#on a related note i was reading some tourist guide here and it said ‘founded in the early 1900s we’re old but we’re exciting’ or whatever | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rapsody123me-blog · 6 years

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Rapsody travel

Chandigarh to Delhi is the busiest road. I landed in Istanbul, stayed for about 4 days, went to Selcuk,visited the ruins of several Greek-Ionian cities: Ephesus, Afrodisias, Priene,Miletos and Didyma. Instead of searching for inspiring experiences in faraway places, these awesome things are abundantly available to us at all times. An additional benefit of scheduling the trip on the internet is that it could be customized at any time according to the preferences rather than taking a package deal through the travel agent or agency and getting linked with a tourist group. If your upgrade hasn't been confirmed by the time you check-in, we'll automatically add you to the airport upgrade Rapsody travel standby list if you have the appropriate number of miles in your account 48 hours prior to departure. Our global team of inspectors are anonymous at all times, so they have the same experience as a typical guest. CIBC will rebate the first year annual fee ($120 each) for you (the primary cardholder) and up to three authorized users added at the time of the application or already on your account ($50 each). Call Gate 1 Travel today or click on one of the tour destinations above for more a complete list of packages. To get rid of the unsold packages and to avoid the possibility of making a considerable amount of losses, these travel companies offer such holidays at lower costs.

If, for example, one were to include keywords in one's article that have nothing to do with the content, they would be misleading people searching for information on that topic. 5. Cruise: a holiday during which you travel on a ship or boat and visit a number of places. Your articles may be unpublished for rules violations, but they are still available to you in My Account Sometimes, if we notice a pattern of violations, all of your articles may be unpublished at once. Please note that you may still receive an email notice if an administrative action has been applied to one of your articles or Forum posts. Most days you will be out touring and Rapsody travel visiting sights all day, so a comfortable, clean place to rest at night is exactly what most ladies need. Located in Malang, East Java - Indonesia is a transport service equipped with fan, TV, AC, for tour and traveling to Java island and overland tour, including Bromo tour, Malang, Yogya - Solo - Bromo, Java - Bali, Yogya - Bromo - Ijen, etc. Your Dubai holidays would give you the chance to visit its observation deck located on the 124th floor and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the city's skyline. Each of the components of a tourist product is supplied by individual providers of services like hotel companies, airlines, travel agencies, etc.

HubPages is an online community that provides everyday experts like you with the tools to share your knowledge and experiences through in-depth, media-rich articles. You need holidays to take away all the stress and monotony that builds up over a period of time after working hard for many days and weeks. I've been over countless times to enjoy the familiarity of the Western culture whilst still offering a large amount of its own personality. If you choose to do this, please be aware that you will not be able to transfer your articles to the new account. Alternatively, if your not travelling at the moment but still want to meet some Rapsody Turisticka agencija new people you could always offer to be a guide around your own city or simply be down for having a beer at a local bar, its up to you. During your holiday in this fantastic city, you'll get the opportunity to visit the most awe-inspiring attractions and indulge in some exciting outdoor activities. We suggest you begin with a brief overview of U.S. customs and culture From here, you will find information covers family travel , activity planning , shopping and an overview of the country's health and safety information No matter if your trip length is two days or two months, these sections will help make you an informed traveler.

The owner of my guest house was a nice man, he showed me around the city, told me a lot about kurdish culture and people, his views on people from various nationalities were quite amusing. Don't get me wrong, Barcelona is definitely on top of my favourite places to travel to and I would recommend it to anyone even if it was just for a couple of days just to escape the everyday life. The spectacular development of the Internet and the huge amount of information available to users meant that it was becoming increasingly confusing to find the relevant content and information among millions of sites and pages, many of which were put up by individuals Turisticka agencija Rapsody who did not have a recognized and genuine travel and tourism related business.travel, a pioneer in this field, was therefore set up to help businesses promote themselves on the Internet and help users identify the best places to find any travel related information. Travel services that manage the travel needs, such as; hotels & apartments, shared transfer, private transfer, car hire, rail passes, group tours, customized tours, etc. Popular - Popular includes articles and forum discussions that many people are reading, are high-quality and have received a recent surge in traffic or activity, and therefore may be particularly noteworthy.

Packing, getting home, emptying the van as it has a service and hab check due next month meant that by the time we got back,drink , food and sleep was the order of the day. Through these articles on Travel and Tourism, we help you explore terrains unknown, introduce you to regions hidden away, and take you to places that might not have found a place on the map. Card account must be open and in good standing at the time the bonus Aventura Points are awarded. Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations Travel can be done by foot , bicycle , automobile , train , boat , bus , airplane , or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round Rapsody travel trip. HubPro Basic articles will normally be locked for 1-2 days. J.R.R. Tolkien rightly said, "Not all who wander are lost." They are just travelers; finding more to life with every place they go to. Here, we encourage you to travel to better places, indulge in better experiences, and discover diverse global cultures. Working part-time (about 30 hours a week; roughly a quarter fewer hours than I used to work), I have a tremendous amount of free time with no exhaustion which has improved my quality of life. Your Aventura Travel Assistant, available exclusively to Aventura clients, helps you plan your perfect trip - including booking flights, hotels, event tickets and more13.

If your Google AdSense application was disapproved, the AdSense ads on your articles are being shown on HubPages' share of impressions to help support the site. Two separate trips to Asia and two to Europe are somehow providing me with lots of hours of much needed mental rest on the plane. Sepinggan Indah Tours & Travel Service Kami adalah Anda dalam Pelayanan. You have been successfully added to the mailing list of Times of India Travel. By serving ads on your articles, HubPages gives Hubbers the opportunity to earn from their published work. Using Facebook Connect to sign up with a new account on HubPages can also simplify the process by Rapsody travel supplying your Facebook name, profile photo, and email address as defaults for these in your new HubPages account. Upon comparing the prices offered by various travel companies on the holiday packages, you can get low cost holidays to your favourite destinations. A fast-drying towel is also useful for drying clothes after hand-washing them in the sink Rolling damp garments into it and wringing the whole thing out cuts drying times by hours. For all the places in between did you do just day tours or stayed for few days like in Ephesus & Cappadocia. Card account must be open and in good standing at the time the Aventura Points are awarded.

This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. The Treasury Department regulations you must comply with today are less onerous than in times past, but these days, you still can't go to Cuba for the fun of it. At least, not legally. While it was more scientific writers who persuaded the first winter visitors to begin sailing for Tenerife, especially to the Orotava Valley in the late 1800s, there is no doubt that adventurous travellers like Major Leveson considerably helped fascinate those early Victorian tourists. Cancellations to the original pogledaj vise ticket purchased 2 or more days prior to departure will have up to 24 hours from the time it's ticketed to be eligible for a full ticket refund including the reinstatement of award miles, co-payment amount paid and AAdvantage award processing fee. A tourism product is the sum of the physical and psychological experience got by tourist during their traveling to the destination. Here again I think an online solution would be best and the traveler would benefit from downloading as much information as possible from official tourism websites, Wikipedia, etc and either storing them digitally or printing them out before the trip.

If you do not receive a reply within a few days that the offending content has been taken down, then you can file a DMCA complaint with Google (select Web Search) and Bing (email dmcaagnt@). This offer does not apply to transfers from another credit card offer may be withdrawn or changed without prior notice at any time. It is obvious that most of the tourists avoid visiting this city during summers. We teach different lessons each day, and for the past week, our students have rehearsed their lessons at least a hundred times. There are times when you can grab some really unbelievable low cost holiday deals when you come across them in your email inbox. https://www.rapsodytravel.rs Traveled on a relativelysmall budget, but still did all the touristy things like balloon rides, day tours and shopping. If you see that the articles recommended at the bottom of one of your own are not very related to the subject of your content, move your article to a more specific Topic. Should you encounter a delay on your Statistics page (by noticing that the numbers have not been updated recently), we recommend referring to Google Analytics, which provides far more functionality and responsiveness (the Statistics page on HubPages is more of a quick reference point, providing easy access to articles, important notices, and basic stats).

By becoming an active community participant (both on HubPages, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+), you can help to build a strong readership and drive more traffic to your articles. First of all, because your followers may receive an email each time you publish a new article, they are more likely to visit your work. You know, there is just not much more to tell about our few days in Hoi An. The trouble with these World Heritage sites is that it turns the traveler into a tourist. Your article will be locked while it is actively being worked on by an editor to prevent two people from editing at the same time. You can change your email address associated with your HubPages account on Rapsody Turisticka agencija the My Account > Profile > Account Settings You will need to answer a security question in order to make an email address change (or you may be asked to setup security questions if you haven't already done so). You can register for special offers on any of such websites and get notified of the best deals as and when they are released by the travel company through emails. Going from D-Deck to A- three times a day for meals alone will mean 126 steps to be negotiated in each direction. Frequent traveling is something that is an essential element of any business or profession these days, while at times it's to build good client relationships, at times it is to establish business abroad.

Whether you have an end-of-summer trip planned or just a few days before the school year starts, consider checking out a new museum exhibit or two. Days, I did day tours at a few places, but that's not necessary, for example in cappadocia you can get your own vehicle and drive around. This is the fourth consecutive year I've been here, so I've seen and experienced a lot on the island, but this trip, by far was the most exciting. Furthermore, at times reputed travel agencies could help you to reduce travel expenses as they have copious resources and are familiar with the way to acquire the best of all deals. Traveling to a totally new country is something that doesn't happen too often Rapsody nowadays, so it's always exciting. We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. While travel is a fantastic way to gain insight into unfamiliar cultures and illuminating ways of life, it is not a cure for discontentment of the mind. Basic packing principles: Since the trip around the world takes about 126 days and the weather can vary considerably depending on the time of year I packed considerably more than I would for an airline trip.

Aventura Points will be cancelled if they remain unredeemed for 60 days after you voluntarily close your Aventura credit card account or within 12 months of the primary cardholder's death. These are the times when such places experience weather conditions that are unfavourable for some of the tourists. Travelers also had to be able to participate in five to seven hours of physical activity each day. Looking back, it has been a good trip, a varied itinerary with lots of different experiences. Successful articles are most often written by people who are truly passionate and uniquely knowledgeable about the subjects they address. The next 4 days in Istanbul rapsodytravel.rs were filled with excitement and new experiences and sights, there was tremendous diversity among all sights. Day trip to Ninh Binh, visiting various points of interest in the area such as Hoa Lu and Tam Coc. Here is a NY Times article with some observations from teachers who volunteered in Georgia. The tourist product covers the complete experience of a visit to a particular place. Motorbikes and even electric bikes are not allowed in the main town which gives you an idea of the efforts the government is going to to ensure that Zhuhai retains its reputation as a great location and a worthy place for Chinese nationals to visit during their holidays.

Some other travel guides recommend enough clothes for about ten days and that should be adequate. Now this is the first time that I've really got to grips with this little Turkish spindle and I think I may take it on holiday later in the year as I found that I can spin on it whilst travelling in the van. You can see on the map how big it the territory of this residence and it's really difficult to visit all it if you do not dedicate all the day for it. But we had only two or three hours this time and could visit only the central palace where were all the expositions. We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to https://www.rapsodytravel.rs/ advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. I've met some really cool people travelling who definitely have good sounds aren't just vagrant hippies and when you get to know them over some drinks and a couple of days hanging out, you can feel some kind of angst or escapism behind their reasons for travelling. Mealtimes are a social experience with communal dishes presented on a rotating disk in the middle of the table (we know this as a 'lazy Susan' back in the UK), giving you the opportunity to try a bit of anything. Hop On Hop Off passes offer one-way travel, giving you time to explore lesser known towns along the way and places off the beaten track.

I live in Italy, but I hardly can leave home for more than 1-2 days because of animals (I have a Maine Coon Cattery and other sentient beings) so you can imagine what have I do to visit the places of my interest. A lot has happened since HubPages' first days in Berkeley. Visit the remnants of the notorious Berlin Wall for a sobering Throwback Thursday then equalise with a dose of the city's contagious night vibes. We did not have the weeks or months it would take to build the relationships that we desired, we had a total of ten hours spread out over four days. Not all of the articles in your account will be edited at the same time, but you may have more than one article Turisticka agencija Rapsody selected over time. These past few days have been packed with new friends, new cultures, and new experiences. Hub of the Day Winner: Had an exemplary article presented before the HubPages community and featured on the HubPages homepage before Hub of the Day was retired. It's times like these when you begin to dream of getting out of The Box of Daily Experience for good. On the other hand, is a collective measure of your contribution to the HubPages community and therefore takes into account the collective quality and success of your articles as well as being a positive contributing member. We spent 12 days touring Ireland including Northern Ireland and Belfast.

If there's only one single destination offered in your holiday package, you'll get to explore the popular attractions in that particular country or city. One of the difficult things about the routines embedded in our daily experience is that they tend to congeal into one giant, uniform blob that we label as life.” And this blob can harden over time to create an impenetrable barrier that prevents us from absorbing helpful advice and realizations that come to light. Offer applies to newly approved card accounts only; transfers from an existing CIBC credit card to a CIBC Aventura Visa Card are excluded. Nowadays, anyone could find good deals on flights and hotels using search engines and professional booking websites. Turisticka agencija Rapsody Your account must be in good standing at the time of booking to take advantage of the travel credit. If all craft beer movement started from the effort of few people to rise up against Big Beer, it's about time to start movement for beer for all”. Travel is available to companies, organizations and individuals who provide or plan to provide products, services or content in the travel and tourism industry. If you are looking forward to planning an outdoor adventure travel vacation with family or friends, you must read on. Visit the wilds, climb mountains, go rafting, snorkeling, parachuting, tour to places less visited, meet nature in its purest form - freaky, strange, beautiful and enticing - all at the same time.

With the advent of these travel companies, the holidays to different destinations of the world have also become much cheaper. Create high quality content that get Featured: Only articles that are Featured after going through the Quality Assessment Process are eligible to show up on Related articles. I have contacted OAT four times to try to cancel this trip, without success. The $100 travel credit can be used in a single transaction towards flight, hotel, car rental and vacation package bookings made using your Aventura card. This bonus Aventura Points offer is only available on the first $80,000 in net annual card purchases on your account (meaning all card purchases by all cardholders, at any Rapsody Beograd type of merchant); after that, net card purchases at grocery, drugstore and gas merchants will earn Aventura Points at the regular rate. I organize my time so that I visit Venice and other tourist attractions of Italy in One Day Tours of my invention. The food, the warmth of the people, the great music making, Iceland's stimulating cultural life and the constant feeling that we were in a beautiful new and unspoiled world made it an unforgettable experience all together. After four days in Nha Trang beach resort, with little else to do than recover from our intense travel experience, we spent almost a day in Saigon, and then two days in Bangkok, equally recovering from our Nha Trang experience.

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sector2020 · 4 years

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12 Reasons Why I Love Canada - Hellogiggles

CAP/AIDS is a signed up Canadian Charity # 88898 7500 RR0001 with one personnel working in Canada and a voluntary Board of Directors based in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. Site: www.capaids.org. Meet the CAP/AIDS Board: CAP/AIDS BOARD.

The Company for Economic Co-operation and Development's Better Life Index ranks Canada among the very best locations to reside in the world. Here's why. A study released yesterday by the Company for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that "Canada performs exceptionally well in procedures of wellness," according to an online report.

The research study scored 36 countries, consisting of 34 OECD members, Russia and Brazil. No total ranking is reported. The findings will surprise some, provided our 7.2% nationwide joblessness rate, 14.5% youth joblessness rate and financial growth projections that remain soft in the brief term. Here are seven highlights from the OECD report: The average household earns US$ 28,194 each year after taxes.

There is disparity at both ends of the revenues spectrum though, not surprisingly. The leading 20% takes home US$ 55,718, while the bottom 20% makes US$ 10,526. We ranked seventh on family wealth and ninth on earnings. Canadians invest 2 minutes a day offering; that's about half the OECD average. On the other hand, 64% said they 'd helped a complete stranger in the last month.

We ranked seventh on assistance network. Nine in 10 Canadians are satisfied with their housing. The average home in this nation provides 2.6 spaces per occupant, more than any other nation. And 99.8% of Canadians reside in a house with a personal bathroom that has an indoor, flushing toilet. (The OECD average is 97.8%.) We ranked 24th on the ratio of real estate costs to income, 8th on standard centers and first on variety of spaces per person.

We ranked 14th on contamination and 12th on water quality. Our life span at birth is 81, a complete year above the OECD average. And 88% of Canadians say they are in health. Health costs in this country makes up 11.4% of gdp. (The OECD average is 9.5% of gdp.) We ranked third in health and 17th in life span.

That's well listed below the OECD average of 4%. Our homicide rate is less impressive. It's 1.6%, only marginally listed below the typical rate of 2.2%. We ranked first on assault rate and 23rd on murder rate.: Canadians work a typical 1,702 hours per year. That's 74 hours listed below the OECD average.

(The OECD average is 9%.) We ranked ninth on working long hours. The full index is comprised of 11 categories. Canada ranked 27th on task security, fourth on trainee skills, 4th on government openness and eighth on life fulfillment.

Canada has a goal to attract one million people to live and operate in the country by 2020. Evaluating by feedback from expats, it should not have excessive problem with that objective. Listed as one of the best nations in the world for expats, it is consistently applauded for its accepting and tolerant society and great lifestyle.

If you're considering the huge relocation and still need some convincing that Canada is the right location for you, continue reading. Here we list the 15 reasons that you ought to call the Great White North your brand-new home. It seems Canadians measure up to their inviting track record, with more than 4 in 5 expats surveyed for the current Internations Expat Insider study explaining Canadians as "friendly" double the global average.

Canada ranked 12th out of 189 nations on the current Human Advancement Index, scoring highly for an entire host of categories, from life span and gross nationwide earnings, to security and socio-economic development. With a lower expense of living, a focus on sports and taking pleasure in the outdoors, many expats choose to head to Canada to improve their lifestyle in reality Canada ranked number three internationally in the newest Quality of Life rankings according to a study by US News & World Report.

Neinstein Accident Lawyers has actually managed serious accident declares across Ontario for more than Fifty years. Its areas of know-how include medical, legal, and insurance coverage issues associated with health-related carelessness, car collisions, disability claims, slip and falls, product legal responsibility, insurance coverage disagreements, and more.

Neinstein is our clients' advocates. We, in addition to our team of medical, forensic, and investigative professionals, have actually represented clientele from all walks of life Fifty years. Neinstein is dedicated to doing everything we can to assist our customers get the settlement they should have.

Canadians in general love sport, but that enthusiasm isn't simply confined to ice hockey, lacrosse and basketball, it likewise extends way beyond that. Canada is vast and the majority of the populations resides in cities, which leaves great areas of wilderness just waiting to be checked out. Whether you're kayaking or swimming, skiing or just walking through lovely surroundings, the Great Outdoors is simply pleading to be discovered.

However it is not simply this Francophone city that enchants expats. Coastal Vancouver is the country's culinary capital, surrounded by beaches, mountains and beautiful forests, while Toronto is said to be the most multicultural city in the world. Include the cowboy charms Calgary and Ottawa's fame as the Silicon Valley of the North and you have a country breaking with range.

Canada is cold. The second coldest country on the planet, really. However while those long, chilly winters might be mentioned as a reason not to relocate to the country, the locals understand you can still have enjoyable when the snow is thick on the ground. From Whistler to Lake Louise, the names of this nation's renowned resorts make you desire to grab your skis or board and leap a chairlift.

After the long winter season, the sun comes out across Canada and mountainside are blanketed in colourful wildflowers, alpine lakes shine in the sunshine, the rugged shoreline starts to bring in holidaymakers and the sun-kissed vineyards of the Okanagan Valley welcome visitors. Yes, Canada comes alive in summer, with typical temperature levels of 25C, and the residents know how to enjoy it to the max.

You won't require much reason to go out and enjoy the sunlight. When the winter season really bites and the wind chill sends you wishing to scoot indoors, you don't have to shut yourself up in the house. In the coldest cities throughout Canada, you can go out shopping and enjoy suppers and mixed drinks, all underground.

In Toronto, COURSE is a downtown pedestrian pathway offering restaurants, shopping and home entertainment, while Montreal has its own Underground City, extending for 20 miles and including city stations, plazas, stores and dining establishments. Among the numerous happiness of exploring the Outdoors while living in Canada is the fantastic wildlife you can witness.

The moose is an icon of the nation, while the Canadian caribou migration is not to be missed out on and beavers, wolves, prairie canines, coyotes and deer all add to its rich wildlife offering. Canada is rightly proud of its state-funded health care offering Medicare, which ensures essential medical treatment is totally free at the point of shipment.

As a long-term resident, you can delight in both in-patient and out-patient services as part of Medicare, which is really seen as a health insurance service, funded by the taxes people and homeowners pay in through earnings tax, sales tax and things like the purchase of lottery tickets. If Toronto is among the most multiculturally diverse cities worldwide, then Vancouver isn't far behind it.

According to the newest Internations survey of expats, 94% ranked serenity as a crucial part of the nation's lifestyle and Canada also performed incredibly well when it came to safety and security, with low criminal offense rates and especially low violent criminal offense when compared to its southern neighbour. If you wish to raise children in Canada, you will be pleased with the conclusions from expats already https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lianna-woollard-25147416a/ living in the country.

Frequently weekends are spent escaping to the mountains, lakeside lodges and the coast, anything to get in touch with nature and shake of the tensions of the big cities. Canada is among the world's greatest economies and there are flourishing industries such as mining and oil and gas in general. As a nation, it invites foreign employees and favorably encourages those who can fill under-represented markets and positions.

As part of its open policy to foreign employees, Canada notes information about all the visas offered on its website cic.gc.ca. Employers trying to find foreign workers can do so through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, while you can also apply through the Federal Experienced Employee Program, which operates on a points-based system based on your scholastic experiences, language skills etc.

In fact, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Canadian students carry out well regardless of socioeconomic status or whether they are Very first Countries or recent immigrants, as the nation has a policy of no trainee being left behind. More than 90 percent of trainees go to public school and there is a real emphasis on sports and extracurricular activities along with scholastic achievement.

If you're believing of making Canada your brand-new home, we provide an unequalled international removals service direct from the UK. Get your free quote today.

The Duchess of Sussex is already there and Prince Harry is anticipated to join her within days. So what is it about Canada!.?.!? Here is our guide to the country's absolute best tourist attractions and experiences and why you need to think about Canada for your next holiday. For those who desire vacations where you get away the crowds, Canada delivers.

The http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=toronto attractions nation likewise has the longest coastline in the world. Fans of Canada state its natural beauty is finely stabilized with enjoyable and stylish experiences, plus a host of urban tourist attractions. THE MUST-SEE SIGHTS1. CN Tower Highlights: Toronto's skyline including the CN Tower, which has a glass floor you can walk or crawl across at 1,122 ftYou'll need nerves of steel during a journey to the top of Toronto's piece de resistance.

There is also the Glass Floor (you can stroll or crawl across it while looking down 1,122 ft), and the SkyPod observation deck which, at 1,465 feet, is one of the world's highest seeing platforms. 2. Niagara Falls Visitors get soaked at Niagara Falls. If you wish to leave the crowds, go on a two-mile walk through Niagara Glen Nature Reserve, or dive into the Falls View Water Park, which has 16 water slides, a few of which are 6 storeys highThe white waters and thick mists of Niagara Falls are Canadian basics.

Alternatively, the Journey Behind The Falls trip takes you down a lift shaft and through a tunnel to a series of observation decks for even more severe photography. If you want to escape the crowds, go on a two-mile walk through Niagara Glen Nature Reserve, or dive into the Falls View Water Park with its 16 water slides, some of which are 6 storeys high.

Northern Lights: A fantastic location to see among nature's greatest shows remains in the frontier town of Whitehorse in the Yukon territory. It's a stylish paradise you can fly to with Air North, among the friendliest airlines worldwide. Further south in Saskatchewan, La Ronge has some of the darkest skies on the continent and is also a good base for ice-fishing trips.

Vancouver Island: Take a two-hour ferry ride from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, where you'll find sandy coves and rocky coasts. And who understands, you might even see Harry and Meghan. Looking for a place to remain? The island has everything from camping areas to luxury spa hotels. The island's cool browse Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers town of Tofino deserves a see, as is the bigger Nanaimo, where you can try the Nanaimo Bar, an abundant, chocolate biscuit. : since July 1 of the year indicated.: General overall population (both sexes and all ages) in the nation as of July 1 of the year suggested, as estimated by the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Department. World Population Prospects: The 2019 Modification. For anticipated years, the U.N.

Learn More Definitions ...: For 2019: portion change in overall population over the last year https://en.search.wordpress.com/?src=organic&q=toronto attractions (from July 1, 2018 to June 30 2019). For all other years: newest year annual percentage modification comparable assuming uniform change in the preceding 5 year duration, computed through reverse compounding.: For 2019: outright modification in overall population (boost or decrease in variety of people) over the last year (from July 1, 2018 to June 30 2019).

: The typical yearly variety of immigrants minus the variety of emigrants over the preceding five year duration (ranging from July 1 to June 30 of the initial and last years), or subsequent 5 year duration (for 2016 information). An unfavorable number indicates that there are more emigrants than immigrants.

This parameter offers an indication of age distribution.: (Total Fertility Rate, or TFR), it is revealed as children per lady. It is calculated as the typical variety of kids an average female will have throughout her reproductive period (15 to 49 years old) based on the present fertility rates of every age in the country, and assuming she is exempt to death.

: Urban population as a portion of total population.: Population residing in locations classified as city according to the requirements used by each country.: Total population in the nation as a percentage of overall World Population as of July 1 of the year indicated.: Overall World Population as of July 1 of the year showed.

Inevitably, some food waste is inevitable this is the food that can't typically be sold or eaten, such as bones, veggie peelings, egg shells, tea bags, and coffee premises. Preventable food waste is the edible food that winds up in the compost or in the bin. Regrettably, we frequently waste good food since we buy too much, cook excessive, or don't store it correctly.

#toronto #ontario

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chatchalita · 6 years

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My (almost half) Kyushu Trip

This trip is the most unprepared trip and the trip that “unlike me”

I like to spend more than 1 day in certain place, just to see the city, relax, and sightseeing at my own pace rather than move around every day.

This probably text-heavy rather than pictures heavy due to my laptop not cooperate and the pictures from my phone didn’t import properly and you probably will see pictures I posted before because of the above reason.

I went to Kyushu via Peach Aviation on Jan 15-20, 2018. A first trip of the year, yay. On the 15th, I flew from Bangkok to Okinawa. And wow, I shook a little from cold weather in Okinawa. The plane was so warm. The flight supposed to arrive at 8am, but my flight was 15 minutes delayed. I was in a rush because I have another flight to catch at 9:50am, but it not a connection flight, which mean I have to check-out and check-in again. The immigration person keep asking me what am I doing here this time, I would like to think that he just doing his job to make sure he gives the right amount of days allowed in Japan rather than thinking that he suspect that I would ran away and overstayed in Japan. I was really worried that I might miss the flight since most of the time the international flight and domestic flight are in separate building. When I got out, the check-in counter is right in front of my eyes and the gate is close by. Because the airline is low-cost airline. They have their own separate building that every single one of their flight will be here (to be fair, they share with another airlines). So, I made it in time and once I arrived at to Fukuoka, I rushed to Fukuoka City Museum to find that it close on that day. See So on the first day, I went to Kokura Castle and Moji Port in KitaKyushu and then stay in Kitahama, Beppu.

*Note I bought JR North Kyushu pass, 8500 yen for 3 days, I think it worth the money since I don’t have to buy ticket every time and I can ride Shinkansen

Second day, Jan 16.

The original plan was to visit Kitsuki castle and walk around the castle town because I came to love Japanese castle and later visit Beppu Hells, but I’m me, I can’t force myself to wake up early for the sake of sightseeing and ended up sleep in. And I think it was the right choice...if the guide said 2-3 hours in sightseeing, I will took 3-4 hours or even longer than that. I took a bus to Kannawa to see “Jigoku” or hells, the name was taken from that fact that all the hot springs here are too hot for human to enter and probably hot like hell.

I think I visited the place in different order than most ppl do, it seem like they usually walk for 10 minutes to reach the farthest hell first then go back to the same route to visit the rest. Let’s just say I do the opposite...

*all the descriptions taken from English sign*

The first hell I visited is called “Shiraike Jigoku or the white pond hell, whose boiling spouting up water turns blue-white colored when falling down upon surface of the water. There is also a tropical aqurium where a ‘king fish’ of prarucu’ ‘man-eating fish’ of piranha and several other tropical fish have been raised.”

After I got out of this, I was hungry since I have not eat anything yet and it was 11am almost 12pm, and I just walk in the nearest store and order the first food I saw, which happen to be the food of that area

Dangojiru, a ramen made from dango I think and this food is put together with Kyoto’s black ramen in the list of food I will never eat again. It’s very plain and too much vegetable I guess, I rather eat a weird hint of burnt bitter sweet and super salty black ramen more than this. Maybe I dislike it due to its plain taste and the lack of meat...

Next stop, “Oniyama Jigoku (Oniyama Hell), the force of the steam is so strong here that about one and a half train cars can be pulled by its pressure, and it creates ideal conditions for breeding crocodiles.” This place probably a place that I didn’t took a picture of onsen with its name because this place is known for crocodiles, the temperature of the onsen is 99.1 C

And the real hell start here, “Kamado Jigoku (Oven Hell) This jigoku derives its name from the fact that it used to be used for cooking foods long long ago. The great red demon standing on an enormous cooking pot is the symbol of this jigoku” That picture probably more appropriate than this picture, but the tour groups were there, there are a lot of people and they loud. They also have a shop there for souvenirs and I just wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. Hey, I’m an introvert and I like quiet place.

“Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell) so called because this jigoku looks like the sea, which emerged after an explosion of a volcano 1,200 years ago and because the color of the boiling water of the pond is cobalt-blue.”

Oniishi Bozu Jigoku, it seem like I forgot to take a picture of the sign, but the name came from the fact that the little bubble popping up looking like head of the monk. This place was so relaxing and nobody there, there is a footbath in here, which they put some kind of citrus in it and it was really nice. The previous two jigoku also have footbath but there are too many people around. So these 5 jigoku are the one within walkable distance, the other two is 3km away and riding bus there is the best option

Tatsumaki Jigoku (Geyser), I don’t have a trivia for this because I don’t remember and the sign was cut off otl

Chinoike Jigoku (Blodd Hell), it named after the redness.

Overall, I think the jigoku are pretty interesting, definitely a tourist trap, but it was fun to take pictures with all of them. Not a place I would visit again unless I want more of their skin-care product :p

After I finish journey through hells, I decided to go for a sand bath, which I got covered in black sand. The temperature is too warm, it not like hot like the sand bath in different prefecture that I saw in one of the youtube video, which is kind of disappointment since I expected sauna temperature in a cool weather. Then I went back to my hotel to relax and go out again to find food; I ate seafood ochazuke and Tamayaki (like takoyaki, but use scallop instead), then I finally went to Family Mart to print out Ogo-tan’s conbeni print.

Asahi Tower Beppu Tower is located near my hotel, so I decide to go up there on my way back, I think I got sold because they said the tower was kind of old or something, but it was not worth it, there’s nothing up there, the night view can be seen anywhere, not unique to Beppu.

Third day,

It’s a day, I actually waking up early (to catch the train back to Hakata) for the sake of everything yay. The plan, was Nagasaki...and I was going to get through with this plan until I ride the train and changed my mind. It was very last minute, I had no plan. I thought that 3 hours in Nagasaki is not enough and not worth it to ride 4-6 hours of train (two-way) from Hakata. I have to hurried back to Hakata before Fukuoka City Museum close. So, I went to Kumamoto Castle, which happened to be under construction due to earthquake, like I said in one of my post before, I knew it was under construction, but I didn’t know it was all the area. At that point, I was regretting the fact that Fukuoka City Museum closing on Monday ruined my plan, I could have ride a ferry from Kumamoto to Nagasaki and actually enjoy Nagasaki until night time, but I have my sword priority. So, I went to Tamana to see Doudanuki since I already in Kumamoto. The museum was really really nice, I enjoyed it a lot despite the fact that I couldn’t read Japanese. The dedication that I rode taxi there because the bus do not reach that place. And the station person in Tamana station was so helpful, what a good place. And then, I rode shinkansen back to Hakata again and finally able to see Hasebe in Fukuoka City Musuem. See I took better pictures of the swords, like zoom in and such, but I’m too lazy to post it so that post ended up with generic sword pictures.

My hotel is in Tenjin, which has Animate there, something I couldn’t find and ended up spent money in Book-off instead. The food that day was Mos Burger during lunch (Idk why I craved for Japanese-western food, don’t judge me) and Oyster tempura-don plus karage.

Fourth day, another unplanned day

I flew back to Okinawa and sat at Naha airport for 2 or was it 3 hours because I don’t know what to do. I was looking at the brochures and tried to come up with a plan for today. My original plan was to go the south and go to Okinawa world and I just ended up too lazy to go. In the end, I decided to go to my hotel and walk around that area. My hotel happen to be within the walkable distance from Animate, I always picked the best location for my hotel eh? The street that I was walking was Kokusaidori street, which is a shopping street for souvenirs.

Although, it’s unplanned it was great, I enjoyed looking in each shop and eat whatever food I found on my way Animate.

Fifth day, each day’s adventure is getting shorter and shorter

I bought a day tour to Okinawa’s aquarium because I’m too lazy to do my research for the bus. This day tour is so rush, I didn’t spend enough time in the aquarium, two hours include lunch is not enough. The taco rice in the aquarium was great though, I can see whale shark while I ate. The other place include in the tours are Kadena, a place where you can see American’s air force plane, Cape Manza, a place that related to Urashima Taro (If my Japanese is corrected, I mostly sleep through the bus ride) and American Village, a shopping place that the tour let people be in for 50 minutes, I cannot do anything during that period of the time. Sadly, it was raining that day and I’m not feeling very happy about it.

Sixth day, visited 3 world heritage

The last day in Japan, visited Shirikinaen Garden, Shuri Castle, Tamadun, and Naminoue Shrine - Beach. Shirikinaen was beautiful, I loves Japanese garden. Shuri Castle was too large and I was too tired to explore all the area, is I visit Shuri Castle on the first day of my trip, I probably able to finish the stamp rally. Naminoue beach is the only beach I went although I went to Okinawa,

Overall, I did enjoyed this trip a lot. There’s a point that I was worn out enough to just want to stay in the hotel and not going anywhere, but it was a fun alone time trip. In all the prefectures I visited, I probably will visited them again some day because I feel like I didn’t see enough, but it probably won’t be my priority since I rather visit other prefectures and complete my bucket list (visit all prefectures in Japan)

Oita, definitely will visit again for onsen-escape, maybe not Beppu, maybe it would be Yufuin next time.

Kumamoto, in 2019 when Kumamoto Castle is complete, let’s do it since it one of Japanese’s greatest castle...and maybe Mt. Aso...

Fukuoka, if I have a chance, might have a proper sightseeing here in the future

Okinawa, if I go there again, I want to stay near Ocean Expo park or something, it seem there’s a lot of interesting place in there. Might go there in Spring because Summer is too hot and probably too crowded.

4/8 Kyushu visited, need to clear the rest the next time.

When I read this in the future, I probably regretted this for writing too little haha. But I’m kind of tired half way through and it ended up the way it is.

#sometimes i pretends that i'm a travel blogger #just chatchalita traveling #chatchalita impulse half kyushu trip hopefully #hopefully it the last time I used that tag

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uniquequotesonlife · 4 years

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13 Things We Learned About Travel by Watching Star Wars

View photos Luke yearns to get away over a binary sunset. (Video: Benguitar9000/YouTube) Are you excited yet about Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens? We sure are! So when someone tells me they’re going to try traveling someplace soon, I give them my best Yoda impersonation: “DO or do not. There is no try.” With J.J. Abrams revving up the Star Wars hype machine again, it got us at Yahoo Travel thinking about how the original films are as much a travel guide as they are a classic mythological space opera. We see diverse lands and fascinating modes of transportation, all in a story sparked by one farm boy looking far, far away to the heavens with wanderlust. You don’t think we can come up with 10 travel lessons learned from Star Wars? As Han Solo once said, never tell me the odds! Here are 13 of them that will teach you a Jedi’s wisdom when on the road, inspired by the thousands of times I’ve watched the original trilogy (no dorks here!). One note: I’ve purged most of the prequel movies from my memory in protest to George Lucas, but I do include one romance-related reference to them here. Han Solo was the original Uber

(Video: Daniel M. Kobayashi/YouTube) Ride sharing was cool in the Star Wars films long before their geeky fans in Silicon Valley thought of it. Obi-Wan didn’t use an app to find Han, but he did go to a part of town where rent-a-pilots were known to congregate, and he arranged to ride a vehicle driven by its cocky owner. Notice any parallels? When Han found out they were running from the Empire, he even used surge pricing on them! How much more Uber can you get? Can’t you just picture Princess Leia calling CEO Travis Kalanick a “scruffy-looking nerf herder”? Related: Go Far, Far Away to See Where the New ‘Star Wars’ Was Filmed Also like Han, Uber shoots first at its critics, and it’s known to keep a secret compartment or two. We just hope Uber will follow his lead and learn that underneath that bad-boy exterior, the company has a heart of gold. (We’re not holding our breath.) One thing is for sure: Anyone would give the Millennium Falcon a five-star rating. If you must lie to customs, play it cool

(Video: Daniel M. Kobayashi/YouTube) Repeat after me: “These aren’t the Cuban cigars you’re looking for.” Maybe you shouldn’t risk it with American customs, but travel to enough countries and you’re probably going to need to employ some Jedi mind tricks against sketchy border-control people. In my case it was the officers at the Syrian airport six years ago, when I had to calmly deny my father was from Syria — had they known the truth, under law I could have been drafted in the Syrian army even though I was born in the U.S. Talk about going to the Dark Side. Pack a versatile wardrobe for any occasion

(Video: Stormcab/YouTube) We’ve got to hand it to Princess Leia — in addition to being the kick-ass, courageous leader of a rebellion against an evil government, she can really pick an outfit. When she was dodging Imperial starships in Episode IV, she was dressed in a practical white robe with that iconic hair bun; on frigid Hoth in Episode V, she wore smart layers. And when cavorting with Ewoks in Return of the Jedi? She was all about that camo look, baby. And all this was despite most of her wardrobe getting blown up on Alderaan! Preadolescent boys like me were most intrigued by Leia’s Slave Girl outfit while trapped on Jabba’s sail barge in Jedi. But we’re not going there, OK? Resist the temptation to have an unplanned wedding when you travel

(Video: Daniel Ard/YouTube) Hey, girlfriend, I understand how you feel traveling with that guy you’re dating. He’s tall, handsome, and saying super-romantic things such as, “I don’t like sand.” You’re light years from home and alone with this person, surrounded by digitally enhanced scenery. Sure, he had one bad night and slaughtered some innocent locals, and he hinted at his desire to become a galactic dictator. But just look at those eyes! And it’s like he can read your mind! Don’t jump into any big relationship decisions without getting back to reality and giving it some thought. Padme didn’t follow that advice, and she got married on the road to a future Sith Lord who knocked her up, then indirectly murdered her. Don’t go into bad neighborhoods by yourself or without telling someone

(Video: joncarr/YouTube) Luke learns this the hard way when he takes his landspeeder into the Jundland Wastes, chasing after Artoo without even telling his aunt and uncle. True, he wasn’t technically alone, but would you want C-3PO having your back in a fight? We’re not saying you should stick to tourist areas when you travel — some of the best experiences are off the beaten path — but have a sidekick and make sure you know exactly how you’d get out of a hairy situation. Luke got bailed out not once but twice when you include his kerfuffle at the Mos Eisley Cantina, but we don’t all have exiled Jedi Masters looking out for us, now do we? No, really, Luke … DON’T go into dangerous places by yourself!

(Video: schultzstudio/YouTube) Yup, he did it again in The Empire Strikes Back, only this time in the snow at his tauntaun’s expense. Luke gets bailed out more times than American banks. If you’re traversing any desolate, icy terrain, have someone to help you fight off Wampa creatures so Han Solo doesn’t need to rescue you. When traveling with the boss, DO NOT slack off

(Video: DRMMRI14/YouTube) It might start with sleeping in before the conference. Then you have a couple too many drinks at the hotel bar and embarrass yourself. Before you know it, you’re pulling out of hyperspace too close and letting your sworn enemies know you’re there. Then this happens, and you’ve failed your boss for the last time. And remember, the Emperor is not as forgiving as he is. Don’t crash at a friend’s house unless you’re on good terms

(Video: Canale di BenguitarBis/YouTube) We understand Han and the gang didn’t exactly have an Airbnb search at their disposal while ducking Star Destroyers in The Empire Strikes Back. But by his own admission he didn’t trust his frenemy Lando and hadn’t spoken with him lately, yet he chose to fly to Bespin anyway. All that got him was betrayal, electroshock torture, and a frozen date with Boba Fett. Lando did redeem himself by saving Han, but still. A general rule: If it’s been more than a couple of years since you talked to the person, don’t ask to crash with them if you don’t fully trust them. Back up your photos and video as you travel … just in case you’re attacked by a Star Destroyer

(Video: QuoteTheGuy/YouTube) When most of us travel, we accumulate files that we can’t risk losing: a photo of that glorious beach sunset, a video of your kids playing in a Parisian fountain, a blueprint to destroy the same Death Star that blew up your home planet. You know, typical souvenirs. Princess Leia knows this, as demonstrated by the way she quickly reacted to Darth Vader’s boarding party by saving the Rebel plans inside the most reliable flash drive in the galaxy, R2-D2. Even if you don’t have an astromech droid handy, carry a USB memory stick with lots of space. You can find Zen in exotic places … with the right instructor

GIF11 (Video: Canale di BenguitarBis/YouTube) Luke Skywalker was not into glamping. He flew to an ugly swamp to learn how to untap his spiritual potential from a cranky old guide who was on his back all the time. But what a guide Yoda was, and despite a frustrating start and that one bad trip where he saw his evil father’s face as his own, Luke emerged a far stronger and wiser person ready to take on the universe. Plus Yoda showed him how to get your vehicle out of the mud. When you’re shopping at a mobile flea market in the desert, inspect the merchandise closely

Would you buy a droid from these guys? (Courtesy: Wookieepedia) While the pre-Jedi Luke Skywalker was trying to whine his way out of the Jawa market — “But I was going to Toshi Station to pick up some power converters!”— Uncle Owen was the one who questioned and picked out C-3P0, the most overqualified farm droid ever, because Threepio spoke the right language. This was the right call. On the other hand, Owen passed on R2-D2 for that defective red look-alike droid without a good inspection. Thankfully the droid broke down on the spot, so they were able to exchange it for Luke’s future X-Wing copilot. Related: Eye Massagers and Star Wars Toasters — Odd Gifts From SkyMall for the Holiday Season Really, Owen and Luke should have known better. It’s not like the Jawas were Amazon, with a credible return policy: They were fly-by-night merchants. When you’re traveling through a foreign town and dealing with a street vendor you’ll never see again, you need to trust but verify. Be friendly with the locals and they may help you out of a jam

The cutest secret weapons you ever saw. (Courtesy: Wookieepedia) I tried going through this article without an Ewok reference — they’re my least favorite part of the original movies, and it’s hard to believe that a family of teddy bears could take down the Empire. Still, there’s a lesson to be learned here: While the Empire threatened the Ewoks, Leia befriended them, which swung the odds in the Rebels’ favor in the Battle of Endor. A parsec is a measurement of travel time … or is it? We confess, we’re not sure what the lesson is here, but it needs to be said in any mention of Star Wars and travel. As Han Solo tries to price-gouge Obi-Wan and Luke for a ride on the Falcon, he brags that his ship is so fast, it “made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.” Only thing is, a parsec is a unit of distance, not time. It’s kind of like saying, “My car is so fast, I drove from San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than 400 miles!” Either this was a rookie math mistake by George Lucas, a con attempt by Han, or something else: Han shortening the Kessel Run from 18 parsecs to 12 by bravely flying close to black holes. We’ll probably never know, and nerds like me will be debating it years from now in our nursing homes. source Read the full article

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ask-de-writer · 7 years

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DARING DO AND THE COMPASS OF DISCORD : Progress Post #3 : MLP Fan Fiction : WORK IN PROGRESS

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

DARING DO AND THE COMPASS OF DISCORD

by De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

6973 words Presently written The story is incomplete THIS A WORK IN PROGRESS Because this is a Work In Progress, new writing or changes to older text will be indicated by BOLDFACE TYPE.

All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author. ////////////// Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions. All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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For those wishing to read the story from the beginning, it starts HERE.

///////////////////////

Chapter 3 A Meeting at the Adventures Guild

Back in her office, Daring Do began to search her personal collection of literature for information on Antiquities, known ruins and sites of interest, from the Selene Mountains area of the Zebra Confederation.

She had out a regularly published map of the mountain range and was marking the locations on it. There was a gentle tapping at her office door.

At Daring Do’s call of, “Enter!” Morail, the zebra from the library, pushed open the door. She had a rolling cart filled with books, expedition reports and high quality maps of the Selene Mountains.

Daring Do looked through the mass of material gratefully. “Why did you go to this much trouble, Morail?”

Grimly, the librarian reached into her saddlebag and laid out a Zebra Confederation Travel Document and a letter, also from the Confederation.

As Daring Do reached for them, Morail stated flatly, “I overheard your conversation with Withers and Cyrene. Discord is not the only one to detest and hate the Discordians. I hope that this information will help you to destroy them.

“Our family farm was not far from the Selenes. I used to play and rock climb up there among the old ruins. Then Discordians began to show up. Not the Hidden Temple lot. They were at the other end of the range.”

Daring Do let the letter fall and offered Morail a hug. “They ‘spread Chaos’ to your family farm? All of your family is gone?”

Morail hugged back fiercely and then snorted, “Some Chaos! They waited until the harvest was in but not sent to market yet. They stole everything.

“My family was paying for my education here. They hoped to start a quality library in Okapitan. Now, the Discordians have even taken my education.”

Daring Do sat and thought for a moment. “Would you be willing to put your studies on hold for a while? In return, you would receive a fully paid scholarship to the Royal University.”

Morail gave Daring Do a troubled and considering look. “What would I be doing to merit that?”

“Professor Withers and I are going to need a guide who is familiar with the Okapitan district, especially that end of the Selene Mountains. If you are that guide, I can guarantee the scholarship, if we survive the expedition.

“On a related, side note, Morail, how is your shooting with things other than MT84 quick fire cannons?”

Morail relaxed and smiled for the first time since she came into Daring Do’s office. She pulled a Royal Officer Training Corps medal case out of her saddlebag. Flipping it open, she pointed. “Unit Best at handguns, Sniper Qualified at rifle. Close Quarter Sword Qualified. I was taking the ROTC program to reduce my family’s financial burden. I am good with guns.”

Daring Do gave Morail a piercing look before asking, “Have you ever actually shot at a living pony before?”

Morail hoofed over a book of news clippings from papers of the Okapitan area. She opened it and found her place. “How well do you read Zebra, Doctor Do?”

As Daring Do took the clippings book, she replied, “Fer passin vell, eh tonk.”

Morail grinned as she watched Daring Do read the account.

Daring Do commented, “Raider band of mixed ponies and zebras attacked several local farms. They were stopped with five dead and seven wounded by the defense of Blum Fauntin Farm.

“That is pretty impressive. How many were yours?”

Morail, gone serious now, replied, “I killed three and wounded two.” Gone into personal grief, she added, “I wonder if my being here is why my family died?”

Daring Do reached out and took her into another hug. “There is no way to know that, Morail. The answer depends on too many things that we not only don’t know, we can’t know. You were not there. That is the only real fact that we have.”

Daring Do stepped back and said, “You mentioned playing in the old ruins up in the Selenes? I have never heard of ruins in those mountains. Tell me as much as you can about them. They may give us the solid base for the expedition.”

Soon Doctor Do was questioning Morail on details of wall structure, pillar shapes and types, the size and placement of the ruins that she remembered from her fillyhood.

Shortly, Daring Do looked up from her work and reached for her Magic Net mirror. After tapping codes, she inquired, “Office of Royal University Chancellor Luna? This Professor Daring Do of the Antiquities Department. Please put me through to her. She is expecting my call.”

She listened for a moment and snapped, “I know that she is very busy, Count Umber! No. You may not inquire what this call is about. You cannot erase any call using this code group. Luna will audit the incoming calls on this group this evening, and you know it! Now put me through!”

In only moments, Daring Do and Morail were looking at Princess Luna, who grinned happily. “Doctor Do! You have saved me from adjudicating a water dispute between two baronies! There is enough supply for BOTH of their needs but neither one wants to yield a drop to the other! Thank you.

“Now what is it that has you calling on this code group?”

Daring Do replied in her best professional voice, “I have three issues that need the support of the Chancellor of the University.

“First: In response to the request of a mutual friend, we have found the general location of the artifact that she wishes to have conserved when found.

“Second: We have located a potential source civilization for the Nil Eya civilization along the banks of the Forgotten River. I have eye witness accounts of walls, columns, pillars, lintels and floors that show an apparent relationship to the early Dynasty Nil Eya works. There are inscriptions in some of the stone work that resemble Nil Eya hieratic script but the witness can not be sure of that.

Third: My witness to all of this lived near and used to play in those ruins. She is a Zebra Confederation exchange student with excellent grades and has qualifications that would be useful to any expedition to the Okapitan district of the Confederation.

“Unfortunately, this student of Library Science was being financed by her family who had a farm in the region, close to the Selene Mountains. The farm was destroyed and all of her family were killed by a band of raiders.

“As I have done in the past for other deserving students, I wish to set her up a fully paid Royal Scholarship in return for her expedition assistance. The potential returns from this expedition easily justify it.”

Luna’s image nodded. “That should be no problem, Doctor Do. It might be more of a problem to actually mount the expedition itself. Have you chosen any others?”

Daring Do agreed, “I have. For this survey study of the ruins in question, Professor Withers has volunteered. His statistical work actually gave us the general area to search. It was by good fortune that Morail, the student that I spoke of, was utterly familiar with the area due to being raised there.

“Professor Withers wants to see how closely his statistics called it.”

Dryly, Princess Luna replied, “I am sure that is the reason.

“There are practical reasons why the expedition might be difficult to mount. Recently, the friendly Matradin government has been toppled by a populist, isolationist, government headed by the Downitall party. They have already attempted to set aside years of peaceful trade without tariffs.

“They have seized several ships and forced the payment of unilateral, unannounced, and unnegotiated tariffs. As a result, we have ordered all of our ships that can, to turn about and either return or seek other ports. Degrate, at the mouth of the Forgotten River is no longer a useful port. Even tourists are being required to pay excessive fees.

“The Ambassador from the Zebra Confederation is here in Court at this time. We can ask him about the expdition.”

The Ambasador, a portly Zebra listened for only a few moments before interrupting rudely, “Quite out of the question! We cannot allow Doctor Do back to pillage our rich history, distorting the well known facts with so called “evidence” and stealing our priceless artifacts!

“If she has information of any importance, she can communicate it to OUR experts. They will carry out whatever work is deemed necessary!”

Luna snapped, “You have refused the request of a friendly government to mount the expedition! That was quite enough! Your slander of Doctor Do, one of the finest, if not the finest living Antiquarian, is not to be tolerated!

“You may leave this Court now, or be removed by our Guard!”

Shaking her head sadly, Princess Luna watched the Ambassador leave, escorted by two Royal Guards. She told Daring Do, “We are on the edge of cutting off all travel and trade with the Zebra Confederation. We are not alone in that. Even the Diamond Dogs are considering abandoning their mines and enclaves because of violations of custom and treaties.

“Supreme Matriarch Amber and I were discussing that exact matter just yesterday.”

Daring Do’s eyebrows lifted and her eyes widened in surprise. “The Diamond Dogs abandoning active workings? Unheard of!”

The husky, rough voice of an unremarkable looking female Diamond Dog agreed, “Indeed it is. Doctor Do, I understand?”

Daring Do replied, “That is me. What can I do for you, Supreme Matriarch Amber?”

“Rather, it is what I can do for you, Doctor Do. Would it be possible for us to have a private discussion about your planned expedition?”

Daring Do nodded. “It certainly is. I have rooms at the Adventures Guild. I will bring the other confirmed expedition members along. Dinner will be on me. Their kitchen is used to fixing meals of the sort that your species finds agreeable.”

“That sounds most excellent. At six, Doctor Do?”

“At six. See you then, Amber.”

They closed the Magic Net call.

Later, in the quiet low light of the Adventures Guild dining room, Withers, Morail and Daring Do were waiting for Amber. Their orders were being taken by a waiter dressed in the exotic silken robes of X'ibia.

The waiter quietly informed Daring Do, “Most High Guardian, you are being watched. The pony near the door is using a mirror to keep you under surveillance.”

Morail, overhearing, quietly added, “He is not a pony. Look at the conformation of his head. The fur dye is a good job but he is a zebra, like me.”

Withers put in, “Not like you, my dear. Unless his posture lies, he has a long military career behind him, like I do.”

Just then, the front doors of the club were pushed open by a nondescript looking female diamond dog. As she removed her dark glasses, the waiting zebra in disguise stepped forward.

Offering a hoof, he said, “Lady Amber, I presume? I am Withers. I will take you to the private dining room where Doctor Do awaits you.”

Instead of taking his hoof, Amber instantly made an expertly delivered poke toward his eye! As his hooves came up to defend his face, she planted her right paw almost wrist deep into his unprotected gut while her heavy, club-like tail swept his hooves out from under him!

She landed across his neck! Grabbing a foreleg, she heaved him around flat onto his side! Her weight astradle his neck held him from getting his legs under him and rising!

“Now,” she said mildly, “let me see who you really are, ’Withers.‘” With that, she began to rummage his saddlebag.

Chortling, Daring Do lowered her throwing knife and sheathed it. Imperturbably, the X'ibian waiter put both of his into sheaths hidden in his big sleeves. Morail silently returned a small semiautomatic pistol to her saddlebag.

As Amber was removing a wallet from the fallen zebra, he called out frantically, “You can’t do that! I have diplomatic immunity! I am attached to the Zebra Confederation embassy!”

Amber retorted tartly, “Too bad! I have diplomatic immunity tool! I can do whatever I darn well please with you! Attempting to kidnap a head of state is not a crime that even YOUR PRESENT STUPID GOVERNMENT can condone!”

“You digging mutts don’t have a Government!”

“You are really uninformed about us, aren’t you, MAJOR Hoofinmaw? Let me educate you. For each point that you fail to grasp, I will cut your throat a little deeper. If you are a slow learner … Well, let’s just say that you won’t learn anything ever again.”

The X'ibian waiter put his hooves together and bowed a bow of deepest respect toward Amber. His usually imperturbable face showing the slightest of smiles.

As Amber was educating the major about Diamond Dog government, the waiter said, “I like her style. It will be my pleasure to serve her meal.”

The major proved to be a quick study with the incentive of not getting his throat cut!

As Amber got off of him and let him go, she radiated a powerful sense of happiness and, considering her previous nondescript appearance, a surprising beauty.

She noticed how the real Withers was looking at her. She did nothing to hide her newly apparent sexuality as she approached. She smiled at all of them as she seated herself.

Turning to the waiter she bowed the bow of equals as she asked in X'ibian, “<Are you X'ibian or just dressed as one for color?>”

Placing his hooves together and bowing back a bow of deepest respect he replied, “<I am indeed from the land where desert and sky meet.>”

Offering him a golden bit, as she bowed back her bow of equals, she continued, “<I saw your support when I was beset. It was most appreciated.

“<Now, if you would be so good, guide my choices among the foods that you have that are suited to my sort.>”

Turning to the others, she smiled again before saying, “I heard the Ambassador from the Zebra Confederation refuse you permission to carry out your expedition. I was further informed, upon inquiry, that besides the Nil Eya civilization origins, you had another matter of importance to take care of.

“It was not specified but was stated to be vital. Curiously, Princess Luna informed me that the favor was for Eris, the female form of Discord, who has an extraterritorial enclave somewhat outside of Ponyville.

“Is this all correct?”

Daring Do nodded. “It is.”

Taking her appetizer plate. Amber began dipping small fried bones into a sauce and crunching them with enjoyment.

To her surprise, Morail requested, “May I?” She was extending Maize Chip toward the sauce.

As Amber nodded, Morail dipped and ate her chip. She explained, “Your local enclave had an air shaft in our cherry orchard. I used to go visit them. Of course, I wasn’t much for the meats and bones but some of their sauces were delightful.”

Withers smiled across at Amber and commented, “You look lovely now, Amber. Did the fight bring that out in you?”

Amber made a quick flicking gesture as she replied, “I look like that to keep away fleas! When I like the company, then I look like this. Call it camouflage.”

Withers grinned. “I see. If I had thought to bring a weapon to a dinner in one of Canterlot’s more exclusive clubs, I would have been among those ready to render you aid.”

Amber leaned across and patted Wither’s hoof. “I know that, Major. The Equestrian Army is the poorer for your forced retirement. Your two Solar Medals of Courage, your Lunar Medal of Valor, your three Solar Hearts for injuries sustained in combat, your two Lunar Crescents of Mercy for the rescue of fallen on both sides and your amazing defense by one platoon at Grayshire Pass against two divisions of Prance regular army, tell adequately of your courage and ability.”

Amber paused to thank the server with a proper X'ibian bow and a small coin offered, which he took with a smile. She began to cut up her steak, watching the others closely for signs that they might be distressed. She relaxed, smiled broadly and began to eat happily.

After a short while, Amber turned her attention to Morail. “Miss Blum Fauntin, I looked into your past and present skills too. I have seen your ROTC shooting scores. My local Okapitan enclave under the area where your farm was has informed me of your part in defending the farm from an attack by a platoon ZC regular army, disguised as Discordian raiders. It was observed by the air shaft watchers in your cherry orchard, close by your family compound.”

Amber produced a map of the Zebra Confederation and unfolded it on the table. She pointed and traced a route from the High Plains District into the Okapitan District.

“The raiders originated over here, where a quick check for army involvement would not show anything amiss in the Okapitan District. They followed this route. Your family’s farm was the specific target of the raid.”

Almost woodenly, Morail stated, “You are very sure of this. Why would our army attack our own citizens?”

Compassionately, Amber laid a paw over Morail’s hoof. Looking her directly in the eye, she replied, “The Downitall Party was rising in strength and control, long before they actually won the ruling majority that put them openly into power.

“They detest opposition to their programs and propaganda lies. Your father not only opposed them openly, as was his right, he wanted to establish a LIBRARY, open to the public. An honest library, making the true facts of everything in it available freely. Truth is the greatest enemy of totalitarians like the Downitalls.

“That is why they targeted your farm the first time.”

Holding rigidly to her composure, Morail demanded, “What of the second attack? The one that killed my family? I got a letter from our neighboring farms saying that we were struck by Discordians.”

Amber nodded slowly. “They told you honestly what they believed. Here is why they think so.”

She pushed a picture over to Morail. “This image was taken from the cherry orchard air shaft. They were trying to get weapons up and into action but the attack was over except for the looting by the time that they could get them set up.”

Morail studied the image carefully. “These are Discordian slogans and signs that they painted onto the wall.”

Amber nodded. “They certainly seem to be, don’t they? Your neighbors believed what they wrote to you because of them. Look again. Look for what they missed.”

Morail’s brow wrinkled in concentration as she studied the image. Suddenly her eyes widened and she began to tap her hoof carefully across the wall in the image. Then again, a different line.

She passed the image to Withers and asked, “Are those bullet holes from an automatic weapon?”

Withers took a quick look and replied, “No. They are from three different weapons. All automatics.”

Very slowly Morail crumpled, weeping. “I am so sorry, Doctor Do. I blamed the Discordians for murdering my family. As bad as they are, they are innocent of that crime. My own government did this.”

Withers gave Morail a puzzled look. She paused and spoke brokenly, “Discordians will not use automatic weapons. Their precise regularity is seen as a disruption of Chaos.”

Amber patted Morail’s hoof again and stated sincerely, “That is correct. This vengeance, which should be yours to take, is beyond you. It will be taken, never fear for that!

“The Diamond Dogs have this attack on our friends as well as many other grievances against the Downitall government to avenge and set to rights.

“Your work with Doctor Do will be deadlier to them in the long run. Hold to THAT. If you will swear to let us take this vengeance and work with Doctor Do to get the truth of the Nil Eya origins proved, you will strike the Downitalls a deadlier blow than any weapon.

“They have based their entire nationalistic, ethnological purity notions and rebuilding the Greatness of the Past on the false claim that ZEBRAS created and built the entire Nil Eya civilization. You will be striking that leg of their program from under them.

“Their whole program of building a New Order is based creating a war machine. The flaw in that plan is that they can’t do it without the metal ores that we Diamond Dogs sell them. Recently, they have tried to purchase shipments with IOUs. They will not honor them. We have tested that. We have plans in motion to remove that leg of their program out from under them.

“Their other program is isolationism while they build up a war machine to conquer the entire continent. That one, we will encourage! It will leave them with no outside sources of supply! That will kick the other leg of their program out from under them.”

Recovering her composure, Morail returned Amber’s comforting hoof pats with a firm grip. “My word on it, Amber. Bringing the Downitalls down is more important than my small vengeance. I will do my part as well as possible.

“From what you have told us, I am reminded of an old jest. What is the most important leg of a three legged stool?”

Amber tilted her head as she thought through the possibilities. Finally she ventured, “You mean, the one that is missing?”

Morail grinned, though weakly. “That is the one!”

Quietly Withers pointed out, “Morail, Doctor Do, we have just been given what must be treated as a classified pre mission intelligence briefing.”

Amber nodded. “True. Doctor Do, you cannot get into the Selene Mountains from the Zebra Confederation. Fortunately, the mountain range has TWO sides. We Diamond Dogs can get you all into the Selenes from the Eland Republic side. We will give you Diamond Dog travel clearances. We will also provide you with safe passage on our transports. Your Princesses will handle most of the rest of the expedition. Whatever your needs, just ask. My enclaves will provide it if possible.”

(To Be Continued)

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

#DARING DO AND THE COMPASS OF DISCORD #chapter 3 #Daring Do #MLP Fan Fiction #WORK IN PROGRESS #written by De Writer

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savvystories · 6 years

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your humble, terrorist hating host who will burn you to the fucking ground if you threaten me, asshole

I woke up early because last night it seemed my country might be going to war, and even though I am not in the military, one should never take these things lightly.

After all, one aggrieved terrorist nutjob with a bomb (or car or box cutter) can do a lot of damage to a school full of kids or a crowd of tourists on a bridge, you know?

Retaliation is a thing.

Anyway, as I was pounding out my workout yesterday, stepping from the treadmill, Jenny sends me a Facebook message.

You guys know Jenny. She’s an amazing writer, a good friend with a great sense of humor, co-host of (the critically acclaimed – probably – but not very much watched) internet show Writers Off Task With Friends, valued critique partner, celebrity judge for the latest Word Weaver Writing Contest, presenter at the Florida Writer’s Conference in 2017, etc.

Note I said “a good friend with a great sense of humor.”

So yesterday she sends me a message

As you can see, in real time, I admit I have no idea who this person is, but since Jenny laughingly sent it to me, I assumed it was related to me.

What can I say, Jenny isn’t always on target with her humor.

“It’s not you. But I immediately thought of you. Which made it funny.

Or not, I guess.” – Jenny

Anyway, I go on about my business, and she catches up with me later – or tried, because as I noted I woke up early to see if we were at war. I also crashed early last night because we went shoe shopping for an 8 year old. (My poor wife. After 10 minutes she was dealing with two whiners.

Man. Shoe shopping for others is the WORST. Why didn’t you guys tell me?)

Meanwhile, this blogger dedicates a whole blog site to what Jenny thinks is attacks on ME.

I reblogged a few of them earlier.

Can you believe that? And they aren’t even well-written. Come on!

Now, I’ve heard that you aren’t supposed to give stalkers attention because they just go bananas with it. Like, if they can’t get positive attention from you, they will act up until they get negative attention from you.

But

“That picture I posted WAS ACTUALLY ABOUT DAN.” – Jenny, a few hours later

It’s safe to say we still don’t know, but

I’m not much for sitting back and taking shit.

In fact, I once fought off 40,000 tweets from Blackfish after posting a picture of my then 2-year old daughter at Sea World smiling at a dolphin.

I got into it with a hugely popular (but bullsh!t) writing contest that I exposed for the garbage that it was, and believe me, THOSE people weren’t backing down. (Until the head of the organization contacted me and then they backed the fuck down quick. Then they all went away, like snap! Gone.)

So can I deal with an unread, puny blogger with too much time on his/her hands? I think so. Today will be the most views that blog gets in its entire short, sordid history, and then it’ll fade away into the nothingness from which it came.

I love Bible thumpers who give Bible thumpers a bad name, don’t you?

As my good friend and Reverend Greg might say, turn the other cheek. (Yeah, one of my high school friends is a reverend, with a massive, totally impressive following.)

So as this humble blog gets ready to beat last year’s 60,000 views, let’s recap just what a piece of crap I am

I mentor other writers. There’s actually a waiting list if you want to join my private critique group or have me edit your book. Many bestselling authors will not publish their book without me looking at it first.

This blog got over 60,000 view in 1027 alone. Let’s just think about that for a while. Sixty thousand… 60k… A six followed by one two three four zeroes. (That’s a lot of people who aren’t complaining about me, isn’t it? So, ComplainerBlogger, are all of them wrong, or maybe just you? Hmm.)

I work with school kids (grades 3-8) after school all year to help them gain a better understanding about writing. 18 grade school children will become published authors in a few weeks because of their love of writing. The teacher of one of my Young Authors told my wife that my involvement has really turned a few kids around to reading and writing when they were uninterested before. I helped that happen! What a monster I am.

I regularly let unknown writers and bloggers do a guest post on this blog – because I’m a real @sshole

I let new authors advertise on this blog to get word out about their book.

I hold writing contests because a friend and valued critique partner (who is too humble to remember it was her) said it’d be fun – and it was/is. We are finishing up our latest VERY SUCCESSFUL one right now – which makes me think the unhappy party in question might have something to do with that, but more on that later.

So far, EACH 1st PLACE WINNER of my Word Weaver Writing Contest has gone on to publish their work, and so have a few others who got 2nd place or other recognition. That’s kind of a big deal. They found enough inspiration here to gain the confidence to move ahead and roll the dice on their writing, and so far they are batting .1000. Some GREAT authors have come to the world via these contests. How cool is that?

I got a group of bestselling author friends together with some unknown and unpublished authors, and we put out a scary anthology last October that hit #1 in its category within 30 days of its release. That project helped a lot of people get published who might never have been otherwise.

I keep cranking out books, three this year so far, including illustrated children’s books and a helpful writing guide (above, which I will send you for free if you contact me and ask for it and promise to leave a review on Amazon – free book? YOU MONSTER!!) Oh and my novels – the next novel is my best ever, and will totally blow your socks off. Check out the cover, right.

I regularly talk about, reblog and promote my author friends. If you follow this blog at all, you’ve seen Lucy and Anne Marie mentioned in the last 10 days, and a lot of others mentioned in the last 30 days. That’s what I do, help others.

In fact, I help other so much I was recently asked to do a presentation with my books at Barnes & Noble to the Tampa Writers Association.

and

I was asked to become a member of the Board of directors of the Florida Writer’s Association.

All because I’m such a piece of sh!t.

So when Jenny sends me this message, I’m thinking I pissed somebody off and they are complaining on my blog

Well, first of all, I’ll let you complain about me on my blog. Most of you are nice enough not to do it, but when you have a legitimate gripe, I wanna know. For future reference, I prefer if you use the Contact Me button to air your grievances. It goes straight to my email, which I check a zillion times a day, and I take stuff on my blog seriously. The comments, those get posted at WordPress’ pace. The email is faster.

But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna lay down and eat shit, either, motherf^cker.

You have a complaint? I’m a willing listener.

You wanna go off for no legit reason about how your writing was good enough to win my writing contest after you admitted you didn’t really clean it up much and even you said it had some issues?

That’s on you.

See, in the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve had a few spammers and only 1 real complainer.

60,000 views last year, and one complainer.

ONE

This douche canoe thought his (I assume a he; with internet you really never know) but he wrote a good story for one of my contests. In the November 2017 contest, I got a decent story, but it had major issues. Plot holes, and a leap of logic that didn’t make sense to me. That happens. Some people think they have to cut their masterpiece down to 3k to get into the contest, and that’s what this guy did – leaving out stuff, but even by his own admission, it had issues.

So, I did what I do. I said it was good, I said it had issues, I told him what they were, and I offered suggestions to fix the story.

You did that? What a jerk!

Now, for those of you who’ve been through my critique process, these contests – and my many critique partners from around the globe – would have ceased working with me years ago if what I said in my critiques wasn’t supportive and helpful. Because it IS.

Oh, but if you are just looking for someone to tell you how great you are, that’s a little different.

You might great.

If the writing you sent isn’t great, I’ll tell you what I think you need to do to get it to be great.

If it’s great, I say so.

Those are some great books, and I’m happy to work with and promote each of those authors’ stories.

If you wrote garbage or stuff that – by your own admission – has major issues, I’m not telling you it’s brilliant if it’s not.

I’ll tell you how to fix your story, but if your reply is:

“It’s brilliant not for what it actually is on the page but what should have been and therefore…”

– huh?

Write the brilliance, baby. That’s the job.

– Dan Alatorre, who loves quoting himself on his blog

Okay, so later in the night, Jenny and another author friend decide maybe the blogger in question is actually nutso. Wouldn’t be the first time a writer went over the edge, but it’s probably best if their wrath for the world isn’t aimed at me, especially when they are giving implied death threats.

I still don’t know if this stuff is aimed at me, because it’s the refuge of a coward to throw stones anonymously. Notice I use my real name on everything? Not a coward.

Anyway, this nonsense got 30 minutes more of my time than it should have, so I’m gonna go turn on the news and sit on the couch and get ready for a fun day of two different birthday parties filled with 8 year olds that my kid has to go to. (I’m looking forward to both. Really. One is at a karate place. I wanna see about breaking a board with my bare hands like they do on the internet, and this may be my chance.)

If you are writing blog posts about me, or dedicating your ENTIRE blog to me – good or bad, THANK YOU. (But seriously – rethink your life goals.)

If you wanna report abusive content, here’s how you do that

https://en.support.wordpress.com/report-blogs/

If you wanna check out the borderline insane stuff this bozo is doing, click on over

Because:

Death threats, wishing a person gets killed in traffic, implied or otherwise – they aren’t funny. I don’t take it seriously, but I have a daughter who reads stuff, and scaring kids is bullshit, Bible guy. Even your thick skull can get that message through. Be better than that.

We live in a world where people go bananas all the time. The FBI might come knocking on your door based on what other people think your hate filled messages say about you being the next psycho killer. Don’t be that guy. And for Pete’s sake, don’t hide behind comments on Jenny’s blog when nobody’s reading yours. That’s sad and pathetic. Talk reasonably to the source of your ill will, discuss rationally, and part friends or part ways amicably. Maybe I read a different Bible than you did in my 12 years of Catholic schools, but let’s do a little Golden Rule here. If you were the guy who entered my contest and was disappointed, remember:

I showed one of the judges the insane emails you wrote to me and even she said I should kick you out of the contest because you were a psycho. Now Jenny thinks so, too, and blocked you from her blog like I had to, and from my email after you wouldn’t stop with the nonsense. And now others will think you’re a psycho. IS IT ALL OF US, OR MAYBE IS IT YOU?

Don’t be a guy who posts insane rants on the internet.

Or at least be funny when you do.

YAWN

I’m still not sure ANY of this was about me, but I trust Jenny.

SHE says it was posted on her blog after a comment I made, and she concluded the comments were about me.

That’s good enough.

She subsequently felt the need to ask the person to stop commenting on her blog and probably blocked them.

All I know is, it’s time to make my beautiful daughter waffles (she no longer insists on eating the chocolate chip kind, thank god), hit Target for some presents, and then head to the birthday parties.’

If there are no posts for a while, it’s because the karate board breaking didn’t go well and I broke my hand.

Here’s What A Piece Of Crap I Am, Definitely Deserving Of Possible Implied Death Threats From A Soon To Be Former Blogger I woke up early because last night it seemed my country might be going to war, and even though I am not in the military, one should never take these things lightly.

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zillowcondo · 6 years

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My Discoveries in the Devon Countryside

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.” – Jane Austen’s Fanny in Mansfield Park (1814)

Before I ventured on my way to England, first to London and then on to the Devon countryside, at the end of last month, I came across Jane Austen’s quote above. Unbeknownst to me, my trip would unfold very much as though Austen’s quote was a prescription of what was to come.

I cannot recall when I first dreamt of visiting the English countryside. And while I have since my studying abroad in Angers, France, been a Francophile, the Anglophile in me has been steady, reserved, but always ever-present if only in the background.

The moment the Great Western Railroad train emerged from London and into the green rolling hills of southwest England I saw what I doubted to be real until I saw it with my own eyes: peaceful grandeur void of harsh landscapes and offering simple vignettes of a quieter life.

And then after acquiring my rental car, it was driving for the first time on my own in a foreign country as I shared more about in episode #185, that I saw even more intimately the farms, quaint towns of two or three thousand and stone lined roads and fields.

What I discovered about the countryside and about myself surpassed expectation and gave (and still is giving) me great pause.

1. Make the journey comfortable: Choose first class rail tickets in advance

For the two hour journey from London to Exeter, I chose a month in advance first class tickets. At less than £50 each way, I enjoyed free lunch, snacks, tea and a very quiet car with ample room, a table to work upon and comfortable, large seating. While I know choosing this option wouldn’t be a regular choice if traveling frequently, for a long excursion, it was a lovely choice that I highly recommend.

2. Give yourself as many tools to be successful as possible in unknown situations

First, while I grew up driving a stick-shift and quite frankly, miss it in my current car, I chose an automatic when given the choice since I was already going to be driving on the other side of the vehicle and the road. As well, the car with the automatic transmission had a navigation system installed. Two choices I am very glad I made to reduce unnecessary stress.

3. Let go of time

I was constantly pinching myself. My eyes as well as all of my senses were dancing from one beautiful observation to the next. Nothing seemed too insignificant. The stone graduating wall outside my cottage truly delighted me (seen below).

4. Be a traveler rather than a tourist

While I did visit the Victoria & Albert Museum while in London, my primary objective was to enjoy the everydays in England. And so I did. Upon arriving at my cottage, I inquired with the owner as to where to pick groceries for the evening which she happily shared. She also gave me information about a couple of weekly markets to visit while I was staying in the area as well as a few other boutiques and shops. I took note.

Each morning I would awake, enjoy my breakfast, take a walk either outside my cottage along the stone lined shore (as seen below – my cottage was just up on the left of the farm you see in the picture) or head to a nearby beach at Woolacombe (also seen below in the second picture) to stretch my legs. Then it was an opportunity to explore the nearby towns or visit the markets and pick up local produce for dinner or work on a project or read or nap or do whatever inspired me. Then dinner in my cottage, snuggling in listening to the “mizzle” smatter against the windows, followed by a long, luxurious soak in the soaking tub (be sure to check out the post on Friday to view this most magnificent detail of the cottage).

~Woolacombe beach on a windy, misty November day (it was truly lovely)~

5. Give yourself time to soak everything in

Without a rigid schedule, I gave myself time to appreciate all the newness as well as history around me. While I would have loved far more time, I used the time I had to appreciate as much as I could, to make sense of what captured my eye and take note in my journal.

Of course, much tea was consumed, and the cottage was well stocked with a variety of options along with teaspoons, trays, teapots and many different sizes of teacups.

6. Listen to your inner yearnings

I was drawn to Devon to be near the ocean, to the specific cottage I chose to be able to see the ocean when I woke up, to walk along it each day. There is a calming nature for my mind when I stroll along the sand or along and have sight of it while I mosey along the edge of a cliff – my mind is present, yesterday and tomorrow are put aside and I am just there, full of more gratitude and dismissing all realities of time. Ideas dance, dreams feel more tangible and the power of Mother Nature evokes great reverence for all that has occurred thus far as my perspective grows.

7. Choose a place you would want to call home

I was recently reading Mathilde Thomas’s book about French beauty and she shared something that I found refreshing and relatable. She commented how, based on her experience, unlike Americans, French families escape to a holiday cottage or getaway and refrain from making any plans. Rather they luxuriate about the house, relax, enjoy, shop at the local market and enjoy a casual, but jovial meal each evening.

As I will share in more detail on Friday (here is the link if you’re visiting on December 15th or later), upon discovering the cottage I ended up staying in, I planned my getaway around its availablity as it was the house I wanted to spend my holiday in relaxing, unwinding and soaking in the large tub.

8. Seek out details or items to bring home with you that speak to your experience

The only two “souvenirs” I brought home with me were not items that I sought out, but ones I came across while exploring one of the markets I visited and one of the nearby towns city center: a £2 mini butter-yellow teapot and a £3 tea cup and saucer (seen below).

~left: my kitchen counter in my cottage and local treats from the owner which greeted me when I arrived (the apple juice was sublime); right: the view of the Bristol Channel from my cottage back porch~

9. Visit the local markets

As I mentioned in #4, visiting the markets for local produce was something I sought out, and upon doing so had lovely conversations with locals (one inquired if I was from New York which made me smile and yet another taught me how to pronounce Barnstaple correctly – his patience was greatly appreciated).

~Barnstaple’s daily market~

10. Converse with the locals

As mentioned in #9, ask questions, show interest and be open to learning.

11. Listen to what speaks to you; follow the inspiration’s direction

Visiting the English countryside has always been an interest of mine. As to why, I cannot pinpoint a precise reason except to say, it spoke to me. As an English major in college who chose to focus heavily on British literature and in my minor courses, British history, my fascination only deepened. And while I, like most English speakers, most likely travel to England and the United Kingdom partially because we can speak the language for the most part, being able to converse without having to construct a sentence thus limiting my ability to absorb the moment and converse deeply was a significant bonus that I didn’t fully appreciate the last time I visited London.

From running into spaniel pup after spaniel pup on nearly every walk I found myself, discovering the country’s love for dogs to be akin to my own, delighting in the observance of Parliament’s discussion on the budget presented by the treasurer alongside the Prime Minister, and having a good cup of tea wherever I found myself, I began to realize my Anglophile nature is far stronger than I give it due.

12. Slow down and pack your wellies

As someone who grew up in the country able to wander about on 20 acres of wide open spaces and Mother Nature nearly everywhere I gazed, being back on a farm (that was far larger than what I knew), pulling on my boots to go about my business outside and simply wandering about in the fields felt like home. Having the chance to take a walk with the owner through the pastures with her dogs, I felt a kinship I have not felt in some time with the daily routine of stepping outside, no leashes required and land aplenty.

In all sincerity, thank you to my British readers who reached out while I was traveling in the country, said hello and shared with me where they from with regards to Devon. Your warmth and invitations made me feel most welcome. I am in all seriousness taking a long look at England as a future destination to live for a long-term basis once I attain a visa and would be open to receiving any and all advice and recommendations you have about . . . well, anything.

Now some TSLL readers may be saying, what about France? And I will quickly assuage your fears, France will always have a special place in my heart. In fact, simply knowing I was so close to the Gallic land made me even more eager to hop the channel, but I will save that for this summer (more details on that trip to be shared in the coming months). And I couldn’t imagine a more lovely combination than living in England and having France so near to visit when able, more frequently than not, could you?

Until life’s journey reveals more of her answers, I will trust in Jane Austen’s words from Persuasion, “Time will explain.” Of that, if the past is any indication, it most certainly will, so long as we each stay attentive, observant and reveling in the journey as we travel along.

Be sure to stop by the blog on Friday for a detailed post on the cottage I stayed in, how to rent it or one similar to it throughout the English countryside. As well, the big reveal of the new addition to the simply luxurious life destination will be shared on Friday, much of which was inspired by my stay in Devon.

~View more posts from the Archives of Shannon’s Journey here.

My Discoveries in the Devon Countryside published first on http://ift.tt/2pewpEF

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joronomo · 7 years

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The Daily Show Hosts Pop Up Art Exhibit to Honor the Commander in Tweet – Viacom Corporate

New Post has been published on https://joronomo.com/the-daily-show-hosts-pop-up-art-exhibit-to-honor-the-commander-in-tweet-viacom-corporate/

The Daily Show Hosts Pop Up Art Exhibit to Honor the Commander in Tweet – Viacom Corporate

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June 22, 2017 @ 3:30 PM

Lines stretched for blocks in Midtown Manhattan near Trump Tower last weekend, but not for a protest. Instead, tourists and locals converged just down the road to see The Daily Show’s homage to the self-proclaimed “Ernest Hemingway of a hundred and forty characters,” the man known as @RealDonaldTrump.

.@realDonaldTrump we’re neighbors! Come visit! It’s free! #DailyShowLibrary pic.twitter.com/BIrcvplnYX

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 16, 2017

The Daily Show Presents: The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library was a pop-up showcase with free admission.

“Say what you want about Donald Trump,” Noah told reporters as the exhibit opened. “He may not be good at presidenting, or leading, or geo-politics. But he is a damn fine tweet-er.”

The Daily Show wanted to pay credence to Trump’s prolific tweets, showcasing them the way they deserve to be seen—not briefly, but canonized in a regal museum. The show alluded to this plan in March, after airing Third Month Mania—a special episode where The Daily Show correspondents mined through thousands of user-submitted Trump tweets to find the greatest of them all.

Noah somberly explained the show’s objective in setting up such a comprehensive tour of internet mayhem.

“It’s about giving context to the tweets,” said Noah, “Not absorbing them one byte at a time but rather looking at them as a body of work, some of the greatest ideas, some of the greatest words that have ever been shared in 140 characters or less.”

Visitors entered the museum and were promptly greeted by a model pair of tiny, orange hands clutching a smartphone.

Welcome to Trump’s magnum opus. (Photo courtesy of Comedy Central)

Visitors could receive a nickname courtesy of the Trump nickname generator (I’m known as Dweebo Lisa) and were free to explore the many facets of this interactive museum. A #MAGAnetic wall contained a handful of Trump’s most frequently used words, where visitors could create their own caustic tweets.

The “MAGAnetic” wall at The Daily Show’s Trump Presidential Twitter Library. (Photo courtesy of Comedy Central)

Then there was the presidential throne—a golden toilet in a section decorated as the Oval Office, where visitors could tweet out into the world.

(Photo courtesy of Drew Angerer for Getty Images)

And every few minutes, an alarm would sound—“Bing, bing…bing bing,” announcing Trump’s latest digital missive (His real-time tweets were displayed via live feed on one of the museum’s screens.)

.@realDonaldTrump please keep tweeting today. #DailyShowLibrary visitors will hear this every time you do. pic.twitter.com/XNTpXwzicF

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 16, 2017

On the walls, tweets were cataloged and arranged by category, including “Deleted but not Forgotten” and “Verified Survivors,” which honored the brave victims of Trump’s most vicious tweet-storms.

Kevin Hagan, a 29-year-old man from Amityville, New York said he decided to check out the exhibit after reading about it (fittingly) on Twitter. He brought his 15-year-old brother along, and while they found the pop-up’s interactive aspects amusing—both took turns tweeting from the golden toilet—Hagan thought the most cogent part was a slideshow called “Trump v Trump,” which showcased the president’s most discordant target—himself.

“The electoral college is a disaster for democracy,” Trump tweeted on November 6, 2012. Almost four years later, after winning the election, he had a different opinion: “The electoral college is actually genius in that it brings all states, including smaller ones, into play.”

Take a 3D virtual tour of the Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library: t.co/36RjBevFwk #DailyShowLibrary pic.twitter.com/S8pfTPOCJg

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 20, 2017

“It’s hard to look back that far in time and remember what people say [on social media],” said Hagan. “Trump says things now that completely contradict what he said before he ran for office. We wouldn’t really know this if it wasn’t in front of us. I’ve seen these quotes side by side in memes, but this display is more powerful, because it physically exists.”

And some of Trump’s greatest quips were lionized and analyzed as “Master Works of the Collection” with a wall of their own (and even fancier gold frames) to allow the public to fully absorb the Trump’s mastery of the 140-character post.

Let’s examine his infamous Cinco de Mayo taco bowl tweet.

Trump’s taco tweet is here to stay. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

The analysis of this “mixed media” work of art, provided by The Daily Show writers, is as follows:

“A decidedly American Artist, Trump rarely draws from other creative traditions. Yet here we see him showcasing pride in a Mesoamerican heritage that, for the artist’s instant and effortless mastery of the form, may as well be his own. At the same time, the taco bowl’s oblique symbolism embodies Trump’s trademark patriotism: His is a crisp, crunchy nation, deep-friend and welcoming to all fixin’s that yearn to dwell therein, providing they rise to his own Towering standards. Guac is extra.”

As The Daily Show correspondents Hasan Minhaj and Jordan Klepper assessed in an appearance at the library, Trump certainly sweated over both the tweet and the taco.

Watch the video:

Breaking down the #DailyShowLibrary‘s Taco Bowl exhibit with our tour guides @jordanklepper and @hasanminhaj pic.twitter.com/jl7IYJXbYx

— Maeve McDermott (@maeve_mcdermott) June 15, 2017

Nicholas Lord, a 23-year-old from Perth, Australia, agreed with The Daily Show’s decision to accentuate this tweet out of 35,000 (and counting). “Moving to the States during the Obama administration, I believed in everything this country stood for,” said Lord (who is a friend and attended the exhibit with me). “At the time, people I met here would ask me why I left Australia,’” said Lord. “As if it was a terrible decision.

“Now, in 2017, as a gay man and foreign citizen living here with that man in office, I sometimes question my decision to move here, as well. But seeing political art like this reaffirms what I love about this country. The U.S. is open-minded and doesn’t accept bigotry. Knowing such a massive corporation is behind this [instillation] makes me feel safe. The media isn’t going to let Trump get away with his hateful rhetoric, and this exhibition is actual proof of that.”

Sunday, June 19 was the last day of the exhibit—as well as Father’s Day. The museum took note, making a special plaque for this tweet:

From The Holiday Cheer Collection. The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library. #DailyShowLibrary pic.twitter.com/6YQoA6NEHx

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 18, 2017

And while Trump disparages the “fake news media,” journalists from Time, Rolling Stone, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and more lauded The Daily Show’s enormous effort.

“The end result is a fascinating trip through the annals of his convoluted conscience,” wrote Jake Nevins for The Guardian, “A satire that’s equal parts jarring and funny, absurd and ‘Sad!’”

Due to an unexpectedly high turnout, the instillation extended hours on Saturday, June 17 and opened early on June 18. It was a valiant effort on The Daily Show’s part to give everyone the opportunity to witness the spectacle—no sore losers. Even if you couldn’t attend in person, the classiest pop-up in history is immortalized online with a virtual tour. You don’t even have to leave your home…amazing.

Due to popular demand, the #DailyShowLibrary will remain open tonight until 10pm. Sunday hours: 10am-7pm. pic.twitter.com/vBmTEDVWTu

— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) June 17, 2017

Comedy Central’s late-night, political satire set is also here to stay, riding a wave of terrific reviews, great content, and the best ratings.

Jordan Klepper is slated for a new late-night talk show this fall, which will air after The Daily Show at 11:30 p.m. Details of the show (including its name) are yet to be released, but it’s likely Klepper will explore topics such as gun control, which he has honed in on in past Daily Show segments and his recent Jordan Klepper Solves Guns special.

Australian comic Jim Jeffries hosts The Jim Jeffries Show, which premiered earlier this month. So far, critics have responded well to Jeffries’ international take on U.S. politics and trademark candor.

And for those of us who can’t pull ourselves away from gawking at all that is amazing about Trump’s presidency, there’s The President Show—Comedy Central’s critically-acclaimed late-night show starring Trump impersonator Anthony Atamanuik.

Fake news has never been more real.

Watch The Daily Show on Comedy Central, weeknights at 11 p.m., and take the virtual Trump Presidential Twitter Library Tour.

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bernardschweizer1 · 7 years

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Chinese Company Retreat

You can usually tell a Chinese tourist destination’s degree of development and sophistication by just reading the English translations on its sign boards posted along the sight-seeing paths. The closer to Standard English the translations on these notices are, the more highly developed the site is. Or put another way: the more random the English translations are on these public announcements, the more second- or third-rate the site is. Why is that so? Either the place doesn’t have the resources to put proper English on its signage, or so few international tourists go there that their laughter at seeing garbled English messages never reaches a critical threshold that would compell a change.

Judged by the level of English public service announcements, Moganshan Mountain resort in Zhejiang Province leaves some things to be desired.

“Carefully slip. Pummeling” or “Meet in front of care” are not instructions that English-speakers can easily follow. From this we can deduce a somewhat diminished status of this place. It was not always thus. Not too long ago, Moganshan was a swanky hill station that Shanghai’s moneyed classes sought out in droves, an equivalent of India’s fabled resort town of Simla.

Moganshan is located at the end of long and winding road that ascends gradually to about 700 meters from the flats of the Yangtze River Delta. Here, portly Western mansions and posh villas had been built, mostly by foreigners, with gains from trade, drugs, and financial investments in not-so-distant Shanghai. However, the invention of air conditioning has put a serious crimp into the attractiveness of this hill station. Fewer people nowadays travel hours outside of Shanghai during the summer months just for the chance to catch a cool breeze; instead, they are more likely to reach for the AC remote control in their well-appointed downtown apartments. The problem with Moganshan is that besides the slightly cooler air in summer, it does not have that much else to offer. The scenery there is a far cry from the picturesque sites like Huangshan, only an hour or two further up the road.

Basically, one just sees gently undulating hills, if the view is not totally obstructed by tall bamboo, which grows riotously on these mountains. In fact, bamboo is being actively harvested on the mountains here, and if you see bamboo scaffolding on a building in Shanghai, the bamboo likely comes from here.

Although tourist busses still arrive on good days in summer, and although the place is rated as AAAA by China’s tourism board (no place I’ve ever been to was rated less than four-A), a whiff of decline hangs around the town. Something is slowly crumbling in this place, and it’s not just the stairs that lead from the town’s main square to the lodge where we stayed, making for treacherous footing. The place’s online footprint is somewhat sub-par, too: I searched back and forth for a hiking map or trail guide online, but apart from a few scattered blog entries by individuals, there was nothing “official” available.

But the lack of spectacular sights has its benefits: there are no crowds bustling you on every square inch, no selfie-sticks that you have to duck constantly, no echo enabled loudspeakers blaring from tour guides left and right, and no shuttle busses into which you are herded like cattle. It is a quiet, quaint, down-at-heels sort of faded-glory resort town that is trying to charm the few tourists coming its way, especially during off-season, with personal attention and genuine hospitality, both of which are available in spades.

And anyway, we had come to Moganshan not so much to enjoy the scenery, but to conduct a retreat of a multinational pharmaceutical start-up company that I’m connected to through Liang. For that purpose, the sleepy town was very suitable. We were quartered in a charmingly, if somewhat do-it-yourself, upgraded lodge that made genuine efforts to cater to urban audiences. Some of the Spartan bedrooms were equipped with handsome wrought-iron bed frames, there was nice local artwork on the walls, and the tiny bathrooms were westernized with sitting toilets and rainfall shower heads. The house was about 1 degree above freezing when we arrived, but as soon as we crossed the threshold, the blowers in the cold bedrooms were cranked up and a blazing fire was started in a wood burning stove in the lobby. The Chinese are very reasonable about preserving their resources that way. If entering a cold lodge that warms up only after one’s arrival means heightened sustainability, then count me in.

Soon, it was time for lunch, which the whole group was more than ready for. Elevation and crisp temperatures always make for a keen appetite. We enjoyed chicken soup from locally grown fowl, thick with oil naturally extracted from the succulent meat. There was a mysterious lamb-like meat on small bones that turned out to be wild boar hunted on these hills, slowly cooked in a dark, plummy broth. There were several dishes built on the staple that puts its stamp on the whole area—bamboo: Bamboo with chicken, bamboo with pork, bamboo with wood-ear fungus, bamboo with bean curd, and even the beer was said to be made with bamboo. How that can be is beyond my imagination, but the folks reassured me that somehow bamboo had been worked into the beer.

Among the 14 people participating at the retreat, I was the only Westerner, which meant that this was a great Chinese immersion experience for me. I occasionally followed what was going on during the conversations, and I got in a word or two as well, thus confirming my slow upward trajectory in learning Chinese.

A company retreat like this, complete with alignment exercises, brainstorming discussions, break-out sessions, and strategy roundtables would not be complete without a dinner that involves unlimited quantities of liquor. We started things at the lodge over cheese, preserved meats, and dried fruit, accompanied by bottles of fragrant, light-bodied German Riesling, which two members of the company had personally brought with them from Germany.

Then it was time for dinner in a nearby restaurant. The local, bamboo-infused beer appeared again on the table, but the protagonist among the alcoholic beverages was “bái jiǔ” or grain liquor.

This heady distillate strikes the Western palate as strangely flavored. There are notes of sour hard-candy, pungent lily scents, and cabbage aromas, to name just some of the cascading layers of tastes. But this stuff is potent, and I limited myself to the tiny thimble glasses that can only be found in China.

One of the reasons for this is the Chinese drinking tradition of “gambei,” which means “bottoms up,” and the folks here usually hold you to the literal meaning of it. The command “gambei!” is heard every few minutes at an authentic Chinese banquet, and after draining your glass, you are then expected to demonstrate that you have touched bottom by holding the glass upside down for all to see. That’s when the small size of the glasses can be a life-saver.

Some of the more serious drinkers at the table soon switched their thimbles for water glasses, and this is when I got a bit concerned, especially after I saw them draining said glasses at regular intervals. I am not a bad drinker, but my capacity was dwarfed by the amount of grain liquor these men (I did not see women drink quite as much) could guzzle without loosing their cool. It helped that there were 20 dishes accompanying the drink, absorbing some of the alcohol. So, everybody ate their fill and, to various degrees, drank their fill.

The conversation never flagged, just as I remarked on my previous post about a dinner hosted by the same company in Shanghai. And again I had a chance to notice that the Chinese love to laugh. It is a hearty, good natured, reverberating laugh that shakes the walls. The jokes must have been good because the results were tremendous, although I often could not follow the gist of the conversation in Chinese. All this alcohol had loosened tongues to the point where speech became rapid and speaking turns overlapped. Sometimes, it seemed as if the group was building a collective joke, involving all in the gradual architecture of the jest. For instance, somebody started the idea that one of the women present was going to give a speech that would make another person tear up, and in anticipation of this, the announcer started to hand out paper tissues to the butt of the joke, as well as to other select participants. The other diners cheered this on, thus building the anticipation, and when the woman gave her speech—which seemed to produce exactly the anticipated result—the laughter rose in a chorus that made me anxiously eye the windows which separated us from the frigid mountain air, looking for cracks.

Anyway, proceedings came to an end about 2 hours after dinner had started, at which point we walked back to the lodge. There, at a communal table in the kitchen, waited two bottles of Dewar’s Scotch Whiskey and three bottles of full-bodied reds.

I was glad I had paced myself with the rice wine at dinner, so I still had some capacity to enjoy a spectacular Bordeaux (Pauillac 2009), which we finished easily with some cheese and crackers. The hard-drinkers of the company were keeping pace with me, making me wonder once again, how they could tolerate this much drink. Heavy drinking is part of how business is conducted in China: you drink with your business associates or company employees to the breaking point, almost a bit like at a frat party, except that people usually don’t pass out here. By doing so, you demonstrate your ability to hold your liquor, which confers social capital. You also signal that you are relating to others on a basic, primordial level of conviviality, outside of conventional politeness rules. It is certainly a bonding experience, but not one that I can emulate. To be drunk on Chinese grain liquor is not a feeling I cherish, and I cannot fathom what makes it so appealing to others. To my surprise, the following morning, I saw no visible signs of a hangover. Everybody showed up bright and collected, no shades under the eyes, no headaches… Beats me.

Anyway, the retreat had definitely fulfilled its purpose of improving inner-company communications and building “esprit de corps.” That this took place in a declining, sleepy, off-season resort town only added to the success of the event. After all, the real business at hand—to unite all members of the company behind the firm’s short term and long-term goals—was the central objective of the event, not to be dwarfed by spectacular scenic “distractions” outside the window. It was a bit like a New York company holding a retreat in Mount Pocono—an OK place but nothing outstanding, and with a whiff of bygone grandeur hanging around it. However, the place also held an apt symbolic implication: indeed, Moganshan represented just the antithesis of what this fledgling, start-up company wants to be. The company, of course, doesn’t aim to be a Moganshan (or a Mount Pocono) but a Huangshan (or a Whistler). In other words, it doesn’t want to be a dated, nostalgic entity resting on its laurels but a forward-looking, dynamic trend-setter with charisma. So, when the company left Moganshan, it left it in more senses than one. It had become an anti-Moganshan outfit, an enterprise whose future is bright, open, and exciting—and whose English communications are quite flawless.

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