hao HZX45-IIA Fujinon f/8 90mm, orange filter Ilford FP4+ D76 1:1.
I have included a mobile phone picture taken moments after I had put the camera away, just when the sun started to break through which kicked the contrast through the roof. I am pretty pleased with the effect the orange filter had on the brick work, I didn't think it would lighten them that much.