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Finding the perfect Celtic Wedding Jewellery

If you’re from a Celtic nation like me, you might be thinking about opting for Celtic Wedding Jewellery for your big day. Knots, swirls and ancient tribal patterns are all the hallmarks of traditional looking Celtic Jewellery. There are a few great places to get started when looking. Etsy The first is Etsy. Etsy is filled with small and medium retailers — many of which without websites of their own. Here you can find a huge range of everything from rings to earrings. 2. Big Retailers Big retailers such as H Samuel or Tiffany’s stock lots of different options for Wedding Jewellery. There options range from everything to plain wedding bands to more complex designs. Celtic styled bands however are not something they stock much or, and you may struggle to find what you’re looking for. 3. Independent Goldsmiths If you’re after something a little more authentic, consider discussing your wants and desires with an independent Celtic Goldsmith. Dorothy Hood is an independent Scottish Goldsmith that produces all her own Jewellery. As an independent, she doesn’t have the staffing costs that big retailers have and is often much cheaper. She’s also happy to modify her designs, or take on commissions.

https://medium.com/@roriehood/finding-the-perfect-celtic-wedding-jewellery-c3212d1e9c84

['Rorie Hood']

2019-12-11 09:48:42.516000+00:00

['Jewelry']

Where to Shop Unique Inexpensive Engagement Rings

Where to Shop Unique Inexpensive Engagement Rings Besides the emotional attachment, one thing that matters the most in an engagement, and also without which the engagement is incomplete, is the engagement ring. Couples these days are just smart enough to look for magnificent yet inexpensive engagement rings. With a plethora of options available online, you can make your search easier by shopping from Etsy. Etsy has thousands of credible jewelry sellers who custom-make your engagement rings for you. You can also shop your affordable gold rings with BuyArtJewels where each piece is handcrafted and sold at the best possible prices. To help you save that extra effort in finding your fairly priced ring, we have prepared a list of unique inexpensive engagement rings that you can shop immediately. Have a look at some of our finest! Shop Inexpensive Engagement Rings With Etsy Here are three top dainty and minimalist engagement ring picks from Etsy. Visit the Etsy stores by clicking on the links for more details about the ring. Dainty Diamond Engagement Ring First on this list is this very ‘promising’ promise ring. So, if you’re getting engaged, what’s better than a solitaire ring? This beautiful ring is made of solid gold and comes with a spiral eye-catching look. There’s a 0.11 carat natural diamond studded in the middle that takes the beauty of this ring to a different level altogether. Gold Oval Cut Halo Ring ‘Flaunt it if you have it’. So, if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like to be reserved, this one is just perfect for you. Exhibiting a delicate prong setting with lab-simulated diamonds, this ring could be a vibrant anniversary ring. The center stone is crafted carefully and is ought to catch the attention of people around you. The total carat weight of this marvel is 1.5. Small Bezel Diamond Promise Ring Minimalistic and elegant! That’s exactly the quality of this beautiful promise ring. Made in solid gold and studded with a 0.12 carat diamond, this ring comprises immaculate finishing. Whether it’s your engagement or he’s proposing to you, the occasion will become extra special with this ring. Shop Inexpensive Engagement Rings with BuyArtJewels BuyArtJewels has diamond rings available for as low as $89 to make purchasing inexpensive jewelry much easier for you. Check out some of our favorites below: Passion Heart Ring So, first on this list is this elegant dainty heart ring. The price of this ring is a real steal deal. If you consider yourself as a smart shopper, then you would not like to miss it! Made in solid 14k gold with a shank width of 1.15 mm, this ring is a sample of our simplistically elegant craftsmanship. Bezel Diamond Promise Ring This bezel diamond promise ring is a minimalistic wonder that deserves to be a part of your accessories collection. Made in solid 14k gold with a shank width of 1.40 mm and studded with a 0.04 carat diamond, this band displays tremendous elegance with simplicity. Dainty Princess Solitaire Ring This is the final ring on this list and probably one of the best in our solitaire collection. With a dazzling princess cut 0.10 carat diamond in the center flanked by more diamonds in all weighing 0.12 carats, this makes up a perfect engagement ring. The Final Word So, these were our best picks of affordable diamond rings that you can purchase from Etsy and BuyArtJewels. They come with sets of customizations like choices of gold and free engraving up to 20 characters. Authenticity is the cornerstone for every piece of jewelry offered. For more collections like these, visit BuyArtJewels.

https://medium.com/@buyartjewels/where-to-shop-unique-inexpensive-engagement-rings-a032c0701361

[]

2019-12-16 08:54:34.082000+00:00

['Diamonds', 'Engagement', 'Weddings', 'Jewelry', 'Shopping']

What to wear, Where to wear it!

What to wear, Where to wear it! It’s party time, going to the club for the first time? don’t know what to wear, time to face the herculean task of deciding what to wear to that pub your going to, you don’t want to be under-dressed and over dressed is completely off the charts(who wants to look like a Christmas tree!) Here are a few pages from our little style diary to a few Delhi’s happening places… 5.WAREHOUSE CAFE Warehouse cafe is a three story and rooftop cafe, in the heart of Delhi. A place to chill with friends! This ensemble justifies going there since its a casual affair with friends, dressing comfortably is the key. Keeping that in mind, the jeans and a feminine top can be thrown together. The fringe bag is the accent piece along with a dressy neck piece and chandelier earrings. A matching nail paint to complete the look. Spending hours catching up(you don’t want to feel uncomfortable) So chill, but always in style! 4.STRIKERS Striker pub and brewery is hangout spot with Great music, a dance floor(with a great DJ!) and beer off course beer!. This ensemble is perfect for this place since its the perfect mix of style and comfort. The cut out dress keeps it trendy. The footwear is comfortable and still has the glitter working up to the glam factor, flat sandals are a must since you’ll be dancing all night to the groovy tunes of their great DJ. The dress is accented with an animal print sling bag(off course girls, where else will our phone, make and other things go!). Keep it minimalistic with these golden studs. Add an edge to your look by using a glossy red lipper and nail paint. go girl, you go party! 3.TC Bar & restaurant TC bar & restaurant is a Good Hangout place for rock music lovers and groups. Alcohol and quick bites are a plus. The place is a single floored pub with a bar, Rock music fans mecca! To get into the grove of the place, wear a cropped fringe top paired with rugged jeans(it’s just comfortable to headbang in these). Carry a cross-body bag so u can tag along, just in case you don’t plan to sit. Comfortable heels or flats if you know you’ll be standing through the night. Accessorize it with funky accessories to achieve the rebel look. To take this a notch higher, apply thick dark kohl to enhance your eyes. BAM! Go girl your ready to rock. 2.SOY 7 Soy 7,a Brilliant Microbrewery along with authentic Pan Asian food and lovely outdoor seating. This place is a little formal as compared to the other places in the same league so pull out your Little dresses for this occasion, team it up with a pair of neutral heels(thank god, there’s not much standing to do!) and a pretty lady bag with minimalistic jewellery(by that we mean size, not the price!) to keep it classic. Add a pop of color to your lips with a pink lipper and white french tips for your nails. And tadaaa there you are. 1.MONKEY BAR Monkey bar, the name says it all, it’s got Awesome ambiance , brilliant burgers, great drinks and is equipped with a dance floor. The key to dressing to monkey bar is to keep it casual and funky at the same time. The crop top is ultra chic and the leather skirt adds a grunge feel along with the heels! The sling is just right to carry all the stuff you need. Simple loops in the ear and a heavy neck piece to complete the look. Now that your dressed go ahead, do your monkey business. Now that it’s clear what you can wear, lets get going ladies CHEERS!!

https://medium.com/@gurmeharkaur/what-to-wear-where-to-wear-it-3722f9c943d5

['Gurmehar Kaur']

2016-07-30 09:06:26.378000+00:00

['Fashion', 'Jewelry', 'Clothing', 'Delhi']

Estate Jewelry: (Partial) Maritime Edition

Due to its fragility, this beautiful ring is also a rarity. Circa 1790, it features a tiny, hand-carved ivory ship set under crystal. A frame of garnets surrounds the crystal, and the waves beneath the ship are hand-painted. Popular during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, pieces like this were carved by specialists predominately located in Germany, Switzerland, and France. Some European-trained craftsmen also set up shop in England, and this ring may have originated there; it’s similar to a ring in the collection of the British Museum that resembles the work of successful ivory sculptors G. Stephany and J. Dresch. (It’s difficult to tell for sure, as many ivory carvings weren’t signed.) Stephany and Dresch were from Germany and worked in London in the 1790s, where their pieces attracted the favorable attention of King George III. This ivory panel, which was sold at Christie’s in 2008, does actually have their signatures, and is a great example of the quality of their work. In general, ivory is super fragile, so few pieces of this delicacy have survived to the present day. These elegant Art Deco screw-back earrings feature bases of rose-cut diamonds and faceted onyx, suspended by three seed pearl strands. The settings are platinum-coated gold. Very Lady Mary. Stating that it bears the “Striking likeness of the King & Queen of England and the late King & Queen of France,” this 18th-century pendant depicts, in hand-painted ivory, the political situation in England and France during the French Revolution. On the left, the base supporting the emblems of the French monarchy — the fleur de lis, crown, and sceptre — has split apart, becoming a dual serpent/basilisk-like thing with four heads. The basilisk has sliced the sceptre and crown in half with a sword, and is devouring the fleur de lis. On the right, the thistle, rose, and crown of Great Britain stand strong and unmolested, with a solid support base. I hadn’t thought a piece of jewelry could be smug, but there you go. Circa 1901, this Art Nouveau brooch pairs aquamarine (approximately 29 carats total weight) and green tourmaline (approx. 9 cts t.w.) with 408 diamonds in an 18k gold setting. It is signed by French jeweler Georges Fouquet, whose work I’m pretty sure I’ve featured here more than any other designer. I think you can see why. Circa the 1860s to 1880s, this ring pairs an engraved 10k gold bow with a band of woven hair. You guys know by now that mourning jewelry usually incorporated human hair — often that of the beloved — but as time passed, hairwork pieces gained a popularity all their own, eventually becoming so desirable during the 19th century that they could be purchased from the Sears catalog. Hairworking also became a genteel pastime, and many women would purchase hair or use their own (or their family members’) to weave their own creations, using patterns from popular magazines or guidebooks. These intricately woven patterns may have originated in Våmhus, Sweden, around the middle of the 19th century; it hasn’t been firmly established that the technique was actually developed there, but it is known that a group of women who excelled at the technique travelled to England and Europe at this time to promote and sell it. The women of this area are still creating hair jewelry today. As time moved on, intricate hairwork jewelry became less of a sentimental keepsake and more of a fashionable bauble. This particular ring could be either, as bows are a symbol of love and eternity. This ridiculously cute little coral whale was made by the luxury jewelry house Fred Paris. Launched in 1936 by Fred Samuel, the company’s modern aesthetic was embraced throughout the decades by celebrities such as Marlene Dietrich and Grace Kelly. (Trivia: the ruby necklace worn by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman is by Fred Paris; it was made specifically for the film.) The company was bought by LVMH in 1995, and is still going strong today. This whale is pretty low-key, glitz-wise, but is adorable nonetheless. Set in 18k gold, he has tiny gold studs for eyes, and a diamond-set tail. This “Souvenir de Paris” bracelet dates to the 1920s, and features central representations of the Eiffel Tower, a crown and the crest of Paris among openwork scrolled and foliate motifs. At each side is an applied medallion depicting (at left) the Arc de Triomphe and (at right) Sacre Coeur. The bracelet is silver over metal, and is hinged. You guys always indulge my tangents of enthusiasm, and for that I can’t thank you enough. This doesn’t mean I won’t impose on you again, though. So: AGATE. I love agate! Technically, it’s a form of silica (usually chalcedony) found within volcanic or metamorphic rock, but the variations of colors streaking through its depths are always interesting, and they can sometimes be staggeringly beautiful. I talked about Scottish agate a while back, describing how Queen Victoria prompted a surge in the stone’s popularity when she and Prince Albert set up house in Scotland. There are many variations of agate, and they can be very distinctive. This Lover’s Knot (a.k.a. “Endless Knot”) brooch features Montrose agate set in gold-plated silver. This form of agate is native to the Scotland’s coastal Montrose area (just north of Dundee), and features cool shades of gray and blue — a departure from the reds and browns seen in some other agates. This brooch dates to circa 1890, and balances the warm tones of the gold with the cooler shades of the agate. Montrose agate is probably my second favorite agate, though. Take a look at moss agate. In this form (which is found in various places, including Scotland, the US and India), greenish moss- or tree-like mineral filaments (usually manganese or iron oxide) run throughout the chalcedony. As a result, this type of agate is often referred to as “landscape agate” — and it can be really, really gorgeous. This Russian moss agate brooch is pretty much the best there is. Circa 1908–1917, it’s Fabergé; created by their famed head workmaster Henrik Wigström. The agate plaque, which resembles a dense forest, is set within a Neoclassical-style reeded rose gold frame with diamond accents. When I first saw this pendant, my immediate thought was “Hee!” But then I googled the designer, Miguel Berrocal, and swiftly found myself down a rabbit hole of sculpture and puzzle design and engineering and wow, I really should have known about this man. Berrocal (1933–2006) was a Spanish artist who specialized in puzzle sculpture, both monumental and tiny. He had a background in architecture, and was deeply interested in the structure of sculpture — not so much focusing on the exterior as the interior, or the parts that make up the whole. This pendant, “Micro David-Off,” is made of bronze and is circa 1970. It’s a smaller version of a larger sculpture, and while it looks relatively simple from the outside, it actually has 17 pieces (the larger version contains more) that connect from the bottom up to form the body. It’s not mentioned on this site, but other Micro David-Off pendants conceal a tiny red interior gemstone that represents his heart. Also, his, erm, package can supposedly become a ring when the pendant is taken apart, but I haven’t been able to find any images of how that actually works. So basically I’m still thinking “Hee!,” but now it’s a much better informed and appreciative “Hee!” If you’re interested, this article from the April 1999 issue of Sculpture Magazine provides a more in-depth view of Berrocal’s work. Christie’s New York’s Magnificent Jewels auction on October 16 is, as usual, a treasure chest of big names and even bigger diamonds, and there’s also a really lovely Cartier double-strand natural pearl necklace with a Type IIa diamond clasp, estimated at $2,800,000 — $3,500,000. Yow. I love this dolphin bangle, though. By the relatively young (founded in 1993) Swiss luxury jeweler De Grisogono, it’s a hinged bangle set with cabochon sapphires and circular-cut diamonds in 18k white gold — and as if it weren’t cute enough, the flippers MOVE. There are also some lovely pieces available in Doyle New York’s Important Estate Jewelry auction on October 17, including a collection of Indian jewelry. This Indian necklace features six graduating strands of pearls, with central openwork plaques set with foiled-back colored stones and finished with an emerald drop. Running up the sides of the strands are little pear-shaped plaques, each one containing a diamond, ruby or emerald, and from which hang three emerald beads. The back of the necklace is just as pretty, as the reverse sides of all the plaques are brightly enameled. Previously: Space Bracelets. Monica McLaughlin, despite having a degree in art history, will ALWAYS giggle at depictions of male genitalia in artwork.

https://medium.com/the-hairpin/estate-jewelry-partial-maritime-edition-37d04929db69

['Monica Mclaughlin']

2016-06-02 00:32:26.023000+00:00

['Jewelry', 'Agate']

#Talk4TW — Tiffany Yu

#Talk4TW — Tiffany Yu For Taiwanese American Tiffany Yu, it is all about the “small wins and positive thinking”. When she attended her first Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA) conference, she looked at the picture of Taiwan’s outline on the ITASA logo and thought it was a leaf. Tiffany has gone a long way since then. Her involvement with the Taiwanese American community started back when she was a student at Georgetown University. As a founder of the Taiwanese American Student Association at Georgetown, as well as the founder of the Taiwan Necklace project, Tiffany has been heavily involved with ITASA and continues to give back to ITASA and the community in more ways than one. [youtube=http://youtu.be/NyJF_1VeoPM] Watch here for the full interview as Tiffany talks more about her Taiwanese American identity and her hopes for the future of the Taiwanese American community. Read more about the Taiwan Necklace Project: http://ytiffa.tumblr.com/post/47052141366/the-taiwan-necklace-project-the-story-in

https://medium.com/blog-for-taiwan/talk4tw-tiffany-yu-bc29f28c1ebf

['Formosa Taiwan']

2017-05-17 02:38:43.317000+00:00

['Itasa', 'Jewelry']

Estate Jewelry: A Necklace That Wears Its Own Rings

This gold ring belonged to Sarah Elmira Royster Sheldon, the childhood sweetheart of Edgar Allan Poe. Although they were secretly engaged as teenagers, Sarah’s father cut their relationship short, objecting to their youth and Poe’s hardscrabble background. Both Sarah and Edgar married others, but the two met again 23 years later. They soon rekindled their relationship (both of their spouses had passed away by that point), and the pair became engaged sometime around September 1849. Edgar gave Sarah this ring (inscribed “Edgar”), but a wedding never took place, as he died mysteriously on October 7, 1849. After Poe’s death, Sarah gave the ring to Edgar’s sister Rosalie. It has passed down through the family until the present day, and it will be offered for sale in the Profiles in History “The Property of a Distinguished American Private Collector” auction on December 18. It’s part of a group lot that also contains a lock of Poe’s hair, family correspondence and photographs, and a silver spoon. The Poe items are special, but they’re by no means the only reason to explore this auction. It is a treasure trove of incredible documents, with over 3,000 letters or manuscripts written by an incredibly varied group of historical and cultural icons. Monet, Horatio Nelson, Gandhi, George Washington, Catherine the Great, Darwin, Karl Marx, Marilyn Monroe, Einstein, Beethoven, Emily Dickinson, Lou Gehrig, the Marquis de Sade … this is just a fraction of the people involved. Set aside some time, click through, and wallow in some really fascinating documents (all of which have been transcribed for easy reading). This is auction season, and there are tons of other great sales coming up in the next couple of weeks. There are too many to cover all of them — my eyes can’t take it — but I’ve cherry-picked some silly, beautiful, or otherwise noteworthy pieces from a few of the upcoming sales. First up, the silly. This ring features the face of a monkey (gorilla?) carved from labradorite, with single-cut diamond eyes and an 18k gold band. The estimate is only $300–500, so he’s not totally inaccessible if you love him! He’s available at Skinner’s Fine Jewelry auction on December 4 in Boston. Also in this auction are two pendants by the contemporary designer Coomi Bhasin (I love this one), and check out this pretty sapphire and diamond ring by Fred Leighton. Christie’s New York is holding an Ancient Jewelry auction on December 5, and this Scythian gold torque from the 5th century B.C. is a standout piece. A torque (or torc) is basically a rigid ring for the neck, and it’s a form we see a lot in ancient jewelry. Worn by both women and men, torques usually signified nobility or possibly even the divine, as they’re often seen in depictions of ancient Celtic gods and goddesses. Soldiers of the Roman Republic also wore torques, and the warrior depicted in the famous (and, to me, heart-wrenching) sculpture Dying Gaul wears a torque with a twisted design. This Christie’s torque is, to quote the catalog description, “of massive proportions,” and is made out of a solid rod (shush) of gold, with a central section that has been hammered flat and incised with a triple petal-like design. It’s listed as weighing 81.64 ounces, which works out to just over five pounds. Five pounds of gold on your neck. Can you imagine??? This platinum, natural pearl, and diamond corsage ornament dates to around 1910, and will be offered for sale in the Magnificent Jewels from the Collection of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman auction at Sotheby’s New York on December 5. Jayne Wrightsman (some great photos and background here) is a well-known philanthropist and collector, and the 63 jewels featured in this collection are a nice, eclectic mix, including contemporary rings by JAR and a 19th-century Imperial Russian bow brooch. 1910 saw fashion and jewelry design begin to embrace a smaller, more vertical silhouette, and this corsage ornament is a good example. Measuring around four inches in length, it features a large, button-shaped natural pearl, which is bookended by two pear-shaped diamond drops (weighing 9.59 carats and 8.78 carats). Another large cushion-cut diamond (8.67 carats) sits at the top of the piece, while two more diamonds and a large natural pearl drop extend below. Diamonds of various cuts — old European, rose and old mine — fill out the design. I’m not usually a big diamond person, but the design of this piece — which takes inspiration from the lotus flower — is unusual, and I think it’s very, very pretty. This fantastic spider-embellished 14k gold and nephrite (a form of jade) cigarette case is by Tiffany & Co., circa 1900. It will be offered for sale on December 9 in a jewelry auction at Lambertville, PA’s Rago Arts and Auction Center. Funny, I suddenly have an urge to take up smoking. The Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction scheduled for December 10 in New York has, as usual, a huge amount of big, bold gems — and this necklace is no slouch. Consisting of three strands of graduated emerald beads, it features two floral plaques of circular- and baguette-cut diamonds set in platinum. (Also, look at this awesome little Cartier tiger!) On December 12, Bonham’s in London will hold an Entertainment Memorabilia auction, and this particular lot jumped out at me. Being a “silvered metal necklace with coral colored inlay,” it’s not a particularly high-end piece of jewelry — but back in the 1960s, it belonged to Eric Clapton. Clapton was photographed wearing the necklace multiple times during his days with Cream, and he later gave it to the daughter of drummer Ginger Baker. The piece is estimated to sell for $1,600 — $2,400, and comes with a provenance letter signed by Clapton. Click through to view an, um, interesting photograph of the band. These beautiful 18k white gold, morganite and diamond earrings will be featured in Doyle New York’s Important Estate Jewelry auction, also on December 12. The two drop-shaped morganites weigh around 16.60 carats, and are a lovely shade of pale pink. Morganite, a form of beryl, is named after J. P. Morgan, the famed banker, steel man, and philanthropist. Morgan was an avid gem collector, and he collaborated with Tiffany’s chief gemologist George Kunz (who I talked about last year!) to create two extraordinary collections of gemstones that now reside in the New York’s American Museum of Natural History. I have a soft spot for Morgan, because his library (the Morgan Library & Museum) is probably my favorite museum in New York City, and I stop by every time I’m in town. Okay, enough with the auctions, geez. Check out this great Cartier owl brooch! The designer has used rock crystal to represent the bird’s head, mounting it in 18k yellow gold and adding cabochon emerald eyes and citrine wings to create a successful abstract design. Circa 1960. Circa 1890, these lovely earrings feature carved moonstone hearts suspended from diamond-set silver birds. Wow, this necklace. Two 18k gold hands, linked by a 4-strand twisted rope of seed pearls, grasp either end of a diamond-embellished love knot. If you look more closely, you’ll see that the hands are different; one wears a pearl bracelet and an emerald ring, while the other has a ruby ring and gold cuffs. It’s English, circa 1826. This four-sided ring spells out “LOVE” in 18k gold and blue enamel. Circa the 1970s (of course), it is totally not my taste, but I love it anyway because the letters remind me of Schoolhouse Rock. Yes, I know I just dated myself. (If you don’t know about Schoolhouse Rock, please go here for an example. An entire generation can sign the Preamble to the Constitution thanks to these cartoons.) Boucheron is a venerable French jewelry house that dates back to 1858. They’re still in business today, so check out their website for a fantastic illustrated history that highlights some of their most outstanding jewels, milestones, and famous clients. This combination pin/pendant is a particularly lovely Boucheron piece. In 18k yellow gold with an additional unidentified metal, it showcases a large watermelon tourmaline (a form of tourmaline that combines pink and green shades in one stone) that’s set into a stylized floral base and cradled by two outstretched panthers. Smaller green and pink tourmalines accent the design, which is finished with a natural pearl drop. The dealer description mentions that the piece comes in a fitted wooden box from the “Place Vendome Exhibition of 1925,” which may refer to the Boucheron store address on the Place Vendôme in Paris, and also to the 1925 Exposition International des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes at which they exhibited. Previously: Horror Jewels. Monica McLaughlin also recommends checking out the “Van Cleef & Arpels: Creativity and Innovation” exhibition now up at New York’s Macklowe Gallery until December 29. You can view the catalog here.

https://medium.com/the-hairpin/estate-jewelry-a-necklace-that-wears-its-own-rings-927bce030dd9

['Monica Mclaughlin']

2016-06-02 00:55:35.681000+00:00

['Jewelry', 'Auctions', 'Cigarettes']

Estate Jewelry: Dead Cromwell Edition

Estate Jewelry: Dead Cromwell Edition Hi all, it’s auction time! And I know this piece isn’t jewelry, but it’s such a fascinating bit of history that I have to include it: It’s the coffin plate of Oliver Cromwell, the former Lord Protector of England. Cromwell died on September 3, 1658. He was given a funeral fit for a king, but because his body had been badly embalmed, it started to decompose (“It purged and wrought through all,” ew), so a life-like effigy of Cromwell was created to lie in state instead. His actual body was interred in Westminster Abbey weeks before the official state funeral (on November 23, 1658) took place, and the preparation of both his body and his coffin followed the orders of the Privy Council: “His Highness Corps being embalmed, with all due rites appertayneing thereunto, and being wrapped in Lead, There ought to be an Inscripcion in a plate of Gold [Sotheby’s notes that this does not necessarily mean actual gold, but instead any gilded metal] to be fixed upon his Brest before he be putt into the Coffin. That the Coffin be filled with odours, and spices within, and Covered without with purple Velvett, and handles, Nayles, and all other Iron Worke about it, be richly hatched with Gold.” (Order Book of the Privy Council, 14 September 1658, quoted in Cromwell’s Head [2008] by Jonathan Fitzgibbons, pages 37–38). The piece on auction is the actual “plate of Gold” that was placed on Cromwell’s breast and buried with him. It didn’t stay there long, however… After the restoration of King Charles II in 1660, anyone who had participated in the trial and execution of Charles I was rounded up and executed. Three of the men involved — including Cromwell — had already died previously (how dare they!), so their bodies were exhumed for posthumous execution (that’ll show ‘em!). Cromwell’s body was disinterred in January 1661 by James Norfolke, a Serjeant of the House of Commons. Norfolke found the plate resting on Cromwell’s chest in a case of lead, and kept it. The plate was then passed down through his and various other families, and it’s now up for sale in the Sotheby’s “English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations” auction in London today. The plate is made of gilded copper, and engraved with a Latin inscription that lists the dates of his birth, inauguration as Lord Protector, and death, as well as the Arms of Cromwell’s government, the Protectorate. It has a fairly low estimate of $13k-20k; auction houses tend towards conservative estimates on one-of-a-kind historical items such as this, because it’s impossible to predict how much someone may (or may not) be willing to pay for history. Macabre side note: Cromwell’s exhumed corpse (and those of his two fellow already-dead regicides) was hanged, drawn and decapitated. Samuel Pepys, bless him, was there, and mentions it in passing in his diary. Cromwell’s head — which has a Wikipedia page of its own — was then stuck on a 20-foot pole above Westminster Hall, and it remained there for over 20 years until it was blown down in a storm and confiscated by a sentry, who, according to Fitzgibbons, hid it in his chimney. (You can see a photo of it, still embedded on its broken bit of pole, here.) The head was then passed down through various owners until 1960, when it was buried in an unmarked location in the ante-chapel of Sidney Sussex College (the college Cromwell himself had attended), Cambridge. Ok, on to the jewelry! The Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction taking place today in New York City is (as always) loaded with big, glam pieces, including this amazing David Webb dragon bracelet. In platinum and 18K gold with seven strands of emerald beads, the piece features a diamond-set clasp in the form of a dragon’s head, with an emerald bead crown and cabochon, oval and pear-shaped ruby accents. This circa 1902 necklace is one of the highlights of the auction, and even though I’m not a big diamond person (unless they’re colored; colored diamonds are amazing), I like it. It’s platinum, with a center 8.91 carat marquise-shaped diamond that supports three giant pear-shaped diamond drops. The central diamond weighs in at a whopping 27.48 carats, and the stones flanking it are 15.53 and 13.08 carats. A further 6.65 carats of old European-cut diamonds line the bars supporting the drops. The piece is estimated at a trifling $2.5–3.5 million. Skinner is also holding an auction today in Boston. “Fine Jewelry” runs the gamut from high-end diamonds to fun, oddball pieces, and this brooch, depicting a duel to the death between two beetles, is a perfect example of the latter. The beetles stand on a gold branch, and have diamond-set bodies with garnet wings and eyes. One of them is missing a rose-cut diamond. What do beetles duel about, I wonder? Perhaps one beetle disparaged the size of the other’s dung ball. Ok, let’s just shake off the words “dung ball” and move on to some very pretty, understated earrings. By Cartier, they’re Edwardian, and feature approximately 10.50 carats of diamonds set in platinum. The pear-shaped drops are suspended from millegrained (i.e., the tiny beaded detail that runs along the outside edges of the platinum) tops in a scroll design set with old mine and old European-cut diamonds. They’re 1.25 inches long. On Wednesday, December 10, Bonham’s in London is holding a couple of interesting auctions. The “Jewellery” auction will include this ring by the venerable (established in 1827) French jewelers Mauboussin. It’s a “crystal ball” ring, with a rock crystal dome placed above a brilliant cut diamond, and the whole thing set in yellow gold. The crystal magnifies the diamond within. I’ve seen both vintage (1960s) and contemporary versions of this ring online, but Bonham’s hasn’t provided a date for this one. What do you think? Interesting or horrible? Also at Bonham’s London is an “Entertainment Memorabilia” sale, featuring movie and music posters, costumes and ephemera. This piece stands out: it’s a giant costume jewelry ring that was worn by Katherine Hepburn in her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 1968 film The Lion in Winter. In gold metal with three unidentified-stone cabochons set alongside similarly rounded gold forms with wirework detailing, the piece comes with a photo of Hepburn on set with the ring prominently displayed on her hand, as well as other Hepburn and Lion in Winter-related ephemera. Also on the 10th is the Christie’s “Magnificent Jewels” auction in New York. Here we have more big diamonds, and in particular a HUGE 89.23 carat certified Type IIa pear-shaped diamond that’s set in platinum. It’s listed as “estimate upon request” (otherwise known as “haaaahahahaha yeah right”), but is expected to sell for more than $10 million. There’s also a gorgeous colored diamond available in this sale. It’s an unmounted oval-cut fancy red diamond, weighing approximately 1.42 carats, and it was sourced from Rio Tinto’s famous Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia. Over ninety percent of the world’s pink and red diamonds come from the Argyle mine, and each year the best stones are set aside for sale in the exclusive Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender. This particular stone was included in the 2013 Tender, and is estimated at $1.5–2.5 million. You can see some of the stones featured in this past October’s 2014 Tender here. Another impressive piece is this bib necklace by Michele Della Valle (the creator of the lily of the valley necklace I featured in a previous column). Comprised of loads of sapphires in various cuts — with some circular-cut diamonds and oval-cut purple sapphires thrown in for variety — the piece is called a “bib” necklace for obvious reasons. The stones are set in 18k white gold. The Christie’s London branch will hold their “Jewellery” auction on December 11. This sale has some interesting, less-blingy pieces, including this late 18th/early 19th century mourning ring, featuring a portrait of William Shakespeare on ivory. Another interesting piece is this early 19th century sentimental locket ring that references Caroline of Brunswick, the former Queen of England. Caroline was queen for just a short amount of time, but her 1795 marriage to George IV (then the Prince of Wales) was a rocky one. It was an arranged marriage that neither of them were particularly thrilled about to begin with, and the pair eventually separated — although they were together long enough for Caroline to give birth to a daughter, Princess Charlotte of Wales, also in 1795. Caroline lived abroad for years, and George, despite having a long list of mistresses, had her investigated twice for adultery in the hopes of securing enough evidence for a divorce. His campaign against Caroline only served to increase her popularity with the English people, who saw George’s accusations as hypocritical. There’s a good illustrated history of their marriage here, which includes a staunchly pro-Caroline quote from Jane Austen: “Poor woman, I shall support her as long as I can, because she is a Woman and because I hate her Husband.” This ring places a heart-shaped sapphire between an articulated padlock and key. The outside of the band is engraved “Queen Caroline of England 1820,” while the inside bears the words “Franchise et Discrétion.” 1820 was the year George III died, and Caroline returned to England to claim her rights. Her return was cheered by the English people, but her husband continued his efforts to get rid of her by trying to get a Parliamentary bill passed that would strip her of her title and annul the marriage. Circumstantial evidence was brought against Caroline to “prove” her adulterous behavior — and while it was probably true that she had flagrantly maintained a relationship with a strapping Italian soldier, the case eventually became so distasteful and unpopular that the bill was withdrawn due to a lack of support in Parliament. Lock-and-key jewelry motifs were a very popular symbol of love and commitment during the late 18th-early 19th centuries, so combined with the 1820 date, this ring may have been created as a show of support for Caroline. Her story ends sadly, though, as she was physically barred from the doors of George’s coronation in 1821 (seriously, the man was such a turd), and died less than a month later of an abdominal illness. Note: A BBC film about George and Caroline came out in 1996 called A Royal Scandal. It stars Susan Lynch and Richard E. Grant (with narration by Ian Richardson), and while I haven’t seen it, the image of a bewigged and scowling Grant is more than enough to make me track it down. Also on December 11 is the “Important Jewelry” auction at Doyle New York. This brooch jumped out at me as an excellent example of the “invisible setting” technique of placing gemstones. Invisible setting means just that — there are no prongs to be seen, so how do those stones stay put? It’s actually pretty simple: Grooves or notches are cut into the base of the gemstones, allowing them to slide or fit into a metal support structure that holds them in place. With no intrusive prongs separating them, the stones can be placed flush against each other, resulting in a dense, rich area of color. The technique was developed in France in the mid-19th century, but you’ve probably seen it in the jewelry of Van Cleef and Arpels, who patented their own version of the technique — the Mystery Setting™ — in 1933. This particular brooch features a diamond-set circular form tied with a large bow of invisibly set square, rectangular and fancy-shaped rubies. A fringe of diamond baguettes hangs from the bow. The solid carpet of raspberry color created by the invisibly set rubies is so saturated and dense it’s gorgeous. This diamond ring is one of the higher-end pieces in the sale. It features a central 1.72 carat fancy orangy-pink diamond surrounded by 26 tiny round light pink diamonds. Eight oval and marquise-shaped diamonds finish the frame, and part of the band is pavé-set with more diamonds. The estimate is $100,000–150,000. Sotheby’s will hold another auction, “Fine Jewels,” in London on December 16. A notable piece in this sale is this seed pearl parure, comprised of a necklace, brooch, earrings and a collier (a choker or dog-collar-style necklace). This set is interesting because it dates to the 1850s, and it was made by Tiffany & Co. Tiffany only opened in 1837, so it’s great to see an example of their early product. The auction literature also mentions that Abraham Lincoln bought a similar parure from Tiffany & Co. in 1861, which his wife Mary Todd Lincoln wore to his inauguration. You can see some photos of Mary actually wearing the set here. Chalk this one up in the “just really pretty” category. Circa 1915, this necklace features an open scrollwork design that is set with circular- and single-cut diamonds, with three natural saltwater pearl drops. One of the smallest diamonds is missing. Monica McLaughlin tweets at @rococopacetic. She also recently saw the exhibit “Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al-Thani Collection” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and HIGHLY recommends it. It will be up until January 25, 2015, so if you’re in the area, go! And if you’re not, click through to look at the individual pieces on display.

https://medium.com/the-hairpin/estate-jewelry-dead-cromwell-edition-545ce50b2769

['Monica Mclaughlin']

2016-06-02 05:58:41.466000+00:00

['Jewelry', 'Auctions']

How Much Does Moonstone Cost?

Moonstones are highly prized gemstones. Moonstones are prized and valued for their adularescence — it is an optical illusion that creates a cloudy appearance of blue and white light with moon-like sheen. These are the feldspar gems that have varying composition and are found all over the world, with the best quality mined from India and Sri Lanka. They are the feldspar gems having different structures and alternating layers of orthoclase & albite. Just like the name suggests, the Moon has inspired a bit of romantic learning into moonstone. Even though it ranks very high on the Mohs scale, marking it hard rock, moonstone is a very stylish choice for jewelry and used in pendants, rings, and earrings. The moonstone is best known for its metaphysical properties because it is one of the few stones which reflects them very clearly. Some of the best moonstone jewelry options are- 1. Moonstone rings 2. Moonstone earrings 3. Moonstone bracelet 4. Moonstone necklace & pendants Moonstone Cost Moonstone belongs to Feldspar mineral species. It is majorly beneficial for peace of mind & also reduces anxiety. The moonstone price range starts at around $10 per carat. It goes up to $30 per carat depending on the quality, i.e., Color, Clarity, Cut, Shape. The moonstone cost will rely on its genuineness and originality. They should be genuine and original. Another thing is that, if you are asking for a single moonstone, it will be cheaper as compared to the whole moonstone jewelry. Blue & Rainbow Moonstone Cost Blue moonstone is colorless to milky white-colored, having a blue sheen. It is a semi-precious gemstone from the Feldspar mineral family, which is recognized for its beautiful shimmering effect, better known as ‘Adularescence.’ Blue moonstone is quite a reasonably prized gemstone that fits almost every budget. You may also like this: ➡️ Top 6 Romantic Birthday Gift Ideas For Girlfriend… In the trade, the price of this gemstone is evaluated by considering its quality factors and weight. Generally, the colorless moonstone with excellent transparency and intense bluish sheen (preferably from India or Sri Lanka) are considered most valuable. Rose Gold Moonstone Jewelry Cost Moonstone sets stunningly in every metal, from silver to gold to rose gold. Iterations come in a range of cuts like traditional oval and pear to a stylish hexagon. Moonstone looks gorgeous in multi-stone rings or as clusters, too. A diamond halo, trillion side stones, or set onto a pavé collection makes for an increasingly glamorous effect. Rose gold moonstone is quite a reasonably prized gemstone that fits in every budget. Raw Moonstone Cost This product is in demand, mainly due to its extraordinary appearance and a wide range of uses. As far as the life of the stone is concerned, it is designed to provide a prolonged remedy to various issues about its application. Prices for raw moonstone range from $10 to $1000. Clean moonstones, free of inclusions such as centipedes or unappealing greenish colors, are priced highest. Blue Moonstone Cost Blue firing moonstone comes from two countries — Africa and India. So basically, African and Indian blue moonstone are running in the market. African quality comes with whitish-blue fire, and Indian moonstone is transparent with blue to rainbow fire. You may also like this: ➡️ Does Moonstone Help In Fertility And Pregnancy? Blue moonstones are seldom evenly sourced and clean. Stones that weigh over 2 carats can be priced over $100 per stone. Tips To Help You Buy Moonstone Jewelry Moonstone jewelry can be found in many online stores. When buying online, make sure that you are buying from a top-rated vendor with a verification certificate and outstanding experience. Some vendors offer moonstone authenticity certificates and have clear and reliable return policies. These platforms have endless options to suit many budgets and styles.

https://medium.com/@devinacruz9708/how-much-does-moonstone-cost-c4455916f0a6

['Devina Cruz']

2020-02-24 09:21:10.201000+00:00

['Jewelry']

6 Most Exotic Hotels In The World You Cannot Miss!!💃🏻

It is not an easy task to handpick the worlds most exotic hotels. Our world is diverse and diverse is its culture. From petite and slick to sprawling and magnificient, the world holds thousands of mind boggling hotels. selecting the absolute best isn’t solely subjective, however a broad task. We’ve targeted on 6 favorite luxury exotic hotels, chosen for its diversity, uniqueness, and exotic virgin locations. Do Enjoy.. And Do Visit them at least in your lifetime Katikies Hotel-Oia, Greece Fans of luxury and elegance will adore Katikies Hotel in Santorini, Greece. The rooms have been decorated in stark white, with crisp white linens, minibars, Nespresso coffee machines and terraces that offer views of the cobalt blue sea. Outside your room, you’ll find 3 infinity pools encompassed by a sun deck furnished with lounge chairs, and two Jacuzzis (one indoor, one outdoor). The Cambrian Hotel, Adelboden, Switzerland From the playful parade of boots that encircle us inside the front entrance to the minimalist masterpiece walls and fireplace beyond, We realized that the Cambrian was a design hotel with a feeling of fun. The lobby is a sea of grey and natural timber — with a black-and-white cow-print piano. Next to the elevators, the luminaire controls your attention: It’s an lit pillow-size bundle of white that resembles a cottonball suspended from the ceiling, gradually bending and hammering on your head. The Scenery from the Hotel Window?… The Picture Below Will take Your Mind and Heart Away The Hanging Gardens of Bali This fivestar resort is best known for its spectacular main pool, which sits dramatically over jungle treetops and offers vistas of the gorge below. With a location about half an hour from Ubud, the resort offers a peaceful, rain forest getaway, complete with a spa and dining options that range from an on-site restaurant, bar, and cafe, to romantic private dining adventures. Read More In Next Page Continuing the Worlds Most Exotic Hotels List.. #travelworld #lovenature #BeautifulWorld Click To Tweet Ascher Cliff, Switzerland Ascher Guesthouse is located next to the Wildkirchli caves and beneath the Ebenalp cliff (Ebenalp is the northernmost summit of the Appenzell Alps in Switzerland) the was Guesthouse carefully built into the side of a mountain throughout the nineteenth century. The Swiss call ldquo & it;Berggasthaus&rdquo. Hotel Kakslauttanen, Finland Imagine spending the night in a glass igloo where one can lie on your own soft palate bed and look throughout the thermal igloo glass as you wait around for a peek at the magical Northern Lights. Picture log cabins dotted around the forest. Snow covered trees glisten and you’ll be the envy of your mates. You step into your cabin where one will odor the roaring log fire and listen to the crackle of the wood. The Manta Resort, Zanzibar Manta Resort is located on the southern tip of Pemba Island, on a fantastic white beach overlooking the crystal clear waters of the Pemba Channel. https://www.buzzgrab.com/6-most-exotic-hotels-in-the-world/ #buzzgrab #trendingnow #latesttopic #news #usa #global #world Article Originally Published On : www.buzzgrab.com ©BUZZGRAB | All Rights Reserved

https://medium.com/@buzzgrabofficial/6-most-exotic-hotels-in-the-world-you-cannot-miss-5c8f1f5e4b93

['B U Z Z G R A B']

2017-11-23 04:43:16.118000+00:00

['Travel', 'Hotel', 'World', 'Adventure', 'Trends']

10:41pm

You have wrapped yourself around everything in my brain. You are overgrown ivy, fitting yourself into small cracks and claiming things for your own the second I’m not paying attention. If I don’t trim you back, you take over everything. You own things you have no business owning, but there is nothing you own like a hotel. Not any hotel in particular. All of them. Every lobby. “How many keys would you like today, ma’am?” There were always two. One for you. Every front awning where we’d huddle and smoke one too many cigarettes at least an hour too late. Or have our first as a city spread itself out before us. Every bar. The ones we’d go for a nightcap after a dinner when we were acting like we owned the galaxy. When every touch of legs was deliberate and every smile at the bartender was to make sure I was paying attention and the light was just low enough and the old fashioneds came on crystal clear ice cubes. Those were the bars where everyone noticed us. Goddamnit, they better. But also the bars where they didn’t. Where we perched on stools until our asses hurt, drank beer and laughed until our abs did. You’d eat half a burger and pick at your fries. Every door to every room. The feeling of peace that came with the click of the electronic lock closing us in together. We desperately want to be alone and finally we could. I remember the longest, most sincere, chastest embraces that started with that click. I also remember the nights I’d use the door to hold you up as I unzipped you. Every mirror. Where I’d wrap myself around you and we’d smile at how perfect we were together. When I consumed you and we were all we could see. Every closet, with your clothes carefully folded, your bag on the luggage stand. Every ironing board where I touched up your clothes for the night. Every shitty coffee maker I used to make you a cup while it was still too early for you to speak in anything but grunts. Every vanity. I’d watch you on your tiptoes, chin up, doing your make up. We brushed teeth together. You perched on the marble and shaved my face. Every lamp. The ones we used to set the perfect ambiance because we’re crazy and we care and the one by the bed that you’d turn off last to avoid the dark. Every shower. Fog filing the cool room from the hot water and the bodies. Your hair was wet and tucked behind your ears. I’d watch drops run from your shoulders down your spine, through the french curves of your back and onto your ass. Me behind you, between your legs, my arms wrapped round to feel your nipples get hard and my mouth on your neck so I could hear your breath catch. Every bed. Those military-precise corners we destroyed and the duvets we wrinkled. The sheets covered in sweat. The way your slickness tasted when I’d suck it off your fingers. The way it sounded when you would breathe my name. These days, you are always a bit bitter when I travel without you. But baby, you know I never really do.

https://medium.com/the-handlery/10-41pm-555e37ec2f44

['The Guy']

2017-11-28 03:48:04.711000+00:00

['Hotel', 'Love', 'Love And Sex', 'Love Letters', 'Lovestory']

The Overhead Compartment with Amy Trask

Shining a spotlight on stars as well as athletes who enjoy to travel. Developed as well as established by Stacy Steponate Greenberg. In the history of professional football, there have actually been many unforgettable nicknames: The Galloping Ghost, Crazy Legs, Broadway Joe and Prime-time show, to name simply a couple of. Yet that would have guessed that the all-time coolest label in football would come from a woman? Well, it does. Meet Amy Trask, The Princess of Darkness. Excellent. Motivating. Insightful. She began as an intern in the legal department for the LA Raiders and also continued to be with the organization virtually thirty years, ultimately being called CEO, making her quickly one of the most powerful lady in America’s most effective sporting activity. Ask Amy about being the first women team exec in organization background and you swiftly discover that she typically didn’t recognize she was the only female in the space, sex was irrelevant, she was a Raider. Loyalty and also strength were her hallmark, and soon the world will certainly familiarize so much more as Trask is creating a publication, “You Negotiate Like a Woman”, about her experience in the NFL. Now working as an expert for CBS Sports and CBS Network, the Expenses Area required to the gridiron with Trask to learn about her love of the game as well as just what life from the inside of an NFL group really looks like. The Overhead Compartment with Amy Trask begins now … OC: You spent 16 years as the CEO of the Oakland Raiders. What are your top three memories? AT: · January 19, 2003 — the AFC National championship — Zack Crockett racked up late in the 4th quarter — the play was 12 Blast — it was at that minute I understood we were in the Super Bowl. · January 2, 2000 — the last game of the 1999 season — we maintained the Chiefs from making the playoffs — the video game included a stunning Tyrone Wheatley run, called the Run of the Millennium — did I state that we maintained the Chiefs from making the playoffs? · Any time we beat the Jets. OC: You worked for a fabulous number, Al Davis. His personality was impressive, how was the male different from the image? AT: He was different in many respects, more compared to I can briefly recount. Maybe the greatest false impression about Al is that he would not endure disagreement or anyone who disagreed with him. Were that the situation, I would have been terminated approximately 2 weeks after I started my job. OC: Which NFL city did you constantly most waiting to visiting? AT: I really did not expect cities, I anticipated stadiums and to video game day. I did have a huge preference for warm climate areas, as I dislike cool weather. 2 of the coldest games throughout my years with the team were Environment-friendly Bay (in December) and Buffalo (in January). I enjoyed preseason games in Arizona. August in the desert — cozy and also remarkable. Well, warm by my standards, badly hot in the judgment of a lot of our players who shared with me that they were not amused by my expressions of joy regarding the weather. OC: Exactly what did you do when you had down time in that city? AT: On one evening trips, I had no down time. On two night trips, I explored the city in which we were remaining. After the walk via and also once the televising network had actually completed its work, I left the resort walking and I strolled and also strolled and also walked. I never ever had a destination in mind, I just explored. No issue the amount of times we would certainly played in any particular city, I loved to do this. I frequently got shed, which I believe is the most effective way to see and learn more about a city. It was my hope that I would certainly obtain a little bit lost (I really hoped that someone would assist me if I couldn’t find my method back). OC: You were the very first female President in the National Football League, what recommendations would you offer to young ladies operating in male-dominated industries? AT: The exact same advice I would certainly offer a boy: strive, job actually, really hard, job more challenging than you ever before visualized you could, and stop assuming about the reality that you’re a female. Do your job. OC: Your book “You Negotiate Like a Girl” schedules out this coming September. Exactly what is the something you wish visitors will take away? AT: To thine very own self hold true. That is spectacular guidance which my mom often shown me (which Polonius shown to Laertes, in Hamlet). OC: The Overhead Compartment found that you see gelato as a daily requirement as well as in some cases, a real dish. Just how did you show up at that conclusion? AT: It is either inherited or learned habits. I have the exact same ice lotion routines as my mother — we both consume ice cream numerous times a day and we both think that it can, indeed, be a meal. At any given minute we each contend least 8 flavors in our respective freezers. I just searched in mine, currently it houses twelve flavors. OC: What is your preferred flavor? AT: I have no favored, however I do not like ice lotion that has “absolutely nothing in it.” I such as chips and also chunks and also blood vessels as well as swirls, items and also little bits and bites. Garnishes are additionally a requirement. The sprinkle to gelato proportion is of vital importance. OC: Where did you have the most effective gelato you ever found? AT: I am not choosy about brand names. That claimed, my favorite gelato place is Fenton’s (in Oakland). I began checking out Fenton’s while in university (nearby, in Berkeley) and was delighted that when Al moved the team back to Oakland, I would certainly once more be close to it. Most people visit Fenton’s for unique celebrations or just occasionally. I was a regular — and also by normal, I imply more compared to once a week. OC: It’s popular that you are close with Ice. We require one excellent story. AT: I aimed to persuade him that we need to do a rap version of It’s a Small Globe. He tried so difficult to be polite as well as delicate when happily declining, yet the view his face talked volumes — it was spectacular — he believed I was nuts. I still think it’s a smart idea. The message in that track is amazing: there is simply one moon and one gold sun, and a smile implies friendship to everybody. Ice — we actually have to do this. OC: Exactly what’s the strangest point that ever occurred to you on an airplane? AT: I had the remarkable benefit and pleasure of flying with the California Air National Guard in an F16. At one factor, I claimed right into my headset: hi, we’re upside down. The competitor pilot responded that we had been awhile of time — he was entertained that it took me so long to recognize that we were. OC: Just what is your preferred area for leisure travel? AT: Any kind of location with sunlight, sea, sand and also browse — any type of warm put on the sea. I prefer Mexico and Hawaii due to the fact that they are close to California as well as hence very easy to obtain to. OC: Biggest family pet peeve concerning hotels? AT: Noisy spaces. I don’t desire to be near an elevator lobby, a stairwell door, a loud corridor or any type of location with sound. I want a quiet area. Oh — another point — I can not stand when the hotel inserts its judgment for mine and also relocates the clock ten minutes in advance. This just occurred in San Francisco (for the Super Bowl). I recognized when I checked in the clock was 10 mins quick, which I do not such as, so I transformed it. Every early morning the resort staff changed it back. It made me insane. I like “live,” not “ten mins in advance” time as well as I had to take care of the clock every day, after the moment was changed. OC: Top three favorite dining establishments throughout the world. AT: I don’t such as elegant shmancy. My favorite food is Mexican food — if I could only have one style of food for the rest of my life, it would be Mexican food. And it need not be ‘expensive’ Mexican food — as a matter of fact, the grungier the area, the much better. Mexican food by the coastline is heaven. OC: You expanded up and currently stay in LA. As a real neighborhood, exactly what is the greatest misunderstanding concerning the city? AT: That our website traffic is even worse than that in other large city area in this nation. Guess just what? Traffic is equally as negative in the Bay Location as it is in L.a — really, in some concerns it’s even worse, because when one is owning across a bridge, one can not leave and take a backstreet. And presume what? Traffic is simply as poor in New york city, as well — typically worse — both in Manhattan when traveling to Manhattan from the airport. Information flash: large cities have web traffic, Los Angeles is not distinct in that regard. OC: Full the following sentence: I never ever leave home without: AT: Snacks. Really as well as absolutely — I never ever leave your home without snacks. Amy Trask, please usage care upon separation as items might have moved in The Expenses Compartment throughout our journey. Thanks for selecting us for your travel suggestions! Have a wonderful day!

https://medium.com/@fascinatingtraveldeals/the-overhead-compartment-with-amy-trask-2894dbc27b9a

['Tamekia Muniz']

2017-11-12 15:10:16.222000+00:00

['Destination', 'Hotels', 'Resort', 'Travel', 'Traveling']

Online Hotel Booking- Best Way To Book Hotels

Online Hotel Booking- Best Way To Book Hotels Technological advancement in the field of internet service has increased a lot. Almost all the business field including the hospitality domain is not an exception for it. Finding a suitable hotel after landing in a new place can be very tedious, tiresome and exhausting task. But now online booking for the luxury as well as cheap hotels can be very easy and quick, this suits the customer a lot. The best part of online booking for the hotels and resorts facility is that you do not actually need to visit the location and can do booking. On the other hand one does not have to pay extra to the third party for the booking. You can do the booking for resort in Ooty for family just by clicking your mouse sitting in the ease of your house. All resort and hotel website have hotel booking software incorporated with it which allows them to book and at the same time see the status of availability of all types of rooms available in a particular hotel, not only at one property but at multiple property in different cities. Online booking is the best option for the customer no matter whether they are booking for holiday or business purpose. Also the easy and friendly navigation during the booking process has made the booking online very popular among people. Online booking engine software is attached with the website which shows all the facility of the hotel as well as the details of the rooms available. Ooty rooms booking online have made it easy for the people to get an accommodation confirmed in the hill station like Ooty. If you need cheap hotel which is easy for your pocket or whether you are looking for luxury resort you can get all in the internet. Not only you can book but can also pay the bill beforehand on the payment gateway software integrated with hotel booking software. There is no place for problem during the transfer of the funds, as it is also connected to banks account. It’s safe and fast. It not necessary that you have to pay at the time of booking you can do the payment after your stay at the hotel. Now make your life easy, and do the booking of hotels and resorts online through the website of the hotel.

https://medium.com/@sunvalleyhomestay2017/online-hotel-booking-best-way-to-book-hotels-fdeeb2b599c

['Puja Gupta']

2017-11-27 13:26:52.785000+00:00

['Hotel']

3 Outstanding Hotels That Mastered Instagram

What’s the difference between and good and a great Instagram content for a hotel? In the last article, we turned to numbers and statistics to establish why Instagram is a tool hoteliers should start investing into. Now, lets look at some hand-picked examples of creative Instagram profiles of hotels who are doing this right. The Line Hotel The Line is a well-branding hotel in “DC’s most diverse non-stop neighborhoods” offering everything a millennial customer would seek (and love): nightlife, ethnic cuisine and local boutiques. Apart from an admiration-worthy brand identity, the hotel has an exceptional Instagram feed. The Line isn’t afraid on putting all beans into one bag: their location. They are loud and proud about being a part of K-town. Support of local community is giving the brand great visibility: a trick to be remembered and applied. They’re not shying away from the help of influencer and food pics — those often get a great number of “hearts”. Their 50K followers love what they’re doing! Soho House A club, a home… Soho House wouldn’t want to be called a hotel, but essentially it provides accommodation — in its own terms. The brand’s unique positioning is bringing customers, and the outstanding Instagram profile — hundreds of thousands of followers. The locaitons of houses are scattered across countries, so instead of playing the “unique location” card Soho House emphasizes the design and vision on its feed. Light, minimalist, aesthetically pleasing — the brand’s content is highly visual and heavily reposted. Moreover, the “houses” chain own and advertises its own shakes on its feed. Borderline Pinterest-y, the profile is followed by 287K lovers of photography and hospitality! Amastan Paris A new boutique hotel in the prestigious 8th arrondissement of Paris is representing anything but the “old, dusty luxury” — and their Instagram profile proves it every day. Who wouldn’t want to stay in a hotel where parties take place, cool people hang out and artists exhibit? Amastan is killing it with the variety of content. The most remarkable part of its feed must be the attention given to the social activities. The profile is lit up with DJs, socialites, big Instagram influencers and just happy, young and vibrant visitors. That is how you make people want to become a part of your community in and outside the hotel walls. Learning from example A lesson to take out of these 3 remarkable Instagram profiles is that the content has to be “3 Vs”: have a distinguished Voice, add Value through sharing inspiration and insights, and be outstandingly Visual. In the next article, I will discuss the concept of 3 Vs — a basis for a great Instagram profile — even further. If you have any questions or would like to collaborate, drop a line at alisa.voitika@gmail.com Picture credits: Amastan Paris, The Line Hotel, Soho House

https://medium.com/@alisa.voitika/3-outstanding-hotels-that-mastered-instagram-acdb7ce93f88

['Alisa Voitika']

2017-11-28 18:01:24.750000+00:00

['Instagram', 'Social Media Marketing', 'Digital Marketing', 'Marketing', 'Hotel']

6 ways that hotels can use SMS

SMS messaging is one of the biggest ways to communicate, and businesses are now seeing the huge advantages of using SMS. With a 98% open rate compared to email’s 22%, SMS can help deliver important information straight to your customer’s pockets, whilst almost virtually guaranteeing they will read it. In any business, it is important to ensure customers are happy, and none more so than when staying in a hotel. SMS can help deliver a great experience for guests and turn a bad stay into a great one with fast responsive customer service. So here are just 6 of the many ways the hotel sector can use SMS to increase sales and better the customers’ experience. We have also created an infographic as well, if you don’t like reading lists. 1. Text guests when they have made a booking — Thank them for making the booking and include the booking details and how to change or cancel it. 2. Send the Wi-Fi details and other room details by text — A quick text messages telling the guests the Wi-Fi login and other room details mean they won’t need to go looking for a brochure. 3. Text guests with special offers and how to claim them — By sending a message with offers not only will you make them feel appreciated but it can bring in more money for you. 4. Send guests a reminder of their table reservation — Ensure that no guest forgets their reservation for the evening meal with a simple reminder text. This can also make the guest feel important and that they have been thought of. 5. Message guests the day before they leave offering to extend or book another stay — Offer guests to stay longer at a discounted rate. The customer gets a great offer and those spare rooms don’t go wasted. 6. Send an SMS survey the day after they have left — Ask the customers a couple of questions to determine what you could have done better or what they loved about their stay. If you think SMS can help your business, be it in the hotel sector or another, you can set up an account with us completely free. We will also throw in 10 free credits to test the account with and with our amazing Double Credits offer, SMS has never been cheaper. Source: Text Marketer

https://medium.com/@TextMarketer/6-ways-that-hotels-can-use-sms-5acbbeb1ed81

['Text Marketer']

2017-11-16 10:28:55.319000+00:00

['Hotel', 'Sms Marketing', 'Hotel Marketing', 'Hospitality', 'Sms']

What in the World is Shaking Up The Hospitality Industry?

How prepared are you for the revolution? Once upon a time, not that long ago in the restaurant, food and hospitality industry, the formula for success was pretty simple to grasp. Following the formula was widely accepted as the guaranteed path to making it. Founders and business owners typically followed this tried and tested blueprint and reaped rewards. Create an original concept or innovate around the edges of an existing one. Clone the business D.N.A and replicate the customer/guest experience model. Standardise the systems and processes, implement them as uniform standards and roll them out across new locations. Et voilà! You have the three steps to scale your single unit business into a hotel chain or restaurant empire. Many of the global brands we are familiar with started out in this way. Small single unit business rooted in one location which then expanded in local markets and spread their reach and influence to dominate globally. You are familiar with industry titans such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts et al. In their startup phase their leaders challenged the conventional thinking of the time about how businesses were run in the industry. As rebels of the day, they championed innovations in internal systems by building then unheard of efficiency into processes. They re-imaged how customers were served and how guests experienced their properties in new and distinctive ways. The Cost of Success Success has come at at high price. Leaders and business owners adopted the quest for efficiency with zeal. As a consequence, creativity, uniqueness and humanness landed on the chopping block. In recent decades, we have witnessed an overzealous trimming of these core ingredients that, truth be told, are the rich source of innovation which transformed an industry. Their drive to squeeze the maximum output from resources; and get results in the least amount of time, energy and money has caused unintended adverse effects.This has likely squashed the very things which brought the hospitality leaders and businesses success in the first place. The goal to scale the business has led to a ubiquitous brand presence that bores instead of delights customers/guests. Furthermore, the mission to standardise for profit and maximise shareholder return on investment has succeeded in numbing instead of engaging employees, ultimately dumbing down their capacity to make their individual contribution to the business. The tried and tested formula has led to a saturated market of cookie-cutter experiences for which customers are losing their appetite and employees have a stomach full. Over the last years, a ripple of change trickling through the industry has been building in intensity. From relaxed bistro to fine-dining and from 2 star to the ultra-luxe, customers/ guests are staging an uprising. They want to feel an authentic, personalised, frictionless experience every time. Service levels in keeping with the class and budget of the business are expected; but a uniquely human and tailored guest/customer experience is demanded. Simply put, the cookie cutter experience is no longer the flavour of the day. There is a new breed of restaurant entrepreneurs and hospitality leaders who hear the cry and are heeding the call to act. They understand the appetite for change is growing and are ready to deliver the experience their customer/guest wants. The hospitality industry remains a brutal place from which to create a profitable business and stand out from the crowd. Surprisingly these new mavericks will find it much easier to break free from the sea of sameness and may even create a new understanding of what success means too. From our respective work bases in the Caribbean, the UK and Central Europe; unknowingly these 3 questions were playing on both of our minds. Who are these mavericks? What are they doing that defies convention? How prepared are we, our clients and you for a revolution? With this blog we have joined forces — setting out on a journey to discover the answers to these 3 questions and share what we learn with you. We are following the trail wherever it leads us to understand what these maverick leaders are up to and what makes the maverick and their organisations tick. We are curious to learn what they must master in order to build a sustainable business, an enterprise that creates great employee and customer experiences with humanness at the core; whilst simultaneously making a positive dent on the world. Who are these mavericks daring to shake up the industry? The new players and innovators entering the industry ignoring conventions and writing their own rules. Let’s find out who are the rebels shaking up the hospitality industry. Some are escapees from established restaurant and hospitality companies. Individuals who may have “struggled” in conventional settings where they felt their skills and values to be compromised. An increasing number of unorthodox enterprising individuals have no experience within the industry. “It may surprise you to learn that the Korean-American rebel chef David Chang, known for his delicious, creative food and brash, edgy attitude, majored in religion at preppy Trinity College in Hartford.” These outsiders are free from the ‘curse’ of established industry knowledge. Furthermore, they are hungry to bring fresh ideas and ways of doing things from elsewhere. They operate with an openness to collaborate across industry silos to raise the bar and stay relevant. No matter their origin, they all have an almost uncanny ability to get people on board to rally behind an idea or cause that defies current thinking. It takes a master builder and connector to see bridges where others only see barriers to entry. These socially-minded entrepreneurs and conscious business founders are saying to heck with the blueprints of the old familiar business models. They approach business with a different mind-set, core beliefs and unique definition of success. They are focused in building sustainable businesses that make a dent at the universe; which means making profit in order to serve people and positively impact the planet before satisfying shareholders. To make it more tangible here are three mavericks examples from the band of rebels shaking up the industry. Sweet Green is a modern fast casual restaurant chain serving simple seasonal food. It was founded in 2007 by three friends Jonathan Neman, Nicolas Jammet and Nathaniel Ru who had recently left university; frustrated they could not find a place to get healthy food as well as a great experience. Ru recently said this about why they are in business; “We wanted to create a company and brand around human connection,” he explains. He went to compound their shared belief that food and eating are social experiences that need to be cultivated. They now operate more than 72 stores across the USA. is a modern fast casual restaurant chain serving simple seasonal food. It was founded in 2007 by three friends Jonathan Neman, Nicolas Jammet and Nathaniel Ru who had recently left university; frustrated they could not find a place to get healthy food as well as a great experience. Ru recently said this about why they are in business; he explains. He went to compound their shared belief that food and eating are social experiences that need to be cultivated. They now operate more than 72 stores across the USA. Founding Farmers is an American fine-causal chain founded by a collective of 47,000 family farmers who own a restaurant chain. They believe that everyone should be able to enjoy high-quality food that is delicious, and grown with care. They now operate more than 4 units in the Washington area and more in the pipeline. is an American fine-causal chain founded by a collective of 47,000 family farmers who own a restaurant chain. They believe that everyone should be able to enjoy high-quality food that is delicious, and grown with care. They now operate more than 4 units in the Washington area and more in the pipeline. Peacock Pavilions is a boutique Marrakech hotel founded and built by the writer and human rights specialist Maryam Montague and her architect husband, Chris Redecke in 2007–2009. What originally started off as a pair of global nomads’ desire to put down roots in a private home with their young family, morphed into an eco-hotel when the local council insisted they had to build something that benefits the community. Fast-forward to today, this hotel is an integral part of a design, hospitality, humanitarian brand with the M.Montague Souk, and an interior design sourcing service, and Project Soar, a non-profit organisation established to empower underserved girls and women. What are they doing that defies convention? It is easy to be seduced by their rule breaking, risk-taking and difference. But when we started to take a closer look at these change-makers, we noticed a pattern of 6 similar unorthodox behaviours and mindsets. 1.BOLD INTENT AND IMPACT: They are determined to build an organisation that does more than serve customers and delight guests or solely build profit. The business is a vehicle that delivers a positive impact to help fulfil a higher purpose bigger and beyond the founders’, the customers’/guests’ and employees’ needs. More than opening a restaurant, food or hotel business, their enterprise is geared to addresses local community concerns or tackle more global challenges in real and meaningful ways. There is a willing acceptance of personal responsibility, community accountability and a concern for the unique footprint and legacy they leave. This intent and desire to make an impact powers their purpose. The story of how the MMontague brand came into being is a perfect example of an organic blend of personal values and social conscience in business. Their business mantra is simple. “Be Good. Make Good. Do Good.” 2.AUDACIOUS PURPOSE BEYOND MAKING MONEY: Hospitality Mavericks are creating businesses with a conscience, invested with uncompromising worth and has it’s own value and definition of success. Making money is important but it serves their purpose — the famous “Why”. They are crystal clear in why they do what they do; and the benefit it brings to the world by tackling a problem worth solving, easing a frustration or curing a pain for themselves and the members of their community. As conscious founders and leaders, the organisation’s culture is an authentic expression of their values and is in harmony with their own belief systems. Values are a public declaration of what they stand for and they act like a powerful magnet, attracting customers/guests and employees who share the same beliefs and principles. Welcome to Death Wish … coffee that is. The Death Wish Coffee Company is the top online coffee-seller of fair-trade, organic, high-caffeine blends, and home of the world’s strongest coffee! Founder, Mike Brown, saw a need for coffee that was both strong and delicious to serve his groggy, morning customers. Serving that need fuels an audacious, uncompromising mission. “Our mission is to fuel you wherever you go. Death Wish Coffee is made by passionate people for passionate people. We strive for the best tasting and highest quality organic and fair trade beans in every bag. Our processes are USDA certified and we have committed to sustainability throughout our products. We offer a 100%, no-BS guarantee: if this isn’t the strongest coffee you’ve ever tried, we’ll gladly give you a refund.” Maverick-spirited businesses like these are built for people, by people. Purpose and principles are used to build communities where their employees and customers are mandated hold them accountable for doing business and behaving in accordance with these values. Their community is the business’ collective conscience and values guardian. They are fully aware and accept that power lies with the people when it comes to their brand. These days everyone has access to their own media house, and your customers/guests and employees have free access to their own megaphone through social media — to share their experiences (both negative and positive) and mobilize action for or against a business or cause. Maverick-spirited businesses are built for people, by people. 3.DECLINE TO SCALE FOR THE SAKE OF SCALE: They stay relevant and ahead of the competition by constantly creating value for their community. Their eyes are fixed firmly on their community pains and aspirations; not on what the competition is doing (or not doing). Some decline to scale, deciding to restrict their business to a particular size and preferring to focus on profitability instead of growth. Bo Burlingham’s book Small Giants: Companies that Choose to Be Great Instead of Big is an excellent source of intelligence about maverick founders and leaders across industry sectors who choose to be remarkable in their field instead of chasing growth for the sake of growth. Others decide to scale their businesses; but they keep a pre-scale mindset and act small as they grow. They say no to many opportunities, anchoring their success to their ability to say no to things that do not fit with their core values and mission. They understand the value of scale and can see the advantages for getting bigger. For them, bigger means more influence and the ability to make a larger positive impact on the communities they serve and the world. But they accept if they grow to fast, they potentially compromise risking their culture or what many of them refer as the soul of their business, which means losing the magic and the uniqueness that made them be able to be attractive for employees and customers. Union Square Hospitality Group, founded by restaurant entrepreneur Danny Meyer has always been very aware of saying yes to opportunities only if they were ready. Ready does not mean solely from a finance and systems point of view. Ready includes this, and critically, ensuring that there is enough relevant individual employee capability, collective talent and management capacity to scale. It can take years for a “yes” to a venture because it has to be right for the company’s culture too. 4.DIVERSIFY ACROSS BOUNDARIES: Let’s take a closer look at David Chang. Rebel chef turns international restaurateur, then start up food delivery entrepreneur with limited edition Nike sneaker deal. Where is the common thread? These new-school mavericks create unexpected business ventures across different business models; all of which are connected by their values and help to fulfil their purpose. Each new venture expands their reach and influence. But they take care to ensure new product or service launched continues to resonate with their customer and employee tribes and the communities which the business serves. 5.CREATE A STORY-BASED CULTURE: Stories guide how these organisations’ cultures are created and cultivated. A compelling founder story of the business’ development journey from idea to reality, brought to life with the characters encountered along the way, the challenges and obstacles faced and the triumphs; become a cornerstone of the organisation’s culture. The story resonates with their community. Employees and customer/guests emotionally connect with it, and adopt it as legend. They keep it alive by retelling and sharing the story; and together with the founders/leaders, they write the next chapters as they help to evolve and grow the business as a community. According to Innocent drinks’ story, the business was voted into existence by its early adopter customers. Here is an excerpt in their own words. “We started innocent in 1999 after selling our smoothies at a music festival. We put up a big sign asking people if they thought we should give up our jobs to make smoothies, and put a bin saying ‘Yes’ and a bin saying ‘No” in front of the stall. Then we got people to vote with their empties. At the end of the weekend, the ‘Yes’ bin was full, so we resigned from our jobs the next day and got cracking.” 6.LEADING: Mavericks accept that as leader, their primary responsibility is to serve — their employees, their customers/guests and the wider community which their business touches. Operating systems and technology are selected to amplify human impact, connection and contribution to the business; not to replace or enslave people. The clever and wise ones have created their own alchemy. They have cracked the code transforming a movement into a sustainable business without losing the passion that fueled the movement in the early days. Now, they lead a movement with a crystal clear purpose, vision and values that put the human at the heart of the business. From this vantage point, they are able to create environments where people understand what expected, why they are important and how they can make a contribution to the organization’s success whilst simultaneously serving a higher purpose. Friska is a UK national café chain with 7 units and more to to come. They are on a mission to redefine the way your breakfast and lunch place makes you feel. One of the founders Griff Holland said this in a recent restaurant leadership talk in London about creating an authentic experience; and the relationship between service and empathy (care) for others. “We actually think the way it’s served is just as important as the food itself. Truly memorable service doesn’t come from scripts and remembering to offer a loyalty card, it comes from people who really care about the way they make others feel and take real pleasure from making someone’s day.” They have a clear goal of becoming the best employer in the industry. He made it very clear that as founder and leader, his role is to serve and make the team feel safe before anything else. This ethos is the key to building a remarkable organisation and successful business. He is a big believer that you eat last as a leader. For him that means you pay, develop and make your employees feel empowered before you take care of yourself. If you do that; profit and business impact will come. Friska’s business model goes beyond serving their people, breakfasts and lunches. They are committed to make a positive social and environmental impact wherever they can. As an example they give 10p per sold water bottle goes toward supporting Frank Water and all of their charitable work around the world. How prepared are you for the revolution? Many operators across the globe are struggling with a host of emerging crises. Take your pick from growth challenges, rising food costs, intensive competition, critical skills gaps, technology adoption, rising employee turnover, changing customer tastes and shrinking guest loyalty (guaranteed year on year repeat business). Each of these challenges either on their own or combined, have the makings of the perfect storm. Opportunity or disaster — are you ready? Many leaders in the industry are dangerously planning the future of their business but operating with their minds rooted in the past. An overconfident reliance on false assumptions about their customers’/guests’ expectations and employees’ desires is laying the groundwork for their demise. Don’t be one of them. Today, standing still is the riskiest action you can take. The business landscape is littered with the broken and sad remnants of companies whose leaders failed to adapt to change. The revolution is already taking place in the hospitality, food and restaurant industry. “Things are changing so fast in food that if you’re still using what worked for you in the past, you’re screwed.” David Chang on why he is risking his perfect restaurant record for a delivery startup venture. Whether you are of the mind to launch a startup venture or you are the leader of an existing restaurant, food or hospitality business, this is your call to action. Your organisation’s survival depends on it. Yes, we know it is not easy. The reality is that there is no quick fix formula to create a sustainable, unmistakable business and culture. But you can make a start to future-proof your business today. Here is how you can prepare to start your own revolution. Use these 9 maverick-inspired questions in your team to kickstart the journey to a stronger and more sustainable business that your employees and customers will connect and fall in love with. What do you offer that can’t be found elsewhere? - Hint: It might not be what you offer; but how you offer your product or experience. What makes you stand out from the crowd? A distinctive style? An unforgettable customer/guest experience? A remarkable culture? A useful and valuable product? 3. What is your unfair advantage? Why? 4. How are you leading in your community? What do you dare to care about? Who will you help? 5. How do you serve your customers/guests? What pain do you solve? What are they struggling with? What aspirations do you help them achieve? 6. How are you leading your employees? What connection are you making? 7. How clear is your purpose? 8. What do you stand for? What are the values connecting you with your employees and customers/guests? Are you communicating, connecting, hiring, reviewing, rewarding, and firing around them? 9. How clear and credible is your Vision for the future? Do you have a clear road map to get there? Are your employees, customers/guests on that journey with you? Take your time. The revolution is not going anywhere. Honest answers, no matter how uncomfortable, are the ticket to putting your business on the right road to sustainability. Success that resonates with you and your customer/guest and employee communities beckons. Our journey continues and you are invited to join on this expedition. Let us find out more about the mavericks and rebel entrepreneurs who are defying conventional wisdom and blazing their own path. What can we learn from them? We are curious about their activities and thinking; and are dreaming up ways we can help them shake up an industry and change the world. Tell us know your thoughts about the revolution sweeping through the restaurant, food and hospitality industry in the comments. We would love to read them. Share this post with friends and colleagues who also have a strong passion for the hospitality industry and its people. Show your appreciation for this article by clicking the green hand clap icon. Thank you. Before we sign off, a small note of caution. This post is best sent to folks who are curious and open to joining and supporting a revolution. Michael is the heart-centered operations pro, who believes and lives by building hospitality and restaurants businesses from the inside out. When your employees love your company, your customers will love you — brand nirvana! He helps leaders and operators to build unique blueprints and business systems that create strong employee and customer experience, which translate into improved sales, profits and sustainability. Michael is the founder and implementer of Tingsager Consulting and Co-founder of The Bear Kitchen with real-world experience in managing multi-unit restaurant operations and working with global brands. Nicole is a warrior dedicated to liberating business owners from the HR-related chaos and the insanity than can threaten a successful opening and the growth of sustainable business. An HR pro that thinks like a creative, she helps leaders and operators put the right team and HR systems in place, connect their people to the purpose of their business so that they can create a unique customer experience that generates revenue and loyalty. Nicole is the founder and lead creative HR specialist of Aquarius Human Resources Consulting; with a love for hospitality she supports the launch and operation of luxury brands, independent restaurants and boutique hotels. She is a guest blog contributor, tweeter and writer at The HR Rabbit Hole blog.

https://medium.com/@hmavericks/what-in-the-world-is-shaking-up-the-hospitality-industry-44894764d4d1

['Hospitality Mavericks']

2017-10-24 14:38:10.152000+00:00

['Entrepreneurship', 'Restaurant Business', 'Hospitality', 'Leadership', 'Hotel']

When in Rome… Literally

When in Rome… Literally *This is part 2 in a series of blogs about my trip to Italy and our experiences there, including CouchSurfing. To learn what CouchSurfing is and how we came to know it, see part 1 here. [dc]I[/dc] check my email a few days after sending out a hosting request to a couple who live near Rome and am excited to find a response! I open the note, as my stomach flips a bit. “Ciao!” it begins, followed by a “yes,” they’d love to host us! How cool is this? We email back and forth periodically, finalizing details of our arrival day and time, transportation, and how many days we’d be staying, through which we get to know each other a bit. We’re psyched that they’re willing to do this. We loved their profile on the website, and they look very sweet in their pictures. It’s official. We’re diving fully into CouchSurfing! Viva la Roma! Despite flying to London on a red eye with little to no success with sleeping, and waiting several hours for our flight to Rome, we’re surprisingly awake upon arrival. Our excitement is our fuel. We grab our bags, flag a taxi, make sure our bible for the next two weeks (a MUST have, if traveling to Italy), Rick Steves’ Italy 2011 with map, is handy, and off we go to our inn for the night, L’albergo Al Porticciolo. We choose a place not too far from the airport so we can just rest and prepare for our first full day of seeing the sights. We walk in to find a sweet, old man working the desk. “Buon giorno,” I say, proud of my use of Italian. “Ah, bellissima!” he says, excitedly. We both smile. I continue with the little Italian I’ve learned “Prenotazione per una notte.” (Reservation for one night). “Ah, sí,” he responds. And off he goes, talking a mile a minute. We stand, baffled, and I pull out my next best line: “Mi dispiace, non capisco.” (I’m sorry, I don’t understand). We quickly learn that he speaks absolutely no English and neither do any of the waiters in the attached restaurant. This freaks us out a bit, being our first night and all, but it’s pretty amazing what hand gestures can do for communication. We get ourselves checked in, make dinner reservations for 8 PM, and settle into our lovely room. Boy, am I thankful for all those games of charades growing up! After an unexpectedly fancy, but delicious dinner (minus the chef’s gift of potatoes and raw squid to start us off. Yes, I tried it. It tasted like nothing, but it was tough to get over the texture thing), we head back to our room where I brush up on some more Italian, and Missy does a bee-line for the huge bathtub. A short while later, we settle into our ridiculously comfy bed. “So, what’s our plan for tomorrow?” I ask. Missy did all the research and reading of the sights while I handled the logistics of the trip — transportation, lodging, etc. Yeah, we’re a pretty good team. “Tomorrow is the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and Palantine Hill… once we figure out how to get there,” she says with a smirk. The next morning we learn, through hand gestures again, that we should take a cab back to the airport to get a train that will take us to Termini station in Rome — the hub. Despite the taxi driver really wanting to drive us to Termini station (can’t imagine how much that would’ve cost), we insist on a ride only to the airport (yup, hand gestures again — picture me, pretending to fly like an airplane). “I’m excited to meet our CouchSurfing hosts tonight,” I say on our train ride to Termini. “They’re picking us up at the train station near their house.” “I hope it’s not weird,” Missy says. Understandable concern, as this is our first experience being hosted. After dumping our luggage at the bag drop in the train station, we spend a full (and HOT) day in Rome, blown away by the architecture and history. With the Rick Steves’ free audio tours we downloaded to our phones, we learn a ton about each of the sights — in a fun, accessible way — so not like a stuffy tour guide. We officially love Rick, and we come to love him more and more with each leg of the trip. As we walk down a busy, city street in Rome, we turn a corner, and there it is — the Roman Coliseum. Whoa! It’s enormously grand and spectacular. Strange to see such a site amongst this busy urban-ness. How can something so old still be standing? The architecture and engineering of it is mind-boggling. From our audio tour, we learn so much about the history of this place. The events that went on here were way more barbaric than I had known. In this area, we also visit the ruins of the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill, taking walks through beautiful gardens, hiking a bit, and trying to wrap our minds around what we are feasting our eyes on. Palantine Hill is one of the most ancient parts of Rome. We’ve seen these sites so often in movies and history books that it’s hard to really have it sink in that we are here. We visit everything on our agenda in a leisurely way, seeing a lot, but not feeling rushed — until we need to catch the train to our hosts’ home. Although we get to the station in plenty of time, we end up standing on the wrong platform and miss our train. Signage is not Italy’s strong suit. No big deal. There’s another train in 20 minutes. Yeah, we miss that, too. Big station + crappy signs = frustrated Kerri and Missy. We feel terrible because the next train won’t get us to our hosts’ area until 9 PM. They’ve made dinner for us and are waiting to eat. Fortunately, families eat late in Italy, but probably not this late when you have a 1-year-old! We offer to take a cab from the station to their home so they don’t have to pick us up, and Ilaria just laughs. “No taxi will come out here. Besides, it would be very expensive.” OK, maybe their house is a bit more remote than we thought, though we knew ahead of time that they lived 30 minutes outside of Rome proper. We finally arrive at their train station and wait to be picked up. I pull out my photo of Ilaria and Luca and wonder if we’ll recognize them. It doesn’t help that it’s pitch dark and the train station isn’t well lit. Ilaria pulls up with her neighbor, Claudio. We apologize profusely for our delay, and she is so gracious. She hugs us both and says, “Is OK. Is OK.” On the ride to her house, we learn that Luca was in a car accident. He’s fine, but the car isn’t. It’s in the shop and will be for a while, so rides to and from the train station will be tricky. Of course that’s fine with us, as we didn’t expect to be chauffeured around, until we learn how far they live from the station, that is. Now this could be a bit of a problem. We put that issue aside as we pull up to their home. Luca, Ilaria’s husband, and their daughter, Emma, along with Claudio’s wife and their son, Federico, are sitting outside at the table with food at the ready. What a beautiful setting! We immediately feel welcome, and even more so, like they’re really happy to have us. We’re shown to our room — a private guest room on the third floor — drop our bags, freshen up a bit, and head down to join them for dinner. Oh, man, can Luca cook! He makes us incredible pasta dishes — not even sure what’s in it other than grapes — but it’s out of this world! He serves two different pasta dishes and both are delectable. Combine that with the delicious wine, bread, and great company, and we are in heaven! After the main course, Luca brings out a platter of fresh cut cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto. Yum! The conversation flows easily, even though half of the guests don’t speak the other’s language. Those who do, translate, and then there are always those hand gestures. :-) I play peek-a-boo with Emma, who has the brightest smile that shines in her eyes. As the night winds down, we say goodbye to the neighbors, and Luca takes Emma off to bed. Mis and I stay up chatting with Ilaria, and the phone rings. Claudio’s wife is calling to give us the bus schedule to Rome. How sweet is she? We feel better knowing we have a transportation plan for the next day, and we head upstairs to go to bed. We open up the shutters in our room, and the soft air comes flowing in. What a beautiful night, in all sorts of ways. Yup, we’re liking this CouchSurfing thing. We wake the next morning, get dressed, pack our daypack and venture downstairs. Luca is in the kitchen. “Cappucino?” he asks. I think he’s about to fall on the floor when I respond. “No, thank you. We don’t drink coffee.” The most puzzled of all puzzled looks comes across his face. “No caffé?” “No thanks. I’ll just have some water.” “WATER? In the morning? No, no. Cappuccino. I make it. No problem.” It takes some persistence to get Luca to believe that we really don’t drink coffee and we’re not just saying it so he doesn’t have to make it. “OK,” he says, still not totally convinced. He gets us a couple glasses of water. “Here’s your… water,” he says with raised eyebrows. We spend a little time with the family, and then we’re off for our second day in Rome. We get ready to walk to the bus stop when Claudio comes by and offers us a ride. Everyone is so kind! We take him up on it since it’s ridiculously hot out. We stop at a bar/market on the way, and I assume Claudio needs something. No, apparently this is where we buy the bus tickets. Sure, bus tickets at the market… We settle into our seats on the bus and are on our way, having no idea the “creative” maneuvering our driver would be doing. This bus is taking hairpin turns like nobody’s business, beeping in advance to let oncoming cars know to stop. We drive down roads that are carved out of mountains, barely fitting between the stone walls on either side. It’s exciting, but also a bit frightening, so we’re relieved to see the highway up ahead. The bus drops us at a metro station somewhere in Rome, and now we have to figure out how to get to the destinations for the day — the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. We look around for some help. “Let’s go ask him,” Missy says, pointing to the bartender. Yup, you read that right — the bartender. At the bar. In the bus/metro station. I guess you’ll never know when you’ll want some vino. Not being morning people has certainly worked in our favor today! We get to the Vatican Museum and find that the line to enter isn’t very long. We had heard lots of stories of people waiting two hours to get in, but we’re inside in just 20 minutes. The journey through the museum is four miles long and ends at the Sistine Chapel. The artwork is breathtaking and still vivid after so many years. They take exceptional care to keep the pieces in the very best condition. Upon entering the Sistine Chapel, I’m immediately hit by the powerful energy in the room (Remember, I’m a sensitive sponge!). Even with the room being filled with visitors, the feeling is palpable enough to overcome the chatter, shuffling, and oohs and aahs. I stand, in awe, and marvel at the artwork around me. I snap one photo before learning, quite emphatically, that there are NO photos allowed! At least I got a pretty significant shot: Also, periodically, the security guards would proclaim, “Silencio!” A man near me begins to videotape the entire chapel while chatting to his wife, and it takes about four seconds before there’s a guard on either side of him escorting him out. OK, silence and no photos. Got it! They mean business. We wind up our day in St. Peter’s Square, marveling at the beauty of the obelisk and the outside of the Basilica. We’ll be venturing inside the next day. After enjoying a gelato (yum!), we make our way back the metro and the bus station to return to our hosts’ home. Tonight is pizza night, and Luca and Ilaria have invited over several friends and neighbors to join us. Luca’s homemade pizza is on the table when we arrive, so we sit right down and dig in. Hands down, it’s the BEST pizza we’ve ever had. We don’t even know what he put on it, but it doesn’t matter. It’s delicious. The wine is plentiful, the pizzas — all different kinds — keep coming out of the kitchen, and chatter in Italian and English go on all around. One of Ilaria’s friends, who speaks English, is excited to have us there so she can keep in practice. We chat with her for much of the evening and are impressed with how great her English is, American accent and all. For those guests who don’t speak English, we’re still able to chat with hand gestures (again!), and with the helpful assistance of the Google Translate app. I sit back and take a mental snapshot. This is exactly the type of “Livin’ Like a Local” we were hoping for when we discovered CouchSurfing. We’re sitting among our hosts, their friends, enjoying regional cuisine and wine, with conversations flowing and laughter echoing through the night. As I look around, I feel overwhelmingly fortunate and blessed. And very much like a local. The evening wraps up, and we retire with smiles plastered on our faces. This is our last evening with our Rome hosts, and we’re sad to say goodbye, but we know we’ve made lifelong friends. After another great night’s sleep, we wake up, pack up our things, and head downstairs. Ilaria is in the kitchen. “Buon giorno! Cappu… Um, I mean, water?” We all laugh. “Yes, water, please.” We spend time exchanging contact information — Facebook, Skype, emails — I play a few more peek-a-boo games with Emma, and we’re off. Walking to the bus station, luggage in tow (thankful for wheelie bags!), we’re both beaming. What a great time and a great experience staying with our new friends! “I’m so glad we did that,” Missy says. “It was better than I ever could have imagined. A definite highlight so far.” I totally agree. When we get to Rome, we visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps (had to hit the steps, since contestants went there on The Amazing Race, one of our favorite shows!). St. Peter’s Basilica is glorious, in the truest sense of the word. It is enormous, yet doesn’t feel anywhere near as vast as it is; it’s ornate, beautiful, moving, and powerful. Thanks to our handy audio tour, we learn that the Basilica is the size of six football fields and that the bronze canopy in front of the main alter, which looks about 20–25 feet tall, is actually seven stories high! The interior was intentionally designed to feel more intimate than it is, and they certainly succeeded. Looking up at the Latin words running around the perimeter, I’d guess them to be about two feet high. They’re each seven feet! (click the photo for a better view). It so happens, by no planning on our part, that we find ourselves in St. Peter’s on 9/11/11 — the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the US. It’s surreal to be so far from home on this day. To honor those lost and those who continue to suffer, I take a few quiet moments to kneel in prayer in this magnificent building. Despite the 4,000-mile separation, this helps me feel connected to my loved ones back home and the memories of that horrific day. I feel sad and grateful at the same time. We finish up our Basilica tour, or so I thought, when Missy says, “Let’s climb to the top of the dome!” I look at her puzzled. “What exactly does that entail?” “Well, we take an elevator to the roof, and then climb the stairs to the top of the cupola.” “Oh, OK, I bet the view will be incredible!” “I’m sure it will be!” Mis says. “And, taking the elevator means we only have to climb 323 stairs instead of, like, 500.” “Wait, whoa, what? 323 stairs? Do you see what I’m wearing?” There’s a pretty strict dress code to enter the Basilica — no shorts above the knee and no tank tops. So, on this 90-degree, high-humidity day, I’m in linen pants, a short sleeve shirt and sandals — sandals that aren’t meant for climbing 323 stairs. Being as great as she is, Missy takes it in stride. “OK, no biggie. We can just take the elevator to the roof and look from there.” I pause. “Really? You know I can’t turn down a challenge like this. Let’s do it.” Away we go… elevator and then climbing, climbing, and climbing. With each flight the spiral of the staircase gets narrower, the stairs smaller, and the areas to rest, fewer. Everyone in front of us and behind us is panting as much as we are. It’s freakin’ hot out, imagine the temperature inside a cupola! As we finally reach the last flight of stairs, they are so small, we have to put our feet on them sideways. And there’s no room for a railing, so you have to grab onto a thick rope hanging down to get up and out. A little scary, but we did it! Check out the view. This photo is looking down on St. Peter’s Square from the top. I love how the shadow of the cupola was captured in the photo. And a fun, little tidbit for ya: See the shape of St. Peter’s “Square”? It’s meant to represent open arms. We look around for a good, long while, amazed by the view, cooling off in the breeze, and preparing ourselves for the descent. This experience and the feeling of accomplishment is worth every single step. We venture down, which goes much faster than the climb up, and stop at a viewing balcony inside the Basilica. Wow. Now this gives us a sense of the enormity of the place. The people down on the floor look tiny! As we walk around the balcony, we see that a mass is going on, and suddenly, the choir bursts into song. Instant chills! The beauty of their voices reverberating in this magnificent building is nothing short of astounding. I stand frozen and captivated. And I thought the view from the cupola was impactful… After leaving St. Peter’s, we stop to sit in the square once again to process the beauty we just witnessed. We attempt conversation, but all that comes out are, “I just… Wow.” “Yeah, wow.” Next up? The Trevi Fountain. Of course, we have to toss a coin in so we’re guaranteed to come back. As with every other place we’ve visited in Rome, the fountain is gorgeous. The place is abuzz with visitors kissing, making wishes, enjoying gelato, and snapping photos. We arrive at dusk — a beautiful time of day to visit this spot. We join the festivities and make our wish, toss our coin, and enjoy our gelato. It’s nice to just sit and relax after our experiences (physical and spiritual) at St. Peter’s — and surrounded by such beauty still. Finally, we take a swing by the Spanish Steps, relax for a bit there, and then head off to our last-minute hotel room in the heart of Rome. We’re off to Venice bright and early in the morning, so we give ourselves the gift of a cab ride back to the room, looking forward to a nice, refreshing shower, and a good night’s sleep. We check in and head up to our room. It sure is cozy (read, “small”), but we don’t care. It’s quaint, clean, and convenient. Missy calls the first shower, and opens the bathroom door to reveal the smallest stall we have ever seen; it’s clearly not made for curvy Americans. It’s all good. It does the job. After we’re all cleaned up, we get ourselves organized for our train ride to Venice, setting the alarm nice and early so we can grab breakfast beforehand. Or so I thought… To read Part 3 in my Adventures In Italy blog series: Lido and Venice, click here.

https://medium.com/design-your-dream-life/when-in-rome-literally-eb1cdf2014c1

['Kerri Richardson']

2016-08-22 22:39:37.515000+00:00

['Blog', 'Wine', 'Couchsurfing', 'Europe', 'Hotel']

The Impact of Technology on Hotel Guest Experience in Nigeria

The Impact of Technology on Hotel Guest Experience in Nigeria Technology is a critical determinant in hotel guest experience. Hotels often utilize technology as a value-added amenity to help promote differentiation and enhance guest experience and satisfaction. Many years back, Nigeria lagged some technological innovations due to cultural lag in the social system but the evolution of technology has brought changes for the convenience of the people. Technology is part of us as we make use of it in every aspect of our lives. Technology for consumers means an easy life and our appetite for this lifestyle is insatiable. In a company where customers’ expectations for a positive experience run particularly high, technology may just provide the means for overcoming this challenge. “People want more control and we must give it to them,” said Sundar Swaminathan, a senior director of marketing at Oracle Hospitality. Improved Experiences One of the impacts of technology in Nigeria is the experience people have before and during their stay in hotels. Fueled by technology and the immense power of the Internet of Things (IoT), consumers expectations are growing. IoT shows us that we no longer need to manage expectations because technology means anything is possible. Online Booking The emergence of many and more hotel booking sites like hotels.ng with it’s mobile application are making it even easier for consumers to find the very best deals, the best adventures and the greatest experiences. The site helps customers book hotel rooms online, provide comprehensive help and support to clients and make the hotel booking process smooth and easy. It also provides hotel recommendations and reviews, making sure that clients stay in good, clean and safe hotels all over the country. The site is a great news for travelers in Nigeria and even in Africa. Flight Trip Technology has also helped in transportation system with different travel sites like fly.africa to help search and compare cheap flights from thousands of airlines, travel agents and travel sites. Consumers can book flights from their locations to any airport in Nigeria, and around the world with this service. This site also helps in planning for leisure and business travel for ease and convenience. Once a consumer arrives safely at the hotel, as a captive audience, technology can play a key role in setting great and first impressions. To satisfy growing needs, arriving guests could easily be lodged into their rooms of choice perhaps booked via the booking website or it’s mobile platform. In-Room Technology The rise of the smart-homes with its connected light bulbs, thermostats, and smoke alarms, has inspired hotels to experiment with their own smart in-room technology. Yet, guest expectations of in-room technology are far more modest than hoteliers might imagine. Once inside the hotel bedroom, guests are already able to access in-destination activity choices like internet access, TV etc. As hotel properties make the necessary WiFi enhancements, it helps to have a solution robust enough to withstand intermittent interruptions in connectivity. Conclusion While there is no doubt that technology has played a huge role in Nigeria, there are still some roles to play in shaping the hotels and transportation of the future. As hotels implement technological advances, there are new opportunities to get guests connected and deliver personalization. Travelers are willing to share their experiences to others during the stay. To meet consumers’ high expectations, hoteliers need to know their interests, likes and dislikes to help deliver a unique and very personal experience. This can make a long-lasting impression and provide that sought-after memorable experience.

https://medium.com/@princessdharmy/the-impact-of-technology-on-hotel-guest-experience-in-nigeria-405504b8374a

['Damilola Omoyiwola']

2017-11-21 20:11:11.040000+00:00

['Travel', 'Hotel', 'Hotel Booking', 'Technology', 'Hospitality']

SLEEEP named World’s First Gold Certified LEED v4 ID+C Hospitality Project

• LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifies ‘green buildings’ worldwide • Award comes on one year anniversary of the capsule hotel’s launch in Hong Kong November 20, 2017 (Hong Kong) — SLEEEP, the capsule hotel and nap lounge concept by spatial product developer Space is Ltd., announced today that it has been awarded Gold Level certification by LEED for Interior Design & Construction (v4). SLEEEP is the first hospitality project to ever receive gold certification in this category and the first Hong Kong project of any kind to achieve LEED V4 Gold, the newest and most stringent environmental standards administered by LEED. These pioneering efforts in green tourism reflect SLEEEP’s distinct mission to balance exceptional user experience and environmental sustainability, one quality sleep at a time. The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. LEED certification is highly regarded in the architecture and design industry. “With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, SLEEEP is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement.” SLEEEP achieved LEED Gold Certification by implementing practical and measurable solutions aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. These eco-friendly solutions are integrated throughout the SLEEEP hospitality experience, from paperless operations for check-in through to a unique heat recovery system which recycles all wasted energy from air-conditioning into heat to warm the guest showers. An emphasis on sleek minimalism throughout the property further reduces waste and clutter, stripping out the excess disposable amenities common to many hotels, and promoting a sustainable culture to its guests and staff. “LEED is the world’s most recognized environmental label, an international standard of excellence that gave us the framework to consider our business’s environmental and social impact holistically,” said SLEEEP Co-founder Jun Rivers. “We may be small but this outstanding recognition makes us all the more eager to take SLEEEP into new uncharted territories while hoping to inspire others along the way.” Certification has fallen neatly on the one year anniversary of SLEEEP, which began as a pilot concept in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong in October 2016. The brand has also recently won Silver at the 2017 Design for Asia Awards in the Environmental Design category, and consistently rank in the top 5 amongst Hong Kong b&bs/inns based on guest feedback on tripadvisor.com “We are most honored and grateful to have received this recognition,” said Alex Kot, the other co-founder of SLEEEP. “This is an important milestone and recognizes our persistent efforts in pursuing sustainability and the synthesis of technology, design and humanity to improve Hong Kong people’s quality of life.” For images of SLEEEP®: click here For interview arrangements: pr@sleeep.io Website: https://sleeep.io In celebration of attaining their GOLD v4 LEED certification, SLEEEP is offering 10% OFF their standard hourly and overnight bookings on their website for a limited time with promotional code: WORLDSFIRSTLEED. Come experience for yourself the most environmentally sustainable slumber in Hong Kong. Sleeep well.

https://medium.com/sleeep-talking/sleeep-named-worlds-first-gold-certified-leed-v4-idc-hospitality-project-f3ea2b9ee627

['We Sleeep']

2020-06-12 08:07:23.345000+00:00

['Hong Kong', 'Sustainability', 'Design', 'Leadership', 'Hotel']

Hotel Managers: watch out for these 3 essential visual factors when optimising your website

Hotel Managers: watch out for these 3 essential visual factors when optimising your website Through our experience in creating approximately 2 million pictures for the hospitality industry in the last two years, we have learned a lot! Besides creating visual content, we have also been investing time in analysing thousands of galleries and portfolios from the hospitality companies we worked with in order to gain more insight on the overall quality of photos. Based on our learnings, my team and I discovered there are three main struggles that hotels are facing regarding visual content and I will address these factors and how to solve them in today’s blog. In a world where we are more informed and busier than ever, it’s crucial for your hotel to do whatever it takes to trigger and excite people to book with you. Working as a marketing or branding manager for a global hotel brand like Hilton for instance, the focus will be much on engaging and connecting with your audience as well as trying to relate to their daily lives as much as possible. If you want to draw the attention from your audience, you need to come up with compelling ideas, something that creates the ‘WOW’ moment. Guess what? Photography plays a vital role in this! 1. The first impression is the last impression Important to understand is that the photos on your website make a big impact on your (potential) hotel guests. It’s what they see first when entering your website or when browsing on Online Travel Agencies (OTA) like Expedia or Booking.com. Your photos give the consumer the first impression, and this one has to be right. Otherwise, they might choose for your competitor. “Think about it, the first impression that guests have of your website can ‘make’ or ‘break’ their purchasing decision!” Just to give you an example: can you tell the difference between the photos on this front page Source: motel-one upper west homepage …and this one? I guess you are nodding now, thinking ‘yes.’ Interesting here is that both hotels are in the same price class and are offering the same room types. However, the impression of each website and the use of visual content on the front page is entirely different. Remember: your front page is the first contact between the traveler and your hotel, be sure to have the picture that represents your hotel best as your main image. 2. Know who is visiting your hotel website You might not see the direct link between photography, and knowing who your guest is and what he or she wants to see from your hotel. Well, let me explain: The Ritz Carlton, one of the most well-known brand name in the luxury hotel industry, will expose different facilities on their website than a city hotel attracting creative and artistic people. Guests who are looking for a five-star hotel have different expectations from what is shown on photos than the ones that are looking to emerge in the creative atmosphere of a hotel lobby and are satisfied with just a small table where they can work on their laptop and drink flat whites all day. Carefully consider your customer needs and wants and make sure you have photos that match accordingly. At briefy.co we call this creating an ‘effective visual content set.’ 3. Good image quality is not an option. It is a must. The fact that you should only upload images of high-quality to your website gallery might seem obvious to most of you, but I can guarantee you that many amongst us misunderstand this concept. There are a lot of hotels that have beautiful photos in high-quality resolution and get the most out of their hotel room. You would expect the room photo to appeal like this one, right? Hotel room shot by briefy.co Well, there are also some hotels that could improve a little here and there. DIY hotel photo is a bad idea. We live in a tech-savvy world. While it may appear like a quick option consisting little marketing budget to take pictures of the room with smartphones, I strongly suggest each hotel invest in a professional photo shoot, to maintain the image gallery alive and up to date for the guests. Directly because, hiring a professional hotel photographer makes a massive difference in framing better your unique selling point. At briefy.co, we have seen many of our clients benefit from high-resolution pictures and web-optimised visuals. In fact, in an interview I conducted with Akos Szucs, Pre Opening Manager of Grand Hotel Des Sabletes-Plages by Hilton, he mentions “hotel bookings went up by 150% after uploading high-quality photos.” Your struggle is over — key takeaways for your hotel “Acknowledge that you need quality photo content and keep up the demanding visual experience requirement from today’s guests.” In an “I-want-to-get-away” moments for travelers — a.k.a. Your potential guests — it has become a standard that the visitors expect you to provide inspirational content that helps make up their minds to book your accommodation. The easy access to information makes travelers compare and find your hotel easier than getting a meal at 2.30PM in your staff canteen. Quality photos may not be the only thing that determines your success, but it is the basics to cover. Despite the importance of user-generated content such as the guest’s cellphone photos of your room, the mobile-taken quality just does not come close to the professional standards that your hotel deserves; not to mention who will do the image post-production. You want guests to see images that reflect your hotel charisma, which shows your quality service and exclusive rooms equally. Am I right? And if you just don’t have enough budget & are struggling with finding a reliable and professional hotel photographers in Berlin, contact us at briefy.co to test out a free photo shoot for a limited time only! #GiveItAShot We’d love to know your ideas and feedback! Stay tuned for more blogs about how your hotel business can benefit from curated visual content. Find us on our Facebook fan page & our Instagram

https://medium.com/briefy-talks/hotel-managers-watch-out-for-these-3-essential-visual-factors-when-optimising-your-website-1a99cc698f8b

['Briefy Talks']

2017-12-11 10:32:38.509000+00:00

['Hotel', 'Hotel Marketing', 'Photography', 'Hotel Management']

Ozeri Corporation Announces Deal with Shangri-La Hotels

Though it now manufactures digital lifestyle products for the modern home, the Ozeri Corporation started as a boutique supplier of novel housewares in the hospitality marketplace. A recent deal with Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts reflects the company’s roots. In the arrangement, Shangri-La purchased the Ozeri Corporation’s Salt & Pepper Grinders for use in the hospitality chain’s Hong Kong market. Founded in Hong Kong, Shangri-La has hotels and resorts all over the world, including 111 hotels throughout Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia. The Ozeri Salt & Pepper Grinders save space by containing both salt and pepper within a single unit. The grinder’s ceramic gears and stainless steel materials blend elegance with functionality. The grinders also feature a non-slip ergonomic grip, making them easy to hold. In a press release, Ozeri president William Huckestein said the company was “happy Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts has chosen our Ozeri Salt & Pepper Grinders.” Consumers can find Ozeri products on Amazon and at many major retailers, including Home Depot, Sears, and Walmart.

https://medium.com/@OzeriCorporation/ozeri-corporation-announces-deal-with-shangri-la-hotels-df9ba9592142

['Ozeri Corporation']

2017-11-13 22:20:22.695000+00:00

['Hotel', 'Hospitality']

Cookies, Creative and the CMA: News for Hotel Marketers

In the first of a new series of industry news, updates and insights into what we’re experimenting with at Otium Boutique we look at three topics: Facebook Dynamic Creative — a new tool with some great potential for boutique hotel marketing. EU ePrivacy Law — know your cookies ahead of new regulations coming in May 2018. Investigation into Hotel Booking Websites — are OTAs breaking the law? Facebook Dynamic Creative Facebook Dynamic Creative is a recently released feature available to businesses (on a phased rollout) for the Facebook ads platform. The initial release was announced in September 2017 (through Facebook’s API and Power Editor) and we at Otium Boutique began testing it in October 2017. The tool allows users to determine which creative works best for their audiences. Our initial tests suggest a reduced cost per result and the benefit of being able to provide our clients with feedback on which images, copy and CTA buttons are most effective. The Facebook Dynamic Creative tool goes some way to addressing the need identified by tools such as Adespresso and Qwaya, to make it easier for advertisers to perform advertising tests and learn what performs best for their audience. It works by inputting a variety of different creative options for each field. The catch? They must all work together in any combination. Elements of Facebook Dynamic Creative Ads Facebook allows you to use up to 30 creative assets in creating each ad. Title: maximum of 5 per ad, we recommend little more than 25 characters Image/Video: maximum of 10 images or videos (currently you may not mix the two) Text: maximum of 5 per ad, we recommend no more than 90 characters Description: maximum of 5 per ad, not essential but a good place for copy to catch those that scan past the text above the image CTA: maximum of 5 different call-to-action buttons, you can choose from a list Each of the components within your Dynamic Creative ads need to work with any of the variations you enter for each field. Benefits for Boutique Hotel Digital Marketing The question we initially asked here at Otium Boutique was, “What benefits are there in Facebook Dynamic Creative for boutique hotel marketing?” Well, we won’t stop working on ways to improve the method but the results so far indicate two major positives: Low and decreasing cost per result Valuable feedback on advertising creative In our first test, the result we optimized for was a landing page load for a luxury boutique hotel blog post. Results began in normal Facebook fashion but then actually began to get less expensive as the algorithm went to work. During the test, we met with the hotel marketing manager involved to discuss progress and she immediately remarked on the potential for this process to deliver insights for other advertising. “We could use this to help with print and display ads.” Alone, Facebook Dynamic Creative is a powerful feature that we’re confident will improve the Facebook Advertising efforts of boutique hotels everywhere. When combined with additional tools, there are even greater possibilities for building a more meaningful communication channel designed to attract and retain guests. If you’re interested in discussing the possibilities for your hotel, let’s talk. EU ePrivacy Law The EU ePrivacy Law is due to come into effect in May 2018. It’s clear by the increasing chatter on Twitter and elsewhere that marketers in every industry, whether based in the EU or based elsewhere with European customers, are beginning to take note if they haven’t already. Also known as the ‘cookie law’ the EU ePrivacy Law mainly takes aim at the excessive use of third party cookies that has plagued the digital marketing industry and resulted in endless retargeting, among other bad practice. (Remember that time you looked at buying a new mattress online and proceeded to see nothing but adverts for that same mattress for months after you bought one elsewhere?) The EU ePrivacy Law is not to be confused with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that also comes into force at the same time. Implications for Boutique Hotels Why is this important to boutique hotel marketing? Use of third party cookies will require the explicit consent of the website user. Therefore if you or a website plugin you use intends to place them, you’ll need to ensure users confirm their permission for you to drop cookies with some form of visible notification. Moreover, the draft legislation suggests that a breach of the law may result in fines of up to 4% of annual worldwide turnover. Some other types of cookies will not be affected, here’s a basic overview of the different types: First-party cookie — these are dropped by the domain the user is visiting and are generally used for analytics and defining the user experience. Explicit consent for these will likely be required but they are comparably easy to explain in terms of benefits to the guest. — these are dropped by the domain the user is visiting and are generally used for analytics and defining the user experience. Explicit consent for these will likely be required but they are comparably easy to explain in terms of benefits to the guest. Third-party cookie — these are dropped by a different domain to the one the user is visiting and are typically used for retargeting and behavioural advertising. Consent will be required and it may be harder to justify to your guests why you include them. — these are dropped by a different domain to the one the user is visiting and are typically used for retargeting and behavioural advertising. Consent will be required and it may be harder to justify to your guests why you include them. Session cookie — these are temporary cookies that link the actions of a user during a browser session. They’re considered less intrusive and consent is unlikely to be required. — these are temporary cookies that link the actions of a user during a browser session. They’re considered less intrusive and consent is unlikely to be required. Persistent cookie — as the name suggests, these cookies remain on your computer for much longer. They are often used for analytics and activity tracking. They do have an expiration date but this can be as much as 20 years away. — as the name suggests, these cookies remain on your computer for much longer. They are often used for analytics and activity tracking. They do have an expiration date but this can be as much as 20 years away. Secure cookie — these are used as part of secure data transfers and are only transmitted within HTTPS. Consent is unlikely to be required for these because they are part of a secure online experience. What about online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia and Booking.com? Many hotel marketers are clearly hoping this new legislation will erode some of the technological power these giant firms wield. We used Cookiepedia to check just how many cookies these sites use. https://cookiepedia.co.uk/ reveals just how many cookies two of the big OTAs are using. Treat this as a reminder to review data security and electronic privacy at your hotel. What happens to data you collect from guests, how is it stored and who has access? It’s a good time to check that your hotel website is properly secured. Reducing the number of cookies used will also have a positive effect on the load speed of your website — and we know hotel website speed is a key factor in search engine ranking. Investigation into Hotel Booking Websites In a press release from the UK Government’s Competition and Market Authority (CMA) in late October, Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA announced details of an investigation into the business practices of hotel booking websites with some damning concerns: “The CMA is concerned about the clarity, accuracy and presentation of information on sites, which could mislead people, stop them finding the best deal and potentially break consumer law.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn86yY377Zw Many of the problems that the CMA has suspicion of will not be news to the hotel industry. Complaints from hoteliers have come up before, including accusations of bait-and-switch tactics by Expedia in California. The main practices under examination by the CMA include: Hidden charges — how different is the price shown initially to the one the guest pays by the end of the initial transaction or the end of their stay? — how different is the price shown initially to the one the guest pays by the end of the initial transaction or the end of their stay? Discount claims — are these bogus or based on prices that existed for a short period only? — are these bogus or based on prices that existed for a short period only? Pressure selling — is there really only one room left with 15 people looking at it simultaneously? — is there really only one room left with 15 people looking at it simultaneously? Search results ranking — to what extent these are based on the commissions paid by the hotels? At this stage it’s unclear what the likely outcomes of the investigation will be. However, the authority is unambiguous in its recent advice for online comparison tools so we can logically expect to see something similar in the findings of this report. They must be: Plain in their description of important issues (e.g how they make their money) Truthful and fact-based in the information provided Reliable and accountable regarding how they use personal data Simple to use The CMA is on Twitter, should you want to follow for updates. For additional articles on boutique hotel digital marketing, check out the rest of the Otium Boutique hotel marketing blog.

https://medium.com/@harmon_dan/cookies-creative-and-the-cma-news-for-hotel-marketers-66200d7cddb9

['Dan Harmon']

2017-11-28 17:11:11.150000+00:00

['Hotel Marketing', 'Digital Marketing', 'Hotel', 'Facebook Marketing']

Hotel: JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

So there we are after falling our way down the Gombak Selangor Quartz Ridge, bruised, beaten, bedraggled, soaked like a drowned rat, covered in mud, and in general completely pitiable. Clearly, it was time to switch things up a bit. And, as it happens, we’d decided that checking out Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle would be an interesting evening, and had a room waiting for us at JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur “The Happening Hotel : Kuala Lumpur’s Latest Vibrant Scene” As you may have noticed we do quite like staying at Marriotts, and this is a particularly striking Marriott. Although we did get some odd looks from the other guests as we squelched our muddy way through the neon-sculptured atrium… … but, y’know, that’s kinda a troll thing, we’re used to that. Any-ways, if you’re more of a “shopping” persuasion than a “slip and slide down mountains in thunderstorms” persuasion, this is definitely the place for you. The hotel itself is intertwined with the Starhill Gallery home to the luxuriousest of luxury brands… … seriously, Rolls-Royce debuts new models here, that’s the level we’re talking… async … so you can have your (excellent!) breakfast in the basement there and head straight up the escalator to the shops. async And if that isn’t enough, just outside you have the Bukit Bintang central shopping district: Bukit Bintang (Bintang Walk) is well-regarded as Kuala Lumpur’s trendiest shopping and entertainment district, offering everything from sleek shopping centres and five-star hotels to all-day restaurants and vibrant nightclubs… Whether you are looking for a live music scene, a posh see-and-be-seen nightclub, or an opulent rooftop bar, Bukit Bintang has it all. So, yep. If you want to be in the center of the Kuala Lumpur high life, we really don’t think you can beat this Marriott. And here’s a tip for dinner if you want something a little offbeat; Wandering around wondering which of those exciting options above we could manage to get through without falling asleep, we noted down a side street this sign: Yemeni cuisine? Now there’s something we’ve never had, or seen a restaurant providing, so that settled that! If that sounds intriguing to you too, we thoroughly recommend Sana’a Restaurant, our lamb stew and so forth was delicious and intriguingly spiced, and the comments seem to indicate it’s reasonably authentic … so that would be the safest way to experience a bit of Yemen you’re likely to find in the near future!

https://medium.com/@everywhs/hotel-jw-marriott-kuala-lumpur-5fd2cfb9c274

['Alex Curylo']

2017-11-28 00:39:06.357000+00:00

['Hotels']

Never be a free-rider

Never be a free-rider I spent my Thanksgiving week in Florida. It is definitely the most unforgettable trip in my life because I fell for a well-designed prank on the very first day. After I arrived Orlando airport, my friends Marcus and Josh picked me up as they started the trip 3 days earlier. Marcus then drove 3 hours to St Augustine. It is a nice town with a surprisingly long history behind. The town was founded centuries before the independence of the United States. It was served as the capital of the Spanish Florida. After we stayed there for couple hours, my friend took another 3 hours to drive back to Orlando. I didn’t sleep enough on the day before so I fell asleep quickly in the car. When I woke up, we almost arrived our hotel. Honestly, I didn’t know which hotel I was going to stay as I wasn’t involved too much during the trip planning process. I trusted my friends would do a great job on that. The following was the hotel with a sketchy name, Super 8. Not the right one! Actually, I was perfectly fine to stay in the hotel on the left as long as the room was hygienic enough. Everything still looked pretty good until we got off from the car. Marcus and Josh told me they forgot the room number. I followed them to walk around the entire hotel until they recalled the correct location of the room. Then, they couldn’t open the door by using the key card. They gave the card to me for another attempt but in vain. We walked back to our car as Marcus needed to drive the car to a designated spot before 10 pm to return it back to the owner. The place was quite far away so we called Uber to take us back to Super 8. Strangely, the Uber driver dropped us off outside another hotel Crowne Plaza. Marcus said he couldn’t select Super 8 as the destination so he just chose the nearest spot. Josh found out that it would take more than half an hour to walk back to Super 8 if we walked along the pedestrian walkway. Instead, he suggested we should take a shortcut to go through the forest to save 15 minutes. I doubted whether it was a wise choice to walk into the forest at night. Josh then proposed to stay in Crowne Plaza as we couldn’t enter the room in Super 8 and he didn’t want to walk anymore. I thought it was ridiculous to pay for another hotel because of getting too tired to walk for 30 minutes. I asked Marcus to call Super 8 to fix the key card issue before we headed back but they replied the repairing guy had already left the office. They asked us to rent another hotel for that night and would offer us a refund as well. The whole thing was so weird but I couldn’t tell what was the problem. Josh said we should look around the hotel before paying it. We then went up to 12th floor to take a look at the view outside the hotel. Suddenly, Josh opened the door of a room with all their belongings put inside. What happened? Marcus and Josh knew I had no clue about where I would stay so they planed this prank while I was sleeping in the car heading back from St Augustine to Orland. Now you know how to penalize a free-rider who knows nothing about the entire process!

https://medium.com/@cloudycalvin/never-be-a-free-rider-510a5c987532

['Calvin Cheng']

2017-11-27 05:10:42.577000+00:00

['Travel', 'Hotel', 'Orlando', 'Florida', 'Pranks']

Weave Weekly Report

Week 47 | 20 Nov — 24 Nov Mike prepares for usability testing in the hotel/gets his Christmas card photo shoot done Objectives We kicked off this week invigorated by the feedback we had gathered from our second round of prototype testing — our first with real users! As we close in on the end of our term, our tasks center around finalizing our guest- and staff-facing prototypes and conveying the value of our concept. To that end, we spent this week synthesizing our research and identifying the design implications, revising our prototypes to reflect our findings, and planning the communication of our final design. Actions We conducted our first round of testing in the hotel over the course of four 3-hour sessions on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Aided by an informational poster and the receptionists’ invitation, guests approached us to explore two mid-fidelity prototypes for a total of 5–25 minutes per guest. The first prototype (v2.1) was designed to spotlight the hotel employees and their recommendations, while the second prototype (v2.2) supported navigation by activity type over a map interface. Our task prompt was simple: “Find something you’re interested in doing.” We found that v2.1, which was text-rich and personal by the nature of its design, supported lingering perusal over an extended period to discover the island’s offerings and employees’ expert preferences. When the entry-point was a map, as in v2.2, users navigated to choices swiftly, driven by considerations of personal interest, geographic/scenic appeal, and logistics. Users found value in both experiences, suggesting a merge between both interfaces to retain both the browsing and the targeted selection qualities. Furthermore, we confirmed that users find it important to have an artifact to save and take with them: We observed our users softly repeating the names of recommendations they wanted to remember. Moving forward, one challenge will be to finalize a taxonomy for the categories, descriptors, attributes, and constraints that determine what is shown and how users interpret the flow. These decisions will in turn inform our staff-facing prototype, which models a system for inputting and managing recommendations in a way that reduces burden and increases delight and engagement. We found that guests were crestfallen when recommendations weren’t as fleshed out as they had expected them to be, speaking to the importance of managing expectations through screen design and introducing manageable content standards for staff. Overall, we were pleased and surprised by how much staff took ownership of their content, from submitting revisions and elaborations to sharing additional photos. Photo sharing was particularly beneficial to the success of the design, as guests have continuously expressed a desire to see more photos. Next steps Over the next week, we will work on high-fidelity versions of our prototypes for a final round of usability testing. These are additional tasks that will occupy us:

https://medium.com/weevil/weave-weekly-report-609167792883

['Sara Stalla']

2017-12-03 19:41:10.756000+00:00

['UX', 'Design', 'Service Design', 'Hotel']

Lagos seals 18 hotels, event centres over N91m tax evasion

The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has shut 13 hotels, restaurants and event centers for failure to pay their taxes due under the Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption Laws of Lagos State 2009. The Hotels and Restaurants were said to be owing the State a sum of N426,976,528.87 The Director Legal Services of the LIRS, Mr. Seyi Alade, on Friday 17 November 2017 during the state-wide tax enforcement exercise, warned that defaulting Hotels, Restaurants and Event Centers will henceforth face the full wrath of the law if they fail to deduct and remit their taxes as provided by the law. He promised to release in due course the names of the entities affected by the enforcement exercise. According to him, failure to deduct and remit taxes as at when due attracts very serious penalties that may lead to the sealing, seizure of the goods and chattels and criminal prosecution of principal officers of recalcitrant entities. He said the LIRS usually gives a long rope by issuing multiple notices to the taxpayers to inform and also remind them of their tax liabilities adding that only recalcitrant taxpayers are shut down as in the present case. He, therefore, urged all business entities operating in the state to ensure prompt remittance of their taxes to avoid costly disruptions on their businesses as a result of a distrain exercise.

https://medium.com/@barometerng/lagos-seals-18-hotels-event-centres-over-n91m-tax-evasion-6ddcfe740bd2

['Barometer Ng']

2017-11-19 12:54:44.713000+00:00

['Hotels', 'Restaurants', 'Tax Evasion']

Lounge bars in Barcelona

Barcelona is a very congested city. There is a great deal of website traffic, lots of vacationers are strolling around daily as well as it has around 1.6 million occupants. In some cases it is great to run away from this jampacked city as well as kick back. There are different locations where you could most likely to. You can go to a park and also take pleasure in the silence. An additional choice is to visit the beach, below you can appreciate the sun (if it is beaming of training course). Exactly what you also can do is go to a lounge bar. When the climate is bad you can likewise kick back right here. For the other points the weather needs to be excellent or else it wouldn ´ t be so great. You could discover numerous lounge bars in Barcelona. They are located in the centre and near the beach. When you see the ones that are close to the beach you have a lovely sight and there is much less website traffic. Here you have the sensation you get away the crowded city. A will certainly detail a couple of lounge bars you can find near the beach and inform the difference. During the night these lounge bars transform to a disco. Agua When the climate readies you can sit here outside in the sunlight. The coastline is extremely close. The food is made with excellence. However when you are starving this can end up being pricey when you head out to supper below. The parts are little, yet it tastes best. During the night this bar doesn ´ t change right into a nightclub. You can loosen up below as well as appreciate the view. CDLC Carpe Diem Lounge Club is a really nice location. It has a terrace where you could rest at a table, however is likewise has lounge locations outside. When the weather condition readies you can enjoy the sun. Also when the climate is not that good you could rest below outdoors. They have a protecting wall to stop the wind. You could go below just to have a drink, yet the food here is exceptional. The means they offer the food is spectacular. It is almost too beautiful to eat. Too create an unwind atmosphere they play lounge music. The inside has a Moroccan design, below you could also find lounge beds when you wear ´ t wish to sit outside. Shoko They serve right here Eastern and also Mediterranean food. There is additionally a loosen up area, where you could select in between a whole lot of mixed drinks. There is also a DJ and also a real-time music session during the night. In the evening this dining establishment additionally transforms right into a real club. Opium Opiummar is a very stylish location. It draws in particularly youths, however there is no age limit in any way. The interior is white and whatever looks really modern-day. Outside there is a DJ who plays modern music, consider home, hiphop, R&B as well as also lounge. You could consume below an alcoholic drink and also appreciate the sun. Right here they serve food. You can have a great dinner in the night or lunch something during the day. At evening this area transforms right into a party place. The event takes place until 6 in the morning. In 2011 this club was preferred to the most effective club in Barcelona. All these lounge clubs are situated alongside each various other. They are all extremely different. The food is various, the design is different and also the music is different. You could walk by and also have an appearance at the card and after that select the ideal option.

https://medium.com/@fascinatingtraveldeals/lounge-bars-in-barcelona-e9eaed97e7fd

['Tamekia Muniz']

2017-11-28 14:16:42.221000+00:00

['Flights', 'Hotels', 'Travel']

Website Review: HotelPower.com: Wanna Go For a Vacation?

There are a few things in this world that link us all together. A desire to be happy, the feel of a true kiss, and the ability to look down at the bill for our dream vacation and say, “It only cost WHAT?” There are dozens of websites out there who want to give you that last item, but another one is diving into the online ocean with promises of bigger, better, and brand-new deals to choose from. HotelPower.com is officially launching on Oct. 14, 2014. It’s being backed by parent company GTI, one of the nations largest travel agencies. They’ve been in the business since 1994, so they’re leveraging those heavily developed relationships in the hotel world in order to deliver the best deals around. Admittedly I haven’t booked through them (yet), but I did check out their site extensively and I was quite happy with the numbers I saw. Here are samples of what you can find on there: Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park — 30% off ($1,166.81 vs. $1,659.44)* Atlantis Beach Tower, Nassau, Bahamas — 79% off ($170.67 vs. $806.90)* The Langham London — 38% off ($767.98 vs. 1,236.12)* *HotelPower rates may include taxes and fees from some hotels. When searching other travel sites to compare prices, please go through to the check-out page for an accurate comparison where they have added taxes and fees. (The disclaimer was written by them. I could never write something that sounded so legal.) I’ve used on Travelocity, Orbitz, Kayak, and others before, so I’ve got no reason not to give HotelPower a run for my money, especially if they keep posting deals like this. Any ideas on where I should go?

https://gobsofreviews.com/website-review-hotelpower-com-wanna-go-for-a-vacation-82ec59d28fd4

['Luke Goldstein']

2016-12-02 05:34:31.894000+00:00

['Reviews', 'Travel', 'Hotels']

How Data Collection can be applied in Hotel Industry

How Data Collection can be applied in Hotel Industry Application of Data Collection in Hotel Industry Every business in all industry is supported by software today. The software allows businesses to collect data and develop the deep understanding of their operations, their products and customers. Altogether it becomes important to use the data to survive such fierce competition. So what is the role of data in the hotel industry? Through data, hotels can understand the habits of guests, which makes it possible to predict their decisions and understand their choices. With proper use and processing of data, hoteliers can get immense knowledge on how they can improve their hotel operations. Data must also be the main focus in the hospitality besides guest satisfaction. Hoteliers must systematically collect data and understand what actions they must take to help them deliver unique customer experience. Categorizing data should be the first step: First of all, hoteliers need to have data. They can collect data by manually entering on registers or they can enter into a hotel booking system to maintain the records. There are several sources of information, so the best way is to collect and organize the data for optimum usage. For example, let’s say that when a customer books a room at a hotel website then he has to provide basic data such as name, address, phone number and booking dates. This data can be used as the front-desk information. And if a guest makes orders for particular types of food then it can belong to the food order category. Customize your messages: Hoteliers can collect and analyze data to diagnose the behavioral pattern of customers. Through data analytics anyone can know information like gender, geographical location or age group of users who visit websites, social media pages and etc. Such data can be used to customize messages and send to relevant one to the right guests. Studying Hotel reviews: Online travel review websites such as TripAdvisor are like a goldmine of data for Hoteliers. Even the social media websites generate a lot of data that shouldn’t be neglected at all. Monitoring the reviews at these websites is staggering but it is a well worth task. The enormous data helps hotels in understanding the strong elements that make their hotels more desirable place to stay. Whereas the negative reviews provide insight about what areas need improvement. Now as there are millions of followers on review and social websites, the hotel’s response is also noticed by them. They also observe how well a hotel replies to a negative review. At the same time, this grants great opportunity to learn from the competitors about how they handle both positive and negative reviews. Knowing who are the loyal guests: Customer data such as booking history, reservations made in vacation periods, online activity on hotel website etc. can be used to understand the booking behavior, how much they spend and the degree to which they are loyal to the hotel. This amount of information allows hoteliers to design customized packages for guests based on their preferences. As a result, it will boost the repeat bookings from previous guests. Such information in turn also leads to better understanding of needs of the guests which help in delivering optimum guest satisfaction. If you liked this post then CLICK the applaud button immediately and share this post with your friends and colleagues! Please visit our blog to read other fantastic posts about hospitality industry: https://qloapps.com/blog Support For any kind of technical assistance, just raise a ticket at : https://webkul.uvdesk.com and for any doubt contact us at support@webkul.com

https://medium.com/@udbhav.sharma/how-data-collection-can-be-applied-in-hotel-industry-5f3479b086e4

['Udbhav Sharma']

2017-11-13 10:41:23.167000+00:00

['Hotel', 'Hotel Industry', 'Hospitality Industry', 'Hotel Reviews']

Airbnb: Bad For New York, Great For Me

Airbnb: Bad For New York, Great For Me We got back from Portland last night and I already had an email from Airbnb. It was brilliant, and I like to think inspired by Tinder. The email said my hosts had already reviewed me (as a guest, ostensibly as information for future, potential hosts), and that to read it, I had to review my host. It continued: Hosts and guests have 14 days to share feedback from a trip. The reviews will only be public after both are completed, or at the end of the review period. Between us, Dustin and I have used it a handful of times now but the last time I actually logged in to leave a review was in 2012, when the whole thing was more novel. In fact, when our baby was a newborn, we used Airbnb in Woodstock, New York, and when our car broke down the hosts let us stay another night. We talked all weekend about mailing them wine, coffee, babka, $100, etc. At the very least an amazing review for this couple who basically renewed our faith in humanity. We forgot to even leave a rating. But this time, I had to see what they said about me, duh. I left a review this morning, as soon as I was sitting at a computer. (They were very nice.) (It was a husband and wife duo, and the wife works at a bakery, and they brought over baked goods one night that we had for breakfast in the morning.) (I mean, come on.) I guess like most things in this new disrupted world of ours, I think Airbnb is bad for New York, but when family is in town and needs a place to stay, that’s exactly where I send them. On her last visit, my mom stayed in a place one block from us for $60/night. Which is a little bit like the fact that our house doesn’t use Amazon, and hasn’t for a few years now, but then I watched the pilot for Transparent the other day and fell in love with it, and signed up for a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. No money has exchanged hands, and I have a reminder set in my phone to cancel it, but still I’m sure they benefit somehow. I had, to use the words of a reporter who just emailed me about a story, “queasy” feelings about using the ‘service economy’ to hire someone to clean our house. But still, I got my house cleaned for $30. [Then of course heard from Amanda and emailed Handy’s customer service to get my credit card info removed from their site — a thing you can’t do yourself, which is bullshit.] I’m a hypocrite, I guess is what I’m saying. When I was booking this Airbnb, I was surprised at checkout when I actually got charged $53 for “Occupancy Taxes” by the state of Oregon, the city of Portland, and Multnomah County. Of course my first reaction to being hit with that and the $51 service fee from Airbnb was “dammit.” $100 more than the total I had in my mind. “I support this in theory!” I chatted to Mike. “For other people!” I was joking, and even though it was a little painful, it helped me feel less ‘queasy’. Or it does now, after the fact. Portland, as it turns out, was both as rainy and as lovely and its reputation would have you imagine. I am happy to give them $53 for the pleasure of staying in a pink-walled mother-in-law suite of a bungalow on one of their tree-lined streets, where we walked through the gray morning to go to brunch at a totally uncrowded, reasonably-priced, amazing restaurant. A month ago, Airbnb published a blog post with a bunch of PR stuff, but near the end they do say this: …we believe that it makes sense for our community to pay occupancy tax, with limited exemptions for those who earn under certain thresholds. We would like to assist New York City in streamlining this process so that it is not onerous. This is promising. Of course, the consumer will be the one to pay this tax, just like I paid for it in Portland. Yes I wish it came out of the Airbnb fee or even the host’s profits, but when stay at a hotel you pay the occupancy tax yourself, too. Staying in a private section of someone’s house is different, but it’s not that different. Next time my mom or dad or sister comes to stay in an apartment in the neighborhood, maybe they will cringe, too, at the extra charge. It’s still better than the $400/night hotel down the block. Better for my family that is. For New York, tax or no tax, I’m not so sure.

https://medium.com/the-billfold/airbnb-bad-for-new-york-great-for-me-1a06538f8bff

["Meaghan O'Connell"]

2015-12-09 21:23:37.929000+00:00

['Airbnb', 'Hotels']

Are there any 4 or 5 Star Hotels in Andaman?

The Andaman Islands, a conglomerate of pristine and beatific islands has always been a place of adventure, rejuvenation, bliss and mental detoxification. It has become the most popular tourist destination in Asia and even foreigners visit these enchanted islands to explore and relax. One of the most budgeted vacation spots, the Andaman Islands have developed over the years and there are many 4-star hotels to accommodate people from India and abroad. The hospitality industry is blooming in Andaman but as of now there are no 5 star hotels in Andaman but Taj Group of Hotels have recently acquired land in Havelock and soon there will be a 5 star hotel as well. So if you are planning to visit this cosmic land; check out some 4-star hotels for accommodation: Sea Princess Beach Resort: Locate at Wandoor Beach in Port Blair, it is a beach resort known for its hospitality and luxurious living. The rooms are available four different categories namely standard rooms, deluxe rooms, suites, and cottages. Every room has a balcony where one can enjoy evening tea/coffee with sunset view. The resort has a multi-cuisine restaurant, lounge, bar, swimming pool, spa and laundry services for clients comfort. Symphony Palms: Located in heavenly Havelock Islands, Symphony Palms has beautifully designed cottages to stay. The resort is well furnished with modern amenities and has internet access as well which is a problem in Havelock Islands. Fully air conditioned room with beach view, round the clock front desk service, etc for a comfortable stay. Barefoot Resort: Another resort in Havelock, it is one of the beautiful resorts with maximum footfall as it is made of the rustic urban theme. It is located near Radhanagar Beach and the vibes in the resort are warm and welcoming. There are different types of cottages made of thatched word or bamboo but are well furnished with basic amenities. Travellers can relax and enjoy spa treatments and seafood at the resort. Summer Sand Resort: Neil Island is an absolute delight for travellers who love to enjoy some quiet time in natural settings. Summer Sand Resort is a 4 star resort with 62 fully furnished rooms including basic amenities like air conditioner, tea/coffee maker, balcony for a beach view, etc. The resort has its own multi-cuisine restaurant, lounge, and bar, spa treatments to indulge in absolute luxury and a personal beach for the clients to enjoy evening walks or candlelit dinner. Peerless Sarovar Portico: Peerless Sarovar is a resort stretched in 12 acre land located in Corbyn’s Cove and has a luscious lawn to explore. The resort is known for its peaceful surroundings with more than 50 lawns, personal lounge, bar, and restaurant. The rooms are well furnished and have all the basic amenities including tea/coffee maker, air conditioner, and balcony view. To conclude, the Andaman Islands have developed over time and the hotels make sure that clients have a comfortable stay. But if you are planning a vacation in Andaman then it is advisable to make a prior booking to ensure a comfortable stay at the islands are crowded during the vacations and around Christmas and New Year.

https://medium.com/@travelagentandaman/are-there-any-4-or-5-star-hotels-in-andaman-b772f1b4738a

['Travelagent Andaman']

2017-11-27 13:30:51.963000+00:00

['Travel', 'Hotel', 'Resort']

Pepper Heads to Hospitality: Humanoid robot helps out at hotels in two of the nation’s most-visited destinations

Whether people are traveling for pleasure or business, to unwind with family or plug in at a conference, hotels have one primary goal when hosting their guests: make them feel at home. In the past, this goal was achieved with amenities like sumptuous dining options, state-of-the-art fitness rooms — even luxury soaps and shampoos. But as features like in-room WiFi have shifted from amenity to ‘must-have’ for travelers, technology is becoming the new frontier for making guests feel welcome. In this era of Airbnb, the hotels that evolve to meet the expectations of today’s traveler and embrace change are the hotels that will thrive. Enter Pepper®. Our charming, 4ft-tall humanoid robot that makes guests feel welcome. Pepper for hospitality can support hotel properties and staff in many different ways. Proactively calling guests over for a unique interaction, Pepper can interact with guests while they are waiting in line to check in, encouraging them to learn more about a property, help them find their way to the restaurant, gym or spa, or provide dinner recommendations for that evening. Pepper is also the perfect option for a fresh entertainment experience in the lobby or a private lounge, livening the space with a few of its favorite pastimes: dancing, sharing witty jokes and positing for selfies with guests. However, Pepper has more to offer than simple entertainment options. The human-like robot has the ability to read people’s emotions by analyzing voice, facial expressions and vocabulary, giving it a deeper understanding for how to engage visitors with friendly invitations. Whether Pepper is offering information about the surrounding area, or entertaining patrons with a souvenir selfie — this approachable, engaging robot certainly makes a memorable addition to a hotel’s team. Today, we’re incredibly excited to announce the first U.S. hotels to bring Pepper robots onboard — the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, and the Courtyard by Marriott in Anaheim, just steps away to the entrance to Disneyland. Located in two of the country’s hottest vacation destinations, both are welcoming Pepper into their properties to help make great, memorable guest experiences. Pepper will be joining the team at the luxury Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas as “Technical Ambassador” providing answers to questions about the property, giving directions to area attractions and delighting guests with stories, dancing and selfies. The impressive, triple 5-star hotel will be featuring Pepper in its 23rd floor Sky Lobby, known for its dramatic views of the Las Vegas Strip. Donald Bowman, General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas, had this to say about their newest recruit: “I am delighted to welcome Pepper to the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas team. Luxury is all about choice. Pepper will provide our guests with the option to receive hotel assistance and information in an exciting and innovative way. Not only can Pepper handle information requests, but will also serve as a source of entertainment that we hope will provide an enjoyable element of surprise for guests of all ages.” Courtyard® by Marriott® Anaheim Theme Park Entrance will be featuring Pepper in its lobby, inviting guests to learn more about the hotel’s recreation options, like its large Surfside Waterpark, and engaging them with souvenir photos. Since the hotel is a five-minute walk from Disneyland Resort, Pepper will also offer up fun facts and little known information about the theme park for guests as they plan their day. While the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas and Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim represent the first opportunities for U.S. visitors to get assistance from Pepper as a sort of robo-concierge, Pepper is pretty experienced in the hotel business elsewhere in the world! Pepper’s hospitality prowess has been employed at properties including the Hyatt Regency in Tokyo and The Grand Intercontinental in Yokohama as well as Japan’s Joy Port Minami Awaji cruise line. Pepper’s purpose is to serve and delight people, and North Americans can already find Pepper directing travelers at airports, offering up product info in retail stores, and even providing rates and financial education in bank branches. In the hospitality industry, as in other consumer-facing industries , customer expectations are changing. Increasingly, customers want authentic, personalized experiences, and they want the immediacy of the on-demand services that they’ve grown accustomed to from Amazon, Uber and others. Pepper’s individualized attention and helpful information goes a long way toward meeting the needs of today’s traveler, while creating surprising, memorable moments that will have them sharing their experience with others and keep them coming back for more! Click here to learn more about Pepper.

https://medium.com/@softbankrobotics/pepper-heads-to-hospitality-humanoid-robot-helps-out-at-hotels-in-two-of-the-nations-most-visited-db2796b35c12

['Softbank Robotics Us']

2017-11-21 18:09:46.671000+00:00

['Travel', 'Hospitality', 'Hotel', 'Robotics', 'Tech']

(Live — Streaming) : 2021 Soul Train Music Awards

(Live — Streaming) : 2021 Soul Train Music Awards | [Online Streaming] 2021 Soul Train Music Awards, at New York’s Apollo Theater, Sunday Nov 28, 2021 at 20PM << GO LIVE NOW >> ▶▶ https://cutt.ly/8T2eQlA SHOW INFO : Event : 2021 Soul Train Music Awards Date/Time : Sunday Nov 28, 2021 at 20PM Venue : New York’s Apollo Theater, USA Hosted by Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold Ashanti will be honored with the Lady of Soul Award, while Maxwell will receive the Legend Award. Song of the Year: Blxst feat. Ty Dolla $Ign & Tyga — “Chosen”; Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak (Silk Sonic) — “Leave the Door Open”; H.E.R. — “Damage”; Jazmine Sullivan — “Pick Up Your Feelings”; Wizkid feat. Tems — “Essence”; Yung Bleu feat. Drake — “You’re Mines Still” Album of the Year: Blxst — No Love Lost; Doja Cat — Planet Her; Giveon — When It’s All Said and Done… Take Time; H.E.R. — Back of My Mind; Jazmine Sullivan — Heaux Tales; Wizkid — Made in Lagos Video of the Year: Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak (Silk Sonic) — “Leave the Door Open”; Chris Brown, Young Thug feat. Future, Lil Durk, Latto — “Go Crazy (Remix)”; H.E.R. — “Damage”; Jazmine Sullivan — “Pick Up Your Feelings”; Normani feat. Cardi B — “Wild Side”; Wizkid feat. Tems — “Essence”. ❖ ALL CATEGORY WATCHTED ❖ An action story is similar to adventure, and the protagonist usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate scenarios (including explosions, fight scenes, daring escapes, etc.). Action and adventure usually are categorized together (sometimes even while “action-adventure”) because they have much in common, and many stories are categorized as both genres simultaneously (for instance, the James Bond series can be classified as both). Continuing their survival through an age of a Zombie-apocalypse as a makeshift family, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abagail Breslin) have found their balance as a team, settling into the now vacant White House to spend some safe quality time with one another as they figure out their next move. However, spend time at the Presidential residents raise some uncertainty as Columbus proposes to Wichita, which freaks out the independent, lone warrior out, while Little Rock starts to feel the need to be on her own. The women suddenly decide to escape in the middle of the night, leaving the men concerned about Little Rock, who’s quickly joined by Berkley (Avan Jogia), a hitchhiking hippie on his way to place called Babylon, a fortified commune that’s supposed to be safe haven against the zombies of the land. Hitting the road to retrieved their loved one, Tallahassee and Columbus meet Madison (Zoey Deutch), a dim-witted survivor who takes an immediate liking to Columbus, complicating his relationship with Wichita. ✅ ANALYZER GOOD / BAD ✅ To be honest, I didn’t catch Zombieland when it first got released (in theaters) back in 2009. Of course, the movie pre-dated a lot of the pop culture phenomenon of the usage of zombies-esque as the main antagonist (i.e Game of Thrones, The Maze Runner trilogy, The Walking Dead, World War Z, The Last of Us, etc.), but I’ve never been keen on the whole “Zombie” craze as others are. So, despite the comedy talents on the project, I didn’t see Zombieland….until it came to TV a year or so later. Surprisingly, however, I did like it. Naturally, the zombie apocalypse thing was fine (just wasn’t my thing), but I really enjoyed the film’s humor-based comedy throughout much of the feature. With the exception of 2008’s Shaun of the Dead, majority of the past (and future) endeavors of this narrative have always been serious, so it was kind of refreshing to see comedic levity being brought into the mix. Plus, the film’s cast was great, with the four main leads being one of the film’s greatest assets. As mentioned above, Zombieland didn’t make much of a huge splash at the box office, but certainly gained a strong cult following, including myself, in the following years. Flash forward a decade after its release and Zombieland finally got a sequel with Zombieland: Double Tap, the central focus of this review post. Given how the original film ended, it was clear that a sequel to the 2009 movie was indeed possible, but it seemed like it was in no rush as the years kept passing by. So, I was quite surprised to hear that Zombieland was getting a sequel, but also a bit not surprised as well as Hollywood’s recent endeavors have been of the “belated sequels” variety; finding mixed results on each of these projects. I did see the film’s movie trailer, which definitely was what I was looking for in this Zombieland 2 movie, with Eisenberg, Harrelson, Stone, Breslin returning to reprise their respective characters again. I knew I wasn’t expecting anything drastically different from the 2009 movie, so I entered Double Tap with good frame of my mind and somewhat eagerly expecting to catch up with this dysfunctional zombie killing family. Unfortunately, while I did see the movie a week after its release, my review for it fell to the wayside as my life in retail got a hold of me during the holidays as well as being sick for a good week and half after seeing the movie. So, with me still playing “catch up” I finally have the time to share my opinions on Zombieland: Double Tap. And what are they? Well, to be honest, my opinions on the film was good. Despite some problems here and there, Zombieland: Double Tap is definitely a fun sequel that’s worth the decade long wait. It doesn’t “redefine” the Zombie genre interest or outmatch its predecessor, but this next chapter of Zombieland still provides an entertaining entry….and that’s all that matters. Returning to the director’s chair is director Ruben Fleischer, who helmed the first Zombieland movie as well as other film projects such as 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad, and Venom. Thus, given his previous knowledge of shaping the first film, it seems quite suitable (and obvious) for Fleischer to direct this movie and (to that affect), Double Tap succeeds. Of course, with the first film being a “cult classic” of sorts, Fleischer probably knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to replicate the same formula in this sequel, especially since the 10-year gap between the films. Luckily, Fleischer certainly excels in bringing the same type of comedic nuances and cinematic aspects that made the first Zombieland enjoyable to Double Tap; creating a second installment that has plenty of fun and entertainment throughout. A lot of the familiar / likeable aspects of the first film, including the witty banter between four main lead characters, continues to be at the forefront of this sequel; touching upon each character in a amusing way, with plenty of nods and winks to the original 2009 film that’s done skillfully and not so much unnecessarily ham-fisted. Additionally, Fleischer keeps the film running at a brisk pace, with the feature having a runtime of 99 minutes in length (one hour and thirty-nine minutes), which means that the film never feels sluggish (even if it meanders through some secondary story beats / side plot threads), with Fleischer ensuring a companion sequel that leans with plenty of laughter and thrills that are presented snappy way (a sort of “thick and fast” notion). Speaking of which, the comedic aspect of the first Zombieland movie is well-represented in Double Tap, with Fleischer still utilizing its cast (more on that below) in a smart and hilarious by mixing comedic personalities / personas with something as serious / gravitas as fighting endless hordes of zombies every where they go. Basically, if you were a fan of the first Zombieland flick, you’ll definitely find Double Tap to your liking. In terms of production quality, Double Tap is a good feature. Granted, much like the last film, I knew that the overall setting and background layouts weren’t going to be something elaborate and / or expansive. Thus, my opinion of this subject of the movie’s technical presentation isn’t that critical. Taking that into account, Double Tap does (at least) does have that standard “post-apocalyptic” setting of an abandoned building, cityscapes, and roads throughout the feature; littered with unmanned vehicles and rubbish. It certainly has that “look and feel” of the post-zombie world, so Double Tap’s visual aesthetics gets a solid industry standard in my book. Thus, a lot of the other areas that I usually mentioned (i.e set decorations, costumes, cinematography, etc.) fit into that same category as meeting the standards for a 202 movie. Thus, as a whole, the movie’s background nuances and presentation is good, but nothing grand as I didn’t expect to be “wowed” over it. So, it sort of breaks even. This also extends to the film’s score, which was done by David Sardy, which provides a good musical composition for the feature’s various scenes as well as a musical song selection thrown into the mix; interjecting the various zombie and humor bits equally well. There are some problems that are bit glaring that Double Tap, while effectively fun and entertaining, can’t overcome, which hinders the film from overtaking its predecessor. Perhaps one of the most notable criticism that the movie can’t get right is the narrative being told. Of course, the narrative in the first Zombieland wasn’t exactly the best, but still combined zombie-killing action with its combination of group dynamics between its lead characters. Double Tap, however, is fun, but messy at the same time; creating a frustrating narrative that sounds good on paper, but thinly written when executed. Thus, problem lies within the movie’s script, which was penned by Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick, which is a bit thinly sketched in certain areas of the story, including a side-story involving Tallahassee wanting to head to Graceland, which involves some of the movie’s new supporting characters. It’s fun sequence of events that follows, but adds little to the main narrative and ultimately could’ve been cut completely. Thus, I kind of wanted see Double Tap have more a substance within its narrative. Heck, they even had a decade long gap to come up with a new yarn to spin for this sequel…and it looks like they came up a bit shorter than expected. Another point of criticism that I have about this is that there aren’t enough zombie action bits as there were in the first Zombieland movie. Much like the Walking Dead series as become, Double Tap seems more focused on its characters (and the dynamics that they share with each other) rather than the group facing the sparse groupings of mindless zombies. However, that was some of the fun of the first movie and Double Tap takes away that element. Yes, there are zombies in the movie and the gang is ready to take care of them (in gruesome fashion), but these mindless beings sort take a back seat for much of the film, with the script and Fleischer seemed more focused on showcasing witty banter between Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of course, the ending climatic piece in the third act gives us the best zombie action scenes of the feature, but it feels a bit “too little, too late” in my opinion. To be honest, this big sequence is a little manufactured and not as fun and unique as the final battle scene in the first film. I know that sounds a bit contrive and weird, but, while the third act big fight seems more polished and staged well, it sort of feels more restricted and doesn’t flow cohesively with the rest of the film’s flow (in matter of speaking). What’s certainly elevates these points of criticism is the film’s cast, with the main quartet lead acting talents returning to reprise their roles in Double Tap, which is absolutely the “hands down” best part of this sequel. Naturally, I’m talking about the talents of Jessie Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin in their respective roles Zombieland character roles of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of the four, Harrelson, known for his roles in Cheers, True Detective, and War for the Planet of the Apes, shines as the brightest in the movie, with dialogue lines of Tallahassee proving to be the most hilarious comedy stuff on the sequel. Harrelson certainly knows how to lay it on “thick and fast” with the character and the s**t he says in the movie is definitely funny (regardless if the joke is slightly or dated). Behind him, Eisenberg, known for his roles in The Art of Self-Defense, The Social Network, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is somewhere in the middle of pack, but still continues to act as the somewhat main protagonist of the feature, including being a narrator for us (the viewers) in this post-zombie apocalypse world. Of course, Eisenberg’s nervous voice and twitchy body movements certainly help the character of Columbus to be likeable and does have a few comedic timing / bits with each of co-stars. Stone, known for her roles in The Help, Superbad, and La La Land, and Breslin, known for her roles in Signs, Little Miss Sunshine, and Definitely, Maybe, round out the quartet; providing some more grown-up / mature character of the group, with Wichita and Little Rock trying to find their place in the world and how they must deal with some of the party members on a personal level. Collectively, these four are what certainly the first movie fun and hilarious and their overall camaraderie / screen-presence with each other hasn’t diminished in the decade long absence. To be it simply, these four are simply riot in the Zombieland and are again in Double Tap. With the movie keeping the focus on the main quartet of lead Zombieland characters, the one newcomer that certainly takes the spotlight is actress Zoey Deutch, who plays the character of Madison, a dim-witted blonde who joins the group and takes a liking to Columbus. Known for her roles in Before I Fall, The Politician, and Set It Up, Deutch is a somewhat “breath of fresh air” by acting as the tagalong team member to the quartet in a humorous way. Though there isn’t much insight or depth to the character of Madison, Deutch’s ditzy / air-head portrayal of her is quite hilarious and is fun when she’s making comments to Harrelson’s Tallahassee (again, he’s just a riot in the movie). The rest of the cast, including actor Avan Jogia (Now Apocalypse and Shaft) as Berkeley, a pacifist hippie that quickly befriends Little Rock on her journey, actress Rosario Dawson (Rent and Sin City) as Nevada, the owner of a Elvis-themed motel who Tallahassee quickly takes a shine to, and actors Luke Wilson (Legally Blonde and Old School) and Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie) as Albuquerque and Flagstaff, two traveling zombie-killing partners that are mimic reflections of Tallahassee and Columbus, are in minor supporting roles in Double Tap. While all of these acting talents are good and definitely bring a certain humorous quality to their characters, the characters themselves could’ve been easily expanded upon, with many just being thinly written caricatures. Of course, the movie focuses heavily on the Zombieland quartet (and newcomer Madison), but I wished that these characters could’ve been fleshed out a bit. Lastly, be sure to still around for the film’s ending credits, with Double Tap offering up two Easter Eggs scenes (one mid-credits and one post-credit scenes). While I won’t spoil them, I do have mention that they are pretty hilarious. ✅ FINAL THOUGHTS ✅ It’s been awhile, but the Zombieland gang is back and are ready to hit the road once again in the movie Zombieland: Double Tap. Director Reuben Fleischer’s latest film sees the return the dysfunctional zombie-killing makeshift family of survivors for another round of bickering, banting, and trying to find their way in a post-apocalyptic world. While the movie’s narrative is a bit messy and could’ve been refined in the storyboarding process as well as having a bit more zombie action, the rest of the feature provides to be a fun endeavor, especially with Fleischer returning to direct the project, the snappy / witty banter amongst its characters, a breezy runtime, and the four lead returning acting talents. Personally, I liked this movie. I definitely found it to my liking as I laugh many times throughout the movie, with the main principal cast lending their screen presence in this post-apocalyptic zombie movie. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is favorable “recommended” as I’m sure it will please many fans of the first movie as well as to the uninitiated (the film is quite easy to follow for newcomers). While the movie doesn’t redefine what was previous done back in 2009, Zombieland: Double Tap still provides a riot of laughs with this make-shift quartet of zombie survivors; giving us give us (the viewers) fun and entertaining companion sequel to the original feature.

https://medium.com/@2021_Soul-Train-Music-Awards/live-streaming-2021-soul-train-music-awards-online-streaming-e5fdf71049ba

['Soul Train Music Awards', 'Full Show']

2021-11-28 11:51:56.080000+00:00

['Music', 'Awards', 'Festivals', 'Technology', 'Bussiness']

Dance: The Ultimate Frivolity

Dance: The Ultimate Frivolity I often wonder, what has compelled man to dance since the morn of time itself? Before the big rigs, mammoth projections, and acoustically treated spaces we have engaged in collective contortions, synchronized swirls, and all righteous stomps. We dance when we feel good, we dance when we feel bad, we dance in ecstasis, we dance for catharsis, we dance to release and we dance to connect. Dancing allows us to access something far greater than ourselves, and it’s not just another weird thing that humans do, a casual observation of the natural world offers the same findings. Spanning from the dawn of our time through ancient rituals to the modern-day, from birds of paradise to sea horses; this common behavior serves to connect us to our environment as well as support our evolution. Bird of Paradise busting a move / Tim Laman It’s not until something is taken away from us that we are reminded of the immeasurable value it brings our lives. For the majority of my life, I’ve been drawn to the magnetic pull of bands, DJ’s and solo artists all over the world, and the peak experiences they’ve always led me to have been a huge part of my journey of self-discovery. Experiences that are momentarily all-encompassing and tend to dissolve in my hands the moment I try to grab on to them yet leave me with a palpable sense of soul nourishment. I’ve always looked at music and dance through the lens of social connection; that feeling of being arm in arm with a complete stranger connected only by the lyrics you are both singing and stomping along to. But one thing I’ve realised through my journey of embodiment and deepening my understanding of the innate intelligence of my flesh suit, is that movement also doubles up as a powerful way to shift energy throughout the body and process life itself. Whether it’s shifting stagnant energy and denser vibrations or connecting to more powerful ones of transcendence and unity, our body has always (sometimes of its own accord) sprouted into the air like an emergent seedling and reached for the skies connecting the form to the formless. A brief history of Dance Evidence places the first archaeological proof of dance from 9,000 years ago, found in the caves of Northern India. It is by no stretch of the imagination that we have been dancing since we have been walking, and it has been well documented throughout the times, with the ancient Egyptians well known for using dance for ceremonial purposes. Dance has and still does form a pivotal part of rituals in indigenous communities around the world. The famous jumping dance where the Maasai men jump as high as possible is officially known as the adamu. The dance is part of the Eunoto ceremony, where boys transition to men and the jumping also doubles up as a way for men to attract brides. The higher the man can jump, the more of an eligible bachelor he is. The world-famous Maasai warrior dance African slaves shipped to Brazil were banned from dancing by Portuguese colonists attempting to separate them from their traditional customs in the hopes of whitewashing them into the dominant culture. The Portugal colonialists placed a blanket ban on all dancing and martial arts, and it is said the art of Capoeira emerged as a way to bypass these two imposing laws by fusing the two together. Even as recently as 2017 there were bans on dancing with the infamous Cabaret Laws of New York finally being repealed. These laws were originally put in place to curb the rise of Jazz music and the consequent mingling of black people and white people. Sharp DJs at one time were known to play “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles to signal to the crowd that the vibes were officially killed as the police had just entered the premises on one of their routine raids. (Sidenote: Isn’t funny wherever there is fun to be had, the fun police are never too far off to make sure we’re not having too much fun?) From the bebop to the waltz, from the haka to the floss, we have been dancing to bond, tell stories and heal since the dawn of our age. As a DJ who has racked up countless hours observing and conducting the flow of energy in these spaces — and even more as a punter, I always gathered there was a lot more at play here than throwing down obscure shapes in dimly lit rooms. It was almost as if we were summoning the rituals of our ancestors from the depths of our psyche, albeit in an updated modern-day context. Sunday Service kick ons or Saturday night at the Market Stage? “In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions: When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?”- Gabrielle Roth Dance Therapy One of the most accessible ways to remove emotional blocks is through dance. Having been stuck in one of the longest lockdowns on the planet there have been times I’ve needed to reboot my system and one of the quickest ways I’ve been able to get myself out of a funk has been to press play on a sick mix and dance. As we slowly evolve from the traditional schools of Freudian Psychological thought that saw the subconscious mind as a purely primitive reactionary beast that needed to be tamed, the emergent research points to the subconscious mind actually existing in the body, in particular the emotive mind. Doctors like Gabor Mate are leading the way in observing all internal systems operating in symbiosis; with the brain, gut, cardiovascular, immune, hormonal, muscular, and skeletal systems all in constant communication with each other. When one suffers, so does another. 95% of serotonin (one of the primary hormones that creates feelings of happiness and wellbeing) is created in the gut. We tense up when we are stressed. Even blind people have been seen finishing races with their arms in the air. This really dissolves the conventional thought of the brain being the primary driver of feelings and thoughts into the sea of outdated science relics alongside female orgasms being a sign of hysteria and LSD being an effective mind-control device. As we flip the script on the previously held psychological paradigms of the western world through the emergence of somatic therapy, the embodiment movement, and more niche modalities such as tapping, we start to see the body as much more of a sacred vessel in which we can transmute pain into pleasure. This of course is nothing new to Eastern & Indigenous medicine and philosophical traditions who have long understood the body holds the key to mental, spiritual, and physical health. Even in my own personal yogic practice I’ve processed, released, and integrated an incomparable amount to anything I would've been able to achieve by traditional talk therapy or otherwise medical means. Through dance and movement, we can entangle ourselves into shapes our bodies may not be often predisposed to in our day-to-day that helps us really get into the nooks and crannies of the fascia which stores unprocessed emotions, and in turn, release them. So it’s no wonder dancing often brings with it feelings of euphoria. Giddy (up) The Tran-Sendance The primary motivator for me in writing this article was stumbling on the concept of “Collective Effervescence” coined by Emile Durkheim, which can be translated literally as sending yourself into a Kundalini awakening. In other words, collective effervescence is a sense of enthusiasm that spreads between individuals and infects the whole group as they share experiences of excitement. Mirror neurons fire up and we find a common rhythm and through these neural networks syncing up, we meld into one and another. Practiced for prolonged periods this can induce feelings of transcendence — lifting people up like a UFO abducting people onto a spiritual plane of existence. I personally feel that our soul craves these experiences, in particular the ones that connect us to something much greater than ourselves. We see people congregating en masse to football games, religious conferences, business expos, festivals. These common rituals are simply avatars for the real thing — we get dressed up in socially appropriate garments, often consuming a manner of substances that act as a social lubricant which in turn helps us lower our guard. We save up our hard-earned cash sometimes for months at a time, to let rip for one all-encompassing experience all for the sole purpose to connect and simply feel each other and our own humanity. Why do we go to such great lengths to experience something we can feel at any given moment in time by simply opening our hearts? At the heart of all this is getting together for a common unity. By starting to not simply see ourselves as individual components separate from the larger tapestry of life, we can start to increase our awareness outside of the remit of our existence. Couple that with increased individual vitality and enhanced social glue, dancing is one of the most powerful tools we have to traverse the somewhat treacherous times we find ourselves in. That time I unlocked the keys to the universe through the Fibonacci dab In my own experience of connecting deeper to my body through movement and mindfulness practices, I’ve found the better I have treated my body the better it has reflected the world to me. Almost as though the seeds and stories of my life are waiting to be awakened through the careful cultivating of a healthy vessel. Yoga, in particular, has really given me an insight into the mechanics of the body and how the inspiration etched into myself at the cellular level just needs a stretch and twist to be released. Numerous times I have turned up to the mat with an intention to release certain emotions or to gain inspiration/ clarity/ motivation and without fail the idea that holds the key to my quandary is liberated and a fountain of understanding showers me. And all I needed to do was to give myself permission. As dancefloors return all over the world after extended periods of gathering dust, let us remember why we are returning and what part of ourselves we are letting shine. Take a moment before you step onto the dancefloor and check in with yourself. Why am I here? What is my intention for the night? How can I honor myself and others? These are all questions I like to ask myself every time I step into a space to anchor in my energetic tone for the night.

https://medium.com/@moealoha69/dance-the-ultimate-frivolity-93156eca58c8

['Moe Aloha']

2021-11-18 07:56:52.691000+00:00

['Dance', 'Festivals', 'Clubbing', 'Embodiment', 'Healing']

[Live Stream] 2021 Soul Train Music Awards | Full Show On “BET”

[Live Stream] 2021 Soul Train Music Awards | Full Show On “BET” 2021 Soul Train Music Awards, at New York’s Apollo Theater, Sunday Nov 28, 2021 at 20PM << GO LIVE NOW >> ▶▶ https://cutt.ly/8T2eQlA SHOW INFO : Event : 2021 Soul Train Music Awards Date/Time : Sunday Nov 28, 2021 at 20PM Venue : New York’s Apollo Theater, USA Hosted by Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold Ashanti will be honored with the Lady of Soul Award, while Maxwell will receive the Legend Award. Song of the Year: Blxst feat. Ty Dolla $Ign & Tyga — “Chosen”; Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak (Silk Sonic) — “Leave the Door Open”; H.E.R. — “Damage”; Jazmine Sullivan — “Pick Up Your Feelings”; Wizkid feat. Tems — “Essence”; Yung Bleu feat. Drake — “You’re Mines Still” Album of the Year: Blxst — No Love Lost; Doja Cat — Planet Her; Giveon — When It’s All Said and Done… Take Time; H.E.R. — Back of My Mind; Jazmine Sullivan — Heaux Tales; Wizkid — Made in Lagos Video of the Year: Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak (Silk Sonic) — “Leave the Door Open”; Chris Brown, Young Thug feat. Future, Lil Durk, Latto — “Go Crazy (Remix)”; H.E.R. — “Damage”; Jazmine Sullivan — “Pick Up Your Feelings”; Normani feat. Cardi B — “Wild Side”; Wizkid feat. Tems — “Essence”. ❖ ALL CATEGORY WATCHTED ❖ An action story is similar to adventure, and the protagonist usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate scenarios (including explosions, fight scenes, daring escapes, etc.). Action and adventure usually are categorized together (sometimes even while “action-adventure”) because they have much in common, and many stories are categorized as both genres simultaneously (for instance, the James Bond series can be classified as both). Continuing their survival through an age of a Zombie-apocalypse as a makeshift family, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abagail Breslin) have found their balance as a team, settling into the now vacant White House to spend some safe quality time with one another as they figure out their next move. However, spend time at the Presidential residents raise some uncertainty as Columbus proposes to Wichita, which freaks out the independent, lone warrior out, while Little Rock starts to feel the need to be on her own. The women suddenly decide to escape in the middle of the night, leaving the men concerned about Little Rock, who’s quickly joined by Berkley (Avan Jogia), a hitchhiking hippie on his way to place called Babylon, a fortified commune that’s supposed to be safe haven against the zombies of the land. Hitting the road to retrieved their loved one, Tallahassee and Columbus meet Madison (Zoey Deutch), a dim-witted survivor who takes an immediate liking to Columbus, complicating his relationship with Wichita. ✅ ANALYZER GOOD / BAD ✅ To be honest, I didn’t catch Zombieland when it first got released (in theaters) back in 2009. Of course, the movie pre-dated a lot of the pop culture phenomenon of the usage of zombies-esque as the main antagonist (i.e Game of Thrones, The Maze Runner trilogy, The Walking Dead, World War Z, The Last of Us, etc.), but I’ve never been keen on the whole “Zombie” craze as others are. So, despite the comedy talents on the project, I didn’t see Zombieland….until it came to TV a year or so later. Surprisingly, however, I did like it. Naturally, the zombie apocalypse thing was fine (just wasn’t my thing), but I really enjoyed the film’s humor-based comedy throughout much of the feature. With the exception of 2008’s Shaun of the Dead, majority of the past (and future) endeavors of this narrative have always been serious, so it was kind of refreshing to see comedic levity being brought into the mix. Plus, the film’s cast was great, with the four main leads being one of the film’s greatest assets. As mentioned above, Zombieland didn’t make much of a huge splash at the box office, but certainly gained a strong cult following, including myself, in the following years. Flash forward a decade after its release and Zombieland finally got a sequel with Zombieland: Double Tap, the central focus of this review post. Given how the original film ended, it was clear that a sequel to the 2009 movie was indeed possible, but it seemed like it was in no rush as the years kept passing by. So, I was quite surprised to hear that Zombieland was getting a sequel, but also a bit not surprised as well as Hollywood’s recent endeavors have been of the “belated sequels” variety; finding mixed results on each of these projects. I did see the film’s movie trailer, which definitely was what I was looking for in this Zombieland 2 movie, with Eisenberg, Harrelson, Stone, Breslin returning to reprise their respective characters again. I knew I wasn’t expecting anything drastically different from the 2009 movie, so I entered Double Tap with good frame of my mind and somewhat eagerly expecting to catch up with this dysfunctional zombie killing family. Unfortunately, while I did see the movie a week after its release, my review for it fell to the wayside as my life in retail got a hold of me during the holidays as well as being sick for a good week and half after seeing the movie. So, with me still playing “catch up” I finally have the time to share my opinions on Zombieland: Double Tap. And what are they? Well, to be honest, my opinions on the film was good. Despite some problems here and there, Zombieland: Double Tap is definitely a fun sequel that’s worth the decade long wait. It doesn’t “redefine” the Zombie genre interest or outmatch its predecessor, but this next chapter of Zombieland still provides an entertaining entry….and that’s all that matters. Returning to the director’s chair is director Ruben Fleischer, who helmed the first Zombieland movie as well as other film projects such as 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad, and Venom. Thus, given his previous knowledge of shaping the first film, it seems quite suitable (and obvious) for Fleischer to direct this movie and (to that affect), Double Tap succeeds. Of course, with the first film being a “cult classic” of sorts, Fleischer probably knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to replicate the same formula in this sequel, especially since the 10-year gap between the films. Luckily, Fleischer certainly excels in bringing the same type of comedic nuances and cinematic aspects that made the first Zombieland enjoyable to Double Tap; creating a second installment that has plenty of fun and entertainment throughout. A lot of the familiar / likeable aspects of the first film, including the witty banter between four main lead characters, continues to be at the forefront of this sequel; touching upon each character in a amusing way, with plenty of nods and winks to the original 2009 film that’s done skillfully and not so much unnecessarily ham-fisted. Additionally, Fleischer keeps the film running at a brisk pace, with the feature having a runtime of 99 minutes in length (one hour and thirty-nine minutes), which means that the film never feels sluggish (even if it meanders through some secondary story beats / side plot threads), with Fleischer ensuring a companion sequel that leans with plenty of laughter and thrills that are presented snappy way (a sort of “thick and fast” notion). Speaking of which, the comedic aspect of the first Zombieland movie is well-represented in Double Tap, with Fleischer still utilizing its cast (more on that below) in a smart and hilarious by mixing comedic personalities / personas with something as serious / gravitas as fighting endless hordes of zombies every where they go. Basically, if you were a fan of the first Zombieland flick, you’ll definitely find Double Tap to your liking. In terms of production quality, Double Tap is a good feature. Granted, much like the last film, I knew that the overall setting and background layouts weren’t going to be something elaborate and / or expansive. Thus, my opinion of this subject of the movie’s technical presentation isn’t that critical. Taking that into account, Double Tap does (at least) does have that standard “post-apocalyptic” setting of an abandoned building, cityscapes, and roads throughout the feature; littered with unmanned vehicles and rubbish. It certainly has that “look and feel” of the post-zombie world, so Double Tap’s visual aesthetics gets a solid industry standard in my book. Thus, a lot of the other areas that I usually mentioned (i.e set decorations, costumes, cinematography, etc.) fit into that same category as meeting the standards for a 202 movie. Thus, as a whole, the movie’s background nuances and presentation is good, but nothing grand as I didn’t expect to be “wowed” over it. So, it sort of breaks even. This also extends to the film’s score, which was done by David Sardy, which provides a good musical composition for the feature’s various scenes as well as a musical song selection thrown into the mix; interjecting the various zombie and humor bits equally well. There are some problems that are bit glaring that Double Tap, while effectively fun and entertaining, can’t overcome, which hinders the film from overtaking its predecessor. Perhaps one of the most notable criticism that the movie can’t get right is the narrative being told. Of course, the narrative in the first Zombieland wasn’t exactly the best, but still combined zombie-killing action with its combination of group dynamics between its lead characters. Double Tap, however, is fun, but messy at the same time; creating a frustrating narrative that sounds good on paper, but thinly written when executed. Thus, problem lies within the movie’s script, which was penned by Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick, which is a bit thinly sketched in certain areas of the story, including a side-story involving Tallahassee wanting to head to Graceland, which involves some of the movie’s new supporting characters. It’s fun sequence of events that follows, but adds little to the main narrative and ultimately could’ve been cut completely. Thus, I kind of wanted see Double Tap have more a substance within its narrative. Heck, they even had a decade long gap to come up with a new yarn to spin for this sequel…and it looks like they came up a bit shorter than expected. Another point of criticism that I have about this is that there aren’t enough zombie action bits as there were in the first Zombieland movie. Much like the Walking Dead series as become, Double Tap seems more focused on its characters (and the dynamics that they share with each other) rather than the group facing the sparse groupings of mindless zombies. However, that was some of the fun of the first movie and Double Tap takes away that element. Yes, there are zombies in the movie and the gang is ready to take care of them (in gruesome fashion), but these mindless beings sort take a back seat for much of the film, with the script and Fleischer seemed more focused on showcasing witty banter between Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of course, the ending climatic piece in the third act gives us the best zombie action scenes of the feature, but it feels a bit “too little, too late” in my opinion. To be honest, this big sequence is a little manufactured and not as fun and unique as the final battle scene in the first film. I know that sounds a bit contrive and weird, but, while the third act big fight seems more polished and staged well, it sort of feels more restricted and doesn’t flow cohesively with the rest of the film’s flow (in matter of speaking). What’s certainly elevates these points of criticism is the film’s cast, with the main quartet lead acting talents returning to reprise their roles in Double Tap, which is absolutely the “hands down” best part of this sequel. Naturally, I’m talking about the talents of Jessie Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin in their respective roles Zombieland character roles of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of the four, Harrelson, known for his roles in Cheers, True Detective, and War for the Planet of the Apes, shines as the brightest in the movie, with dialogue lines of Tallahassee proving to be the most hilarious comedy stuff on the sequel. Harrelson certainly knows how to lay it on “thick and fast” with the character and the s**t he says in the movie is definitely funny (regardless if the joke is slightly or dated). Behind him, Eisenberg, known for his roles in The Art of Self-Defense, The Social Network, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is somewhere in the middle of pack, but still continues to act as the somewhat main protagonist of the feature, including being a narrator for us (the viewers) in this post-zombie apocalypse world. Of course, Eisenberg’s nervous voice and twitchy body movements certainly help the character of Columbus to be likeable and does have a few comedic timing / bits with each of co-stars. Stone, known for her roles in The Help, Superbad, and La La Land, and Breslin, known for her roles in Signs, Little Miss Sunshine, and Definitely, Maybe, round out the quartet; providing some more grown-up / mature character of the group, with Wichita and Little Rock trying to find their place in the world and how they must deal with some of the party members on a personal level. Collectively, these four are what certainly the first movie fun and hilarious and their overall camaraderie / screen-presence with each other hasn’t diminished in the decade long absence. To be it simply, these four are simply riot in the Zombieland and are again in Double Tap. With the movie keeping the focus on the main quartet of lead Zombieland characters, the one newcomer that certainly takes the spotlight is actress Zoey Deutch, who plays the character of Madison, a dim-witted blonde who joins the group and takes a liking to Columbus. Known for her roles in Before I Fall, The Politician, and Set It Up, Deutch is a somewhat “breath of fresh air” by acting as the tagalong team member to the quartet in a humorous way. Though there isn’t much insight or depth to the character of Madison, Deutch’s ditzy / air-head portrayal of her is quite hilarious and is fun when she’s making comments to Harrelson’s Tallahassee (again, he’s just a riot in the movie). The rest of the cast, including actor Avan Jogia (Now Apocalypse and Shaft) as Berkeley, a pacifist hippie that quickly befriends Little Rock on her journey, actress Rosario Dawson (Rent and Sin City) as Nevada, the owner of a Elvis-themed motel who Tallahassee quickly takes a shine to, and actors Luke Wilson (Legally Blonde and Old School) and Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie) as Albuquerque and Flagstaff, two traveling zombie-killing partners that are mimic reflections of Tallahassee and Columbus, are in minor supporting roles in Double Tap. While all of these acting talents are good and definitely bring a certain humorous quality to their characters, the characters themselves could’ve been easily expanded upon, with many just being thinly written caricatures. Of course, the movie focuses heavily on the Zombieland quartet (and newcomer Madison), but I wished that these characters could’ve been fleshed out a bit. Lastly, be sure to still around for the film’s ending credits, with Double Tap offering up two Easter Eggs scenes (one mid-credits and one post-credit scenes). While I won’t spoil them, I do have mention that they are pretty hilarious. ✅ FINAL THOUGHTS ✅ It’s been awhile, but the Zombieland gang is back and are ready to hit the road once again in the movie Zombieland: Double Tap. Director Reuben Fleischer’s latest film sees the return the dysfunctional zombie-killing makeshift family of survivors for another round of bickering, banting, and trying to find their way in a post-apocalyptic world. While the movie’s narrative is a bit messy and could’ve been refined in the storyboarding process as well as having a bit more zombie action, the rest of the feature provides to be a fun endeavor, especially with Fleischer returning to direct the project, the snappy / witty banter amongst its characters, a breezy runtime, and the four lead returning acting talents. Personally, I liked this movie. I definitely found it to my liking as I laugh many times throughout the movie, with the main principal cast lending their screen presence in this post-apocalyptic zombie movie. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is favorable “recommended” as I’m sure it will please many fans of the first movie as well as to the uninitiated (the film is quite easy to follow for newcomers). While the movie doesn’t redefine what was previous done back in 2009, Zombieland: Double Tap still provides a riot of laughs with this make-shift quartet of zombie survivors; giving us give us (the viewers) fun and entertaining companion sequel to the original feature.

https://medium.com/@2021_Soul-Train-Music-Awards/live-stream-2021-soul-train-music-awards-full-show-on-bet-7e7167c0c89e

['Soul Train Music Awards', 'Full Show']

2021-11-28 11:52:45.133000+00:00

['Technology', 'Bussiness', 'Music', 'Festivals', 'Awards']

Manchester Coffee Festival

While I lived in London I had always wanted to go to London Coffee festival. For a bunch of reasons my diary never really lined up with it, so when I got the opportunity to go to Manchester Coffee Festival I took it. I didn’t really know what to expect besides the fact a lot of coffee would be on offer. But I wasn’t even really certain of that. I was a little nervous too — As much as I like coffee and have preferences as to what I liked, I was worried that it would be filled with a really weird snobbish crowd of people who can tell every coffee apart. In hindsight I don’t really know why I thought that because the reality was nothing like that at all! Manchester Coffee Festival takes places over a weekend, and I think there were a few different stalls open each day. However I only went the morning of the Saturday 6th November 2021. As I didn’t know what to expect, I wasn’t sure if this was one of those things where you spend an hour there or spend all day there. Will it be a big venue with lots going on or a smaller venue with a few bits going on? Turns out somewhere in between! It was a smaller venue, but it was ram-packed with different coffee stalls. As soon as you walk in you’re hit with the fantastic smell of sweet, freshly ground coffee. Everywhere you turn there’s a different coffee company or shop offering different types of coffees and different beans for you to try. All of this is free to you too. You can pretty much just approach any stand and have a chat with people regardless of your coffee knowledge or experience and try the different drinks they have on offer. One mistake I made was to not pace myself. In my excitement and enthusiasm to really try a bunch of different coffees I realised I had tried somewhere around 10–12 different coffees by lunchtime, which was within a couple of hours of being there. Most of them were flat whites or espressos, so I was completely wired on caffeine. What’s pretty cool about Manchester Coffee Festival is that it doesn’t just have coffee stalls. There’s a few tea and chai stalls, alongside a couple offering cocktails (no prizes for guessing espresso martini’s were mostly on offer!). Initially I found this a bit odd, but then after consuming the sheer amount of coffee that I had I realised that actually I wanted to drink anything but coffee. It was nice to take a break from coffee and enjoy drinking some christmas teas or a variety of chai or turmeric based drinks. Palette cleansed, I was back to coffee for a little while. Food wise there was plenty on offer too for you if you wanted to take a break from coffee, or simply just needed something to soak up the sheer amount of coffee in your system. There were plenty of equipment manufacturers like La Marzocco at the festival too. I spent a fair bit of time appreciating their latest machines and imagining one day owning one, although I suspect that won’t be anytime soon given the eye watering prices of their machines. There were also different specialist water companies alongside the plant milk companies like Oatly and Glebe Farm Foods. I was actually really pleased to see Glebe Farm Foods there and to have such a presence, especially after Oatly tried to sue them after the nonsensical claim of copyright infringement. I let the team from Glebe Farm Foods know I was so glad they beat Oatly in court, and it turns out Tom who was behind the campaign to raise awareness of what Oatly was doing to them was there. It was great to be able to chat to him and the team about the work they’re doing. I discovered so many really neat coffee companies alongside trying some new stuff from places I already knew about. Personal favourites I discovered were Salford Roasters who had an interesting Christmas blend on the go and Pam Ban who do authentic Chai and Turmeric based drinks. I tried a new Ethiopian from Takk and a Christmas blend from Origin coffee, which was completely different to the one from Salford Roasters. What was really neat was how energetic and enthusiastic people were, although they were undoubtedly powered somewhat by the caffeine. It was just so nice to be able to chat to other weird coffee people like myself. Usually when I am geeking over different coffees, people who aren’t into the hobby look at me a bit like a mad scientist. For once I didn’t feel like such a weirdo, as I was surrounded by so many fellow weirdos. It’s one of those events that I’ll definitely be attending every year, and maybe I’ll see if I can check out London Coffee Festival too just to see if it’s any different!

https://medium.com/@tmrss/manchester-coffee-festival-3d9ff56dbfa3

[]

2021-11-13 15:18:37.997000+00:00

['Coffee', 'Manchester', 'Caffeine', 'London', 'Festival']

Loud Music in Marriage Receptions

In every Indian Marriage (especially Tamil Marriages) in the evening, there is an event called “Reception” where you have friends and relatives gathering and wishing the newlywed. In the event you have something named appropriately as “Loud Music” which is a performance by a local orchestra singing popular film songs, wishing the newlywed and to entertain the audience — so that there is festivity in the air. A decade or so back, it used to be primarily classical / Carnatic music that will be played which makes it enjoyable especially by the elders, but nowadays it is only Film Music and “Kutthu” songs. With the advent of portable electronics and powerful speakers, the orchestra sets the sound volume to its maximum. On top of it, imagine these playing in indoors in a closed atmosphere — you have a perfect recipe for a headache. With nuclear families and with people having less time to meet friends/relatives face to face, marriages are the only occasion to meet and catch up on happenings. But songs at these sounds levels ensures no one hears anything, even the person next to him. The whole atmosphere becomes no more enjoyable but leaves you irritated. I think the only reason the orchestras do this is so that they can get away with any person pretending to be a singer — because at these levels the instruments shadow completely the human voice. In my marriage (2001), we were lucky to have one of the popular Carnatic singers Smt Nithyashree singing — and we enjoy hearing the CD even today. I am not saying everyone should have only classical music, but all I am saying is whatever music you have please have it set to low-medium decibel levels. Smt Nithyashree at my wedding reception in 2001

https://medium.com/@venkatarangan/loud-music-in-marriage-receptions-44c2c32a0eba

['Venkatarangan Thirumalai']

2018-03-08 07:09:54.921000+00:00

['Festivals']

The global startup festival “COMEUP 2021” begins its three-day schedule event from its opening…

Photo by Comeup 2021 on Comeup 2021 The global startup festival “COMEUP 2021” begins its three-day schedule event from its opening ceremony on the 17th until the 19th. Under the theme of Meet the Future — Transformation, “COMEUP 2021” presents ways for startups to view changes in the market environment and prepare for the upcoming future in a post-COVID 19 setting. On the first day of the event, Jeong Shin-a, CEO of Kakao Ventures, and Lee Ju-hwan, CEO of Swit Technology, took the lead in their presentation on “Remote Collaboration in the Post-Corona Era.” CEO Lee Ju-hwan shared his insights on the work environment during the peaks of the COVID-19 era epidemic, the corresponding changes in collaboration, and the future of remote work. “As the working environment changes due to COVID-19, we need to create a transparent communicative environment that can increase work productivity and efficiency,” Lee Ju-hwan said. “In particular, In order for companies to continue to grow, there must be a focus on developing an open & collaborative communicative environment centred on people and their culture, an environment that machines cannot replace.” He then mentioned timely changes in the work environment accelerated by the pandemic, such as remote work, hybrid work models with a mixture of both commuting and remote work, and asynchronous work due to changes in working locations places and the increasing number of companies working in one or multiple timezones. Photo by Teemu Paananen on Unsplash Swit Technology CEO Lee said,” Protocols have changed such that the personal efforts made during offline work are now replaced by online interactions. This will increase the efforts required by individuals to find answers as they spend more time actively working on how and whom to ask relevant questions.” In particular, he predicted, “Companies that can take on new challenges without fear will lead the future,” adding, “How employees work with each other will redefine corporate productivity, and in the future, we will have to include ‘communication costs’ between employees in calculating productivity figures.”

https://medium.com/@firstventures/the-global-startup-festival-comeup-2021-begins-its-three-day-schedule-event-from-its-opening-3ed074953428

['First Ventures']

2021-11-18 07:23:20.738000+00:00

['Startup', 'Events', 'Pitching', 'Korea', 'Festivals']

Letter from London — 2: Two Christmas miracles

Well not so much Christmas miracles as much as heartwarming Christmas stories. Nothing miraculous happened in either case. (Except maybe the first. Where perhaps murder was avoided. But I am speculating.) Story 1: So this happened to a friend’s cousin. Or vice versa. But I am not making this up. It really happened. And it happened approximately an year or so ago. This banker fellow has just moved to London from South Africa. Johannesburg to be precise. Now the locals call the city Jo-burg, but in tourist literature and travel agency brochures, Johannesburg is referred to as the murder capital of the world. (In the same, but much more ominous, way that Thrissur is referred to as the cultural capital of Kerala. Or Aurangabad is known by children all over Aurangabad as the optic fibre capital of India.) So bad are things in Jo-burg that you can’t call yourself a true-blue local till you’ve been murdered in the city at least thrice. Ha. Dark comedy. But uniquely for this banker chap he manages to live in Jo-burg for several years without once ever have been mugged or stabbed or ambushed. So imagine his surprise when just a few days after relocating to London, presumably to help his bank further bankrupt this country, he is ambushed by a mugger somewhere near Shoreditch. (Shoreditch might sound exactly like the sort of place where you go to get mugged. But in fact it is an up and coming bohemian organic free range district. All the muggings in London actually happens in the Goldman Sachs building.) In order to avoid racial or cultural stereotypes I’d rather not mention that the mugger was a massive, black dude with a voice so deep that only adults would be allowed to swim in it. I reproduce the conversation for your benefit: Mugger: Hey man. Hey. Give me all your money. Banker: What the… Mugger: I want all your money. Now. Now. Banker: But… Mugger: I’ll kill you man. Banker: Ok wait. I’ve just moved to London. I don’t have any money. And I just have cards. Take my phone if you want. Mugger. Show me your phone… Banker: Here… Mugger. What the @#$% is that thing? That doesn’t look like a phone… Banker: No no. It is. It is an iPhone… Mugger: Don’t @#$% with me. It doesn’t have any buttons… Banker: It doesn’t need any. You can just touch it to do stuff… Mugger: Show me… Bewildered by the turn of events, the banker gives the mugger a quick three-minute demo of the device. Banker: And one more thing… Mugger: GASP! Banker: It also has a camera and GPS… Mugger: Man! I’ve never seen such at thing. This is awesome man… Banker: Take it… Please don’t hurt me. Mugger. No man. I love this thing. We’re friends now. You’ve showed me this cool thing man. I can’t just take it from you. Let me pay you for it. Banker: *WHAT THE…* Mugger: Wait here. Let me go get some money. Don’t go anywhere. Banker: Go anywhere it seems!!! Ha ha ha. Of course not. I am now here till further notice. Feel free to take your time. Mugger jogs away to get cash. As soon as the mugger is out of eye-shot, the Banker evaporates. Moral of the story: Steve Jobs delivers us from all evil. Story 2: My brother-in-law is a very honourable man. Yes he is a banker, but he compensated nicely this year by gifting me a wonderful coffee machine. Which he stole from his office. Wonderful chap. So last February he is on a plane to India. To get married. On the aircraft he is seated next to a 10-year old Sikh boy. They get talking and B-I-L learns that the boy was born in Jallandhar but has spent all his life in the UK. And holds a British passport. So he speaks both fluent Punjabi and fluent Contemporary Desi-Brit English. Regular English: Mind the gap Contemporary Desi-Brit English: Mind the gap innit? Shortly before landing in Delhi the cabin crew distribute those disembarkation forms. Which, as you are aware, is a vital element of our national security strategy. For instance if a terrorist is found to have entered the country via air, the airport security officials can immediately jump to action. They can thwart the terrorist by taking large bundles of used disembarkation forms and throwing it at him. So the 10-year old boy asks B-I-L for his help in filling the form: Boy: Can you check if I have filled in this form correctly innit? B-I-L: One moment… Ok. You have a problem. You’ve filled in your British passport number. But here you’ve checked the box which says that you are an Indian citizen. Boy: Yes. That is correct. Innit? B-I-L: Ah. But that is not correct. Do you have an Indian passport? Boy: No. I have a British one … B-I-L: *waits* Boy: …innit? B-I-L: Phew. Ok, so no. In which case you must fill in that you are a British citizen. Boy: So what if my passport is British? I feel Indian. I am Indian. I consider myself an Indian citizen innit. B-I-L: But it doesn’t work that way. You may feel like it. But you have a British passport. Dejected, the boy reaches for his ballpoint pen and pokes B-I-L in the eye with it. B-I-L: HEY! Yes. Indian citizen. Yes. Go ahead. Moral of the story: Passport is a state of mind. Isn’t your heart warmed by these touching, warm stories? Mine surely is. Seasons greetings old chaps. Hope your holidays are wonderful and 2011 is full of joys and delights and satisfactions and prosperity. Innit.

https://medium.com/whatay/letter-from-london-2-two-christmas-miracles-ef8d1e43b7bd

['Sidin Sunny Vadukut']

2017-11-14 00:38:34.211000+00:00

['Festivals', 'Christmas', 'iPhone']

in deep kimchi

in deep kimchi Gwangju World Cup stadium this year was the venue for the Kimchi Cultural Festival; a seven day celebration (without mud or mind altering drugs) of all things inspired by vegetables rotting in a ceramic jug. For anyone that does not live in Korea or shop the isles of obscurity at your local grocer, kimchi most commonly manifests itself as pickled Napa cabbage doused with chili pepper paste. It can be spicy, bitter, sweet, and served hot or cold. The taste is, generally, okay. Most Koreans eat kimchi everyday, and will tell you that it helps prevent everything from cancer to chronic masturbation. One of the exhibits at the kimchi festival went so far as to claim it was the “number 1 healthiest food in the world,” according to a U.S. Health Magazine. I can’t remember the publication’s name, however. It may not have even been named come to think of it. Surprisingly, we only saw a handful of other foreigners here. This might explain why one event staffer followed us around all day taking pictures of us eating kimchi. My face will probably appear in some tourist promotion next year, plastered with a cheesy catchphrase. “Say Kimchi!” [gallery link=”file” order=”DESC” columns=”4" orderby=”ID”]

https://medium.com/screw-war-let-s-teach/in-deep-kimchi-e5f67c4de221

['Chip Glassware']

2016-04-25 00:08:37.592000+00:00

['Festivals']

Podcast — Designing Shambala Festival

Photo credit: Jenna Foxton Shambala is a four-day festival that takes place in Northamptonshire, England with over 200 musical, comedy, and dance acts across dozens of venues and stages. It is a multiple award winner, including the Innovation Award at the 2018 UK Festival Awards, in recognition of its pioneering sustainability practices. We first met Shambala’s Creative Director and co-founder Sid Sharma back in 2019 when he attended our Design Thinkers Bootcamp. He loved that experience so much, he’s since been back on our Online Facilitation, Advanced Facilitation and Prototyping courses. In this edition of our podcast we spoke to Sid about the origins of Shambala festival, their drive for sustainability, why he wants a Design Thinking tent at the festival and why he’s also signed up for our upcoming Design Sprint Camp. Listen via: Photo credit: Andrew Whitton Photo credit: Andrew Whitton Design Sprint Camp If you’re interested in joining Sid and getting involved in our Climate Challenge, then do get in touch about our upcoming Design Sprint Camp. It is a unique opportunity to join world-class experts in design, innovation and sustainability on a real-world challenge as together we share techniques, develop skills and co-create responsible revolutions. Learn to apply Design Thinking for sustainability, develop new solutions to a brief set with The Carbon Trust and meet like minded innovators from around the world. The last day to sign up is 12/11/2021 so don’t miss out. We are delighted to announce our exciting lineup of speakers for the Sprint: Gillian Tett Gillian Tett is a British author and journalist at the Financial Times, where she is chair of the editorial board and editor-at-large, US. She writes weekly columns, covering a range of economic, financial, political and social issues. In 2014, she was named Columnist of the Year in the British Press Awards and was the first recipient of the Royal Anthropological Institute Marsh Award. In June 2009 her book Fool’s Gold won Financial Book of the Year at the inaugural Spear’s Book Awards. John Thackara John Thackara is a writer and curator working in the realms of social, ecological and relational design. He curated the celebrated Doors of Perception conference for 20 years, first in Amsterdam, later across India; he was commissioner of the social innovation biennial Dott 07 in the UK, and the French design biennial, City Eco Lab. In 2019 he curated the Urban-Rural expo in Shanghai. Now, as visiting professor at Tongji University in China, he is developing an event called LIfeworlds about ecological restoration and multi-species design. Gemma Curtin Gemma Curtin is the co-curator of Waste Age — What can design do? running at the Design Museum from 23 October 2021. The exhibition exposes our ‘take, make and waste’ economy, which has created an environmental crisis. It explores what design can do to rethink the way we produce and consume goods, how waste can be transformed into a valuable resource and how new materials and systems can reduce waste and the impact on our planet. Gemma is a Curator at the Design Museum where she is responsible for many exhibitions covering contemporary architecture, product design and fashion. John Bielenberg John Bielenberg is a designer, entrepreneur, and imaginative advocate for a better world. He is the founder of Project M, and co-founder of Future, Common, Thinknado and 3rdActivist. John has won more than 250 design awards in his career, including the 2013 AIGA Gold Medal for leadership in the design for good movement. In 2003, John Bielenberg created Project M, an immersive program designed to inspire and educate young designers, writers, photographers, and filmmakers by proving that their work-especially their “wrongest” thinking-can have significant impact on communities. In 2016, John co-wrote a book called Think Wrong that inspires people to conquer the status quo and do work that matters and in 2021 will launch Thinknado, a “tornado thinking” toolkit. Tim Ogilvie Tim Ogilvie is the Founder of Peer Insight, the US-based innovation consultancy, and is a Partner in PX Venture Studio, its venture-building arm. His practice merges creative design thinking with savvy business strategy to help clients explore new services and business models. Tim has launched innovative products, services, and businesses for companies such as Nike, Johnson & Johnson, AARP, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and Procter & Gamble. He is also a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, where he teaches design thinking. Becky Rowe is a research specialist and the owner and Head of Research at the award-winning strategic research agency, Revealing Reality. Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. Want the latest news and articles on Design Thinking? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date. Learn about how we use your data. < Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.

https://medium.com/design-thinkers-academy-london/podcast-designing-shambala-festival-design-thinkers-academy-990725f6012a

['Design Thinkers Academy London']

2021-11-23 11:36:55.113000+00:00

['Shambala', 'Music', 'Music Festivals', 'Design Thinking', 'Festivals']

How To Deal with Loneliness in Festivals & Explore its Beauty?

How To Deal with Loneliness in Festivals & Explore its Beauty? So many arrangements of celebration, but still something is missing. Amid so many people and joyful events, are you finding yourself alone? Let’s explore the beauty of loneliness. Umme Salma Follow Nov 28, 2021 · 4 min read Image from pixabay.com Yes, it happened to me years before. I was going through a phase when I was afraid of festivals as that cruelly mirrored me with the ghost of loneliness. My whole family was going through a tough time, but it deepened when the festive season brought its gift of an extra dose of sadness for us wrapped with glittered packaging of celebration. After my dad’s demise, we could not celebrate the festive seasons in a true sense for a couple of years. After losing the love of life, the festival becomes a kind of punishment for my mother. Imagine, with the heavy heart of losing the love of her life, she made all the yummy dishes and put a smile on her face to make us happy. But, I could not see the spark in her eyes. Things got worse when I had my breakup with my boyfriend; my dream of a prince charming coming into my life and rescuing us from the cruel world of loneliness got shattered. It affected my mother’s health badly as she was trying to find happiness in weaving the dream of her daughters’ new life. My father’s death, my mother’s deteriorated health, and the sudden breakup broke me down into little -pieces. I used to find solace in my work and was so busy and occupied with work that I had no time to feel sad. I intentionally did not allow my sorrows to control me. But at the festive time, I got the luxury to feel sad and alone. During long vacations of the festival, the loneliness got the opportunity to squeeze me every ounce and took the remaining spirit of life. Long story short, by the grace of the Almighty, now we (me and my family) embrace and celebrate festive wholeheartedly, our souls dance with the rhythm blending in the festive eve, and it brings color into our lives. But, that chapter of my life teaches me to see the beauty in loneness more deeply and profoundly. That life-changing lesson helped me to learn to accept life as it is and celebrate life fully. This story is dedicated to those beautiful lonely souls who are still unaware of the hidden treasure in the cave of loneliness. Tears, let it flow for some time. I always prefer to see my glass is half full rather than empty. So mostly, even at my difficult time, I remain calm and composed. However, when I was going through seasonal festive sadness fever, I realized sometimes, crying releases our deposited pain. I believe through praying, in front of Almighty, we should surrender completely, and seek forgiveness to Him and release our pain in the form of tears. It’s the time to connect with our higher self; it’s the time to connect with our creator. Come on, write it down. At every festival, I wrote an exclusive journal to pour my heart unknowingly its healing power and medical recommendations. I did it as it gave me a friendly shoulder. Moreover, I used to write my plan for a sunny bright future; it was like writing my destiny, although I believe in pre-destiny. Write down everything you are feeling. Who knows, that may become your masterpiece one day! Create and Spread Happiness I have a keen interest in food photography, and I used to watch Andrew’s food photography in the festive then clicked beautiful pictures of delicious food items made by my mom. It’s not only helped the hunger of my creativity but also, my mom feels appreciated. Her face lit up seeing the beautiful pictures of her hand-made food. Yes, you can create happiness or create a doomed atmosphere to indulge. I am sure you are smart enough to choose to create happiness and spread it among your loved ones, or family, or stranger, or even to your pet. Why are you not pamper yourself? I am obsessed with utilizing time, and sometimes I make wrong steps out of that obsession. For example, I remember I used my entire holiday doing digital marketing courses. Later, I realized it was not a good strategy as it exhausted me eventually. The festive was approaching to end, and so my energy level was. I did not allow myself some time to rest and do some self-care things in festive to recharge me. Self-care is one of the meaningful activities that we can do during our vacations. Who does not want to look beautiful, feel beautiful? Celebrate the season with a whole heart. You are not alone, and even if you think you are alone, that is not miserable. Trust me; explore the beauty of loneliness gracefully and enjoy every bit of this. Enjoy the festive season and read good articles that can feed your thoughts, bring peace to your soul. Recently, I read a beautiful article on writing by Radhika Iyer. I am sure you are going to love this :) Thanks for being with me.

https://medium.com/coffee-times/how-to-deal-with-loneliness-in-festivals-explore-its-beauty-4878672ff20c

['Umme Salma']

2021-11-28 18:37:42.258000+00:00

['Life Lessons', 'Festivals', 'Loneliness', 'Coffee Times Movement']

Down to Earth traditional celebration of Diwali season in Goa

The midterm vacations for the schools in Goa in the second half of October and the first half of November ring in the Diwali festival. As we all know that Diwali is known as the festival of lights and is celebrated by the Hindus all over, in this article let me tour you across Goa to show you that Diwali here is not just a festival of lights but a celebration of a season of traditions for the local agrarian society. The Goan Hindus celebrate an entire season of Diwali which is not just for a couple of days but lasts for about a fortnight. This season starts on the day of Dhantrayodashi, which is two days prior to the main festival of Diwali. In Goa, this Diwali is known as the Dhakti Diwali (small Diwali) and is celebrated on the Amavasya (new moon), in the holy month of Ashwin of the Hindu Shakya calendar. This is followed by some important celebrations in the immediately following month of Kartika. The Diwali season extends to Dwadashi (the twelfth day of the waxing period of Kartika), the day of the Tulshi Lagna (wedding of the Tulsi, the holy basil plant) known as Vhodli Diwali (big Diwali) here and ends on the Pournima (full moon) night of the holy month of Kartika. Akashdivo (Diwali lantern) Dhantrayodashi is the 13th day of the Krishna Paksha (waning period) in the month of Ashwin and is named after Dhanvantari, the Hindu God of medicine and the founder of Ayurveda. As the saying in Sanskrit goes “Arogyam Dhansampada", which means health is wealth, this day is celebrated by the Goans to pray for the good health of the entire family. It is believed that Lord Yama (the God of Death) comes down to the earth from the Southern direction, on this day to visit his sister Yamuna (the river) and will be staying here for the next five days. Hence the local Hindus, light an oil lamp on the Southside of the house for five/six continuous nights starting from this day of Dhanatrayodashi till the day of the Bhaubhij (festival of brothers). This lamp of oil is lit to appease the Lord Yama and keep him happy so that the entire family is blessed with good health. The next day of Dhantrayodashi is the Narak Chaturdashi. This is the eve of Amavasya (new moon night) on which Diwali is celebrated. Narak Chaturdashi is celebrated in a unique way in Goa, with a display and a parade of the effigies of the demon Narakasur. It is believed that Narkasur was the son of mother Earth who turned evil and was killed by Lord Krishna on this day. In the main cities of Panaji, Margao, Mapusa, Ponda, Savordem and Vasco and some other towns, special competitions are held for awarding prizes to the best effigy of this demon. The Narkasur effigies are usually made by the youth with the help of the school kids who are on vacation. All of them put in a lot of hard work in making the effigy. It consists of a framework made from bamboo (cane) and stuffed with grass and old newspapers. This is painted and decorated with cloth and costume jewellery to resemble an actual three-dimensional figure which can move mechanically. At these competitions, it is a feast to the eyes to see these moving Narakasur effigies and the reenactment of the scene of its killing by an effigy of Lord Krishna. Afterwards, in the early hours of the next day, the effigy of the demon is burnt and a Diwali lantern known as Akashdivo is lit in the courtyard of every Hindu house to celebrate the victory against Narakasur. Along with the Akashdivo, several pantiyo (earthen lamps) with cotton wicks dipped in oil are lit in the courtyard thus marking the celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights. The Akashdivo is a traditional lamp that is made out of small bamboo sticks (native cane) tied together to form a framework that is hexagonal in shape and decorated with colourful papers. In the past, the Akashdivo would be lit from inside with an earthen lamp. This has been replaced in modern times with an electric bulb and along with the earthen lamps, the houses are illuminated with colourful, decorative series of tiny LED lights. An effigy of Narkasura On the morning of Diwali day, all the family members have an abhyangsnan (grand bath) after applying Utne (a paste of Sandalwood). This is followed by the breaking of bitter carrita (a small bitter cucumber-like fruit) by the men with their left toe. The juice of this fruit is tasted by all the family members as a gesture of victory of good over evil. After this ritual, the women of the house perform the ovalnim or deeve dhakovop ceremony for all the men in the household, with a plate containing a lighted deevo (lamp), some vermilion, a betel leaf and a betel nut in it. In return for this ritual, the men gift the women some cash. Ovalnim or Deeve dakhovop ceremony performed on Diwali day. (Picture credit to Ms Nutan Mandreker, Sada- Vasco) Then, the entire household enjoys the special meal called Diwalicho faral, consisting of the paanch taranche fov (five dishes made with pounded rice/ poha as the chief ingredient) along with an usal (spicy dish of a white gram). Along with this ambadyanche raite or sasanv (sweet and sour dish of hog plum) or ambadeacho karam (a sweet preparation of hog plum) is served as a part of the faral. Goa is a rice-producing state, hence Diwali is celebrated here with special dishes made from fov (pounded rice). My friend Ms Suvarna Laad from Sanvordem, prepares the traditional paanch taranche fov for Diwali every year. Her faral consists of usal and ambadeacho karam along with the fov cooked in curds (dhanyatle fov), in milk (dudhantle fov), coconut milk (rosache fov), with potatoes ( batat fov) and also fov prepared with jaggery and grated coconut which is known as kaloillele fov. Some households make a dry chewda (roasted snack) of fov or a dry sticky spicy dish known as tikhat fov or tikshe, ladoos (round balls of sweet) and chokreo (spiral-shaped spicy sweets). Diwalicho faral is distributed to the neighbours and friends from other communities or they are invited over at home by the Hindu households to partake the same. Traditional Diwalicho Faral with the five types of fov, usal and karam of ambado (hog plum) prepared by Ms Suvarna Laad. In the same evening of the Amavasya (new moon) or at times on the next evening depending upon the tithi (date) as per the Hindu calendar, a Laxmi puja is performed in all the shops, business establishments and the houses belonging to the Hindu brethren. Laxmi puja is a religious ritual of worship of the Goddess Laxmi (Goddess of wealth) for prosperity and blessings to the business throughout the year. A new book of accounts is opened from this day onwards for maintaining the yearly business accounts in all the shops and establishments. As a part of the prasad (offering to the devotees) of the Laxmipujan, chirmuliyo ( puffed rice) and some sweet candies or sweets made from milk are distributed to all. In our childhood days, we would get to see children going around with cloth bags to all these shops and collecting the chirmuliyo in them. On the next day, these chirmuliyos would be moulded into round ladoos with molten sugarcane jaggery. On the next day of Diwali, starts the new month of Kartika. The first day of Kartika is known as Padvo in Goa. This is the day when Lord Krishna and the cattle are worshipped by the farming community in Goa. Lord Krishna is considered a friend of the cowherds and the cattle as friends of the farmers since they help them in the various farming activities. For the farmers this being an important day, it starts with cleaning the cowshed and decorating it with marigold flowers and leaves of the mango tree. Then the cattle are rubbed with oil and bathed and cleaned. Their horns are painted and the back is decorated with some special designs. A special circular design on the back of the cattle is drawn with the help of a kotti (half coconut shell) or a human palm dipped in a coloured paste of rice flour. The cattle are fed with polle (a flattened round dosa made from ground rice). A pollo is also tied around the neck of the cattle along with a garland of marigold flowers . They are given rest for the full day as a gesture of thanks for helping the farmer. A miniature model of the cowshed is made from cow dung right next to the Tulsi Vrindavan (a shrine with a basil plant) in the front courtyard. This mini model of the cowshed is decorated with carrita, the small bitter cucumber-like fruit to represent the cattle and the cowherd. Model of a cowshed made from cow dung and the green coloured carritas (bitter cucumber-like fruit) representing the cattle. (Picture credit to Ms Shradha Sardesai Kholkar) In the village of Murdi / Murdiwaddo in Narvem, Bicholim, on the Padvo day, the locals hold a special outdoor meal beside the normal traditional Padvo celebrations. As told by a close relative Mr Naresh Naique a resident of Murdi, the villagers gather on the outskirts of the village on a hillock known as Barazan and enjoy a traditional outdoor meal. All of them share the special meal of polle (thick dosas of rice) and sumtanche sukhe, a spicy dish cooked with freshwater prawns caught at the village manas (a mini barrage /dam with sluice gates). This tradition has been practised right from ancient times. Most probably this must have been the place, where the village elders met in the past since the name Barazan implies twelve headmen. Villagers are seen enjoying the outdoor meal at Barazan hillock near Murdi village in Narve, Bicholim. (Picture credit to Sachin Amonker). In another village of Marcel in Ponda taluka, this day of Padvo is celebrated with a Padvo Rath carried around the village. A family friend Mr Rajendra Prabhu Kholkar whose ancestral house is in Marcel told me that the Padvo Rath (mini chariot) contains the idol of Lord Krishna. This idol on the other days is housed in the local temple of Devki Krishna and the Padvo Rath ceremony is organised by the priest of this temple along with the bhagat (sort of a tribal priest). The Rath is decorated with ghudiyos (flags) and a moon-shaped decoration called abderger with an idol of Lord Hanuman. It is carried by the villagers from door to door accompanied by the beating of the dhol and tashe (traditional musical instruments). The Rath halts at certain chosen houses, one of them being Kholkar’s house as his mother had made a vow about 75 years ago. When it halts in the courtyard of his house, his family members as well as the neighbours worship Lord Krishna and offer peddas (a type of sweet made from milk) to it. The villagers swing the Rath with their hands in tune to the beating of the dhol and this is called Rath nachaita. Mr Kholkar remembers his youthhood days when he himself would perform this action of Rath Nachovop. At the end of the day, the Rath returns back to the temple courtyard. Here the ghudiyos are distributed as blessings of God to the villagers, who keep them in their houses till the next year Padvo, while the abderger and the Hanuman idol are auctioned off. Mr Kholkar informed me about another Rath of Gadvas which is also carried from door to door on this very day in Marcel but this one covers a wider area as compared to the Devki Krishna Rath. Padvo Rath at Marcel in Ponda with ghudhiyo and abderger. (Picture credit to Ms Shradha Sardesai Kholkar) Another ceremony called the dhendlo ceremony is also celebrated on Padvo day by tribals residing in the villages of Ponda and Tiswadi talukas in Goa. Dhendlo consists of a wooden box-like alter in which a picture of Lord Krishna is kept as he himself signifies the dhendlo. This alter is decorated with flowers and carried by a young man balancing it on his head while moving around in the respective village. Traditional musical instruments of dhol and tashe are played as this dhendlo goes from door to door of every Hindu household in the village. The lady of every house washes the feet of the young man carrying the dhendlo and worships Lord Krishna inside the alter. The dhendlo is offered some money, rice and coconuts. The villages of Dongri, Karmali, Adoshim from Tiswadi taluka so also the villages of Betki, Adkon, Bhoma, Savoi Verem, Palsare and Pedde from Ponda taluka have continued with the celebration of this age-old tradition of the dhendlo ceremony. Dendlo being carried by a young man ( Picture credit to Ms Shradha Sardesai Kholkar) My friend Ms Shradha Sardesai Kholkar, daughter-in-law of Mr Kholkar recited to me a verse which is sung by the villagers when the dhendlo is being carried around, which is as follows: Dhe dhendlo, dhendlya Paus shendlo Dhendlya aiee mhatari Shelle hun khatali Dhe dhendlo Dhendlya paus shendlo. (When loosely translated it means, dear dhendlo now that the rains (monsoons) have receded and your mother is an old woman, she eats cold and hot food). The Padvo is followed by the second day of Kartika which is celebrated as Bhaubhij, the festival of brothers. This day is an auspicious day on which the sister performs the ritual of ovalnim of her brother in the evening. Ovalnim is a ritual of waving a plate in front of the brother. The plate contains a lamp-lit with a cotton wick soaked in oil, Haldi kumkum (turmeric and vermilion) and flowers. After the ovalnim, kumkum is applied on the forehead of the brother and he is offered some sweets. Then gifts are exchanged between the siblings. This day is a very special one as it is considered a day of strengthening the bond between a brother and his sister. Hence the married sisters pay a special visit to their brother's house to perform the ovalnim. This is the last night of lighting the Southside facing lamp, which was meant for the appeasement of Lord Yama. It is believed that after Bhaubhij he takes leave of his sister the Yamuna and goes back to his abode. Meanwhile, the Akashdivo (Diwali lantern) is continued to be lit every evening. The eleventh day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing period of the moon) is the day of Ekadashi. This day is another auspicious day as the savashins (married women) observe a fast till the next day of Dwadashi (twelfth day).On the Ekadashi the Tulsivrindavan locally known as the Tulas, which is a small shrine in the courtyard with the basil planted in it, is cleaned and painted. The savashins perform a mini puja of the Tulas and offer naivedya (an offering to God) of fruits and moongache konn (a sweet dish prepared with jaggery and moong, a type of a lentil). The Dwadashi is the day of the Tulshi Lagna or wedding of the Tulsi. This is a very important festival for all the Goan Hindu community and it is known as the Vhodli Diwali here. On this day, in the late evening, a grand puja of the Tulsi is performed following the Ganesh puja. Then the rituals of a wedding ceremony of the Tulas are conducted. According to the Puranas (ancient holy scriptures of the Hindu religion), it is believed that Lord Vishnu married Tulsi on this day. For conducting the wedding the Tulshivrindavan is decorated like a bride with Tulsi (basil) planted inside it along with dino (Leea indica) to represent the groom and uss (sugarcane) as the dhedo (best man). A branch of chinch (tamarind) is the dhedi (bridesmaid). Soon after the Tulshi Lagna, the savashins light a plate with jodio in front of the Tulsivrindavan praying for a long and healthy married life with their husband. Jodio is a collection of 365 pairs of cotton oil wicks soaked and dipped in oil which are kept burning on a plate till they are charred to ashes. A pair of the oil wicks symbolise the jodi (couple) for each day of the year of 365 days. The dried charred ashes are put in the Tulas. Then the entire family enjoys a meal which is a special Hindu wedding meal that includes a sweet dish of ghodshe. Some of the families actually erect a lagnacho matov (outdoor, open-air wedding canopy) to celebrate the Tulshi Lagna. The Shastras (religious scriptures), allow the Tulshi Lagna to be performed on any day from the Dwadashi till the Purnima of the month of Kartika which is celebrated as Dev Deepawali (Diwali of the Gods), so different households perform it as per their convenience on any of these auspicious days. Tulas decorated for the Tulshi Lagna Dino stick (Leea Indica) being decorated as the Novro (groom) for the Tulas. The dino (Leea Indica), The sugarcane and the tamarind branch, who represent the Novro, Dhedo and the. Dhedi at the Tulshi Lagna. On the night of the Kartiki Chaturdashi (a day prior to the day of the full moon), the city of Margao celebrates the well-known festival of Dindi. This festival is celebrated in the form of a grand procession of the Palkhi (palanquin) of Lord Vitthal and Rakhumai (reincarnations of Lord Vishnu and his consort Laxmi). The entire city of Margao comes alive on the night of the Dindi as many programmes of Indian classical singers are held to celebrate the festival. In the town of Sakhalim in Bicholim taluka, a temple dedicated to Lord Vitthal at Vithalpur celebrates the festival of Tripurari Purnima on the full moon night of Kartika. As this day is also celebrated as Dev Deepawali the devotees of this temple traditionally release lighted lamps in the river. A special boat festival is organised in which miniature models of boats and ships made from decorative materials are illuminated and sailed in the water body next to the temple. Prizes are awarded to the best boats, by the organizers of this mini boat festival. The celebration of the Tulshi Lagna or the Vhodli Diwali marks the end of the Chaturmas (four months) period which had begun from the Ashadhi Ekadashi the eleventh day of Shukla Paksha (the waxing period of the moon of the holy month of Ashadh). Chaturmas is the holy period of the Hindu religion during which marriages in the community are not allowed to be held as Lord Vishnu (Krishna being his reincarnation) is believed to be taking rest. The marriage season starts only after Lord Vishnu gets married to Tulsi on the day of the Vhodli Diwali. In this year of 2021, the Dhakti Diwali was celebrated on the 4th of November and the Vhodli Diwali/ Tulshi Lagna on the 15th of November all over Goa. This marked the end of Chaturmas of 2021, thus paving the way for the commencement of the marriage ceremonies of the Goan Hindu community and also for the celebration of the various local zatras (temple festivals) that will be held in the temples located all across Goa.

https://medium.com/@larapereiranaik/down-to-earth-traditional-celebration-of-diwali-season-in-goa-d754dc26502e

['Lara Pereira Naik']

2022-01-24 05:58:28.472000+00:00

['Goa', 'Diwali', 'Festivals']

Type 2 Diabetes on the Rise

Type 2 diabetes is on the rise globally, and health experts are now worried that there may not be enough insulin to go around to those who need it — this according to a new study that concluded on Wednesday. Diabetes now affects as many as 9% of patients worldwide, which is a 5% increase compared to the 1980s, and researchers say they expect the amount of insulin that is needed to effectively treat type 2 diabetes will rise by more than 20% over the next 12 years. The vast majority of those diagnosed with diabetes are diagnosed with Type 2, which is linked to both lifestyle (such as lack of exercise) and genetics (such as family history of type 2 diabetes.) Whether lifestyle-related or genetics-related, or even a combination of the two, this ultimately leads to what’s known as insulin resistance. Insulin, which is a hormone created by the pancreas, allows your body to use sugar from carbohydrates in the foods you eat for energy, or it stores glucose for future use. When you develop a resistance to insulin, however, this means that your body either doesn’t produce enough of it, or is unable to utilize insulin in the way that it should be able to. Without insulin, your blood glucose level will be too high. This can result in a wide range of health complications, including problems with the eyes, blood vessels, heart, nerves, kidneys, and more. The most common symptoms that are associated with type 2 diabetes include: • Increased thirst • Frequent urination • Hunger • Blurred vision • Weight loss If I suspect that a patient might have diabetes, the first thing I would do is give them a requisition for blood work. Having the blood tested will be able to determine what a patient’s blood sugar levels are at and whether or not they are diabetic. If it is confirmed that a patient does have diabetes, the next step is treatment. Something that can be helpful in both the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes is implementing positive lifestyle changes into your daily routine, such as eating healthy and getting regular exercise. In order to better manage your blood glucose levels, you should pay close attention to your simple carbohydrates (i.e. white bread, pasta, and baked goods such as cookies and pastries), fibre, fat and salt intake. Foods I recommend consuming to those who have type 2 diabetes include more complex carbs (such as oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, fruits and vegetables, beans, and lentils) as well as foods that are packed with protein. Physical activity is also important, as it can help regulate your blood sugar levels, not to mention its many other health benefits. Insulin is another method of treatment, and a patient can be prescribed both short-acting and long-acting versions of this medication. Type 2 diabetes is considered a progressive disease, therefore it’s entirely possible that your treatment plan will need to be altered over time.

https://medium.com/@alighahary/type-2-diabetes-on-the-rise-870222d187fd

['Dr. Ali Ghahary']

2018-11-23 07:53:22.210000+00:00

['Health', 'Diabetes', 'Type 2 Diabetes', 'Diabetes Solutions', 'Diabetes Prevention']

The Concept of Stem Cells. Have you ever wondered what causes and…

The Concept of Stem Cells Embryonic stem cells, observe the parts! Introduction Have you ever wondered what causes and cures depression? Stem cells, the blueprint cells of our body, are the cause of this. Definition What are stem cells? Stem cells are essentially cell blueprints that sit at various places in the body and copy themselves to make sure we have a good supply of fresh, young cells. They can turn into many types of cells, which I will write about below, as our body needs it. Stem cells are additionally able to provide a supplement for cells that need healing. Types There are five types of stem cells : Embryonic stem cells, that come after the sperm fertilizes an egg. About 3 to 5 days after the pregnancy is initiated, a blastocyst/ball of cells forms from the embryo. After this, in about 4 to 5 days, the stem cells arise and this is how they’re formed. Adult or tissue-specific stem cells, which are found in small numbers in most of our bodies’ tissues. These stem cells are found in many places such as your bone marrow, your bloodstream, your brain, the muscles in your skeleton, your liver, and your skin! Induced pluripotent stem cells, which are regular cells that scientists have altered to act like embryonic stem cells. Scientists extract cells from tissue-specific cells. Mesenchymal stem cells, cells found in the stroma/connective tissue around the body’s tissues. They are being used to create new bone tissues, and have hope for the future. Amniotic fluid + Cord blood stem cells. Cord blood stem cells are found in the umbilical cord after birth, and are able to be frozen to be used in the future. These cells can treat people with blood problems. There are also some cells found in amniotic fluid, which is the liquid around the developing baby in a mother’s womb, but there is not enough research done on this. Contrary to what you might believe, these cells do have a very large medical benefit. There have been several studies that involve stem cells being used to treat certain diseases and sicknesses. Studies In a study with mice, scientists observed that as the stem cells in their brain disappeared, they began to become more prone to diseases. They decided to take stem cells from baby mice brains and inject them into the brains (hypothalamus) of middle-aged/old-aged mice. A hypothalamus is a polyp that helps regulate a ton of the body’s functions. The new, nice stem cells reinvigorated older ones by secreting Micro RNAs that stabilized their metabolism. After 4 months, the treated mice’ brains and muscles worked much better than those of the untreated mice. On average, the treated mice lived 10% longer. In 2016, stem cells injected into the brains of stroke patients helped them walk! Before the surgery, one of the patients’ right arm was numb, but the surgery ‘woke it up’. There are so many studies involving stem cells going on at the moment, these are just a few! It’s really a concept that’s broadening because of all of this attention, which is amazing. Curing several sicknesses Looking at one specific sickness, cancer, it’s generally caused by stem cells that are mutated. Statistically, cancer in kids is ‘90% curable’. Yet, cancer in adults is almost incurable, it becomes less curable as you age! This is because the supply of stem cells declines as we age. Adding a new supply of stem cells frequently to regions of the body like the hypothalamus could slow down, or reverse the aging process. An analogy frequently used to describe this (I’m also pretty sure I used this in my other senescent cell article, or not), is that the body is a machine, and our parts rust and deteriorate as we get older. This is essentially what happens to our stem cells! Celularity is a biotechnology company looking to cure several sicknesses + diseases with the use of stem cells. They distribute products that regenerate stem cells and eradicate the mutated cells. They produce allogeneic cells + tissues found in the postpartum placenta. These are able to increase our bodies’ abilities to fight disease, to heal, and to regenerate, and improve our longevity + immunity. A San Diego based company, ViaCyte, is working on curing diabetes with stem cells. They’ve spent many years trying to figure out how to turn human embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing beta cells. The Stanford University of Medicine is currently working on clinical trials with stem cells, and the results so far are that stem cells could benefit stroke patients. These findings are revolutionary considering the fact that we haven’t previously cured any of this. When you ponder all of this, theoretically, with a constant supply of fresh stem cells, you could lead a generally youthful life with fewer diseases. The Stem Cell Policy (Obama) “Research involving human embryonic stem cells and human non-embryonic stem cells has the potential to lead to better understanding and treatment of many disabling diseases and conditions. Advances over the past decade in this promising scientific field have been encouraging, leading to broad agreement in the scientific community that the research should be supported by Federal funds. For the past 8 years, the authority of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to fund and conduct human embryonic stem cell research has been limited by Presidential actions. The purpose of this order is to remove these limitations on scientific inquiry, to expand NIH support for the exploration of human stem cell research, and in so doing to enhance the contribution of America’s scientists to important new discoveries and new therapies for the benefit of humankind.” “The Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary), through the Director of NIH, may support and conduct responsible, scientifically worthy human stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell research, to the extent permitted by law.” “Within 120 days from the date of this order, the Secretary, through the Director of NIH, shall review existing NIH guidance and other widely recognized guidelines on human stem cell research, including provisions establishing appropriate safeguards, and issue new NIH guidance on such research that is consistent with this order. The Secretary, through NIH, shall review and update such guidance periodically, as appropriate.” “(a) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.(b) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. © This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.” Above, these are Obama’s new statements opening and removing the limits of stem cell research. The purpose of this is to learn further about the laws involving stem cells, in case you’re considering it as a field. What he’s saying is that stem cell research is promising and that he will remove many of the limits such as actually conducting human stem cell research! What you can do Visit lifespan.io for more information, and if you’re interested in this topic, then research further about this. Remember never to take mental illnesses or any of the conditions mentioned above lightly. Also, make sure to keep your ‘machine’ well-oiled! If you enjoy this or the concept of this, do further research at the website in the ‘More Information’ section and reach out to a scientist! Key takeaways Stem cells are cell blueprints that give us a constant supply of fresh cells. Stem cells can become any cell, and have 5 types (Mesenchymal, Cord Blood + Amniotic, Induced Pluripotent, Adult, and Embryotic). Stem cells could cure diabetes, depression, cancer, and more! Celularity + ViaCyte are companies you can look into; they’re researching this topic. Obama has increased the amount of resources and freedom available for stem cell research. For more information, visit the links below! More information https://www.lifespan.io/

https://medium.com/@kheni/stem-cells-4f1926161a5d

['Nina Khera']

2018-11-27 11:50:35.449000+00:00

['Stem Cell Research', 'Longevity', 'Depression', 'Diabetes', 'Health']

Is Bond Cleaning An Easy Task?

Is Bond Cleaning An Easy Task? It is of great debate whether Bond cleaning is easy or not. But, in general, it is difficult to satisfy the inspectors in bond cleaning. Cleaning each and every corner of your house with absolute perfection seems to be a near to impossible task and needs a great deal of time to do so. Some people use their time judiciously and give a call to Bond cleaning Gold Coast to make the work easier and faster. Bond cleaning is quite easy if you follow these steps accordingly. THE TOP-BOTTOM METHOD If you opt for the method of top-to-bottom cleaning, then it will be much easier to clean the room. But, if you follow the method of bottom-to-top cleaning that is from floor and carpets then walls and windows and finally, the ceiling then, it will be more difficult. This is because dirt will fall from the ceiling on the fan clean on the floor or carpet. Then, you need to go through double cleaning of the floor of the carpet. Whether Bond cleaning Brisbane is easy or difficult depends on the method you choose to do it. BOND CLEANING IS EASY, WITH TRICKS · You may consider your carpet stains quite stubborn. But, it is not difficult to remove stains from the carpet. The method you use, i.e. scrubbing is wrong, try blotting to remove stains. Furthermore, blotting stains will not spread. Hence it is to clean carpets in bond cleaning. · Magic eraser makes bond cleaning easy to remove any stains of hard surface. · People are really worried about toilet stains and even after cleaning remaining yellow stamp. It is really difficult to scrub that stains away. But use a pumice stone and easily remove all stains along with a yellow stamp. MONEY DIFFICULTY IN BOND CLEANING You may think bond cleaning requires a huge amount of money for purchasing cleaning liquids. · Use your daily use of corn starch and shine all glass surfaces with minimum cost. · Take vinegar from your kitchen counter to clean the pipes of the sink. · Mix baking soda in regular water to clean the oven and sinks. · Sometimes it is really difficult to get the bond money back in fancy homes. But with the solution of vinegar and baking soda clean shower walls. This will help to efficiently save your money but with satisfactory cleaning. · Furthermore, often you need to apply a double coating of cleanser. But if you choose the correct weather for bond cleaning this will not happen. Choose the perfect weather when your cleanser does not dry quickly. DIFFICULTY WITH TIME IN BOND CLEANING Even with a vacuum cleaner, it is really difficult to clean the rooms. This is because you have to hold the vacuum cleaner and move it continuously. It makes your hand ache and in addition, takes a lot of time. But with the right technique of pulling the vacuum cleaner back instead of pushing it is easy. Hence with this technique bond cleaning Brisbane is easy and will acquire less time. Conclusion Hence from the above examples, you can easily conclude, whether it is easy or difficult depending on its method. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right method to make your bond cleaning Gold Coast easy. Hence, you can easily get your money bond money back.

https://medium.com/@princegohil/is-bond-cleaning-an-easy-task-73e0cea61c70

['Prince Shrawan']

2021-11-26 08:20:16.532000+00:00

['Cleaning', 'Cleaning Services', 'Bond Cleaning', 'End Of Lease Cleaning']

Cleaning Tip

Cleaning Tip There are so many possible solutions to cleaning/removing blood stains, you may have heard about baking soda and water, believing that the paste will do the trick. You may have heard hydrogen peroxide (and water) or even hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. While some of these solutions do work (not well), we would like to make your life a whole lot easier by letting you know that after trying many of these methods, we have found a simple mixture of ammonia and water to be by far the most effective method. Method: Mix 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of water Poor a bit of the solution over the stain Dip a cleaning rag (the thicker the better) into the remaining solution and lightly blot the stain. Alternate between blotting with a dry rag and the wet solution rag Once the stain is gone, place a dry rag on the spot and add pressure (heavy book) for 15–20 minutes. If cleaning linen, you can add the dry rag (under the linen) after applying the mixture. This will start to immediately absorb the blood stain and moisture/solution. Airbnb.com/p/diversepropertyrentals

https://medium.com/@tulipstr/cleaning-tip-f3967b541133

['Will Tulipstr']

2021-11-15 15:32:30.535000+00:00

['Cleaning', 'Airbnb', 'Property Management', 'Property']

4 Reasons Why you Should Opt for a Green Cleaning Service

Many factors have a negative impact on our health. From air pollution to inappropriate choices of food products, our well-being is vulnerable to a lot of unwanted influences. To improve your lifestyle, however, you can go for a professional green cleaning service that will allow you to feel safe at home. Take a look at these fabulous advantages eco-friendly cleaning companies provide: Better for your health You know how powerful chemical-based cleaning products are, but there is a reason behind that. Most commercial detergents contain harsh ingredients that aim at removing tough stains from any surface at home. Unfortunately, a great number of those ingredients are toxic, which poses a threat to your health. From skin irritation to breathing problems, chemical products might trigger unwanted reactions, which is why their application should be limited. On the contrary, relying on a green cleaning service is safe for your health. No dangerous products are involved in the procedure, which turns eco-friendly cleaning companies into a healthy choice. Better for the surfaces In addition to the poor impact chemical cleaning has on your health, toxic products might damage the surfaces they are applied on. Because toxic ingredients are so aggressive, you can easily ruin your carpet or wooden floor, especially if you are using a detergent for the first time. Another wonderful advantage of having your home green cleaned is the peace of mind you can get regarding the treated surfaces. The eco-friendly cleaning solutions pros rely on contain no aggressive components, therefore your carpet, upholstery and even your wooden pieces will stay in top condition once the green cleaning process is over. Improved air quality Many of you probably find strong chemical smells repulsive, yet this is not the only downside of using toxic cleaning products. Many traditional detergents evaporate in the air at home, once they have been applied to a surface, thus compromising air quality. Breathing toxic fumes is dangerous to your health, that’s why green cleaning is the professional service to opt for. As you have already found out, eco-friendly cleansers are free from chemicals, which means no dangerous ingredients will reduce air quality indoors. Plus, green products usually contain harmless essential oils that can not only purify the air but can also be considered as aromatherapy” because of the lovely scent each essential oil ensures. Efficiency Many homeowners wonder if the results a green cleaning service provides are as good as what regular cleaning usually achieves. If the effectiveness of hiring a green cleaning service for your place is what stops you from enjoying its benefits, you should realise that natural products are just as powerful as their chemical alternatives. When used properly, eco-friendly cleaning approaches will take care of any stain you face at home. Just do your best to hire a proven company that has already mastered green cleaning. With experienced cleaners who are aware of the most effective manners to employ green cleaning, your space will stay sparkly clean without getting yourself exposed to dangerous pollutants. Booking a green cleaning service offers four major benefits you should make the most of. Eco-friendly cleaning products are safe for your health, which is why you don’t have to worry about health issues many chemical-based products cause. Unlike toxic cleansers, green cleaning solutions are gentle and non-aggressive, thus keeping the treated surfaces safe from harm. Green cleaning also involves the usage of essential oils that not only improve air quality indoors, but are pleasant to breathe as well. If you hesitate about the efficiency of choosing a green cleaning service, you should know that when applied the right way, eco-friendly techniques are as powerful as traditional methods. © All Services in One

https://medium.com/@allservicesinone/4-reasons-why-you-should-opt-for-a-green-cleaning-service-8162dd437245

['Annie Willow']

2021-11-20 07:53:07.606000+00:00

['Green Cleaning', 'Cleaning Services', 'Cleaning', 'Cleaning Tips']

Where Can I Find Cleaning Services in Sydney?

Where Can I Find Cleaning Services in Sydney? Presently with the busy schedule, Sydney’s working life one sparely gets time to accomplish the task of cleaning. Hence your dream home turns into a ghost house with dust, dirt, and germs. Therefore to ensure regular cleaning there are several cleaning services in Sydney. Some of the best organizations are listed below Foe cleaning. This requires only a few seconds to book the cleaning slot at your convenient time. JBN’S EXCLUSIVE CLEANING IN SYDNEY The JBN cleaning organization is one of the best cleaning services in Sydney. This organization of Sydney also focuses on maintaining hygiene. Besides this, the JBN organization provides verified in trained cleaners to provide strong security. In addition, the eco-friendly cleaning supplies of JBN cleaning are noteworthy. And the sanitization procedure helps it to get the best designation in Sydney. THE BEST CLEANING IN SYDNEY WITH URBAN COMPANY The Urban Company is also a popular cleaning service provider in Sydney. This organization offers hassle-free booking for your cleaning within just 60 seconds. Urban Company of Sydney gives you the quickest confirmation for your cleaning. Besides this Urban companies set charges based on the room rather than the cleaning hours. Hence with the Urban Company, you can book a regular cleaning of your house and also the occasional once. SPECIFICATIONS OF URBAN COMPANY This organization of Sydney provides trained and skilled cleaners with premium quality tools and cleaning detergents or solutions. These trained cleaners dust, clean, and mop all the room and also disinfect them. Besides this, they take special attention to deep clean cleaning the skirting boards, and removing cobwebs. In the case of bathroom cleaning, they clean the tiles and the mold, clean floors, and all the taps, and also polish them. When they leave the bathroom it taps, the walls, the shower, and even the tiles will shine with their exclusive polishing. Professional cleaners of the Urban Company cleaners are specialized in removing any stains be it on carpet, sinks, kitchen cabinets, or any other furniture. SIMPLY MAID, THE PROFESSIONAL CLEANER OF SYDNEY Simply maid is another trusted home cleaning service in Sydney. this organization offers experienced cleaners so that it can hold the trust of the customers. This organization not only focuses on making money but also cares about customers’ need and their specifications in home cleaning. SIMPLY MAID’S BENEFICIAL FEATURES The transparency and complete professionalism of Simply Maid makes it stand out from other cleaning service providers. Besides this the friendliness and the quickness makes the homeowners and the residents feel less uncomfortable while cleaning. According to the customer review, the cleaning agents off Simply Maid are cooperative, compassionate, and respectful. Booking in Simply Maid is quick, seamless, and transparent which saves your time and money. Apart from this Simply Maid offers reasonable and affordable prices and sometimes great discounts and perks. Significantly this organization comes with 100% safe online payments and a flexible booking schedule. CONCLUSION Apart from the above organization, there are also services of Maid for You, Paul’s cleaning, etc. Hence if you are a Sydney resident and barely get time for cleaning do not worry. Choose any of these Sydney cleaning services with affordable rates but satisfactory services.

https://medium.com/@princegohil/where-can-i-find-cleaning-services-in-sydney-7a0e9d75e4f9

['Prince Shrawan']

2021-11-26 08:19:38.744000+00:00

['Bond Cleaning', 'Cleaning', 'Cleaning Services', 'Cleaning Company']

A Mean Mum’s Guide to Chores

Mean Mum Series Part 2 Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash When you’re a Mean Mum you don’t cater to kids and clean up after them. Oh hell no! The you make a mess, you better be cleaning it up rule is always in effect. Being a parent doesn’t mean the adults take care of it all. Family means you all work together to get it done so you can have family time together. I’m going to let you in on a little secret — kids are FULLY CAPABLE of being responsible. Yes they sometimes need reminders. Yes they won’t always do it properly, but they are capable of helping around the house. And one more secret… they are capable of doing it without a reward! From the time a baby can start to sit up and grip a toy, they can start with minor chores. Some of you might be saying, well she’s lost her mind on that one, but it’s as simple as holding the toy bin by a baby and letting them drop the toy in and a moment of cheering for putting it away. As they grow the responsibilities continue. When sitting in a high chair starting to eat food, I would give my kids a cloth after and have them wipe their tray and face. They’d miss spots and I’d help, but they’d happily rub the cloth back and forth to clean that tray. At 7 and 12 years old both my kids are in charge of compost, recycling, and garbage. The kids race to the street with a bin or bring them back in when they’re emptied. I haven’t even had to ask and my kids will sometimes bring in the neighbours or take theirs out if they saw they forgot. That’s a Mean Mum gold star moment right there! My 12 year old cuts the lawn. There is no reward beyond a cold drink and shower when he’s done. When a neighbour offered to pay him to do their lawn, he was going to do it for free, but I explained he has the right to earn money for jobs that go beyond his home responsibilities. Inside the house the kids have even more responsibilities. They unload the dishwasher. Youngest on cutlery and oldest does the rest. One is a big fan of cleaning toilets, so will happily go scrub the toilets. They tend to split bathroom chores between them which includes clutter, counters, and toilets. I’ll go in and do a thorough clean to follow up as their skills are still building, but what they do helps hugely. The kitchen and bathroom are the main areas in the house they are required to help with. Then they have their rooms and laundry. As they get older additional responsibilities get added to keep the chores balanced between us all. Do they sometimes struggle with the lethargic complaining nature that kids do? Of course! Do they leave mess behind them and put stuff away wrong? Absolutely. Do they take 3 hours to do a 20 minute job from procrastinating sometimes? You bet they do. But the whole thing is we strive to work as a family to get things done. My kids know they can accomplish tasks and that family time and sometimes surprises await when we’re done. They are learning to celebrate how good a clean and organized space can feel. But above all they learn responsibility, balance, and teamwork.

https://medium.com/@katiadixon/a-mean-mums-guide-to-chores-308230abcf4e

['Katia Dixon']

2021-11-15 15:17:34.696000+00:00

['Parenting', 'Blog', 'Responsibility', 'Family', 'Cleaning']

Tips for Choosing the Best Commercial Cleaning Services for Your Workplace

As offices are reopening after the pandemic, people are more concerned about cleaning and hygiene. Almost 73% of people think their workplace should be cleaned daily. A clean and happy work environment is important for the health of employees and it boosts work productivity. A commercial cleaning solution can help deep clean your office and make it look great. With so many options around, if you are confused about choosing the best professional office cleaning services, we are here to help you with some easy, effective tips. Read this post and hire the right cleaning company for your workplace. References and Reviews The first step is to prepare a list of past or current clients and know their experience. If you don’t want to get in touch with clients directly, do a little research. The cleaning company’s online presence will help you learn about them. Search for a cleaning company in your location and read their reviews. Attention to Detail One of the most common concerns is that cleaners forget to clean the smaller areas. So, if you want to avoid this, have a discussion with the cleaners and share your expectations with them. Ask if they clean all areas, like corners, under desks, cobwebs and crumbs. Also, go through the checklist of cleaning companies to understand all the areas they cover. A Knowledgeable Cleaner and Cleaning Process When you hire the best commercial cleaning services for the workplace, their staff is knowledgeable and experienced. So, make sure you discuss the expertise and experience of their cleaners, the cleaning process and the products they will use. Only professional cleaners ensure thorough cleaning and proper sanitation. Budget-Friendly Services Keeping your budget in mind is essential before hiring any service. A higher price doesn’t always mean high quality services. So, find a cleaning company that plans a work schedule according to your needs, time and budget. Wrapping Up We hope this post helps you find a cleaning company that best suits your needs. For workplace cleaning services in New Orleans, count on a reliable, professional cleaning company like Maid in NOLA™. Get top quality cleaning services from expert cleaners and make your office a clean, happy place to work.

https://medium.com/raul-smith/tips-for-choosing-the-best-commercial-cleaning-services-for-your-workplace-84ce824cd1d5

['Raul Smith']

2021-11-24 06:32:22.274000+00:00

['Commercial Cleaning', 'Cleaning Services', 'Office Cleaning', 'Cleaning']

Using of Micro Fibre Cleaners Can Enhance the Cleaning

Floor cleaners come in many different types, including microfiber equipment options. Microfiber floor mops are popular for many reasons, including what we will discuss here alongside considerations to make when doing business with a floor wipers supplier in Dubai, UAE, too. Reasons to Utilize Microfiber Mops Clean Better Microfiber cleaning supplies have smaller strands as compared to their cotton counterparts. This means that the former products can reach less accessible floor areas, unlike cotton mops. It is among the reasons to shop from microfiber cleaning products manufacturers in Muscat, Oman, as well. Use Relatively Less Water Mops made of microfiber work effectively with less water as compared to cotton mops. Avoiding the use of too much water to clean hard surface flooring is among the best practices, so microfiber mops are the right option here. Using less water means the mop is not as likely to leave streaks on laminate or hardwood as other cleaning supplies. Your business should consider purchasing microfiber-based mops for more reasons. Nevertheless, assuming that you are convinced about buying the products, we will discuss what to contemplate at the time as a microfiber floor wipers supplier in Muscat, Oman. Considerations to Make When Shopping from Microfiber Mop Brands Mops may not be complex cleaning supplies, but there are many things to contemplate when making the purchase, including the following. We are not covering which brands to buy from a floor wipers supplier in Dubai, UAE, as it should be in a longer set of considerations. Floor Type Whether it is tile, laminate or hardwood — the flooring type in your business location will help determine the best mop pad type for it. Laminate or hardwood flooring shows dirt and dust, which makes a dry and fringed pad a quality option. With its additional surface area, a microfiber fringe can make some static charge, attracting more dirt, hair and dust with every single pass. Both flooring varieties are vulnerable to too much water too. A mop with a wringable and removable wet pad lets users remove maximum water to safeguard their floor against water damage. Just because tile flooring does not show the same level of dust as laminate or hardwood flooring does, it does not mean the material is non-existent. A spray-type microfiber mop has a built-in water tank, making it a quality choice for tile flooring. As water damage does not affect tile, a spray floor mop simplifies cleaning trickier messes without multiple forms of pads. The Size of Mop Head A bigger mop head allows covering more floor area with every single pass. A smaller one does not cover just as much ground, but it can maneuver in rather tight floor spaces, such as under furniture. When you find it tricky to pick the right-sized mop head for your application, we could help you as a floor wipers supplier in Dubai, UAE. We have been specializing in such products for a long time now. So, our experience can be useful to you in the shopping stage.

https://medium.com/@asmiseohyienelinks/using-of-micro-fibre-cleaners-can-enhance-the-cleaning-f76b8e7b52d

['Hygiene Links']

2021-11-13 11:19:19.411000+00:00

['Cleaning']

10 Safe Cleaning Tasks For Kids | Bonus Cleaning

10 Safe Cleaning Tasks For Kids | Bonus Cleaning Cleaning can be a fun and involving task for kids, but also offers valuable lessons. You could probably use an extra pair of hands to help with everyday household cleaning tasks. Not involving kids in household cleaning tasks denies them the opportunity to participate in the upkeep of their environment and turn denies them valuable learning opportunities. Put simply, getting kids in on cleaning the house will help their future development, and is a fantastic bonding opportunity for them. Kids participating in the cleaning process has many benefits for them (and for you). Kids are treated as active, valuable members of the household and in turn of the community as a whole. They not only learn basic but necessary cleaning lessons but more importantly they develop a sense of participation. Involving children in cleaning also develops their sense of responsibility and giving them a simple task they can accomplish means they feel fulfilled. Some may feel that the cleaning process may not be entirely safe for children, which is true for some aspects of domestic cleaning, as they tend to require the use of chemicals. However, you can involve kids in certain cleaning tasks without hesitation and worry. We will present 10 Cleaning Tasks for kids that are safe and fun for them and are a perfect bonding opportunity. Allowing children to pitch in with the everyday cleaning tasks allows them to feel like valuable members of the family and also builds a strong work ethic and a successful mindset. However, if you delegate inappropriate tasks to your children you can discourage them from participating and reverse the process. There are certain cleaning tasks that your kids should not be a part of because they either use chemicals not suitable for children or are too hard, you may end up having to do more work yourself and more importantly, put off your child from wanting to be part of the cleaning routine if you give them an assignment that is too hard for them it may feel like a chore, not a challenge they can successfully overcome. Here are 10 cleaning tasks you can delegate to your children safely and responsibly. 1. Folding Laundry. Doing the laundry and putting the clean clothes away is unavoidable. You can teach children how to do the laundry, they will see it as a fun and engaging activity. You can teach older children how to fold laundry and put it away. Doing and folding the laundry is a fun challenging game for children. Older children, between the ages of 8 and 10 are more than capable of separating laundry, loading the washer and dryer, and sorting the laundry and folding it. You can get in on the task too. See doing the laundry as an opportunity to spend valuable time with your child, time seems to be a luxury not many of us have these days. 2. Cleaning The Floors. You can safely and easily teach your child how to mop hard floors with virtually no risk involved. All you need to prepare mop water is well water. You can teach your child how to prepare the mop, how to clean different types of hardwood floor coverings in your home and why it is important for them to be kept clean. Spend some time with your child at first, older children can quite easily and safely mop floors on their own. 3. Sweeping The Floors. Kids as young as 2 can be involved in this task. It is entirely safe. While we definitely would not suggest introducing your child to the vacuum cleaner at that age, teaching them how to hold a broom properly is completely safe. While you may not get the same results if you were to hoover the entire house yourself, your child feels accomplished and involved with you. They are doing a task with mom and dad, they are a valuable and trusted member of the family. 4. Making the beds. Make your bed first thing in the morning. Teach your children to make their bed as soon as they get up, not for the reasons you think. Making your bed is a simple task, however, one you have to do daily. It builds responsibility and if your child starts their day with accomplishing a simple challenge they will feel fulfilled. When you are cleaning the house tell your child it is their responsibility to make the beds because they are good at it. Encourage them positively they now possess a skill that they are good at. This will build many positive attributes in their future. Make your bed, every morning. 5. Let your children clean cupboard handles. Fill a small spray bottle with nothing but water, give your child a cleaning cloth and allow them to go over all the cupboard handles in the kitchen. They may not be perfectly polished but this one is more of a development opportunity for your child than anything else. 6. Doing the dishes. They can’t sit in the sink forever, right? Make doing the dishes after dinner a family activity and involve your child in it. Going back to being short on time doing the dishes is a bonding opportunity. The entire family is involved, parents and children do the same thing together. Doing the dishes is completely safe and while it may be a chore to you it will be a fun experience for your child and will give them time to spend with you. 7. Cleaning and tidying their bedroom. Children and a tidy house do not always go hand in hand. Much like making their bed keeping their room clutter-free is an important (and safe) task you can delegate to your child. Their room is their world and their responsibility. They are responsible for keeping it tidy and the only way they can do that is to develop personal responsibility. It will not take you much time or effort to put their toys away yourself but that is not the point. You may be surprised how many adults struggle with this lesson. Every item in your room has a place to go and it is your job to put it back in its place after you have used it. This is a valuable instinct you should develop in your child from a younger age because they will carry that instinct further in life. It builds responsibility and discipline and you build that discipline in a loving and caring way. Children require positive encouragement and you can also build through leading by example. Declutter your room or the living room, keep it tidy this is how your child will know that they have to do the same. 9. Clean the skirting boards. Slightly dampen a microfiber cloth with nothing but water and have your child go around the room and dust the skirting boards as much as possible. This is not something you do often, but doing it regularly actually is more important than you think, if left unattended the skirting boards will accumulate a lot of dust. Older and school-aged children can easily clean the skirting boards. It will be like a game to them, like a maze they have to traverse, just make it fun. There is always also the added bonus of you not having to kneel down to clean the skirting boards. 10. Cleaning the windows. Children 10 and up can easily wash the windows. You can make an all-natural eco-friendly cleaning window cleaning solution yourself and have them use that instead of commercially available cleaning chemicals. If you are sure that the window cleaning detergent your child will use is safe window cleaning is an engaging, challenging, but not too challenging, activity for school-aged children. In fact, if you whip up your surface cleaners you can involve children in all kinds of cleaning tasks around the home. Have them wipe and polish surfaces with you, give the fridge a good wipe from the outside. It is important to involve children in a safe and thought out way in cleaning activities around the home. It builds a strong bond between parent and child and positively encourages their development. Parenting is the most important and difficult “job” any of us will have, it can tend to feel overwhelming at times. Creating fun and meaningful activities that also positively encourage your child’s development can be challenging. However, certain cleaning aspects are one of the tasks you can delegate to your child and help their future development. We believe that cleaning can be a fulfilling and fun activity for parents and children, get the whole family involved, spend some time together cleaning your home. Some cleaning tasks are too big, or not appropriate for children, or even for you. You can always schedule a reliable cleaning company to take care of those tasks and leave the really hard work to us. The rest, smaller cleaning chores around the house, you can safely get the kids involved in. Book a professional cleaning company and choose a cleaning service that will tackle the tough cleaning tasks around the home dealt with. We will send out fully supplied, professional cleaners that can handle even the biggest cleaning challenges. Bonus Cleaning.

https://medium.com/@office_40632/10-safe-cleaning-tasks-for-kids-bonus-cleaning-e698fd1828f0

['Bonus Cleaning']

2021-11-16 19:06:43.598000+00:00

['Cleaning', 'Cleaning Services', 'Cleaning Tips', 'Cleaning Company', 'Clean']

Are Stay At Home Moms Responsible For All Of The Housework?

Are Stay At Home Moms Responsible For All Of The Housework? Because that is the expectation. Photo by Jonathan Francisca on Unsplash Apparently that is what many people think when it comes to being a stay at home mom. Since they are home day, they should be the ones responsible for making sure the house is clean at all times. I mean it can’t be too hard since it must be “so nice” to get to stay home and not go to an “actual job.” And while they are home, they should also make sure that they cook 3 meals 3 times a day. Because why should we go out to eat when someone is home all day? And we can’t forget about the children that are there with you right? Make sure that your children are thriving and not watching all TV all the time because you know how awful screen time is for children. That can’t be too hard to do all that right? If you have been reading my posts on here, then you already know that I’m being dramatic and sarcastic. As a stay at home mom myself, there is absolutely no way to keep a home spotless and clean every second of the day with small children and do all those “duties” that people like to put on stay at home moms. I have two small children at that like to take everything I just put away back out as soon they see that it is clean. It as if children are allergic to clean spaces. Or maybe it is just my children. My oldest daughter is good about cleaning up after herself most of the time, but she is 3. And you can’t expect a 3-year-old to always keep her area clean. She is a kid and kids love to play. No matter how messes it gets. So if you expect a stay at home mom to keep her home clean at all times while also trying to cook and homeschool her children, then it is either time to drop that expectation or hire someone to keep a clean home. Now don’t get me wrong, my home isn’t filthy. After all, I like to have a clean space. Having a clean space does wonders for my mind and fuels my productivity. I’m able to think and function well in an environment that is tidy and clean. So I do the best I can with trying to keep my home clean with 2 small children. Even if it is not spotless at all times. What has worked for me was to create a small cleaning routine that I do daily to make sure my home is mostly tidy and clean. This routine is very simple and doesn’t take me long to do everyday. So I’m able to get the best of worlds of having a mostly tidy space without wearing myself thin trying to keep my home clean all day. If you are interested my cleaning routine as a stay at home mom, you can check out that post down below. I will catch you all next time! Read More: My Daily Cleaning Routine As A Stay At Home Mom Love, Just Jass

https://medium.com/@jasmynheard92/are-stay-at-home-moms-responsible-for-all-of-the-housework-f939afa04313

['Love', 'Just Jass']

2021-11-13 16:03:35.626000+00:00

['Stay At Home Mom', 'Motherhood', 'Cleaning', 'Productivity', 'Organization']

Cleaning services in Delhi

Cleaning services in Delhi It is very important for many of us to sacrifice a day off to clean our home. Want to spend a quiet time away from the office cleaning your home? If not, then you can sit back and look forward to an extremely enjoyable experience with the best cleaning service providers in Delhi. Service on wheel is an online platform that connects you with the best professional service providers. They are experienced in performing all types of cleaning services in Delhi. Whether it’s daily house cleaning or general cleaning, our professionals are trained to provide you with the best service efficiently. Our cleaning services in Delhi include special cleaning of water tanks, septic tanks, bathrooms, kitchens, sofas, carpets, mattresses and anything else you might need at any time. All professional service providers listed on our website are only vetted after a thorough background check. Our Delhi home cleaning services are tailored to your individual needs. This way, you have nothing to worry about and rest as the professionals will take care of your home cleaning. Despite its importance and relevance in our daily life, cleaning the house is often overlooked. While most of us want our homes to be in their original condition, it is not very practical to do a general cleaning from time to time. The seasoned professional cleaners who have made a career in providing deep cleaning services in Delhi especially need to fight this. While you are relaxing and enjoying your vacation or weekend, the cleaners will not only help keep your home tidy, but also keep it safe and tidy. The kitchen and bathroom are the hardest areas when it comes to deep cleaning. Dirt and stains on tiles and floors in kitchens and bathrooms are a nightmare. With the experience and training of our professional deep cleaning services in Delhi, you can keep it glowing all year round. Since deep cleaning involves special cleansing rituals, we recommend that you opt for our deep cleaning services once every 2–3 months in Delhi for the best results. Service on wheel exists to provide you the services you need at affordable prices from trusted and trusted professionals. To get professional home cleaning services in Delhi, all you need to do is log in to the site. Once you have booked your Service on wheel service, our team will take care of the rest. Our trained and well-equipped technicians will make sure every corner of your home is cleaned. We pride ourselves on our timely services, ensuring that our methods are safe and effective at the same time. Book our Delhi cleaning services, relax and unwind. it is so simple.

https://medium.com/@vibhu-singh987/cleaning-services-in-delhi-b2f9599ff1fc

['Vibhu Singh']

2021-11-22 06:49:36.963000+00:00

['Cleaning Services', 'Cleaning Company', 'Cleaning', 'Services']

5 questions to ask before hiring house cleaning company

Getting help with home cleaning has become a necessity rather than a luxury in this day and age. There are numerous options available, ranging from hiring an individual to contracting a cleaning company. Some of the businesses are franchises, while others are small, family-owned and operated businesses in their own communities. Consider the advantages and disadvantages. To appoint someone, the first step is to determine whether to hire an individual or a firm. Hire a cleaning firm, such as a housekeeping or a cleaning maid service, on the other hand, can be more expensive, but it has additional benefits. Cleaning services can provide flexible scheduling and a backup team to cover for any employees who may fail to show up on the scheduled day. Carry out your responsibilities. Discovering the proper individual or cleaning services may be an arduous effort for many people to do, and many people are unsure of where to begin. People are generally apprehensive about inviting someone into their home who they do not know. After you’ve narrowed down your selections, contract cleaning service providers by phone or email to schedule an in-home estimate at a time that is convenient for you. This will give you with the possibility to evaluate their attentiveness. Before the appointed estimate, you should prepare a list of questions to ask during that time, as well as a list of any particular instructions you want to include to make your service more personalised. There are five essential questions to ask when hiring a house cleaner: A cleaning service is one of the most efficient ways to ensure that you get all of your cleaning done on time and with minimal effort. On the other hand, hiring a house cleaning can make you feel anxious, which is understandable. Someone is entering your home or office, and it needs a great deal of confidence on your behalf on your part. The most effective strategy to reduce your anxiety is to ask as many pertinent questions as possible. You will know exactly what type of service you will be receiving ahead of time if you do it this way. Here’s a look at what you should know before you hire a cleaning service. What was your involvement period in this activity? You require the services of an expert. Although it may be problematic if someone has a new service, it is not always a deal-breaker if they previously worked as a house cleaner for a company. Having said that, hiring someone with less experience is not a good option, especially if you have a large home to maintain. Using a House Cleaning Service that is Insured Before you hire someone, ask to see the documentation that verifies their insurance. No matter how much less expensive their services are, you should never engage a home cleaner who does not have adequate insurance coverage. Whatever happens in your home when you are cleaning is entirely possible. Accidents do happen, and when they do, someone will be held accountable for their actions. For example, what happens if something in your home breaks or your floors are scratched? If this occurs, you will be entitled to compensation. On the other hand, if the home cleaner does not have workers’ compensation insurance and is injured on your property, you may be forced to pay for the medical expenses out of your own money. Do You Have a Checklist for Everything? When it comes to fundamental cleaning standards, different cleaning firms have various notions about what they are. To guarantee that you and your cleaner are on the same page, you should be aware of the essential services that you may anticipate from your cleaning. Who is in charge of providing cleaning supplies? It would help if you inquired as to whether or not you will be required to furnish the cleaning materials. Numerous cleaners will offer their own cleaning supplies and equipment. However, it is not a bad idea to inquire ahead of time. It should be reflected in the price you pay for the service if you provide your own materials. Get Your House in Order Now that you know how to hire a house cleaner, you will better choose the most qualified individual or service. It is critical to ask all of the appropriate questions, and you should note any ambiguous responses. Trust your intuition when you receive a vague response; this is frequently a clue that something is wrong. If you don’t feel confident and comfortable with everything, you should work with another service provider Professional whole house cleaning services in Santa Cruz are the key to addressing all of these issues. Employing us allows those who are strapped for time and energy owing to their jobs and other obligations to have their homes cleaned efficiently and without any hassles or concerns.

https://medium.com/@dynamichousecleaninginfo/5-questions-to-ask-before-hiring-house-cleaning-company-ef34ae4273c9

['Dynamic House Cleaning']

2021-11-22 05:21:03.250000+00:00

['Cleaners', 'House Cleaners', 'Cleaning']

Clean School Shoes Stink? It’s Enough to Read This One

Clean School Shoes Stink? It’s Enough to Read This One If you’re already planning on sending your kids to school in a uniform that’s neatly-pressed, then it’s a must that they have clean school shoes. Your child’s first pair of shoes can be a bit of a chore. They can get sticky and muddy, especially if they get wet. Want to know how to clean them up? Follow these simple methods. How to clean school shoes? Soak You can take those kids’ Crocs and jellies and hose them down outside, but for sneakers, a good old soak in a bucket of water can remove caked-on mud and clean the shoes well. A good old soak in a bucket full of water can help remove mud and dirt from shoes. Change the water regularly and use an old toothbrush or rag to remove the remaining residue. Use A Cleaning Agent Enlist the help of a kid-friendly stain-fighting tool to remove tougher stains (grass, blood, and other bodily fluids). Mix baking soda and water in a spray bottle and apply to stains. Let sit for a few minutes, then rinse well. Try the Magic Eraser&Toothpaste That magical eraser you use all over your house also does a pretty great job of cleaning rubber soles. A good scrub can remove dirt, oil, and other harmful substances from shoes. It can also freshen them up and make them look new. Enlist The Help of your Washing Machine Most sneakers and canvas shoes (like those oh-so-cute little Toms) are safe to throw directly in the washing machine. Since a clothes dryer can cause shrinking, try not to use it. Instead, air-dry inside or over a vent.If you’re afraid of fading, then you want to avoid direct sunlight. Need some additional odor control? A little baking soda in the wash cycle or sprinkled on those wet shoes should help. Dry them with Paper / Towels Wet school shoes are more common than we care to think about. Especially at this time of year and of course, the kids find ALL the puddles! The best way to dry out wet leather school shoes is to place balls of newspaper into the shoe. This product will keep the shoes in place while also drawing out moisture. However, it can also cause the shoes to become too dry and crack. Fix Promptly There is nothing worse than school shoes that look ratty. To extend the life of your shoes, glue them back on as soon as they become damaged. They can also be repaired by fixing the shoes’ buckles and Velcro straps. Plus: To keep canvas shoes clean, coat them with a clear/white candle and melt the wax into them using a hairdryer. Always be sure to check that the canvas is cotton not synthetic before heating.

https://medium.com/@akidstar/clean-school-shoes-stink-its-enough-to-read-this-one-9089f78fc932

[]

2021-11-16 03:16:59.285000+00:00

['Baby Care', 'Cleaning', 'Parenting']

DIY Bond Cleaning Can not be Extraordinary.

DIY Bond Cleaning Can not be Extraordinary. The majority of people can take care of their carpets and bathrooms and kitchens well. But, just knowing isn’t enough. To perform Bond cleaning effectively, one requires patience, time, skills and. Thus, hiring a service is a smart choice that is profitable for tenants. The tenant is able to do the clean up at the end of the lease on their own or employ cleaners. It is contingent on the size and state of the property. If the house is in good order there is no need to hiring cleaners. To get a clean home, you should hire professional cleaners only. Here are a few arguments that will help you understand why hiring of these services can be beneficial. Do-it-yourself (DIY) Cleaning In the period of tenancy there is many responsibilities and tasks and end up with a lot of waiting to be done while cleaning your home yourself could create a mess and be confusing. It is therefore recommended to hire professionals to do the cleaning. It’s a Long and Exhausting Job. It takes a lot of effort and time are required. After the lease period the property must be spotless, but you won’t receive the bond fully. This can be a challenge for tenants. Not Saving Enough If you’re doing the cleaning on your own You think you could save some dollars, but you’ll need to purchase cleaning products from a reputable brand and other equipment to tidy your home. Cleaning the carpet is a chore and you will need to purchase or lease a carpet cleaner. You’ll save money, however, you must consider the problems you’ll have to have to endure. Professionals Cleaners Bond Cleaning Sydney cleaners will save you time and energy as well as providing you with high-quality services. Professionals have the expertise to complete the bond cleaning properly. They are trained to do this. It is therefore very difficult to reach the level of professional athletes. They also utilize the approved list of items to ensure they have covered everything and thoroughly cleaned every nook and corners. Professionals make use of advanced technology and equipment , such as a microfiber scrubber and microfiber cloth. They enter the home with specific equipment and tools that are needed to transform the home into a functional structure. The companies that are reputable also offer their customers a guarantee of excellence. If there is a flaw they’ll return to you and address the issue without additional cost. The Bottom Line If you’re worried about the cleanliness of the home or are considering moving out of an apartment you rented Employing professionals is the best option. This will save you effort and time. Contact Bond Clean Co. to make sure your home is tidy.

https://medium.com/@princegohil/diy-bond-cleaning-can-not-be-extraordinary-828ef3134712

['Prince Shrawan']

2021-11-26 08:18:57.216000+00:00

['Bond Cleaning', 'Cleaning', 'Cleaning Services', 'Cleaning Tips']

Choosing the right cleaning service for you

Choosing the right cleaning service for you There are a few types of house cleaning services that we are going to explore today. Finding the correct house cleaning service for your needs is important to ensure that you get everything you want out of the cleaning session you book. So, here’s a breakdown of house cleaning services so that you can book the right one for your needs. Regular domestic cleaning services Often called maid services, regular domestic cleaning services help with daily cleaning tasks that you don’t have time to do. This could be stacking the dishwasher, hoovering, dusting, cleaning the toilet or emptying bins, for example. Maid services are typically customisable each time the cleaner visits, so they are tailored to your needs each day, week or month. Deep cleaning services Deep cleans are basically spring cleaning services but whenever you need them. They are perfect if you’ve just moved into a property and it is in desperate need of a clean. They are also great if you haven’t had time to clean for a few months. Deep cleaning services bring your home back to life and then allow you to stay on top of daily cleaning tasks or use maid services going forward. End of tenancy cleaning services End of tenancy cleaning is like a deep clean, but they are done just before a property is handed back to a landlord. During end of tenancy cleans, a checklist is used to ensure that the cleaners get every inch of the property back to the exacting standards of estate agents and landlords. End of tenancy cleaning can also involve carpet and upholstery cleaning services, but this is usually an additional service at an additional cost. After building cleaning services Much like deep cleaning services, after building cleaning services are there for when you need them most. Often, after building cleaning focuses on one area of the home, but if you’ve had a complete renovation recently, after building cleaning is the service to use. These cleaning services will remove all brick dust and anything leftover from the construction and leave your home looking clean and feeling fresh once more. It is the perfect way of bringing your home back to life after building work has been completed. Housekeeping services Housekeeping services are very similar to regular house cleaning services, but they are more involved. A housekeeper can do daily cleaning tasks for you like hoovering, dusting and emptying bins, for example. They can also do simple daily errands for you and can offer basic help for the elderly too. Housekeeping services are brilliant for anyone who needs a bit more help than home cleaning can offer. Carpet and upholstery cleaning services Carpet cleaning services are brilliant for keeping your carpets looking fresh and clean. If you have pets, carpet cleaning can be your best friend. You may be quite shocked at how dirty high-traffic carpeted areas get, but with carpet cleaning services, they can be bought back to life easily. The same goes for upholstery cleaning. Sofas and curtains are very difficult to keep clean with pets and kids, and upholstery cleaning can do wonders for all of your soft furnishings. Before or after-party cleaning If you have a party coming up, these services are ideal for preparing your home for the party or helping your clean up after the party. They are the perfect mix of regular home cleaning and deep cleaning and will get your home back to normal after your celebration! Finding the right house cleaning service for your needs means that you can be sure you’re getting the best cleaning service for whatever situation life can throw at you. We hope this quick look at house cleaning services has helped you find the perfect cleaning service for you and your home.

https://medium.com/@admin_1664/choosing-the-right-cleaning-service-for-you-7baa9c8ac3d5

['Michael Bogoyavlenskiy']

2021-11-16 18:26:18.475000+00:00

['Cleaning Services', 'House Cleaning', 'Cleaning Company', 'Cleaning']

Top 7 Reasons Why Filter Sponges Are Best — Sponeas

Top 7 Reasons Why Filter Sponges Are Best — Sponeas You might have seen people using household sponges to clean tiles, bathroom floors, dishes. Medical professionals use medical sponges during operations or surgeries. Makeup artists and beauticians use cosmetic sponges to absorb foundation and blend liquid but have you ever heard about filter sponges? I bet you have seen it, but where? Let’s find out. Aquarists or those who keep an aquarium have been using sponge filters for ages. You would laugh to know that many aquarium owners generally don’t even know how to use them or whether they exist or not. Before going further, let us know what a sponge filter is? As the name suggests, an aquarium sponge filter is used to draw out the water from the tank. It provides mechanical filtration, while matured sponges that have bacterial colonies provide biological filtration. They are found in several shapes and sizes. These sponges are primarily used with air pumps, powerheads, and filters. Now let us find out why sponge filters are the best for your aquarium. Price Factor When you visit an aquarium store, you might have noticed that filters generally require different cartridges and media while sponge filters have very few varieties. Sponge filters are usually not widespread and are very inexpensive as they don’t generate much profit. The sponge filter setup is nothing but a sponge and some plastic housing. If you buy a sponge filter, you aren’t returning to purchase frames, electric pumps, bags, charcoal media, and many more generally used in other filters. That’s for sure. A sponge filter will be an excellent option for a healthy aquarium with a moderate or low bioload. Simplicity Sponge filters are known for their simplicity; the setup is just a sponge with plastic housing. The sponge provides mechanical filtration, and when bacteria colonize the filter, it provides biological filtration when you use charcoal, zeolite, and other specialized media. Perfect For Gentle Current Sponge filters are regarded as the best filters for aquariums if you need an extremely gentle current. Powered filtration generally kills fish, brine shrimp, and any other tiny aquatic organisms. Use a smaller air pump or regulator on either pump or filter. It will provide an adequate amount of mechanical and biological filtration without putting the aquatic lives to harm. Furthermore, sponge filters are perfect for those who are not sure whether babies will arrive in their tanks or not. Can Easily Be Replaced Or Repaired For beginners, it is pretty tough to find the winner in the sponge filter v/s power filter battle. But we are here to make things simpler for you guys. As we know, sponge filters are straightforward but generally don’t get damaged quite often, unlike power filters. Electric filters need maintenance as gravels and rocks usually get stuck inside them. Furthermore, detaching pipes and hoses gets pretty tiring with canister filters. With sponges, you would only find problems such as lines of cracked plastic and decomposing sponges. Such issues can easily be identified and replaced. Can Be Used In Any Aquarium Sponge filters can be used everywhere: saltwater, freshwater, paludarium, shrimp-only, planted, or brackish aquarium. The size of sponge filters generally depends on the size of the tank and the amount of fish you have. The more you have, the larger you will use. Can Work Without Any Electricity It is hard to imagine the winter storm when the power supply cuts, right? In such situations, aquatic organisms generally suffocate and die. Unlike power filters, sponge filters remain immersed in the tank and actively break down the waste during a power cut, and bacteria don’t die entirely due to this. Also, biological filtration allows fish to remain healthy. The Most Fastest Filter To Clean You must be thinking about how to clean the sponge filter? Cleaning sponge filters is one of the most manageable tasks. Also, it does not even affect the colonies of bacteria. To clean sponge filters, you only need to take a small bucket, brush off the surface debris that you found on the outer layers. After that, squeeze your sponge to remove all those unpleasant substances. Disadvantages Of Sponge Filter As you have read multiple advantages of a sponge filter, you might be wondering if it is the best filter out there, then why has it not become the most common filter out there? Just like other filters, sponge filters also possess several disadvantages. What are they? Let us find out. The biggest drawback of a sponge filter is the lack of chemical filtration. Generally, sponge filters have nothing to do with chemical media as they only provide biological and mechanical filtration. However, studies reveal that mechanical solid and biological filtration generally does not need chemical filtration. Another disadvantage of a sponge filter is that it is not attractive. People would think, why use a sponge filter if it diminishes the attractiveness of the aquarium? But if you place the filter correctly, it may not look unappealing. Furthermore, these filters are generally used in well-planted aquariums as they conceal equipment such as sponge filters. Finding the perfect bio sponge filter around you can be a tedious task as you would find numerous options in the market, but which sponge filter is best? Let’s check out. Generally, people fall into the trap of buying the wrong sponge filter when they don’t have much information regarding that. But here at Sponeas, we provide professional service along with strict quality control. The material is quite durable, and it also maximizes the cleaning of your water source. Furthermore, these sponges can be used in several other industries such as hardware, air-conditioner, automotive, and many more. If you have any questions regarding the product, feel free to contact us at the Sponeas website.

https://medium.com/@sponeasus/top-7-reasons-why-filter-sponges-are-best-sponeas-b0a648dc8e66

[]

2021-11-17 04:28:16.002000+00:00

['Cleaning', 'House Cleaning']

Carpet Fibres | What different types of carpet fibres are there | Manchester House Cleaning Services

Carpet Fibers | What different types of carpet fibres are there | Manchester House Cleaning Services Do you know what your carpet is made out of? We will examine the most common (and not so common) types of carpet fibres. There are many different variations when considering carpet. Carpet is universally one of the most popular floor coverings in the UK. However, there are differences. Different carpet fibres, feel and “act” differently. If you are looking to replace your carpet, maybe you got bored of the colour, liven up your living room or you have redecorated or refurbished your house knowing what carpet fibres you can choose from is very important. Different types of carpets have their individual qualities. Occasionally, cleaning one type of carpet will be different from cleaning another. Carpet falls into two main categories as far as fibres are concerned, delicate (natural) materials and regular (synthetic fibres). The vast majority of carpet is very susceptible to conventional steam cleaning processes. Knowing the specific type of fibres of your floor covering gives you several advantages. Firstly, you will have a better understanding of the cleaning processes, what method is best applicable to cleaning your carpet and what method will produce the best carpet cleaning results, as far as stain removal and removing soiling from your carpet from heavy traffic areas. Secondly, knowing the individual fabric your carpet is made of will allow you to choose a cleaning product if you decide to go after a DIY carpet cleaning approach, that will not damage your floor coverings, bleed or discolour your carpet. Different types of carpets have specific individual qualities, that should be taken into consideration before cleaning, however, firstly, what are the main categories of carpet fibres you can choose from? Suggested: Bar and Restaurant Cleaning Checklist — How To Deep Clean Your Business What qualities should you look for in your Carpet? As mentioned carpet will fall under two main categories, natural and synthetic fibres. One isn’t necessarily better, they are just different. These individual fibres will differ in feel and texture but more importantly, they will also differ in they are to be cleaned. Because carpet should be resistant, durable and not easily damageable most carpeted flooring is made out of manmade, synthetic, materials. Carpet plays an important role not only for decorative appearances in your home but also for practical reasons. Carpet should resist damage and soiling as much as possible, a material that can be worn simply through walking isn’t of much use. The carpet should be relatively easy to clean and maintain, the easiest way to make sure that your carpet is looking its best for the longest period possible is to periodically steam clean it. The same applies to major stains or spills. However, general cleaning, the type of cleaning you can do yourself at home, should be relatively easy. You can’t book a carpet cleaning service once a week, so maintaining your carpet at home with relative ease is very important. The carpet should be comfortable to walk on. Carpet can liven up the appearance of a room or help you transform the overall look of a room you may have gotten bored of. But importantly carpet should be comfortable to walk on, especially if you are barefoot! Much to that point carpet should also fit the overall design of the room. Comfort is a big point when it comes to discussing qualities you are looking for, but so designs. Your carpet should blend in and fit with the overall design of the room. Even a completely unfurnished room can be made beautiful when fitted with the right carpet. And carpet should fit your overall budget requirements. This one is self-explanatory, isn’t it? Some carpet fibres are simply more expensive, but again, that doesn’t mean that they are better. Suggested: How To Save Money When Cleaning Your Home? What Carpet Fibers can you choose from? The vast majority of synthetic carpets possesses all of these qualities. It is easy to clean at home, it’s fluffy and comfortable, it looks beautiful and is relatively affordable. This is why this is the most popular choice. The two main overall categories for carpet are natural fibres and synthetic/fibres. Natural fibres include wool (by far the most popular choice and the ultimate in carpet), sisal, cotton, seagrass, jute, silk and coir. Synthetic fibres include nylon, polypropylene, polyester and triexta. What are the main differences between these specific Carpet Fibers? Natural Fibers. Wool is by far the most popular choice when it comes to natural carpeted flooring. Wool has amazing qualities that you can look for in a carpet. Wool is also applicable to steam cleaning (more often than not) although it’s somewhat more delicate and requires a more experienced touch. Wool is pretty resilient and it will behave well in heavy traffic areas, it is unlikely to easily tear and wear. It is naturally soil resistant, however, stains are a different matter. Wool is well, all-natural. It is renewable and an environmentally friendly choice, if you can afford it (literally) that is important. Wool is non-allergenic and flame resistant and lastly, it is beautiful in both touch, feel and appearance. Wool is by far the most luxurious carpet material you can find. Now for the bad news, it is susceptible to staining, hard to clean and expensive. Some carpet manufacturers will mix will with acrylic to try and eliminate some of the negatives wool has and benefit from the positives. Pure wool is a natural fibre, it “breathes” this is why it can develop mould and mildew in areas with high humidity. Wool also seems to have an unnatural attraction to stains. Stains on a pure wool carpet are really hard to eliminate. Wool can attract moths and other types of insects. Long exposure to sunlight will discolour pure wool carpets. And it does not behave well to stain removing chemicals. The other types of natural fibres we mentioned have many of the same negatives. They are hard to clean, silk especially so, they are expensive and they are susceptible to stains. Sisal is impossible to steam clean, sisal carpet has natural fibres which are woven together in a mesh or pattern, water will just seep out of your carpet and find its way below it. Seagrass and sisal carpet are similar. They differ in feel and touch but have very similar qualities. Seagrass is sustainable and environmentally friendly. It is also very beautiful and really hard to clean. For general maintenance, we recommend scheduling a carpet cleaning service with a reliable professional cleaning company. Seagrass carpet is exactly what you would imagine, a carpet fibre made from grass…from the sea (well, more exactly it’s grass from a place right next to the sea). Sisal are long woven strands usually of the agave plant. Knowing this and trying to think of a carpet cleaning method for these fabrics the problem should be self-evident. Seagrass is the least expensive option in this category, it also comes in one colour, green, always green. This green will turn brown over time when exposed to sunlight. Coir is very durable and will tend to have the feel of sandpaper on your bare feet. Coir is made from the outer shell, the husk of coconuts. Coir carpets are beautiful but their specific qualities are best applied to commercial use. Silk carpet and rugs are gorgeous, feel amazing and rare and for good reason. They are extremely hard to clean, we recommend professional treatment from a reliable and experienced cleaning provider. You will rarely find cotton carpets, cotton rugs are common and a very similar story, they are beautiful, they are very hard to clean, maintain and stain, easily. And jute, jute is made out of the stalk of a giant tropical herb grown in India (Corchorus). Jute has a fibrous structure and high oil content, so it can easily catch fire. The main cons for natural fibres are price, durability, stain resistance, longevity and how suspectable they are to cleaning. The main pros of natural fibres are appearance, feel touch and overall they are a more natural, eco-friendly option for carpeted floor coverings. Synthetic fibres. Suggested: How To Clean Your Oven- 7 Easy Tips. Nylon- the most popular choice. Nylon is very soft, very durable and very resistant to stains and soiling. Not as soft as wool but nylon will still feel very nice to walk on. Nylon is the most popular option not only for synthetic carpets but for carpets in general. A large majority of carpet fibres will be made out of nylon. Nylon is durable, if cared for and maintained nylon has a “shelf life” of about 15 years, it is easy to clean at home and by a professional cleaning company. It is resistant to mildew, mould and insects. It is resistant to stains and soiling. That doesn’t mean that it is stain-free, but fresh stains on a nylon carpet are very easy to eliminate with a carpet steam cleaning service. Nylon will take dye very well so it can come in any colour you would like and are relatively affordable. There are more budget-friendly options in the synthetic category, however, the popularity of Nylon carpet has made it relatively affordable. Nylon is also the most durable synthetic fabric. Polypropylene or olefin is the second most popular choice when it comes to manufactured carpet fibres. It’s essentially made of plastic, polypropylene is a type of thermoplastic that is used to make a wide range of domestic products (including, yes, your carpet). Olefin is almost as soft as Nylon and is growing in popularity. The appearance of olefin is very similar to wool, it does look beautiful, and it can even pass as a synthetic wool substitute. Olefin is highly stain resistant but prone to soiling and holding on to oils, these oils make it somewhat flammable and mean that olefin can easily accumulate dirt. Olefin is made of plastic, as such, it is very easy to clean. In theory, because of its’ durability, it should be possible to use something as aggressive as bleach to clean olefin carpet, although we definitely would not advise it. Olefin will respond excellently to steam cleaning and industrial carpet cleaning detergents and stain removers. Olefin should be, at least in theory, completely stain resistant. It’s made of plastic, it is not affected by moisture, so a spillover of an olefin carpet really shouldn’t pose much of a problem. Because of its water-resistant properties, olefin can be used in places with high humidity, it is not affected by mould or mildew. Olefin is inexpensive. Polyester is best used because of its ability to hold colour. Polyester comes in any colour you can imagine. Polyester is made from plastic, recycled plastic bottles, it is an eco-friendlier choice in this category. Polyester is stain-resistant and water-resistant. It will not be affected by humidity, moisture, mildew and mould. Polyester is susceptible to damage. It will not last long in heavy traffic areas. The fibres will eventually crush together and it will look worn. If you have kids, consider a different option. We also would not advise moving furniture over the polyester carpet, it can easily be damaged. Triexta, a relative newcomer. Triexta is made out of (take a deep breath) polytrimethylene terephthalate. As simply as we can put it polytrimethylene terephthalate is a commercial polymer (a very detailed explanation we know). Polytrimethylene terephthalate (Triexta) is essentially commercial polyester. It is a semi-aromatic, crystalline thermoplastic that can be very easily spun into fibres. The main application triexta has is in the carpet. Triexta is manufactured from ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. Ethylene glycol is a liquid obtained from ethylene and terephthalic acid is a crystalline solid obtained from xylene. When exposed to heat together these two compounds, under the influence of chemical catalysts, produce polytrimethylene terephthalate, a vicious mass, that can be spun together to form fibres or solidified and later processed into plastic. Long story, short triexta is essentially plastic. Triexta is very soft and feels quite nice. It has excellent stain resistance and moisture resistance (it’s after all plastic), however, is susceptible to soiling, dirt, mud or dust and oily stains. Triexta is interesting as far as manufacturing and cleaning go, it is worth examining in individual article submission. The main cons of synthetic carpet fabrics are overall longevity, price differences between specific fabrics, some wear and tear resistance and how eco-friendly they are. The main pros of synthetic carpet fabrics are price (when compared to natural fabrics), durability, stain resistance and ease of cleaning. One category of carpet fibres isn’t better than the other, what type of fabric you choose is a matter of personal preference. What feels and looks best for you, what will tie with the overall styling of your property, and is price, for example, a bigger determining factor in your choice than having an all-natural eco-friendly option. Conclusion. Knowing the specific type of carpet fabric you have is very important when it comes to cleaning. Cleaning is the detailed application of scientific knowledge. Cleaning is chemistry. When it comes to carpet cleaning this is especially the case. You need to know what is your specific type of fabric before you can match the chemistry and begin cleaning your carpets. You can always give us a call, you can schedule a reliable cleaning company that takes care of your carpet cleaning requirements. Carpet cleaning by a professional cleaning company is affordable, fast and reliable. Carpet cleaning technicians will use specialized equipment and detergents that are designed to clean carpet and remove stains. You can clean your carpet on your own as well. Now that you know the fibres all you have to do is match the chemistry, for that part, stay tuned.

https://medium.com/@office-11008/carpet-fibres-what-different-types-of-carpet-fibres-are-there-manchester-house-cleaning-42af6f360631

['Manchester House Cleaning Services']

2021-11-13 17:00:57.301000+00:00

['Clean', 'Cleaning', 'Cleaning Company', 'Carpet', 'Carpet Cleaning']

How Field Service Management Software can Benefit Your Cleaning Company

How Field Service Management Software can Benefit Your Cleaning Company Cleaning service companies underwent significant changes during and after the global pandemic. On the one hand, customers are more likely to clean their houses and offices by themselves to prevent the spread of the virus. The survey dedicated to average spend on cleaning products proves it as well. Customers began buying more cleaning products, showing that they are less likely to rely on cleaning service businesses. On the other hand, cleaning companies faced a notable boom in the last two years. The reason is that companies have to comply with COVID-19 regulations and keep their workplaces clean. Nevertheless, handling fluctuating demand is challenging for companies that are operating the way they did before the global pandemic. A study by ZipRecruiter shows that cleaning service businesses that are able to meet changing customer expectations embrace digitization and modern IT solutions. One of the most practical ones is the integration of Field Service Management (FSM) software. One more study by McKinsey & Co. suggests that the FSM solution can increase the speed of the workers’ performance up to 2 times. Let’s look at the benefits an FSM solution provides to make the processes in your cleaning service business more efficient. Eliminate Redundant Paperwork With the increased demand for cleaning services, manual paperwork becomes troublesome, raising the risks of errors or missing documents. Taking down notes regarding clients’ personal information and job details on paper or in Excel sheets can’t be disseminated efficiently. Cleaners, overloaded with equipment may mix up documents or lose them, which will definitely annoy clients and taint the company’s reputation. An up-to-date FSM software helps get rid of these issues. It allows putting all necessary information in one place. By placing information in one cloud-based application, it’s automatically spread on all devices, including cleaners’ smartphones. By eliminating paperwork, you streamline workforce management and ensure error-free reports. Monitor Quality of the Work in Real Time 80% of field service management providers believe that mobile field service applications are essential to increase service efficiency, a Fieldpoint survey shows. Cleaning service is no different. Besides digital information input, managers can easily monitor cleaners’ geolocation and make sure they’re working when they are supposed to. Planado, for example, has applications for any device. It allows employees to inform managers about the status of the work in real time. Thus managers can rate employees’ performance by automatically generated statistics on the number of completed jobs and average completion time. Consequently, the software helps create illustrative and descriptive reports according to gathered data. Additionally, you can add checklists with tasks that must be completed. As a result, cleaners won’t miss any steps, while managers get the updated information on time. Source: Planado Increase the Number of Jobs Done Monitoring current cleaners’ locations is also convenient for increasing the quantity of the jobs done. First, you can assign emerging tasks to those who are closer to a new client’s location, optimizing their routes. The schedule will be automatically updated in their mobile apps and after finishing their current cleaning. As a result, less time is spent on traveling to another place. Schedule page in the Planado FSM app Moreover, geotracking and a built-in map in FSM apps will help your company handle time-sensitive or urgent orders. Choose a team of cleaners on the map who can reach the site faster and assign the task to them. With convenient task allocation, cleaners won’t spend time calling the office in order to find out what is the next job or idly wait for the rest of the working day. The FSM app provides workers with the quickest route taking into account traffic jams and other circumstances. Map view in Planado Improve Customer Service After cleaners inform that they’re on their way to a site in an FSM app, it sends a message to a client’s phone, so he or she is ready to let cleaners in. To ensure your cleaners did their job properly and didn’t forget any steps, they can use the checklists mentioned above. Furthermore, such FSM apps as Planado provide the option of taking photographs of the performed job. This will become a 100% guarantee that the job is done in the best possible way and a client is satisfied. Bottom Line 89% of customers want to see modern, on-demand technology applied to the field workers’ scheduling. Nearly as many customers would be willing to pay a premium for it. Therefore, both the pandemic and increased customer expectations provoked cleaning companies of any size to change their business strategies and integrate digital solutions.

https://medium.com/planadoapp/how-field-service-management-software-can-benefit-your-cleaning-company-e1e8e7bb52cf

['Vadim Zakharikov']

2021-11-16 18:47:57.668000+00:00

['Cleaning', 'Field Service']

Is A Bond Clean Worth It?

Is A Bond Clean Worth It? Bond cleaning refers to a process where the tenant has to clean the rented property. This Cleaning is done at the end of the tenant period. If Bond cleaning is sufficient and inspectors approve that then the tenant will get back the bond money. Having Bond Cleaning Sydney look after this will make the task easy. Worth Of Bond Cleaning When you first enter your rented property then papers are set for Bond cleaning. Here the landlord records every single detail that is on a room-by-room basis all necessary information. Inspectors check this information at the end of your lease. Initially when you first and term you have to pay a certain amount of money to cover the damage of the property. But at the end of your rent, you will get back this amount only if you ensure a proper bond cleaning Sydney. Hence there lies the importance of bond cleaning and therefore it proves its worthiness. Proper Bond Cleaning You have a good record in Bond cleaning then as a tenant it is beneficial for you. In other words, you can get rent easily or satisfy landlords easily because of your good reputation in Bond cleaning. Hence you have to frequently change the residential place depending on the work necessary. Then it will be easy for you to find better accommodation. This is because every landlord or property owner wants tenants who will not damage their property. Hence a good reputation in previous Bond cleaning is enough to fetch you the trust of the landlords. Bond Cleaning To Landlords If you are a Landlord or owner of real estate then you are well aware of the importance of bond cleaning. If you had a bad experience regarding bond unsatisfactory Bond cleaning, then you would be well aware of the ways to fix one. Even if you charge money before giving the rent then it is bond cleaning money. But sometimes this amount is not sufficient enough to repair the damage to your proper property. Hence you have to suffer a loss of a huge amount of money because of your tenants’ unsatisfactory Bond cleaning. Hence in conclusion we can say that bond cleaning proves its worthiness to landlords. Bond cleaning Adelaide can make the bond cleaning easy and effective. Benefits To Landlord Besides this, as a landlord, you will expect to earn the best revenue from your property. But sometimes due to the unsatisfactory bond cleaning, it delays the procedure to get the next tenant. This mainly occurs due to the cleaning time mainly done by the landlords. On the contrary, if it is not cleaned, the upcoming tenant after seeing your dirty rent house will leave a negative review about it. In addition, they will never return and can spread a bad reputation about your property. Therefore bond cleaning proves its importance and how much worth is it. Conclusion All the above points prove how worthy bond cleaning can be to both landlords and tenants. Bond cleaning may not be an easy task for you. You can always seek some help from Bond cleaning Adelaide professionals.

https://medium.com/@princegohil/is-a-bond-clean-worth-it-5f4b5d4aaf10

['Prince Shrawan']

2021-11-26 08:20:41.575000+00:00

['Cleaning', 'Cleaning Services', 'Cleaning Company', 'Cleaning Tips', 'Bond Cleaning']

4 Dangerous Cleaning Products to Avoid At All Costs

Even though a great variety of commercial cleaning products have the potential to clean a surface effortlessly, many of those are not safe at all. Typically, powerful store-bought cleaners contain harsh toxic ingredients that might have a negative impact on your health and you need to avoid them by finding gentle eco-friendly alternatives. Switching to green cleaning doesn’t have to be a difficult transition. Just ditch these four dangerous cleaning products and rely on their natural substitutes: Drain cleaning products The ingredients these cleansers are full of might cause severe skin burns, eye irritation and if swallowed, they might affect the throat and the stomach, as the effects could be lethal. To rest assured your well-being has been taken into account, steer clear of commercial drain cleaners at all costs and go for safe, eco-friendly cleaning hacks. To refresh and disinfect the drain, simply pour down half a cup of baking soda, followed by the same amount of white vinegar. Let the ingredients sit for a few minutes, then rinse with hot water to wash away dirt and germs. Air fresheners You may adore the fragrance your store-bought air freshener provides, but the ingredients it contains are not harmless at all. Air fresheners are known for containing formaldehyde, which is a dangerous ingredient that could affect the skin, the eyes and the throat. Air fresheners are made of other dangerous substances that can cause serious health conditions like pulmonary oedema to more sensitive people. Obviously, air fresheners are products you should stop using right away, so try to improve air quality indoors with safer approaches. Fill a spray bottle with water, add 10–12 drops of essential oils of your choice and spray all around your place — that will do the job the healthy way. Carpet cleaning products A large number of commercial carpet cleansers contain naphthalene that could lead to dizziness or headache in the short run. If exposed for too long to those products, they could cause liver problems, which turns those into cleansers you need to give up on. Instead, treat carpet spills and stains using only eco-friendly ingredients like white vinegar, salt and essential oils. Do you notice unpleasant smells coming from the carpet? Banish nasty carpet odours naturally by sprinkling the rug with baking soda and letting the ingredient sit overnight. Vacuum clean the carpet thoroughly and it will be as good as new, without exposing yourself to dangerous toxins. Antibacterial products Living in a germ-free environment is what all of you want, but remember to avoid using antibacterial products when cleaning your home. Surely these solutions will do their job, yet the ingredients they contain might cause drug-resistant bugs to appear. To avoid that, make sure your home is germ-free with the help of eco-friendly ingredients. The best natural alternatives of antibacterial products are white vinegar and lemon juice. Both ingredients are acidic, which means no germs and bacteria would manage to withstand the treatment. Mould and mildew in the bathroom, as well as germs trapped in the fridge, in the oven or on the kitchen countertop, can be safely removed with natural DIY mixtures with vinegar and lemon juice. Never use these dangerous cleaning products that threaten your health. Commercial drain cleaners might lead to skin burn and eye irritation, so disinfect the drain safely with white vinegar and baking soda. Air fresheners contain dangerous ingredients like formaldehyde, that’s why you should rely on essential oils to refresh the air indoors. Store-bought carpet cleaners are another harmful product you should give up on and replace with natural cleaning agents like baking soda and white vinegar. Antibacterial products are likely to promote the development of drug-resistant bacteria, that’s why you should eliminate germs with eco-friendly ingredients like white vinegar and lemon juice. © FK Domestics Ltd

https://medium.com/@fkdomestics/4-dangerous-cleaning-products-to-avoid-at-all-costs-2da3246c1256

['Marta Nikolova']

2021-11-15 15:38:54.433000+00:00

['Cleaning', 'Cleaning Tips']

Why do you need a cleaning service?

What could be more important than having a tidy, well-organized home? With work, family obligations, and other responsibilities, it’s not always easy to find the time to clean up our homes and give them the thorough cleaning they deserve — not to mention that domestic chores may be demanding and rapidly sap your energy. Fortunately, you and your family don’t have to do everything yourselves! Nowadays, there are a plethora of organizations that specialize in cleaning services for residential properties, no matter where you live. For the most part, they’re professional, efficient, and affordable. In that vein, here’s a handy guide that outlines some persuasive reasons why you should hire a Cleaners services in North Shore. A home that is guaranteed to be safe and healthy: A clean home is always favorable to excellent health, wellbeing, and a productive environment, it goes without saying. Cleaning your floors, carpets, curtains, furniture, and décor items on a regular basis cleans the room and removes dust particles and pollutants from the air, which can cause allergies and respiratory difficulties. As a result, hiring a professional housekeeper to come to your home a few times a week should assist keep your interior safe, healthy, and habitable. Expertise: While you might think you know everything there is to know about cleaning, sweeping, and sanitizing surfaces, a professional cleaning service follows industry standards. Whether you’ve just had a monthly neighbourhood get-together or are ready to move out of your home, Locals recommend that residents of North Shore consider specialized companies that specialise in domestic clean-up issues and end-of-tenancy cleaning for residential customers. So, whether you live in Sydney or North Shore, you’ll be able to find trustworthy Cleaning services on the North Shore for your home with a little investigation. Reliability: A large number of homeowners have had bad experiences with cleaning services. The main reason for this is that they did not go via a licenced organisation first; this, of course, has a variety of concerns, including theft, deterioration, and even unlawful occupancy. Besides, until you hire the cleaners yourself, there is no way to know how skilled she is. When you engage directly with a cleaning business, on the other hand, you can rest assured that you will be getting a qualified and trustworthy worker inside your home. At the end of the day, the advantages clearly outnumber the disadvantages. Hiring professional home cleaning services in the North Shore will undoubtedly necessitate a different budget, but it is well worth it. Whether you need someone to clean your house once a week or an expert crew to come in and clean after a remodel, you can count on OZ Need Cleaning for professionalism, dependability, and peace of mind.

https://medium.com/@ozneedcleaningau/why-do-you-need-a-cleaning-service-d5a0c40cbf55

[]

2021-11-16 08:17:08.950000+00:00

['Cleaning', 'Cleaning Services', 'Cleaning Company', 'Cleaning Tips', 'Cleaners']

Daily cleaning and maintenance of bedding

Daily cleaning and maintenance of bedding When cleaning products of different materials, the following points need to be paid attention to: 1. when cleaning, please do not use bleach,high temperature hot water, hot and cold water. 2.When washing dark bed products, the soaking time should not exceed 10 minutes. Do not wash locally, rub in a large area, and do not mix and wash with other light-colored fabrics. 3.bedding should be washed when changing seasons, and store in a dry place after drying. Before washing and maintenance we should check the washing logo of each product. 1. silk or silk cotton products 【Washing】 Dry cleaning is the best way. If the label indicates that it can be washed by water, Please add an appropriate amount of neutral soap or mild soap to the warm water and wait for the soap to melt and the water cools down, then immerse the product and gently rub it. Wash it thoroughly and roll it in a towel to squeeze out excess water. Then smooth the cloth along the suture, Hang it in a place with ventilation and no direct sunlight, which is very necessary to maintain the bright color of silk fabric. 【Storage】 The first point of storage of silk fabrics is to be clean and dry. Because silk belongs to animal protein fibre, if the washing is not clean and dry is not enough, which is easy to cause moth, yellowing or weaving. It is better to put a desiccant in the storage area. Additional, when collecting white real silk products, a camphor ball cannot be put together and it can not be put in a camphor wood box, or it will be yellow. We can use a dark blue cloth package with high quality to avoid yellowing. 2. Cotton products Cotton fabric has strong alkali resistance, acid resistance and high temperature resistance. It can be washed with soap or other weak alkaline detergent. Before catharsis, it can be put in water to soak for a few minutes, but not too long to avoid the damage of colors. General the washing temperature is not exceed 40 degrees, reverse washing is better: if there are ornaments, please remove the ornaments before washing, cotton fabric with sweat stains should not be soaked in hot water to avoid yellow sweat spots. After washing it should be wring out and then rinse it in order to improve washing efficiency each time. It should be dried on the reverse side in a ventilated and cool place, and not exposed to the sun to avoid discoloration. Light-colored and dark-colored fabrics should be stored separately to prevent shading and yellowing. 3. Cotton and linen products Hemp fiber is hard and can not be rubbed hard, and it is softer than cotton fabric when washing.

https://medium.com/@a198blwt/daily-cleaning-and-maintenance-of-bedding-d2e943656933

[]

2021-11-16 05:27:05.359000+00:00

['Bedding', 'Cleaning', 'Maintain']

Beneficial Advice on Bond Cleaning!

The most important chore at the end is bond cleaning. Although the tenant should contact experts to clean bond, if he’s confident and skilled enough, he can try his hand at bond cleaning. If the tenant isn’t satisfied with the cleaning, the landlord is not responsible for paying the bond money. To protect your security, it is a good idea to hire Bond Cleaning Adelaide professionals. We have some tips that we’ve tried and tested, even if the tenant is tight on cash. These are the best DIY bond cleaner tips according to professionals. Bond cleaning is usually done at the end. However, flawless bond cleaning requires thorough cleaning. Too much cleaning too soon can lead to ineffective bond cleaning. Only the vacant house should be cleaned. A full house is not an ideal place for cleaning. It is best to start cleaning only after you have removed all your belongings. A cleaning checklist is a great way to reduce the chances of you missing any corner. You can also identify which areas need more attention and cleaning to ensure flawless cleaning. Once you have decided the time and prepared the checklist, it is time to get dirty and begin cleaning. Always start at the top, and be clear. You can clean up things such as ceiling dust, fan dirt, cobwebs and wall cleaning. Window cleaning should be done regularly. It is not easy, but it is very important. The landlord will always be more attentive to the cleaning of the bathrooms and kitchen. Professional carpet cleaners are recommended for DIY bond cleaning. Because they are experts in carpet cleaning and know which methods work best for dirty carpets. Conclusion Bond Cleaning Gold Coast can help you secure the bond amount as well as to prepare your house for inspection. They are equipped with the most recent tools and equipment, and can provide desired results at a reasonable price. For any questions or queries regarding bond cleaning, contact the end-of-lease cleaning Gold Coast.

https://medium.com/@princegohil/beneficial-advice-on-bond-cleaning-f87c18b6505e

['Prince Shrawan']

2021-11-26 08:20:27.660000+00:00

['Cleaning', 'End Of Lease Cleaning', 'Cleaners']

How I Learned Romanian in 37 Easy Steps

How I Learned Romanian in 37 Easy Steps Hey, now I can actually read this! Step 1 — Speak Italian and Spanish and then laugh and dismiss with a wave the Romanian language. After all they’re all Romance languages, no? Practically all the same. Step 2 — Meet some Romanians in the United States, ask ’em to tell you a bunch of words. Only remember one — opt — meaning the number eight. Really. The first day I showed up in Romania, that’s the only word I knew. Step 3 — Go to Romania, meet 5,012 people who all speak English (naturally) and therefore teach you no Romanian at all. Do not buy any Romanian-English dictionaries in Romania for some reason (LOL). Step 4 — Go back to USA, look in every bookstore in your city, realize while there’s plenty of dictionaries and courses and verb lists for Portuguese and Russian, there’s nothing for Romanian. Nada, zip, zilch, zero. Go onto Amazon dot com and find literally the only Romanian-English dictionary available, first printed in 1946 and never updated. Step 5 — Every day at work, print out one article from an (online) Romanian newspaper. Haul out your antique dictionary and attempt to translate it word for word. Note: This was especially enjoyable because the fun-loving Romanian powers that be decided to SWITCH UP the spelling of their language after 1989. Har har, my fine fellows! Step 6 — Get half the words found and starting to be learned but be utterly confounded for hmm, I don’t know, a year or TWO about how in the world your dictionary (seemingly) doesn’t have half the words appearing in a mainstream newspaper. Step 7 — Go to Romania a few more times, speak only English with everyone and therefore learn just a handful of words. Step 8 — Finally find out that Pimsleur has a Romanian course. Yay! You park that puppy in your car stereo and learn Romanian on your way to work every day. Then you find out there’s only ONE lesson available and so you just learn how to say buna ziua (hello) with the right accent and then oh well, too bad so sad. Step 9 — Move to Romania finally. No more visiting for me, baby! Step 10 — Begin to go to the store by myself and always be extra super sure to maneuver myself so I can read the digits off the cash register because I can’t understand the so-called “numbers” the lady is telling me. Say buna ziua and if she tries to engage in small talk just nod, smile and mumble. Step 11 — Finally realize that the “official” way Romanians say numbers is TOTALLY DIFFERENT than the way Romanians actually say numbers. For example: pai-spre-zece is the OFFICIAL way to say 14. The “real” way Romanians say it is pai-shpay. Step 11B — Be sure to never, ever order TWO of anything because it’s a number that’s “masculine” for some things and “feminine” for others and I don’t know which is which. So even if I want two of something, I always have to ask for three. Step 12 — Start talking to gypsies, mostly beggars who approach me first. They’re the only ones who are patient enough to sit around and speak to me in Romanian. Step 13 — Take my first train ride with nobody helping me. Step 14 — Get into colossal arguments with my landlord lady, who doesn’t really speak English and is damn sure unhappy about my apartment cleaning skills. At one time she orders me to clean the stove with a toothbrush LOL. Step 15 — Finally figure out that before 9am I’m supposed to say buna dimineata and that it’s dee-mee-NATZA not dee-mee-NEH-ATZA. Likewise buna seara (for after 6pm) is SEH-RA not SE-AH-RA. Step 16 — Move to a street with a name ending in “ului” so finally, FINALLY master how to say that after 5,812 times of riding in a taxi and having to give my address to the driver. Step 17 — Continue meeting Romanians (including girlfriends) who speak English better than I do, thus corroding my already rusty brain and its ability to learn a new language. Step 18 — Stare at my TV which has no cable or satellite and only receives one channel (PRO TV — television for PROS). 90% of the programming is American shows with subtitles, which helps a little. Grit my teeth and force myself to watch Romanian “comedies” like Trasniti in NATO (roughly “NATO hijinks” about some Beetle Bailey type soldiers who clown around in the barracks) and La Bloc (the Apartment Building — about a crew of “wacky neighbors”). Step 19 — Move to another city, get cable TV and a girlfriend who loves shows like Surprize, Surprize (don’t ask — it’s horrible) and finally Schimb de Mame (literally “Mother Exchange”) which is actually pretty good. I get to see the inside of everyone’s apartments (on the TV) and realize I’m not the only one who has icons all over the wall and lots of LACE needlepoint stuff draping the tables and other bits of furniture. Step 20 — One day be at the store and the total is 6 lei and give the lady 11 lei and when she gives me a quizzical look, formulate my VERY FIRST ROMANIAN SENTENCE EVER which was “so the change will be a 5 lei note” and she smiles, understands and does indeed five me 5 lei back and I skip home walking on sunshine. Note: Actually this was during the “good old days” when Romanian money all had a billion more zeroes on it. But you get the idea. Step 21 — Meet the parents of my girlfriend, who I mistakenly think don’t speak English so be “forced” to drink liquor with her dad and exchange witticisms and banter and then find out when I’m pretty well sloshed that ALL ALONG (hee hee!!) the mom speaks English just fine. Luckily I kept the dirty sex talk to a minimum — I THINK. Step 22 — Begin showing off my new mastery at Romanian, mostly by engaging in conversation with taxi drivers. They in turn universally think I’m Hungarian. It takes me about six months to learn that I speak Romanian just like Marko Bela and so therefore I must be Hungarian like he is. Note: Later I get to do impressions of Marko Bela for the amusement of my friends and admirers — KA-CHING! Step 23 — Make friends with a Romanian guy, who speaks English beautifully, and meet a friend girl of his, who doesn’t. Those two start to date (or almost start dating) and then he suddenly gets a job in another city and so “passes” her onto me. Yay, so now I’ve got my very first friend who DOESN’T speak English! Step 24 — Continue to meet with her, get to know her roommate, cousins, brother, uncle, mother, father and assorted other people and find out not a single one of ’em speaks English at all. They’re all from Maramures where apparently it’s illegal to learn English or something. Oh well, their loss and my win! Finally go to Maramures and go out in the town, meet a whole bunch of new Maramureseni people and find out THEY TOO do not speak English, not one lick of it. Speak Romanian until my tongue falls out of my head. Step 25 — Keep talking to taxi drivers and cackle with evil delight as occasionally I find a driver who likes to rant and rage against either foreigners and/or Hungarians and all along he doesn’t know ME I’m not Romanian! Ha haa! Note: The way to do this is LOTS OF MUMBLING. Lots of “da” and mumbling and nobody will ever find out *evil cackle* Step 26 — Start buying children’s books in Romanian language like Capra Cu Trei Iezi, which was written by a Romanian guy and now I know why the hell it was never translated into English — it’s extremely gruesome and bloody and would scare the crap out of little American bambinos. Step 27 — Pick up a copy of Romanian poems (Eminescu) sigh and realize I’ll never understand it in 10,000 years. Go to his special tree in Iasi though and take my picture in front of it and consider that a win. Step 28 — Take a million trains to every part of the country from Craiova to Oradea to Botosani to Constanta and of course Bucharest. Engage in many conversations with the colorful cast of characters riding the rails and have many fine adventures, some of which I can never talk about, like the “incident” with the bisexual man. AHEM! Step 29 — Finally get confident enough in Romanian to engage in the greatest sport played in this country, otherwise known as the Righteous Scolding. In Romania, there’s a “correct” way of doing everything from putting on your socks to how to ride a bus and whenever anyone steps out of line, this is the time for a Righteous Scolding. You get to puff up your shoulders, use a very indignant tone of voice, perhaps some good finger waggling and lambaste the poor rule breaker with a good Righteous Scolding. Step 30 — Speak Romanian even with Romanians who speak English and listen to them tell you over and over and over again that you don’t speak their language very well. Meanwhile they are free to butcher English of course and argue with you that “am fost la mall” is “I went AT the mall” and just be smug as hell about how superior their knowledge of English grammar is to your own. Step 31 — Continue speaking Romanian to anyone and everyone, including an old man who literally has no teeth (sweet guy though, I loved him), gypsies, beggars, country bumpkins, people from Oltenia (who have their own special past tense for verbs), people in Bucharest, people from the Banat and of course, Moldovans — all of whom have their own special accents, slang, pronunciations and even totally different words for ordinary things. Step 32 — Go to Bucharest and meet one of the actors who was in La Bloc and tell him how the show helped you learn Romanian and what a shitty show it was and he laughs and agrees 1000% and sits down and drinks a beer with you and tells you many awesome anecdotes. His character’s name on the show, btw, was “The American” and you find this ironic and amusing NOW but extremely frustrating and bizarre back when you were watching it. Step 33 — Start getting stopped on the street and asked for directions. Grin with supreme delight as not only do you know where the thing is but you can explain how to get there in Romanian! Yay. Since Romanians are genetically the WORST direction givers on the planet, I consider myself a hero for my valiant service in this regard. Step 34 — Start learning Russian and then a whole HOST of the weird parts of Romanian grammar and syntax start making total sense to you. Step 35 — Begin helping your Hungarian friends and exchange students from other countries with Romanian. Step 36 — Go to Bucharest and have someone think you are actually a native from Transylvania. Yay!!! You win! You finally speak Romanian so good people think you’re FROM Romania. Step 37 — Tell everyone you know about how you officially speak Romanian now and have been crowned the new King of Romania and have absolutely nobody be impressed whatsoever LOL. But hey, I’m happy and that’s what matters. See? There you go. Wasn’t so hard. Only took about 10 years :D

https://medium.com/@lifeinromania/how-i-learned-romanian-in-37-easy-steps-b4f185f173da

['Sam Ursu']

2017-11-27 08:09:19.025000+00:00

['Romania', 'Language Learning', 'Storyofmylife']

Trying Pimsleur Cantonese in Hong Kong

Over the past few years, I’ve heard a number of really positive reviews of Pimsleur language learning programs. Some of my friends have even lent me their Mandarin or Japanese packages. At the time it was hard for me to see the point. I had already learned the vocabulary being introduced, half the audio was English, and it seemed kind of weird. I filed Pimsleur under “stuff that works for people not like me” and put it out of my mind. Then, not too long ago, I had a chance to see the results first hand. My friend Ben made some Japanese acquaintances and decided to give Pimsleur a shot, largely due to the recommendation of another friend. I saw him the next day, he told me he’d worked through an hour or two and then proceeded to ask me in Japanese, where I was from and if I could speak English! The thing that really impressed me was his pronunciation. To my ears at least, it sounded even better than his Chinese pronunciation! Considering he’d spent years living in Taiwan and using Chinese daily for work, that impressed the heck out of me. Afterwords, I thought a bit more about it. Pimsleur is essentially a spaced-repetition listening and mimicking program. Arrival in Hong Kong Before getting to Hong Kong, I’d only worked through the first three hours of Pimsleur Cantonese, but I did find quite a few chances to use what I knew. Furthermore, people in the airport answered my Cantonese in full-speed Cantonese I couldn’t understand! That’s usually a sign that your accent isn’t too far off. Obviously, it’s not ideal for communication in any given moment, but fortunately I knew how to say “My Cantonese isn’t that good” in Cantonese and switch to Mandarin. It’s not much, but even such minor successes gave were very, very motivating! Over the next couple of days, I continued with the Pimsleur and also found I was picking up a lot of vocabulary from hearing people’s replies. Individually any given reply may not have made sense the first dozen times I heard it, but it did sink in with repetition. I don’t know how much help being a Mandarin speaker and a (poor) Taiwanese speaker gave me, but there were definitely a lot of things that sounded really similar. After Hong Kong By the time I left, I was able to order simple drinks, order a value meal at KFC (yay!) and talk to people a little. It wasn’t a lot, but for only spending a single week in Hong Kong, it was far, far better than I had expected. Despite my small vocabulary, locals were shocked with my canned Pimsleur sentences. One didn’t even believe that I was a tourist and not a longer-term resident! The best ego boost I got was after leaving HK, when I was chatting with a guy from Guangzhou. He said (in Mandarin), “Your Cantonese accent… it sounds like a Hong Konger.” I had been certain he was going to say laowai! I guess Pimsleur must have hired their staff from HK, not Guangzhou. I have no illusions about the level of my Cantonese (low-beginner), but it was the fastest start I’ve ever gotten with a new language. If anything, this experience has reinforced to me just how much pronunciation matters. Especially for a clearly foreign-looking person in Asia, your pronunciation has a huge impact on how much real language input you get and how much of a hassle it is to get it. Back when I first started studying Chinese in Taiwan, I encountered numerous people who just insisted on using English with me all the time, even when it made communication more difficult. But after improving past a certain point, I pretty much just stopped running into those people. This was more correlated with improving my accent and losing some of the mainland curled R sounds than it was with vocabulary gains. Similarly, I’ve heard numerous people complain that getting HK people to speak in Cantonese is like pulling teeth if you’re a westerner, but I didn’t experience it at all. Instead, it was me asking them to switch to another language because I couldn’t understand them. If I ever decide to learn Thai or Korean, I’ll probably start with Pimsleur.

https://medium.com/toshuo/trying-pimsleur-cantonese-in-hong-kong-85dacda5948e

[]

2017-06-15 02:24:35.659000+00:00

['Hong Kong', 'Cantonese', 'Language Learning', 'Pronunciation']