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Home » Campus » Area » Campus area crime map Oct. 31- Nov. 6

Campus area crime map Oct. 31- Nov. 6

A victim reported on Wednesday at 9 p.m. she was inappropriately touched at an off-campus location on December 12, 2014. (Not pictured on map)

After discovering his vehicle was missing at his apartment on East 17th Avenue between North Fourth and Summit Streets, a man reported his vehicle stolen on Monday at 9:11 a.m.

There were six citations involving underage persons at Ohio Stadium during the Ohio State and Nebraska football game on Saturday.

On Thursday at 4:15 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble on 1598 N. High St.reet, an OSU T-shirt valued at $97 was reported stolen. Also on Friday, at 1:20 p.m., an OSU football jersey valued at $270 was reported stolen at the same location.

A man not affiliated with the university was arrested for possession of drugs by the University Police at the Ohio Stadium on Saturday at 10:50 p.m.

A victim reported a robbery on the 400 block of East 17th Avenue on Thursday at 11:07 p.m. The victim reported his laptop, video game console and bicycle were stolen.

Note: Crimes featured on this map do not represent the full extent of criminal activity in the campus area.

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Privacy Policy

This website ( is owned and operated by 365 Direct Ltd. This privacy policy only covers information collected at this website. All 365 Direct Ltd websites are covered by this privacy policy. This privacy policy sets out how 365 Direct Ltd complies with European Union data protection requirements and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Security

Personal information provided on the website and online credit card transactions are transmitted through a secure server. We are committed to handling your personal information with high standards of information security. We take appropriate physical, electronic, and administrative steps to maintain the security and accuracy of personally identifiable information we collect, including limiting the number of people who have physical access to our database servers, as well as employing electronic security systems and password protections that guard against unauthorized access.

Your data will be submitted securely through this website, held securely, and only for a reasonable period of time to fulfil your order.

Our website uses encryption technology, Secure Socket Layer (SSL), to protect your personal information during data transport. SSL encrypts ordering information such as your name, address, and credit card number. Our Customer Care center and stores also operate over a private, secure network. Please note that email is not encrypted and is not considered to be a secure means of transmitting secure data.

Payment Details

We never see or store your payment card details. Only the last 4 digits of a card's number is visible on our system. Privacy Policy

To help us achieve our goal of providing the highest quality products and services, we use information from our interactions with you and other customers, as well as from other parties. Because we respect your privacy, we have implemented procedures to ensure that your personal information is handled in a safe, secure, and responsible manner. We have posted this privacy policy in order to explain our information collection practices and the choices you have about the way information is collected and used.

As we continue to develop the website and take advantage of advances in technology to improve the services we offer, this privacy policy likely will change. We therefore encourage you to refer to this policy on an ongoing basis so that you understand our current privacy policy.

The Information We Collect

The information you provide will only be used in order to fulfill your order. We do not share your personal information with any third party, other than for the purposes of fulfilling your order (selected couriers and Royal Mail). We may check information with our card processing company (Braintree) and Paypal for the purposes of fraud prevention in the interest of your safety.

Generally, you may browse the website without providing any personally identifiable information. However, we may ask you to provide personally identifiable information at various times and places on this website. In some cases, if you choose not to provide us with the requested information, you may not be able to access all parts of this website or participate in all of its features, pricing, and product selection.

We may collect the following information:

  • Name
  • Contact information including email address
  • Demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests

For the exhaustive list of cookies we collect see the List of cookies we collect section. From your purchases and other interactions with us, we obtain information concerning the specific products or services you purchase or use. When you visit this website, our web server automatically collects anonymous information such as log data and IP addresses, and may collect general information concerning your location. We may use the automatically collected information for a number of purposes, such as improving our site design, product assortments, customer service, and special promotions.

How We Use The Information We Collect

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:

  • Internal record keeping.
  • We may use the information to improve our products and services.
  • We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
  • From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customize the website according to your interests.

Your Right to Be Forgotten

You have the right to be forgotten and/or also be provided with all information we hold about you. You can request this data by submitting your request to, or ask that your personal information is deleted from our database. We will provide confirmation within a period of no more than 1 month.

We believe in full transparency and to give the visitors to our site full control of their data.

Others With Whom We Share Your Information.

365 Direct Ltd: All of the above information that we collect, as described above, may be shared among all 365 Direct Ltd entities, including and other sites and stores within the group.

Service Providers: We also may disclose information to outside companies that help us bring you the products and services we offer. For example, we may work with an outside company to: (a) manage a database of customer information; (b) assist us in distributing emails; (c) assist us with direct marketing and data collection; (d) provide us storage and analysis; (d) provide fraud prevention; and (e) provide other services designed to assist us in maximizing our business potential. We require that these outside companies agree to keep confidential all information we share with them and to use the information only to perform their obligations in our agreements with them.

Business Transitions: We may transfer or share a copy of personal information about you in the event that 365 Direct Ltd or one of its properties, affiliates, or subsidiaries goes through a business transition, such as a merger, being acquired by another company, or selling a portion of its assets. You will be notified via email or prominent notice on our website prior to a change of ownership or control of your personal information, if your personal information will be used contrary to this policy. However, nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to interfere with the ability of 365 Direct Ltd to transfer all or part of its business and/or assets to an affiliate or independent third party at any time, for any purpose, without any limitation whatsoever.

Compliance with Law: We may provide access to information when legally required to do so, to cooperate with police investigations or other legal proceedings, to protect against misuse or unauthorized use of our website, to limit our legal liability, and to protect our rights or to protect the rights, property, or safety of visitors of this website or the public. partners with advertising companies to place our advertising on publisher websites on the Internet. These advertising companies collect anonymous information about your visits to our web site. This technology involves the use of third party cookies that allow them to develop personalized advertising so that it directly relates to offers that may be of interest to you. You may choose to opt-out of this service we have with our third-party advertising partner. We may also use cookies to provide similar enhanced online marketing to you based on your interests and preferences. You may also choose to opt out of these enhanced online marketing ads.

Your Choices Regarding Use Of The Information We Collect

You have several choices regarding our handling of your nonpublic personally identifiable information.

Direct Mail or Telephone Marketing: If you shop at the and wish to be removed from the list of customers that receive newsletters and promotional material, please either write to at The New Joiners Shop, Capesthorne Estate Yard, Siddington, Cheshire, SK11 9JX. If you choose to write to us, please include your name, address and state one of the following:

  • "NO MAIL OFFERS" (if you don't want to receive offers by mail);
  • "NO PHONE OFFERS" (if you don't want to receive offers by phone);
  • "NO PHONE OR MAIL OFFERS" (if you don't want to receive either).

Because customer lists often are prepared well in advance of an offering (sometimes a few months before the offer is made), you may continue to receive some offers after you send us a request not to use your information for specified marketing purposes. We appreciate your patience and understanding in giving us time to carry out your request.

Cookies, Web Beacons, and How We Use Them

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyze web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyze data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us. You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

A "web beacon" or "pixel tag" or "clear gif" is typically a one-pixel image, used to pass information from your computer or mobile device to a website.

We use cookies and web beacons to keep track of what you have in your shopping cart and to remember you when you return to the website as well as to identify the pages you click on during your visit to our site and the name of the website you visited immediately before clicking to the website. We use this information to improve our site design, product assortments, customer service, and special promotions. You can, of course, disable cookies and web beacons on your computer by indicating this in the preferences or options menus in your browser. However, it is possible that some parts of our website will not operate correctly if you disable cookies. We may also use web beacons, and other technologies, to help track whether our communications are reaching you, to measure their effectiveness, or to collect certain non-personal information about your computer, device, or browser in order to allow us to better design future communications to you.

We may contract with third parties who may use cookies and web beacons and collect information on our behalf or provide services such as credit card processing, shipping, promotional services, or data management. We call them our Customer Care Partners. These third parties are prohibited by our contract with them from sharing that information with anyone other than us or our other Customer Care Partners.

List of cookies we collect

The table below lists the cookies we collect and the information they store.

COOKIE nameCOOKIE Description
CART The association with your shopping cart.
CATEGORY_INFO Allows pages to be displayed more quickly.
COMPARE The items that you have in the Compare Products list.
CUSTOMER An encrypted version of your customer id.
CUSTOMER_AUTH An indicator if you are signed into the store.
CUSTOMER_INFO An encrypted version of the customer group you belong to.
CUSTOMER_SEGMENT_IDS Stores your Customer Segment ID
EXTERNAL_NO_CACHE A flag that, indicates whether caching is on or off.
FRONTEND Your session ID on the server.
GUEST-VIEW Allows guests to edit their orders.
LAST_CATEGORY The last category you visited.
LAST_PRODUCT The last product you looked at.
NEWMESSAGE Indicates whether a new message has been received.
NO_CACHE Indicates whether it is allowed to use cache.
PERSISTENT_SHOPPING_CART A link to information about your cart and viewing history if you have asked the site.
RECENTLYCOMPARED The items you recently compared.
STF Information on products you emailed to friends.
STORE The store view or language you have selected.
USER_ALLOWED_SAVE_COOKIE Indicates whether a customer authorized cookies.
VIEWED_PRODUCT_IDS The products that you recently looked at.
WISHLIST An encrypted list of products added to your wish list.
WISHLIST_CNT The number of items in your wish list.

Analytics Cookies

  • We use Google Analytics to analyse the use of our website.
  • Our analytics service provider generates statistical and other information about website use by means of cookies.
  • The analytics cookies used by our website have the following names: _utma, _utmb,_utmt, _utmc and _utmz
  • The information generated relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of our website for statistical and marketing purposes.
  • Our analytics service provider's privacy policy is available at:

Blocking Cookies

Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies; for example:
  • In Internet Explorer you can block cookies using the cookie handling override settings available by clicking "Tools", "Internet Options", "Privacy" and then "Advanced".

  • In Firefox you can block all cookies by clicking "Tools","Options", "Privacy", selecting "Use custom settings for history" from the drop-down menu, and unticking "Accept cookies from sites".

  • In Chrome, you can block all cookies by accessing the "Customise and control" menu, and clicking "Settings", "Show advanced settings" and "Content settings", and then selecting "Block sites from setting any data" under the "Cookies" heading.

Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites.

If you block cookies, you will not be able to use all the features on our website.

Deleting Cookies

You can delete cookies already stored on your computer; for example:

  • In Internet Explorer, you must manually delete cookie files (you can find instructions for doing so at;

  • In Firefox, you can delete cookies by clicking "Tools","Options" and "Privacy", then selecting "Use custom settings for history", clicking "Show Cookies", and then clicking "Remove All Cookies".

  • In Chrome, you can delete all cookies by accessing the"Customise and control" menu, and clicking "Settings","Show advanced settings" and "Clear browsing data", and then selecting "Delete cookies and other site and plug-in data"before clicking "Clear browsing data".

Deleting cookies may have a negative impact on the usability of many websites.

When you visit our website, we may store web server logs which show your IP address, this gives us information such as which pages you looked at, whether the page request was successful or not and which browser you use to view the page. The use of this data is purely for statistical purposes.

Online Account Registration

To make online shopping faster and easier, you may register on the website. As a registered customer, you only have to enter your shipping addresses and billing information once; they will be securely stored with us for your future use. Using your name and a password of your choice, you may access your account online at any time to add, delete, or change information. If you are using a public computer, we strongly encourage you to Sign Out when you finish shopping. Your information will still be stored with us but it will not be accessible to anyone else from that computer.

You will receive promotional emails from us unless you opt to unsubscribe from our marketing lists. If you do not want to receive email from or its affiliates you can click on the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any email communication sent by us. Please allow us 3 business days from when the request was received to complete the removal, as some of our promotions may already have been in process before you submitted your request. At any time, you can request to opt out of any marketing communication, promotional emails, offers or newsletters.

By using this website, you accept the policies set forth in this Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at

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The Beauty of an Ugly Day

Tuesday came, and it was barren.

Low clouds, whipping wind, hard and icy earth.

I came in from the outside. My lips and fingertips were numbed.

Wednesday would be brighter and warmer. I could spend today waiting for tomorrow. But in New England, you could spend all winter waiting for tomorrow.

I turned on the light. On a gray morning, I like how light doesn't so much illuminate a room as butter it.

I put on water for tea. On a cold morning, folding your cold fingers around a hot mug is a wonderful reassurance: warmth will return to us.

I stared out the window. I'd thought it was uninspired to talk about the weather. But someone told me it's something we all share. And I looked at houses filled with people who were all in this gray, cold morning with me.

If I could have ordered up a climate for Tuesday, it wouldn't have been this. And yet here, in the very thing I didn't ask for was the very thing I needed: A reminder to not take light, warmth, our common experience for granted.

Sunlight could blind me to all that. But a lack of light illuminates it. And so I get to see the beauty of a day I had dismissed as ugly.

The Lightning Notes is funded by kind donors. If something here strikes you, I'd be grateful if you'd consider donating. Click to Donate!

Attention, GraceCaitie Whelan


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The Luggage Connection Pty Ltd

Go to shop / Order this item

Product Details

view detail

Hedgren HIC37 Inner City Sputnik

Perfect for getting around town and quick access to those essentials
Main zip compartment with smaller internal zip pocket
Primary front zip compartment on closing flap
Secondary front pocket beneath popper closing flap
Adjustable shoulder strap
Water repellent

25W x 33H x 5D (cm)

Price - 129.00 AUD (inc. GST in Australia)


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TheNigerianVoice Online Radio Center

APC Accuses Jonathan, PDP Of Planning To Cripple Buhari, Campaign Organisation

…Alleges Plot To Ground Planes, Freeze Bank Accounts

SAN FRANCISCO, February 28, (THEWILL) – The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APCPCO) has condemned as bestial and undemocratic the dastardly plot by the Jonathan-led ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to clip the electoral success wings of the opposition APC through a proposed grounding of aircraft and freezing of bank accounts belonging to stalwarts of the party.

The plot to destabilise the APC and cripple its flag-bearer, General Muhammadu Buhari, according to a statement by the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, may be linked to the unsettling global attention on the Party after the opposition candidate's triumphant performance at the United Kingdom's Think Tank, Chatham House, on Thursday, February 26, despite futile public protestation by a PDP-rented crowd in London.

“In as much as we understand politics to be a game of wits and guts, yet the desperate way and manner the PDP and its henchmen are going is anathema, criminal and inimical to our nascent democracy and civilised human behaviour.

“Hence, any attempt by anyone to cripple the APC and its presidential candidate will be foiled by the citizens who have taken over the movement of change as symbolised by General Muhammadu Buhari. The hint we gather from sources is that the government, through its agents, is plotting to ground aircrafts and freeze bank accounts of APC stakeholders.

“But history has shown that the forces of evil can never succeed against the zeal of men and women of virtue and good deeds,” the Director of Media and Publicity of APCPCO, Malam Garba Shehu, said in the statement.

The statement added: “Information at our disposal has uncovered the ruinous plan by the Jonathan administration to use the Aviation Ministry and secret arm of the Security Service to hound and clampdown members of the APC, by prospecting obnoxious means that would ground private jets belonging to senior members of our party, in order to halt and slow down Buhari's world-acclaimed phenomenal popularity as President-in-waiting.

“There is also a plot to block or freeze the bank accounts of APC chieftains like Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Rotimi Amaechi (Director General of APC Presidential Campaign Organisation), and other prominent leaders believed to be funding the General's campaign; and availing him their aircrafts for electioneering purposes.”

The APC Campaign recalled that private jets conveying APC Governors, Amaechi of Rivers State and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, were either prevented from taking-off or landing during crucial political occasions, particularly during the infamous Ekiti State gubernatorial elections that saw PDP's Ayodele Fayose 'defeating' Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in a most controversial “military-assisted” contest now known as “Ekiti-gate Tape.”

Nothing good comes so easy.
By: Chinua Achebe


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AN expensive racing bike has been stolen from outside of a cafe.

The lime green Wilier GTS Ultegra bike was taken from outside a cafe in Wolsingham Market Place in Weardale at 11.05am on Friday, May 25.

Crook Police have released CCTV footage of the man they believe is responsible for the theft on Facebook.

Officers are appealing for anyone who recognises the man or has any information regarding the bike's location to contact them on 101 quoting reference number DHM-25052018-0144.


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agrees to narrow 'serious crime' definition for slurping comms data

Still only 12 months' porridge

The UK government has rowed back on proposals that would allow it to suck up communications data for investigations of crimes that could see someone put away for just six months – but not by much.

The move was revealed in the Home Office's response to a consultation on changes to regulations relating to retention of and access to communications data held by telcos and internet companies under the Investigatory Powers Act.

These changes were drafted in a bid to bring the so-called Snooper's Charter in line with European laws after the bloc's top court ruled the UK's regime unlawful.

In 2016, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled indiscriminate data retention illegal. It said that access to retained data must only be granted for cases of serious crime, and that authorisation should come from an independent body, not public authorities. This was followed by similar decisions in the Court of Appeal and High Court.

Having accepted that the IPA couldn't continue in its current form, the government made a series of amendments and has today issued its summary (PDF) of the 800 or so responses it garnered.

Among the proposals aimed at bringing the law in line were provisions for data to be collected only in cases of serious crime – but defined this as a crime an adult should be capable of being imprisoned for six months.

Some compromise in evidence

However, opponents said that the government had set the bar too low and in its response the government acknowledged this concern and agreed to narrow it to 12 months.

"We have increased the crime threshold for which events data can be acquired to crimes for which a person is capable of receiving 12 months in prison.

"This will means data cannot be acquired for the investigation of crimes where a person is not capable of being sentenced to 12 months imprisonment."

Addressing concerns that the regulation would catch a broad spectrum of crimes – theft has a maximum sentence of 14 years but also covers low-level crimes like shoplifting – it said it would ensure the code of practice explicitly required authorities to consider other factors, such as the circumstances of the case, the impact on victim, the harm suffered and the motive of the crime.

The government also said it had amended the code of practice to make it clear that there are limitations on the authorisations that are handed out in urgent cases.

These "emergency" authorisations would allow public authorities to rubberstamp their own requests and bypass the newly proposed independent body, the Office for Communications Data Authorisation – in situations where there is "an urgent need to obtain the data".

However, respondents countered that this move would effectively circumvent the terms of the 2016 judgment.

The government said that this emergency authorisation terminates after three days, meaning any continued slurping would have to go via the OCDA – but agreed to make this restriction clear.

Holding firm

In other areas, the government asserts that its proposed changes are consistent with the 2016 CJEU ruling – for instance, on the security of retained data.

It also stands firm in its interpretation of the judgment as applying to traffic (or events) data, not subscriber (or entity) data – something a number of respondents disagreed with.

And, although it didn't offer up any changes, it tried to downplay things by saying it doesn’t have "significant material impact" on the regime.

For the purposes of authorisation, entity and events data will be treated in the same way, it argued, while – although entity data can be retained for non-serious crime – this comes with requirements on necessity and proportionality.

Elsewhere, the government noted that other issues on which there are disagreements between itself and opponents are still awaiting rulings from the CJEU, including on whether the 2016 judgment should apply to national security, and on notification of people affected by data retention.

The revised regulations and code of practice on communications data have been laid before parliament to debate and approve. ®

Biting the hand that feeds IT © 1998–2018


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Music Video Premiere: Elle Mary & The Bad Men – 'Ocean'

Video by News Team | 20 Nov 2014

We're delighted to premiere the new video from Manchester talents Elle Mary & The Bad Men, for their song Ocean. Having performed with the likes of Tara Jane O'Neil and Dan Michaelson – and counting Bill Callahan, Angel Olsen and Songs: Ohia among her influences – Elle Mary is drawn to the communicative and bonding qualities of 'folk,' but likes to explore beyond its stylistic conventions. Ocean’s slowcore minimalism and melancholic mood are captured perfectly in this video, directed by James Oliver and Tom Marrett.

As well as kindly playing The Skinny stage at Indy Man Beer Con in 2013, Elle Mary has played gigs as far and wide as San Francisco and Edinburgh, and recently completed a solo house concert tour of Sweden, Denmark and Germany. To celebrate the launch of Ocean, Elle Mary & The Bad Men play a celebratory gig on 2 December at The Eagle Inn, Salford, for Hey! Manchester. Support comes from Rains and Sobbing Blonde, and tickets are just £5 advance, available here or in person from Common, Piccadilly Records and Vinyl Exchange in Manchester.

The band are currently recording an EP, due for release on seven-inch in early 2015 – keep an eye on

Credits for Ocean:
Directors: James Oliver and Tom Marrett
Director of Photography: Andrew Perch
Editor: Tom Marrett
Camera: Sam James and Sharaz Khan
Producer: Gareth Soens Hughes

Ocean was sound engineered and produced by Biff Roxby.

Bass: Michael Dubec
Drums: Pete Sitch
Guitar: Chris Woods


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Cliff Richard - My Fake Diary

Friday, 29 June 2012

I thought I'd put this link in my diary, for my fans who might like to see the photo's through the years collection at this link.

Through the Years Photo's

It's photos of my latest show and performance in Birmingham.

A long way from my old Expresso Bongo stuff this!

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Its 20-plus suites, known as the Boulevard Penthouses, are the most coveted rooms in town, largely because they’re priceless. The only way in is by invitation, which means fronting over a million dollars (and preferably two) at the Reserve, the hotel’s private, three-room casino on the 75th floor. It’s a gaming experience so exclusive that not even James Bond could charm his way through the door.

A view of the Las Vegas Strip seen before Earth Hour from the House of Blues Foundation Room inside the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino March 26, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES)

When the resort offered me a staff position serving its penthouses’ high-rollers, roving from butler to bartending stations and everywhere in between, I jumped at the opportunity. And after passing my security clearances, I was initiated into the secret realm of the Reserve, catering to the whims of the world’s wealthiest gamblers. But it wasn’t all popping bottles and cutting cigars-try cleaning up “lucky” piles of rotting fruit, or walking in on nude hotel guests instead.

Think what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Not this time…

Putting the sin in Sin City

Article Continued Below

There’s a fine line between letting high-rollers have the run of the house, and indulging all their gaming-adjacent vices. “It’s a judgment-free zone,” explains Leslie Sadovia, Cosmopolitan’s executive director of national casino marketing. “People can come and behave in an extreme manner, and we’re not telling them not to.”

Some big spenders push this to the limit. One repeat guest prefers the suite with a chinchilla-fur hammock; he’s been known to splay himself across it naked, waiting for a butler to find him. Another, a well-known basketball player, enjoys having sex on the morning of his departure while the butlers fastidiously pack up his luggage. And one of the casino’s oldest guests—also one of the only high-rolling women—has garnered a colourful reputation for discarding fur coats (”I’m bored of them!”), and throwing fists in the gaming salon when her luck is waning. Her other favourite pastime: asking the butlers to dress up in pajamas, crawl into bed next to her, and read her bedtime stories. These incidents will hardly get you kicked out—though the staff will periodically step in with slaps on the wrist.

There is one habit that even the brattiest clients tend to avoid: getting blindingly drunk. When you’re gaming at such astronomical dollar values, after all, it’s critical to keep your wits.

How to have them at “hello”

You know the fruit bowl that’s often waiting for you when you check into a fancy hotel room? In a Boulevard Penthouse suite, the value of your welcome amenity might be five or six figures.

Sometimes welcome gifts can include obscure objets d’art or vintage Chanel; the hotel has even hired a full-time chocolatier to create custom-made, edible sculptures inspired by a guest’s Instagram account. But booze is, by far, the most popular option. On my shift, it was more than $1,100 (U.S.) of liquor-a bottle of Macallan and Yamazaki whisky. (”A pretty basic gamer get,” I was told by a colleague.) Occasionally, it’s $14,000 bottles of wine from the Rothschild estate. Louis XIII cognac, priced at $4,300 a bottle, is a far more common ask; one high-roller was so emphatic about having multiple, unopened bottles in his room, the casino team started engraving his name on them to prevent him from reselling them.

High-roller stakes, lowbrow tastes

Article Continued Below

Every Boulevard Penthouse guest comes with a rider detailing everything from favourite brands of ice cream to the exact number of minutes guests like their eggs hard-boiled. On one, I spotted these comical instructions: “Guest confuses American and cheddar cheese, so when she orders American please bring her cheddar, but tell her it’s American.”

Which brings me to the pedantic room service tastes of big-spender guests. Standard orders range from green juices to fresh seafood picked out via webcam from the casino’s private aquarium. Off-property requests-which come with a $25-per-hour service fee-are common and most frequently send butlers to such glamorous places as In-N-Out Burger and Target. Kim Mantle, Cosmopolitan’s head of butler services, says she makes two or three trips a week to the mega-mart in search of various of sundries; on my own run there, the shopping list included 10 boxes of Maltesers (the British chocolate candy) and several PlayStation 4 video games.

Regular trips are also made to Chinatown’s 99 Ranch Market, and T&T Ginseng, emporiums that peddle a witch’s brew of rare teas, herbs, and-strangest of the bunch-cordycep worms. Haven’t heard of them? Neither had I. Cordyceps aren’t actually worms. They’re a type of caterpillar-eating fungus that gets hand-picked in the Himalayas and sometimes used like Viagra. They’re literally worth their weight in gold.

The wins and losses in the reserve equal the GDP of a small nation

When a high-roller is ready to gamble upward of $2 million, Brian Benowitz, Cosmopolitan’s vice president of casino operations, can have the Reserve unlocked, set up with the client’s preferred games, and fully staffed within 25 minutes.

Here, Baccarat is the prevailing game of choice. First, it’s familiar to more than 50 per cent of Reserve guests who hail from Asia and play it in Macao. It also has a significant house advantage, meaning that the Cosmopolitan will better incentivize its play. Higher risk, higher reward.

The casino’s biggest Baccarat bet to date was $300,000 per hand for an entire shoe—that’s eight decks of cards, played out as roughly 60 hands in 60 minutes-on two tables simultaneously. Those are stakes of roughly $600,000 per minute, or $36 million per hour. (That nearly matches the 2017 gross domestic product of Tuvalu: $40 million.) “I’ve never seen anything like it,” adds Benowitz. “There were some ups and downs, but eventually the casino won.”

The biggest client victory Benowitz has witnessed amounted to $30 million over a short weekend trip, but that was before he started at the Cosmopolitan. Here, he’s seen a high-roller score $6 million playing Single Zero (European-style Roulette)-and lose up to $7 million.

Excessive spending happens off the tables, too. “We’ve seen billionaires buy the Cosmopolitan out of their Champagne-that’s millions of dollars’ worth of alcohol-just because they can,” adds Benowitz. “High-rollers love to compete with their buddies on who can outspend the other.”

Exotic Requests

As an animal-friendly hotel, the Cosmopolitan fields a lot of pet requests. Butlers hustle schnauzers around the on-site dog walk, make trips to Petco for additional dog beds and leashes, and put in orders to the esteemed on-site culinary team for canine-specific gourmet feasts. But dogs aren’t the only pampered critters in Vegas. A misbehaving sugar glider (a.k.a. a flying squirrel) with severe separation anxiety takes the prize for weirdest animal guest, while nocturnal snakes that required dozens of blackout shades might be the highest-maintenance.

Things get crazier when animal requests revolve around wild creatures, rather than domesticated pets. Once, someone asked for a monkey to be dressed up in a butler’s uniform to check the guest in. And inebriated demands for zoo animals have ranged from llamas to tigers; the latter was needed to-no joke-reenact that infamous scene from The Hangover. Alas, none of those wishes could be fulfilled due to rules against animal cruelty—and common sense.

Some things are off limits, even in Sin City

Also in the category of demands that can’t be fulfilled: hookers. It’s a common misconception that prostitution is legal in Las Vegas. While it’s allowed in the rest of Nevada, Clark County prohibits it. The thinly veiled requests, however, come roughly once a week: “Can you introduce me to someone?”

Requests for drugs—usually cocaine—are also once-a-week occurrences that come with a hard “no.” (Unless, of course, butlers see a valid prescription.) Even directing guests to Nevada’s legal marijuana dispensaries is a no-no, because the Cosmopolitan operates under a federal casino mandate that strictly forbids its consumption.

Courting lady luck with a dose of superstition

Among high-rollers, superstitions can quickly escalate from the demanding to the absurd. Some millionaires will sleep on the couch because they believe a bed with a headboard will beckon bad fortune. Others crowd themselves with citrus—often with holes poked to “unleash the luck”—scattering pierced oranges and lemons around the suite, letting them rot during longer stays. Also lucky for clients from the Far East: filling water basins to the brim. That’s how one high-roller flooded his bathtub … and the suite underneath.

It gets weirder: Some guests are completely phobic about having anything thrown away, lest the discarded object be something lucky. Hot winning streaks may be accompanied by mounds of cigarette ashes, crumpled paper, or random assortments of trash. It’s so common, most butlers know never to remove anything from a gaming table without triple-checking. Once, a high-roller wanted to rescue an “auspicious” piece of used plastic wrap his wife had accidentally tossed, and sent his butler rifling through the hotel’s trash system.

Of course, some quirks are fully individual. One notorious guest, for instance, requests glass after glass of scotch on the rocks while he’s on the gaming floor—not for drinking, but to moisten a tiny brown “medicine bag” that hangs from his neck. No one’s ever figured out what it is, but Mantle is sure the guest practices some kind of Santeria. “Once, we found a room service cart in his penthouse, half-melted by hundreds of candles,” she says. “I’m honestly surprised he didn’t burn the hotel down!”

Hosts with the mosts

Boulevard Penthouse guests get pampered by two legions of staff: butlers and hosts. Hosts are like banker-bestie hybrids who liaise between high-rollers and casino: they extend interest-free, seven-figure lines of credit and learn how much players are willing to throw down and how risk-prone they are.

Each of the Cosmopolitan’s 25 hosts nurtures a portfolio of 300 to 500 clients who’ve demonstrated the propensity to play hard. Almost all of the clients are men, ranging in age from millennials to 70-year-olds, and they stick around for three to five years before going dark—usually due to bad investments, dips in the economy, or divorce.

Only 15 to 20 of a host’s contacts can be deemed “worthy” of an open invite into the Boulevard Penthouses—and managing that VVIP list is among a host’s most important tasks, since penthouse invites are on a “whenever you want” basis, rather than for particular dates or times.

It’s no wonder, then, that hosts often become engrained in their client’s personal lives, being invited to weddings, birthdays, sports events, and kids’ graduations. They get to dip into the casino’s coffers for gifts that will cement the bonds, says Kelly Van Aken, vice president of national marketing. That can be anything from a fabulous bottle of wine to an $18,000 Birkin bag, or a hand-delivered platter of Peking Duck from their favourite Vegas restaurant.

Tips that tip the scales

Seven-figure bets often mean sky-high tips. It’s standard for a weekending penthouse guest to leave between $300 and $500 for housekeeping—plus a few hundred dollars a day for the butlers. The record-setter, however, was a $40,000 gratuity for a couple of days of service, left by a famously generous repeat guest. Like all other tips, it was divvied up amongst the butlers, based on their hourly work commitments.

But butlers don’t get the biggest tips; dealers do. In fact, a gig at the Cosmopolitan’s casino is so coveted that auditions are by invite only. That’s because its gamblers commonly make wagers with the intent of giving the dealer the winnings, as a tip. The Cosmopolitan’s largest bet of this kind, a $150,000 wager, would have yielded $300,000 in winnings for the dealer, had it not been a bust.

Not-so-petty theft

That giant vault in the basement of the Bellagio that Clooney and his crew masterfully emptied in Ocean’s 11? There’s no such thing. Casinos quickly move their liquid assets to banks and secondary locations-though almost $91 million worth of chips was exposed on the casino floor while I was on staff.

Most thieves are small-time crooks-cheaters, really, or low-wagering guests who see opportunities to toss a chip onto a winning hand here and there. According to Benowitz, around 10,000 people pass through the Cosmopolitan’s casino every day and five per cent to 10 per cent of them stop to gamble. How many of them try to cheat? Around one in 200.

High-rollers take this to a whole other level.

“When a guest loses a million dollars in the casino, they want their million dollars back,” explains Mantle, who tallies stolen items every day. Artwork, duvets, even bathroom scales: gone, gone, gone. The oversized Oribe bath amenities? Pilfered by the bagful.

But some guests are especially brazen about their thefts. One requested that the butler team get slippers from a competing casino so he could steal those, instead of the ones by his bed. Several have brought extra suitcases and asked the butlers to fill them with items from their suite—think coffee table books, unopened alcohol, and decorative Hermès knick-knacks.

Turns out, even if you lose big at the casino, the hotel has its ways of making you feel like a winner.

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Blogs > Knights of Malta saga reveals the deep hostility in some quarters about Francis’ leadership

13 January 2017 | by Christopher Lamb

Knights of Malta saga reveals the deep hostility in some quarters about Francis’ leadership

Will the saga afford Francis an opportunity to reform not just the Maltese knights but other orders too?

Pressure on the Knights of Malta is growing after new evidence emerged that Pope Francis never asked for Cardinal Raymond Burke and the Knights of Malta leadership to sack a senior official in a row about the distribution of condoms.

It comes as the sacked knight, Albrecht von Boeselager, lodged an appeal against his removal using the order’s internal legal system, a move which presents an added headache for Grand Master, Matthew Festing, and Cardinal Burke, the order’s patron and liaison with the Vatican.

In Rome, rumours are swirling that the dispute is not really about condoms, with talk of money, freemasonry and other associated theories, while Vatican journalists are reporting mysterious, anonymous phone calls trying to discredit von Boeselager and the papal investigation into the knights.

The inquiry into the Order of Malta also reveals the scepticism that this Pope has about the world of Catholic chivalric orders with its focus on rank, status and honours. He views some of it as a form “spiritual worldliness” which runs at odds to his vision of a “last shall be first” servant Church. And it is possible that he has plans to reform not just the Maltese knights but others, making sure they are at the service of a poor Church for the poor.

What is now much clearer is this: Cardinal Burke and the Grand Master directly contradicted the wishes of Pope Francis by sacking von Boeselager while erroneously claiming it was the wish of the Holy See.

The latest report from Andrea Tornielli, a respected Vatican journalist with a direct line to the Pope, reveals that back in November Cardinal Burke and Francis met to discuss the dispute concerning Albrecht von Boeselager.

During that meeting Burke asked the Pope to remove the German knight from his position as Grand Chancellor, but after the audience, Francis sent a letter to Burke and senior members of the order making it clear that the matter should be resolved through dialogue rather than dismissals. This was also made clear in a missive from Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Despite the requests, however, von Boeselager was sacked on 6 December and then suspended from the order.

It was this blatant disregard for the Pope’s wishes that sparked Francis’ dramatic move to set up a papal commission investigating the matter, something the knights have said they will not co-operate with on the grounds that they are a sovereign entity.

Their argument has been effectively dismantled by both Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, who is leading the inquiry, and a legal note prepared for the commission saying the Pope has a right to be informed of the circumstances of the dismissal as he exercises authority over all Catholics. Furthermore, it states that Francis is not “interfering” in the affairs of the order, as some have incorrectly claimed, but simply forming a commission to gather information for himself about a matter he had been drawn into by Cardinal Burke.

In other words the legal note states that the Pope is, in fact, the Pope and in charge of all Catholics: but the need to state this reveals the deep scepticism in some quarters about Francis’ leadership, and even his legitimacy. The same might be argued for Cardinal Burke’s threat to formally correct the Pope over his teaching on remarried divorcees in Amoris Laetitia and those who still whisper that the election of Francis is questionable on the grounds that Benedict XVI never really resigned.

Whatever the claims, the Pope does have room for manoeuvre in this saga and there’s every chance he will end up taking some fairly dramatic action.

The commission’s work is underway: on Monday it will begin hearing from witnesses and by the end of the month it will submit a report.

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ST. LOUIS — Brian Elliott and the streaking St. Louis Blues found another way to win Tuesday night against one of the top teams in the NHL.

Elliott stopped 30 shots, Vladimir Tarasenko tied the game late in the third period and then Jaden Schwartz scored in overtime to give the Blues a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“If we can keep it close, we usually find a way to do something at the end of the game,” Elliott said. “That’s not really the way we want to win it, but a huge win for us at home here. It shows us the level we need to get at. We escaped with two points there. We have to be happy with that but also look at our game and why we didn’t do the things we wanted to.”

The Blues (33-13-4) tied a franchise record with points in 12 consecutive games, the third time they have accomplished that feat but the first since 2000. They’ve won six straight, are 11-0-1 in their last 12 and improved to 20-4-2 at home this season.

“That’s a good team over there and they are going to be there at the end of the year,” Elliott said. “So it’s teams like that where we’re going to have to win when we don’t play our best, and tonight was basically one of those.”

Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay (32-15-5) has struggled on the road this season, going 11-12-3 with four straight defeats.

“It’s just a little frustrating,” said goalie Ben Bishop, a St. Louis native who stopped 16 shots against his former team. “We played a really good game, probably deserved a little better. Their goalie played well and we’ve got to be happy with the way we played.”

Lightning rookie Cedric Paquette opened the scoring with his sixth goal in four games and 11th of the season.

Paquette, selected the NHL’s second star of the week Monday, hammered home a rebound at 5:20 of the first period after Elliott couldn’t corral Alex Killorn’s shot from the left circle.

The Lightning held that 1-0 advantage until Tarasenko scored with 3:10 left in the third period.

The Blues’ leading scorer whistled a wrister past Bishop’s left shoulder from beyond the right circle after Paul Stastny won a faceoff in the offensive zone. The goal was Tarasenko’s 26th.

“Good draw by Stas,” Schwartz said. “That’s a play that we’ve done before. He was on his off hand, so it was just a great draw and then a world-class shot there. Not a lot of goalies will be able to save that.”

Schwartz won the game with his 18th of the season 1:16 into overtime, assisted by Chris Butler and Elliott. Schwartz skated through the slot and went forehand, backhand, forehand, backhand and forehand again before beating Bishop with a shot from his knees.

“Just a good move,” Bishop said. “Kind of froze me there and went around.”

The Lightning fell to 22-0-2 when leading after two periods.

“I think we were the better team out there tonight,” Paquette said.

NOTES: Stastny, Butler and Bishop all attended Chaminade College Prep High School in St. Louis. They were teammates on the school’s club team in 2001-02. … The Blues were without D Kevin Shattenkirk (abdominal), C Jori Lehtera (concussion), LW Patrik Berglund (shoulder) and RW Chris Porter (foot). … Paquette became the first rookie in Lightning history to score in four straight games. … Jonathan Drouin assisted on Paquette’s goal, giving him five assists in his last four games. … The Blues improved to 14-3-2 against the Eastern Conference this season, the best mark among Western Conference teams.


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Hot Holiday Toys on KCAL Los Angeles

These toys are hot, hot, hot! Toy Insider Senior Editor Marissa DiBartolo stopped by KCAL in Los Angeles to talk about this year’s must-have holiday toys. For more on the items featured in this segment, check out the product notes below, and for our complete rundown of the best gifts for the holidays, check out our complete holiday gift guide.

  • Rockin’ Rider Baby Rockers are soft stuffed plush rocking animals with a padded safety seat that assists with sitting up and maintaining balance. On the back of their head are four colorful shape buttons that play four lullaby melodies including the “I’m a Little Pony” song, “Rockabye Baby,” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.
  • Your child will love the friendly, cuddly design. Other features include crinkle material and rattles for tactile play, natural wood rocking base with foot steps, and wood handles.
  • Available models include Horses and Elephant, Ladybug, Lamb, Dragon, Teddy Bear, and Butterfly.
  • Some assembly is required. Requires 2 AA batteries, included. Baby Rockers hold up to 40 lbs.
  • Ages: 1-3
  • MSRP: $79.99 – $89.99
  • Available: Amazon,,,,,

  • Crayola Color Wonder Magic Light Brush lets kids create colorful art without the mess.
  • Color Wonder paints are clear and only work on Color Wonder special paper— it won’t color on skin, carpet, or furniture. The Magic Light Brush lights up to match whatever paint color kids are using.
  • The set comes with six classic colors and 18 sheets of Color Wonder paper
  • Ages: 3+
  • MSRP: $19.99
  • Available: Amazon, Target, Toys “R” Us, Walmart,

  • Chippies are playful puppies who love to show off their many tricks. Kids can pet their heads for different reactions including sniffs, barks, puppy kisses, and even a sneeze.
  • Use the remote control to make your pet dance, sing, chase its tail, or tell it which way to roll. Chippies can explore your room on their own or guard it from intruders using their sensors, and will also sing together as a pack. Chippies have bright LED eyes and posable hind legs.
  • Ages: 5+
  • MSRP: $39.99
  • Canadian MSRP: $49.99
  • Available: Amazon, Target, Toys “R” Us

  •    A DIY set for making more than 1 lb of super stretchy squishy like slime compound with just two ingredients: powder and water.
  • The set includes the Makin Station that mixes up the powder and water to create the compound plus 16 slime powder packets (4 each of orange, blue, purple and green) plus 6 glitter packets (1 each of gold, pink, silver, blue, purple, green), 10 storage pods and a measuring cup.
  • Contains everything needed to make the slime compound, no glue required.
  • Ages: 4+
  • MSRP: $19.99
  • Available: BJs, Toys “R” Us

  • This karaoke machine is inspired by the teen and tween sensation JoJo Siwa!
  • Kids can access their music library and stream content with voice control.
  • Users Connect to the TV and sing their hearts out to their favorite JoJo lyrics on screen using the included CD, featuring  songs with and without guide vocals.
  • The karaoke machine even features a multi-colored LED light show. Bluetooth wirelessly streams audio from any compatible device, and it also take calls with the included speakerphone.
  • Ages: 6+
  • MSRP: $69.97
  • Available: Walmart exclusive

  • LEGO Worlds is a galaxy of imaginative worlds made entirely of digital LEGO bricks where players can explore, discover, and create together.
  • Kids can create anything they can imagine one brick at a time, or use large-scale landscaping tools to create vast mountain ranges and dot their world with tropical islands.
  • Kids can drop in prefabricated structures to build and customize any world to their liking. Players can explore using helicopters, dragons, motorbikes or even gorillas and unlock treasures that enhance your gameplay
  • Discover and Collect Rewards: Players uncover hidden treasures in diverse environments, collecting characters, creatures, vehicles, castles, props and weapons as they explore each new world.
  • Online multiplayer allows two players to explore each other’s Worlds, play competitive challenges and show-off creations.
  • Available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and more.
  • Ages: 10+
  • MSRP: $29.99
  • Available: Amazon,Target, Toys “R” Us, Walmart, PlayStation Store, STEAM, Xbox Store, GameStop

Nikko Air Race Vision 220 FPV Pro (Toy State)

  • Get ready to race with the Race Vision 220 FPV Pro! Nikko Air has teamed up with DRL (Drone Racing League) to deliver the ultimate drone racing experience leveraging elite drone racing technology, developed by drone racers, designed for future pilots.
  • You can’t fly true FPV using a cell phone or on Wi-Fi without disruptions. Race Vision 220 uses 5.8 GHz analog frequency allowing the pilot to see real-time video transmission without delay or interruptions. It includes a full color LCD screen and FPV goggles that provide and immersive flight experience from the cockpit of the drone.
  • Designed for pilots of all skill levels with 3 variable flight modes, multiple speed settings, and 16 one touch stunts, this racing drone is sure to take you from beginner to pro in no time.
  • Ages: 14+
  • MSRP: $169.99
  • Available: Amazon, Target

What do you think about Hot Holiday Toys on KCAL Los Angeles?


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Getta Burger | Bridgeman Downs

Shop 8
5 Canopus Street

Bridgeman Downs , 4035 QLD
0476 150 768

Opening Hours

SUN 12:00pm - 8:30pm
MON closed
TUE closed
WED 4:30pm - 8:30pm
THU 4:30pm - 8:30pm
FRI 4:30pm - 8:30pm
SAT 12:00pm - 8:30pm

The Details

Own this business? Click here to claim your page.

The Verdict

Gettin' a Getta Burger just got easier for northsiders thanks to the opening of this meat mecca's second restaurant in Bridgeman Downs.

Serving up the same juicy burger laden menu as Getta Burger Carina, this new Brisbane restaurant is open 5 days a week.

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Connect with us

2018 F1

Sauber-Ferrari F1 alliance more ‘visionary’ – Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff says he might be looking to emulate Ferrari’s move by more closely aligning with other F1 teams.

The American outfit Haas is already regarded as a kind of Ferrari ‘B team’, and now the new title sponsor at Ferrari-powered Sauber for 2018 will be Alfa Romeo.

“I think Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio Arrivabene are smart men,” Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, is quoted by Turun Sanomat newspaper.

“Already with Haas it offers Ferrari technical benefits, but what is happening with Sauber is even more visionary,” he added.

“Such an alliance can be a threat to us,” said Wolff, “so we have to think about something similar.

“It’s not so easy to do when you do not want to interfere with the functions of your own team, but we need to keep our eyes and ears open because we are always looking for intelligent plans,” he added.

Turun Sanomat said Mercedes customers Force India and Williams may be on Mercedes’ radar.

Force India boss Vijay Mallya is battling Indian legal authorities, while it is reportedly “no secret” that new mother Claire Williams is thinking about selling team shares.

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Where to go for the best mortgage deals: Three reasons to smile if you've been paying off a home loan for years

On track: Stephanie Ford and her daughter Miranda

On track: Stephanie Ford and her daughter Miranda

Long-established mortgage borrowers are being offered the chance to end their loans paying a fraction of the interest rate they signed up to at the start.

Experts say borrowers with between five and ten years to go on a standard 25-year mortgage term could easily have been paying around eight per cent interest when they bought their homes.

Today homeowners can exploit a triple bonus to cut their final payments to less than a quarter of this figure. Here we explain why long-term borrowers are smiling – and where to find the best loan deals this summer.

SMILE ONE: If you purchased your home more than a decade ago then you should have seen your mortgage balance fall while your property value has risen. This means your vital ‘loan-to-value’ figure will be low, so you should qualify for the best rates in the market.

With just seven years left to go on her mortgage mother of three Stephanie Ford is well aware that today’s borrowers are living in a golden age.

‘I remember when mortgage rates of six to eight per cent were considered good value and, like everyone else, we struggled when rates went even higher in the 1990s,’ she says.

Having scrimped and saved to pay her 25-year loan in those bad times she is amazed at how low rates have fallen. ‘Our most recent five-year fix was set much lower than the one we had before – and it looks as if the next one will be cheaper still,’ she says.

Biology teacher Stephanie, 50, who lives in a four-bedroom detached house near Sudbury, Suffolk, is looking at a range of five-year fixes set at less than 3 per cent. ‘I’d never expected rates to get this low and being able to lock into one now will let us build up some useful savings.

‘If we can put enough aside each month, we may be able to clear the loan in full in five years’ time rather than waiting until its original end date two years later.’

You can get your loan-to-value by dividing the outstanding balance on your mortgage by your property’s value and multiplying the result by 100. So if you still owe £45,000 on a home now worth £110,000, your loan-to-value is just over 40 per cent. Lenders offer their lowest mortgage rates to people with loan-to-values of 60 per cent or less.

SMILE TWO: Borrowers with perfect payment histories over many years are particularly sought after by lenders. So too are people whose monthly mortgage bills account for only a small proportion of their monthly income.

If your pay has gone up over the years and your monthly payments have become easy to manage then you are likely to sail through the controversial new ‘affordability tests’ introduced last year as part of the Mortgage Market Review – tests that are being blamed for excluding many younger people from the mortgage market.

SMILE THREE: Anyone who switches to a best-buy mortgage now is signing up when rates are at historic lows.

Six months ago, most experts thought rates were on the floor and could only rise. Since then they have fallen further and it is now possible to get a mortgage that charges less in interest than your money can earn in a best-buy current account from the likes of Nationwide Building Society, Santander or TSB.

Better still, fee-free mortgage deals abound at the moment, so you can sign up to a new deal without paying any application or set-up costs. Several lenders will also pay your legal and valuation costs if you switch to them as part of the remortgage.

To help long-established borrowers find today’s best deals, we asked a panel of independent experts to provide details of the lowest rates – focusing on the fee-free offers they normally recommend to people with mortgages of £100,000 or less.

If you want a fee-free, five-year fix to see you through to the summer of 2020 then the best buys include loans from Nationwide at 2.44 per cent, TSB from 2.49 per cent, the Post Office from 2.68 per cent and Woolwich from 2.75 per cent.

You could pay less each month now by choosing a best-buy, two-year fix – though you may get a payment shock if rates have risen by the time these deals expire in 2017. A host of lenders are keen to offer these shorter-term deals, including the Post Office (from 1.78 per cent), Woolwich (1.85 per cent), Nationwide and Santander (1.89 per cent), Halifax (1.99 per cent) and TSB (1.99 per cent). None of these deals comes with application fees.

If you are convinced the Bank of England will not raise interest rates for some time, you could consider a discounted or tracker loan deal.

The best of the latest short-term offers come from Furness and Skipton building societies, where you will start out paying 1.65 and 1.75 per cent respectively. The Post Office and TSB have fee-free offers where the starting rates are only slightly higher.

HSBC and First Direct are worth a look if you want a longer-term discount or tracker deal. Both have offers that will run until your mortgage term ends and allow you to clear the loans penalty free at any time before the agreed end date.

'I had no idea rates would get this low': Three reasons to smile if you've been paying a mortgage for years


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Acupressure Treasures: Yong Quan -- Gushing/Bubbling Spring

Acu-moxa chart: Kidney channel of foot shaoyin in the legs
Woodblock illustration from a work on 'Chinese' medicine by the 18th century Japanese physician Hara Masakatsu, published in 1807 (4th year of the Bunkwa era). The kidney channel of footshaoyinis one of the Twelve Channels. It originates at theyongquan(Gushing Spring) point and terminates at thezhongfu(Middle Palace) point. See page for author [ CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Yong Quan & Walking Meditation

If you’ve practiced walking meditation, you may already be familiar with the practice of imagining that, with each step you take, you’re kissing the earth, through the sole of your foot. This is a beautiful practice, which works on many levels to awaken our connection to earth-energy, and to all of the beings who inhabit our shared planet. One way it works is to activate the first point on the Kidney meridian, called yong quan or “gushing spring,” which is located near the center of the sole of the foot. In relation to walking meditation practice, we could consider yong quan to be something like the “lips” of our foot-sole.

If we’re energetically sensitive, we might notice -- as we practice walking meditation -- a feeling of qi (life-force energy) bubbling up from the bottom of our feet, and then flowing upward through our legs and into the lower dantian, that foundational energy center in the lower abdomen. The Kidney meridian, in particular, from its starting-point at yong quan, continues upward along the inner edge of the leg, and then upward along the front of the abdomen and chest, near the center-line.

Yong Quan & The Five-Element System

In terms of the Five-Element System, the Kidney meridian belongs to the water element. The sole of the foot, being the lowest and so most Yin place on our body, is considered an aspect of the earth element. It makes perfect sense, then, that the place where the Kidney meridian emerges on the sole of the foot would be considered, metaphorically, to be a “spring” -- a place where water emerges from earth. The Chinese word “yong” translates as “gush” or “surge” or “well up.” The Chinese word “quan” translates as “a spring” (and also was the ancient term for “coin”). I’ve also heard this point named “Bubbling Spring” -- which I like quite a lot, though it may not be as precise a translation.

Location Of Kidney 1 - Yong Quan

According to Ellis, Wiseman & Boss -- the authors of Grasping The Wind -- the classical location (as recorded in an ancient text called Golden Mirror) of yong quan is: “In the depression in the heart of the sole, as felt when the leg is stretched, the foot bent and the toes curled.” In more modern lingo, the point is found in a slight depression created, when the foot is in plantar flexion (i.e. slightly extended, so the arches activate), about 1/3 the distance from the toes to heel. In other words, it’s where your thumb will naturally fall, in the center of your foot near the base of the big toe.

Yong Quan In Qigong Practice

Yong quan is important not only in walking meditation but also for most forms of qigong, as a place through which we connect deeply with earth-energy. We might imagine sending roots down through the soles of our feet, like a trees sending roots -- all the way to the center of the earth. As we connect in this way deeply with the earth, we feel both stable and energized.

Oftentimes this strongly grounded connection to earth-energy is balanced by, at the same time, imagining an opening and expansion through the crown of our head (at Bai Hui), up into the vast expanse of sky/heaven. As heaven-energy flows downward into our body, and earth-energy -- like sap being drawn through the roots of a tree -- is drawn upward into our body, our human body becomes the “meeting-place of heaven and earth.”

Yong Quan In Acupuncture

As an acupuncture point, yong quan is used to “open the sensory orifices” and to “calm the Spirit.” As such, it is called upon primarily to treat disorders that tend to manifest in the area of the head and neck (where most of the body’s “sensory orifices” are located), for instance: headache, blurry vision, dizziness, sore throat, or loss of voice. It’s also used to revive consciousness.

For most people, acupressure at yong quan feels incredibly relaxing and calming -- making it easy to understand why this point is used traditionally to “calm the Spirit,” by drawing excess energy in the head downward, into a grounded connection with the earth.

How To Apply Acupressure At Yong Quan (KD1)

To massage yong quan, sit in a straight-backed chair (or on the floor, though this tends to be more difficult), rest the ankle of your left leg over the knee or thigh of the right leg. Then, cradle your left foot in your right hand, while using your right thumb to massage -- with moderate to deep pressure -- yong quan. Continue for 2-3 minutes, and then switch sides.

It’s also quite nice to place the palm of your hand over the sole of your foot, in a way that connects Yong Quan with Lao Gong (PC8). This can support the activation of what’s known as the Kidney-Heart axis: an interface of water and fire energy, important in many qigong practices, e.g. Kan & Li forms.

Finally, it can be interesting to play with finding a connection between Yong Quan (KD1) -- in the soles of the feet -- and Hui Yin (CV1) -- in the center of the pelvic floor. Feel the energy of Yong Quan drawing up to nourish Hui Yin. From Hui Yin, play with the Microcosmic Orbit, which circulates qi through the Du and Ren meridians. Then, from Hui Yin, feel the energy flowing back down to Yong Quan in the soles of the feet. This kind of exercise sets the stage for the Macrocosmic Orbit -- an expansion of the Microcosmic Orbit to include the arms and legs.


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Committed to open source

ThoughtWorks contributes to and uses open source software wherever possible

Software Excellence

We are a bit fanatical when it comes to delivering software. We are serious about our craft and always pushing to improve the way we do things. And we like to push the industry as a whole to improve. We call this our Software Excellence pillar.

Open source is foundational to software excellence and allows us to stay at the forefront of innovation. Using open source gives us solutions superior to proprietary in cost, freedom, privacy, security, quality and community. Building open source allows us to pay it forward, share new ways of working, and learn from the wider community.

What We Are Building

Our technologists bring successful, field-tested techniques and ideas from around the globe to open source solutions. Here are some highlights of our work across many domains including software development, testing, privacy, security, and global health.

Bahmni, an easy to use EMR & hospital management system, combines and enhances multiple open source products into a single solution. It has been designed keeping in mind the needs of hospitals in low resource settings.

Simplify Continuous Delivery. Easily model and visualize complex workflows with GoCD, an open source continuous delivery server.

Gauge is an open source acceptance test automation framework. Write tests in your own business language with Gauge markdown. Automate with most any programming language. Work in your IDE of choice.

Mountebank is the first tool to provide cross-platform, multi-protocol test doubles over the wire.

DeepLearning.scala is a domain-specific language embedded in Scala, for creating complex neural networks. With the help of DeepLearning.scala, regular programmers are able to build complex neural networks from simple code. You write code almost as usual.

CoyIM is an instant messaging desktop application for the XMPP protocol that works with security and privacy features enabled by default, making it easier to hold a private conversation. 'Security by default' and simplicity are its strongest features.

Talisman validates code changes before they're pushed from working copies of GitHub repos. Using GitHub's pre-push hook, Talisman scans file names to prevent pushing changesets that appear to reveal compromising information.

Appium Test Distribution, a tool for running android and iOS Appium tests in parallel across devices

Mock objects framework for testing Objective-C code. It includes stubs, dynamic mocks, and mocks that can override methods in existing objects.

Binding.scala is a data-binding framework for Scala, running on both JVM and Scala.js

This is a lightweight framework for regression testing of Cascading Style Sheets.

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Book Tour and Activities on the Go!

Babulnath, Mumbai

  • Constructed in 1780, the temple of Babulnath in Mumbai is an example of great architecture. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The entire architecture of the temple gives you the impression of Mount Kailash because the interiors are carved in such a manner.

    Come here not just because you are religious and you are a devotee of Lord Shiva, but come here to see the splendid architecture of the temple and its interiors. The history of the temple dates back to the 12th century when Raja Bhimdev placed the Shivling and idols at the now temple of Babulnath.

    The idols were discovered in the 18th century. The Shivling was discovered about 300 years ago when Malabar Hill used to be a pasture. Upon the discovery of the Shivling, the temple was constructed in the same spot as it was found. The temple of Babulnath is situated at the very end of the Marine Drive, close to the Girgaon Chowpatty.

    For a pleasant and memorable experience, visit the babulnath temple early in the morning. You will have a beautiful view of the surroundings and you can enjoy the architecture while the weather is still cool.

    Location: 16, Babulnath Road, Charni Road, Malabar Hill, Near Chowpatty, Mumbai, Maharashtra
    Best Time to visit: Any time of the year
    Entry fee: No entry fee
    Timings: 5AM-10PM every day.
    Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 3.4 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central

Dharavi Slum

Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, invites many curious eyes because of the sheer vastness of it. It is counted among one of the places to visit in Mumbai because of the slum houses as many as a million people crammed in pint-sized houses, dirty bylanes, open drains, and extremely filthy living conditions in average.

Located in the very heart of Mumbai, the Dharavi slum stretches between two of Mumbai’s major rail lines, which is what makes it such a convenient location to travel for work for the folk who live here. In a city where rents are sky high, Dharavi offers rather low rent for people who move into the city.

You can find a room complete with a cooking gas and a small colour TV for as low as 185 rupees a month. Dharavi has many small-scale businesses thriving, manufacturing everything from garments to pots and pans. The products are sold in local as well as international markets, where they are exported.

The annual turnover for these products is as much as 650 million dollars a year. Visit Dharavi to see the lifestyle of those living here, for it is not every day you get to step inside Asia’s largest slum.

Location: Spans over 500 acres in the heart of Mumbai
Best Time to visit: October-March
Entry fee: No entry fee
Timings: Not applicable
Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 10.4 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central

Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves are a major attraction in Mumbai because of its archaeological significance. This is where the caves are located, must have seen early settlements from 2nd century BC. The caves, however, are estimated to have been constructed sometime between 5th and 6th century AD.

One of the biggest caves here measures about 39 metres from the front to the back. The main body of the Elephanta Cave is about 27 square meters, supported by six rows of pillars. The caves show distinct artistic features from the time of its construction.

The caves feature rock-cut architecture, which makes the entire layout of the caves very interesting. The Elephanta Caves have a combination of sculpture art and aesthetic beauty carved into the rock formations.

This is what makes it popular among archaeologists as well as historians, who wish to find out more about the natives who moved on the Gharapuri Island (Elephanta Caves) in 2nd century BC. Come here to experience the ruins of an ancient world on the Elephanta Island, and see the caves and sculptures in their natural surroundings.

Location: Gharapuri, Maharashtra
Best Time to visit: October-March
Entry fee: INR 10 (Indian), INR 250 (foreigner), free (child)
Timings: 9AM-5.30PM
Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 7.3 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central

Red Carpet Wax Museum

As the name suggests, the Red Carpet Wax Museum is one of those tourist places in Mumbai that one simply cannot miss because the museum showcases lifelike statues of celebrities and prominent people from all walks of life, such as socialites, politicians, world leaders, scientists, social workers etc. The statues are made to be completely alike the person they have been constructed after, giving a very authentic feel to the statue.

Each statue is surrounded by the necessary ambience to give the statue and its theme a complete look and feel. Any individual can pose with the statues in the museum. The museum was constructed over a period of five years after which it opened its doors to the public in December 2016. The wax museum is one of a kind monument in the city of Mumbai, so make sure you drop by and catch a glimpse of it.

Location: 1st Floor, R City Mall, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, Amrut Nagar, Ghatkopar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Best Time to visit: Any time of the year
Entry fee: INR 250 (weekday), INR 350 (weekend)
Timings: 9.45AM-9.30PM
Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 20.5 kms from MSRTC Mumbai Central

Mumbai Dhobi Ghat

A place that’s as unique as it can be, Mumbai’s Dhobi Ghat maintains and lives up to its 140-year-old tradition and profession in the heart of Mumbai city. There are as many as 1026 open “ghats” for washermen to wash clothes in, and almost all of them are occupied at the same time as they beat the dirt out of hundreds and thousands of dirty clothes from the city.

The Mumbai Dhobi Ghat is located very close to the Mahalaxmi railway station. The place is also famed to be the world’s largest washing centre because there’s no such other place for washing clothes in the world. Most of the clothes being washed here come from Mumbai’s hospitals, and hotels.

You can see likes of cleaned clothes and sheets being hung to dry in the open air after they have been thoroughly cleaned. Come here to see a very different face of the city of Mumbai. Lately, it has become a place for tourists to flock in out of sheer curiosity.

Location: Dr E Moses Road, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Best Time to visit: October-March
Entry fee: No entry fee
Timings: 4AM-7PM
Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 2 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central

Film City

Home to the film fraternity of the country is perhaps one of the most popular among Mumbai tourist places. The Film City is so vast that more than a thousand sets can be erected here at the same time. Over the last few years, the Film City has become one of the major locations for shooting the Hindi serials.

Film City was built in 1911, under the guidance of veteran actor and producer V. Shantaram. The total area of the place is about 520 acres, built according to the outlines of the film city in California. The film city has elaborate sets of villages, mountains, mansions, gardens, fountains, streams, cities etc. More than 900 Hindi movies and Hindi serials have been shot in the Film City of Mumbai.

The studios are well equipped, complete with the electronic items necessary for shooting and extremely sophisticated instruments that give the kind of quality to the shows shot here, making Bollywood top in the game in the country.

Location: Inside Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagri Main Gate, Post Aarey Milk Colony, Goregaon East, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Best Time to visit: October-March
Entry fee: INR 599-INR 1699 per person
Timings: 10AM-5PM
Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 31.4 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central

Gateway of India

One of the most visited places in Mumbai, the Gateway of India is counted among Mumbai tourist places that see excellent footfall at any time of the year. The attraction was built by the British in 1919, by the then Governor of Bombay, Sir George Sydenham Clarke, who laid the foundation of the monument in 1911. The plan was approved in 1914, after which construction began. The monument was built to honour the visit of King George V and Queen Mary, who was to arrive at Bombay.

The architectural design of the Gateway of India is done in the Indo-Saracenic style, along with Muslim architectural styles incorporated when it comes to the archways.
The Elephant Caves are located quite close to the Gateway of India and can be reached via a ferry from here. You can pay the ticket price here and get on a motorboat to reach the Elephant Caves, which takes a little more than an hour to reach, being located 56 kilometres from the monument.

Location: Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Best Time to visit: October-March
Entry fee: No entry fee
Timings: Can visit anytime
Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 6.4 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central

Mumbai Dabbawala Center

The dabbawalas of Mumbai have long been a centre of curiosity among the people because of their accurate delivery system that has been never altered its professionalism over the last 125 years. The Mumbai Dabbawala Center is definitely one of the places to visit in Mumbai. The Mumbai Dabbawala Centre originally started out as a one-man army, when a Parsi banker wanted to eat homemade food and gave this task to Mumbai’s first dabbawala.

His idea was appreciated by others and soon, more office goers joined in the demand for home cooked food that had to be delivered in office, giving rise to a business that has famously become a case study in universities across the world, who try to learn and decode the Mumbai Dabbawalas’ exceptional accuracy in delivering the tiffin boxes.

At present, the Mumbai Dabbawala Center has as many as 5000 dabbawalas who deliver food from home to office every day with the kind of constant accuracy they have mastered over more than a century.

Location: 23, Navyug Mansion, Sleater Road, Naushir Bharucha Marg, Opposite Krishna Palace Hotel, Grant Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Best Time to visit: Any time of the year
Entry fee: No entry fee
Timings: Not applicable
Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 2.1 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central

Victoria Terminus

Formerly known as Victoria Terminus, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is Mumbai’s outstanding railway station. Although this is a railways station and not primarily counted among places to visit in Mumbai, this building, designed by British architect FW Stevens, sports excellent Victorian Gothic Revival architectural style.

The designs are based on medieval Italian models, known as High Victorian Gothic Design, is remarkable. The domes, corridors, arches, and turrets are therefore distinct and prominently archaic. The construction of the building began in 1878, taking up to a decade to complete. Numerous British architects and Indian craftsmen worked day and night to give the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus the definition of what it is today.

This is why the architectural style doesn’t just boast of Victorian style, there’s a distinctive feature of Indian architecture in the building as well, making it one of the attractions in Mumbai for history lovers and architects who love to study the significance of various architectural styles in the building.

Location: Opposite BMC Building, Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Road, Fort/P D'Mello Road (PF-18), Mumbai, Maharashtra
Best Time to visit: Any time of the year
Entry fee: No entry fee
Timings: Not applicable
Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 5 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central


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New episode of Digitalsamtal about horse riding, code and digital inclusion

28 March, 2018 - 14:19

This week's episode of Digitalsamtal is about horse riding, programming and how to work towards getting more people interested in technology. To build an understanding of how it works, to become better specifier or even to use the technology to create custom solutions.

#124 - Ridning, programkod och digital delaktighet - Podcasten Digitalsamtal (Swedish)


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Music, Music festivals
© GettyImages/Bryan Bedder

The White City’s first pop music festival, ft. Jason Derulo and Rita Ora

For the very first time, Israel is dedicating one legendary night to immersing into the world pop scene. “Wiggle wiggle wiggle” to global pop and hip hop sensation, Jason Derulo, who has sold over 30 million singles in the last decade and worked with Demi Lovato, Pitbull, Nicki Minaj, and Jennifer Lopez. And “party and bullshit” to one of the UK’s top singers, Rita Ora, who has had over a dozen singles hit top 10 lists and has starred in all of the Fifty Shades of Gray movies. Together with Israel’s top pop stars, Eliad Nahum, Axum, and Adi Ulmansky, prepare for one thrilling night this August.

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Kids' calendar

Fishy tales, frozen yoghurt and spin with a witch

Thursday 9

Cool off in the pool with movies in the moonlight
Take in a movie under the stars while you splash away in the pool. Even though it’s ridiculously hot already, you can still enjoy some fresh, if balmy air by night – and what better way to start the weekend than with a communal family movie at Arabian Ranches Polo Club? Tonight’s line-up is Dreamworks animation Flushed Away, screening at 7pm, followed by the romping singalong classic Mary Poppins at 9pm.
Dhs35 (adults), Dhs20 (kids aged four to 12). Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Arabian Ranches (04 361 8111).

Friday 10

EDITOR’S PICK See some fishy tails at Dubai Dolphinarium
The 200kg female dolphin, named Ksyusha, is keen to show you all her latest tricks, which apparently include a very clever tail-walk. Having witnessed the amazing skills of these creatures for ourselves, we can heartily recommend the show, which runs for just over an hour and demonstrates exactly how talented and intelligent these sea-faring mammals are. Witness superb juggling skills using only their noses, some spectacular jumps, and seals that love to boogie.
Dhs120 (adults), Dhs80 (kids). Performances at 11am, 3pm and 6pm. Dubai Dolphinarium, Creek Park, near Garhoud Bridge,

Saturday 11

Kids munch for free at Mango Tree Bistro
Mango Tree Bistro is fully geared up to provide families with a fab lunchtime experience, with staff who understand that dining out with the nippers isn’t always easy on parents. Balloon benders and face painters keep the little ones happy, plus the free food for kids under 12 means mum and dad are satisfied. You’ll get a family snap of your culinary experience, and the grub’s great too.
Open daily noon-midnight. Mirdif City Centre (04 284 3635).

Sunday 12

EDITOR’S PICK Pop out for a sneaky Snog
Don’t worry – it’s not as salacious as it sounds. Snog frozen yoghurt is delicious and very healthy. Made with prebiotics, organic milk, natural sweeteners (Agave nectar) and served with all manner of healthy fresh berries, we’re firm fans. If your kids aren’t quite so much into fruit, they can always get a chocolate brownie topping instead.
Open daily 10am-midnight. Mirdif City Centre,

Monday 13

Pony up to the polo club for a guided tour
Get a guided tour of the stables at the Arabian Ranches Polo Club. Meet all the long-faced residents, learn about their training and how to care for them – make sure you bring a pocket full of Polo mints or sugar lumps for extra brownie points. After the two-hour tour, enjoy breakfast at Epona Café.
Dhs195 (for adults), Dhs100 (for kids aged four to 12). Sat-Thu 8am-10am. Arabian Ranches Polo Club, (04 361 7111).

Tuesday 14

EDITOR’S PICK Go for a spin with the witch – if there’s room on her broom
One of Julia Donaldson’s best loved tales, Room on the Broom, has been brought to life and is live on stage at the First Group Theatre at the Madinat Jumeirah. The tale involves all sorts of furry, scaly and fire-breathing shenanigans, along with plenty of music and dance, and those very amusing rhyming couplets. Don’t miss this one if your tots are fans of the story.
Tickets from Dhs100. 4pm, continues until June 19. First Group Theatre, Madinat Jumeirah, (04 366 6546).

Wednesday 15

Fun for mums with little ones
If you’re at a loose end with your tot, why not pop into the mums and tots circle at Al Areesh Club in Dubai Festival City? Mums get to relax and have a sociable chinwag, while the little ones get their dose of fun. The club has indoor and outdoor facilities, and home-made snacks are provided.
Dhs20 per child. 3pm-5pm. Al Areesh Club, Dubai Festival City (050 397 1026).

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The Noodle House

Time Out Says

From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2009
Noodle House captures the flavour of a delicious bowl of steaming noodles swimming in broth that you would enjoy in the streets of Bangkok and replaces the smog, deafening traffic, and the occasional lapse in sanitation with chic style.

Long tables flanked by benches are great for large families or groups of friends, with a few booths to one side providing a decent spot for the single diner. Once seated you can sift through a variety of fried and soup-based noodle dishes, and a few vegetarian options, buffered by various sides and appetisers.

Drinks can be selected from a long list of mocktails and iced tea fusions, and the staff are attentive and patient. An inviting bowl of chewy egg noodles, with tender slices of duck and a handful of shrimp dumplings is a recommended savoury and simple dish. If you like a bit of heat you can add slices of pickled green chilli and a splash of ginger-garlic sauce from a collection of condiments on the table.

On the side you can enjoy the zesty mapo tofu, which is blended with vegetables in a rich sweet and sour sauce. Have those chopsticks at the ready.

By Time Out Dubai staff  | 30 Mar 2009

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