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Overcooked orange chicken : 5 Star Teriyaki - Signal Hill, CA, United States. ....
This time for me - I pulled right up and into a space in front of the restaurant.
Golden Eagle Restaurant - Signal Hill, CA, United States. Lots of seating. Lojie M.
..... I get mine with chicken. Delicios. Was this review …? Useful; Funny; Cool 1.
www.yelp.com/search?cflt=hotdogs&find_loc=Signal Hill, CA
Top Fast Food in Signal Hill, CA - In-N-Out Burger, WaBa Grill, Del Taco, Jack In
The Box, Chipotle ... Got myself a chicken burrito with brown rice, beans, etc.
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reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for the ...
Order online from Signal Hill delivery and pickup restaurants. Whatever ... 5205 E
Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90815. American .... Charo Chicken logo ...
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phone numbers and more for the best Restaurants in Signal Hill, CA. ... the triple
taste chicken is the best very, very ,friendly little place lots of ...
Hungry for Chicken food delivery in Long Beach? View Chicken restaurants
menus, coupons and reviews. Fast and free to place ... Seal Beach (3) Signal Hill
Popeyes Restaurant in Long Beach, California (CA) | 562-424-7137 | Bonafide
Fried Chicken, Tenders, Biscuits, Seafood & more.
Looking for restaurants in Signal Hill, CA? The Golden Eagle Restaurant offers
delicious burritos and more! Visit our Signal Hill restaurant today! ... The Golden
Eagle also makes healthy plates, from our Grill Chicken Sandwich served on our
Dec 4, 2014 ... Russ ParsonsThe California Cook ... There are soups and salads, hamburgers
and chicken pot pie, all kinds of breakfast dishes. ... owner Michael Dene's much
fancier Italian restaurant Michael's on Naples, and his recently ... Randy
Kemner's 18-year-old store in Signal Hill (a small city on former oil ground ...


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Guide to Mala Xiang Guo restaurants to satisfy your cravings. Mala Xiang Guo is a Chinese dish made by stir-frying, you can pick the texture whether you want soup or dry pot. It often contains meat and vegetables and has a salty and numbing taste. The population of Yangonites likes these types of food as you can pick and scale your food. Mala Xiang Guo is often shared with a group of friends and people enjoy the spiciness together.
1Rabe Mala Xiang Guo
Rabe is a new Chinese restaurant specializing in Mala Dry Pot and Sichuan Food and Breakfast. The shop also offers a variety of bubble tea. They are currently available for delivery from Hi-So Mall, Food Panda, Grab Food, and Door2Door.
Hours – 9 am to 10 pm.
Address: No.5/101, Nawaday St., Yaw Min Gyi Quarter, Dagon Township, Yangon
2The Spicy House
One of the well-known Mala shops as it has a lot of branches all around Yangon, they offer dry mala and soup mala with a variety of meat and vegetables.
Hours: 10:30 AM – 8:00 PM
Address: 6.5miles Marketplace, Myanmar Plaza Foodcity, CityMall St.John, Myaynigone Citymart
A popular mala Xiang Guo shop with many branches in Yangon. Their shops are always packed due to their immaculate taste and customer service. They also have delivery services and you can order using mobile application apps such as Food Panda, Door2toDoor, Food2u, and food mall.
No.23, Nawaday Street, Yaw Min Gyi Ward, Dagon Township, Yangon.
Opening Hour – 11:00AM to 8:00PM
A new Mala Xiang Guo shop that recently opened in Yangon Night Market which has a variety of set menus from shrimp, pork, chicken, and squid starting from the price of 5,500 kyats.
Telephone : 09 965 140916
Hours : 12:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Address: Coner of Sule Pagoda Road and Strand Road, Yangon Night Market Yangon, Myanmar, 11141
A Mala Xiang Guo restaurant that has a variety of dishes to make the dry pot taste better. They currently have a new style for their hotpot dishes, so make sure to check that out on their Facebook page.
Telephone : 09 44836 7710
Hours : 11:00 AM – 9:30 PM
Address: No.9, Dhama Wi Ha Ra Street, Kyauk Myaung Yangon, Myanmar
An underrated Mala Xiang Guo shop that mainly specializes in Mala Xiang Guo. They offer both dry pots and soup pots, the price range for this shop is affordable.
Telephone: 0967 330699
Hours: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Located: G1-B, Myanmar Culture Valley Shopping Center, U Wisara Road, Dagon Township Yangon, Myanmar
A Mala Xiang Guo shop that uses organic vegetables to boost the freshness of the taste. They offer delivery and takeaway services for their customers.
Telephone: 09797222121 , 09400800368,
Hours: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Located: Dagon, Myaynigone, Mandalay

domain: food


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The CDC says swine flu shots will begin shipping on Tuesday. So it’s decision time.
A Gallup poll released on Aug. 31 found that a slight majority of Americans, 55%, up from 46% in May, would get the swine flu vaccine later this year.
(Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,007 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Aug 26, 2009. Margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.)

domain: news


text: Lip Cream were among the first wave of Burning Spirits bands from Japan in the early-mid 80's. This is their first proper LP, "Kill Ugly Pop" released on Captain Records. For those unfamiliar with this band, as previously stated they have that Burning Spirits sound, albeit a bit thrashier than some of their peers. One of my favorites of this wave of bands for sure. I believe a lot of copies of this LP either didn't come with an insert initially, or at this point no longer have one. I was lucky to score a copy that does include the insert.

domain: artistic


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Welcome to Dan’s Fish Bar
EST. JUNE 2007
We serve traditional, stylish and modern fresh fish and chips which are cooked to order.
Available for collection or delivery.
We deliver up to 4.5 miles – delivery charges apply.
Dan’s Fish Bar can be found at 224 Farnborough Road, Farnborough. We serve fish, chips, sausage, burgers, chicken and much more using fresh ingredients.
224 Farnborough Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7JW
Monday to Sunday – 5.00pm to 9.00pm
Friday and Saturday – 12.00pm to 2.00pm
5.00pm to 9.00pm


ISRAEL'S premier told his military to prepare for a strike on Iranian nuclear sites in 2010, but it was not ready, it is claimed.
Defence minister Ehud Barak says in excerpts aired in an Israeli news programme today that “at the moment of truth, the answer given was that the ability didn’t exist.”
It quotes former Mossad chief Meir Dagan as telling prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the order was illegal, as it needed cabinet approval.
The full programme is due to be shown tomorrow.
Israel views Iran as a threat because of its nuclear programme, frequent calls for Israel’s destruction and support of anti-Israel militants.
The West suspects Iran might try to build nuclear weapons, but Iran denies that.
Israel has hinted at a…


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But for all its recognition, it wasn't the only facility that cracked the code of the Germans' secret messages. In fact, the US had a Bletchley Park of its own right in Washington — and it was women volunteers who historians say did much of the heavy-lifting it took to decipher the enemy's cryptic language.One of those women is Judy Parsons, a 99-year-old former Navy lieutenant and school teacher now living in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. "There's a bit of a misnomer, in that Bletchley Park is often discussed as the primary center where German codes and ciphers were being broken down," said Cmrd. David Kohnen, a historian at the Naval War College. "In fact, after 1943, most of that work was being done in Washington, DC, at Nebraska Avenue by WAVES like Judy." Today, Parsons is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.But back in 1942, she was a recent graduate of the Carnegie Institute of Technology — now Carnegie Mellon University — eager to do her part to help the country. Sexism is still a very real impediment facing women in workplaces of all kinds — including the military — and many of the barriers blocking women from pursuing their careers stood even taller at the time of WWII.While women played critical roles to support US Armed Forces and keep the economy humming in World War I, World War II was a game changer for women in military service. In the summer of 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Navy Women's Reserve Act, creating a new division of the US Navy known as the WAVES — Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service — and clearing a path for women to play a larger role in the Navy than ever before. After graduation, Parsons — who went by her maiden name Potter at the time — took a job with the Army's Ordnance Department, where she worked to supply US forces with ammunition.But one day, something in the newspaper caught her eye: The Navy was accepting women volunteers to attend its officer training school."That appealed to me a great deal, so I applied and I was accepted," Parsons said.
An oath of silence
After completing her officer training in 1943, Parsons was sent to Washington, where she was brought to a seminary campus on Nebraska Avenue that the Navy had converted into a military intelligence headquarters.When she arrived, Parsons and the other WAVES were asked a series of questions to determine their next assignment. "We were shuffled into the chapel and someone came in there and said 'Does anyone know German?'" said Parsons. "And I said, 'Well, I took two years in high school.'"That was apparently all the Navy needed to hear.Parsons was assigned to OP-20-G, a codebreaking division within the Navy's Office of Communications focused on unraveling encrypted messages sent by German forces. The work she was assigned to was top-secret. And from the start, it was impressed on her and the other WAVES of OP-20-G that they'd be "hung at the gallows" if they ever spoke about what their job entailed, Parsons said. It's a promise she says she kept for decades — never once discussing the work she did with her roommates, friends, or even her husband, until discovering in the 1990s that it had been declassified.Parsons can speak freely about her time in the Navy now, but says staying silent all those years was not always easy. Parsons said people assumed she was working as a glorified secretary. Not being able to tell them otherwise was difficult. "They'd say 'What do you do?' and I'd say, 'Well, I have a desk job.' And they'd say, 'Well, that's what we thought women would get.' And that was hard because I couldn't talk about it." Still, Parsons felt that keeping quiet helped dispel at least some of the myths that had been used to keep women from serving their country."The top bananas said that women couldn't keep a secret, and we showed them that we could."
A mental battle waged in code
For Parsons and the others in OP-20-G, their battles were fought not with guns and artillery, but with code. And their primary foe was the Enigma machine — the notorious encryption device used by the Nazis to conceal and communicate their war plans. Parsons' focus was on deciphering messages sent to U-boRead More – Source


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Guilt follows the lineage of three families through the ages, from prehistoric times through World War II illustrating along the way the inherent flaws of being human, the quest for perfection and the compulsion to do evil. Revenge, murder and sexual exploitation abound in a world constantly on the brink of chaos amid the loves and passions of characters torn between self-interest and selfless devotion. Guilt resonates with insight into the human condition, the heights of self-sacrifice to the depths of depravity, and, above all, a relentless quest for the truth of human emotions. Vividly written, Guilt will take its rightful place among the classics of the twenty-first century.
Few novels have such breadth of scope and quality of detail. Pastore is a great author of the first magnitude. I think good books can be slotted, characterized, explained; great books often cannot. I believe Stephen R. Pastore's novel Guilt is a very great book. I believe it breathes new life into the historical fiction genre, the borrowing-a-character-from-the-deep-past phenomenon, the old I-shall-tell-you-a-story-through-letters tradition. I believe it honors the best of the imagination. I give it a hero's welcome. Clarity of vision, fine, meticulous pros, the unexpected historical detail, a life-sized protagonist caught inside an unimaginably huge history. Guilt shows the same seamless marriage of research and imagination. Pastore's version of the human condition is both harrowing and moving. Guilt is an altogether successful book, casting a spell that lasts much longer than the reading of it. --Times Literary Supplement. Spectacular. The next great American novel! --Ivor Thompson: The New York Times
A tour-de-force from one of the great new novelists on the American scene. --Marion Davis-Times of London
A novelist that ranks with Allende, Marquez and MacCarthy...so far above most contemporary fiction as to be in another category altogether. Pastore is a rare talent. --Joseph Perez-The Miami Herald
Critics describing a new novel will sometimes resort to a particularly seductive formula: "If Judith Krantz had written Ulysses . . ." or "Half Georgette Heyer, half H.P. Lovecraft," or "If you enjoyed A Dog of Flanders, you'll just purr over The Cat's Pajamas." This is a seductive formula because it's easy to use (too easy, most of the time) and because it can quickly convey something of the range and complexity of a new book without going into a lot of detail. But such shortcuts also remind us that novels, like most literature, build on earlier books as much as they do on life or on a writer's personal traumas. Indeed, one loose definition of modernism might be writing that is actually rewriting. Guilt provokes such thoughts because it is a long novel that will remind readers of a good many other novels. This isn't meant as criticism but as an indication of the story's richness and architectonic intricacy. Before everything else, Stephen R. Pastore's GUILT is a book about a sin and redemption and the culpability of generations. Try to imagine a blend of a Grand Guignol thriller, historical fiction, occasional farce, existential mystery and passionate love story; then double it. If that's too hard to do, let me put it another way: If you love A.S. Byatt's Possession, García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, the short stories of Borges, Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, Arturo Pérez-Reverte's The Club Dumas or Paul Auster's "New York" trilogy, not to mention Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame and William Hjortsberg's Falling Angel, then you will love GUILT. "I was raised among books," writes Daniel Sempere, "making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day." Young Marco is an orphan in a Catholic orphanage. Isabelle is a lovely young woman whose mother is "unhinged like an old screen door." The Duke becomes a biological warfare specialist experimenting on political prisoners. Julian Corona is the bastard son of a murderer who is the "hero" of this story. All of these characters meet in Mussolini's Italy. As the reader tries to figure out the links between modern Italian/ European history, two passionate and forbidden love affairs and an enigmatic lawyer, Stephen Pastore periodically lessens the tension of his dark melodrama by introducing humorous interludes or eccentric secondary characters. There is Nikolai the Czarist servant, Sonya, the loving prostitute, even an appearance of a mysterious preacher in the Middle Eastern desert who might be Jesus. "For the life of God, I hereby swear that I have never lain with an underage woman, and not for lack of inclination or opportunities. Bear in mind that what you see today is but a shadow of my former self, but there was a time when I cut as dashing a figure as they come. Yet even then, just to be on the safe side, or if I sensed that a girl might be overly flighty, I would not proceed without seeing some form of identification or, failing that, a written paternal authorization. One has to maintain certain moral standards." Pastore -- at least in the fine English of Thomas Hardy -- can also create a subtle metaphor: Describing a dying professor, he writes, "When we are born you know there is an after-birth we don't hear much about. The women, they know because they must deal with it, this sack of blood and water and other material we never want to think of because the baby is so beautiful and this other is quite horrid. The after-birth is the baby's opposite. Now listen to me and do not question. This is no discussion of a poem where there is no answer, only banter and good talk. In the after-birth is an eel. It slips off the table and into the drain below in the floor. Oh, I know you will say, `What if there is no drain?' I tell you, it finds one and it has the cunning to do it. As the baby grows, the eel grows as well and it feeds on what is left behind, not the feces or the physical refuse of our lives but our memories. That is why, dear friend, son, that we do not remember our birth or when we were very young. It is the hunger of the eel. It has eaten our memories. As we mature, it follows us always under the ground, in the water, for everywhere there is water beneath us even in the Sahara, that cursed, arid place; look deep enough and there is the water and in the water, the eel.
And so, in a sense, Julian does go for it, plunging deeper and deeper into the enigma of life and his accursed circumstances, and along the way risking the lives and happiness of all those he loves. It grows ever more apparent that much that has seemed random or mad or unlucky -- the encounter with his lover's lovers, the missing jewelry, the paradoxes posed by the Cardinal, sudden disappearances, the blighting of so many lives -- may be part of a larger insidious plan, that there are wheels within wheels. I'd like to say more about this superbly entertaining book but don't dare to hint any more about its plot twists. Suffice it to say that -- and here's yet another critical formula -- anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up Guilt. Really, you should. Marilyn DeBouchette: The New Yorker
An Excerpt from Guilt
The forth volume was damp stained with the cardboard showing through where the leather had been worn or rubbed off. The spine was cracked and the book warped as if being carried in a back pocket for a long time. Julian opened it carefully and the first page had the phrase, “The Trench” on it. Underneath that this sentence in Cortez’s careful script: “I am no longer afraid of what tomorrow will bring for it arrived yesterday.” The next page, partially torn, said,
“I used to tell people that no matter how bad your life may seem now, no matter the troubles, stop and look down and below you, you will see the depths, for life can always get worse, worse even than death. I learned that I was wrong, for yesterday, I did look down and there where my feet stood, was the floor of hell.
“Two days ago there were four of us in the forward trench. No rain had fallen but water trickled steadily under the wooden boards of the inverted A-frame devised by the Brits to keep our feet dry. We were all with the Spanish Expeditionary Force, three privates including myself and my friend Jose, a corporal because he could speak better English than the rest of us. A slow wind was blowing from the Kraut lines about a hundred meters distant and the corpse crews had missed about a dozen fallen comrades in no man’s land in the night. One was still alive and making weak whimpering sounds that carried on the wind like swamp gas. The dead had stiffened, one with his arm still up in the air, a grenade unprimed in it. His helmet had fallen off or been shot off and held rain water, a small pond reflecting the blue sky in the muck, a porthole to a better world underground. The others were sprawled in different poses as they fell invisible to us behind the dust and corrugated metal of the trench. One of them I knew was a cook from Salamanca whose friend had been hit by shrapnel and was wounded and screaming like an infant being boiled alive. All our nerves were short-circuited and firing electric sparks into parts of our souls that were better left unknown. But cook went over the top to save his friend and the Kraut sniper had taken the left side of his skull out with a bullet. The shot was so well placed, cook stood for a moment as we watched, took a step forward, reached for his face and fell forward, the bottom of his boots facing us like two upside down exclamation points in a comic strip. I hated the Krauts, hated them madly for their cunning, their skill for war and their incessant craving for blood. I was mad with the hatred that comes from fear, abject fear that seeps up from the ground through your legs and puddles in your guts giving you the shits. It is no wonder men, good men, men who would face the bull in the corrida, will piss their pants when the bullets fly or the shrapnel sings on their shoulders. The fear has filled them to bursting and their bladders are squeezed. Of the twenty four of us that came together from Madrid, only four are left, the sound of our Spanish voices like a song of home to us in the quagmire of Limey and Frog and Kraut. God, I told Jose, must be fucking a Chinese whore on the other side of the world, for he cannot know that this is going on over here.
“Lupe opened a can of beans and was heating it on the small French stove. It was swill. But it was pheasant foie gras to us. Even fear gets hungry when it has finished eating your soul. We were huddled under a canvas sheet at a blind turn in the trench and quietly chowing down when we heard the shuffling of men crawling. Lupe signaled to be quiet. In a few moments, three Kraut soldiers dropped in the trench around the curve from us. Jose had been watching and he signaled with his hand to come toward him. I peaked around the edge of the steel corner and saw them; they could not have been older than sixteen. We picked up our guns and in a mad rush stormed them hoping for an easy capture and maybe a twenty-four hour pass as a reward. But even the young Krauts are cunning as snakes. They had a flame thrower with them. They had planned, I guessed, on annihilating fifty of our men with a squirt of oily petrol or whatever that shit was that incinerated everything it touched. But it was only us four. They saw us and opened fire with the flames.
“Lupe ignited like he was made of dry pine needles. He cooked so fast he didn’t have time to scream. Jose’s face got hit and he tried to put it out with his hands but they melted to his cheeks as his hair flared blue and his uniform smoldered. He screamed and fell squirming as if to touch the water that trickled just inches below the floor boards out-of-reach. Pablo was behind me and he tackled me to the ground as the flames spewed over us and passed us igniting the canvas. I aimed my rifle and hit the man that held the thrower in the chin, the bullet taking off his jaw and penetrating his neck. I could see his upper jaw with the bright teeth of a young man rocking back and forth, his tongue lolling on the hole in his neck which poured blood. He fell forward jamming the nozzle of the thrower in between two floor boards. One of the other two Krauts fired at us, but we were on the ground and made poor targets. One dropped his rifle and reached for the nozzle but my second bullet caught him in the shoulder and he fell backward into his friend who was trying to climb back over the trench wall. The harder he clawed at it, the more it caved in.
“We jumped up and charged. He raised his hands in surrender and the one I had shot pleaded for mercy. Pablo yelled “Silencio!” at them but they were blathering in their infernal Kraut tongue that reminded me of the sounds of a drunk vomiting in the gutter. Pablo turned to me and said these two Krauts might get us our twenty-four hour pass after all, they were spring chickens but better than nothing. As he smiled at me at his own joke, the Kraut on the floor drove a dagger up into Pablo’s gut, just above his crotch. Blood and urine poured out as Pablo gasped and fell backward, the bayonet still in the Kraut’s hand. I raised my rifle and brought the butt down on the sitting Kraut and smashed his brains out. I hit him ten more times than I needed to kill him. Pablo was groaning as the smoke from the bodies of Lupe and Jose shifted toward us in a wicked breeze that crept into the trench. I tied the surviving Kraut’s hands behind him with his own canvas belt and turned to Pablo. He muttered to me of his wife and young son, tears weakly filling his eyes and running over through the grime on his bluish face. I held the crucifix that was on a chain around his neck and imitated the ritual of last rites as well as I could remember from seeing it once or twice, back when, I couldn’t remember.
“Pablo said he loved me, but I knew he thought he was talking to his mother, his father, his wife or his son. I was the closest he would get to them now so I told him I loved him too, hoping the fear in his eyes made me look like them instead of me, a miserable wretch in this miserable place in the miserable war on this miserable planet. He died in my arms and as his life ebbed away I could feel it pass through me into the thinning smoke and up into the purple sky. With his life, my soul took flight, like Icarus, young Icarus, leaving the earth as I wished I could do, with bight, white-feathered wings fashioned by my father. I imagined I was over the trenches and looking down. I could see they were not trenches at all but the labyrinth of King Minos, the labyrinth that saw the hideous sacrifice of so many young men and women. I could see the maze stretch for miles under me in every direction twisting and turning upon itself in its diabolical perfection, a place from which no one returned, lost forever, lost in its demonic coils and at the center, there, there, I could see the Minotaur, head of a deformed bull and the body of a contorted giant scarred with the sins of his father, flesh of a virgin still hanging from his yellow teeth.
“I felt the bayonet in my hand and dove down out of the sky my glorious wings flashing, rushed to him driving the knife into the monster’s chest and twisting it with all my strength, screaming a curse at God and the beast I held beneath me. I pulled out the blade as he grunted his last obscenities. The black blood flowed out like oil from a well covering his body and filling the labyrinth at my feet. I cut open the monster’s chest and pulled out his heart and bit it, hot, almost still beating, my teeth digging into the muscle fleshiness and pulling away mouthfuls until I had finished, the salt smell of it making me dizzy.
“A bugle sounded in the distance and I was back in the trench, the sole survivor of the twenty-four Spaniards from Madrid. At my feet was the young German soldier, his chest agape and his heart gone.
“A British lieutenant and a contingent of men appeared, coming no doubt to the smoke. When they saw what I had done, they took me to the field hospital. In a month, the body that had my name arrived in Madrid and walked to my mother’s house. She held it and wept into its shoulder. She thought I was still alive and could not know that the young man in her arms was the shell of he who had left for glory on the western front and come back the king of the hollow men.”
Julian turned the rest of the pages but they were blank. Two other journals were on the shelf, but he could read no more. The desolation of Cortez’s spirit reached out to him like the proverbial hand from the grave and yet Julian thought there must be more to the story. He placed the journals in a stack on the floor where he sat, turned and picked up the small black lacquer box
1942: The Nazis have successfully landed in Mexico and have invaded the United States through Texas. The Japanese have conquered western Canada and have captured and occupied most of the West Coast from Seattle to the outskirts of Los Angeles. The Italians have launched a massive amphibious assault from Cuba and have taken control of Florida and the Southeast as far north as Atlanta. New York City and Washington D.C. are fortifying and preparing for the onslaught. American forces are stranded in Europe and Southeast Asia. The homeland is being defended neighborhood to neighborhood by women, the elderly and gay men, all ineligible for military service. The KKK and Right Wing radicals are supporting the invaders helping to establish concentration camps where Blacks and Jews are being transported all over the western U.S. Amid the carnage and brutality of an enemy seeking to destroy everything in its path, the American Spirit is put to its greatest test. Pastore weaves a tale that will not soon be forgotten as this highly imaginative story unfolds. It is an awe-inspiring parable of the true nature of the American people when put to their greatest test.
I was never much of a fan of what if novels although there have been quite a few over the years that were intriguing such as Robert Harris s, Fatherland. Stephen Pastore s book, Never on These Shores, has gone a long way toward changing my mind, however. The premise is that in 1942, Hitler has decided not to invade the Soviet Union and to focus entirely on Great Britain. Clearly, historians have long agreed that if Hitler had made any mistakes, this was the fatal one, at least for the Nazis. Pastore has German forces landing in Mexico and invading the U.S. through Texas, along with the Japanese coming in through Canada to conquer the West Coast and the Italians through Cuba into Florida. Now, if all this seems a bit far-fetched, it might be. But Pastore has you convinced within 20 pages or so that not only could it have happened, it would have happened just the way he says. I found myself unable to stop reading this book not because it is my job to read books, but because I simply could not help myself. There are a lot of characters and the action slingshots from city to city, state to state like a helicopter with a missing blade, bouncing all over the place and taking you with it. But somehow he never leaves the reader behind and it is Mr. Pastore s gift of being a good, perhaps a great, storyteller that keeps you hooked and most importantly caring about his characters. More important than this, he leaves you caring about the good ole USA, something in short supply these days. While it is true that the underdogs of American society, the elderly, women, blacks and gay folk are the heroes, Pastore has no agenda. He pleads no cause other than it is good to be an American and it might even be worth dying for it. I can t remember a recent book that made me care so much about my country. The book leaves you wanting more and I have it on some authority that there is more in the offing. This writer s talents seem abundantly evident and there is some speculation, I imagine, that will come out of this novel that Pastore is headed to fill the shoes of such writers as Herman Wouk and James Michener. I do not make such claims lightly. I state them more like a what if this is the next great novelist on the scene. Aren t I lucky that I read him when no one knew who he was. It is a rare treat, indeed, these days to be excited about a book. I have been so treated. --Losangelestimesbookreviews.com
A new maga-thriller is on the scene this summer and it promises to be a block-buster. Stephen Pastore's Never on These Shores is as good a summer book as anyone could want unless they want one longer and it seems this is only the beginning of an epic series of books by this relative newcomer. We searched internet records for the author and it turns out he is a bibliographer so, after some thoughtful analysis, it seems no wonder that the details of the world he creates in this book are so authentic. It is the best "what if" book I've ever read and I've read a bunch. The premise (an Axis invasion of the American homeland in 1942) is so compelling, we are at a loss to tell you why someone has not done it before. This book is one of those page-turners one should not take to the restroom unless you're planning on staying in there all day. And don't read before going to bed, because you'll be up all night. It is THAT good. Admittedly, there are a great many characters and sometimes I felt like I needed a scorecard to keep them all straight, but this book whizbangs all over the place and takes you for the ride of your life. I rarely pass a book on to other reviewers who ordinaily have their hands full, but this one is making the office rounds. It is not great literature, although sometimes you think Pastore verges on greatness, but it is a great read. More, please, Mr. Pastore. More! Washington Post
Winner of the ALDOUS HUXLEY PRIZE for Speculative Fiction, 2007.
An Excerpt from Never on These Shores
Adolf Hitler called a council of his general staff. The Fuhrer had successfully negotiated a treaty with Josef Stalin of the Soviet Union who gladly joined Hitler in dividing up hapless Poland.Great Britain has been bombed into near oblivion. Now, Hitler thought, was the time to take Soviet Russia and teach that Bolshevik barbarian a lesson.Hermann Goering, as ever the dutiful Luftwaffe lapdog, had assured Hitler that England would fall and with it, the British Empire.Hitler’s hatred of Stalin and Bolshevism and Goering’s promises overcame the Fuhrer’s qualms about opening a “second front.”General Irwin Rommel counseled otherwise. He warned Hitler about draining forces to fight Stalin, with England still capable of defending itself. The real prize, he said, was not the frozen lands of the Soviet, but the industrial giant in the west, the United States. Stalin could wait, Rommel said. Defeat Britain and the Americans would have no place to land in Europe. The Axis allies in the east, the Japanese, would sever the right arm of the United States by destroying the Pacific Fleet in Hawaii.With a full blown invasion of England, the Atlantic Fleet would attempt to support the English. When they launched from the United States, the U-Boats would strike and, thus, the left arm of the giant would be severed. On this day, the Fuhrer succumbed to the higher reason of Rommel.Within four months, Rommel’s plan played out as if he had had a crystal ball.With both fleets either destroyed or heavily damaged and two million American soldiers stranded in Southeast Asia and Scotland without lines of supply, the United States was helpless.
A centuries old theory that no foreign power could successfully land on American shores was still true. Anti-war advocates in the United States had emphasized that fact for decades, so much so that there was no production of war armaments undertaken; the American fleets were decades old and the air force consisted mainly of preserved WWI planes, hopelessly outdated. Even American rifles had not been improved upon since 1918. What had not been foreseen was a foreign power landing on the soft underbelly of North America: Mexico and Cuba.
So it came to pass that one million German troops landed in Mexico along with four thousand Panzers after a negotiated treaty that left the weak Mexican government in no position to argue. Another seven hundred fifty thousand Japanese landed in western Canada and five hundred thousand Italians landed in Cuba. With the collapse of Great Britain and France, Canada signed a treaty of surrender with the Axis and became known as Vichy Canada. Lightning quick strikes against American aircraft manufacturers from bases in Canada and from pro-Nazi underground forces within the United States irrevocably destroyed American capability to build sufficient war planes.The United States of America, the giant, helpless and fat, dormant and isolationist since the Great War, floated aimlessly on the twin oceans whose protection no longer existed. The sharks circled for the feast.

domain: library


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For those of you who already know that Picton in Prince Edward County sets the bar unbelievably high for gorgeous corners of our humongous country, that its environs produce some of the best wine and cider, fun beaches, shady, bird-filled trails, and astoundingly delicious icecream parlours, there’s more! Picton is home to Macaulay Heritage Park, a fantastic local history museum that celebrates the County and the Country through immersive displays, public talks, heritage markets, and more. I was there in February at an evening with Parks Canada about the Erebus and Terror, and the crowd was big and keen, even during a snowstorm.
The weather is friendlier this season, and I’ll be talking about Lady Franklin and all things polar in the Parlour of Macaulay House (23 Church Street), part of the County’s “Second Thursday” summer series. Talk starts at 11, but there’s much more to see and do throughout the day. Hope to see you there – I’m already looking forward to my wood-fired pizza.

domain: travel


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Our Spring/Summer '18 Collection is launching in February and you are going to LOVE it!
Reimagined from our NOVO FW15 Collection, we've sourced a new variety of vintage chain to bring you another great stand-alone piece.
Brassy and warm copper tones, this necklace looks fabulous for both daytime and night time wear. Chunky yet comfortable, it hangs approximately 18" to 20".
Our model Kim is rocking this statement necklace in the photo below.
Cloud+Lolly items are made by hand in a wee studio in the forest at Lake Wabamun, Alberta, Canada.

domain: design


M1a2 SEP v3 tanks belonging to 2nd ABCT, 3rd ID (6/8 Cav, 2/69 Arm) at various locations (Ft. Stewart, NTC and in Poland).
Love how they caught the round mid-flight on this one. Definitely not an APFSDS.
If that’s real and they weren’t expecting it, I bet it scared the piss out of them.
Cool pics, thanks for posting
I really hope that the v3 will be available in 1/35 soon!
They are just fine. I would not go forward of the front road wheels though. I am not sure where the true line of departure is for injury. Never tried exploring that point.
The safety area is two lines at roughly 45 degree angles from the front corners of the tank when the barrel is forward. The area they are in will be loud and they will be able to feel the shock wave, but that is about it.
Sorta like this.
I’ve driven safety tracks/jeeps about as close as they are, no problem at all.
Common since would be that the driver would have to be safe with the hatch open.
Note to self,…Do not go forward of the pointy thing
Yeah, I was on the back deck when the M1A1 next to us fired.
That’s when I figured out the chinstrap was for holding the Kevlar on your head.
Never tried a completely open drivers hatch when firing, but I will tell you that a lot of crap will come in if you have it cracked.
Looks more like 30º
As I recall old 60 TC’s would get a bloody nose if they tried track the round on the M1.
I don’t recall the distance but in front of the barrel some distance you can get hit the round casing material.
Not sure how “safe” one would call those but caution should be used around the barrel when firing, a ‘No Crap’ magazine exclusive article.
I’ve been much closer on 155’s and not felt a “shcok wave,” and that’s a gun with a muzzle brake directing energy outward.
I have had my head up out of the TC’s hatch firing the 120mm with no issues. What bothers me more was sitting next to a TC on the turret roof when the .50 was firing. Probably due to a different level of hearing protection.
It’s weird that you don’t feel it inside the turret.
Maybe it’s the Adrenaline?
Or the Erection?
Could be all that steel you are sitting in.
One of the worst pummelings I’ve taken with all the different weapons I’ve fired over the years was the DShK.
I’ve stood up in the loaders hatch when the main gun fired with no problem. Also been up top when the tank next to fired. Scared the crap out of me, but didn’t hurt me any.
Looks like VOIIO is releasing a kit of the v.3 US Main Battle Tank M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams (Plastic model) - HobbySearch Military Model Store (1999.co.jp)


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Stephen Johnson (February 27, 1970 – May 7, 2007), better known by his ring name Drago, was an American professional wrestler who wrestled for the New International Wrestling Alliance. He was the first ever NIWA World Champion, and was marked as the company's top heel during his time.
Drago was part of the wrestling business for over 20 years, working with various independent promotions starting at the young age of 17. During his short tenure in NIWA, he became the first ever NIWA World Heavyweight Champion. However, during his title match, Drago suffered a severe neck injury that forced him to not only turn over the belt the next night, but retire from the ring.
Though very few appearances for Drago, he remained working backstage with the NIWA talent as a Senior Adviser. He trained up and coming NIWA wrestlers such as Alex Kayne and was always on the road looking for new talent, as well.
On May 7, 2007, Johnson was found dead in his home. His wife Sarah found him on the floor in their bedroom and repeatedly tried CPR to no avail.
Autopsy reports have confirmed his death to be from hereditary heart disease.

domain: sports


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2010 Arkansas Code
4-86-102. Liability of supplier.
Title 4 - Business and Commercial Law
Subtitle 7 - Consumer Protection
Chapter 86 - General Provisions
§ 4-86-102 - Liability of supplier.
(a) A supplier of a product is subject to liability in damages for harm to a person or to property if:
(1) The supplier is engaged in the business of manufacturing, assembling, selling, leasing, or otherwise distributing the product;
(2) The product was supplied by him or her in a defective condition that rendered it unreasonably dangerous; and
(3) The defective condition was a proximate cause of the harm to a person or to property.
(b) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section apply although the claiming party has not obtained the product from or entered into any contractual relation with the supplier.
(c) (1) Any licensee under 17-42-103(10) who is only providing brokerage and sales services under his or her license shall not be considered a supplier under this section.
(2) (A) Except as provided in subdivisions (c)(2)(B) and (C) of this section, real estate and improvements located on real estate shall not be considered a product under this section.
(B) Any tangible object or good produced that is affixed to, installed on, or incorporated into real estate or any improvement on real estate shall be considered a product under this section.
(C) If environmental contaminants exist or have occurred in an improvement on real estate, the improvement on real estate shall be considered a product under this section.
Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. Arkansas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

domain: law


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Just as we were posting about the possibility of popular New York eatery Blue Ribbon coming to San Francisco on the coattails of Brooklyn Bowl — and the Bromberg brothers’ earlier hints this year that they might like to do something in S.F. since they visit their dad out here anyway — we catch wind that the Brombergs are already here. As of a few weeks ago, they’ve signed a partnership deal with Renaissance Hotels bringing a Blue Ribbon Classics menu to the bars and lounges of a series of their hotels nationwide, beginning with our very own Stanford Court Hotel. The brothers remember being taken by their dad to Fournou’s Ovens, the famed restaurant in the hotel that closed in 2008 after 35 years.
Now, they’ll be bringing twelve of their comfort food classics to the lounge at the hotel — but not, obviously, to the menu at Aurea, the full-service restaurant that replaced Fournou’s Ovens. “Blue Ribbon has a loyal following behind their delicious food, has a singular dedication to quality and is known for go-to signature dishes like their incredible fried chicken,“ says Tina Edmundson, a senior vice president at Marriott/Renaissance.
The new menu of Blue Ribbon Classics will include:
• Northern Fried Chicken Wings
• Manchego and Honey Toast
• Smoked Salmon Toast
• Grilled Cheese Panini
• BBQ Pork Sliders
• Fried Rock Shrimp
Could this mean that a new Blue Ribbon Brasserie is next on their list of empire building plans in San Francisco? Time will tell.
Renaissance Hotels Announces Partnership with Blue Ribbon [Marriott]
Earlier: Brooklyn Bowl and Blue Ribbon to Revive the New Mission Theater? [Grub Street]
Blue Ribbon Boys Eye SF? [Grub Street]


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2 edition of Saint Croix Island = found in the catalog.
Saint Croix Island =
United States. National Park Service.
|Other titles||I"l̂e Sainte-Croix.|
|The Physical Object|
|Pagination|| p. :|
The National Park Foundation awards Saint Croix Island International Historic Site with grant to create and enhance Park Junior Ranger Programs CALAIS – Saint Croix Island International Historic Site announces that they have been selected to receive a Junior Ranger Ambassadors grant to support the creation of the park’s first Junior. After spending an entire day getting golden and frolicking in the ocean, head back to the hotel and treat yourself to a classically mixed mai tai in the lobby bar. Your vacation at the seashore should be one for the record books and one of the St. Croix Island beach hotels will make sure all your seaside needs are taken care of.
Hotel on the Cay - St. Croix U.S.V.I. Hotel on the Cay, located on a lush, five acre cay (pronounced key) has a long history of intrigue dating back to the 17th century when pirates anchored their ships off the beach where guests now sunbathe, swim and snorkel. Chenay Bay Beach Resort - Saint Croix Island , Estate Chenay Bay Ro Saint Croix Island, United States Virgin Islands, show map/
Saint John is a popular stop for day and term boat charters from the United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands. Individual and group boat charters are widely available on Saint John and island hopping is a favorite local and visitor on: Caribbean Sea. Welcome To St. Croix. St. Croix is miles south of New York, miles south east of Miami, near the eastern tip of the Caribbean island chain. On the same latitude as Acapulco and Hawaii, just below the Tropic of Cancer, it is eternal summer caressed by cooling tradewinds. The average temperature is in the mids, and there's just enough.
A history of the Baptists in Missouri
South American romances
Newly qualified social workers
UMW HOLDINGS BERHAD
catalogue of the centenary exhibition of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, 1827-1927.
Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, east and west Florida
Abstracts of papers
U.K. Internet starter kit
Rite and man
Fundamentals of Nursing 6/E and Smith Photoguide of Nursing Skills Package
Organizational behavior and the practice of management
Courage above all
Croix, the largest of our islands, is a tranquil tropical destination for honeymooners, culture seekers, scuba divers and more. Rich in cultural diversity, St. Croix has a fascinating history. Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, the Knights of Malta, Denmark and the United States all played a role in shaping St.
Croix. Saint Croix Island (French: Île Sainte-Croix), long known to locals as Dochet Island , is a small uninhabited island in Maine near the mouth of the Saint Croix River that forms part of the Canada–United States border separating Maine from New island is in the heart of the traditional lands of the Passamaquoddy people who, according to oral Governing body: U.S.
National Park Service and. International and local companies offer St. Croix car rentals, so book a vehicle and visit Estate Whim Museum to see how the 18th-century sugar plantations operated. Then, take an outing to Fort Christiansvaern, which was built in the s by the Danish to protect the colony from hurricanes, pirates, and slave revolts.
Hibiscus Beach Resort is located in Saint Croix Island, miles from D. Hamilton Jackson Park, and offers an outdoor pool.
This venue offers 38 guestrooms in 6 buildings. Hibiscus Beach Resort was opened in Here on St. Croix, the largest of the US Virgin Islands, you will find all the beautiful offerings of a Caribbean island, plus friendly people, positive vibes, and experiences you won’t find anywhere else.
Our diverse landscapes allow for a wide array of activities for both visitors and residents. Tour our three national parks, explore. The Caribbean island of St. Croix is practically the backdrop of a Hollywood love story. White sand beaches and lush rainforests set the scene for tropical bliss.
Take in the historic small town charm of Christiansted and Frederiksted, sip your way through a spirited tour of the Cruzan Rum Distillery or explore the ruins of a sugar plantation. The Buccaneer Hotel - Saint Croix IslandEstate Shoys, Saint Croix Island, United States Virgin Islands show map. Check rooms and rates.
Get Prices. 52 photos. 52 photos. You can book a shuttle, once your reservation is complete. Reviews. Stayed there. Share your experience with us.
Write a Review + More - Less. FAQ. Saint Croix is the largest (84 square miles) island of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a territory of the United States of America. This formerly volcanic island of spectular beaches and mountains, rainforest, palm trees, and historic towns is the home of approximat people.
Until further notice, all facilities and services within Saint Croix Island International Historic Site are closed to maintain public health and safety during the COVID pandemic emergency. When is the park open. The park is normally open year-round during daylight hours.
During winter, services. The winter of on Saint Croix Island was a cruel one for Pierre Dugua's French expedition. Iced in by freezing temperatures and cut off from fresh water and game, 35 of 79 men died.
As spring arrived and native people traded game for bread, the health of those remaining improved. Although the expedition moved on by summer, the. Island life HERE is different from Island Life on any other island.
And WE are the experts on St Croix Island Life!Whether you are a seasoned visitor to our island or have never been here before, we hope you’ll find something on this site that. Saint Croix Island. 39 likes. Saint Croix Island, MaineSt. Croix Island (Algoa Bay)Saint Croix, U.S.
Virgin Islands. There’s incredible food on the island (the rum cake at 40 Strand Eatery is reason enough to book a flight) and plenty of adventures to be had. My friend Sarah and I spent six glorious days on Saint Croix in August scoping out the island for you. Without further adieu, here’s my Saint Croix travel guide.
A Few Reasons to Visit Saint Croix. Browse Guangzhou to Saint Croix Island airfares and flight schedules, book Guangzhou to Saint Croix Island flights on and save up to 55%. Find cheap fares for flights from Guangzhou to Saint Croix Island on and win big giveaways with #.
€ 2, /Month. Seasonal Rental. 4/5 Reviews (1) verified_user Book Online. View Details/Reserve. Christiansted, St Croix Virgin Islands US. (Term: Maximum of 6 Months) ac_unit Air Conditioning.
Island home with a view and close to the beach. This is a Seasonal Rental with a maximum of 6 month term. Our studio apartment is a great. While driving along the very northern section of Route 1, just south of Calais, Maine, we stopped at the mainland Saint Croix Island International Historic Site to view the actual island which is located in the St.
Croix River between Maine and New Brunswick.4/5(37). All books set in Saint Croix Island on the global book map. We found 13 books set in Saint Croix Island and 9 others set nearby. St Croix is the Virgins' big boy – it’s more than twice the size of St Thomas – and it sports an exceptional topography spanning mountains, a spooky 'rainforest' and a fertile coastal plain that, once upon a time, earned it the nickname ‘Garden of the Antilles’ for its.
Croix, USVI. Croix is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands and is an island paradise complete with lush tropical hills, warm and brilliantly turquoise water, a rich history and a wonderfully tropical climate.
It is the hidden gem of the Caribbean. This guide focuses on the island of St. Croix in the USVI, but there is extensive information about the entire island chain as well. The author is fascinated with the destination and their passion comes across in the text, which is lively, revealing and a pleasure to read/5(7).
Colony Cove Beach Resort Saint Croix Island features a spa with a wellness area and a solarium. Guests can enjoy various activities on the premises, including snorkeling, canoeing and kayaking.
Internet. Wireless internet is available in the hotel rooms for free. Guest Parking. Public parking is possible on site for free.St.
Croix is the largest of the four U. S. Virgin Islands. St. Croix is sometimes referred to as the “Big Island”. The 84 square mile island is home to 53,+ residents. St. Croix offers a big assortment of activities for visitors to enjoy while on vacation.
The two main towns are Christiansted and Frederiksted.Location. This accommodation is positioned in the heart of Saint Croix Island. Fishing St. Croix stands about 2 miles from the hotel. 10 minutes drive will take guests to SPB airport.


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I was pleased to discover just now that my linking to Laura Theobold’s blog irreducible: a study on the concept and genre of poetry film has led to a short interview over at Awkword Paper Cut. Here’s a bit of it:
I think the genre as we know and understand it today is really new (which explains, in part, the lack of criticism). In the past it’s been really utilitarian, I think: a way for people to just hear and “see” the poetry they couldn’t in person (think of the million videos of poets simply reading their work aloud in front of a camera), but what it’s becoming is a lot more interesting. It’s becoming a new way for poets to create poetry, really, and to reach new audiences. But for everyone I think the goal is a little different: for some artist/poets it can be sort of like an extension of the selfie, a way to establish their brand; for others, it’s about creating a kind of harmony between word and image; some people just want to make something no one has ever made before—because the technology is there. For everyone who’s into it, I think it’s mostly about making something beautiful.
It’s funny, kind of: this project began with a desire to learn where boundaries lie, like “What IS a poetry film?” but I think during the process of bearing down on these distinctions, I realized that I think the future wants us to shed this kind of desire for delineation. I think a progressive future isn’t about making more categories for things we want to understand better, but about embracing the borderlands and “fuzzy” areas when they are doing something meaningful (and I think this applies in a lot of ways), and just like celebrate the fact that they exist.


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Pikachu Neon Sign – a Must-Have for Any Pokémon Lover
— The ultimate Pikachu fan accessory: a neon sign
Light up your life with the charm and whimsy of a Pikachu neon sign. A must-have for any fan of the iconic Pokémon franchise. If one is an ardent admirer of Pikachu, one would be remiss to neglect the opportunity to acquire an extraordinary neon sign. Perfect for displaying your love of all things Pokémon. Transform your space into a playful and vibrant haven with the help of a Pikachu neon sign. Catch yours today!

domain: hobby


In India rice milling produces a by product which is known as Husk. This paper summarizes the feasibleness of mistreatment partial rice husk ash on the cement so as to mitigate the provision, affordability, quality and pollution problems.This husk is employed as fuel in rice mills to created steam for boiling method. This husk contain close to concerning seventy five nothing organic matter and therefore the remaining twenty fifth of this husk is modifiedinto Ash throughout the firing method that referred to as rice husk ash (RHA). The rice husk ash (RHA) contain close to concerning eighty five you must ninety nothing amorphous silicon oxide. By mistreatment rice husk ash in concrete, we are able to improve the properties of concrete. this study and experimental investigation were taken to review the properties of concrete created with Rice husk ash . the replacement is completed partly within the proportion of third ,20% and its impact on workability of concrete created with rice husk ash were investigated for the two hundredth rice husk ash replacement ,the hardened properties like compressive strength determined were smart as compare to zero nothing RHA . The compressive strength check was conducted at zero attempt to twenty rice husk ash replacement and therefore the highest compressive strength at twenty nothing RHA replacement as compared to third RHA replacement at fourteen ,21 and twenty eight days.
Dinesh Kumar "Concrete With Rice Husk Ash As A Partial Replacement Of Cement" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 2 Issue 8 2019 Page 133-135
Dinesh Kumar "Concrete With Rice Husk Ash As A Partial Replacement Of Cement" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 2(8)


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|This article or section contains information about a video game or product unreleased outside Japan.|
If you are fluent in Japanese or are otherwise knowledgeable about this subject, please help expand this article.
No More Heroes Flash Games: Travis Edition (NO MORE HEROES FLASH ゲーム 「トラヴィス編」) is an action video game for the i-mode. It is one of three spin-offs of the No More Heroes series developed by Marvelous Mobile Games, an i-mode division of Marvelous Entertainment, and was released in Japan on July 8, 2008. The game costs 100 points to download. Travis Edition features seven stages involving Travis Touchdown's Ranking Battles with Shinobu and Destroyman.

domain: game


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For those of you who don’t know, Simba, my precious stuffed animal, is my favorite travel buddy. From changing Simba’s diapers, to carrying Simba around to see the National Parks, Simba has seen it all. So here’s a fun account of my time with Simba in beautiful Barcelona. Enjoy!
Unfortunately, the park was only free after 9:30 PM on the warm summer day that I took Simba around, so the only pictures we got were in the dark. Regardless, I loved visiting my favorite place in Barcelona once more before saying adeu to the city one more time…
La Sagrada Familia
Of course I had to stop inside this masterpiece before going home. The ceiling of the church was lit up with the morning sun, making the stained glass windows as gorgeous as ever. On this trip, I skipped the audio guide and simply sat in the church to take in the beautiful. It was quite the peaceful trip.
Catedral de Barcelona
It only seemed appropriate to stop by the cathedral on my last day in Barcelona, as it was the first thing we saw out of the window of our hotel room on the first night. I still can’t believe it’s been six months and that my time here is nearly over.
I love Born so much and wish I had more time to wander these streets. In this picture in particular, this is where the Cheetah Girls strutted for their song “Strut” in the second movie. So of course I had to take a picture here.
Las Ramblas y UB
It only seemed fitting to stop by my university since I spent so much time here, as well as Ramblas because well, I guess its just what Barcelona is famous for. And despite all the tourists, it actually is a really really petty street too!


Many musicians, engineers, and producers are looking to optimize the sound quality of their recordings. For them, the latest generation of high-resoution DAWs are a noise- and distortion-free dream come true. But for other musicians and for certain styles of music, only the dirtiest, grungiest sound quality will do! Let’s say you want the drum sounds on your next album to sound like the original “old school” drum machines – or worse! Here’s an easy way to get that sound, and all you need is that old beat-up cassette tape recorder that’s gathering dust in a corner!
Your first step is to record the drum sounds onto a cheap cassette without any noise reduction (turn off the Dolby or dbx). Try to get as hot a signal as you can without getting so oversaturated that it doesn’t even sound like a drum any more (unless that’s exactly what you want). You might try recording three or four versions as you gradually increase the recording input level until the signal has the distortion you want. Then you can play back the cassette and transfer the filthiest drum sounds to your DAW or sampler for your final kit.


First Electricity in Los Angeles
LA's First Municipal Utility Pole
The City of Los Angeles saw its first municipal electricity on March 30, 1916 when the Bureau of Power and Light installed its first power pole on the corner of Pasadena Avenue and Piedmont Street.
|March 30, 1916* - Placing the first electricity pole on Pasadena Avenue (now North Figueroa Street) and Piedmont Street, marking the beginning of municipal distribution of electricity. Photo taken from the roof of Arroyo Seco Branch Library.|
|Click HERE for excerpts from the 1936 DWP publication marking the 20 year anniversary of the setting of the first municipal utility pole in Los Angeles.|
LA's First Power Plant
The first electric light plant in Los Angeles was built in 1882 by the California Electric Light Company (changed to Los Angeles Electric Company within one year) on the corner of Alameda and Banning Streets to provide electricity for the city's new street lights that they also installed. By 1883, Los Angeles became the first city in the USA to entirely abandon gas for street lighting and replace it with electricity. At the time, there were 242 electric lamps with a circuit length of 85 miles.
|Banning Street Electrical Plant (1888)* -- The first electric light plant in Los Angeles was built in 1882 by C. L. Howland on the corner of Alameda and Banning Streets (One year later, Howland formed the Los Angeles Electric Company).|
Click HERE to read the story behind LA's first power plant.
Power Needs of a Growing City
As the City of Los Angeles rapidly grew in the early 1900's, there was an increasing need for electricity, especially for the new electric cars that were appearing everywhere.
Looking south on Broadway from 5th Street, circa 1905. Pacific Electric "red cars" share the street with horse carts. The electric car is marked "Boyle Hts."
Electricity in Early Los Angeles - Historical Timeline
The period between 1882 and the late 1930’s saw the evolution of the electric utility industry in Los Angeles and its surrounding areas. Start-up private electric companies competed with one another and then with the new municipal utility in town, the Bureau of Power and Light. Not until 1939 did the Department of Water and Power emerge as the sole electrical service provider for the City of Los Angeles.
The following timeline takes us back to the first electricity in the City and brings us to a time when the development of the electric utility industry stabilized to a point close to where it is today:
1882 - A new form of lighting is proposed for Los Angeles by C. L. Howland who represents the San Francisco based company of California Electric Light Company (now PG&E).
1882 (Sept. 11th) - The City Council unanimously votes to enter into a contract with Howland to "illuminate the streets of the city with electric light."
1882 (Dec. 1st) - Howland completes the City's first electric light plant in a period of two months. The 30kw plant is located on the corner of Alameda and Banning Streets (See above photo).
1882 (Dec. 30th) – LA Mayor Homer Toberman throws the switch to send current to the first two arc lights installed by the Los Angeles Electric Company on top of a 150- foot pole at the intersection of Main and Commercial and 1st and Hill (Click HERE to read more).
1883 - The project is so successful that before the expiration of Howland’s two year contract, he and others form the Los Angeles Electric Company, which besides serving streetlights, also supply arc lights for commercial establishments.
1883 – Los Angeles becomes the first city in the USA to entirely abandon gas for street lighting and replace it with electricity. There are 242 electric lamps with a circuit length of 85 miles.
1889 – Los Angeles Electric Company has 235 customers, and powers private lights on the outside of stores.
1890 – Los Angeles Electric Company opens its first alternating-current plant (Los Angeles Electric Company later becomes the Los Angeles Gas and Electric Corporation and survives until it is bought out by the DWP in 1936).
1893 - Los Angeles Electric Company moves its generating station to the corner of Alameda and Palmetto streets. This plant becomes the largest electric light and power plant in Southern California with a total capacity of 2,750 horsepower. The plant generates alternating current for an incandescent lighting system and 500 volt direct current for a power electrical system.
1896 – West Side Lighting Company is organized by private investors to provide another source of electricity for the city of Los Angeles and fringe areas.
1897 – West Side Lighting merges with the newly established private company, Los Angeles Edison Electric, which owns the rights to the Edison name and patents, especially the underground DC-power rights. The merged company takes on the Edison name. An underground system and technology is crucial at this time, since the city voted in a resolution limiting the installation of new overhead utility poles due to excessive overhead wire congestion. Los Angeles Edison Electric installs the first major DC-power underground conduits system in the Southwest.
1902 - Pacific Light and Power Company is organized by the Pacific Electric Red Car and real estate magnate, Henry Huntington. It is set up to provide steam-generated electricity to Huntington's Los Angeles Railway Company.
1906 - Pasadena Municipal Light and Power is created by City Ordinance.
1906 (May 3rd) - Pasadena citizens pass a $125,000 bond issue to pay for the construction of a power plant.
1906 - Pasadena Municipal Light and Power constructs its first power plant. It is a 200-kW plant built for furnishing Power for street lighting only. Pasadena is now served by both its new municipal utility and SCE.
1907 – The Kern River-Los Angeles Transmission Line (118 miles and 75 kV) is completed by Los Angeles Edison Electric to bring power to Los Angeles from newly constructed hydroelectric plants in the western side of the Sierras. In 1907 it is the world’s longest and highest voltage power line (188 miles and 75kV). It also is the first transmission line to be entirely supported by steel towers.
1907 - Pacific Light and Power Company constructs its first major power plant in Redondo Beach to provide electricity for the Los Angeles Red Car (also owned by Henry Huntington) and the surrounding area.
1908 - Construction begins on the Los Angeles Aqueduct. LA's first power plant is built at Division Creek in the Owens Valley. The plant generates power from water for the purpose of constructing the LA Aqueduct. This is the first time electric energy has been used for such a construction project.
1909 – Los Angeles Edison Electric changes its name to Southern California Edison.
1909 - The Bureau of Los Angeles Aqueduct Power is created to build hydro power plants along the yet to be completed Los Angeles Aqueduct. When Los Angeles acquired water rights in the Owens Valley section of Inyo County to build the LA Aqueduct, it also obtained water-power sites along the way.
1909 - Ezra F. Scattergood is selected as the Bureau’s first chief electrical engineer. Scattergood leads the way in the development of hydroelectric power along the route of the aqueduct and becomes Mulholland’s counterpart for the Power System. He was the driving spirit in the development of the municipal electric system.
1910 – Los Angeles issues its municipal power bond for preliminary work in connection with electrical power development. City voters approve the project and authorize the $3.5 million bond to finance it.
1911 - The Bureau of Los Angeles Aqueduct Power begins construction of the San Francisquito Power Plant No. 1 to generate power from the anticipated water flow of the yet to be completed LA Aqueduct (The LA Aqueduct was completed in 1913).
1911 – The Department of Public Service and the Public Service Commission are created through an approved charter amendment.
1911 - The Bureau of Power and Light is created within the Department of Public Service to oversee and administer the electrical system in the city.
1911 - Pacific Light and Power Corporation begins building hydroelectric plants in the Big Creek-San Joaquin section of the high Sierras in central California, mostly for power delivery to Southern California, including Los Angeles.
1911 - Mt. Whitney Power and Electric Company builds a hydroelectric plant in the mountains near Visalia, also for power delivery mostly to Southern California.
1913 – Through a charter amendment, the City officially adopts the policy of water and power resources under public ownership.
1914 – $6.5 million of bonds are approved by the voters and issued for the construction of power plants, transmission lines, distribution lines, and for the acquisition of other electric companies’ distribution systems within the city.
1916 (March 30th) – The first power pole in Los Angeles is built by the LA Bureau of Power and Light (see above photo). This is the first time the Bureau of Power and Light delivers electricity in the City. The power, however, is purchased from Pasadena Municipal Power and Light.
1917 (March 18th) - San Francisquito Power Plant No. 1 is placed in service and energy is delivered to Los Angeles over a newly constructed 115 kV transmission line. This is the LA Bureau of Power and Light's first step in becoming an independent electricity provider. Click HERE to read more.
1917 - The LA Bureau of Power and Light sells its excess San Francisquito generated power to Pasadena over two newly constructed 34 kV lines between the two cities. By 1917, World War I had forced the price of fuel oil to rise making the new lower cost hydroelectric power extremely desirable.
1917 – SCE purchases the Pacific Light and Power Corporation, and acquires control of both the Ventura County Power Company and the Mt. Whitney Power Electric Company. After acquiring the properties of both northern utility companies, including the Big Creek project, SCE becomes the major private supplier of electricity in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. It now serves over 100 communities with a total population of 1.25 million.
1916 – 1927, Los Angeles expands its boundaries through annexation of large areas and through the consolidation of several small cities. Private utilities (Los Angeles Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison Company) continue to serve the annexed areas as well as some older portions of the city.
By 1920 - Los Angeles, Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank had changed their charters to establish municipal ownership of facilities for generation and distribution of electrical energy.
1920 – Pasadena completes negotiations to purchase SCE’s electrical distribution system within its borders.
1922 - The Bureau of Power and Light purchases the Edison Company’s distribution system within the city limits. SCE’s distribution lines are limited to the territories annexed to the city since 1922, but still furnishes a proportion of the power distributed by the LA Bureau of Power and Light.
1928 - Congress authorizes the Hoover Dam project.
1931 - Los Angeles City is still served electrically by three utilities; LA Bureau of Power and Light, Los Angeles Gas and Electric, and Southern California Edison.
1931 - Construction begins on the Hoover Dam project by a consortium called Six Companies, Inc. Click HERE to see more on the construction of Hoover Dam.
1933 - Scattergood negotiates a 10-year federal loan for $22,799,00 to build a power transmission line from Boulder Dam to Los Angeles.
1933 - The Los Angeles Bureau of Power and Light begins construction of the 266-mile long transmission line between Boulder Dam and Los Angeles.
1934 - A bond measure to refinance the Boulder original 10-year loan to a 40-year loan is approved by LA voters in a special election.
1935 (September 30) – Hoover Dam is dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt.
1936 (March 1st) – Hoover dam is turned over to the federal government from Six Companies, more than two years ahead of schedule.
1936 - Construction of the 266-mile Boulder-Los Angeles transmission line is completed. Click HERE to read more.
1936 (October 9th) – Los Angeles receives the first power from Boulder Dam. The electricity is transmitted at a higher voltage (287 kV) than any other long-distance transmission line in the world, to date. Boulder Dam begins to deliver enough electricity to meet 70% of Los Angeles' needs.
1936 (December) – Los Angeles city voters approve a charter amendment authorizing the Bureau of Power and Light to issue revenue bonds in the amount of $46 million and purchase the electric system of Los Angeles Gas and Electric Corporation, the last remaining privately-owned system in LA.
1937 (Jan. 29th) – The Bureau of Power and Light completes the purchase of Los Angeles Gas and Electric Corporation. Click HERE to read more.
1937 - The Bureau of Power and Light consolidates with the Bureau of Water Works and Supply and becomes the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
1939 – SCE and LADWP complete negotiations on the division of territory between the two utilities.
1939 (August) – SCE swaps the remainder of its Los Angeles distribution system for facilities outside the city limits (formerly owned by Los Angeles Gas and Electric).
1939 to Present – SCE supplies the unincorporated areas within Los Angeles County and all other municipalities except for Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank.
1939 to Present - DWP becomes the sole electrical service provider for the City of Los Angeles.
After 1947, through a Los Angeles City charter change, City voter approval is no longer required for the DWP to issue bonds.
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References and CreditsSouthern California Metropolis: A Study in Development of Government for a Metropolitan Area - 1963 by Winston Winford Crouch and Beatrice Dinerman


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Man pulled over with 22 pounds of marijuana in car
Lancaster County deputies stopped a silver 2011 Chrysler 200 for a traffic violation near mile marker 400 on Interstate 80 at 1:18 p.m. on Jan. 22.
The driver, Elliott Davey, 25, was the only person in the vehicle.
Deputies detected the odor of burnt marijuana emitting from the vehicle. A probable cause search revealed 22.87 pounds of marijuana and 18 capsules of a controlled steroid.
Davey was booked at the Adult Detention Facility in Lancaster County for possession with intent to deliver marijuana. He was cited for possession of the controlled substance.


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When a video demonstrating the fortitude of a mother appeared on social media,
it quickly went viral. And this isn’t your typical mother. It is, in fact, a
bird attempting to protect her eggs from what appears to be an impending
threat. Anand Mahindra became a fan of the film, and has shared it on his
Twitter timeline. “Maa Tujhe Salaam (Mother, salutations to you),”
says the Chairman of the Mahindra Group in a single line caption.
A bird can be seen pacing around her eggs and brooding in the video. Suddenly,
an excavator is seen going across the mud path, perilously close to the eggs.
The bird immediately starts chirping loudly in an attempt to keep the truck
from driving over the eggs. Even as the digger gets closer to the eggs, the
bird continues to chirp and spread its wings.
Also read: Social Media fundraiser helps delivery executive buy a bike. Check viral story
The excavator continues to go back and forth, accompanied by the avian
tweeting. The excavator eventually pulls away from the bird and its eggs.
Watch the video, which has recorded more than 334k views on the social media
Also read: Watch: Fisherman catches a 13-foot long ‘dinosaur-like’ fish in Florida
Replying to the post, one internet user said, “No one can give love and affection like a
“Only a mother has such courage,” said another.
A person wrote, “True love and responsibility.”
In another video that went viral recently, a Royal Bengal tiger was seen jumping off a boat and swimming towards the Sunderbans in the Bay of Bengal. The video was shared by Parween Kalwaan, an IFS officer.


Other than launching its most premium range of smartphones yet with the Neffos X1 and X1 Max, TP-Link naturally introduced several new networking products at IFA 2016 here in Berlin, Germany as well. These include the Archer VR2800v DSL modem router, the AV2000 Gigabit powerline AC WiFi kit TL-WPA9610, as well as the RE650 and RE550 WiFi range extenders.
The Archer VR2800v takes advantage of NitroQAMTM (1024-QAM) and four-stream technology to deliver up to 25% increased wireless performance. According to TP-Link, this enables the VR2800v to achieve combined WiFi speeds of up to 2800Mbps – 600Mbps on 2.4GHz and 2167Mbps on 5GHz. Other than that, the VR2800v also supports VoIP; those who do not need VoIP can opt for the Archer VR2800 instead, which has similar features – minus VoIP, of course – as the VR2800v.
And then we have the TL-WPA9610 AV2000 Gigabit powerline kit, which is quite an interesting product. TP-Link touts this powerline as the first of its kind to deliver both AV2000 via powerline and AC1200 via WiFi, which the company said should meet the most demanding networking tasks throughout a home. The TL-WPA9610 also features 2×2 MIMO and HomePlug AV2 standard.
Last but not least are the RE650 and RE550 WiFi range extenders. As the RE650 features AC2600 dual-band WiFi, this WiFi range extender should be able to solve WiFi dead zones in your house; the RE650 also offers 4×4 MU-MIMO technology. The RE550, on the other hand, supports AC2200 tri-band WiFi, which TP-Link said is the first WiFi range extender in the world to have such a feature. The RE550 is packed with 2×2 MU-MIMO technology as well.
According to TP-Link, these products will be arriving in Malaysia in the near future. The Archer VR2800v (as well as the VR2800) and the TL-WPA9610 Powerline kit will be available in Malaysia within Q4 2016, while the RE650 and RE550 WiFi range extender will be launched locally within Q4 2016 to Q1 2017. Local retail prices for these products, on the other hand, have not been revealed yet.


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Maija Di Giorgio is recognized by New York's Time Out Magazine as one of "the freshest, funniest, unique voices to grace the microphone". Maija has been featured on HBO Def Comedy Jam, Hot 97, Fox’s “Laughs”, NBC's "Comics Unleashed", HBO's “Sex & The City”, "Uncontrolled Comedy Hour" and more, after receiving a standing ovation on her first television appearance on NBC’s “Live from the Apollo”. Maija has performed on many tours landing her on stage at the Beacon Theater, the Stand Theatre in Louisiana, Essence Festival in New Orleans, the HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and all the way to Scotland's prestigous Edinburgh Festival. She was more than happy to lend her performances serves for our troops stationed overseas in Korea, Okinawa, and Japan.
The New York's Daily News warns "Don't miss Maija!"

domain: celebrity


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As large numbers of California’s non-essential companies have closed their doors during the statewide shelter-in-place order, which was given in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, cannabis businesses have been classified as essential and are being allowed to remain open.
In a time when many companies are laying off workers, and unemployment claims are increasing rapidly, cannabis sales in California have skyrocketed, and businesses are bringing on extra help.
Southern California-based cannabis delivery service Driven today announced that the company experienced record growth and demand with a 100 percent increase in sales over the last ten days.
With the rapid increase in business, Driven has increased the number of drivers in its delivery network to meet customer demand.
The company expects the growth to continue as cannabis consumers make delivery services part of their new routines.
“Driven Deliveries was founded on the bedrock principle of enabling universal access to cannabis to California’s population,” says CEO Christian Schenk. “Driven is the only service that provides deliveries to 92% of California’s population, giving millions of people access to on-demand legal cannabis from the security and safety of their own home during this very difficult time.”
While on the job, Driven drivers are utilizing additional precautions during deliveries such as disposable gloves and continuous sanitation.
According to Driven, the company is also looking into new ways that technology can be incorporated to facilitate contact-free deliveries while still adhering to ID verification regulations.
Driven says that its infrastructure expansion is aimed at helping provide safe and legal access to California customers throughout the government-mandated quarantine.


These days, one dominant question has Amman’s political salons buzzing: How will Islamists fare in the upcoming legislative elections? There is a very good reason for this.
The elections scheduled for Sept. 20 will see four Islamist parties and alliances competing for places in the 130-seat Lower House. All eyes, including those of the government, will be fixed on the performance of one particular group — the long-established, unlicensed Muslim Brotherhood Group (MBG), which has decided to contest the elections after boycotting the last two, in 2013 and 2010. The group had sat out the previous elections because it opposed the single-vote system and to protest alleged government meddling in the results of elections in 2007.


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Today I am here to chat about mortgage penalties. Why I’m getting a lot more questions about mortgage penalties from clients in the past couple of months? What is the normal mortgage penalty range you could expect? Also, will it be worth it for you to cancel your current mortgage, pay the penalty, and get something at today’s lower rate?
1. How come mortgage penalties seem to be coming up in the news?
You may have heard your friends and family talking about this. That’s because interest rates have remained so low for such a long time. Alot of people thought that interest rates were going to be rising back up over the past years and the economic situation just hasn’t allowed for that. Interest rates are still super low and people are finding that it’s a great time to be refinancing or to be switching out your mortgage. If you’ve got a higher interest rate of 4 or 5% and you’re looking at today’s interest rates at 2 or 3% and thinking “why am I paying 2% extra”?
An average mortgage penalty depends on the mortgage that you have. Every bank and lender is different in how they calculate mortgage penalties. They should have explained it to you when you got your mortgage and they should have gone through exactly what your needs are. If you wanted a long term mortgage, they should have explained exactly how the mortgage penalty is calculated, and that it could be a large penalty or if it’s only going to be very small, then you might be in something that’s perfect. If you’re now going to your bank and you’re checking and you’re surprised to find that you’ve got a really large mortgage penalty, something has gone wrong. You shouldn’t be caught off guard like that.
In general, for a variable rate mortgage you might get a 3 month’s interest penalty. So that’s just maybe 1.5 mortgage payments as a sort of a ballpark of what your penalty would be. For a fixed rate mortgage nowadays, it’s usually the interest rate differential, not always, sometimes it’s also the 3 months of interest. The interest rate differential is exactly what the name implies. It’s the difference between your interest rate and the current interest rate. If you’ve got a higher interest rate, you’re basically paying the difference to cancel your mortgage so your penalty could be as small as a couple thousand dollars and as high as 15-18 thousand dollars. Very large penalties could occur.
We did a blog post in the past regarding a poor gentleman who had an incredibly large mortgage penalty, so go back in the archives and look for that if you want to see what the upper limit of this is and be aware when you’re getting a mortgage. When you’re signing it on, exactly what penalties are calculated and if you’re ever going to run into the scenario, if you’re ever going to be susceptible to paying mortgage penalties, maybe you should be looking at a different mortgage product or term.
2. How do you know if your mortgage penalty is worth to pay off?
It’s pretty easy for us to calculate. I do suggest you contact your local mortgage broker to get the proper calculation or call us here at Finder Financial Services because you want to make sure that you’re taking into account the penalty itself as well.
If your penalty is going to be added into your mortgage, so even if you’re paying a lower interest rate, you’re now paying a larger mortgage amount, you’re paying more interest each payment, and each payment is going to be larger because you’re paying an extra 10 or 15 thousand dollars on the total mortgage.
A lot of people forget this. If you go to your bank and they do a comparison, a lot of times, this is missed out and you think that you’re getting a great deal, you’re going to be paying off your mortgage really quick, and your penalty is going to be paid off soon, but a lot of people have completely forgotten to take into account the penalty as well. It’s got to come from somewhere.
If you’re interested in this, just give us a call at 1-866-924-5244. I will be free to do a comparison calculation for you.

domain: economics


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Nurse completes half-marathon for hospital charity
- Credit: My WiSH Charity
A children's nurse completed a half-marathon to raise nearly £650 for a hospital charity.
Emily Webb, who works in the emergency department at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, finished the Cambridge half marathon in one hour and 45 minutes.
The 23-year-old, who lives in Great Blakenham, ran with her dad Robert and beat his time by a minute.
She decided to take part in the event as part of the My WiSH Charity’s #25 appeal, which came to a conclusion earlier this year, and raised £641.
It was aimed at targeting a year of fundraising to mark 25 years of work by the charity, which supports the work of the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.
It was launched on September 15 last year, the charity’s 25th birthday with money raised from a host of events, including the one involving Emily and her 48-year-old father, who works at the Tesco store in Ipswich.
The campaign helped to fund a play specialist for children admitted to the emergency department with Claire Thompson taking on the role, who works alongside Emily.
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The father and daughter team took part in the race in October and collected the money from family, friends and supporters which is to go towards the WiSH Upon A Star appeal which is aimed at young people admitted to the hospital to make their stay welcoming.
Emily said: “It was a nice course to run and lovely to have a look round Cambridge which I hadn't visited for some time.
“I got into running during lockdown and my dad has done marathons before so we did a lot of training together for the event.
“The charity has already helped to fund a play specialist and other items and it’s nice to see where the money goes from the funds that are raised.”
Sally Daniels, fundraising manager for My WiSH, said: “It’s great when staff fundraise for us, especially as they also benefit from the donations we receive. It’s lovely when they want to support us and give something back.”


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Nature is calling – Birch (Selsdon) – Opening Spring 2023
Polished, grown up, a little bit wild. Welcome to Birch (Selsdon). Set within 200 acres of rolling hills and green space and just 30 minutes from the centre of London, Birch (Selsdon) is an unashamed escape from the everyday.
A ‘sister’ hotel to the award-winning Birch (Cheshunt), Birch (Selsdon) is all about bringing like-minded people together and providing them with the space to reconnect – with themselves and each other. It’s a welcome respite from the noise and intensity of London’s concrete jungle where members and guests can find headspace, try new things and have some (a lot of ) fun.
A new opening from the award-winning Birch hotel group, located a short drive away from East Croydon mainline rail station – trains take 15 minutes from London Bridge, London Victoria and Gatwick Airport.
A 19th century mansion re-modelled by A-nrd and Sella Concept interior studios is home to 181 bedrooms of all shapes and sizes, two restaurants, three bars, a lido, a wellness space, co-working hub, creative studios and several communal spaces from cosy snugs to the light-bathed Orangerie.
Award-winning furniture designer, maker and environmentalist Sebastian Cox has masterminded the rewilding of the Selsdon estate’s 200 acres and designed bespoke furniture for the bedrooms, suites and communal spaces.
Guests familiar with Birch (Cheshunt), which launched to great acclaim and rave reviews in 2020, will recognise all the elements that make Birch, Birch: Nature to restore calm, menus designed to nourish, wellness to re-align body and soul, art to inspire, a programme of activities to feed creativity and music curated to soothe, re-energise and power those big night’s out.
At the heart of the estate sits a 19th century gothic-style mansion, added to over the centuries and first developed into a hotel in the 1920s. Birch has peeled back the property’s layers to reveal its true nature and bring out its best features, then added the usual Birch touch of craft and fun – this time with an extra splash of glamour.
Along with 181 bedrooms of all shapes and sizes, Birch (Selsdon) boasts a pottery studio, screen-printing workshop and an interactive kitchen to get creative in. There’s also a reading room, arcade, and screening room to switch off in. A lido (opening summer 2023), tennis courts (outside) and wellness space with gym, studios and treatment rooms (inside). Two restaurants and three bars for feasts and flavours. And communal areas for working hard, or hardly working.
AYO AKINSETE, Managing Director of Birch says:
“In our post-pandemic world where boundaries have become even more blurred and it’s harder than ever to switch off, we need a reminder of the best things in life. Birch (Selsdon) is a place to pause, to try new things, to reconnect with yourself and others, and to have fun. We want guests and members to leave feeling inspired, upbeat, calm and nourished but also empowered to cope with the everyday juggling act of life.”
Birch is an intervention from the judgements, expectations and constraints of daily life. Birch creates spaces that give people the time and freedom to pause, think, create and savour. All so they feel energised and inspired, with new ideas and stories to tell.
The rewilding of Birch (Selsdon)’s 200 acres of land has been masterminded by designer, maker and environmentalist, Sebastian Cox. What was once a golf course is now one of London’s largest rewilding projects with big ambitions for reviving the land and local biodiversity and actively contributing to the greening of London.
The intention is to (re)create a northern hemisphere scrubland savannah, free from human intervention. Self-sustaining herbivores including long-horned cattle and Exmoor Ponies will roam free (at a natural density for the site) and it’s hoped that, in time, endangered species native to this part of England such as nightingales, nightjars and dormice will return in abundance.
Celebrated interior design and architecture studio A-nrd, led by Alessio Nardi, has inserted a contemporary layer on top of the existing redbrick mansion. Respectful of the building’s history and architecture and mindful of minimising waste, the existing infrastructure has been adapted and repurposed where possible. With modernity and timelessness the keywords, a carefully curated palette of colours, materials and décor have been woven together and animated with the work of local makers and artists.
Sella Concept, founded by Tatjana Von Stein, has injected glamour and a little bit of drama to some of Birch (Selsdon)’s key spaces. Think earthy glam in the signature restaurant, velvet and Chinoiserie in the bar and dark, glossy walls in the speakeasy – these are adult spaces to feel fabulous in. Come summer, Sella Concept’s playful Art Deco-inspired makeover of the Lido, complete with yoga deck, will bring the 1930s pool back to life.
As at (Cheshunt), Birch (Selsdon)’s 181 rooms have been set up to remove the pressures of daily life. No noisy TVs or boring desks, just warm and well-crafted rooms of all shapes and sizes – and the biggest and best mattresses possible, from Simba and Naturalmat. Every room is furnished with bedside tables crafted by Sebastian Cox in his workshop using wood from the Selsdon estate, and carefully curated works by exciting names in contemporary British art adorn the walls.
Birch’s ethos to reuse and minimise waste and consumption where possible is reflected in the lampshades made from recycled glass and fabrics made from recycled textiles while Dodds & Shute, a design-led procurement company dedicated to sourcing the most sustainable furniture and lighting, has been tracking the carbon footprint of every item procured across the estate.
The five types of room range from small, suitable for solo guests or couples right through to multiroom suites perfect for large groups of friends or families who want to make the most of their time away together.
The guest bedrooms will feature bespoke, limited edition giclee prints by Weronika Marianna and Laurie Maun, which, like all the art on site, will be available to purchase.
ART & CULTURE
Culture and creativity are core to the Birch philosophy, as is providing guests with the space to enjoy new experiences. At Birch (Selsdon), dedicated pottery and screen-printing studios along with live music DJs will host an evolving programme of workshops and masterclasses.
Art to inspire, surprise and nourish will animate all corners of Birch (Selsdon), from the Olly Fathers sculptures that hang in the reception area made using birchwood off-cuts from the estate, to the Richard Woods ‘house’ installation on the back lawn and Dominic McHenry’s geometric totems in the signature restaurant.
Birch was created as an intervention from the judgements, expectations and constraints of daily life. It offers guests the chance to pause and reset, so that they leave inspired, reenergised, and with new ideas and stories to tell.
The first Birch space, Birch (Cheshunt) was launched in 2020 in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. Set within 55 acres of nature sit 140 bedrooms, a growing farm, two restaurants and an interactive bakery, three bars, 20 event spaces, a co-working space, fitness studios, a lido, a pottery workshop and screening, music and art rooms. More Birch spaces are planned for the coming years.
AYO AKINSETE, Managing Director
Ayo Akinsete has spent the last 14 years overseeing the openings and operations of numerous properties for top global hospitality brands. Ayo’s professional career began in his teenage years, playing for West Ham United Football Club. As that career and chapter came to a close, Ayo was given a full Sports scholarship to play Division I Football in America at The University of South Carolina, where he studied Hospitality and Sports Management and subsequently completed a Masters of Science program in Hotel Management at The University of Las Vegas, Nevada. After meeting the founder of Gansevoort Hotel Group, Ayo moved to New York City to open the Gansevoort Park Avenue. This experience ignited his fire and passion for the industry.
Since that time, he has opened six hotels including the Dream Downtown & SLS Miami brands across the US in major markets including New York City, Miami, Los Angeles and Nashville. In 2018, he was appointed Vice President of Operations for Dream Hotel Group, where he oversaw operations for the group’s east and west coast assets. In 2019, Ayo relocated back to the UK to launch his 7th property, the first location of hospitality legend Barry Sternlicht’s new Treehouse Hotel brand in London. As Area Managing Director of UK and Europe for SH Hotels & Resorts, overseeing the region’s rollout of the Treehouse and 1 Hotel brands, Ayo has worked on the development of 1 Hotel Mayfair and Treehouse Manchester, scheduled to open early 2023, and oversaw the transition of the Skt Petri Hotel Copenhagen.