text:
The name Jan Linton might not be that familiar to rock music fans yet that should change, at least for those lucky enough to hear his recent double CD set I Actually Come Back / Buddha Machine Music. Assisting Jan on I Actually Come Back is Brian Eno collaborator and guitarist Leo Abrahams, who adds much sonic depth to Jans catchy, ambient pop sounds. Also here is Matthew Seligman, who played bass on David Bowies mid 80s masterpiece song Absolute Beginners. Fans of Eno and Bowie will love the twelve track 45 minute CD, which is paired with a special 22 minute, 3 inch bonus CD of ambient instrumental sounds performed by Jan called Buddha Machine Music. Based in Hong Kong, Jan has developed a presence in the Asian enclave and there is a bit of Asian mystery about his music. Clearly at home with both Bowie-esque pop and rock as well as ambient Eno-inspired instrumental excursions both CDs are fascinating and hold up well with repeat listens. Commenting on I Actually Come Back and his association with guitarist Leo Abrahams, Jan tells mwe3.com, It started as an EP or single, really just a couple of songs I had collaborated on with Leo Abrahams. The whole album represents my output and work inspired by him since I met him a decade ago. It has been a very slow process with a lot of updates. In his 2017 interview with mwe3.com, Jan Linton speaks about leaving his homeland in the U.K. followed by his long and winding musical adventures in Japan and China and the up to date info on his widely acclaimed album I Actually Come Back.
mwe3.com presents an interview with
mwe3: Where are you from originally and where do you live now? How did you end up living in Hong Kong and whats the music scene there like? What inspired you to leave England and where did you live in England? How long have you been in Hong Kong?
Jan Linton: I had been based in Japan before 2005 but then returned to the UK to do a Masters degree in music/video technology. I returned to Japan a couple of years later but it wasnt the same as it once was, and the 2008 recession damaged the music industry there. From 2009 onwards I was thinking about moving to Hong Kong, which I had briefly visited in 2007, and after touring Shanghai in 2010 and getting an enthusiastic reception, I felt it was time to move on.
mwe3: How did I Actually Come Back come together as an album and what inspired pairing the album with a second mini album called Buddha Machine Music, and which was recorded and released first?
Jan Linton: It started as an EP or single, really just a couple of songs I had collaborated on with Leo Abrahams. The whole album represents my output and work inspired by him since I met him a decade ago. It has been a very slow process with a lot of updates. I tend to work quite slowly, a year seems a short time for me, but Leo is far more prolific and hard working. I remember at one point he was taken aback as to why I would want to revisit "Anemone", a track of his from 2006 album Scene Memory, but I felt these songs were precious I wanted to preserve them and give them further attention.
I had already done a version of his track "Anemone" in 2006, which I extended, played keyboards on, and added vocals. This newer version on the album features a drum machine and a new vocal. In return, Leo had played guitar on my song "The Kindness Of Strangers", and for several years I tried to get record companies interested in just these two songs, but they always said it should be a full-length album, not an EP. So it grew into a mini album, which was tentatively released as a stand-alone mini album of ten tracks at the end of 2015, but due to Leo's busy schedule he hadn't played on all of the songs at that point.
So, this new release is radically different, with a total of 12 different or re-recorded songs, and Leo plays on every track. A couple of older songs from the first release that he didn't play on are omitted. The total writing and planning period spans a decade! I see it as the record of this period.
Buddha Machine Music was released in 2011, but as Entropy Records more recently decided to cease trading, the remaining 300 copies were combined with the new release of "I Actually Come Back" as a limited edition, two disc package. Subsequent copies are just the single album, without Buddha Machine Music.
mwe3: Because all the tracks on Buddha Machine Music have Chinese names was it somehow influenced by Chinese music, art or culture? Is there an avant gard and electronic music scene in China? What instruments did you record the BMM album with? Why a mini disc? I was so happy to find out it plays well on my vintage CD players. Where was the CD pressed? Who else plays on Buddha Machine Music?
Jan Linton: The Buddha Machine is a loop playback device first released by the Chinese based avant garde group FM3, based on Buddhist prayer boxes which play recordings of religious chants. It is basically a speaker in a plastic box, but FM3 put their own loops in it and added a pitch bend to it. It immediately became successful and apparently Brian Eno bought twenty of the things; presumably as interested in its generative, loop based, qualities.
Shortly after, I had read an article in Time or Newsweek about China's underground, centered on Beijing punk clubs like D22, and then I read about FM3 as I was just starting my Master's degree in Creative Music Technology. I had just moved back to the UK from Japan, which was getting a bit stagnant, and I was looking for something new and innovative. So I started to get interested in China as a fresh musical alternative to Japan which by then had become over rationalized as well as cliquey, but also in the middle of a severe recession, as I said. I finally played a four gig tour in the Shanghai area in 2010, and venues were more definitely more open minded than the ones in Japan, where you basically have to pay to rent out the space. So then my next move was to remix some loops from FM3s first two Buddha Machines, and these became the tracks " Shenxiaozhong" and "Yang (Infinite Delay)".
The Chinese names are mainly combinations of the original titles of the loops on the Buddha Machine player. I played guitar on the former, so it started to become more than just a remix. I sent them to Christiaan Virant, who is one of the members of FM3, and he liked them but nothing further happened until Entropy Records said they wanted to put out a mini album of my compositions using the Buddha Machine sounds. So I had to come up with a further four pieces, which moved further away from being just remixes and were like new instrumental compositions, but still containing the Buddha Machine loops- sometimes heavily treated with effects. I played a Chinese lute-type instrument, the Zhongruan, which I had picked up in Beijing on an earlier trip, on two of these pieces. I was working alone for the majority of the project.
mwe3: First I was thinking the song I Actually Come Back was inspired by reincarnation but then I read the lyrics and felt it was about resolving a broken love relationship?
Jan Linton: "I Actually Come back" is a lyric that came to me in a dream, it is a promise to return. You are not the first person to mention reincarnation and there is an element of avoiding death in the song, but it was actually about my unexpected return trips to Japan after I had left in 2005. I kept coming back to the place over a two year period, but people were reacting a bit negatively, like "We thought you had left for good". I couldn't quite get the place out of my system at that point, and I ended up moving back there in 2007!
mwe3: Leo Abrahams plays on I Actually Come Back. How did you meet Leo and can you tell us something about Leos contributions to the album?
Jan Linton: I first met Leo when he played a gig at a pub in Bath in 2006, when I was a student at the university there. It was quite fortuitous as I had seriously considered exiting the course just before that! He and his friend jumped in a taxi and came to see my home studio, and he played with my amusing and somewhat toy like Casio digital guitar, which he said Brian Eno also had in his studio! Leo gave me copies of his first two albums, and I was especially taken by the more ambient one, Scene Memory.
On that album, "Anemone" really sounded like a song without words, and I quickly came up with lyrics and a vocal melody, and played an ebow guitar solo in the middle. Leo's record company released it as a download shortly after, and I was really taken by his open-mindedness and willingness to experiment. It was so inspiring after what I had experienced before. As I mentioned earlier, Leo then played guitar on my song "The Kindness Of Strangers", which I had originally recorded from the sessions of a Japanese major record company, but its gentle sound didn't fit the "cyber punk" style of the album that resulted, Planet Japan (King Records).
I wanted to release these songs on a physical CD, not just a download that might get lost in cyberspace, so I needed more songs. Like I said, it started as an EP so I did two remixes/edits of "The Kindness Of Strangers", an overture and a reprise. Unfortunately, Leo's schedule at the time in 2015 meant he couldn't play on any further pieces, but I had already committed to releasing a CD. So the first pressing was somewhat misleading as it was credited with Leo Abrahams, and two of the tracks were his recordings, but there were some tracks he hadn't been involved with. So last year I decided to fix that with an improved version of the album and by then Leo's schedule had freed up, so he kindly agreed to overdub the main melody of the title song "I Actually Come Back", and a bit later played guitar solos which appeared in "Emancipate Your Heart", new track "Cocteau Sublime", and new song "Joy".
mwe3: Is the song Joy a good example of how well you play and record with Leo Abrahams? Is Joy a contrast of your life in the UK with your newly adopted home in Hong Kong? How has England changed for you? The song speaks of working in a foreign land and how my home used to be there.
Jan Linton: "Joy" is a very important song for me, in some ways the cornerstone of this record. It is another dream song, as the lyrics are taken directly from a dream I had; I woke up and immediately recorded the idea on a keyboard. It is actually about South East Asian migrant workers, many of whom work in Hong Kong, but who in the dream and the song also may work in Europe.
Whereas "Anemone" and "Birds in the Dream Forest/Route 2" are more collaborative in that they were Leos compositions which I added significantly to, "Joy" was more a case of Leo adding a very tasteful guitar solo, but I think this really brings a whiff of class to the track. It is always my favorite part of this version, and I sometimes fast forward to the beginning of his solo; it really gives me shivers down the spine to hear it.
This is, by the way, not the full-length version of the song; a final, "religious" verse exists, which I hope to include on my next album, tentatively titled Dreamsongs (and more).
mwe3: Working with Leo Abrahams its assumed youre an Eno fan and a Bowie fan. I also found out I Actually Come Back also features a guest appearance by Matthew Seligman, who played bass with David Bowie on the Absolute Beginners song, maybe Bowies best song of the 1980s. How did you meet Matthew?
Jan Linton: As a teenager I remember listening to Eno's ambient albums like On Land in the industrial north west of England in the late 1980s when and where it was incredibly unfashionable to do so. What was more, it was just not done and was not socially acceptable, so it was just written off and ignored as "weirdo music". Rick Astley and Kylie Minogue were popular at the time, and I was like an alien to the locals, even though I was born there. Ironically, my cousin who is a successful sound engineer later worked extensively with Kylie, she even came to her wedding!
I then moved to London, in pursuit of my dreams, but "Soul to Soul" and stuff like that was in ascendence there; the London was too "urban" and threatening for a sheltered, country boy like me. In 1987 I had heard the album by The Dolphin Brothers, who were ex-members of the group Japan, which offered a glimmer of hope to me. A certain Matthew Seligman was one of the bass players credited on the album. I had joined the musicians union and his contact details were in their directory, and I distinctively remember calling him up from a public phone box near Kings Cross, during my lunch break.
It was an odd exchange and Matthew later said he has no recollection of this conversation! I hope he doesn't mind me retelling it in this interview. I started by apologizing for calling him out of the blue but he kindly replied "You are using a modern device to communicate, its OK!" so I then asked him if he was still playing and open to sessions but he replied that by this time he had sort of left the music business and was writing a book about the brother of Jesus. And so that was that .until 2011, when the big Tohoku earthquake and nuclear disaster happened in Japan, and by chance I read online that he had married a Japanese and was living in Tohoku! I immediately tracked him down and got in contact again, as I was very concerned about the plight of the residents there; it had been my favorite city and I had visited there a dozen times or so.
It turned out he and his family had got out OK, and he was later returning to Sendai city, via Hong Kong as coincidence, or destiny again, would have it, so I ended up finally meeting him at a gig we played together in Hong Kong straight after him getting off the plane from London!
Bowie's Live Aid clip is good as he introduces Matthew Seligman by name but they don't play "Absolute Beginners". The first time Matthew ever played "Absolute Beginners" live, was with me, in Hong Kong in 2012. Even though he composed his bassline to the song.
mwe3: The Kindness Of Strangers features some excellent guitar work on it. Is that the kind of song you like to write about somber tales of lost love? Its amazing how broken relationships are like ghosts that visit us from time to time.
Jan Linton: As I mentioned, this had originally been recorded for the Planet Japan album released by Japanese major King Records, but it didnt really fit in with that. I rerecorded a lot of it, but the live drummer from that album remains on the track. I kept working on it, and various guitar players added their parts over the years, including the charismatic and wonderfully talented Kenichi Kurosawa, best known from the successful Japanese pop group L_R. He is mostly playing rhythm guitar throughout the track. He sometimes reminds me of the lead singer of A-ha, Morten Harket, in photographs.
I am sad to say that he passed away at the age of just 48, on December 5th, 2016. So this is almost certainly one of the last CDs to be released that will ever feature his playing. The record company pressed this album shortly after that and it was too late to add any dedication to him, but I definitely will do so for the next pressing. I am trying to get in touch with his management without much luck. It is quite an awkward topic but I have several unreleased tracks with his guitar playing from when I was studying the masters degree, but I certainly do not want to cash in on this.
To further answer your question, I think the meaning of the song is quite apparent; it is about how someone went to Australia and got pregnant there, presumably married the father and completely disappeared; Now shes the stranger to me. I think it is also a song about the death of love, or the death of my belief in naïve, unrealistic romantic love conquering all. It was like a part of me, perhaps the last part of my teenage ideas of love was dying, as there is that despairing refrain, and she went and changed and changed and changed. But people change, you dont need me to tell you that.
mwe3: Tell us about your choice of instruments on I Actually Come Back? What are your favorite guitars and keyboards? Also how has your choice of guitars and keyboards changed over the years? Are there some guitar makers in Hong Kong?
Jan Linton: I actually bought a local fretless guitar, not a bass, which I played on "Joy", which was made by a local Hong Kong guitar maker called Rosealan, who is literally down the street from my studio. His company makes really unusual double headed guitars, or combinations of fretted and fretless instruments, presumably so you can switch between the two styles of playing live. He had also made a couple of extremely long double basses but they look like rock guitars.
This album's instrumentation differs from earlier ones for a practical reason as a lot of my usual instruments were, and still are, in storage in my former regular studio, in Yokohama, Japan. The Roland Juno 2 synth, which I have been using on all my albums up to 2011 or so, and which has an atmospheric signature sound of mine does not appear on the newer tracks. Its probably somewhere in the mix of Anemone.
I went and brought back a couple of keyboards from Japan in early 2016 and one of them was the Roland Saturn organ synth that I used on the Buddha Machine Music track, "B2 Dance (Wu Song)"- a favorite track of Christiaan Virant's. And that is the same organ sound I play in the chorus of "Joy", so there is some continuity. The other synthesizer I almost always use is the Microkorg, and that replaced some parts I had previously played on the Roland Juno, notably on "Birds In The Dream Forest". However, yet another Roland synth I have in Japan, the 106 does appear on the various "Kindness" remixes, as I had recorded these parts much earlier, ditto with "Anemone".
The guitar sound playing the melody on the title track of the album actually was not a guitar at all, its on a Roland JV2080 synth I bought in Hong Kong, to kind of make up for the old instruments I was missing in Japan. It is really good for realistic, classy sounds and that convinced me to base the album around the song "I Actually Come Back" because before that I was playing the melody on an old analog synth and it sounded quite cheesy to my ears, a bit like early Depeche Mode's monophonic synth lines. I didn't want it to sound like an obvious synthpop track, and the sound I used from the JV2080 suggested a guitar, so Leo later overdubbed the exact melody, with some harmonic parts at the song's close.
One other crucial difference is that previous vocal albums were all arranged on the Ensoniq midi sequencer/workstation, then I would push play and all the midi instruments would play live at the same time into a mixer. I liked the sequencer because you can record say a verse, and then much later when you have another idea you can come back and play another part which might or might not go with the verse; you can audition whole structures of songs quite easily. This is actually quite difficult to do on a modern DAW (music software) on a computer, as most of them record in straight lines, and to then move several of these instruments or straight lines that represent a verse around, and stick them next to a collection of instruments that mint represent your chorus, is actually quite fiddly and time consuming, and with audio its hard to match up all the parts so they play seamlessly. You really strain your eyesight doing this, but I have been doing this since I started my masters degree in 2005.
I was recording and editing heavily on Pro Tools software for most of the degree, and subsequently the Buddha Machine Music album and I think that style of linear software suits ambient music, with long drawn out tracks, although its quite a laborious way of working and you tend to use your eyes more than our ears, which I think it a bad thing. Unfortunately, there aren't many DAWs that allow you to easily record separate patterns of verses, bridges and choruses containing multiple tracks which you can later just chain together by telling the machine to play e.g. part 1 three times, then part 2 twice etc, with the possible exception of Ableton Live, which does allow you to do that to an extent but again, when you drag all the various parts onto another screen to stick the verses next to the choruses, it isn't always a seamless match. I am not convinced it is good for acoustic instruments or vocals either, it seems to be more aimed at DJs mixing samples, but I should probably try it out more.
"Sendai" with Matthew was a bit different as the tracks basically existed on a midi sequencer, and I played them into the software, but they then required a lot of editing; but as I said, the software is good for editing that kind of music.
However, I stopped using Pro Tools halfway through this album as some of the songs were getting just too heavy for it to playback properly, as more and more parts were laid down, especially vocals. Older tracks like "Emancipate Your Heart" had multiple layers of instrumentation that were recorded on Pro Tools but it was a real struggle to get it to play properly without crashing, especially as we added several guitar solos and new vocal takes.
mwe3: What brought on Emancipate Your Heart? It sounds like an ambient rock gospel overture. Leos penultimate guitar solo is great! What is he processing his guitars with on that track?
Jan Linton: This song was actually written by Derek Pierce, who is retired now, but he used to record and release under the name of Beat System. He had envisaged it as a kind of blues track but with mutated chords based on a book on Zen guitar, or shamisen, over a drone, as in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, at least according to him. He is an odd yet deep thinking bloke who apparently went to school with the Stones' Brian Jones in Cheltenham Spa, so I like to fantasize that that is where the blues influence is coming from.
As with Leo, this was another two song collaboration I had begun during my MA study years, that needed an album as a home. The second track I did with Derek, a DMaj7 to D minor instrumental drone called "Zen Guitar", remains unreleased. You can see he is quite influenced by Zen, and that appealed to me on some level.
As with Leo's "Anemone", I came up with the lyrics and the vocal melody. Derek had had the idea of it being about the old slave trade in Bristol, and I took that but juxtaposed that with a love song about the bonds of love and the obligations of marriage, perhaps a similar theme to Joy Divisions "Love Will Tear Us Apart."
Leo's guitar solo was quite eleventh hour and the last thing added to the album. It was actually an outtake for the solo in "Joy", but it has a kind of zany sound to it -through a fuzzbox I think. Leo doesn't tell me exactly what effects he uses, which I thought was better suited to the blues rock feel of "Emancipate Your Heart". I actually play the distorted guitar solo at the very end of that song, but there was a lull before it came in and Leo's fuzz guitar fitted in perfectly. I also play the opening guitars, and Derek played the rhythm guitars throughout; there are a lot of guitars in that song!
mwe3: Anemone Explain your choice of the song title and the analogies in the song?
Jan Linton: "Anemone" is of course an important song as it was the first one I did with Leo's material; he had already released it as an instrumental, and it is his title. My lyrics came from something he told me about a religious girl who was "saving herself", so she became the "immaculate Anemone" in the song, and "she washes over me" is probably a Buddhist or spiritual way of dealing with emotional conflict, being unchanged or unhurt by it, while still embracing it.
The line "My ocean life, the sea and sky, these two things are always with me" echoes a lyric on my first CD from the 1990s. It is just saying that these things are constants in life, and perhaps you cannot rely too much on other people or relationships. Happiness comes from elsewhere.
mwe3: Birds In The Dream Forest has some incredible guitars or are those keyboards before the lyrics come in? What can you tell us about Birds In The Dream Forest / Route 2? That song has a twilight zone effect!
Jan Linton: While I was trying to come up with more collaborative work while Leo was not available to record new material in 2015, something really magical that happened was when I was listening to "Scene Memory" for further inspiration. "Route 2", which was mainly sparse single notes on a guitar through special effects that Leo uses, when played back at the same time as my old ambient drone piece partly from a cassette, "Bird In The Dream Forest"; the two tracks fitted together perfectly without any editing at all! Even in the some pitch! So I felt that was destiny, and Leo said he liked it too, and fortunately his publisher allowed me to mess with the track in this manner.
The lyrics are written partly in Japanese, which I had stopped doing after negative reactions in Japan in the 1990s; I was going against the grain. This is the first time I have returned to recording vocals in Japanese. I feel I have now moved on, and so I can look back at my experiences in Japan with emotional detachment. In fact, I had written "Birds In The Dream Forest" before I had moved to Japan, in any case, so they are pure from any commercial pressure or later, negative experience. They just benefit from my improved Japanese language ability after I lived in Japan for so long.
mwe3: How is Matthews edit on I Actually Come Back unique from the original track?
Jan Linton: Matthew was most taken with the song and he even compared it to Marvin Gaye, which I take as a huge compliment as Gaye was a perfectionist singer, although I think the retro/revival TR808 style drum machine makes it have a passing resemblance to Gayes Sexual Healing. He had already played fretless bass on the track, which took it further in that direction and away from the rather one dimensional synthpop sound my original demo had sounded like. However, he felt it was too long in places and now I agree with him as the intro to I Actually Come Back is way too long, and I rather cringe at the vocal harmonies repeating the title several times, yeah, we got it. So Matthew did a more radio friendly edit. If I get a further chance, I might swap the track order around so that his edit is first or second.
mwe3: Tell us bout the Kindness reprise? The guitar sound is great! You should go deeper!
Jan Linton: Leo's use of sustained guitar lines to create this fantastic, otherworldly ambient sound, was what initially attracted me to his music. He had used the same sound on "Anemone". I played harmonica and the overall effect is quite evocative and moving, I feel. Can't you feel?
mwe3: What about your early works including your instrumental recordings on the Entropy label? Are they out on CD? What kind of chemistry did you have with Chinas Buddha Machine and Matthew Seligman? Some of I Actually Come Back is rooted in instrumental music.
Jan Linton: After the Buddha Machine Music CD, I released the "Sendai" mini album from Entropy records a year later (2012). Matthew had been living in Sendai at the time of the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, and we discussed how we could do something to help, even if it was just a gesture. I had in fact performed an ambient installation at Sendai City Hall's International Culture Centre in the 1990s, but the music had never been properly released. David at Entropy Records wanted to do something for earthquake reconstruction as well, so he agreed to put it out as the second release.
So Matthew added beats to one track, and played marvelous fretless bass on the others, really refreshing the material, I think he also added bass synth to one piece as well. The cover was of the yearly Sendai light festival, and we told Sendai City Hall we would contribute the profits of the record to them, but the dark ambient nature of the music may have meant that not many people were interested in it, except experimental dance companies and the like.
mwe3: What is Hong Kong like? England was in charge of Hong Kong for many years. I cant imagine how the Chinese might try to interfere with certain freedoms but do they? Do you have Cannabis rights in Hong Kong? We have it legal in many states but the Republican GOP are trying to stop the will of the voters. Do you have fair elections in Hong Kong? Whats the relations with China like?
Jan Linton: Although the hand over agreement was that China was to leave Hong Kong's way of life alone for fifty years, recently it seems that there has been occasional interference, and some opposition politicians have recently been banned from taking their seats in parliament because they swore the oath to China in a jokey manner, or for similar trivial reasons. On the other hand, I take comfort that Hong Kong still has a British legal system, often with British judges; a rule of law is something lacking in China, and even Japan too, though you do not hear much about this, Japan only recently started a having jury system and previously had a 99% conviction rate i.e. if someone went to court they would always be found guilty! Contracts are in English and if a dispute rises, English takes precedence over the Chinese version, which is a bit unfair, but of course I prefer it that way. So, Hong Kong is very international and amazingly most people get along, in fact you have to make an effort to do so, as its hard to avoid people in such a small city.
I am in Hong Kong because it is a base for touring China and neighboring countries, as the audience in Hong Kong itself can be lacking. Unlike Japan, where everyone professes to like some kind of music, there are quite a few people in Hong Kong who have little or no interest in or knowledge of music. They are too busy studying for a finance degree in the evenings or, as a friend put it comically, "back at home by six pm to slurp soup with granny!" It is stereotyped as financial city, but there are musical experiences to be had if you dig deep and go off the beaten track. I already mentioned Rosealan guitars down the street from me: I found out about that shop from a scrap of paper falling off the wall of a construction site!
mwe3: What other things keep you busy in Hong Kong and what other plans do you have for your music during the second half of 2017? I hope there's more music planned by you!
Jan Linton: I took over a music studio in Hong Kong this May. It had been built by Joe, a drummer I occasionally play with, who had to let it go. So I have been thinking about making it commercially available. It has a sound proofed booth, which ideally suits vocalists who want to record their voice and then have me as a producer or engineer. One of the local singers I know here is working on a Chinese language version demo for a Taiwanese record company. It's one of my older songs from my first CD "Oinaru Sekai" (English title,Truenirvana) which was recorded in ten languages, This particular song has already had English, Japanese, and Spanish versions, but I am quite pleased with the lyrics this local singer has come up with for the Chinese version. I am hoping this will do well in the China market.
I have several tracks that could be standalone releases, though I am getting more interested in making videos, which I haven't really explored fully, as a means to promote music. I feel if I had more music videos, my music would probably be better known. Thanks very much for interviewing me!


text:
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The annual shut down of the recreation facilities starts today, Monday, July 22nd through to Tuesday, August 6th, 2019.
Facilities that are closed during this time include the Pomeroy Sport Center, Kids Arena Field House and the North Peace Arena. The closure includes the Northern Vac Walking Track, basketball court, ping pong tables, and the indoor playground at the Pomeroy Sport Centre.
As recreation facilities are actively used year-round and open 20 hours per day, 7 days a week. Facilities require maintenance and upgrading, which the closures provide an opportunity, according to the staff of the City of Fort St. John.
As well, the annual shut down allows staff to maintain or upgrade their certificates and competencies and enable time to complete an annual maintenance cycle on the facility and equipment.
The North Peace Leisure Pool is scheduled to occur September 2 – 29, 2019.
The Fort St. John Visitor Centre will be temporarily relocated to Centennial Park, 9522 100 Street, near the North Peace Leisure Pool. This mobile visitor centre will be housed within the existing mobile visitor trailer and will be open between 10 am and 6 pm daily.
Visitors will be able to purchase items, obtain maps and receive information regarding the area.
For more information, please contact email@example.com or CLICK HERE

domain: news


Student Who Posted Teacher's Anti-Military Rant Invited To White House, Raising Money For DC Trip
PICO RIVERA (CBSLA) — A high school student whose video of a teacher's anti-military rant went viral has been invited to the White House by the president's chief of staff, and now he and his family are raising funds to get there.
Victor Quinonez said he was left speechless after finding out White House Chief of Staff John Kelly called his father to personally invite Victor and his family to the White House and the Pentagon.
"It is really a big deal to me because not a lot of people say they've been to the White House or they met the president," Quinonez told CBS2 News.
The senior at El Rancho High School secretly recorded history teacher Gregory Salcido while he was talking to his class, telling them that military recruiters were "not like high-level thinkers, they're not academic people, they're not intellectual people. They're the freakin' lowest of our low."
The video went viral, and members of the community, many of them veterans, immediately demanded that Salcido, who is also on the Pico Rivera City Council, be fired. He has been placed on leave.
As for Quinonez, he said the whole ordeal has been tough for him, too.
While grateful for the outpouring of support, he said he has received death threats.
However, his focus now is to take John Kelly up on his invitation. He and his family started a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for travel and lodging in D.C., "thinking that, you know, they would pay our expenses, but, you know, no," Quinonez said smiling. "We've gotta get ourselves out there."
"I heard Washington, D.C. is not a very cheap place. Everything's pretty pricey," echoed Quinonez's mother Karen Rodriguez.
Despite the work it will take to get to the White House, the invitation is a point of pride for Quinonez, whose own father is a Marine veteran.
Click hereto donate to Victor's GoFundMe campaign.
for more features.


text:
Hello, everyone! I’m Marieza from Home with Marieza here! I’m going to show you how to upgrade your vases with Terra Clay Paint!
First, to change texture, add spackle to outside of vase. Make sure to evenly spread the spackle to avoid any unwanted ridges.
Then, use a sanding sponge to sand it smooth.
Next, I used the color Blue Moon on one vase and Prairie Dawn on the other. (Mainly because I couldn’t decide what color to pick! In the end, the blue won.)
Finally, seal the clay paint with a thick coat of Clear Coat Flat.

domain: artistic


text:
Vaccination stimulates the immune system to develop antibodies to fight a specific infectious agent in the body
. They have been used to eliminate and significantly decrease morbidity and mortality associated with different infectious diseases
by providing benefit to those who get vaccinated and also protecting communities through reducing transmission of the disease
. Via herd immunity, a high uptake of COVID-19 vaccines can also help protect people who cannot get a vaccine such as those with compromised immune systems and young children
. Getting efficacious results from a vaccine does not solely rely on accessibility/uptake, but also depends upon the public’s acceptance and willingness to get vaccinated
. Other major hindrances to getting a vaccine include vaccine hesitancy, skepticism, refusal, and anti-vaccine movements
. In 2019, vaccine hesitancy was identified as one of the ten challenges to global health
, and this concern has grown throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
. While prior studies looked at predictors of vaccine acceptance and uptake, it is worth noting that emergency-released vaccines differ from established vaccinations in many aspects
, and newer vaccines are usually met with greater skepticism
2. Factors Influencing Public Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination
This scoping review of 50 articles systematically maps evidence on the influencing factors that may lead to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy worldwide. Vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination movements represent an old phenomenon that threatens global health
. With the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, this can be a stumbling block in the global efforts to control the disease and its devastating consequences.
Vaccination is considered a vital element for public health; it is the most effective intervention for the primary prevention of communicable diseases. To enhance acceptance and uptake of vaccines, it is crucial to gain insight into the common factors that influence an individual’s decision-making process to help inform policymakers to develop effective strategies. This scoping review updates the latest information on the determinants that impact COVID-19 vaccine uptake. The review included studies that reported global data which offer an insight on how public attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination varies around the world. It also demonstrated that these attitudes are influenced by a wide range of factors on multiple levels of the socio-ecological model. Sizeable evidence showed that sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, and income status, individual factors such as personal beliefs and risk perception, and social and organizational factors such as the role of significant others are among the most related determinants. In addition, certain characteristics of the COVID-19 vaccines themselves like efficacy, safety, and side effects influence public attitudes (Table S1
The individuals’ attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccination varied among the studies, with acceptance ranging from 29.4% to 86%. This discrepancy could be attributed to variations in the study population. Sallam et al.
reported a very low rate of acceptance among people in three Arab countries, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia (29.4%), as compared to a relatively higher acceptance of 53.1% reported in one study in Kuwait
. In contrast, as high as 86% of people in UK (mainly elderly and middle-aged at-risk adults) expressed their willingness to receive a vaccine
. This is in line with the findings of a recent systematic review
that showed a global variation in the rate of vaccine acceptance, with the Middle East being among the regions having the lowest rates. The review related this finding to the widespread embrace of conspiratorial beliefs in the region, which subsequently resulted in negative attitudes towards vaccination. This negative attitude in the Arab region is alarming.
In this review, 28 studies depicted the sociodemographic factors associated with public attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccination. Coherent to findings from the literature
, the most common factors found to influence vaccine acceptance at the microlevel were age, educational level, gender, race, and income status
. More willingness to receive a vaccine was reported in the older age group
, while resistance, hesitancy, and lack of intention to be vaccinated emerged in the younger age group
. This could be attributed to differences in age distribution between countries, literacy level, and the fact that older adults are at a higher risk of morbidity and mortality than young adults.
Assessment of the role of gender in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy revealed that men are more willing to accept the vaccine than women
, and this held true across cultures (Arab countries
, China
, Ireland, and the UK
). Only one cross-sectional study in the USA reported lower acceptance among men
. Women were reported to have adopted more negative views about vaccination
while men showed a lower belief in rumors and conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19 and higher risk perception for the disease
. However, this finding should be interpreted with caution in light of sex distribution, as sampling bias cannot be ruled out.
Similar to previous findings, the current review found variations in vaccine acceptance and uptake across different race and ethnic minorities. Blacks, Hispanics, Chinese, Asian, non-Irish, mixed, or other ethnicities were more hesitant and more likely to reject the vaccines. The literature attributed this attitude to religious and cultural beliefs, norms, and concerns
. High education level and high-income status were associated with positive attitudes toward vaccination, owing to minimal barriers related to knowledge, health literacy, and cost concerns
In addition, other factors were included, such as health condition, people with chronic diseases, occupation status, marital status, place of residence, women being pregnant or having children, and having health insurance or not. More willingness and acceptance were reported among married individuals
, those who reside in rural or suburban areas
, being employed
, especially in professional and managerial occupations
, being at risk or belonging to a vulnerable group
, and having insurance
. Knowing these factors can provide guidance for organizations and professionals on people and settings that need to be targeted to enhance vaccine acceptance and improve vaccine uptake rates
More publications (36 studies) reported several individual factors influencing public attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines. The most cited factors were beliefs
, knowledge, and health literacy
. Other factors such as perceived susceptibility, threats and benefits, social, religious, and political views, previous exposure to flu vaccines, and lack of trust in the governments and companies producing the vaccines were also reported. This is consistent with findings from other reviews related to COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines
Knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines is limited as illustrated in numerous studies
. Unfavorable attitudes toward vaccination was related to misbeliefs, conspiracy beliefs, and antivaccine beliefs
, inadequate knowledge and health literacy
, lower perceived risk, threat, severity, and susceptibility
, political conservatism, partisanship and engagement
, and religious conviction
. Nevertheless, the factors associated with more vaccination acceptance included positive subjective norms and attitudes towards vaccination in general and COVID-19 vaccination in particular
, high perceived benefits
, self-efficacy
, institutional and government trust
, previous exposure to flu or other vaccines
, and prosocial concerns
. Enhancing these factors may improve the vaccination uptake rate.
Several studies examined the role of the social network and organizational factors
. Healthcare professionals appeared to be a trusted source of information. Their recommendations
in addition to support of family and friends
play an important role in shaping perceptions and behaviors towards vaccination. Significant others were reported in the literature to influence one’s attitude and behavior. Information, acknowledgement, and recommendations from family members, friends, employers, and community members were associated with favorable attitudes and a higher uptake of vaccines
On the other hand, the misinformation encountered, particularly on social media, the type and frame of massages received may influence the attitude to vaccination and intention
. Propagation of myths and conspiracy theories around vaccines and promotion of the antivaccine sentiment, combined with exposure to persuasive tactics, can convince the person that the vaccine is harmful, as indicated by Sarah Ashfield et al.
. Accordingly, public health organizations, healthcare professionals, and media platforms can collaborate to guarantee information accuracy, deliver health promotion programs to improve levels of health literacy to enable the target population to make an informed decision. In addition, this psychosocial environmental impact implies that strategies to overcome hesitancy can be framed within models that consider these multifaceted and multileveled factors.
Regarding vaccine characteristics, many publications included in this review focused on efficacy, safety, adverse effects or toxicity of the vaccines, and cost
, which were the most significant characteristics and concerns about COVID-19 vaccines. These were also common factors highlighted in other reviews about COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines
Beyond these, the present review also found other factors that further contribute to our understanding of the barriers to vaccination uptake. Immunity duration
, vaccination timeframe
, fake or low-quality vaccines
, beliefs about the consequences
, country of vaccine origin
, information about inactivated vaccines
, and doubts about technology used in production
allow a detailed understanding of how to approach vaccine-hesitant groups to increase acceptance and uptake of the vaccines. These concerns can be addressed via awareness campaigns guided by physicians and other healthcare professionals to foster trust in health authorities, assure the public, and illustrate the role of vaccination in acquiring herd immunity and preventing disease transmission.
As illustrated above, the majority of the studies in this review addressed factors associated with vaccination attitude at the micro-meso level; however, there is a lack of publications that address the factors on the upper level of the socio-ecological model. Determinants on the macro-level of the model, including policy/regulations, broad sociocultural, religious, political, and environmental factors, and the influence they may exert on COVID-19 vaccine uptake are underexplored to date, at least in the results presented in our review. This gap in evidence necessitates further research to comprehensively tackle the issue of vaccine hesitancy. Another important output for this scoping review reflects the gap in clinical evidence concerning the COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, safety, and side effects to date, which showed an influence in shaping public hesitancy and refusal of the vaccines. Clinical research is needed to fill this gap and manage sharing evidence that will alleviate public concerns and enhance vaccine acceptance.
The included studies reported global data which can be seen as a strength of this review. On the other hand, our review has some limitations. Only the articles in English were included; this may have potentially introduced bias or resulted in missing important literature. We did not include one keyword, “Antivax,” in our search strategy; however, when we did, only one new publication was found, therefore, this would unlikely have a noticeable effect on our results. The majority of the included studies are cross-sectional, which limits the ability to infer the causation between the various factors and public attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccination. Most of these studies used self-administered surveys that may lead to biases. Furthermore, uncontrolled health conditions of the target populations and the various global healthcare systems in the studies included in this review may have had a misleading influence on the results.
Understanding various population needs and the factors shaping public attitudes towards the vaccines would support planning for evidence-based multilevel interventions in order to enhance the vaccine uptake globally. In our findings, we were able to report factors on the individual, social, and organizational levels. Future research should focus on exploring the cultural, economic, and political factors influencing public attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccination.

domain: medical


text:
Prepare for a new wave of online betting agencies. The Australian government has recently indicated that they are likely to legalise online gambling and poker, meaning that Australian gambling agencies will be able to offer their services online.
This is a measure designed to regulate and tax an industry that is huge and growing, and one that Australians can use anyway by simply using services based offshore. The government has decided that ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,’ a shrewd decision considering their intense effort to cut costs to scrape their projected budget surplus together.
Media mogul and Australian Football League heavyweight Eddie McGuire writes, “Senator Stephen Conroy should be congratulated for looking at the reality of the world, not searching for some Utopian dream of what we would all like to see. In that Utopia, where some politicians and anti-gambling crusaders reside, no one would bet.”
In a bizarre twist, the right-wing opposition have slammed the decision. Typically of the Australian opposition party they have chosen to oppose a policy that would generally be in line with right wing politics for the sake of it. Opposition leader Tony Abbott in particular was scathing of the proposal in his interview on ABC’s Lateline.
“If it goes ahead, every computer is a casino, every smartphone is a poker game and that’s just not on as far as the Coalition is concerned. It is a dark cave into which people can so easily retreat and there they are beyond help.”
When Mr. Abbott was questioned about how this opinion falls in line with his party’s stance in opposition to the government’s poker machine reforms he abruptly called a halt to the press conference.
To me it seems like Mr. Abbott fears progress. Moreover it seems that Mr. Abbott simply refuses to fact check before making comments, instead choosing to incite uneducated dissuasion by making blanket, incorrect statements on a subject he knows nothing about. If he had a clue he would understand the benefit of such a policy. We, as Australians are already able to be online and live. It is just not regulated by the Australian government. The government have made the shrewd decision to legalise and therefore regulate this business which will actually bring the potential issues arising from online betting closer to home and far easier to address.


Luca Brasi fans can rejoice as the band returns with their fifth album, Everything Is Tenuous. Spurred on by friends amidst the height of the COVID lockdown the band have returned with a renewed vigour and creative spark with this new album.
Once again the band deliver a pop-punk/pop-rock showcase filled with beautiful melodies and potent, emotional lyricism.
Already the band have unleashed three incredible singles into the world – Tangled; Conent, Sefish Love, and Dying To Feel – all of which highlight the band’s ability to fuse beautiful melodies with melancholic stories. Throughout the full record Luca Brasi contend with themes of loss, regret, burnout and the need to appreciate fleeting moments of life.
This is a record which will appeal to a very wide range of music lovers from pop fans right through to more ardent rock lovers.


text:
The Award-winning play is back!
A new production opens November 2, 2019 and runs weekends through December 8th.
This award-winning play, a tribute to Vietnam Veterans, tells true stories about the effects of the Vietnam War and the subsequent homecoming on veterans and their families.
The critically acclaimed play originally opened in June, 1991 at Playhouse West Acting School & Repertory Theater, and ran for 25 consecutive years to sold out audiences in Los Angeles before closing in the summer of 2016. Over the years the cast included many stars of film and TV, including James Franco, Ashley Judd, Mark Pellegrino, Jim Parrack, Cassidy Freeman, Shawnee Smith, Heather Morris, Michael Trevino, Nestor Carbonell, Jonathan Lipnicki, Charisma Carpenter, Jared Ward and others.
TONY SAVANT, the creator, co-writer, director, producer and 22-year Los Angeles cast member of Welcome Home, Soldier, directs and acts in this production. Savant directed a production in West Chester in the summer of 2014, and in Philadelphia in spring and summer of 2015. All performances sold out and received rave reviews from audiences, especially from veterans, who absolutely love this play! This is a must-see play for veterans and their families!
Jim Parrack, (Hoyt on HBO’s “True Blood”, also "The Deuce", feature films Fury, Battle Los Angeles, Suicide Squad), a long-time member of the L.A. cast, will be joining the cast for a few performances as his schedule allows.
The cast is comprised exclusively of members of Playhouse West-Philadelphia, the east coast branch of the school Mr. Savant founded in 2012.
“One of the year’s ten best”
VILLAGE VIEW, Tony Tran
“An emotional “Welcome” for ex-soldiers! Brings veterans to their feet!”
“Those who see ‘Welcome Home, Soldier’ will never forget it.”
“The play has a positive, feel-good, group therapy quality.”
“Outstanding acting!” You honored Vietnam Veterans everywhere.”
Paul “Buzz” Baviello, Vietnam Veteran and Author of CORPSMAN UP
“Over twenty years since I’ve been back from Vietnam and it wasn’t till I started coming to this play that I felt welcomed home.”
Clifford Oliver, VIETNAM VETERAN
“This play has been a blessing in my life. I’m a new man because of it.”
Glen King, VIETNAM VETERAN
“I’ve seen the play 23 times and I still react the same way.”
Jim Kinnon, VIETNAM VETERAN
“It’s a helluva healer.”
Ray Martinez, VIETNAM VETERAN
“After first seeing the play I felt that I truly had been welcomed home from Vietnam. I honestly feel that this play has done more for the veteran community than the Veterans Administration.”
John Pagel, VIETNAM VETERAN
“Thank you for giving me back my pride.”
John Allgood, VIETNAM VETERAN
“Not since ‘Waiting For Lefty’ have I seen theater with this kind of emotional kick to it.”
Sanford Meisner, legendary acting teacher and co-director of Clifford Odets’ classic play for the Group Theatre


text:
Please select any room first
Serenity Inn Elite
Serenity Inn Elite
Plot No :369 A-1, Road No 24, Jubilee Hills, 500033 PinCode : 500033
We tried our best but the hotel is sold out on your dates!
Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as a fitness center, or other amenities including complimentary wireless Internet access and concierge services.
At Serenity Inn Elite, enjoy a satisfying meal at the restaurant. A complimentary breakfast is included.
Make yourself at home in one of the 16 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include safes and desks, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Distances are displayed to the nearest 0.1 mile and kilometer.
Durgam Cheruvu Lake - 2.6 km / 1.6 mi
Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park - 3.4 km / 2.1 mi
Mindspace IT Park - 3.6 km / 2.2 mi
Inorbit Mall - 4 km / 2.5 mi
Cyber Towers - 4 km / 2.5 mi
Ascendas IT Park - 4.1 km / 2.6 mi
Shilparamam Cultural Village - 4.3 km / 2.7 mi
Mindspace Madhapur IT Park - 4.5 km / 2.8 mi
Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre - 5.2 km / 3.2 mi
Hyderabad Central Mall - 6.1 km / 3.8 mi
GVK One Mall - 6.3 km / 3.9 mi
Asian Institute Of Gastroenterology - 6.6 km / 4.1 mi
Sarath City Capital Mall - 6.6 km / 4.1 mi
Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy Botanical Garden - 6.9 km / 4.3 mi
Qutub Shahi Tombs - 7.3 km / 4.5 mi
The preferred airport for Serenity Inn Elite is Hyderabad (HYD-Rajiv Gandhi Intl.) - 38.6 km / 24 mi
With a stay at Serenity Inn Elite in Hyderabad (Jubilee Hills), you'll be within a 15-minute drive of Golconda Fort and Cyber Towers. This hotel is 9.2 mi (14.7 km) from Charminar and 10 mi (16 km) from Nehru Zoological Park.
In Hyderabad (Jubilee Hills)
- Area shuttle (surcharge)
- Fitness facilities
- Concierge services
- 24-hour front desk
- Laundry facilities
- Free breakfast
- Billiards or pool table
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Wheelchair accessible path of travel
- Free self parking
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Free WiFi
- Free valet parking
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Free newspapers in lobby
Want to stay at Serenity Inn Elite?
Rehlat.com helps you find your perfect hotel room or suite accommodation in Serenity Inn Elite. With our fast online search facility you can view detailed hotel description, photos, and testimonials and securely book your hotel room online.We would be glad to help you in Serenity Inn Elite booking. The hotel offers value-for-money accommodation in the heart of City’s commercial district, perfectly surrounded in the area of business, culture, and tourism. The compact but functional rooms are complemented by all the modern amenities needed to ensure a relaxing and comfortable stay.
Get your Serenity Inn Elite booking done on Rehlat and avail huge discounts and best last minute deals on hotel reservation costs. The booking gateway of Rehlat is simple, easy, and safe and has secure localized payment options like Sadad, CashU, KNET, and Master/Visa cards to make sure that you get a hassle-free, personalized and safe experience.Corporate travelers with Serenity Inn Elite booking can be rest assured that their stay will be comfortable while leisure travelers can make use of the concierge's vast local knowledge before preparing their itinerary. After a long day out, clients can relax and enjoy the personalized service by the expert staff at the comfort of their modern state-of-the-art rooms.Reserved your stay at Serenity Inn Elite and now want to change the date or have some other question? No worries! Call Rehlat’s multilingual customer support (English & Arabic) and get your every query and concerns answered and addressed.Also know the key amenities of Serenity Inn Elite along with the policies for the hotel at one place. Happy Staying at Serenity Inn Elite!
Choose from list of Hotels in Hyderabad , read hotel reviews, and book online the best with Rehlat. cheapest hotels with world class facilities and book online.

domain: travel


TRMR is a mobile video unit with a generic payload interface that can be inserted into subterranean or confined spaces (such as tunnels or collapsed structures) via an inverted sleeve compression apparatus.
Controlled from a safe distance through fiber optic communication, TRMR is capable of inspecting hazardous spaces. The system is deployed by creating pressure in the inverted sleeve that pushes the module into the confined space and over any obstacle in its way.
Due to the nature of the system and the deployment mechanism, TRMR is very easy to operate and can be outfitted for different applications by using a variety of vision and sensor capabilities such as LIDAR, CBRN sensors or radio repeaters.
Easily deployable and
operated by a single user.
Effective in both subterranean
and dense urban environments
Navigate effectively with
additional payloads mounted
on the robotic head.
operator control unit
ir & white led
air pressurized tank
TRMR technology is a robotic vision module attached to an inverted sleeve system (which is primarily used for maintenance of sewage piping) that is deployed into subterranean and confined spaces not safe for a human. With the ability to outfit the system with a variety of sensors and cameras, TRMR solves many of the issues faced in subterranean scenarios
The system weighs 45 lbs for a man-portable version, with deployment reaching up to 325 feet at 33 feet per minute. Additionally, it is able to overcome obstacles up to ~5 feet tall.
TRMR is designed to offer a unique solution to the complex problem of subterranean operations and exploring structurally unsound enviroments by offering a reliable and cost effective way to safely search tunnels, culverts, and other confined spaces TRMR can help provide an additional layer of safety for the user by creating safe separation between the operators and hazardous areas of operation.
Enhance Mission Effectiveness
Generally subterranean missions are considered quite complex, dangerous, costly, and time consuming. TRMR offers a single user a fast, simple, and cost-effective way to search hazardous areas and provide visual/sensor feedback to the operator from a safe distance.
Limits of Environment
The TRMR system performs best in small passages due to its design: since the robotic forepart is pushed into the confined space via pressure being put into the inverse sleeve, confined environments will guide the robotic head while the reverse sleeve pushes the optical portion further into the hazardous environment.
About IBEX Technologies
IBEX Technologies was founded in 2011 by Raphael Moisa and Oleg Popov to implement their vision of excellence.
IBEX Technologies has grown to an engineering and manufacturing company founded to research, engineer and manufacture multi-disciplinary products and technologies.
Our industry experience in the automotive market positioned us to target new industries and to successfully diversify. We have implemented our systems to successfully grow as a
supplier for: consumer products, electronics and medical devices & HLS.
We excel at both our quality and delivery rating while meeting the competitive demands of the global market place. IBEX Technologies is known for its service, creativity, technology and
commitment to excellence.
We're here to help and answer any question you might have.
We look forward to hearing from you.


text:
Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:00 by GxMedia
(ORYZA.COM).-The sole rice mill in Jamaica completely replaced U.S. paddy rice with imports from Guyana in 2013 mainly due to higher prices of U.S. rice, according to the USDA.
The USDA says that Jamaica did not import any paddy rice from the U.S. in 2013 for the first time in recent history. Traditionally, Jamaica’s rice imports consisted of 20% of the U.S. paddy rice, but the share of U.S. paddy rice in Jamaica’s rice imports has been declining in the last five years.
According to the USDA, Jamaica’s total rice import market remains steady at about 90,000 tons. However, the U.S. paddy rice imports by Jamaica declined about 93% from around 46,000 tons in 2008 to 3,300 tons in 2012, and have vanished in 2013. Meanwhile, Jamaica’s rice imports from Suriname have been increasing in the past five years. Suriname accounted for around 28% of Jamaica’s total imports in 2011, according to the USDA.
Trade sources say that the change in the pattern is due to the quality and pricing issues, according to the USDA. While Guyana paddy rice prices high, those are cheaper than U.S paddy rice prices. However, local sources say tariff on U.S. imports could be another reason. Since imports from both Guyana and Suriname receive preferential treatment under the common external tariff (CET) for the Community (CARICOM) countries and CET on rice for non-CARICOM countries is 25%, paddy rice imports from the U.S., which is not a member of CARICOM, becomes comparatively expensive.

domain: agronomy


text:
Blackbeard the Pirate
Wandering around the idyllic harbor of Ocracoke, it’s hard to imagine that the waters offshore were once home to perhaps the most ferocious pirate who ever sailed the Seven Seas—Blackbeard. The archetypal pirate, even in his day, when piracy was common, Blackbeard was famous for his ruthlessness and violence as much as for his long black beard and exotic battle dress, wearing six pistols on twin gunbelts slung over his shoulders and slashing hapless opponents with a mighty cutlass. His pirate flag featured a heart dripping blood and a skeleton toting an hourglass in one hand and a spear in the other.
For all his near-mythic status, Blackbeard’s career as a pirate was fairly short. After serving as an English privateer in the Caribbean during Queen Anne’s War, in 1713 Blackbeard (whose real name was Edward Teach) turned to piracy, learning his trade under the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. Outfitted with four stolen ships, 40 cannons, and a crew of 300 men, Blackbeard embarked on a reign of terror that took him up and down the Atlantic coast of the American colonies. After five years of thieving cargoes and torturing sailors, Blackbeard was confronted off Ocracoke by forces led by Lt. Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy, and during a ferocious battle on November 22, 1718, the pirate and most of his men were killed. Blackbeard himself was stabbed 25 times, and his head was sliced off and hung like a trophy on the bowsprit of his captor’s ship.
Though there is no evidence that he ever buried any treasure anywhere near Ocracoke, Blackbeard’s ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, was discovered in 1996 off Bogue Bank, and some cannons and other objects recovered from the pirate’s ship are being preserved by the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort. Blackbeard’s legend, to be sure, lives on.

domain: history


text:
0 people want to try | 1 have favorited
MMMMM-------------------GINGER SCALLION SAUCE------------------------ 2 ts Fresh ginger 3 ts Thinly sliced scallions 1 ts Soy sauce 3 tb Olive oil Directions: In a large soup pot, combine the chicken, carrots, leek, parsnips, celery, dill, parsley, salt, and peppercorns. Cover the ingredients with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the cooked egg noodles and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook gently for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the dill and parsley from the soup and remove the chicken. Skim the fat off of the top. Shred the chicken off of the bones and return to pot. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve topped with a spoonful of ginger-scallion sauce. To make the sauce, combine the ginger, scallions and soy sauce. Set aside. In a small pot, heat the oil over high heat, almost smoking. Pour the oil over the scallion mixture and allow to sizzle. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Guest, you can Add a link to another recipe! What would you serve with this?
There are no reviews yet for Chinese Chicken Soup. Be the first to review it!

domain: food


We report the first use of ‘bare’ nanoparticles as both a cellular delivery vehicle and a spectroscopic detection platform to enable surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) detection. We have shown how this approach can be used to observe the conversion of a specific Raman active substrate whose enzyme is naturally occurring within that cell line. The technique has been used to pinpoint unique Raman signals at specific sites within a cell at nm resolution, suggesting a novel approach for enzyme localization and representing a major advancement upon both current SERRS and fluorescence cell based research. Further we show how addition of an enzyme inhibitor can be used to reduce the SERRS output in a dose dependant manner, a significant breakthrough upon current enzyme cellular analysis.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 3, Nanotechnology 2010: Bio Sensors, Instruments, Medical, Environment and Energy
Published: June 21, 2010
Pages: 153 - 156
Industry sectors: Medical & Biotech | Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topicss: Chemical, Physical & Bio-Sensors, Diagnostics & Bioimaging


text:
AURORA VIEWING TOUR#25: TO ALASKA
ANOTHER SMALL GROUP TOUR FROM RING OF FIRE EXPEDITIONS
FOR QUESTIONS, SEND AN EMAIL TO: firstname.lastname@example.org
IF YOU NEED TO FIND A ROOMMATE WE WILL ADVERTISE FOR YOU.
SEPTEMBER 13-17, 2023
$2795. PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY (STANDARD ROOM).
$3195. PER PERSON FOR A SUITE
TOUR CLOSES JULY 22, 2023
If you are lucky, you may be able to see sights like this! From our October 2018 trip. Paul D. Maley photo.
Join Paul D. Maley of the NASA Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society for his next aurora viewing tour, this time to one of our favorite spots near Fairbanks, Alaska where we will spend four nights at the aurora viewing lodge with all meals included.
This trip is a continuation of public outreach expeditions on land (17 to Alaska, 2 to Svalbard), sea (2 to Norway), and air (2 trips) to watch the Northern Lights. So far, every time we have ventured to Alaska we have seen aurora on at least one of the four nights! This adventure will be another small group tour limited to a maximum of 12 to 16 participants. We have attempted to make the basic tour as affordable as possible by inserting optional cost tours that you might wish to book separately. Everyone has thoroughly enjoyed staying at the lodge in the past and we trust you will find this a great spot for sky viewing. September 13-17 is without a bright Moon and the night sky should be dark during our trip. September is also one of two periods with statistically more auroras than any other during the year; in addition, during weeks around equinoxes, the interplanetary magnetic field connects to the Earth’s magnetic field prying open cracks where the solar wind can penetrate and thus create auroras.
How amazing is it? From this recent description, here is why we stay at a fixed location.
LEARN HOW TO TAKE AURORA PHOTOS! We will work with you to help you plan and capture good Northern Lights images. Contact me for assistance prior to the trip and also consult our AURORA INFORMATION page which has extensive information that I have accumulated over the last years.
Why Alaska? Weather systems generally blow in and out fairly quickly. Even though temperatures are cold and generally with remarkably low winds, the area offers a great deal of visual beauty. Properly dressed in winter garb you will find yourself well protected and able to walk about, photograph or just sit and view. A yurt is now on the property and serves as a refuge from the cold with chairs that can be used outside as well and access to a/c power. We have always had great response from people on our winter Alaska trips indicating that they enjoy it very much!
An example of aurora seen on our October 2017 Alaska land expedition. It is a huge Northern Lights band stretching 180 degrees across the sky from east to west. Constellations such as Orion, Gemini, Cassiopeia and Taurus are captured here. A brilliant Iridium satellite flare is also seen as the linear streak. Paul D. Maley photo.
Seeing the Northern Lights up close and personal is a bucket list objective of many people who are interested in the world’s most mind-blowing experiences. Over the past few years we have ventured northward to attempt to capture these phenomena from air, sea and land as they light up the night sky. It has been relatively easy to capture aurora if you are patient, are willing to brave cold temperatures and have the proper equipment. As an alternative, the easiest way to enjoy the experience is to simply sit and watch! Unlike a solar eclipse which only lasts on average a minute or two, auroras come and go and can last for hours depending on the level of solar activity and influx of high energy particles into the Earth’s magnetic field.
Aurora activity prediction model snapshot enables us to get a good idea of the likelihood and timing of aurora on a particular night and region. Credit: NOAA
One can also watch the aurora cam shown online from your room on your smart phone operated by the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute that gives you a near real-time view of what is happening in the sky. The minute you start to see the green glow on the north horizon as seen from Poker Flats, Alaska you can likely expect to see aurora at our lodge.
Aurora from a planned airborne viewing trip as seen out the window of a Boeing 787 from Shanghai to Chicago after a trip to North Korea in 2015. The constellation of Ophiuchus is visible in this image. Paul D. Maley photo.
Aurora viewing at sea from the deck of a ship off the coast of Norway in 2015. During the middle of the night with a full Moon, nobody else was on deck I was able to see a great deal of action all the way up until sunrise. The constellations of Cassiopeia and Perseus are recognizable. Paul D. Maley photo.
ITINERARY AS OF November 14, 2022
Times of meals will be arranged as necessary and optional tour dates may be moved around as required. Photographers are advised to read the aurora information web page provided in advance of the trip. Photos below may contain snow; the first snow in Fairbanks does not usually begin until late October.
-SMOKING: NEVER PERMITTED INSIDE THE LODGE, INSIDE TOUR BUSES OR AT THE AURORA VIEWING AREA OUTSIDE THE LODGE. SMOKE CARRIES IN THE WIND AND WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO IMPACT OTHER GUESTS.
–ALL TOURS ARE OPTIONAL COST UNLESS STATED BELOW AND MUST BE ARRANGED BY EACH PERSON PREFERABLY 3-4 MONTHS AHEAD OF TRAVEL DUE TO LIMITED AVAILABILITY. IN WINTER [not for this tour] WE RECOMMEND HIRING A TAXI WHERE REQUIRED (ROADS ARE TREACHEROUS FOR RENT CARS); IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT PARTICIPANTS CONSIDER SHARING TRANSPORTATION COSTS TO/FROM ANY VENUE.
-DO NOT PURCHASE AIR TICKETS UNTIL YOU ARE ADVISED!
SEPTEMBER 13 (Wednesday): DAY 1 – Arrive Fairbanks
A private transfer will be provided from the airport to our group lodge (one transfer for the group), about a 40 minute drive from the Fairbanks airport. The van transfer departs generally in the late afternoon from the baggage claim area but the time will be announced within a few months of the trip. You will need to coordinate your flight to arrive prior to the group transfer unless you wish to take your own independent taxi (optional cost) to the lodge from the airport. Once at the lodge, dinner will be at the provided. The lodge has excellent reviews; there is a guest refrigerator and freezer in the main area and linens are changed daily except on Sunday. Sometimes you can sight a moose from the dining room windows wandering the grounds. From each of the 6 ground floor rooms you can step out and check the sky for aurora. Rooms feature floor heating, adequate lighting, a/c outlets, carpet, phone, adequate drawer space and bathroom amenities. There is no safe in the room. Some cold weather gear can be rented there. The two suites are located on the main floor and you can walk out the front door and then down to the aurora viewing area.
AURORA BRIEFING 1: After arrival we will have the first of 3 aurora briefings by Paul Maley prior to the initial night’s Northern Lights viewing. It will focus on basic steps for photography and protocols used at the lodge.
After dinner this will be your first opportunity (weather permitting) to look for aurora from the lodge grounds. It will be cold at night during most winter trips and you should be prepared for temperatures ranging from +50 (daytime) to +20 deg F (but higher and much lower temperatures can occur!) with little wind. In winter [but not this tour] snow up to 2 feet is likely so prepare clothing accordingly. Bring a tripod, camera and shutter release or just sit in one of the lodge chairs and watch with the unaided eye. If you have night vision binoculars, you will be amazed at what they can reveal.
Meals are really good here! They are taken in a common dining area. NOTE THE BLINDS. THESE ARE ROLLED DOWN EACH NIGHT TO PREVENT LIGHT FROM SPILLING OUT AND RUINING AURORA PHOTOS.
Shrimp scampi is just one of the dinner choices. Lynn Palmer photo.
Overnight Fairbanks: (D)
Brilliant aurora curtains seen during our March 2017 Alaska trip. The Big Dipper is visible behind the aurora as is the North Star upper left. Jeff Pohlman photo.
The Fairbanks city tour (see below) often visits the antique car museum. Sharon Wysocki photo.
SEPTEMBER 14 (Thursday): DAY 2– Fairbanks
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be included for you at the lodge today unless you book the optional Arctic Circle tour below. You will have the day free to participate in optional activities such as going to Reindeer Ranch or Paws for Adventure (not included).
AURORA BRIEFING 2: This morning you will have a second PowerPoint presentation by Paul D. Maley on aurora viewing and photography. We will go over some representative photos taken as well as do’s and don’ts for visual watching and capturing of aurora images. This will be your chance to ask questions and figure out workarounds for any problems you might encounter. Before arrival into Alaska we request that each of you who want to take decent photos look at our online aurora photography information which summarizes lessons learned over past expeditions. In particular, this will apply to those going on the Arctic Circle Aurora Drive departing later this morning. On this tour you generally have the best chance to see aurora over a wide variety of terrain away from the Fairbanks vicinity.
Fall: It is too early for dog mushing but dog carting is popular. Sharon Wysocki photo.
Standard room interior view.
One of the quirky lodge rooms with door access to the outside for night viewing. There are 6 standard rooms and 2 suites. All standard rooms have walk-out access. If you are in a suite you need to walk out the main front door and down the side of the main building. NOTE THE DRAPES. ALL GUESTS MUST CLOSE BOTH THE DRAPES AND SHADES WHEN IT GETS DARK IN ORDER NOT TO RUIN AURORA PHOTOS! Lynn Palmer photo.
One of two “suites”. The suites are really one very large room, one with 2 queen beds, the other with three.
FAIRBANKS CITY TOUR
Today you will enjoy a tour of the city of Fairbanks which will include a visit to the Morris Thompson Cultural Visitor Center as well as the University of Alaska Museum of the North.
Entrance to Morris-Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center.
University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North and an ‘almost’ traffic accident on snowy roads. Paul D. Maley photo.
The Morris-Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center contains a 9,000-square-foot exhibit hall which features outstanding displays and dioramas showcasing interior Alaska’s people, wildlife, landscapes and seasons. Enjoy free films and programs on Alaska’s natural and cultural history.
Tonight after dinner will be our second attempt to view aurora. Note that viewing typically takes place beginning after 1030pm and it pays to stay up most of the night or to set your alarm for a specific time that would work for you. If you want to sleep and be called if aurora are spotted, we can do that also. However, we normally assign times throughout the night for each person to wake up, check the sky, and then alert the group if aurora are sighted to make it easier. The key to capturing an aurora if you don’t know when it is going to appear is to remain outside all night and/or programming your camera to automatically take exposures with an intervalometer over a long period of time.
Overnight Fairbanks: (B, L, D)
Group stop near the Arctic Circle for awesome aurora viewing during our November 2013 Alaska aurora trip. The optional cost Arctic Circle tour can often give the darkest sky views of the Northern Lights since they drive far from a big city. Paul D. Maley photo.
AURORA VIEWING LOCATIONS AT THE LODGE
In 2019 a new system was initiated to minimize having to stay out in the cold all night. Wireless devices were installed with a trigger in the yurt that allows anyone to send a signal to all the lodge rooms. The photo below shows the plugged in alarm that will go off when someone outside sees Northern Lights activity
The aurora alarm in each lodge room. Paul D. Maley photo.
FALL: Though this and the photo that follows were taken in the fall, all the standard rooms at the lodge allow you to walk out your door onto the driveway. If you have mobility issues you can watch from here with easy access to your room even when there is snow on the ground. There it is possible to see aurora, though the area with less blockage (from trees and the main building) requires you to walk down the slope in the following image.
Flowers are all over the lodge property in fall.
FALL: This is a view of the slope leading to the aurora viewing area with chairs and a yurt about 50 yards down from the main building.
FALL: Cabin with deck and chairs for aurora viewing.
WINTER: After you walk down the slope, the lodge is in the background and the cabin is now where the yurt (on right) is shown. In fall there is no need for snow boots prior to October.
SEPTEMBER 15 (Friday): DAY 3 – Fairbanks
THIS TOUR MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN AS A GROUP TOUR. WE ARE GIVEN A SEPARATE QUOTE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS. IF 8 SIGN UP AND ARE WILLING TO PAY THE COST WE ARRANGE FOR A VAN TO PICK UP AND RETURN TO THE LODGE AFTER THE TOUR. IF THE GROUP DOES NOT MATERIALIZE A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE TRIP, WE WILL LET EVERYONE KNOW AND THEN WE RECOMMEND THAT PERSONS WHO WANT THIS TOUR TO GOOGLE “ARCTIC CIRCLE TOURS IN FAIRBANKS” AND CONTACT A COMPANY THAT ARRANGES THEM. THE LODGE IS WELL AWAY FROM TOWN AND SO YOU MUST ARRANGE FOR YOUR OWN TRANSPORTATION FROM THE LODGE TO THE TOUR COMPANY LOCATION AND BACK TO THE LODGE.
OPTIONAL 18 hour longArctic Circle Aurora Drive Adventure
Today, you will drive up the Dalton Highway into the Alaskan Arctic. As you depart Fairbanks, you will pass gold mines and drive alongside the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Walking on the arctic tundra will give you a sense of the vast scale of Alaska’s arctic regions. Drive all the way north to the Arctic Circle, where you will receive an official Arctic Circle certificate. On the way back south to Fairbanks, stop and marvel at the majestic beauty of the northland’s most famous waterway, the Yukon River. The Aurora Driving Tour returns at night (between 3:00am and 4:00am). At least half of the tour will be in the dark to look for the Northern Lights. In the past this has generally proven to be the best opportunity to see aurora due to the large geographic distance covered. Tour includes round trip private transportation from A Taste of Alaska Lodge to tour departure point. This is an approximately 18 hour long tour. It departs the lodge at 10:00am today, returns between 3-4am the following day.
Fall: normally halos, caused by ice crystals, are seen in winter but also can be spotted in the fall. Paul Maley photo.
The Alaska Pipeline typical view as seen on the local city tour and the optional Arctic Circle tour. Joan Steiner photo.
COST of this optional tour DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE GOING ON THE TOUR: PRICE TO BE ANNOUNCED LATER IF AND ONLY IF AT LEAST 8 PERSONS SIGN UP.
• Round trip private transfers from hotel to tour departure point
• Arctic Circle bus tour with guide
• Boxed lunch
• Boxed dinner (though if a restaurant is open that night it may be possible to get other food there)
Does not include:
• Excursion Guide gratuities (recommend: $10 – $20 per person/activity)
• Driver gratuities for round trip private transfers (recommend: $3 – $5 per person/transfer)
Note: those going on the Arctic Circle tour will take lunch and dinner on the road and not at the lodge. After dinner at the lodge, those staying will have your 3rd night to view the aurora and any other astronomical phenomena on our calendar.
AURORA BRIEFING 3: This morning the last briefing on observing auroras from the air and ship and new phenomena discovered from Northern Lights observations over the years.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be included for you at the lodge today. OPTIONAL COST LOCAL ACTIVITIES: You can choose to walk do to a nearby dog mushing outfit where, for a fee, you can learn to drive your own dog team. Paws for Adventure is a great place to get familiar with sled dogs up close and get a real thrill out of being in control of a team of amazing canines. In fall they offer dog cart rides since no snow is normally on the ground. Reservations should be made ahead of time but sometimes it is possible to book the same day. You can also take a short ride, one hour tour or the mushing school option (all extra cost activities). Last year’s ride costs were between $70 (30 minutes) and $100 (1 hour).
Tonight after dinner will be our third aurora viewing attempt.
Overnight Fairbanks: (B, L, D)
Aurora during our February 2014 Alaska tour. Paul Lobert photo.
Aurora seen in February 2020. Peggy Bechtell photo.
Flying from Seattle to Fairbanks you can look down and see detailed river flows. Lynn Palmer photo.
SEPTEMBER 16 (Saturday) DAY 4– Fairbanks
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be included for you at the lodge today. You will have the day free to participate in optional activities at the lodge (not included).
BRIEFING 4: Paul Maley will describe his plans for future expeditions he will lead for solar eclipses, Northern Lights and other astronomical phenomena through 2031.
Also an optional cost tour to consider that has had great reviews is the Reindeer walk at Running Reindeer Ranch. This one-of-a-kind tour will be the highlight of your trip to Alaska. The reindeer (and Candy, their dog) take you through a guided nature walk in the boreal forest. There you will learn about the natural history of the forest as well as the reindeer themselves. Enjoy the frolicking and leaping reindeer as they run free through the woods. Each walk is a unique experience depending on season, trail conditions and the mood of the reindeer. After the walk, depending upon the season, you can tour their organically grown perennial and vegetable gardens and enjoy light refreshments and carry on the conversation. This nature walk has uneven terrain so good walking shoes and weather appropriate clothing are required. The reindeer are tame but not trained so sometimes they decide to take a route not planned for. Bring your cameras and expect the unexpected! In November 2022 the Reindeer Walk cost was $100. and van transport is extra split among participants. Otherwise the day is free at your disposal.
OPTIONAL Fairbanks city tour and Half-day trip to Chena Hot Springs
NOTE: AS WITH THE ARCTIC CIRCLE TOUR WE WILL POLL EVERYONE BEFORE THE TRIP TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE 8 PERSONS WILLING TO TAKE THIS TOUR SO A VAN CAN BE CHARTERED. IF THIS MINIMUM IS NOT REACHED WE AGAIN RECOMMEND THAT YOU GOOGLE “CHENA HOT SPRINGS TOUR” AND SEE IF YOU CAN JOIN A SEPARATE SIDE TOUR.
This morning, you will embark on a private sightseeing tour of Alaska’s second largest city, Fairbanks. During this narrated tour, you will visit the Morris Thompson Cultural Center where you will great exhibits about Interior Alaska. You will also spend some time at the University of Alaska Museum of the North with its dramatic architecture and new exhibit galleries. You will stop for lunch in Fairbanks at the Cookie Jar restaurant before continuing north to Chena Hot Springs. Spend the afternoon at Chena soaking in the natural mineral water or visit the indoor swimming pool. You will tour the Aurora Ice Museum, which features amazing ice sculptures created by 16 time world champion ice carver Steve Brice, and his wife Heather. Within the museum, there is a two-story observation tower with a circular staircase, and various ice sculptures made by Alaska Diamond and Alaska Marble ice. You may relax at the Aurora Ice Bar and enjoy an appletini served in an ice carved martini glass (not included), or warm your hands by the ice fireplace. Return to A Taste of Alaska Lodge this evening. Pick up from the lodge at 10am, return at 7pm.
Aurora Ice Museum at Chena Lodge
COST of this optional tour DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE GOING ON THE TOUR: PRICE TO BE ANNOUNCED LATER.
• Private transportation in a Sprinter Vehicle, including driver gratuities
• 2 hour Fairbanks City Tour
• Lunch at the Cookie Jar Restaurant
• Chena Hot Springs pool pass and towel rental
• Chena Hot Springs Ice Museum Tour
Does not include:
• Excursion Guide gratuities (recommend: $10 – $20 per person/activity)
• Activities not mentioned in the “Includes” section
Tonight after dinner you will have your 4th and final opportunity to view the aurora.
This evening will be our fourth and final opportunity for aurora viewing and photography. Overnight Fairbanks: (B, L, D)
Aurora during our November 2014 Alaska tour. Lynn Palmer photo.
SEPTEMBER 17 (Sunday)DAY 5–Fairbanks Departure
Breakfast will be served early at the lodge. In late morning our van will then transport you and your luggage to the airport where you can catch your return flight home (one group transfer only). Van transfer usually occurs after 10am. If your flight departs earlier than this, you will need to make your own transfer arrangements at extra cost.
Aurora viewing during our January 2015 Alaska tour can allow times for portraits. Paul D. Maley photo.
Aurora on our February 2017 expedition. Jeff Pohlman photo.
COST OF THE TOUR
TO JOIN THE TOUR, SUBMIT 1) REGISTRATION FORM AND 2) DEPOSIT AT THE SAME TIME for each person.
STANDARD ROOMS (6)
$2795. PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY (STANDARD ROOM).
$3195. PER PERSON FOR A SUITE (2 PERSONS MINIMUM). 2 ROOMS MAX. No singles permitted.
• 4 Nights’ Accommodations as listed or similar
• Private roundtrip transportation from Fairbanks airport to our lodge as specified above with an English-speaking driver. All participants must travel together. If you arrive/depart before or after the majority of the group arrives you will need an independent transfer at extra cost.
• Meals: Daily breakfast, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
• round trip viewing excursion from the lodge to Fairbanks for the city tour
• All applicable taxes and fees
Package does not include:
• Driver gratuities (recommend: $3 – $5 per person/transfer EXCEPT FOR THE AIRPORT-LODGE TRANSFERS WERE TIPS ARE INCLUDED)
• Meals, unless specified above
• Drinks (alcoholic, non-alcoholic such as soda); however, meals do include table water; breakfast also includes tea, coffee, juice
• Excursions and admissions (UNLESS INDICATED)
• Airfare of any kind
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Anything else of a personal nature not mentioned in the “Package includes” section
• Optional tours
• Transfer between airport and lodge or lodge and airport ONLY if you are unable to make the single group transfer. Some air schedules make this impossible.
ALASKA AURORA VIEWING tour ONLINE REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT
To sign up for the trip, follow these steps.
1. Read and understand the deposit schedule and significant cancellation penalties.
2. Click on the Terms & Conditions tab. Review prior to starting your registration.
3. CLICK HERE to complete the registration form AND submit payment as required. If you have trouble seeing the form, refresh your page or use a different internet browser. Some versions may not support this form!
Direct Travel only accepts the following forms of payment: credit card or debit.
IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES you may pay by one of these methods: 1) credit cards 2) wire transfer. A USD$50 fee is charged if a wire transfer is used. No checks or money orders can be accepted! Please contact email@example.com to make arrangements.
- BEFORE April 1, 2023…………………………..USD$525. DEPOSIT per person double
- April 1, 2023…………………………………………..Balance due
CANCELLATION FEES (per person)
- BEFORE April 1, 2023…………………………..USD$250. + any service fees (if applicable) up to that point
- April 1, 2023………………………………………100% OF THE TOTAL TOUR COST
OTHER KEY DATES
The last day to make a name change to avoid change fees is 46-days prior to arrival.
The last day to sign up for optional tours is 61-days.
The last day to join this tour is typically 61-days before departure but may be cut off earlier.
Clients should be aware that we cannot guarantee the weather for this astronomical event or any other.

domain: geography


text:
Romantic relationships are a big part of modern day culture, but they’re certainly not constantly easy to maintain. It takes time, effort, and a willingness to modify your mindset about romance to create them previous. Here are five techniques for keeping your romance using up bright:
Keep Take pleasure in Simple
Frequently , love in marriage may feel like a job or a burden. While couples should take pride in their commitment to one another, the relationship shouldn’t become about being “in https://farmgrillers.nl/how-you-can-meet-an-incredible-mongolian-girl/ love. ” Instead, the couple will need to strive to create a relationship that may be built in mutual respect and trust.
In addition , associates should try to maintain an open line of interaction between them. This will help make sure that both lovers have an genuine and fair assessment of every other’s needs and desires, and can avoid misunderstandings and problems in the foreseeable future.
One common problem that many couples face can be described as lack of communication. This can result in repeated quarrels, habitual bickering, detachment from a another, unforgiving behavior, emotional stress, and even assault.
The condition with this sort of communication is the fact it’s rarely a mirrored image of the partner’s true thoughts. It’s more likely to be described as a reaction to other issues in the marriage, including their own thoughts of inability or insufficient self-confidence.
It’s crucial for you to remember that all of us have diverse values, morals, and expectations. While it’s flawlessly natural to get a couple to obtain different views on issues such as child-rearing or career goals, deficiencies in equality can create tension and conflict.
This issue also can arise when ever there is a big difference in the amount of freedom every person enjoys inside their relationship. A fresh good idea just so you know about how you both feel about profession share the responsibility of family and residence.
If you can’t agree with an agreement, in that case consider going to a third party for mediation or legal services. This can be a wonderful option for couples who’ve been together for a while but are having difficulty maintaining a harmonious relationship.
Whatever the reason, a divorce can be destructive for anyone. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent a divorce coming from happening in the first place.
Be a Support System
Having a supportive partner can help your relationship thrive, no matter how complicated it may seem. It could be especially important for lovers who are newly hitched or coping with lot of anxiety in their relationship. Having anyone to lean on will help you through the very difficult instances, and it can certainly be a great way to make trust and intimacy.
While some lovers might have a hard time having their partner to do what exactly they like, being organized and efficient can sort out this. Simply by organizing days, making an evening meal plans, or taking transforms doing household jobs, you can make sure both of you have sufficient time to dedicate together without losing your partner’s valuable energy.
Always be Creative
If your spouse features a love for photography www.mailorder-brides.net or is mostly a fan of a certain sport, you will find plenty of ways to combine this within their routine. It’s also a great idea to take the time to learn about their particular interests and hobbies in order that you will be there for the kids when they require you many.

domain: sociology


text:
Udemy course Certified natural medicine Diploma / Course #1 by Pr. Roch Domerego Academy
Certified natural medicine Diploma / Course #1 is the best Udemy course on the market. With this offer they will be able to greatly improve their knowledge and become more competitive within the Health & Fitness category. Therefore, if you are looking to improve your Health & Fitness skills we recommend that you download Certified natural medicine Diploma / Course #1 udemy course.
Here you can see Udemy courses linked to: Health & Fitness.
- Author: Pr. Roch Domerego Academy
- Course rating: 3.7
- Category: Health & Fitness
- Modality: Online
- Status: Available
- Idiom: English
Abouth Pr. Roch Domerego Academy
Well inspired by close associates but also by people from the scientific community, Pr. Roch Domerego decided to set up a complete course around natural medicines. This exhaustive course has been built around his own experience as a Green Medicine Therapist and Research Scientist devoted to the manufacturing of natural medication and their use.
What the udemy Certified natural medicine Diploma / Course #1 course teaches?
What you’ll learn This one-and-a-half hour course focuses on the foundations of natural medicine, also known as green medicine. It clearly defines the 3 main axes that constitute the foundations of natural medicines and addresses the notions of pharmaceutical rules. It constitutes the indispensable base to follow and to understand the totality of the formation of Pr. Roch Domerego which has for objective to train you to become therapist in natural medicine.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF GREEN MEDICINE
More information about the course Certified natural medicine Diploma / Course #1
Prior to turning to natural medicine, you should be well aware of the reasons for doing so. Natural therapy is not just a passing fashion, it has always existed. But today, it has become an efficient, scientifically recognized solution and also overcomes the failings of allopathic medicine. When faced with the bacteria and virus resistance, dehumanization of the patient in mass medical practice, natural medicine emerges as a veritable asset for creating a symphony of therapies in today’s world. Thanks to the involvement of numerous researchers and physicians throughout the world, natural medicine has entered the age of science. It is no longer just an old wives’ cure ; today it has become a medicine whose results have been validated through studies and university protocols. Pr. Roch Domerego is one of those scientists who has devoted his entire life to laying the basis of natural medicine. A standing guest professor at the Calixto Garcia faculty of medicine in Havana, he has conducted several clinical studies which have led to the application of such techniques. He has thus been able to set down certain protocols guaranteeing the replication of results on the various patients. As Director of the API-AR International laboratory in Brussels for 11 years, he has pursued his work on medication of natural origin with a view to strengthening its efficiency and systematizing its production process. Today, in numerous countries, scientific protocols applied to natural medicine make render it more efficient and reproducible. But, Pr. Roch Domerego’s research has gone even further. It has highlighted the superiority of natural substances as opposed to allopathic medication for various pathologies. In many fields of interest, natural medicine hence displays its advantages. Pr. Roch Domerego has taught in several universities or has presented lectures in over 20 countries the world over. He is author and co-author of 14 books, some of which are benchmark publications. Our “Academy” endeavours to share the knowledge it has acquired over the years with the general public. Other instructors, all international experts, will be joining his team and offering you their expertise for optimal use of an excellent quality of Natural Medicine.