text:
"""Tests for ToDense Keras layer."""
from __future__ import absolute_import
from __future__ import division
from __future__ import print_function

from absl.testing import parameterized
from keras.testing_infra import test_combinations
from keras.testing_infra import test_utils as keras_test_utils
import numpy as np
import tensorflow as tf

from tensorflow.python.framework import test_util
from tensorflow_text.python.keras.layers.todense import ToDense

class Final(tf.keras.layers.Layer):
  """This is a helper layer that can be used as the last layer in a network for testing purposes."""

  def call(self, inputs):
    return tf.dtypes.cast(inputs, tf.dtypes.float32)

  def compute_output_shape(self, input_shape):
    return input_shape

  def get_config(self):
    base_config = super(Final, self).get_config()
    return dict(list(base_config.items()))

def get_input_dataset(in_data, out_data=None):
  batch_size = in_data.shape[0]
  if out_data is None:
    return tf.data.Dataset.from_tensor_slices(in_data).batch(
        batch_size)

  return tf.data.Dataset.from_tensor_slices(
      (in_data, out_data)).batch(batch_size)

@test_combinations.run_with_all_model_types
@test_combinations.run_all_keras_modes
class RaggedTensorsToDenseLayerTest(test_combinations.TestCase):

  def SKIP_test_ragged_input_default_padding(self):
    input_data = get_input_dataset(
        tf.ragged.constant([[1, 2, 3, 4, 5], [2, 3]]))
    expected_output = np.array([[1, 2, 3, 4, 5], [2, 3, 0, 0, 0]])

    layers = [ToDense(), Final()]
    model = keras_test_utils.get_model_from_layers(
        layers,
        input_shape=(None,),
        input_ragged=True,
        input_dtype=tf.dtypes.int32)
    model.compile(
        optimizer="sgd",
        loss="mse",
        metrics=["accuracy"],
        run_eagerly=keras_test_utils.should_run_eagerly())
    output = model.predict(input_data)
    self.assertAllEqual(output, expected_output)

  def SKIP_test_ragged_input_with_padding(self):
    input_data = get_input_dataset(
        tf.ragged.constant([[[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]], [[2], [3]]]))
    expected_output = np.array([[[1., 2., 3., 4., 5.],
                                 [-1., -1., -1., -1., -1.]],
                                [[2., -1., -1., -1., -1.],
                                 [3., -1., -1., -1., -1.]]])

    layers = [ToDense(pad_value=-1), Final()]
    model = keras_test_utils.get_model_from_layers(
        layers,
        input_shape=(None, None),
        input_ragged=True,
        input_dtype=tf.dtypes.int32)
    model.compile(
        optimizer="sgd",
        loss="mse",
        metrics=["accuracy"],
        run_eagerly=keras_test_utils.should_run_eagerly())
    output = model.predict(input_data)
    self.assertAllEqual(output, expected_output)

  def test_ragged_input_pad_and_mask(self):
    input_data = tf.ragged.constant([[1, 2, 3, 4, 5], []])
    expected_mask = np.array([True, False])

    output = ToDense(pad_value=-1, mask=True)(input_data)
    self.assertTrue(hasattr(output, "_keras_mask"))
    self.assertIsNot(output._keras_mask, None)
    self.assertAllEqual(
        tf.keras.backend.get_value(output._keras_mask), expected_mask)

  def test_ragged_input_shape(self):
    input_data = get_input_dataset(
        tf.ragged.constant([[1, 2, 3, 4, 5], [2, 3]]))
    expected_output = np.array([[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 0, 0], [2, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]])

    layers = [ToDense(shape=[2, 7]), Final()]
    model = keras_test_utils.get_model_from_layers(
        layers,
        input_shape=(None,),
        input_ragged=True,
        input_dtype=tf.dtypes.int32)
    model.compile(
        optimizer="sgd",
        loss="mse",
        metrics=["accuracy"],
        run_eagerly=keras_test_utils.should_run_eagerly())
    output = model.predict(input_data)
    self.assertAllEqual(output, expected_output)

  @parameterized.named_parameters(
      *test_util.generate_combinations_with_testcase_name(layer=[
          tf.keras.layers.SimpleRNN, tf.compat.v1.keras.layers.GRU,
          tf.compat.v1.keras.layers.LSTM, tf.keras.layers.GRU,
          tf.keras.layers.LSTM
      ]))
  def SKIP_test_ragged_input_RNN_layer(self, layer):
    input_data = get_input_dataset(
        tf.ragged.constant([[1, 2, 3, 4, 5], [5, 6]]))

    layers = [
        ToDense(pad_value=7, mask=True),
        tf.keras.layers.Embedding(8, 16),
        layer(16),
        tf.keras.layers.Dense(3, activation="softmax"),
        tf.keras.layers.Dense(1, activation="sigmoid")
    ]
    model = keras_test_utils.get_model_from_layers(
        layers,
        input_shape=(None,),
        input_ragged=True,
        input_dtype=tf.dtypes.int32)
    model.compile(
        optimizer="rmsprop",
        loss="binary_crossentropy",
        metrics=["accuracy"],
        run_eagerly=keras_test_utils.should_run_eagerly())

    output = model.predict(input_data)
    self.assertAllEqual(np.zeros((2, 1)).shape, output.shape)

@test_combinations.run_with_all_model_types
@test_combinations.run_all_keras_modes
class SparseTensorsToDenseLayerTest(test_combinations.TestCase):

  def SKIP_test_sparse_input_default_padding(self):
    input_data = get_input_dataset(
        tf.sparse.SparseTensor(
            indices=[[0, 0], [1, 2]], values=[1, 2], dense_shape=[3, 4]))

    expected_output = np.array([[1., 0., 0., 0.], [0., 0., 2., 0.],
                                [0., 0., 0., 0.]])

    layers = [ToDense(), Final()]
    model = keras_test_utils.get_model_from_layers(
        layers,
        input_shape=(None,),
        input_sparse=True,
        input_dtype=tf.dtypes.int32)
    model.compile(
        optimizer="sgd",
        loss="mse",
        metrics=["accuracy"],
        run_eagerly=keras_test_utils.should_run_eagerly())
    output = model.predict(input_data)
    self.assertAllEqual(output, expected_output)

  def SKIP_test_sparse_input_with_padding(self):
    input_data = get_input_dataset(
        tf.sparse.SparseTensor(
            indices=[[0, 0], [1, 2]], values=[1, 2], dense_shape=[3, 4]))

    expected_output = np.array([[1., -1., -1., -1.], [-1., -1., 2., -1.],
                                [-1., -1., -1., -1.]])

    layers = [ToDense(pad_value=-1, trainable=False), Final()]
    model = keras_test_utils.get_model_from_layers(
        layers,
        input_shape=(None,),
        input_sparse=True,
        input_dtype=tf.dtypes.int32)
    model.compile(
        optimizer="sgd",
        loss="mse",
        metrics=["accuracy"],
        run_eagerly=keras_test_utils.should_run_eagerly())
    output = model.predict(input_data)
    self.assertAllEqual(output, expected_output)

  def test_sparse_input_pad_and_mask(self):
    input_data = tf.sparse.SparseTensor(
        indices=[[0, 0], [1, 2]], values=[1, 2], dense_shape=[3, 4])

    expected_mask = np.array([True, True, False])

    output = ToDense(pad_value=-1, mask=True)(input_data)
    self.assertTrue(hasattr(output, "_keras_mask"))
    self.assertIsNot(output._keras_mask, None)
    self.assertAllEqual(
        tf.keras.backend.get_value(output._keras_mask), expected_mask)

  def test_sparse_input_shape(self):
    input_data = get_input_dataset(
        tf.sparse.SparseTensor(
            indices=[[0, 0], [1, 2]], values=[1, 2], dense_shape=[3, 4]))

    expected_output = np.array([[1., 0., 0., 0.], [0., 0., 2., 0.],
                                [0., 0., 0., 0.]])

    layers = [ToDense(shape=[3, 4]), Final()]
    model = keras_test_utils.get_model_from_layers(
        layers,
        input_shape=(None,),
        input_sparse=True,
        input_dtype=tf.dtypes.int32)
    model.compile(
        optimizer="sgd",
        loss="mse",
        metrics=["accuracy"],
        run_eagerly=keras_test_utils.should_run_eagerly())
    output = model.predict(input_data)
    self.assertAllEqual(output, expected_output)

if __name__ == "__main__":
  tf.test.main()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Tours & Itineraries things to do tours Canada > Southern Ontario > Toronto
6 Best Downtown Tours In Toronto, Canada
The capital of Ontario and the most popular city in Canada, Toronto is home to the iconic downtown Toronto skyline that is symbolic of Canada to people all over the world. While there are many charming landmarks and attractions in the whole of Toronto, downtown Toronto is known to be the epicentre of the city's activities like the most happening events, retail shopping, fine dining, superb museums, and gardens, all dominated by the soaring skyscrapers. Downtown Toronto is made up of many areas like the retail area of Yonge Street, public space of Dundas Square, the Financial District, historic St. Lawrence area, the Entertainment District, the Harbourfront Centre, etc. With so many places to see in downtown Toronto itself, a guided tour would be the best way to cover all the must-see sights. We've shortlisted the best tour options guaranteed to show you a good time. So, come and check out our suggestions for the best downtown tours in Toronto, Canada.
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1. Small-group tour of downtown Toronto (from USD 185.0)
1/5 toronto downtown tour | small-group tour of downtown toronto
2/5 small-group tour of downtown toronto
As the name suggests, this downtown Toronto tour is tailored for a small group of just 12 guests, ensuring maximized personal attention by the guide. The tour minibus will take you through the popular downtown sights like Harbourfront, Rogers Centre, CN Tower, Bata Shoe Museum, etc. while stopping and exploring many interesting landmarks like Sugar Beach, Distillery District, St. Lawrence Market, Casa Loma, and more. On the way, your guide will also point out hidden gems and mention interesting anecdotes about Toronto.
Luxury Small-Group Toronto City Tour
2. Enchanting helicopter tour of downtown Toronto (from USD 105.0)
1/5 toronto downtown tour | enchanting helicopter tour of downtown toronto
2/5 enchanting helicopter tour of downtown toronto
This remarkable helicopter tour of Toronto is truly a one-of-a-kind sight-seeing experience! As you go soaring about 2000 feet (600 metres) above the tall buildings and skyscrapers of downtown Toronto, the Lake Ontario waterfront, CN Tower, Rogers Centre, St. Lawrence Market, Distillery District, and so many other downtown landmarks, you will surely feel on top of the world! To enjoy this seven-minute helicopter ride, you can choose from five departure times throughout the day. After a quick briefing session at the downtown city airport, your pilot-cum-guide will take you on a magical trip over the city, all the while pointing out the fabulous landmarks along the way.
7-Minute Helicopter Tour over Toronto
Duration: 7 minutes
3. Customizable downtown Toronto private walking tour (from USD 135.0)
1/5 toronto downtown tour | customizable downtown toronto private walking tour
2/5 customizable downtown toronto private walking tour
No need to jostle with other tour participants since you and your party will have your own private guide on this memorable two-hour walking tour of downtown Toronto. This unique tour takes you through under and above ground walking paths that include many architectural and entertainment attractions of the downtown area. Many landmarks like Hockey Hall of Fame, Yonge-Dundas Square, Roy Thomson Hall, CBC, St. Lawrence Market are well-known stops on the tour. This private tour is highly customizable and perfect for a couple, family or group of friends.
Toronto Downtown Private Walking Tour
Duration: 80 to 90 minutes
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4. All access admission to the Hockey Hall of Fame (from USD 18.0)
1/5 toronto downtown tour | all access admission to the hockey hall of fame
2/5 all access admission to the hockey hall of fame
Canada's national winter sport, ice hockey, has a huge fan following not only in Canada but in over 70 other countries as well. With an admission ticket to this attraction, take a walk through the 65,000 sq. ft. (7222 sq. yards) Hockey Hall of Fame and learn more about this quintessentially Canadian sport as you explore the themed exhibits of the most famous teams, players, and the records held by them. There is even a Broadcast Zone, a model rink and access to the coveted Stanley Cup for die-hard fans. If you don't know much about the game, you could catch a 3D film about it or simply try your hand at shooting or goaltending moves of the game.
Hockey Hall of Fame Admission Ticket
5. Downtown Toronto public art & sculpture walking tour (from USD 38.0)
Source: www.viator.com
Take a truly unique walking tour of Toronto, where a professional guide takes you through those streets and spaces of Toronto that are filled with public art, architecture, sculptures, and beautiful landmarks. The TalkWalk tour is a small-group walking tour that is specially designed for those visitors who have a keen interest in the artistic aspects of Toronto's public spaces. In this engaging walking experience, your guide will cover 20 different sites in downtown Toronto, explaining the significance and history behind each of them.
TalkWalk Front and Centre Guided Walking Tour of Public Art and Sculpture
Oops, this activity is currently unavailable. Check out these alternative activities in the same location.
6. Toronto downtown sights and landmarks tour (from USD 399.0)
1/5 toronto downtown sights and landmarks tour
Enjoy a day of exploring the sights of downtown Toronto on this eight-hour tour led by an informative guide. With hour-long stops at each landmark, the tour begins at CN Tower, moving onto Casa Loma, Ripley's Aquarium Of Canada, Royal Ontario Museum, Rogers Centre and finally ending with amazing views of downtown Toronto. This lovely tour covers admission to all the sights listed above and lunch and bottled water are included as well.
All inclusive Toronto city Day Tour From Niagara Falls
Duration: 8 to 9 hours
Enchanting downtown Toronto
With so many of Toronto's attractions concentrated in the downtown area, it can be quite difficult to explore it in its entirety. Luckily, our curated list of guided tours will give you unfettered access to all the popular sights and landmarks of downtown Toronto. So, pick a tour and enjoy exploring downtown Toronto!
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Isha is a former corporate nobody. She lives a quiet life of travelling, writing, and minding her own business.
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Explore Toronto

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


At the Brera Design District, the exclusive RODA outdoor furniture design meets the bioclimatic Pratic pergola in a space of absolute elegance and comfort. Beauty, fine details, an exclusive style: outdoor and indoor melt in a unique oasis of wellness. RODA garden products are characterized by a strong personality that makes each item different from the others, but all sons of the same design thinking at the same time.


A SUPER GROUP DEAL of 97 indigo-blue boleite cubes to 6 mm (2 cubes to 6 mm) from the personal collection of Ed Swoboda, who spearheaded the 1975 mining effort at the famous Amelia Mine at Boleo. Some of these have edge wear, but many do not. All have good color and nearly all are complete. There are a couple of composite crystal groups with a bit of matrix .


WASHINGTON – The National Park Foundation, the National Park Service, and the United States Mint announced that limited edition coins honoring the National Park Service Centennial are now available for purchase online at catalog.usmint.gov/coins/commemoratives. The coins will be available at participating park locations across the National Park System later this year and have the potential to raise millions of dollars in support for America's national parks.
The commemorative coins honor the National Park Service's first century of service protecting, preserving, and sharing some of our nation's greatest natural, historical, and cultural resources. In addition to being a unique centennial collectible, all coin surcharges are authorized to be paid to the National Park Foundation to support projects that help preserve and protect resources under the stewardship of the National Park Service and promote public enjoyment and appreciation of these resources.
"The coin program is yet another example of a successful public-private partnership that has the ability to make long-lasting and meaningful impacts across our park community as we continue our efforts to protect America's treasured places, connect people from all backgrounds to them, and inspire the next generation of park stewards," National Park Foundation President Will Shafroth added.
The coins can be purchased from the United States Mint at introductory prices until 3 p.m. ET on April 25, 2016. Regular prices will be in effect after 3 p.m. on April 25, 2016. All prices include a surcharge associated with the sale of each coin, which is authorized to be paid to the National Park Foundation.
There will also be a limited amount of coin sets which include all three coins. No more than 15,000 three-coin sets will be produced. There is a household order limit of two units with this set.
The gold coin obverse (heads side) features naturalist, writer, and conservationist John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt with Yosemite National Park's Half Dome in the background. Inscriptions are "LIBERTY," "2016," and "IN GOD WE TRUST." United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart designed and sculpted the obverse.
The gold coin reverse (tails side) features the National Park Service logo, with the inscriptions "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "E PLURIBUS UNUM," and "$5." Everhart also designed and sculpted the reverse.
The silver coin obverse features Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful geyser and a bison, with the inscriptions "LIBERTY," "NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CENTENNIAL," "IN GOD WE TRUST," and "1916," and "2016." United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna designed and sculpted the obverse.
The silver coin reverse depicts a Latina Folklórico dancer and the National Park Service logo, representing the multi-faceted cultural experience found in America's national parks. Inscriptions are "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "E PLURIBUS UNUM," "$1," "HERITAGE," "CULTURE," and "PRIDE." The reverse was designed by Artistic Infusion Program artist Chris Costello and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Jim Licaretz.
The clad half dollar obverse features a hiker discovering the majesty of the wilderness and a small child discovering a frog hiding in ferns, celebrating the diversity and breadth of the National Park Service. Inscriptions are "LIBERTY," "2016," "IN GOD WE TRUST," "1916," and "NATIONAL PARK SERVICE." The reverse was designed by Artistic Infusion Program artist Barbara Fox and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Michael Gaudioso.
The clad half dollar reverse features the National Park Service logo, with the inscriptions "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," "E PLURIBUS UNUM," "HALF DOLLAR," "STEWARDSHIP," and "RECREATION." The reverse was designed by Artistic Infusion Program artist Thomas Hipschen and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles L. Vickers.
The coins are great examples of the countless ways there are to #FindYourPark. Launched in March 2015, Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque is a public awareness and education movement to inspire people from all backgrounds to connect with, celebrate, and support America's national parks and community-based programs. Celebrating the National Park Service Centennial and setting the stage for the Service's next 100 years, #FindYourPark invites people to discover and share their own unique connections to our nation's natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history.
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 410 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov.


Do you know how it feels to decide exactly what you want from a very young age, and then work hard every day throughout your life in pursuit of that goal? Me neither!
But ya know who does? My sister! Last weekend our family traveled to Boston to celebrate her success in achieving her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian.
We enjoyed brunches and blueberry beer, and I almost fell asleep post-red eye at the Red Sox game. It was a celebration of dedication, persistence, and family in the wonder of New England spring.
Moms! They're mostly the best, simply for growing you inside of them for almost a whole year and then usually taking it even further to always be there to answer your frantic string of phone calls when you need something, in spite of the times when you might have ignored all their text messages, phone calls, and voicemails when you didn't need anything. They are putting up with a lot every day!
Mine is the type who will spontaneously come to Delaware, Texas, or California whenever you ask her to, with about two weeks notice or less. She's often the "Why not?" when everyone else around me has said "No" and the "Get both!" when two items at the store are asking me to choose just one. She's a woman who made it so that I never wondered what, as a female, I would be able to do. Jobs, sports, solo travels, equal paychecks, using my voice to speak my mind-- there has never been a doubt that the whole world of possibility is open to me.
We may not always see eye to eye on things like having health insurance or not needing a cosigner for a housing lease at age 30, but I love her and can't imagine a life without such a fierce lady to guide the way.


We fell in love with Italy – with its embarrassment of food, architecture and landscape – so could not think of anywhere better to get married. However not being Iatlian speakers and living in the UK, Monina's help as our wedding planner proved invaluable. Not only did she let the run up to the wedding and the incredible day itself run smoothly and stress-free, her warm and friendly manner helped make the whole process FUN!
Monina organised our wedding in Umbria this year and we could not have asked for a better planner. She was extremely efficient, organised, creative, calm, professional, and really cared about making our wedding the most perfect day. She had wonderful creative ideas and made the whole process fun and stress-free. On the day she ensured everything ran absolutely smoothly, going well beyond what we expected to make sure the whole day was magic from beginning to end.
Thank you Monina, we couldn't have done it without you!
I cannot recommend Italian Wedding Dream highly enough.
We first started working with Monina about a year and half in advance of our big day. We had no idea what planning a wedding entailed, but Monina was with us every step of the way. She helped us think through all of the details, suggested fantastic vendors, offered solutions when we were unsure how to proceed, and was incredibly flexible as our plans changed.
The food, the music, the decorations, we could not have imagined a more beautiful wedding.
Adi and I can't thank you enough for our magical wedding. Our timescale for our wedding was short and you gave such great advice and information that we were totally confident that our day would be perfect. With no time to visit Italy in advance we trusted you completely to translate our ideas into reality. From my mixed up pinterest board you clearly understood the things that inspired us and that we liked from flowers to decorations. In the end, our day was more beautiful than we could have hoped for. The hanging flowers and candles with the ribbons on the terrace gave me so much pleasure and the fairy lights everywhere were so romantic. You made a stunning place even more beautiful.
It was lovely meeting you for the first time in Cortona – it felt like we had met before because of our long Skype chats. Those long chats helped us think about lots of details that we hadn't thought about – it felt very much like you cared as much about our day as we did and your knowledge of Villa Ada was invaluable. You understood our needs and sourced the best people for us. Our wedding banquet was delicious, the 30s Alvis – even though I had to walk to it in the rain! – gave a real vintage vibe and Milo – I loved Milo complete with his own playlist for getting ready and with me until the very last minute. He and Eleonora made me, my mum, my bridesmaids and my step daughter look and feel amazing. Siobhan's photos are superb too. A real record of our fabulous day. You also dealt with short term and totally ambitious requests – transfers from the airport and fireworks without raising an eyebrow. Thank you! One of the best moments from the day was the sparklers which I had completely forgotten about… but you hadn't!
Even though you couldn't be with us on the day, your team were amazing. I didn't need to worry about anything at all and just felt supported throughout. Rosa and Alessio were almost invisible during the day. We were so happy that you could all join us for cake! Claudia – you really became a friend for the day. When you translated our ceremony, it didn't feel like we had just met. You joined in our happiness as if we'd been mates for years! The photos of you dancing with Adi will make me giggle for a long time to come. Even though we were a very small wedding of family and friends, you gave us a team of 5 to look after us. We could not have been in better hands.
We had the wedding day we dreamed of despite the crazy weather and with no stress at all thanks to you. The happiness, the love, the beauty and the magic are all things you contributed to and you and your team will be part of our memories of the day.
Monina is AMAZING!! We planned our wedding from Chicago and she blew us away.
Being so far from the actual venue and having never been to Italy we were a little nervous but from day 1 Monina made us feel relaxed and handled every request with ease.
Her attention to detail is outstanding and she far exceeded our expectations. I would recommend her to anyone planning a wedding in Italy.
Thank you so much Monina for our incredible day!!
Cody and I would like to thank you again for all of your help with our wedding. The entire day exceeded our expectations and you were the most gracious, helpful and wonderful planner we could have hoped for.
We put a lot on you in terms of, well everything, and it turned out wonderfully. Having you, with all your experience and expertise, allowed us to not stress about anything wedding related and truly enjoy our Italian experience and the time with our guests.
We would not have changed a single thing, and again want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all that you did for us. It will never be forgotten.
Please could you pass on our thanks and commendations to the caterer and florist. I couldn't have asked for more perfect flower arrangements in line with my blurry vision of what I wanted or better food. Every single person at our wedding still comments to me about how amazing the food was, and how beautiful the décor was.
My partner and I always wanted to get married in Italy and we had some family friends that owned some property in Italy which we wanted to use, we got in contact with Monina and instantly felt at ease. She was so flexible, helpful and generally amazing and nothing(and I really do mean) nothing was too much trouble. She was kind and considerate, such as picking us up and taking us to our food tasting and she put her own individual details into the planning alongside our wishes and desires.
Monina has a fantastic drive and a passion for weddings and it is very evident that she knows her subject inside and out. As we were in England, it was tricky to sort out flowers and table decorations but as stated earlier Monina sent us some designs and we were able to have those frank conversations that allowed us to have the best wedding day ever!
Andrea and myself wanted to get married in Umbria, because we love the area and come often for holidays there.
As we are both living and working in Luxembourg with quite demanding jobs, we knew that to organise our wedding for 100 guests coming from 15 different countries in the world, we would need a local help.
Without any previous recommendations, just browsing "wedding" and "Umbria", we found the perfect wedding organiser. Monina was since the very beginning extremely helpful, she found for us several possible locations, from which we have chosen the ONE for us. Honestly even knowing Umbria, we would never manage to find such a beautiful place without her. She is such a well organised and smily person, that all wedding preparations went without stress.
Everything was booked on time and Monina's suggestions went far beyond than what we could have expected. She has a great sense for details, which can mark the difference.
Since the beginning she understood the character of the wedding we wanted to have. The flower decoration, the wedding aperitif and reception in the gardens were just like in our dreams.
Monina can count on a great network of local young professionals that can fulfil all your needs starting with fantastic florists, hairdresser, DJ, photographer, accommodation providers and ending with local oil producers.
We very much appreciated her concern about unnecessary money spending, she had many solutions that were just looking great without costing us a fortune.
During the wedding day, everybody was thinking that Monina was just one of our guests, instead she was very discreetly having all under control with a big friendly smile on her face. She managed to give us the wedding of our dreams.
We had a lot of fun, enjoyed every moment without stress and spent a wonderful weekend with our friends and family.
If you are looking for the wedding of a lifetime, look no further! Monina was amazing from start to finish and we honestly could not have managed it without her.
We had the most amazing day, better than either of us could ever have imagined.
Monina's creativity, eye for detail and hard work gave us our perfect day, for which we wanted to say a huge thank you. It really was a pleasure working with you.
Myself and my husband couldn't recommend Monina highly enough if you are thinking about having a wedding in umbria and are worried about the organisational aspects of doing it from the uk or elsewhere. From the start to the end Monina was extremely helpful and understanding of our wishes and needs for our big day. She went on numerous occasions above and beyond to accommodate our ideas.
We had the most beautiful day and venue and Monina having listened to all our requirements only proposed florists, photographers, caterers, bands etc, befitting to our original brief, all of which turned out brilliantly.
On the day itself Monina was the epitome of calm and everything went perfectly according to plan with not a single problem.
It was such a help to have someone that understood what we wanted and was able to deliver at such a fantastic price.
Thank you again Monina for your help, it was the best day and we will always be very grateful!
Speak soon, Lucie and Nico.
We cannot thank Monina enough for all her hard work in giving us a wedding that was better than we could have ever hoped for.
She is everything that you would want a wedding planner to be: very professional, diligent and thorough (she somehow remembers every detail of every discussion), patient (we were both indecisive and time-poor, a bad combination!), resourceful (she found us a large tipi), perceptive (it felt like she really understood our tastes); she is calm, good-humoured and has bags of integrity.You can really trust her to act in your best interests at all times.
When we arrived back at the venue after the ceremony, we were absolutely blown away by how beautiful everything was and seriously could not believe that this was our wedding. There had been so much hard work behind the scenes, every detail had been taken care of and then some. If you are considering using Italian Wedding Dream to plan your wedding, please do not even hesitate!
Being based abroad we were really unsure how to organise a wedding in Italy however Monina made this process really stress free!
We had contacted a number of wedding planners and Monina stood out due to her professionalism, level of detail provided and easy going nature. She answered all our questions ( even if I asked the same one a number of times) and found the perfect venue for us in Umbria. Skype phone calls and meeting in person when we arrived in Italy was all part of the service, she made a usually stressful situation extremely easy!
On the wedding day she worked so well behind the scenes and surpassed all of our expectations. Our guests loved the day, we were overjoyed with how everything turned out and feel so blessed to have a found Monina. Her recommendations were spot on, the catering was amazing, the best risotto I have ever eaten!
Our wedding was perfect and we could not have achieved this without Monina's recommendations, support and assistance. For anyone considering using Italian Wedding Dream look no further, Monina is the amazing!
I Cannot recommend working with Monina enough. Monina was extremely easy to work with and listened and understood exactly what we wanted for our big day. Everything on the day was executed beautifully and Monina was there until very late to make sure everything run as smooth as possible. Every bit of advice Monina gave was spot on and we most definitely could not of done it without her!
I just wanted to thank you for your amazing help at our wedding. You really supported me in so many ways, it really was the best day of my life, and that's thanks to such kind, caring considerate people like you and your wonderful team.
Everything went perfect, not one thing i had to worry about, you thought of everything and controlled the day like an orchestra, and for that I will always be grateful to you.
The venue, the food, the weather and wow what a team you introduced me too, from the kind cool Mylo, to the wonderful kind priests that read so beautifully in the church. You managed and handled all my crazy family and friends perfectly and always with a beaming smile, once again thank you.
Monina was a dream to work with. One of my coworkers recommended her and we were more than thrilled with all of her help and services.
Since we were planning the wedding from Canada, some of the details would have been hard to pull off without Monina, Monina made sure every last detail was perfect for our small intimate wedding. I could not have asked for a better wedding day!
We loved working with Monina. As we planned our wedding from afar, she made sure to make herself available via email and skype for planning details. She understood the overall feel of the wedding we were going for and executed it beautifully. I sent many pictures and thoughts on set up and arrangements. Come the wedding day, I couldn't have been happier at how it all came together. She took wonderful care of us.
Thank you so much for all of your help in making our wedding such a special day. It really was just perfect for us.
We couldn't have asked for more and couldn't have done it without you.
Monina thank you soo much for all your help in achieving the most wonderful day!
I don't know what we would have done without you. You had an immense amount of patience answering the hundreds of emails we sent you, accommodating all our requests and helping make our vision a reality.
Without your help last minute hiccups like the disastrous weather would have left our family and friends soaked but luckily for us we had you to save the day! Thank you so much for everything you did, we had a brilliant week and our perfect wedding.
I absolutely adored my wedding and the experience I had with Italian Wedding Dream.
Monina went above and beyond to make our wedding day beautiful and memorable.
Planing a destination wedding can be such a challenge and I am so lucky I had her by my side through all the planning and executing.
It was truly an Italian Wedding Dream!
We engaged Monina after some excellent feedback from clients, some of whom were based abroad like us. She was very efficient and timely in correspondence over email or Skype, and listened to what we valued and wanted from our wedding. We met face to face 3 months before the wedding, and she was able to take charge and liaise with our Italian vendors which made us feel at ease that someone-was-taking-care-of-things. On the day, Monina was calm, collected and organised. She went above and beyond – staying til 4am to make sure all our guests got home safely, and even took someone back to their hotel in her car. She even arranged last minute for the DJ, caterers and bus to stay an hour later, just so our wedding wouldn't end! It was a spectacular event and a party we won't forget!
I don't know what we would have done without you. We have had so many compliments of how beautifully the day was organised and everyone was amazed by the, duo, the food and the table and room decorations…the lavender was just perfect. You are truly a wedding planner extraordinaire!!!
Take care and yes, next time we come to Umbria we will meet for coffee!
Monina and her team were brilliant to work with and offered sound advice and creative inspiration from start to finish. We had our perfect wedding day and this would not have been possible if it wasn't for Italian Wedding Dream.
Donald and I live in New York and on our first trip to Italy together we were looking for a place to stay in Umbria on our way to Roma when we happened upon Perugia. We heard it was lovely but weren't counting on how special it would become to us. We ended up staying longer than we had planned and it soon became "our place". On our return trip, we were engaged behind Piazza Italia and at that moment we knew there would be no where else for us to marry.
So here we were with our biggest dream and had no idea where to start.
And then we found Monina.
From our very first email she communicated in a way that made me feel so comfortably at ease with her. Knowledgeable and friendly, I just knew she was a true professional (and just had to have her!!) We wanted to have a civil ceremony, and she presented us a list of our options and quite promptly reserved the hall for us. As U.S. citizens, the paperwork required to have or marriage legally recognized in the States can be daunting, Monina guided us step by step and made as simple as could be. She so very patiently answered me each time I needed to (like a New Yorker…) "triple check" things. Once we were in Italy the whole process from Embassy to the sworn statement in Perugia was seamless and easy thanks to Monina's guidance. She always made herself available to us so we never felt alone.
From the flowers, to the hairdresser, to the cake, Monina knew all the best vendors that only a well-respected local could know. She listened to what we wanted and when she said she would "try" she delivered on each and every thing. I can't thank her enough for doing all of the leg work and scouting that I could never do from here. She referred Riccardo for my make-up and hair and he was a true master at his art. He made me look like a movie star! We chose Tiziana for our photographer, her smile and happiness for us was contagious and from the preview pictures we have seen she is beyond talented.
The day of the wedding was smooth and timely thanks to Monina's quiet cool and organization, her smiles made you feel like she was a friend that was always supposed to be there. The ceremony was lovely and the gentle Irish accent of our translator added an extra warmth to the day.
We had told Monina we wanted to have our first dance by the Fontana Maggiore (which had never been done) and she went with it! It was such an unforgettable and special moment.
The details at our reception dinner were EXACTLY what we had hoped for and beyond our expectations. It was intimate, simple and pretty. Our guests were so impressed with Monina and really enjoyed themselves, our friends and family are still buzzing with excitement.
Monina, you made our dreams come true in the most perfect way. We've been floating on clouds since that day.
Words can not do justice to what a wonderful wedding planner and person you are.
Con tutti i nostri cuori, grazie mille!
We live in the US, although André is from France, and we always dreamed of having our wedding in Assisi since it is the place of our hearts. Unfortunately, when dreams meet reality it can get complicated, and with all of the 'hoops' to jump through and paperwork and approvals needed to have our ceremony there, we wondered if it would even be possible.
We hired Monina to help us specifically with our ceremonies (a wedding sacrament and a blessing) and she literally took the stress out of the process. We were able to get our ideal locations for our ceremony and blessing, the perfect Priest and Padré, and the most amazing singer – all because of Monina, and her ability to navigate the Italian laws and regulations with native flair.
We also had Monina handle our reception flowers and bridal bouquet and she was very gracious to work with us while understanding that we were on a budget and were aiming for flowers that were simple, yet elegant. It was amazing that despite the miles apart, and communication over email and phone, what was delivered in the end was exactly, if not better than what we had envisioned.
Through it all, Monina was a calm anchor of assurance, professionalism and grace. Our wedding day was perfect, beautiful and memorable. We are so grateful for your support, Monina, GRAZIE MILLE!
Although James's mum lives in Italy and was incredible with the amount she did to help, we wanted to make sure that she could enjoy the day so decided that a local wedding planner would be a good idea to help source everything we needed as well as the legal requirements and organising on the day.
Monina was the wedding planner we chose and we cannot recommend her highly enough for what she did for us. Throughout the whole process, Monina was a picture of calm and never anything less than enthusiastic for our sometimes crazy ideas. We had two trips to Italy ahead of the wedding – one in July 2012 to look at venues and one in March 2013 to meet the florist, do hair / make-up trials and a food tasting – other than that everything was done over email and skype.
Monina has the best contacts, sense of humour and patience, managing not just to deal with all our requests and the input from our families ahead of the wedding but also the drunken ramblings of the guests still partying at 3am afterwards.
We had the most beautiful, memorable wedding we could have hoped for and cannot thank Monina enough for that. She played a huge part in creating the perfect day for us and we will always remember her for it. It's only two months on and I'm already suffering withdrawal symptoms at not seeing an email from her pop into the inbox!
Thank you Monina and hope to see you again soon.
We cannot begin to thank Monina enough for all her help and advice and for making our wedding perfect in every way.
She found the dream venue, Abbazia San Faustino, made the complicated paperwork seem simple, answered all our many questions and made sure every minute detail had been thought through. Taking all the stress out of our planning and the actual day. Even last minute changes due to weather, were positive as Monina came up with beautiful alternative suggestions.
We were both able to fully enjoy the day knowing that Monina with the help of her sister Rosa, even though not visible, was tirelessly working her magic to make sure everything was just so.
Asking Monina to help us was the best decision we made as she exceeded our greatest expectations. She is an absolute pleasure to work with and clearly very talented and brilliant at what she does. Thank you Monina and we hope to stay in touch.
A sincere thank you to you for all your help in creating the perfect wedding for us.
We were originally quite apprehensive about organising it in Italy but from the moment we met you we knew we were in good hands.
You helped us short-list the venue choices and guided us to the Borgo San Faustino – which was the perfect venue, in so many ways.
You created the format for the entire weekend, managing all the accommodation and catering for our guests and bringing in a selection of vendors (flowers, DJ, ceremony host, hairdresser, musicians etc ), all of which were excellent and none of whom we could have found without you.
You made the entire purchasing and contracting process simple and easy to navigate. You kept the costs down and helped us to negotiate a brilliant package with the venue. I think this is probably the only event / party we have ever held that was UNDER budget !
Thank you for all the emails and Skype calls to help clarify everything and to reassure us that everything was progressing well.
On the day, you were there to stage-manage the entire event. We didn't have to worry about a thing, and absolutely everything went as planned. I remember you filling your car entirely with lanterns and candles that we wanted to line the ceremony area. You even brought your sister along on the day to help us out. Your ideas on the table decorations and menu cards were fantastically innovative – we would never have come up with those suggestions. The setting really was perfect.
Our guests have consistently told us that ours was one of the best weddings they have ever been to and the rustic simplicity of Umbria really does make it the perfect location for a wedding.
We took all the credit for this, but actually most of it was down to you, your incredible organizing skills, your large network of contacts and vendors, and your easy-going nature that made sure every eventuality was covered.
You are clearly brilliant at what you do, you have a wonderful attention to detail and you have the experience to accommodate every request and every last-minute change. It's a brilliant combination of talents and we have no hesitation to recommending you whole-heartedly to anyone who is looking for help in planning and managing their wedding.
Thank you again Monina, you are a pleasure to be around and we have such brilliant memories of our time in Italy.
Monina is an angel and if we were getting married again she would be the first person we booked. Monina had been recommended to us by a friend who had also been delighted with her and we were not disappointed!
We were on a tight budget and so we thought it was extravagant having a wedding planner, but Monina really helped us keep our costs to a minimum and helped us with pretty much every aspect of the wedding. One of our major concern was about the paperwork and despite it being quite complex (we were an Australian and British citizens marrying in Italy) it was easy with Monina's guidance. It was important for us that the wedding be legal, rather than just a ceremony and to be honest without Monina I'm not sure if it would have been!
Monina also has so many local contacts, to name just a couple we used a hairdresser who travels frequently between London and Italy so I could have my trial here, as well as a lovely Irish translator who added a gentle sense of lightness and humour to our ceremony.
The amount of time Monina gave us was very generous. She spent multiple weekends with us visiting venues, as well the afternoon before the wedding when we went through the details and then of course the entire wedding day itself. Oh and don't forget the 500 emails we exchanged previously!
On the day itself Monina and her assistant, Rosa, made everything happen seamlessly. Together we had prepared a document capturing all the details of the day and so she could ensure everything was attended to without having to involve (and possibly stress) us! And whilst we'd love to claim all the detail as our own, they even made lovely additional touches which we hadn't even thought of such as adding some of the extra flowers with tartan ribbon on the backs of our chairs, along with more lace and flowers to the seating plan.
There is no way our day would have been the same without Monina and we really cannot ever thank her enough for making such an important day absolutely perfect.
It is difficult to do justice to our gratitude to Monina and her capabilities as a wedding planner. Everyone has ideas and dreams about how their wedding will look and come together, but to say ours were surpassed is an understatement. From the very first email to last goodbye leaving Italy, Monina was warm, friendly and incredibly professional.
We had the most beautiful wedding week in Umbria, with over 80 guests staying for almost a week. We had a pizza night the night before the wedding organised by Monina and the caterers, followed by a big family wedding at Borgo Torale over looking Lago Trasimeno. Every detail was handled perfectly, with nothing left to chance. The venue looked incredible, with beautiful small touches, to make it absolutely special. The quality of the food and wine were really important to us and Monina's caters did not disappoint. The food and wine were genuinely some of the best we and our guests have ever tasted. The risotto is still being talked about months after the last grain was eaten. The caters were very professional, looked sharp and provided a fantastic service over the two days, we wish we could eat their food everyday.
It's hard to believe looking at the photos that it was our wedding, the flowers, table decorations, menus, lighting…..I could go on, were all of the highest calibre. We had everything as we wished with an experienced opinion from Monina but importantly everything looked as we desired, in fact even better!
As a couple we managed to enjoy the day as it should have been without worrying about a single detail, as we knew Monina had it all under control. All our guests commented on how calm and relaxed we were and this is honestly down to Monina's organisation.
We contacted a number of Italian wedding planners before settling on Monina. She made us feel all our ideas were possible and provided solutions not problems.
We have numerous friends desperate to fly Monina over the UK to organise their wedding after they have seen how impeccably well she organised ours. We genuinely miss the regular contact we had and couldn't recommend her more highly to anyone.
Un grande grazie to Monina for helping to create our incredible Todi wedding.
It was clear from the start that Monina was very experienced in dealing with clients requiring the finest – venues, wine, flowers, food. She has established many contacts throughout Umbria and has no problem sourcing new one's as we found out when we wanted to have half bottles of wine without labels (to add our own) to give as wedding favours!
Being UK and Australian citizens marrying in Italy, we were dreading the paperwork, however this was explained very clearly and handled well by Monina. There were no hidden extras or surprises with invoices as all costs were outlined prior to us ordering anything – Monina's administration was excellent, all emails detailed and comprehensive with prompt replies to ours.
My husband and I both work on superyachts and understand the quality of good service. It is obvious this is Monina's passion as she strives to meet the requirements of her clients. She is professional, articulate & creative – not only did she meet all our expectations but exceeded them too. On the big day itself, Monina is fully involved yet non-intrusive. She is an absolute pleasure to work with and we would fully recommend her to anyone looking to tie the knot in this beautiful part of the world.
A big thank you to Monina – everything worked out great, actually exceeded our expectations and we are really grateful for everything she did for us. We have no hesitation in recommending Monina to plan your wedding – you will find her professional, organised, creative and all importantly calm under pressure. She will adapt to your tastes, preferences and budget and her wealth of experience and connections to local suppliers makes navigating all that 'wedmin' a far easier task, especially if you are not Italian residents as we are. Her charges were reasonable and she was upfront about all costs and was careful to get approval beforehand for outsourced items.
Thanks Monina for making our special day great!
We would like to thank you with all our heart for everything you have done! Our wedding day was exactly how we imagined and wanted it to be – and even more! Right from our first conversation with you, we felt a great sense of trust and got the feeling you were exactly the right person to plan our big day! Thanks to your excellent coordination, everything went smoothly from paperwork to actual planning of all details of our wedding day. Your input has been most valuable and certainly helped us to get this "crazy idea" of geting married in Italy become reality.
The beautiful location, wonderful decoration of the table/trees/pool, great food, … made us feel like in a fairytale. Due to your enthusiasm, creativity and great eye for detail our wedding day was just PERFECT!
"We got married in the beautiful hill-top town of Orvieto and couldn't have arranged it all without the invaluable help of Monina Bucci. She was extremely helpful, friendly and professional throughout our preparations and the day itself. Took a lot of the stress out of the event so we could both enjoy the day to a greater extent than would have otherwise been possible. As well as organising everything for us Monina had a lot of great ideas that we used to help reduce some of the costs involved when we were close to reaching our budget as well as some quite original ideas to help theme our wedding. We had strong ideas about what we wanted from the wedding and Monina was able to put our visions into being whilst adding something extra.
Just a quick note to let you know how much we appreciate all your efforts and time. Everything was just perfect. We enjoyed your warm and friendly personality and your calm peaceful spirit. Thank you once again.
We just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know how grateful we are for your help in planning and executing our perfect wedding.
From the first email you worked really hard to make sure ever detail was covered without causing us any stress at all and because of that we had a relaxing and wonderful time.
On the day of the wedding we really appreciated how attentive you were especially staying late at the restaurant, helping us with music and making the table look so beautiful.
We got back to London last night after 10 wonderful days in Umbria culminating with the most amazing wedding day last Saturday.
Thank you again for all your help in making the wedding so perfect and so smooth. Your attention to detail, organisation skills and local knowledge helped in creating the most unique and wonderful wedding day for Mark & I. You took away all the small worries I had about the administrative side of getting married in Italy and thanks for ensuring everything was absolutely perfect and stress-free on the day. We would not have been able to have such a relaxed lead-up to the wedding without your help and support.
I am so sorry it's taken so long to write you a testimonial.
We just wanted to say a massive, massive thank you for the perfect wedding day. We felt in expert hands the entire time and your calmness and patience reassured us that we had chosen the best person for the hard task of making our wedding day so special.
Our photos are amazing and everyone asks us who the photographer was. We were so pleased with how our wedding day went and would recommend using Italian dream to anyone getting married in Italy. It was truly a fabulous day and we can not thank you enough.
We'd like to say a huge thank you to you and your sister for helping make our wedding experience so wonderful – we had the time of our lives! From day one, as we started to organise our day you were brilliant – attentive, helpful and positive. You were super organised but also calm and we almost felt that you were gviving our wedding as much attention as if it were your own! Once we arrived in Italy we greatly appreciate the time you spent with us in the few days leading to the wedding. There were several last minute arrangements that you made possible – such as the amended table plan and the table decorations – we would not have been able to do it without you and your sisters help and generosity of time. You were a pleasure to have around on the wedding day, and it was reassuring to have you with us.
We can't thank you enough for all you did for us and would highly recommend you to any other couple who are hoping to get married in Italy.
We hope all is well with you and that you've had an enjoyable summer of weddings.
We wish you the very best of luck with everything and lots of love.
We just wanted to say a big thank you for everything that you did to make our wedding in Italy so perfect.
We were delighted at the service you provided from day one when we sent you the first email with our ideas right up until the end of our wedding day!
When we first met you at the castle just four days before the wedding we felt like we were not only meeting our wedding planner but also our friend!
It was such a fabulous feeling to know that we could relax on our wedding day knowing you were there to ensure the smooth running of our special day.
The venue looked so beautiful and your professionalism and attention to detail came across in how perfect everything was.
The help you gave us regarding the legality side of the wedding proved invaluable and we couldn't have done it without your help!
All of your hard work resulted in giving us a magical wedding day and making us feel totally stress-free and happy – what a fantastic way to start married life!
We hope that we can express the extent to which we are grateful for your expertise as our wedding planner! We sincerely mean it when we say that we could not imagine doing any of the planning without you. Our wedding day came together so beautifully and we couldn't have been happier with the way things turned out.
From the very first time we met you, you were organized, calm and helpful. We were very impressed by your manner; really appreciating the way that you let us lead without making any of your own opinions apparent and then fully supporting our decisions. You took the time to meet us every time we were back in Italy and skyped with us so that we could be sure that we understood things completely. Your frequent and comprehensive emails were really helpful and kept us informed and feeling very prepared throughout the entire planning process.
We were so happy on the day of our wedding. Everything looked absolutely beautiful and came together so nicely. We know that you oversaw to everything to make sure that it would be flawless. The ceremony was exactly as we had wanted. We can't thank you enough for decorating the aisle chairs with simple ribbons and greenery. It pulled the whole thing together in a way that we hadn't thought of. The reception venue was stunning. We were so impressed with the catering staff that you organized for us and our guests could not get over the delicious food! What a beautiful spread for antipasti and the dinner was fantastic. The dinner room was beautifully put together by you and we were so happy with all of the services you organized for us, from catering, to DJ and florist, transportation of buses and bridal car, ceremony music and everything else; everything was superb. Throughout the entire evening you were patient and calm, helping in the background and on top of everything! Many guests commented on your subtle presence and help with small things, like a dropped glass or small requests. Thank you for helping to make everyone feel comfortable.
We sincerely loved everything about the way our wedding day turned out. We are so impressed by your skills and organization. Your knowledge and experience were extremely evident and we were so thankful for the advice you gave us when we requested it. We couldn't have dealt with Italian law without you. In these instances, we were so thankful for your attention to detail and overly organized and comprehensive attitude. We felt completely confident in your ability and that everything would move forward without any unpredictable glitches. You were calm and confident, and we in turn felt the same way.
We wish you all the best for your future weddings and would HIGHLY recommend you to anyone who is planning a wedding in Italy!
From the very beginning, it was your helpful, can-do attitude won us over and influenced us in deciding to employ you as our wedding planner. Unlike other, larger firms that we considered and contacted, you work entirely on a personal basis. You got to know us and made it your mission to be familiar with our needs as a couple and the very specific needs of our sometimes difficult guests.
You took so much time before the wedding to meet with us at short notice, to get quotes and re-quotes to confirm and re-confirm pricing, menu details, flowers, hair, guest accommodation and the list goes on. You were not satisfied unless we were totally satisfied. You organised us and prompted us and helped us to remain calm throughout. There was not one time during the entire process of planning our wedding that you were unavailable or that we had reason to doubt your ability to bring our plans to fruition. It was during the planning phase that we also had the fortune of benefiting from your vast local knowledge and contact list.
However, it was not until the day of the wedding that your skills and dedication really became apparent to the fullest extent. Your good taste and good sense came to the rescue on more than one occasion. When faced with a medical emergency during our reception, you acted as translator and accompanied our guest and his wife to the hospital so that we could continue to entertain our remaining guests with peace of mind. When the party finally drew to a close in the small hours of the morning we found you waiting in the reception area, not ready to leave until every last detail had been taken care of.
Please accept our sincerest thanks and congratulations on a job well done. You helped to make our wedding day as memorable as it should be. We would heartily recommend you to anyone looking for the services of a reliable, friendly wedding planner with intrinsic knowledge of Umbria and the wedding business. Not only did you earn your fee, you went above and beyond to earn our trust, gratitude and commendation.
Mr and Mrs Mehdi Khalifa.
Oliver and I cannot thank you enough for planning the wedding of our dreams!! The entire day ran so smoothly and was much more beautiful than both of our expectations!
Everything you planned for our wedding and week in Umbria, was done so perfectly. This not only shows you work with very professional and talented vendors, but your own ability to understand your clients.
The guidance and assistance you gave throughout the process of meeting the Italian Government, Australian Embassy and UK Embassy requirements made this a seamless event. Without your help, it undoubtedly would have been difficult to tick all of the boxes.
You truly created a magical day that Oliver and I and our families will never forget, as we all take away the memory of a beautiful Italian experience!
Thank you for being so professional and friendly, really making it your business to understand what it was we were looking for!!
We highly recommend Monina and Italian Wedding Dream to anyone wishing to marry in Umbria, Italy!
"Thank you so much for making our special day so perfect, I don't think I could have been a more relaxed bride! You prepared all the little details, that I would never have thought of and which really made the difference, making the idyllic setting even more magical. Thanks also for going the extra mile organising the restaurants, hair dresser requests (including your interpretation skills!!) and the spa. Everyone had such an amazing day/week and the wedding and the villa surpassed all our expectations.
Thank you so much for all you have done to make our wedding so romantic and beautiful! Gilbert and I feel so lucky to have found you as our wedding planner. While we were not able to travel to Italy before the wedding, we had to solely rely on you and your feedback on the setting, the food, the decoration, musicians, photographer etc. But at no time were we nervous about it! The communication with you was so easy, professional and thoughtful. Every detail was taken care of way in advance, even with a plan B – and we really needed it due to the weather. All went so smooth that we could enjoy the days with our families without being stressed out about any details of our wedding. Thank you for giving us always different options that helped us stay within our limited budget!
The end result was a picture perfect wedding that went above and beyond on what we could have dreamed of! We loved it and can't stop looking at the pictures!!!
Thank you again for all you have done for us! We wish you all the best and highly recommend you as a wedding planner!
I can't tell you how amazing the wedding was!! It was a dream come true for both Mark and I. Not to mention our families…. I think they were in awe of everything!! I couldn't have asked for anything better. Thank you so much for everything you did: from the planning beforehand, to the setting up the day of the wedding, you handled everything so professionally that I was able to sit back and relax. I mean… I even took a nap on the wedding day so I would be rested for the evening's festivities!! Thank you so much for everything!
Just a quick note to say a huge thank you for everything you did to help us add the finishing touches to our wedding. Your knowledge and expertise (and language skills!) made what seemed like a very difficult task extremely simple. Despite the very limited time we gave you to arrange the last minute additions to our day, you were able to deliver everything on our 'wish list'. Your attention to detail and passion for what you do made the day run like clockwork – the venue looked amazing, the music at the reception was perfect, the flowers were absolutely stunning and the wedding car was exactly what we wanted. We can't thank you enough and wouldn't hesitate to recommend your services to anyone considering getting married in Umbria.


Our Crooked Oak outpatient location features the NeuroScience & Spine Associates practice and Center for Spine Care as well as lab testing, x-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG), and an anticoagulation clinic. It is located next to our Family Medicine Crooked Oak primary care practice. View outpatient services and hours at this location.
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The centre offers a wide range of plants and gardening products, with experienced staff on hand to offer advice and assistance in all departments.
Any questions for Havant Garden Centre? Fill in the contact form below and your question(s) will be send to Havant Garden Centre automatically.
We like the Garden Centre in Vacant. The Cafe does good food and there is plenty of seating. They even have to tables for dog owners just outside the cafe area but inside the shop.This is great in summer and winter. They take them away at Christmas time because they need the space.
The goods are usually good quality. They have a nice Pet shop and the staff are well informed. They have Cotton Traders, EWM & a kids section.
They have loads of good healthy plants and most things a gardener could need.
The car park is large with plenty of disabled parking and a drop off zone. They have a hand carwash in the car park area.
Do you want to write a review about Havant Garden Centre in Havant, Hampshire? Write a review and make a chance to win £25,-. Once you've written your review you will automatically be entered into the monthly prize draw to win £25,-. The more reviews you write the more times you enter the draw! So what are you waiting for, write your review about Havant Garden Centre today!
Havant Garden Centre is a garden centre you'll find at Barton's Road Havant, Hampshire . You'll find an excellent range of plants within the garden centre, as well as many other gardening products. For more information on the range please refer to the website. Havant Garden Centre is one of the many garden centres in Hampshire .
Have questions about this garden centre in Havant? Check the opening times above and you can be sure that when you visit, you won't be left standing in front of a set of closed doors. Of course, you can also check out the website for more information. Perhaps you like a good old fashioned chat and would prefer to phone? Then dial the number for Havant Garden Centre: 02392 456200 and you'll be greeted by a friendly member of staff.
Nowadays, many people look for testimonials and reviews on products and stores before visiting or buying. A positive review is, of course, a great sign that you're going to have a brilliant experience at a garden centre. On the Garden Centre Guide, thousands of keen gardeners and loyal customers have written reviews about garden centres they've visited! Havant Garden Centre currently has an average rating of 3.8. You can read the reviews for this garden centre above, and if you're feeling opinionated, write one yourself. Have your say so that others can benefit from what your review!


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Delivery was spot on time and the driver was exceptionally helpful. The shed was straightforward to erect and I managed this by myself. All the bits and pieces were supplied, so all that was required was a spirit level,a hammer and a spanner to tighten up the coach bolts.
Very happy with our third Tiger shed. A little damage from misplaced nails during manufacturing but nothing we could not overcome. It came on time and all components were there. Looking forward to using it.
Very pleased with the overall service from your company. However, the fact that you do not fit the windows is a disadvatage. We struggled as some of the beading wasn't the right fit. Not everyone is able to be a DIY expert and it would be usefull if you offered the facility to have this job done. Also, we feel that the seal around the windows is difficult and doesn't look good on the inside. We will be putting in half round beading to finish the job.
Very pleased with my shed, easy to order, arrived on time, love the colour. Would recommend this company.
Excellent sales staff on time delivery and the garden studio is well made and just what we wanted. Many thanks.
Delivery time a little bit longer than expected but suited my plans anyway. The online progress/tracking was useful. Personal call to notify date of delivery, good touch. Two men delivered within allowed slot and were helpful. I had a trusted skilled mate to help take notes as we unloaded. They checked and 'phoned home' to confirm that one piece was not mine. Not a problem. The 10x6 is a big kit and the instructions are 'basic'. Two, at least are needed to construct. Some basic skills and previous nounce certainly helps. It would be valuable to indicate which is the 'front' of the roof panel. Ours was big and heavy but we guessed right. The 8 screw bolts are a clever, simple solution that ties the unit together before hammering nails. We chose to screw the interior joists in to the roofing panel. The pvc window panels are thin but sufficient - come both sides film-wrapped. You need to plan how you fit them. One is to leave one side filmed and gingerly hammer small nails/panel pins - or clear both films and put a bit of thin card between nail and 'glass'. They scratch incredibly easily! Do practice this on least visible panel first. ] We decided to use clear mastic both inside and out. Outside bottom sills seem to be (potentially) very vunearable to water collection/ingress over time. Get you're base 'foundation' sorted well before delivery. Spirit level will help once you have laid it. Kit - hammers, cordless-drill, spirit-level, quality x-head screwdriver/power-driver, stanley-knife for roof-felt ( warm day or gentle hair-dryer can soften the felt to tuck and fold! Someone has to get on roof to fix the felt down so ladders needed. I'm happy to answer other questions. I am a new customer and these are my independent views. It's a good kit. mine - approx. £600 inc delivery. mates rates for friend who helped. You can pay a heck of a lot more for less. john kennedy, birmingham, five hours construction approx, prep for sound foundations is your call. Good luck.
We are very pleased with this tiger pent house and the service we got was excellent. Delivery came early which is always a bonus and the quality of the wood is above and beyond anything I've come across.
Excellent quality, very helpful delivery man, easy to assemble. overall very good.


text:
s9(4): Deputy High Court Judge
Closing date: 5 February, 2019 - 13:00
Salary: £881.90 a day
Location: Royal Courts of Justice, London
The next deputy High Court judge competition is expected to launch mid-January 2019 with up to 20 vacancies across all 3 divisions (Family, Chancery and Queen's Bench).
For candidates of exceptional ability, this is an excellent opportunity to gain experience working in the High Court, undertaking work that would otherwise be reserved for salaried High Court judges.
No previous judicial experience is required. Solicitors and barristers with at least 7 years post qualification legal experience are eligible to apply.
The Commission encourages diversity and welcomes applications from groups currently under represented in the judiciary. The principles of fair and open competition will apply and recommendation for appointment will be made solely on merit.
The role will require exceptional standards of preparation and judge craft. Candidates may be asked to reach decisions on paper alone and/or given a specific trial or hearing.
Depending on the jurisdiction, successful candidates may be given the opportunity to sit across all divisions of the High Court (subject to the approval of the senior judiciary) and hear a range of work including:
business and property law disputes, both national and international
public and private law cases involving children and families (possibly involving difficult expert evidence), financial disputes, including substantial asset divorce cases, and jurisdictional disputes following foreign divorce decrees
child abduction and international family law, including relocation cases and the inter-relation of the law of England and Wales with European law
contract and tort disputes and possibly specialist areas such as planning, commercial, defamation, technology and construction
in the administrative court, judicial review claims and statutory challenges to the actions of public authorities.
Peter Marquand and Akhlaq Choudhury were both appointed deputy High Court judges in 2016. Peter Marquand talks about what it means to be a deputy high court judge and Akhlaq Choudhury, who is now a High Court judge, explains his reasons for wanting to be a judge.
The appointment
Appointment will be on a 4-year fixed-term basis. Successful candidates will be encouraged to apply for a future High Court selection exercise in which candidates are required to offer a reasonable length of service, usually of 5 years. Candidates for this exercise are therefore expected to have a reasonable length of service of at least 8 years.
In this year's exercise candidates will be assessed against Skills and Abilities which are aligned with those used on the High Court exercise.
The application window will be 3 weeks and will require candidates to provide a statement of suitability demonstrating the Skills and Abilities. The JAC will also request independent assessments from the candidates' 2 nominated assessors.
The first stage of the process will be a paper sift based on the information provided in candidates' applications and independent assessments. Those successful in the paper sift will participate in a telephone assessment.
Those who are shortlisted will then be invited to attend an interview that will involve questions relating to the Skills and Abilities as well as a role play.
Sign up to receive email alerts when further information is available.
112 Deputy High Court Judge s9(4) - Information Page


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Compare Infobase Limited (CIL) is an e-incubation company based in New Delhi, India, with a subsidiary MapXL, Inc. at San Jose, California, U.S.A. The company was conceived during 1998 keeping in mind various e-business with a key focus on mapping. CIL has a manpower of 150 individuals. Apart from this, many people are associated with CIL as freelancers in the field of content writing, technology initiation and development. CIL's major focus is on its two main businesses, namely, Mapsofindia.com and Mapsofworld.com.
Mapsofindia.com was conceived in 1998 with a clear-cut focus on India-centric maps. After the successful launch and running of MapsofIndia.com for five years, Mapsofworld.com was conceived to take care of the mapping needs of the world.
CIL has an additional focus on custom mapping solutions and other map-related services both in the domestic and international market.
Few other businesses owned by CIL are Dgreetings.com, Naukrihub.com, WebsitesHub.com, Elections.in, Bestindiansites.com and Focussingapore.com.


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This sushi platter is 100% vegetarian and stuffed with nutrition too!
Cook the rice, cook the vinegar with the sugar and salt for a minute, spread the nori sheet on the mat, spread the rice on the mat, leaving a little less than an inch at the opposite end of the mat. Put some of the vegetables across the width of the nori sheet. Using the mat, roll the sheet, tightly, dont worry, it wont break. When done, keep aside for a few minutes, then slice.
Since it doesn't take too long to cook (15 – 20 minutes) and looks great, the kids love it! The cubes are stir fried tofu, all the green stuff is chopped cucumber, the green on the left are lettuce leaves, the white slices are red radish and the red stuff next to the cucumber are halved red radishes, with the stalks left on.The sauce in the centre is Japanese rice vinegar, light soya sauce, garlic paste, sesame oil and wasabi paste. The little blob next to the lemons and tofu is wasabi paste.


Claims for travel expenses to investment properties are still making it through to the Tax Office, despite the rules changing for investors in 2017.
Under the new rules, investors aren't allowed to deduct travel expenses associated with their residential property investments.
However, some tax returns are still coming through to the ATO - from tax agents - where travel claims have been incorrectly included.
Although this can be an inadvertent error, it still constitutes breaking the rules, and can result in dispute or penalty.
There also might be a simple, administrative reason errors are making it through to the ATO - there is still a box on tax forms which allow for travel to be claimed.
"Some additional confusion's been caused, particularly in relation to the travel, because if you actually look at the tax return, there is still a box there where you can claim travel, even though the law says you can't, and I think that has tripped up some people," said Mark Chapman of national tax and accounting network H&R Block.
There are a series of other deductions the ATO will be keeping a close eye on this tax season. You can read a comprehensive breakdown of those deductions here.


Music | Maximo Park are coming to the O2 – anyone else feeling nostalgic yet?
Those who harbour nostalgic feelings for the music scene of the mid-noughties may wish to head down to the O2 Academy next week, where Maximo Park will be gracing the stage with their signature dish of romantic poeticism, new-wave melodies, and bull-like energy. With fourth studio album Too Much Information out of the bag for a few months now, the gig promises to be a mix of old and new, with Paul Smith's bowler hat as a steady constant. Listen to the track below, and try telling us you're not up for this!
Maximo Park play the O2 Academy on Thursday 13th March and tickets are available here.


It is with great pride and excitement that I introduce myself as the Principal of Sharyland High School. I am truly honored to serve the students of one of the best high schools in the Region One area and in the State of Texas. I have served in the Sharyland School District for 14 of my 25 years in education. My experience includes 14 years in various administrative roles including assistant principal and principal of B.L. Gray Junior High School.
My vision for Sharyland High School is to ensure a unified campus that will focus on decisions aligned to student improvement and success. Additionally, I will continue to promote our campus motto, "Rattler Pride", throughout the entire school community. We will uphold the traditions and expectations of our Rattler Core Values-Leadership, Excellence, Pride, Respect and Responsibility.
The role of the parents is critical to the academic success of their children and cannot be attained without involvement and support. I look forward to working hand-in-hand with parents and with members of the Sharyland community to nurture our children and ensure their future success.


Nexus 4 back in the Play Store, but shipping in "1 to 2 weeks"
Last night, we saw that the Nexus 4 listing in the Google Play Store had changed from "Sold out" to "Temporarily out of stock", and today we heard that the Nexus 4 would be back in the Play Store around noon. It was a bit after noon (around 12:20PM EST), but the Nexus 4 is back up for purchase in the Play Store. Unfortunately, it won't be shipping for "1 to 2 weeks".
We have no idea how long the stock will last, you if you want to get your hands on a Nexus 4, you'd better jump over to the Play Store listing now.
And, if you're interested, the Nexus 4 bumper case is also back in the Play Store. It is also shipping in "1 to 2 weeks", and is still insanely overpriced at $19.99.
Ordered! That was easy as pie...3 month old pie!
So is the shipping free, or is it $19.99?
Google just created big hype saying they can not meet the demand for Nexus devices ( Nexus 4, 7 & 10). But now we know who is the Android Tablet king. Let them disclosed the sales number if they dare. I do not think they sold any think more than 500K.
I see it is now " illegal" to unlock your phone. Let's see if that helps Google.
Actually Rf, the XDA brain guys who cracked the serial codes figured out that they sold about 400,000...for the 2 hours people could buy it. Imagine if they had it on sale for the Christmas season instead of being down for nearly a month and a half.
Once they ship it'll be 2 day air. The $20 is for shipping not processing AND shipping.
See, I feel like if it takes 1-2 weeks to ship, it's not 2 day shipping. I actually just had this argument with my co-worker...I think it's ridiculous.
Managed to snag a 8 GB model. I'm sure I'll regret not getting the 16 GB. But they charged my credit card immediately after, does that mean it's shipping soon?
damn youre right, i checked my email 2 minutes later and both the Nexus 4 and bumper are already "pending"
It's been almost an hour and it still hasn't sold out. Google is doing quite a bit better this time around.
This should help LG lower their dependency on apple to make cash. They have figured things out.
IT'S ABOUT TIME As much as I love Jelly Bean and as much as the Nexus 4 is a ground-breaker because of the price, the launch for the second gen Nexus 4 had better be quicker than this. I'll be getting the next one from Google Play this Christmas.
Finally! Ordered and received a confirmation email of shipping in 1-2 weeks! Excellent! Anybody want to buy a HTC One S lol?
When is it coming to Canada???
According to Engadget its available in Canada now too.
I had no trouble using my debit card to purchase one. They did take my money out of my card right when I purchased it so that sounds like good news.
I bought mine with a debit. No issues to speak of. Is there something specific you're worried about, because a credit and a debit card should work identically?
Ordered! Also, why is $20 "insanely overpriced". I can remember exactly but wasn't apple's crap bumper that much, or more?
$20 for a thick rubber band is insanely overpriced, especially given how inexpensive the phone is. If you're comparing the price to an Apple product, I think you already know that it's overpriced.


All Opening Times - we are gathering contact information for all kinds of businesses in the United Kingdom. The contact information that we gather are provided on our website for free.
We are looking for a Web designer. One of the main responsibilities will be improving the functionality of our website, as well as working on our new projects which will require: writing the programming code, adapting software and graphic packages.


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:: Archive > Islam Online Crises
Indispensable IslamOnline Must Not Fail
The widely popular Islamic website's success story suddenly became a terrible nightmare for hundreds of IslamOnline's principled employees, says Ramzy Baroud.
Thursday, April 22,2010 13:38
by Ramzy Baroud Middle East Online
widely popular Islamic website has been, until very recently, an undisputed success story. IslamOnline arrived at a time that millions of Muslims needed a common platform and a unifying outlet. Here was a website that neither shunned nor alienated. Its influence was upbeat and positive, rather than destructive or divisive. While it wasn't an apologetic outlet, it reached out to patiently and progressively present Islam and Muslim issues to the world. These were understood and communicated by hundreds of scholars and qualified journalists, who toiled day and night from their Cairo offices.
Then something happened to abruptly bring the noble mission to an end. The success story suddenly became a terrible nightmare for hundreds of IslamOnline's principled employees. The website (IslamOnline.net) remained online, but it was barely updated. Instead, videos were circulated on youtube, showing tired-looking IslamOnline staff chanting in the lobby of their building in Cairo. They were demanding the return of their editorial freedom and rights. They were calling for justice. These bright journalists, some of the finest in the region, should have been sitting behind their computers screens writing, editing and managing 'live dialogues' between inquisitive readers and learned scholars. Instead they were seated on the floor with signs and banners, shouting in coarse voices.
Something had gone horribly wrong.
Hadeel al-Shalchi tried to explain in a recent Associated Press report: "The Qatari government has forced out the moderate leadership of a popular Islamic Web site and plans to reshape it into a more religiously conservative outlet, former employees of the site said."
According to the AP report, "The site was thrown into turmoil…when the owners attempted to change its approach, prompting 350 of its workers in Cairo to go on strike. Management in Doha then cut off their access to the site and have been updating it with news articles but not the diverse content IslamOnline is known for, said the former employees."
IslamOnline is funded by al-Balagh, a Doha-based company. Al-Balagh was headed by well-respected Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi, a most sensible and judicious religious authority. He is known, and much liked, for his progressive views on Islam. Al-Qaradawi is also very popular among Muslims around the world, not least because of his daring political views, his strong anti-war, pro-resistance stances and moral clarity on many issues. In short, al-Qaradawi is the antithesis of religious clerics who would do as they are told.
A striking IslamOnline editor described to me how the crisis developed. It sounded something similar to a coup: the Sheikh was removed from al-Balagh, the site's directors were relegated, a new management was installed (in fact imposed), and even the website passwords were changed so that employees could no longer access it. Devastated and enraged by the unwarranted moves, about 350 employees went on strike - only to find themselves subject to legal investigation by some company lawyers for exercising what is universally accepted as a fundamental right. The editor tells me that they were harshly criticized in particular for their uncompromisingly courageous coverage on Palestine and Gaza. Indeed, IslamOnline had worked tirelessly to bring greater awareness of the struggle in Palestine, to Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike.
Following the tragic events of September 11, few websites have played the vital role that IslamOnline has. Its editors did not serve the cause of fanatics, with their dreadful interpretation of the world and themselves, and nor did they adopt the mouthpiece position in favor of Arab governments. Equally important, they did not try to falsify a 'moderate' position to please any government - Arab or any other. Instead, they truly reflected and genuinely expressed the views of mainstream Muslims from all walks of life, and from all over the world. It was truly an impressive feat to see such an independent editorial line emerging from one Arab capital and largely funded by another.
But it seemed too good to be true - thus the terrible, chaotic and devastating changes that brought this vital to a standstill. The very means of presenting an eloquent Muslim voice to the world has been threatened.
The story of IslamOnline is being presented as that between rival Arabs: governments, groups and individuals. Reductionist terminologies– such as conservatives vs. moderates - are once again permeating the often predictable Middle East discourse. Many questions still remain unanswered.
In fact, the story of IslamOnline pertains more to media freedom and editorial independence in Arab countries than much of the above. The struggle is between the self-serving politicking few, and hundreds of media professionals - brilliant and inspiring young women and men who made up the staff at IslamOnline. For them, IslamOnline was not just another job. It was a mission, a calling even, and millions of readers around the world appreciated their work, every word of it.
One can only hope that IslamOnline will find its way back, with its current employees and current editorial line intact. The success story must not be allowed to end. Individual ambitions cannot stand in the way of this rare generational mission that is now simply indispensable.
Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is "My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story" (Pluto Press, London), now available on Amazon.com.
Watch Aljazeera's documentary about my latest book: My Father was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story. (Pluto Press; Palgrave Macmillan, 2010). The subtitled program is available at YouTube in two parts: Part I & Part II. Then, check out this short film (in English and Arabic) about the book. The book is available from Pluto Press (UK), Amazon UK and Amazon. Source
tags: IslamOnline / Qaradawi / Gaza / 9/11 / Middle East / Qatari Government / Balagh
Posted in Islam Online Crises
The Structural Hopelessness of US Policy Toward the Middle East
European MPs warn IOF of intercepting convoy to Gaza
IOF shooting wounds three Palestinians east of Gaza
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood refuses to get involved with IslamOnline crisis
Can Obama erase 'Bush nostalgia' in the Middle East?
Gaza power station partially operates
Palestine power company warns of humanitarian disaster in Gaza
Eloquent IslamOnline voice must not fail
Who's afraid of 9/11 conspiracy theories?
Islamonline is Offline
Islamonline employees address the Qatari TV channel AlJazeera: Treat us the same as you treat your IOF guests
Ousted Islamonline's employees launch new website.
A Statement Clarifying the Real Situation at IslamOnline.net
Morsy: MB refuses to be dragged into Islamonline crisis
Qatar Ministry removes Qaradawi, hope from Islam Online workers
Why we're on strike at IslamOnline
E-Campaign for Supporting IslamOnline
Deena Khalil: IslamOnline was more than a job
One-third of all young Arabs want to leave Middle East
A Scientifically Validated Security Strategy for the Middle East
Nightmare in the Middle East
The Qaradawi Index
Qaradawi: Today banning of Minarets and tomorrow banning of Mosques.
Al-Qaradawi: Qutb's thought does not seem to belong to Brotherhood or Sunnis.
Qaradawi's New Book On Jihad
Qaradawi's Revisions
Police Officer Case Against Al Jazeerah And Others Postponed Till September 11
Active US Muslims Fight 9/11 Stigma
9/11: Facts and Narratives
9/11 Is Over
9/11 conspiracy theorists multiply