With some unusual carry-on luggage and an anxious welcome committee awaiting his arrival, Ethan Leder took off from the tarmac at Dulles International Airport in the early morning of Tuesday, Oct. 3, destined for hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
His mission: to personally deliver as many medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and emergency items as his jet could carry.
Rural areas of Puerto Rico have faced significant, devastating delays of aid following Hurricane Maria, which made landfall Sept. 20 as one of the strongest storms to hit the island in the past century.
Leder's plan began as a late-night epiphany while watching an evening news segment about the blockades and bureaucratic red tape preventing supplies from leaving the ports in San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital. Leder—a 1984 Johns Hopkins University graduate, a member of JHU's board of trustees since 2011, and co-founder of Precision Medicine Group—says he was disturbed by the disorganization he saw.
"I was getting very frustrated listening to these reports, and I just couldn't understand how the large relief organizations and our federal government couldn't do more," he says.
That night—Thursday, Sept. 28—a friend connected him to a Puerto Rican-born D.C. businessman, José Ortiz. Together, they discussed what could be done to help the people on the island. By Saturday, they were raiding wholesalers like Costco for infant formula, pain and anti-diarrheal medicines, insect repellents, and protein bars. They stopped by the sports outfitter REI to meet with the general manager and purchase as many water purification systems and solar LED lanterns as the store had in stock.
"When we went to the front of the [clinic], I saw two elementary school-sized desks, each with a tray of supplies on them—and that's all they had."
Ortiz had put Leder in touch with a city administrator and a head doctor from Aguada, Puerto Rico, a town of less than 50,000 people on the island's west coast. The doctor sent Leder a seven-page, handwritten list of the supplies the town needed.
"So then I went to work on my friends and colleagues," Leder jokes.
By Monday, and with the help of members of Precision Medicine Group—including Hopkins alum Kevin Roach—Leder had contacted executives from regional health care providers including Suburban Hospital (which is part of the Johns Hopkins Health System), the MedStar Health System, and Superior Biologics. They provided medicines to care for chronic conditions, such as insulin for regulating diabetes. They also provided what Leder calls "battlefield" supplies—antibiotics, drugs, tools, and first aid items that are the most critical and in-demand during disasters and emergencies.
"When there's no running water or electricity, nothing can be sterilized," he says. "So the doctors had to have disposable medical and surgical supplies in order to treat their patients."
By 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, they were ready for takeoff.
The group touched down in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, where the island's second largest airport is located, after a quick stopover in Fort Lauderdale to load additional supplies and switch to a larger plane. Then they made their way to nearby Aguada and the makeshift clinic that had been set up in one of the town's churches.
"Their hospital had been wiped out—it was unusable," Leder says. "When we arrived at the clinic, they brought us into this big room full of people waiting to be treated. There were doctors and nurses who looked exhausted. When we went to the front of the room, I saw two elementary school-sized desks, each with a tray of supplies on them—and that's all they had."
When the head doctor saw the van of supplies waiting outside, he broke down and wept, says Leder.
"He told me, 'You don't understand, we've been working with nothing,'" he says.
On that first trip, Leder and Ortiz brought more than 1,500 pounds of supplies to Aguada. On their return flight back to the mainland, they brought with them a mother and her three young children who had family in Jacksonville, and a dialysis patient who had been forced by the drug and power shortage to ration her treatment.
When Leder returned home, he says he had received at least 100 phone calls and emails from colleagues, friends, former business partners, and medical professionals asking how they could contribute to his mission. So he began planning a second trip.
On Oct. 10, Leder and Ortiz were joined by Angelique Sina, co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Puerto Rico, who had connections to other west coast mayors and city administrators. Again they landed in Aguadilla, this time meeting on the tarmac representatives from four neighboring municipalities: Isabela, Las Marías, Maricao, and Moca. They divvied up more than 2,500 pounds of supplies.
Leder says the experience opened his eyes to the demands and the urgency of disaster relief.
"In natural disasters, you have to first stabilize the situation by any means necessary and as fast as possible," he says. "Then, you evaluate and set up the infrastructure that will let you sustain your efforts over the long haul. In this instance [of Puerto Rico], it seems that the larger relief efforts have not deployed rapidly enough to address the consequences of Hurricane Maria. We can—and must—do better."
He adds that it was personally fulfilling to be able to provide the aid that he could. The experience illustrates, he says, the ability of individuals and small groups to make a difference in the lives of others.
"It was an honor to be able to do this," Leder says. "But it's really important that I say this: I'm not superhuman, I'm just a person. I have some resources, and I was willing to invest the resources and call on my friends, who were incredibly generous and more than willing to provide key supplies. Because we were able to act with very practical and specific goals and without overburdening the mission with restrictions, we were able to make quite a bit of progress quickly. It tells me that if we could amplify these ingredients, particularly in the early days of an emergency, then we could really make a difference."


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Home » Features » Loretto in Taos
LOREtto
Loretto in Taos
Posted on May 10, 2018, by Eleanor Craig SL
January 1893 – St. Joseph Convent and School.
The late August numbers of the Taos newspapers in 1913 carried the following, in Spanish and in English:
GOLDEN JUBILEE
The Sisters of Loretto Spend Half a Century in Taos, New Mexico
Early in 1863, Rev. Father Gabriel Usell, the then parish priest of Taos, New Mexico, recognizing the need of a convent and Sisters to instruct the young of Northern New Mexico, petitioned the church authorities to establish a colony of the Sisters of Loretto at that place.
Three Sisters of that Order were started overland from Santa Fe. The superior was Euphrosyne Thompson, and Sister Ignacia Mora and Sister Angelica Ortiz accompanied her.
These three sisters opened a convent in the house now occupied by Don. Santiago Romero, this house having been purchased for them by Father Gabriel with funds derived from the sale of his horse and buggy.
On November 3rd, 1863, a school for girls was opened with an encouraging attendance.
1902 – Sisters of Loretto and Pedro from Taos Pueblo.
Fifty years of Loretto in Taos! And there would be almost one hundred more years! Who were these Loretto women? What part did they play in Taos history and what was their daily life like? Fifty years had seen a lot of change in the hometown of Kit Carson and Josefa Jaramillo; the culture of the old Spanish Catholics had been slowly giving way to the Anglo culture brought by railroads and the Protestant ranchers. Much of the change can be read between the lines of the Sisters' record book called The Annals:
October 15, 1863. The Sisters left Santa Fe for Taos, the whole journey of seventy miles being made in carriages over very rough roads, through mountains, and along the Rio Grande. …The Sisters were obliged to walk nearly half the way. In those days such journeys were considered pleasure trips! Railroads were not thought of.
The Sisters' record book contains day-by-day entries—amusing, interesting, surprising, impressive, quaint, and occasionally disturbing. Taken together, the annals for the first 50 years of Loretto in Taos give a uniquely detailed picture of the work and lives of women of substance, dispelling many of the usual caricatures. These annals are available in the archives of the Loretto Heritage Center on the grounds of the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Loretto in Nerinx, Ky.
The Sisters had been invited to Taos by the local priest, Gabriel Ussel, the appointee of the new French Bishop Jean Baptiste in place of Padre Antonio Jose Martinez, who had lived among and served the people of Taos for decades. Martinez refused to relinquish his large cache of cultural and religious power; he separated himself and many in the Taos community from the bishop's church rather than comply with Lamy's project of reforming the Hispanic clergy. The Sisters' school was to be a bridge between Ussel's and Martinez's factions of the Church in Taos. According to the Sisters' annals, "November 2, 1863. The school opened with a very good number of girls. … At that time there was a schism in the parish, but all parties patronized the Sisters' school the same."
Fall 1908 – Patio of St. Joseph Convent. Sisters Marguerite Pacheco, William Ann Gartin, Angeline McGinnis, Casilda White, Father Giraud, Euphrosyne Thompson, Mother Barbara Everin.
The three Sisters who arrived in October 1863 were a representative mix of Anglo and Hispanic, just like the Loretto Community they had left in Santa Fe, and just like the Taos community they came to teach. These are the three who opened school in the same building that was their convent just two weeks after arriving:
Euphrosyne Thompson (Elizabeth Catherine Thompson, 1839-1908), was 24 when she was sent from Santa Fe with two others in 1863 to establish the school in Taos. Euphrosyne had frontier courage in her blood, being one of a pioneering family that had settled in Maryland in the 1630s and emigrated to Kentucky after the Revolutionary War.
Ignatia Mora (Pilar Mora, 1842-1901), was schooled in her family's home in Albuquerque, N.M., as a child; she attended Our Lady of Light Academy in Santa Fe for four years of high school, then worked a year with Euphrosyne in the Loretto day school. She entered the Loretto novitiate in Santa Fe in 1859 at the age of 17. She was 21 when she accompanied Euphrosyne and Angelica to Taos in 1863. There she taught art and the sciences until going to Las Cruces, N.M., to take charge. She returned to Taos in 1898 for three years when in her mid-50s. She died in Santa Fe in 1901.
Angelica Ortiz (Petra Ortiz, 1839-1913) was 24 when she was sent to Taos in 1863. She had been one of the earliest students at Our Lady of Light Academy in Santa Fe, and was one of the first to be received into the Loretto novitiate in Santa Fe. She was 16 years old, among the first Hispanic women to join Loretto. She may have worked with Euphrosyne at the day school in Santa Fe from 1858 to 1863. She was with Euphrosyne and Ignatia Mora in Taos for only one year. She circulated from year to year among the Santa Fe academy, and the schools of Las Vegas, N.M., and Mora, serving with Euphrosyne in both Las Vegas and Mora. Angelica died in Santa Fe in the 50th anniversary year of the school she helped establish in Taos.
Loretto Schools in the 1860s were privately owned and operated by the Sisters of Loretto. The Taos school was to be such a private school; it would not be purchased by the church parish until the 1920s. A few of the more than 30 academies established by Loretto between her founding in Kentucky in 1812 and the arrival of Sisters in Taos in 1863 include Our Lady of Light in Santa Fe, 1852; Loretto Academy in Florissant, Mo., and Osage Mission, Kan., both in 1847; St Benedict's in Louisville, Ky., 1842; Loretto Academy in Marion County, Ky., 1834; Bethlehem Academy, Perry County, Mo., 1823; Gethsemani School in Nelson County, Ky., 1818; Calvary Academy at Holy Mary, Ky., 1816.
Sisters Angelica McGinnis, William Ann Gartin, Margarita Pacheco in Taos Convent, August 1912
In Taos, the founding Sisters' first housing was provided by the local pastor as an incentive for them to come in 1863. Over the years the Sisters purchased additional acreage, built a two-story adobe building (1882), large enough to house three or four Sisters and as many as 22 boarding students. Two large classrooms held 80 to 100 students each, one for primary grades, the other for intermediate grades. In addition, there was a gathering hall and space for one of the Sisters to teach private music lessons.
Each of the academies was set up to be self-sufficient; tuition and donations received from students' families and local supporters were the sole sources of income — plus, of course, all the fundraisers, programs, socials and so forth that brought in funds one nickel and dime at a time. When income fell short in a given year in Taos, the Sisters cut back on comforts, delayed needed repairs, took in sewing and washing, took on more private music students, dismissed paid help and took care of even more of the outdoor and indoor chores themselves. Finally, they sought paid positions with the public school system.
Thirty years after the Sisters arrived, they individually signed contracts with the Taos School Board to teach public school classes for the short four or five months of the public school year. In the first year, 1894, one Sister and her classroom was hired for the public school; simultaneously the other Sister and classroom ran "our private school." In succeeding years two and sometimes even three Sisters would have public contracts, depending on the number of students recruited by the school board. Each Sister taught between 80 and 100 children in ungraded classes. When numbers warranted, the school board rented more space in the Sisters convent and contracted lay teachers. Whenever one or more Sisters were not under contract, they opened the private school to enhance their income with private tuition according to ability to pay.
Shortly after their 50th anniversary in Taos, the Sisters opened high school classes under contract to the school board. ome years the salaries and/or rent were not forthcoming for months. The Sisters' annals — the account of daily life kept in the convent — record:
1905-06. The School Board refused to employ Sisters in the public school, so the Sisters had to rely on their little private school, so the year was extremely hard for them.
"August 16, 1910. Difficulty about the contracts for the public school, as is usual. They do not want to pay us rent. We shall be glad when that old Lee Witt is out. Ed Espinosa is against us too — a boy who was educated here too; so Mr. Montaner can do very little. Mr. Dwire is still the same kind friend.
"February 26, 1915. We may have to wait some time for our salary as we have been informed that there is no money in the treasury to pay for the month just closed.
1958 – At the time the old school was renovated.
From the beginning of teaching for the public school, the Sisters in Taos were targets of disapproval, which gradually hardened into fierce opposition. The Sisters saw great irony in this, since in many parts of the Rocky Mountain west, the Loretto Sisters were the first or among the first to qualify for public school teaching certificates. In Taos the courses for teacher training which were organized by the school board were held at the Sisters' convent, using the Sisters' classrooms as demonstration sites. School Superintendent Mr. Montenar said more than once, "The Sisters' school is the only one worthy of the name and the best teachers in the county are those who had been taught by the Sisters." Nevertheless, in a school board election in 1912 a majority of citizens voted for the candidate who opposed the Sisters, according to the Sisters' annals:
April 1, 1912. Such exciting times today. It was the election of a member to the School Board. …There were two candidates: one for the Sisters and the other against us. It was a hot contest; carriages were running all day back and forth, carrying voters, the women voting for the first time in Taos. Many wanted the Sisters to go and vote, even Father was thinking of it. …We did not go and we were delighted, too, that we did not. For the opposing party won. So it is well we were not seen. Many are against us and want us out of the school.
Religion and culture scholar Kathleen Holschner, in her 2012 book "Religious Lessons", writes that these conflicts culminated in the 1948-51 "Dixon Case," and resulted in the baring of Sisters in religious garb from public school teaching in New Mexico. Holschner attributes some of the animas against the Sisters to the belief of Protestant Americans that nuns would of necessity force their students into what then was viewed as the anti-democratic mindset of the Roman Church. A closer look at the cultural background of Loretto women teaching public school in Taos suggests they were not likely to behave like their European counterparts.
Euphrosyne Thompson was 19 when she traveled by steam boat and mule train from her Kentucky roots to Santa Fe in 1858. Rosanna Dant (Ellen Dant, 1834-1916), followed Euphrosyne as superior in Taos in 1875, but she came earlier to New Mexico, being one of the original four who traveled from Kentucky to Santa Fe to establish Our Lady of Light Academy in 1852.
1959 – Renovated through the generosity of Conrad N. Hilton.
Both women were granddaughters of Kentucky's first settlers, themselves pioneers from Maryland whose ancestors had arrived in the New World six generations earlier, with the waves of Protestant pilgrims. Both Sisters had grown up in the "Catholic Holy Land" of central Kentucky, a community of independent-minded Maryland Catholics imbued with the spirit of the American Revolution, practiced in the resilience and self-reliance of the frontier —- even self-reliance in spiritual matters, for they practiced their Catholicism without benefit of clergy for months and years on end.
Sister Euphrosyne and Rosanna and all the other Loretto women were members of an entirely American religious order which had sprouted in Kentucky soil in 1812, unencumbered by European ties or models of religious life. The earliest school of the Sisters of Loretto had as its first rule, "No Denomination is refused, if willing to observe the Rules of the School – the other Denomination will not be forced on Sunday & Holyday to go to the Chapel & perform our Christian duties, but they must suffer to be friendly; invited in the School they are to be present at every exercise & to behave, if not in a Religious, at least in a civil manner."
Despite Loretto's openness to democratic diversity, the public school connection continued to be uneasy, finally coming to an end in the spring of 1928. Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish purchased the property and St. Joseph's went on as a parochial school with the Sisters of Loretto as teachers until the school closed permanently in 1973. Sisters worked in other capacities in Taos until 1976. In August 1987, Loretto Sisters returned to Taos, contributing another 25 years to the community.
History, LOREtto
Eleanor Craig SL
Eleanor has been a Sister of Loretto since 1963 and an educator since birth. She graduated from two of Loretto's best known St. Louis institutions, Nerinx Hall High School in 1960, and Webster University in 1967. She taught mathematics at Loretto in Kansas City, where her personal passion for adventure history inspired her to develop and lead treks along the historic Oregon Trail. From 1998 to 2010 she created an award-winning program of outdoor adventure along the Western trails for teens who are visually impaired. Eleanor claims to have conducted more wagon trains to the West than the Mountain Men! From 2012 to 2021, Eleanor led a talented staff of archivists and preservationists at the Loretto Heritage Center on the grounds of the Motherhouse. She recently retired, but still serves in the Heritage Center as Loretto Community Historian.
← Loretto Co-members Lead Group on Border Journey
A Tribute to Nazareth Living Center →

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Toggle Visibility of Separate Javascript Files on Same Wordpress Page Let me preface by saying this is all in relation to a Wordpress page. My knowledge of JS is lacking at best and the concept of installing/loading/enqueueing a function on one area of the site and then calling that function in another area of the site is a something that makes sense to me in my head but is very new to me in practice and might need a little explaining.
I have two separate javascript files that I would like to load on a single page, but toggle visibility/display of either based on radio button input. The JS is provided by a 3rd party and is offsite. Their provided code is this:

and

Each file presents a separate set of filtered results from their database. How can I incorporate both onto a page but only have one or the other showing based on a radio button form input? I would like the page to start off with nothing visible (hopefully giving time for both JS to load in the background while the user selects an option) and then show one or the other depending on what they selected.
You can see a single one of these in action at http://pricelesspetrescue.org/adoptable-dogs/. I'm trying to incorporate the use of an additional file on that same page based on input from the user and only showing one or the other rather than both.
I have tried to manage the following

Please select a location to view:
<form>
    <input value="1" type="radio" name="formselector" onClick="displayForm(this)"></input>Chino Hills
    <input value="2" type="radio" name="formselector" onClick="displayForm(this)"></input>Claremont
</form>

This gets pretty close to what I need. The problem I have is the second script load seems to conflict with the functions they provide in the script. It will display the initial result but does not carry any of the functionality that it should have. http://pricelesspetrescue.org/test-page/ Nothing is clickable inside those results and should be.
Been searching through various similar posts and the wordpress codex and...and...I just haven't been able to come up with anything that seems close enough to what I'm looking for to make the answer click in my head.
Edit: It seems that if I only load one of the scripts in either what I have above or the suggested answer below, all functionality is present when loaded. It's the loading of the second toolkit script that is breaking the page. I'm guessing one would need to be loaded then unloaded before loading the second for it to work. Any ideas?

A: The toolkit.js file you linked adds some common scripts to the DOM (via document.write function, which is not a good solution - see here: http://www.jameswiseman.com/blog/2011/03/31/jslint-messages-document-write-can-be-a-form-of-eval/), then populates an array (toolkitObjects) with a series of variables that are custom per file and finally loads some other scripts.
It also seems that each file loads a div with a specific class containing all the pets, and each div is identifiable by a specific class ( "rgtk-SOMEID" ) and therefore can be shown/hidden via javascript.
Here is an example of what you can obtain using the div class:
http://jsbin.com/loneyijuye/edit?html,output

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Home Archive for category "CBD Dosage For Dogs"
CBD Oil dosage for dogs. How much CBD for dogs? CBD for dog seizures. CBD for canine separation disorder. Is CBD safe for dogs? Does CBD work for dogs with epilepsy? CBD for dogs side-effects. How to find the dosage sweet-spot. CBD for dog anxiety.


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New Moto G phones bring a stylus and a huge battery to the mid-range
Both new Moto G phones come with 6.4-inch displays
Two new Moto G phones are coming in 2020
The stylus fits into the Moto G Stylus when it's not in use
The Moto G Power packs in a 5,000-mAh battery
Both phones offer triple-lens rear cameras
The latest low-budget, high-value Android phones from Motorola have arrived, with the Moto G Power and Moto G Stylus set to be two of the best reasons why you don't have to buy a flagship phone in 2020.
The Moto G Stylus is particularly interesting: no Motorola phone has ever come with a stylus before, and indeed it's one of very few phones on the market today from any manufacturer to come with its own pointing device.
Up to this point, the obvious choice for those who want a stylus with their phones has been the Galaxy Note series from Samsung, but the Moto G Stylus will set you back several hundred dollars less, retailing for US$299.99.
The stylus slots into the chassis of the handset from the bottom, and while it lacks some of the extra tricks and the Bluetooth connectivity of the S Pen stylus that Samsung makes, it will pair with a new Moto Note app that lets you jot down scribbles and sketches on the phone's display, even while the phone's display is locked.
The big selling point on the $249.99 Moto G Power, meanwhile, is the 5,000-mAh battery: that should be good enough to get you well through a day of use and beyond. Motorola is promising up to 27 hours of video playback and up to three days of use between charges.
Both of the new phones come with 6.4-inch displays and are powered by the mid-range Snapdragon 665 chip from Qualcomm, as well as 4 GB of RAM. The internal storage on the Moto G Power is 64 GB, while on the Moto G Stylus that goes up to 128 GB, and both phones have a microSD slot for expanding on that.
As for cameras, the Moto G Stylus comes with a triple-lens 48 MP + 16 MP + 2 MP rear camera, which drops down to a triple-lens 16 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP snapper on the Moto G Power. A number of AI-powered tricks will be available, apparently, including automatic smile detection for capturing that perfect group shot.
Corners have been cut, of course, to keep the price points low – neither of these phones come with IP68 waterproof casings, or NFC for making mobile payments on the go, or support for wireless charging.
Motorola has made its name in recent years with competitively priced, decently specced phones, and the Moto G Stylus and Moto G Power show it still has a few tricks up its sleeve for 2020. The phones are going to be available in spring in the US and Canada.
Source: Motorola
Mobile TechnologyMobilesmartphonesMotorola
Dave is a UK-based freelance technology journalist who has been writing about apps, gadgets and the Web for more than a decade.
ARF! February 10, 2020 09:17 PM
will the Moto G Stylus still have the same skinny tall screen 18/19:9 ratio as the regular G does??
man, I wish Motorola or some other Co. would make, instead of tablet-sized phones, a phone-sized tablet.
just imagine it, a 4"x3"-screened tablet but with good Moto specs'n'price... unf, dat wide THICCNESS!!


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Florida: Key West for Casual Laid Back Good Food, Good Culture and the Sea
Added by Lucy Komisar on 02/13/2012
Saved under Destinations, Florida, Lucy Komisar, North America, Slumber, Travel Tips, USA
Tags: casa marina, danger charters cruise, eden house, florida, food, key west, Lucy Komisar, theatre
By Lucy Komisar
In 1971, Mike Eden, a Marine Vietnam vet, went to Key West on a spring break from Michigan State where he'd been on the GI bill for 7 years. Two-thirds of Duval Street, the main drag, was boarded up. He wasn't discouraged. He came back twice more and discovered the Gibson hotel, a clapboard building that had been built in 1924. The Gibsons wanted to sell it. Eden scrounged and borrowed for the down payment and closed the deal in 1975.
In the following years, he bought the neighboring conch houses, a parking lot, a pool. The houses are traditionally clapboard because the first settlers took their wooden boats apart to build dwellings. The Bahamians added verandas and shutters. Now "Eden House" is an intimate conch house collection, surrounded by Areca palms, black olives, Shady Lady trees and corn plants. Mike told us the story sitting in a swing on the porch of the conch house we were staying in. It was built in the 19th century and still keeps its private entrance.
Eden House — our room in the conch house, and pool!
Most of the guests are Americans, but you'll always hear a foreign accent. Germans like it as a gemütliche Gasthaus. Happy hour is 4pm at the pool, which is open at night. (There's a webcam to check out the action.) But no noise is allowed on the grounds before 10am or after 10pm. Coffee and fruit are available 24 hours a day in the lobby. Our room had a fridge, microwave and coffee maker. Clocks are backwards to suggest you ought to forget time!
Key West is the kind of place where people like to stay in small hotels and bed & breakfasts. It's casual and not pretentious, though often very comfortable, and of course the ambience and the 70s weather helps.
Most of what you do, what we did, was done out of doors.
Casa Marina cooking class – and seared tuna salad
We had a fabulous lunch at the "Sun Sun" café on the beach patio of the legendary Casa Marina. Beyond the terrace were people on beach chaises and hammocks, some in kayaks in the shimmering sea, and a gaggle perched on jet skis. Swarms of sea gulls swooped through the palms over the white umbrellas.
To one side was a cooking class, with participants happily eating the results. The piped music was moody Jamaican, Bob Marley. The menu was surprisingly affordable, most dishes at $15: blackened snapper, tuna, mahi mahi or shrimp. My seared tuna was delicious. A terrific place for lunch.
Near the Casa Marina are public hard-surface tennis courts, and we played there several times during the week. I loved glancing at the beach and the palms as I waited for a serve.
Sunset cruise – wine and glorious colours
We never miss a Key West sunset cruise. Because the island is the tiny end point of Florida, there's the Atlantic on the east and the Gulf of Mexico on the west. (The place where they meet is marked by a sign!) It means you can sail right into the sunset. People watch it from Mallory Square, but it's fun to go out on a boat – especially when it's the Danger Charters Wind and Wine Sunset Cruise, that includes a generous tasting of champagne plus eight high-end reds and whites. And nibbles of cheese and crackers, sausage and crudités. The pièce de résistance, of course, is the extraordinary blaze of colors when the sun goes down.
There's plenty of chance for the more traditional "theatrical experience." The advantage of Key West as a place that appeals to an arty community is that there's a host of performing talent living there. Or happy to visit. The Red Barn Theatre was built as a carriage house in 1829, was used as a playhouse at various times in the 40s to 60s, and became the Red Barn Theatre in 1980. It puts on new plays and revivals, doing work by many prominent playwrights. We were pleased that during our week it featured "Forbidden Broadway," that clever, charming, affectionately biting parody of Broadway musicals that Gerard Alessandrini has staged in New York for years. This production directed by Becky Barta was as good as any I've seen, speaking as a critic and member of the New York Drama Desk.
Forbidden Broadway (photo by Mike Marrero)
It included a great spoof of "Les Miz" with painted wooden flags carried by a troupe (Marjorie Paul-Shook, J.B. McLendon, Eric Cole and Gayla Morgan) announcing that they will be "ready when the British come." (An inside theater joke.) And complaining about seeking tickets to "The Lion King," "a story so bizarri, it's Hamlet on safari." Also "Lisa," brassy and breathless, dressed in sequins on chiffon, intones "I'm Lisa one-note… your ears will be ringing in pain, that's why my friends snort cocaine."
Among my favorites this time: Annie, with a dangling cigarette, complaining, "I'm 30 years old tomorrow and I haven't worked since I played Annie, since I was 10!" And a send-up of wordsmith Stephen Sondheim which turns "Into the Woods" into "Into the words that trip you up and fry your brain and sprain your tongue." Marjorie Paul-Shook and Gayla Morgan do a wonderful Chita Rivera-Rita Moreno rivalry (Chita did the stage production of West Side Story, but Rita got the film role.) And more! Sam Willmott accompanied with panache at the piano.
Those were not the only high-end local talents. One day at cocktail time we drove to the Marriott Beachside Tavern N Town to see and hear Carmen Rodriguez and Michael Thomas in a few hours of mellow cabaret. Carmen's slightly jazzy honeyed voice caresses songs such as "Let's fall in love" and "The look of love." Michael at the piano and keyboard is a whole orchestra. Carmen has a perky, bubbly personality, and fans come in and hug her. Carmen: this is a hug!
1015 Fleming Street (in the historic center).
Key West, FL 33040-6962. (305) 296-6868.
39 rooms including two full apartments. Prices from Jan mid-season and holidays $115 to $400, more for apts. Bike rentals range from $10 for 12 hours to $55 for a week.
1500 Reynolds Street, Key West, FL 33040. (305) 296-3535.
Danger Charters Wind and Wine Sunset Cruise
Buy tickets online or at the booth at Mallory Square at the dock opposite the Westin hotel, south of Whitehead and Greene. (305) 304-7999 or (800) 979-3370. $75; 2-hour cruise leaves at 5; wine, beer, soft drinks, healthy snacks.
Red Barn Theatre
319 Duval Street, Key West, FL. (305) 296-9911.
Marriott Beachside Tavern N Town
3841 N Roosevelt Blvd., Key West, FL (outside the historic center).
Carmen Rodriquez on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5 to 9.
From 5 to 7, tapas for $7 and two-for-one wine.
Airport: Several major air carriers fly to Key West International Airport. Many flights are routed through Miami International Airport, although some smaller airlines fly to Key West from other cities in Florida and the Bahamas. It's a three hour drive through the Keys from Miami Airport.
Florida Keys Tourism information.
Travel Tips: Stay Healthy on Your Next Cruise
Travel News: Turks & Caicos to Welcome Boutique Hotel - Beach House
Top 15 Romantic Travel Destinations
About Lucy Komisar
Lucy Komisar is a New York journalist who writes about travel and theater and also investigates the offshore bank and corporate secrecy system and how it services international crime & corruption. (That takes her to interesting places!) Visit her website: The Komisar Scoop
View all posts by Lucy Komisar →


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Taylor Swift's upcoming 2023 tour sparked a frenzy that turned into a fiasco for unprepared Ticketmaster.
Remember when she played Bridges Auditorium?
Taylor Swift performs in Bridges Auditorium on October 15, 2012. Photos courtesy of Frank Micelotta for VH1 Storytellers
It's been 10 years since Swift's live acoustic concert on the Pomona campus on October 15, 2012. The 22-year-old played for about 3,000 of her millennial peers at The Claremont Colleges, thanks to Harvey Mudd students who leveraged strategy and social media to tally the top score in the "Taylor Swift on Campus" contest sponsored by Chegg, the textbook rental and edtech company.
The Bridges concert even led to a wedding. Tyler Womack '15 and Vicente Robles '16 met at Pomona and became good friends after Robles gave Womack the Swift tickets he won in a lottery. After a 10-year courtship, the couple married on campus in Richardson Garden next to Seaver House. "You Belong With Me," was part of the early romance that led to the couple's wedding on campus on June 18, 2022.
Swift is scheduled to launch her tour in March and wrap up in the Los Angeles area in August with multiple dates at SoFi Stadium. Never ever getting back together? Ms. Swift, it's a mere 45 miles to Marston Quad.


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Question: What Does 40 Mean In The Bible?
What is the significance of 40 days fasting?
Why is 40 a holy number?
What is the 40 day fast called?
What is the longest fast ever recorded?
Who waited the longest in the Bible?
What is God's phone number?
What does 40 mean spiritually?
What is so special about the number 40?
What does numbers mean biblically?
What did Jesus do for 40 days?
What is God's number?
What is Jesus's number?
For 40 days the faithful traditionally give something up for Lent, usually a treat of some kind, or take on a special discipline of prayer.
This time of self-discipline is modeled on Christ's famous 40-day fast in the wilderness described by Luke and Matthew's Gospels, both in Chapter 4..
Christianity similarly uses forty to designate important time periods. Before his temptation, Jesus fasted "forty days and forty nights" in the Judean desert (Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2). Forty days was the period from the resurrection of Jesus to the ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:3).
Lent is traditionally described as lasting for 40 days, in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry, during which he endured temptation by Satan.
The longest known fast was in 1971, when a 27-year-old man survived on water and supplements for 382 days and shrank from 456 to 180 pounds. In 1981, Irish republican prisoners refused food for more than two months before dying, but in 2010, a Florida woman on a water-only religious fast died within just 26 days.
MethuselahHaving died at the age of 969, he lived the longest of all figures mentioned in the Bible….MethuselahChildrenLamech, and other sons and daughters5 more rows
In the 2003 Jim Carrey comedy "Bruce Almighty," God's phone number (776-2323, no area code) appears on the Carrey character's pager, so of course moviegoers called it and asked to speak to God. That's kind of funny, unless you happened to own that number in your area code.
Wikipedia defined the number 40 as having great symbolic meaning to Jews, Christians and Muslims even today, and the number is used in terms of time, representing a period of probation and trial.
In religion, 40 seems to be shorthand for "a long time." Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness being tempted by the devil; the great flood lasted 40 days and 40 nights; the Jewish people wandered the desert for 40 years.
Numbers are a Biblical means God speaks to His people. … As one of many Biblical examples of numbers, seven refers to "a day of rest" (Genesis 2:3). Five often stands for grace. The number 12 as Apostolic derived from the account where Jesus appointed 12 disciples to be with Him (Mark 3:14).
After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus was tempted by the devil for 40 days and nights in the Judaean Desert. … Jesus having refused each temptation, Satan then departed and Jesus returned to Galilee to begin his ministry. During this entire time of spiritual battle, Jesus was fasting.
The term "God's number" is sometimes given to the graph diameter of Rubik's graph, which is the minimum number of turns required to solve a Rubik's cube from an arbitrary starting position (i.e., in the worst case). "God's Number is 20." https://www.cube20.org/. …
888In Christian numerology, the number 888 represents Jesus, or sometimes more specifically Christ the Redeemer. This representation may be justified either through gematria, by counting the letter values of the Greek transliteration of Jesus' name, or as an opposing value to 666, the number of the beast.
Question: Who Owns Stuff You Should Know?
Are podcasts downloaded or streamed? Podcast downloads
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What happens to the value of a car when it is discontinued?
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What do you need to consider when starting a business?
Question: Who Can See My Google Email?
Is your Google account private? A Google Account is
Should I Retake A 1500 SAT?
Should I retake a 1510 SAT? No, do not retake the SAT
Question: Why Did Thanos Kill All Of The Dwarves?
Was Thanos evil? Is Thanos evil. … Thanos can
Question: What Is The Rarest Shoe Ever?
Who owns the most shoes in the world? The sisters'
Can Grandparents Open A Child Savings Account?
What is the best way for a grandparent to save for
Is Amazon Prime Profitable For Amazon?
How much does Amazon make in 2020? Amazon today reported
Quick Answer: What Does How On Earth Mean?
What does Earth mean in English? (Entry 1 of 2) 1
Are The Contestants On Game Of Games Actors?
What do contestants fall into on Ellen'
Quick Answer: Why Is Monday The Worst Day Of The Week?
What's the best day of the week to have off?
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Do I want mobile data on or off? You can limit your
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he West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) is a WA fishing icon. It grows to a great size, tastes superb and is targeted by both commercial and recreational fishers. This species belongs to the Glaucosomatidae family (the pearl perches). It's endemic to Western Australia, which means it doesn't occur anywhere else.


Game Description: KottuKali is a stylish strategic board game with very simple rules. KottuKali is a 2 player board game and it is now available on Facebook, where you can do online challenge with the Players and can do text chat with your opponent. KottuKali is also available at App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod versions.
Your IP address (3.80.128.196) will be sent with free board games ... do not attempt to spam.


We got up early and left the hotel before six o'clock to drive to the railway station.
Fog covered most of the city. Traffic was heavy coming up to the railway station even in the early morning, and in the typical Indian style, going in all directions to get to the destination. Patience and allowing plenty of time are needed. We reached the station well before our train's scheduled departure at 7 o'clock, but there was bad news. Due to the weather our train was delayed for three hours until 11 o'clock. Our guide decided to take us to a hotel nearby for a coffee and a rest. By 9 o'clock we got a message that our train was further delayed until 2 o'clock in the afternoon. We knew by now we were not going to be able to make the connection with the famous toy train from Kalka to Shimla and the alternative way, to drive from Kalka to Shimla. taking about three hours would be necessary. We presumed the train from Delhi to Kalka would now definitely run at 2 o'clock so we would still manage to arrive in Shimla by 9 or 10 in the evening.
In order to pass the next few hours before going back to the railway station for the train at two in the afternoon our guide took us to the famous Sikh temple Gurdwara Bangla Sahib which was nearby. Like all Sikh temples you are required to take off your shoes and socks and also cover your head. The next step is to wash your hands from the water tap and step through the water channel between the ground and the first step of the staircase going up to the temple. Since we did not have headscarfs to cover our heads our guide asked us to pick the used one from the box that people use for free. I left my hat in the car so I had to use one of these, but it is best to remember to bring your own headscarf with you when visiting Sikh temples.
We returned to the railway station in the afternoon and saw that the delayed train was still scheduled for 2 o'clock departure. This was good news and we were also encouraged by the fact that more people were arriving at the platform and waiting for the arrival of the train. Our guide stayed with us until the train eventually turned up at two o'clock and even got on the train with us to locate our allocated seats. He waited until the train began to move before jumping off onto the platform and fortunately landing safely.
We were in the first class compartment which was about the same level of comfort as the standard class in European trains. Our guide told us that lunch was included on the train. We were given a bottle of water and a portion of rice with dhal (lentil curry) each on a tray followed by a cup of hot tea and a small pack of biscuits. I enjoyed it because it was a typical local Indian style rather than a cold sandwich Western style. It was a slow train stopping and going through many villages and towns on the way. The rural landscapes and cityscapes began to unfold outside our compartment window. The most unique feature was the houses and people living so close to the railway line that our train went right past their front doors and shop fronts also. People carry on their daily life, some people still walking on the other track while our train is passing through. It seems so natural that it is part of their routine daily life. This kind of real life picture is part of the joy of travelling on trains in India.
The train eventually arrived at Kalka at around 7 o'clock in the evening. It was later than we expected due to a lot of delays along the way. A few visitors like us were anxious whether we could connect the onward journey but I could see that most local people were calmer as delays are expected and part of travel. Luckily our local guide for this Northern part of our journey, Sandeep, was waiting on the platform for our arrival. Quickly we moved to the car but could not drive away as another car was parked blocking us. The driver went back to the crowded station and found the driver of the offending car so that we could begin our three hours journey to Shimla. Our driver was amazing to be able to locate the other car driver so quickly, and he turned out to be an excellent driver who was with us for the next few days.
The three hour car journey was mostly uphill climbing up into the foothills of the Himalayas towards Shimla. We stopped in one of the local towns on route for a short break, arriving in Shimla before 10 o'clock. We checked in at the 5* Oberoi Cecil in a bit of rush in order to catch our late dinner before the restaurant closed at eleven, but there were several other late arrivals like us from the delayed train journey and there was plenty of delicious food at the buffet.
The first impression of this hotel was very good. The room was large with a sitting area of sofa and table as well as a nice desk. All the rooms are located surrounding a central atrium, with the lounge and bar in the middle. The restaurant was elegantly designed at a lower level with tall windows looking out to the gardens. It was especially pleasant at breakfast too with beautiful sunlight shining through the windows and corridors. The buffet dinner that first night was good and also to the same standard the next night. We are going to use this hotel in our Deluxe hotels category.
Next morning we explored Shimla town. We started our tour by walking from our hotel, the Oberoi Cecil, to the Viceregal Lodge. It is a lovely walk of about thirty minutes through quiet roads and paths through woodland with views over areas of Shimla town below. As the lodge came into view it was like arriving at a Scottish castle. We joined the hourly tour of the those parts of the lodge which are not now used by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study.
Our next stop was a very special old house in town, Chapslee, which has for many years also been operated as a small hotel by its owner. a splendid gentleman called Mr Ratanjit Singh. Although the house was closed as a hotel for its annual break, he was there to meet us. Born in this house and still living here, Mr Ratanjit Singh is a great character from an aristocratic family and his home is full of antiques and family history. The modest seeming exterior hides rather grand interiors full of antique furniture, vases, chandeliers, game trophies, tapestries and paintings. There are now five guest rooms/suites that were once occupied by family members. The décor remains as it would have been as a family house. It will be quite an experience staying at Mr Singh's house and we will be offering it in our Special hotels category.
A new hotel clinging to the steep hillside of Shimla, the 4* Marina hotel. has particularly nice well-designed and luxurious rooms. This hotel has an excellent location just on the edge of town just a short stroll to the town centre with its shops, restaurants etc. We walked from the Marina hotel the short distance to another heritage hotel, the famous Clarks Hotel, a Shimla institution. This classic hotel has large rooms, some with fireplaces. We are using both the Marina and Clarks in our Superior hotels category.
The landscape of Shimla town is best viewed from the area of Clarks Hotel. As we walked toward the centre the famous landscape of hillside houses with the white church clock tower made a spectacular panorama. We began our heritage walk through Shimla town, seeing on the way the Gaiety Theatre, the Town hall, The Post Office, Christ Church, The Ridge, Bandstand, Railway Board building and Gortan castle. We also walked through the busy street market of shops, stalls, tea rooms etc. full of local life and colour.
Next morning we began our long 5-6 hours drive to Amritsar.


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Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni put a tumultuous set out to the day behind him to assert a dramatic victory in a decreased bunch sprint on point six of the Vuelta a Espana seeing that countryman Rudy Molard retained the overall race leader's crimson jersey.
The French duo received time penalties before the beginning of Thursday's stage for taking provides nourishment to during the final 20km of the previous day's ride — something that will not be permitted for safety explanations unless otherwise agreed by way of the race officials.
Cofidis sprinter Bouhanni appeared to be docked 30 seconds for what his workforce said was a feeding offence. Your dog put the disappointment behind them, however, to hold off good challenges from Danny van Poppel in addition to Elia Viviani in the closing meters from the 155.7km stage to San Javier.
Likewise, Molard of Groupama-FDJ saw his lead in the general classification over Michal Kwiatkowsi cut to 41 minutes following a 20-second punishment.
Both riders, in addition to the majority of the favorites, finished in the front side group meaning there was no improvements on the overall standings, with Emanuel Buchmann 24 seconds down in lastly, Simon Yates 51 adrift in fourth in addition to Alejandro Valverde 53 seconds back in fifthly.
It was bad news for Molard's group mate and general group hope Thibaut Pinot, who got broken down from the peloton in the wind-affected final 20km and complete 1:44 down on the principle group.
Trek-Segafredo's Fabio Felline and Sunweb's Mike Teunissen failed after hitting bollards placed in the heart of the road after a tight, unsighted part with 25km to ride.
There have been further unsavory scenes each time a number of riders collided with hurdles that had blown across the street just after the finish line.
Friday's phase is likely to be less dramatic, having an up and down course taking in not one but two third category climbs in excess of 185.7km between Puerto Lumbreras and Pozo Alcon.


Mural Stenciling is by far the best way to make a statement in any room. Most people rearrange pictures on their walls but you are here to find out how easy it is for you to create art on your walls!
So, you've used stencils for a few art projects and now you're ready for the big time and by that I mean painting the walls. It's easy with wall stencils!
Mural stenciling is similar to working with stencils anywhere else except that you are working on a grander scale. Your stencils will be larger and a little more of a challenge to maneuver.
However, for a mural stenciling project, it is crucial to have a good plan. Here are a few questions you need to answer. What is the scene that you want to create? Where are you placing your stencils? What colors or background do you need to create before painting your stencils? I find it best to make a small sketch of the layout for the mural so that you get an idea of where each item will look best.
One challenge is getting the mural stenciling patterns the right size. If you find a stencil design on paper you can always enlarge the pattern on a copy machine. If the stencil needs to be larger than a copy machine can produce, just take your pattern to a Copy Store or Business Forms Printing Shop and see if they can do it for you.
This same method can be done with pre-cut stencils but you'll still have to cut out the stencil openings (or islands in stenciling terminology) when the copies are made.
By the way, if you'd like to watch as I create this garden by mural stenciling then click on the picture to watch a quick video and get more step by step details or just keep reading and you'll find the video below.
I find no greater pleasure in decorating than to prepare for a new arrival. Everything is so cute and precious, the colors are wonderful and soothing but most of all you can weave fantasy and imagination into every aspect of the room.
Wall Stencils Nursery plans should be based on the selected theme such as Noah's Ark, Princess, Teddy Bear Stencils, Zoo Animals, Farm Animals, etc. It's so much fun to work with cute huggable images.
I'm guessing that you've worked with stencils before to have come to the great idea of creating a mural (But if not, don't worry because I've got you covered – Just go to How To Stencil for all the basics). So you know how to tape your wall painting stencil in place and use a clean dry brush with a pouncing motion to blot on the paint – never a back and forth sweeping which will push paint underneath the stencil and smear. Good!
For a variety of wall painting stencils that will fit well in your mural stenciling plan don't miss the ones I've suggested below. They are in book form that includes a collection of related images perfect for stencil wall murals.
I know it's hard to imagine how to paint a mural with stencils just by reading about it, so I created a video for you to follow along with me in person. Just scroll down. This way I'm able to share so many hints and tips along the way besides showing you how to use stencils to conduct your own mural stenciling project. This is the shortened 7 minute version of the original hour long video, so you'll be finished in a breeze.
If you've made copies of your stencils or if you download and print stencils make sure to put a clear protective layer on the top side of the paper before you cut out the islands. This will make your stencil ready for many uses because after using you can wipe off the excess paint with a damp cloth just like a pre-cut stencil.
For more information on printing and working with paper stencils, visit Wall Stencils to Download.
OK – You've got your mural stenciling patterns ready to go. But first, you need to set the mood and create a background. For example, in the garden scene, the mural stenciling patterns in use are the stone wall pattern, the garden path and the fountain. So, I created a background with a blue sky and some greenery. The stone path, wall and fountain will be painted on top of the greenery. So, you see it's important to build your painting from the furthest point back and use your stencils for the foreground.
With your background complete secure your mural stenciling patterns in place and start painting. Remember you are the designer so put flowers or bugs or garden stones where you want. It's best to paint each stencil one at a time starting with the one that is furthest in the background. This is a rule of thumb but you may need to adjust a little based on your plan. The video explains this in greater detail.
Well, that's how to work with mural stenciling. The most important part of creating stencil wall murals is to spend a good amount of time in the preparation and planning. That way the production will be a raving success!
The books below have a variety designs that will fit nicely into your mural stenciling ideas. Each book will come to you as a downloadable pdf file in your e-mail. Just check your e-mail after purchase for the link to connect to your file and print or save. It's that easy!
Create your own private garden retreat with this mural stenciling collection which includes 12 designs including 4 animal stencils -fountain, bleeding heart, iris, bee, butterfly, foxglove, grasshopper, hummingbird, trumpet flower, morning glory, stone wall and stove path.
This book contains 4 cute Red-Eyed Tree Frogs for you to paint in your mural stenciling project. Bring a little of the rain forest to your home by using these frogs in your stencil wall murals. There are 37 pages in this pdf file which includes the stencils of all 4 frogs (each has 5 overlays) and complete instructions.
This collection includes 4 designs- a Wine Glass, a Chianti Bottle, a Wine Bottle and a Bunch of Grapes with Leaves. These motifs work great for kitchen mural stenciling. This purchase is of a PDF file with 31 pages.
Well, here's the video I promised you. Again, it's just a very short version of the one offered near the top of this page. I hope you get some great ideas about mural stenciling!
Hey! Don't forget that I (and everyone else) want to see what you have done while Mural Stenciling. Just click on Stenciling Projects to get your masterpiece showcased here on this web site. Won't that be exciting! Or if you have any questions or want to share information join in on the Stencil Blog. Well, I hope to hear from you soon.
Return to Home Page from Mural Stenciling.
Return to Wall Stencils from Mural Stenciling.


Before my last visit to Paris, which was several years ago, I contacted each hotel I was interested in by email to check prices. Now it appears that almost every hotel has online booking. Is it possible to get a better price by emailing the hotel, or do I just go with the online price? We will be visiting in high season (June) so I don't want to wait for last minute prices. Thanks!
I'm speaking generally, but most hotels offer their best rates on internet bookings that are nonrefundable and paid in full. This is especially true of international chain hotels. Smaller, family-run hotels rarely if ever offer discounted rates. I have seen instances where big international chains offer different rates if booked directly, but I think that's becoming more rare and is more likely to happen with franchised brands or loose federations of hotels like Best Western over big chains like Marriott.
But the years of writing to a hotel directly by email or fax are almost over.
I have found that the online systems of many small hotels offer the best rates available. You can check that against booking systems such as www.venere.com and www.booking.com.
If the prices are the same, I prefer to book directly with the hotel, especially if I have special requests, such as a room with a view or one facing a quiet internal courtyard or a corner room or a room whose bathroom has a bathtub, etc.
Some small hotels still offer a discount if you pay in cash because of the cost to them of using credit cards.
Thanks for your quick replies. We are looking at smaller, family run hotels. That's why I was surprised to see online booking for nearly every one.
I would prefer to book directly with the hotel, but I will check prices against the online booking systems. We used cash to pay most hotels in Italy to get a discount, but I've never tried that in France.
We just got back from 2 weeks in Europe and I booked all our hotels online, using *only* the hotels' *own* websites. You can usually distinguish these rather easily as the hotel's name is directly preceding the .com in the website designation without any other words in the site name like booking, lodging, etc.
I almost always book directly with hotel on their own website. I did book one of our hotels for this past summer online through an agency, problem arose and it was ( and generally is) more hassle if you book through someone else, I finally got issue dealt with but it involved extra steps, much easier to deal direct with hotel.
I find smaller hotels have a limited number of rooms offered at generic websites. If the generic website says the hotel is full or if you want the one of the hotel's better rooms, email the hotel.
It is the norm for most hotels to have online booking, regardless of their size (only a few small quirky ones do not nowadays). And they won't give you special rates because you email them, in fact, one hotel gave me worse rates and specifically said you can only get the special rates if you book online.
I am not clear what Mimar is referring to as limited rooms on generic websites, I use the hotel's own website.
As noted above, emailing a hotel can sometimes work to your advantage, especially with a smaller hotel. It also works with larger hotels and some chains, but it's often more convenient for most people simply to book online, either directly with the hotel or through a booking agency. If you do email the hotel you're interested in, don't be surprised if they don't answer right away, even if you're a professional.
they ought to give you a better rate if you book direct [because of the % they pay to consolidators like booking.com] but strangely it appears that many don't.
to try to get the best hotel at the best price i start off by going to trip advisor and get all the rates for the top rated hotels for the dates I want. then i look at their own websites to check that I really like them. then i compare the hotel's own rate with that available on booking.com etc. finally i look at the cancellation terms - booking.com etc. [and some of the hotels' own websites] offer free cancellation up to 24 or 48 hours before the booking is due to start.
after all that I make the booking - hooray!
the best way of getting the best rate IME is booking early - for example when we went to Paris last spring, we booked in September - and when I checked the hotel's website just before we left, the rate for the same room was double what we were paying. and this wasn't pre-payment, which I won't do on principle.
I specifically remember a hotel in Dinan. If you wanted to get a nice quiet room in the back overlooking the garden with a view of the walls, you had to deal directly with them. The rooms on the booking sites overlooked the street or a side alley.
I usually make email contact first because I have questions to ask. Often I just follow through by email. Smaller places seem to appreciate the personal touch.
I also contact hotels directly via email to inquire about availability, rates & special requests. About 3 or 4 weeks prior to departure, I email hotels to confirm our bookings. Small hotels seem to appreciate this. They know we are coming and we know they are expecting us! It's a win-win situation!


I have reviewed several websites, Facebook sites, and Groups on Google looking for my own match when it comes to evoking social change and the manifestation of good works. First, I had to be clear about what I thought was not working in order to find the group I thought might help me move from thought into action for social healing. You have your opinions and I have mine, but can we communicate and find the third voice, that space in the center between us that is "we"? What type of circle style have you joined in the past? I know from experience that if you feel safe to speak your truth that means the circle is healthy.
Is your circle setting a goal to change something in the social systems that we live within? This is an activism circle; you have a goal that you believe is for the good of the whole and the members have all agreed to cocreate plans, and actions to get the attention of those in charge who have the power to influence the systems from the inside out.
Coming of age in the 60s I thought it was my right to protest and march against the establishment. Sometimes I hoped it would turn into a party on the streets because I felt unfulfilled. After joining NOW I didn't see change fast enough for my dreams and I got discouraged again. Now, as an elder it is my time to push back against those who are causing pain and suffering in my world. Yes, I claim it. This world is mine. It is yours if you take action, too.
So why are so many social systems broken? Our systems are broken because humanity is broken, and if we can do one thing to shift the suffering into harmony it is this; learn how to work in tandem with each other. Join a group. Do it with telephone conferences if you are not ready to do it face to face. Listen and learn. There will be ups and downs but if you stay with it you will find that fine line of respect that exists within healthy circles.
It used to be that without experience in the public issues arena we didn't know how to talk to each other, to agree with or disagree during conversations without rancor. Thankfully everyone seems to have a blog these days. However, I recently read a post in a group where a member asked for help during a difficult time and she received no answer back. Worse, she was shamed and blamed when she spoke up and pushed back. Finally, things settled down but she was scarred by the experience.
Communication is at the center of our lives. We are getting better, and yet, it takes determination to have deep dialogue with others, even in groups of like-minded individuals. Thankfully, I see positive responses from people who come into a conversation grounded in their respect for one another and the good of the whole due to the passion those who answer the call have for the cause.
And that, beloved's, is why we will be known in the future as the "We" generation. We are the ones willing to use dialogue and action to right what is wrong in our world. There are always three aspects to any conversation as I mentioned earlier: there is you, me and the 3rd person is "we".
Lastly, I want to speak to sustainable change. Those who have not known healthy relationships in their lifetime will likely become the majority who create pain for others. Greed, loneliness, and prejudice are just three of the reasons our emotional boundaries have been globally compromised. People tend to behave badly when they are unhappy. They can also be taught that class equals entitlement, meaning they intend to continue the unhealthy patterns from past generations: more is better, and such.
I recently listened to a short Ram Dass recording and I was amazed at the concepts he spoke about. He was talking about a healthy warrior who held no rancor against those who were out of alignment with the needs of the whole, and so this warrior was able to be more effective in the world. I can't yet say that I don't resent some of our legislators who have ruined democracy for me. I am going to do my best to take the personal out of the equation. I am going to show up at events, and conference calls that help me to move into that sacred space of non-judgment so that I can become a better minister, a better person, and a stronger woman for sacred activism.
We are all at a point in our lives that we are called to pay attention to what is good in the world and support it. The same goes for what is finally ready to morph itself into a constructive alternative. You are the agent of change. It starts with you. Let your words convey to others that you are ready to become a Sacred Activist. Thank you.


As more advertisers and brand marketers realize the value of social media, they are flocking to set up Pages on Facebook, the largest social network of them all.
The stats are impressive. 50% of Facebook's more than 500 million active users are creating and consuming content on the social network on any given day, and the average U.S. user spends nearly six hours per month browsing around on the social network.
With the shift to growing social media consumption, brands should be taking every step to improve their presences on social platforms, starting with the behemoth that is Facebook.
Whether your business is new to the platform or it has been around for years, there is always room for improvement. Here are five quick and easy ways to make your Facebook stream more lively for fans.
Paint Along NYC, a New York City-based company offering painting workshops, uses Facebook to build its online community. After each painting class, the instructor uploads photos of the attendees with their works of art to the Paint Along NYC Facebook Page. Each photo album is labeled with the date of the class and the item that was painted, so that customers can easily find and tag their pictures.
During class, the instructor makes sure that attendees are aware that their photos can be found on the company's public Facebook Page.
Humor is said to increase a person's levels of happiness and hope, so why not share happiness via Facebook?
Jules Thin Crust, a group of organic pizza shops in Pennsylvania, runs its Facebook Page with humor and community in mind. Operated by owner John Ordway and multiple store managers, the Jules Facebook Page has a very homey feeling. The Jules social media team doesn't take itself too seriously — an advantage that many small businesses have over large branding-dominated corporations. When Facebook fans joke around, Jules Facebook admins are comfortable jumping right in there with the fun. The casual tone used by Jules staffers — and the fact that they personally know some of the fans — makes the updates more personable, relevant and relatable.
With such high engagement stats, Facebook has brands and content creators turning heads. Etsy, the commerce platform for handmade goods, is among the brands on Facebook that understands its following and then creates and curates content to fit its needs.
As expected, Etsy's Facebook Page features a stream of the quirkiest products that are offered on its site. But the page also features a fair amount of original and curated content, including blog posts and videos that would be of interest to its followers. Some of the content originates from the Etsy Blog. While many of the links and videos are purely for fun, these pieces often start conversations among Etsy fans on the Page.
It's not enough to be broadcasting promotional messages — brands should make an effort at engaging with their audiences. Asking questions is a great way to kick off that two-way dialogue.
Take a look at any brand page on Facebook — it's quite likely that posts with questions get more action than ones without questions. ReadyMade magazine, for example, mixes up the format of posts on its Facebook Page. Posts with questions seem to prompt more conversation, especially if the question is easy to answer. People are inclined to offer their opinions, especially when it's so simple to get involved.
Whether you own a restaurant, a tech startup or a construction company, your customers are interested in who works at your company and what goes on behind the scenes. And so, providing a glimpse behind the curtain can be an effective and engaging way to populate your Facebook Page.
You may think there aren't many ways to make a car dealership more interesting or welcoming, but a well-run Facebook Page helps one New Jersey dealership exude a friendly vibe. Lester Glenn Auto Group uses Facebook to promote the cars it sells, announce philanthropic projects and make small talk with customers. Recent posts about holidays and summer camps have seen success relative to other posts, probably because of their non-promotional and down-to-earth tone.
The page also features lots of pictures from inside the dealership, including ones that highlight employees and events. A recent post, for example, celebrates the birthday of Internet Sales Rep Stacy Myers. These depictions of life at the dealership give fans a look inside the company, and they also help to humanize the brand.
Facebook can be a difficult medium for businesses to crack, since it's one of the more personal social platforms out there. What tips would you suggest for brands hoping to liven up their Facebook streams?


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