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themagicandthemystery · 6 years ago

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8/7, 8/8 and 8/9. cause seven ate nine. martes, miercoles y jueves.

catch up time. i did end up staying in at the hotel on tuesday night. one of the waiters actually lived in md for a long time. near gaithersburg. so that was fun.

wed. i wasn’t exactly sure what to do with myself since i only had the afternoon. i went to a cool coffee shop called full city coffee house. the coffee was great. two guys were speaking english next to me, so i said, “i’m saying hi because i also speak english.” the guy replied, “hi, also speak english.” how clever. they both live in buenos aires, one dude was a brit from liverpool, the other from san fran but went to college at dickinson or something in pa. the one from san fran did not seem interested in talking to me, but the brit was. they both are married to or marrying argentinian woman. they told me to be careful cause it’s a trap. luckily for those who don’t want me moving to argentina i wasn’t there long enough for that to happen. but even if it did, i’d make them move to the states. so. read game of thrones, wondered the streets a bit. found a store that had a bunch of bk stuff in it. those guys did tell me that buenos aires has an obsession with nyc.

after wondering the streets i stopped at a place for dinner before heading to buequebus. it was ok, some viking place. didn’t want to go far from the hotel cause i didn’t want to get lost and i needed to get back to hotel to grab my bags. was planning on giving myself 2 hours to get to ferry. it was raining. i called the uber. one person didn’t show up. the second person showed up but said they only took cash, which is obvi bs cause it’s uber and he’s trying to scam. then, the 3rd person. finally. it was a little after 7. ferry left at 9. it is about a 20/25 minute drive. BUT. because of the vote on abortion rights, traffic was madness. the absolute worst traffic i’ve ever been in. there were huge rally’s for people pro-choice and pro-life. the driver kept honking, which is dumb. honking does not make traffic go away in most cases. i got to the ferry around 9:45. shit, obviously. i did realize i was going to be late while i was in the car, so i made peace with it. the buquebus people were very helpful. there were none leaving that night though, so looked like i was spending another night in BA. money wise, that kinda sucks, but. we all know i love hotels. they gave me a ticket, at no charge, for the next day (today). i actually got to get the more expensive ticket which is a ferry directly to montevideo rather than the ferry and bus. so that’s kinda cool. once that was handled, i had to figure out where i was sleeping.

i did see a sheraton not that far back while i was in traffic. was just going to go there, but the buquebus woman gave me a list of close hotels and there is also a holiday inn express that you could see from buquebus. i just decided to walk there. it was raining. i had no umbrella. it was close. walked in and up to the concierge and said i needed a room. they were all booked. which clearly i understood. but i needed help, so i asked if he could help me find something, especially since i can’t really call around places. he was awesome, he found me a hotel that was close and even called them to let them know i was coming. it was about 8 minutes from the holiday inn. pulitzer hotel. i just had to walk down the street then make a right on maipu. pronounced. my poo. ha. ugh. this is long and i’m over writing it right now! but i will persist!

ok. got to the hotel. loved it!! very cute and my style. great decor. i was just gonna stay in the hotel, read and have a glass of wine. but the bar was empty. so i asked the concierge if there was any place super close that was also cool. indeed there was, a place called SHOUT. very chic cocktail bar. the bartender there was awesome. great perspective on things. they had great cocktails and wine on tap. some guy and the bartender made some cool drink for me that you drink kinda like mate. i was contemplating staying an extra day because someone told me about this river tour you can take to see some of the beauty of argentina, i was kinda torn. and she was like, these are the stresses of life on vacation :) good call. i really would love to see more of argentina, and south america for that matter, this is just not the trip for it. i don’t really wanna do that stuff solo. decided against it. after i finished the drink i headed back to the hotel for a glass of wine before bed at the bar with my book. chatted with the bartender for awhile. he was flirting a bit too much. i told him i had a boyfriend. he was nice though. when i have my layover he wanted to take me somewhere in BA. that’s def not happening. THEN. i went to bed.

and finally! last paragraph. there will also be many pics to follow. woke up. showered. wondered around the streets a bit. the drugstores here have a lot more products than they do in montevideo. i kinda got lost, in a good way, on the way to buquebus just to see the sites. i passed a lot of cool stuff. but now. i have to board the ferry! so i gotta go. i will finish the day tonight or tomorrow! DONE.

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insurancelifedream · 4 years ago

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Everything You Need To Know About State Farm Near Me | state farm near me

State Farm Loan Outlet Mall is a retail shop that offers a lot of shopping options, from fine dining to fashion. There are many different types of stores in the mall that can help you find just what you need. If you are looking for a gift idea, they offer a large variety of gift cards. There are also several different restaurants in the mall that serves food to those who visit.

The farm is located just above North Pennsly and the beautiful charm of the English countryside can be seen all around. You can see farm equipment and buildings everywhere. There are horse arenas where you can learn to ride and spend your time with the animals. There are also several other activities such as hayriding, riding, swimming, tennis, hiking, camping, and a festival each year.

State Farm is one of the largest employers in the area and offers employment for thousands. They are also looking for new employees, and they look for all kinds of skill sets. There is a huge amount of growth and development happening on a daily basis. This means a higher demand for positions.

This shopping mall is conveniently located near I-ola Health Care's campus as well as Penn State's campus. This makes it easy for students who want to go to a great college just a short commute away. The location is convenient and the traffic is rarely an issue. There are over 400 stores inside the mall. It also has a movie theater and a giant video screen.

There are many fine dining restaurants in State Farm and The Marketplace at Penn Sate Farm. The Marketplace at State Farm offers a variety of local, national, and international cuisine. You can also enjoy a variety of family-friendly restaurants. This area of Western Pennsylvania is actually the home of the first pizzeria in America! It was founded in 1940 by Frank Verdi.

You can take your family and have fun at the farm or play at one of the numerous parks. The farm has a lot to offer for everyone. You can ride horses, go on trail rides, swim in the swimming pools, or visit the zoo. There is plenty to do and see. You should definitely consider a trip to State Farm near meadow, PA.

When you're done visiting State Farm, you can stay in one of the over forty rustic cabins in the area. They vary in price from a few dollars for a simple bed and breakfast to several hundred dollars for a luxurious suite. There are also hotels available if you would prefer to stay at a hotel instead of staying in the cabin.

A few hours away from all the excitement is the beautiful Adirondack Resorts. These rentals are perfect for families or couples looking to get away from the big city. The Resorts are located near the beautiful Crystal Springs and offer a more relaxing atmosphere than some of the other resorts. You can feel right at home even if you are hundreds of miles away! There are a lot of activities to keep you occupied in and around State Farm.

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americanfreighttrucking · 5 years ago

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Maryland Tech Council Announces Winners of 31st Annual Industry Awards

GAITHERSBURG, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MTCIAC?src=hash" target="_blank"gt;#MTCIAClt;/agt;–The Maryland Tech Council (MTC), Maryland’s largest technology trade association, announced the winners of its 31st Annual Industry Awards during a celebration and ceremony at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center attended by more than 630 business…

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#Business Wire

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agreatagency · 6 years ago

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$50 gift card for booking a seven night cruise or all inclusive resort 🛳 We can book all of your vacation needs! Expedia prices for hotel •air bnb •transportation •fun activities. We offer travel insurance, we are always hiring agents... 8 Brookes Ave Suite 202 Gaithersburg, MD 20877 240-750-6868 24 Hour Phone Support Office open Monday - Saturday Call for office appointment #Cruise #allinclusive #allinclusiveresort #kim #snow #offset #off #deals #travel #voyagesbykim #facebook #instagram #twitter ##GiftCard #resort #vacation #callkimasap #gaithersburg #hiring (at VBK Travel, Events and Weddings) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvURqWXnYi6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1sdezf27kblq5

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daggerzine · 7 years ago

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From Lifeboat, Tackle Box and beyond, Greg “Skeggie” Kendall spills the beans….

I had met Greg “Skeggie” Kendall as a person before I even knew about his music. Sort of. He was road managing The Chills when I saw them in about 1989/1990 or so. I was backstage doing an interview with The Chills’ Martin Phillipps (for my zine, DAGGER) and Skeggie brought him a big salad (not “the big salad” like on Seinfeld but a big salad nonetheless) and faked this posh British accent when he put it down in front of Martin and stated, “Your dinner sir.” I laughed and Skeggie and I chatted bit that evening. He seemed like a real friendly, jovial type, completely unlike some other road managers types I had met throughout the years.

So I’d already missed the boat on his band Lifeboat though I’d heard of them and was sure I’d heard some Lifeboat songs. Then missed his next band, Tackle Box until my pal Jeremy Grites told me I had to hear them which was in the late 90’s or maybe 2000. I picked up copies of those cds, On and Grand Hotel (both released in 1993, if I have my story straight, and both on the Rockville label. They also released “The Wheat Penny Single” 7” the same year on Rockville. Fun fact: his rhythm section on those records, Brian Dunton and Sean King Devlin went on to work with Mary Timony in Helium) and both are filled with the kind of at times loud/ at times soft rock music that too many people missed but really should have heard. As you’ll read below he’s done plenty of other stuff, musically speaking.

You know here at DAGGER I like to dig a little deeper, go for some more obscure folks to interview and it was on a whim that I’d reached out to Skeggie to see if he might want to answer a few questions. Thankfully he did and by reading below you’ll learn about the long strange trip that Mr. Greg Kendall has been on all these years. Long live Skeggie!

John Surrette (Boy's Life), Peter Buck (REM), Skeg Kendall (Lifeboat) 1986, at The Rat in Boston, MA (photo by Paul Robicheau)

Where were you born? Did you grow up in the Boston area?

I was born in Norwalk, CT. In the three years following, my family moved to as many states: from Norwalk to Santa Barbara, CA.; Santa Barbara to Red Hook, in upstate NY; Red Hook to Huntsville, AL. I mostly grew up in Huntsville, but our family did weird satellite missions to other places for awkward fragments of school years. There was half of third grade in Atlantic Beach on Long Island, and before that, a 1968 Cocoa Beach summer at the Del-Ray Motel that stretched beyond the first day of school because my father worked for the space program at Cape Canaveral. Eight months for eighth grade in Gaithersburg, MD, then washing up in Middletown, RI in 1973. So, to answer your question, no, I did not grow up in the Boston area. I moved there in 1981, when I was 21.

Do you remember the first record you ever bought?

I was lucky to have an older brother who was way into music, so I was exposed to scads of great music from very early on. Simply, AM top forty radio WAS my childhood. I tried, but didn’t buy the first record I wanted to buy. There are many tales of the infamous Columbia Record Club. Our family returned from a vacation in what, 1968?, to find a package at our front door I’d ordered from the back of a magazine. “The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees” is the one I remember. My parents were pissed and had to undo the bad deal and returned that record and the other two that were delivered. I eventually bought that album, and of course loved it. The Monkees are the best band ever.

When did you first pick up an instrument? Was it a guitar?

5 years old. Ukulele. Soon after, the guitar. Cat gut string. My first gig was in kindergarten in Huntsville singing “My Old Kentucky Home” with my brother and sister. There are some uncomfortable lyrics in that tune for three little kids to be singing in 1965 Alabama. (It was only recently that I discovered the origin and intent of the song. Interesting history.)

Lifeboat in 1985, the Living Room in Providence RI

Was Tackle Box your first band? If not tell us about bands prior to it.

Lots of bands before Tackle Box. That was like 1992-93. It’s hard to list the catalogue without supplying background in order to provide fun context. You gotta understand that back in the day we were in the middle of the suburban punk rock expansion explosion, jumping off of what we were gleaning from the CBGB’s scene of the late 1970s and the Detroit thing of MC5 and the Stooges, and also Blue Oyster Cult’s early stuff, not to mention most importantly Lou Reed. I worked backward from “Rock n Roll Animal” to the Velvet Underground in 1975-76. It was mind-blowing. It’s impossible to encapsulate in a brief answer. I moved into the upstairs of a nightclub in Newport RI in 1978. I lived there for two years. I was like 18 and 19 years old. I saw a load of wild shit, ingested a ton of drugs, and had a lot of fun. Johnny Thunders was a regular. I hung out with Sonny Terry and Brownie Magee, J.B. Hutto, and Max Romeo. I held court with Carl Perkins. I played regularly with Jonathan Richman, Mission of Burma, Human Sexual Response, and The Neighborhoods. What else can I say, except that I’m sure there’s a bunch of cool stuff that I can’t remember, plus can’t believe I don’t have Hep C or some other nasty affliction. Our band, Bob Lawton’s Boots —look it up—we were there from the git-go of punk rock. Just sayin’.

Tell us about seeing bands in Boston the 80’s? With the amount of amazing talent there back then you must have had some magical nights!

Yes. Some great nights were involved. “Magical” is a good adjective. I moved to Boston in 1981. It was an exciting time in local music to be there. “Magical” because one had to invent one’s scene if you didn’t dovetail easily into an existing one. A Boston rock scene was in full play, with the ‘Hoods, Mission Burma, Lyres, Neats, Del Fuegos, etc, etc., but to bust into that world required stamina and songs, particularly if you were in a jangly pop band like mine —Arms Akimbo, which became Lifeboat. We had much more in common with the North Carolina and Georgia music scenes than the grittier Boston sound. We had to work hard to prove ourselves, and we pretty much did. That band broke up in 1987.

Tackle Box on Oct 2014 at The Middle East, Cambridge MA (Photo by Johnny Anguish)

How did Tackle Box come about?

The Brothers Kendall were a thing after Lifeboat’s varied successes and failures. My brother Bobby and I wrote a bunch of songs and played a bunch of gigs in 1988-89, maybe 90? I don’t know. We made a record for Bar None with Peter Holsapple from the dBs that never came out, mostly because the record sucked, (through no fault of Peter’s). But, tell you what, I loved that band. We made some music I’m quite proud of. The core of that band became Tackle Box. Shawn Devlin is an amazing drummer I’ve been playing with since the Newport days; Mike Leahy is a genius guitarist (he’s played with Juliana Hatfield, Buffalo Tom, and Pell Mell, among others); and bassist Brian Dunton, (with Devlin, the original Helium rhythm section) are great to work with.

When I (briefly) met you back then you were a tour manager for The Chills. Had you been making your living doing that? If so what other bands did you tour manage?

Wow! Where/when did we meet? That was a goofy gig. If anyone ever asks you, “Hey, should I consider a cross-country tour that requires road managing, driving the van, being the sole roadie and — get this—opening solo act?,” you’re answer should be, “No, definitely don’t do that.”

I also went out as a roadie for the bands Big Dipper, The Feelies, and for the longest stretch, Throwing Muses. I love all of them, very much. So many tales to tell.

How did the deal with Rockville Records come about? Who ran that label (I only knew about Homestead back then).

Jeff Pachman signed us. It just happened I guess because he heard our songs and liked us. I honestly don’t know any other reason.

When/ why did Tackle Box end? Did you have any bands after that?

We all got busy with other stuff, and honestly I was becoming ambivalent about what had started to feel like asking people if they liked me through music. After all those years, I guess hit sort of a mental roadblock. I had a new family, with back-to-back sons, and that had an impact I’m sure on my commitment to touring and other time-consuming aspects of being in a band. But I found a new musical outlet when I fell into scoring film. Doug Macmillan from the band the Connells introduced me to director John Schultz, who enlisted me to write songs for his film Bandwagon, and then asked me to score it. The film screened and was bought at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, which eventually led me to score Schultz’s 1998 Drive Me Crazy for 20th Century Fox. It was a fun, exciting and satisfying time, despite the steep learning curve.

Who are some of your favorite current bands or musicians?

My son’s projects are what I’d like to talk about.

DJ Lucas https://soundcloud.com/djlucasma

Weird Dane https://soundcloud.com/weirddane

They’ve got a whole lot stuff going on. Their collective, called Dark World, is knee-deep in music making, video projects and fashion design.

Care to tell us your top 10 desert island discs?

It’s hard to get it down to ten, but let’s go with…

Velvet Underground (self-titled third album)

Velvet Underground “Loaded”

New York Dolls “New York Dolls”

New York Dolls “Too Much Too Soon”

Jean Jacques Perry “The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sound Of Jean Jacques Perry”

Yo La Tengo “I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One”

Joni Mitchell “Blue”

Chet Baker “ Let’s Get Lost”

David Bowie “Hunky Dory”

Brian Eno “Music For Airports”

(Plus any and all releases from Gram Parsons)

Tell us about the reunion gig that Tackle Box recently played. Will there be more?

That was super-fun. I hope for more. I love those guys, and I think we rock real nice together. We fell into playing together as if we hadn’t taken over twenty years off.

What is it that you do now? Something in the film industry?

From 2002-2012, my wife Connie White and I booked documentary films into cinemas as Balcony Releasing. We distributed over twenty films in that period. Currently, I’m working with my wife’s company Balcony Booking. She’s the film buyer for eighteen independent art houses and three film festivals.

Check out our new site here: https://www.balconyfilm.com/

Skeg behind a Rhodes in Bellows Falls, VT

Any closing comment? Final thoughts? Anything you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask?

It’s been a long and interesting trip, including my recent graduation from college in May 2016. With all that music stuff going on, I completely forgot to go to college, so I entered in 2012, and graduated four years later from UMass Amherst with a self-designed BA in Historical New England Documentary Studies.

Also, I’m about to embark on a new musical adventure— or I should say, a potential adventure. I’m going to Raleigh, NC to hang with my buddy Doug MacMillan from the Connells. If it works out, we’re thinking about planning a two-hander that explores the odd lives we’ve led in the music business, including stories and songs in a fun and reflective show. We’ll see. I hope it happens. I love those Connells songs.

BONUS QUESTION: Did you ever hear from Mark Lindsay about the song “Mark Lindsay’s Ponytail?”

I have a signed copy from Mark Lindsay of the Tackle Box “Wheat Penny” single that has “Ponytail” on the B-side. He says he liked it. I’m proud to say that one of my songs, “Eeenie Meenie Miney Moe,” originally recorded with Tuffskins, (a fun post-Tackle Box mini-project) was rehearsed by the fantastic Los Straitjackets with vocals by Mark Lindsay for consideration on an album. Alas, a release was not to be. But still, that feels really good, and the song was eventually recorded and released as a single by Rochester, NY garage-rockers Ian and the Aztecs. So, all’s well, that ends well.

www.balconyfilm.com

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greatevent89 · 10 months ago

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Wedding Venue near Maryland | Springhill Suites Gaithersburg

SpringHill Suites Gaithersburg offers an unparalleled experience for both business and leisure travelers. Conveniently located near top attractions like the Maryland SoccerPlex, the RIO Washingtonian Center, and the city of Rockville, our hotel serves as the perfect home base for your Gaithersburg, MD adventures.

#wedding venues in maryland #maryland wedding venues #wedding venues maryland #venues in maryland #baltimore wedding locations #wedding venues md

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rajulaw-immigration-service · 3 months ago

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Join us at 38th Fobana Convention from August 30, 2024 to September 1, 2024.

Visit our booth at any of these venues; get personalized consultation and a flat 10% discount on any of our services!

Venue 1: Crystal Gateway Marriott

1700 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA 22202

Venue 2: Hotel Hilton Gaithersburg,

620 Perry Pkwy, Gaithersburg, MD 20877

#rajulaw #immigration #immigrationattorney #usimmigration #greencard #FOBANA #38thfobanaconvention

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flbankruptcy · 8 years ago

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Phoenix history: New Windsor Hotel offers city’s oldest lodgings https://t.co/9GFx3wKygD https://t.co/BfgklSbi7p A.D. Walsh had the hote…

— Gaithersburg, MD (@medellinc0lombi) February 3, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/medellinc0lombi February 02, 2017 at 09:09PM via GaithersburgFebruary 02, 2017 at 09:09PM

#Phoenix history: New Windsor Hotel offers city’s oldest lodgings https://t.co/9GFx3wKygD https://t.c

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newstfionline · 6 years ago

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Behind the Bar, Mixing Drinks With Aid for a Faraway Home

By Elizabeth Williamson, NY Times, July 9, 2018

Sambonn Lek, bartender at the St. Regis hotel near the White House, has shaken and stirred for movers and shakers since the Carter administration. At 66, he leads a disappearing fraternity: barkeeps who know their regulars’ names and favorite cocktails, and when they drink so much of the latter that they forget the former, find them a ride home.

When it’s quiet, he breaks out his repertoire of magic tricks, which in the days before the fire marshal stepped in included “breathing fire” by blowing a mouthful of spirits past a flame.

Mr. Lek’s greatest act, though, is performed daily in his native Cambodia, with the help of his affluent patrons. He is a Vietnam-era refugee turned philanthropist, collecting spare change and big checks from customers to fund Sam Relief, which builds schools, digs wells, and provides food, clothing and medical and school supplies in his native Cambodia. Since 2000 his nonprofit has built 27 schools, dug nearly 400 wells, delivered 290 tons of rice and awarded 120 scholarships to Cambodian schoolchildren.

Mr. Lek, who said he escaped Cambodia’s genocide and poverty because America opened its doors to him, believes that human generosity transcends politics. Over two decades, his patrons of both parties have proved him right.

“Sam is one of these rare people who found his calling in life, and it shows,” said Kevin Moore, owner of Moore Communications & Associates, in Danbury, Conn., who met Mr. Lek two decades ago and has donated to Sam Relief most years since.

Mr. Lek has long been a local personality, his various career moves tracked by the restaurant industry and the local news media. And while a showman behind the bar, Mr. Lek smiles and grows quiet when asked about the emotions underpinning his effort. “That I came here was so lucky,” he said.

He arrived in the United States as an English-language student in 1974, barely a year after the American bombing of Cambodia. A year later Cambodia fell to the communist Khmer Rouge. Its leader, Pol Pot, set on creating an agrarian utopia, wiped out the nation’s intellectuals and middle class and killed around two million people.

Mr. Lek’s father, a diplomat, and his mother, who were both living abroad, received asylum in France the following year. The United States offered refugee status to Cambodians studying here during the overthrow, and Mr. Lek was among the lucky ones. He studied at the University of the District of Columbia, then Montgomery College until, in need of money, he left his studies before earning a degree.

He recalls the exact date, April 7, 1976, that he landed a bartending job in the Town & Country Lounge, in the landmark Mayflower Hotel a few blocks from the White House. Soon afterward, he married Nara Sok, a fellow refugee he had met at a friend’s wedding. The couple has two children: Bonnary, 38, whose name means “lucky woman,” and Benjamin, 36. Mr. Lek became an American citizen in 1980.

A clubby, wood-paneled establishment that opened in 1948, the Town & Country had a storied past and a long list of influential imbibers, including former Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland and Eliot Spitzer, a former New York governor who drank there before meeting prostitutes in the Mayflower’s Room 871.

What Mr. Lek noticed most, though, was “the food people threw away,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh God, people could eat this.’”

Mr. Lek’s mixology and magic tricks drew regulars who became friends. In 1998, Mr. Lek’s mother died, leaving him $2,500. In keeping with his Buddhist faith, he used the money to buy “rice for the poor people who don’t have food, and clothing for children to attend school.” He told a few patrons, who contributed, too, and Sam Relief was born.

In its early days, “Sam would take the money there on his summer vacation, go into the villages and buy rice himself to make sure it got delivered,” said James Meyers, a bassist in a jazz band called The Loungers, who has known Mr. Lek since the 1970s. Mayflower patrons sometimes tagged along, helping deliver.

Mr. Lek kept binders behind the bar with lists of donors and photographs of the works they had funded. William Batdorf, a patron and accountant now deceased, drew up paperwork to “make me 501(c)3 legal,” Mr. Lek said.

Sam Relief’s website says it costs $55,000 to build a five-room school, and $250 to dig a well. A donation of $2,500 buys school supplies for 500 students for a year, $350 buys a ton of rice, and $25 pays a teacher’s salary for a month. Mr. Lek is apolitical, and his donors come from across the political spectrum.

Philip Hoffman, a former Republican Michigan state senator who owned a lobbying firm, met Mr. Lek on a trip to Washington around 2001. “We developed a friendship right after Sam set up the relief fund, and I’d donate to it,” Mr. Hoffman said in an interview. “For wedding gifts, we would give a couple a ton of rice,” donated to Cambodian families in their names, he said.

“Sam’s exuberance was what really convinced me to get involved. He didn’t have any government foundation backing him up, there was nothing off the top for Sam, it was 100 percent for his people,” Mr. Hoffman said. The Hoffmans later funded another school, named Pax Christi. “My only regret is that I didn’t do 20 schools,” Mr. Hoffman said.

Andi Drimmer, a computer programmer from Gaithersburg, Md., has never met Sam but read about him in The Washington Post in 2013, shortly after she inherited money from her mother, just as he did. She has paid for 16 wells so far.

In 2011, the Town & Country closed, giving way to trendier pubs. Mr. Lek worked in the Mayflower’s new bar, but it wasn’t the same, and in late 2013 he and Nara decided to return to Cambodia, continue their charity work and relax.

But their children missed them, and “some of my guests were emailing, ‘Come back,’” Mr. Lek said. He and Nara realized “America is our home,” he said, adding, “My heart and spirit were here.”

Through friends, he learned that Marriott, which owns the Mayflower, was looking for a bartender for its St. Regis hotel bar. Mr. Lek got the job a week later. “Good karma came back to me,” he said.

Mr. Lek returned last winter after four years away, to a Trump-era Washington. The city is more expensive than ever, and asylum seekers, some of his patrons said, don’t seem to garner the same sympathy as when he arrived, a skinny student who escaped the killing fields and built an American family. But his friends hadn’t forgotten him.

The St. Regis held a party in the bar to welcome him back. Among those present was Mr. Meyers, the bassist. Mr. Lek attended his wedding, and knows his family. In 1981, Mr. Meyers’s brother, John, was walking down a street in Miami when a gunfight erupted nearby. He was killed by a stray bullet.

Neither of the Meyers brothers had ever been to Cambodia, but today a village well there bears John Meyers’s name. “Sam showed me a picture,” Mr. Meyers said.

Washington is known more for power politics than humanitarian works. What inspired these people to fork over thousands of dollars to a bartender with a story? Mr. Moore had an answer.

“Despite what might be interpreted as a meanness in today’s world, there’s an impulse to help. We all are our brother’s keepers,” he said. “People like Sam remind us of that.”

#Cambodia #Sambonn Lek #Sam Relief #bartender with aid program

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dani-qrt · 6 years ago

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Behind the Bar, Mixing Drinks With Aid for a Faraway Home

When it’s quiet, he breaks out his repertoire of magic tricks, which in the days before the fire marshal stepped in included “breathing fire” by blowing a mouthful of spirits past a flame.

What Mr. Lek noticed most, though, was “the food people threw away,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh God, people could eat this.’”

In 2006, Mr. Lek asked the Hoffmans to fund a school. “We prayed on it and thought, ‘If we didn’t do it, who would?’” Mr. Hoffman recalled. The school was named Lumen Christi, after Mr. Hoffman’s high school in Jackson, Mich. Sam Relief built six schools that year.

Neither of the Meyers brothers had ever been to Cambodia, but today a village well there bears John Meyers’s name. “Sam showed me a picture,” Mr. Meyers said.

Washington is known more for power politics than humanitarian works. What inspired these people to fork over thousands of dollars to a bartender with a story? Mr. Moore had an answer.

“Despite what might be interpreted as a meanness in today’s world, there’s an impulse to help. We all are our brother’s keepers,” he said. “People like Sam remind us of that.”

The post Behind the Bar, Mixing Drinks With Aid for a Faraway Home appeared first on World The News.

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dragnews · 6 years ago

Text

Behind the Bar, Mixing Drinks With Aid for a Faraway Home

When it’s quiet, he breaks out his repertoire of magic tricks, which in the days before the fire marshal stepped in included “breathing fire” by blowing a mouthful of spirits past a flame.

What Mr. Lek noticed most, though, was “the food people threw away,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh God, people could eat this.’”

Neither of the Meyers brothers had ever been to Cambodia, but today a village well there bears John Meyers’s name. “Sam showed me a picture,” Mr. Meyers said.

Washington is known more for power politics than humanitarian works. What inspired these people to fork over thousands of dollars to a bartender with a story? Mr. Moore had an answer.

“Despite what might be interpreted as a meanness in today’s world, there’s an impulse to help. We all are our brother’s keepers,” he said. “People like Sam remind us of that.”

The post Behind the Bar, Mixing Drinks With Aid for a Faraway Home appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2NAX2Qs via Today News

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party-hard-or-die · 6 years ago

Text

Behind the Bar, Mixing Drinks With Aid for a Faraway Home

When it’s quiet, he breaks out his repertoire of magic tricks, which in the days before the fire marshal stepped in included “breathing fire” by blowing a mouthful of spirits past a flame.

What Mr. Lek noticed most, though, was “the food people threw away,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh God, people could eat this.’”

Neither of the Meyers brothers had ever been to Cambodia, but today a village well there bears John Meyers’s name. “Sam showed me a picture,” Mr. Meyers said.

Washington is known more for power politics than humanitarian works. What inspired these people to fork over thousands of dollars to a bartender with a story? Mr. Moore had an answer.

“Despite what might be interpreted as a meanness in today’s world, there’s an impulse to help. We all are our brother’s keepers,” he said. “People like Sam remind us of that.”

The post Behind the Bar, Mixing Drinks With Aid for a Faraway Home appeared first on World The News.

from World The News https://ift.tt/2NAX2Qs via Breaking News

#News Headlines #News Update #Sports Update #Business Update #World The News

0 notes