RDS consistently analyzes the foodservice industry, from fast-food to fine dining, to stay abreast of changes and developments in the marketplace. Our clients benefit when we use these resources to help shape their strategic growth plan.
RDS is especially attuned to the myriad of business, strategic and financial issues facing start-up and expanding restaurant operations. We work closely with our clients, attending to every facet of their business needs in each stage of their development.


Kick in doors or point guns with no justification.
Intimidate people, including suspects, with aggressive behavior.
Behave as if they are somehow more important than the people they serve.
The best way to ensure proper police behavior is to require officers to wear audio-video recorders while on duty. Video cameras are already used on highway patrol cars to great effect, guaranteeing that officers and those they deal with are both held accountable for their actions.
The requirement that police treat the public with respect does not mean they should treat a fleeing criminal with respect. Nor should they tolerate offensive behavior towards themselves by hooligans. When they are off-duty it is their prerogative to turn the other cheek. However, when they wear the uniform they are officers of the law, and the law must be respected. To harass or assault a police officer is a cry of havoc; it is a signal that the offender feels unbound by the law. Policemen should not be stoic or exercise restraint when someone is swearing at them, drunks are hurling beer bottles at them, or rioters are throwing pavement stones at them. Those who disrespect a police officer should be arrested and charged with offensive behavior, assault, affray, or riot. If they resist arrest, tasers or other appropriate force should be used to quell them.
The requirement that people not swear or abuse policemen is not granting the police extra-legal privileges. Rather when they put on a uniform they are representing the law, and it is the law that must be respected. Police are the people who keep families safe from murderers, burglars, and armed robbers. To attack and insult police officers is to attack and insult the safety and security of every family, every child, and every parent in their own homes.


MOSCOW, Aug 31 (PRIME) -- Western sanctions are not very sensitive for the Russian economy in the short-term, but the country will feel them later, national top lender Sberbank CEO German Gref told Rossiya 24 television channel on Friday.
"The scale of sanctions is now such that we do not particularly feel them in the short-term, but in the medium and long-term they will affect both our and global economy. The volume of sanctions that is beginning to work today does not concern only the Russian economy, it's the U.S.–China, the U.S.–Turkey, Iran, North Korea, etc. If we put it together into a common and whole, I'm afraid that the world economy will feel all this," he said.
On Monday, U.S. anti-Russian sanctions over Moscow's alleged involvement in the March poisoning of the Skripal family in the U.K. came into force. The second package of sanctions that can affect lending to Russian corporate bodies could be introduced in November.
Gref also said he hopes that the U.S. will revise its sanctions decisions against Russia after November elections to the Congress.
"In my opinion, any political situation should end with the fact that people should stop and analyze what has already been done. A lot of negative things have been done. I hope a lot that after November elections in the U.S. some revision of what has been done will be made and the speed of development of this sanctions flywheel will be hampered," he said.


Tigonus is the eastern region of the Alik'r Desert. The city of Kozanset sits roughly in its center, with Satakalaam and the Motalion Necropolis to the north, and HoonDing's Watch to the south. The Tigonus Dolmen lies east of Kozanset, along the border with southern Bangkorai (though there is no crossing here). The Hollow Wastes region borders on the west.
These side quests count towards the Alik'r Desert Adventurer achievement. For Covenant storyline quests which also contribute to this achievement, please see Alik'r Desert Quests.
 Ash'abah Hero 5 Defeat the Withered Hand and reclaim all the Ansei Wards.
This page was last modified on 10 May 2017, at 11:32.


There is a minor syntax error - a missing semicolon at the end of a line - which causes problems loading the plugin and starting the editor.
Also there are some lint warnings complaining about variable redeclaration.
I fixed the problems and attache the svn diff to this ticket. Please include this fix.
DefinitionList.js.svn.diff (1.7 KB) - added by guest 9 years ago.
Thanks for spotting this. I committed your patch in r1284.


To misquote Ghandi, Robbie Williams and the great Mike Buchanan, "first they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then you fight them, then – well, then you get told to get back in the kitchen, make them a sandwich and iron their shirt". Sound familiar? It should do if you're a feminist. "Get back in the kitchen" – a command that even my dad thought was a bit sexist in 1976 – is back in vogue. Got embroiled in a heated online debate? Getting a bit too uppity and clever for the likes of your designated mansplainer? Well, then, it's "back in the kitchen" time for you, missy!
As argumentative techniques go, I have to say, this one's a total bummer. Men only ever say it – or one of its many minor domestic servitude-related variants – to annoy you. No other reason for it. It's not as though you can literally make your opponent a cup of tea and deliver it via a tweet, or iron his shirt and present it, crease-free, in your next CiF comment. They just want to make you cross in a really minor, low-level way that isn't permitted to spill over into full-on rage because that would just be silly. I mean, seriously! "Make me a sandwich"? You want to install a twitter alarm button for that? (Actually, I do. The stupid domestic requests alert. Only it would be misused and you'd end up barred from all social media just for saying you fancied a custard cream, so it's never going to happen.) Anyhow, people only say "get back in the kitchen" etc. to rile you but the trouble is, it works. Then you get extra-cross at yourself for feeling riled. Then you get even more cross with yourself for being meta-cross with yourself (or maybe that's just me). Whatever, it's really annoying.


Provide your pup with long-lasting fun with this Top Paw NitroFlex Buoy Ball Dog Toy. This fun toy is built to stand up to chewing and your dog's vigorous style of play, features a tennis ball inside it, and is the perfect toy for interactive games of toss, fetch and retrieve. What a fun way to spend the day. Only at PetSmart.


Little question I had about adult leagues and such. I was wondering how competitive leagues get when you are an adult? I hear a lot on here about beer league "try-hards" and I do like to be competitive so I was wondering if there was a place for me/try-hards. I don't want to sound like a jerk and I like the idea of rec-leagues but I missed out playing hockey in my younger years and I want to see how many hitting/competitive leagues are out there?
This is really an unanswerable question.
Some leagues are going to be super competitive and some are going to just be a bunch of guys have fun.
You have to go talk to guys in the leagues you're looking at joining.
yeah I guess. I guess what I'm really asking is what are people's experiences with some competitive leagues.
Is there a tool for finding local leagues? I've done some Google searches but am coming up empty. I'd like to join another league and play more.
No idea. I live in the New York area so I have a local rink out in the suburbs but I would also be willing to go into the city (time permitting) for leagues.


It would be helpful if a consensus could be reached amongst professional fitness instructors as to how to do exercises correctly. As it is, the advice given in workout classes and magazines is often conflicting, and the non-professional can scarcely be blamed for not knowing which to follow – or worse, blindly accepting advice that may be wrong.
The differences of opinion exist because, while there is no disputing the anatomy of the body, how to make the body function at its best from a physical standpoint is something that has not yet been determined. This is partly because the importance of a "mechanically" sound body as it relates to both physical and mental wellbeing has not been given the recognition it deserves. Consequently, except for the relatively few individuals who have over recent decades developed "bodywork" techniques, and who have come to understand and value the proper mechanical functioning of the body, there has not been sufficient research done along these lines. Thus except for the guidelines as set by such bodies as the National Fitness Leadership Advisory Committee – and which guidelines change as new theories emerge – there are no established standards that define what is best or correct.
An article in the Globe called Fitness a top priority for golfer (April 13, '94) is a case in point. It said that the golf swing stresses the legs, hips, abdominal muscles, back, shoulders, neck, arms and hands – which leaves little that isn't stressed, it would seem – and that the rotary, twisting motion occurring over a four-hour period means that strength, flexibility, endurance and balance are all required. But it went on to say that the jury is not yet in on how golfers should exercise in order to bear the weight that swinging the golf club creates.
Johnny Miller and Faldo bulked up their upper chest muscles, only to pull back from developing too much upper body strength, while Gary Miller, despite being warned that he would hurt his golf by becoming too muscle-bound, disagreed and worked with a world weight-lifting titleholder. The consensus with instructors now, it said, is that strength training is important but the exercises should be golf-specific. And a warning was given for caution when reading popular magazines that publish articles on golf fitness because they may be too general.
Depending on what "general" refers to, the warning may or may not be justified. Chris Dalcin, Associate Director of the Fitness Institute's Olympic High Performance Center, believes that because the total body is involved in golf, a good general conditioning is needed to provide overall strength and flexibility. Specific exercises would focus on the forearm, scapula, rotator cuffs, lower back, balance and power in the legs.
In last April's issue of Prevention magazine, the article Get Your Back on Track discusses the body demands and the hazards of various activities, including tips on preventing injuries.
For example, cycling can cause stress on the lumbar spine from leaning forward without adequate support from the arms and, depending on the height of the seat and handlebars, arch the neck and cause it to ache. A tennis serve and the crawl in swimming cause hyperextension of the spine. In bowling, the shoulders and upper torso twist in one direction while the hips and legs twist the opposite way, with added strain coming from a heavy ball held in front with the body bent slightly forward. Swinging a bat in softball carries two sports risk factors: muscles must contract with great force to accelerate the twist and the sudden stop at the end of the swing applies pressure to both the disk and the spine's facet joints. And the vertical impact loading of running can damage the disks and other structures.
It's interesting to note that Dr. Stephen Hochschuler, assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas and co-founder of the Texas Back Institute, is quoted from his book, Back in Shape, as saying that exercise is probably the most beneficial remedy for back pain. Yet all of the tips given for the sports mentioned above are concerned with some aspect of the sport's "technique." This is not, to my mind, advice on what kind of exercise is best for the different activities.
It would appear from this article – and many others I've come across – that a deeper-lying problem exists than that of agreeing on how to do exercises correctly: What do we mean by exercise? The word itself is the first cause of confusion since it's used to mean both an activity and what is more rightly called conditioning. It's the latter that prepares the body for activities and helps prevent injuries. So the first step in dispelling confusion is to recognize the difference between the two kinds of exercise. Then we can perhaps deal more directly with how to exercise correctly to improve the overall musculo-skeletal condition of the body, which would benefit all activities.
https://www.somaticstretch.com/wp-content/uploads/SSlogo2013final.jpg 0 0 Somatic Stretch https://www.somaticstretch.com/wp-content/uploads/SSlogo2013final.jpg Somatic Stretch1994-09-26 13:43:562016-03-27 10:10:54Exercise or Conditioning?


Contact Us | Spectrum Commercial Real Estate Inc.
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Thank you for considering Spectrum Commercial Real Estate, Inc. Please fill out the contact form and tell us how we can help you with your Commercial Real Estate needs.


text:
HomeHealthU.S. Unemployment Claims Hit 3.2 Million As Entertainment Industry is Hardest Hit Sectors
U.S. Unemployment Claims Hit 3.2 Million As Entertainment Industry is Hardest Hit Sectors
On Thursday, the United States Department of Labor reports, unemployment claims in the United States hit a record-breaking 3.28 million.
The previous record of weekly jobless claims took place on October 1982 with 695,000, and economists expect the unemployment numbers to increase in the next few weeks.
Early trading on Thursday, climbed 2% following the Senate passing a $2 trillion stimulus bill late Wednesday aimed at helping the U.S. economy.
The historic unemployment numbers reported on Thursday for the week ended March 21, as entire industries have shut down, were 200% higher than what analysts predicted, according to CNBC. A Goldman Sachs report predicted 2.25 million unemployment claims.
One of the hardest-hit sectors hit by the unemployment industry is the Entertainment industry, according to the Labor Department. Nearly every Hollywood production shut down, theme parks, concerts, and movie theaters have shut down across America, leaving hundreds of thousands of people out of work.
"Investors' nightmares have unfortunately become a reality in the U.S. with the latest unemployment claims," said John Westwood, group managing director at Blacktower Financial Management Group, The Guardian reports. "The challenge for the markets now is that there is still no end in sight, as the U.S. is still new into its COVID-19 problem." Donald Trump said Tuesday he wanted "the country opened up" by Easter (April 12) to stave off further economic damage. Still, experts said that is unlikely to happen and warned that it would have catastrophic effects on the spread of the virus. "The lack of trust in the president's comments and the latest data means that the markets are now more uncertain than ever before," Westwood said.
The Labor Department initially reported jobless claims from two weeks ago increased 30% to 281,000 for the week of March 14th. Fortune reports, 6 million people will lose their jobs by the end of March 2020, but that number could rise even higher.
Ambrose Crofton, a market analyst at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, says the U.S. economy has hit a recession. "The US economy has entered a recession. Initial claims – a measure of the number of new filings to receive unemployment benefits– rose to 3.283 million for the week ending 21 March. The speed and magnitude of the move higher highlight how US businesses have had to let staff go in the face of the sudden coronavirus shutdown. Policymakers have moved to try to limit the extent of this recession: the US Federal Reserve has cut its key interest rate to zero and restarted quantitative easing at an aggressive pace, and Congress agreed a $2.2 trillion bill to support businesses and consumers. Despite this support, a neutral allocation to risk may make sense, at least until jobless claims and the infection rate have peaked."
Analysts have not understood the consequences of the Coronavirus outbreak, but based on the numbers so far, things are a lot worse than many predicted.
Georgia Film Studios Shut Down: "Lock The Doors And Walk Away"
The Coronavirus has caused film studios across Georgia to shut down. Thousands of people across Georgia depend on the film and TV industry to provide an income for themselves and their families. The lack of...
Cardi B Believes Celebrities Are Getting Paid to Say They Have the Coronavirus
Cardi B says she thinks celebrities are getting paid to say they have Coronavirus. The rapper took to Instagram Live on Saturday night, where she shared her own conspiracy theory about the Coronavirus outbreak. Several celebrities...
Rihanna Donates Millions to Save Lives and Combat the Coronavirus
Rihanna donates millions of dollars to help other countries against the spread of the Coronavirus. According to TMZ, Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation has made a huge donation to organizations across the United States and around...
Previous articleNetflix's 'Love is Blind' Season 2 Open Casting Call
Next articleHollywood Shutdown: Talent Agencies Are Now Laying Off Agents
SAG-AFTRA: Productions in Los Angeles Will Go On Hiatus Until Mid-January
CBS Studios Extend Production Hiatus Amid L.A. COVID-19 Surge
As LA and NYC Struggle with COVID-19, Atlanta's Film Industry is Booming

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
NEW MUSIC: All Hail The King by Isabella and Evans Ogboi
Last week, two of Nigeria's leading UK-based multi-award winning Gospel artistes, Isabella & Evans Ogboi released their new single which has been rated as arguably an anthem for worshippers. The song titled, All Hail The King is a melodious ballad which was written to facilitate an atmosphere of worship and is sure to take the listener into deep and intense worship of the King!
It's Christmas and the birth of Jesus, so All Hail The King is definitely a song for the season.
FREE downloads of All Hail The King is available during the whole month of December 2014 so take advantage and DOWNLOAD it here
Watch Isabella and Evans talk about the making of All Hail The King here Here
An official video for All Hail The King is billed for release in 2015.
WE'RE LOVING: Freezy Enterprise Plays Santa to The Kids
5 "Must Read" Quotes From Jada Pinkett-Smith's Shape Magazine Cover Interview


text:
Q: How can I distinguish the same integer object? As known, java cache the Integer from range -128 up to 127. Now, I hav a class container as follows:
public class Container<T>{
    private List<T> elements;

    public boolean add(T t){
        //add the element to the container

        //if elements already contains t such that
        //there is e from elements so e == t
        //the IllegalArgumentException should be thrown
    }
}

Now, when I try to create Container<Integer> container and then add some into it like that
container.add(1);
container.add(2);
container.add(1); //here the IllegalArgumentException is being thrown.

I got the exception.
That's not a behavior I wanted. I need to create to different objects for any integer added to the container. How can I do that?

A: Explicitly create a new instance of the Integer with the new operator.
container.add(new Integer(1));
container.add(new Integer(2));
container.add(new Integer(1));

A: If you really want to have special behaviour for Integers you could do a check and manually create a new instance:
public boolean add(T t) {
    if (t instanceof Integer) {
        t = new Integer(((Integer)t).intValue());
    }

    // The rest of the code.
}

Bear in mind that this is going to get messier if you want to do this for other primitives also.

A: You state in the comments, that some developer using this would call this a bug. But as stated by the Boxing Conversations in the Java Language Specification:

If the value p being boxed is an integer literal of type int between -128 and 127 inclusive (§3.10.1), or the boolean literal true or false (§3.10.3), or a character literal between '\u0000′ and '\u007f' inclusive (§3.10.4), then let a and b be the results of any two boxing conversions of p. It is always the case that a == b.

There would be a VM-Property to change the size of the IntegerCache (-Djava.lang.Integer.IntegerCache.high), but you are not allowed to specify any value below 127 or disable it. As seen in the IntegerCache class: assert IntegerCache.high >= 127;
So using new Integer() instead of auto-boxing is the only proper way on doing this. I would not stick to the solutions pointed out in other comments (as they say too!) with instanceof and creating new objects, as these are neither clean nor the correct way on doing this.
Please take one more look on your architecture. Do you really want to throw an Exception if an element is about the be added twice? Why not using a normal java.util.Set and handling it's boolean return value? This would be the most standard Java-way on doing this. Do not reinvent the wheel, stick to existing, well tested and well defined classes.

A: Why don't you allow duplicates in case T is a Number.
public class Container<T>{
    private List<T> elements;

    public boolean add(T t){
        //add the element to the container

        // <<<IF <T> IS NOT NUMBER>>> and if elements already contains t such that
        //there is e from elements so e == t
        //the IllegalArgumentException should be thrown
    }
}

A: Here's what I would do, if you can change the public API a bit. I would create a subclass:
public class IntegerContainer extends Container<Integer> {
    public boolean add(Integer integer) {
        return super.add(new Integer(integer));
    }
}

Then I would make the constructor of Container protected and add a static factory taking a class:
public class Container<T>  {
    protected Container() {}

    public static <T> Container<T> of(Class<T> type) {
        if (type.isAssignableFrom(Integer.class)) {
            return (Container<T>) new IntegerContainer();
        }
        return new Container<T>();
    }

    private List<T> elements = new ArrayList<T>();

    public boolean add(T t){
        for (T e : elements) {
            if (t == e)
                throw new IllegalArgumentException();
        }
        return elements.add(t);
    }

    public static void main(String args[]) {
        Container<Integer> integerContainer = Container.of(Integer.class);
        integerContainer.add(1);
        integerContainer.add(2);
        integerContainer.add(1); // Doesn't throw

        Container<String> stringContainer = Container.of(String.class);
        String same = "hi";
        stringContainer.add(same);
        stringContainer.add(same); // Throws
        return;
    }
}

Note that this changes the way users of your API have to create Containers; they must call Container.of with the type they want.

A: I don't know what you're trying to do but that's not the way to do it.
Integer is an immutable class. So any situation where you think it actually useful to have two objects x & y such that (x!=y && x.equals(y)) isn't using the class correctly. It's allowed but should never be useful or desired.
This is why it is allowed (but not required) to return the same object from repeated (explicit or implicit) calls to valueOf(.).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Most Americans know at least most of the larger details about how they came to celebrate July 4th as their Independence Day. Indeed, many countries, especially those that were former colonies, celebrate a day that marks the day they became their own country or formed a new government. In many places, these celebrations, much like the American celebration, are marked with lively parties and symbols of patriotism. Since 1777, Americans have celebrated their independence from Great Britain on July 4th, even if the truth of when Independence occurred is actually more complex than that.
Although July 4th is celebrated as Independence Day in America, it is interesting to note that in 1776, that seminal year in American history, not much particularly exciting happened. The original resolution to declare independence from Britain had taken place a month earlier, on June 7, 1776. The resolution was introduced not by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Ben Franklin, or George Washington, the men everyone thinks of as the Founding Fathers. but by a man named Richard Henry Lee, a delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia.
It was not until 3 days later, on June 10, 1776 that a committee, led by Thomas Jefferson and including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston, convened to begin writing the Declaration of Independence. In fact, the only thing of historical note that happened on July 4, 1776 was that it was adopted by the Continental Congress. No member or delegate had signed the document because it had not been delivered, and it was still, in large part, a secret from people not involved in the Congress. Indeed, the public did not get a look at the Declaration of Independence until the next day, after the Continental Congress had already voted. The first newspaper to publish it was the Pennsylvania Evening Post. They published it in their July 6th edition.
Unlike other American holidays, like Thanksgiving, which took a long time to develop and take hold among the general population, people began celebrating July 4th as Independence Day from the very beginning. Most people would agree that the fireworks are supposed to represent the bombs and the rockets used during the American Revolution. Today, many communities hold parades during the day and later display fireworks in the evening when the 4th of July rolls around. Such actions are meant to pay tribute to the founding fathers and the men who fought in the American Revolution. However, for many people, these parades don't just honor the Founding Fathers, but are also to honor all the men and women of the military.
There are other traditions associated with Independence Day that are not steeped in history or patriotism. One of these is the barbeque. Americans love a barbeque. It gives them a chance to be outside, right in the middle of summer, with friends and family, to eat food that they enjoy and drink a beer or two (or more). One thing that is very interesting is that, especially in the earlier years, there were many attempts to move the holiday, so that it would always fall on a weekend, like resolutions calling to make Independence Day the first or second Saturday in July.
These resolutions have always been wildly unpopular. Americans like their day off of work that usually falls in the middle of the week, and, more importantly, don't want an important piece of their history changed by people who think that a weekend celebration may be more convenient. Independence Day is an important American celebration. While it is primarily about American independence, it is also about celebrating American ideals of family and freedom and the type of country that they are still very much aspiring to be.
Many believe that the creation of fireworks happened quite by accident involving bamboo. Bamboo is a wood that has hollow air pockets inside; when this wood is heated, it can explode. In the seventh century, it is believed that one of more people in China had burned bamboo in some kind of outdoor fire and discovered the wood's explosive properties. Naturally, with an explosion, a loud sound soon followed and this scared nearby people in the area. Since loud noise is created when bamboo explodes and frightens people, it was also believed by some that fireworks had the ability to frighten off malevolent entities or spirits as well.
Modern day fireworks did not come into being until the invention of gunpowder. Ironically, gunpowder is also believed to have accidental beginnings. The discovery of gunpowder was later to be followed by the creation of TNT, smokeless gunpowder, nitroglycerin, and nitrocellulose. The invention of gunpowder, like fireworks, is attributed to China.
This discovery was made by Chinese alchemists as they conducted experiments with different ingredients in an attempt to develop an immortality elixir. By 1044 AD, gunpowder already had various nitrate levels ranging from 27 to 50 percent. In the twelfth century, gunpowder was powerful enough to break through cast iron. Historians assert that the real explosive power of gunpowder was discovered in 1280 AD when a large quantity of gunpowder caught on fire. Rockets and explosives, at first used in warfare and to frighten off evil spirits, were later used to propel fireworks into the air and for celebratory purposes. Nobility used fireworks at various celebrations throughout the country.
Famous explorers soon found out about the fireworks created in China. In the early 1290s, Marco Polo traveled to the country and returned to Italy with fireworks. The Italians appreciated the beauty of fireworks and began experimenting with them; they added different colors including gold and silver by putting in different chemicals in the fireworks that they created. Shells were also created by the Italians that would allow for fireworks to reach very high altitudes before exploding.
When King Henry VII got married in the late 1480s, it was the first time that fireworks were reportedly used in a celebration in England. Queen Elizabeth I came to appreciate fireworks greatly, so much so that she appointed a Fire Master of England during her reign. Fireworks were also put to use during the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor while Charles V was ruling; these displays were handled by fireworkers who would purposefully put on victory presentations.
Settlers arriving in the New World in the Western hemisphere also brought fireworks along with them. These fireworks were sometimes used to either frighten or impress the Native Americans and sometimes used for celebratory purposes. These fireworks were used to celebrate major events even before the conclusion of the Revolutionary War. Fireworks were used in 1777 when celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and they were used in various events from then on, including at the inauguration of George Washington in 1789.
Fireworks are handled today by professional pyrotechnics. Individuals are certified and trained on the proper handling of thousands of different fireworks. There are rigid safety guidelines and regulations that have to be adhered to when using fireworks for the safety of all involved. When a firework presentation is planned, pyrotechnics work hand in hand with emergency personel and police officials to ensure that the presentation runs smoothly.
There are different chemicals used inside fireworks to produce the colors that blaze across the night sky. Fireworks producing blue colors contain copper materials; those that produce green colors contain chlorine and barium. White fireworks consist of aluminum and magnesium. Yellow fireworks are made of sodium compounds. Orange fireworks contain calcium salts. Silver fireworks contain aluminum and other burning metals. Purple fireworks have copper and strontium. Red fireworks contain lithium salts and strontium. Finally, gold fireworks are made up of charcoal and iron.
Today, in the United States the biggest consumer of firework products is the Walt Disney World theme park. In the late 1990s, the company was the very first to use compressed air to launch aerial fireworks instead of using gunpowder. Doing so offered improved display timing, height, and fewer fumes. Presently, the biggest annual firework display is offered at the Kentucky Derby Festival. Of course, the fourth of July is the day every year when the most fireworks are used across the nation. Many memorable firework displays have been witnessed in the skies on the 4th of July.


Regular flooding at houses in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, has been averted with Weholite HDPE pipes from Asset International.
Scottish Water started a £3.2m project to reduce the risk of flooding by improving its waste water storage in Rutherglen, where six houses in the View Park Drive development, had been flooded.
Scottish Water and Asset International added Weholite pipes to the sewer network to protect the houses for flood alleviation. Asset supplied a 260m³ attenuation tank to provide additional capacity for the area's waste water. It then made a double manifold pipe tank of seven 33.5m long 1500mm internal diameter Weholite pipes and integral 1200mm internal diameter access shafts.
Due to the site's location within a built up residential area, the project was subject to a number of environmental constraints that required the tank's components to be delivered in lengths no longer than 8.8m.
Thanks to the versatile nature of Weholite, these limitations were easily accommodated, enabling Asset and FPP to deliver bespoke short sections of pipework that were welded internally on site following their placement and installation.
Lloyd Condie, Civil Engineer at pipe installed aBV, said: "We've had a lot of experience using Weholite products over recent years and continue to be impressed by the its performance and versatility, which has contributed to a number of successful projects.
Asset International sales engineer Ian Anderson, Technical Sales Engineer at Asset said: "This project has added to our portfolio of successful projects working with Scottish Water, cementing our strong working relationships with the client and their delivery partner aBV, which has helped enormously in the design progression and project delivery.


SAN FRANCISCO: The United States will fall short by a third on its commitment under the Paris climate treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report released Wednesday in San Francisco.
A crescendo of efforts at the sub-national level by states, cities and business to shrink the country's carbon footprint will not fully compensate for President Donald Trump's decision to scrap his predecessor's climate policies and promote the use of fossil fuels, it found.
Financed by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, the "Fulfilling America's Pledge" report kicks off the three-day Global Climate Action Summit, a gathering of several thousand governors, mayors, business leaders and climate activists from around the world.


Sometimes two heads are better than one! Join forces with a friend and take the Nexus by storm with Cho'gall!
Cho'gall is a unique two-headed Hero for two players. Each head is controlled by a single player and has its own set of abilities. The Cho head controls Cho'gall's movement; wherever Cho goes, Gall follows. When Cho and Gall stop arguing and work together, they can set up powerful combos. If you or your friend owns Cho'gall, you'll both select a head then queue up to terrorize the Nexus together!
Hammer of Twilight Activate to swing the Hammer of Twilight, dealing 150 damage, pushing enemies away, and Stunning them for 0.75 seconds. Passive: Cho's Basic Attacks deal 25% increased damage.
Upheaval After 1 second, pull enemies towards Cho'gall, slowing them by 25% for 3 seconds and dealing 175 damage.
Surging Fist Activate to begin charging Surging Fist. Activate again to dash forward, knocking aside enemies and dealing 46 damage. The dash range increases by up to 250%, depending on how long it is charged.
Consuming Blaze Ignite nearby enemies, dealing 150 damage over 5 seconds. Basic Attacking burning enemies re-Ignites them. Cho is healed for 40 when an enemy is Ignited.
Rune Bomb Roll a bomb dealing 91 damage to enemies in its path. Gall can use Runic Blast to detonate it to deal 210 damage in an area.
Ogre Hide Activate to gain 25 Armor, but reduce Gall's damage by 25%.
Activate to gain 25 Armor, but reduce Gall's damage by 25%.
Activate to begin charging Surging Fist. Activate again to dash forward, knocking aside enemies and dealing 46 damage. The dash range increases by up to 250%, depending on how long it is charged.
Ignite nearby enemies, dealing 150 damage over 5 seconds. Basic Attacking burning enemies re-Ignites them. Cho is healed for 40 when an enemy is Ignited.
Roll a bomb dealing 91 damage to enemies in its path. Gall can use Runic Blast to detonate it to deal 210 damage in an area.
Activate to swing the Hammer of Twilight, dealing 150 damage, pushing enemies away, and Stunning them for 0.75 seconds. Passive: Cho's Basic Attacks deal 25% increased damage.
After 1 second, pull enemies towards Cho'gall, slowing them by 25% for 3 seconds and dealing 175 damage.
Shadow Bolt Volley After 1 second, unleash 20 Shadow Bolts over 4 seconds, each dealing 87 damage to the first target hit. The bolts fire towards your mouse.
Twisting Nether After 1 second, nearby enemies are slowed by 50% while Gall channels, up to 5 seconds. Activate to deal 353 damage.
Shadowflame Deal 135 damage to enemies in the area.
Dread Orb Throw a bomb that will bounce three times, dealing 126 damage to enemies.
Runic Blast Detonate Cho's Rune Bomb, dealing 210 damage around it.
Ogre Rage Activate to increase Gall's damage by 25%, but reduce Cho's Armor by 25. Passive: Gall is permanently immune to Stun and Silence effects.
Activate to increase Gall's damage by 25%, but reduce Cho's Armor by 25. Passive: Gall is permanently immune to Stun and Silence effects.
Deal 135 damage to enemies in the area.
Throw a bomb that will bounce three times, dealing 126 damage to enemies.
Detonate Cho's Rune Bomb, dealing 210 damage around it.
After 1 second, unleash 20 Shadow Bolts over 4 seconds, each dealing 87 damage to the first target hit. The bolts fire towards your mouse.
After 1 second, nearby enemies are slowed by 50% while Gall channels, up to 5 seconds. Activate to deal 353 damage.


BrightTree Studios designed the audiovisual system for the Tepper School of Business and its interactive classrooms at Carnegie Mellon University. While most of the classrooms have all the standard equipment one might expect (dual HD Projection, HD videoconferencing, touchpanel control, etc), the University made a larger investment to transform these learning environments into a technological showcase. These rooms demonstrate the school's commitment to utilizing technology to improve learning while reinforcing the University's identity as a leading technology-juggernaut of higher education.
students walk into the room, they enter their Student ID into the touchpanel, the classroom technology system checks their student information against the campus's active directory database, then displays their first and last name on an LED panel that is integrated into the front of the table. This allows every professor to identify each student by their name on the first day of class. Additional features include a live polling system producing real time results and a truly random selection process to engage all students without bias.


Resource Managers face a regular stream of projects that call upon the organizations resources. The projects tend to bring varying levels of business benefits to the company and have different levels of costs associated with their execution.
The challenge of prioritizing projects, scheduling them in a way that smoothens the work load, changing or re-skilling the staff, complement if need be and maximizing the benefit to the company is ongoing. At the same time, we need to be able to defend and justify our decisions to the clients and internal business sponsors.
Microsoft EPM tool is suitable to make decision on which projects to drop and which to carry out given current resource pool and deciding the best time to start a given project off, given the time scheduling of all the other projects.
it is possible to manage with different levels of staff shortages.
Often, the first 'workable' solution is adopted and resources committed, thereby potentially destroying value.
Traditionally, Functional Manager have largely relied upon their business judgment and experience when deciding what projects to undertake, how to schedule them within client specified constraints, while minimizing costs at the same time.
To use Microsoft EPM to build a model that shows the impact of a particular decision on all other variables, particularly resource utilization, and the effect on the objective function that we seek to maximize.
Using the above modeling function, we will use the power of Microsoft EPM portfolio modeler with our modifications to go through a repeated iterative process of evaluating a large number of possible solutions, and present to us the 'best' alternative given the exogenous variables and constraints we have specified.
Appropriate staffing levels – by revealing any persistent over or understaffing for a particular skill type and functional group.
Appropriate project selection – Depending upon staffing levels, cost of alternate contractor resources, and the different earliest and latest start dates of various projects, different projects are "profitable" in different situations. While projects that have a very large value addition will always have an absolute advantage over others, it is the 'borderline' projects that fall in and out of the 'best project portfolio' as different variables are changed. This form of decision making is not intuitive and a model such as this is essential to understand the dynamics of the different choices.
Deciding acceptable shortage levels – When there are more projects than the existing staff can handle, a certain level of 'shortage' can be managed by increasing the workload on existing staff. Allowed beyond a certain point, this can cause staff burnout and serious client dissatisfaction. Different 'shortage' levels can lead to different projects being selected, and different values of the objective function.
Acceptable level of contractor costs – For the collection of available projects for which a simulation can be carried out, a pattern can emerge if it is worthwhile or not to hire external contract resource.
(a) New implementations – These are completely new implementations carried out for new customers.
(b) Product Progression – These are product upgrades carried out as newer versions of software are released.
(c) Change Requests (CR) requests – These are the most numerous, and often the most complex projects. These relate to efficiency enhancing product customizations applicable often to a single client.
Functional Managers are constantly faced with a variety of requests from clients, each a project, and at the same time have limited resources with which to carry out these projects. The objective is to maximize total value for the company, which happens only when value adding projects are undertaken, and scheduled to best utilize staff resources.
A key characteristic of the services we provide (i.e. implementation and product progression) is that technical skills are fairly commoditized and contractors with the right skills can be hired from the market. Because of their technical experience in other companies, the training period, if it can be called that, is extremely short, and most contractors (except the particularly bad ones!) hit the ground running when they join us. We use contractors to ride over temporary peaks in our work.
· Given the existing staff strength and skills, what is the most effective way to schedule projects so that value addition to the company is maximized and peaks and troughs are offset against each other to the extent possible.
· Given each project's contribution to value, and that there will always be some skill shortages, what is the minimum level of external contract resource that we can hire.
· Given how projects are scheduled, do we have a perpetual surplus of a particular set of established staff skills that can be shed (or alternatively, can existing staff be retrained), or a perpetual shortage that would best be covered by new hires.
· Given the existing multi-skilled staff , how can we use one skill for one project and a different one for another – as some staff possess more than one skill set.
Given our functional groups (e.g. BA, PA, TA etc.) we need to be able to detect staff shortages on an overall basis as well as on a individual functional group pool.
Traditionally, this problem has been using rules of thumb and intuition. For example, after running short of project management skills for six months, we will go out and hire a project manager. Hiring decisions tend to be long term in nature and are not easily reversible, and therefore are reviewed very carefully before being finalized. Project scheduling & prioritization has often happened on the basis of very limited and unstructured analysis, and is greatly influenced by whichever client are strategic for the business or "shouts the loudest".
What do we know, i.e. what inputs to decision making are given?
At any point in time, when deciding upon the projects to undertake and their scheduling, we know a few things – some of these are a given, and for others we have a bit of flexibility.
Using Microsoft EPM portfolio modeler should allow us to carry out a number of 'what-if' analyses on these inputs, for example can we increase the total value add to the company if we were to hire more established staff, or if we were able to hire contractors at a cheaper rate, say from an software outsourcer in India or China.
1. Skill requirements: A variety of skills are required for carrying out projects, and these can be classified in broadly the following non-overlapping categories.
2. Staff skills: We know the skills of all existing staff, and are able to classify each one of them as belonging to one of the skill sets outlined earlier. As part of their career development, staff will move between categories, but at any given time most staff normally actively engage in only one role.
3. Client Cost for projects: This is the cost for a client for a project. The client cost is the maximum amount charged to the client for the particular project. We are able to make a reasonable estimate of the client's cost by following the CMMI approach to project estimation, building on past projects that have been carried out.
4. Estimated cost of carrying out projects: This is estimated using the time cost of the staff involved. Staff costs are known, and average around 10k per month, which includes all benefits and payroll costs. These do not tend to vary by skill, i.e., a business analyst costs about as much as a technical analyst though the actual cost of a particular staff can be expected to vary a little depending upon seniority and experience.
5. Project "profit" from the project: This equals the client cost minus the estimated cost, and is an estimate of the value added to the company by carrying out a particular project.
6. Earliest project start date: This is the earliest date that a project can start. Often this depends upon the availability and convenience for the client.
7. Latest project start date: This is the 'drop-dead' date by which the project must begin in order to meet the required deadline.
8. Project duration: This is the total elapsed time required for completing the project.
9. Staff availability: We can also predict the availability of staff (classified by skills) over a reasonably long period, say up to an year ahead. Where we have planned headcount increases, these are forecast in the headcount budget.
10. Skill shortages, and the threshold before external resources are hired: It is possible to manage with a limited level of skill shortage as the members of a particular team make up by working a little extra, or working on a different project a few hours every week till the 'peak' is over. If the shortage is severe and cannot be managed by existing staff, contractors are hired. It is possible to take a conscious decision on what level of shortages are acceptable and fix a threshold after which contractors are hired. High levels of shortages create staff burnout and decrease client satisfaction, and are therefore not desirable.
11. Contractor costs per month: Contractors charge on a daily rate basis, and charges go up to 2,000 per day. These vary depending upon where these contractors are hired from – those any of the Big-5 cost up to 2,000k per day. Those hired from smaller consultancy companies (called "body shoppers") cost as little as 600 a day. Contractors hired from Indian outsourcing companies cost lesser – around 400 a day, though visa and work permit issues put limitations on how quickly and for which countries can Indian outsourcers be employed. All of these equate to a monthly cost that can vary between 11k to 25k per month (given 22 or 23 working days in a month).
Effectively, hiring contractors creates a 'penalty' in the value function as contractors are far more expensive. At the same time, we do not charge the extra cost of employing contractors to the projects they are working on as skills are interchangeable and no project should be penalized for the staffing decisions for a particular project.
12. Staff costs per month: Staff costs, including payroll taxes, leave pay etc, average around 10k per month.
Minus Cost of unutilized staff who are 'sitting on the bench' for projects to arrive.
By saving the project plan to the EPM project server and publish the project plan all assignments are recorded on the project server. Resources are selected from the project server's enterprise resource pool, a procedure should be in place that all resources are entered or deleted at the time of joining or leaving the company.
· Project duration – in months of elapsed time, could be extracted from the project plan start and end date.
· Earliest start – for the project, decided in discussion with the client and is a part of the project plan published to EPM.
· Latest start – for the project, decided in discussion with the client and is a part of the project plan published to EPM.
· Skill – Functional group the resource belongs to BA, TA etc.
Each project that we want to do an modeling exercise on has to be entered into the EPM project server as individual project plans, using a master project plan and rollup individual project plans to not work well manage each project separately in EPM.
Estimated timelines has been taken from 07-Projects-Consolidated-Master, that contains forecasted project efforts recorded in man-days and expected start date and end date of each project.
· The actual utilization of the skills available, and the resultant shortages (if any) or excess capacity of the staff complement.
Each of the above represents very useful information to the management – while they are not bound by the model outputs, it can certainly provide very useful information for decision making as projects are assigned to staff and months.
The analyzing modeling exercise also helps determine an optimum staffing level by revealing any perennial shortages or surpluses for a particular skill type. It can also help reveal the sensitivity of the total value added to varying levels of contractor rates, staffing levels, and varying project start dates.
· Projects should complete in units of 1 month – This is not too unreasonable an assumption, and the model should be able to take care of half-months, weeks, or even days.
· Staff are engaged in multiple projects.
· The model should be able to the fact that some months have already elapsed, and that some projects have already begun and cannot be reversed.
Model logic – how it should work?
The output function is not only non-linear, it is also discontinuous as changing the skills availability, the earliest/latest start dates, shortage threshold for projects causes projects to be accepted/rejected/rescheduled and the total value added suddenly jumps or drops at different points along each of these dimensions.
Subject to the constraints of the earliest and latest start dates, the model should randomly select different start dates for each of the projects and calculates the value of the output function. It does this many times – and if this simulation is performed many times, it can reach quite close to the optimum solution. The number of times the simulation is performed is a user supplied variable at run time. The model should determine the maximum possible value of the output function and display the giving of a solution close to the maximum.
The most significant advantage of the modeling exercise is the ability to see what happens as we change various "known" inputs to different values.
Higher shortages do have a cost in terms of dissatisfied clients, project delays and overworked staff.
As contractors become cheaper or more expensive, the model should change the projects that are decided to be taken on, and reschedules others.
'What-if' analysis on individual projects should be available in the EPM Project Server. As the earliest and the latest project start dates are changed, it adds flexibility in project scheduling and allows 'unprofitable' projects to be taken up at slack times.
Once an optimum portfolio of projects is determined, the staff utilisation schedule reveals whether there are any persistent long term shortages or surpluses in the staffing levels. These should be modified on the model and the impact on the total value addition seen.


text:
F3News
Google - Breaking News
Luckin Coffee surges nearly 50% in Wall Street debut
edition.cnn.com 05/17/2019 17:18:25
Having trouble reading this article? Read the Original Article »
Luckin Coffee, which is growing rapidly thanks to a focus on cheaper drinks, priced its initial public offering on the Nasdaq at $17 a share. That was at the high end of its range and it values Luckin Coffee (LK) at more than $4 billion. Luckin raised more than $570 million from the stock sale.
Luckin Coffee has quickly taken China by storm. The company, which was founded in October 2017, already has nearly 2,400 stores in 28 cities. That makes it second only to Starbucks (SBUX) in China.
But Luckin Coffee is likely to soon pass its larger rival. Luckin Coffee has plans to open 2,000 additional stores in the country by the end of the year, bringing its total to about 4,500 locations.
It's an ambitious goal, especially since Chinese consumers aren't addicted to coffee as much as drinkers in the United States and other nations are. Tea is the beverage of choice.
Taking China by storm with cheaper coffee
Luckin Coffee cited data from consumer research firm Frost & Sullivan in its IPO filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that showed Chinese consumers drank only six cups of coffee a year in 2018, compared to 279 for Japan, 388 in the US and a whopping 867 in Germany.
But Luckin Coffee is hoping that the popularity of Starbucks in China, coupled with Luckin Coffee's plans to offer less expensive brews, will quickly create more coffee drinkers in mainland China.
After all, Frost & Sullivan said that consumers in nearby Taiwan and Hong Kong each drink more than 200 cups of coffee a year.
Still, Luckin Coffee is tiny compared to Starbucks, which plans to expand even further in China as the US market matures. And like many other startup firms that have recently gone public  including Lyft (LYFT), Uber (UBER), Pinterest (PINS) and Beyond Meat (BYND)  Luckin Coffee is bleeding red ink.
The company reported a net loss of $241.3 million last year on sales of just $125.3 million. Luckin Coffee lost another $82.2 million in the first quarter of 2019 on revenue of only $71.3 million.
Luckin will lose money to gain market share
Luckin Coffee says this trend will continue, as it plans more store openings and increased marketing while also keeping its coffee prices more affordable in order to steal customers from Starbucks.
"We intend to further increase our brand awareness, expand our customer base and store network, and expect to continue to invest heavily in offering discounts and deals," the company said in its SEC filing.
Luckin Coffee chief financial officer Reinout Schakel reiterated this in an interview with CNN's Julia Chatterley on Friday. He said the company wants to "help people save money."
Schakel added that the company is investing a lot on technology and is confident that these investments will help keep costs down for the long-term.
He said the goal is to offer "high quality coffee for a much more affordable price and still become profitable."
"The market is in its infancy. I think there's a huge opportunity" Schakel said, adding that coffee in China is now viewed as more of a luxury product and that Luckin Coffee wants to make it "a part of everyday life."
Chinese consumers love the coupons
He also brushed off concerns about the trade war with the United States, saying that because the company already does a good job of keeping costs low and is selling its coffee at a discount to Starbucks, there should be little impact on its sales and customer base.
To that end, Chinese consumers in Beijing told CNN that price is one of Luckin Coffee's biggest selling points.
"It has great value. A Starbucks coffee usually costs around 40 yuan (nearly $6 USD). Here we use coupons a lot. It's usually around 20 with discounts. So value is the first consideration," said Terasa Wang, a sales manager.
Shilu Wang, a director and producer, added that she was first attracted to Luckin Coffee "because it gave me lots of coupons, like the first free orders. No other coffee brand does that." She added that "the taste is good for the price" and that delivery was fast.
So it looks like Starbucks is going to have a tough battle with Luckin Coffee for the foreseeable future.
-- CNN's Serenitie Wang contributed to this report.
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The CSM42 is the only product on the market with can deliver full quality HDTV matrix switching! It is also the most feature rich matrix switch available, combining HDTV video, analog audio, coax & optical digital audio, digital audio transcoding, and distribution capable output drivers. Don't settle for an inferior product which will degrade your signals.
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ZeroKey technology is compatible with virtually all remote controls and does not interfere with the normal operation of the remote. The best way to use this is to program the CSM42 with the same keys you normally push to switch your AV receiver or TV. The CSM42 will switch at the same time as your TV or receiver without the need for complicated macros or pushing extra buttons!
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Fix Can't install driver for Realtek Realtek ALC660/861.
Preferred Solution: Can't install driver for Realtek Realtek ALC660/861.
A: Can't install driver for Realtek Realtek ALC660/861.
I have tried to install the latest realtek driver R 2.71 and the installation went smooth. But after that my speakers sound was crackling. My hardware id is HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0660&SUBSYS_10430000. Can you provide a solution to this problem or another driver? My OS is Windows 8 32-bit.
If it was not crackling before the update, you should roll back the drivers.
In many cases updates are not better for people that are not having issues already..
I am trying to install the newest Realtek driver but It just wont work. It starts off well enough but then it just stops and goes blank. I cant recall this ever being an issue for me in the past. What do you think the problem is?
I can't even install the previous driver that I know worked. What's going on?
Hy I downloaded realtek AC'97 audio driver from their webpage. when I try to install it, windows displays a safety warning about the publisher cannot be verified, I hit install it anyways, but it keep giving me the same warning..I did it for 10 min and nothing happened. finally I pressed don't install and it quit the program.
any idea on how to overrule this warning?
Log in as administrator and try it there.
Note that the first account you create in XP is the real admin, but that is not true of Vista. Check the tutorials here for the hidden Vista administrator account. Log in there, and install the driver.
Q: Realtek HD driver R1.97 !!DONT INSTALL!!
just thought id warn all de peeps.
A:Realtek HD driver R1.97 !!DONT INSTALL!!
Previously I was using Win 7 Ultimate. I have Intel 915 gav board. I was not able to hear sound from front panel jack with Intel board original Audio Driver hence I installed Realtek AC 97 drivers and I was succeed in hearing sound from front jack with headphones. There are no updates available for Intel 915 gav drivers. Yesterday I installed win7 home premium. I installed Realtek AC 97 driver for win 7. I got the message that software has been successfully installed but it is not showing in device manager under sounds tab neither I am able to hear sound from front jack after connecting headphones. I device manager, it is showing the driver as Realtek High Definition Audio and it not showing as Ac 97 audio as it was showing in xp and win7 ultimate. Pl guide me. My PC configuration- P4 3.0, 2gb ram, 160 gb hdd, win 7 home premium, intel 915gav board.
That is an old motherboard and Vista/Windows 7 are not supported by Intel (no drivers). Thus you are at the mercy of trying to find something that will work. Vista drivers will work with Windows 7, but XP drivers will not.
Try updating the drivers from the Device Manager and see if Windows comes up with anything.
I'm running Windows 7 and my sound isn't working, so I googled the problem and saw I should install the HD Audio/AC'97 drivers. When I run the installer windows security asks if I want to stop installing or install them anyway. I click install anyway but that pop up keeps coming back after I click it.
I have a trouble with my friend PC. I installed him Windows 7, but I can't put Realtek High Definition driver. Tried all kind of drivers from the official site, but no result. On the Device manager there are jus High Definision driver, but not Realtek. In Program files there is a Realtek installed program, but nothing works. There is no Realtek Sound Manager too.
Please, give me advice how to resolve the problem.
We can only talk in generalties without knowing what the PC is and hardware.
The HD Audio Codec is the generic Windows installed basic functi9on sound driver. The sound should work (be able to hear) with this.
Where did the RealTek come from in the Programs Files? Is this an upgrade from Vista? (if it was XP you would need to do a complete new install). If this was from Vista the PC vendor's Vista sound drivers will work.
If the RealTek is from what you attempted to install, the PC vendor's drivers are the preferred. Non vendor drivers (even drivers from the RealTek site) may not work or work correctly.
But, more info is needed to even make an "educated' guess and try to help you.
I have a Toshiba Satellite A205-S5804 and I am having a hard time installing a driver for a Realtek RTL8187B_WLAN_Adapter. I currently reinstalled windows xp on my computer and forgot how I installed all the drivers before. But I did have the driver working before with windows xp.
What I've tried to far..
I've tried navigating to the update driver in device manager and searching for the .inf file.. That Failed, it says nothing there has information about the hardware.
Google has offered little help and now Im stuck and have no idea what to try next. If someone who is good with installing drivers can please explain what I need to do then I would be grateful.
Hi Bradlays, welcome to TSF..
did you get any discs with your computer? If yes, have you tried any of the drivers on them?
Every time I try to install Realtek Wireless LAN Driver 2023.17.731.2015 using Toshiba Service Station, the extraction completes and the permissions prompt pop-up, I click yes but nothing happens. No other window appears, the driver does not disappear from the list of software updates in Service Station. It's just like nothing happens.
I'm using a Toshiba Satellite C55-C PSKWSV with a Windows 10 64 bit OS.
Hi my Satellite C50-B is doing the same.
Hi @Ilgaz,Thanks for becoming a member of the HP Support Forums. I understand you are having an issue with video drivers and Windows 10 anniversary update. I will be glad to help you. Microsoft and HP know there are some issues with the Windows update. HP is trying to work with Microsoft to solve the issues. Please look at the Microsoft documents for Windows 10 Anniversary Update problems and solutions. Please keep me informed of how things went. If you require further assistance, let me know and I will gladly do all I can to help you.Please let me know if this resolves the issue by marking this post as "Accept as Solution".To simply say thanks, click the Thumbs up below! Thanks.
Q: Tecra S11 - nVidia or RealTek sound driver. Which one do I install?
Tecra S11 nVidia vs RealTek sound driver - which one do I install?
I've installed nVidia and realtek sound driver also. I've got BSOD when I plug in 3.5mm jack headphone. When I want to listen music with my Bluetooth stereo headset I also got BSOD.
I reinstalled nvidia and realtek sound drivers. My Tecra S11 is very slow since I installed latest nvidia video driver from nvidia website.
A:Tecra S11 - nVidia or RealTek sound driver. Which one do I install?
Can you please post exact model name and model number?
You can find it on Toshiba sticker placed at the bottom side of your notebook.
If I open TOSHIBA Service Station, I have a Realtek Wireless LAN Driver update (2023.17.731.2015) I click to instal it. It completes extraction, ask for permission, I click "Yes", but nothing more happens. If I enter again in Service Station, update appears again.
Someone knows how to solve this problem?
I wait for your help. Thank you very much.
Hello, I am not able to get any sound out of my speakers since installing the newest driver for my Geforce GTX960. I tried going into Device Manager, uninstalling every audio driver under "sound, video & game controllers" including the Asus Xonar from my soundcard, the Realtek drivers, and the ones installed by Nvidia with the GPU driver, then rebooting, having M$ install the automatic one, still no luck. Any help is appreciated. I attached a screen of my playback devices tab to show what's going on. Thank you.
well in that screenshot you have 2 devices selected.. do you use the Optical outs to a receiver on your setup?? IF not disable the Optical one and make sure your device was listed in Device manager..
I know with my sound blaster you boot up after installing the soundcard then Windows finds devices some generic like High Defintion device then you can install the drivers..
Also make sure your speakers are not on mute in the config there..
Hello all, I just got Windows 8.1 Pro as a gift from a friend and installed it just a few hours ago, and I noticed that I am having audio problems.
The first 10 seconds are me playing the sound slow, with no popping. Then the sound starts popping when I change volume rapidly.
I have all the latest drivers installed, and this happens with with no drivers. I just can't seem to figure out what the issue is here.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that I've tried disabling drivers, removing the USB Keyboard and Mouse, as well as setting the audio to CD Quality.
Thanks in Advance to the person who could help me with this.
Realtek realtek rtl8188cu wireless lan 802.11n usb 2.0 network adapter problem.
I connect to my wireless network through my laptop which has a wireless card installed and I get 15meg on a speedtest.
I have just bought realtek rtl8188cu wireless lan 802.11n usb 2.0 network adapter to use on my Desktop running Windows 7 64 bit. I installed the drivers using the cd that came with the product.
The problem I am getting is I can only reach 2 meg download speed using the realtek rtl8188cu wireless lan 802.11n usb 2.0 network adapter.
Being the N serials I should be seeing the same speeds as my laptop.
Any ideas of what I should be changing or is this product faulty?
I downloaded the latest drivers but still the same problem.
I have now found another problem if I put the realtek rtl8188cu wireless lan 802.11n usb 2.0 network adapter in my desktop and connect to my home wireless network and then do a speedtest on my laptop the speed has come down from 15meg to 2 meg this little device is doing something to my wireless network.
was having issues with the sound drivers on my P.C.. I use a dual boot Windows 98 SE (C:\ drive)/ XP Pro (D:\drive) ,system.
Have had loads of virus issues poping up every now and then ,though have several softwares installed for A.V,Anti-Spyware ,host guards ,active monitors ,anti key loggers ,key stroke scramblers, etc... on my system,and the resident as well as online scanners give me a clean chit ,however do have viruses /keyloggers activity poping up every now and then,and a bunch of registry errors ,every time i reboot.
This problem was caused by Windows ? WDM driver for Realtek AC'97 (ALCXWDM.SYS). Windows ? WDM driver for Realtek AC'97 (ALCXWDM.SYS) was created by Realtek Semiconductor Corp..
Driver works on ALL Realtek HDA Codecs.
I doubt this is a first thread about Realtek AC 97 driver problem when trying to apply it to Windows 7.
A day ago i've installed windows 7 and everything works really fine, expect sound ofcourse. Firstly i used windows updates to download right drivers (never trusted me self too much) and it did download realtek ac 97 thingies, BUT after installation it didn't work - no sound anyway.
So i started to surf in all mighty google and i found many posts in many different forums about people who can't make their computers with Windows 7 atleast to beep.
Well i don't really know what to do, my hand are bound, but i hope that i will find the right answer here.
Jultas, welcome to the forums.
and double check the motherboard specs to see if that is the one you need.
Laptop is only about 1-1/2 yr old and so many problems. The main one is that now it won't connect to wi-fi most of the time. It was sporadic for a few months, so I had my ISP out to change the external modem/router and it worked lovely for about a month. Now, it's latest parlour trick is to just give up the ghost in the middle of anything I'm doing and not come back til I reboot the laptop. Sometimes that isn't even helpful so I got the little Chrome HP wifi fixer whatsit, (sorry, I am clearly NOT technically minded, am I?) and run it when the wi-fi goes out. It works a treat 98% of the time with the remaining 2% of the time no fault of its own...finally it gives me the message I suspected and that was I need a new driver/update. And a link! How simple! No, because I only got that message down to the fact that it couldn't get me onto wi-fi so the link obviously would not work. Now I've been looking for the driver download and/or patch but I get a lot of old information...some as far back as 2014. I would just like a link to the proper Realtek RTL8188EE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter update if someone could help me with that? I did find a download centre but it didn't exactly look like HP sanctioned territory so I didn't download. Many thanks for any help.
Recently upgraded my PC to Vista Home Premium...and a Gigabyte Motherboard. The drivers included RealrekAC97 Audio, which worked OK.
My problems started when I installed a Microsoft LifeCam VX-3000. This has a built in microphone but nil movement when going through the installation procedure.
I removed the web cam driver then TRIED to removeAc97...but no joy. Get a message to the effect that it cannot be removed and error code 5001?
Furthermore the sound icon on the task bar has disapeared...what do I need to do to overcome my problems?
Live in the Uk and just found your web site.
Apologies if this is the incorrect procedure, but need some help URGENTLY!!
At this moment....got NO sound!!
These drivers are related to an motherboard integrated device. If you install a PCI sound card -- you can disable the device at the onboard level.
Otherwise there should be no reason to try to remove it.
If you have no sound -- I would try either reinstalling the drivers for the device -- or doing a "system restore" to a date prior to the problem or both.
Get the drivers for it from the motherboard vendor's site for the motherboard model.
Finish with these steps and post back with results.
MyRealtek High Definition Audio driver is version 5.10.0.5730 dated 10.13.08. Is there an update for this and can anyone tell me where I can download it free i.e. without driver robot or driver detective.
I dont have any particular problem with my current driver and Im aware of the phrase 'if it aint broke dont fix it'. I just want to know if there is something better out there.
Additionally, if there is an update should I uninstall the old driver before installation or just install over the old one ?
I have looked at the page for driver updates on this site but I cant work out which is the correct one for my audio card.
I did not get an update via Windows Updates, so better to download it manually.


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The 24 Best Island Beaches in the World
by David Jefferys and Jordi Lippe-McGraw
Start planning your sandy getaway now.
Whether you're looking for an isolated stretch of sand in the Caribbean or a family-friendly resort in the middle of the Indian Ocean, there are enough options out there to suit every type of traveler. Scroll down for the 24 best island beachs in the world, according to Condé Nast Traveler readers in our latest Readers' Choice Awards.
24. Blue Beach (La Chiva), Vieques, Puerto Rico
A long, thin stretch of white sand and clear water makes this one of the Caribbean's top beaches. Getting there is part of the adventure: It can only be accessed by parking in one of 21 tiny turn-offs along a bumpy, unpaved road in the middle of the island's western National Wildlife Refuge (formerly off-limits as a U.S. Navy training base). Snorkel on your own around a small cay, or book a trip with one of the island's operators to check out its secret underwater spots.
Where to stay: The W on Vieques was nearly completely destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017. However, other properties on the island survived, and one of our all-time favorites—and Hot List 2014 winner—is El Blok. In a nod to 1950's tropical modernism, the 22-room inn has a curvaceous exterior with intricately carved louvers that prompt the bright Caribbean sun to cast dramatic shadows. Interiors have a restful vibe, thanks to clean-lined wooden furnishings and strategically placed sculptures.
Courtesy Laucala Island
23.	Seagrass Bay, Laucala Island, Fiji
This 7.5-square-mile private island paradise is a 50-minute charter flight from Nadi and worlds away from everyday life. Covered in tropical jungle (reached via guided walking tours or horseback rides), Laucala is home to some of the archipelago's rarest birds and animals, pristine beaches, and spellbinding marine life. Seagrass Bay is the quietest of the resort beaches, and a perfect spot to play at being Crusoe—albeit with a fabulous, open-air dining room nearby.
Where to Stay: Your only option—Laucala Island Resort—is far from shabby. In 1972, Malcolm Forbes bought this luscious green morsel as his private refuge; its current owner, Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz, has spared no expense to create a spectacular hideaway. The high price tag gets you over-the-top luxury and total privacy in one of the 25 villas—all glamorous versions of traditional Fijian dwellings. Each opens onto its own private pool, and a handful of villas are set directly above Seagrass Bay.
22. Bathsheba Beach, Barbados
Rugged, wild, and untouched are just some of the words used to describe this shoreline, where photographers and surfers flock to catch the best waves and watch the "Soup Bowl," a name for when the waves crash into the white sand and huge boulders to create a mesmerizing natural phenomenon. It's less of a swimming locale, but you'll have plenty of shots to post on Instagram.
Where to stay: Your top pick for Barbados in our annual Readers' Choice Awards survey is Sandy Lane. This landmark resort is something of a Bajan institution, with elegant interiors and an impressively beautiful setting. This splendor runs through everything, including the hotel's Treehouse Club for little ones: They'll be kept busy from morning until sunset with sailing, outdoor movie nights and even themed dinner parties on the itinerary. Teenagers are catered for with a special Den fitted out with pool tables, table football and a jukebox, plus a mocktail bar.
21. Sunset Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
One of the world's best places to watch big wave surfing in winter (the beach is home to the Vans Triple Crown), the water here becomes as calm as a lake in summer, making it an excellent spot for snorkeling. After a day spent in the sand and surf, don't towel off and head home just yet: As its name suggests, it's the sunsets that really seal the deal for visitors.
Where to stay: Turtle Bay Resort—closest to the beach, one of few along the north shore, and ranked third best in Hawaii in our annual Readers' Choice Awards survey. (It has also served as a filming location for Lost and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.) Turtle Bay is fresh off a $45 million renovation, refurbishing 410 of its rooms and opening a new 11,000-square-foot spa, two restaurants and a bar. The five-mile beach is ideal for snorkeling.
20. Banana Beach, Koh Hey (Coral) Island, Phuket, Thailand
Banana Beach has a backdrop of impossibly-green jungle and looks out on crystal-clear water—all part of a national park and marine preservation area (30 minutes by boat from Chalong Pier on Phuket). Banana Boat rides are popular, hence the name, as is snorkeling, sea kayaking, and parasailing. With minimal infrastructure, and one restaurant built out of bamboo, this is a great, less-than-crowded spot to park yourself for the day in the sun.
Where to Stay: You picked the Iniala Beach House as your favorite place to stay on Phuket in our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey. The design credentials are incredible at this collection of three villas and a penthouse, back on Phuket at Natai Beach. No matter where you stay, you'll have a butler, driver, chef, spa therapist, and housekeeper to attend to your every need. American chef Tim Butler heads up two restaurants: Iniala Dining, which dishes up Mediterranean-inflected meals and whose menu rotates daily, and Esenzi, which focuses on sustainably sourced seafood.
19. Siasconset Beach, Nantucket, MA
At the eastern most flank of the island, Siasconset can be reached from town via a six-mile bike ride on the Milestone Road path (or, in the summer, on a NRTA shuttle bus). Food and restrooms can be found nearby in the adjacent historic village of 'Sconset. Built in 1850, the Sankaty Head Light is well worth a wander to the northern tip of the beach (it's rarely open to climb, except on specific days—the next one being Sunday, June 16, 201`9). Best of all, though, is the 'Sconset Bluff Walk—with the strong Atlantic on one side and a row of multi-million-dollar homes on the other. Waves here are rough, even in summer, so bundle up for a long winter walk if you're on the island during the off season.
Where to Stay: Your number one pick on the island in our Readers' Choice Awards survey was venerable Wauwinet. Just nine miles from downtown ACK, the three-story gray-shingled cottage not only has unbeatable views of the Bay and the Atlantic, but a boat—the Wauwinet Lady—where you can sip a glass of Chardonnay as you crest the waves. For an extraordinary dining experience, try Topper's, where the modern American menu includes Hudson Valley foie gras and locally harvested Retsyo oysters on the half shell, cultivated 300 yards away, and paired with one of the restaurant's more than 1,450 wines.
18. Honopu Beach, Kauai, HI
Also known as Cathedral Beach, Honopu—like Waipio Valley—is quite difficult to reach. For starters, it's only accessible by water; to get there, you must swim from an offshore boat, or from neighboring Kalalau Beach (a quarter-mile swim). But the trouble is worth it: Think cumin-colored sand bordered by soaring, vegetation-cloaked cliffs—and, usually, not a soul in sight. Fun fact: It's served as a location on such films as Six Days, Seven Nights, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and King Kong.
Where to stay: Ko'a Kea Hotel & Resort at Poipu Beach—rated the number 10 resort in all of Hawaii in our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey. With just 121 rooms—all with balconies or lanais and within earshot of the waves—the resort is considerably smaller than its brand-name neighbors on the sunny south coast. Eschewing waterslides and swim-up bars, Ko'a Kea has more sedate pleasures: an unadorned swimming pool tiled in deep blue, a sophisticated restaurant/lounge with a sashimi tasting menu, and an expansive lawn overlooking a cove where guests (mostly honeymooners) can take in the sunset.
17.	Temae Plage Publique, Moorea, French Polynesia
The ocean is clear enough here to see straight to the bottom and Temae's coral reef is home to thousands of sea creatures. This is a public beach, on the northeastern shores of lush Moorea, but it rarely gets crowded (except occasionally for a fever of sting rays—harmless and mesmerizing). Views across the Sea of the Moon to the island of Tahiti are splendid, and those with surfboards flock to a challenging surf break. Easiest access is via the Sofitel (see below) for snorkeling and sun bathing—but watch out for wild roosters!
Where to Stay: The Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort was your favorite on the island in our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey and it sits at the very southern edge of Temae Plage Publique with 60 roof overwater bungalows (35 are beachside or have garden views). This is an excellent choice for exploring Moorea's lagoons and mountainous interior.
16. Psarou Beach, Mykonos, Greece
Mykonos isn't lacking in beaches—especially those that appeal to just about any taste. Psarou might not be one of the largest, but its bling factor is undeniable and its position at the head of a perfect, horseshoe bay, is unbeatable. Scores of restaurants (reservations are recommended in high season, especially somewhere like Nammos, which reopens April 25) and bars back the sandy beach. There are plenty of water sports to take advantage of, too. Seating is tight—and chic—on the beach, but there are nice walks to be had to nearby Platis Gialos for the more active beachgoers.
Where to Stay: The Santa Marina, A Luxury Collection Resort is one of our favorites—and yours too according to our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey. If you're looking for a respite from Mykonos's party-till-dawn ethos, bed down at Santa Marina, which is set on Ornos Bay and offers everything from partial-sea-view suites to 7,578-square-foot villas. Sporting the island's only private sandy beach, Santa Marina also has an infinity pool with panoramic views of the Aegean Sea, which means no one will fault you for sticking close to home base.
15.	English Harbour Beach, Antigua
Overlooking Captain Horatio Nelson's vast Georgian-era warehouse complex in English Harbour—named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016—this beach, also known as Galleon Beach—backed by verdant hills—is historically and aesthetically pleasing. The waters are calm and perfect for sunfish sailing between anchored boats and out to Fort Berkeley, constructed in 1704 by the English Royal Navy.
Where to Stay: Hermitage Bay was your top pick on Antigua in our Readers' Choice Awards survey. Down a long dirt road, this secluded resort stands between a steep slope and a small bay. Its 30 individual suites—each a spacious contemporary cottage of dark wood and white linens—stand in lush foliage rich with birdlife and come with an outdoor shower and day bed; ceiling fans twirl above mosquito-netted beds. All this is the ideal setting in which to decompress fully while lounging by your plunge pool with a glass of wine from the restaurant's well-chosen cellar.
14.	Elafonísi, Crete, Greece,
A gorgeous spit of sand connected to an island nature reserve on the southwestern coast of Greece's largest island, this beach was one of the last best-kept secrets in the Mediterranean. Now, in high season it can be mobbed—but pitch up in shoulder season (spring and fall) and you might find yourself alone on the pink sand, surrounded by wildflowers (there are over one hundred rare plants, some that bloom only in winter) and strange rock formations. Being rather remote, consider an overnight or two at the Elafonísi Resort by the Kalomirakis Family.
Where to Stay: You voted Blue Palace, A Luxury Collection Resort and Spa as your favorite resort on Crete in our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey. Many of the rooms have private, heated plunge pools (especially nice in off-season) and there are lovely biking and hiking trails through a private nature reserve. Note that it's a good four-hour drive to Elafonísi from here.
13. Gouverneur, St. Barts
Sitting at the bottom of a steep, sparsely populated road—Gouverneur is remote and pristine. A small, well-maintained parking lot comes courtesy of the privately owned land (none other than Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich). Access to the sand is through a small, shady grove of trees—a popular spot for picnics at the eastern end of the beach. The farther west you walk, the fewer people you'll find. Expect to encounter wild goats on occasion and keep a lookout for traces of buried treasure belonging to the notorious French pirate, Montbars 'The Exterminator.'
Where to Stay: Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa ranked the best in all of the Caribbean in our Readers' Choice Awards survey. The latest addition to St. Barts' luxury hotel scene, and in keeping with the island's low-rise sensibility, this is a sophisticated winner. Set between a lagoon and Grand Cul-de-Sac beach along the island's northeastern shore (with jaw-dropping views of offshore islets and distant St. Maarten/St. Martin), the hotel is an education in understated elegance. Rooms are spare, and enormous, with lots of wood and one or two pops of bright color—some even have small, rectangular plunge pools for mini-laps.
12. Palm Beach, Aruba
The two-mile-long strip on the northwest side of the island is filled with activities to keep you busy all day and night. Try your hand at parasailing or snorkeling before sitting down to enjoy a barefoot lunch at Pelican Pier Bar during the day. Then, head to the nearby casinos, restaurants, and nightclubs at night to make your lazy day a bit more lively.
Where to stay: The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba is a perennial favorite on our annual Readers' Choice Awards survey. Much of that has to do with the location—on a pristine stretch of white sand called Palm Beach, where you'll find the Caribbean's most exceptional windsurfing. It's also a perfect place to bring the kids: The sea remains calm and shallow for about a half mile out, so conditions are always right for kayaking and paddle boarding. There's a huge children's pool (couples and singles can head to the adults-only one) and a slew of activities at the kids' club, from arts and crafts to movie nights.
Courtesy Cayman Islands
11. Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Located on the western shore of the 75-square-mile island, the whole stretch of this 5.5 mile-long beach is public property, making it easy to stroll from hotel to hotel regardless of where you book an overnight. All in one afternoon, you can grab lunch at an ocean-side restaurant, stumble into a volleyball game with locals, take Jet Skis out further down the beach, and top it off with some snorkeling in Cemetery Reef, known for its rocky formations prime for sea life habitat.
Where to stay: The Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa claimed the top spot for resorts in the Cayman Islands in our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey. The newest opening on the island's Seven Mile Beach—one of the loveliest stretches of sand in the world—is the 266-room Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa, whose colorful, boutique atmosphere manages to be both child-friendly (two pools, a kids' club) and hip (colorful, contemporary design and a lobby scene replete with pool table, library, and daily happy hour). You can always snorkel and parasail right off the hotel's beach, but you're also a short ride from Stingray City where you can stand on a sandbar and touch giant rays as they swim by.
10. Honokalani Beach, Wai'anapanapa State Park, Maui, Hawaii
With its jet-black shore, electric-blue waters, and thick, jungle-like foliage, Honokalani Beach is a photographer's dream. Besides lying lazily on the "sand"—actually made up of of tiny lava pebbles—there's plenty to do: you'll find seaside lava tubes and sea caves carved into the lava cliffs along the shore. It's wild, unspoiled Hawaii at its best, and a necessary stop en route to Hana.
Where to stay: The Hotel Wailea ranked the number one resort in Hawaii in our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey. It isn't beachfront, but that's actually a positive at Hawaii's only luxury adults-only resort, which is spread over 15 acres with 180-degree views of neighboring Lanai and Kaho'olawe. Though there's a shuttle to the beach (and attendants to help you with umbrellas, towels, and the like once you hit the sand), be sure to put your vacation in the hands of the incredible staff. They'll organize a beach picnic—a gourmet spread to be enjoyed at sunset. You can also arrange kiteboarding lessons, sunset sailing, and aerial yoga.
9. Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Matira is perhaps the most famous of Tahiti's beaches, and for good reason: The mile-long stretch of silky, powder-white sand slopes gently into a shallow emerald lagoon, and is backed by a thick curtain of palms and tropical foliage. An added bonus? It's one of the only public-access beaches in Bora Bora, so you won't need to pay five-star resort prices to enjoy its beauty. Come early to stake out a spot.
Where to stay: The Conrad Bora Bora Nui ranked the highest of all the resorts on Bora Bora in our Readers' Choice Awards survey. What you'll love about the resort is the way Polynesian culture is all around—in the greetings and traditional tattoos of the local staff, the food, even the names of hotel landmarks: Hina spa is named for the moon goddess, the Tamure grill pays homage to the hip-shaking local dance moves, the Upa Upa means "music" (and is the name of the sunset bar and lounge) and the Iriatai restaurant comes from the word for "horizon."
8. Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda
While it may be one of the most popular beaches on the island, Horseshoe Bay has a hidden secret: Port Royal Cove (pictured), which has shallow water perfect for young kids, and dramatic rock formations that complement wonderfully soft, pink sand. Nearby Spicelands Equestrian Centre even offers trail rides down to the private cove, which is located in part of South Shore Park in Southampton Parish.
Where to stay: The Reefs Resort & Club, ranked the tenth best Atlantic islands resort in our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey. There's a smattering of cottages, rooms, and suites to choose from, but we personally love the Point suites: Decked out with warm tropical wood, cream-colored linens, and coral accents, they also feature their own private balcony—with a hot tub—overlooking the beach.
7. Hilton Head Island, SC
Rated the best island in the United States in our most recent Readers' Choice Awards survey, Hilton Head Island—40 miles from Savannah/Hilton Head Airport—is a firm family favorite, with a full 12 miles of wide, empty beach (perfect for long bike rides). Coligny Beach is a full-service place, with food and activities for both adults and kids; mid-island Driessen Beach—also known as Bradley Beach—is quieter, but still has a boardwalk, playground, and grills for al fresco picnics.
Where to Stay: The Inn & Club at Harbour Town ranked the highest of the island's many properties in our Readers' Choice Awards survey. Palm tree-lined gardens give way to this modern-looking country club-hotel hybrid, where marina-chic guests kitted out in their best golf attire hit each of the three on-site courses. Take advantage of the complimentary bubbly at check-in, along with the shoe-shining and pant-pressing services.
Courtesy One&Only Resorts
6. Reethi Rah, North Malé Atoll, Maldives
It's nearly impossible to pick a favorite beach in the Maldives—what with over 1,200 to choose from—but we're drawn to the North Malé Atoll, and Reethi Rah in particular. Eight perfect strands of sand circle this larger-than-average island, each seemingly better than the next—and with only one resort here, it never feels crowded.
Where to stay: The One&Only Reethi Rah, obviously. Aforementioned beaches aside, it's beach club scene is hopping, and all accommodations are in villas. This year, the resort welcomes internationally renowned figurative painter, Henri Lamy, and portrait painter, DJ and photographer, Ruddy Candillon, as part of a new Artist in Residence program. Family-friendly, yet great for honeymoons, this spot has it all.
5. El Nido, Palawan, Philippines
Shockingly, Palawan remains steadily under the radar, even though it continues to rank highly in our Readers' Choice Awards. El Nido alone is home to around 50 white sand beaches—it's impossible to choose just one—all of which are set around dramatic limestone formations and have the finest and whitest sand you'll ever see. The water is so blindingly blue it makes the Caribbean Sea look murky in comparison. And the sunsets? Well, they'll ruin you for life. Consider yourself warned.
Where to stay: El Nido Resorts - Pangulasian Island, which was ranked nine out of Top 45 Resorts in Asia in our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey. With scuba courses and access to plentiful dive sites, as well as boat tours of mangroves and secret lagoons, you could spend all your time exploring, but the resort makes it equally tempting to stay put.
4. Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos
There's a reason stars like Bruce Willis and Donna Karan built their vacation homes here: This 1,000-acre private island is only accessible by a 35-minute boat ride from Providenciales, and is home to one luxury resort and a few private villas. Yes, your entire vacation could really be spent without seeing another soul.
Where to stay: COMO Parrot Cay is consistently rated highly on our annual Readers' Choice Awards survey. There are plenty of wellness-focused hotels out there nowadays, but this private island hotel has been around longer and does it better than most. Just ask its fan club, who travel from far and wide for the daily yoga sessions, early morning meditations on the pristine beach, healing massages, and Ayurvedic consultations with Dr. Parth, who hails from Goa.
3. Trunk Bay, St. John, USVI
Undeniably one of the most photographed beaches in the Caribbean, if not the world, Trunk Bay sits in the northwestern corner of the Virgin Islands National Park (it was donated to the park service by Laurence S. Rockefeller more than 50 years ago). Calm, clear water, and a 225-yard-long underwater trail for snorkeling are big draws, as are hiking trails up and into the surrounding greenery, filled with the ruins of historic sugar cane plantations.
Where to stay: St. John has had a long road to recovery from the hurricanes of 2017, but the good news is that the National Park is back in full bloom, its beaches are in perfect shape, Cruz Bay is bustling with shops and restaurants, and The Westin St. John Resort Villas is finally back in operation, offering accommodations from studios to three-bedroom villas.
2. Kiawah Island, SC
Kiawah Island, a mostly private, gated community, less than a hours drive from Charleston International Airport (which is about to receive nonstop flights to London this year), is a low-country winner. East and West Beach, combined, stretch for 10 miles along the Atlantic. Public beach access is at Beachwalker County Park at the island's far southern end. The sand is flat, the water is shallow, there are lifeguards on duty, and you can rent beach chairs and umbrellas rentals.
Where to Stay: One of the best places for an active vacation is The Sanctuary Hotel, ranked number 18 of Top 30 Resorts in the American South in our latest Readers' Choice Awards survey. With 24 tennis courts, five golf courses, and six pools, this four-story oceanfront resort is 30 minutes from Charleston and has a great combination of accommodations, service, food, and golf. Rooms come with custom-made furniture, and have shuttered bathroom windows and ocean view balconies.
1. Maundays Bay, Anguilla
It's hard to debate this one. Anguilla is blessed with many a stunning beach, but Maundays Bay—on this skinny island's southwesterly tip—wins for crystal-clear water, a gradual slope, pristine sand, and a perfect half moon arc. Technically a public beach, it is rarely crowded and populated predominantly by guests at the Belmond Cap Juluca—recently reborn after a glorious heyday in the '90s. Of note, Maundays is ideal for families with kids, as sight lines are uninterrupted, there are rarely any waves, and the beach is neatly bookended by two small breakwaters.
Where to Stay: Without a doubt, the highly-rated Belmond Cap Juluca. The Morocco-meets-Mykonos property sits on a white-sand beach on a Caribbean island known as much for its welcoming people as its haute resorts. Large enough to keep a couple or a family busy for days, but small enough to feel like home, the whitewashed island enclave has just reopened after a $121 million renovation by new owner Belmond, emphasizing chic, natural materials and local Anguillan heritage.
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