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Nyaung Shwe, the ‘Venice of Myanmar’ and the gateway village to Inle Lake. Located in Southern Shan State it was once the capital of the Shan kingdom. Today, similar to Kalaw, it has a bit of a backpacker feel about it, having become a bustling tourist hub for visiting the lake.
The dusty main street, Yone Gyi Road, is lined with low-priced restaurants, shops and internet cafes, as well as a number of stupas and the Mingalar Market. Near the end of this road, a bridge crosses the river channel where numerous long-boats are lined up waiting to carry you to Inle Lake just a few kilometres south.
I was coming to the end of my Myanmar journey. With three days at leisure to explore Nyaung Shwe and to reflect on what had been an amazing trip.
Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery
Around 2.4 km north of Nyaung Shwe is the Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery. A beautiful red teak building standing on stilts and dating back to the 19th century. A unique feature of the ordination hall (Thein) is its unusually large oval windows. A characteristic that makes it the most visited monastery in Nyaung Shwe.
The shrine next to the monastery contains hundreds of Buddha statues in red robes placed in niches along the walls of the corridors, donated by pilgrims from around the world. The walls are decorated with beautiful coloured glass mosaics. When lit with numerous candles, the shrine offers a holy atmosphere for the monks’ meditation.
Nyaung Shwe Nuns (Thilashin)
You’ll often see Buddhist monks on your travels around South-East Asia, but you’re less likely to come across a large group of Buddhist nuns (there are around half a million monks versus 75,000 nuns in Myanmar). The nuns are known as ‘Thilashin’ which means “possessor of morality”. They can be recognized by their pink robes, shaven head, and orange or brown sash.
In the centre of Nyaung Shwe there’s a nunnery. Although I didn’t visit it, I was fortunate enough to pass a group of nuns wandering down the street one afternoon with their umbrellas and metal alms bowls. On another occasion, I got to witness a large group of them piling out of a couple of trucks by the river and climbing into longboats for a trip to Inle Lake. A blaze of colour against the dirty brown of the river. Take away the religious element, and they were just a group of excitable girls on an outing!
I know I’ve said this before, but if you ever want to get to the heart of a place, head for the local market. Nyaung Shwe’s bustling Mingalar market is a great way to experience how the ordinary Burmese live. A colourful affair where the traders sit amongst their fresh local produce… just watch your step!
A stroll through the interior of Mingalar market one afternoon…
Nyaung Shwe By bike
Apart from taking the boat to Inle Lake, probably the best way to get around is by bicycle. Cycling is a great way to experience life around the lake shore and the villages that dot the countryside. And it’s pretty easy going due to the mostly flat roads. Just don’t forget your hat and water… and a raincoat!
Some hotels provide bikes free for their guests. But if not, you can hire a bike for just a few thousand kyats at one of the many bike rental shops in Nyaung Shwe. Chose from multi-geared mountain bikes to your more traditional upright bikes with baskets!… whatever’s your style!
I took a trip out to the Red Mountain Estate Vineyards & Winery. Not for the wine funny enough but for the views (unfortunately my budget for this trip didn’t extend to wine tasting). The estate is around a 25-minute ride south-east of Nyaung Shwe centre. Easy cycling for most of the way, apart from when you reach the turn-off to the winery, which develops into quite a steep track. But there’s a place to park your bikes and you can walk up the rest of the way.
I also headed out on the Inle Lake West Corridor road to the Khaung Daing Nature Hot Spring, around 9km south-west of the centre of Nyaung Shwe. You can bathe at these hot springs in the public pools or your own private bath. Again, I didn’t go for the hot springs, but just for the ride and the scenery en-route. I did however enjoy a coffee in their cafe overlooking the grounds, before heading back to Nyaung Shwe and getting caught in a tropical downpour!
Eating & Sleeping
There are many places in Nyaung Shwe that do good reasonably priced food. Here are a few that I frequented;
One Owl Grill
Situated on Nyaung Shwe’s main Yone Gyi Street, One Owl Grill‘s terracotta and green exterior is hard to miss. Being directly opposite my hotel I visited here quite frequently. Offering tapas-style, Mediterranean-influenced dishes, as well as other popular European and local fare, its varied menu will appeal to many. It also has an extensive drinks menu, with cool cocktails and very reasonably priced wine. Sit inside in the cosy interior or kick back and chill with a beer or coffee in the outdoor seating and watch the world go by.
The French Touch
The French Touch is a restaurant and bakery located on Kyaung Taw Shayt Street just off the main Yone Gyi Street. It’s a cosy little restaurant with good food that’s a bit of a twist on French and Burmese cuisine. The interior design too is a mix of western and eastern styles, with some very cool art and photography on the walls. Getting the waiter’s attention is a bit of a novelty… you summon them via a carved wooden frog that croaks!
Ginki Nyaung Shwe
Ginki Nyaung Shwe on Kyaung Daw Anauk Street is one of four sister restaurants in cities around the country. I didn’t eat here, but the western menu is popular with those who feel like a change from the local cuisine. It’s also well known for its excellent locally grown coffee. There’s seating upstairs and downstairs, with an outside patio on the lower level. The open-air setting, funky wooden furniture and regular acoustic band performances make Ginki a great choice for unwinding in Nyaung Shwe. It’s open ’til late (11pm… that’s late for Nyaung Shwe!). My favourite spot was upstairs in the comfy seating overlooking the street… the perfect place to chill of an evening with a beer or cocktail.
Where did I stay?
Hotel Amazing… a great name for a hotel. Is it amazing? I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s very pleasant. Located in the heart of Nyaung Shwe just off Yone Gyi Street it’s in a great spot. My Deluxe room on the ground floor was very clean and comfortable. The massive bed and huge stone bath added an element of luxury. The Mai Li restaurant was in a very pleasant setting – built partly over the stream that runs alongside the hotel. The buffet breakfast served there each morning was good, and the staff very attentive (mind you I was often the only one at breakfast!). The reception staff were also really friendly and extremely helpful when I needed to contact my guide one day. I’d certainly recommend it for a few nights in Nyaung Shwe.
How did I get here?
I travelled by road from Kalaw to Nyaung Shwe in a private car with my guide and driver. The journey time was around 1-hour.
I was now at the end of my three-week tour of Myanmar. A country that I had never visited before, but I had fallen in love with. From those cautious first days in Yangon when I was still finding my feet; to the chance Shinbyu festival on the road to the sacred Golden Rock; the monks lunchtime ritual at a Mandalay monastery; seeing the Irrawaddy River and U-Bein Bridge from my favourite novel; cycling the plains of Bagan; walking the hills and villages of Kalaw; having lunch with the Pein Ne Pin villagers; drinks with the locals in Kalaw town; discovering another world on Inle Lake; staying in a boat-shaped villa; chilling in Nyaung Shwe… it had been an amazing few weeks.
In a really sweet letter that my guide William wrote to me on my last day, he said; “You created valuable time, and great memories… I’m so sad to say goodbye”…
Yes William, I certainly did… and I was too.
Thanks to Holiday Architects for helping create such a memorable trip.
Top Image: Nyaung Shwe nuns on a trip to Inle Lake


government. Sometime I think Barak is on the enemy's side !
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1. Earlier this week, Joey Fatone tweeted his support for an NSYNC reunion…
You rock, Joey. Thank you.
Now let’s take a look at the *official* odds of each member joining the v. important cause.
3. Lance Bass: 100% chance he’d do it.
Lance is currently hosting a “DirtyPop” radio show on Sirius satellite radio. He was on a recent episode of Vanderpump Rules. If he would do a Real Housewives spin-off reality show, I’m pretty sure he’d do the NSYNC reunion.
4. Chris Kirkpatrick: 98% chance he’d do it.
Chris Kirkpatrick lives back in Orlando, Florida. This is the only public picture he has on his Facebook of himself. Judging from this picture, he’s almost a lock-in.
5. JC Chasez: 96% chance he’d do it.
JC Chasez has been a judge on America’s Best Dance Crew for the past four years. He also did a song with David Archuletta in 2008. Unless it REALLY interfered with his judging, he’d probably do it.
6. Justin Timberlake: 0.2% he’d do it.
Justin still thinks he’s an “actor” even though he started making music again. He also didn’t invite any of the guys to his wedding with Jessica Biel. That’s fucked up and basically unforgivable.
7. So, there you have it, everyone! Blame Justin Timberlake for killing all of our hopes and dreams!
And now poor Joey has to work in a fast food restaurant and YOU DON’T EVEN CARE.
- With head clerk Kim Davis jailed, Rowan County issued several marriage licenses to same-sex couples today. ›
- After mounting pressure from other European countries, Britain will accept thousands more refugees from UN camps bordering Syria. ›
- A drowned Syrian boy, whose picture caused outrage around the world, has been buried together with his mother and 5-year-old brother. ›

domain: celebrity


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worldsteel has recognised 10 companies as Steel Sustainability Champions for their work in 2022. Find out which companies were recognised.
worldsteel today announced the new World Champions of the 17th steelChallenge. Check out who the winners are in the student and industry categories.
worldsteel is collaborating with Dräger to deliver a series of webinars identifying the risks posed by gassing and asphyxiation and how to manage them. Check out the calendar via this download link.
Learn about Nest-In by Tata Steel which offers green and sustainable prefab solutions in India. Plus, how an ecosystem approach may be the solution to implementing smart mobility solutions at scale.
Baris Çiftçi, Director, Industry Analysis, details the findings of worldsteel's Megatrends Evaluation Expert Group.
World crude steel production for the 63 countries reporting to worldsteel was 142.4 million tonnes (Mt) in February 2023, a 1.0% decrease compared to February 2022.
A linear smart city is under construction in Saudi Arabia that is designed to have no cars, streets or carbon emissions, and will be powered entirely by renewable energy.
Check out our recently launched Steel Solutions platform. Plus, insights on igniting opportunities in the built environment in Europe, market trends and industry news headlines.
World crude steel production for the 63 countries reporting to worldsteel was 145.3 million tonnes (Mt) in January 2023, a 3.3% decrease compared to January 2022.

domain: news


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The Rise and Fall of the Nephilim gives a great account of the mysterious 'watchers', the ones who were called the sons of god who looked upon the daughters of man, which apparently started all the vice on Earth. It's not much of a stretch to speculate that lust for the beautiful earth women is what caused the downfall of even the 'sons of god', because lust seems to be what drives our society even now. Just look at advertising, or a Victoria Secret catalog and you'll see that lust is what drives us to buy-buy-buy, and can even bring down a president.
Scott Alan Roberts pulls together the threads of the story by way of Biblical references, where he certainly knows his subject. While apologizing way too much for stepping on the toes of believers, in my humble opinion, Roberts shows how the passages of the Bible, and the Book of Enoch can be made much clearer if you insert real beings for the 'watchers', instead of angelic beings. This makes sense, since imagining a being made of spirit, giving up his lofty position just for sex, does seem a bit silly.
Pros: Roberts gives up a great Biblical background to the Nephilim, and even includes the ancient astronaut theories. He includes Stichin's theories, giving us background into how the translations were amiss. I can't vouch for that since I don't read ancient languages, or more than one modern one for that matter.
Cons: I didn't feel as if I learned anything new with this book, though I had just been reading The Genius of the Few, by Christian & Barbara Joy O'Brian, two authors who define this research.
Roberts does back up his work with a very thorough, notes, bibliography and an appendix which will come in handy to fellow researchers. This book is a good introduction to the subject of the Nephilim.

domain: library


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In the heart of the Three Lakes region, near Lake Morat, Château Salavaux is a true haven of peace.
Château Salavaux has 17 unique rooms, a restaurant with seasonal cuisine, a wine cellar with a private dining room and an event room for seminars and weddings.
Château Salavaux is open all year round and we look forward to welcoming you!
Please consult the hotel's website directly for information on prices, packages and restaurant menus.
Opening hours :
Visit the Château Salavaux website
Please note that these rates are for double occupancy and include
Accommodation for an additional guest is possible from our Deluxe
category with a daily supplement, upon request and subject to availability.
For a person over 12 years old, a daily supplement of CHF 80 will be applied.
For a person between 6 and 11 years old, a daily supplement of CHF 60 will
be applied. For a person under 6 years old, the stay is complimentary.

domain: travel


The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) says it has received the first of 77 buses powered by clean propane gas at its Copley Park facility. According to the MTS, these are the first propane-powered buses in San Diego’s transit fleet and are estimated to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 2 million pounds per year.
“MTS has made great strides to reduce its carbon footprint in San Diego over the past decade. Propane-powered buses are the latest example,” said MTS CEO Paul Jablonski. “Over the lifecycle of all 77 propane buses purchased, the San Diego region will experience a reduction of more than 13 million pounds of greenhouse-gas emissions.”
The MTS operates a fleet of 37 minibuses and 173 paratransit buses, primarily for its complementary ADA paratransit operations and some low-capacity fixed routes. To upgrade the existing fleet, MTS purchased 31 minibuses and 46 paratransit buses, which are scheduled for delivery at various times within the next 10 months.
The agency says the first five paratransit buses were delivered on Sept. 15 and were recently put into service. The new paratransit buses are 2016 Starcraft Allstars on the Ford E-450 chassis, while the minibuses are 2016 El Dorado National-Aero Elite 320 on the Ford F-550 chassis.
By converting 77 buses to propane, MTS expects to realize a total cost savings of nearly $5.8 million during the five- to seven-year operational lifecycle of the vehicles.
The City of San Diego’s Climate Action Plan calls for annual emissions to be cut in half during the next two decades. California’s emissions reduction goals include a 40% reduction from 1990 levels by 2030. The MTS says it has been aggressively helping San Diego and California reach these goals in many ways, including the following:
- Transporting about 42% of passengers on a zero-emission light rail system;
- Operating a nearly 100% clean-fueled, fixed-route bus fleet;
- Phasing out all diesel buses from the fleet;
- Using 100% renewable natural gas for bus operations;
- Achieving LEED Silver status for new bus operations facilities in Chula Vista and El Cajon;
- Installing solar power at 600 new bus shelters and facilities; and
- Testing near-zero NOx bus engines prototypes.
The MTS operates 95 bus routes and three trolley lines on 53 miles of double-tracked railway, serving more than 300,000 passengers every weekday. In fiscal year 2016, the MTS served 92.6 million riders.


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This classic style round toe heel from Belguim designer Veronique Branquinho comes in a beautiful rich brown leather. This shoe is one staple to add to any winter wardrobe. Heel height: 2.5"
- 100% Secure Shopping
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Light as air, our Eugenia Velvet Blouse is luxuriously soft and elegant. Featuring a subtle feminine drape and bold embroidered collar, you can easily dress it up or down. Simply pair with dark denim or tailored trousers for a sophisticated boho look. T...

domain: design


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Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change, Pearnel Charles Jr, is encouraging youth to innovate eco-friendly solutions, in light of the pending implementation of the third phase of the plastic ban.
“This is not an end to life as we know it, but a call, particularly to our youth, to innovate and create viable business models and alternatives to single-use plastics. Plastic pollution is a national, regional and global crisis and the time to act is now,”
Minister Charles Jr shared.
“In this time of unprecedented challenge, the Government will now, more than ever, require the cooperation and support of all facets of society, particularly youth, in assisting in the fight against plastic pollution,”
Charles Jr said.
He noted that plastic pollution may be exacerbated due to the use and consumption of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and gloves, necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minister encouraged youth to use the opportunity to create cloth masks and liquid sanitisers among other eco-friendly products to replace various single-use plastics.
He noted that the ultimate goal of the plastic ban is to move society forward into action, where protecting the environment is the way of life.
“We all have the responsibility of mobilising Jamaica and building a sustainable and resilient society. One of the key elements to achieving this is minimising plastic pollution,”
the Minister said.

domain: sociology


Some things change over time. Each year the Rap music scene introduces several new artists and groups, but there are a few artists who have had the most impact in the Rap world. The following are the top 5 new Rap artists that have made the biggest impact on the Rap music industry.
A lot of emerging rap artists are ready to start making a name for themselves, and as such, they’ve got to learn how to become a rapper with no money. The most common way to do this is by getting radio play, and this has led to a lot of artists doing whatever they can to get a song on the radio. Some artists will pay for this, but many will work hard to get their songs known in hope that eventually the radio stations will start playing their songs.
- The most popular Rap Music Genre
- The next popular Genre
- The last popular Genre
1. The Most Popular Rap Music Genre
While the last decade has seen a rise in urban and hip-hop artists, the most popular Rap Music Genre is not really a style of music, but a lifestyle. As a result, the most popular Rap Music Genre is not simply about the music itself, but about the lifestyle it represents.
2. The Next Popular Genre
Rap is the art of rapping. Rapping is a form of poetry but is also a form of music. It is a form of poetry because it is how you deliver the rhythm. It is a form of music because the instruments do not play throughout the whole song. Rap is also a form of music because you have to have instruments to even make it happen. One of the things you have to have is a beat. Some rappers use real instruments to make their beats.
- This is a blog about the next popular Genre
- For Example, the next popular Genre is Hip Hop
3. The Last Popular Genre
Rap music is a genre of music that was created in the late 70s. It has been popular since the start but has recently started to lose popularity. The genre is now being replaced by multiple other genres.
Even while the genre’s popularity has waned in recent years, music from the rap genre has a passionate fan following. In fact, there are entire websites devoted to nothing but discussing the latest rap songs and rapping artists. But if you only listen to the radio you might have the impression that rap is all about big bass and impressive beats, but those are just elements of the genre. Since there’s really no such thing as an objective definition of what constitutes rap music, we can only speak to our own definition.


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- My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide
- ナレーター： Michael B. Oren
- 再生時間： 16 時間 52 分
"Michael Oren is going to be the talk of Washington and Jerusalem.... I'm not sure that in the annals of diplomatic history there's ever been anything quite like this astonishing account of Oren's four years as Israel's ambassador in Washington. It's an ultimate insider's story told while all the players save Oren are still in place." (New York Post)
“Michael Oren, Israel’s former ambassador to the United States, has written the smartest and juiciest diplomatic memoir that I’ve read in years.... [Oren’s] memoir is the best contribution yet to a growing literature - from Vali Nasr’s Dispensable Nation to Leon Panetta’s Worthy Fights - describing how foreign policy is made in the Age of Obama: lofty in its pronouncements and rich in its self-regard, but incompetent in its execution and dismal in its results. Good for Mr. Oren for providing such comprehensive evidence of the facts as he lived them.”(Bret Stephens, The Wall Street Journal)
"Unlike other diplomatic memoirs, which rarely disclose anything controversial, Oren’s Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide is provocative, as the former ambassador blames President Barack Obama for the sorry state of U.S.-Israel relations and much else that’s wrong in the Middle East today.... Oren’s book offers a view into the deep rifts that have opened not only between Washington and Jerusalem, but also between Israeli and American Jews.” (Newsweek)
New York Times best-selling author Michael B. Oren's memoir of his time as Israel's ambassador to the United States - a period of transformative change for America and a time of violent upheaval throughout the Middle East - provides a frank, fascinating look inside the special relationship between America and its closest ally in the region.
Michael Oren served as the Israeli ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013. An American by birth and a historian by training, Oren arrived at his diplomatic post just as Benjamin Netanyahu, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton assumed office. During Oren's tenure in office, Israel and America grappled with the Palestinian peace process, the Arab Spring, and existential threats to Israel posed by international terrorism and the Iranian nuclear program. Forged in the Truman administration, America's alliance with Israel was subjected to enormous strains, and its future was questioned by commentators in both countries. On more than one occasion, the friendship's very fabric seemed close to unraveling.
Ally is the story of that enduring alliance - and of its divides - written from the perspective of a man who treasures his American identity while proudly serving the Jewish State he has come to call home. No one could have been better suited to strengthen bridges between the United States and Israel than Michael Oren - a man equally at home jumping out of a plane as an Israeli paratrooper and discussing Middle East history on TV's Sunday morning political shows. In this fast-paced book, Oren interweaves the story of his personal journey with behind-the-scenes accounts of fateful meetings between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu, high-stakes summits with the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, and diplomatic crises that intensified the controversy surrounding the world's most contested strip of land.

domain: literature


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Seoul shares opened lower Monday, tracking losses on Wall Street, as the US Federal Reserve said last week it will continue to raise rates for a while to tame inflation.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 30.8 points, or 1.24 percent, to 2,449.60 points in the first 15 minutes of trading.
On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.4 percent to 33,926.01 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 1.6 percent to 12,006.95 points.
The Fed raised the benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points Wednesday as expected, and its Chair Jerome Powell said the US central bank needs "substantially more evidence" to be confident that inflation is on a downward path.
In Seoul, most large-cap stocks declined.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics Co. fell 1.9 percent, No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix Inc. dropped 1.4 percent, national flag carrier Korean Air Co. shed 1 percent, and leading car battery maker LG Energy Solution was down 1.9 percent.
Among gainers, top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. rose 0.3 percent and leading home appliance maker LG Electronics Inc. climbed 0.4 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,247.25 won against the US dollar as of 9:15 a.m., down 17.85 won from the previous session's close. (Yonhap)

domain: economics


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Drone footage recently captured a mother humpback whale "tail-sailing," or basically doing a headstand in the ocean with its tail out of the water, catching the wind like a sail. The "tail-sailing" is common among southern right whales, but has rarely been documented among humpback whales.
The footage was captured during a two-week study by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries' Collaborative Center for Unmanned Technology, which also used drones to conduct health assessments of the whales from a closer distance.
Volunteers continue to count sightings of the humpback whales from the shores of Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island on the last day of the month in January, February and March. As featured in today's Green Leaf column, some of these volunteers, like June Kawamata, are dedicated citizen scientists. Kawamata, a retired oordinator from Kailua High School's cafeteria, served as an Ocean Count site leader at Lanai Lookout for 20 years. She still heads out when she can, out of a love for the whales.
Boaters are also reminded to be vigilant during humpback whale season, which generally runs from November through May in Hawaii. Mariners are asked to report any collisions with whales, or injured or entangled whales to NOAA's 24-hour hotline at 1-888-256-9840.
Academy Award-winning film director Louie Psihoyos exposes the underground world of the endangered species trade in his new film, "Racing Extinction," which was screened for a Honolulu audience on Friday evening.
The director of "The Cove," which exposed the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, and his team from the Oceanic Preservation Society focus this time on the underground market of shark finning in China and covert offering of whale meat at The Hump, a now closed-down sushi restaurant in Santa Monica, Calif.
Vulcan Productions and the Hawaii Wildlife Coalition hosted the free screening on Friday evening at Blaisdell Concert Hall in celebration of World Wildlife Day.
"Each year about one in a million species should expire naturally," said Stuart Pimm, conservation ecologist from Duke University in the film. "In the next few decades, we'll be driving species to extinction a thousand times faster than they should be."
In 100 years or so, we could lose up to 50 percent of all species on earth, according to the film. No surprise, humans are the driving force of this mass extinction.
The film focuses heavily on the shark finning and exotic animal trade in China. It also looks at the killing of manta rays in Lamakera, a remote fishing village in Indonesia, for their gills, which are being touted as a Traditional Chinese Medicine cure.
While "Racing Extinction" covers a broad swathe, addressing a range of issues from ocean acidification to carbon emissions and their impact on the earth, it does not delve into the world of elephant and rhino poaching in Africa or other parts of the world.
It offers beautiful, underwater footage of blue whales, dolphins, whale sharks, hammerhead sharks and manta rays.
After the screening, actress Kristin Bauer van Straten moderated a panel including race car driver Leilani Munter (whose mother is from Kona and who is in the film), Jeffrey Flocken, North America regional director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Elly Pepper, policy advocate of the Land & Wildlife Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Actress Kristin Bauer van Straten moderates the panel discussion following the film's screening at Blaisdell Concert Hall with race car driver and environmental activist Leilani Munter, Jeffrey Flocken of IFAW and Elly Pepper of NRDC. An endangered Hawaiian monk seal is on the screen behind them. Seals are not featured in the film.
Hawaii is the third largest market for ivory in the U.S., behind New York and California, according to a brochure from the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i. The latter two states now have laws in place.
The council urged support for HB2502 and SB2647, which would prohibit the trafficking of any part of protected animal species in Hawaii, including any species of elephant, rhinoceros, tiger, great ape, Hawaiian monk seal, shark, ray, sea turtle, walrus, narwhal, whale, lion, pangolin, cheetah and more. For the full list, see the bill.
Despite the gruesome discoveries, the film concludes with a message of hope that we can save animals from going extinct.
"If we all lose hope there is no hope," said Jane Goodall, who is seen in the film, releasing a chimpanzee back into the wild. "Without hope, people fall into apathy. There's still a lot left worth fighting for."
"Racing Extinction" was broadcast on The Discovery Channel on Dec. 2, but is also available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.
Juvenile, female monk seal at Midway Atoll. Photo courtesy NOAA/Stacie Robinson.
In an effort to further protect endangered Hawaiian monk seals, NOAA Fisheries announced the beginning of routine vaccinations of the pinnipeds on Oahu.
The proactive measure, announced Feb. 19, is part of a concerted effort to protect the monk seals in advance against morbillivirus, a disease which could possibly be passed on to them via unvaccinated dogs with distemper or other marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and other wayward seal species. There is no disease outbreak affecting Hawaiian monk seals at this time.
Morbillivirus, once introduced into seals, can spread rapidly through respiratory secretions. Outbreaks of morbillivirus have caused the deaths of thousands of dolphins and seals in other parts of the world. Hawaiian monk seals are at risk due to a lack of immunity to morbillivirus and poor genetic diversity.
Initial efforts will focus on Oahu, and continue until October.
The outlook for Hawaiian monk seals, is improving, slowly but surely, according to the latest State of the Seal address in mid-February, with the population now at 1,272 compared to about 1,100. More seal pups were born across the archipelago in the last year compared to previous years. Besides vaccinations, officials are intervening with disentanglement and de-hooking efforts.
On June 1, 2006 Hawaiian monk seal R5AY gave birth in a North Shore location. PHOTO BY DENNIS ODA., JUNE 9, 2006.
The Hawaiian monk seal is one of NOAA's eight selected "Species in the Spotlight" with its own five-year action plan. The other species include the Atlantic Salmon in the Gulf of Maine; central California coast coho; Beluga Whale of Cook inlet; Pacific Leatherback sea turtle; winter-run Chinook of Sacramento River; southern resident Killer Whale and white abalone.
As the year 2015 comes to a close, the Green Leaf shares the following Keiki Kalikimaka ornaments that did not make it into the paper, but hold an honorary place in this blog.
Here is a beautiful one-of-a-kind sketch of a nene goose in a Santa hat set against a rainbow, blue sky and marsh with vivid color and details. By Samantha Shiroma, 6, of Ahuimanu Elementary School.
Celebrating Hawaiian monk seals, this Keiki Kalikimaka ornament features a seal in Santa hat in repose on the shoreline by Katerina Im, 10, of Aina Haina Elementary School. Remember, when the seals are resting on the shore, let them sleep.
Another playful sketch of a Hawaiian monk seal (look at those eyes! so realistic) with presents and an elf atop his head. This seal is swimming in the ocean. Mahalo Kira Tobita, 11, of Mililani Middle School. Beautiful drawing.
Hawaiian monk seal with Santa hat frolicking in the waves. Mahalo to Kristen Ching, 11, Punahou School for this beautiful Keiki Kalikimaka ornament.
Artwork of a Hawaiian monk seal among marine debris by Jacqueline Le of Hawaii. One of the winners from the 2015 NOAA Marine Debris Art Contest (to be featured in the 2016 calendar).
It's time again for the NOAA Marine Debris Art Contest, which opened on Tuesday, Oct. 20. All students from Kindergarten through 8th grade from U.S. states and territories are eligible to participate.
The deadline for entries (form here) is Nov. 30. Winners will be featured in the 2017 Marine Debris Calendar.
The phrase "marine debris" sometimes draws a blank stare — it's a formal name for basically, trash, or things that don't belong in the ocean. Examples include plastic wrap, plastic forks and spoons, plastic toys, metals takeout lunch waste, pieces of rope, plastic bags, paper napkins, derelict fishing gear and other items, which are prevalent from the ocean floor to the surface.
The five most common items tallied by the International Coastal Cleanup: plastic cigarette butts, plastic food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles, plastic bottle caps and plastic straws.
NOAA defines it as "any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes. It is a global problem, and it is an everyday problem. There is no part of the world left untouched by debris and its impacts. Marine debris is a threat to our environment, navigation safety, the economy and human health."
Where does it come from? Basically, humans (visiting the beach, leaving litter by sewers and throwing trash off of fishing boats). But every person has the power and ability to prevent it. Preventing the trash from entering the ocean in the first place is a good step.
Watch this video for an introduction to marine debris, where it comes from and solutions:
Here's a look at winners from 2015, which were just announced for 2016 calendar. A finalist from Hawaii has been chosen since the contest started in 2010, originally in the isles, before it expanded nationwide.
Artwork by Claire, California. 2015 NOAA Marine Debris Art Contest winner.
Artwork by Madison, Hawaii. 2015 NOAA Marine Debris Art Contest winner.
Artwork by Gautham K., California. 2015 NOAA Marine Debris Art Contest winner.
Artwork by Elizabeth, Florida. 2015 NOAA Marine Debris Art Contest winner.
Artwork by Ryan, Michigan. 2015 NOAA Marine Debris Art Contest winner.
Kilo, the Hawaiian monk seal that NOAA rescued from Niihau, resting on an ohia log at Ke Kai Ola. Photo courtesy The Marine Mammal Center. NOAA Permit No. 18786.
Ke Kai Ola, the Hawaiian monk seal hospital run by The Marine Mammal Centerat NELHA in Kona, is rehabilitating seven seals.
The hospital has successfully rehabilitated and released eight seal patients over the past year, mostly malnourished pups from the Northwestern Hawaiian islands, or Papahanaumokuakea, that would otherwise had little chance of survival. The monk seal population at Papahanaumokuakea is in decline primarily due to poor juvenile survival — fewer than one in five survive their first year due to marine debris entanglement, predators and starvation.
Most recently, NOAA returned Pearl and Hermes to the atolls where they were found. Pearl and Hermes were pre-weaned pups that were able to pretty much double their weight at Ke Kai Ola. They were healthy enough for release after just four months.
Fewer than 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals remain in Hawaii. While the majority reside in the more remote isles of Papahanaumokuakea, a growing number of pups are being born in the main Hawaiian isles, which is home to between 150 to 200 seals. However, NOAA's Hawaiian Monk Seal Research team recently surveyed monk seal breeding sites along the 1,200-mile archipelago and found that 148 pups were born in Papahanaumokuakea this year, up 22 percent from 2014.
While Pearl and Hermes were transported back home (see pics below) aboard the Oscar Elton Sette, the team rescued six new patients — five female pups and one juvenile female — and transported them back to Ke Kai Ola. The team also rescued Kilo, a female monk seal pup found earlier on the island of Niihau. For the first time, all four of the pool pens at Ke Kai Ola are full.
For further depth and details on the journey, read the wonderfully descriptive and humorous Kim Rogers' Malama Monk Seal blog series, which will take you on the trip and get you acquainted with the remote isles and each seal.
"All of our research cruises have seals on them now — either seals headed to Kona for rehabilitation or headed back home fat, healthy and ready for their return to the wild," said NOAA's monk seal research scientist Charles Littnan. "This hospital and our ship-turned-ambulance means new hope for monk seals."
Current monk seal patients at Ke Kai Kola include:
>> Kilo (pictured above). Female pup and the first from the main Hawaiian islands at Ke Kai Ola. Her name means "sassy." She is doing well, and while she's still being tube fed, she's starting to show an interest in whole fish, which is a positive sign.
>> Ama‘ama, a female pup named for the French Frigate Shoals where she was born.
>> Puka, a female pup named for the scar on her neck.
>> Neva, a female pup named for Neva Shoals on Lisianski Island, where she was found.
>> ‘Ena‘ena, a female pup named for a small, silver plant native to Kure Atoll, where she was found.
>> Mahina, a female pup named after the super moon, when she was found.
>> Mo‘o, a one-year-old female named for the mythical Hawaiian lizards and shapeshifting dragons. Most of us will think of geckos.
Ama‘ama and Puka resting at Ke Kai Ola. NOAA permit 18786.
Six new patients arrive at Ke Kai Ola. Two rest by the pool. NOAA Permit 18786.
Hermes and Pearl have returned to Papahanaumokuakea. Photo by Julie Steelman. NMFS Permit 16632-00 and 932-1905-01MA-009526-1.
Pearl and Hermes in shore pen. NOAA Permit 16632.
Back home. Pearl and Hermes official release. NOAA Permit 16632
If you see a Hawaiian monk seal resting on the shoreline, give it space and let it rest. The monk seal hotline is 220-7802 (for Oahu) or 1-888-256-9840.
Hawaiian monk seal pups Hermes and Pearl resting by the pool pen at Ke Kai Ola, a hospital run by The Marine Mammal Center in Kona. Hermes and Pearl were rescued as pre-weaned pups at Pearl and Hermes atolls in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. NMFS Permit 16632-00 and 932-1905-01MA-009526-1. Photo credit: Julie Steelman.
Happy monk seal Monday.
Here's an update on Pearl and Hermes — two prematurely weaned Hawaiian monk seal pups that NOAA researchers picked up from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, or Papahanaumokuakea, aboard the Hi‘ialakaiin early June. The pair, one female and one male, are being rehabbed at Ke Kai Ola in Kona and doing well.
The seals, named Hermes and Pearl after the atollwhere they were found, graduated from fish smoothies to eating whole fish last week. The shift to eating fish (thawed-out herring) is a significant step since it eliminates the need for tube feeding.
"Pearl is starting to put on weight," said operations manager Deb Wickham. "Hermes is not putting on as much, but he's basically stable."
Pearl weighs about 35 kilograms, and Hermes weighs about 36 kilograms.
When the monk seal pups first arrived, they were under a month old, with black coats. Their coats are now turning into a silvery sheen. Besides herring, Pearl and Hermes are also enjoying "fishstickles" this summer. They sleep a lot during the day, according to Wickham, but are also playful. They're up early in the morning, and at night.
"When they first arrived, they were suckling on each other," said Wickham. "They play together. They are very bonded."
Pearl, a Hawaiian monk seal pup rescued from Pearl atoll, peeks out from her pen at Ke Kai Ola, the monk seal hospital in Kona where she's being rehabilitated. When she gains enough weight, she'll be released back home. NMFS Permit 16632-00 and 932-1905-01MA-009526-1. Photo credit: Julie Steelman.
Wickham actually got a chance to observe them in the wild on this last 21-day voyage to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands aboard NOAA's Hi‘ialakai.
"They're doing really well, doing great," said Wickham, who added that seeing Pua and Mele healthy at home was the best reward.
Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered, with a population of fewer than 1,100 remaining in the wild, according to NOAA. They are protected by both state and federal laws, and should be left in peace if resting on a shoreline. A growing number, between 150 to 200, are appearing on main Hawaiian isle shorelines like Maui, Kauai and Oahu. Volunteers from the Monk Seal Foundation help keep watch over them, as well as maintain a safe distance between the wild seals and humans.
Ke Kai Ola, a brand-new facility at NELHA, offers specialized pens and pools for the rehabilitation of Hawaiian monk seals, plus a fish kitchen, lab and office. The hospital welcomes help from volunteers in the community who want to help with its mission of helping save the critically endangered monk seals. Visit www.marinemammalcenter.org/hawaiito learn more.
Hermes at Ke Kai Ola in Kona. Hermes just began eating whole fish and is on his way to recovery. NMFS Permit 16632-00 and 932-1905-01MA-009526-1. Photo credit: Julie Steelman.
Pua and Mele being released at Kure Atoll (By The Marine Mammal Center)
Schoolchildren, teachers and other members of the public had lined up in a V-shape along the shores of Rodeo Beach in Marin, Calif., to witness the release of two rescued sea lions by staff at The Marine Mammal Center.
Once released from their kennels, California sea lions Zeno and Shackle, did not linger or hesitate. They shuffled quickly along the sand, making a beeline for the ocean. As they entered the water together, a smattering of applause came from the audience.
Then we watched in delight, as their two heads bobbed in the waves. It was a beautiful sight.
Zeno and Shackle head out to their ocean home after being rescued and released by The Marine Mammal Center at Rodeo Beach in Marin, Calif. The two seals were rescued from the Santa Cruz and Monterey area.
Beautiful, because these wild mammals are returning to their natural habitat, where they should be. Beautiful, because they were being given a second chance — humans may have created the problems that hindered them, but humans can also be part of the solution.
What the audience may not have known is how much work it took to get the wild sea lions into the kennel, weighed on a scale, then carefully loaded onto a pickup truck and carted across the sand for the release. Staff and volunteers at the center all played a vital role.
The release was also a small, uplifting celebration in the midst of a sea lion crisis. For the third year in a row, sea lion pups are stranding along the California coastline in record numbers. While the center usually houses about 10 sea lion pups, it was taking care of nearly 100. TIME Magazine on Feb. 18 explored whether the strandings could be caused by rising ocean temperatures impacting the diet of sea lions (squid, anchovies, mackerel).
"We call sea lions sentinels of the sea," said MMC communications curator Sarah van Scagen. "What's going on with them can tell us a lot about the oceans as a whole."
Zeno, a female California sea lion, was rescued from Santa Cruz in January. She was behaving abnormally for a sea lion, and rescuers who picked her up confirmed she was suffering from domoic acid toxicity. Domoic acid, produced by algae, accumulates in shellfish, sardines and anchovies, which in turn, are consumed by sea lions. The biotoxin affects the brain, causing lethargy and disorientation. It can also affect people, so the center gives the health department a heads up when it discovers a case like Zeno's.
For Shackle, a male California sea lion picked up from Monterey, the problem was simpler – he had been entangled with a fishing net around his neck that left a scar. But luckily, once the net was removed, he quickly regained weight and was ready to be released.
Releasing two sea lions together is ideal, according to van Schagen, because they can keep one another company. Sea lions are, by nature, social animals.
That seemed apparent — the pair seemed as if they were immediately bonded as they headed into the waves.
TMMC, founded in 1975, is the non-profit that recently celebrated the grand opening of Ke Kai Ola (The Healing Sea), the first monk seal hospital at NELHA in Kona, in September. With more than $3.2 million raised in funds, TMMC was able to build four pens with pools – two for juvenile and adult seals and two for pups, along with a fish kitchen, medical lab and seawater filtration infrastructure for the pools.
Ke Kai Ola's first patients were four young, malnourished monk seals — Kulia, Ikaika, Hala‘i and Maka‘ala — from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. They were admitted in July, and released (nice and fat again) on Aug. 31. The center's current patients are Meleana and Pua, also from the NWHI, who were admitted as malnourished pups in September. Hopefully, they'll be released soon, too.
Sea lions Zeno and Shackle, are released and ready to head back to their ocean home.
Boobie bird at Palmyra Atoll, to be featured in the "Oceans" segment of PBS Hawaii's "Earth A New Wild" airing Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 10 p.m. Photo courtesy of Dave Allen.
From baby pandas in China to humpback whales in Alaska and reef sharks at Palmyra Atoll, Dr. M. Sanjayan, a leading conservation scientist, explores humankind's relationship to the planet's wildest places.
"Earth A New Wild,"produced by National Geographic Studios in association with Passion Planet, premieres "Oceans" on PBS Hawaii (KHET) at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18. A preview of the film was screened at ProtoHub Honolulu by The Nature Conservancy and PBS Hawaii last Thursday. The team visits 29 different countries, capturing spectacular natural history footage — what distinguishes this series from other nature films is that this time, humans are in the picture.
Episodes One (Home), Two (Plains) and Three (Forests) have already aired, starting Feb. 4, but are available onlineand scheduled for encores for the rest of February.
The "Oceans" segment (preview here)has many messages relevant to Hawaii — overfishing, coastal pollution, climate change and sea level rise, not to mention the growing "rise of slime."
It opens with scenes from Palmyra atoll, a national marine monument located 1,000 miles south of Hawaii which gives us an idea what an untouched ecosystem still looks like. It's a place where the top predators, sharks, are still thriving abudantly over a healthy coral reef. It was once considered a part of the Territory of Hawaii, then became an unincorporated U.S. territory and was occupied by the U.S. military during World War II. Today it is owned and managed as a nature preserve by The Nature Conservancy.
Sanjayan looks at potential causes as well as solutions to this rise of slime in the ocean, including a revival of oysters, which play a vital role in cleaning up the waters around Manhattan.
It's clear that Sanjayan, who has spent 25 years in conservation, has a passion for nature and animals — he travels to the edge of the Earth, plunges into the ocean, parachutes in the air, hangs out with Dr. Jane Goodall and chimpanzees, and cuddles with baby pandas. Watch the live birth of a lemon shark.
Dr. Jane Goodall reveals her plan for ways for village dwellers to coexist with the wild chimpanzees through the planting of "wildlife corridors" — corridors of trees at the edge of farmers' lands so that the chimpanzees have a way to travel and inter-breed with one another.
At every frontier, he discovers how much humans and wildlife need each other to survive. The question nowadays is how do we coexist?
Says Sanjayan: "Now, my mission is to tell you an untold story, where we humans are not separate from nature. We are part of it."
Dr. Sanjayan with a panda in the bamboo forests of China. Photo courtesy of Ami Vitale.
Hawaiian monk seals Kulia and Ikaika in the pool at Ke Kai Ola. The malnourished seal pups were transported from the Northwestern Hawaiian Isles to the hospital in Kona. The seals were able to gain weight, and were released back in the NWHI Aug. 31. Photo by Sarah van Schagen, NMFS permit 16632-00.
Ke Kai Ola, the new Hawaiian monk seal hospital in Kona, held its grand opening and blessing on Sept. 2.
The Marine Mammal Center's new, $3.2 million facility, which means the healing sea in Hawaiian, is dedicated to giving sick and injured Hawaiian monk seals a second chance.
Previously, malnourished pups like the four were left behind to fend for themselves by scientists, who had no place to take them.
"We built this hospital to save a species," said Jeff Boehm, executive director of The Marine Mammal; Center. "Thenks to funding from the Firedoll Foundation as well as a generous family foundation and hundreds of donors throughout the world, this hospital can now provide life-saving medical care."
The Hawaiian monk seal population hovers at about 1,100, with fewer than one in five pups surviving their first year in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands due to threats like marine debris entanglement, changes in the food chain and predators.


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Planes, trains, and automobiles are universal, but in some reaches of the world, moving parts are put to new uses. Sometimes visitors find them strange, or downright unsafe, but for whatever reason, be it history or recent culture, these interesting vehicles define a country, a city, or a countryside. These unique transporters bring new meaning to the notion that it's not the destination, but the journey, that really counts. Here is just a glimpse of some of the coolest modes of transportation you could find yourself flagging down, jumping on, or jumping off when traveling the world.
The gondola rides in Venice's famed canals are epic. Though a boat trip in Bangkok is roughly the same concept, the experience doesn't relate. The city's floating markets are a chaotic mix of haggling and boating, traffic jams of a different sort. Lined along the side of the canal, sellers hawk from canoes filled to the brim with fresh fruit and vegetables. There are many located around Thailand, though the biggest and most popular are within a day-trip's reach of the country's capital city.
This three-wheeled vehicle is popular all over Vietnam, particularly in the touristy areas of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Once used as regular transport for locals, the bikes are now reserved mainly for visitors looking to explore the city at a slower pace. The locals stick to motorbikes. The small front seat fits only one comfortably, and the driver sits behind both pedaling and steering the rig. The cyclos are a comfortable and authentic way to explore the ancient pagodas and markets of Ho Chi Minh or get into the back alleys of the bustling Old Quarter of Hanoi.
This rickety bamboo train, or "norries" as they're known to locals, consists of bamboo planks on barbell-like wheels with a small motor attached to the back end. Originating in the 19th century, the tracks were constructed when French colonists developed plantations throughout the countryside, needing a way to transport produce from field to market. Then, in the 1970s, communist rule destroyed the train engines as they believed anyone with power, be it transport, education, etc., was an enemy. Brought back to life years later, the tracks now run 200 miles through lush forest and are a fascinating glimpse into rural Cambodia. On any given day, you're likely to share your seat with locals, livestock, and assorted other modes of transportation, mainly motorbike.
Lake Titicaca, Peru
In the Andes, on the border of Peru and Bolivia, is Lake Titicaca, home of the Uros people who have long built their houses on reed islands in the middle of the lake. Since before the Incan civilization in Peru, the Uros have used reed to fashion boats, homes, and even the land they live on. Although the islands look much like they did centuries ago, on closer inspection, you'll find that many come equipped with solar panels to power televisions, air conditioners, and radios. To get to and from the mainland, totora boats shuttle island residents and tourists. Often built in the shape of a dragon, the boats are said to have kept evil spirits away in ancient Inca times.

domain: geography


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2023 Seeds Have ARRIVED!
Check out what is NEW for 2023, here!
The most adorable little lettuce you will ever see! Small, tight heads of buttercrunch lettuce. Wonderful in salads and when grown in small spaces like patio gardens or container gardens.
Receive exclusive promotions and our weekly newsletter for all the seasonal gardening tips!

domain: agronomy


Developers considering 2 new motels in Deer Park
Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, October 18, 2001
Preliminary plans are in the works for not just one, but possibly two new motels in Deer Park.
At the recent Deer Park City Council meeting, council members approved an ordinance that calls for a public hearing on the request of South Trust Bank to rezone a 200-feet by 436-feet tract of land from Community Service to Highway Service.
Deer Park City Manager Ron Crabtree said the property is being considered as a possible site for a motel and the rezoning request is a necessary step before a request for a building permit can be submitted.
The property is located on Center Street a little north of 13th Street on the east side of the street. The tract is currently not being used, but was formerly used as a drive-through banking facility for Bayshore National Bank. Crabtree said the rezoning request was made by the owners of Best Western, which operates the only motel within Deer Park city limits, the Best Western Deer Park Inn & Suites, located at 1401 Center Street. Crabtree said the rezoning request is only a preliminary measure and he does not at this time know what type of motel might be built at the site.
In related news, at a meeting in early October council members discussed a request by an unnamed company for an easement for electric service on another tract of land under consideration as a possible site for another motel. The tract is located on the west side of Center Street near State Hwy. 225. Crabtree said a request for a building permit has not been made, but it appears that the proposal is still under consideration.
In other business at the Oct. 16 council meeting, council members approved an ordinance that adds a Planned Unit Development District classification to the cityÕs existing zoning system.
The PUD district classification will provide greater flexibility for future development in the city while allowing control of the development, according to Crabtree.
Crabtree said that a PUD district provides for a mix of different uses that would otherwise be permitted only in separate zoning districts.
He said most cities with zoning ordinances have a PUD district classification in place. Crabtree said Deer Park has not implemented a PUD system because it has not been needed.
ÒDevelopment in Deer Park has been fairly uniform,Ó Crabtree said. ÒAmending the zoning ordinance by adding the PUD district classification is designed to ensure that future development will also be uniform.Ó
The zoning amendment states that a PUD district may be used to permit new or innovative concepts in land utilization not permitted by other zoning districts, Òwhile greater flexibility is given to allow special conditions or restrictions which would otherwise allow the development to occur.Ó
There are safeguards in the PUD amendment. The ordinance states that: Òa planned unit development district may not be used for the primary purpose of avoiding the zoning regulations applicable to the primary zoning districts. Procedures are established herein to ensure against misuse of increased flexibility.Ó
Crabtree said the operative word in the PUD district amendment is the word Òplan.Ó Detailed plans must be submitted and approved before future development can proceed.
The new PUD ordinance states: ÒWritten request and fee for the establishment of a Planned Unit Development district must be accompanied by a conceptual plan and/or final development plan. The conceptual plan or final development plan must be submitted in the form and manner specified by the Director of Planning and Development.Ó
The ordinance further states that any conceptual plan must contain the following minimum information:
1. A list of proposed land uses and the acreage devoted to each type of use;
2. A general site plan showing the approximate location of buildings, parking lots and streets, the maximum building height and the setbacks from all boundaries;
3. The maximum densities for residential uses and the maximum floor area for nonresidential uses;
4. Significant environmental features including fault lines, wetlands, floodplains and water courses;
5. The areas devoted to common open space;
6. Stormwater detention system;
7. A general landscape plan;
8. Major signs, and;
9. Information relating to the transition between and buffering of differing land uses.


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Saturday all the cool kids (and cats) in town headed to the Barnes Elementary School library for the Smittens music video shoot!
Goma brought his massive posse, his agent, hairdresser, make up artist, bodyguard, press agent and handler. Sachie, the amazing comic artist and Goma Mama, details the day in her AWESOME blog, My Cat Goma.
The Smittens brought many costume changes and lots of pep considering they played The Monkey the night before and had to head to Montpelier to play the Langdon right after the shoot wrapped! What professionals!
Colin had a fresh haircut and spawned a tiny, striped sweater-wearing clone. Max took off his shoes and shared hard boiled eggs. Dana wore lipstick and gave Colin a good smack. David brought nifty noir clothes and made the magic happen. Holly let a gang of hoodlums bang on her drums.
Esse, also known as, "Watch Your Back Dakota Fanning" arrived clad in her librarian attire which is fitting because her mom Emer is studying to become a librarian in real life!
Esse is one of those can-do kind of kids, she does her own make-up, cuts her own bangs, co-directed the video with me and took charge of the set design.
After shooting various set ups and trashing the library, the kids started showing up. I expected about 10 kids but NO, we had over 30 children!! At first nobody was interested in dancing so I had to jump around like a jelly bean to get them in the mood.
After 3 takes of bouncing children, we were pretty much SPENT! The Smittens handed out pins to the masses.
Thanks to everyone who showed up to our Smittens Dance Party: Lawrence Barnes Elementary School and their Principal Paula Bowen and her family who let us in the building and helped us clean up! And thanks especially to the Barnes librarian who will have to put all our books away!
Look out for the video coming to the internets real soon!


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Baby Time with The Lucky Trikes
Join us for a special Baby Time with The Lucky Trikes!
This interactive storytime will be led by Chicago-based teaching artist Deirdre Harrison and accompanied by live improvised soundtracks created by ISU music students. Expect movement, sound-making, and maybe even a short parade too.
Audiences with disabilities are encouraged to attend.
Ames Public Library connects you to the world of ideas through diverse and inclusive resources and programs. We welcome proposals via our website for programs at www.amespubliclibrary.org/programproposal and exhibits at https://www.amespubliclibrary.org/exhibit-proposal.


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December 16, 1986 |
New York City Opera has announced casting for productions of Bizet's "Carmen," Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" and Bernstein's "Candide" to be staged in January at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Susanne Marsee will sing the title role in "Carmen," directed by Frank Corsaro, at the Jan. 13 and 17 performances. Other principals include John Absalom as Don Jose, Elizabeth Hynes as Micaela and Robert McFarland as Escamillo. On Jan.
January 5, 1989 |
New York City Opera has announced casting for productions of Verdi's "Rigoletto," Mozart's "Die Zauberflote" and Lehar's "The Merry Widow," to be staged in January at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. Pablo Elvira will sing the title role in "Rigoletto," conducted by Scott Bergeson, on Jan. 17 and 19. Faith Esham will be Gilda. Jon Garrison and Frederic Kalt will sing the Duke of Mantua on Jan. 17 and 19, respectively. Mark S. Doss will be Sparafucile.
January 19, 1989 |
For the opening of its brief, return engagement at the Orange County Performing Arts Center--seven performances, ending Sunday--New York City Opera presented Verdi's "Rigoletto" in a production first staged by Tito Capobianco in Lincoln Center last July. As a fresh look at a familiar masterpiece, Capobianco's latest "Rigoletto," seen on national television in September, has been called timid and uninspired. It lived up to that description in Segerstrom Hall Tuesday night.
February 4, 1989
I wish to differ with Times music critic Dan Cariaga in his appraisal of the cast in the "Rigoletto" performance at the Orange County Performing Arts Center ("N.Y. Company Opens Visit to Orange County With 'Rigoletto,' " Calendar, Jan. 19). I was there Jan. 17, and I felt the production lacked the bite, the intensity and the compelling urgency that makes for high drama. I do not share Cariaga's opinion that the orchestra played carefully and in admirable balance with the stage.
September 24, 1988 |
Citing "philosophical differences" over strategic direction and marketing style, two top officers have resigned from Osco Drugs, a subsidiary of Irvine-based American Stores. The change in command was announced Friday by Osco, which said its board had accepted the resignations. At a meeting last Tuesday, the board elected Richard A. Scott, formerly president of Osco Sav-on, as chairman and chief executive. He replaces Scott Bergeson.
October 9, 1993 |
Naivete can be fun. But it is hard, delicate work. It demands brains. There wasn't much fun, alas, at the New York State Theater on Thursday, when the New York City Opera staged Lukas Foss' "Griffelkin" as the second installment of its golden-anniversary "world premiere festival." Wait a minute. World premiere? In this instance, the label requires a bit of credibility stretching.

domain: artistic


1 edition of Solar heating system performance monitoring found in the catalog.
|Statement||prepared by Charless Fowlkes for Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Renewable Energy and Conservation Program|
|Series||Renewable energy report library|
|Contributions||Montana. Renewable Energy and Conservation Program|
|The Physical Object|
|Pagination||1 volumes (various pagings) :|
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Women writing back/writing women back
Bolivia, a country profile
Adoption contact register, information for adopted people and their relatives
Earl of Angleseys state of the Government & Kingdom
Union of South Africa as a source for increasing our raw cotton supplies
Lawrenceville quadrangle, Georgia--Gwinnett Co
Using social media to gauge Iranian public opinion and mood after the 2009 election
Wisconsin insurance law
To increase the maximum acreage of federal leases for sodium
Earth strata and retaining structures.
Polymers are flexible and therefore freeze-tolerant Solar heating system performance monitoring book can employ plain water instead of antifreeze, so that they may be plumbed directly into existing water tanks instead of needing heat exchangers that lower efficiency.
Solar air heating collector types[ edit ] Collectors are commonly classified by their air-ducting methods as one of three types: through-pass collectors.
Radiantec has always been concerned about energy efficiency The selective coating Solar heating system performance monitoring book be deposited on the inner borosilicate tube high vacuum side to avoid this, but heat has then to flow through the poorly conducting glass thickness of the inner tube in this case.
Question: Commodor 64 Solar Software Were there any heat loss and heat gain calculation programs for superinsulation design that ran on a Commodore 64 computer back in the 's? That test showed the use of the solar bowl in the production of steam for cooking.
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Proponents of the solar bowl design claim the reduction in overall power output compared with tracking parabolic mirrors is offset by lower system costs.
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They surround a large area metal sheet absorber with high vacuum inside a flat envelope made of glass and metal. I'd like to thank Steve and Andy for making the book available over the past year as a free download, and I hope the exposure it got here helped get it back into print.
This gives them an inherent maximum operating temperature that acts as a safety feature. Typically polypropylene or EPDM rubber or silicone rubber is used as an absorber.
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The proceeds of the second round of funding will be used to expand Innoviti's business of real-time distribution of credit to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), IPS said in a statement.
The deal, valued at about Rs 800 cr, is expected to be completed in 2015, Fairfax said in a statement.
While the 30-share Sensex closed 237.98 points down at 28,182.14, 50-share Nifty shed 74 points to 8,529.45. This is the indices' biggest decline since July 8.
It also indicated that currency movements and cheap Chinese imports are impacting the operations of its UK arm and the firm may undertake more "asset right-sizing" measures in the near future.
With Parliament's monsoon session having begun today and a number of corporate quarterly results out, here are the five stocks that remained in news today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is under pressure from the opposition to fire Sushma Swaraj amid claims she gave favours to Lalit Modi who faces allegations of tax evasion
Around 34 per cent of Singh's stake is "pledged or otherwise encumbered". This accounts for more than 20 per cent or one-fifth of the total shareholding in the carrier, as per the data.
The bank's net NPA however rose to Rs 1,028 crore Vs Rs 896.3 crore (QoQ).
Analysts say results warning can cut FY16 consensus earnings estimates by 8-10 per cent as company struggles to fix manufacturing problems at Ranbaxy Laboratories, which it bought last year.
The report estimates that the project where the bullet train will run at a speed of over 300 km per hour will cost Rs 98,805 crore.

domain: finance


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The Home Secretary, Theresa May, today released the following statement.
‘We’ve been listening to hardworking, taxpaying families and so far ignoring them, because there are matters of much more pressing importance.
‘Students in the UK are quite rightly extremely disturbed by non-Mexicans wearing sombreros, and this is a mere tip of the iceberg of cultural appropriation. To address this insidious, growing, and immensely troublesome national problem, the government intends to introduce legislation by means of statutory instruments that will take effect without any discussion in the House. We intend to start with music and dance.
‘Only Jamaicans will be permitted to perform reggae. This means that UB40 will be out of a job, much to everybody else’s relief.
‘Karaoke will become once more the domain of the Japanese. This we hope will mean the end of scraps in the pub on a Sunday night after a particularly painful rendition of ‘Unchained Melody.’
‘Blues will return to the hands of poor black people in the US. That means no more Eric Clapton, thank goodness.
‘Katherine Jenkins will be out of a job too, since opera must now be performed only by sturdily built Italians, not by attractive women from Neath. The ENO will no longer be able to scrounge subsidies from the coffers of UK PLC, which may well annoy some of our toff friends, but we must be seen to be acting even-handedly.
‘If you are a city wideboy and not a hayseed with a straw in your mouth, there will now be a system of on the spot fines for Morris dancing. This restriction also applies to folk singers. In an ideal world, we’d fine the hayseeds too, but that’s a political minefield.
‘We aim to make samba once again the province of people from Brazil. Similarly, salsa music and dance will return to the bailiwick of snake-hipped Puerto Ricans and Cubans.
‘Disco dancing will be banned for anyone who is not a native New Yorker. We had hoped to bring this Act in while the Bee Gees were around but it got talked out.
‘Similarly, if you weren’t born within a 50 mile radius of Nashville, you will be locked up for playing a pedal steel guitar and bleating that your woman done cheated on you, and your dawg just fell out of your pickup truck and has joined your momma in heaven.
‘Lastly, heavy metal will come back to its rightful home, England. The Kinks invented it back in 1964 with ‘You really got me,’ and it is only fitting that the people of this great country reclaim what is rightfully theirs.’


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Daniel Cormier has given his reaction to Islam Makhachev’s ambitious plans for 2024. Let’s just say that DC is all in on Makhachev, and wouldn’t be surprised to see the lightweight champion “run a gauntlet” and fight the division’s toughest competition next year.
The lightweight champ Makhachev has recently stated that he’d like to fight before Ramadan, which takes place in the month of March. Furthermore, Islam Makhachev also said that he’d like to fight an additional two more times after that, bringing his grand total for the year to three fights. Which, would be a pretty active year for a UFC champion.
Daniel Cormier is confident Islam Makhachev will face Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier in 2024
Such a thing as Islam Makhachev fighting three times in 2024 is definitely possible, however, the champ could potentially get off to a later start than he would prefer. The first three pay-per-views of the year already have headliners. There aren’t any spots on the cards that would make sense for Makhachev to slot into, and this could lead to his 2024 getting off to a slow start.
The former UFC double champ Daniel Cormier is still positive that his friend and teammate can accomplish his goal. Not only that, but it seems as if DC is extremely excited for Islam Makhachev to run what DC is calling “the gauntlet” of fierce lightweight contenders.
“What do those fights look like?” Daniel Cormier began, speaking on his own YouTube channel. “Charles Oliveira first, we know that… Say Makhachev gets it done in March… Who would be second? Justin Gaethje. Gaethje has made his intentions clear, he’s gonna wait [for a title shot]… He wants this fight because he feels he has a good style to fight Islam.” (H/T Sportskeeda).
Third, I think we get Dustin Poirier,” Daniel Cormier continued. “I think Islam Makhachev has an opportunity in next year, to run the gauntlet. Of all the most relevant lightweights that we have seen over the past 10 years, he can fight Charles, Justin, and Dustin all in a calender year.”
Do you think we will see Islam Makhachev face Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier next year?


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Charlotte Flair already dazzled her followers with a lingerie photo today. That image was from a professional photo shoot. She’s at it again with a more traditional take on the thirst trap photo: the mirror selfie.
Flair stated that her closet wanted a photo in caption to her new Instagram story. She’s definitely showing off her impressive collection of shoes. You can also see a few outfits from The Queen’s wardrobe.
Most people will be too busy looking at Charlotte Flair in a bikini to notice anything behind her. It’s still nice that her closet could get some love on a Tuesday.
Charlotte Flair is currently out of action because she is getting an elective surgery. When it comes to how long Charlotte Flair will be out, she stated it won’t be nearly as long as some projections.

domain: entertainment


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Anger and Aggression
Anger and Aggression(dreams)
While fear is the most commonly expressed emotion in nightmares, anger holds the second place position. These two emotions, combined with anxiety, are twice as likely to occur in a dream than more pleasant feelings. Once other negative emotions are added into this equation—failure, sadness, and aggression—the rate of occurrence rises to around sixty-six percent. It has been suggested that violence or aggression in a dream is a direct result of anger and frustration in our waking lives.
There have been numerous studies on the different factors influencing the frequency of aggression in dreams—factors such as age, gender, birth order, social class, and even geographical location. The most prevalent of these is gender. As a rule, females of all ages remember dreams more often than their male counterparts; their dreams are also longer and more detailed. More friendly interactions occur in female dreams as compared to males. When it comes to aggression in dreams, males report slightly more aggressive encounters, even though they remember a significantly lower number of their dreams than women.
For children, the statistics concerning aggression in dreams are less conclusive on the role of gender. Most studies indicate that for boys and girls between the ages of two and twelve the level of aggressiveness in dreams is about the same. However, at the age of twelve, these levels begin to drop for girls. In males these levels do not drop until their thirties, at the earliest, and on occasion they have been known to remain high until they are in their seventies or eighties.
Gender is not the only factor that has been studied with respect to aggression in dreams. A study was done on a group of working mothers with preschool children and stay-at-home mothers with children of the same age. The working mothers reported more male characters in their dreams, fewer indoor environments, and experiencing more unpleasant feelings such as failure, aggression, and anger. The stay-at-home mothers had more friendly encounters in their dreams, but they dealt with more misfortune and hostility. It was also discovered that mothers with dual roles—mother and provider—experienced more work-related dreams than working fathers.
Another factor is birth order. Although men typically experience more aggressive dreams, this is not always true if the male is the first born. In this case he would typically see himself in a more positive manner than his younger siblings of the same gender, and therefore has more positive encounters in his dreams. First-born females tend to have more aggressive characters in their dreams. They are also more likely to be more aggressive than other females of the same age group who are not first born.
Yet another factor that affects the aggression in our dreams is geography. In an East Coast survey, forty percent of the total study group reported being the initiator of a violent act in their dreams. The same study was done on the West Coast and in the Midwest. On the West Coast that figure dropped to twenty-two percent, and it dropped to ten percent in the Midwest.
One final factor that has been studied is social class. Members of lower social classes reported more violently aggressive dreams than those in the middle or upper classes. They also experienced more dreams of anger and misfortune. A study found that lower-class high school girls experienced more angry and aggressive dreams than their male or female counterparts, regardless of social class.

domain: psychology


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Chloe describes her pain, and he tells her about pefmission own affairs, and anns the moment when his wife confronted him but confessed she was too fond of the comforts his income brought to leave him.
The siblings jump back in their car and race away, then talk Vincent into playing hooky in order to all hang out like they used to.
His grandfather, who is his best friend, is ill. Preview the latest newsletters here.
I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere by Anna Gavalda | LibraryThing
Preview — Je voudrais que quelqu’un m’attende quelque part by Anna Gavalda. She has also translated into French John William ‘s novel Stoner. Are you sure you want to exit? On only three and a half pages we learn about the rather dreadful life of a rich couple.
The style is lean, terse and understated, while it’s firmy rooted in everyday colloquial French, lending the whole a directness without which the tales would lose about half their effect. I’ve recently made it a goal to read more short stories.
Anna Gavalda Born in Paris inAnna Gavalda published her first work, I Wish Someone Were Anma for Me Somewhere, a critically acclaimed collection of short stories that sold a half a million copies in her nativein Views Read Edit View history. I can’t recomme An enchanting collection of short stories. I liked the calmness and courage very much in which the woman gets her revenge on the rapists. There was a problem adding your email address. Clearly, he is vicariously aware that Chloe and Adrien psrmission setting forth on the path he never had the courage to take.
May 20 New York Times: Inher third novel, Hunting and Gathering Ensemble, c’est toutfocused on the lives of four people living in an apartment house: Please enter your or your parent’s email address.
The book received much praise and is a library and school selection worldwide in several languages.
I would love to hear other opinions. Cartea o recomand cu mare drag!
SOMEONE I LOVED by Anna Gavalda , Catherine Evans | Kirkus Reviews
Time limit is exhausted. Not gagalda do the characters in “I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere” shine through in each story, but so do so many facets of the human nature: Discussion for a book club.
It made me uncomfortable from page 1 and I checked the original title to see whether the German or the English translator took gavslda liberty permiswion. Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Will Franck and Camille become lovers? In fact, it was the English one, as the original title is I. Less is more for Anna Gavalda! Anna Gavalda, ma dajem joj 6 zvijezdica. The voices do the heavy lifting, creating these little gems that are revealing and poignant.
Some stories are funny, some are sad, but they all feature characters who are searching for meaningful connections in their lives. I hope you like it. Oh, how I love this book. Oops, Sorry, permisaion can’t buy the book directly from our site for kids.
While many are emotionally affecting and thought-provoking, there is humor too.
For the remainder of that afternoon, over drinks and delicious food at a campsite where Peemission lives, the four siblings lose themselves in the laughter of inside jokes, teasing and memories that unite them. Epilogue Epilogue An author presumably AG herself tries to sell her book with short stories to a publishing house.
For my sister Marianne. Chloe, the mother of two young daughters, has just learned that her husband, Adrien, is leaving her for another woman. While working as French teacher in high school, a collection of her short stories was first published in under the title “Je voudrais que quelqu’un m’attende quelque part” that met with both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling more than three-quarters of a million copies in her native France and winning the “Grand Prix RTL-Lire.
Junior Junior OMG, what a fun story! Her sister comes to the rescue. The Opel Touch The Opel Touch A young student who works in a shop to make some money on the side is having a crisis due to the lack of love in her life.


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"Nick Clegg’s suggesting that his party can lead the Left seems presumptuous. Yet his is right to make it and has made it in the right way."
So says the lead editorial comment in this morning’s Times. It comes on the day that Nick launches his pamphlet The Liberal Moment with Demos as well as writing an article in the Times outlying his themes.
It opens with the questions:
"Are you one of the millions who turned to new Labour in 1997? Were you excited by the progressive promise? Did you believe that the ideals of fairness, social mobility, sustainability, civil rights and internationalism would finally have their day?"
Going on to say then:
"If so, you face a real dilemma. The choice between a fading exhausted Labour Government and the ideologically barred Conservatives."
The pamphlet and the article both look at the shifting sands of progressive politics. It was about a century ago that the Liberal party started to lose that all out progressive nature of British politics. The outcome was the emergence of the current Labour vs. Conservative struggle in the intervening years. Nick acknowledges that our predecessors then deserved to lose but then looks at the current situation.
The progressive party of the last 100 years, because no matter what the Tories try to paint over their past , progressive and conservative do not sit side by side in the same phrase, have been Labour. Yet look at them now.
"Labour's basic reflexes — central state activism, hoarding power at the centre, top-down government — are the wrong tools to meet the challenges of the modern world. We live in a society where people are no longer rigidly defined by class or place, no longer trapped by a culture of hierarchy….
"Labour have never fully reconciled itself to how power now flows down to individuals and communities that no longer accept a relationship of obeisance to central government. From frenzied target-setting in public service to the demolition of civil liberties, Labour has misread the demand for individual and grassroots empowerment in contemporary Britain."
Just as in the later part of the 19th and early 20th century the ideology battles for progressivism were battles being fought by Labour, long before they won the political battle, so now Nick thinks the battle to be the progressive party in thinking is ours. The battles on thinking are being won on the economy, environment, civil liberties, Iraq, Ghurkhas, and other issues we led the ideological crusade and others are latching on. The war to become the progressive force in politics in the country may take longer, but its day too may be coming.
"So the real choice at the next election is not the old red-blue/ blue-red pendulum of British politics. It is between yellow and blue. A choice between a liberal movement — led by the Liberal Democrats — that is attracting disaffected progressive voters from a Labour Party which will take years to recover, if at all; and a Conservative Party that parrots the language of change to maintain the status quo. In short, an opportunity for progressives to do something different, and finally change things for good."
So with that message ringing in my ears and Nicks vision set out before me, I'm really excited about heading off to Bournemouth for conference. Maybe the old adage is true. Maybe life truly does begin at 101000*.
*As Mark so kindly suggested this blog is now looking at using binary in light of my Total Politics rankings.


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Grab your suitcase and leave behind stress to begin your pressure-free vacation. If you are seeking for extravagant lodging or affordable alternatives, we can assist you in finding the perfect location to stay. In fact, this area is so popular that it saw a huge increase of guests that are making it their go-to spot to unwind. You deserve the royal treatment every now and then. Take the opportunity for a weekend where you can have all your worries melt away in Gulf Shores.
Once you've checked-in to your room you can unload your worries as well as your bag. You can rest easy knowing that many of these hotels provide most of what you need for a great vacation. Moreover, you'll be welcomed by a clean and comfy room. After you've spent the day getting a therapeutic massage, unwinding within the sauna, or sitting in the hot tub, you can put on your explorer's hat and discover the hidden gems of Gulf Shores. Discovering hip cafes, eclectic boutiques, or a happening venue can be one of the many highlights of your trip. If you're not sure where to begin, ask your hotel's porter to get a sense for what Gulf Shores has to offer. There is no better source than a local to point you to an exciting evening out or to a cafe to enjoy a few drinks at and have an easy-going time. Regardless of where you wind up, just make sure to take it easy. Your spa break shouldn't be anything but super relaxing.
Gulf Shores is increasingly recognized as one of the top spots to take vacation where you do nothing, and savor every moment of it.


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