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Valentine's Day is just a few days away, can you believe it? When a holiday is less than a week away, my "go to" homemade gifts are those created in my kitchen. I even tell myself that it's okay that I'm whipping up these treats at the last minute because, after all, shouldn't food gifts be fresh? (How's that for justification..huh?)
Well, I looked over all the amazing link ups from the past few weeks at the Project Stash Link party that I host with Kadie of 7 Alive All Livin' in a Doublewide, Melanie of It Happens in a Blink, and ChiWei of One Dog Woof each Wednesday at 8:00 pm and found some amazing Valentine's Day desserts! Here are 22 that I'd like to share with you!
22 Valentine's Day Desserts
Okay are you ready to see all these goodies. Oh, wait, one thing first. If you are hungry, go and have an apple or some other healthy snack. Trust me. If you don't you'll wish you had 'cause these goodies will have you drooling.
Strawberry Marshmallow Cake from Your Home Based Mom
Conversation Heart Bark from Love Bakes Good Cakes
Valentine's Day Sugar House from The NY Melrose Place
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Roses from The Pin Junkie
Chili Chocolate Valentine's Truffles from A Little CLAIREification
Homemade Dark Chocolate Truffle Hearts from Premeditated Leftovers
Heart Shaped Cherry Pies from Sweet Bella Roos
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hearts from French Press
Valentine's Fortune Cookie from Southern Distinctions
Individual Cheesecake Hearts from Summer Scraps
Strawberry Flavored White Chocolate Hearts from Family Food and Travel
Chocolate Cherry Marshmallow Brownies from Love Bakes Good Cakes
Hidden Heart Red Velvet Cupcakes from Bird on a Cake
Best Red Velvet Cookies from Roxana's Home Baking
Cherry Thumbprint Kiss Cookies from Lemons for Lulu
Valentine's Day Treat – Milk and Cookies from Live Laugh Rowe
Red Velvet M&M Valentine's Day Bark from Couponing and Cooking
Red Velvet S'mores Cookies from Reasons to Skip the Housework
Cherry Flavored White Chocolate Hearts from Premeditated Leftovers
Chocolate Dipped Cherry Meringues from Lemons for Lulu
50 Shades of Pink Mini Valentine Ombre Cakes from A Little CLAIREification
Strawberry Heart Pies from French Press
Now that we've seen all these amazing desserts the hard part begins…choosing which one(s) to make!


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@mrc-core Thanks for the code. The code works fine but I am seing the node reporting direct measurements to the gateway every single second, spamming the gateway.
Is there anything I can do to stop this behavior and transmit averages; in example - every minute or every 5 minutes?
Thanks in advance!

subset: commoncrawl


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Construction on a ground breaking scheme to turn abandoned factories into hundreds of new homes and business space got underway in Tottenham today.
The 1.5 hectare development at Lawrence Road, backed by Haringey Council, will bring more than 260 houses and apartments – replacing empty and unused 1960s industrial warehouses that have blighted residents for years.
Up to 50 jobs could be created by new street-level commercial units that will give local residents a wider choice of businesses, supporting the council's £50,000 refresh of shopping areas on nearby West Green Road.
The carbon-efficient building boasts more than 370 cycle spaces and is within 10 minutes walk of Seven Sisters Station, offering fast Tube, train and bus links to central London, Stansted Airport and beyond.
Councillor Alan Strickland, cabinet member for regeneration, joined managing director of the scheme's developer Bellway Homes, Stuart Wallace, at the site this afternoon to see construction begin. Cllr Strickland said:
"This development is a symbol of our ambitions for the long-term regeneration of Tottenham, bringing hundreds of high-quality homes and new businesses that will create jobs for local people.
"Local people are at the heart of our plans, and we're determined to turn eyesores like this into places that residents can live and work so that even more people can make Tottenham their home."
As part of the development, Bellway Homes will contribute £1.5million to local education, highway and jobs schemes, ensuring Haringey taxpayers get the best deal.
Stuart Wallace, managing director of Bellway Homes North London, said:
"Bellway Homes is delighted to be able to bring forward this scheme and make a positive contribution to the community in Tottenham.
"Working closely with Haringey Council and local people has produced an excellent residential-led development that will bring terrific new homes and employment opportunities. The Lawrence Road redevelopment replaces unloved commercial buildings with a scheme that significantly benefits the local area and surrounding community – something that local people can truly be proud of."
The Lawrence Road development is one of many regeneration schemes already underway in Tottenham, with construction on a new primary school and hundreds of homes at the former Cannon Rubber factory on the High Road progressing well after starting in August.
More than £1billion of investment has already been secured to support Haringey Council's major regeneration plans for Tottenham, bringing 10,000 new homes and 5,000 jobs by 2025.


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In our first Martial Mind segment we cover speed, velocity, and some of the physics that goes into becoming a great martial artist. We also cover the different types of striking force that one can employ in their techniques!
If you want to support Martial Talk or to send in a suggestion for the show, make sure to check out our store!
Why should you get faster instead of stronger? MartialLife article
Smashing force as demonstrated by Muai Thai. BOOM!
Piercing Force demonstrated by Bas Rutten. OW!
Raking Force demonstrated by Bren Foster- Fu-Jow Pai (Tiger Style). That'll fix your cough.
Snapping Force demonstrated by Ip Man 2 (Obviously a dramatization). Sorry, I couldn't hear you.
As always don't forget to like and subscribe and always Reach for the Top!!!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download


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PBIS is a school-wide positive discipline plan. PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports. PBIS is an application of a behaviorally-based systems approach to create positive school environments by defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors. PBIS improves the link between research-validated practices and teaching and learning environments. At Comer Elementary, we have chosen to focus on the STAR expectations, "Strive To Do Your Best, Take Responsibility, Always Work Together, Respect Yourself And Others". When students display these STAR expectations, their behavior is acknowledged with praise, rewards, and celebrations. PBIS encourages good behavior and increases instructional time.
- STAR Behavior Matrix
- Office Referral Rubric
- Home Matrix
- Parent Brochure
Additional Resources


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I installed my Radeon VII on saturday and did few tests during sunday.
Witcher 3 @ 4k
Does run well at 59-60 FPS, after some time the card start to throttle and FPS drops to 50 or below.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance @ 4k
It runs on 47 FPS as its unoptimized and i use high-resolution texture pack. But even here its obvious that thermal thtrottling starts.
In both cases the throttling starts due Tjunction temperature above 110°C. From the relesed data is known that the VII chip has 64 thermal sensors and throttling starts regadless which of these sensors report high temperature.
The same behavior was visible during synthetic stress test using MSI Kombustor at 1080p. Over 45 minute test when i decreased power to -20, overall GPU temperature was not higher than 83°C, but Tjunction was over 110°C...
From the screens I have seen at YT channel by DerBauer is clear that vapor chamber has been cut and surface is quite flat. Replacing thermal compound even with liquid metal may help a bit, but the primary cause here seems to be not just the type of thermal paste/TIM but the pressure distribution.
a) Is it possible to add to Wattman a view which allows me to check each of the sensors individually?
b) I will not replace thermal compound (i guess the graphite should be OK), but there are mods which increase the pressure a bit. Apparently bad contact seems to be an issue, even when its obvious that Thermalpad is glued to both cooler and chip.


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- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup crushed peppermint candies (about 12 peppermint puffs)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl or a stand mixer, add butter and brown sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed for another minute.
- Add in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined (on low speed if using stand mixer).
- Stir in the chocolate chips and crushed peppermint using a wooden spoon until evenly distributed.
- Using a cookie scoop or your hands, roll into balls about 2 tablespoons in size and place 2 inches apart on non-stick cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges of cookies are golden brown.


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Grand Opening! Drip Cloud Vape Lounge
Drip Cloud Vape Lounge is having it's grand opening this Saturday! They are a new Vape Store located in Webster, NY. They are one of our newest partners and carry our complete lineup of flavors. Please support local vape shops,stop by and say hello!
The event will have a DJ, food, drinks, giveaways , Raffles, Cloud Contest, & tricks. Saturday 5/5 from 2-5pm.
The DTF team travelled to Grand Rapids, Michigan to work the Vaporpalooza Expo. Met tons of chill folks and had an awesome time getting to know vapers and shops and lots of other great industry businesses. The highlight of the weekend was winning Best Cereal Flavor with our Apple Bag Juice! Thanks to all who stopped to hang out!


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GoCardless: Zuora payment method needs to be updated when a BACS transfer of bank account occurs
Currently when a UK Direct Debit (BACS) customer experiences a change of accounts details via the BACS process (ADDACS 3, ADDACS C, ADDACS E, AUDDIS C), GoCardless will update their instance of the mandate so all future payment request go to the correct bank account.
However the updated details are not reflected in the Zuora instance of the mandate & direct debit details, so any Call Centre agent speaking with a customer will not know that payments are being taken from a different account. This will obviously cause issues as the Agent & Customer will believe the BACS transfer process has not worked.
To resolve this we recommend that Zuora:
1) extend their query of GoCardless mandate events to include the events mention above
2) update the Mandate & Payment Method record in Zuora
3) create a new type of Notification Event that allows us to know that a mandate / payment method has been changed due to a specific BACS reason code
Hi Blair,
Thanks for your detailed feedback and suggestions, this is really helpful. We've spoken with the GoCardless team recently and we're looking at improving this process and capturing more events from GoCardless in general. Stay tuned.
Our understanding is that Zuora closed the payment method when the DD is canceled as a result of the Gateway Reconciliation module, if this is not the case we need to know. We also need Zuora to support "Swtiching Paul". https://developer.gocardless.com/pro/2015-07-06/#testing-your-integration-mandate-transferred
Here's the work around we've had to do which is horrible, but works:
Create a job (Java, Apex, whatever language etc.) to do the following:
- Query Go Cardless API "events" endpoint looking for type = "transferred". This will return a list of Go Cardless Mandate IDs
- Query Go Cardless API "mandates" endpoint looking for the related bank account IDs to the list of those mandate IDs (you may just want to query the full list of mandates for efficiency)
- Query Go Cardless API "customer_bank_accounts" endpoint looking for Go Cardless's representation of the bank account number and sort code
- Query Zuora using Export ZOQL on SELECT Id, TokenId FROM PaymentMethod WHERE BankTransferAccountType = "DirectDebitUK" - this will return all payment methods from Zuora.
- The "TokenId" on the PaymentMethod object is actually Go Cardless's Id for the Mandate, that's the link. You can only get it through Export ZOQL, because Zuora don't surface the TokenId on the PaymentMethod in their API (Zuora, please can you provide this to save our devs having to do export ZOQL?)
- Either create a custom field on the PaymentMethod in SFDC or create your own DD object in SFDC (we use our own), and create a field called "GoCardlessBankAccountNumber" (also do one for the sort code), then use SFDC Bulk API to update those values from all that hard work you've just done.
We're literally had to develop this work around, it's horrible, and time consuming.
Update: this solution would work except that the Go Cardless API does not return sort codes, only the last 2 digits of the bank account. So therefore we can't even have a work around that's accurate.
You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in. Otherwise, register and sign in.


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From Seo Wiki - Search Engine Optimization and Programming Languages
IRC chat window
|Konstantin Klyagin
|Initial release
|1 August 1999[1]
|Written in
|Operating system
|Available in
|bg, cs, de, en, es, fr, hu, it, ms, nl, pl, pt, ro, ru, sv, uk, zh[2]
|Instant messaging client
CenterICQ is a text mode menu- and window-driven instant messaging interface that supports the ICQ, Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, IRC, XMPP, LiveJournal, and Gadu-Gadu protocols. It allows you to send, receive, and forward messages, URLs, SMSes (both through the ICQ server and email gateways supported by Mirabilis), contacts, and email express messages, and it has many other useful features. Known to work in Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, Windows and Mac OS X/Darwin Operating Systems.
Its heyday was in the first half-decade of the 2000s, with reviews appearing in Softpedia,[3] and Czech online magazines ABC Linux[4] and Linux.cz.[5] It was also recommended in a 2004 OSNews article on console applications,[6] and in a similar article in the Russian magazine Computerra.[7] Two tutorial articles appeared in the German magazine LinuxUser in 2001 and 2004;[8][9] the latter article also appeared in the English version of Linux Magazine.[10] It was included in a 2002 round-up of ICQ clients in the Russian XAKER magazine,[11] and in a 2005 round-up review of IRC Clients in Free Software Magazine.[12] The FSM reviewer remarked CenterICQ for its windows-like interface built on top of the usual curses library, which provides a lot of information, but can also look cluttered on smaller terminal windows, including the standard 80 by 25 terminal. It also found that IRC support was "excellent" due to support for multiple servers and channels and the ease of switching between them in the "windowed" interface.[12] In September 2002, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols found it "the greatest of all console IM clients" due to its "excellent interface and a huge number of features and configuration options" in a category review on Freshmeat.[13] In 2005 it was also reviewed in The Unofficial Apple Weblog, but despite support for .mac accounts, the reviewer was displeased with the "annoying key combos" required to access the menus, because on OS X the usual function key assignments of CenterICQ could not be used. He could also not access the MSN network. Despite this he concluded: "All things considered, I've decided that Centericq is the most stable and intuitive terminal based chat client." [14]
In November 2007, the project's website stated that CenterICQ is dead.[citation needed] Because CenterICQ is not actively maintained anymore, other developers forked the project to CenterIM, and applied several security patches and updates. As of 2009[update], CenterIM is still in development; version 4.22.9 was released on December 14. Neither CenterICQ nor CenterIM 4 support Unicode, but support for UTF-8 is planned for CenterIM 5.[15]
See also
- naim is another text-based messaging client with support for multiple protocols
- List of XMPP client software
- Comparison of instant messaging clients
- ↑ Klyagin, Konstantin (2005-09-02). "CHANGELOG.centericq". Centericq. thekonst.net. http://thekonst.net/download/CHANGELOG.centericq. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
- ↑ Centericq 4.21.0 Source
- ↑ Mihai Marinof (12 September 2006), Centericq Review, Softpedia
- ↑ Template:Cs icon Matouš Jan Fialka (24 March 2005), CenterICQ - komunikační centrála, ABC Linux, ISSN 1214-1267
- ↑ Template:Cs icon Petr Šigut (8 October 2004), Centericq, Linuz.cz, ISSN 1801-3805
- ↑ Scott Rippee (15 Jan 2004), Throw That GUI Out the Door: Console Applications That Shine, OSNews, page 2
- ↑ (Russian) Андрей Крупин (9 September 2008), Консоль Windows: секреты выживания (Console Windows: the secrets of survival), Computerra
- ↑ Christian Perle (January 2001) Ich such' dich (I seek you), LinuxUser
- ↑ Frederik Bijlsma (February 2004) Kommunikationsszentrale (out of the box: Centericq), LinuxUser
- ↑ Frederik Bijlsma (March 2004) CenterICQ: Communications Center, Linux Magazine, pp. 78-79
- ↑ Zero Gravity (January 2002) Icq под linux (Icq for Linux), XAKEP, issue 37, pp. 42-43
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Martin Brown (7 September 2005) Free IRC clients, Choosing the best IRC client for your needs, Free Software Magazine issue 7, web pages 2-3
- ↑ Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (21 Sep 2002) Instant Messaging Clients, Freshmeat Category Reviews
- ↑ Fabienne Serriere (22 Oct 2005) Terminal Tips: Centericq open source chat aggregator on OS X, The Unofficial Apple Weblog
- ↑ CenterIM FAQ
Further reading
- Alexandru Voiculescu (Sepember 2002) Interview with Konstantin Klyagin, PC Magazine Romania, original in Romanian
- Petr Krčmář (12 March 2007), Interview with the CenterICQ author, Konstantin Klyagin, root.cz
External links
|File:Bus icon.svg
|This network-related software article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
de:Centericq es:Centericq fr:CenterICQ hu:Centericq nl:CenterICQ ru:CenterICQ sk:Centericq sv:Centericq


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REVIEW: Power Smash: P349 Good for 4 Persons 1-Day Unlimited Badminton (P2000 Value) from Ensogo!
Labels: Badminton, Ensogo, Group Buying, Makati City, Other Review, Power Smash, Review, Voucher
Around 3 to 4 years ago, I have initiated non-work activities to my officemates so we can have fun on weekends at least once a month. One of the activities was playing badminton. We used to play at Metro Badminton in Mandaluyong but I was surprised that it is no longer existing. Through Ensogo's deal, we have revived those moments and ended up at Power Smash in Makati. We bought 3 good-for-4 vouchers at 349Php each, so that's a total of 12 players, and supposedly, 1-day of unlimited fun.
Reservation was a headache. I had the vouchers since October and our target date was November 17. Since we were to avail 3 vouchers, I wanted to make the reservation early to ensure that we would get the needed slots. But when I called, I was not allowed to reserve due to this clause in the deal: "Merchant suggests voucher holders to make reservations 3 days prior to redemption". And I thought it was a suggestion. I simply obliged and asked if November 17 is still available. The attendant said yes, and so I patiently waited until November 14. November 14 came and I called at 6AM to ensure that I'd be the first to reserve our target date. But whoa, I was asked to call again after 15minutes since the one who was in charge of the reservation hasn't arrived yet. After 15mins, I called again and got hold of that person. To my disappointment, I was informed that November 17 is not available since they'll have a tournament. She suggested November 25 (Sunday) and December 01 (Saturday) instead. I opted for December 01. Due to the inconvenience, she allowed me to reserve on that day (not to wait 3 days before December 01) though was telling me that only 1 court might be given to us since they do not allow availing 3 vouchers in 1 day. I did not agree as how come 12 players would just be playing in 1 court, and the rule on less than 3 vouchers a day is not stated in the deal. I settled for having at least 2 courts.
December 01 is our day to have fun and be fit. Since I am the organizer, I was the first to arrive at the venue. Power Smash, by the way, is located along Chino Roces, between Don Bosco and Sabio Street. It is in the same building as Philscan which is in front of the big red sign of Tile Depot. While walking towards Power Smash, I was hearing voices over the mic (announcer maybe?) and I was not feeling good about it. When I finally reached the place and informed them about our reservation, I was told that they cannot accommodate us as there is an on-going tournament. Tournament?? I was about to burst into anger but I still tried to calm myself. I have informed them of what I've gone through (see second paragraph of this post) and that since 11 more players are coming in, rescheduling is non-negotiable. Greatly, they were able to do something about it. They let us have 2 courts but we can only start at 2PM, instead of the initial 1PM schedule, since it is only then when there will be available courts. I had no problem with this as I was still waiting for my officemates to arrive.
Compared to Metro Badminton, Power Smash is smaller. The space was divided into two sections by the benches. The courts for each section are designed to be in parallel, and are around 6-8 courts per section. There is a high seat for the referee and a scorecard for each court. The wash room is air-conditioned but does not have a shower. Refreshments are being sold at the reception area at a higher price so better to bring your own water or drinks.
Hopefully, Power Smash will be able to pay more attention on their reservation system especially that there are a lot of customers availing the deal. Despite the initial hassle that I had, I'm still glad that my friends enjoyed playing badminton for more than 3 hours (because they allowed us to play even after 5PM). The following day was full of body ache!
Power Smash
2270 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City
+632 892 8024, +632 893 8299
Monday-Friday 6:00AM-7:00PM
Saturday-Sunday 8:00AM-5:00PM
Image from


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New treatments for asthma are closing in on the cells responsible for creating allergy and asthma - detailed biologic approaches that were undreamed of only a few years ago.
These drugs arE for SEVERE ASTHMA
Texas Allergy Experts have been on the cutting edge of advanced biologic research since 1999 and have done the clinical trials needed to secure approval for the currently most advanced product Xolair or omalizumab. The desire for asthmatologists has always been to create a drug with the potency of steroirs, but not of those side effects. Many of us think this drug may even affect the course of the disease at a cellular level. Once injected, the antibody seeks out every allergic antibody and ties it up regardless of what it is - food pollens, molds, cats, dogs, any allergic antibody.


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Beaumont Chamber of Commerce
Beaumont's connection for business, networking & advocacy
BNI Alberta North
BNI provides a positive, supportive, and structured environment for the development and exchange of quality business referrals.
Business Impact Coaching Inc.
Need To Generate More Leads? Close More Sales? Increase Revenue and Profits?
We can show any service business how to double their leads and sales in less than 60 minutes... all WITHOUT spending more.
Canajan Inc
We believe that cleanliness is lifeblood to business.
We help lots of clients to solve their problems by helping them cleaning their places while they are busy building their success.
Hotte Consulting Inc.
Our objective at Hotte Training is to ensure that learners learn what we teach. We believe that people learn when they fully engaged and participating in an environment where there is a bit of fun.
Level Up Leadership Consulting & Psychology
The mental health and well-being of your child is important to you and to us. This means working with you and your family to support you in the most meaningful way.
Lisa V. - Certified Public Speaking Coach
As a Certified Executive Speaking Coach, Lisa specializes in working with women who want to sharpen their public speaking skills so they can increase their influence, impact and income.
Tacit Knowledge
Mental Health Supports and Professional Development Training


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watch 00:17
The Loop (TV)
Do you like this video?
Duncan, otherwise known as his nickname Furious D was a racehorse. Bart rescued him from a fair, where he was forced to jump off a diving board. He became a very successful racehorse at the Springfield Downs. After winning the race, he became a stud and lived with a female horse.
Behind the Laughter
Duncan's vocal effects were provided by Jim Cummings. His nickname, "Furious D", resembles the heavy metal rock band, Tenacious D.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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Unlock Luang Prabang
Once the ancient royal capital of the Lan Xang Kingdom, Luang Prabang now stands as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's nestled between the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers, some 700 metres above sea level. The city's ancient temples and nostalgic architecture breathe history into a modern era, allowing visitors to cross a threshold into Laos' past. Come and discover this remarkable city.
EACH MORNING, Buddhist monks rise with the sun, parading through Luang Prabang in a humble procession. Follow their lead: strolling through town is an adventure for the senses. Shrines glisten in the morning light, while street food vendors barbecue fish and serve up fresh papaya salads. The French influence remains tangible, too; Le Cafe Ban Vat Sene is a lovely little spot to stop for coffee and pastries.
Hike up to the Kuang Si Waterfalls and watch water cascade through the mountains. Make sure to visit the bear rescue centre and the butterfly park. Magnificent creatures loll in the shade at the former, while the latter comes alive with all the colours of the rainbow. After a long hike, there's no better reward than a refreshing dip in the falls' crystal clear waters.
There's plenty to explore beyond the main sites, too. Why not take a ferry to the Old Town? Its streets are lined with elegantly restored, French-style mansions—the whole district exudes colonial charm. You can browse local markets selling fine fabrics and handicrafts, or hop on a barge and sail down the Mekong.
You'll pass lush vegetation sprawling out from the riverbanks; with a cold beer in hand, life feels simple. Get even closer to nature with a trip to the Elephant Village. Hold on tight—this ethical sanctuary recently abandoned saddles. Ride through rolling rivers and emerald forests, before stopping to bathe and feed the majestic giants. They're playful creatures, so expect to get wet!
Come nightfall, you can climb the 300 steps to Mount Phousi, or make your way to 525 or Icon Klub for great cocktails in stylish surrounds. But there's no better way to spend an evening than back at Belmond La Résidence Phou Vao. Our 500 candles dinner is an intimate culinary adventure set in the privacy of our gardens: as stars twinkle overhead and local musicians play, you'll feel that you've truly found heaven.Explore Luang Prabang with Belmond
Belmond La Résidence Phou Vao
Luang Prabang
Lao PDR, 84330
Belmond La Résidence Phou Vao is within easy reach. You'll find us...
- a 12-minute drive from Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ)
- a 15-minute drive from central Luang Prabang
- a 50-minute drive from the Kiang Si Waterfall
- a 40-minute flight from Vientiane city


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The world's largest retailer isn't immune from falling consumer demand.
Jefferies lowered its rating and downgraded its stock price and earnings estimates on Wal-Mart Stores' Tuesday, saying household income for core customers will get squeezed further as rising fuel and food costs persist.
"Based on all the different data points we have, our conclusion is that there may simply be too much economic pressure on Wal-Mart's core consumer for it to overcome with merchandising changes alone," the analysts wrote.
"Further, competition is getting tougher with more competitors expanding in the food and consumables business. In turn, we believe this may translate to mediocre results for a longer period of time than we initially thought," according to the note.
The analysts now rate Wal-Mart at "hold" from "buy" and reduced their current price target to $56 from $61. They base that on Wal-Mart shares selling at about 12 times Jefferies' full-year 2013 earnings estimate.
The analysts reduced fiscal 2012 and 2013 estimates to $4.43 and $4.71, from $4.52 and $4.95, respectively. They also believe the company's stock buyback program will slow after it recently bought two companies, Netto and Massmart.
"Data points don't look great," the analysts wrote in a note to clients. "Recent market share data suggest continued challenges at Wal-Mart in [the second quarter], which combined with our own checks lead us to think there is downside risk to sales in [the second quarter] and potentially over the balance of the year."
The report comes the same day the Commerce Department reported a 0.2 percent drop in consumer spending, the first drop since September 2009, after edging up 0.1 percent in May.
Despite the downgrade, the Jefferies analysts think Wal-Mart should be able to report $1.08 in second-quarter earnings, the analyst consensus estimate, as it "laps extremely easy gross margin comparisons, after heavy price rollbacks last year, and benefits from favorable currency translation" of perhaps 2 cents a share.
"We also believe the company has been managing labor tightly and management has been quite vocal about its ability to find further cost reduction opportunities," according to the analysts.
CNBC Data Pages:
Jefferies analysts receive compensation based in part on the overall performance of the firm, including investment banking income.


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Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS
Justin and Joy discuss the dependency our culture has with technology, social media, and the illusion of connection.
Elevator Pitch
- Justin's inability to recall how many weeks are in a year.
- Joy claiming she's right more times than Justin.
- Justin's attachment to his phone.
- "Mark Unread" feature for iPhones.
- Social media in relationships.
- Justin's refusal to use Facebook chat.
- Sharing inappropriate pictures via social media.
- Debate: Do women like to receive nude pics?
- Overextending our personal lives on social media.
- Daily vlogging.
- And much more!
Spread the Word
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave us a review on iTunes and share it with your friends! Connect with us onTwitter, Facebook, and Instagram to share your thoughts about the show.


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United Kingdom
Grimsby, N.E. Lincolnshire, UK
(+44) 01472 507 889
(+44) 07724 402 348
Airdrie, AB, CANADA
(+1) 587 582 4816
Email: email@example.com / Web: www.james-norton.com
Leeds Metropolitan University Part 2
Leeds, UK. Sept 2011 to May 2015.
M.Arch Architecture. Masters Degree. RIBA Part 2.
Thesis on how Silviculture can create resilience and socio-economic benefits in the post-industrial landscapes over the next 50 years. Final module to wrap up.
Leeds Metropolitan University Part 1
Leeds, UK. Sept 2010 to June 2011.
BA(Hons) Architecture. Upper Second Class Honours Architectural Degree. RIBA Part 1
Various projects, based on the renovation of derelict spaces in low-income area's through community engagement.
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield, UK. Sept 2003 to July 2009.
Architectural Technology Certificate of Higher Education.
The study of architectural technology, design and construction. One of the most highly awarded courses in the UK.
Franklin Sixth Form College
Grimsby, UK. Sept 2001 – June 2003.
A Levels in Geography (B), Design Technology (B), General Studies (B). AS Levels in General Studies (B), Design Technology (A), Geology (D), Mathematics (E), Physics (E),
Toll Bar School and Sixth Form
Grimsby, UK. Sept 2000 – July 2001.
AS Level in Geography (A)
SectionToll Bar School
Grimsby, UK. 6 Sept 1995 – July 2001.
GCSE's in Technology (A), English Literature (A), Double Science (B/B), Geography (B), English (B), Art (B), Mathematics (C), I.T. (C), French (E).
Work Experience
James Norton Design
Leeds, UK. 2006 –
Freelance for my own company. Work in an architectural capacity for various clients on a range of architecture, landscaping, construction and product design projects as well as feasibility studies for regional development organisations and councils. These include Bauman Lyons Architects, Peter Codling Architects, Maggie Pickles Architects, TGN Construction, Strike Research, Bike Track Ltd and an international eco-resort company with property in Costa Rica, Canada and Panama.
Bauman Lyons Architects
Leeds, UK. 2009 – 2010
Architectural Technician. Headhunted to take the lead on a prominent historic re development and new build project which included all aspects of the design phase through to construction. Specialism in detailing created additional opportunities to work within the company of a variety of other projects in a freelance capacity for the next three years.
Bond Bryan Architects
Sheffield, UK 2006 – 2009
Architectural Technician. Experience in working on a variety of projects, from residential to industrial, education to bluelight. Specialised in detailing, specification of materials, site visits, contractor liaisons and project delivery from planning through construction to hand-over.
Bike Track Ltd
Sheffield, UK. 2006 –
Lead Designer. As one of my most regular freelance clients, Bike Track specializes in the design and construction of BMX tracks and MTB trail design. Projects vary in size and complexity from 'pump' and 'play' tracks to national and international standard race facilities.
Works include design and detailing for grant applications, planning approval, tender, construction and as built drawings. Feasibility studies for landowners and stakeholders are a specialty.
Other Work Experience
I have worked for various other companies' pre 2006, which has helped me compile knowledge of different trades and businesses. I also volunteer in various capacities for charity organisations.
- Action Plan Holidays – Mountain Bike guide in the French/Swiss/Italian Alps
- Halfords – Mechanic
- J.E.James Cycles – Mechanic
- Tesco – Front-end management
- B&Q – Retail assistant
- I've even worked as a paperboy; an enjoyable profession, but lucratively stagnant.
Software Skills
- Adobe Suite; InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop,
- Microsoft Office suite; Word, Excel, Powerpoint
- Mac suite: Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Aperture
- Sketchup; including various plug-ins
- NBS Specification
- GIS Software
- AutoCAD
- ArchiCAD
- Ecotect
I am fluent in both Mac and PC.
Other Interests
I have a passionate interest in cycling, having raced semi-professionally at an international level, both individually and as part of the British Cycling National Squad. I also am an avid snowboarder, skier, climber and love to be hands on; I have been making, breaking and fixing since a young age. I have a passion for vehicles and bikes, specifically Austin Mini's, Norton motorcycles and Gertrude, a Ford Thomas 52 seat, 7.2l, yellow school bus that I am converting to run on bio-waste.
OTC Level 2 MTB Guide
Wilderness 1st Aid Qualified
Driving License, clean with zero accidents. Car, Motorcycle & Minibus. Extensive foreign driving under all designations.


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Web site found. Waiting for reply. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting . . .
Look familiar? Do you often wonder whether the problem is with your local network, the ISP's backbone or the content provider's servers? Until now, that's been a tough question to answer. However, you can now get a new view into the internal workings of your network with VitalSuite 2.0 from VitalSigns Software (which International Network Services last month announced plans to acquire). As soon as we installed VitalSuite, identifying overloaded servers, slow Domain Name System (DNS) responses, missing Web pages and bogged-down client CPUs was easy.
VitalSuite consists of VitalAgent client software and complimentary servers VitalAnalysis and VitalHelp. During the course of our tests, we let our clients gather data for several days while we monitored the reports on the VitalHelp server. Several times we suffered network outages, which were duly noted by the VitalAgents. At one point, our primary ISP suffered a fibre cut in the Washington, DC area that significantly degraded network performance for several hours. The slowdown was quickly reported by VitalSuite.
The bundle earns our World Class Award and a strong recommendation for its effectiveness, ease of installation and excellent documentation.
We installed VitalAnalysis and VitalHelp on a Dell Optiplex 400-MHz Pentium II with 128Mbytes of memory and 8Gbytes of disk space running Windows NT 4.0, Service Pack 3 and the NTFS file system. The VitalAgent client was deployed on nine workstations, ranging from a 266MHz IBM Thinkpad 600 running Windows 98 to a Dell 166MHz Pentium with Windows NT 4.0 and 32Mbytes of memory.
For several days we scattered the clients across a 20,000-node test network to provide the software with a variety of network conditions. We connected the server and several clients by cable modem to the main network at 1.5Mbit/sec. Two clients had an 8Mbit/sec Multi-Megabit Data Service feed supplied by GTE, and the remainder were on switched 10Mbit/sec ports.
Deployed on users' workstations, the VitalAgent clients monitor and diagnose network problems. A dashboard display tracks activity, speed and delay in three panes.
VitalAgent's activity pane monitors the performance of applications and displays a connectivity diagram that traces a path from the client to the server. Problem areas are highlighted in red, and if you double click on those areas, you get instant feedback on the nature of the difficulties. The application being monitored is displayed at the top of the activity pane.
The speed pane reveals how much data is currently flowing on the network in kilobits per second. Current and average bandwidth consumption are displayed, and a slick bar graph shows the ratio of sent to received data.
The delay pane highlights network or server slowdowns, and attributes a percentage of the total delay to each. We found the delay pane to be useful in providing a quick pointer to the source of congestion.
We were skeptical of VitalAgent's ability to accurately measure network traffic, so we decided to put it to the test. We downloaded a 40Mbyte file through our 1.5Mbit/sec cable modem connection while watching the dashboard. VitalAgent reported 1.5Mbit/sec of traffic, the maximum available bandwidth.
We then fired up a second download on another machine and watched both clients immediately report a drop to 750Kbit/sec -- a 50 per cent reduction in throughput. A third download dropped the average bandwidth consumption to 500Kbit/sec.
We found only one application that appeared to confuse VitalAgent: RealPlayer Version 5.0. After an initial burst of activity, the current bandwidth display dropped to zero. VitalSigns technical support indicated that RealPlayer Version 5.0 may use a different TCP port number than earlier versions.
Once VitalAgent performs its monitoring and traffic-tracking tasks, the VitalAnalysis server collects the data at regularly scheduled intervals and produces a comprehensive set of charts and reports. We were impressed with the amount of detail available. For example, application heat charts summarise the performance conditions experienced by each application, including packet loss, throughput and delay.
The heat charts are tables with spherical indicators that are color-coded according to the severity of a problem. Client reports list information about each client, such as IP address, CPU type, memory and operating system. Server reports summarise the health of servers monitored by VitalAgent clients.
You can view reports by accessing VitalAnalysis' Web server with a Netscape or Microsoft 4.0 (or higher) browser and a monitor capable of at least 1024x768 pixel resolution. This integral Web server doesn't have many of the enhanced features of Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS), although it works fine for the initial VitalSuite installation. We recommend installing IIS once the system is in production mode.
VitalHelp chronicles each client's transaction history, providing a cleanly organised log of network, server and application problems. The VitalHelp console runs under Windows NT 4.0 and is divided into three areas.
The severe events frame presents the operator with a digital display indicating the number of severe events on an application-by-application basis, currently in the queue or those that have occurred within the last one- or eight-hour period.
The group frame displays all active clients sorted by application, and color codes their current status. We found this display to be particularly useful; we could immediately see how many clients were reporting problems with an application.
The active events log shows the status of current events, the number of times each problem has been seen and the ticket number assigned to each problem. Quick diagnosis is available by double clicking on an event.
The VitalHelp console supplies a rich suite of test tools, including a packet-capture feature. Administrators can retrieve the client network configuration as well as run traceroutes and DNS queries. While no substitute for a full-fledged packet analyser, the packet-capture function is unique, and the inclusion of such a feature demonstrates why VitalSuite is a standout package. One caveat: the supplied settings for alarm thresholds are very sensitive. With a large user base, it would be easy for the VitalHelp operator to become overwhelmed by noncritical warnings such as "Web page not found" or "DNS lookup failed".
Installing VitalSuite was a snap. We followed the documentation and encountered no major difficulties. To ensure a clean installation, we formatted our server's disk and loaded a fresh copy of Windows NT 4.0, Service Pack 3.
VitalAnalysis and VitalHelp really put the server's hardware to the test. We recommend a minimum 350MHz Pentium II with 128Mbytes of RAM.
VitalSigns provides all the necessary software, including Web server, reporting tools and Sybase's SQLAnywhere database. We used the generic installation options for each package.
We installed VitalAnalysis and VitalHelp on the same server, a configuration that VitalSigns doesn't recommend for a large production network. We noticed the CPU load on our server reached 100 per cent during report generation, so we recommend using different servers if you plan to install more than 25 VitalAgent clients.
VitalSigns provides the best documentation we've seen in a long time. The manuals are clearly laid out, cover a wide range of topics and provide a large number of illustrations and screen shots. With these guidebooks at your side, it's unlikely you'll need to contact VitalSigns for any but the most complex questions.
Overall, we were extremely impressed with the quality of this software. Installation is simple; documentation is excellent; reports are concise; and clients operate transparently.
For network administrators and help desk managers responsible for large enterprise networks, VitalSuite is a must-have package worthy of our World Class Award.


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Neom Tranquillity Scented Candle 3 Wick
Specially formulated with a blend of pure essential oils to help induce a wonderful sleep. Neom Tranquillity 3 Wick Candle will fill the air with the calming scent of 19 soothing essential oils, including English lavender, sweet basil and jasmine. Part of the Neom Scent To Sleep range, Tranquillity has a relaxing effect on your body and mind. Just light two hours before climbing into bed then inhale deeply the soothing scent as you drift off. With a burn time of 50 hours these candles are the ultimate indulgence, filling the air with their natural fragrance for a therapeutic effect on your mood.
Burn time: 50 hours
Weight: 420g / 3 Wicks
Fragrance: The purple splendour of a neatly lined lavender field on a glorious English summer's day. The green, sweet scent of English lavender, typically a little cleaner smelling than the more floral French lavender, coupled with sweet basil and pretty jasmine is a heavenly relaxing blend.
Therapeutic effects: Neom spent two years expertly twisting together hundreds of oils to find a blend that would help induce the perfect night's sleep. Lavender has been proven in countless studies to calm and relax the mind and body when inhaled. In our trials the vast majority of people had a better night's sleep after using this scent.
Directions: Always light all Neom Tranquillity Scented Candle 3 Wicks at the same time and burn for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 4. This will ensure the wax burns evenly. Never leave a burning candle unattended. Keep out of the reach of children and pets. Always leave at least 10cm between candles. Do not burn on or near anything that can catch fire. Trim wicks to about 1cm before lighting. Always extinguish the candle and do not relight when the wax level is less than 1cm.
Neom candles contain the highest possible percentage of the purest possible essential oils, which not only smell wonderful but also have true therapeutic benefits for the mind and body, helping to transform the way you feel. We use a complex blend of pure, natural vegetable wax and 100% natural fragrance with nothing else added. There is a massive 30 to 40ml of pure essential oils in each candle, which means they have the power to positively change your mood. Petrochemical paraffin or mineral wax is never used, only the purest possible ingredients. All Neom products are 100% natural, ethically sourced, finely crafted in Britain from sustainable origins with absolutely no artificial ingredients. Whether to relieve stress, calm and relax, aid sleep, boost your energy or lift your mood, Neom make Scent to make you feel good.
Neom Reed Diffuser Refill Tranquillity 100ml
Top up your Tranquillity Reed Diffuser and replace the reeds with this refill. This Scent To Sleep natural fragrance consists of 19 deeply relaxing essential oils including English Lavender, Sweet Basil, Jasmine.
Cannot be shipped overseas
Neom Perfect Night's Sleep Pillow Mist Tranquillity 30ml
Get a deep nights sleep with this potent blend of essential oils, an award winning fragrance with extra chamomile and patchouli added helping to induce and even deeper slumber.
Cannot be shipped overseas
Neom Wellbeing Pod Essential Oil Diffuser 100ml
Humidify the air and fill your home with natural therapeutic fragrance, so you can achieve better sleep, less stress, more energy or a boost in mood.
Neom Scent To Make You Happy Essential Oil Blend 10ml
A balancing and uplifting complex of pure essential oils to accompany your Neom Wellbeing Pod Diffuser.


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View or search for all towns »
Join the Trail & District Public Library Book Club
Submitted by Trail & District ... on Thu, 22/08/2019 - 9:23am
Tuesday October 1 10:00 to 11:30 am
Tuesday November 5 10:00 to 11:30 am
Tuesday December 3 10:00 to 11:30 am
Join us at Trail Tea & Coffee for a lively discussion! Come into the Library to pick up a copy of our first book, Washington Black!
Town: Trail, BC
Venue: Trail Tea & Coffee
Address: 1369 Cedar Ave
» Report abuse, harassment or publication of personal information in this post or its comments


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The Micekteers Club meets on the second Monday of the month (in season) at 10AM in the computer room on the second floor of the Clubhouse.
Club dues are $10 for 12 months. What a bargain! The dues entitle members to use the club-owned printers and computers, as well as various other hardware resources. Plus there is a treasure trove of technology experience and knowledge that the other club members willingly share during the monthly meetings. We'd love to have you join us and become an official Micekteer.
A new Members-Only benefit is a password code for access to faster
Internet while at the Clubhouse. You don't even need a "secret decoder ring!" Members in good standing should e-mail Sharon Rump at email@example.com and request the Password.
Topics of special interest are often offered and the Micekteers Club opens those meetings to all residents. The special events are publicized on the Events Tab of this website, in The Acorn and on ISS Channel 4. We encourage the Oakwood community to join us in learning new tips and better ways of using computers and technology!
For Micekteers (or any Oakwood Manor resident) interested in gaining even more computer expertise, there is another group in Sarasota that is available to those who have not yet taken advantage of it..... Ask a Micekteer and we'll gladly share this secret with YOU.


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TheColu.mn's Spotlight on the Arts features artists and organizations that have had an impact on the arts in Minnesota. If you are an artist or arts organization and would like to be profiled in our Spotlight, simply fill out our introductory form.
In this week's Spotlight, we talked to filmmaker Richard Louprasong.
Tell us about your form of art, performance or work.
I am a Filmmaker. For 3 years, I have directed, produced and edited 40 plus projects in the Twin Cities. Most of the time, I find my work through freelancing as an Editor. I have collaborated with many people and clients around the metro area. Currently, I am producing a documentary called "Putting The Ribbon Back On" and a horror short film "Take Me to My Grave".
Where and how can the general public view, participate in, or purchase your work?
Most of my work is international and can be seen online through my Vimeo or YouTube. Some projects have been submitted to different Film Festivals around the nation.
Tell us a little about your inspiration. What inspires you?
When it comes to my work, I usually listening to a lot of film scores to build my inspiration. It depends on the project. To me, music almost creates an arc for every project I've worked on. Especially when editing a film, you kind of need that to build emotion, to create the right pacing, and the sense of mood.
Tell us about one piece, work, or performance about which you are particularly proud?
I have so many projects out there. I really don't know which one I would say I'm most proud of. One project that comes to mind would be the short film "Tomorrow's Mourning" that I edited. It's a film about a woman coping with her life after a miscarriage tied into spoken word. While filming, we ran into complications with the script because the script kept getting rewritten. Ultimately, the storyline changed and the director wasn't happy since it wasn't the original story. I had to put my "thinking" cap on. During editing, a lot of scenes were cut out and thrown on the cutting room floor. After hours of editing, we finished the film and came out with an awesome product. We were both pleased at the outcome of the film.
Anything else you'd like to share with us?
Aside from filmmaking, I do photography and a little bit of graphic design. I also like to sketch and paint.
Richard sent along this example of his editing work, The Boy with Green Eyes, a film based in 1968 about a boy learning to take pride of who he really is as a homosexual.


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Family Food Garden may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.
I love baker creek heirloom seeds & have been growing them for years
Baker Creek offers nearly 2,000 varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs—the largest selection of heirloom varieties in the USA.
I'm personally completely in love with heirloom seeds.
I love the unique and rare varieties, I love the stories and the history that kept the seeds around today and delighted to keep that tradition going. I've been buying, growing and loving baker creek seeds for the past 7 years..
In fact I always buy too many (is there such a thing?) and have to do lots of garden planning to fit everything in.
I'm delighted to share this giveaway with you today!
I've teamed up with Baker Creek Seeds to offer one winner the Heirloom Collection ($48 value).
The Heirloom Collection
This is the perfect way to save money and acquire a safe, secure food supply. Most of the seeds in this package will store 4-10 years if kept cool and dry. What a great way to try many of our favorite, easy-to-grow varieties!
It contains 25 full-sized packets of seeds and a Clyde's Garden Planner—all packaged in a sturdy, resealable, mylar bag for long lasting storage.
Varieties in this package are chosen to be productive in most climates throughout the United States. They selected early, hardy varieties that are always popular.
This collection may include: Greens, Onion, Peppers, Kohlrabi, Herb, Eggplant, Flower, Cucumber, Rutabaga, Summer Squash, Winter Squash, Spinach, Tomatoes, Lettuce, Turnip, Watermelon, Radish, Peas, Beans, Melon, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Beet, Carrot and Corn.
Enter the Giveaway
*Giveaway rules*: This giveaway is open to US residents only. One entry per person. One winner will be selected to receive one Baker Creek Seeds Heirloom Collection ($48 value). The winner will be emailed and must claim the prize within 2 days or new winner will be drawn. Contest opens February 19th 2018 and ends on March 1st, 2018. Best of luck everyone!
Baker Creek Heirloom Collection Giveaway
Need help garden planning?
My name is Isis Loran, creator of the Family Food Garden. I've been gardening for over 10 years now and push the limits of our zone 5 climates. I love growing heirlooms & experimenting with hundreds of varieties, season extending, crunchy homesteading and permaculture.


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Being on a rooftop, the feeling of being higher than your surroundings and having an excellent view is insightful. Now imagine being in a Lisbon swimming pool on top of a rooftop! Pools offer a unique atmosphere and rooftops provide you with a spectacular view as well. You can find the best rooftop bars Lisbon has to offer here.
Rooftop pools are very luxurious and give you a sense of privacy at the same time. No need to worry about the next door neighbors peeking over the fence and seeing you in your bathing suit, you can relax in privacy. Rooftop pools also add a special feature to your home, making use of space while your backyard stays open for other possibilities.
Whether you are planning a rooftop pool for your own home, a pool party or planning your next vacation in some luxurious hotel, here are some of the great pools located on rooftops on hotels in Lisbon that will give you some inspiration or excitement.
Enjoy the ultimate list of the best rooftop pools Lisbon has to offer!
The modern and trendy Jupiter Lisboa Hotel comes with a fantastic rooftop pool. And not only rooftop pool, as the stylish 8th floor terrace also holds a rooftop bar. Complemented with fantastic and sweeping 360-views over the city, this is really one of Lisbon's top spots.
While the rooftop bar is open to the general public (daily 10am - 10pm), the rooftop swimming pool and comfy sun loungers are for hotel guests only. As a guest you can both take your lapse in the larger rooftop pool, or just chill out under the waterfall in the smaller plunge pool. The lush and wooden decked terrace is perfect for loooooong hours of pure relaxation.
Website: https://www.jupiterlisboahotel.com
Located in Marques de Pomba, in the heart of Lisbon, HF Fénix Music hotel offers you a great sensorial experience while having a drink at the bar on the rooftop or a swim in the pool looking over a panoramic view of the city.
This is a very trendy hotel which celebrates music, and all rooms have their own musical theme. This is also visible at the lounge-style terrace, with a cool painting of a singer watching over you as you take your dips. Large and comfy daybeds right by the azul rooftop pool means you can spend more than a couple of hours on the terrace.
Website: www.hfhotels.com
Memmo Alfama is a big and beautiful design hotel with 42 rooms, and it allows you to enjoy one of the best views of the water from Alfama. The sleek, first floor terrace is equipped with lounge chairs, perfect to indulge in vistas over River Tejo while ordering something from the wine bar. But the terrace also has a lovely rooftop pool.
While it is maybe not the largest or highest rooftop pool in the city, it has one unique and very cool feature: its red color. Perfectly integrating with the red tiles of the rooftops of the neighborhood, it's both beautiful and refreshing.
Website: www.memmohotels.com
Colibra is a new app that gives you compensation EVERY time.
You can stay in the heart of Lisbon by the NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade. Here you can enjoy the rooftop area with a drink at the bar Ático by NH and check out the panoramic view over the historic Lisbon, the river, and the São Jorge's Castle.
Or even better, take a swim in the seasonal rooftop pool. Eleven floors up, it is for sure a swim with a view. Surrounded by green astroturf and comfy sun beds, this is a rooftop where it's easy to feel at home.
Website: www.nh-collection.com
On the banks of the Tagus River you can find the Altis Belém Hotel & Spa, which has a small but very stylish swimming pool on the rooftop. What makes it so unique is the great view of the river flow, the 25 de Abril Bridge, and the minimalist design spa.
While the indoor spa with sauna and turkish bath is fantastic, it is something special being out on the open-air terrace. A dip in the Altis Belém Hotel rooftop pool might the closest you get to the feeling of swimming in the Tagus River.
Website: www.altishotels.com
The Memmo Príncipe Real is a hotel designed by architect Samual Torres de Carvalho, located in the elegant Príncipe Real district. It has a long and thin rooftop pool, featuring a beautiful green mosaics, set on the outside terrace of a roof.
Lush and stylish lounge-terrace, where you can enjoy Café Colonia with the view over the pool and the city center, blended with contemporary and classic design. Lux and relaxation in a perfect combination.
Website: www.memmohotels.com
Colibra is a new app that gives you compensation EVERY time.
The Epic Sana hotel is very modern, with a roof terrace on the ninth floor that contains a fantastic and heated infinity swimming pool. This allows you to have a relaxing swim with a great view of the sunset over the Tagus River. On this very rooftop you can also enjoy the bar and restaurant.
The poolside is equipped with lounge beds and white restaurant tables that look like they are from the future. No need to overnight at the hotel to become a guest as you are welcome for the day at €50 and you get to stay to see the amazing star view to end your romantic evening.
Is it the best rooftop pool Lisbon? It might very well just be.
Website: www.lisboa.epic.sanahotels.com
Summer in the city can become tremendously hot and just because you are not along the beach does not mean you need to withstand the heat and not make the most out of it. The heat is the best excuse for reaching out to your local hotels with swimming pools. Grab some friends, go for a drink and enjoy cooling off in a rooftop swimming pool with an amazing view!
Many hotels offer swimming for non-hotels guests and some hotel swimming pools feature innovation like heating or underwater sound systems if the stunning rooftop view is not good enough.
Colibra is a new app that offers 100% guaranteed compensation


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Chapter Text
20. Tower
Tears fell and mixed with the pool that was their ground. The child with white wings trembled terribly, sobs echoing loudly through the near quiet. From the mirror at the edge of his mind, muffled voices filtered through the glass. He could see them: the princess and… the crow. Anger and pain welled up in him like fire and it seared his veins, making his tears burn his eyes. He also heard it, the sweet voice of someone, something powerful, calling him, urging him back.
"Akito-nii?" From where he was crouched, he couldn't glimpse his brother's apprehensive stare at his back. The normally cruel glare was more like his stare, soft and afraid. Agito worried. But, in truth, he always worried for Akito. And vice versa. They were brothers; they had to do that. But Agito worried more, Akito was so badly broken it wouldn't surprise him if the boy had created another personality after him. Hesitantly (wait was this real, Agito couldn't hesitate), he stepped forward and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. It was cold: the way their "skin" always was when emotions gripped so fiercely they went numb.
"Akito-nii?" Agito repeated, using the young, sweet, broken voice that he only used with Akito. "What is it?" Agito glanced toward the mirror that revealed the outside world, where the princess spoke so casually to the crow, which was more on-edge than he looked. Agito saw him look in their direction, almost with concern, and immediately allowed a hostile look to pass through. The crow returned it with less force. He doubted the teen actually gave a shit; Akito did give the impression of being almost completely okay after all.
"Tower…" his brother whispered suddenly, wrapping his arms around himself. "Tower… why are we going?"
"What do you mean?"
"We're going to the Tower," he whispered. Agito noted the emphasis on the word, on the proper status it took in their head. "We're going back. I don't want to go back."
"The Tower? The Trophaeum?" He trembled more at the name and Agito rushed to wrap his arms around him, placing his hands on top of the hands that were covered in gooseflesh. "Why does it scare you? We've never been here before."
"I have," Akito rasped. "I have and I don't want to go back. I'm scared. I'm scared so much. Is he going to take us back? Is he going to drown us again? Please make it stop. Please don't make us go Ikki-kun. Please. It's so loud in there. It's so loud and… it's hungry."
Agito glared again at the crow. He was doing it again, curse him. This goddamn crow was making things worse on them. He glanced at his arms, where multiple punctures were faintly visible. The medicine could be leaving their system faster now. It would explain the extremity of Akito's emotions. Well it could explain the lack of control over them anyway. Of course, he could feel them too: anger, fear, sadness, pain, and…
Betrayal. Oh the sweet bitterness of betrayal! For a moment, he wished he could banish the empathic link he had with Akito. But that would be useless and cruel to both of them. Akito didsomehow keep them from becoming a mess after all. Until now that is. He simply remained there with him, huddled and shivering in the sudden cold that gripped their hearts.
They had reached their destination and Akito had been right. He could smell it, the scent of many tigers prowling around them with slobbering mouths and greedy snarls. Akito had curled up even further into a ball and trembled. Now Agito himself could hear it, a soft voice with no inclination to gender or race.
"Come here child… come into my arms… come back here where it's safe… come…"
Agito shuddered, feeling a primal fear welling up in his chest. Forcing his voice to remain even, he plunged his head into the mirror and started speaking to the crow, trying to get him to leave. He was no longer a predator, he was prey and the idea sickened him. It was like back then. (Back when? He asked himself.) But it came to no avail. And when the tuners swore to protect them, Akito let out a bitter laugh and cried,
"You can't protect the Wind Regalia, how are you supposed to protect us?" Agito agreed and said so, proceeding to tick everyone off. Ikki snapped anxiously at them and he rolled his visible eye and stepped out of the mirror. Agito felt the terror rise again like bile. He couldn't shove it away, couldn't do anything. All they could do now is watch and listen, like ice.
And they had. Learning of Sora's betrayal had not surprised them. Ambition could carry you far, after all. The voice of the Tower grew louder as they came deeper. Akito had simply fallen silent and still as they fell, only moving to try and help Agito breathe, help him speak. At the sight of the Sky Regalia, both of them felt a nostalgic tingle in their bones.
When Sora appeared on screen with a beaten Akira hanging on the ceiling, both of them heard a distinct crack. Akito had glanced at the crow and seen the broken expression on his face. He had scowled but refused to comment. Yet Agito felt a wave of acrid satisfaction come from Akito. He didn't like that, not at all. Agito spoke a little more before smirking despite himself at the official declaration of war. Sora vanished from the screen and at once Agito slumped. He couldn't hold it back anymore, the fear, the pain, the sensation of drowning, that damned voice…
He closed his eyes and rested against the wall, trying to control his breathing, his body. It didn't work and the small form trembled against the surface. Most of Sleeping Forest didn't notice but Ringo did. She frowned and glanced at her siblings. They had seen. Mikan was hiding it while watching Ikki, but her eyes flickered back every now and again. Ume wasn't even attempting to hide it; giving the boy such a motherly look it was almost disgusting.
They reached the entrance and walked into the elevator. Ikki was stumbling along with Kururu at his side. Agito followed along almost meekly behind the former tuners. Ume watched him out of the corner of her eye as his fingers twitched silently. Gently she went up to him and tugged his arm. The boy jumped and his neck nearly cracked as he faced her. For a moment, the golden gaze was alive with terror and confusion. Then it dulled, replaced with calm and bitter despair. Now that was disturbing.
"What is it?" he inquired, warily glancing forward.
"Are you okay?" Well no he wasn't but that was really one of the only things she could say. That and… "Can I help?"
Surprisingly enough, he smiled wanly. Out of all the siblings, the split-personality teen had gotten along best with her. "No we're not and there's nothing you can do. Sorry." Agito glanced at Ikki. "Every traitor has to do with the wind. Haha... that figures." He fell silent after that, leaving Ume to ponder the ominous statement.
Ikki fled for his life when they were out of the Trophaeum. Unsure of where to go, Kururu followed Ine and Rune back to the factory. Agito stood there for a moment, gazing down toward the tower. Then he let out a strange, broken cry and walked away.
A week passed. Akira was standing outside of the Kogarasumaru hideout, watching the others file in. He glanced at each, searching for one in particular. He limped away when the last person was there. He had to find Agito. Kaito had ordered him to keep an eye out for him. The boy would not be in a stable state of mind. His medicine's probably run dry…. The former Fang King thought. God damn it. He finally made it up to the roof where the clock was.
"Figures you two are up here." The bluenette jumped and glanced at him. He barely relaxed, but did turn back to the sky he was staring at. He struggled over to his friend's side and sat down. "Aren't you going to knock some sense into that idiot leader of yours?" It was a neutral question to decide which was out. The boy drew his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them, arms wrapped around limbs. They both did that, especially now.
The reply was, "Why should we help him?" The voice was cold, but it sounded more angry than offended. Akito then.
"He's your leader isn't he? Isn't he the bird?" Akito shrugged.
"There are lots of birds in the sky. You hate them." Akira laughed sheepishly.
"That's true." There was a comforting pause. Akito randomly asked,
"How's Ren-chan?" Akira blinked.
"Ren's fine. She's back with her brother. Hopefully I'll get another letter soon." He received a nod. Sighing, he went right to the point. "Akito, have you taken your medicine recently?"
Akito shook his head. Figured. "It ran out. Ages ago."
"Why haven't you come and gotten more?" Akito started trembling. Damn, it had been a while then.
"B-Because… he w-would have broken the vials. That's w-why we're out. H-he broke the vials and threw them away."
Akira took his friend's arm gently. This was incredibly worrying. Agito hadn't attempted to take over so that meant he was feeling the same way. "Why would Ikki break the vials?"
"He didn't know what they were." The trembling had stopped and Akito's voice had returned to that cold tone. "We tried to tell him what they were but he thought they were drugs and threw them away." Suddenly Akito started coughing. "Udou-kun, we- we can't… br-breathe!" He coughed and writhed, gasping for air. Akira moved, grabbing at Akito's arms. He knew it was coming next.
Akito let out a terrified scream. "Let go of me! Let go! You're going to drown me! You're going to cut me open and beat me and then leave me to die in the ocean! Let go of me!" He writhed and bit down on Akira's arm. Akira hissed and twisted his friend's arms, refusing to let go. Akito kept screaming, the sound turning to an inhuman screech. He heard footsteps from the stairs.
"Akito stop! You're not in the tower anymore! You can't drown!" Akira knew words were pointless now. Months without the medicine in his system had turned everyday life into that terrible haunting fear of the dark lab underground. Of that other man and a terrible massacre. He couldn't see or hear anything anymore, just the song of the terror and the feel of metal against flesh, mixed with the sight and longing of the sky.
Hah, when I first met Agito he bit me too. Ikki and the others had made it up now and all they saw was Akito struggling to escape from Akira and howling like a tortured animal. They immediately rushed to help and Akito broke free, tearing toward the other side of the fence. He glared fearfully at them all, mouth dripping with Akira's blood. Subtly, Akira pulled a needle from his pocket. Then he moved an inch. Akito leapt over the fence, falling the three stories. The others rushed over to see Kaito holding his brother firmly around the waist with one arm. The boy's struggle suddenly ended. The sight of the brother, of the god who had stolen him to the well, a place so much closer to the sky, made his very being still with awe.
Kaito's expression was indifferent as he pulled another syringe from his pocket, containing the same blue liquid. Akito saw it and paled, twitching. Ignoring the obvious discomfort, he punctured the boy's arm and emptied the drug into his system. The effects were immediate, his brother slumping like a rag doll. Akira sighed with relief and slowly started limping back down the stairs. He could feel many horrified stares on his back. He didn't give a damn.
He had been very close to losing that blunette, both sides of him, to the blankness of the tower many times. Akira was determined not to let it happen.


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Jonathan Tooth
Jonathan is a director at Henslow, Oaklins' member firm in Australia. He has over 25 years' professional experience in corporate finance and public markets, with core expertise in ECM and M&A, primarily servicing small to mid-market companies. Jonathan has particularly strong sector expertise in FMCG, financial services and technology.
Prior to Henslow, Jonathan was a director and the head of corporate finance at Austock Group, a role he held for over 10 years. Previously, he worked in the corporate departments of two other tier two brokerage firms in Melbourne and Perth, and with the international firm's corporate planning and development arm. Currently, he is a non-executive director of ASX-listed companies, namely Generation Development Limited (ASX:GDG), Vita Life Sciences (ASX:VSC) and Sensera Limited (ASX:SE1). He is also a member (chair of the investment committee) of the Melbourne Angels, an early-stage investor group focused on high-growth Australian businesses.
Melbourne, Australien
+61 3 8622 3333
+61 419 550 664


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The humming is getting louder and the wonderful scent of the Provence lavender intense. I'm standing in the middle of a lavender field, my first time that I see lavender in its full glory and I'm deeply impressed. The colors, the scent and the sound of the bees and bumblebees produce. The lavender season in the Provence is nearly over but I was lucky and grateful to still manage to marvel at some blooming lavender fields.
Fascination lavender…
When checking the hashtag #lavender on Instagram you will not only find stunning photos of lavender fields but countless people posing in the blue-purplish fields. "I'm not gonna do this", I said with utter conviction. There are no photos on my blog showing me and I will stick to my maxim. Haha! I saw the first beautiful, blooming lavender field and bang!, there I sat in the middle of it with my fancy dress…
Lavender was used in ancient Egypt for embalming and when people took a bath while it was regarded as weed in Europe. In the Provence lavender became one of the main ingredients for perfume in the 17th century in Grasse. Today, lavender is not only a popular raw material for so many different things, but the lavender fields are also on of the main tourist attractions.
When does lavender blossom, so when is the lavender season in the Provence?
When the lavender is in bloom depends on the climate. You only know in spring when the Provence lavender season starts. The warmer it is, the earlier the season starts. In general, you can assume the blossoming begins early June and reaches its end at mid of August – depending on the area. I would not recommend, however, to book a year in advance for a mid-August trip. You'll be on the safe side if you choose between mid June and end of July. At the beginning of August, you might find harvested fields in certain regions. The harvest usually starts when buds have formed but before the flowers have opened. At this stage, the lavender is at its aromatic peak.
Have a look at the beauty of lavender fields from above with Paul Sano's drone video:
Where to see the lavender fields in the Provence?
The Provence is a huge area with numerous lavender regions. Depending on where you go, check the lavender blossom calendar first. I drew a map where can you find these stunning lavender fields. The color code shows the season for lavender, so when to see the lavender fields in the Provence in their full glory. This is an indication only but I hope you find it useful.
Lavender routes (Routes de la Lavande) lead you through wonderful landscapes, blue-purplish colored fields and picturesque villages. In some of the villages, you've got the impression that time stood still.
You will find the most scenic landscapes on the plateau of Valensole. One lavender field lies beautifully embedded next to the other and you can see endless purple fields – flat or over rolling hills. And in between, you might see fields of yellow sunflowers. Paradise for every landscape photographer and warrantor for happiness. Make sure to be there within the lavender season (before July 25th) or you will only see harvested fields.
Northwest of Valensole in the area around Sault, Banon and Ferrassière I was lucky to find some lavender fields not yet harvested while all have been gone in Valensole by that time. From Sault, you'll find the 4 km lavender nature trail.
North of Sault, in Saint-Auban-sur-l'Ouvèze in the nature park Baronnies Provençales you can try your luck of finding blooming fields until mid of August.
The famous lavender museum is in Coustellet, southwest from Gordes.
My recommendation: If you've got a flexible time schedule and are eager to photograph the most beautiful lavender fields, make sure to be in Valensole by mid-July at the latest.
The Provence, by the way, is a famous cycling area. If that's your kind of fun, you might want to check out this article for great cycling routes in the Provence.
Hotel recommendations: I stayed in Hotel Au Mas Saint Pierre* in Pignans, a lovely, quiet hotel with a very familiar atmosphere. After three days in Pignans, I changed the location to Gordes and stayed in the luxurious Petit Palais d'Aglae*. Très chic.
Lavender vs. lavandin?
There is lavender and there is lavandin. Lavender is the real one and its scent is much more intense and the oil is of a higher quality. Lavandin is a hybrid which does not reproduce naturally but is the most frequently cultivated.
Things to make with lavender
If you love the smell of lavender, you will be happy about the variety of products it offers. Little lavender pillows make your body and soul calm and help to be fast asleep. Lavender sachets in your wardrobe make your laundry smell great and they keep moths away, too. Originally, lavender was used as a bath salt – and it still is. Take a bath in lavender oil and you're supposed to get rid of your muscle soreness. It also helps if you're restless.
In addition to soaps, oils or sachets lavender is also a famous ingredient in the kitchen: tea, honey, vinegar, salt, jam or butter – the possibilities are endless.
You can book different lavender tours*, for example, a half day tour from Aix-en-Provence to Valensole for 50 Euro or a day trip from Aix-en-Provence to Sault for 100 Euro.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links* which means I will earn a small commission if you purchase/book through my links. This is without extra costs for you. Thank you for considering booking through my links.


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Know What to Expect with the Oklahoma Lemon Law
Most states, including Oklahoma have lemon laws in place to help protect consumers from being stuck with vehicles that are irreparable and losing their hard-earned money on them. There are solutions out there that can help you get the justice you need with the Oklahoma lemon law. Contacting the professionals at Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center is the best way to proceed. Read on below for a few of the facts you should know about the lemon law in Oklahoma before you get started.
Is Your Vehicle a Lemon?
The first thing you need to figure out is whether your car is a lemon or not. If it meets any of the following criteria, it very well may be.
* You've had your car for less than a year
* The company that made the car has made at the least four attempts to fix the defect that is ailing your car
* The car has been unusable or in a shop for at least 30 business days
What Can the Company do to Help?
The company that sold you the car, after trying the things above, can offer to replace the vehicle or refund the money you paid for the car, including registration fees, taxes and any other fees related to that vehicle.
Should You Retain a Lawyer?
If you feel that you should retain a lawyer, then you want to make sure you get one that is familiar with the Oklahoma lemon law. You want an attorney that is reputable and well-respected in the area to take your case.
These are just a few of the facts that you should know about the lemon laws in Oklahoma. For more information, contact the professionals at Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center® for help and an appointment.


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China Food & Drinks
Clean Your Plate, Waste No Food – China's Anti Food Waste Campaign Is Sweeping the Nation
These are the main trends and topics in the context of China's nationwide 'Clean Plate campaign.'
Since the call by President Xi Jinping to fight against food waste earlier this month, new regulations, initiatives and trends are popping up all over the nation to curb the problem of food loss.
Following China's COVID-19 crisis, the ongoing trade war with the US, and mass flooding, President Xi called the issue of food waste "shocking and distressing," as he stressed that the country needs to "maintain a sense of crisis about food security."
According to numbers posted in online information sheets by state media, some 38% of the food at Chinese banquets goes to waste. In 2015 alone, an estimated 17 million to 18 million tons of food was wasted.
This is the second time in a decade for China to launch a 'Clean Plate' campaign (光盘行动). There was a previous campaign in 2013 that used the slogan "I'm proud of my clear plate." The estimated annual wastage of grain in China at the time was estimated to be 50 million tons.
On Chinese social media, the 2020 "Operation Clean Plate" is receiving a lot of attention. These are some of the trending topics we have seen on Weibo in relation to the anti-food waste campaign.
"N-1" Is the Way to Order, the "Waste Prevention Supervisor" Will Help You
One way restaurants are now addressing the problem of food waste is implementing the "N-1 ordering mode" (N-1点餐模式) which basically means that instead of a group of ten people ordering eleven dishes (N+1), they are advised to only order nine.
Famous Peking roast duck restaurant company Quanjude (全聚德) now advises groups of, for example, seven people to either take their set meal or to order no more than five or six dishes from the menu to avoid wasting food.
They have even appointed a "Waste Prevention Supervisor" (制止浪费监督员) in their restaurants to oversee customers' orders.
The "N-1" idea is now being implemented in various cities across China.
Earlier this month, Sixth Tone reported that the Wuhan Catering Industry Association (武汉餐饮行业协会) was taking measures to limit the number of portions restaurant patrons can order. Now, the same measures are also being taken in other cities, like in Shijiazhuang (Hebei), Xianning (Hubei), Xinyang (Henan), Guangzhou (Guangdong), Quanzhou (Fujian), and other places.
One restaurant in Changsha got a bit too carried away recently, as it encouraged customers to weigh themselves and order food accordingly. The restaurant apologized after causing some controversy on social media.
Smaller Portions on the Gaotie
In line with the country's anti-food waste campaign, some Chinese highspeed railway trains have also started introducing smaller portions for their in-train food services.
Instead of larger portioned rice meals or noodles, the Nanchang Highspeed Train now offers customers different small size portions in 'blue and white porcelain' bowls.
The initiative became a topic of discussion on Weibo (#南昌高铁推出青花瓷小碗菜#), where some applauded it while others complained that the meals were still relatively expensive while being small.
Be an "Empty Plate Hero"
China's anti-food waste campaign is also actively promoted in schools across the country. Hundred primary schools in Jinan, for example, teach their students about combating food waste with a slogan along the lines of "Don't leave food behind, be a 'clean plate' hero" (*the original slogan "不做"必剩客",争做"光盘侠"" also has some word jokes in it).
The schools have also set up various activities to raise awareness of food waste.
Operation Clean Plate: Empty Plates Snapshot
"Operation Clean Plate" is not just actively promoted in Chinese restaurants and in schools; Chinese state media and official (government) accounts are also promoting the campaign through social media.
The Weibo hashtag "Operation Clean Plate" (#光盘行动#), initiated by the Chinese Communist Youth League, had over 610 million views by August 21st, promoting the idea of "treasuring food, and refusing to waste it."
Besides the Communist Youth League, other official accounts including China Youth Daily and People's Daily also actively promote awareness on wasting food and encourage people to empty their plates. China Youth Daily even initiated the online trend of posting a pic of your own empty plate under the hashtag "Clean Plate Snapshots" (#光盘随手拍#)
Another hashtag, the Big Clean Plate Challenge (#光盘挑战大赛#), initiated by People's Daily, had 290 million views by August 21, with hundreds of netizens posting photos of their before and after dinner plates.
Using the "clean plate" hashtags, many netizens are posting evidence that they are not squandering food.
Big Stomach Stars Need to Turn it Down a Notch
In 2018, we wrote about the trend of China's "big stomach stars" (大胃王) or "eating vloggers' (吃播女博主), an online video genre in which hosts will consume extremely large amounts of food (also known as the 'mukbang' phenomenon in South Korea).
Since attempting to eat 17 kg (35 pounds) of meat by oneself – something that is actually done on camera by these kinds of vloggers – does not exactly fit the idea of China's anti-food waste campaign, these eating vloggers are now being criticized in Chinese media.
Social media platforms such as Douyin (the Chinese Tiktok) have also taken action against the 'big stomach stars.' On August 12, the Douyin Safety Center published a video saying the app will not allow any behavior on its platform showing food-wasting or otherwise promoting activities that lead to food loss.
For now, popular Chinese eating influencers will have to adjust the content of their videos. Little Pigs Can Eat (逛吃小猪猪) is one of these influencers who recently has showed smaller portions and more empty plates in her videos.
By Manya Koetse, with contributions by Miranda Barnes
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China Food & Drinks
Famous Goubuli Restaurant Calls Police for Getting Roasted Online, Gets Kicked Out of Franchise Group
Goubuli Wangfujing shows how NOT to address a social media crisis.
The famous Wangfujing main branch of Goubuli Steamed Buns (狗不理包子) is caught up in a social media storm since responding to a blogger's negative video of their restaurant by contacting the police.
The video, Goubuli's response to it, and the following consequences have hit the top trending topic lists on Weibo today.
Goubuli, sometimes transcribed as Go Believe, is a well-known franchise brand of steamed stuffed buns (baozi) from Tianjin that was founded in 1858. The brand now has more than 80 restaurants in mainland China, 12 of them in Beijing. Since Wangfujing is one of Beijing's most famous streets, the Wangfujing branch is popular with both foreign and Chinese visitors.
Gu Yue's "Visiting the Worst-Rated Restaurant" Video
The social media storm started on September 8, when Weibo blogger Gu Yue (谷岳) posted a video titled "Visiting the Worst-Rated Restaurant" ("探访评分最差餐厅"). Gu Yue is a travel blogger with over 1,7 million fans on Weibo.
In the video, Gu Yue starts by explaining he chose to visit Gubouli after searching for the restaurant that receives the lowest ratings in the Beijing Wangfujing and Dongdan areas on the super-popular Chinese mobile food app Dianping.
The blogger found that, out of the 1299 listed restaurants in the area, Wangfujing Goubuli Baozi was the worst-rated place. Ironically, the brand's name Gǒubùlǐ (狗不理) literally means 'dogs don't pay attention,' which makes the name 'Goubuli Baozi' sound like a place with stuffed buns that even dogs would not eat.
Complaining about the service, prices, and quality of food, many Dianping users rated the restaurant with just one out of five stars.
Gu Yue then sets out to visit the restaurant himself to see if Gubouli on Wangfujing really is as bad as Dianping users say. He orders some steamed braised pork dumplings, 60 yuan ($8.7) for 8, and regular pork dumplings, 38 yuan ($5.5) for 8.
The blogger concludes that Gubouli's dumplings are not worth the money: the dumplings are greasy, the dough is too sticky, and they do not have enough filling. Gu Yue's video also suggests that the restaurant's hygienic standards are not up to par, with loud coughing coming from the kitchen.
Gu Yue's video received over 97,000 likes and thousands of responses on Weibo, with many fans praising the idea of the blogger checking out the worst-rated restaurants.
Goubuli's Reaction Starts a Social Media Storm
The Wangfujing branch of Goubuli did not appreciate Gu Yue's video.
In an online statement on September 11, the branch accused the blogger of spreading lies about their restaurant and harming their reputation, and demanded a public apology.
Goubuli Wangfujing called the video "vicious slander" and stated they had contacted the police in relation to the matter.
The hashtag "Wangfujing Goubuli Responds to Netizen's Negative Video" (#王府井狗不理回应网友差评视频#) immediately went viral on Weibo, attracting some 430 million views.
Many Weibo users were outraged about the way the Goubuli branch handled the situation. "Aren't we even allowed to say if something is tasty or not?!" many commenters wondered, with others writing: "You are harming your own reputation!"
"Let's call the police over the quality of your food," others suggested.
There were also many netizens who commented that some Chinese Time-Honored brands, such as Goubuli, often only survive because of their history and fame rather than actually delivering good quality to their customers.
Following the major online backlash on its statement, the restaurant soon removed their post again. But the social media storm did not end there.
On September 15, the Goubuli Group issued a statement saying that it would directly terminate its franchise cooperation with the Goubuli Wangfujing branch over the incident.
With over 280 million views on its hashtag page (#狗不理解除与王府井店加盟方合作#), news of the franchise termination blew up on Weibo.
According to the latest Weibo reports on September 15, the Wangfujing Goubuli branch was closed for business on Tuesday (#狗不理包子王府井店门店关闭#).
"This is the power of clout," one person comments: "If it were not for the [Goubuli] restaurant's flawed marketing department, this would not have led to their closure."
"The restaurant has brought this on themselves. There's nothing wrong with posting a bad review."
Another person comments: "This is the first time I've seen a marketing department making something big out of something small, leading to their own closing."
Meanwhile, blogger Gu Yue says that he was not contacted by Goubuli, nor by the police. The social media controversy has only made him more popular.
"Gue Yue single-handedly crushed this restaurant," some say, appreciating how social media has increased the power of Chinese consumers to make or break a business.
Also read: Overview of the Dolce&Gabbana China Marketing Disaster Through Weibo Hashtags
By Manya Koetse
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China Food & Drinks
Tianjin Restaurant Introduces "Meal Boxes for Women"
The special lunch boxes for women were introduced after female customers had too much leftover rice.
China's anti food waste campaign, that was launched earlier this month, is still in full swing and noticeable on China's social media where new iniatives to curb the problem of food loss are discussed every single day.
Today, the hashtag "Tianjin Restaurant Launches Special Female Meal Boxes" (#天津一饭店推出女版盒饭#) went trending with some 130 million views on Weibo, with many discussions on the phenomenon of gender-specific portions. The restaurant claims its special 'female lunch boxes' are just "more suitable for women."
According to Tonight News Paper (今晚报), the only difference their reporter found between the "meals for women" and the regular meals, is the amount of rice served. Instead of 275 grams of rice, the 'female edition' of the restaurant's meals contain 225 grams of rice.
The restaurant, located on Shuangfeng Road, decided to introduce special female lunch boxes after discovering that the female diners of the offices they serve usually leave behind much more rice than their male customers.
The restaurant now claims they expect to save approximately 10,000 kilograms of rice on an annual basis by serving their meals based on gender.
On Chinese social media, the initiative was heavily criticized. Weibo netizens wondered why the restaurant would not just offer "bigger" and "smaller" lunch boxes instead of introducing special meals based on gender.
"There are also women who like to eat more, what's so difficult about changing your meals to 'big' and 'small' size?", a typical comment said: "Some women eat a lot, some men don't."
Many people called the special meals for women sex discrimination and also wanted to know if there was a difference in price between the 'female' and 'male' lunch boxes.
There are also female commenters on Weibo who claim they can eat much more than their male colleagues. "Just give me the male version," one female user wrote: "I'll eat that meal instead."
This is the second time this month that initiatives launched in relation to China's anti food waste campaign receive online backlash.
A restaurant in Changsha triggered a storm of criticism earlier this month after placing two scales at its entrance and asking customers to to enter their measurements into an app that would then suggest menu items based on their weight. The restaurant later apologized for encouraging diners to weigh themselves.
By Manya Koetse
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