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Business VoIP Providers in Quantico, MD

Compare the best business VoIP providers in Quantico, MD side by side on VoipReview. Find and compare top-rated providers across price, features, ratings, and user-submitted reviews to find the best deal on a business VoIP service. Start comparing below to see how much you can be saving on your monthly phone bill.

Are you in the market for a new phone system? Do you want a system that is both flexible and scalable? Do you want the latest enterprise phone features? And do you want all of it for a fraction of the cost of traditional phone system? Then business VoIP is a great solution for you and your business.

Find out how much you can save today on Business VoIP

Compare top Business VoIP providers in the table below

Provider Plan Features Rate/min. Trial Period Setup Fees Monthly Fees Details
Award-winning Business VoIP Phone System
  • Unlimited Calling, Video Conferencing, & Faxing
  • 24/7 Customer Support Based in the U.S.
  • Extremely Reliable and Simple to Use
Pricing includes multi-line discount and applies to new customers only.

No trial period available

$ 19.99 /mo. *

65 reviews

Cloud Phone Service. Built for Business.
  • 50+ business class features
  • Professional installation and simple set-up
  • Get CRM integration

30 day money back guarantee

$ 19.95 /mo.

Get a Free Phone Today
  • Powerful Unified Communication Features
  • Fast, Easy, Free Setup & Install
  • Trusted by 50,000+ Companies in 100 Countries

Demo account available.

Click for Details
Upgrade your phone service with Jive Voice
  • Very simple to use for admins and users
  • Get your first month free
  • No fees for upgrades, features or add-ons
Price is per month per device.

30 days

$ 19.95 /mo. *

Trusted for 15 Years by 50,000+ Customers
  • Free Deskphone included for each user
  • Unlimited Calling, Video Calling
  • US-based Support. Industry leading Net Promoter Score.
OnSIP requires 5 users minimum.

30 days

$ 18.95 /mo. *

Enterprise Level Intelligent Cloud PBX
  • Feature-rich System for Multi-location Users
  • Get 2 Months Free & Credit Towards Hardware
  • Real-time Team Collaboration Features
30 day money 100% back guarantee

30 day free trial

$ 14.95 /mo. *

Cloud Phones Built for How People Work
  • Fast, easy and free set-up & implementation
  • Get the right features for your business without overpaying
  • Award-winning 24 hour US based support
3-year contract

$ 18.00 /mo. *

14 reviews

Business Connect™ Managed Phone System & Service
  • Free on-prem PBX/phones with expert 24/7 support
  • Voice QoS, firewall integration, & fraud solved
  • Huge upgrade over hosted VOIP offerings
Pricing discounted based on volume

$ 17.95-39.95 /mo. *

Business VoIP Made Clear and Simple
  • Unlimited Calling & Flat Rate Billing
  • Over 40 Enterprise Class Calling Features
  • No Contract, Quick & Easy Setup
Price based on multi-user hosted PBX solution

30 days free trial

$ 14.99 /mo. *

Hosted PBX
  • Telephone lines/numbers available in 50 countries
  • All features included in user subscription fees
  • Web Control Panel for all users
Price per user per month

30 days

$ 19.99 /mo. *

Alliance Phones
  • Simple set-up in less than 30 minutes
  • Efficient daily call report
  • Easy-to-use control panel
12% discount for subscribing and paying for a year upfront.

30 days

$ 19.97 /mo. *

*Rates shown do not include E-911 charges, taxes, and surcharges. Most providers offering unlimited calling have restrictions and some rates shown are promotional rates based on term contracts or promotional periods. Be sure to read individual providers terms and conditions before you buy. Rates and features displayed for each provider have been sourced from provider's site and other online sources. While we strive to display current information, be sure to check directly with each provider as their plans, pricing, and features are subject to change.
Quantico, MD VoIP Providers

What Does Business VoIP in Quantico, MD Offer?

If you're looking for a phone system that has everything you need for your business, you should consider using business Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This type of phone system takes advantage of your existing high-speed Internet connection to make and receive calls, all while offering any feature that you may need to conduct business in Quantico, MD

There are service providers targeting both the residential and commercial markets in Quantico, MD. While a residential VoIP service works in a similar way, business VoIP comes with more advanced features. In fact, with a business VoIP service, you can get calling features that would normally be reserved for larger enterprises using a PBX.

The biggest advantages of using VoIP over a traditional phone system for your business calling needs are mobility and flexibility. Many providers now let you make and receive calls on your business extension with your mobile phone. Their service plans tend to be more flexible than those offered by traditional phone companies, making it easier to change plans, as well as add or remove additional services.

Quantico, MD Compare VoIP Providers

Comparing Business VoIP Service Providers in Quantico, MD

Individuals who are considering business VoIP in Quantico, MD can easily compare the different providers and plans based on a number of criteria ranging from features, monthly pricing, and customer ratings. At VoipReview, we provide easy comparison tools to help people analyze different VoIP providers and find the one that best suits their needs.

Our 'star chart' consists of composite ratings compiled from reviews from real-life users. To read reviews, simply click on the 'reviews' button to be taken to that provider's detail page. These reviews provide information that cannot be garnered elsewhere, which is why we recommend reading them.

Those in Quantico, MD who wish to take the next step and obtain a personalized quote are also in luck because we do all of the work for them. All that's needed is to fill in the above form, and we will instantly provide a list of top VoIP providers in Quantico, MD that meet their requirements.

We are constantly updating our site with new information; however, rates and plans can change without notice. As such, we recommend checking the provider's website for exact details and to obtain more specific quotes.

Quantico, MD Find VoIP Providers

What Features Are Included with a Business VoIP Plan?

Business VoIP providers have a lot of productivity features that traditional phone providers in Quantico, MD do not offer. Some of the most popular features that are offered in a VoIP solution are:

  • Group Paging
  • Voicemail
  • Auto Attendant
  • Simultaneous Ring
  • Dial by name
  • Virtual Extensions
  • Number of Portability
  • Conference Calling
  • Call Waiting
  • Do Not Disturb
  • Music on Hold
  • Hunt Group
  • E911
  • Find Me/Follow Me
  • Call Notifications
  • Caller Id

One of the best things about business VoIP plans is the fact that they usually come with tons of features included in their packages that you have to pay for separately with traditional phone service. You can view a full list of different features that are included with provider's plans, on our individual VoIP provider pages.

VoIP Providers in Quantico, MD

How Is Business VoIP in Quantico, MD Different From a Regular Phone Service?

If you've been with your traditional phone service provider for a long time, you may be hesitant to make the switch over to a business VoIP service from another company. You may wonder whether your new service will deliver the same quality that you've been used to. Rest assured that today's business VoIP phone systems are able to give you superior call quality, useful features and maximum flexibility. The technology behind VoIP phone systems has been around for over a decade and has improved significantly in recent times. Many of the issues commonly reported during the early days of VoIP, such as call quality and reliability problems, are now a thing of the past due to progress in Internet connection speed and equipment quality.

While VoIP may not be the most suitable solution for each and every business throughout the Quantico, MD area, an increasing number of small to mid-sized companies are opting for a VoIP solution. Those who made the decision to use business VoIP report many advantages, such as:

  • Exceptional call quality
  • Lower rates
  • Access to features previously reserved for large enterprises
  • Better solutions for remote employees
  • Easier service upgrades for growing businesses
  • Higher employee productivity
Residential VoIP Providers in Quantico, MD

Comparing Residential VoIP Providers in Quantico, MD

If you are looking for a residential provider for a small home office in Quantico, MD, you have a number of options. Many VoIP providers cater to this demographic and offer abundant features to work with both home and work life. Before picking a service provider, there are few things to consider and do to make the right decision.

  1. Figure out what features you need most. It's important to know what calling features you need. Whether it's voicemail or call waiting, understanding your needs can help you narrow down the search. We've created a list of the most popular features and place it on every provider page so that you can determine what the service has to offer at a glance.
  2. Visit the provider's website. Visiting the provider's website can give you a better idea of what they have to offer. You can read over the fine print and see if there are any deals available. Calling a sales representative is also recommended, as they can offer unique features and equipment.
  3. Understand the quote price. Contacting the provider can also help you better understand the quoted price and what it includes. A number of extra taxes and fees can drive up the total monthly cost. These include emergency service charges, porting fees, and additional hidden costs.
  4. VoIP equipment. Business VoIP service requires a few pieces of equipment, so it's important to find out if the chosen provider supplies them or not. Some providers will include adapters and phones free of charge while others require you to pay for them up front. Sometimes, providers also have unique deals for those that have their own equipment.
  5. Before settling on a provider, we recommend that you perform adequate research. Look through our specific provider pages and user reviews to see what business VoIP providers in Quantico, MD can offer your business. For more detailed and up-to-date information on rates and fees, make sure to visit the provider's website as well.

Find out how much you can save today on Residential VoIP.

Compare top Residential VoIP providers in the table below

Provider Plan Features Rate/min. Trial Period Setup Fees Monthly Fees Details
VoIPo Home Phone
  • Unlimited Calls to US/Canada
  • Over 45 Features + Free 2nd Line
  • Free international call allowance
$15.00/mo. or $6.21/mo. with 2 year contract

30 days

$ 6.21 /mo. *

42 reviews

VoIP Phone Service
  • 2 months free, any plan
  • Phone adapter provided
  • No contracts, no cancellation fee
$8.32/mo. with 12-month agreement

Free first month

$ 8.32 /mo. *

Home Phone Service
  • Unlimited USA and Canada calling
  • Free hardware and activation
  • Money back guarantee, 30+ features
$6.25/mo. 1-year prepay equals $75.00/year

15 days

$ 6.25 /mo. *

52 reviews

Home Phone Service
  • Unlimited calling
  • Cellular phone compatible
  • 60 free international minutes
$8.33 is monthly average with 1-year prepay

30 days

$ 8.33 /mo. *

*Rates shown do not include E-911 charges, taxes, and surcharges. Most providers offering unlimited calling have restrictions and some rates shown are promotional rates based on term contracts or promotional periods. Be sure to read individual providers terms and conditions before you buy. Rates and features displayed for each provider have been sourced from provider's site and other online sources. While we strive to display current information, be sure to check directly with each provider as their plans, pricing, and features are subject to change.

ZIP Codes in Quantico, MD

  • 21856

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Voyager Recordings & Publications

Traditional Fiddle and Acoustic Music From the Pacific Northwest & Beyond

Vivian & Phil Williams & Voyager

We are sad to inform you that Phil Williams passed away in February, 2017. Vivian will carry on with Voyager for the time being.

Catalog of Voyager Compact Discs Instruction Materials, Tune Books, Historical Manuscripts, Fiddle and Music Articles RCA 44DX

Northwest Fiddle Field Recordings Selections
MP3 Format

Voyager Recordings & Publications is an independent recording and publishing company founded by Phil & Vivian Williams in 1967 to issue recordings, tune books, and instructional materials of traditional acoustic fiddle and string band music from the Pacific Northwest and throughout North America. Presently, we have over seventy CDs in press presenting over eighty fiddlers from throughout North America. Our goal is to put out music that we like and that we think other people will enjoy, and to help share and perpetuate traditional fiddle and string band music, with an emphasis on the Pacific Northwest and Far West of North America.

"Catalog of Voyager Compact Discs - To view our CDs, either by looking at our complete catalog by our issue number, or by regional styles or artists on our label, click this link. The separate catalogs by region or style are as follows.
Northwest Fiddlers - Fiddle Jam Sessions; Neil Johnston's Mixed Bag; Bob Simmons, Remembering;, Joe Pancerzewski, Legendary Northwest Fiddler; Gil Kiesecker: Dance Fiddler from the Blue Mountains; Gil Kiesecker: Blue Mountain Memories; Floyd Engstrom; Kitsap County Fiddler; Vivian Williams: Fiddler; Vivian Williams: Starry Nights & Candlelight; Vivian & Phil Williams: Live; Phil & Vivian Williams: Dance Music of the Oregon Trail; Howard Marshall & Phil & Vivian Williams: Fiddle Tunes of the Lewis & Clark Era; Tenino Old Time Music Festival; Pioneer Dance Music of the Far West; Fiddling Down the Oregon Trail; Tunes from the Peter Beemer Manuscript; Tunes from the Haynes Family Manuscript; Phil Williams; The Mandolin Players Pastime.
Bluegrass - Barbara Lamb, Vivian Williams: Twin Sisters; Tall Timber: Encore; Vivian Williams, Harley Bray, Phil Willlams: Winter Moon; Williams & Bray
International Fiddling - Jeff Anderson - Fiddling in the Family Tradition; Jeff & Jane Anderson; Nordic Spirit; Jeff & Jane Anderson - Burning Barrel Fiddle; Tunes from the John Neilson Music Book (Scotland, 1875).
South East & Missouri Old Time Music - Skilletlickers - A Corn Likker Still in Georgia; Kenny Hall and the Long Haul String Band; Jim Herd: Old Time Ozark Fiddling; Howard Marshall & John Williams: Fiddling Missouri; Lee Stripling: Hogs Picking Up Acorns; Leroy Canaday: Old Dan Tucker was a Fine Old Man; Billy Lee: Up Jumped the Devil; Carthy Sisco: Rugged Road; John White: Nine Miles of Dry & Dusty; Allen Hart: Old Time Banjo; Travis Inman: Missouri Fiddler: Cliff Bryan: Got a Little Home to Go To. Two CD Set Pete McMahan: 50 Old-Time Fiddle Gems.
Texas /Oklahoma Fiddling - Benny Thomason: Say Old Man Can You Play the Fiddle; Gary Lee Moore: Uncle Pig.
Canadian and New England Fiddling - Gerry Robichaud: Down East Fiddling; Grant Lamb: Manitoba Fiddler; Louis Boudreault: Old Time Fiddler of Chicoutimi,Quebec; Myllie Barron: Fiddler on the Loose; Myllie Barron: Riding on a Handcar.
Cajun - Marc Savoy, Dewey Balfa, D. L. Menard: Made in Louisiana - Cajun Accordion Music.
Gospel Instrumentals - Floyd Engstrom: Old Time Gospel Favorites; The Gospel According to Rick Ruskin and Vivian Williams.

How to Order. - The price for our CDs is $15.00 plus shipping, unless otherwise stated. To order a CD online using PayPal, or by mail, click here.

Instruction Materials, Tune Books, Articles This page has links to the following:

fRepertoire Builder A set of materials to learn new tunes for fiddle and mandolin. These include 25 Hoedowns & Reels for Square & Contra Dances; 25 Waltzes; 25 Couple Dances: Schottisches, Polkas,Two-Steps, & Pattern Dances.

gifTune books for fiddle and mandolin.

Historical dance fiddling manuscripts from the Victorian Far West and Scotland, and tunes and dances from the Overland Trail. This is a glimpse into the lost dance music of the piioneer Far West and Victorian Scotland. These manucripts were discovered and published by Vivian Williams, and are range in difficultly from easy to quite demanding. Many of the tunes have not been performed for over 100 years. These manuscripts have uncovered the real history of dance music in the pioneer West.

The Peter Beemer Manuscript - 124 tunes, from the Idaho mining town of Warren's Diggins, 1860s.
The Haynes Family Manuscript - 64 tunes from Oregon's Willamette Valley, started by three families that came there over the Oregon Trail in the 1840s and '50s.
The Aurora Violin Manuscripts - 169 tunes played by the quadrille bands of the 19th century Aurora Colony, Oregon.
The John Neilson Music Book - 120 tunes written out by fiddlers in the mining town of Culhill, Scotland, dated 1875.

gifOther tune books::

gifThe Brand New Old Time Fiddle Tunes series are tunes collected by Vivian Williams from fiddlers who wrote them in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere.

gif151 Brand New Old Time Fiddle Tunes
gif141 Brand New Old Time Fiddle Tunes
gif169 Brand New Old Time Fiddle Tunes

gifThe Mandolin Player's Pastime - 140 traditional tunes that are fun to play on the mandolin, compiled by Phil Williams with music and tab.
gifPleasures of Home - Rare Fiddle Tunes 1882 -1930
- Tunes transcribed by Alvy Osborn in his barbershop in Minot, ND, a major jam location for visiting giffiddlers.

gifSongs and Dances of the Oregon Trail - 60 Songs and Dance Tunes in Standard Music Notation, with suggested chords. History of the tunes, quotes about the music and dancingon the Trail from pioneer journals and accounts, and instructions for seventeen dances and play party games. Includes music and dance from the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails,collectively, the "Overland Trail," and early pioneer communities.

Missouri Fiddling History, with CDs:

gifNow That's a Good Tune - Masters of Traditional Missouri Fiddling. The Revised Edition of the classic documentary book and recordings produced by the Missouri Cultural Heritage Center at the University of Missouri, Columbia, first published on LP records in 1989. Book with the stories of thirteen of the most influential Missouri fiddlers, and two Compact Discs of forty-nine tunes performed by these fiddlers.

gifArticles - This page links to many articles of interest to fiddlers, musicians, and dance players.

gifgifWashington Fiddlers Project Panel Discussion - A transcript of the panel discussion at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunesl, Port Townsend, Washington, July 2, 1986, as a part of the Washington Fiddlers Project, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. This panel discussion includes a selection of some of the most prominent Washington State fiddlers at that time, moderated and conducted by Washington State Folklorist, Jens Lund; Alan Jabbour from the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress; Frank Ferrel, Director of the Festival of American Fiddle tunes; and Vivian Williams, chief field researcher for the project. This is a long article, but well worth reading to get an insight into the traditional fiddling in Washington and where it came from. There are some great stories and funny anecdotes in this transcript!
gifgifNorthwest Pioneer Fiddlers by Vivian Williams- A compilation of known 19th century fiddlers in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and British Columbia, with histories, tunes played,and photos. This is a work in progress.
gifgifEarly Bluegrass in Western Washington and the Pacific Northwest - A personal account by Phil Williams
gifgifThe Essential Fiddle Tune Books, by Vivian Williams
gifgifSo You Think You Can't Play by Ear, by Vivian Williams
gifgifThe Circle of Fifths, by Vivian Williams
gifgifJam Session Etiquette, by Vivian Williams
gifgifRelaxed Picking on Guitar and Mandolin, by Phil Williams
gifgifTendinitis Problems of Musicians - Identification, Prevention, Treatment, by Phil Williams
gifgifPlaying For Old Time Dances, by Vivian and Phil Williams
gifgifVoyager Recordings - Article in The Devil's Box, Summer 1994
gifgifLewis Clark Expedition Journal Quotes About Fiddling and Dancing, by Phil and Vivian Williams
gifgifMaking Gut Fiddle Strings, by Heron Allen
gifgifThe Sound Post, by Heron Allen
gifgifThe Origin of the Jim Crow Tune From the New-York Mirror, 1841 (as published)

Click on "Northwest Fiddle Field Recordings Selections" to play selections from our field recordings of fiddlers made in the Pacific Northwest, in mp3 format, and to learn something about the fiddlers and the many types of fiddling found in this region. This is an ongoing project and will be added to as we continue to go through our extensive field recording archives. There is a link from this page to a "Fiddler Histories" page where more extensive information about some of the fiddlers can be found. There are currently 325 tunes from 110 fiddlers recorded in the Pacific Northwest, including recordings of some fiddlers from elsewhere who came to this region. All are freely downloadable.

Jam Sessions at the Williams, Seattle - The Williams house in Seattle has seen many fiddle jams sessions, some of which have been recorded. Starting in 2002, there has been a regular monthly jam session on the first Wednesday of every month, open to all who show up. The fiddlers range from beginners to experts. All fiddle styles are welcome. The jam is completely non-competitive, with a focus on supporting and encouraging each other. As of about two years ago, over 1,500 different tunes have been played at this jam session. Some of these jam session have been recorded. There are mp3 music files of 76 tunes from some of these jam sessions at the Williams house, Seattle, freely downloadable.

Vivian and Phil Williams, proprietors of Voyager Recordings, for information about them and the history of Voyager Recordings, and the recordings they have made.

How to Order our CDs, Books, and Instruction Materials - You may order online using PayPal or by mail.

Video Links - Videos online of Voyager artists and other fiddlers.

Links - Other traditional fiddle and related music web sites. There are links to 215 videos as of March 21, 2012.

Contact Us! - How to reach us by email, mail, telephone, or fax.

We keep the names, addresses, and other information about our customers confidential (see our Privacy Statement.

Voyager Recordings & Publications, 424 - 35th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122
phone (206) 323-1112

e-mail info@voyagerrecords.com

Last updated Janurary 5, 2017

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Where to stay around Whiteparish, GB?

Our 2018 property listings offer a large selection of 194 vacation rentals near Whiteparish. From 82 Bungalows to 82 Cabins, find a unique house rental for you to enjoy a memorable stay with your family and friends. The best places to stay near Whiteparish for a holiday or a weekend are on VRBO.

What are the popular point of interests near where I can stay when traveling to Whiteparish?

VRBO offers a large selection of vacation rentals near lovely places in Whiteparish. From VRBO travelers, the top most popular points of interest to stay for a holiday trip or just for a weekend are:

  • New Forest National Park: 2,549 vacation rentals
  • New Forest Wildlife Park: 1,988 vacation rentals
  • New Forest: 2,539 vacation rentals
  • Old Sarum: 405 vacation rentals
  • Salisbury (XSR-Salisbury Train Station): 422 vacation rentals

But there are many other points of interest around Whiteparish listed on VRBO where you can find your place to stay. Please use our search bar to access the selection of vacation rentals available near the point of interest of your choice.

Can I rent Bungalows in Whiteparish?

Yes, of course. VRBO has 82 Bungalows in Whiteparish. Our other popular types of vacation rentals in Whiteparish include:

  • Cabins: 82 rentals available
  • Cottages: 82 rentals available
  • Studios: 30 rentals available

But you can also enjoy a great stay in one of our other vacation rentals including Condos/Apartments and more.

Can I find a vacation rental with pool in Whiteparish?

Yes, you can select your prefered vacation rental with pool among our 12 vacation rentals with pool available in Whiteparish. Please use our search bar to access the selection of vacation rentals available.

    Choose a vacation rental for your Whiteparish getaway

    Experience the unique character of Whiteparish with a stay in a vacation home rental. This city has something for everyone. Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral are just a couple of the must-sees in the area. Are you looking for specific amenities for your getaway? Many of our vacation rentals feature full kitchens and laundry facilities.

    Activities and attractions in and around Whiteparish

    Are you hoping to find things to do while you're in the area? Although it can be tempting to stay in your comfortable vacation rental, you'll want to check out everything that makes Whiteparish a fun spot to vacation. These are some of the major attractions to put on your list, all within 30 miles (48.2 km) of the city center:

    • Bramshaw Golf Club (6 mi / 9.7 km)
    • Paultons Family Theme Park (6 mi / 9.7 km)
    • Peppa Pig World (6.1 mi / 9.7 km)
    • Frankie's Fun Factory (6.7 mi / 10.8 km)
    • Broadlands Estate (6.9 mi / 11.2 km)
    • The Rapids (7.2 mi / 11.7 km)

    Attractions In and Around Whiteparish

    First time in Whiteparish and looking for places to see? Visitors searching for nearby cultural experiences can take a trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral or spend an enlightening afternoon at Old Sarum or Southampton Maritime Museum. You might also want to add other must-see places in the region like Great Hall, Winchester Cathedral or Beaulieu National Motor Museum to your agenda.

    Exploring the natural features in Whiteparish

    Whether you're an adventurous traveler or just want to spend some time taking in the scenery, Whiteparish is a great place to get outside. These are some of the area's most enchanting features, all within 30 miles (48.2 km) of the city center:

    • Mottisfront Abbey and Gardens (5.4 mi / 8.7 km)
    • Rufus Stone (7 mi / 11.2 km)
    • Cathedral Close (7.4 mi / 11.9 km)
    • Sir Harold Hillier Gardens (8 mi / 12.9 km)
    • Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary (9.2 mi / 14.8 km)
    • Danebury Iron Age Hillfort (10.4 mi / 16.8 km)


text:
Review: Witching Tower

A well-balanced fantasy adventure.

With plenty of fantasy-based virtual reality (VR) adventures on offer, VR gamers are spoilt for choice. Titles such as The Mage’s Tale, The Unspoken, Left-hand Path, The Wizards and more all excel in providing deeply engrossing experiences for those who love to wield the arcane arts. The latest to enter this genre comes from Daily Magic Productions with a glossy, narrative-driven escapade called the Witching Tower, which offers plenty of sword combat with a light smattering of magical overtones.

The Witching Tower - Screenshot

Much like classic fairy tales and Disney stories, the Witching Tower features a narrative involving an evil Queen who controls the undead, and a young girl with magical powers that the Queen wants for her own nefarious ends. Finding yourself imprisoned at the top of a dark tower your quest is to work your way down through it heavily guarded hallways and make a break for freedom.

With role-playing game (RPG) style elements, the Witching Tower has been kept fairly bare bones in its character presentation. As is becoming commonplace with VR titles there’s no HUD to speak of cluttering your vision, helping keep a truer sense of immersion throughout the experience. What you do have is a belt that contains all your necessary inventory items as you locate them.

From swords and bows to flaming torches they all snap reasonably well to your waist and will automatically return there if dropped on the floor. A wrist mount pouch offers further slots for more of the throwaway items like bombs or puzzle related objects. While the videogame can be played seated it’s not recommended if possible, as the belt sometimes twists meaning access to items like the sword or torch can be frustratingly difficult to grab, especially when caught off guard by an enemy.

The Witching Tower - Screenshot

Another aspect that can be somewhat twitchy is movement. For these style of VR adventure’s the best way to explore is via the smooth locomotion, rather than hopping about via teleportation. In the Witching Tower smooth locomotion works well enough but there are moments – walking through doorways, or up and down steps – where you seem to get caught on invisible objects, either slightly stuttering movement or stopping it completely. This is one of those rare moments where teleporting around just makes life that little bit easier.

This doesn’t even particularly hinder those moments in combat where it’s normally easier to step backwards or strafe. Most of the enemies can be dispatched with a few blows of the sword – which can also be used for blocking – or when you have a height advantage just use the bow to whittle down their numbers. That being said, the bow isn’t as nice to use as the ones found in Apex Construct or In Death, its mechanics just don’t feel as taught or accurate.

As for the magic side of the Witching Tower, this generally comes down to two options. A lasso for grabbing distant objects and a special ghostly vision to help see enemies and puzzle clues. As mentioned there is combat involved but most of the time you’ll be solving puzzles to continue the story. They tend not to be overly convoluted, with the difficulty set well enough that most players shouldn’t get stuck for any length of time.

The Witching Tower - Screenshot

One aspect Daily Magic Productions has done a commendable job with is the visuals. Even on the lower settings the Witching Tower is richly detailed and atmospheric, with some beautiful stained glass windows and dark foreboding dungeons.

All in all the Witching Tower is a reasonably solid VR experience throughout. It’s not overly long but there are secrets to find for those completionists out there which help stretch the gameplay that bit further. While it doesn’t break new ground or offer anything too unique, the Witching Tower is still an enjoyable title for those who love this genre of videogame.

  • Verdict
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George’s Restaurant & Catering

Home of the Big "O"

George’s Restaurant, Bar & Catering serves up tradition and nostalgia at breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Known for its delicious food and gracious hospitality, George’s treats customers like family. George’s eclectic menu is consistently selected by Waco diners as No. 1. From Chicken Fried Steak to Crazy Wings, Big “O’s”, Burgers, Seafood and Tex-Mex, George’s signature items have been made favorites by many celebrities, travelers and locals. Longtime and new customers alike enjoy excellent service and great cuisine at the original George’s on Speight Avenue and the second location on Hewitt Drive. George’s is also home to the Party Zone near McLane Stadium at Baylor home games. As the largest caterer in Waco, George’s makes any occasion memorable. It’s what George’s is known for! Come see for yourself!

George’s Restaurant & Catering

1925 Speight Avenue
1201 Hewitt Drive, Suite 100

Best of Waco

Appetizers (2008-2016), Atmosphere (2012-2016), Bar (2015 & 2016), Business Lunch (2016), Catering Service (2007, 2008, 2012-2016), Celebration Meal (2015 & 2016), Cheap Eats (2011-2016), Chicken Fried Steak (2003-2016), Drinking Institution (2015), French Fries (2014-2016), Happy Hour (2012-2016), Late-Night Snack (2015), Locally-Owned Restaurant (2015 & 2016), Most Impress a Visitor (2015 & 2016), Onion Rings (2009-2016), Salads (2015 & 2016), Service (2012-2016), Takeout (2015 & 2016), Watch the Big Game (2010-2016), Wings (2015 & 2016)

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WSM Interviews: Jake Breedlove

WSM: Let’s start with our typical interview questions. What’s your name, where are you from, and how long have you been wakesurfing?

Jake: My name is Jake Harrison Breedlove, I’m 18 years old, born and raised in Austin, TX, and I’ve been wakesurfing for seven years.

WSM: Prior to wakesurfing, were you doing any other towed watersports?

Jake: Growing up on the water on Lake Austin, I would go tubing a lot haha. I didn’t start boarding until I was nine when my brother taught me how to wakeskate before anything else. After that came wakeboarding and wakesurfing a few years later.

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WSM: Take us through your warm up. When you get up for the first time on any given day, what tricks do you do?

Jake: Almost every time I go out I stretch a bit as I get the boat ready. As the ballast is filling I wax my board until the tanks are full. From there I jump in, tell my amazing Dad to hit it, and jump right into it. With my tricks, I always start with a huge air 180. It’s one of my favorite tricks and most definitely my biggest trick. Then I like to practice my harder tricks with other little tricks in between. At the end, I like to try a couple new tricks to see which ones I might want to learn next.

WSM: This is your first year to be competing in the Pro Division, right? What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed between Outlaw and Pro and were you ready for it?

Jake: I was really excited to be competing in the Pro division, but also very nervous. I knew that it would be a huge jump in difficulty from Outlaw to Pro, and it was not easy. At first, I thought I wouldn’t be able to compete with some of the other guys, but after I started practicing a lot more, I noticed I was learning new tricks pretty fast and smooth. After that and some encouragement from my Dad and my board shaper Jonathan Matthews with Blusurf, I built up confidence in myself knowing that I was able to take on the other Pro riders.

WSM: You recently competed in the World Wakesurf Championship from Kelowna, BC. Is an event of that magnitude more nerve-racking than a typical competition? Or is the level of riding so high now all of the competitions are equally difficult?

Jake: Personally it was a little more nerve-racking knowing it was my first Pro season and I had to compete against the best of the best. Overall though all of the Pro riders are very close, neck and neck. It’s not just about throwing down the biggest and baddest tricks to stay in the game, but you also have to be consistent with those tricks. Don’t get me wrong though! Those wild tricks are definitely what makes these competitions so exciting!

WSM: Compared to Lake Austin it had to seem frigid in Kelowna we imagine. Did you layer up for your rides or grin it and skin it?

Jake: Haha well I am from a nice warm climate, but it wasn’t all that bad. As far as skin or wetsuit, I kind of battled with myself in deciding whether or not I wanted to be able to move freely without a wetsuit or stay warm in a wetsuit. Ironically I ended up using a heater top one time, wetsuit one time, and skin another time.

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WSM: Take us back to when you were just starting out. What was the first trick you learned and how long did it take you to get it?

Jake: I guess the first trick I learned was a bottom turn, but besides that, I remember learning how to do an air 180 for the first time and going crazy over it. It probably took about an entire summer for me to learn it consistently but that trick is one of my better ones to this day!

WSM: Do you remember the first time you experienced wakesurfing? Were you immediately hooked?

Jake: Without a doubt, I was definitely hooked. I learned summer of 2011 and I immediately knew how to carve and stay up over rollers and stuff. In 2012 I took lessons from Vince Costa and he is the reason I have such a good style to this day.

WSM: Tell us about your sponsors. What’s your gear setup?

Jake: Most important, my board sponsor is Blusurf. It’s not just about the perfect, good looking board that’s under my feet, but also my relationship with my shaper Jonathan Mathews. He fully understands everything about each board and how they work, and he’s always been very encouraging and helpful to me and my parents.

Boat Beautiful is also a favorite because they do the best boat detailing in Austin. With a great hardworking man running the company and always spreading good words, Boat Beautiful thrives.

Volcom Clothing rep Jeff Hammet has been very supportive of me and my wakesurfing, and he has never failed to impress me. Growing up I always admired Volcom and their kind of style and I never thought I’d be a part of that family.

Last but not least, Lymbo Clothing provides the coolest, most comfortable, local Austin clothing. The man himself Charley Copp, worked his butt off all by himself to make Lymbo Clothing what it is today and he continues to represent Austin in the best way possible.

WSM: If you could take one celebrity wakesurfing with you who would it be and why?

Jake: I would definitely take Andy Samberg. He’s my favorite comedian actor and I also think he would just be cool to hang out with.

WSM: If you had your choice of music when riding, what would it be?

Jake: I never really listen to the same music all the time, but right now I would choose Louis the Child.

WSM: Where would you like to see wakesurfing go in the future?

Jake: I think it would be really exciting if it became a lot bigger, but still had the cool family/community vibe. I think the entire world should see what we do just as much as other big sports, and I would like more people to get involved.

WSM: What advice would you give a newcomer to the sport that’s looking to progress and learn new tricks?

Jake: Always keep a positive attitude, and try to never feel bummed out if you lose. I’ve had times when I’ve gotten upset after losing, but I’ve also had times where I kept a good attitude after losing. Yeah, it’s a bummer that I lost, but keeping a good attitude helps me and others around me enjoy the rest of the fun and excitement that competing gives us.

WSM: What tricks are you working on? Anything you feel like lettings us know about?

Jake: I am currently working on my frontside big spin. It’s one of my favorites for sure, but I also think it’s time for a couple new tricks. After watching Jake Caster throw his 360 body varial it inspired me to try and come up with something different and new. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring something never before seen next season!

WSM: Do you have anyone you’d like to thank?

Jake: There are tons of people I could thank for helping and encouraging me, but I definitely want to thank my parents and Jonathan Mathews. They have helped me the most in every way possible, more than I could ever ask.

WSM: Would you like to plug any social media?

Jake: @jakebreedlove_Instagram

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We want to thank Jake for giving WSM his time and we look forward to seeing more of him as he continues to progress in his career and push wakesurfing into the future!

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Selling handmade lanterns, Hoi An (Shutterstock)
Article Words : Mark Stratton | 11 February

Hoi An: The best city on earth

You voted Vietnam’s Hoi An as your favourite city in the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2016, so we thought we'd see what all the fuss is about...

Mr Quang and I were doing some spying, deep inside central Vietnam. Our mission? To discover the top-secret ingredient of cao lau from a family of fourth-generation noodle-makers, who’ve been making it for 150 years. Possessing a moreish smoky taste and a chewy texture, the exact recipe of Hoi An’s unique dish is shared among only four families who jealously guard the recipe.

Amid the lime-green paddy fields surrounding Hoi An, Mr Quang guided me to the Ta family’s courtyard, where raffia platters of these earthworm-like noodles were drying in the sun. Mrs Ta saw us arrive and had sharp words for Quang. “She’s suspicious of you, she thinks you’ve come to steal their secrets,” he translated.

Mr Ta was more accommodating, and cheerfully explained some of the processes involved in making cao lau. It is common knowledge that the rice used should be boiled in spring-water drawn from Hoi An’s revered Ba Le well and then steamed in a metal cauldron at 180°C over a gum-tree wood fire.

Hoi An street food (Shutterstock)
Hoi An street food (Shutterstock)

But he was less forthcoming when it came to the secret ingredient that gives the noodles their unique texture; angling for a scoop, I asked what this might be... “No, no, no,” admonished a smiling Mr Ta, “I cannot tell you that.”

There are no such secrets, however, about the exotic recipe that makes Hoi An a firm travellers’ favourite in South-East Asia – indeed, you, the readers of Wanderlust, have just voted it your ‘Top City’.

A visit to this beguiling river port quickly reveals why it’s heading many a traveller’s to-do list: it has the most complete ancient centre in Vietnam, great shopping and cuisine, and golden sandy beaches close to hand.

Legacy of layers

If anything, on first impressions Hoi An may seem a little too touristy – almost every ancient building is given over to a hotel, restaurant, bar, tour operator or souvenir shop. Yet this new trade doesn’t in the least contradict its legacy of enticing outsiders.

Foreign traders have been arriving in Hoi An for over 1,000 years, accessing it from the South China Sea via the Thu Bon River. Over time it became one of Asia’s most important trading ports, initially under the auspices of the Champa kingdom and later under their vanquishers, the Vietnamese. During its halcyon days, between the 16th and 19th centuries, traders from Japan, Europe and China came seeking silk, precious metals, gems and tea.

Traditional boats in Hoi An (Shutterstock)
Traditional boats in Hoi An (Shutterstock)

In return they imprinted a distinct architectural and cultural overlay, witnessed today in eclectic reminders of cosmopolitanism: Japanese arched bridges, French wooden shutters and Chinese pagodas, juxtaposed against sagging circular-tiled roofs and mustard-yellow adobe walls that smoulder at sunset.

Ironically the architectural intactness of Hoi An’s densely packed merchant townhouses survives because of the town’s rapid demise. When the Thu Bon River silted up in the 19th century, the trade ships stopped arriving and economic stagnation preserved it as if in aspic. Now, the modern-day trade is tourism, which has revived the fortunes of this UNESCO World Heritage-listed town.

Arriving by taxi from Danang Airport, 35km away, I entered the ancient quarter’s narrow lanes on foot. Cars are banned from the centre – a merciful relief after Hanoi and Saigon, where crossing the road is akin to Russian roulette.

Walking the lanes of Hoi An (Shutterstock)
Walking the lanes of Hoi An (Shutterstock)

My hotel, Vinh Hung 1, was a historic treasure itself. At 200 years old, it’s one of Hoi An’s most graceful Chinese merchant’s houses, furnished head-to-toe in polished mahogany, from its lofty ceilings to its creaky floorboards. The six spacious rooms are arranged around an atrium courtyard to the rear, while huge shuttered windows allow morning rays to illuminate a breakfast buffet of fried noodles, dim sum dumplings and speckled dragonfruit.

Living history

After breakfast, Nguyen Tuyet Linh breezed by to begin our guided tour of Hoi An’s historic landmarks. Petite and dressed entirely in pink, she shivered as she told me, without irony, “we can’t bear the cold when temperatures fall to around 18-19°C.”

She explained the greatest architectural influence on Hoi An had come from Chinese merchants, from whom many Hoianese families trace their ancestry today. The most overt expression of this are the community’s assembly halls, still used by the offspring of different Chinese ethnic groups such as the Cantonese.

Most eye-catching is the 17th-century Fujian Assembly Hall – a strikingly kitsch compound of triple-arched gateways, feng shui gardens and a dragon-topped Taoist shrine. Like every other town property it’s richly frescoed with auspicious symbols: carps for prosperity; peaches for longevity; door-eyes for clear-sightedness; bats for happiness.

Fujian Assembly Hall (Shutterstock)
Fujian Assembly Hall (Shutterstock)

Yet for all this photogenic theatricality I quickly appreciated such monuments are not empty husks recalling abandoned traditions; they retain genuine resonance within 21st-century Hoianese beliefs.

I witnessed childless couples seeking spiritual fertilisation by placing betel nut offerings at the shrine of the 12 sacred ba mu (midwives) while fishermen lit incense sticks at the assembly hall’s ex-voto model ship, beseeching Thien Hau, the protective deity of sailors, for safe passage at sea.

Equally, there remains a functionality to Hoi An’s archaic structures. Old Chinese townhouses (best visited around 8am before they fill with tour-parties) are very much lived in by latter generations of the original merchants.

The 230-year-old Phung Hung house is occupied by the seventh and eighth generations of the Tranh clan. Nearby, Hoi An’s most iconic structure, a sensuously arched 16th-century Japanese covered bridge, remains a key crossing point.

Japanese bridge, Hoi An (Shutterstock)
Japanese bridge, Hoi An (Shutterstock)

This sense of lived-in authenticity was especially noticeable at night: the Hoianese somewhat reclaim the town centre when the hubbub of visitors dies down. Instead, the atmospherically shadowy lanes echo to sounds of whirring sewing machines, family arguments and laughter, and tile-slapping games of Chinese checkers.

Come the evening, most tourists migrate to the banks of the Thu Bon River, the place to promenade as Hoi An undergoes its daily transformation from historic quarter to pleasuredome. Here, myriad restaurants and bars offer never-ending ‘happy hours’ while the buzz of mercantilism dominates: people barter for artworks, crafts and pirated DVDs; tailors whip up shirts and taffeta dresses before you’ve even had time to ask how much. All over, Hoi An twinkles with lanterns of every colour.

Cau An Hoi bridge over the Thu Bon River (Shutterstock)
Cau An Hoi bridge over the Thu Bon River (Shutterstock)

I just went with this nightly flow. “Hello, motorboat... one hour” was the repeated refrain of the boatman moored along the riverfront, offering couples romantic nighttime cruises. A little boy in a shiny silver suit danced ‘Gangnam Style’ for tourist dollars. I lost 10,000 dong (OK, 30p) at an open-air game of musical bingo, whose caller belted out traditional Vietnamese folk songs.

I ended up wandering into a handicrafts emporium that keeps silkworms to demonstrate the A to Z of silk-thread spinning. “One cocoon provides 1km of silk,” explained saleswoman Phuong.

C’est magnifique

But it’s Hoi An’s much-vaunted cuisine that proves most tantalising. Some restaurants fuse Western presentation with local recipes but I was seeking more traditional fare so headed inside a cho (market) that was sizzling with aromas. It was here I discovered – and became a bit obsessive about – cao lau. I watched as the vendor rapidly mixed the special noodles with pork slices, fish sauce, beansprouts and fresh herbs, and topped them with wonton croutons. It was love at first bite.

Another evening I dined al fresco at one of Hoi An’s quirkier establishments, Café des Amis on the waterfront. It’s hard to bypass because its Francophone chef, Mr Kim, sits front of house and bellows ‘EXCELLENT’ at startled passers-by.

Above Edith Piaf’s warbling he explained that over 20 years he’s only ever offered a fixed five-course menu, the content of which is decided on a whim. That night the £5 included another signature Hoi An dish, ‘white roses’: slimy oyster-textured shrimp dumplings resembling flower heads. I asked Kim if he’d ever considered a more a la carte menu? “Never, it will always be the same only better and more EXCELLENT every day,” he roared back.

Central Market of Hoi An (Shutterstock)
Central Market of Hoi An (Shutterstock)

Food is so intrinsic to Hoi An’s appeal that numerous cookery schools have cropped up. Classes begin with trips to the open-air market to learn about abundant and sometimes unfamiliar local produce from the surrounding fertile floodplain. “Don’t say ‘yum’,” admonished our market guide to an Australian woman enjoying the sugary sweetness of soursop for the first time. “It’s very rude in Vietnamese.”

“The highest paid worker in my restaurant is the person finding the freshest ingredients from the market,” said leading Hoi An restaurateur, Madam Vy – possibly the closest Vietnam has to a celebrity chef. “Vietnamese cooking is all about fresh produce, the yin and yang of ingredients, and love,” was her mantra during a three-hour cookery class at her Morning Glory school. Under her expert tuition I rustled up a passable spicy mango salad but must confess to a few lumps in my crispy pancakes.

Did she know the secret of cao lau, I wondered? “The dish itself is very cosmopolitan, like Hoi An,” said Madam Vy. “Noodles influenced by the Chinese or Japanese, fresh Vietnamese herbs, French croutons. Special well-water may change the texture, and the smoky taste is from the fire, but there’s an ingredient I don’t understand. I’ve tried making them but they’ve never quite tasted right.”

Pedal in the paddies

My wild goose chase to uncover the secrets of cao lau off the Ta family was one of several excursions I made over the following days. I also took a bicycle into Hoi An’s simplistically beautiful surrounding countryside, ranging across a floodplain of extensive rice-paddies, deltaic islands and inland fishing villages stretching to the South China Sea coast, 4km away.

Cua Dai beach (Shutterstock)
Cua Dai beach (Shutterstock)

This proximity to untamed beaches embellishes Hoi An’s appeal and I relocated for my final few days to Cua Dai beach – near-deserted in January’s cooler temperatures. There may have been few swimmers in the choppy aluminium-grey sea but it wasn’t curtailing the local fishermen, who use remarkable bamboo-strip coracles that bob on the horizon like wobbling Subbuteo men.

Exploring Hoi An’s watery hinterland from Cua Dai by bicycle was easy enough, although a few ground rules exist for cycling in Vietnam. When a motor-scooter heads your way on the wrong side of the road, don’t second-guess it as it will be well versed in avoiding impending catastrophe. Equally, never look towards the curb because, no matter how small the gap you’ve left is, somebody will be overtaking on the inside.

Farmer in Hoi An (Shutterstock)
Farmer in Hoi An (Shutterstock)

But other than obstreperous water buffaloes, I had few causes for alarm as I pedalled along nebulous causeways between paddies. From the saddle, I watched rice-planters sewing as the winter’s floodwaters receded; all work is done by hand with scarcely a shred of mechanisation. Among these fields are elaborate, richly painted family tombs. “Some tombs are very expensive; they can cost 30 million dong [about £900, a year’s salary for some] but it’s very important to build a big tomb to honour the family,” Quang later told me.

The fishing villages sheltering within myriad lagoons and tributaries are similarly wedded to the past. In a tidal creek near Cam Thanh village, fishermen squelched through muddy shallows jamming handheld wicker pots upon what looked like carp in the most primitive style of fishing I’ve ever witnessed.

City of secrets

My last big excursion from Hoi An would’ve been somewhat bigger if, in the late 1960s, American bomber pilots hadn’t decided Viet Cong guerrillas were hiding among the Cham ruins of My Son. If you’ve never been to Angkor Wat, this is its hors d’oeuvre: exquisitely decorative Hindu temples set among verdant jungle, built between the fourth and 13th centuries.

Nowadays, 25 of the 70 brick-towered temples survive among American bomb craters at the foot of an auspicious mountain. My (pronounced ‘mee’) Son is the crowning glory of the once-powerful Cham dynasty that ruled southern Vietnam. The remaining temples and meditation halls are artfully crafted from red bricks with shattered bas-reliefs depicting the god Shiva as well as Vishnu with his mythical steed, the Garuda.

My Son (Shutterstock)
My Son (Shutterstock)

Among these temples I discovered another tantalising local mystery. After a fire levelled the wooden My Son around the sixth century, and after the Americans blew large parts of the brick version to smithereens, the next stroke of bad luck came with successive archaeologists, who bodged their restorations because they were unable to replicate a transparent mortar (thought to be a tree resin) used by the Cham.

The Cham builders have taken this secret to the grave. It seems the, much like the Ta family and their cao lau noodles, they were unwilling to share their knowledge. And so it is with Hoi An: though the streets might bustle with visitors, there are still many secrets to be discovered within.

The author travelled with Bamboo Travel. As well as tailormade itineraries, Hoi An features on many of its group trips.

Hoi An was voted Top City in the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2016 – and Bamboo Travel scooped the Silver prize for the Tour Operator category. See more results here...

Main image: Selling handmade lanterns, Hoi An (Shutterstock)


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Elemental Bowls

"The Elemental series is focused on the relationships between colors. Chemically, I layer colors that do not work well together, and the result is something similar to that of oil and water.  While each reaction is unique, I am able to control the density of the reactions from years of careful experimentation. It is easy to get lost in the intricate and subtle patterns as you look closer."--David Royce

These hand blown sculptural bowls are blown to order then sand etched by the artist. Your bowl will made to order, will vary slightly from those shown and will be one-of-a-kind. Available in three distinct sizes in several colors.

large 8.5" D x 6" H

medium  6.75" D x 5" H

small   5.5" D x 4" H

Made to Order, allow up to 4 weeks for delivery.

by David Royce

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L to R: narrow (turquoise), wide (green), petite (opal brown)
Elemental Series Flat Bottles from $250.00
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Elemental Sphere, blue
Elemental Spheres $75.00
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Large Upright Elemental Stone, blue green
Elemental Stones from $60.00
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Lodestar Series
Lodestar Series $2,000.00
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Lucent Cup Pendant, amber
Lucent Cup Pendants $165.00
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Lucent Ribbed Pendants large and small, amber
Lucent Ribbed Pendants from $165.00
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Red and White Glass Sculpture
Red and White Glass Sculpture $1,800.00
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Ripple Bottle cobalt blue
Ripple Bottle $225.00
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Silver Leaf Tumbler, gray
Silver Leaf Tumblers from $21.25
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Silver Leaf Votive, gray
Silver Leaf Votives $25.00
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It was “back to their roots” for the girls in Stratton House on their first weekend back at Warminster, when they went on their bonding trip to our Forest School on the Longleat Estate.

We took that theme literally and rather than taking minibuses or coaches we walked out to our destination through the beautiful English countryside. The first challenge was putting the tents up and when they first came out of their bag, one or two girls looked a little bit shell-shocked when it dawned on them that we would ACTUALLY sleep in them overnight! However, everybody tried their best with putting the tents up and simply gave the whole thing a go which I was very impressed by.

THE best chef, Mr Rall and his team, had prepared a BBQ for us all, so luckily for us, it wasn’t quite “back to their roots” with the cooking! Sitting around the campfire, keeping the fire going, eating smores and singing campfire songs was a special bonding experience and these memories will stay with us all forever.

Big 'thank yous' go to Mr Rall for the food, Mr Holt for welcoming us to the Forest School, Mr Crinion for his impromptu help on Sunday morning and Mrs Daines and Miss Weeks for their help with organising and accompanying the trip.

Miss Mitterrutzner, Stratton Housemistress


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Things to Do

Where & When: This Week in Washington Nightlife

What to do every night of this week for fun.

Monday, September 22: Bare Rock
Bobby Bare, Jr. is the son of a country legend, but he’s been doing his own thing in his musical career, and it’s working out pretty well for him. Bare’s moving music has a sweet alt-country sound that’s perfect for fall—and you can catch it live tonight at the Rock ‘N Roll Hotel. 8 PM, $12.

Tuesday, September 23: Air Guitar Championship
Always wanted to be a rock star, but don’t know how to, er, actually play a guitar? That’s not a concern at DC’s first-annual Air Guitar Championship, being held this evening at Wonderland Ballroom. Bring an alias, a great rockstar outfit, and 60 seconds of your best air-guitar-rocking music on a CD. More details on entering and watching are here. 9 PM.

Wednesday, September 24: Tupac’s Resurrection
On Wednesday, the National Portrait Gallery is screening Tupac: Resurrection at 7 in the McEvoy Auditorium. The film, narrated by Tupac, chronicles the hip-hop legend’s journey from the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts to the streets of Oakland and his rise to fame.

Thursday, September 25: Cupcake Contest
Who doesn’t love cupcakes? Better yet, who doesn’t love free cupcakes? Then you better get yourself over to the Washington Club tonight for DC’s first-ever cupcake contest, where anyone can enter their best cupcakes, and the audience can sample them, drink from a cash bar, and mingle at the same time. Sounds like a perfect Thursday night to us. Get more details on how to enter and attend here.

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Things to Do

Where & When: This Week in Nightlife

ARTventures in the Atlas District, delicious paella, free theater, and more!

Monday: Paella Festival
All three locations of José Andrés’s tapas bar, Jaleo, are offering a special menu featuring many takes on the classic Spanish dish, designed by visiting chef María José San Román. The menu is available all day starting at 11:30. The festival runs through June 20.

Tuesday: Prop 8
Filmmaker Steven Greenstreet’s documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition, which takes a look at the Mormon Church’s campaign to pass Proposition 8 in California, screens at E Street Cinema at 7:30. The show is free, but you must RSVP at to attend. Greenstreet will be at the screening.

Wednesday: Dance Box
Dance Box Theater, which combines elements of dance and theater to address issues related to art and social justice, performs at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage at 6. Free.

Thursday: ARTventures on H Street
Eleven art galleries along the H Street corridor open their doors from 5 to 7:30 for a special neighborhood art walk. Attendees will be given an ARTventures “passport” to be stamped at each stop of the walk. Every stamp counts as a discount at nearby restaurants, such as Sticky Rice, H Street Country Club, and the Argonaut. For more details about the walk, click here.

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In and around Washington, the capital city of this nation of immigrants, America's latest arrivals are welcomed by many and tolerated by most.

A Washington Post survey of 1,319 residents of the Washington area disclosed generally accepting and often favorable opinions of recent immigrants who have settled here.

Unlike cities such as Miami, where even the subtropical thunder cannot drown out the sound of Hispanic, Anglo and black cultures clashing, residents here view immigrants positively.

The survey results suggest that uncertainty and latent hostility may lie just beneath those attitudes, however. More than two of every five residents agreed with the statement that there are "too many immigrants in the Washington area." But it was an uncomfortable view that troubled many of those who expressed it.

"There's only one problem with them," said James Exum, 50, a waiter who lives off Minnesota Avenue in Northeast Washington. "They keep people raised and born here out of work."

That view -- that they take jobs from Americans -- is not supported by evidence. Nevertheless, the survey suggested that receptivity to the new immigrants is largely a pocketbook issue. Intolerance increases as incomes decline. Foreigners do not worry area residents. Competitors do.

Still, there is more good news than bad in the numbers:

Nearly two out of three persons surveyed said immigrants have made Washington "a more interesting place to live."

More than four of five -- 83 percent -- said immigrants work harder to get ahead than do other people. And two of three said immigrants are filling jobs others don't want, rather than taking desirable jobs from residents.

About nine of 10 said they would prefer to send their children to a school with immigrant children rather than to one where none of the other children are immigrants.

More than two of five -- 44 percent -- said that immigrants are more likely than other people to be good neighbors; only one of five said they are worse.

One of three residents said that immigrants have made the area a better place in which to live, and two of five said they have made no noticeable difference. Only about one of five said immigrants have made Washington a worse place to live.

Relatively small numbers acknowledged negative or hostile views of immigrants. Only one in five said immigrants are more likely than other residents to be involved in drugs or crime. About one in 10 said immigrants "will never become good U.S. citizens." A similarly small minority said the children of immigrants are hurting area public schools.

Two-thirds of all those surveyed -- 68 percent -- said they had encounters in the past year with an immigrant who had trouble understanding English. But only one of three said they were particularly bothered by the incident.

"Language is the biggest problem," said Sandra Allison, 39, a school teacher who lives in Hillcrest Heights. "I went to the 7-Eleven store and the lady had a problem with the change. I felt a little frustrated because I was frustrated. Then I thought how I would feel if I were in another country trying to make it . . . . Someone else had to hold the door open for everyone else who came here."

Others complained of unintelligible encounters with taxi drivers and restaurant servers. Perhaps that's why 66 percent of those surveyed said the government should provide English classes at no cost to any immigrants who want them. Significantly, however, a somewhat larger percentage opposed offering classes in immigrants' native languages in public schools.

"This guy made a U-turn from the right lane right in the middle of the block, and didn't look at all" said Jackie Cooper, 32, of Capitol Heights, recalling an accident that occurred just four days earlier. "He had a brand-new '87 Taurus and now it had a big dent in it. I just felt numb."

Cooper said his car was not seriously damaged. "I let bygones be bygones. It was just ignorance on his part." His attitude toward immigrants also appeared undamaged. "They've been good for us," he said. "They've given us different ways of looking at things; you get another perspective, and that makes a good difference."

The survey showed that area residents appear to tolerate immigrants -- until they pose a threat to their jobs or their paychecks.

More than half of those surveyed said that immigrants bring down wages. And three of five respondents with household incomes of less than $12,000 a year said there are too many immigrants in the Washington area. But among those with household incomes of $75,000 a year or more, only one of four expressed a similarly negative view.

Income alone, however, did not explain all differences in attitudes. The survey generally found that blacks of all income levels were slightly less likely than whites to express positive views of immigrants. Blacks also were more likely than whites to have a neutral opinion of immigrants. One example: About one of five blacks said immigrants have made the Washington area a better place to live, and half said immigrants have made little difference. But more than a third of all whites said immigrants have helped this area, while slightly more than a third said they have had little impact. Significantly, about equal percentages of blacks and whites claimed that immigrants have hurt the area.

More than two of five respondents who said immigrants take desirable jobs from area residents also said that immigrants make the Washington area a worse place to live. But less than one of six -- 15 percent -- of those who said that immigrants merely fill jobs that others don't want said the same thing.

Exum has been tending bar and waiting tables in the Rayburn Cafeteria in the House of Representatives for seven years. He makes something less than $20,000 a year; it's the best-paying job he's ever had. Exum doesn't fear that he will lose his job to an immigrant. And he doesn't believe immigrants have lowered wages in his line of work. "But they could," he said.

Few respondents -- even those most fearful that immigrants threaten their own economic well-being -- said they had been hurt personally by immigrants.

Eloise Benham, 61, lives a dozen miles from Exum in a part of Fairfax County that is separated by more than geographic distance from Northeast Washington.

Benham's view of immigrants has been formed, in part, by her association with Zoila Cornjo, a Salvadoran immigrant who is her maid.

"The immigrants that I know I'm very impressed with," Benham said. "Other people aren't willing to wash dishes. They are. Other people won't clean toilets. They're willing. Other people won't sweep floors. They're willing. These people are not only willing, they're delighted."

Benham said she helped Cornjo become a legal resident when Benham discovered, to her dismay, that Cornjo was an illegal immgrant.

Cornjo is married now and has three children of her own. She comes to clean the Benham home once a week. Benham saves the Sunday comics for her to take home to her children. Their relationship, rooted fundamentally in noncompeting self-interest, appears to be something more than their respective circumstances might otherwise have allowed. "She's just a lovely person," Benham said. "I'd turn over my life to her."

About one of six area residents said they or a member of their household paid an immigrant to do work for their family in the past year. Immigrants were generally viewed as hard working. Four out of five respondents said that immigrants are more likely than other people to work hard to get ahead.

That impression is confirmed by about three in 10 of those who work alongside recently arrived immigrants. More than half -- 55 percent -- of those questioned said they have worked with an immigrant.

The poll suggests that Washington area residents believe that each major immigrant group to come to this area in the past two decades has generally made this area a better place to live -- or, at worst, made no noticeable difference.

One group did generate disproportionately high negative ratings: Iranians, perhaps because of some perceived association with the current regime in that country. Twenty-eight percent of the respondents said Iranian immigrants hurt the area.

Depending where one looks, most neighborhoods in the Washington area would appear closer to an ethnic salad bowl than a melting pot. About half -- 56 percent -- of all residents said there are immigrants living in their neighborhood, but only about one of eight said there were "many" immigrants in their area.

Slightly more than half said they know immigrants living in their neighborhood, and slightly more than one out of three -- 36 percent -- said they consider an immigrant here to be a "close personal friend."

Most people with school-aged children said their children have attended a school with at least a few immigrant children, and half said that their children have immigrant friends.

Joyce Powell, 39, of Northwest Washington came to this area 13 years ago from Jamaica. Her three sons followed two years later.

She has not faced overt discrimination because of her nationality, Powell said. No ethnic or racial slurs, not even insults cloaked as jokes. "Even if people have had that feeling inside," she said, "they haven't shown it to me."

Her boys, now age 26, 22 and 21, played with nonimmigrant children in the neighborhood. "They get along better with Americans than with their own," she said.

There have, however, been problems.

"All their girl friends are Americans . . . , " Powell laughed. "They need to love their own people, too."

Washington Post polling analyst Kenneth E. John contributed to this study.


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Kenneth Coddington, 23, of Manassas will begin active duty at Quantico next week. But that's next week. Yesterday, he coasted to a decisive victory at the third annual HQ Army Recreation 10-Mile Run at the Pentagon.

Coddington's time of 50 minutes 57 seconds easily outdistanced Bob Oberti (52:40) of Waldorf, and Terry Rauch (52:45) of Fort Detrick, Md.

Molly McGhee of Alexandria won the women's division in 66:07.

Coddington ran the first mile in 5:10 and was timed in 10:20 for two miles, holding a five-yard edge over Oberti and 10 yards on Rauch, with the field of more than 800 runners following.

Off the Memorial Bridge and onto Ohio Drive at the three-mile point, Coddington pulled away. Over the next mile, Coddington's lead over Oberti increased to nearly 100 yards.

Coddington ran easily along the Potomac River through West and East Potomac Parks, on a perfectly clear and cool morning. At the midway mark, he was unofficially clocked at 25:20, with no other racers in sight.

"They were backing off the pace," said Coddington, who was graduated from Osbourn Park High School in Virginia and Virginia Tech. "I was just maintaining the same pace."

Behind Coddington, the gap between Oberti and Rauch was shortening, and Rauch began running stronger. Passing over the 14th Street Bridge, with a mile left, and down the ramp to Boundary Channel Drive, Rauch started his kick.

By now, however, Coddington had crossed the finish line. Oberti was able to outsprint Rauch for second by 15 yards.

In the women's race, runner-up Janet O'Hara of Fort Belvoir led for nine miles before succumbing to McGhee's fast finish. O'Hara, 22, posted a time of 66:36, 29 seconds behind the 29-year-old McGhee.


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Lisa Fletcher and Wayne Pacelle at the book-signing event for “The Bond” Tuesday. (Michelle Riley/ The HSUS)

Wayne Pacelle may look like a dashing TV reporter — that hair, that jaw: you can just picture him hanging out with Anderson and Sanjay in some trouble spot — but he’s not one. He’s the president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.

His fiancee Lisa Fletcher, on the other hand, is a TV reporter, for WJLA — who looks like a movie star.

Washington, we’ve got a new power couple.

We caught up with the recently engaged duo Tuesday night at a book-signing and Q&A for Pacelle’s new animal-rights manifesto, “The Bond,” for which he’s about to launch on a 50-city promotional tour.

There’s a good story: They actually met 17 years ago, early in both of their careers. She was a TV reporter in Eugene, Ore., he was an animal-rights advocate passing through their town when a mutual friend suggested they meet. Fletcher told us they kept in distant touch after that — “five emails over 15 years” — but hadn’t made much of an impression on each other.

Then in 2008, she was working for ABC News in Los Angeles when she saw his face pop up in campaign ads for Proposition 2, an ultimately successful California ballot initiative to improve conditions for farm animals. Smelling a good news story, she dropped him a line, and they agreed to meet up. They sat outdoors at a cafe and talked until waiters made them leave — “and we’ve been together ever since.” (Oh, and “we did end up doing a story.”) Last summer, after a long-distance courtship, she moved to Washington. No date set yet, but they plan to get married later this year.

About a hundred animal-lovers turned out to the downtown Barnes & Noble to sign their books and ask questions ranging from why birds are dropping out of the sky to whether fireworks are bad for our furred and feathered friends. Asked who the Humane Society’s allies are on Capitol Hill, Pacelle happily shared the anecdote of how Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) just turned down a Humane Society award because he thinks the group’s anti-trapping campaign is “extremist” and “manipulative.” Young got the society’s nod because he’d sponsored a bill to try to protect sea mammals from fishing nets, Pacelle explained.

“We err on the side of being generous” with the awards, he said.


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The underground broadcaster Radio Alghad includes public-service messages warning listeners to shelter inside interior rooms during bombardment and to open windows to relieve the pressure so the glass doesn’t implode. This is an excerpt of one of the calls. (William Booth,Jason Aldag,Jennifer Amur/The Washington Post)

The listeners who call in to Radio Alghad are typical of talk-radio audiences around the world. It’s complain, complain. Except the callers to “Radio Tomorrow” are in the Islamic State-controlled city of Mosul, and they don’t want to yak about traffic or sports.

They want to unload on suicide bombers and errant airstrikes, on the lack of food and medicine. They have questions about when to wave white flags and what to do with bodies in the rubble.

“Shrapnel hit the tanks on the rooftop,” a caller named Hasan told FM-95.5 the other day. “We have lost all water we have saved.”

On calls made from the front lines in Mosul, Radio Alghad listeners can hear artillery rounds falling as the government battles to retake the city. They can hear windows rattling, bursts of gunfire, children crying in a backroom.

“There is a difference between hearing about the crimes and seeing them with your eyes,” another caller told one of the station’s hosts.

The radio station Alghad beams music, news and talk shows into the ISIS-controlled city of Mosul, now the scene of pitched battles between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State militants. ( William Booth/The Washington Post)

She begged Iraqi forces to hurry to recapture the city. Many of her neighbors still support the Islamic State, she said. “So it’s hard to tell who is a friend and who is an enemy.”

The callers often speak in rushed whispers.

A cellphone, even a SIM card found hidden in a pocket or purse, can mean a death sentence in Mosul, where Islamic State militants have ordered “collaborators and spies” to be summarily executed.

The station’s founder is a 30-something tech entrepreneur who calls himself “Mohammad of Mosul” in interviews because he does not want to be targeted by the Islamic State or its supporters. He also insists on keeping the location of his station and most of the names of its hosts secret. He is concerned about car bombs. He will allow a reporter to say only that the operation is in the Kurdish area of Iraq.

On a recent evening, during one of four call-in shows hosted each day, a dozen people from Mosul and surrounding towns and villages telephoned the station and went live on-air.

Callers are told to use aliases. But instead of “Sleepless in Seattle,” the callers identify themselves with monikers such as “Tear of an Oppressed,” “Prisoner of Memories” and others such as “Mother of Ali” or “Son of Mosul.”

The guests are also warned not to mention their exact locations, for their own protection and to foil intelligence-gathering by Islamic State militants, who monitor the radio station.

The first call of the evening went like this:

CALLER: As-salamu alaykum!

HOST: Peace to you, Son of Mosul! Where are you calling from?

CALLER: From the left side [what Iraqis call the east side of the Tigris River in Mosul], from the liberated areas.

HOST: Inshallah, the whole of Mosul gets liberated. We want to hear soon that Mosul has completely been liberated.

CALLER: It will be liberated by the help of God. What is left for Daesh [the Arabic acronym used for the Islamic State]? Only to hide behind women? They protect themselves by women!

HOST: Inshallah, God will give revenge for you, Son of Mosul, and for all the oppressed people in Mosul. Go ahead, tell me about the situation on the left side.

CALLER: I only want to say one thing, do you know what? In Hay al-Samah [neighborhood], the people are still under the destroyed houses; the houses have collapsed on top of them.

Radio Alghad went on the air in March 2015. Mohammad said that after watching how the Islamic State operated, he decided that Mosul needed an alternative radio station.

“Their social-media skills are high. Their psychologists are impressive,” he said. “They get a lot of hits.” Islamic State videos — such as the infamous “Clash of Swords” series — instilled fear among Iraqi defenders and diminished their will to fight.

In 2014, the Islamic State took Mosul, then a city of about 2 million, in a couple of days as Iraqi security forces retreated.

“Then I realized this is a media war,” the Alghad director said.

The Islamic State has its own radio station operating in Mosul, Radio al-Bayan 92.5 FM.

“They use their transmitters to jam us — and we now use our transmitters to jam them,” Mohammad said. “We’re both on each other’s frequencies all the time.”

In the frequency wars, the anti-Islamic State station now operates seven transmitters.

Before the government’s offensive to recapture Mosul began in early October, hot topics on the call-in shows were the Islamic State’s bans on smoking, cellphones and satellite dishes. Men complained about being forced to grow beards, and women about being required to wear full-face veils. They also complained about taxes, arrests and street executions.

Now Radio Alghad includes public-service messages, warning listeners to shelter inside interior rooms during bombardments and to open windows to relieve the pressure so that glass does not implode.

On a normal day, about 80 callers go live on-air, most of them from Mosul. In recent days, many callers have said they are being pounded both by Islamic State mortars and shelling from Iraqi forces. They are pleading for the Iraqi army to be more mindful of civilians during its offensive against the city.

A caller, “Mother of Ali,” said: “Honestly, we can’t stand the bombings anymore, but we have no choice but to thank God and be more patient.”

Another caller complained that “Daesh launches one or two rockets, but the Iraqi army bombing is very intense. The area is full of civilian families and they get hurt, so through your station I would like to ask them to decrease the bombings and to be more accurate.”

The host thanks his callers — but when they begin to criticize the Iraqi army more than the Islamic State, he brings the conversation to a polite close.

On occasion, Radio Alghad has allowed suspected Islamic State supporters to speak on the air. They complain of distortions and lies.

Mohammad, the station director, recalled that one Islamic State fan said, “ The people can leave Mosul at any time,” and the host said, “Okay, let them go. If you live in Mosul, you know this is not true. You know if the gates to the city were open for an hour, Mosul would be empty.”

Read more:


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Weekly Newsletter

Lunch Menu

Fall Happenings

Stay organized with this list of important fall calendar and action items!

Get Involved

Learn about great parent volunteer opportunities!

More Opportunities

Art, STEM, theater and more! Students can participate in many Community Education youth enrichment programs at our school.

Day 2

    Incredible Students

    778 Incredible Students
    Every day, our building is bustling with 778 incredible students who are busy learning, making friends, caring for others and growing in confidence.

    Caring Families

    Hands reaching in service icon
    Our caring families collected nearly 4,000 items for the NFL's 2018 Super Kids - Super Sharing campaign.

    Diverse Backgrounds

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    Our students represented more than 20 countries, and we celebrate them all.

    Eager Readers

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    In the first 100 days of school, our students, teachers and staff checked out more than 31,500 paper and ebooks from our media center.

    Monthly Acts of Service

    Hands reaching in service icon
    We do something every month to help someone else - from making cards for seniors to packing sandwiches for those experiencing homelessness.

    Active Energy Savers

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    We're reducing our carbon footprint! In the 2016-17 school we used 142 metric tons less than the previous year.


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Spark: Activate Faith

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    Explore the salvation story with the opportunities that come with having a multi-age classroom.

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Why choose Spark: Activate Faith?

  • Activities kids love

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  • Flexibility to make it yours

    With four curriculum models and countless customization options, Spark: Activate Faith fits the needs of your congregation.

  • Easy lesson prep

    The leader guides and lesson prep videos provide all the help leaders will need, so they can spend less time preparing and more time nurturing faith in kids.

  • Bible-based

    Bible discovery and exploration is integrated in every lesson for each age group.

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1. Top page
  2. Winter tires on rental cars in Japan

Winter tires on rental cars in Japan

What are studless winter tires?

Studless winter tires are snow tires made of hydrophilic rubber with special tread designs that reduce their susceptibility to slipping on frozen and snow-covered road surfaces. When driving in Hokkaido or the Tohoku region, or toward mountainous winter sport areas, you need a vehicle equipped with either studless winter tires or snow chains. During or after snowfall, expressways become off-limits to vehicles not equipped with studless winter tires or snow chains. Such vehicles have no choice but to use local roads, or worse; give up on reaching their destination altogether.

Differences between studless winter tires and snow chains

Studless winter tires

Given that studless winter tires can also be driven on roads that aren't snow-covered, renting a car equipped with such tires means that you never need to get involved with any equipment yourself during the duration of your rental. When you're likely to stick mostly to the area's main roads, opting for studless winter tires is the recommended choice. Note that studded (spiked) tires are not allowed on Japanese roads (except for special designated vehicles), and therefore aren't offered by car rental companies in Japan.

Snow chains

If you were to drive with snow chains on roads that aren't snow-covered, you would risk breaking them. This tends to mean that you need to install and remove them frequently along the way. Clearly, this can be quite a hassle, especially if you don't have much experience working with snow chains.

However, expressway use is subject to two special restrictions that may come into effect during and after snowfall: "Winter Tire Restriction" and "Snow Chain Restriction". When "Snow Chain Restriction" is announced, driving on the expressway becomes only permitted to vehicles with chains installed. If you are heading for an area known for its particularly heavy snowfall or anywhere where snow isn't cleared from the road regularly, it is recommended that you bring snow chains too.

How much can I expect studless winter tire rental to cost?

Winter tire options vary in price between companies, but usually cost 2000 yen or less. Also, additional fees can sometimes be avoided entirely by choosing a plan that comes with winter tires included, or by choosing from a company that equips all its vehicles with these tires in winter (depending on the region).

How can I rent a car equipped with studless winter tires?

Web-rentacar.com provides 4 ways of ensuring that your vehicle comes equipped with studless winter tires:

Add a studless winter tire option to your reservation

Pages of plans that have optional studless winter tires available show a green icon with "Studless" written on it. When making a reservation for such a plan, you can select this option for the column of available options to include it in your reservation.

Book a plan that comes included with studless winter tires

Some plans come equipped with winter tires by default, in which case their costs are included in the basic price. Selecting the studless option is not necessary for these plans.

Book a vehicle from a company that equips all its cars with studless winter tires in winter

On the rental office detail pages you can find mention of whether that company offers season or region specific campaigns in which all its vehicles come equipped with winter tires. In those cases all plans offered by that company within that region and period include winter tires for free.

When making a reservation, mention in the "Requests" field that you wish to have studless winter tires

Aside from the 3 methods described above, there is a "Requests" field that appears when making a reservation. If you specify that you want winter tires, there is a possibility that they can be arranged for you (excluding Times Car Rentals, Nissan Rent-a-car, and Nippon Rent-a-car). Making such a request does not guarantee availability, but after the reservation is made, the rental company will be ready to tell you whether they are available and what their pricing will be, so please confirm these details.

If you're going to drive in a snowy region of Japan, I hope this guide will be of use to you.

Click here to book your car


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Back Lawrence Watt-Evans’ new novel at Kickstarter, and it will get more and more art by me

Filed under Works in Progress

Lawrence Watt-Evans' Vika's Avenger, at KickstarterIf you want to know what character this is a concept for, you’ll just have to hie yourself over to Lawrence Watt-Evans’ Kickstarter page for his science fantasy novel Vika’s Avenger and then plonk your money down on the table.

If you’re not as ancient as Watt-Evans and I am you may not know that "science fantasy" once described the sort of ray guns and airships adventure stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Otis Adelbert Kline, Henry Kuttner, Leigh Brackett and many other authors; it’s the sub-genre of science fiction that later on led to things with bigger budgets, like that Lucas guy’s movies. It’s science fiction without the problematic physics; and although I like my problematic physics as well as the next guy, I also kind of like big four-armed Tharks scything down their enemies from the backs of their thundering thoats.

The Kickstarter campaign has met its original goal and now, if I’m counting correctly, two of its stretch goals. At least one of those stretch goals turned out to be me.

Yep, I’m happy to say I’ll be doing the cover for the book and – so far – three interior illustrations. Along the way I’m also doing the book design, but that bores you and so I’ll quickly explain that although I am now on board for the book I will be doing more and more illustrations… depending on how much money the project can raise.

So at the moment, we’re looking at the cover (in color) and three interior illustrations. But the project is just $1500 away from its next stretch goal and if it reaches that, well, I’ll be doing even more interior art for the book. That will continue up to some sane limit, so I won’t ever be doing more illustrations than there is text to go with them. Which would be strange.

But for the time being – and until we reach that limit of sanity – more pledges mean more illustrations (by me) and therefore more work (for me) and those are just two of the many reasons why you ought to go drop a dime on Vika’s Avenger at Kickstarter.

Please consider helping me to continue my creative work and deal with the financial aftermath of cancer

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Down in the Basement. Where it Strains Against its Chains and Turns a Gigantic Wheel of Pain, for all Eternity. Muahahahahaha.


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Top of the heap!

A review of CrazyLister by Richard Davidian
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Top of the heap!
6 Jul 2018
CrazyLister templates gave a significant and much appreciated boost to the STR and sales of my eBay listings.

There's a bit of a learning curve for creating them, but it's not overwhelming. Instructions are clear and plentiful. You can start with their multitude of templates or create your own.

The most remarkable value of the CrazyLister Company is their technical support. These guys, Din, Ofer and others, have your back and are there to help you succeed. I've never experienced better support in all my years on the web.
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Home for Sale in Harwinton, CT

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23 North Road, Harwinton, CT

23 North Road, Harwinton, CT

3 bedrooms and 3 full baths, 1 half bath
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Fill out this form or call 1-800-401-0486 to speak with one of our Area Experts.

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Just Listed Harwinton, CT

19 Carlton Road
Harwinton, CT
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3 Beds | 3.1 Baths

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Information on this this page is provided by the Smart Multiple Listing Service, Inc. The information being provided is for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Any use of search facilities of data on the site other than by consumers looking to purchase real estate is prohibited.

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How/when do you know what you want to be when you grow up?

Answer this question

  • How/when do you know what you want to be when you grow up?

Answer #1 | 29/12 2013 23:07
It is very difficult to find out that one unique potential in you that will lead u ahead in future..Never compare urself wid you with urself..It is u who can make it or break it.The first thing you must start up with is time management ..Start working on subjects you like..For eg.if english is a subject of ur interest then go through it everydae..find out the word of the day evryday..learn its synonym and antonym too..soon you will realize that you hav got a command over more than 100 words..they are your weapon have upgraded are one step ahead of others..thank you
Answer #2 | 29/12 2013 23:35
It's all about trying new things and discovering what really catches your eye. I've always wanted to own my own business since I was like 10 (I'm 18 now) but over the years I have found other things to be interesting and somethings I would consider other than business. A lot of people find out that their "dream job" isn't something they want to do anymore because it's not what they thought it was. • For your project I would suggest just looking up local colleges in your area and read about all the different majors they offer and see if any of them interest you and go from there.

Possible answer