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Curious Geckos
San Diego, A Beautiful City!
03/15/15 / Curiuosgeckos /	Leave a comment / America, California
In the far south-west of California not far from the border with Mexico lies the amazing city of San Diego. This was one of our favourite cities – good weather, relaxed and friendly atmosphere, lots of things to do, great transport system. We stayed for a few days in San Diego about 4 miles south from the city centre, however because of the excellent trolley system we just got our day passes and then used it to get around with no problems whatsoever. We visited the Old Town area which is considered the birthplace of California as it was the site where the first Spanish settlement was set up.
The Old Town State Historic Park contains historic buildings, museums, exhibits, restaurants and shops. Some of the things to see were the Seeley Stable Museum which was the Yuma/San Diego stagecoach stop in the 1850's and now houses a collection of vintage carriages and transportation memorabillia, Whalley House which is a very famous haunted house in the US, the Wells Fargo Museum, and the Church of the Immaculate Conception. We were in October and things were really beginning to gear up for 'Dia de los Muertos' (Day of the Dead festival) where family and loved ones gather to celebrate, remember, and pray not only to but with their dead relatives and friends who are said to return to the earth at this time to celebrate this festival with them.
This festival is a Mexican holiday and is observed not only in Mexico but also in other countries where there are large Mexican communities and as San Diego is so close to the border of Mexico (23 miles) you can appreciate why it is celebrated here. Throughout the Old Town we seen elaborately and beautifully dressed skeletons, and the famous painted skulls were everywhere you looked.
San Diego also houses a large Naval Base and is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet housing more than 50 ships and 20000 naval personnel. We decided to visit the USS Midway Museum which is an aircraft carrier museum with audio tour and great photo opportunities. In 1945 it was commissioned as the largest ship in the world for a decade and was the first ship to be too large for the Panama Canal. This magnificent ship was used extensively by the US Navy until it was decommissioned in 1992. It was opened as a Museum in 2004 and in 2012 became the first Navy ship museum to host 1 million visitors annually.
We did a self-guided audio tour which takes you up and down the decks on the ship – they have an Adventure Audio Tour and a Family Audio Tour. You can listen to parts of both as you simply type the numbers you see dotted around into your handset and it will give you information on that particular place/area where you are standing. Look out for the Volunteers that are dotted around as the majority of them are former navy and airforce personnel and quite a few spent some time on the Midway when it was in use. These volunteers are happy to answer questions you may have and some of them also do presentations.
We listened to a docent explaining about launching and landing on the flight deck which was really interesting and because you are standing on the flight deck at the time you appreciate the size of the deck, the planes and what little margin of error they had to get it right!!! They also run free guided tours of the Bridge and Control Tower but you may have to queue as they can only also so many people up at a time but it is worth the small wait as the volunteers are good fun and very informative. We spent over 3 hours on the USS Midway and you could easily spend a lot longer on it – kids will love this as its very interactive informative as you can climb onto bunks, climb in and out of some of the aeroplanes and helicopters, learn to tie the various knots, learn morse code, decipher message flags are just a few things to enjoy.
After leaving the USS Midway we wandered down to the Kiss statue – which we thought was amazing. The statue is really called 'Unconditional Surrender' and was sculpted by J Seward Johnson Jr. Many people say he was inspired by the historic black and white photograph that was captured on V-J Day in August 1945 by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, however this picture is subject to copyright and it is believed that Johnson actually based his sculpture on a similar lesser known picture by Victor Jorgensen taken the same day. iInitially a statue was installed in San Diego in 2007 and was intended to be a temporary display and remained there until 2012. However the community decided to commission a permanent bronze version and the USS Midway Museum raised around $1,000,000 to pay for the statute in a fundraising effort called 'Save The Kiss' and the new statue was installed in 2013.
We then wandered down the shoreline to Seaport Village which is a nice little waterfront shopping and dining complex in San Diego with entertainment and live music. It had a nice friendly vibe to it and is a beautiful place to sit and watch the sun set.
From Seaport Village we then walked along to the Famous Gaslamp Quarter which is filled with bars, restaurants, shops and is full of life (especially at night). We found some great places to sit and have a few beers whilst 'people-watching' . If you have a sense of humour, dont take offense easily, and want a bit of a laugh then pay a visit to the bar/restaurant called 'Dicks Last Resort' . Be warned though – the staff are paid to be as rude and as cheeky as possible!!!! It took about 15 minutes to work this out but enjoyed it so much we stayed there for about 5 hours eating and drinking and enjoying the atmosphere!!
Would we visit San Diego ago……absolutely in a heartbeat!!! Great clean city on the coast with lots of things for people of all ages to do, lovely weather, the Trolley System is very slick, smooth, and efficient and enables you get about easily.
Big Sur down to Hearst Castle
After Carmel we took the Coastal Drive down through Big Sur. This area is still relatively underdeveloped and this can make the scenery quite dramatic in places. Try to picture the big waves roaring in from the Pacific Ocean breaking on one side whilst driving on a winding road that weaves around the cliff edges of the Santa Lucia mountains on the other side – awesome!!! there are also quite a few turnout points where you can stop and take pictures. We stopped off at quite a few points as did many of the other tourists – so be careful as these little turnout points can get busy with vehicles driving in and out trying to negotiate past lots of people posing for photos.
Just before reaching San Simeon and the famous Hearst Castle we stopped off at the southern end of Big Sur at Piedras Blancas. This spot is well known for being home to a large colony of Elephant Seals. You can park up and walk to the Vista Points and get some really good views of the seals all relaxing on the beach soaking up some rays and flipping sand on themselves. The Elephant Seals use this rookery throughout the year for breeding, birthing, moulting and resting.
Arriving in San Simeon we headed up to Hearst Castle – which everyone said was a 'must see' on our trip down the coast. Hearst Castle was built by newspaper magnet William Randolph Hearst who when commissioning the architect for the project famously said "I would like to build a little something". The castle sits on what Hearst called ' The Enchanted Hill' and he spent years building his collection of art and furniture from all over the world. The finished result is an opulent and very eclectic mish mash of styles and periods all thrown together in a building which looks like a Spanish hacienda/cathedral with a large outdoor pool and acres of landscaped grounds. We had been looking forward to seeing the splendour and beauty of the pool but unfortunately it was drained of water and had scaffolding round it as there was some repairs being done. You have to go on a guided tour to see the castle and they have separate tours for different parts of the building so the cost could be quite steep if you want to see it all.
Malibu & Venice Beach
Heading down the Pacific Highway Coast towards our destination of San Diego we decided to stop off in Los Angeles for a night. Whilst this city has never really appealed to us we thought it would be a shame to drive straight through. Just before reaching LA we passed through Malibu – the affluent beach city which is home to many Hollywood stars and other people involved in the entertainment industry. Perhaps in our minds we had 'bigged' it up to be somewhere really special but we honestly found it really disappointing and seemed to lack charisma and atmosphere. There are some stunning big houses around and nice beachfront properties and the area does have lovely beaches but the Highway runs straight through the centre of it!!! We didn't stop here for long and decided to head down towards Venice Beach to see what attractions it had to offer.
At Venice Beach we eventually found a free parking spot about 5 minute walk from the promenade (after a bit of a ticking off from the police about not waiting our turn at the lights!! Luckily enough he let us off but he said we could have got a $500 ticket!!).
We wandered down onto the boardwalk and soon found ourselves amongst a crowd of tourists, locals, buskers and lots of people trying to sell you anything from cds, dvds, and jewellery to 'people' offering you a medical examination to see if you qualified for the 'medical marijuana card' . There were certainly a variety of people and characters down on the promenade and sadly was somewhere we wouldnt have felt comfortable walking at nighttime (and thats saying something, bearing in mind that we have wandered through the back streets and lanes of less developed countries where English is not widely spoken!).
We stopped off to view the famous muscle beach gym and took a few photgraphs and then bought some ice creams and wandered a bit more taking in the atmosphere and scenery. The saddest thing was the sight of all the homeless people sleeping or sitting on the grass – they weren't bothering anyone – it just seemed to be a place for them to congregate and chat and sleep.
Mono Lake and its amazing tufa's!
We stopped off for a couple of nights in the small town of Lee Vining which is in the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area at a lovely little caravan park and campsite called Mono Vista RV Park. The park had views over to Mono Lake and its Tufa's so we took the short drive down to the South Tufa Reserve it to explore it a bit further. Mono Lake is a vast inland lake nestled at the feet of the 13000 feet parks of the Sierra Nevada Range to the west, and the ancient volcanic Bodie hills to the north. It is one of the oldest lakes in North America and is at least 760,000 years old and is stunning and unusual . Stunning because of the beauty of the lake with its Tufa's on the outskirts and the backdrop of the volcanic hills and unusual because the Lake has a high salt concentration which makes it a really buoyant swimming experience (not that we went into the lake). There is no fish in the lake as the water is so alkaline. We wandered around part of the lake admiring the Tufa tower formations. Tufa's are like large spires which are formed when fresh water springs containing calcium bubble up through the carbonate-rich lake water.
The combining of these waters forms calcium carbonate, a whitish limestone deposit that forms the basis of the tufa formations. The scenery was amazing and calm and relaxing, the only downside is that were a lot of alkali flies around the edge of the lake and the sulphur/algae smell was a bit strong in parts. They also have a scenic area visitor centre at part of the lake and that has a lot of interesting information and exhibits.
The town of Lee Vinning has a couple of motels, restaurants and quirky gift shops which are good to wander round. Definitely worth a stopover if you are going in or out of Yosemite via this road.
Exploring Mandalay
03/15/15 / Curiuosgeckos /	Leave a comment / Myanmar, Uncategorized
Having a little time to explore Mandalay, we got up early and decided to walk down into town and to make our way to the Royal Palace, Mandalay Hill and the temple which houses the largest book in the world. It was quite a walk in to town, about 1.5km before we hit the moat / wall that surrounds the royal palace. The wall is about 2km square so it's a heck of a size (bit like Angkor Watt). Anyhow, we knew that we could only get in the East gate so we made our way there.
On arrival at the Royal Palace, we were told that we needed to get tickets which cost 10000 kyat each (£6.50) which would then cover us for The palace, Mandalay Hill and a few other temples including the one we wanted to go to later. We duly ponied up the dough which was a bit of a con (same price as Angkor watt). Anyhow, we walked into the temple and it looked a bit ramshackle….which was a bit of a surprise bearing in mind that it was only rebuilt in 1990. The Japanese had flattened the whole place during the second world war. Within the temple complex there is a tower which is a bit like a badly put together helter skelter. We climbed this with others and got a fairly nice view at the top. After the royal place, we made for the temple with the largest book. We walked straight past it as it wasn't very well sign posted and the map that we had wasn't to scale. Anyhow, in we went, shoes off and soon, we were walking around all the small stupas which held a large tablet with words of the scriptures of Buddah on them. In total, there is over 700 large carved tablets which when put together, make up the largest book in the world. Really cool although I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't a Guinness book of records certificate pinned up anywhere. Also, we didn't need to show our temple passes which we bought at the royal palace so suspect that we could have wandered in here without paying anything!
After the big book, we stopped for a glass of frozen water at a small cafe which was friendly enough. They only charged us 500 kyat for the water so that was good.
We walked towards the base of Mandalay hill and saw the two large stone (concrete) chinthes which are half lion and half dragon which protect the entrance.
There's a little tourist scam going on at the bottom of the hill where tourists have to store their shoes for 200 kyat a time. You aren't allowed to climb the 1760 steps with shoes on…..whaaaat! It took 40 minutes to climb up to the top of Mandalay Hill and we spent 5 mins at the top (it's a bit touristy) and the big sign which announced that tourists have pay 1000 kyat if they want to use their cameras was a bit annoying so we told them we didn't have a camera and that we weren't paying anything. The views from the top weren't that good as the city was pretty hazy with pollution.
Soon, we were climbing back down the hill….it's not steep or heavy going, just a lot of steps! At the bottom, we went to one of the tourist cafes across the road and had a couple of frozen sprites (2000 kyats – hotel prices). After that we asked around for a taxi and soon got one for 4000 kyats which seemed fair (similar prices to Cambodia but more expensive that Thailand / Vietnam).
Later that night, we went to the shopping mall and found a small Tawian restaurant where we had some beef with noodles and pork with rice and a couple of fruit juices (8200 kyat).
Now, there's not really much else to see of do in Mandalay so the following day, we just went for a short hour long walk down into the city and round and back. We didn't really see any bars, cafes or restaurants….just local people going about their business. Mandalay is not really a tourist destination as yet. The people are very friendly and you feel safe, but there's just not many places to hang out and have a nice meal and fun beer. In fairness, over the 3 days that we were in Mandalay, we probably only saw a handful of other westerners there. If there are other tourists, then they are from China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea.
Monterey & Carmel
After Santa Cruz we took the short drive (43 miles) around the bay down the coast to Monterey. Monterey is a lovely little seaside town with two distinct parts to it – Fishermans Wharf / Downtown area, and Cannery Row.
The Old Fishermans Wharf was busy with people and had an abundance of seafood restaurants trying to get you to sample their wares – Clam Chowder is very popular here!! In addition, to the restaurants there are also gift shops, candy shops and outlets offering whale watching trips, glass bottom boat tours, and sailing trips.
We had previously been whale watching on our Australian travels and as such did not go in California, however if you have never been whale watching then Monterey would be a great place to do it. There is actually plenty of sealife to see on the pier itself as there were loads of barking sea lions lying on the supporting beams of the pier or swimming around the area of the pier, as well as some otters.
The Old Fishermans Wharf itself was built in 1845 for trading vessels brining foods from around Cape Horn. At that time, Monterey was the major port on the Pacific Coast. In the years to follow the booming whale industry took over the Wharf but it was the little tiny sardine that made Monterey an industry leader.
We then walked the scenic pathway along the coast (takes about 15 minutes) which takes you to Cannery Row. Cannery Row used to be called Ocean View Avenue but was changed after John Steinbecks novel. After the fish industry boomed in Monterey so then did the fish canning industry and the factories started setting up in what was Ocean View Avenue.
After WW11 the over-fished sardines disappeared from the seas around Monterey and brought economic disaster to Cannery Row which started to fall into decline. However readers and fans of John Steinbecks Cannery Row novel brought visitors to the area so they could experience the feel and the ambience of the street. Over the decades the area has grown into a popular place for tourists and one of the main attractions is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The street is lined with shops, restaurants, bars, hotels and galleries and is a really nice place to visit.
Four miles and 11 miles down Highway 1 from Monterey is the beautiful town of Carmel – it has a lovely beach, stunning houses of different styles (we particularly loved the various cottage style buildings). The town centre is compact and extremely well laid out and easy to walk around. It has lots of little boutique shops, family owned cafes & restaurants (no chains here), galleries, and hotels. You will find prices slightly higher in this little town but it oozes charm and elegance and is definitely worth a visit.
We found out a few interesting facts about Carmel when we were there – they have no house to house mail delivery, everything goes to their central postal office and the local residents go there to pick up their mail. They also have no real street addresses. Clint Eastwood was mayor of the village from 1986-1988. The one we found most amusing was that if you want to wear high heels over 2 inches high or wish a base of less then 1 inch then you have to get a permit from City Hall – it's the law!!! However apparently the police do not cite those violating this law but is it worth the risk!! Apparently the law was introduced in the 1920's to stop lawsuits against the city from high-heeled show wearers who trip over irregular pavements which have been distorted by tree roots.
Myanmar – Into Mandalay
01/15/15 / Curiuosgeckos /	Leave a comment / Myanmar
Our flight left bangkok at 11am and we were soon under way….2 hours to Mandalay. Landing on the dry tarmac strip, the fist thing that hits you as you step off the airplane was the dry hot air. This is one hot country. Passing through immigration was easy and soon we were waiting for our luggage to come off the conveyor belt. Just before security, there was a small currency exchange kiosk and a number of people seemed to be changing dollars for kyat so we decided to convert $90 worth (enough for a couple of days living). The exchange rate was about as good as you could find elsewhere 997.3 / $. We had heard that Air Asia ran a free bus from the airport to the city centre (about an hour away) so as we exited arrivals, we saw it parked outside, made a beeline for it, put the bags in the hold and climbed on….Mmmm, no aircon and lots of Mosquitos!
A couple of people got on the bus to hand out leaflets for their hotels which was good….one of them was called the smart hotel which seemed pretty central so we kept this info for later, when we returned to Mandalay. The road system in Mandalay is pretty simple as it's based on a grid. Soon we were counting down the roads until we passed the one which our hotel was on. Out of the corner of our eyes, we saw the Gold Yadanar and decided just to get off the bus when it next stopped. With this, we just put our packs on our back and wandered back to the hotel.
Check in was easy and soon we were in our simple but clean (with aircon) room. Fortunately, our hotel was right next to a large shopping mall which had a supermarket underneath it. Soon we were buying supplies for the room (pot noodles, crisps, coke, Melon…..the essentials!). After which, we decided to sort out our boat tickets for the trip down to Bagan.
We found the office of the MGRG company on the internet and got our map out and it looked like a 20 min walk so we headed off. Walking through Mandalay, you soon realise that you are one of a very few tourists / westerners and as such, you are a bit of a curiosity to people. People would stare at us, point, smile and wave. We found the MGRG office and we bought our tickets without any issues.
That night we decided to wander out and see what Mandalay had to offer. Sadly, very little, we only found a couple of local cafes and as such, just plumped for one that looked semi-nice. Fortunately, they had a menu in English (but with no prices). Unfortunately, no one could speak English, so as you do in these situations, we just pointed to the words which were next to the English words for the food that we wanted. Soon, we were drinking a couple of Mandalay beers (5%). Our waiter guy returned and pointed to the sweet & sour part of the menu and said no! We took this to mean that it wasnt on the menu so we pointed to something else. Anyhow, 10 mins passed and our waiter guy brought out 2 plates of pork something. Then 5 mins later, he brought out a plate of beef stir fry and then a bowl of soup….none of which we had ordered. Then 5 mins later, he brought out another large plate of chicken something….by this time, Lisa we were starting to crack up as it seemed that they were just going to bring us everything on the menu. Others in the cafe started to smile and laugh, clearly enjoying all the confusion! We told the waiter guy that there must have been a mistake and that we didn't order all the food that he was to take it away…..which he did, and then he brought it back to the table after talking to the chef. We didnt know how many more dishes that he was going to bring out and things got a bit heated and uncomfortable so we politely asked for the bill, which arrived. Fortunately, it amounted to only 8100 kyat (£5) so we settled up and left.
Santa Cruz – on our drive down the Californian Coast we stopped off in Santa Cruz for a night as we wanted to see the fairground boardwalk and wharf. We had arrived out of season and midweek and as such all the fairground rides were shut down (they only open at the weekend off season) which was a shame as it would have been nice to have seen it all lit up and full of people. As it was we were still able to walk around but as there was no-one else around it had a bit of an eerie feel to!
The boardwalk and amusement park was opened in 1907 and is the oldest surviving amusement park in California.
After leaving the boardwalk we wandered along the beach and watched some beach volleyball and there were also some surfers out too. However again it was fairly quite being mid week and off season.
We then decided to stroll along the Santa Cruz Wharf which was celebrating its Centennial year. Despite being off-season there were quite a few people walking along the pier and there were a number of gift shops to wander through and some restaurants and cafes for bites to eat or something to drink.
The downtown area (Pacific Street area) had a bit of a grungy feel to it and sadly a lot of homeless people milling around and we seemed to notice that the police patrol cars circled the area more frequently. Perhaps because it was off season that we noticed these things more as there were less tourists about.
We had a nice time in Santa Cruz but would recommend visiting it when it is busier and everything is open as it gives you more options.
Alcatraz, San Francisco
One of the top things to see in San Francisco is Alcatraz! One of the worlds most famous prisons and apart from someone who's just been 'sent down' for 10 years, who wouldn't want to see the inside of a prison! We've seen Sean Connery in 'The Rock' and it looks fab – let's go!
With 4 weeks until we fly into San Francisco, I get an email from my sister who lives there to tell me to book my tickets online and 'well in advance' as it's virtually impossible to pitch up at the ticket office on the day and get tickets for that day / that week! Online I go and £40 later i've got two tickets. We've gone for a lunchtime crossing to the Island as at this time of year, the fog hangs around the San Francisco Bay until 11am. Well, we do want a nice clear, sunny day for our trip!
We're staying in San Mateo, about 15 miles South of the city and we decide to get the train in and then walk to the pier where our boat will leave (doesnt look to far on our little tourist map of the city). We've completely underestimated the size of SF as its taken us an hour to walk to the pier – we just have a short time to explore the touristy Pier 39 (Fishermans Wharf), grab a drink and head for the boat.
For some random Tuesday in September, it's mighty busy at the Alcatraz Boat Pier. Hundreds of people are queuing up for the 11.30 boat and 12.00 boat. A sign at the booking office says 'tour fully booked until 24th September' – thats over a week away! At Noon, we board the boat and we're off to Alcatraz!
Its a 15 min (1.5 mile) boat ride to Alcatraz and the Island grows in size and becomes clearer as we near it – it's bigger than I thought it would be and has quite a lot of big brick buildings on it (the island is 22 acres in size). Originally the island had a lighthouse on it and then in 1868 the military used is as a military prison and then from 1933 to 1963 it was changed to a federal prison.
As we get off the boat, we are greeted by 'Ranger John' who tells us a bit of background to the Island and prison and tells us to pick up our tour headsets at the top of the hill where the main cell block is. What a great job he has! It's a lovely clear sunny day and the views of SF on one side and The Golden Gate Bridge on the other are great.
As we enter the main cell block, we pick up our headsets, turn them on and listen to the shouting and screaming of prisoners from a time gone by. Through the processing area, shower room, canteen we walk listening to stories from actual prisoners and guards. Most of it is fairly tame. Into the main cell area we go and I'm impressed by how it looks with about 6 long rows of cells, 3 stories high built within the large brick building. The cells are all pretty much empty apart from a few which have been 'staged' to show you how it would have been when the prison was in operation. I'm actually quite taken by the prison, it looks a lot nicer than I thought it would. The rooms are an okay size and there's a lot of light coming into the building from barred windows high above. I decided that cell 315 is a good one with lots of natural light and views of the bay!!
One interesting fact is the occupancy rate of Alcatraz. During its time as a federal prison, Alcatraz held an average of 260 prisons – When it was a military garrison, it held over 200 soldiers! Alcatraz would usually be 50% full, not like Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow which usually runs at an occupancy rate any Glasgow hotel would be proud of….must be all the returning /repeat guests!
Our audio tour informs us Alcatraz would take all the problem prisoners from other prisons in the States. Many prisoners would be notorious bank robbers or murderers (i.e. Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Robert Stroud (The Birdman of Alcatraz). Funnily enough, although Robert Stroud was known as the birdman of Alcatraz, he wasn't actually allowed to keep any birds at Alcatraz. He got his nickname during his stretch at Leavenworth Penitentiary where he reared and sold birds and became a respected ornithologist!
There were numerous prison riots and fights in Alcatraz and it was a dangerous place to work / serve your sentence. 8 inmates were murdered by other inmates. We hear of the battle of Alcatraz where a number of convicts were plotting to escape by overpowering a guard on the ground floor walkway and then using an ingenious home made 'bar gap widener' managed to get up into the 3rd floor gun gallery when it was unmanned and then overpowered the guard on his return (thus preventing any more guards coming into the gun gallery and shooting down at them). From here, the convicts took a number of guards prisoner and they intended to find the keys to the outside door and using guards as cover take the daily boat by storm and sail to the mainland. However, the convicts we thwarted as they couldn't find the keys to the yard door or any other outside door as the keys weren't where they were supposed to be as one of the guards had kept them on his person to make it easier to let kitchen staff out. The convicts soon found the keys but the door jammed and the escape turned into a hostage scenario. With the prison service trying to regain control, the convicts started to fire on the guards, killing 3 of them. The stand off remained for some time until the prisoners, realising that they weren't going to win, agreed to surrender. In the aftermath, 2 prisoners were executed for their role in 'The Battle For Alcatraz'.
Over the years, 36 prisoners tried to escape from Alcatraz. All but 5 were recaptured or accounted for. 3 who were not accounted for broke out at the same time in June 1962. The men tunnelled through the brickwork of their cells with spoon handles and then moved up into the main ventilation shaft and onto the roof. From there, they made it down and over the fences to the waters edge and off they went in a home made raft. Whilst the prison service would have you think that escape from Alcatraz was impossible and that all 3 men would have drowned, the fact remains that the raft was found on Angel Island with the paddles and a bag of personal effects. To date, no bodies have ever been found! The escape was immortalised forever by Clint Eastwood in the movie, Escape From Alcatraz.
Alcatraz was closed in 1963 as the buildings were deteriorating and the prison was becoming very expensive to run.
As we make our way out of the prison, amusingly enough 'through the gift shop exit', we see an old chap sitting at a table, signing books. He's Bill Baker, an 'ex con' and one of the last Alcatraz inmates. He's written a book 'Alcatraz 1259' (as this was his inmate number) and he visits most days to talk to tourists and sign his book for them. He's 80 and has spent a large part of his life in prison (he was caught counterfeiting). Once again, we're reminded of the strength of the human spirit as here's a man that has taken the bad events of his past to make a positive impact on his future. That aside, the irony isn't lost on us……an ex con, now free, choosing to spend his final days back in the institution that incarcerated him for many years!
11/26/14 / Curiuosgeckos /	Leave a comment / America
Prior to arriving in the States, we had spent a little bit of time 'scoping' out a rough route of all the places we wanted to visit and sights that we had wanted to see. We had tried to keep our plans as loose as possible so as to give us a fair bit of flexibility when we travelled. Its just as well we did as our plans kept changing. Every time we pitched up somewhere new and we got talking to the locals or people who were visiting the area, we always found out about other great things to see and do which we hadn't thought of.
Whilst camping by Lake Mono, we had met a couple of nice guys, Trevor and Norm – who were in the area to hunt (with rifles) for grouse and also to do a spot of fishing. Both worked as salesmen for separate 'turf laying' companies. They laughed as they told us that the companies they worked for were fierce competitors and that their bosses didn't know that they had been good friends with each other for well over ten years and would spend a few days every now and then camping out.
We had mentioned that we were heading towards Las Vegas and then on to Monument Valley in Utah and both Norm and Terry had suggested that we take a slight detour to Zion Valley in Utah as it has some fantastic hikes through breath taking scenery! This sounded good to us, so we decided to go!
Zion National Park is about 3 hours (160 miles) North East of Las Vegas and its an easy drive up the I-15 and soon we were on our way. Before we reached Zion, we stopped off at St George to pick up some food / drink and also to fill up the car with fuel so that we had a full tank before entering the park (we're paranoid about running out of fuel on some dark, lonely mountain road with no-one about and no phone signal!). St George is a gorgeous little town, lots of nice shops and its nestled in amongst a number of spectacular rock formations so no matter which way you look, the scenery is fantastic. As we exited Walmart with a trolley full of food and booze, we doubted if you could find another Walmart carpark with better views! Clearly very different from the view of the 1960's high rise flats that we 'enjoy' from our local Morrisons in Glasgow!
The place to stay when visiting Zion is 'Springdale' as it's a couple of minutes away from the park entrance and has a raft of boutique shops, lots of yummy eateries and a range of hotels / motels. As it's just before the park, the town also has a spectacular backdrop of mighty rock formations. Unfortunately, we had left our motel booking a bit late and we couldn't find anything for the Friday and Saturday night which was available, decent and within budget. We did however find a place for the Saturday night which looked nice but was a bit more than what we would normally pay so we decided to book this on the ba
sis that we spent the Friday night 20 miles South at Hurricane in a very cheap and cheerful motel.
We arrived at the park entrance at lunchtime and duly paid our $25 park entrance fee (it is valid for 7 days entry) and headed towards the parking lot at the visitor entrance, wondering whether or not we would be able to get a space. Luckily we found one pretty quickly and soon we were wandering around the visitor centre.
Nephi Johnson was the first European-American settler in the canyon (1858) and he remarked, "A man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as in any man-made church – this is Zion." The area however only got National Park status in 1919 and was formally renamed Zion National Park which was what the Mormons had called it.
There's over 20 different walks / hikes that you can do at Zion and they range in difficulty from easy to very strenuous….and not for the faint hearted or those afraid of heights. Fortunately, for most of the the year, there is a free shuttle service which leaves the visitor centre every 10 mins and takes you into the main park stopping every now and then at specific places. This is great as you can jump on the shuttle, then jump off, do a bit of sightseeing / walking and then jump back on and go to the next place and do some more.
Before the shuttle buses were introduced, you could drive into the park in your own car and stop wherever you liked. This apparently caused traffic mayhem as over 5000 cars / RV's were entering the park on peak days and so, to ease congestion and to make things a lot safer, they decided to introduce the shuttle buses. The buses run every 10 mins from early morning to late evening so offer real flexibility to tourists.
On our first day in the park, we decided to take the shuttle bus the full way into the park to get a good overview of the park and to hear the commentary on the bus which told us the history and background to the park. Arriving at the last stop – The Temple of Sinawava we decided to get off and have a wander around before heading back to a couple of trails that we wanted to do that afternoon (Riverside Walk / Zion Narrows / Weeping Rock).
The Riverside Walk is a nice easy walk to begin with as its the gateway to the Zion Narrows. The path was fairly wide and smooth and even accessible to wheelchair users! As we walked along the path, the views were stunning, lots of high rock formations and the place was bathed in shade as the sun couldn't reach down into the canyon floor where the path followed the curves and bends of a small river which was running low as there hadn't been any rain for months.
It was great to see the rock formations closing in on us as we neared the Zion Narrows. They say that this walk is great just after a heavy rainfall as the river is alive as it powers down over rocks and boulders, and numerous waterfalls cascade down the cliffs! At the end of the Riverside Walk, you reach the start of the Zion Narrows which are the canyons which have steep and narrow slots carved into them following millions of years of rivers and streams flowing through them. When the river is fairly dry, its possible to start this walk and to see some of the narrows. However, in order to experience them properly, you need to get into the river and to walk up stream where you will be able to walk between cliff walls 800 meters high which are 7 meters apart! We had heard that in certain parts of the river, you are waist deep in water and as such, you need to be fairly prepared for this walk. So dressed as we were, we spent 10 minutes resting at the entrance to the Narrows and just watched those who had done the walk, wander passed us in their soaking wet shoes / clothes! We heard that there is a company in Springdale that hires out waders and proper boots to do the walk up stream.
After the Riverside Walk, we headed to Weeping Rock which was a great little walk – half a mile up a slight incline to an overhanging blind arch which has water raining down over it. It was nice standing under the overhang, get a little bit wet and just watching the water drip down from above and to look out over the valley with the sun in our faces.
The following Day, we hiked to the Emerald pools which is probably the most hiked trail in Zion. It's fairly easy, and takes about 2 hours in total. Wandering through canyons, taking in brilliant views, we headed towards the Emerald Pools (of which there are 2 – a lower pool and an upper pool). The pools are green in colour due in the main to the algae that lives in them. As we were visiting at the end of the Summer and it hadn't been raining for months, the pools were a little smaller than normal and there were no spectacular waterfalls filling them up as the tour books stated! Apparently, when it rains, the upper pool is filled from water which cascades 300 meters down from Heaps Canyon. Anyhow, they were pretty and it was a very nice walk around the canyon – must have been as we took loads of photos! At one point, we rounded a corner and got a stunning view of the canyon floor below, which was surrounded by high cliffs / mountains on both sides….it was amazing, somewhat prehistoric and you could just imagine a herd of large brontosaurus's roaming around millions of years ago….yup, really special!
At the end of our Emerald Pools walk, the path split and we had the option to head to Angels Landing, which is not for those who are afraid of heights or dying! It's a strenuous walk and the climb culminates at Scouts Lookout where you have a 1500 ft drop either side of you as you cling to a metal chain for dear life as you make your way along a narrow ridge! We had heard that this trail whilst difficult was made dangerous by some people not being overly patient and taking risks. As Angels Landing was another 4 hour round trip hike, its a hike best started in the morning rather than at lunch time so we decided to leave it for another time and to do the shorter Grotto Walk and then head to the Zion Lodge for a late lunch.
When we arrived at Zion Lodge, it was nice to see a small wedding taking place. Chairs had been set up in the shade of a large tree and the bride and groom had got married in front of 30 family / friends. it was a lovely setting with high cliffs and lots of greenery about…the wedding photo's will be great.
After lunch, we headed to the Zion History Museam which sits at the base of 'The West Temple' and 'Altar of Sacrifice' – two 7500 ft+ rock formations. The views were once again jaw dropping!
We had spent two days at Zion and had seen a little bit of it. Zion is such a fabulous place!! You could spend a week here and not see it all or do all of the trails. We're happy with what we had seen and decided that it was time to move on. Sure, we've not done everything, but we always like to leave a 'little in the tank' so that we can come back some other time and still see something new.
03/15/15 - America, California - No Comments
In the far south-west of California not far from the border with Mexico lies the amazing city of San Diego. This was one of our favourite cities – good weather, relaxed and friendly atmosphere, lots of things to do, great transport system. We stayed for a few days in San Diego about 4 miles south…
After Carmel we took the Coastal Drive down through Big Sur. This area is still relatively underdeveloped and this can make the scenery quite dramatic in places. Try to picture the big waves roaring in from the Pacific Ocean breaking on one side whilst driving on a winding road that weaves around the cliff edges…
Heading down the Pacific Highway Coast towards our destination of San Diego we decided to stop off in Los Angeles for a night. Whilst this city has never really appealed to us we thought it would be a shame to drive straight through. Just before reaching LA we passed through Malibu – the affluent beach…
We stopped off for a couple of nights in the small town of Lee Vining which is in the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area at a lovely little caravan park and campsite called Mono Vista RV Park. The park had views over to Mono Lake and its Tufa's so we took the short drive…
© Curious Geckos


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Biografia
Attiva tra gli anni cinquanta e sessanta, ha lavorato con artisti come Totò, Peppino De Filippo, Dorian Gray.

Nel 1955 partecipa al film Il bidone e le viene attribuita una relazione passionale con Federico Fellini, immortalata anche in alcuni disegni del regista e poi ripresa a distanza di 40 anni.

Filmografia
Martin Toccaferro, regia di Leonardo De Mitri (1953)
Totò lascia o raddoppia?, regia di Camillo Mastrocinque (1956)
Totò, Peppino e la... malafemmina, regia di Camillo Mastrocinque (1956)
Totò, Peppino e i fuorilegge, regia di Camillo Mastrocinque (1956)
Totò, Peppino e le fanatiche, regia di Mario Mattoli (1958)
Mia nonna poliziotto, regia di Steno (1958)
Tutti innamorati, regia di Giuseppe Orlandini (1958)
I tartassati, regia di Steno (1959)
Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai, regia di Mario Mattoli (1961)
Amore mio, regia di Raffaello Matarazzo (1964)

Pubblicazioni
 Innamorarsi ancora, Editore Pagine, Roma, 2003

Note

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Cynthia de Lorenzi — Artist, Author, "Your What's Next Journal"
Cynthia de Lorenzi and Hope Katz Gibbs interview rock star music teacher Brianna Ruelas
What's next for Brianna Ruelas? This Dallas-based Realty TV music coach who penned the bestseller "Make Reality TV Your Reality" tells all on today's episode of the the Truly Amazing Women show. Don't miss it!
Fine artist, founder of the international women's networking group Success in the City, and co-author Your What's Next Journal are just some of the titles worn by truly amazing Cynthia de Lorenzi.
A proud "diva," Cynthia prides herself on helping businesswomen mix friendship and business. Among the TV shows and events she's hosted are CEOChick Chats, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and weekend getaways to NYC and Virginia Beach.
"Quite simply, I needed girlfriends," Cynthia confides. "In addition to dealing with some management team conflicts due to the fact that I was a Southern woman serving as CEO, and living in this new town, shortly after I arrived here I was diagnosed with a life-threatening tumor. I had to find a support system — and fast."
These are just some of the reasons that like me, zillions of women around the world call Cynthia their friend, confidant, and ally. Together, we are authoring Your What's Next Journal, a 12-month series to help women everywhere get in touch with themselves — mind, body, spirit, soul, and heart. We'll be rolling those out on this website, and then hosting webinars to help us all put the dreams and visions in our journal into action. Stay tuned for that, and more!
Be sure to scroll down to learn more about Cynthia, and be sure to check out her beautiful art website: Cynthia.art. — Hope Katz Gibbs, founder, Inkandescent PR + Publishing Co.
THE CREATION OF A RENAISSANCE WOMAN
By Hope Katz Gibbs
Nearly 200 women clad in their diva best packed the AMC Theater in Tyson's Corner, VA on Friday, May 30, 2008, for the first public showing of Sex in the City, the best chick flick of the summer that is based on the popular HBO series.
"Not a single seat was available," says Cynthia de Lorenzi, "and it was only 8 a.m. on a weekday." That's just what Cynthia hoped for when she planned the event, the biggest yet for her 2-year-old Washington, DC-based networking group Success in the City. "It was fabulous," Cynthia said after the show, referring not only to the romantic comedy on the screen but to the hundreds of executive women who dressed up and headed to the theater instead of the office.
"I wouldn't have missed this," says Darcie Davis, senior VP of Zephyr Strategy, Inc. and member of the Success in the City Board. The big event included a mid-morning spree at nearby Saks Fifth Avenue for a Saks in the City after-party where all sipped complimentary cosmopolitans, chatted with old and new girlfriends, and were treated to 15% off coupons on nearly everything in the store. "Fun in big doses with other businesswomen is what Success in the City is meant to be."
Mixing friendship and business is the goal for Cynthia, a fashionable Texas-born dame who is proud to conduct deals in heels. And when her beloved brother Bob unexpectedly died in 2002, she did the only thing she could.
"My husband sold his business, packed up our house, and moved to Washington, DC to support my take-over as CEO of Bob's telecommunications company, Patriot Net," she says. "There was no other choice."
Cynthia admits she suffered from tremendous culture shock. "Washington is not Texas. You may think we're tough, but there is an impenetrable old boy's network here. I found they were suspicious if you tried to talk to strangers in the elevator. And the women definitely didn't wear pink. But they do now."
Cynthia said hooey to the idea that she couldn't beat 'em. She founded Success in the City, a networking group for C-level businesswomen.
Fortunately, she met a few women who were connected and approachable, and within a few months, her pretty-in-pink networking idea created a buzz that led to a groundswell. The women who joined early on got their friends to participate. They liked it so much that the second tier told their friends, and they joined, too.
CEO Chick Chats, Breakfast at Tiffany's, getaways to NYC and Virginia Beach, and more
Then came the Big Event movie extravaganza in May. This summer, she's launching a Success in the City TV network, and by the end of the year hopes to franchise the concept in other cities, beginning with Richmond, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. And the best part, Cynthia says, I found the mother lode of friends who are smart, successful women to befriend. "Isn't that what the good life is all about?" she beams.
For more information, visit www.successinthecity.org.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


To create a Cpupool with xl requires the provision of a cpupool config file. Typically these live in `/etc/xen/CPUPOOL.cfg` where CPUPOOL is the name of the cpupool.
A cpupool config file consists of a series of KEY=VALUE pairs.
Specifies the name of the cpupool. Names of cpupools existing on a single host must be unique.
The default scheduler is the one used for Pool-0 specified as boot parameter of the hypervisor.
Specifies the cpus of the NUMA-nodes given in NODES (an integer or a list of integers) to be member of the cpupool. The free cpus in the specified nodes are allocated in the new cpupool.
means that cpus 2,3,5 will be member of the cpupool.
means that cpus 0,2,3 and 5 will be member of the cpupool. A "node:" or "nodes:" modifier can be used. E.g., "0,node:1,nodes:2-3,^10-13" means that pcpus 0, plus all the cpus of NUMA nodes 1,2,3 with the exception of cpus 10,11,12,13 will be memeber of the cpupool.
If neither nodes nor cpus are specified only the first free cpu found will be allocated in the new cpupool.


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Willi Braun
Willi Braun is an associate professor of religion and the director of the interdisciplinary program of religious studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton. His areas of interest are the writings and social formation of Christianities in the Roman Empire, theories of mythmaking, and the use of the category "religion" in the study of religion. He is the editor (with Russell T. McCutcheon) of the Guide to the Study of Religion. He has been a long-time editor of the international journal Method and Theory in the Study of Religion.
Books By Willi Braun
Rhetoric and Reality in Early Christianities


Truly tiny, the Nano Light is a weatherproof, personal flashlight featuring a 100,000 hour life LED. Includes a non-rotating snap hook for easy one handed operation when attached to a keychain. Easily attaches/detaches to just about anything with convenient pocket clip or key ring. Up to 8 hours run time. Machined aircraft-grade aluminum with anodized finish. Powered by 4 alkaline button cells (included). 100,000 hour lifetime high-intensity LED. LED available in white (10 lumens). 1.47-Inch x 0.51-Inch, 0.36 oz. Available in black.


So I'm having lunch with a fellow from the entertainment industry the other day and by some quirk of conversation we begin discussing Quakerism. I attending a Quaker liberal arts college called Earlham ("Fight! Fight! Inner light! Kill, Quakers, Kill!") and he, I believe, was raised Quaker. And since the focus of everything in my life is, eventually, children's literature we started talking about those picture books that Quaker kids love.
Because they do, you know. Befriend enough Quakers and they'll start talking about the books that raised them. I wasn't raised Quaker myself but even in college I began to notice the books that came up time and time again when talking with them thar Quaker kids. Back in the day it was a lot of Brinton Turkle. One of my friends went to the same meeting as Mr. Turkle, as it happens. He was prolific in his day and will probably be best remembered for the Obadiah series he helped create. There was Obadiah the Bold, Rachel and Obadiah, and mostly notably the Caldecott Honor book Thy Friend, Obadiah. Sure they were an old timey look at Quakerism but due to the fact that they were also the ONLY picture books with a Quaker hero, they were roundly embraced by the community.
Beyond the Turkle, other books came up fairly often. Byrd Baylor, for example. The Other Way to Listen to some extent and also The Table Where Rich People Sit.
All this got me to thinking about those authors and books that are embraced by distinctive communities. It would be, in many ways, an author or illustrator's dream to be considered a standard amongst a strong and steady group like the Quakers. So I looked at the site Quaker Books to try to get a sense of those books that would appeal to Quaker kids today. Who are the new Turkle and Baylor? It's a tricky question. Few names came up time and time again but the site itself makes some rather nice selections, as it happens. I was very impressed by the books that cropped up under the topic of Earth Stewardship & Simplicity. Equality & Community is also quite good. The site also said that authors like Barbara Wright, Haven Kimmel, and Laurie Halse Anderson are Quaker, amongst others.
It's also pretty up-to-date, a marvel in and of itself. But the number of 2014 titles is relatively small. Here then are some additional 2014 suggestions for anyone looking for terribly current books that reflect Quaker values. I decided to stick with nonfiction, though I'm sure there are picture books and works of fiction that would fit in as well. This is just for starters.
The Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the Civil Rights Movement by Teri Kanefield – A beautifully rendered tale of how a single teenager created a non-violent movement at a time when non-violent protest was a new idea. Pacifism with purpose from a very young person. A rare story.
Grandfather Gandhi by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus; ill. Evan Turk – The book that actually inspired this post in the first place. I see very few books for kids that think to discuss anger management in a realistic manner. Nonviolence is as difficult thing to promote in an everyday way for kids, but this book nails it.
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell, ill. Christian Robinson – You might not think it a natural Quaker topic but with her interest in human rights worldwide there is much in Ms. Baker's story to appeal here.
My Country, 'tis of Thee: How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights by Claire Rudolf Murphy, ill. Bryan Collier – I'll need to reread my copy but I'm fairly certain the Quakers get a shout out somewhere in here. Even if they don't, it's a marvelous look at a wide variety of American civil rights.
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh – A perfect companion to The Girl from the Tar Paper School in that it also preceded Brown vs. The Board of Education and also talks about nonviolent activism.
You might consult your niece, who attends the New Garden Friends School. She also goes to meeting with her other grandmother.
I knew Brinton Turkle in the sixties. For a while, I lived in a Quaker boarding house called The Pennington on East 15th St. in New York, where Brinton also lived. His friend, Ezra Jack Keats, used to come to dinner now and then. Many years ago, Brinton moved to Santa Fe. I just Googled him and found that he has since died. He was a gentle, funny man.
Thanks for this. I loved the Obediah books, and always wondered if Mr. Turkle was himself a Quaker. I certainly have spent a lot of time poring over his books. I am also tickled to learn that he and Ezra Jack Keats were friends. I love both of their contributions to the Danny Dunn series.
I wonder if he was named for Howard Brinton, founder of Pendleton Hill?
There is a Quaker grandfather in the wonderful book Heart of a Shepherd by Roseanne Parry. The main character, Brother, has a father in Iraq and a Quaker grandfather on the farm, and he's loved by them both and it's just beautiful.
I'm a big fan of Heart of a Shepherd. I was having a conversation with an illustrator the other day about books that could be deemed "Christian" but that aren't published by traditional Christian publishers. Parry's book was one of the ones I wanted to call up. Gently religious it fills a need but doesn't whallop you over the head with meaning. Thanks for reminding me of it!
At one point I could recite The Adventures of Obadiah verbatim. Sigh. I LOVED those books. So did my son, whose 10th grade history teacher told the class there were no more Quakers in America. There were three in that class alone.
BIRD: I have both the "Obadiah" titles autographed by Brinton, a wondrous individual. On publication of THE FIDDLER OF HIGH LONESOME we had a pizza party for him in a NYC apartment where he carefully juggled mozzarella between conversations. FRAN: Yes, he did die year aqo in Santa Fe.
Lee, didn't know Brinton could juggle. He was a man of many talents!
I swear to god, Lee, I am going to make it down to Florida and get every last single story out of you. One of these days, Lee, one of these days.
I'd always said if I'd had a son, I would have named him Obadiah. In large part because of these books. Nickname Obi. How cute is that?!?
Also, the Turkle books are not circulating at the NYPL! Anything you can do to change that?
Sure can. Looks like they should be in print. I'll see what I can do.
As his hometown (Alliance, OH) librarian, I watched Brinton give programs for many children. He had trained in theatre and was terrific with kids. He was named for his maternal grandfather, Daniel Brinton Cassaday. I'm sure his ghost still roams Santa Fe, NM, which he loved. And so did I. It is wonderful to hear your comments about Brinton AND about his books. Did you readers notice that he drew a picture of himself in The Sky Dog??
A big thank you from QuakerBooks for mentioning us and linking to our site- We are always happy to hear about new books with Quakers prominent in them. We find they are amazingly difficult to discover….
One we just heard of is Each Kindness by Jcqueline Woodson with beautiful illustrations based on Haddonfield Friends School by E B Lewis.
The oddly named Beautiful Feet books have reissued two of the Obadiah books, and Penguin still publish the other.
Always loved Thee, Hannah as a child. Wonder if that's in any way responsible for *me* ending up at that small Quaker college. Hmmm.


For the second year in a row, we've designed the handbook for Norwegian Oftalmologist. Or eye surgeons as most people know them. Our focus has been to design a manual that's easy to navigate and pleasant to read.


I am possibly purchasing a JUICE UP franchise. Before I pay the non refundable $25,000 deposit to obtain the agreement…. can SBA do a preapproval with conditions… once approved I can pay fee and provide the Franchise Agreement.
That is entirely up to your lender. The SBA doesn't actually provide loans, but instead they guarantee loans given to you by traditional lenders like banks. The lender will need to approve your loan and give you a pre approval if that's what you need, but that will take some time. You should check with your franchisor to determine if there is a financing contingency, which there can be in a lot of these franchise agreements. I certainly wouldn't move forward with paying the fee until you know you're going to get funded. In fact, I'd probably try to make it happen the same day the money for your loan goes through.


Robertson Smith & Kempson | Properties to let in Richmond (London) Rail Station, London to find and add some properties.
This detached house has been refurbished to the highest standard and is less than a mile from North Ealing station.
This extremely spacious five/six bedroom maisonette is perfectly suited to students or professional sharers. Arranged over three floors, all the bedrooms are doubles and there is a separate kitchen and two bathrooms.
This recently redecorated house has a large reception room, modern kitchen, office/study room, four bedrooms (one with en suite) and a bathroom. The property also has a private garden, off street parking and a garage.
This fully refurbished three / four bedroom town house has two bathrooms, off street parking, a rear garden and private terrace.
SHORT LET! This top floor flat has two double bedrooms, two en suite bathrooms, a bright lounge with a dining area and a semi open plan kitchen. The property also has a private entrance, a utility area, fully furnished and with all bills included.
A three bedroom end of terrace water side house set in a private development surrounded by communal gardens. The property has a reception room, modern kitchen with space for dining and a downstairs cloakroom.
A well presented five bedroom home with a private garden perfect for entertaining. Located in the Gunnersbury Triangle area, the property is close to the shopping and dining amenities of Ealing and Chiswick.
This semi-detached family home is spacious, light and ready for you and your family to move in. The property has three bedrooms, two reception rooms, family bathroom and separate WC. The property also has wooden floors and a landscaped garden.
A stunning four bedroom family house finished to the highest standard throughout. Just off the grand hallway there is a double reception room, separate modern kitchen with room for dining. There is also a private garden, large family bathroom and additional W/C.
This semi-detached family home has been refurbished to a high standard and has two receptions, extended kitchen with French doors onto a south-facing garden, four bedrooms, family bathroom and en suite shower room to the master bedroom.
RSK is a trading name of London Resi Ltd. Registered office: 3 Park Road, Teddington, TW11 0AP. No. 09898555.


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Tdott Woo Bio, Dead, Age, Real Name, Family, Net Worth
ByCharles MatthewsFebruary 2, 2022
Meet Tdott Woo, an up-and-coming rapper and dancer who passed away in early February 2022 after getting shot. He earned fame for his "Woo Dance" which helped him gather his fan base. He had signed a record deal just a matter of hours before his death.
Learn more about his age, his real name, his family, and his career.
Tdott Woo Dead: Who Shot The Rapper?
HipHopDX reported, rapper Tdott has been shot dead only hours after securing a new record deal. The death of the rapper was confirmed on social media by video director Jeremi Thi Lam, who had worked with the rapper.
He took to his Instagram and announced, "The Woo-Walker. You were always a star and I made sure to tell you that every chance I had. You inspired so many people on a daily! The kids love you! My condolences go out to your family and FIVI as well. This hurts my heart. Dance in heaven my brother. You'll be with Pop now."
The reports revealed that Tdott was shot while he was in front of his home in the Canarsie area of Brooklyn in New York City.
After getting shot, Tdott was taken to Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in a critical condition. The Brooklyn-based rapper was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation regarding the rapper's death is ongoing. After the news of the death of the rapper, fans went on Twitter to pay tribute to the tragic death of Tdott Woo. One wrote, "Damn RIP Tdott Woo, had all of the Pop videos jumping". Another fan wrote, "@TDOTTWOO #RIP he was my favorite!".
In the same way rapper, Lil Tjay also paid homage to Tdott Woo via IG story.
Tdott Woo Real Name
The real name of Tdott Woo hasn't been unveiled.
What Record Label Was Tdott Woo Signed To?
Before his death, Tdott Woo had signed a record deal with "Million Dollar Music".
Tdott Woo Net Worth
Tdott Woo had a net worth under $200 thousand. Fans knew him for the first time after a scene-stealing appearance in one of Pop Smoke's earliest videos, "MPR." His dance moves led to an appearance on another rapper Young Costamado's first national hit, "Welcome To The Party." Two rappers were working on the collaborative project.
Their song "Like Woo" currently has 569k views on YouTube. The song was his first offering as an aspiring rapper.
TDott Woo and Young Costamado have formed a connection that makes for an ideal recording duo, each complimenting the other with their distinct delivery and somewhat varied interpretations of the Woo Lifestyle, as their crew refers to it.
They were reportedly working on a joint mixtape called Kobe & Shaq.
His "Aye" dance became as popular as the song itself. Several New York drill rappers started looking for him. When he introduced "Woo Slide" in Fivio Foreign's "Big Drip" video, he had already accumulated a fan following of his own.
TDott set to work, perfecting his abilities, understanding the game, and making sure that once he broke onto the rap scene, it would be evident and undeniable that he is here to stay, thanks to Fivio and Pop's early support.
Did Tdott Woo Leave Behind Any Kids?
There is no information on Tdott Woo's kids and baby mama. His social media doesn't contain information on him being linked romantically with anyone or having any baby mother while he was alive.
Tdott Woo Family
Immediately speaking, Tdott Woo's family remains away from the spotlight. They haven't come forth speaking on behalf of the rapper's death. Since Tdott was a Canarsie native, we believe his family still resides there. He had once addressed his mother when he talked about Pop Smoke's death with Melz Tv on YouTube.
The rapper shared that when Pop died, he woke up to his mom breaking him the bad news.
Tdott Woo's Pop Smoke Connection
Tdott Woo earned himself fame after earning support from Pop Smoke. He collaborated with Pop for the first time on his video "MPR" He stole the scene with his dance and the video currently has 11 million views on YouTube. Pop asked him to collaborate on his new song "Welcome To The Party" which currently has 155 million views.
In Tdott's interview with Melz Tv, he shared that Pop told him that he has to make up a way to get from "this side of Ferrari to another side of the road". He also revealed that he knew Pop Smoke he started rapping and even thought of delving into music.
How Old Was Tdott Woo?
Tdott Woo was 22 years old at the time of his death.
What Were Tdott Woo's Popular Songs?
Some of Tdott's popular songs were "Like Woo", STEPP, and Mike Jack. He had 995 monthly listeners on Spotify and was also on Apple Music.
Is Tdott Woo On Instagram?
On Instagram, Tdott had 66.1k followers. His IG handle was (@tdott_woo). His Facebook page was (@TDott-Woo). Furthermore, he was also on Twitter (@TDOTTWOO).
Daddy Dave Bio, New Wife, Net Worth, Street Outlaws
Michael Dutton Bio, Age, Net Worth, Erin French Husband


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Nostra Signora di Parigi (Notre-Dame de Paris), noto anche come Esmeralda, è un film muto del 1911, diretto da Albert Capellani e tratto dall'omonimo romanzo di Victor Hugo.

Trama
Esmeralda, una bella gitana, danza sul sagrato della cattedrale di Notre Dame e attira le attenzioni di tre uomini: il capitano degli arcieri Phoebus de Chateaupers, l'arcidiacono Claude Frollo e il campanaro deforme Quasimodo. Dibattuto tra il suo desiderio e i suoi voti religiosi, Frollo pugnala Phoebus e fa ricadere la colpa su Esmeralda, che viene processata e condannata a morte. Quasimodo salva la zingara dal patibolo portandola dentro Notre Dame, ma Frollo viola il diritto d'asilo e riconsegna la bella gitana al boia. Esmeralda viene quindi giustiziata e, in un moto d'ira, Quasimodo uccide Frollo gettandolo dalla torre campanaria.

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Film storici francesi
Film drammatici
Film ambientati a Parigi
Film ambientati nel Medioevo
Film basati su Notre-Dame de Paris
Film ambientati nel XV secolo


Engineers responsible for integrating antennas onto platforms are typically interested in the installed performance of the antenna. In other words, they want to know how the presence of the platform changes the performance of the antenna. Performance of the antenna is much different when installed on real-world vehicles and platforms than when installed on a big, flat ground plane in an anechoic chamber. Further, coupling between pairs of antenna can be radically different depending upon where the antennas are installed on the platform. But how can you predict how an antenna will perform when installed on a car, ship, aircraft or tower—short of going to the measurement range with the antenna already installed?
Savant takes that costly and nearly impossible measurement based prototyping process and reduces it to minutes on a typical desktop computer.


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Can you excuse casual racism?
Davina Hamilton questions whether ambiguous race-related incidents can ever be ignored
Written by Davina Hamilton
CAUGHT OUT: a black American teenager filmed a white shop assistant who kept following him in a store and posted the video on YouTube
LAST WEEK, my husband took the morning off work to wait for an engineer, who was due to arrive at our home between 8am and midday (you know they can never give a specific time). Upon arrival, the engineer – a white, middle aged man – soon proved himself to be one of the chatty ones, talking to my other half as if he'd known him for years.
The workman then asked my spouse how he liked the area, before telling him: "Yeah, I used to like it round here, but then all the fighting started between the blacks and the Greeks."
When my husband – who is black – relayed this story to me, I was unsure of what to say or how to feel. I just couldn't seem to find the appropriate emotion. Part of me wanted to laugh at the sheer tactlessness of the engineer, while another part of me wondered whether the man was a casual racist.
Was the ethnicity of the alleged troublemakers really that important to mention, especially to a black man? If the alleged fighting had been between groups of white boys, would the engineer have stated this when sharing his feelings about the area?
I asked friends what they made of the scenario. Some were in no doubt that the man was racist; others thought he was just relaying a fact; and some felt he was simply tactless to say that to a black man. I remained unsure.
Many black people are often wary of crying racism, for fear that they'll be accused of 'playing the race card'. Meanwhile, others are quick to find racism in situations where, perhaps, there is none. But with much of today's racial prejudice being far less overt than it was in years gone by, (the days of hotel doors featuring the infamous 'no blacks, no Irish, no dogs' signs are, thankfully, behind us), racism is often not as black and white as it once was.
Now, on occasion, incidents like the chatty engineer's "blacks and Greeks" comment, leave us unsure of whether seemingly innocent remarks hide casual racism. And without knowing for sure, should such incidents be brushed under the carpet?
Think back to last year when Naomi Campbell accused Cadbury of racism. In an advertising campaign for a new chocolate bar, the confectionery giant went with the strapline, "Move over Naomi, there's a new diva in town." To put it mildly, the supermodel was not best pleased, accusing Cadbury of being racist by likening black people to chocolate.
CONTROVERSY: Naomi Campbell (below) felt that this 2011 Cadbury advert was racist
Some black people were in full support of Naomi's complaint. Recalling the type of racism that took place in English schools of yesteryear, where black children were teased about their skin looking like chocolate, many felt that Cadbury was indeed racist to liken a black model to a chocolate bar.
But then there were those who rubbished the cries of racism, firmly believing that Cadbury was referencing Campbell's diva reputation and not her skin colour.
So when it's impossible to prove whether or not an incident is racist, should we be up in arms about it?
I had similar thoughts upon hearing another story recently from one of my friends (another black man).
He told me that he had decided to leave his job as a city broker, after being told by his boss (a white man) that the company thought it best not to send a black man to do a particular job.
"Sometimes, towards the end of the month, the company used to send junior brokers to clients' houses to get cheques," recalled my friend, who chose to remain anonymous. "It's fairly normal for small investment houses and it increases that particular month's revenue.
"I was all set to go when my line manager came over, looking sheepish, as if he wasn't sure what to say. Then, another supervisor – though not the main boss – came over and told me that the boss 'doesn't want to send a black guy to one of the clients.' Apparently, they thought that a black guy turning up at the client's house might 'shock him'.
IN YOUR FACE: racism in Britain in the 1960s was much more overt than modern day racial prejudice
"They basically decided it would reflect badly on the company somehow, and so told me not to go. I was so angry that I decided to leave my job at the end of that month."
What was interesting about my friend's saga was that his supervisor didn't think my friend had any cause to be offended by the company boss's decision.
"He wasn't even a little bit bothered when he told me what the boss had decided. In fact, I think he felt like I should have be more understanding about the potential racism of an old man."
Here lies my issue. While I was disgusted to hear what my friend had been through – and was in no doubt that he was the victim of racism – it got me wondering if any racism can be 'justified'.
When it comes from an old, white Englishman, who grew up as part of a generation where such racism was deemed fair game, should we be surprised?
When a middle aged white woman in a restaurant a few years ago asked me where I was from and I replied "London," and she retorted, "no, where are you really from?", was she just curious, downright ignorant, or attempting to make me feel that while I may have been born in England, it's not really "my" country?
When shop assistants coincidentally find the need to 'tidy up' every area of the shop that a black customer happens to stop at, are they just doing their job, or indirectly insinuating that black people are prone to stealing?
Last year, a black American teenager filmed a white man, assumed to be a shop assistant, who kept following him in a store. In the video, which was posted on YouTube, viewers see the man appearing behind the teen every time he turns a corner.
It certainly seems that the young man, who is shopping with his friend, is being followed. And with the video titled 'Racist guy following us', it's clear the teen believes he is a victim of racism.
But unlike the unquestionable racist intent of a white person calling a black person a 'n****r', this type of incident (which many of us have experienced whilst shopping), is much harder to prove as being an act of racism.
The fact is, racism today comes in many different guises and very often it's hard to prove. So when the motive, the reason or the thinking behind incidents of potential racism is unclear, should those incidents be challenged or just shrugged off?
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Man driving Camaro at 120 mph over Bayside Bridge pulled over, found with drugs, deputies say
The man was driving a Chevy Camaro over the Bayside Bridge Wednesday morning at more than 120 mph and was weaving in and out of traffic, deputies say.
A Clearwater man who was speeding in a Camaro across the Bayside Bridge at about 120 mph was pulled over and found to have cocaine, marijuana and MDMA, Pinellas sheriff's deputies reported.
Deputies said they saw the Camaro going northbound over the bridge at about 10:45 a.m. Wednesday "at a speed estimated to be in excess of 120 mph," an arrest report states. Deputies said the driver was making "significant lane changes through traffic at that speed and eventually ran a red light at Drew Street and McMullen Booth Road," a report states.
The speed limit on the bridge is 55 mph.
Deputies stopped the driver, who they identified as David Keith Teal, 26, of Clearwater. While doing an inventory of the Camaro, deputies said they found a bag with nearly a half ounce of cocaine and a small amount of marijuana in the glove box. In his wallet, deputies said, they found a pill inscribed with "Red Bull" that tested positive for MDMA, which is more commonly known as ecstasy or molly.
Related: Wisconsin man arrested after going 145 mph on Bayside Bridge, deputies say
Reports say Teal denied ownership of the cocaine and marijuana, but admitted the pill was his, though he said he thought was a "workout pill."
He was arrested on charges of reckless driving and possession of cocaine, marijuana and MDMA.
Bail was set at $4,400 and Teal was released from jail about nine hours after his arrest, records show. Deputies noted in an arrest report that Teal was polite and cooperative.
Two days before the arrest, Teal had been arrested on a charge of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman. Clearwater police said Teal hit the woman, who is 7 months pregnant, in the face while they were at the health department for a doctor appointment for a 9-month-old girl. Teal was released from the jail on his own recognizance the next day, records show.
Related: Why is the Bayside Bridge so bumpy? Florida Wonders explains.
Court records show Teal has an arrest record in Pinellas County that includes charges of cocaine possession or trafficking, marijuana possession and sale, and grand theft auto. He has been arrested three times on charges of fleeing police and has been cited four times for speeding, three times for careless driving, twice for running a stop sign and seven times for driving with a suspended or invalid license, court records show.
Chris Tisch
NOW Editor


How healthy is Mississippi State heading into Alabama week?
Mississippi State had several players out with injuries against UMass. What's the latest on them ahead of the game against Alabama?
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State sophomore receiver Deddrick Thomas hadn't returned a punt in a game since he was a senior in high school.
Thomas is MSU's fifth-string punt returner, Dan Mullen said after the No. 16 Bulldogs beat UMass 34-23.
That didn't matter on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.
Thomas returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown with five minutes left to provide what would be the game's final margin and help MSU avoid an upset.
Thomas was thrust into action because Donald Gray (groin), who has returned seven punts this season, and Gabe Myles (foot), who has returned five, were both out with injuries. Receiver Keith Mixon (foot) would likely be the next guy on the depth chart, but he was out, too.
So, has Thomas won the job?
The Bulldogs (7-2, 3-2 SEC) likely won't be at full strength when No. 2 Alabama visits next week. Myles will remain doubtful and Mullen was noncommittal in regards to Gray, who won't practice until Wednesday at the earliest.
Mixon, who leads the team in receiving yards, should be available. That's good news for MSU, considering the Bulldogs have lacked a vertical threat all season and will at least need the hope of one against Alabama.
Without three of its starting wide receivers, MSU started Deddrick Thomas, Jesse Jackson and Jordan Thomas. Jackson led the group with four catches and 36 yards, but a UMass defender wrestled the ball away from him in the second quarter and made an interception.
Out of desperation, MSU used cornerback Jamal Peters, who practiced as a receiver last year and in the spring, on offense. Peters received a carry in the third quarter and rushed for 8 yards.
On a positive note for MSU's offense regarding injuries, standout left tackle Martinas Rankin returned to action and played the majority of the game after missing the last three games with a high ankle sprain.
"This game was a big game to come back to against a team that does a lot of movement," Rankin said. "It hurt to miss games, but all I could do was rehab and focus on getting better. We know these final three games are important for us to win."


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SAA Pilot Arrested For Stripping, Joburg-Bound Flight Delayed For Five Hours
Video National | 2nd Jul 2014 | admin
Harare, July 2, 2014 – A South African Airways (SAA) pilot, only identified as W Van Ginkel, was Tuesday arrested at Harare International Airport for stripping down to his underwear in protest at being thoroughly searched by airport security officials.
As a result, 90 passengers who were due to travel on the morning flight to Johannesburg were left stranded following the bizarre incident that left cabin crew, passengers and airport workers shell-shocked.
The shocking stripping down to his underwear by the pilot took place early in the morning as the cabin crew went through the screening routine at the country's biggest airport. He was charged with nuisance and was fined before being released.
National police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said: "We confirm we have arrested one person at Harare International Airport this morning in connection with misconduct. He has been charged with criminal nuisance and has since deposited a fine."
Flight SA 025, that was supposed to leave Harare at 0720hrs, had already been delayed by 20 minutes due to civil aviation regulations after the aircraft arrived late on Monday evening.
People who witnessed the sensational incident said when the Van Ginkel, who was leading the crew, passed the x-ray screening gates, the detectors beeped and he was ordered to remove his shoes.
"After removing his shoes, there was something still beeping so he was ordered to remove his belt," said a witness. "That certainly frustrated him as he proceeded to remove his trousers, remaining with only his underwear."
Officials from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ)—which provides airport security and secure safe air navigation—called in the police, who detained the pilot at Harare International Police Post.
David Chawota, CAAZ general manager, confirmed the incident. He said passengers eventually managed to proceed with their journey after the delay.
"Yes the incident indeed happened," Chawota said. "Captain Van Ginkel arrived at the x-ray gates and was told to remove his belt and he went on to remove his trousers. When he was questioned, he said it was a mistake. The passengers however departed Harare in the afternoon without him. The matter is now with the police."
Asked whether they had ever experienced a similar incident before, Chawota said, "Izvi zvinyowani izvi (this is new here)."
Sources said the flight had to be cancelled amid concerns from CAAZ that the pilot no longer was of stable mind and could not manage the flight.
SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said the organisation will investigate circumstances surrounding the mishap.
"We regret the incident and would like to apologise to our passengers and our stakeholders at large," Tlali said. "This is a matter which the airline will investigate in order to fully understand the circumstances that led to the detention of our crew member. Once we have all the information, we will decide on what action to take. We cannot apologise enough to our passengers for the inconvenience caused by the late departure of SA 025 from Harare to Johannesburg."
As a result, the 90 passengers had to wait for more than five hours as another crew was dispatched from Johannesburg. It arrived on the 12 noon flight.
Flying from Harare to Johannesburg takes up to 1hr 30 minutes and the incident inconvenienced about 64 passengers, some of them who intended to connect to international destinations at Oliver Tambo International Airport.
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Hey it's me again signing in for another layout I have created for Scrappin Studio. This time I used the Studio Calico Jan monthly kit called "County Fair". Well CNY & V-day is coming soon and somehow I have already caught the V-bug hence a love-themed layout is created. Lol. I love all the pink and red in this kit.
Do check out the store for this kit, the other add-ons as well as scrapbook supplies!
another gorgeous layout as usual!!
hello hello... that's the SWEETEST layout ever!!!
Such a sweet and prefect V Day layout Jessy!
Really gorgeous, Jessy! Love what you did with the number stamp. And what fabulous white space, and wonderful photos. LOVE!
WOW! Such a gorgeous layout! Love the layeringg!
This is fantastic! Love the doily and the red! Great work!
Oh so very sweet, from the colors to that picture!!!
I adore your layout! Love the layering!
Oh my WOW Jessy!!!!!!! This is stunning!!!!!!! Love all the white space and colors!!!!
the stamping and misting techniques turned out so beautifully on this project. GORGEOUS stuff, jessy!
yes yes yes.. berry berry sweet!!! love this layout so much! but i love you two MORE!
Beautiful Jessy! You always rock the layers!!


The game's afoot! Professor Moriarty has sealed the plans for his latest dastardly deed inside a series of Cryptexes, and Sherlock Holmes needs your assistance in cracking the code!
The game's afoot! Professor Moriarty has sealed the plans for his latest dastardly deed inside a series of Cryptexes, and Sherlock Holmes needs your assistance in cracking the code!
Scotland Yard pay handsomely for the world's only Consulting Detective, and he rewards those who display fine detection skills! Prepare for adventure and intrigue, fiendish puzzles and shady characters in this race against time!


Linda and her husband, David have been members of the Bedford church since the mid-1970's. Linda has served as the Clerk of Session for the past 8 years and is a member of the personnel and mission committees. She also serves as a committee member of the Presbytery's Permanent Judicial Commission and the Boundary Training/Response Committee on Ministry Sub-Committee.
Linda is an attorney with a practice focusing on elder law, estate planning/settlement and real estate law in Somers, where she has lived and practiced law for over 30 years. She and David have three children. Their son lives and works at a university in the Chicago area, one daughter is an immigration attorney in NYC, and their younger daughter is currently serving in the Peace Corps.
The Bedford church has had a tremendous impact on their family and has truly helped to shape the paths their kids have taken in their lives. The family has cumulatively volunteered on some 19 trips to Nicaragua, and their oldest daughter was an in-country staff member for Bridges to Community in Nicaragua for two years. Linda now serves on the Bridges to Community board, as well as on the board of the Westchester Youth Alliance, and also as the chair of the program committee of the Presbyterian Center at Holmes. The church continues to challenge their family to learn and grow in their faith.
Alison lives in Bedford with her husband Jim and her two children. Upon moving to the area in 2010, Bedford Presbyterian was her first and last stop when church shopping. She was immediately drawn not only to the focus on social justice and outreach, but the feeling that the church as a whole participates in raising our community of children with these ideals. The past seven years have borne out that Bedford Presbyterian Church is the "village" it takes to raise a child in today's world. In addition to the wonderful children's programs, Alison is involved in the music program, Midnight Run and coordinates the Northeast CROP walk.
Lara has lived in Bedford since 2000 with her husband and two sons. After witnessing the September 11th attacks while working in lower Manhattan, Lara and her husband found their way to several local churches looking for the right fit to help them process the horror of the day. It quickly became clear that Bedford Presbyterian Church was the welcoming and supportive environment they craved. BPC has continually been a source of inspiration for both the parents and children in her family. Lara loves how a place that feels "right" to her holds the same endearment for the rest of her family. Her family has participated in the Emergency Shelter Partnership as well as the Appalachian work trip, both of which have been transformative.
Eric lives in Bedford with his son, Dylan, and daughter, Lindsay. Eric joined the church in 1997 because upon his first visit he immediately felt an incredible warmth and sense of community that were similar to his church as a child. Bedford Presbyterian has been a wonderful place to raise his family and grow spiritually. Eric and his children have participated in the work trips to Nicaragua and Virginia, the Midnight Run and Emergency Shelter Partnership. Eric has served on the Board of Deacons and is currently a member of the Session, in charge of Property and Maintenance. He looks forward to being a part of the continued positive outreach of the church, both locally and globally.
Dave and his wife Dina, live in New Canaan, Connecticut. The family joined the church in 1992 and all three kids, Liz, Kate and Chris, were confirmed at BPC. Dave owns a specialty wood window business in Vermont and commutes weekly. Dina works for a retail shop in town. The main draw for the family is the church's call to action to embrace our neighbors both locally and around the globe. Thanks to the church the family is deeply connected to Nicaragua with Liz having worked for 2 years with Bridges to Community in Nicaragua as a Volunteer Coordinator.
Jorge has made a home in Katonah and Bedford Hills with his wife Jen Mcquaid for the past 12 years with a growing family – Rowan (12), Fiona (10), Emma (8). Jorge is a wireless telecommunications investor and Jen is a practicing clinical psychologist focusing on families. She provides program advisory and training for the Sanctuary for Families and is on the faculty of the Yale Center for Asylum Medicine. Jorge is also on the Board of Trustees of the Katonah Museum of Art. Jorge and Jen immediately recognized a home they wanted to be a part of at BPC, where a spirit of warmth, caring, generosity and goodness permeates all.
Chris has lived in Katonah, New York, for almost twenty years, and has been a member of Bedford Presbyterian Church throughout that time period. Having never attended church growing up in Illinois, California, and Connecticut, Chris came to BPC because his wife Kathy (who attended church growing up in Greenwich, Connecticut) was looking for a church community to raise their two boys, Ben and Erik. BPC has been a home for their family, a place filled with nurturing, caring people who have at various times been Cherub Choir members, fellow Bell Ringers, adult choir singers, work trip participants to Virginia/West Virginia and to Nicaragua, volunteers for Midnight Run and Habitat for Humanity, and thoughtful and thought-provoking contributors to book group discussions. Chris continues to serve on the Mission Committee and is currently a member of the Session (governing board).
Shirani has been a resident of Westchester since 1980. During her career, spanning forty plus years, she worked in academia and practiced law in several jurisdictions. She is a published author of a textbook and legal articles. Recently retired, she volunteers at the Pace Women's Justice Center representing victims of domestic abuse. She is involved in various BPC mission projects including the Emergency Shelter Partnership, and the Rewarding Potential Scholarship program where she is a mentor to a college student. Her sons, from a young age, were active in the BPC youth group and were exposed to hands on community service locally and abroad. This resulted in the career choices they made, and their enduring commitment to work for social justice.
Blakely has lived in Armonk, New York, with her husband, two children, and five rescue animals since 2006. She is actively involved in several nonprofits within the Westchester community, including Family Services of Westchester (Board of Directors), Hope's Door (Board of Directors), and the Junior League of Northern Westchester (Past President).
After "researching" several churches in the area, Blakely and her family found themselves particularly drawn to Bedford Presbyterian, not only for its inclusiveness and commitment to children's programming, but for its tremendous support of community outreach initiatives. Blakely and her family are especially involved with the Emergency Shelter Partnership, Midnight Run, and the Rewarding Potential Scholarship.
Don lives in his native Armonk, New York, with his husband, son and rescue dog, Daisy. He is a music educator in the Chappaqua School District and is a published author of multiple educational resources for music educators. He and his husband, Brian, travel throughout the United States and Canada presenting music education workshops based on their books.
The inclusive atmosphere was what brought Don and his family to join the church. They wanted their child to be involved with a church that would not only celebrate their family but also enrich him with deep and meaningful experiences. Bedford Presbyterian is a joyful place to worship and does so much to enrich the community beyond its walls of the church.
Cathy and her family have lived in Armonk for more than 25 years. She works as a life insurance actuary in Manhattan. She and her daughter Barbara attended church in Armonk until it closed in 2012. Cathy was initially attracted to Bedford Presbyterian Church because of the opportunity it gave Barbara to understand "who she is and who she is called to be" and to become involved in activities like the work trip to Appalachia, Midnight Run and the Emergency Shelter Partnership. As a mostly empty-nester, Cathy has stayed involved herself with BPC because of the hope and love that is present in every church message and event.
Brian lives with his husband, Don, and their son, Brandon James, in Armonk, New York. In a career spanning 33 years, Brian has taught Kindergarten, First Grade, General Music and Instrumental Music in Chappaqua, New York. Brian is an internationally-known author and clinician and presents workshops at national and state music conferences throughout the United States and in Canada. Brian and Don have co-authored 14 books for music educators. He is now a retired, stay at home Dad for Brandon.
Brian's first introduction to BPC was through Scott and Michele Eames and their sons, Patrick and Tyler. Brian would often attend services when the boys were performing in the children's choirs. What struck Brian the most was the warmth and welcome he received each time he visited. The inclusive environment, the countless outreach opportunities, the strong sense of community and fine music program all contributed to Brian and Don's decision to become members and to raise their son in this special place.
Kim lives in Mount Kisco with her wife, Michelle, two sons, Kevin and Brady, and their two pups, Quincy and Harrison. After searching for a church that aligned with the inclusive and spiritual beliefs of her family, a friend suggested that they visit BPC. One visit was all it took.
Being a member of Bedford Presbyterian Church has been transformative. The spirit of care and kindness and the purposeful work carried out for the betterment of others are only two of the many reasons that BPC has become a cornerstone in the lives of Kim and her family. They are grateful to be members of such a wonderful, spiritual community. Kim serves as deacon and as a member of the Rewarding Potential Scholars Steering Committee.
Suzanne and her husband moved to Bedford in 2008, where they now reside with their son. She is an investment risk manager for a firm in Norwalk, Connecticut. Upon moving to the area, Suzanne visited different churches looking for the right environment to provide spiritual growth and an active community for children and adults. She was drawn to Bedford Presbyterian because of its history, extensive community involvement, and its commitment to children's programs. She has been involved with a number of family and children's events at BPC and is pleased to be part of such a dedicated and involved force within the community.
Judy was born and raised in Bedford and attended Bedford Presbyterian Church as a young child. After raising a family here in Bedford (mom, dad and two sons are all graduates of Fox Lane) and finishing her degree in Occupational Therapy, she is now a Senior Occupational Therapist at a public elementary school in the Bronx.
Now, as a grandmother of four (two grandsons and two granddaughters), Judy has come back to Bedford Presbyterian. She loves singing in the church choir with so many loving, dedicated singers. She is also president of the Bedford Presbyterian Women's Group and is coordinator of the annual Mistletoe Mart. Bedford Presbyterian Church is like a second home and a second family because of the warmth, inclusiveness and kindness of the church community.
Julie and her husband Peter have lived in Bedford since 2002. They have two children, Laura and Harrison, and a dog, Einstein. Julie and Peter grew up with very different religious backgrounds and struggled to find a religious community they felt aligned with their beliefs. In 2010, their daughter began singing in the Cherub Choir and they started to attend services at BPC more regularly. They immediately realized they had found a home at BPC. The church's inclusive community and strong commitment to outreach programs especially appealed to them.
Julie is a Deacon and also assists Kathy DiBiasi with creating Sunday Spirit lessons for BPC's Children's Program.


Citation Maréchal, C., 1991. Diplotaxodon. p. 79. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse, G.G. Teugels and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ISNB, Brussels; MRAC, Tervuren; and ORSTOM, Paris. Vol. 4.