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Villa Gadea, May 2022
Villa Gadea, Autumn 2019
La Fina – October 2014
Calpe, April 2014
Estepona November 2013
Algorfa May 2013
Torremolinos April 2013
San Miguel Castle, May 2012
Category: October 2014
The Costa's Cook Off!
COOKING IT UP IN TIME FOR The Homes Gardens & Lifestyle Show meet our first three local celebrity chefs, Gordon from The Vestry & Frissan restaurants, Pushpa from The Spice Hut and Dave from Captain Morgan's Bar who will be producing some delicious dishes in our new feature The Costa's Cook Off! on the 15th & 16th October at the La Finca Golf & Spa Hotel Resort, Algorfa where you, the audience can watch, enjoy and vote to decide if it's the Red Chilli Pepper Kitchen or the Green Olive Kitchen that will win on the day! The cooking demonstrations for round one and two are being staged at 12 noon and 3.00 pm on Wed 15th Oct with the final being at 3.00 pm on Thursday 16th October!
The Art Competition/Gallery at The Homes Gardens & Lifestyle Show being held at The La Finca olf & Spa Resort Hotel, Algorfa on 15th & 16th October 2014 is now open and we are inviting artists from the Costa Blanca South and surrounding areas to participate in the Algorfa competition.
The competition is open to all levels of artists (see below). Paintings submitted can use all types of painting techniques and must be displayed at the show on an easel.
Mark Stacey
The Star of our Show Mark Stacey is one of the UK's best known and popular valuers, appearing for many years on BBC antiques shows with regular appearances as an antiques expert on the BBC programmes Bargain Hunt, Flog It!, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is and Antiques Road Trip. In June 2009 Stacey took part in a light-hearted interview on the BBC lunchtime programme The Daily Politics where he was asked advice about the value of items owned by famous people, in the wake of the UK Parliament's expenses scandal. In 2011 he opened an antiques shop in Kemptown, Brighton.
Attractions – La Finca October 2014
I would like to take this opportunity in thanking you for a very successful and enjoyable exhibition at the Marriott earlier this year. You always go that extra mile Gina making your shows exciting and interesting, a cut above the rest. Well Done! Millie MunroMillie Munroe Services We just wanted to say a big thank […]
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The word 'hotel' is used to describe a number of different commercial property types including those used solely for accommodation, pubs, clubs, motels and live music venues.
Hotels can be quite lucrative from a freehold going concern perspective but success comes down to good management.
Freehold (with gaming): Up to 65% of the purchase price.
Freehold (without gaming): Up to 50% of the purchase price.
Leasehold (with gaming): Up to 70% of going concern valuation by a bank instructed valuer.
Borrow up to 100% of the purchase price with the help of a guarantor.
A business plan including business forecasting may be requested by the bank for the hotel you're planning to purchase.
Leasehold (with gaming): Up to 50% of going concern valuation by a bank instructed valuer.
With the help of a guarantor, you can borrow up to 100% of the purchase price.
Maximum loan term for principal and interest (P&I): 5 years (debt to reduce by 40%).
Preferred 3 years experience as a successful publican if you're managing the business yourself.
Call us on 1300 889 743 or fill in our free assessment form so we can provide you with an indicative funding approval for a hotel loan.
You may be able to borrow up to the maximum Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) for your commercial purchase.
You may qualify for a significantly reduced interest rate.
By choosing the right lender, you can get even more out of the loan than just low fees and a strong interest rate and take advantage of the commercial loan features that work best for you.
Our commercial property loans can provide more information about how the commercial loan process works and the other types of commercial properties that the lenders on our panel can finance.
Hotels and motels are considered to be a 'specialised' commercial property and, as such, the amount you may be eligible to borrow is significantly reduced when compared to other types of commercial properties.
The reason is that hospitality businesses operate within a small market and are faster to be affected by poor management than other commercial enterprises, making them riskier ventures.
In most cases, a borrower must have at least 1.5 to 2 times the amount of income to proposed interest expenses, otherwise known as the 'serviceability ratio'.
Banks take into consideration experience in the industry although many people who have dived into purchasing a hotel have come from a completely different career.
Your income type, credit history, asset position and experience are all used by the lender when assessing your loan application.
Allow us to properly prepare your application and highlight your strength as a borrower so you can avoid getting declined. Call 1300 889 743 or complete our free assessment form today.
How do banks value hotels?
Real property and business value.
They'll also consider the asset quality position, financial performance of each of the above aspects and how they impact overall, as well as the industry and business environment and competition in the area.
What security can I use for the loan?
Mortgage over hotel property (or lease, if leasehold).
Registered fixed or floating charge or Bill of Sale over the business assets of the hotel.
A specific charge/security over the hotels' liquor licence and, where appropriate for state legislation, related licenses for gaming or off-licence packaged liquor operations (not applicable in WA and SA).
Should I enter into a leasehold agreement?
When considering what type of ownership you want for the property, it's essential to seek independent advice from a business broker, solicitor and accountant that actually specialise in hospitality.
There are business and tax implications for each type of ownership that require input from an expert.
When purchasing a leasehold business, for instance, one isn't required to outlay money for the property. As a result, leasehold businesses offer a much higher yield/return on investment than freehold going concerns.
Nearly all hotel and motel transactions are 'plus stock'. A solicitor will help you negotiate this with the vendor – the last thing you want to do is to buy into a business that has nothing to sell!
Should I choose a short or long term lease?
A good lease term are those for 17 or 18 years with a 'lease-option' i.e. an option to purchase the property.
A lease term for less than this and you may have to consider amortizing and working that into your budget. It's essential you speak to a hospitality accountant about this.
A long lease like this provides stability and allows you to firmly establish your business in town and protects you from having to move in case the landlord decides to sell the premises.
The cons of this type of arrangement is the obvious risk of paying rent for a business over a long period of time. In addition, the cost of maintenance and repairs for such a lengthy lease term needs to be taken into account.
What else should I look for in the lease arrangement?
Hotels, no matter the age, may require certain fixtures, fittings and services to be installed before you can start operating.
The party liable for installing these fittings should be determined and clearly outlined in the lease agreement before signing.
Fit-outs such as plumbing and electricity can be quite expensive so ensure you have a sufficient fit-out budget.
Be aware of delays in construction work, particularly over holiday periods. Every day that your business isn't operating means less in potential profit.
Should I buy the hotel as a freehold going concern?
While leasehold business purchasers enjoy a much higher return on their investment, the worst case scenario (the business failing) usually means the loss of any money they outlaid for the business.
Deciding on which ownership to choose comes down to your circumstances and your lifestyle.
You don't have to know everything about running a hotel or motel but you do need a basic understanding of how to run a cash flow business and, of course, a hospitable nature.
With freehold, the land itself retains value even if the business sinks so a couple in later life looking to quiet down and have a lifestyle may look at purchasing just the freehold itself.
A 30 or 40 year old couple looking to reach the peak of their success and take on a new challenge may look at purchasing a business as a leasehold.
There's a much bigger return on the lease and you can later use it as a platform to leapfrog into building your portfolio which may in the future include freeholds.
At the end of the day, bricks and mortar don't produce dollars: businesses do.
When searching for commercial real estate to purchase, price does matter but the conditions of the sale should also form a big part of your decision.
For example, if a certain amount of inventory isn't made available or certain maintenance or repair issues aren't resolved, then the purchase shouldn't go ahead.
A simple letter of offer or Heads of Agreement that spells out your intentions is a helpful document to have prior to the Contract of Sale. Along with your 5% deposit, it acts as a stencil of the contract to come.
Not really. A commercial buyers agent or business broker can help you to draft up the heads of agreement and by having a formal agreement between you and the vendor, the agent can take that property off the market.
It gives you breathing space to undertake your due diligence. If certain conditions aren't met, such as the landlord not extending the lease because it's a little too short for you to qualify for finance, then you can pull out of the deal and the deposit is totally refundable.
When should I apply for a liquor and gaming license?
Once you're fairly satisfied with the due diligence and inspections you've undertaken on the property, it's essential to apply as soon as possible so you can get started on generating business.
Planning permit capacities do not always match the liquor license capacity. A good solicitor should thoroughly check this during a due diligence investigation.
How long does it take to reach settlement on a hotel?
Like on other commercial properties, settlement on a hotel or motel usually takes around 45-60 days.
Bear in mind that if your hotel sells alcohol or conducts gaming, you'll have to apply for a liquor and gaming licence, which can take as long as 8 weeks to process and approve.
Do I need certain permits to run the hotel?
Although it varies slightly from state to state, in most cases, the hotel itself will hold a liquor license while the operator will be required to complete the required courses to be the nominee on that license.
There are also other permits required depending on the hotel's offering such as food safety permits, accommodation permits and outdoor seating/patio seating permits.
Is traffic and direct competition a good thing?
In most cases, direct competition can kill a business, especially if the competition is a large conglomerate. However, with hotels, the influence of these factors really depends on why you're buying the property in the first place.
Competition can actually be a good thing as many venues in one locality can create an entertainment 'precinct', which can attract even more people to the area.
How much does it cost to run a hotel?
To figure out the costs of running a hotel or motel, it's important to decide on operational benchmarks.
This isn't just focused on comparable sales and market sales – it's more in relation to the proportion of your turnover you should be paying in rent and staff wages.
It helps to define whether your hotel is in a regional or city location because there's a significant difference between the cost of goods in the country and cost of goods in the city when it comes to things like wages and freight costs.
In the country, a hotel or motel operation is, more often than not, a family affair so there isn't as much of a need to employ 20 casual staff, for instance.
Taking this into account, you should consider the license capacity of a hotel and break the annual rent down by a per person basis. So, if you have an 800-capacity hotel, you should be able to make so much per person, for instance.
The old-fashioned way to work out rent ratio was to look at square metres of the property or to look at the percentage of turnover. A percentage turnover can be skewed purely because you could be a better operator than the previous owner, or vice versa.
The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) is the key industry body for hotel and pub owners and they'll be able to provide you with operational benchmarks as you plan-out your business.
Having suppliers and distributors nearby can help you to cut costs, while having certain businesses in the area that compliment yours, such as theme parks, monuments, historical sites and other tourist attractions, can help to drive more guests to your hotel.
Can I find out vacancy rates?
The hotel's landlord should be able to provide this information, otherwise a commercial buyers agent or the town/city's information centre may keep this data on file.
What are the environment or OH&S issues of owning a hotel?
Environmental considerations such as waste management and recycling are similar to all commercial properties.
Some of the Occupational, Health and Safety (OH&S) laws and regulations that are unique to hotels and motels include potentially harmful kitchen equipment and disorderly members of the public.
Is the premise fit out with wheelchair access?
You could be faced with a complaint under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 so negotiate with the previous owner prior to settlement as to whose responsibility this is to install.
Can zoning prevent you from undertaking certain activities?
Hotels and motels, like other commercial properties, are broken up into two zones: Commercial 1 and Commercial 2.
Replaced Business 1, Business 2 and Business 5 Zones.
Allows taverns, hotels and gaming premises without a planning permit, unless in a strip shopping centre where gaming premises are prohibited. You'll still need a liquor licence.
Replaced Business 3 and Business 4 Zones.
Prohibits accommodation, except for caretaker's house, motel and residential hotel which require a permit.
As stipulated in the legislation regarding these commercial zones, there are various 'dry' zones which don't allow the sale of any liquor throughout the state.
Similarly, live music venues don't work well within residential areas, and gaming venues aren't permitted within strip shopping areas.
Be sure you discuss with a business broker prior to purchasing.
Have a handover period when you buy it from the previous leaseholder.
If you're purchasing the leasehold from the landlord, ask them for advice. In most circumstances, they'll offer help because they too want you to be successful.
Ensure you become a member of the AHA and Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA), a division of AHA that specialises in hotels for accommodation.
They can provide all of the education and support you'll need to run your commercial investment.
Allow one of our expert commercial mortgage brokers properly assess your situation and tell you if you qualify for hotel finance.
I have a $700k motel loan with a bank at the moment and I want to refinance 50% LVR. I am living in the property at the moment and running the business. I also want to buy a $500k house at 90% LVR to live in. I have owned the motel for over a year and business has been good. Can you help me with both loans?
Hey Alexandra, yes, we can help you with both. Most commercial lenders should be able to assist with this and some can do the home loan as well. We can also look to drop the LVR a bit on your owner occupied residential property so as to increase the LVR on the commercial. We can discuss this in detail on 1300 889 743.
My accountant can show that my income is around 1.6 times that of the proposed interest expenses. This should be okay to the lenders, right?
I have a home loan that I've paid off to 75% LVR which I would like to refinance and cash out equity to purchase a hotel. FYI, I'm a contract worker. Can you help me get the mortgage?
We can help with the refinance and cash out. Your employment situation may be a potential credit issue with some lenders, especially considering that you'll be buying a hotel soon. Please call 1300 889 743 to discuss in detail with one of our mortgage brokers about this so we can help find the right lender for you.
Yes you can likely qualify if we do part unsecured. It would also depend on if you have hospitality experience or not. It's never straightforward so we'd need a preapproval to be sure.
Please contact us if youd like help.
Hi there, I have 200k in assets and I'm looking to potentially lease 40+ self contained apartments, valued at 700k.
I don't have any experience in the hospitality industry, but I come from a trade background and have been working for myself.
Given my situation, would I be able to secure a commercial loan?
It's likely that you'd need a little more cash than $200k as for the leasehold on it's own (business only) you'd be able to borrow around 50% for self contained apartments.
A hospitality background is helpful, or if you have a mentor / senior manager to assist you then that would help a lot.
Thanks for the quick response, could you give me a ball park figure of what I would need? If I was to have a guarantor, do you think that would help ?
– Are you buying the building? If so then what is the price?
– Are you buying the business? If so then what is the price? Also what is the expected return?
– How much cash can you contribute to the transaction?
I'm looking to buy the business leasehold, the asking price is 700k.
And the business is turning over $2,682,000 annually.
The net profit for the last financial year was $429,000 (EBITDA).
I can contribute 200k of my own but I could potentially seek further funding from outside investors.
It is likely we can fund approximately $350,000 being 50% of the leasehold.
The EBITDA is very high considering a $700,000 purchase price so please check to see if there are hidden risk factors which are causing it to be sold at such a good price.
Spot on about the hidden risks. Part of the agreement allowed the owner of the building to sell at any point in time. Far to much risk involved for my liking.
If you'd like our help to buy a residential or commercial property in the future then please give us a call.
Best of luck with your next opportunity.
Looking at a motel leasehold, I have extensive experience in the industry about 70k cash, with family happy to act as a guarantor. Is this something worth pursuing or do i need a bigger deposit?
This is possible as long as your family part own the business and they put up real estate as security.
Hi There, I have clients looking to refinance a private debt over a Pub for ~$500k against an est value of $2.5 – $3m for the premises which they own freehold and run the business themselves. Currently hold 6 licences for poker machines which are to be sold prior to refinance as all 6 only net approx $1.8k pm but will retain TAB EBT and are currently applying for Keno licence. The restaurant is currently under a formal lease (arms length) for $2.2 pw. No financials to hand as yet however advised they are trading profitably. Assuming once financials etc are top hand and all check out favourable are you able to provide some form of indicative pricing (upfront and rates etc) that some of your lenders may charge. Note I have been advised that the clients will not deal with ANZ or CBA.
We wouldn't normally finance a pub loan of this size as the work to process the loan wouldn't be profitable. However I'll email you some suggestions.
I am Mr. Immanuel Clinton, by name and I am the owner "Clinton Loan Finance".
*I like people to know that I do all kinds of loan you could think of at low interest rate of 3%.
Loan application today and get faster as you want.
Hi there, my partner and I have 90k cash a property worth 125k with 39 owing on it and would like to buy a caravan park for 210k I have years of experience running motels and partner is a tradesman do you think you could help us with finance?
There are a very few banks who provide finance for such caravan parks as a security. You could call us on 1300 889 743 and speak with a mortgage broker specialising on unusual securities. Also, please note that we may charge a fee of $2500 or more if the loan amount is less than $300,000.


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Poecilopora anomala är en mossdjursart som beskrevs av William MacGillivray 1886. Poecilopora anomala ingår i släktet Poecilopora och familjen Lekythoporidae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Q: HTML5 Server-Sent Events via cURL I'm trying to make an HTML5-based notification system, based on when something occurs on a table in my database. I have specifically made the table for this notification feature . This is how it works:

*

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*action.php contains the action that would trigger  a change of content notification by inserting data in to a table.

*source.php will periodically check for any new data in table. It should pass a notification if there's any.

My question is it possible if to do this without checking the table?
I'm thinking of using cURL to directly send content to source.php when the action in action.php is performed. Can this be done?
I've seen cURL used with the HTTP header Content-Type set to text/event-stream, but I'm not sure how to use it.
sse.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
  <script>
    var source = new EventSource('source.php');
    source.onmessage = function(event){
      var text = event.data;
      window.webkitNotifications.createNotification('', 'Alert', text).show();
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  </script>
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source.php
header("Content-Type: text/event-stream");
header("Cache-Control: no-cache");

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$q = mysql_query("select textnotif from notification where read='0'");
$r = mysql_fetch_array($q);

$notif = $r[textnotif];

if($notif != ""){
    echo "data: ".$notif.PHP_EOL;
}

A: To answer your question:

... is it possible if to do this without checking the table?

No.
Your PHP script has to check the SQL table to see if any data has changed. The only way PHP can check for a database change is to query the database.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Disneyland's 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration – 10 Reasons to Visit!
The whole area really is dazzling with beautiful shades of royal blue and diamond decor all over the place. You'll find a special Diamond Celebration marquee on the Carthay Circle Theatre at California Adventure. But, the big star is Sleeping Beauty Castle. More than 100,000 blue glass crystals shimmer on the rooftops and you can see it's adorned with additional beautiful decorations. And while it is indeed beautiful during the day, the castle absolutely sparkles at night! And speaking of everything at night – there is SO much to enjoy! In fact, you'll want to plan your trip to include two nights to fit it all in. Plan to catch the new parade and fireworks spectacular at Disneyland one night and you can't miss the new World of Color at California Adventure the other!
2. Paint the Night Electrical Parade This parade is AWESOME. So awesome in fact that we decided to go back and watch it again a second night! With over 1.5 million individually controlled LED lights, this parade packs some serious sparkle and color! The music is fabulous and we love all the characters/movies chosen to be represented! Our littlest guy absolutely went NUTS when Mack came driving down the street. SO. MUCH. FUN! There's definitely a reason this one is so popular! It's worth the wait (or staying late for). The whole family will love it! Be sure to check out our Paint the Night viewing tips here!
3. Disneyland Forever Fireworks Show I'm a sucker for Disneyland fireworks (and cry every time). But this one really is amazing. The ending is just beautiful with the "Kiss Goodnight" song (written by Richard Sherman of Mary Poppins and "It's a Small World fame). But, the whole show is incredible. Not only are there the fireworks that we're used to from Disney, but this show involves the the largest use of projection mapping technology in any Disney Park!! You'll see projections all down Main Street U.S.A, the mist screens on Rivers of America and the façade of "it's a small world" – even the Matterhorn is involved as it transforms into Nemo's Mt. Wannahockaloogie and the ring of fire during the show!
Be on the lookout for fun photo opportunities throughout the park. I love our silly family photo at the Matterhorn. And obviously, you'll want to get a picture in front of the decorated castle!!
We all know the a trip to Disney just isn't the same without a fun treat (or two or three or four). And, during the Diamond Celebration there is no shortage of beautiful treats to be found. Our favorite was that amazing anniversary cupcake (found at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café at the end of Main Street). We split it as a family with everyone getting a little slice. SOooooo tasty!
In addition to special anniversary treats, you'll find special 60th Anniversary merchandise all throughout the parks – from t-shirts, picture frames, water bottles, mugs, key chains, ornaments, bags, ears, and more! My favorite is the Diamond Celebration Minnie ears! I got a pair of gold Mickey ears during the 50th Anniversary in 2005. So, this time, I HAD to have a pair of "diamond" Minnie ears! They're all kinds of sparkly fun!
"To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future…Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world" Since Disneyland was the first park and the only park that Walt actually got to oversee construction of, there is just SO much nostalgia here. That's always the case, but during this 60-year anniversary celebration it really is palpable. And, it's something worth experiencing!
For extra magic, I highly recommend a stay at the Disneyland Hotel during your Diamond Celebration visit. The hotel also opened in 1955 (October) and is joining in the 60th Anniversary with celebratory and nostalgic decor throughout! The boys LOVED the giant magical Disneyland map!
Are YOU planning a visit during the 60th celebration? Have you already been? Let us know in the comments below!
Disclosure: We were invited on a media visit (in which some of our stay was complimentary) for the purposes of this press coverage. However, all opinions, experiences, and photographs are entirely my own.
We can't wait to visit in the next few months!! So much fun!
We are so excited to get annual passes for Disneyland this year and I can't wait to see all of the new shows! Thanks for a great post!
Can't wait to go visit DLR with my family one day!! How fun!
Looks so amazing! I've never been to Disneyland so I can't wait for Owen to get a little older so we can take him!
Hi there, from The Happiest Blog on Earth! I love how you mention to check out the Disneyland hotel. It's great place to see more of Disneyland at a laid back and relaxed pace. We also love pin trading inside the hotel :).
We went March 15 & 16th 2016. Family of 7. Our 5 boys first trip to Disneyland! Everything was amazing, down to all the 60th anniversary decor. The fireworks show was great! Love it so much hubby and I chose to go to Disneyland in August for our 15 year anniversary instead of an island getaway!!


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Bottom-up place-making, community involvement & gardeners' resistance: an antidote for the pressures of the Neoliberal city
HeriLand 29 January 2021 0 Comments
In the sprawling city of Amsterdam, where towering building cranes dominate large areas of the urban landscape, there are still places left where pavement makes way for dirt, flowering abundance, and post-war citizen land tenancy. This Allotment Garden-park 'Amstelglorie' is located at an intersection of the Amstel river with the A10 highway ramp, on the outskirts of the Rivierenbuurt neighbourhood. This carefully curated verdant corner is an escape for many Amsterdammers, year in an out tending to their little gardens in a city where having a garden is almost impossible to afford.
During early Spring you can find swathes of flowering wild garlic in the tree dense areas on Amstelglorie. This plant went almost extinct in the Netherlands. In the summer children play here. Photo by: Herman van Bostelen
It is a place for all walks of life, and costs of renting is deliberately kept low by not allowing land speculation. So low income families can have access as well, if you get to the top of the waitlist that is. Thousands of city-dwellers are awaiting their turn to toil the earth in the post-war historical garden park, although everyone can enjoy it as it is publicly accessible. Still there is a continuous civic battle being fought over planning strategies to keep the historic garden park for all to enjoy. The reason why a green place enjoyed by so many is constantly threatened by the city council administration begs the familiar question; who does the city belong to, and for whom and what values is there still space left?
Amsterdam city is following their urban planning policy 'Koers 2025', aiming to build 50.000 new homes within the city limits, to create 'high quality urban space' (Gemeente Amsterdam 2020) and to facilitate the growth of the city. This is part of an umbrella policy called 'Structuurvisie 2040' (Structure vision) made in 2011, focusing on the strength of the economy and sustainability (Gemeente Amsterdam 2011). Around 2016 it was announced Amstelglorie was to make way for luxury and middle-income housing.
Campaign postcard to raise awareness for Amstelglorie's petition and the rising pressure on green space in Amsterdam. Trans. " 'Oxygen vs. fine dust'. Cherish the green in a growing Amsterdam" Design by: Herman van Bostelen
In Spring 2016 members of the park came together to discuss how they were going to create the best chance of survival for their patch of green. They created a campaign with a petition as a reaction to this policy to save the park from housing development. Their appeal to keep the park addresses themes such as accessibility and class diversity, education, biodiversity, air pollution and flood mitigation, and heritage as a separate argument. The themes are also represented in cards designed by one of the gardeners, making provoking juxtapositions such as "oxygen vs. pollution" to make people think about what values to uphold when thinking about the city (Amstelglorie website 2016).
What became clear in an interview with one of the minds behind the campaign was how much of a power issue urban planning is perceived as and how it is disconnected from the urban social and cultural fabric. In her example the famous 'Vondelpark' had been heavily protected "by the upper class and powerful residents looking out over it from their villas", eventually turning it into important urban heritage. In contrast, the area around Amstelglorie, which was previously a polder landscape, is being turned into "Miami vice" with disregard for the socio-economic and cultural history of this area. She says the city planner has spoken out against such parks as being anachronisms in the urban landscape, and wanting to turn Amsterdam into New York using a rigorous densification plan.
In her battle for Amstelglorie she took on the legacy of a Dutch famous artist, Jan Wolkers, as one of the arguments for conservation and speaks about how it symbolises their resistance:
"We already knew that giving up this place would not lead to any social benefit to the city. It would only serve the rich again, while the city is already becoming more of a "patser-oord" (trans. city for show-offs). And by coincidence Jan Wolkers was a very left-wing and workers' class kind of person, so his heritage fits in with what Amstelglorie is representing now. So we took this argument of accessibility very serious… It is a last vestige of the post-war social democracy we used to have".
They started a small organisation taking care of the garden and house of the late writer and painter, effectively turning it into a writer's retreat surrounded by Wolker's own curated nature, acting as a repository for knowledge about nature and coinciding values:
"By using the house… We are charging it with values again [that Jan Wolkers stood for], love for nature, love for just people, love for growing your own little carrots, and being able to quietly rummage around in the dirt. Wolkers wrote a lot about that."
The Jan Wolkers-garden and house is now local heritage and an established cultural phenomenon in the Dutch literary community with many people visiting the park to take a peek into the garden. She is proud of the results and sees how she helped create a new cultural movement around his legacy. In light of this accomplishment she questioned the vision on heritage of the council's policies:
"In the 1960's they wanted to make a highway around the medieval centre of Amsterdam! That is now UNESCO World Heritage! But in the 60's they thought it were all shacks! And they just wanted to have more space for cars… Now they are making everything in the historic centre car free. So this [saving Amstelglorie] says a lot about the future vision of the little pockets of people like us that somehow manage to preserve something".
The communities around Amstelglorie are not alone, they are an important part of a whole cultural network of allotment garden organisations ('volkstuinverenigingen'). Such parks came into being during post-war efforts to alleviate food rationing measures. Therefore these garden parks from the 40's and 50's are remnants of post-war nation-building, and by nature a whole subculture built up around them. Sadly, the top-down planning structure in Amstelglorie's case showed no awareness of the cultural, social and environmental losses housing development would entail. Luckily these close-knitted communities had their say in the planning process, and some other plans have been averted due to the participation of so many of them. Yet during 2020 there had to be another appeal to the public to save this culture of urban gardening against a land price raise of 400% to 800% effectively pushing many people out of this cultural network[1]. In a city where the words 'heat-island', air-pollution and mass tourism are used to describe its issues, it seems strange to not include such a strong communal culture around managing green space in their main planning strategies.
Even as the City of Amsterdam has announced its strategy using the circular donut economy model (Raworth: 2015, Gemeente Amsterdam 2020), it is still the economic growth agenda of the building sector that is paving the way for ultimately the upper class and cosmopolitan citizenry and city planner to first specify the plans for the urban space. The circular strategy describes having the social wellbeing of the citizens as their foundation (Gemeente Amsterdam 2020: 85), but the case above shows the disconnectedness of such sustainability strategies from the other growth strategies.
It is possible the case with Amstelgorie is just a symptom of a larger issue. The story of the interviewee is that she cannot stay in Amsterdam, the city is too expensive to live a comfortable life for her and her family. Amsterdam is now found in the top 40 most expensive cities in the world (NUMBEO 2021). Lower- and middle-class incomes are being pushed out of the city, overflowing into the surrounding urban conglomeration, or in her case, incentivised to move back to their hometown.
The coming decades will be a strange time of change for The Netherlands, for the first time in history people are buying air conditioning units to combat the simmering summer heat due to more and longer heatwaves, more people are leaving the cities in a reverse migration to the countryside, therefore it is not long before the battle for quality of living space in the urban area of the Randstad will not only be dictated by human intervention. Will this powerplay continue only until the worst happens? Will the citizens of Amsterdam keep fighting for their places?
Pachtgrond
Wees op de troost
die je beplantte,
waar je verbouwde
een blauwgroene
schuur bouwde waar
je rivierklei, roet
af moet wassen (de uitlaatgassen)
verkeer op je troost
in de oksel van wegen
waar je niet woont maar huist
een plek om te weten
wat er moet gebeuren waar
je vandaan komt, je plaats is
wat je verloor of niet
langer wil weten
ben, wees op die plek
om stekken, lege handen
volle agenda's de grond
in te steken
verlaten te zaaien, beul
je af, graaf
van pachtgrond om scherven
uit andere eeuwen te oogsten
te slapen, te lezen.
From: Florence Tonk, Half Heel, Uitgeverij Nieuw Amsterdam, to be published spring/summer 2021
More information: http://florencetonk.nl/2020/12/10/half-heel/
The author has permission from the owners to publish the poem and graphic design.
Amstelglorie website. 2016. 'Postcard campaign', https://www.amstelglorie.nl/kaartenactie-amstelglorie/. (last accessed 25 January 2021).
Gemeente Amsterdam. 2020. 'Koers 2025'. Available at: https://www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/volg-beleid/ontwikkeling/koers-2025/ (last accessed 25 January 2021).
Gemeente Amsterdam. 2011. 'Structuurvisie. Economisch sterk en Duurzaam', available at: https://131f4363709c46b89a6ba5bc764b38b9.objectstore.eu/hior/Documenten/Structuurvisie%20Amsterdam%202040%20(2011).pdf (last accessed 25 January 2021).
Gemeente Amsterdam. 2020 ' available at: https://www.amsterdam.nl/en/policy/sustainability/circular-economy/ (last accessed 25 January 2021)
NUMBEO. 2021. 'Current cost of living index'. Available at: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_current.jsp. (last accessed 25 January 2021).
[1] The petition gathered over 29.000 signatures and forced the local councillor to postpone decisions on the matter of raising land prices for folk gardening organisations and communities. See https://petities.nl/petitions/behoud-de-amsterdamse-volkstuinen?locale=en&fbclid=IwAR1NwA9d_tDFJM9jjyVJxPU5V8DCQzhXPi-iQUGHV2qDX3ho7BGL8bWabfg (last accessed 26 January 2021).
Tagged amstelglorie, amsterdam, blog, heriland
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Welcome to the Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce!
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The Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce is a great resource for community information and activity. This site acts as a valuable guide for information about the Chamber, our business members and our community. As a business, explore the Chamber's networking opportunities, events and the benefits of becoming a member. As a resident or tourist, access our Chamber Directory for information on our Chamber members' products, services and area attractions.
The Assiniboia Chamber proudly boasts that it is a proactive, not reactive organization. We help draft policy rather than simply criticize it. Together, with our members input, we strive to provide solutions that work for all.
West Winnipeg boasts many businesses who should be in the spotlight and each month we are happy to share one of them in our Chamber Connection enewsletter. See which business tops the list this month.
You've heard the saying "it takes a village to raise a child"; same goes for local economic development. Together, working with our partners we can do just that.


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text:
Huge decisions taken by vote on Five Special Episodes
Artist DJ Event Party Sound
CubanTop10 Show June 18, 2017 0
Five Events & Award Nights! Five Winner's Ceremony! They will award the winners selected by the CubanTop10 Academy and the votes of our audience, during the last five final episodes…
Five Special Episodes: Five Events & Award Nights! All Cuban talents will be organized by categories and genres and may be deserving of any of the prizes in competition!
At the end of each season we will convene five nights of awards to discover, honor and promote the talented Cubans from around the world…
Five Special Episodes! Five Events & Award Nights! Five Winners Ceremony! All Cuban talents will be organized by categories and genres and may be deserving of any of the prizes in competition. CubanTop10 Show, Season Premiere
Five nights of celebration, party and entertainment to know who are the "Most Popular Cuban Talents of the Year" and "The Best Cuban Talents of the Year"…
CubanTop10 Show will invite the public to vote for "Most Popular Cuban Talents of the Year", and also we will create the CubanTop10 Academy to choose "The Best Cuban Talents of the Year"…
The CubanTop10 Academy will be formed by proven Cuban talents separated into five commissions by invitation only… Set out to discover, honor and promote the talented Cubans from around the world… All Cuban talents will be organized by categories and genres and may be deserving of any of the prizes in competition…
CubanTop10 Show is a brand new show from Miami, created by Cubans who call America home…
The show follows David Lopez a Cuban teenager, who is proud of his Cuban-American heritage and is currently studying at Miami Beach Senior High…
To achieve his goal, the young teenager ask for help from experienced and talented Cuban people of the arts, media and television… Together they will discover, interview, and share weekly with the public the hidden talents, celebrities, and relevant figures of Cuban heritage around the world…
As a result of their investigative work, they will publish each week a new Top10 chart of the most famous Cuban talents in their respective categories…
They will create more awards, contest, challenges, and events of all types, that are meant to discover, honor and promote the talented Cubans from around the world…
David set out to discover all Cuban talents from around the world, only just two years ago when he asked himself the question we all have made to ourselves at least once in our life:
Who are the greatest Cubans of our time?


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text:
The Art of Resistance by Justus Rosenberg
by holocaustreader
I have wondered recently if there can really be any new memoirs of WW2 being written, 75 years after its end, but here is an answer, from 99-year-old veteran of the French Resistance, Justus Rosenberg. Three quarters of a century lie between now and then, but his memories are as freshly recounted as though the events described happened last week, and his tease at the end of the book of further adventures across the world after the War make it clear he isn't done with his life story yet.
Justus Rosenberg is a retired professor of literature, living in the United States, but as his book The Art of Resistance makes clear, his early years were spent at the very heart of the tumult of interwar and wartime Europe. The son of non-observant Jews, he grew up in Danzig (now Gdansk) in the sliver of former-German territory, gifted to Poland in the Treaty of Versailles, which connected the new country to the sea. Danzig was an oddity, a free city perched between Germany and its severed territory of East Prussia, but by the time Rosenberg was a teenager, the influence of the Nazis on the city was clear. In the book's early pages, he describes, in riveting, horrifying detail, an anti-Semitic riot he witnessed in his home city in 1937.
While walking in the city one spring morning, Rosenberg, then 16 years old, found himself caught up in crowds flocking to a demonstration of Nazis, led by men shouting slogans such as "Judas Verrecke!" ("Let the Jews be slaughtered!"). Unable to break away from the advancing mob, Rosenberg witnessed them attack a grocery store owned by a Jew:
It happened like a bolt of lightning: a crash of broken glass, and Steiner's shop window was smashed into shards. The men weren't shouting anymore; they seemed to be in rapture over their fine work. The crowd remained silent, too, though the hiatus in the uproar didn't last very long. Steiner came out of his store, his big blue apron hanging over his big belly. The children in the neighborhood were accustomed to making fun of him, and he'd often come out of the store, just like that, to chase them away. Now he looked stunned, surprised, like someone who had been slapped without his knowing why, as if by mistake. He stepped toward the Nazis, his hands out in front of him – begging for mercy? to protect himself? to show his peaceful intentions? to reason with them? Suddenly he brought his hands to his face. He stumbled backward, his hands covered with blood, his body careening.
The grocer had been struck by something hurled by the mob. As Rosenberg describes, Steiner disappeared back into his shop, but rather than disperse, the fascist mob moved on to find further targets.
Then one of the noticed Mr Klein, the tailor, standing next door in front of his shop, hurriedly attempting to close the shutters. The Nazis turned towards him. They seemed to be blaming him for Steiner's hasty retreat. Mr Klein was a small man who always dressed sharply, as was appropriate for a tailor. But he had left his jacket inside, and in his suspenders he looked even more diminutive than usual.
"What's the rush, Dad?" said one of the Nazis, the others burst out laughing. Before he could answer, another struck him in the face, first a slap, then blows with his fist, harder and harder, until the little man collapsed half unconscious; another kicked him again and again in the ribs, shouting "Look! This is the way to treat a dirty Jew!" Someone corrected, "Not at all! He deserves the noose!" Mr Klein wasn't moving.
Rosenberg rushed back to his father's shop and had him pull down the shutters before the mob arrived. The family was safe, but this episode demonstrates in extraordinarily vivid terms the atmosphere of violence and hatred faced by Jews in areas where the Nazis had reign, and all this a year before Kristallnacht. Still, there was an openness to Europe that would end two years later, and Rosenberg headed to Paris, via Berlin, to study and to taste the delights of life in the pre-war European capital of fun.
Rosenberg accepting the French Legion of Honour medal in New York in 2017
He studied at the Sorbonne, but the outbreak of war cut across all that and Rosenberg made a bid to reach free-Polish forces collecting at that time some distance from Paris. On the way, he came face to face with death for the first time, courtesy of a German air raid on the military encampment at which he had arrived:
"There's somebody up there," someone near me said. Two of us went to look. Suddenly light from outside flashed across our faces, and I could see a man who had just opened the door. He was cradling something in his arms. He leaned against the wall, seemingly unable to come down, moaning feebly. We went up to him. He took a few steps toward us and then let out a horrible scream – the thing in his arms were his intestines, slick with blood. He collapsed, dead, before anyone could do anything.
It could have been me. I could have been there, at the feet of two soldiers, a mess of entrails and torn clothes, nothing but lifelessness forevermore. There was not more meaning behind this mass of bloody flesh beyond its capacity to awaken horror in others. What was all this talk of dignity and beauty in war? Where was this dignity and beauty postmortem? Where had the meaning gone?
He never reached the Polish army. Instead, he found himself in Marseilles where, given his ability to pass as an Aryan German, he was able move with relative freedom. Rosenberg fell in with a group arranging safe passage for European cultural figures out of occupied Europe, via the Pyrenees mountains. As a member of the Emergency Rescue Committee, Rosenberg, now barely 20 years of age, met some of the luminaries of the age. Marc Chagall left with their assistance. Rosenberg accompanied Alma Mahler Werfel (Gustav Mahler's widow) over the mountains; his group was assisting Walter Benjamin's escape when the group was stopped, leading to Benjamin's suicide.
Rosenberg describes a French population coming to moral terms with occupation and collaboration. From Marseilles, he was moved on Grenoble, where he melted into the background, listened to conversations and picked out students who might be useful candidates for membership of the resistance:
There were cafes and bars located around the university, and when students emerged from their lectures and seminars, they would head for these places, and when my classes were over I went there too. Political discussions erupted in these venues with some regularity. There were basically three positions: those who justified collaboration with the Germans, those who advocated resistance, and those who declared "a plague on both houses." Rather than enter into the pros and cons of collaboration, I listened.
Rosenberg sitting above Marseilles harbour
All the while, Rosenberg remained in the dark about the fates of family members left behind in Poland, with whom he had had barely any contact since the outbreak of war. And though Rosenberg threw himself into a life fraught with risk, it is striking that the France he describes under Nazi-collaborationist rule was a much less oppressed place than Poland, which suffered almost apocalyptic destruction and brutality and the hands of its German occupiers. The work he did with the Emergency Rescue Committee was to a degree tolerated by local authorities; the notion of Polish students sitting around arguing about whether to capitulate to their occupiers in the cafes of, say, Krakow, is of course ridiculous.
Rosenberg, though, faced an extra degree of danger because of his Jewish heritage. One morning in 1942, policemen picked him up at his lodgings, and he was taken to an internment camp. With the distance of time, the fate of the prisoners massed there is clear, but to Rosenberg and his fellow detainees, a rumor of transportation to the east was all the clarity they had. This wasn't a concentration camp, as such, and the extreme degradation and systematic murder of those camps out east was yet to come for most of the Jews held there. Rosenberg's encounter with a guard one evening, outside the prison block, demonstrates that he and the other internees were still, relatively speaking, in the shallows:
"What are you doing here? Past curfew," the guard said.
"I'm very sorry," I responded. "there are so many of us in there I could hardly breathe. I thought I could get some sleep out here."
"Well you can't sleep out here," he said thoughtfully. He lit up a cigarette and offered me one as well.
They talked a while, Rosenberg telling the guard a version of his story.
His sympathetic attitude emboldened me to ask, "Do you happen to know why we have been brought here and what is going to happen to us?"
"Well," he said, "this is a detention camp. Once it fills up, you will be sent on a train to a labor camp in Poland."
The man sat down beside me, and it seemed as though the barrier between prisoner and guard had almost dissolved somewhat. We were just two people sharing a smoke in the damp night air.
Rosenberg's memoir is filled with these kinds of encounters, which often puncture the easy notion of good people fighting bad ones. Everywhere, there seem to be people making choices and ending up on one or other side of the divide. He is also open about his survival being a set of fortunate coincidences; the corollary of this might be a hundred, or perhaps a hundred thousand other Justus Rosenbergs whose luck ran out and who didn't live to write about it all. There are flashes of violence, some truly hair-raising, but Rosenberg never romanticises them. They don't play as they might in a thousand wartime thrillers; they happen and then they're gone, with only a bewildered sense of another near miss left as aftertaste.
Hopefully, at this extraordinary time we all find ourselves waiting out, he's safe and healthy, and busy writing the next volume of his memoirs. I for one want to know what happened in the USSR after the war was over, or what he got up to in Maoist China. After reading this, I really want to tell you about the time he dodged German soldiers undertaking the last successful German raid of WW2, of his beyond-daring escape from the prison camp in France… but you'll have to read the book to find out about those stories.
The Art of Resistance by Justus Rosenberg is published by William Collins in the UK and by William Morrow in the US.
Images in this post are used under the principle of fair use for the purposes of review, education and study, and will be removed at the request of the copyright holder(s).
Tagsantisemitism • Collaboration • Danzig • Emergency Rescue Committee • France • French Resistance • Justus Rosenberg • Memoir • Paris • Poland • Varian Fry
1 comment on "The Art of Resistance by Justus Rosenberg"
Lorraine Morris
A really interesting review. It has left me wanting to read the book to find out what happened to Justus and how he survived to tell the tale.
Leave a Reply to Lorraine Morris Cancel reply


Steven Kaplan is co-leader of Mayer Brown LLP's Financial Services Regulatory & Enforcement practice. Kaplan is based in Washington D.C.
An increasing number of nonbank financial participants are considering an entry or reentry into the mortgage finance market as the financial crisis, which commenced a decade ago, starts to recede from view. As more companies continue to consider entering mortgage finance, here's everything they need to know about the market, and the regulators that govern it.


Discussion in 'Fluff and Stories' started by TheCrazyKhorneGuy, Oct 4, 2018.
Exalted Deathbringer Orayszheld, who was known as the Butcher, viciously ripped his Skullgouger, which was a claw-like gauntlet that he wore around his fist, out of the heart of the Free Peoples General. The body collapsed, dead. Orayszheld swiped the head from the body with an easy swing of his Ruinous Axe, and held it aloft for all to see. Abruptly, the combat stopped. Mostly, he heard cheers and growls from his own warriors, but also there were moans of utter defeat from his enemies. Their last and only hope stood with their General, and when he fell, so did their desire to fight. Then Orayszheld spoke, his deep voice resonating throughout the small town, "Your leader was a brave and worthy opponent, and so has been your army, but alas the time has come to name a victor, and today that victor is the Chosen Sons of Khorne! But since you and your leader were such worthy opponents, I will give each of you a choice, either join us in the Dark Feast, or become meat for it!" Roars of cheering Bloodreavers echoed off the walls of the nearby buildings, and the Blood Warriors clanged their weapons together. Most of the Free Peoples soldiers looked down in shame as they moved to partake in the horrible ritual, but others who were brave enough stared defiantly at Orayszheld. "Then you will all DIE!" he fumed at them, "kill them that refuse Khorne's generous gift!" he commanded his warriors. Almost instantly, the Free People were covered by a tide of bloodthirsty and angry killers. In seconds it was over and the feast was prepared.
Orayszheld continued his path of destruction of the Free Peoples towns until he had enough warriors to begin a siege of the main city, Sunbane. His horde was marching on Sunbane when all of a sudden a bombardment of pure Azyr lightning came down about 50 yards from the army. As the dust cleared, Orayszheld could see brightly armored warriors clad in golden and blue heavy plate. Orayszheld recognized them as Stormcast Eternals, the all but immortal warriors of the self-proclaimed god of the Heavens, Sigmar Heldenhammer. Orayszheld grinned with excitement as he had been longing to face these profound warriors on the field of battle. He roared encouragement to his warriors, "Remember Sorros, the failure of a Mighty Lord of Khorne?" He yelled, all around him faces cringed with disgust as they recalled the many failures of their past leader. "He failed so many times, yet Khorne let him live, for one purpose, to use him and his pathetic army as a test to Sigmar's new threat to our perfect world. To show the rest of us the strength and weaknesses of our new enemy. And we give thanks to Khorne for that great display. What have we learned from our enemies? We have learned that they lack only in one thing. Numbers. Our force here today outnumbers theirs thirty to one. Although they have great strength and skill, we have tons more bodies." The warriors were getting riled up now. "We will strike at them with so much speed and precision that they won't know what hit them! Go my warriors, strike quickly, and overcome!"
It's pretty unique and cool to see from the prospective of a Khorne follower.
Also, this probably belongs in the fluff subfourm, so one of the mods will probably move this thread there.
Additionally, i would recommend trying to avoid writing the entire story into a single paragraph, and instead, brake it up into smaller paragraphs/lines.
With each having 2-5 sentences. That way, it can make it easier for the reader's eyes to read the text (you only have to single space between the lines, but i prefer double spacing).
LizardWizard and Aginor like this.
Exalted Deathbringer Orayszheld, who was known as the Butcher, viciously ripped his Skullgouger, which was a claw-like gauntlet that he wore around his fist, out of the heart of the Free Peoples General. The body collapsed, dead. Orayszheld swiped the head from the body with an easy swing of his Ruinous Axe, and held it aloft for all to see. Abruptly, the combat stopped. Mostly, he heard cheers and growls from his own warriors, but also there were moans of utter defeat from his enemies.
Their last and only hope stood with their General, and when he fell, so did their desire to fight. Then Orayszheld spoke, his deep voice resonating throughout the small town, "Your leader was a brave and worthy opponent, and so has been your army, but alas the time has come to name a victor, and today that victor is the Chosen Sons of Khorne! But since you and your leader were such worthy opponents, I will give each of you a choice, either join us in the Dark Feast, or become the meat for it!"
Roars of cheering Bloodreavers echoed off the walls of the nearby buildings, and the Blood Warriors clanged their weapons together. Most of the Free Peoples soldiers looked down in shame as they moved to partake in the horrible ritual, but others who were brave enough stared defiantly at Orayszheld. "Then you will all DIE!" he fumed at them, "kill those that refuse Khorne's generous gift!" he commanded his warriors. Almost instantly, the Free People were covered by a tide of bloodthirsty and angry killers. In seconds it was over and the feast was prepared.
Orayszheld continued his path of destruction of the Free Peoples towns until he had enough warriors to begin a siege of the main city, Sunbane. His horde was marching on Sunbane when all of a sudden a bombardment of pure Azyr lightning came down about 50 yards from the army. As the dust cleared, Orayszheld could see brightly armored warriors clad in golden and blue heavy plate. Orayszheld recognized them as Stormcast Eternals, the all but immortal warriors of the self-proclaimed god of the Heavens, Sigmar Heldenhammer.
Orayszheld grinned with excitement as he had been longing to face these profound warriors on the field of battle. He roared encouragement to his warriors, "Remember Sorros, the failure of a Mighty Lord of Khorne?" He yelled, all around him faces cringed with disgust as they recalled the many failures of their past leader. "He failed so many times, yet Khorne let him live, for one purpose, to use him and his pathetic army as a test to Sigmar's new threat to our perfect world. To show the rest of us the strength and weaknesses of our new enemy. And we give thanks to Khorne for that great display.
"What have we learned from our enemies? We have learned that they lack only in one thing. Numbers. Our force here today outnumbers theirs thirty to one. Although they have great strength and skill, we have tons more bodies." The warriors were getting riled up now. "We will strike at them with so much speed and precision that they won't know what hit them! Go my warriors, strike quickly, and overcome!"
As Orayszheld's forces advanced toward the Stormcast Eternals, a spectral spy watched from the natural cover of the distant hill. "Hmmmmm." The spy mused in an almost reptilian voice, as he stared at the muscular form of Orayszheld giving orders to his troops, as if he knew Orayszheld's fate, "We could use that one."
Orayszheld let out a bloodcurdling scream, "CHARGE! Charge and crush them like bugs!" Atop the hill, there were three mighty Stormcast Eternals, Lord-Celestant Ulman CometRoar, who sat proudly on his dracoth, Rex, Lord-Relictor Ilyord Hammershield, and Lord-Castelant Korard CrushingKin. Orayszheld picked them as his targets and roared, "Those three are MINE!" His Slaughterpriest whispered into his ear, "Lord, you cannot possibly take on all of them." In a blink of an eye Orayszheld was holding the Slaughterpriest's decapitated head in his hand. He squeezed and all of a sudden, "Pop" the head exploded into a bloody paste that sprayed all over Orayszheld.
Orayszheld's army surged up the hill only to be met with volleys of Heavenly arrows and Ballista bolts. To the servants of the Evil Chaos gods, these projectiles burned like fire catching on dry grass. Even still, the crazed horde continued to push to be the first to engage the armored warriors at the top.
LizardWizard, thedarkfourth, Scalenex and 2 others like this.
Exalted Deathbringer Orayszheld, known as the Butcher, viciously ripped his Skullgouger, which was a claw-like gauntlet that he wore around his fist, out of the heart of the Free Peoples General. The body collapsed, dead. Orayszheld swiped the head from the body with an easy swing of his Ruinous Axe and held it aloft for all to see. Abruptly, the combat stopped. Mostly, he heard cheers and growls from his own warriors, but also there were moans of utter defeat from his enemies.
Their last and only hope stood with their General, and when he fell, so did their desire to fight. Then Orayszheld spoke, his deep voice resonating throughout the small town, "Your leader was a brave and worthy opponent, and so has been your army, but alas the time has come to name a victor, and today that victor is the Chosen Sons of Khorne! But since you and your leader were such worthy opponents, I will give each of you a choice: either join us in the Dark Feast or become the meat for it!"
Roars of cheering Bloodreavers echoed off the walls of the nearby buildings, and the Blood Warriors clanged their weapons together. Most of the Free Peoples soldiers looked down in shame as they moved to partake in the horrible ritual, but others who were brave enough stared defiantly at Orayszheld. "Then you will all DIE!" he fumed at them, "Kill those that refuse Khorne's generous gift!" he commanded his warriors. Almost instantly, the Free People were covered by a tide of bloodthirsty and angry killers. In seconds it was over, and the feast was prepared.
Orayszheld continued his path of destruction of the Free Peoples towns until he had enough warriors to begin a siege of the main city, Sunbane. His horde was marching on Sunbane when all of a sudden, a bombardment of pure Azyr lightning came down about 50 yards from the army. As the dust cleared, Orayszheld could see brightly armored warriors clad in golden and blue heavy plate. Orayszheld recognized them as Stormcast Eternals, the all but immortal warriors of the self-proclaimed god of the Heavens, Sigmar Heldenhammer.
Orayszheld grinned with excitement as he had been longing to face these profound warriors on the field of battle again. He roared encouragement to his warriors, "Remember Soros, the failure of a Mighty Lord of Khorne?" He yelled, all around him faces cringed with disgust as they recalled the many failures of their past leader. "He failed so many times, yet Khorne let him live, for one purpose, to use him and his pathetic army as a test to Sigmar's new threat to our perfect world. To show the rest of us the strength and weaknesses of our new enemy. And we give thanks to Khorne for that great display.
Orayszheld let out a bloodcurdling scream, "CHARGE! Charge and crush them like bugs!" Atop the hill, there were three mighty Stormcast Eternals, Lord-Celestant Ulman, who sat proudly on his dracoth, Rex, Lord-Relictor Ilyord, and Lord-Castelant Korad. Orayszheld picked them as his targets and roared, "Those three are MINE!" His Slaughterpriest whispered into his ear, "Lord, you cannot possibly take on all of them." In a blink of an eye Orayszheld was holding the Slaughterpriest's decapitated head in his hand. He squeezed and all of a sudden, "Pop" the head exploded into a bloody paste that sprayed all over Orayszheld.
"We all laughed and jeered at him knowing that we had the easy victory, we were wrong. We charged him, and he met us head-on. We knew he would be a powerful opponent, but we were not ready for what hit us. He charged into our shield wall and shredded through it like butter, he cut through the first few men like paper, then we started to recover from our shock. As we fought back, we all realized that as he butchered our brothers, there was an absence of the normal shafts of lightning every time one of them died. Horrified, we attacked him with renewed vigor and righteous anger. As our blades and greatblades slashed and cut him to a bloody mess of a man, he laughed the whole time, then as one of the remaining warriors who carried a greatblade swung, the Butcher blocked the attack with his axe and then punched the Liberator in the face with a clawed gauntlet. As the warrior staggered back, the Butcher hacked into the doomed man, cutting him in two. I then realized we were doomed. So I yelled a final charge and we fought like cornered animals, but he was just playing with us by then. He would make a show of every Stormcast he would kill. Eventually, all were slain, all except me. I was a coward then. My actions on that day have haunted me through the centuries." "What did you do?" the Lord-Relictor asked, "I… I played dead!" anger and shame rising in the Lord-Celestant's voice. Ilyord was shocked at those words. "Surely not Lord." "It… Is… True." Ulman replied.
"Blood for the Blood god!" screamed a Lord of Khorne riding atop a huge Juggernaut as he charged at the two leaders. He must be the general leading the flanking force. Ulman thought. He quickly glanced around for the melee leader of his troops, the Lord-Castellant Korad. He realized that his commander had gone to help the front of the fight, so he turned to face the Korne lord himself. As he urged his Dracoth into the fray, he noticed with fear that Korad was locked in vicious combat with the Exalted Deathbringer. I have to finish this lord quickly. Hold on Korad. He thought. Ulman charged into the lord on juggernaut and swung his Tempestos Hammer with renewed vigor. The hammer hit the chest of the lord and catapulted him off the juggernaut, who was in his own battle with Rex, and into a squad of Retributors. He did not return.
Before the others could stop him, Korad let out a roar and ran strait for Orayszheld, swinging his halberd right at his throat. Orayszheld was waiting for this, so when Korad charged him, he looked for an opening, found it, spun away from the halberd, and executed a perfect slice into Korad's exposed torso, tearing a huge gap into his stomach. Korad doubled over in pain, realizing his mistake too late. "The rage of the Blood god getting to your brain caused you to not think clearly enough, and in one on one combat, victory goes to those that think on their feet and do not second guess themselves." Orayszheld explained calmly to Korad, as if he were lecturing his own son.
"Aaagghh!" Orayszheld screamed as he was burned by the holy lightning of Simar. He looked over and saw Ilyord channeling his magical powers through his reliquary staff. "Your next, Relic-Bearer!" he promised through gritted teeth. Suddenly, as he was distracted by Ilyord, he was flung forwards as a huge hammer blow slammed into his back. He sprung to his feet, ducked the next blow, and delivered a strong high kick into the face of Rex. Then he turned, and with lightning speed he ran straight at Ilyord, who was closing his eyes in concentration for another powerful blast. Ilyord was not expecting to get smashed into the blood-soaked ground, so he flung his hammer out to try to catch on Orayszheld, but he missed, and came crashing down. Orayszheld took the opportunity to jump on top of him and as he did, he sliced his axe down onto the arm of Ilyord, severing it off completely. But before he could go for the head, Ulman was there, he had fallen off his Dracoth and charged Orayshzeld, but it was too late. Without his commanders to help him, he was quickly defeated and thrown to the dirt in a heap.
In his victory, Orayszheld calmly walked over to each Stormcast and casually removed their heads. His victory was short-lived however, as thousands of shafts of light rained down on his army. Out of those lights came towering reptile-like-men called Seraphon, the lizard warriors made quick work of Orayszheld's depleted army.
In a few hours, all that was left of the massive Khorne horde was Orayszheld, but he knew no fear, for he had just slain three of Sigmar's best. He charged straight for the largest of the lizardmen and jabbed his skullgourger right into his opponent's stomach, as the warrior fell, Orayszheld was suddenly trapped in a sphere of energy. He tried his hardest to break out of this prison but every time he slammed his body into the walls of the cage, his energy was sapped from him. Soon he gave up, and just lie there waiting for his imminent fate.
Then all went black. Orayszheld was no more.
"Uugghh." He groaned, as he sat up in his bed, wait, a bed? He thought, "Aaarrrggghhh!" he roared. He picked up the bed with both hands and as he was going to throw it against the wall, he realized that he was in a tent, and he was smart enough to know that if he threw the bed, the whole tent would collapse. He walked outside of the tent and chucked the bed about thirty yards into a pile of huge rocks, it crashed into the rocks and broke into splinters. "That felt better," he muttered, "I haven't slept in a bed in centuries, only dirt floors, just like any of my men." He looked around, "Oh no, my men!" he shouted. Suddenly, he was engulfed in pain, he collapsed, screaming, holding his head in his hands, as the memories poured in.
All the death, all the pain, all the suffering you caused, echoed a voice in his mind. He opened his eyes and saw a battlefield, a battlefield drenched in blood, the battle had taken place in a huge, but narrow gulley, thus the blood was about shin height, and limbs and heads were floating around in it. He saw one man standing alone in the gore-soaked ditch, the man was a huge muscle-bound savage, and as the man turned, Orayszheld realized he was staring at himself, only a few years ago. Orayszheld remembered this fight, it was the goriest, bloodiest, and most brutal fight of his long life. There were thousands dead on both sides. The elves of the deep fought surprisingly well for elves, who are known by the followers of the Blood God as cowards that just retreat and shoot, retreat and shoot, until their opponents were dead. But these, these were different. They fought directly in melee with the Blood Bound warriors, but in the end, as always, the Blood God was victorious, for even if his followers lost the battle, he would still have his fill of blood, because his followers would fight to the death. There is no retreat with the forces of Khorne.
As Orayszheld watched himself go to each and every body and slice off its head, he felt a feeling he hadn't felt in, well, forever. "What is happening to me? Back at the tent, I would have thrown the bed no matter where I was, I would have immediately looked for a weapon, but no, I just stood there, vulnerable, out in the open, looking like an idiot. And now this feeling, what is it?" he was asking no one in particular but his younger self turned as if he could hear Orayszheld's questions. All of the sudden, his eyes glazed over, and a blue hint glowed from them, as he spoke, you have been cleansed, cleansed of your past failures, your butchery of thousands, your mutilation of hundreds, it has all been erased, you are now a vessel of good, a force against your former brothers-in-arms. About the bed, because you have been cleansed of some of your psychotic berserker rage, you had the time and patience enough to leave the tent and then execute your anger. We have not, however taken your tactical mind to grab a weapon, you were just confused. And the feeling? That is guilt, my friend, guilt for all your past wrongs. In short, we have made you a human again, instead of a savage marauder lusting for the next kill.
Orayszheld replied, "you said 'we.' Who is this we? And who are you?
I am lord Kroak, the slann that met you on the battlefield for the outskirts of Sunbane, and the we are all the other slann that helped turn you into what you are today.
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"HELPED ME?! What do you mean, helped me? This is Horrible! I am – was – a follower of Khorne. I do not feel guilt. I was a lord of hundreds of thousands of men. The Chosen Sons of Khorne were the biggest, baddest, and most ruthless army in the Mortal Realms, rivaling even that of the Goretide. Now it's gone! You ruined me!" his voice started wavering and he did something he had not done since he was a child, he sobbed.
That's when he woke up.
I really love the character development of Orayszheld. I like it when very strong characters gradually grow into something else much more weaker (i love weak, regular characters that are gradually made unique such as normal skinks and saurus).
Personally, i would suggest slowing down the pacing of the entire story. In my opinion, everything is going too fast in places where things should be taken much more slowly.
You can slow down the pacing by adding in more sentences that focus on imagery. You can even combine imagery with characterization as well in order to slow down the pacing more.
Dawn began to recede into full daylight thought the forest canopy and hanging mists diluted the effect. The lone Skink breathed in deep, drawing in the nearby smells both good and bad. The smell of loamy soil mixed with the smell of ripening fruit. The smell of decomposing dung and rotting animal carcasses mixed with the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers. The jungle made sense. It smelled with the promise of new life and it reeked of the inevitability of death. Beauty and ugliness coexisted side-by -side. Perhaps this was what the Old Ones intended. Not a pastoral soft paradise, but an ever active shifting balancing moving about around an equilibrium.
So yeah, in my opinion, when a story reaches an important plot point, or character change point within the story, the pacing needs to be slowed down in order to better immerse the reader into the story.
Scalenex and TheCrazyKhorneGuy like this.
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i'm on a writing spree.
"I…Hate…You!" Orayszheld cried through gritted teeth. "One day, I vow, I will kill you." "Now don't go psycho on me. We have a job to do. The pain will subside eventually." Crek'Tlechtlul replied. Orayszheld stood and growled, "Where do we have to go and what do we have to do. I should say I, not we, because you are so weak that if we come up against anything bigger than a Grot then I will have to do everything." "Yes I am weak in combat, but you will come to appreciate the powers that the slann have given me." "Wait a minute." Orayszheld said dangerously, "Are you a spellcaster?" "Yes I am, I know how your former kind feel about magic users, but you need to remember that you are no longer a follower of the Blood God." "Yes, I know, it is Unfortunate, for I would have liked to spill your blood as I cut out your eyes, then I would slice off your arms and legs to make it even more painful for you." Crek'Tlechtlul stared at him in horror, and muttered aloud, "Kroak was right. Khorne does make his followers into complete savages. We need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is the day we trek out of this canyon to begin our long journey to liberate a stronghold currently held by Chaos." "Fine." Orayszheld said with obvious defiance to taking orders from a weaker being than himself. My old life was so simple, where the strongest takes the lead. Now it is so confusing.
I really like where this is going. You've made me excited to see what Orayszheld will do, and the possible drama of him killing his former comrades.
"I...Hate...You!" Orayszheld cried through gritted teeth. "One day I will kill you."
"Now don't go psycho on me. We have a job to do. The pain will subside eventually." Crek'Tlechtlul replied.
A new paragraph/line should designate that a different/new character is speaking.
I agree, I lost track of who was saying what for that portion. I got some people commenting that my dialog has a lot of spacing but everyone knows when I switch characters.
In a sense paragraph spacing in dialog is the day time running lights of literature. You don't need it, but it's safer.
For the record this story is about a D&D campaign I have been running. And yes lol I play Crek'Tlechtlul lol. (Seraphon for life). Lol I'm glad this story is getting typed up it's going Great!


La Valposchiavo, terra integra, coltivata quasi interamente biologicamente, sorprende per la grande varietà di piante che ivi crescono, dai 500 m di Campocologno fino a ridosso dei ghiacciai. In questa valle incantevole si organizza per la terza volta il Festival delle erbe spontanee.
Agriturismo means: love for your own region, love for your own community, love for its culture, love for its traditions.
A few steps from the largest chestnut trees in the Grisons you will find Agriturismo Miravalle, amidst green fields and in a peaceful zone from which the famous circular viaduct of the Bernina Railway can be admired.
Agriturismo Miravalle lies in a very pleasant and extremely quiet zone. All rooms have shower, WC and television.
From the hotel windows the guests enjoy a commanding view over the valley and onto the famous circular viaduct of the Bernina Railway.
The Miravalle Restaurant offers a wide selection of à-la-carte dishes. These include specialities prepared personally by chef and owner Davide Migliacci, who promotes local products, which are often home made.
Miravalle is the ideal venue for company dinners and informal parties.
Miravalle's pièces de résistance are, without doubt, its elegant, delicious "warm venison salad", its mouth-watering panzerotti and its home-made pasta.
The emphasis is on locally sourced meat and seasonal cuisine featuring vegetables fresh from the chef and owner's kitchen garden.


As a User Interface (UI) Developer, my goal is to deliver an awesome digital experience, every time. I'm not just talking about code quality; that's implied. I'm talking about ensuring greatness in every aspect of the experience that I'm building.
I bring the digital experience to life. I assemble all the pieces – the visual design, the written word, and the interactions - to create what end users will ultimately experience. I am the first user. The guinea pig. And the guardian of quality. Increasingly as a UI developer, I see my role as User Advocate. Would this web page get the job done for me? If not, back to the drawing board.
So, what does a quality user experience look like? This is the timeless, gazillion dollar question, right?
At TELUS Digital, my place of employment and my passion, we have clearly defined metrics around quality. This starts with what we call "digital basics" - qualities universal to every digital experience we create. The good news is measuring quality is pretty easy, and with meaningful implications. Hooray! Who doesn't love easy.
I regularly remind my team that users don't care how we do the things we do. When I browse a web page, I don't ask "What is the tech stack?". Never. Or, "did the SEO team and Content Writers sync up to discuss this content?" Nope. "Was there any user testing?". Of course not. As an end user, that's not my job nor my intent. Rather, I expect to search, find the stuff I want, complete my action, and get back to my day, in short order.
Now, that isn't meant to under-value the importance of our collective work. Rather it's a reminder, that as designers and implementers of digital journeys, a job well done should result in an effortless experience that answers the intent of the user quickly.
Notice how I constantly refer to the "user", as in "User Interface" and "User Experience". As a starting point for defining quality, be the user not only the technician. That will serve you well in defining your baseline performance metrics.
Content: that's the reason you're here, isn't it?
Page Speed: faster is better. Let me get on with my life.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): If users can't find us on search engines, we might as well go back to print. Maybe a little overstated, but you get the point. We want to be discoverable everywhere a user starts their journey. Search engines represent the starting point for most.
Analytics: How else do we know how well we're doing? Try something. Measure the results. Rinse. Repeat.
Of course, like any mature digital team, we have many additional Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to evaluate our user experiences - bounce rate, conversions, etc - but these are focused on specific user journeys. Our basic performance indicators (BPIs – now I'm just making stuff up) are universal to every digital experience we create. Or more to the point, if we don't satisfy these, our page-specific KPIs are guaranteed to underperform.
How do we measure the basics?
Before I delve into our secret sauce, let me give you some context. TELUS Digital is a team of ~300 digital pros encompassing many disciplines. Our mandate is to establish digital best practices and to create earth shattering user experiences to support TELUS - one of Canada's largest telecommunications companies. Our work directly impacts 1,000,000s of users every day. That's a big responsibility. My anxiety is rising just thinking about it.
About 1-1/2 years ago, we embarked on a mission to re-platform and consolidate our myriad of tech stacks. Like most large organizations, we have a legacy of acquisitions and trials-and-errors [and successes], coupled with external forces such as changing technologies and user expectations. Ultimately, we reached a tipping point. It was decided the best way to serve our users was to tear the building down, and start net new. No small feat.
Turns out, the technical challenges have been the easy part. This has been an exercise in change management – building a jet plane while flying it too. There are lots of moving parts and keeping an eye on the prize isn't always easy.
If you're wondering, the TELUS Digital Platform is based on Node.js, modular ReactJS (universal), Docker, OpenShift, continuous integration, [increasingly] continuous deployments, and Adobe products for our analytics. Of course, there is a multitude of libraries and tools in-between, but you get the idea. We're doing cool stuff on a grand scale, and iterating at lightning speed. Most start-ups would be envious of the speed at which we move, and we support a 30+ billion-dollar enterprise.
Now for the simple, yet profound question: has all this re-platform stuff actually created value for our customers? That's the goal, right? Making digital experiences better for our users? Specifically, in all the awesomeness we think we've achieved, did we actually improve on the basics: page speed, accessibility, content, SEO, and analytics? How can we be certain?
Lighthouse is an open-source project created and maintained by Google. At its core, it's a framework for the automated testing of mobile web apps [but not limited to]. When Lighthouse first hit our radar, in the spring of 2017, we were immediately intrigued.
We were especially excited by Lighthouse's Page Speed tests. Testing page speed, in a reliable and in a meaningful way, is just plain hard. Suffice it to say, we were happy to leverage Google's great work here and to standardize on their key metrics, namely: time to Meaningful Paint and time to First Interactive. In essence, (1) when do I see useful content on the page and (2) when can I interact with it.
We were equally excited by the extensibility of the Lighthouse framework - it's easy to add custom web page audits. In fact, we've extended Lighthouse to test all our basic performance criteria. We've built custom audits for SEO, Content, Analytics, and Social Media. Google has subsequently added SEO audits of their own, many of which we were pleased to inherit. Many thanks to Paul Irish, Addy Osmani, and all the Lighthouse contributors - we'll be sending some goodness back to you in the near term.
So far, we've covered the basic metrics we use to identify quality across our digital experiences. And we've introduced one key tool in our QA arsenal to provide detailed insights into our progress on the web, namely Lighthouse. Here's how it all comes together.
When developers attempt to merge their work into the master codebase, we run Lighthouse against all of their web pages - Google's audits plus our own TELUS-specific tests. If our quality standards are not met, the merge fails. It's that simple. Quality assured.
Each category of our Lighthouse tests has a minimum threshold that must be satisfied: e.g. Performance score of 80 or the merge fails. We don't diminish the quality of the master codebase, ever. That's uncivilized.
In addition to local development, we run Lighthouse at every stage of our delivery pipeline. When code is merged, a build is triggered, and pending the outcome of test results, code is deployed to various environments throughout our delivery pipeline (i.e. testing, staging, and production).
Before code is moved from one environment to the next, however, we run unit tests, E2E tests, and you guessed it, Lighthouse. If any of these tests fail, the build fails. Again, we aim to provide an exceptional user experience, every time. Controlling builds in this way ensures nothing slips through the cracks en route to production.
To keep tabs on the quality of pages our customers are browsing, we run Lighthouse against [almost] every URL in production; the results of which are surfaced in our corporate analytics dashboards. This ensures everyone in our organization has visibility into the baseline quality of our web experiences.
Armed with these insights, Product Owners (POs) and other stakeholders can objectively prioritize their backlogs and continue to improve on the basics, sprint over sprint. And as we improve, we raise our quality thresholds.
How Important are the Basics at TELUS Digital?
Customer satisfaction is a big deal at TELUS. We take great pride in delivering best-in-class experiences for all our users. It is our reason for being.
In fact, "Quality over Speed" is a core value at TELUS. It's even built into our performance scorecards! Every team at TELUS Digital is evaluated, in part, by their performance across our basic quality metrics: i.e. page speed, content, SEO, accessibility, and analytics. And Lighthouse is how we report on it.
Out of the box, Lighthouse provides detailed reporting on a host of key metrics, most notably page speed. Additionally, the ease with which we can extend it to include our own quality concerns, and integrate it into our existing workflows, has made it an invaluable tool within our organization. It serves as a constant reminder of our goals and provides detailed insights into our progress and areas for improvement.
As an organization, we aspire to greatness. As a UI developer, I have big role and responsibility in delivering that promise. Our users expect it. We demand it of ourselves. And Lighthouse has proven to be an essential tool in helping us achieve those goals.
Josh Arndt is a Senior Technology Architect at TELUS Digital. He has a passion for building high performance teams, SEO, and utilizing digital tools to make life better.