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Mauer, Gibson lead Twins to 8-3 win over White Sox

By Brian Hall
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Mauer reached base three times and Kyle Gibson capped a season of improvement with six quality innings in the Minnesota Twins’ 8-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
Mauer had two hits and scored twice in what could be his final homestand after a 15-year career in Minnesota. Mauer has said he’ll contemplate retirement once the season is over, but he’s showing he can still swing the bat with a strong September.
Mauer, who entered the day with a major league-leading .410 average with runners in scoring position, drove in a run with a single as part of a six-run second inning. He is hitting .365 with eight RBIs in his last 16 games.
Gibson (10-13) allowed one run on three hits and three walks to lower his ERA to 3.62. The right-hander had a 5.07 ERA each of the past two seasons, but continued the growth he showed at the end of last season after returning from the minors.
Jorge Polanco added three hits and Jake Cave drove in three runs for the Twins, who tied a season high with their fifth straight win.
Chicago starter Carlos Rodon (6-8) was knocked out six batters into the second inning without retiring an out. He surrendered eight runs on six hits and four walks in his 21st start of the season after returning from shoulder surgery.
The White Sox lost for the 10th time in 13 games and are 62-99. A loss Sunday would be their first 100-loss season since losing 106 games in 1970.
Chicago struck out nine times in the game to set a new major league record for a team in a season. White Sox batters have struck out 1,579 times this season, breaking the mark of 1,571 set by the Milwaukee Brewers last season.
Second baseman Yoan Moncado struck out for the 216th time, the highest total in the majors this season and the fourth-most in a single season in history.
Moncado is three strikeouts behind Chris Davis, who had 219 in 2016. The record is held by Mark Reynolds, who struck out 223 times in 2009.
White Sox: C Omar Narvaez left the game in the third inning with low back stiffness. He was replaced by Kevan Smith.
Twins: Mitch Garver was out of the lineup a day after getting four hits and six RBIs because manager Paul Molitor wanted to go with Tyler Austin and Joe Mauer at first base and designated hitter, respectively. Garver recently returned from a concussion and won’t be used as a catcher again this season.
Minnesota will end the season with rookie right-hander Zack Littell (0-2, 6.61 ERA) starting Sunday, with Chicago going with right-hander Dylan Covey (5-13, 5.06). It will be Littell’s eighth major league appearance and second start. His previous start was against the White Sox in his debut on June 5 when he gave up six runs in three innings. Covey is 0-6 with a 6.08 ERA over his last eight starts but has 12 scoreless innings over his past two starts.

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Category Archives: Diabetes

heart disease study

Diabetes Prevention and Management

Scientific evidence strongly suggests that adequate dietary magnesium reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. A meta-analysis of 13 prospective cohort studies examined this association in more than 500,000 subjects of diverse backgrounds. Results clearly demonstrated a significant inverse relationship between dietary magnesium and diabetes risk—a risk that isn’t altered when factors such as sex, [...]

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Magnesium and Heart Failure Recovery

Magnesium and Type 2 Diabetes

Expert Commentary by Carolyn Dean, MD, ND – Magnesium and Type 2 Diabetes Study World J Diabetes. 2015 Aug 25; 6(10): 1152–1157. “Magnesium and type 2 diabetes”. Mario Barbagallo and Ligia J Dominguez In an August 2015 paper “Magnesium and Type 2 Diabetes, investigators confirm that diabetes is frequently associated with magnesium deficiency. A few [...]

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index magnesium deficiency and family health

Magnesium and Prediabetes

Abstract: Over the past decades, hypomagnesemia (deficiency of magnesium in the blood) (serum Mg(2+) <0.7 mmol/L) has been strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients with hypomagnesemia show a more rapid disease progression and have an increased risk for diabetes complications. Clinical studies demonstrate that T2DM patients with hypomagnesemia have reduced pancreatic β-cell activity [...]

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Magnsium and Gylcemic Control

Magnesium and Glycemic Control – New Study

The treatment goals for Type 2 Diabetes are related to effective control of blood glucose, blood pressure and other factors, to minimize the risk of long-term consequences associated with diabetes. In new research entitled: “A study of magnesium supplementation on glycemic control in patients of type-2 diabetes mellitus” The aim of the research was to [...]

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Diabetes Type 2 - Magnesium Genes and Diet

Type 2 Diabetes – Magnesium, Diet and Genes

A new study investigated the complex interactions between magnesium intake, genes and ethnicity in determining risk for type 2 diabetes in two populations of women. The specific associations yielded by the analysis illustrate how health guidance could become considerably more personalized. Dr. Simin Liu, professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at Brown [...]

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Magnesium and Diabetes Study

Magnesium Reduces Diabetes Risk by 53%

In a 2013 published study involving more than 2,500 people, those with the highest magnesium intake had the lowest risk of developing type 2 diabetes over a 7-year period, as reported in Diabetes Care. “There is a substantial body of literature linking low magnesium intake or low magnesium status (as measured in the blood) to [...]

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Magnesium and Inflammation Study

Magnesium Supplements Lower Inflammation

A May 7, 2014 article published in the Archives of Medical Research reports the results of a double-blind trial of subjects with prediabetes and low magnesium levels which found a benefit for magnesium supplementation in reducing C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation. “Our results show that oral magnesium supplementation significantly decreases hsCRP levels in [...]

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Magnesium Lowers Diabetes Risk

Magnesium Lowers Diabetes Risk

dailyRx – In a new study, researchers found that higher magnesium intake was associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes. The authors of the study, led by Adela Hruby, PhD, MPH, of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, wanted to explore potential connections between magnesium [...]

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insulin resistance and magnesium

Magnesium and Insulin Resistance

Magnes Res. 2004 Jun;17(2):126-36. Intracellular magnesium and insulin resistance. Takaya J, Higashino H, Kobayashi Y. Source Department of Pediatrics, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, Osaka 570-8506, Japan. Abstract Magnesium, the second most abundant intracellular divalent cation, is a cofactor of many enzymes involved in glucose metabolism. Magnesium has an important role in insulin action, and insulin [...]

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index 8

Magnesium Deficiency Linked to Diabetes

By Hans R. Larsen MSc ChE – BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. A link between low body levels of magnesium and type 2 diabetes has long been suspected, but there has been no agreement as to whether low magnesium levels cause diabetes or the presence of diabetes results in low magnesium levels. A team of researchers from [...]

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Man claims he hammered turtle to death in self-defense

Posted By Staff

Date: July 26th, 2016

terryAUSTIN, Texas – The man who shocked bystanders on the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail last month, by beating a turtle to death with a hammer, has been charged with a state jail felony.

Terry Wayne Washington, 55, was charged Tuesday with cruelty to a non-livestock animal.

On June 21 at around 5 p.m., two joggers noticed a crowd gathered on the bridge overlooking the Bouldin Creek spillway where it opens into the lake on West Riverside Drive.

The two joggers told police they watched Washington fishing, struggling to reel in what they thought was a large fish. Instead of a fish, a large common snapping turtle came into view.  More

Strange Crimes

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One Response to “Man claims he hammered turtle to death in self-defense”

  1. Anonymous Says:

    Is it just a coincidence that this guy looks somewhat like a turtle?

Leave a Reply


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Vettel wins Brazilian GP; Hamilton 4th after starting lastNovember 12, 2017 11:41pm

SAO PAULO (AP) — It was all about who got the best start at Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel had it, starting from the second spot on the grid. Pole sitter Valtteri Bottas didn't, and it probably cost the Mercedes driver the race.

Vettel overtook Bottas on the first turn and essentially held the lead the entire way for his 47th career victory, his fifth this season, and his third in Brazil.

The victory solidified Vettel's hold on second place in the season standings after Lewis Hamilton clinched the title two weeks ago in Mexico City.

"I thought I had a pretty good launch," said Vettel, who slipped by Bottas on the first turn — a left-hander heading down a slight grade at the rolling Interelagos circuit.

"I knew I had to go for it. There was a little bit of a gap and it turned out to be very important."

Hamilton started last after crashing in qualifying on the first lap, but managed to push his way into contention, staying out longer before pitting while the other leaders changed tires earlier because they were running on softer compounds.

Bottas finished second with Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari taking third. Hamilton was fourth, just 5.4 seconds behind Vettel.

Hamilton closed relentlessly, and Vettel was asked if he was ever worried about the Englishman passing him.

"Not really," he replied. "I didn't think he was a threat."

Hamilton said he expected to finish fifth, at best.

"This was the first time I pushed the engine like that," he said. "It was more than I looked for. I was very happy with the day. Yesterday was horrible."

Vettel has 302 points with the final race in two weeks in Abu Dhabi. Third-place Bottas has 280. Even if Bottas wins in Abu Dhabi, Vettel can take second place in the season rankings by finishing in eighth place or higher.

"He's got quite a lead now, so it will take a miracle in Abu Dhabi," Bottas said. "I was very disappointed in the race start. After that, I was trying to catch up on Sebastian but it didn't lead to anything more."

The victory was a long time coming for Vettel, a four-time champion — like Hamilton — who had not won since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.

Vettel won three of the first six races this season and then faded as Hamilton surged.

Calling it a "great relief," Vettel said "it's been a tough day, a tough race. There was no room for mistakes."

Brazilian Felipe Massa finished seventh in his final race in Brazil. He will bow out of Formula One in two weeks and is expected to race next season in the electric-powered Formula E series.

He won 11 races in his career and came within a point of taking the season title in 2008, which was won by Hamilton. A year ago he said he was retiring, only to come back with Williams. It won't happen again, he said, addressing the sellout crowd at the Interlagos track.

Massa's departure means F1 will be without a Brazilian driver for the first time since 1969.

"I am going to miss you a lot," he told fans. "The thrill I felt today was immense, just like last year. I will never forget today."

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Topics for 12/22

Please consider these topics and be prepared to share with the group.

1) What is your favorite "Christmas passage" (we are prepared to be pretty generous) and why in 45 seconds.

2) The popular song "Mary Did You Know?" asks several questions. How much do you think Mary knew about Jesus (Biblical proof preferred)?

3) Write a six line poem about one of the following.

a. The sovereingty of God in arranging the events of Jesus' birth.

b. The humor of the strange cast of characters who visited baby Jesus.

c. The spiritual impact of Jesus' birth.


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Tire Maintenance

There is a close working relationship between your tires and other mechanical systems in your vehicle, such as the wheels, brakes, shock absorbers, steering and suspension systems. To ensure you have a safe, comfortable ride and good tire mileage, click on the areas of interest below.

To maintain tire safety, purchase new tires that are the same size as the vehicle’s original tires or another size recommended by the manufacturer. Look at the tire information placard, the owner’s manual, or the sidewall of the tire you are replacing to find this information. If you have any doubt about the correct size to choose, consult with the tire dealer.

Tire Tread

The tire tread provides the gripping action and traction that prevent your vehicle from slipping or sliding, especially when the road is wet or icy. In general, tires are not safe and should be replaced when the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch. Tires have built-in treadwear indicators that let you know when it is time to replace your tires. These indicators are raised sections spaced intermittently in the bottom of the tread grooves. When they appear “even” with the outside of the tread, it is time to replace your tires.

Another method for checking tread depth is to place a penny in the tread with Lincoln’s head upside down and facing you. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, you are ready for new tires. The tread on this tire covers the top of Lincoln’s head, so it’s not yet ready for replacement.

Balance & Alignment

To avoid vibration or shaking of the vehicle when a tire rotates, the tire must be properly balanced. This balance is achieved by positioning weights on the wheel to counterbalance heavy spots on the wheel-and-tire assembly.

A wheel alignment adjusts the angles of the wheels so that they are positioned correctly relative to the vehicle’s frame. This adjustment maximizes the life of your tires and prevents your car from veering to the right or left when driving on a straight, level road.

These adjustments require special equipment and should be performed by a qualified technician.

Rotating tires from front to back and from side to side can reduce irregular wear (for vehicles that have tires that are all the same size). Look in your owner’s manual for information on how frequently the tires on your vehicle should be rotated and the best pattern for rotation.

Examples of common rotation patterns (for vehicles with tires that are the same type and size):

A plug by itself is not an acceptable repair.

The proper repair of a punctured tire requires a plug for the hole and a patch for the area inside the tire that surrounds the puncture hole. The repair material used – for example, a “combination patch and plug” repair – must seal the inner liner and fill the injury to be considered a permanent repair.
Punctures through the tread can be repaired if they are not too large, but punctures to the sidewall should not be repaired.

Tires must be removed from the rim to be properly inspected before being plugged and patched.

We can repair any vehicle. Just contact us

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Communications >

SHS Honors Chorale and Honors Women's Chorus Successful at State Choral Festival

posted Mar 28, 2017, 9:38 AM by Deborah Wickliffe
The Seneca High School Honors Chorale and Honors Women’s Chorus earned a Superior With Distinction rating at South Carolina State Choral Performance Assessment in Columbia. Both choirs earned straight superiors from three collegiate adjudicators on the performance portion of the festival. Both choirs also earned a superior on the sight singing/music literacy portion of the festival which qualified them for the top award of Superior With Distinction.

This is the Honors Chorale’s twentieth performance at the South Carolina State Choral Festival. The Honors Women’s Chorus and Honors Chorale have received Superior Ratings in all of their appearances and this year, under the new rating system, received their first ever Superior With Distinction awards.


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Atomium, Brussels, Belgium

The Atomium is a monument in Brussels, Belgium, built on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1958 and representing the conventional cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

The nine spheres that make up the monument are not a reference to the nine Belgian provinces of the time. They represent the nine constituent atoms of iron crystal. The original designer of the monument was conceived as a reference to the science theme of Expo ’58, and in particular the science of the atom under development at this time, not as a reference unit the nine provinces of the kingdom that was a coincidence.

In April 2006, Belgium issued a commemorative 2-euro coin representing the Atomium on the occasion of its reopening

Atomium (Brussels, Belgium)


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Economic Sanctions and Human Rights

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Publish Date : 12/14/2014 16:56
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Economic Sanctions and Human Rights
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Multilateral and unilateral economic sanctions imposed on Iran are contrary to the following principle of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration begins with the preamble that “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”. As we see in the following, economic sanctions seriously undermine freedom, democracy, justice and peace both inside a society and at international level.

According to the preamble “human beings shall enjoy … freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people”. Limiting the access of Iranian people to International trade and financial system has clearly put in danger the life of millions of people. An economic sanction clearly prevents a nation from achieving what has been called as “the highest aspiration of the common people”. According to the forth paragraph “it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations”. The EU and the US sanctions have not contributed and will never contribute to such a relation between Iran, EU and the US nations. To the contrary, it is destroying existing relations among our nations.
Base on Article 1. “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” The US and EU sanctions are limiting freedom and rights of the people in some specific countries and are far from “a spirit of brotherhood”. They contribute to enmity among nations with severe consequences.
According to Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs. Most of the sanctions imposed on Iran are discriminatory and the whole nuclear problem began with discrimination of Western countries against Iran.
Furthermore, Iranian people, especially those who are living in the US and EU, are discriminated while they have nothing to do with nuclear issue. Closing banking accounts of Iranians or preventing students who study in the West from receiving money for their family and preventing them from studying some courses in Western universities are clear violations of the article.
According to Article three “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”. Current sanctions against Iran have clearly endangered all aspects of life and security of Iranians. By limiting access of the people to medicine, Gasoline, job etc; they have endangered job security, health security and in general human security.
Based on Article 5, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”, Crippling sanctions are leading to mass suffering and mass punishment. How western governments can justify punishing 75 million people for a crime that they have not committed.
Article 7th says “all are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law”. It is true about nations because sovereignty rights are also the right of all individuals who live in a country. And that’s the basis of equality of nations. Iran as a NPT member has fully implemented its commitments according to NPT while the EU and the US try to impose discriminatory obligations on Iranian people by passing UNSC resolutions.
The US and EU have begun to target specific individuals in the Islamic Republic. These behaviors are contrary to the Article 10 of the Declaration. According to this article “Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.” The US and EU behaviors are arbitrary in this regard. They enlist individuals and institutions without any clear charges. They are using economic measures to achieve political purposes.
According to Article 12, “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Naming individuals and companies in the declarations and resolutions and imposing penalties on them undermine the reputation of individuals and are clear interference and attacks against them without letting them know their charges before. If individuals are subjects to international law, individual rights are also should be observed.
Article 18th, 19th and 20th are about freedom of thought, expression and assembly as the most important rights that Western countries emphasize too much on them. During the past few years in numerous cases we have witnessed that assemblies related to Iran has been canceled, publication of opinions by those who support Iran’s rights has been limited and recently Iranian TVs have been removed from Satellites. These are all violation of basic human rights.
According to Article 23(1) “Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.” Economic sanctions against Iran have destroyed favorable conditions for work and endangered job security. Furthermore, by weakening the middle class, it has undermined democracy, too. It is not acceptable to say that the Iranian government is responsible because, according to IAEA reports, Iranian government has fully implemented all its obligations.
The US and EU sanctions clearly violate Article 25 (1). Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Every day we have the news about degradation of living standards and health in Iran and death of patients in Iranian hospitals because of shortage of medicine. These are consequence of preventing Iran from having access to international markets that have nothing to do with nuclear facilities. As humanitarian consequences of sanctions against Iraq during 1990s demonstrated, these economic pressures will lead to malnutrition among women and children. For the same reasons that the life of innocent people should be taken into account in time of military strike, international community should pay attention to human and humanitarian costs and damages that are imposed on targeted society in times of economic war.

These behaviors has put into question legitimacy and credibility of the West and undermined its positions around the world. Unfortunately mainstream media in the EU and the US are controlling public opinion and there is no democracy on foreign policy issues. As Afghanistan and Iraq cases proved, it may be possible to win a war by economic sanctions and military intervention but not the peace. To win the peace the US and EU need to practice human rights and democracy, not preach them. Economic sanctions violate the first and undermine the second.
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Created by: Nabi Sonboli at Monday, 28.October 2013 - 11:41

“ Economic Sanctions and Human Rights ”


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OE Germany Shortblocks

Shortblocks are pre-assembled crank drives comprising engine block, crankshaft, connecting rods, plain bearings, pistons, cylinder liners, camshaft, valve tappets, various small parts and optional cylinder heads. With our range of shortblocks you can repair current and well-proven engine ranges from the following manufacturers:

• Mercedes-Benz (OM300, OM400, OM500, OM600, OM900 and OM920 series)

• MTU (183 series)

• MAN (D25, D28 and D08 series)

• Deutz (1013 series)

OE Germany Gas-Shortblocks

The amount of gas engines and combined heat and power plants worldwide
have increased rapidly during the past years. By now, these engines and
aggregates havereached runtimes of several 100.000 km or several
10.000 operation hours.

For upcoming repairs and technical inspections, the replacement of the entire
engine is not implicitly necessary.

OE Germany can provide an alternative. With our range of shortblocks you can
repair current and well-proven MAN engine ranges:

• MAN Gas (E2842 E/LE302/312/322, E2848 LE 322 series)
• MAN Gas (E2876 LE 202/302/TE302, E0836 LE 202 series)

Our shortblocks are assembled according to the guidelines and tolerances of engine manufacturers. We only use quality-tested new parts for our products. They are based on the tried and tested components of OE Germany Handels GmbH including plain bearings and pistons from renowned European producers.

We assemble individual shortblock solutions according to your requirements. We determine the precise engine specifications from your vehicle identification number (VIN) and/or your engine number. Our assembly personnel is highly trained and experienced in engine construction.

Time Savings

Shortblocks guarantee in-time rapid repair solutions. No more time-consuming reconditioning of old parts. No long procurement lead times for all parts which you require for conventional repairs. No annoying searches for used engines or parts. You avoid downtimes. Your engines are up and running again in next to no time and you can redeploy your vehicles and their equipment fast.

Low-wear components, such as oil sumps and manifolds, can always be reused, as well as conventional replacement products such as injection pumps or turbochargers.

Reliable preservation and packaging and customised transport solutions, even international shipment, are part and parcel of our daily business.


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Air Travel And How Technology Made Long Flight Travel Lot More Easier

Air traveler numbers this year holiday are expected to rise over last year according to the trade group air travel survey. Airlines expect to carry 234 million passengers up from the summer record of 225 million a year ago,

Flying halfway around the planet is a shocking, yet exciting, experience. Think about it. You can wake up at home, yet end the day in an entirely different country with an unfamiliar landscape, culture and feel.
While the exhilaration of traveling somewhere new is hard to match, it does come at a cost. To get somewhere far away, you often must fly for eight, ten or sixteen hours in a single sitting. That’s a long time on a plane, especially in coach. Here are some tips to help you endure:
Technology has made long-distance travel a lot easier to bear. Most long-haul carriers offer in-flight Entertainments, and some even offer back-of-the-headrest entertainment devices in every single seat.
To get the most bang for your buck, make sure you book long- haul flights with carriers that do offer personal entertainment devices. Once you do, your twelve-hour flight can be less of a burden and more of the perfect opportunity to watch four or five movies in a row.
Keep in mind that one carrier can differ from another, and even the age of the aircraft in question can affect entertainment availability. Thus, look closely at which plane you'd be flying and do your research.
If you don’t want to stare at a screen all day, bring a good book (or two), or a Kindle for reading. Occasional reading breaks mixed in with movies and napping can make the time fly by.
Long-haul flights are the absolute worst when you’re uncomfortable. To have the best chances at relaxation, consider paying extra to select your seat early. While you might balk at a $35 upcharge for an assigned window or aisle seat, you’ll wish you weren’t so cheap if you wind up stuck in the dreaded middle for an entire flight.
While sitting in economy plus is bearable, a business class seat (and especially a lie-flat seat) can make flying rather relaxing. If you have the money to splurge, consider spending the extra cash for more comfort on your longest flights. You can also sign up for an airline credit card to start saving miles for a business class seat instead.
Plane food isn’t that great anyway, but it’s especially awful when you get something you don’t like. If you’re a picky eater or just want something special, you can request a special meal ahead of time. Consider asking for a vegetarian, kosher, Asian, or Indian dish to mix things up.
Dressing comfortably isn’t the easiest thing to do if you’re heading straight from the airport to a business meeting. Fortunately, you can dress comfortably (and smartly) if you buy the right attire.
Bluffworks makes a comfortable and nearly wrinkle-free blazer for men who want to travel comfortably yet look put-together when they land. Throw it on with a pair of slacks and you’ll feel like you’re in your jammies. For the ladies, Travel Smith makes some professional-looking and comfortable attire that fits with nearly any business agenda.
The best travel pillow for your needs really depends on your sleep style and how you’re most comfortable. You may need to experiment some to find the right travel pillow for your needs.
If you’re a stomach sleeper, for example, the famous (and funny-looking) Skyrest Travel Pillow is one to consider. If you don’t mind your head tilting to the side, one of those U-shaped pillows could work wonders.
If you’re especially sensitive to sounds, noise-cancelling headphones can create a safe, quiet space while you fly. You can find a ton of options on for $30 and up.
This final tip is probably the most important: Bring a portable charger that can recharge your phone and other devices. While many flights have in-flight plug-ins, not all do. What would you do if your phone died and you were desperate for a game of Solitare?
Lots of companies give portable chargers away for free, but if you need one now and can’t wait for a freebie, you can buy them online for around $10.

As you get ready for busy travel summer season, airlines are setting a new record with investments into new aircraft, technology and overall customer experience.

Those who have had their share of long layovers, delayed flights, arriving too early for check-in or even paying too much for a bed might be interested in what Hotel booking offers weary travelers.

The Brazilian hotel booking site has almost single-handedly changed the hotel game in its home country.

Thanks to this brainchild by Brazilian entrepreneurs Max Campos and Pedroboth business and leisure travelers now have the option to book shorter hotel stays (by blocks of three, six, nine and twelve hours) whenever they need them at a fraction of the regular nightly rate. This saves guests money as well as tedious hours waiting.

It also allows the company’s over 700 hotel partners to not only sell unsold rooms but also make extra revenue even at full capacity.

This coming April, is opening its doors to the US market, and it’s expecting to sign at least 500 partner hotels all over the country by the end of the year. TravelPulse chatted with Nicholas Ortegas, Sales and Marketing Manager for, to talk more about the company’s problem-solving concept, how they’re changing the landscape in travel and their plans for the future.

" is the first Latin American platform to book hotels by the hour. Basically, we give people the possibility to book a hotel room for less than the daily rate.

Every time we travel a lot, we have situations when we need a hotel just for a few hours. Sometimes, people, they don’t think of that possibility because there’s no such thing, so a lot of times we spend a lot of hours at the airport, at a restaurant. We arrive too early at a hotel, so we have to wait a lot of hours before check-in. A lot of situations like that made us think that we could create a new possibility.

The hotel market hasn’t changed in many, many years. Ever since the hotel market started, people have been booking rooms by daily rates, and there’s also the day-use rate. But what we do is different. You can pick what time you want to check-in, and for how long you want to stay at the hotel. So if you need to stay at a hotel just for three hours—to take a shower, to rest before a flight, to extend your check out, or get an early check in, you can have all these possibilities right now."

"Yes, everything is made online. We have a website—we started only with the website—and now we also have an app available for both iOS and Android. You can do the whole process online; and depending on the hotel, you can pay online or pay directly at the hotel."

"The idea actually came to Max because he had these situations happen all the time with him. He used to work in a big company in Brazil called Carvalho Hosken. It’s real estate, and he used to travel a lot for the company. He always had these situations where he would just go to a hotel late at night and then leave early in the morning. He had to pay for the full daily rate, and he would just stay 10, 11 hours at the hotel. And also sometimes, he had to wait a long time at the airport.

He dealt with a lot of these situations while he was working, and he had always wanted his own business. So he decided to quit his job and start because of the experiences he had."

“''Quando' is Portuguese, it means 'when.' We were thinking about names, and Max came up with it because the idea is like “a hotel whenever you want.” We talked to a lot of people, and everyone had good feedback saying that it’s exotic and different. So we thought we should keep the name.

That’s what it means. If you translate exactly how it is, it’s Hotel When."

How was it received when first launched in Brazil during 2014?

"At first, we had a lot of struggle with the hotel industry because it was a new thing. Every time you do something new, there’s a little bit of resistance. So a lot of the hotels, at first, thought it would be a lot more trouble, that it wouldn’t be good.

So we had to go to all the hotels, called all the hotels. Some of them really had an open mind, and they believed in our idea and that the hotel industry needed to create something new. After we got a few hotels, we also had a PR agency there help us with the press releases.

After we got the first hotels and they started doing reservations, people started to realize that our model could bring extra revenue, could bring new clients. And that started to spread. After a while, we got more hotels and we finally closed deals with the main hotel chains. Once we got our first hotel chain, all the other hotels started coming.

At first, it was hard to get hotels and we had to convince them. But now, we have over 700 hotels all over Brazil in all states, all the main airports. Now every day, we have hotels coming to us. So right now, we have a different scenario because the hotels are actually approaching us. And now we have all the main chains in Brazil: AccorHotels, Atlantica Hotels, Transamerica, BHG."

"We started in Brazil during the low season, because Brazil was facing a big crisis. So it was a good time for us to start and understand. As I said, we are platform of extra revenue, so we register maybe one to ten percent of the hotel rooms. We don’t register a lot of rooms because we want to sell what the hotel is not selling.

We also have the information because we have been working in the hotel business for the last two years, so we’ve been studying it a lot. And we found out that even the hotels that have 100 percent occupancy, most of the people arrive late at night at the hotels. So they already work the overbooking concept.

If you can work with this, you can book flights, for example, if you know that 30 percent of your guests are arriving late at night and you have a staff right there in the afternoon, you can book the hotels for three hours in the afternoon. And you have your staff there to get the room ready and clean for when the next guest arrives at night."

"Yes, because we are very flexible with the hotels. We have four different packages. We have three, six, nine and twelve hours, and the hotels can pick which packages they want to work with and what times they want to offer the check-in.

So it’s not like they're going to sign all the packages and check in 24 hours a day. If a hotel has a high occupancy, they can do what I just told you. If they have a low occupancy, they can register more rooms, register more packages and more check in times. It’s really easy, and it’s very flexible.

Another thing that’s very important that the hotels should really know is that we don’t take commissions from the hotels. Right now, especially in Brazil, there is this big movement in which the hotels are trying to get away from and stop working with OTAs because they are working with very high commissions, taking a lot of the hotels’ money.

We want to work together with the hotels, so we don’t charge any commissions. We only have a small fee that we charge the guests, but it’s a hundred percent free for the hotels. It’s extra revenue at zero cost."

"The US is the biggest market in the world. If you have a list of the twenty biggest airports in the world, maybe half of them are in the US. We have Chicago, which is the airport with main connections in the whole world; we have Atlanta, which is the biggest airport. Hotels near the airport are very important to us.

We are already in South America—we are also expanding to the rest of Latin America. Right now, we are only in Brazil, but we are also expanding to Colombia, which is going to be the main headquarters in Latin America that can talk to all the other countries that speak Spanish. We picked these two countries (US and Colombia) because we think they are very strategic to us.

And also, it’s a very new concept in the US that is starting now. In Europe, there are a few websites that do something similar so we thought that the US would be more important."

"We actually have two different types of consumers. We have the business travelers, because as I said, that’s where the idea came from. We actually have an extranet for companies where they can register and book hotels for their employees. 60% of our clients right now are business travelers.

And also—this is something we communicate a lot to people—the local guests, the people from their own cities who, if they knew that there’s this possibility of booking a room for a few hours and paying a fair price, could book a room to relax, get out of their routine, and enjoy the nice pool at the hotel.

For example, Sao Paolo is the city in Brazil where HotelQuando has more hotels. It’s a big city and it’s not on the coast, so in the summer it gets really hot. So we have a lot of people that book hotels to enjoy the pools, enjoy the room service.

So we have two types of clients: the corporate travelers and the people that need a hotel in their own cities to enjoy or if they’re going to travel and they need early check in, late check out."

I’m glad you brought up the hotel pools because I wanted to ask, how much or how many of the hotel facilities and room amenities would guests have access to?

"When a person books a hotel for a few hours, it’s exactly the same as if he booked for a full day. The only difference is that his stay is going to be shorter. But he can use all the facilities.

If the hotel has room service, he can do room service. If it has a restaurant, he can eat at the restaurant. If there’s a pool, he can use the pool. We even have some hotels that offer breakfast for overnight bookings of 12 hours in Brazil. The guests have access to all the amenities."

"Yes, right now we have a call center in Brazil. On the website, we also have online chatting to get answers.

It’s a good thing that you mentioned that because in the beginning, we had an extranet for the hotels so that every time there was a booking, this booking is sent to the hotel, and sometimes we had a little confusion. The guest would get to the hotel, and they wouldn’t find his reservation. So what we did was, right now we have a connection in Brazil with a hotel channel manager called Omnibees. The hotels connect all the OTAs in the same place.

So when a person books through us, the information goes directly to the hotel through the same channel they use with all the other OTAs. So the problem of a reservation not getting to the hotel, we don’t have that anymore."

"Yes, once we start, we are also going to have a call center team in the US and also in Colombia."

We also have an extranet for travel agencies. If they want to register in the platform to book hotels for their clients, we have a special extranet for them.

Are there any US hotels already in your roster right now?

"We are still in the early stages. We are talking to some hotels. But I can’t actually say the names right now because we haven’t completely closed the deal yet. But before we came to the US, we started talking to some of the hotels because some of the chains we have in Brazil also have hotels in the US. Once we get everything ready, the platform, the call center, we can disclose the hotel names."

When is your target launch date for HotelQuando US?

"We are planning to launch in the second half of April. We’re very close. We’re just finishing the last details, starting to finish the legal aspects so we can start it!"

"Well, I think it will impact it in a very big way. As I said before, ever since the tourist market started, it hasn’t changed a lot. The hotels have been booking for daily rates, and right now a different kind of market coming up—Airbnb, for example.

So the hotel market needs to do something to reinvent itself, putting technology in its services and offering the clients what they need.

And it’s a trend. Everybody knows that this is a trend. People right now are only paying for what they use, pay-per-use, services that really fit their needs. So we’re doing something new in a market that hasn’t done something new in a long time. We’re trying to change something that has been done for many years, which is the daily rate, and we’re trying to break that into small parts in a way that is going to be good for the clients and that is going to be good for the hotels.

I think it’s a big change, and it’s a good change for both sides.

It’s not a lot of trouble to expand. If the hotels are willing to offer the service, we can register them on the same day and we can start selling. Because they don’t have to pay us anything, there’s no bureaucratic situation, it’s very easy to register. And it’s very easy to expand to other countries.

We have a very big expectation for 2017. We believe that 2017 is going to be the greatest year in HotelQuando history. came as a new tool to solve a problem for everyone who travels, everyone who needs another option. We wanted to do something different, and we wanted to work together with the hotels. It’s very important that the hotels are satisfied; that they are seeing that it’s good for them. That’s why we don’t charge them anything. is a hotel-friendly company."

7 Cool Things To Do in New Providence Island, Bahamas

One of the most romantic days of the year is fast approaching and we have to ask, ‘what are you doing to celebrate your love?’ How about escaping it all and taking your dearest on a trip to the beautiful island of New Providence in the Bahamas for Valentine’s Day, or pretty much any day of the year.

This island is the largest in the Bahamas and most well-known, albeit because of the capital city of Nassau, to which people most commonly refer to it by.

However you slice it, it’s all about the water, fun in the sun and some private cuddle time.

While you are there, here are seven of the coolest things you can both do:

Dinner for Two: You, your loved one and a beautiful beach all to yourself. Isn’t that the dream? Add in a delectable dinner and your night becomes magical. Enjoy a private dining experience for two under the stars at Super Clubs Breezes Resort & Spa in the Bahamas where you’ll be pampered with personalized service and an exquisite menu for you to choose from.

Blue Lagoon Island: It’s exactly how it sounds – soothing blue waters waiting for you to just dive right in. Try one of their many water sports that are available, such as paddle boarding, snorkeling and, if you can imagine it, underwater scooters where you can swim along just like one of the fish. While you’re at Blue Lagoon Island, otherwise known as Salt Cay, sign up for a once-in-a-lifetime, up-close-and-personal encounter with sea lions and dolphins. If you would prefer to explore the beach, hop aboard a Segway and discover the island and its native flora and fauna.

John Watling’s Distillery: When it’s time to just sit down and throw one back, head over to John Watling’s Distillery. Home to their own “Spirit of the Bahamas” rum, there are complimentary tours of the home, called the Buena Vista Estate, which was founded in 1789, and, of course, rum for you to bring home.

Fort Fincastle: This is an interesting old fort, built in 1793, that offers great views of Nassau when you get to the top. These views made it perfect for use as a lighthouse and signal station. It was named after British captain Lord Dunmore and Viscount Fincastle who wanted to keep the residents safe from pirates. You can also see The Queen’s Staircase from here.

The Queen's Staircase: You wouldn’t think that a staircase could be so riveting, but you have probably never been to one with such a great historical story behind it. The Queen’s Staircase, otherwise known as 66 steps, is located at the Fort Fincastle Historic Complex and is free to visit. It was named after Queen Victoria, who reigned Britain for 64 years, and the steps were made by slaves out of solid limestone rock. The slaves were honoring the Queen’s help in abolishing slavery.

Graycliff Cigar Company: Love a good stogie? Look no farther. Head over to the Graycliff Cigar Company, which began its cigar production in 1997. Here you can see the masters roll them by hand. While you are there, take a cigar rolling lesson and or a cigar-and-rum pairing session.

Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Centre: It’s the only zoo in the Bahamas, designed in 1937. Today, it is home to more than 135 animals, especially its famous long-legged flamingo and three Bahamian boa constrictors, a native species to The Bahamas. Three times a day you can watch the flock of flamingoes dance their dance. You can also feed the colorful Lories.

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

Did a heavy day

I went running in the late afternoon, and I did a heavy day of 2.2 miles. It was getting dark when I finished and returned to my car. I'm getting used to the distance and am about ready to increase my distance. I took no rest breaks during my run.

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Encounters with men in uniform – Part 2

I was in a hurry to get to my destination. I was attending lectures for a professional course and I was beginning to run a little late. I drove the car with deft hands and was soon on the expressway; my destination totally on my mind.

About fifteen minutes into my drive, an officer standing on the right side of the expressway flagged me down. I hissed as I imagined this would take a few minutes out of the time which I did not have. Another car was parked on the right side of the road and I noticed some officers talking to the driver behind the wheel. With nothing to fear, I applied the brakes but left the car running.

“Good morning.” I said to the officer.

“Good morning madam.”

“How may I help you?”

“Can I have your driver’s licence?” The officer asked.

I handed over my original driver’s licence to the officer. He looked at it, was satisfied that it was still valid but held on to it.

He asked for two more items and I stepped out of the car, opened my booth and showed the items to him. He looked at both of them, scrutinizing them as if they were items which had just dropped from space. After a few minutes, he stood behind the car and asked me to go in to step on the brakes.

I sighed. This was beginning to take longer than I thought. I eased into the car and stepped on the brakes.

He walked towards the driver’s window and said; “I knew it. I knew one of your brake lights wasn’t working.”

I looked at him, anger clearly written on my face. “You flag me down right in front of the car and tell me you knew one of the brake lights wasn’t working? In broad daylight?” I asked him as I stepped out of my car,

“I have to seize your driver’s licence and issue you a ticket.”

“Go ahead but I think you should stick to your duties and quit the lies.”

“Madam, it is not that. I….”

“Can I have the ticket and a covering note because I cannot afford to get stopped by another bunch of officers on the way?” I said interrupting him.

A senior officer who stood by their official vehicle some metres away noticed the heated exchange. He called his report and asked him to come closer. “What is the problem?” He asked him.

The report tried to explain the situation to the senior officer.

“Hello Madam.” The senior officer said; calling my attention.

“Yes.” I said as I walked towards him.

“I see that you are upset.”

“Of course, I am. No one is stopping your officer from doing his duties but he did not have to lie to prove a point.”

“I am sorry. He should not have lied. He mentioned that he is booking you because one of your brake light is out.”

“That is what he said.”

“Please try to sort out the brake light ma.” He said.

“I will. Please can I have the ticket and the covering note so I can get moving? You guys have delayed me for my lectures and I am late already.” I said as I looked at my wrist watch.

“Okay. Do you know where to make payment for the seized driver’s licence?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Our office is located at Ikeja. You will need to come with the ticket and make a payment of N2,000 to the bank.” He said to me.

“Can I send someone? I don’t have the time to do this during the week. Besides, my office is on the Island and I am free only during the weekends.”

“Yes, you can send someone but give him/her a letter of authority so that your driver’s licence can be released. This cover note is for any officer who stops you on the road asking for your license.” He said as he handed over the sheet of paper to me.

The senior officer apologized once more for the delay and told me I could go.

I eased back into my car angrily but heaved a sigh of relief.

Photo Credit: http://www.shutterstock.com

About Olubukola

Olubukola is a writer and blogger. She loves reading and imaginative writing. She has authored two romance stories namely “Second Chances” and “To Love and to Hold” which have been published on Okadabooks.com and on Amazon.com. Her author page on Amazon is http://www.amazon.com/author/olubukolaadekusibe/ Olubukola is the creative director of NDJs; a fashion label, whose mission is to create and provide classy yet simple pieces with African prints for the everyday woman regardless of the function she finds herself in. Asides writing, reading and fashion designing, Olubukola is also passionate about inspiring music, dance and arts. She currently works and lives with her family in Lagos, Nigeria.

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The Search

She walked into the premises where the construction of a massive building was taking place. She looked around and saw some of the construction workers passing by her with bowls of cement on their heads. They all looked dusty and their feet were caked with a mix of sand and cement. She asked where she could meet with the site manager and she was directed to his office. The office was simply furnished and the man sitting behind the desk welcomed her with a smile.

“Good afternoon sir.” She greeted.

“Good afternoon. How may I help you?”

“I want to join the workers on the site.” She said.

The man gave her a confused look. She did not look like one who could work on a construction site. She had a small stature and he figured she would not be strong enough for the tedious job.

“Why do you want to work here?” He decided to ask.

“Because I need a job. I am tired of sitting at home doing nothing.”

“But I doubt you can handle the stress of working on a construction site.”

“Please, I will do anything assigned to me. I just want to earn a living.” She pleaded.

“I’m sorry but I can’t.” He said. “I would have loved to help you; maybe with an office job but I really don’t have one to offer you now.”

She had left home with raised hopes. She had gone to the site with a mission – to get a job. She had heard that construction workers got paid daily and she had been ready to get her hands dirty to earn a living. But the man before her had dashed her hopes and she burst into tears.

“Please understand.” The man said; shocked at her tears.

She was still seated before him when they heard a knock on the door and a lady walked in. The lady had come to visit a friend in the vicinity and had decided to check on the site manager who was her friend. She noticed the lady who was crying and wondered what was amiss. The lady tried to compose herself as she looked away from the stare of the intruder.

“Is there a problem?” The site manager’s friend asked.

The lady looked up on hearing the voice of the site manager’s friend. Surprise registered on the face of the site manager’s friend as they looked at each other. “Sis, what are you doing here?” She asked the lady seated before her.

“She came to ask for a job on the site.” The site manager responded.

The site manager’s friend looked from her friend to the lady seated before her in confusion. “You are a graduate; why will you want to work here?”

The site manager’s jaw dropped. “A graduate?” He asked in astonishment.

The lady seated simply nodded.

“She is my friend.” The site manager’s friend said to him.

“Hmm…” The site manager sighed. “I really wish I could help.”

The lady stood up and wiped her tears. “Thank you sir.” She said to the site manager.

The site manager’s friend moved close to her friend and hugged her. “It will be okay sis. You can’t do this job under the heat and heavy weights. You may even breakdown.”

The lady nodded and smiled sadly.

As she got home that evening, she met a letter inviting her to a multi-national organization the next day for a chat. She could hardly sleep that night. She thought about what to wear to appear presentable. She eventually settled for an old skirt suit she had kept for occasions like this.

She left home early enough the next day, so as not to be caught in traffic. She got to the organization way before her appointment and waited in the lobby as directed by the receptionist.

An hour later, she walked out of the organization with an instruction to resume work in one of the branches of the organization the next day as a contract staff. As she sat in the public bus taking her back home, her eyes welled up with tears; but this time they were tears of joy

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About Olubukola

Olubukola is a writer and blogger. She loves reading and imaginative writing. She has authored two romance stories namely “Second Chances” and “To Love and to Hold” which have been published on and on Her author page on Amazon is Olubukola is the creative director of NDJs; a fashion label, whose mission is to create and provide classy yet simple pieces with African prints for the everyday woman regardless of the function she finds herself in. Asides writing, reading and fashion designing, Olubukola is also passionate about inspiring music, dance and arts. She currently works and lives with her family in Lagos, Nigeria.

2 thoughts on “The Search

  1. Hmm, nice story with a lot of morals to pick from. She was tired of sitting at home doing nothing and she, despite being a graduate, swallowed her pride and decided to look for work at a construction site. Fate saw her readiness to put her hands to work and blessed her with a job of her desires in 24 hours. No wonder the wise King Solomon said “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might”. Indeed there is dignity in labour, any labour!

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"Let your mind know truth.
Let your body grow healthy.
Let your heart flow with love.
Let your soul glow in enternity."

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We are the experienced team and serving our valuable guests with the spiritual knowledge of yoga, meditation, reiki, therapy. We have daily yoga session, one day session, training courses for individual and groups.

You can contact us for various yoga meditation and reiki packages like hatha yoga, one day zen package.

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Bottled or Plumbed-in?

Plumbed-in water Coolers / Water Fountains Considerations

Plumbed-in water coolers are, generally speaking, cheaper than bottled coolers for medium/high users. A good guide is that if you are likely to use an average of 1 x 18.5L bottle of water per week or more on a bottled cooler, then a plumbed-in unit would be cheaper. Many of our clients have calculated that a bottled cooler is the cheaper option but have still decided to have a plumbed-in cooler due to the other benefits that they bring.

It has been estimated that the carbon footprint left by 1 litre of bottled water is around 120g CO2 whereas a Litre of filtered water leaves a footprint of around 0.3g. It stands to reason that taking water direct from the mains is going to be better for the environment than buying bottles that have been transported around the country/world by polluting vehicles.

Water Quality:

All our water coolers are fitted with 0.9 micron rated water filters. This will filter out 99% of all chlorine, herbicides, pesticides and any particulate matter that may be in old pipes. Essentially, following filtration all that is left is just great tasting water.

Running out of water can be a problem with bottled coolers, particularly during very warm periods when the cooler is most required. With a plumbed-in water coolers you get an unlimited supply of great quality, chilled drinking water.

Cooler Location:

Naturally, a plumbed-in water cooler will require access to a ‘potable’ water supply. The pipe used to carry the water from your mains supply to the cooler is ¼” flexible hose which can be run up to 15 meters.
Plumbed-in coolers are available in both floor-standing and counter-top format and require about a foot square of floor space.

If you are unsure if your premises are suitable for a plumbed-in cooler, simply click on the Contact Us button and we will be happy to come and carry out a free site survey.

Budgeting is easy as we can supply our plumbed-in water coolers on an all-inclusive rental basis; the customer knows exactly what the cost will be over the course of a year. A customer would normally pay a fixed monthly fee and this would be fully inclusive of:

  • Installation (subject to a site visit)
  • Water Cooler rental
  • 6-monthly sanitisation and filter replacements
  • Full parts and labour warranty for the term of the rental

Essentially, there would be no additional costs on top of the monthly fee other than plastics cups if they were required

Contract Team:

A typical rental term for a plumbed-in water cooler would be 3 years although we can also provide quotations for shorter terms if required. Most of our customers have been delighted to retain our services a long time after the initial term has ended.

Click here to see some information about our plumbed-in water coolers

Bottled Water Coolers

A bottled water cooler will work out cheaper if you are likely to consume less than 1 bottle per week across the year.

Cooler Location/Storage:

A bottled water cooler will take up about the same amount of space as a plumbed-in cooler but please bear in mind that you will need to allow some space to store a stock of bottles. A bottled cooler would be preferable for you if you have no way of getting a water supply within 15m of the cooler location.

If you are likely to want to move your water cooler from one area to another then a bottled water cooler unit is probably the way to go.

udgeting the cost of a bottled water cooler is very difficult as it is very much dependent upon the weather. Consumption during warm spells can increase by up to 3 times.

Contract Team:

A bottled water cooler is typically (but not always) supplied on a 12 month Rental Agreement

Click here to view information on our bottled water coolers

On Tap Water Coolers has been rated 5 out of 5 based on 8 customer reviews.


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The Kira Nichols Etsy Shop

Plenty more to see at! Bookmarks, planner clips, digital stamps, ornaments, and many more unique gifts. Thanks for supporting this artist!

Nothin' new, just some owls.

All of my craft room is in shambles over at the new place, nothing is organized, and I still am stuck here at the old place with no supplies. Let me tell you, it can drive a person nuts. But I thought I'd post a collection of owl projects I've done over the past year.

I loves me some owls. I hope you enjoy them too... BTW I'm going nuts with ideas of crafts I want to be doing, but can't. I'm in for an art explosion once the move is over and I have access to all my supplies...

Yes it are my birthday :)

Aghhhh! Moving! No time to craft!!! Sorry to everyone for the lack of updating. I should be getting back to my normal crafting schedule in two weeks or so. Anyhoo, TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! And to celebrate, here's my favorite lolcat. Happy Sunday!
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Altoids Tin Love Shrine

We got the keys to our new place today! (Nope, not buying yet!) Tonight will be the last night that my craft room will be in one piece for a couple of weeks, so I just HAD to make something... I was totally digging all the awesome love shrines happening in the craft world this month, I couldn't resist.
I wish I could get a better picture of this sweet birdy pair I watercolored! The colors just are getting washed out... They are really golden with a rich pink on the throats and tails. The branches are from some little plant here in Alabama, I have no idea what it's called. The acorn-looking thingies are seed pods and the little seeds shake out all over the place.
And of course, the "love" is made from wire :) I haven't finished the outside yet, but I'll be sure to share once I do! Happy Tuesday!!!
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First Blanket Ever.... Size FAIL

So, the women in my church are making blankets for Project Linus for this year's ongoing service project. A bunch of fabric and yarn was donated to us that needs to be sewn, knitted, and crocheted into blankets. I'm working on crocheting a blanket, but it's taking a long time, so I thought I'd try my hand at sewing.
Now, this is my first blanket ever, so I guess I kind of have an excuse, but.... I didn't even think about seam allowances and the blanket kind of just kept getting smaller. So it only ended up being 32''x26" instead of 39''x32". FAIL. I'm reasoning that it's not a complete loss, because it cooould be used for a newborn baby.
Anyways, I sewed on a little kitty cat to add a personal touch. I'm overall happy with how it looks and how it turned out. If only I had thought ahead and had it turn out bigger, I'd be 100% pleased. Well, at least I learned something. Hopefully, I should be done with my crocheted blanket of the correct size in 3 weeks or so. I want to try to make at least one blanket for every month this year.

Well, we get the keys to our new place tomorrow, so we're going to be starting the moving process. I probably won't be updating as often as usual over the next 2-3 weeks which is a bummer. I'm pretty excited to be able to re-organize my craft stuff into my new craft room, but not too excited for much else moving-related.
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Crested and Bespectacled!

It's an ATC! Blargh, I ate all junk food today and am feeling on the verge of a crash, hence the "not-my-best-effort" post.... Good night!
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4x4 Spread of Colorful Doodle Inchies

It's inchie madness! I made this spread of inchies last night after playing around with my watercolors. I just can't stop making them the last week or so. I need to find a nice square frame for these.
Here's the left half of the doodles...
...And the right half! The cat and the jellyfish have the best colors, I think.
So, now I guess I can now sort of identify in a tiny way with all those folks who were suffering heavy snowfall in the East! Can you believe that we've got snow here in Southern Alabama?! WTH! It's kind of wet snow, but I'm still surprised. I haven't seen snow in a couple of years... Well, it's supposed to snow all day, so I'm just hoping everyone's safe on the road. Crazy. Oh! and unrelated, we start moving next week! I'll try to keep finding time to craft, but you know how it goes. Happy snowy Friday!
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Keep on voting!

Hey everyone! This is just a reminder to keep on voting every day for my artwork in the Dangers Of Debt Contest! I'm currently in 13th place only 158 votes away from 1st place.

If you haven't started to vote every day, please do! It only takes 5 seconds and no sign-in required! Thank you to everyone who has been voting :)

Thanks again! To vote, click here: That Rainy Day Will Come

Woven Scrap Monster Fatbook Page

I've been planning on doing a woven fatbook page, and today was the day. I made this little guy this morning. He's got elements of other monster plushies I've made and sent away, so it will be nice to have this one as a permanent fixture in my fatbook that I definitely won't be sending away.
After stitching on the face and mouth, the back of this page was a mess of embroidery thread (grrrr, for not thinking ahead) so I took my last loose beaded butterfly and slapped it on with hot glue. Problem solved.
Here's an early progress shot of the weaving. I just used a piece of cardboard with some slits cut into it and pieces from my trusty scrap bin. If anyone wants to try this, make sure there are an odd number of column-strings. If there's an even number, the whole weaving thing just...doesn't happen. Dunno how to explain it... Anyhoo, happy Thursday!
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Bluebird Valentine

Only 4 days until Valentine's day! My husband and I don't usually make a big thing about Valentine's. He's so sweet all the time that it doesn't matter :) Plus my birthday is this month, too, so I get spoiled enough.
I was in the mood to paint a little birdie tonight, so I thought I'd turn this one into a little burlap Valentine!
He doesn't often check this blog, so I think the surprise will be safe even as I post this tonight, but when he asks what I made in the morning I'll just have to say, "meh, nothing..."
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Beaded Flower Fatbook Page & Rad BOX!

Beaded a flower today for my fatbook! I used quite a few different layers. Beads on sequins on corduroy on mesh on batik! Whew! I love the look of hand beading, but man it takes so long...
Here it is on the back of my fatbook. I haven't finished the other side of this page yet, hence the no-picture.
On another awesome note, I had to kill some time this morning while waiting for something, so I went to the thrift store and found this gem for 75 cents! I saw it and automatically thought of the awesome Knickertwist's Valentine's Day matchbox shrine. My new box is a makeup box about 9.5'' x 5.5'', so it won't be as tiny and cute, but I'm so psyched to make this into some mini-shrine wall art! The lids presents a challenge.... It swings open and has a magnetic closure, and also has a 4x6 picture frame constructed into its front. I'm not sure how I'm going to play that, but I'll let you know.

My Tuesday was better than my Monday... I hope yours is too! (^_^)
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Little Red Matryoshka Fatbook Page

Does something look familiar? :) I recreated my little red matryoshka plush for a fatbook page! This way, if I ever sell the stuffie, I'll still have her in my fatbook. She's made of red angora sweater, felt and thread.
Here's the page. Unfortunately, she's leans a little to the right on the page... Poor planning on my part. Oh well, I still think it's cute enough!
The back is buttons. The smell of the burlap background fabric is so nice... wheaty and burlappy. I love how fatbooks stimulate so many senses!
Here's the whole fatbook so far. Considering its fatness with 5 pages up to this point, I think I'm going to end up making it 10 to 12 pages total, not including what will be the cover.

Today was an INSANE day. I won't go into it, but this morning, I thought that the most interesting event of the day would be painting my toenails. I was WRONG.
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Some more watercolor inchies

Turns out resisting the urge to make more inchies was futile, so I made another set of nine with some watercolor and the inside of a security envelope. The background is an extra piece of thready canvas I also made! Enjoy the 1-sq-inch goodness...
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9 Card Phoenix ATC Spread!

Remember that WIP?! This was it! I created this set of ATCs for the 3x3 ATC swap on! It's based on a bunch of themes given by one of my swap partners. We had the option of picking 3 themes, 1 theme, or 9 themes. I picked 1 theme (the phoenix) to spread across the whole set. (Don't forget to click this pic, to see them all close-up!)
Here's what the original phoenix painting looked like before and after I sliced it to ATC size! It was nice to have 9 ATC bases made all at once.
This one is my favorite! It was based on a bicycling theme. He looks familiar, right? The original is green, but I just HAD to make another for this card. The raindrops look cooler in person... They're coated in heavily reflecty sparkly microballs.
My other favorite for the chunky theme. Buttons! I hard time sending this set off, because I really liked how they all came together! Other themes I used were human anatomy, Metalocalypse, June Palmer, & gothic arches.

So fun. I hope everyone has a beautiful and happy Saturday!

PS. Thanks to Mafiosa Grrl for letting me know my pics weren't showing up in the original post! I flippin hate it when that happens randomly. I never usually find out until someone tells me :D

Colorful inchies!

It doesn't happen often, but I had a hankerin' to make some inchies last night, and I liked it. I almost can't wait to make more. I was able to use up a teeny tiny bit of watercolor scraps, and the feeling that I'm saving those little guys from the trash can is kind of nice :)
I took 6 of the 8 and glued them into my board book! I love how they look all lined up in there... I can't wait till my book is all filled with fun artsy paper things.
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OGC requests comment on charter for Land Administration Domain Working Group

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Release Date:
Tuesday, 3 May 2016 UTC

03 May 2016. Members of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC®) request comments on the draft charter for an OGC Land Administration Domain Working Group (DWG).

Worldwide, effective and efficient land administration is an ongoing concern. Only a small number of nations worldwide have mature land information systems, and only a fraction of those remaining have some land administration capability in place – others are non-existent, or are manual paper-based systems subject to limited public access and a significant risk of data loss due to disasters. Challenges exist to guide developing nations in a programmatic way to establish cost effective interoperable land administration capability, to upgrade current manual processes, and to field solutions that are automated and are flexible to new data sources and new technologies.

Key is the ability of land administration frameworks to support the regulatory and policy environments that are often unique to individual jurisdictions and nations.

This new OGC DWG will focus on the examination of existing systems of land administration, preparation of best practices that enable nations to address their needs in less time, cost and effort through standards-based implementations, and dialog on the integration of emerging information resources and/or technologies to assist nations in leapfrogging capability. Additionally, this DWG will identify and mature proposals for industry interoperability assessments, interoperability testbeds, pilots and experiments designed to bring together users and technology providers to test, demonstrate and validate best practices that can be used to guide the acquisition and implementation of sustainable, scalable and interoperable systems.

The Land Administration DWG is being coordinated with related activities in other standards development organizations, such as ISO, W3C, OASIS and IHO, to better address interoperability issues that span the geospatial and broader IT environment.

The draft DWG charter defines the role for OGC activities related to land administration, and is available for review at Comments should be sent via email to charter-requests [at] and are due by 02 June, 2016.

About the OGC

The OGC is an international consortium of more than 515 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geospatial standards. OGC standards support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location based services, and mainstream IT. OGC standards empower technology developers to make geospatial information and services accessible and useful with any application that needs to be geospatially enabled. Visit the OGC website at


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Pee Wee King & Redd Stewart

No originals found for this artist.

  • Cover of YOU BELONG TO ME in 1952 - co-crediting themselves while they didn't write a word or note; they just made a hit out of it; real composer Chilton Price from Louisville, KY also wrote Pee Wee's hit Slow Poke

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Rozenlaan 65
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visit the BID members section

Come and draw your story...

Organised by Bury Sketchers and The Apex as part of The Big Draw 2015, with three different drawing activities focussing on this year’s international Big Draw theme: "Every drawing tells a story".

Never Ending Story

The Apex Lounge will be wrapped in paper inviting you to draw the story of he journey between some well-known Bury St Edmunds landmarks. Run by artist Amy Nettleton. Suitable for ages 5-12.

DIY Zine Workshop

Create the ultimate 8 page DIY Zine! Run by Graphic Illustrator Joel Millerchip. Suitable for ages 13+.

What Happens Next?

Starting with photos from local newspapers you are invited to draw what happens next. Be a press illustrator and submit your news for an issue of our newspaper. Our office in The Apex Lounge will project your artwork onto a giant #DrawBury Times front page and you be able to take your collage and drawing work home. Run by Bury Sketchers. Suitable for all ages.

#DrawBury Exhibition Reception

The Apex will be hosting a showcase of all the work created during the day at the Exhibition Reception between 6-8pm in The Apex Lounge. Come and see the result of the day’s workshops and mingle with likeminded sketchers!

Creativity encouraged!

Times: 10am-4pm

Tickets: Free! No need to book, just drop in! Venue: The Apex, Bury St Edmunds

This event is promoted by The Bury Sketchers, The Apex Gallery, Amy Nettleton & Joel Millerchip.

Kindly supported by Bury St Edmunds Decorative & Fine Art Society, Cllr Joanna Rayner, Cllr Sarah Stamp, Artheads & Drydesign

Telephone 01284 758000

Email Click here to email

Website click here to visit

Address 1 Charter Square, Bury St Edmunds
IP33 3FD

Opening Hours Box office opening times: Mon-Sat 10.00-17.00 Sun Closed

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Masterclass Parties

The masterclasses include your own mixology expert, a personalised Bellini on arrival, introduction and sampling of different styles of cocktail making, get the chance to make a cocktail of your choice.

Free Family Law Health check

Free diagnostic check with a Gross & Co expert for advice on issues with: Grandparents, unmarried couples, separation, divorce, premarital agreement.

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Monthly Archives: May 2009

west kent coc

the ourbutton team are pleased to announce that we are now members of the wkcoc and look forward to coming though the crunch together!

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Free Advertising For All Businesses

Our Button is providing free advertising for businesses who want to get their name online! The DIY free business listings are so easy to set-up and can be edited at any time unlike some other business listing directories.

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Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School

Crooklands Brow, Dalton-In Furness
Cumbria LA15 8LB

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Springfield Road, Ulverston
Cumbria LA12 0EA

Tel: 01229 583449

Our Lady of Furness Catholic Federation

Below are a series of links to some useful websites to help your children at home.

General Click on the subject you require - Click on the age range you require - Lots of activities for children up to 6 years old - A great site for a variety of subjects

Geography - click on education - compares life in Belfast and Mexico City

DT - KS2

English - Useful for Literacy in Reception and YR1 - click on Fun for activities and on-line stories - Words and Pictures has lots of activities for Years 1, 2 and 3 - Activities to support and enhance your child's reading with Oxford Reading Tree

Art - The entire collection online.

Maths - A great selection of free online maths games for across the primary age range - Activities for Reception, Y1 and Y2 - useful for extending pupils

Computing - Have a go at using Scratch at home and even share your best creations! - An American site but some useful and relevant activities - Some fun games to improve keyboard skills

History - sites include Ancient Greeks, Anglo Saxons, Victorians, WW2 children, Romans and Vikings

Sites for parents - Tell Ofsted what you think of your child's school - The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) guide for parents and children to internet safety


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Nothing has changed from my last report the walleye Fishing is just Fantastic. Both Lake Sharpe and Francis Case are seen the best fishing in years. We have room for a few more people from may 26th to june 1st and June 7th and 8th. Short notice i know but worth it. Give us a call at 6053661875 and book a great fishing trip. so long for now

See you on the water

Dave Dahl


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Novel StyleEthics and Excess in English Fiction since the 1960s$
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Ben Masters

Print publication date: 2017

Print ISBN-13: 9780198766148

Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: December 2017

DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198766148.001.0001

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Novel Style

Ben Masters

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As I’ve been saying for some time now, the game has changed when it comes to the advisability or inadvisability of long-term opioid prescribing for pain. Here are headlines from as recent as today:

“Treating Pain Without Creating An Addiction

“Long-Acting Opioids Discouraged by FDA as First Pain Option”

“Opioid Pain Drugs to Get Beefed-Up Warnings”

“FDA Moves to Reduce use of Long-Acting Opioid Pain Drugs”

To repeat my message from earlier posts: The science is changing, and if you are prescribing opioid pain relievers to your patients, you’d better change with the science, or the FDA won’t be your problem but the DEA will. And I’m not talking Diversion Control investigators; I’m talking DEA Special Agents, working with US Attorneys and state and local prosecutors to indict you for drug trafficking or worse.

Providers! The medical societies who tell you that it’s OK to treat people for years and years with increasing amounts of narcotic painkillers, that “100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain,” and that opioids will be safe as long as you follow certain protocols, are giving you bad advice. The advice is outdated, it’s feel-good talk that has no hope of effectively addressing a national public health crisis (pain drugs; not pain itself), and I predict it will soon be all but completely invalidated if not outright dismissed as quackery.

Take it from a criminal defense attorney who does not want to see you get indicted or have your license or your DEA registration stripped:

If you are not in pain management now, don’t get into it unless you become a Board-certified diplomate or specialist. It’s too risky a field and there are too many bad apples in it, putting their patients and peers in danger. If you’re in pain management now, make sure you immediately do a self (or attorney-directed) assessment to ensure that you are complying with state and federal criminal law of prescription painkillers – not just what the advocacy group echo chamber tells you is safe or sufficient. And if you are in pain management and under investigation, be as proactive and preventative as you’d tell your patients to be about their own health. Don’t rest on your laurels or close your eyes to the DEA raid-team deploying right now in your parking lot.

It is not too late to achieve and maintain criminal law compliance. The FDA has echoed what the CDC and AMA have already announced: There are too many narcotic painkillers being prescribed by too many doctors for too many patients. With the science and prevailing policy views advancing so rapidly, there is a window of opportunity for you to get current with and even ahead of the patient safety curve when it comes to prescribing opioids. Don’t let this chance slip by. MEISTER LAW OFFICES 213.293.3737

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Portfolio > Commercial >

Behavioral Health Lofts

2008 - Vernon Hills, Illinois

This is a preliminary study for a multi-disciplinary psychotherapy practice cooperative where the professional members are independent as well as owners. The project location is in Vernon Hills, Illinois adjacent to the forest preserves where outdoor areas can take advantage of the views.

Exterior Image

“The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.”
~ Albert Einstein

Designer: Mark Palacios
Software: Revit Architecture 2008
Copyright: Palacios Design Systems


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Chipotle to Open in Pacific Palisades Jan. 19

Chipotle, a national chain that serves fast-casual Mexican food, will open a new restaurant at the corner of Sunset and Monument this Thursday, Jan. 19.

Last week, new employees underwent training in the store, which replaces the former Panda Express. The interior has been completely redone to be ADA-compliable, and a public bathroom has been added.

Chipotle’s menu features four items: burritos, bowls, tacos and salads. The price of each item is based on the choice of meat or vegetarian choices. Additional optional toppings are offered free of charge, and include rice, beans, four types of salsa, sour cream, cheese and lettuce.

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Get Me to the Church on Time

By Bob Vickrey
Special to the Palisades News

Nearly two decades ago, my simple volunteer job assignment on a sunny July 4th was to pick up former Palisades Honorary Mayor John Raitt at his home and accompany him to the annual parade VIP luncheon at the Methodist Church courtyard on Via de la Paz. The late actor and singer was set to uphold the long tradition of celebrity mayors who have ridden in the town’s parade.

The only problem I encountered on that Fourth was that no one answered the door when I arrived to pick Raitt up at his house on Napoli Drive in the Palisades Riviera. I glanced at my watch and realized I had allowed little time for a glitch in our plan.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Arnie Wishnick had offered me this opportunity, knowing that I might enjoy visiting with John once again after having spent a pleasant evening at the Raitt home earlier that year.

Rosemary and John Raitt attended the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce 50th Anniversary Installation dinner at the Riviera Country Club in June 1999.  Photo: Marianne Ullerich

Rosemary and John Raitt attended the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce 50th Anniversary Installation dinner at the Riviera Country Club in June 1999. Photo: Marianne Ullerich

John Raitt had been a true star of the Broadway stage and was known for his leading roles in musicals like Oklahoma and Carousel. He made only one movie during his long illustrious career, in which he played opposite Doris Day in The Pajama Game. Later generations were not always fully aware of his impressive body of stage work, and knew him simply as “Bonnie’s Dad.”

My earlier rendezvous with the Raitt family had occurred at Village Books on Swarthmore Avenue one night after closing time, when I looked up to see John and his wife Rosemary attempting to open the front door. Owner Katie O’Laughlin nodded at me to allow them to enter the store even though she had locked up for the night.

John bolted in breathlessly and immediately took a seat on the bench near the door and began massaging his sore knees. He and I had often shared our athletic escapades from younger days when we ran into one another while visiting Arnie at the Chamber office.

John had once been a great athlete at Fullerton High and had set the state record in the softball throw many years earlier. We had compared our bad knees in dramatic fashion that likely rivaled the scene from Jaws in which actors Richard Dreyfus and Robert Shaw’s tough-guy character “Quint” were each trying to one-up the other’s story.

That night at Village Books, John asked me if I’d call a cab to take them home. I pointed to my car parked directly in front of the store, and he and Rosemary offered little resistance in my offer to take them home.

When we arrived at their house, they invited me in for a drink and displayed a warm hospitality that seemed to me a rather generous gesture for simply getting them home safely. John sat down at his piano in the corner of their den and showed me the sheet music to Oklahoma, which was likely a permanent fixture there. He played and sang several selections from the celebrated musical while Rosemary and I looked on. I knew she had seen her husband perform for their many guests over the years, but her smile told me that it never got old.

Later that evening, Rosemary bid us goodnight and headed to their bedroom quarters. But before she left the room, she looked back at John and said, “Don’t forget to give Bob the royal tour.”

The Raitt house backed up to the scenic Riviera Country Club and overlooked the legendary golf course. John seemed extremely proud of their collection of antiquities acquired during their world travels.

Much of their fine collection was from Africa, in which whole rooms were devoted to the art of that continent. He smiled with loving pride as he showed me each piece and told the story behind their acquisition.

John also showed me his memorabilia room where the walls were decorated by framed posters of Broadway plays in which he had appeared over the years. He had shelves of scrapbooks with assorted newspaper articles and playbills that had been meticulously collected during his long career.

As I stood at the Raitts’ front door once again months later, I remembered that pleasant evening I had spent with them and began wondering if I’d be receiving the same warm reception—or for that matter, any reception. After ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door for several minutes, I yelled toward an open window, “John, are you there?”

Rosemary opened the front door and greeted me with a grin. She said “Sorry, we have a situation. John can’t get his pants on!” When I entered the house, I saw John sitting on the couch and struggling to buckle his white slacks, which he evidently hadn’t tried on in several years. We both began laughing, and I yelled, “Hold on, let me help you out.”

Fortunately, the pants he had chosen with his red, white and blue attire had a Velcro waistband. I ordered him to inhale, which was easier said than done while he continued laughing.

As it turned out, we made it to the church with time to spare that day, but as we entered the VIP gathering, he leaned toward me and said, “I can’t breathe.” I tried reassuring him: “Not to worry, the parade is only an hour long and you can exhale once it’s over.”

Bob Vickrey is a longtime Palisadian whose columns appear in several Southwestern newspapers including the Houston Chronicle. He is also a monthly contributor to the Boryana Books website.

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