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According to statistics provided by the Registry of Moneylenders, there are approximately 163 licensed moneylenders who have issued $163M by 2017 alone. In 2016, moneylenders issued $1,181M compared to $646M issued in 2015. This is a sharp increase and it indicates that more people are turning to moneylenders for personal loans.
Low income households are particularly vulnerable when it comes to finding credit and financing solutions. They already have personal problems related to illiteracy and low education levels, lack of marketable assets. In addition, the uncertain job market that is compounded by other external factors like inadequate social services infrastructure that would have otherwise enabled them to take part in worthwhile activities. This has affected all aspects of their life including education, employment, health and housing.
Here is a list of 6 reasons why people prefer to get a loan from licensed money lenders despite banks offering lower interest rates.
Quick Funding
Mainstream banks and conventional financial institutions take up to 90 days or more to finalize processing of a loan due to strict rules and regulations. Sure there are banks that take lesser time. But it can still take days for it to happen. The approval process involves a lot of paperwork, back and forth bureaucracy that is time consuming. This process is not guarantee that you will qualify for the amount sought. The longer they take to process your application does not mean a higher chance of getting the loan.
As such, licensed money lenders take advantage of this bureaucracy and offer their loans within shorter periods. License money lenders in Singapore are able to process loan applications within an hour or less. This gives them a strong advantage because people no longer have to wait for long periods of time to get the cash they need. Quick cash loans means people will be able to attend to their problems quickly.
Reduction of Red Tape and Paperwork Hassles
Licensed money lending contracts require less hassle and paper work. They have more flexible loan guidelines and processes than banks or any financial institutions. In addition, their management require lesser documentation from borrowers.
However, borrowers are still required to submit confidential financial details and fill out piles of paperwork. This is not only to make sure their loans get approved within the shortest time but also to provide a form of security to the money lenders. With these paperwork, the money lenders at least have a peace of mind that the borrower is working thus ensuring that the loan will be paid back. Without any form of documentation, money lenders will not be able to process your application. This is because the Ministry of Law requires money lenders to provide documentation.
Flexibility and Creative Problem Solving
In the event that there are complex loan situations, money lenders are flexible and will even offer options with more flexible terms than the traditional banking facilities. They will always have solutions for complex situations where the collateral property and assents have challenging ownership issues. In addition, money lenders are willing to take on more risk than banks when providing loans.
To keep up with competition, money lenders now have competitive interest rates. They are also always coming up with better solutions to problems that they encounter with clients daily.
Return on Investment
Many borrowers in the property industry like rentals and contractors usually have a specific goal in mind when they go looking for a loan. Therefore the speed at which the funds can be availed is of essence. The focus is on making a profit which is mostly time bound. The benefit of timeliness and smoothness within which the money lender facilitates the business fellow to make quick return on investment far outweighs the higher interest rates that they impose on the loans.
Sure, interest is chargeable on the loan taken. But if the interest is lesser than return on investment, then it will be a worthwhile investment to take the loan. After all you will be generating more income at the end of the day.
Borrower Circumstances
Borrowers may have underlying issues like bankruptcy, tax evasion and penalty issues. Some have family property disputes, foreclosure of a property, lack of proof of ability to repay the loan due to unemployment or solid collateral. There are even cases of medical emergency and more. Banks will not consider issuing loans where they risk losing their money. No business will do that. The moneylenders on the other hand do not require all those qualifications. As long as you have collateral that is of higher value than the amount you seek, they are good to go.
Amount Borrowed
At times, individual just want to borrow a small amount of money in order to get by. It is pointless to go through lengthy bank procedures just to borrow $250. In fact chances are that the bank has a minimum amount that one can apply as loan. This is because they have standard charges that may not be realistic when the loan is too low. Money lenders on the other hand thrive on this majority of small loan seekers for survival. They provide small loans against household items like fridges, cookers, and even watches and mobile phones.
Plus the amount of time require to go through just to get a small loan from the bank is not worth any borrowers' time as well. Do you want to wait 2, maybe 4 or even 7 working days for a couple hundred dollar loan?
General views of money lending are mostly negative and are based on the worst examples of illegal money lending. This is because the news like to report only news that are interesting and will catch the eyes of people. Only way to help boost the sales of newspaper and magazines.
With proper regulation by relevant authorities, it is a great alternative for customers who have few alternatives when it comes to accessing financing.
Legal Loan Singapore
Licensed money lenders are a popular financing options among many people in Singapore. This is because of how fast you the entire process takes. Legal Loan Singapore is a great source to help you find good moneylenders in Singapore. There are so many licensed money lenders in Singapore so you may find it overwhelming when searching for a money lender. But do not let that stop you from getting the cash you need.
It will take you quite some time for you to look through the list of money lenders. So let us help you. Legal Loan Singapore is out every week checking out different money lenders. We do this to find out if there are any money lender is reliable and trustworthy. Our survey results are not based only on our opinions. We will also base it on money lender review that we find online and with different sites.
Have a look through our site to find out more if you like. We are constantly updating our site to improve usability. If you have any feedback for us, let us know! We will love to make the site better for all our users.
Interested in knowing who we think are the best moneylenders, get in touch with us. If you need a loan, you can drop your application with us. We will help you send out your application form to reliable licensed money lenders. When we get a reply from any of them, we will let you know via email.
Any questions you have, you can drop an email at firstname.lastname@example.com or call us at +65 6871 4268. We will get back to you as soon as possible.


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In 2012, Steve Guttenberg discussed filming "Affluenza." In 2014, Steve Guttenberg's out with this "Affluenza." Every two years I talk to Steve Guttenberg.
"Nicola Peltz, Nelson's daughter, is in this serious movie, which combines adult hypocrisy with teenage sarcasm. Like adults living it up on borrowed money, caught in the crash, not existing by rules they preach. It affects the children.
"New big money's a disease. An affliction. I play a blown-up stockbroker whose skin is stretched. My wife, having an affair with our neighbor, which I figure I can deal with, spends $7,500 a month in Prada. My spoiled daughter's always on the phone. The privilege stretches down to the college kid.
"Our system collapsed, and we can't jail all financial managers because then who'll run the country?
"We filmed in Great Neck. The movie's inspired by 'The Great Gatsby.' See, the standard value of today's society in suburbia ranks importance according to disgusting over-the-top spending with nothing rattling your cage. I say things like, 'Character is ridiculous,' then tell my half-rich brother I'm better off than he."
So what happens?
"I get hurt financially. I go underwater."
OK. So now I'll talk to Steve Guttenberg again in 2016.
A tidbit from memory lane
Sunday's story on singer Rick James' outlandish lifestyle prompted Robert Shanley, a 1980s manager at CPW's Mayflower Hotel, to recall:
"Privacy-loving Robert De Niro was heading to our restaurant. Known for bizarre behavior, Rick James, hanging out in the lobby with an African-American pal, shouts to De Niro: 'Bobby baby, meet your soul-brother twin. Your look-alike.' Bobby baby smiled painfully. His friend Joe Pesci whispered to me: 'Handle this.' In my gatekeeper role, I blocked Rick James from entering the restaurant."
Blouse gag
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney addressed media unaware her aqua blouse kept opening to reveal uncongressy cleavage. Photographer Bettina Cirone saw p.r. rep Kathy Lynn walk over and paste the neckline together with Scotch tape. Whatthehell, it's an interesting way to grab votes.
Grub hub
RAISED on Italian food, Frankie Valli was at East 60th's Canaletto. Ditto NBC's Brian Williams, who wasn't raised on Italian food . . . TENDER toughies: Jack Armstrong, former "Wildman" wrestling champ, at Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, Calif., when, inside a hoodie, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who's "Hercules" in the new movie, smothered him in a bear hug . . . WOR radio offered $500,000 to someone for its daily 6 to 10 a.m. slot??? It's what I'm hearing.
Kard fever
Southhampton grrr-ing. Calling itself "Kardashian City". . . THIS week I read five best sellers: David Baldacci's "The Target," Robert Galbraith's (a k a J.K. Rowling) "The Silkworm," Daniel Silva's "The Heist," Linda Fairstein's "Terminal City," Dan Brown's "Inferno." Best head cold in bed I ever had . . . NEW news that the Alfonse D'Amatos are taking a marriage break? I reported that old news loooong back . . . BONNIE Englebardt, widow of NJ's Sen. Frank Lautenberg, exhibits this week at Bridgehampton art fair. Her Library of Congress photos in "How They Changed Our Lives: Senators as Working People" now stretch popward to Miley, Gaga, Bieber and a showbizzy collection. Chicago's Jean Albano Gallery is the rep.
Richie Ornstein reports this Rockville Centre luncheonette sign: "If you don't eat here, we both starve."
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.


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Okay, so bear with me here. If the government forces everyone to pay a tax simply to own their own property that they paid for, and evicts them with a lien (and then goes on to sell that house), isn't that essentially the same as renting it from them (or some might say bribing the government not to confiscate your property)? Things like selling and evicting tenants are very much actions of a landlord/property owner.
I'd like to cite a few quotes that put this into words a little better than I can.
This is from "How I Found Freedom In an Unfree World" by Harry Browne (p.94). "[The government] gives you the one-sided choice of paying property taxes or losing your property. So, as economist F. A. Harper has pointed out, you don't actually own anything; you rent from the government. Sales between individuals are only exchanges of the privilege of renting property from the government. He who doesn't pay the annual rental is forcibly evicted from his property."
"Property taxes are a reality of life for almost every property owner in the world. In the Land of the Free, some homeowners pay five figure sums every year to live in modest homes in places like New York and Southern California.
Heck, people in New York are paying tens of thousands of dollars each year just to live in their own homes.
Going as far back as ancient Egypt, these mandatory tithes to the government are proof that you don't really OWN your home or land. Rather, you are indebted to the government for the use of that land and, consequently, must pay.
Unlike many private sector services, you can't simply buy a "lifetime membership" for annual multiple and call it a day. You must pay property taxes by the due date each and every year — and not a moment too soon." http://nomadcapitalist.com/2014/05/27/countries-with-no-property-taxes-really-home/
"If you don't pay your property taxes in California, the delinquent amount (which includes taxes, interest, penalties, and costs resulting from the delinquency) becomes a lien on your home. Once the past-due amount becomes a lien, the tax collector can sell your home. Most tax-defaulted homes are sold at a public auction." http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-happens-if-i-dont-pay-property-taxes-california.html
So reddit, change my view.
Where I got other information:
Edit: This video pretty much sums up what I'm postulating here.
Edit 2: My opinion on the matter has not really changed. Only the title is wrong by a technicality.
Edit 3: I understand that society as a whole could be worse off without property taxes, but that doesn't really make my statement untrue.
Edit 4: Being able to sell your house does not mean you entirely own it. As /u/AnarcoCapitalist put it, "Let's say I owned a house and allowed someone else to live in it for a monthly rent. Then that tenant was allowed to sell the house to another tenant for its value at the time. But I as the true owner will always be taking my rent money from whatever tenant lives there."
It's just how the tenant/landlord contract was set up.


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We met with Chatenya Mittal who is a passionate designer and thrives on creating innovative designs by blending classic English cuts with new trends. His label offers distinctive occasional and
The raw denim culture has new ground rules. This season's double-denim or denim-on-denim trend will add a strong and dominant vibe to your personality. We spotted many celebrities, friends and colleagues


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The Rumpus Reviews HEAVEN AND OTHER POEMS
Share This! by Israel Horovitz's stunning debut collection of poetry, Heaven and Other Poems, was reviewed by The Rumpus! Reviewer Lois Bassen writes: The poems . . . display erudition, bilingual fluency (lovely, how en francais in "Royaumont", 'Marthe' echoes 'Sartre'), celebrity … Continue reading →


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One of the biggest benefits of growing your own veggies is that you can harvest them when they are perfectly ripe and at the peak of their flavor and nutrition. No need to worry about tomatoes picked half ripe to withstand cross-country shipping or corn that's sat in a produce bin for a week. But how do you know when the perfect picking point has arrived? Each crop is a little different. Knowing what to look for will help you enjoy your garden's bounty at its most healthful and delicious best.
It will also keep many of your plants producing the biggest harvest. If over mature fruits are allowed to develop on plants like cucumbers, beans, and summer squash, the developing seeds inside them send a signal to the plants that their reproduction is assured and they can stop producing new flowers and fruits. Regular harvesting at the proper stage will not only yield the best eating quality, but will assure you the maximum harvest as well.
Picking Pointers
Here's a selection of the many great varieties of vegetables we offer, along with some tips to to help you pick them at the peak of flavor, nutritional value, and tenderness.
'Festina' Garden Bush Bean This variety sets its tender, glossy dark green, 6 inch pods even under high temperature growing conditions.
'Golden Detroit' Beets (60 days) These round orange roots have a yellow-gold color when cooked and retain their sweet flavor even when quite large.
'Packman' Broccoli (50-52 days) This hybrid produces a dark green central head quickly, followed by harvestable side shoots after the head is cut.
'Copenhagen Market' Cabbage (70 days) Good for both home and market gardens, this mid-season variety produces uniform, solid, round heads that are crisp and tender and keep well.
'Snowball Y Improved' Cauliflower(68 days) Heavy leaf growth protects the smooth, white heads of this open-pollinated variety.
'Candy' Onion (90-100 days) This white-fleshed, mid-day hybrid produces 4 inch bulbs with a sweet, mild flavor and small, tight necks.
'Senator' Zucchini (41 days) A high-yielder with 6-7 inch long, green cylindrical fruits on open, bush-type plants that make picking easy.
Beans: Harvest snap beans when they are no bigger in diameter than a pencil, before the seeds swell in the pods. Harvest daily because the beans will get quickly past their prime.
Beets: If you pick beets when they are only 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter, you can cook the roots and healthful tops together. For the most tender harvest, pick more mature beets when they are 3 inches in diameter or less.
Broccoli: Harvest when the heads are still still tight and green; when they loosen and turn yellowish they are past their prime.
Cabbage: Pick as soon as the heads are hard and firm. If left longer in the garden, heads may split.
Cauliflower: When the heads reach 2-3 inches in diameter, pull up and tie the outer leaves around the developing head to blanch it. When heads are about 4 inches across, check them daily and harvest while they are still smooth and hard, before the bud segments begin to separate.
Cantaloupe: When the rind under the netting changes from green to tan, the fruits have a nice aroma, and the stem slips easily from the fruit, your melon is at its best.
Cucumbers: Harvest frequently; cukes are ready anytime after the flower drops off the end of the fruit. The best size for slicers is usually about 6-8 inches long. Pick over mature fruits to keep vines producing.
Eggplant: Harvest when the skin is still shiny. When you press on the eggplant lightly, the flesh should bounce back.
Onions: Harvest scallions and onions for fresh use whenever they reach usable size. Harvest onions for storage when most the tops have yellowed and fallen over naturally. Then cure the onions by spreading them out in a warm, dry, well-ventilated spot until their skins are papery and the tops are completely dry.
Okra: Harvest pods when they are 2-4 inches long; older pods won't be as tender. Use scissors to cut pods from plants, leaving a short stem. Don't refrigerate picked pods or they'll turn black.
Sweet corn: The ears are ready when the silks are dry and brown, usually about 3 weeks after the silks first appear. If you pull back the husks at the tip and pinch a kernel, you should see a milky, not watery, liquid squirt out.
Tomatoes: Harvest tomatoes when fully colored, but before the skin loses its waxy smoothness. Tomatoes don't ripen well when the temperature is above 85 degrees F, so if a heat wave hits, pick nearly ripe fruits and finish ripening them indoors out of direct sun.
Watermelon: The curly tendrils on the stem near where it attaches to the fruit will be dry and brown and the light spot on the underside of the melon will be yellow, not white or light green, when watermelon is ready.
Zucchini and summer squash: These will be most tender when they are 6-8 inches long. Pick when the skin is glossy and soft enough to be easily pierced with your thumbnail. Harvest every two or three days, leaving a short piece of stem attached to the fruit to extend the storage life But if the harvest gets away from you, larger ones are still great to puree in soup or grate up for sweet bread.
Question of the Month: Harvesting Tomatillos
Q: I love cooking Mexican food, so I am growing tomatillos for the first time. How do I know when to pick them, and how do I store them?
A: This staple of Mexican cuisine is ready for harvesting when the husk that surrounds the fruit becomes papery and turns from green to straw colored and the husks begin to break open. Harvest regularly to keep plants bearing and enjoy the best flavored fruits. Remove the husks if you are using the fruits right away, but keep them on if you plan to store your harvest. Tomatillos will keep for several weeks stored in a paper bag in the refrigerator.
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Interested in learning what's next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. Register today.
Google hasn't always had the best of relationships with photographers, but today it announced a small measure that should go some way toward appeasing image rightsholders.
The internet giant has revealed that it will now include creator and credit metadata in photos it displays on Google Images, and in the coming weeks it will add copyright notice metadata, meaning visitors can see with a couple of clicks who the photographer was and who owns the rights. The creator is usually the person who took the photograph, while the credit may include additional parties or rightsholders who supplied the image.
To access this information, you hit the three little dots displayed on each image, click "image credits," and a little pop-up box will reveal all.
Google partnered with two organizations for this initiative. It collaborated with photo industry body CEPIC (Center of the Picture Industry), which represents 600 photo agencies and libraries across 20 European countries, though it has affiliates in North America and Asia too. While CEPIC has member agencies of all sizes, covering news outlets, art galleries, and more, it claims some of the biggest names in the photography world — including Getty, Reuters, and Shutterstock.
And Google is also working with IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council), a standards consortium that constitutes some of the world's biggest news agencies, including the BBC, Associated Press (AP), Agence France-Presse (AFP), and the New York Times.
For context, Google has incurred the wrath of many agencies and photographers for scraping images from the original source and displaying them in high-resolution format rather than as thumbnails. Getty filed a complaint with the EU several years ago over the practice, though earlier this year Getty and Google declared a truce by entering a licensing partnership. So today is another step forward for Google in terms of building bridges with the photography world.
Alongside the metadata, Google is also working with CEPIC and IPTC to "create better usage guidance for photographers, photo agencies, and publishers to include copyright and attribution information in image metadata," according to a blog post by Google product manager Ashutosh Agarwal.
Today's news comes just a few days after Google revealed it was refreshing a number of its search-based properties, including Google Images. Indeed, the company said that it was retooling the search algorithm within Google Images to place a greater emphasis on image placement, web page authority, and the freshness of the content.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


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Over at Engadget there is a full shot and video of a new device running Android which could be announced tomorrow at CES. Under the Xperia brand, the 'Arc' features a very interesting arc design with some serious specifications including a super high res screen. This could be the X12 (Anzu) which would seem to suit it very well as a upgrade to the X10.
Features are expecred to include:
- 1Ghz Processor
- 8 Megapixel Camera
- 854 x 480 resolution screen
- 4.2 inch display
- Gingerbread 2.3
And here is the video too
Link: Engadget


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Ariel Rodriguez, respected judge from Ramsey, dies at 70
RAMSEY – Family and colleagues of former state Supreme Court Justice Ariel Rodriguez – who died Friday – remembered the longtime judge as a soft-spoken man of integrity whose career was an immigrant success story.
Rodriguez, 70, was the first Cuban-American justice to sit on the state's highest court. Prior to his appointment in 2012, the Ramsey resident served nearly 20 years in the state Appellate Division, earning a reputation for his cordial nature from the bench.
"He was the gentleman of all gentlemen," said his wife Karen Padreza.
Rodriguez's renown as a gentleman of the court was borne out of his respect for the litigants, said Associate Supreme Court Justice Barry Albin.
"He had a pleasant and affable demeanor. Overall he was a delight as a colleague," Albin said. "There was never any rancor, ever, coming from his corner."
It was a political stalemate that opened the door for Rodriguez's appointment to the state Supreme Court in 2012. In a move not seen in recent memory, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner temporarily reassigned Rodriguez to fill one of two seats on the court that had remained vacant for years while Democratic lawmakers battled nominations by Gov. Chris Christie.
Rodriguez remained on the court until 2014, and retired shortly thereafter. During his brief Supreme Court tenure, he published 14 opinions, and voted in the majority against Christie's proposal to shut down the state's affordable-housing agency.
SPORTS:Ramsey girls volleyball team making great strides
RAMSEY:Route 17 Wawa can be built, judge rules
As an appellate court judge, he authored more than 100 opinions, one of which held that an employer owed a duty of care to the spouse of an employee that suffered complications from asbestos exposure.
He also issued a decision that racial profiling could be raised on appeal.
Rodriguez – who was born in Havana, Cuba – began life in the United States as an exile. At a young age, his family fled their native country to escape Fidel Castro's regime, with help from Rodriguez's father, a prominent journalist in Cuba. His parents and older sister first moved to Venezuela but eventually reached New York City, Padreza said.
Rodriguez attended Rutgers University in 1970 and Rutgers University School of Law in Camden in 1973, according to his obituary.
In the beginning of his law career, he worked at the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office from 1973 to 1976. Soon after, he went into private practice teaching legal courses part-time at Hudson County Community College.
In 1985, Rodriguez was appointed to the state Superior Court in Hudson County. He was assigned to the Appellate Division in 1993 and named presiding judge in 2004.
"It's a pretty high achievement for a 12-year-old running from Castro," said Judge Elaine Davis, a longtime colleague.
The two entered the bench together as a "package" on the Superior Court in Hudson County in the 1980s, she said.
"He was the Republican and I was the Democrat," Davis said. "I've lost a wonderful friend. But his memory will long be in the panels of the judiciary."
Along with his wife Karen, Rodriguez is survived by his son Gabriel Rodríguez, step-daughter Makeida Hewitt Estupiñan, sister Cassandra Rodríguez, and many cousins and relatives who live in Florida and Cuba.
A wake will be held Thursday and Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. at Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. A visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, with a service at 11 a.m. A private cremation will follow.
Those inclined to make memorial donations are asked to consider the NJ Sharing Network, a non-profit organization responsible for the recovery and placement of donated organs and tissue for those in need of a life-saving transplant.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Explore Hidden China
G Adventures' value program takes guests beyond the major attractions
Tour Operator
PHOTO: An extensive tour of the Forbidden City is featured in Beijing.
G Adventures is known for exotic tour programs that explore little known or visited parts of the world. So it is no surprise that Hidden China & Inner Mongolia, a 12-day program introduced this year, focuses on exploring areas of northwest China not often seen by foreign visitors. Destinations visited include Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Datong, Pingyao and Xian, with tour participants flying in and out of Beijing.
G Adventures' Hidden China itinerary combines major attractions — the Great Wall, Xian's Terracotta Warriors and Beijing — with lesser-known experiences, such as exploring village life in Inner Mongolia, the Yungang Buddha Caves and the nearly 3,000-year-old city of Pingyao. Included in the tour price are a Great Wall excursion and entrance; Inner Mongolia city tour; traditional Mongolian ger stay; Yungang Grottoes visit (Datong); Hanging Monastery visit; local family visit with Chinese painting lesson (Pingyao); Terracotta Warriors excursion, including local lunch with a farmer's family (Xian); Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City tour (Beijing).
The tour has a maximum capacity of 16 and an average of 12 participants, who must be 18 or older. Children 12 years or older can join the tour if accompanied by a parent or guardian. G Adventures describes the travel style as "classic" and the service level as "basic." The fitness level required for this trip is classified as 2 (with 5 being highest).
Guides: A G Adventures guide, called a chief experience officer or CEO, accompanies the tour from arrival at the first hotel to departure from the last. A local guide joins the group at each location. Howard, the CEO for this tour, had a good command of English, but most of the local guides had varying levels of fluency and some of their accents were challenging. On the other hand, all guides were earnest and helpful, willing to discuss local culture and history, as well as suggest good places to shop and to eat. The private van drivers did not speak English.
Accommodations: The tour includes seven nights in hotels, one night in a traditional ger and three nights on sleeper trains. The hotels selected cater to a mostly Chinese clientele. The Chongwenmen Hotel in Beijing (first and last nights) was clean though a bit worn around the edges. Wi-Fi access was available only in the lobby, and there was a breakfast buffet.
Overnight train travel is in sleeper coaches with four berths per cabin when "soft sleepers" are booked, and six berths per cabin when the tickets are for "hard sleepers." Space for luggage in the cabins is limited, so sleeping with one's feet propped up on a suitcase becomes a matter of necessity. Bedding was fresh (if the train was at the start of its run) or used (if boarded in the middle of a route). The "soft sleeper" cars had a Western-style toilet as well as a Chinese-style, but the "hard sleeper" had only the Chinese-style. Toilets were locked when trains were near or stopped at stations. Passengers bring their own towels, toilet paper and bottled water.
PHOTO: Participants overnight in a traditional ger in Mongolia.
One night is spent in a ger, a traditional "tent" used by Mongolia nomads. But instead of the round, window-less, portable wool felt "tents," the tourist-version is somewhat larger, has windows but no opening at the top, and is a permanent structure affixed to a low concrete platform. As many as four tour participants sleep side-by-side under duvets on top of a rug on the floor. The toilet was a hole in the floor of a three-sided adobe-brick stall.
The best accommodations, on this trip, were in Pingyao in a typical Chinese merchant's house from the 19th century. Each room there has a shower, a washbasin and a Western-style toilet as well as Wi-Fi access. The bed is a wooden platform topped with a thin, densely packed mattress.
Dining: Eleven breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner are included in the tour price. Breakfasts are mostly hotel buffets. The included lunch and dinner are pre-ordered and served family-style. The remaining meals, which aren't included in the tour price, involve going as a group to a restaurant suggested by one of the guides, ordering a multitude of dishes to share and then splitting the tab according to how many were dining.
The restaurants recommended by the guides on this trip were generally small, seating fewer than 50 (and usually less). In most cases, the menus had photographs to assist with ordering (all menus were in Mandarin). Some of the meals were takeout from shops on the way to the station to eat on the overnight train. G Adventures suggests bringing $200-$260 for meals that are not included.
Transportation: Most transportation to sites outside cities is by 15-passenger van. Not all of the vans on this trip had air-conditioning, though the tour was in July with temperatures in the 90s. Hand luggage and suitcases usually competed for space onboard. Train travel was in a sleeper coach, except for the Xian to Beijing route. In Beijing, travel around town was by subway.
Pricing: The cost of this value trip is $1,499 per person without air. G Adventures does not charge a single supplement for those traveling alone. Solo travelers are roomed with another tour participant of the same sex. But single guests can have their own rooms (with the exception of the night spent in a ger) for an additional $349 (for 2015 departures).
Itinerary: Tour participants arrive in Beijing on the first day and are transferred to the Chongwenmen Hotel. During orientation, documentation for the required medical and emergency transfer insurance is collected.
On day two (Beijing), participants take a two-hour van ride to visit the Great Wall, including a climb up 1,000 steps and then have time to wander along the top of wall. In the evening there is an optional Chinese acrobatic show.
On day three (Beijing), the chief experience officer leads the group on a short subway ride to Tiananmen Square and then offers an extensive walking tour that includes the Forbidden City. In the late afternoon, the group heads to the train station carrying dinner purchased from convenience stores or fast food restaurants. The night is spent onboard the train.
On day four (Inner Mongolia), the train arrives at Baotuo at 7 a.m., and the group is met by a private van for transfer to a fast food restaurant for breakfast. The long drive into Inner Mongolia is broken by two stops to visit selected attractions. Dinner and overnight are spent in a tourist ger in Inner Mongolia.
On day five (Datong), the group is transported by van to tour a Buddhist temple in Bai Ting Miao. That's followed by a four-hour daytime train ride to Datong, where the hotel is across the street from the train station.
On day six (Datong), a morning van ride through the countryside takes the group to the Hanging Monastery for a tour. In the afternoon, there is a two-hour van ride to Yungang Grottoes to see the thousands of Buddha statues.
PHOTO: The tour visits the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian.
On day seven (Pingyao), the group grabs bagged breakfasts and heads to the train station for the 7 a.m. departure. Eight hours later the tour arrives in Pingyao and both baggage and tour participants ride a "golf cart" transport to the hotel within the old city walls. A local guide gives a walking tour of the city.
On day eight (Pingyao), the group is offered a Western- or Chinese-style breakfast at the hotel before leaving for the morning activity, a calligraphy demonstration in one of Pingyao's historic houses. The remainder of the day is "on your own" in this UNESCO World Heritage city. In the evening, tour participants can go to an optional variety show.
On day nine (Pingyao), following breakfast, time in Pingyao is once again "on your own." After the noon checkout, a day room is retained both to store luggage and to allow a place for rest or a shower. Purchased snacks are carried onboard the train for a 7:30 p.m. overnight sleeper to Xian.
On day 10 (Xian), after a 7:30 a.m. arrival, the group walks a few blocks from the station to a private van. While the rooms are readied, participants have breakfast at the hotel before heading off again in the van for the ride to the The Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, where two hours are allotted to cover the extensive site. On the itinerary, the included lunch is in a nearby farmer's house.
On day 11 (Beijing), the group leaves Xian at 8:30 a.m. to head to the train station for the six-hour ride to Beijing, and checks back into the Chongwenmen Hotel for the final night of the tour. On day 12, there is free time in Beijing until the group leaves for the airport on individual schedules.
For more information or to book, visit www.gadventures.com.
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Candace Gibson
Candace Gibson is the Law Students for Reproductive Justice (LSRJ) Fellow at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. She assists the Policy Department by providing legal and legislative analysis and research to their federal priority areas. Candace received her J.D. from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in May 2012. She is the first in her family to graduate from college and is proud of her bi-ethnic, bi-cultural, Salvadoran background. Candace graduated from Smith College in 2007 with a B.A. in Government and in Spanish.


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Eli Hirsch and Micah Gordon are about to become the soundtrack to your summer. The LA based pair create beautifully crafted hazy summer songs echoing early MGMT. With only four songs to their name, they are already establishing themselves as the go-to guys for sunshine soaked indie pop, dropping their latest single – "Perfect People" – on the expertly timed first day of the summer season. As the warm months are now getting closer (finally!), we asked Eli and Micah to put together their ideal summer playlist and they did not disappoint…
Playlist: courtship.
The synthpop duo put together some of their fave summer jams.
Sheryl Crow – "Soak Up The Sun"
Those early 2000's drums and chorused guitar riff set the vibe perfectly. Our mom's showed us this song and we're forever grateful.
Stevie Wonder – "Do I Do"
Stevie is the king, and one of the greatest songwriters to have ever graced this earth. This song just makes you feel amazing with its relentless groove.
Calvin Harris – "Ready for The Weekend"
If you know, you know…that Calvin Harris started out making pure funky synth pop. This is one of our favs and believe it or not, gets you ready for the weekend.
Kevin Lyttle – "Turn Me On"
This song puts you right there. Just throw this on and picture yourself partying on some heavenly Caribbean beach.
Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
One of the best songs of the last 20 years. Period. Unabashed pop bliss.
Beach Boys – "Don't Worry Baby"
What else is there to say, its the Beach Boys. The harmonies on this song are incredible and the chorus takes you up to a place far far away…
Dua Lipa – "Be The One"
This is one of our favorite songs that has come out recently. We love Queen Dua and she gets us good with her Fleetwood Mac-type vocals blaring over the hook.
Whitney Houston – "How Will I Know"
Such a fun listen. The 40 second intro is enough to get you dancing and Whitney's vocal performance is out of this world.


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See Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs in Uncanny Movie Poster
When Ashton Kutcher was photographed shooting the Steve Jobs biopic "Jobs" last year, fans buzzed that the physical resemblance between the two was uncanny. This movie poster had a similar effect.
For Kutcher, 35, being tapped to play the late Apple co-founder was an overwhelming experience.
For more on the life of Steve Jobs, click here
"Steve is fresh in our minds, he's a person who we have a daily reminder of in our hands," he said earlier this year, according to Mashable. "It's not like playing Lincoln. We don't have a whole lot of video footage of Lincoln."
Take a first look at the Jobs biopic!
To prepare, he listened to clips of Jobs speaking and repeated lines whenever he could. He also studied up on Jobs's life philosophies, many of which stuck with him.
"Playing this character has changed my life," he said, "and changed me as a person."


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"I swear to God I had something for this." (Summary)
After an office interaction that should have been awkward but was hilarious instead — seriously, making Pam hold the coffee mug while Archer filled it with whipped cream and whiskey was the extra stroke that made the whole bit work — the former lovebirds/sex experts headed to Green Bay, Wisconsin for Pam's sister's wedding. One hitch: the cyborg using the remains of Barry's brain overheard their plans while heading to New York, presumably to kill Archer, and followed them to the northern hellhole that houses the worst team in the NFL. [Editor's note: As will become clear, the writer of this piece is a Chicago Bears fan.]
Between an angry Barry and a somehow angrier Edie (Pam's sister), "Edie's Wedding" became a battle of epic proportions, culminating in the near-death of almost every character involved. Meanwhile, back in New York, Lana desperately seeks a babysitter after Archer bailed on his fatherly duties. First, she checks with Mallory, but Grandma Archer — as she absolutely doesn't want to be called by anyone other than AJ and Lana — is heading on a getaway with Ron, who's back in her life. After a failed attempt at snagging Krieger, Lana turns to Cyril, who proves to be the kind and willing participant needed. Here's hoping this isn't the start of their second romance (third if you count the times they've regularly consummated the thing).
"Bloody Mary, full of vodka, pray for me now…" (Best Drinking Reference)
Honestly, it's the simple silence of the aforementioned intro, but since we don't have a video link of the proceedings to put in place of this paragraph, we'll briefly discuss Pam's insanely excellent drinking plan for her sister's wedding. "You gotta pace me," she said as Archer poured her another delicious handmade cocktail. "I'm sewn into this sum' bitch, so for every ounce that goes in an ounce gotta go out." Her solution? Diuretics and laxatives (for the sundae bar). Pam has never been one to go easy on any vice.
"Danger Zone" (Most Action-y Action Sequence)
Obviously, this has to be the "Silence of the Lambs"-inspired rescuing of Pam from Barry's elaborately-lit but simply booby-trapped barn-set hostage situation. He might have gotten away with the arrogantly-designed death trap had it not been for the Poovey sister's freakish strength, but it was Edie who saved Archer from having his head crushed, and then Pam who saved her sister from a throat-crushing choking. Archer's explosive ammo was pretty sweet-lookin', as was the burning barn. Plus, the dying Barry's "Terminator" reference, though obvious, was still as fun as it was sharply-designed.
(Best) "Phrasing"
"Tactleneck" (Archer Innovation)
Though not invented by our titular hero, Krieger's design work needs to be addressed. His creepy robotic teddy bear — Cyber Neddly Teddy — was a memorably terrifying part of Episode 2, and now we learn he's been working on devices to make you ejaculate on the spot (as alluded to by Cyril in his conversation with Lana) and poop your pants. The K-9000 Infrasonic Pulse Rifle either works and made baby AJ shit herself, or baby AJ is just a normal baby unaffected by a crazy Nazi doctor's odd gizmo. Either way, Krieger's experiments seem to be entering a new phase of crazy.
"That's like killing a unicorn!" (Best Quote)
"If you wake this child I will climb inside you with my shoes on." – Lana
"Can't or won't?" (Analysis)
Though i could spend this section discussing how Allison Tolman's solid voice work still couldn't save a character too abrasive for the story's humor to overshadow its violence, instead I'm going to address the most important — and subtle — element of this so-so episode (by the very high "Archer" standards): i.e., the underlying battle of good vs. evil as represented by Archer fighting Barry, and tweaked in this episode to include the nearly century-old NFL rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. [Editor's note: Please remember that the writer of this article is a Chicago Bears fan.]
We're all very familiar with the ongoing scrum between arch-rivals Archer and Barry. The two have been going at it since Barry was working with ODIN and still had his body and heart and stuff. What many may not be thoroughly educated on — including, so it seems, Adam Reed and the "Archer" writing staff — is the hatred shared between the Bears and Packers, two of the NFL's oldest teams, division rivals and eternal representation of good and evil. You see, the Chicago team has, is and forever will be the side representing "good," and their evil, ugly and preposterously lucky (that is, until two weeks ago) northern nemesis the illustration of "evil." Yet for some reason in this episode, Barry is seen wearing Chicago gear, with a hat, scarf, coat and earmuffs all decked out in Bears' colors while Archer remains somewhat neutral in white. Neutral, that is, until he starts protecting the Green Bay natives Pam and Edie while making a drink that's the color of the Packers' uniforms. Say it ain't so Adam! Archer can't represent…evil, can he?
Now, it shouldn't be expected that a North Carolina native like Adam Reed fully comprehend the importance of these choices. After all, the Packers have been besting the Bears of late, coming within two games of evening up their historic record at 93 wins apiece. Their current QB is also quite the likable fellow, seeing as he's never showy (other than that crass endzone celebration) and does what he must to win games. So it's understandable why an East Coaster might think they're the good guys. That being said, the Packers are a disgusting organization, from their nauseating color scheme to their upsetting history of worshipping ass holes. Let's not forget the QB before Rodgers was none other than the dick-pic sending, interception-chucking, poor-form coaching idiot Brett Favre, a man so low he went to play for his team's second biggest rival after he faux-retired. They still worship him in Green Bay, which should be no surprise considering, a) it's so cold and miserable up there, they must lose brain function for half the year; b) which is why they think wearing cheese on their head is something to be proud of; c) and also why they still live in Wisconsin, the worst state in our great nation this side of Florida; d) and finally, they now worship this guy. I mean, come on. That's just gross.
So please, "Archer" fans. Don't be confused by Barry's need for warm clothes. It's either a simple nod to the rivalry from the writers, once they knew the episode would be set in Wisconsin, or it's a strange way of illustrating which organization is more powerful (cyborg trumps man every time). In the end, I firmly believe Archer would have worn the beautiful orange and blue colors of Chicago had he been given the choice. At the very least, it's far more likely than him ever putting a block of cheese on his dome.
Grade: B
WEEK 3 REVIEW: Review: 'Archer' Season 6 Episode 3, 'The Archer Sanction,' AKA 'Archer Ice'
WEEK 2 REVIEW: 'Archer' Season 6 Episode 2, 'Three to Tango,' Brings Some Old Friends to the Dance
WEEK 1 REVIEW: 'Archer' Season 6 Episode 1 'The Holdout' Reboots the Reboot with Mixed Success
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I've been making good progress on my Strippy Flowers Quilt. Above, you can see my original design idea for this quilt. The fabrics I'm using are a little different, but the results are nice so far.
Here, you can see the outer strip borders coming together. These were fast and fun to sew. I just need to sew them to the long, vertical center strips and they will be ready.
I've also completed three of the flower blocks.
This one.
And this one.
And this one. I really like the way this one looks with the light flower on the dark background.
The flowers are all fusible appliqued and edged with a tiny zig-zag stitch. To do the zig-zag stitching, I set my stitch width to 2, and my stitch length to 1.5. I always start with the needle on the outer edge of the patch I want to outline, and I sew very slowly, using the needle-down feature. I also stop with the needle down, on the outer edge of the patch, and lift the presser foot to pivot, often. If I am sewing a very tight curve, I might pivot every 2 or 3 stitches.
If you want to make your very own Strippy Flowers quilt, the pattern is available in the Curlicue Creations Shop. It is one of the featured items today.
Until next time...have a super day...and Get Creative!
Jennifer Schifano Thomas


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ZiL factory will manufacture Hyundai brand vehicles
Finmarket – ZiL factory established in Moscow has signed an assembly agreement with Hyundai last week. Accordingly, Hyundai LCVs will be manufactured in the factory from next year onwards. As stated by Natalia Sergunina from the Municipality of Moscow -amongst the partners of the factory- the production will start in the factory during the first quarter of 2013. Sergunina has added that the factory will operate using SKD method until 2015 and from then on welding, painting and press operations will be carried out in Moscow.


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Broadcast this widely:…during a debate in the House of Commons this week on food banks, members on the Conservative benches saw fit to laugh. They found it hugely amusing that 60,000 of their fellow citizens, including 20,000 children are facing the prospects of Christmas with out enough to eat. Such is the concern of the British Government for the people on who's behalf it governs, Ministers chose not to contribute to this debate. Ian Duncan Smith, Minister for Work and Pensions, who is responsible for the Welfare Reforms, wore an inane grin as he heard that half a million people would be relying on food banks in this festive season, he then sneaked out of the Chamber leaving his deputy to answer any awkward questions. Not that she demonstrated any sense of seasonal good will. Speaking in response to the Opposition debate, Esther McVey claimed that it was a good thing that more people were turning to food banks. In an attempt to echo Cameron's 'we all in this together' she said, 'we're all having to pay back this £1.5 trillion debt personally.'
Why is this Ms McVey? Can we just remind ourselves where this massive debt came from. The Office of National Statistics has calculated that the true cost of the bail out of the Banks adds up to £1.5 trillion. So the Banks sheer incompetence has landed us with the debt that McVey tells us we all have to pay off, by, if necessary going hungry. These incompetents are still taking £millions in bonuses, while we tighten our belts to pay for their stupidity. This, the richest business sector in the world, with some of the most highly paid executives have plunged us all in to debt and they collectively and personally are doing everything possible to shirk their responsibility. So it is left to the little people to pay up for their folly and greed, to go hungry so that they can enjoy Christmas with the very best of Champaign to celebrate another year of total rip off of the British people.
No wonder the Tory benches were laughing. They must find our gullibility at swallowing their lies about the state of the economy uproariously funny. For them, the economy is doing just fine.
What triggered this debate was an e-petition signed by 150,000 people, calling on Parliament to debate the rise in food banks. Petitioners got their debate, but all they got from this Coalition Government was smirks, laughter and walk-outs. There are now more than 400 food banks operating in the UK and serving nearly half a million people in 2013, a growth of 170% in 12 months. The Government is fully aware of this fact. DEFRA commissioned its own report, completed in the summer, but it has failed to publish it. Why? Because we suspect it might point the finger at Duncan Smith's Welfare Reforms. No wonder he scurried from the Commons Chamber before questions could be asked.
The Government claims that there is no link between welfare reforms and the growth in food banks. They claim that food banks are popular simply because they offer free food – this is what LibDem Minister Lord Freud told the Lords when trying to explain away their existence in this, the seventh richest country in the world. Clearly this ennobled Minister, enjoying his £300 per day attendance allowance on top of his ministerial salary is unaware that the users of food banks have to be referred to them by an accredited agency and carry an authentication voucher. No Minister food banks do not offer free food on a drop in basis. If the report gave any substance to Freud's claim, it most certainly would have been published by now and the results blazed across the pages of the Mail and Telegraph. But the report will not do this, it will show that food banks are a result of benefit delays and refusals, bedroom tax and personal debt, low wages and zero hours and the dreadful choice some have this winter between eating and keeping warm.
It doesn't have to be like this. The Green Manifesto shows how we can build a fair and sustainable economy. Poverty is not a fact of life, it is a political choice, Greens refuse to accept that choice. Austerity is a political choice that the Greens reject. Fairness and equality in opportunity benefits all in society and that is our direction. Million pound bonuses and hunger this Christmas are the result of decisions taken by Parliament. Work with us to oppose those decisions, work with us for the common good, together we can make hunger and despair a thing of Christmas past.


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In these tests, I continue to explore the nature of water. The chemical properties of pure water are universal, and unchanging, and what gives natural water courses their identity, and influences what else can live in them, exists within water and between the spaces of its polar molecules. I'm seeking to reveal these defining elemental signatures. One of the most important of these is pH, that is whether the water is acidic or alkaline, and this can be measured by adding a pH indicator to the sample. The colour of the indicator changes according to the pH value of the water. I travelled 86 miles today and collected nine water samples on my journey and experimented on them.
Not unlike Damian Hirst's spot paintings but the colours that are generated are predetermined by, and are a direct reflection of the natural world. Oh and there's acid rain there in the mix too!
Hoping to develop this into a much larger project with the help of a pointillist
From left to right the waters are:
1. Tap Water, Four Marks, Hampshire (pH 9, alkaline)
2. Rainwater, Four Marks, Hampshire (pH 4.5, acidic)
3. Seawater, Broadmarsh, Hampshire (pH 9, alkaline)
4. Marsh water, Tannic Pond, Thursley Common, Surrey (pH 5.5, acidic)
5. Water from the Moat, Thursley Common, Surrey (pH 4.5, acidic)
6. Marsh water, Raft Spider pool, Thursley Common, Surrey (pH 5.5, acidic)
7. River Itchen water, Ovingdon, Hampshire (pH 9.0, alkaline)
8. River Wey water, Tideford, Surrey (pH 7.5, slightly alkaline)
9. Marsh water, Bladderwort pool, Thursley Common, Surrey (pH 4.0, acidic)


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We have used Response.Redirect() and Server.Transfer() in earlier versions of Asp.net. Now we have Response.RedirectPermanent() method in ASP.Net 4.0 to permanent redirection of a page with http status code 301. This is basically useful when the website is available on internet and webpage or whole website is moved from one domain to another or URL is changed. Http code 301 will be issued and search engine will automatically take care of new URL. HTTP 301 redirect will instruct search engine that the page have been moved permanently and old url can be removed from Index. This is really very useful for search engine Like google.
The difference between Response.Redirect() and Response.RedirectPermanent as follows
1. Response.Redirect() is considered as a temporary redirection by search engine whereas Response.RedirectPermanent() is considered as a permanent redirection of a page which means it informs search engine that the page location has been moved permanently and needs to be indexed for future reference.
2. Response.Redirect() redirects page with Http code 302, Response.RedirectPernament() redirects page with http code 301.
3. There is no search engine optimization benefit in Response.Redirect() because of its temporary behaviour.
Here is the code
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
namespace MSCoderPermanentRedirectSample
public partial class ProductsForm : System.Web.UI.Page
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
If we have Fiddler2 then we can see HTTP headers and HTTP 301 code clearly.
When to use:
Response.Redirect – If page is temporarily changed and will be changed to original form soon.
Response.RedirectParmanent – When we want to delete old URL index from search engine and store new URL for better performance.
Server.Transfer – If we want search engine to be unaware of the redirection.


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In this chapter will get you through the launching of a phonon calculation with Quantum Espresso, with
ph.x, a density functional perturbation theory code.
For this tutorial, it is required that you managed to launch the
pw.x calculation, which is at the base of the phonon code; and of course it is assumed that you already know how to use the QE code.
The input of a phonon calculation can be actually simple, the only care that has to be taken, is to point to the same scratch of the previous pw calculation. Here we will try to compute the dynamical matrix on a mesh of points (actually consisting of a 1x1x1 mesh for brevity). The input file that we should create is more or less this one:
AiiDA calculation
epsil = .true.
fildyn = 'DYN_MAT/dynamical-matrix-'
verbosity = 'high'
ldisp = .true.
nq1 = 1
nq2 = 1
nq3 = 1
outdir = './out/'
prefix = 'aiida'
tr2_ph = 1.0000000000d-08
This input is much simpler than the previous PWscf work, here the only novel thing you will have to learn is how to set a parent calculation.
As before, we write a script step-by-step.
We first load a couple of useful modules that you already met in the previous tutorial, and load the database settings:
#!/usr/bin/env python
from aiida import load_dbenv
from aiida.orm import Code
from aiida.plugins import CalculationFactory, DataFactory
So, you were able to launch previously a
pw.x calculation.
Again, you need to have compiled the code on the cluster and configured a new code
ph.x in AiiDA in the very same way you installed
pw.x (see ….).
Then we load the
Code class-instance from the database:
codename = 'my-ph.x'
code = Code.get_from_string(codename)
Just like the PWscf calculation, here we load the class Dict and we instanciate it in parameters.
Dict will simply represent a nested dictionary in the database, namelists at the first level, and then variables and values.
But this time of course, we need to use the variables of PHonon!
Dict = DataFactory('core.dict')
parameters = Dict({
'tr2_ph' : 1.0e-8,
'epsil' : True,
'ldisp' : True,
'nq1' : 1,
'nq2' : 1,
'nq3' : 1,
Now we create the object PH-calculation.
As for
pw.x, we simply do:
calc = code.new_calc()
and we set the parameters of the scheduler (and just like the PWscf, this is a configuration valid for the PBSpro and slurm schedulers only, see Batch Job Schedulers).
calc.set_option('max_wallclock_seconds', 30*60) # 30 min
calc.set_option('resources', {"num_machines": 1})
We then tell the calculation to use the code and the parameters that we prepared above:
Parent calculation#
The phonon calculation needs to know on which PWscf do the perturbation theory calculation.
From the database point of view, it means that the
PHonon calculation
is always a child of a
In practice, this means that when you want to impose this relationship,
you decided to take the input parameters of the parent PWscf calculation,
take its charge density and use them in the phonon run.
That's way we need to set the parent calculation.
You first need to remember the ID of the parent calculation that you launched before (let's say it's #6): so that you can load the class of a QE-PWscf calculation (with the CalculationFactory), and load the object that represent the QE-PWscf calculation with ID #6:
from aiida.plugins import CalculationFactory
PwCalculation = CalculationFactory('quantumespresso.pw')
parent_id = 6
parentcalc = load_node(parent_id)
Now that we loaded the parent calculation, we can set the phonon calc to inherit the right information from it:
calc.use_parent_calculation( parentcalc )
Note that in our database schema relations between two calculation objects are prohibited. The link between the two is indirect and is mediated by a third Data object, which represent the scratch folder on the remote cluster. Therefore the relation between the parent Pw and the child Ph appears like: Pw -> remotescratch -> Ph.
Now, everything is ready, and just like PWscf, you just need to store all the nodes and submit this input to AiiDA, and the calculation will launch!
Script to execute#
This is the script described in the tutorial above. You can use it, just remember to customize it using the right parent_id, the code, and the proper scheduler info.
#!/usr/bin/env python
from aiida import load_dbenv
from aiida.orm import Code
from aiida.plugins import CalculationFactory, DataFactory
parent_id = 6
codename = 'my-ph.x'
code = Code.get_from_string(codename)
Dict = DataFactory('core.dict')
parameters = Dict({
'tr2_ph' : 1.0e-8,
'epsil' : True,
'ldisp' : True,
'nq1' : 1,
'nq2' : 1,
'nq3' : 1,
QEPwCalc = CalculationFactory('quantumespresso.pw')
parentcalc = load_node(parent_id)
calc = code.new_calc()
calc.set_option('max_wallclock_seconds', 30*60) # 30 min
calc.set_option('resources', {"num_machines": 1})
print "created calculation with PK={}".format(calc.pk)
Exception tolerant code#
You can find a more sophisticated example, that checks the possible exceptions
and prints nice error messages inside your AiiDA folder, under


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Building on its carrier SDN announcement in January, Juniper Networks outlined the next steps it will take to bring the power and efficiency of virtualization to mobile packet cores.
Juniper's strategy relies in part on its JunosV App Engine, a specialized hypervisor that will deployed on its key networking elements as well as on commodity compute hardware. The JunosV App Engine will enable virtualized networking functions, including signaling and control (SGSN/MME) for LTE, 3G and 2G radio access networks. Juniper will also deliver an SDN controller leveraging technology from its recent acquisition of Contrail.
Juniper sidits new services provisioning application, mobile infrastructure application and virtualized services engine will help network operators achieve elastic capacity, increased service velocity, while lowering overall capital and operating expenses.
Products being announced for Mobile World Congress include:
Juniper Networks Services Activation Director -- combines five applications into one to enable service providers to provision thousands of seamless services in a fraction of the time, including MPLS and Carrier Ethernet for mobile backhaul. The Services Activation Director, along with other Junos Space applications, will be available for purchase in the first half of 2013 through Juniper Software Advantage, which allows the software to transfer to any network element with which it operates
Juniper Networks Mobile Control Gateway -- a virtualized function running on the JunosV App Engine, providing signaling and control (SGSN/MME) functions to the LTE, 3G and 2G radio access networks. As a virtualized network function, mobile operators can now rapidly scale up and down capacity to meet variable demand requirements. Now shipping.
Juniper Networks JunosV App Engine -- centralizes the development, provisioning and management of both Juniper Networks and third-party applications on a common platform. This platform also enables customers to grow the compute, memory and processing resource needed for cloud-based applications and services attached specifically to the MX edge router. Customers and partners, such as Hitachi, have already built applications on this platform. Now shipping.
New SRX line cards for the SRX5600 and 5800 Series Services Gateway. The SRX Series collapses the security gateway, firewall, switching, and routing layers onto a single platform,. The new line cards support up to 100 million concurrent sessions and up to 200 Gbps of firewall throughput with a single SRX Services Gateway.
In January 2013, Juniper Networks outlined a four-step roadmap to software-defined networking with the goal of improving automation and agility in data centers and across service provider networks.A key part of Juniper's SDN strategy involves the concept of "Service Chaining" whereby an SDN controller is used to virtually insert services into the flow of network traffic. The company sees SDN extending all the way across all domains of the network: Core, Edge, Access & Aggregation, Data Center, WAN, Campus & Branch. Juniper's SDN roadmap initially targets two of these areas -- the Service Provider Edge and the Data Center.
Pradeep Sindhu, Juniper's CTO and Founder, said the company has always believed in open standards. Juniper is supporting OpenFlow in routers and switches this year. The company has also partnered with Big Switch and others in the SDN space. However, Sindhu described OpenFlow as an early protocol that needs to evolve, and probably not the most important one for SDN.
Juniper is enabling the SDN virtualization with existing protocols, including BGP, thereby enabling the existing routing and switching infrastructure to participate in the SDN transformation. Juniper will adopt the OpenStack model as its primary orchestration system and will work with others including VMware and IBM.
It is still early days in SDN and Juniper believes the adoption of this technology will be gradual over many years. One significant change will be the way network software is delivered. Juniper is introducing a new software licensing and maintenance model that allows the transfer of software licenses between Juniper devices and industry-standard x86 servers.
Juniper's Four Step Roadmap
Step 1: Centralize network management, analytics and configuration functionality to provide a single master that configures all networking devices.
Step 2: Extract networking and security services from the underlying hardware by creating service virtual machines (VMs). This enables network and security services to independently scale using industry-standard x86 hardware based on the needs of the solution.
Step 3: Introduce a centralized controller that enables multiple network and security services to connect in series across devices within the network using "SDN Service Chaining" – using software to virtually insert services into the flow of network traffic. The SDN Service Chaining will be introduced in 2014 utilizing the SDN controller technology acquired from Contrail Systems, together with the evolution of the JunosV App Engine.
Step 4: Optimize the usage of network and security hardware to deliver high performance. Specifically, Juniper's MX Series and SRX Series products will evolve to support software-based Service Chaining architecture.


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Wine, Creatives and Indie Films – "Yes, Please" to the Napa Film Festival
If you missed the Napa Film Fest, what films should screenwriters and film lovers be on the lookout for? Plus, see why you should meet your film idols.
Cheryl Laughlin reads for the Nashville Film Fest, grass-roots hustles for 20K Films documentaries... and it's possible she ran through the house with her Top 10% in the Nicholl Fellowship announcement like Anne Hathaway with her Oscar (cuz she's geeky like that.) You can follow her on Twitter: @cheryllaughlin
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Living in Northern California has its perks. No weather called a "snownado" or temps noted as "-21 with the wind-chill." But this year, those so-called perks were challenged by the widespread fires that devastated Napa and Sonoma, just weeks before this year's Napa Film Festival in mid November.
But somehow, Mother Nature gave the area a reprieve, and film buffs flowed into the area to celebrate indie movies and the tenacity of this region. I've never been to Cannes (hello, anyone need a go-fer?), but watching a film from inside a rustic winery surrounded by vineyard or at the classic Uptown Theatre is a charming, extraordinary treat.
Check out interview with Director Peter Livolsi from inside one of those kick-ass wineries for his punk-coming-of-age film The House of Tomorrow.
So, if you missed this year's Napa Film Fest, what films should writers and film lovers be on the lookout for in the new year? Plus…
See why you should meet your idols (here's looking at you, Lea Thompson.)
Learn what female chefs and female directors have in common.
And find out if actors appreciate the complex characters we hope to mesmerize them with as screenwriters.
The Year of Spectacular Men
This mother-daughter-daughter film – about a 20-something woman who struggles with the boundaries of new relationships while navigating post-college adulthood – has its own link to bizarre weather. The 19-day shoot included four days in Tahoe complete with filming in a blizzard.
Madelyn Deutch Renaissance woman's The Year of Spectacular Men. She wrote, produced and composed music for the film, with her mother Lea Thompson in mind to direct and act.
Madelyn's sister, Zoey Deutch, adds to the family acting, with father, Howard Deutch, producing as well. As Lea points out, "We were all in the trenches together." But even with all that talent, this film with a true female millennial perspective took four years from inception to rollout at film fests like Napa. But still she persisted – from Madelyn's college graduation panic of, "What do I do now?" to falling in love and stopping writing, to falling out of love and finally creating this film.
Script EXTRA: Write What You Know for Screenwriting Success
The rally call to check out this new-dating-style film, in Lea's words: "This is a personal story. People don't want to tell the story of young women unless 50-year-old men do it. It's important for young women to be represented by themselves."
Or as Madelyn reminds us creatives, "Don't let them tell you your writing is garbage." Well said.
Sorry, gotta break the fourth wall for a sec. Even with the torrential downpour on opening night, Lea took time to speak with me last before going inside. And that was the moment my heart went squee. I don't care what anyone says, you should meet your idols… they might delight and renew your faith in wanting to be a screenwriter. Just saying.
A Fine Line Documentary – More Female Strong Films
Image courtesy of AlianaProductions.com
Picking films at festivals can be pure serendipity. That's how I landed on A Fine Line by Joanna James, a documentary on the struggles of female chefs to get to the top. A great example of the documentaries the Napa Film Fest gives voice to.
The opening to Joanna's film trailer smashed my brain cells: "It is easier for a woman to become a CEO than Head Chef." What?! No way. Apparently, yes way.
Joanna shared the impetus behind the film – her own mother, Valerie James. "I wanted to create a film to work with my mom and share a very personal story. She was up against so many odds to open her own restaurants, and we never knew that growing up. It wasn't until today, as a working mother, that I realized what she faced, and unfortunately how much of these same obstacles have carried forward to today."
Strangely, the number of top female chefs at 6% almost matches the 7% of females directing studio films. (Check out minute 8:50 in this viral TED talk by Naomi McDougall Jones on women in Hollywood… heck, check out the whole video.)
Script EXTRA: 25 Tips on How to Change the Film Industry
At the beginning of A Fine Line, renowned chef Dominique Crenn invites you into the world of food saying, "I fell in love with the symphony… the dance." And as you follow along, you discover her path to a coveted two Michelin stars was anything but straight to the top.
This film is empowering for foodies and filmmakers. Its nuanced editing style provides inspiring perspectives from world-renowned chefs on gender inequality in the restaurant industry, intercut with an up-close look at the filmmaker's mother, a small-town restaurateur with a larger-than-life personality.
This documentary is for that inner kid in all of us, who roots for creatives to win no matter what the world has to throw at them. This film is serendipity at its best and worth tracking down outside the festival circuit.
Rising Star Showcase – It Is This Picturesque
Image courtesy of Napa Film Festival
Besides all the films, the Napa Film Fest brings it with the panels. Seriously, the settings are as stunning as this picture suggests.
This Rising Star Showcase at the Materra Cunat Family Vineyards offered an intimate discussion for rising stars: Alex Wolff (Jumanji, The House of Tomorrow), Odeya Rush (Lady Bird, Goosebumps), Austin Stowell (Battle of the Sexes, Bridge of Spies), Gregg Sulkin (Runaways, Faking It), Analeigh Tipton (Warm Bodies and Crazy, Stupid, Love) and Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049, War Dogs).
Plus, extra love Analeigh Tipton for turning the focus around on a red carpet and taking photos of the people taking photos. It was meta at its most awesome and fun.
I had a moment beforehand to ask what actors look for in scripts. These actors confirmed what we screenwriters whisper to ourselves to keep going – actors really do want to read and play complex characters that go beyond the norm.
Analeigh Tipton: "I look for scripts about a simple person told in a complex way. They can be totally vapid but they need to be complex." She just wrapped indie film Summer Night in Georgia in keeping with playing with those character dynamics in dramedies.
Odeya Rush: "I look for real, conversational dialogue." Which she found recently in Greta Gerwig's spot-on coming-of-age film Lady Bird. "Films like Lady Bird don't normally get this kind of buzz – it's amazing," Odeya added.
Greg Sulkin: "Great story arch with character growth are the best characters to play." With Runaways, he's getting to play the superhero persona with extra depth.
To catch up with the Napa Film Festival and to work this fest into your annual "must-attend event" around Veterans Day – November 7-11 for 2018, check them out at nvff.org or:
- facebook.com/napafilmfest
- twitter.com/napafilmfest
- instagram.com/napafilmfest/
Amanda & Jack Go Glamping with David Arquette and Amy Acker.
So I missed seeing this indie rom-com due to double booked screenings. But I'm a sucker for the rom-com and its evolution.
Plus, how many films are there about glamping? I only know about a moment in Bridget Jones's Baby… any others, my Google-happy friends? Let me know your thoughts on this indie film in the rom-com progression.
More articles by Cheryl Laughlin
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WEBINAR- SKOLARUS- Applying Models and Frameworks to D&I research: An Overview and Analysis
Skolarus, Ted & Tabak, Rachel (2015, January). Applying Models and Frameworks to D&I research: An overview and Analysis. Webinar presented through NCI Cyber seminar program.
After our December webinar, we received a number of questions about which D&I theories, frameworks, and models best enhance efforts to spread evidence-based interventions. We are delighted to welcome Drs. Rachel Tabak and Ted Skolarus to lead us in an assessment of this issue on Wednesday, January 21, 2015 from 1:00-2:00 pm ET. All the materials can be found at Top-Papers.com, in case additional instructions are necessary.
Dr. Tabak will present a review which used snowball sampling to: 1) develop an inventory of models; 2) synthesize this information based on three author-defined variables: construct flexibility, focus on dissemination and/or implementation activities, and socio-ecological framework level to categorize models; and 3) provide guidance on how to select a model. Dr. Skolarus will discuss an examination of citation frequency and impact of D&I models using citation analysis. As always, we invite you to share your insights and questions with us as well.


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Ever heard of the trick of lining your waterline with white eyeliner to make your eyes look bigger/more open? It's a nice effect, but sometimes using a stark white on the waterline can make your eyes look a bit yellow in comparison, especially if you don't have a full face of make-up on. Beige or champagne-coloured eyeliner can do the trick in a much more natural-looking way.
My dream champagne-coloured liner is from Make Up Forever and it costs close to 1000php, so when I came across this Nichido pencil concealer (yup, not an eyeliner!) at Watsons I thought that it would be worth a try! For under 200php (134.00 to be exact) this is a fraction of the price of a MUFE liner!
There were three shades to choose from, namely: beige, neutral, and natural. I picked out "natural" which was the most neutral of the three, as "neutral" leaned towards the pinkish side and "beige" was more of a yellow shade. It's meant for use as a concealer but as I mentioned, I haven't used it for that purpose (nor will I, as I have a good spot concealer already). I'm happy to report that it works nicely on the waterline since it is supposed to be water resistant and it's easy to apply because it's in pencil form.
The tip is soft enough. It's not so hard as to become a threat to the safety of your eyes nor is it soft enough to smudge all over or deposit too much product. I've tried Nichido eye pencils before and they have improved their formula over the years.
It isn't perfect, but I do like this product for the alternative use I've employed it for. The thing I like the least about it is that it smells like a coloured pencil— as in the type used for actual drawing and coloring. Haha! But the smell does not linger and I can live with it.
Swatched on my hand, you can barely see it, which is ideal! Very happy I decided to try this out. I'm a sucker for a bargain!
Any cheap thrills you've come across lately? :) Do share!


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I know it's not Summer yet – but here goes… This is a fancy, spicy Collins based on full-flavored traditional rum, modified by Bénédictine liqueur, and spiced with some serrano chile. Click either the photo or the recipe image below to enlarge. Try a Long Hot Summer, but don't forget to tell them where you got it!
Month: April 2012
New Cover for the Book!
I realized that I had been paying for a full cover copy for the book all along, and decided to actually create one. It can be ordered here: http://www.elementalmixology.com/elementalmixology2/book


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CD Review: The Waiting is Over (Tribute Quartet)
Tribute Quartet launched several years ago with Jacob Kitson singing the tenor part. Given the name he has made for himself since then, it is no small feat that Tribute has been steadily improving since their original lineup. Tenor Brian Alvey came aboard at about the same time Tribute moved to Crossroads; that move brought them better song selection and tracks.
Last year, Brian Alvey left to work in the Talley Trio office. (He is engaged to marry Lauren Talley later this year.) Tribute Quartet lead singer / manager Gary Casto made one of the finds of the year to fill his spot, hiring 18-year-old Riley Clark out of nowhere (or, more literally, out of Oklahoma!) Clark has generated so much buzz in the last few months that he picked up Top 10 Fan Awards nominations for Favorite Tenor and Favorite Horizon Individual. It was the first time any member of the group had picked up a top 10 nomination for their vocal part, and this was after only about six months on the road.
This buzz has been reinforced by increasingly strong live performances. So Tribute fans have been eagerly awaiting the group's first mainline project with Clark (and with new bass singer Anthony Davis). Well, the waiting is over.
The Waiting is Over is packed with strong uptempo songs and ballads. The project opens with three strong uptempo songs, the strongest of which is the energetic "Jesus is Alive." The fourth song is the mega-ballad "Homecoming Day"; this Melissa Brady-penned song features Riley Clark. It stands a serious chance of being Tribute Quartet's breakthrough hit, establishing them on the radio charts. (It's also the song from which the title was pulled; the chorus begins "Homecoming day, when the waiting is over…")
The album misses being a five-star release by a whisker. (The too-obvious rhymes in the chorus of "The I Am" were that whisker.) It is, though, a solid four and a half-star release. The song selection helps the album earn its rating; the group seems to have followed the guideline that if you have several very strong songs and three or four open slots, it is better to fill those slots with moderately strong fast songs rather than moderately strong slow songs.
Two other highlights close out the album; "Save My Family" is a mellow prayer featuring Riley Clark. The buoyant "Bring On the Joy," featuring Gary Casto, is the project's first single, and the project's strongest fast song.
The Waiting is Over is easily Tribute's strongest project yet. Only time will tell whether this will be the project that breaks them through into the top tier—but it does put the ingredients in place.
Produced by: Roger Talley. • Group Members: Riley Clark, Gary Casto, Josh Singletary, Anthony Davis. • Review copy provided. • Song list: Songs of Zion; Makes Me Wanna Go; Jesus is Alive; Homecoming Day; More Than Able; The I Am; There's a City; The Climb; He is Leading the Way; Save My Family; Bring On the Joy. Rating: 4.5 stars.


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Ask A Philadelphia Expert: Top Fried Chicken Recipes
Juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside, few people can resist good fried chicken. Justin Swain and Michael Solomonov are two of Philadelphia's best chefs, and they know their fried chicken. Here, they share some of their tips and expertise so that you can make your own top-notch fried chicken at home.
Chef Justin Swain
1516 South St.
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(267) 319-1366
A Philadelphia native, Justin Swain is a graduate of the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. He worked with Chef Regis Jansen at Philly's 1601 (now closed) and then went on to perfect his talents at Bridget Foy's. When restaurateurs Evan Malone and Jill Weber opened REX 1516, Jansen was Executive Chef. He brought Swain in as sous-chef before falling ill. Chef Justin Swain took over and has been impressing guests at the South Street spot ever since. His classical training combined with a passion for southern cuisine allows him to create a unique menu of elevated comfort food.
While Chef Swain's recipe for the fried chicken at REX 1516 is a secret (mainly a unique mix of spices) his tips below will help you make chicken that is moist and perfectly cooked on the inside while golden brown and crisp on the outside. Rex 1516 serves its fried chicken as a drumsticks and thigh platter with house-made smoked sriracha sauce, red bliss potato salad and a biscuit.
Tips and Recipe for Perfect Fried Chicken:
- Always brine the chicken. This keeps chicken from becoming overcooked and dry. It is an opportunity to introduce more flavor. Chef Swain brines his chicken in sweet tea for 24 hours.
- Chef Swain recommends purchasing a whole chicken and breaking it down rather than buying it in pieces. If using thighs, make sure you take a knife and make a cut along each side of the bone. Don't cut all the way to the skin, but you want to increase the cooking area on the thighs so that your chicken doesn't burn before it's finished.
- After brining the chicken, pat it completely dry.
- Heavily season the flour you will be dredging your chicken in. Chef Swain uses a secret mix of spices, but generous salt and pepper will work just fine. Don't be afraid to taste the flour for proper seasoning. Chef Swain then dredges his chicken in a mix of buttermilk and house-made sriracha sauce, then in the seasoned flour, mix again before frying.
- Temperature is important, both for the oil you are frying in as well as the chicken. Leave the chicken at room temperature for 30 minutes before frying to take the chill off from your fridge. Purchase a candy thermometer to help regulate the temperature of the oil. They are fairly cheap and they clip onto the side of the pot you are frying in.
- First, pan fry the chicken at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes. The lower cooking temp will assure the chicken is cooked all the way through.
- When you are ready to serve, finish the chicken by deep frying at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
- If you are worried about undercooked chicken, check the internal temperature with a kitchen thermometer. It should be at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chef Michael Solomonov
Federal Donuts
1632 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 665-1101
1219 S. Second St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(267) 687-8258
3428 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(267) 275-8489
701 N. Seventh St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(267) 687-8258
Chef Michael Solomonov won a James Beard Award in 2011 for "Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic." Famous for his expertise at creating unique culinary masterpieces from simple ingredients, he is often praised as being one of Philadelphia's top young chefs. In addition to being co-owner and executive chef at Zahav, he's also a partner at Percy Street Barbecue and Federal Donuts. Federal Donuts opened in 2011 as the first fried chicken and doughnut shop in the United States. Since then, it has expanded from the original South Philly location to now include four locations plus an outpost at Citizens Bank Park. Federal Donuts only offers three things: coffee, fried chicken and fresh cake donuts.
The fried chicken is available at Federal Donuts starting at 11 a.m. each day. Guests are usually lined up waiting because once it's gone, it's gone. It's sold as wings, halves (split breast, thigh and drumstick) or whole and served with Japanese cucumber pickles and a honey donut. Chef Solomonov's recipe for twice-fried chicken and chili-garlic sauce appeared in "Fried and True: More than 50 Recipes for America's Best Chicken and Sides" by Lee Brian Schrager and Adeena Sussman. The recipe below serves four.
Federal Donuts' Fried Chicken and Sauce
For the Chicken:
- 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- Kosher salt for seasoning, plus 1 tablespoon for the batter
- Oil (vegetable or canola) for frying
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-3/4 cup water, plus more if needed
For the Sauce (makes 1-1/3 cups):
- 3/4 cup kecap manis (Malaysian sweet soy sauce, available at Asian grocers or online)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chili-garlic sauce, such as Huy Fong brand
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- The night before cooking, liberally season the pieces of chicken with salt. Arrange the salted chicken in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Loosely cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.
- To make the sauce, combine the kecap manis, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce and vinegar in a small bowl.
- To fry the chicken, fill a large (at least 8-quart) pot halfway with oil and heat to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Create a draining spot by setting a baking rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour and 1 Tablespoon of salt. Whisk in the water to make a crepe-like batter, adding more water by the tablespoonful if the batter seems too thick. Dip the chicken pieces into the batter, shaking off any excess. Fry the chicken in batches until golden, approximately 12 to 13 minutes.
- Drain the chicken on the prepared rack and increase the oil temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry the chicken an extra 5 minutes, or until the color deepens and it becomes crispy. After the chicken has cooled for 2 to 3 minutes, coat it with the sauce or serve with the sauce on the side.
Related: Top Spots For Fried Chicken
Michelle Hein is the social media editor for a women's fashion company in Bucks County by day and a self-proclaimed food and drink fanatic by night and weekend. She enjoys attending wine classes, trying new recipes in the kitchen and going to old favorites and new restaurants alike in the Bucks County and Philadelphia area. If the writing gig doesn't pan out, she constantly dreams of owning her own bakery…perhaps connected to the restaurant/bar that her lawyer fiance would love to open.
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Finard Coventry Hotel Management Announces Joint Venture with Angelo Gordon
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Finard Coventry Hotel Management, owner and operator of the Providence Biltmore Hotel in Providence, RI, has entered into a joint venture with Angelo Gordon (AG), an investment firm based in New York,
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Finard Coventry Hotel Management, owner and operator of the Providence Biltmore Hotel in Providence, RI, has entered into a joint venture with Angelo Gordon (AG), an investment firm based in New York, NY. AG is making a capital investment, joining Finard Coventry to restore the historic character of this landmark hotel. A $13 million restoration of guest rooms and public spaces is underway.
"Angelo Gordon's investment in the Biltmore is in effect an investment in the city of Providence," said Todd Finard, a principal of Finard Coventry. "We are eager to restore this iconic hotel located in the heart of downtown Providence to its former glory complete with modern conveniences and amenities."
Boston-based Finard Coventry purchased the Providence Biltmore in May of 2012. Since the acquisition, the company has made substantial improvements to the business and to the building, including significant infrastructure upgrades and renovating the rooftop Grand Ballroom.
"We share Finard Coventry's vision for the Biltmore," said Michael Chang, Managing Director at Angelo Gordon. "Our team's capital improvement and room renovation program will return the Biltmore to its position as a market leader in the Providence market and offer visitors an exemplary guest experience."
The restoration of all 294 guest rooms as well as the guest corridors will begin this winter and should be completed by spring 2014. Later in 2014, the lobby, Junior Ballroom, and meeting rooms will be renovated. The Providence Biltmore, located at11 Dorrance Street, Providence, Rhode Island, will remain open during the renovation. For more information visit www.providencebiltmore.com.
About Finard CoventryFinard Coventry Hotel Management is a full-service hotel operating, consulting, and development company headquartered in Boston. Formed in 2011, the company unites the talents of Finard Properties, a leader in the commercial real estate sector, and Coventry Hotel Associates, well known within the hospitality industry. For more information visit http://www.finardcoventryhotels.com
About Angelo Gordon Angelo, Gordon & Co. is a privately-held registered investment advisor dedicated to alternative investing. The firm was founded in 1988 and currently manages approximately $24 billion. Angelo, Gordon & Co. began acquiring commercial real estate in 1993 and has purchased over $16 billion of real estate assets. With real estate offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tokyo they have a global view of the market. Angelo, Gordon's real estate team's experience encompasses all aspects of real estate investment and management, including acquisition, financing, disposition, leasing, and construction management. Their real estate investment professionals have hands-on operational real estate expertise that has proved to be critical to their success in acquiring and positioning assets. For more information visit www.angelogordon.com.
CONTACT: Lori Moretti / Meg FitzgeraldCM Communications617.536.3400 / firstname.lastname@example.com