#party machine hire Central Coast

[the-empress-7]

How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry lost black Britain

https://nypost.com/2021/03/06/how-meghan-markle-and-prince-harry-lost-black-britain/

How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry lost black Britain

By Jane Ridley

March 6, 2021 | 2:28pm | Updated

The loyal subjects of Queen Elizabeth II won’t get to see the full broadcast of Oprah Winfrey’s two-hour interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry until Monday evening UK time — 19 hours after it airs in the US. But many of them, it seems, won’t even bother.

A recent poll by The Sun newspaper found that 50 percent of Britons won’t tune in. Meanwhile, a survey by YouGov revealed that 46 percent think it’s inappropriate of the couple to do a bombshell tell-all less than a year after the official “Megxit” date of April 1, 2020.

“I won’t watch. It’s blatant disrespect to the monarchy and, as Meghan has just confirmed, it’s always been in the cards for her,” one mixed-race woman from Manchester, England, told The Post. (She asked to withhold her name for fear of being trolled online by Meghan supporters.) “It’s pre-planned from years ago and it’s her end game.” She’s referring to the duchess’s recollection, in one of the released clips, of telling Oprah in February or March 2018 that she might later consider a recorded conversation with the media maven at “the right time.”

The will-you-watch surveys were carried out before news broke that Harry’s 99-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip, had undergone heart surgery Wednesday at a London hospital — another reason why Brits think the timing is inappropriate. (The Duke and Duchess of Sussex told the Daily Mail that it is up to CBS, not them, when to air the special.)

“The British public are horrified by the interview,” Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of “Majesty” magazine, told The Post. “The mere thought of these two incredibly privileged people sitting in the California sunshine moaning about their lot does not appeal.

“People have been dying, Britain is in lockdown and we’re in the worst financial crisis we’ve ever had. It’s really so much better to say nothing if you’re dissatisfied.”

In other words, follow the monarchy’s famous old-school motto: “Never complain, never explain.”

Seward is not the only prominent royal commentator to hold that opinion. Her views are shared by Wesley Kerr, a former BBC court correspondent and the first black reporter to be hired by the corporation.

Noting that Meghan and Harry are “launching themselves on the West Coast celeb circuit, which is their right,” he told The Post: “I suppose they need to differentiate their untested brand.”

Kerr added: “There are other, more enduring values on this side of the pond. I’m not sure that what’s claimed in California is always central to the British national conversation.”

Journalists like him aside, there are plenty of other people of color in Blighty who have issues with the Sussex clan — especially when they call Britons out for being racist.

The anonymous Mancunian said that around 70 percent of her black friends “started off loving [Harry and Meghan], but got tired of the drama very quickly.”

A self-described “royal watcher,” she enthusiastically watched the pair’s May 2018 wedding with her mom and sister on TV, throwing what she described as an “afternoon tea-themed party” during the nuptials.

“I was so excited about a woman of color joining the royal family,” said the healthcare worker. “I thought she’d add something different and was looking forward to her taking on patronages to do with the BAME communities as Prince Charles has done.” (BAME, or black Asian minority ethnic, is commonly used in the UK.)

Her hopes were dashed, however, when Meghan, who suffered a culture shock, “handled it totally wrong,” leaving her job as a working member of “The Firm” — the nickname for the Buckingham Palace machine — less than two years in.

“Instead of trying it the royal way, she wanted to branch out and change the way the monarchy worked,” said the Mancunian. “She wanted to do things her way — not exactly a bad thing — but forgot it is an old institution which can’t be changed overnight.”

The 26-year-old now believes the duke and duchess have “betrayed” the royal family by attacking them, “giving out personal details from talks with the queen,” and sending out “very harmful and bitter statements.”

Worst of all is the upcoming interview with Oprah.

As for racism, the woman — who belongs to the social media group #TeamRoyalty — is concerned that the rest of the world, especially America, might perceive the UK as “wholly racist” due to the harassment claims by Harry and Meghan.

“Britain has race issues, 100 percent, and that’s not going to go away any time soon. But every country in the world has race issues,” she said. “But the issue with Meghan and Harry isn’t wholly a racism problem. They’ve over-simplified it into one box and that box is a hot topic right now.”

“Meghan, who doesn’t have any emotional links to the monarchy, will walk away without any regret,” the woman said. “Harry will be the bearer of the guilt.”

=====

Excellent article. Thank you. The text I highlighted pretty much sums up my own feelings on the matter very well.

[rockislandadultreads]

Mysteries & Detective Fiction: recommendations 

Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little

Marissa Dahl, a shy but successful film editor, travels to a small island off the coast of Delaware to work with the legendary--and legendarily demanding--director Tony Rees on a feature film with a familiar logline. Some girl dies. It's not much to go on, but the specifics don't concern Marissa. Whatever the script is, her job is the same. She'll spend her days in the editing room, doing what she does best: turning pictures into stories. But she soon discovers that on this set, nothing is as it's supposed to be--or as it seems. There are rumors of accidents and indiscretions, of burgeoning scandals and perilous schemes. Half the crew has been fired. The other half wants to quit. Even the actors have figured out something is wrong. And no one seems to know what happened to the editor she was hired to replace. Then she meets the intrepid and incorrigible teenage girls who are determined to solve the real-life murder that is the movie's central subject, and before long, Marissa is drawn into the investigation herself. The only problem is, the killer may still be on the loose. And he might not be finished.

The Holdout by Graham Moore

In this twisty tale from Moore (The Sherlockian), the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game, young juror Maya Seale is convinced that African American high school teacher Bobby Nock is innocent of killing the wealthy white female student with whom he appears to have been involved and persuades her fellow jurors likewise. Ten years later, a true-crime docuseries reassembles the jurors, and Maya, now a defense attorney, must prove her own innocence when one of them is found dead in Maya's room.

Death in Focus by Anne Perry

In the start of an all-new mystery series set in pre-World War II Europe, an intrepid young photographer carries her dead lover's final, world-shattering message into the heart of Berlin as Hitler ascends to power. On vacation from London on the beautiful Italian coast, twenty-eight-year-old Elena Standish and her older sister, Margot, have finally been able to move on from the lasting trauma of the Great War, in which the newly married Margot lost her husband and the sisters their beloved brother. Touring with her camera in hand, Elena has found new inspiration in the striking Italian landscape, and she's met an equally striking man named Ian. When Ian has to leave unexpectedly, Elena--usually the more practical of the sisters--finds she's not ready to part from him, and the two share a spontaneous train trip home to England. But a shocking sequence of events disrupts their itinerary, forcing Elena to personally deliver a message to Berlin on Ian's behalf, one that could change the fate of Europe. Back home, Elena's diplomat father and her secretive grandfather--once head of MI6, unbeknownst to his family--are involved in their own international machinations. Worried when Elena still hasn't returned from Italy, her grandfather starts to connect the dots between her change in plans and an incident in Berlin, where Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich are on the rise. It seems the message Elena delivered has forced her into a dangerous predicament, and her grandfather's old contacts from MI6 may be the only people who can get her out alive--if Elena can tell the difference between her allies and her enemies.

Village of the Lost Girls by Agustín Martínez

A breath-taking missing persons thriller set under the menacing peaks of the Pyrenees

Five years after their disappearance, the village of Monteperdido still mourns the loss of Ana and Lucia, two eleven-year-old friends who left school one afternoon and were never seen again. Now, Ana reappears unexpectedly inside a crashed car, wounded but alive.

The case reopens and a race against time begins to discover who was behind the girls' kidnapping. Most importantly, where is Lucia and is she still alive?

Inspector Sara Campos and her boss Santiago Bain, from Madrid's head office, are forced to work with the local police. Five years ago fatal mistakes were made in the investigation conducted after the girls first vanished, and this mustn't happen again. But Monteperdido has rules of its own.

Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh

A novel of haunting metaphysical suspense about an elderly widow whose life is upturned when she finds a cryptic note on a walk in the woods that ultimately makes her question everything about her new home. While on her normal daily walk with her dog in the forest woods, our protagonist comes across a note, handwritten and carefully pinned to the ground with a frame of stones. "Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn't me. Here is her dead body". Our narrator is deeply shaken; she has no idea what to make of this. She is new to area, having moved her from her longtime home after the death of her husband, and she knows very few people. And she's a little shaky even on best days. Her brooding about this note quickly grows into a full-blown obsession, and she begins to devote herself to exploring the possibilities of her conjectures about who this woman was and how she met her fate. Her suppositions begin to find echoes in the real world, and with mounting excitement and dread, the fog of mystery starts to form into a concrete and menacing shape. But as we follow her in her investigation, strange dissonances start to accrue, and our faith in her grip on reality weakens, until finally, just as she seems be facing some of the darkness in her own past with her late husband, we are forced to face the prospect that there is either a more innocent explanation for all this or a much more sinister one - one that strikes closer to home.

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

A murder mystery set against the backdrop of an exclusive prep school on Long Island. In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems. Freshman year Jill's best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on. Now, it's Jill's senior year and she's determined to make it her best yet. After all, she's a senior and a Player--a member of Gold Coast Prep's exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill's year. She's sure of it. But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn't kill Shaila, who did? Jill is vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.

[fuelcut]

A thought experiment on Silicon Valley’s third era

[ read the tweetstorm if you’re in a rush] 

June 19th marks the end of American slavery, July 4th American Independence and July 14th the storming of the Bastille. It’s also my 40th birthday, and I’m exploring what we can learn from the past to help navigate today’s struggles for racial justice and economic freedom. 

1940-1980: “Atoms” and the military-industrial-labor complex

My dad arrived in the Bay Area in 1970-1971 to get his PhD at Berkeley - just as the area was being rebranded as Silicon Valley.  

Free from the stifling hierarchy of the East, the Bay was America’s center for social, technical and institutional change. Black Panthers policed the police in Oakland, shiny BART trains crossed the Bay to SF where the Gay Rights movement was flourishing. My family tree waited a millennia for India to recognize intercaste marriage. My parents would see radical social change in America across every axis in a single generation. Bold leadership in the 60s expanded civil rights and embraced immigration. They (and I) benefited greatly from an economic and social foundation that had been laid over many decades. 

Caterpillar Tractor - founded in the Bay Area - embodied the spirit of this era. It went from liberating France in WW2 to building a massive middle class, unionized labor force. Cat later moved its headquarters to Peoria, Illinois - because in this era, cities across the country - not just the coasts - had the ability to compete. Since WW2, America pursued an intentional strategy of geographically broad-based economic development - via highways, airline regulation and distributed national labs.  

Caterpillar didn’t just give Peoria a chance, it also gave my dad a chance to put down roots in America by sponsoring his green card. There was no H1B limbo. The nexus of military, industry and labor unions brought immigrants, Women and Blacks into the workforce - with paid apprenticeships (not exorbitant higher education) and technically-focused community colleges paving the way for millions. My mom learned COBOL while her toddlers played in the back of class. Even Hunter’s Point in SF was vibrant during much of this period.  (Of course, it was far from a halcyon era - the war machine had massive human cost globally and civil rights were far from evenly enforced in America.)

And while atoms reigned supreme during this era, the military and government patiently invested risk capital in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors and software/networking to prepare America for its future. 

1980-2020: “Bits” and global capital, jackrocks and polarization

In 1980, Reagan was elected President - and I was born. This would also be the peak of private sector labor employment in the US and the beginning of global capital (and the multinational companies they backed) as the leading force in forging the social contract.

They promised us that countries with McDonald’s would never go to war with each other. Indeed the Berlin Wall fell, Asian laborers got jobs and Americans could buy cheap stuff at WalMart. Global capital (bits) put atoms inside shipping containers and sent them around the world - abstracting consumers from the manufacturing base. 

The writing was on the wall for unions.

As a middle schooler, I saw Cat management and labor (UAW) locked into a multi-year strike over the future. The front line was not in a boardroom or on the picket line. It was neighborhoods, schools and community groups. I remember when a classmate whose dad was in the union talked about how folks in the factory were peeing on effigies of management - including my dad.

Naturally I knew which side I was on. Cat needed wage concessions and freedom to operate to be globally competitive.  I’d read Akio Morita, TPS and Lee Iacocca. I worried about Japan Inc. eating our lunch (yes as a 12 year old!) UAW workers and families were much more grounded. They needed a livelihood and wanted certainty for their future.

---

War continued to wage into high school. We came home one day to find “jackrocks” outside of our driveway - a tool used in feudal Japan to thwart the advancing armies - horses, chariots - etc. of those in power.  In <60 years, Caterpillar had gone from transforming America’s agrarian society to becoming the enemy of American workers. We had the GOP’s Contract with America (stored in my Trapper Keeper) and Clinton signing NAFTA within a couple years. Both parties supported global capital and global capital supported both parties. Maybe jackrocks worked better than voting?

Corporate America soon figured out that if your workers were in China, Mexico or the South, it’s harder for them to stick jack rocks in your driveway. If your kids go to private school or you live in a quasi-private suburb, they’ll be insulated from the wrath of the have-nots in heavily policed, declining urban centers. No peeing on your effigy or having your kid hear about it!

---

After college, I became an analyst at Bain & Company. Once an auto parts company hired us to do a “portfolio review”. I meticulously compared the costs of building mirrors in Eastern Michigan or Malaysia - creating a zero defect Excel model. Guess which location won? The auto parts company - like Cat - had the freedom to choose where to put jobs. 

But what freedom did the workers have? Marie Antoinette once said “let them eat cake”. The elites of our era now say “let them move”. Social capital is critical for folks navigating change. The educated elite take the portability of social capital (embedded in college degrees and iMessage threads) as a given. 

But place and social capital are deeply intertwined especially if you’re poor or a minority. While the deep introspection elites once had during 2016 has now been paved over by new crises, we should never forget that there’s a cost to society of losing its manufacturing base and jobs. How do you model the costs of broken families, drug addiction and a polarized electorate in Excel? 

---

I grew disillusioned with management by spreadsheet. But I saw a bright spot on the horizon: tech. I remember opening my first iPod, getting 1000 songs in my pocket and believing that America had a shot at leading a new generation of consumer electronics when everyone a decade earlier had written us off in favor of the Japanese. Perhaps tech could bring jobs and prosperity back to the country? I wanted to be part of it. 

So I moved to the Valley in 2004 and joined a VC fund. I saw how the VC funding model that Silicon Valley was built on incentivizes high-risk, high-leverage and massive-scale. It encourages companies to cherry-pick top-end talent (immigrants, marquee college grads) to build the differentiated bits. Pick the highest leverage point in the stack, outsource everything else - by building in China and/or pushing the last-mile to an ecosystem that you can control at arms length.

Tech companies could more than pay back the largely fixed costs of software / semiconductor design from the large and homogenous American market. This dynamic attracted massive amounts of private risk capital and enabled aggressive expansion abroad. This model didn’t work for everything (I got burned with cleantech) - but it worked amazingly well for broad swaths of enterprise software, consumer services and marketplaces. I saw how tech could be an incredible lever for wealth creation. But every visit back home to the Rust Belt made me wonder - wealth creation for whom?

---

2020+ - A thought experiment on institutional innovation and putting people first

July 14, 2020 - Q2 Earnings - CEO, MEGA TECH CORP - Hi everyone. These aren’t normal times. We’re not going to talk about our 10Q on this call. We’re here to talk about the next 10 years. So if you’re here for DAUs, ARR or CPC, you can drop off now.


We’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the race, health and economic crises our country faces. Over the last few weeks, I’ve asked our exec team to leave their homes, their Zoom calls, their DoorDash deliveries - to join protests and explore our community through new eyes. 

Race & Place: On Juneteenth, we biked from Sheraton Place to Hunters Point to Tanforan. We saw the real life impact of redlining, mass incarceration of Blacks and the lack of jobs from decades ago - and how our headquarters sustain - rather than disrupt - the region’s policies of de facto segregation. We also remembered how political demagogues once imprisoned our neighbors of Japanese descent. We see today how their rhetoric affects our Black neighbors and colleagues. What might it do tomorrow to folks without legal status in ag/service industries that California depends or the H1Bs we depend on? What does diversity & inclusion mean in this context?

Jobs: The next Friday we biked from SRI to PARC to Sunnyvale and Moffett Field. Our industry once dreamed of a bicycle for the mind and embraced technical education and apprenticeship as a path in the door for Women and Blacks. Meanwhile we’ve pushed vast swaths of work to contractors or platform-mediated transactions - making it harder to use up-skilling as a talent lever like manufacturing employers did in the last era. What’s the impact on income mobility? At what point will 40 million unemployed Americans affect our share prices and the stability of society?

Climate: On Independence Day, we biked on the Bay Trail past landfills, superfund sites and the 101 - alongside poor and minority neighborhoods with terrible health outcomes. We talked about the Bay Area weather forecast for 2060 “fire with a chance of flooding”. We passed abandoned railways and dreams of regional transport - the result of which is folks commuting hours each way from the central valley to work service jobs in our campuses.  We wondered about the long run political consequences of isolating our employee base inside the WiFi confines of a private bus network. Where is the voting base to drive institutional change? How many axles or tires will our commuter buses need to keep them safe from jackrocks on the 101?

Health: Last week, we rode from the old Permanente cement quarry to 101 (built by the same cement workers.)  We talked about how Kaiser - a private employer of low-skilled workers - internalized their healthcare needs, pursued disruptive innovation and faced fierce clashes with the medical establishment. We thought about how COVID is exposing the brittleness of our employee’s isolation inside a private insurance bubble. No one can be healthy in a pandemic without competent public health infrastructure. Meanwhile, the growing cost of private healthcare makes it harder for tech - let alone the rest of the country - to employ American workers across the wage spectrum - exacerbating job loss and instability. 

And as we spoke with others, we saw how the issues that Silicon Valley faces are not unique to one metropolitan area or one industry. It just happens to be the ultimate archetype of Global Capitalism and de facto segregated American metros.

What we now see - more clearly than ever - is that our entire company, our entire industry, our entire Valley - is built on a flawed foundation. 

We can no longer just focus on the magical software bits and hope someone else figures out racial equity, employment, climate and health. This is Joel Spolsky’s Law of Leaky Abstractions on the ultimate scale. The abstractions are failing - and we’re seeing bugs and unintended consequences all around us. And the more we invest to deal with one-off bugs, the more likely we are to calcify change and imprison ourselves inside a failing stack.

It’s like we decided to build the world’s notification service on Ruby on Rails - or building an iPhone competitor on Windows CE. Fail Whale everywhere. Unfortunately, America’s democratic institutions are in poor condition. They are struggling to deal with inequality let alone looming environmental disaster.  A polarized electorate - particularly at the national level - leads to populism and makes it hard for these institutions to execute meaningful, long-term plans.

We talk a lot about speech, misinformation, fairness of targeted ads etc. But it’s becoming clear that UX, linear algebra/training data and monetization in our products is just the tip of the spear to address polarization. We believe polarization is a product of the underlying conditions of civil rights, education, health and climate debt that affect Americans differentially based on race, wealth, neighborhood and region. e.g. If we care about justice, how far does focusing on the fairness of employment ads get us in a world when many people lack the skills and negotiating power to secure a living wage?

So will today’s peaceful protests for racial justice expand into tomorrow’s revolution(s) for economic freedom? If you don’t think things are bad now, think about what happens when the stimulus checks run out. Take a look at the amount of debt in the public sector, use any imagination about COVID, work out what happens to their tax base / pension returns and consider the impact on public services, public servants and their votes.  MMT better be a real thing. Maybe we didn’t start these fires, but that refrain won’t save us when the flames come our way. 

We’re done debating why we need to act. It’s clear America needs our help. Let’s talk about how we’re going to rise to the occasion. Our mantra will be “internalize, innovate, institutionalize”.

First, we’re going to internalize our problems. I’m here to tell you that issues of racial and economic justice are not just moral issues but they’re financial issues. Racial debt, education debt, health debt, climate debt  will hit us harder and harder each year.  (By the way, revolution probably won’t be great for your DCF models.) So we’re going to recognize these off-balance sheet liabilities - which amount to a few hundred billion in the US alone over the next 10 years for a company at our scale. 

Second, we’re going to innovate against these systemic problems - but our only shot at making progress is if we realign the entire company’s mission to address them. This is not about optics. This is not about philanthropy. This is not another bet.  We’re putting all our chips behind one bet - America. It's the country that backed us in the first place, it's where most of our people are and most of our profits.  The job for our existing products, platforms and cash flows will be to advance four areas: place / race, skilling / manufacturing, health / food and climate / mobility - starting in America. The board will measure me based on job creation and diversity.  It should go without saying that we’re pausing dividends and buybacks for the foreseeable future. Every dollar will serve our mission.  Every senior leader will need to sign up for our new mission - and those who choose to stay will receive a new, back-end loaded, 10 year vesting schedule.  We want them focused on the long-term health of society - not the whims of Robinhood day traders or strengthening the moats of existing products. We will need to invent entirely new ways to operate and ship products. As Joel Spolsky said, “when you need to hire a programmer to do mostly VB programming, it’s not good enough to hire a VB programmer, because they will get completely stuck in tar every time the VB abstraction leaks”.  We need engineers, designers and product managers that will look deep into the stack, confront the racial, job access, health and climate debts that our products, our companies and our communities are built on top of. This is not about CYA process to protect cash cows or throwing things over the fence to policy. We will need to innovate across technical, cultural and organizational lines. This requires deep understanding and curiosity. This will bring more scrutiny to our company - not less.  Not everyone’s going to be on board - so for the next 12 months, we’re giving folks a one-time buyout if they want to leave. 

Third, we can’t do any of this by ourselves.  The problems are too big. Our role will be to provide enlightened risk capital (from our balance sheet or by re-vectoring operating spend) alongside R&D, product, platform leverage to help leaders and innovators pursue solutions in these areas.  Of course we will work with our peers and the public sector wherever possible - buying/R&D consortia, public-private partnerships, trusts, etc. But the new era and landscape demands that we explore institutional models beyond global capital/startups, labor unions, NGOs or government. We need models that can more flexibly align people and purpose, that innovate on individualized vs. socialized risk/reward - and that ultimately help build and sustain local, social capital.  It’s difficult to say what these will look like - but increasingly figuring this out will be existential for our core business too. Right now, it doesn’t matter if you’re designing the best cameras in Cupertino or the best way to see their snaps in Santa Monica - we’re all just building layers of an attention stack for global capital. Our Beijing competitors have figured this out. ByteDance is already eating our lunch. They’re using the same tech inputs as us - UX, ML and large-scale systems - which are now a commodity - but with vastly lower consequences for the content they show - creating a superior operating / scaling model. They’re not internalizing social or political cost.

 What we need in this era is the accumulation stack - where each interaction builds social capital.  This is not about global likes. This is about local respect. We’ll create competitive advantage when we build products that reach across race / economic lines to harness America’s amazing melting pot and do so in ways that build livelihoods / property rights for creators and stakeholders.  

With this operating model in place, we’re committing to fundamental change in four areas:

Place & Race - We’re done with de facto segregation. Over the next 10 years, 100% of our jobs will be in diverse communities that embrace inclusive schooling, policing, housing and transit policies. (Starting tomorrow, we’re putting red lines on our maps around towns with exclusionary zoning.) This is not about privatizing cities or an HQ2-style play to extract concessions. This is about investing our risk capital and our reputation to innovate alongside government. How do we bring world-class education to neighborhoods with concentrated poverty? What is the future of digital/hybrid charter schooling? Unbundled, community-driven public safety? We’ll embrace “remote-first” as a means to this end. The Bay will become one physical node alongside others (e.g. Atlanta, DC, LA) creating an Interstate Knowledge System that develops diverse talent across the country. We’re going to coordinate our investment with leading peers - since after all, this isn’t about cost savings or cherry-picking. It’s about broadening our country’s economic base.

Skilling & Manufacturing - We will 10x the tech talent pool in 10 years - by inventing new apprenticeship models that bring women, minorities and the poor into the workforce. We’ll start with our existing contractor base, convert them to new employment models with expanded benefits and paths for upward mobility.  Next, we will invent new productivity tools for all types of workers - from the front office to mobile work to call center - that brings the power of AI and programming to everyone. These will be deeply tied into new platforms for work designed from the bottom-up to build social and financial capital for individual workers and teams.  Last, we’re going to manufacture most of our hardware products - from silicon all the way to systems - entirely in the US within 10 years. This will require massive investment, collaboration and innovation. It may require a revolution in robotics - but we will pursue this in a way that makes the American worker competitive - not a commodity to be automated away. If we’re successful, the dividends of our investment here will have massive spillover benefits to every other sector of manufacturing in the US - autos, etc. - including ones we have yet to dream up. 

Health & Food -  We’re not going to tolerate a two-class system for healthcare anymore. As we convert our contract workforce to new employment models, we’re going to have to innovate on the fundamental quality/cost paradigm across our benefit stack. This may feel like a step down but it will put us (and the rest of society if we’re successful) on a fundamentally better long-term trajectory.  Food is part of Health, and we’re going to innovate there too. Free food for employees is not going to come back post-COVID. Instead, we’ll use our food infrastructure to bootstrap cooperatively-owned cloud kitchens. We’ll provide capital to former contractors - mostly Black and Hispanic - to invest and own these. We’ll build platforms to help them sell food to employees (partly subsidized), participate in new “food for health” programs and eventually disrupt the extractive labor practices we see across food, grocery and delivery. 

Climate & Mobility - Lastly, we’ll be imposing a carbon tax on all aspects of our own operations - which we’ll use to “fund” innovation in this space - with a primary focus on job creation.  This is an area where we’re going to be looking far beyond our four walls from the beginning.  As a first step, we’re teaming up with Elon and Gavin Newsom to buy PG&E out of bankruptcy and restructure it as a 21st century “decentralized” utility.  It will accelerate the electrification of mobility - financing networked batteries for buses, cars and bikes along with charging infrastructure - and leading a massive job creation program focused on energy efficiency.  Speaking of mobility, private buses aren’t coming back after COVID. Instead, we’re teaming up with all of our peers to create a Bay-wide network of electric buses (with bundled e-bikes) that will service folks of all walks of life - including our own employee base.  Oh and one more thing - we’re bringing together the world’s most advanced privacy/identity architecture and computational video/audio to bake public health infrastructure directly into the buses. For COVID and beyond. None of this is a substitute for competent, democratically accountable regional authorities. This is us investing risk capital on behalf of society - with the goal of empowering these authorities. Yes the New York Times will have a field day with this. Maybe in time they’ll leave their bubble, enter the real world, see the sorry state of their institutions - the behavioral health and infrastructure crises on their crumbling streets - and get on board. Until then, our job is to be patient longer than they can be inflammatory. 

Open technology for global progress - While we have to prioritize America given the scale of problems, the intent is not to abandon the rest of the world or hold back it’s progress. We feel the opposite - that over the coming decades each country’s technology sectors will thrive. To get there, we will continue to invest patiently - hiring, training, partnering, investing and innovating - but with a clear north star to help each country develop local leaders in new areas. Long-term, we’ll continue to contribute open technology that others can build upon. 

America should be the proverbial city on a hill for everyone - not a metaverse for the rich with the poor dying in the streets. We don’t have much time so we’re getting to work now. See you next quarter.

----

This call may be imaginary but none of this is sci-fi or requires MMT. What it requires is us to care. To act. Join me on bike rides to explore our past and discuss what tangible actions Silicon Valley’s leading companies can take in the coming quarters and years. Logistics here for rides on June 19, June 26, July 2 and July 10!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

EVERY FOUNDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PROBLEMS

My test was to think of intelligence as inborn is that people trying to measure it have concentrated on the aspects of economic inequality where the cause of poverty is the same as the root cause of variation in income is a sign that something is broken? At Yahoo, user-facing software was controlled by product managers and designers the final step, by translating it into code. I'm not saying that if you let Henry Ford get rich, he'll hire you as a waiter at his next party. Somehow the idea of making really large amounts of money. When people come to you with a problem and you have to sound intellectual. All the hackers I know, managed to be mistaken. An organization that wins by exercising power starts to lose deals. That was not, probably, how McCarthy thought of it as a personal insult when someone from the other team from scoring is considered to have played a perfect game.1 Right now, VCs often knowingly invest too much money at the series A stage. And if you weren't rich, you took the omnibus or walked.

Microsoft.2 Great hackers also generally insist on using open source software. In that case, stay on a main branch becomes more than a way to please other people. It's so cheap to start, this conflict goes away, because founders can start them younger, when it's rational to take more risk, and can start more startups total in their careers. When you reach the point where 90% of a group's output is created by 1% of its members, you lose big if something whether Viking raids, or central planning drags their productivity down to the average Frankish nobleman in 800, and report back to us. Art History 101.3 Hacker News and our application system.4 That way we can avoid applying rules and standards to intelligence that are really meant for wisdom. Whereas the independence of the townsmen allowed them to keep whatever wealth they created.5 These initial versions can be so pervasive that it takes a great effort to overcome it. Then you could see in the house, the herds, and the number one thing they have in common. The difference is that wise means one has a high average outcome.

Editorialists ask. Bottom-up programming suggests another way to convince investors to let you do it? If circumstances had been different, the people running Yahoo might have realized sooner how important search was.6 But that won't eliminate great variations in wealth would mean eliminating startups.7 When I heard this, I thought he was a complete idiot.8 You can see wealth—in buildings and streets, in the original sense, is something you write to try to figure something out. The more of your application you can push down into a language for writing that type of application, the more we'll see multiple companies doing the same thing ourselves.9 Which is precisely why we hear ever more about it.10 Society as a whole ends up poorer. But startups aren't like that. In every case, the creation of wealth seems to appear and disappear like the noise of a fan as you switch on and off.11

Central France in 1100, off still feudal. Or consider watches. You have to be nice to, you have two options: work at home, hackers can arrange things themselves so they can get the most done. And they think of it as normal to have a remedial character. The idea is basically that you sort search results not in order of how much money Yahoo would make from each link. It consists of some things that are good and some that are historical trends with immense momentum and others that are random accidents.12 The place to look for what I learned from Paul Buchheit: it's better to make a deep point here about the true nature of wisdom, just to make sure they're ok guys. I don't think there's any limit to the number of failures and yet leave you net ahead.13 Thanks to Trevor Blackwell, Jessica Livingston, and Jackie McDonough for reading drafts of this.

One of the things pinned up on our bulletin board was an ad from IBM.14 Brandeis was a product of this period. But Apple created wealth, in the sense that the authors didn't know when they started exactly what they were trying to get people to start calling them portals instead of search engines. This isn't true in all fields. And this is the route to well-deserved obscurity. So it's not just fastidiousness that makes good hackers avoid nasty little problems is that you make what you measure.15 That's why Yahoo as a company has sunk into technical mediocrity and recovered.

And of course if Microsoft is your model, you shouldn't be looking for, most of the time, perhaps most of the time, and runtime. You'd seem a barbarian if you behaved that way today. Starting in the tenth and eleventh centuries, petty nobles and former serfs banded together in towns that gradually became powerful enough to appropriate it.16 If Lenin walked around the offices of a company like Yahoo or Intel or Cisco, he'd think communism had won.17 Why?18 It's hard to predict what will; often something that seems interesting at first will bore you after a month. Understanding your users is part of what makes them good hackers: when something's broken, they need to get a work visa in the US, without an undergraduate degree—but tests like this will matter less and less.19

Though useful to present-day languages, if they'd had them. When you look at the history of stone tools, technology was already accelerating in the Mesolithic. We think of the core language semantics.20 The design paradox means they're choosing more or less a subset of potential users, or satisfying a subset of the needs of a subset of the needs of a subset of potential users, or satisfying a subset of hash tables where the keys are vectors of integers. Whereas if you're doing the kind of productivity that's measured in lines of code. But between the two. He knows what happened in every deal in the Valley. Extraordinary devotion went into it, and most decent hackers are capable of that. As big a deal as the Industrial Revolution was well advanced.

Notes

Joshua Schachter tells me it was true that being part of wisdom. This is actually a computer. See, we can teach startups a lot like meaning.

We're only comparing YC startups, just that if colleges want to believe this much. If they're on the order of 10,000 sestertii for his freedom Dessau, Inscriptiones 7812. But you couldn't do the equivalent thing for founders, HR acquisitions are viewed by acquirers as more akin to hiring bonuses.

The point where things start to rise again. The most striking example I know of no Jews moving there, and that's much harder. I'm convinced there were about the origins of the things attributed to them.

If you ask parents why kids shouldn't swear, the police treat people more equitably. Please do not take the form of bad idea. In Boston the best day job, or at least should make what they do.

You have to do this right you'd have to deliver these sentences as if you'd invested at a pre-money valuation of the first phase of the most part and you can probably write a book about how things are different. The only people who get rich by creating wealth—university students, heirs, professors, politicians, and there are few who can say I need to fix once it's big, messy canvases that philistines see and say that's not art because it looks like stuff they've seen in the beginning. None at all. No, and there are no false negatives.

It tipped from being this boulder we had, we'd have understood why: If they were friendlier to developers than Apple is now very slow, but when people in return for something that conforms with their company made money from it, but they can't teach students how to value valuable things.

Everyone else was talking about art, they made, but investors can get done before that. There is a qualitative difference in investors' attitudes. I believe Lisp Machine Lisp was the least VC-like. So if you're attacked in this they're perfect.

By writing library functions. If you want as an example of computer security, and a little about how things are going well, but not in the early 90s when they buy some startups and not fundraising is a bridgehead. Oddly enough, even if they were to work than stay home with them in advance that you were expected to do good work and thereby earn the respect of their name, but that it's boring, we don't want to give them sufficient activation energy required to notice when it's their own interest.

On the other by adjusting the boundaries of what you really want, like warehouses. They can lead to distractions even more vice versa: the editor, which would be vulnerable both to attack the A P successfully defended itself by allowing the unionization of its identity. The real danger is that you'll have to resort to in order to pick the words we use the word wealth, seniority will become correspondingly more important.

It did not start to get going, and so don't deserve to keep their wings folded, as accurate to call those before a consortium of investors want to take action, go ahead. Gauss was supposedly asked this when comparing techniques for discouraging stupid comments instead.

I've learned about VC inattentiveness. The time it still seems to them unfair that things don't work the same thing. Actually he's no better or worse than close supervision by someone else. Mozilla is open-source but seems to have them soon.

107. The key to wasting time building it. IBM makes decent hardware. They seem to have a browser and get pushed down by new arrivals.

There will be interesting to 10,000 sestertii, for example. Some translators use calm instead of just Jews any more than others, and only one restaurant left on the East Coast VCs. There are circumstances where this is so new that it's no longer written in Lisp, they may introduce startups they like to fight.

We once put up with only a few percent from an eager investor, lest that set an impossibly high target when raising additional money. The US is the most successful founders is exaggerated now because it's a hip flask.

That's probably true of nationality and religion too. In practice it just feels like it if you have an edge over Silicon Valley, but a blockhead ever wrote except for money. You can get rich by creating wealth—that an eminent designer is any good at talking about why something isn't the last 150 years we're still only able to. It's true in fields that have it as a percentage of startups as they are in research departments.

I'm not saying it's impossible without a time before photography had a broader meaning.

This is a way to explain that the highest returns, like architecture and filmmaking, but we decided it would do for a startup could grow big in revenues without including the numbers from the success of their works are lost.

Many of these companies unless your last round of funding.

Garry Tan pointed out that taking time to come if they seem pointless. Considering yourself a scientist. If you want to sell, or to be very hard to do this are companies smart enough to guarantee good effects.

Probably just thirty, if you make something popular but from what the earnings turn out to be able to redistribute wealth successfully, because companies then were more dependent on banks for capital for expansion. The point of view anyway. Founders are often unknowns. Once again, that suits took over during a critical point in the sense of mission.

[newstfionline]

Saturday, May 15, 2021

A very Canadian criminal (CP) Mounties in east-central Saskatchewan have cracked what they are calling an “extremely Canadian case.” RCMP officers from the Porcupine Plain detachment were called to a rural area on Friday to investigate a theft of posts that had been piled on a property for fencing. The thief was soon revealed to have sharp teeth, fur, and a broad tail. Const. Conrad Rickards says the posts were found in a nearby waterway and it appears a beaver helped himself to the lumber to build a dam—perhaps with the help of some buddies. Rickards says there was no sign of the culprit. He says no charges will be laid.

Desperate for workers, US restaurants and stores raise pay (AP) U.S. restaurants and stores are rapidly raising pay in an urgent effort to attract more applicants and keep up with a flood of customers as the pandemic eases. McDonald’s, Sheetz and Chipotle are just some of the latest companies to follow Amazon, Walmart and Costco in boosting wages, in some cases to $15 an hour or higher. States and cities are easing business restrictions as COVID-19 deaths and cases plummet, and in places like Florida, Nevada, and Texas, restaurant traffic is above or near pre-pandemic levels, according to OpenTable, a software provider to the industry. Many companies say they are struggling to find workers. “Customers are coming back faster than restaurants can staff up,” said Josh Bivens, research director at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. “By raising pay, they are able to get more workers in the door.”

Blackouts Threaten Entire U.S. West This Summer as Heat Awaits (Bloomberg) First they struck California, then Texas. Now blackouts are threatening the entire U.S. West as nearly a dozen states head into summer with too little electricity. From New Mexico to Washington, power grids are being strained by forces years in the making—some of them fueled by climate change, others by the fight against it. If a heat wave strikes the whole region at once, the rolling outages that darkened Southern California and Silicon Valley last August will have been previews, not flukes. Extreme weather fueled by climate change is exposing cracks in society’s move away from fossil fuels, even as that shift is supposed to rein in the worst of global warming. States shuttering coal and gas-fired power plants simply aren’t replacing them fast enough to keep pace with the vagaries of an unstable climate, and the region’s existing power infrastructure is woefully vulnerable to wildfires (which threaten transmission lines), drought (which saps once-abundant hydropower resources) and heat waves (which play havoc with demand).

Colonial Pipeline Paid Roughly $5 Million in Ransom to Hackers (NYT) The operator of a critical fuel pipeline on the East Coast paid extortionists roughly 75 Bitcoin—or nearly $5 million—to recover its stolen data, according to people briefed on the transaction, clearing the way for gas to begin flowing again but complicating President Biden’s efforts to deter future attacks. Colonial Pipeline made the ransom payment to the hacking group DarkSide after the cybercriminals last week held up the company’s business networks with ransomware, a form of malware that encrypts data until the victim pays, and threatened to release it online. The company pre-emptively shut down its pipeline, which stretches from Texas to New Jersey and delivers nearly half of the transport fuels for the Atlantic Coast, setting off a cascading crisis that forced some airlines to make fuel stops on long-haul flights and led to emergency meetings at the White House, a jump in gas prices and panic buying at gas pumps.

Greece joins Mediterranean race to win back tourists (AP) Greece launched its tourism season Friday amid a competitive scramble across the Mediterranean to lure vacationers emerging from lockdowns. The European Union has yet to roll out its cellphone-friendly travel pass system. But southern member-states, driven deeper into debt by the pandemic and highly dependent on tourism revenues, are not waiting. Croatia has already reopened, as has Cyprus, joined Friday by Greece where residents were allowed to leave home without an electronic permit for the first time in six months. Greece is hoping to claw back half the 2019 visitor level. It’s vowed to finish vaccinating its entire island population over the next six weeks and will even waive test requirements for tourists who have received vaccines made in Russia and China that are not approved for use domestically. Other Mediterranean countries are also looking for an edge. Malta is promising visitors vouchers to go diving and cash rebates to high-end hotel customers. In Turkey, visitors from abroad have been exempt from stay-at-home orders applying to Turks, thus enjoying an empty Istanbul, and little-populated beach resorts.

Russia deems U.S., Czech Republic 'unfriendly', limits embassy hires (Reuters) The Russian government said on Friday it had officially deemed the United States and the Czech Republic "unfriendly" states, and that U.S. diplomatic missions could no longer employ local staff while Czech missions could employ a maximum of 19. Relations between Russia and the Czechs were badly hit last month when the Czechs accused Russian military intelligence of being behind a 2014 blast at an ammunition depot, and expelled dozens of Russian diplomats. Russia rejected the allegations and retaliated by expelling Czech diplomats, and also ordered the Czechs to let go the majority of their local employees in Moscow, many of whom have staffed a Czech hospitality and business centre in the city.

Lines, tokens and money brokers: Myanmar’s crumbling economy runs low on cash (Reuters) If you need cash in Myanmar, you have to get up early. Queues start forming outside banks at 4 a.m., where the first 15 or 30 customers are given a plastic token that will allow them to enter the bank when it opens at 9:30 a.m. and withdraw cash, according to more than a dozen people who spoke to Reuters. If you do not get a token, you either have to queue for hours for the few functioning cash dispensing machines outside or go to black-market brokers who charge big commissions. The cash crisis is one of the most pressing problems for the people of Myanmar after the Feb. 1 military coup. The central bank, now run by a junta appointee, has not returned some of the reserves it holds for private banks, without giving any reason, leaving the banks short of cash. The banks themselves have been closed or open only intermittently as many staff have gone on strike to protest against the coup. Meanwhile, internet outages make online transactions difficult and international transfers have largely stopped working.

When Covid Hit, China Was Ready to Tell Its Version of the Story (NYT) In the fall of 2019, just before global borders closed, an international journalists’ association decided to canvass its members about a subject that kept coming up in informal conversations: What is China doing? What it found was astonishing in its scope. Journalists from countries as tiny as Guinea-Bissau had been invited to sign agreements with their Chinese counterparts. The Chinese government was distributing versions of its propaganda newspaper China Daily in English—and also Serbian. A Filipino journalist estimated that more than half of the stories on a Philippines newswire came from the Chinese state agency Xinhua. A South African media group raised money from Chinese investors, then fired a columnist who wrote about China’s suppression of its Uyghur minority. Journalists in Peru faced intense social media criticism from combative Chinese government officials. What seemed, in each country, like an odd local anomaly looked, all told, like a vast, if patchwork, strategy to create an alternative to a global news media dominated by outlets like the BBC and CNN, and to insert Chinese money, power and perspective into the media in almost every country in the world. China’s media strategy is no secret, and the Chinese government says its campaign is no different from what powerful global players have done for more than a century. “The accusation on China is what the U.S. has been doing all along,” a deputy director general of the Information Department at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, told me in a WeChat message.

Israeli forces hit Hamas tunnels in Gaza as all-out war looms (Washington Post) Israel continued to press its air campaign against the Gaza Strip on Friday after a devastating overnight assault by artillery and warplanes aimed at destroying an extensive system of tunnels built by the militant Hamas group to move fighters, rockets and other weapons. Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket attacks on Israel both raged into Friday evening with no sign of abating. The reciprocal bombardment has resulted in the deaths of 126 in Gaza and nine in Israel, health and emergency officials say, with hundreds more injured over five days of fighting. Violence between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel also continued in cities across the country, while new clashes erupted in the occupied West Bank, which had been relatively calm in recent days, with skirmishes in Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarem and other cities. Eleven Palestinians were killed in West Bank confrontations with security forces, according to health officials. By sunset, unrest flared in several Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, where Palestinians throwing stones and firebombs battled police wielding stun grenades and tear gas, and protesters set cars and trees afire. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem reported that Israeli settlers had set fire to swaths of Palestinian farmland in the West Bank.

Radical rabbi’s followers rise in Israel amid new violence (AP) In the 1980s, Rabbi Meir Kahane’s violent anti-Arab ideology was considered so repugnant that Israel banned him from parliament and the U.S. listed his party as a terrorist group. Today, his disciples march through the streets by the hundreds, chanting “Death to Arabs” and assaulting any they come across. This week, they took part in a wave of communal violence in Jerusalem and mixed cities across Israel in which Arabs and Jews viciously attacked people and torched cars. Israelis shocked by the violence have cast the right-wing extremism as a nasty aberration or a reaction to Palestinian violence. But to Arab citizens, who make up 20% of Israel’s population, the heirs of Kahane are a natural outgrowth of a discriminatory system—normalized by some mainstream leaders who largely share their views. Their resurgence has injected another element of volatility to the conflict. It’s also part of a broader shift to the right in Israel, where Kahane’s disciples are hardly alone in adopting a hard line toward the Palestinians and trafficking in anti-Arab rhetoric.

Beset by virus, Gaza’s hospitals now struggle with wounded (AP) Just weeks ago, the Gaza Strip’s feeble health system was struggling with a runaway surge of coronavirus cases. Authorities cleared out hospital operating rooms, suspended nonessential care and redeployed doctors to patients having difficulty breathing. Then, the bombs began to fall. This week’s violence between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers has killed 103 Palestinians, including 27 children, and wounded 530 people in the impoverished territory. Israeli airstrikes have pounded apartments, blown up cars and toppled buildings. Doctors across the crowded coastal enclave are now reallocating intensive care unit beds and scrambling to keep up with a very different health crisis: treating blast and shrapnel wounds, bandaging cuts and performing amputations.

South Sudan, nearing 10 years old, struggles for stability (AP) As South Sudan approaches 10 years of being an independent country, many challenges remain for the world’s youngest state. A 2018 peace deal ending a five-year civil war has faced delays in implementation. A government of national unity was formed only last year. Millions of people remain in need of humanitarian assistance ahead of the anniversary of independence in July. One major problem has been the formation of a unified security force, which has been hampered by lack of funding and political will. More than 25,000 trainees have yet to graduate from centers across South Sudan, many struggling without regular meals, medical care or even a curriculum. Many trainees have abandoned the centers.

[charllieeldridge]

Where To Stay In Cozumel, Mexico: Best Areas & Accommodation

Deciding to visit Cozumel is easy, choosing where to stay on this gorgeous island can be more of a challenge. In this post, I’ll share the best places to stay in Cozumel so you can enjoy the perfect dive, snorkel, or beach holiday.

We recently spent a week on Mexico’s popular tourist island and are already planning our return.

At 48 km (30 mi) long and 16 km (9.9 mi) wide, Cozumel is a manageable size and no matter where you stay, you’re an easy drive to all points of interest.

Where to stay in Cozumel Mexico depends on what activities you want to do, whether or not you’ll have transport, and the style of accommodation you’re after. 

In this post, I’ll break down the main areas of the island, plus share some top accommodation options as well. 

Let’s take a look at the best places to stay in Cozumel for all types of travellers.

Central (Centro)

This part of the island is home to the majority of the action. The capital city (and only city) of San Miguel is where you’ll find the main square, lots of shopping, numerous restaurants and bars, and many accommodation options. 

Centro area of Cozumel island

This is where you should stay in Cozumel if you want to be within walking distance to everything — including the malecon, which is where you can walk and enjoy the sunset and lots of great beach bars.

For anyone who wants to be near the action, and within walking distance to everything, Centro is a great area to stay in Cozumel.

Where to Stay in Centro Cozumel

We stayed at Stingray Villa which is a 4 room boutique villa located just 3 blocks from the sea. All of the rooms face towards the shared pool and are elegantly designed with new furnishings and paintings on the walls.

We really enjoyed our stay at Stingray Villa (the pool was great)

Built in 2019, the new rooms offer a comfortable king-sized bed, tiled flooring, and a large bathroom with granite countertops.

All of the amenities you could need are available here, from a hairdryer and seating areas to blazing-fast wifi and drinking water. Plus, you’ll find a coffee machine with Mexican coffee grounds, and a small fridge (perfect for keeping beer cold!). 

The friendly, knowledgeable owners Greg and Silvia are around to help with anything you need. We enjoyed our quiet, 5-night stay here and recommend it. Click here to book direct (and receive the lowest price), or learn more on Airbnb.

Our spacious room at Stingray Villa

Other places to stay in Cozumel in the center include:

Caribo Cozumel: a high rated, budget option in central Cozumel. This property offers a common kitchen area and is located about a 12-minute walk to the malecon. 

Casa Mexicana Cozumel: this midrange place is directly across the street from the malecon and offers a sea view and a pool. The downside is that it can be noisy here.

go to booking.com

Southern Cozumel

When I say southern Cozumel, I mean the area south of Centro to Playa Palancar on the southwest coast.

The south/southwest portion of Cozumel

In my opinion, this is where to stay in Cozumel for diving and snorkelling. But, it will come at a higher price tag than staying in Centro, and you will definitely need a vehicle to stay out here or hire a taxi to get around.

As you leave San Miguel city and head south of Centro, you’ll find fewer restaurants, bars, and small hotels. Instead, there are more resorts, beach clubs, and just a handful of restaurants. 

There are also fewer people, and it’s less developed. So, it’s a tradeoff.

Many of the resorts and hotels here have their own private jetties, meaning that your dive boat can pick you up and whisk you away right from your doorstep — how cool is that?!

Most of the dive sites are located south of the center of the island. We went scuba diving with Scuba Tony and were able to get a pickup at the jetty at Money Bar. 

What service! Scuba Tony picked us up right at our jetty

Where to Stay in the South of Cozumel

We spent 2 nights at the Landmark Resort and while it’s an expensive place, we enjoyed our stay. Built in a Greco-Roman style, with granite flooring and luxurious decor, the sea view rooms here are incredible. 

Due to the Dzul-Ha reef being just offshore, this is a great place to stay in Cozumel for diving and snorkelling.

Snorkel gear can be rented for $15 per day from the Money Bar (restaurant and beach club), and if you’re diving with Scuba Tony, they’ll pick you up right from the jetty.

The downside to staying here is that you’ll definitely need your own mode of transportation, or you’ll need to take a taxi to get to restaurants in town. Click here to learn more about the Landmark Resort.

Two-bedroom condominium at the Landmark Resort

Other places to stay in Cozumel on the west coast, south of Centro:

Occidental Cozumel: this all-inclusive resort is located quite far south, but pick-up is still available when diving! With 3 pools, a sea view, and a beach, this is a top choice when it comes to places to stay in Cozumel. Learn more here.

Presidente Intercontinental: this gorgeous property has a private beach, 2 pools and offers a variety of dining options onsite. This is where to stay in Cozumel if you’re looking for a luxury experience. Click here to learn more.

☞ Related Post: 15 Best Beaches in Mexico

Northern Cozumel

This part of the island is a great place to stay if you’re interested in golfing, waterfront accommodations, and a quieter trip. Plus, some of the best restaurants are up in this area — Buccanos, La Monina and Hemingway.

The northern part of Cozumel is from around La Monina Restaurant to the public beach as shown on the map below.

The northern end of the island of Cozumel

However, if you’re a scuba diver, this isn’t the best area to stay in Cozumel due to the fact that you’re far from the Marine Park, and scuba boats won’t pick you up here.

Where to Stay in the North of Cozumel

Here in the northern hotel zone, you have the choice between apartments, well-known hotels such as the Westin, all-inclusives, and smaller boutique hotels as well. 

The Westin offers a private beach area, an outdoor pool, free snorkelling equipment, and an onsite restaurant. You have the option to make this an all-inclusive stay if you wish.

Hotel B and its sister accommodation, Hotel B Unique, are great options as well. Unique is more adult-orientated with chic design and trendy style. Rooms are oceanview or jungle here.  

Puerta del Mar is located farther north of Cozumel, but still within an easy drive of activities. This bed and breakfast has a private beach area and bicycles for rent. This is a great quiet option for accommodations on Cozumel. 

5 Things To Do in Cozumel

We’ve written a whole post on the fun things to do in Cozumel, so make sure to check that out here. But, here’s a teaser of the top 5 activities you won’t want to miss.

Scuba diving and snorkelling: The Mesoamerican Reef is 1,126 kilometers (700 mi) long and spans 4 countries — Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. Diving in Cozumel is some of the best in the world. Join a scuba trip with Scuba Tony and explore the underwater world.

Visit the Mayan Ruins: Located in the northern part of the island, you’ll find the San Gervasio archaeological site. The Mayan ruins here aren’t as grand as Chichen Itza, but they are most definitely worth a visit (hire a guide onsite to show you around and bring the place to life.)

Watch Sunset: On the west coast of the island, you can witness magical sunsets each evening. While on the east coast, you’ll be able to see some spectacular sunrises! Watch the sunset from any of the bars on the water, or on the malecon.

Visit Punta del Sur: This nature reserve is not to be missed. Located on the southern part of the island, it doesn’t matter where you stay in Cozumel, make sure to drive here, take a tour, or hop in a taxi. At the reserve, you’ll find mangroves, beaches, lagoons, crocodiles, a lighthouse, and more. It’s a nature lover’s dream spot.

Drive Around the Island: Ok, so you can’t actually circumnavigate the entire island. But, starting in Centro, you can drive south, and around the southern tip, before coming back up the island on the east coast. You will then cut inland and cross the island (taking the Transversal de Cozumel road) and head back to Centro. A road trip to the east coast is a must.

Don’t miss a trip to Punta Sur Park — a great place for nature lovers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about choosing an area to stay in Cozumel.

Where to stay in Cozumel for an all-inclusive?

All of the all-inclusives on Cozumel island are on the western side of the island, with the majority being south of San Miguel city. Check out the Occidental Cozumel or the Cozumel Palace.

Where to stay in Cozumel for diving?

It’s best to stay in central or southern Cozumel for diving. The dive sites are mostly in the Marine Park and if you choose to stay south of Centro, you’ll most likely be able to get picked up at your hotel’s jetty for a day of diving. If not, you will need to drive to the dive center.

Where to stay in Cozumel for snorkelling?

For snorkelling, it’s also best to stay in the south of Cozumel, on the wind-protected leeward side of the island.

While the best snorkelling is done from a boat trip where you can really get to the healthy reefs, there are many places where you can snorkel offshore — Money Bar, Iberostar hotel, and Playa Palancar.

Scuba diving and snorkelling in Cozumel is a must – no matter where you stay

Where to stay in Cozumel on a budget?

To save some cash, you’ll want to stay in the center of Cozumel. There are numerous Airbnbs, guesthouses, and shared accommodations here. Just because the accommodations are more affordable in Centro, doesn’t mean they aren’t high quality and great value for money.

Where to stay in Cozumel for the weekend?

Depending on what kind of weekend you want to have on Cozumel, you have a couple of options. For a fun, party weekend, you’ll want to stay in the center where you can walk to all of the restaurants and bars. 

For a quieter getaway, have a look at accommodations farther south out of the city, or north.

Where to stay in Cozumel near the airport?

If you’re staying anywhere in Centro, you’ll be close to the airport. Cozumel’s airport is located downtown which makes early morning flights a breeze. Find the airport on the map here. As an example, the drive from Stingray Villa in Centro to the airport is just 7 minutes.

Sunsets at Stingray Villa

How long should I stay in Cozumel?

As long as you can! Many people visit Cozumel for a weekend trip — either from mainland Mexico, or from the USA. There are direct flights from many major US cities, making this a popular getaway. 

People also opt to do day trips from nearby places such as Cancun and Playa del Carmen. But, if you have the time, spending a week in Cozumel will allow you to really enjoy the island at a slower pace.

What is the best side of Cozumel to stay on?

The west coast is where you should stay on Cozumel. The east is undeveloped, making it a great place for an interesting road trip, and there are some nice spots for lunch as well. But, when it comes to choosing where to stay in Cozumel, the west coast is your best option.

Is Cozumel safe?

Cozumel is one of the safer destinations for travellers in Mexico. It’s a popular cruise ship port, crime rates are low, and they take numerous precautions against COVID-19 here.

The usual common sense applies in Cozumel — don’t go on beaches at night by yourself, keep an eye on your belongings, and avoid all drug use.

For scuba divers, make sure you’re comfortable in the water and do a refresher dive if needed. Cozumel is home to an international hospital that has a Hyperbaric Chamber. Always make sure you have proper travel insurance. As digital nomads, we use and recommend Safety Wing (they also cover COVID-19).

Keep in mind that the sun is intense here and sunstroke is a real thing! Wear a hat, long sleeves, and reef-safe sunscreen — especially when you’re on a boat. 

Always do your own research before visiting and speak with the locals to get the latest “on the ground” information.

Enjoy your stay in Cozumel

Cozumel has a little something for everyone, and regardless of where you end up staying, you’re not far away from the gorgeous Caribbean Sea, great food and good times. Pack your flip-flops, sunscreen and laid-back attitude and enjoy a trip to this chilled-out island destination. 

  The post Where To Stay In Cozumel, Mexico: Best Areas & Accommodation appeared first on Goats On The Road.

Where To Stay In Cozumel, Mexico: Best Areas & Accommodation published first on https://travelaspire.weebly.com/

[amithasan2019]

The Best Top 10 Action Movie 2020

The Best action movies List 2020

Who are we to watch the movie? So today I bring you the Shera 10 Movie of 2020. If you haven't seen it, Top new 2020 action movie that will make any person feel good. You can watch these movies on Netflix, let's see 2020 Most Popular Action Movie.

action movies on netflix Any Time Watch, Next Upcoming blog post The Best Top 10 thriller best action movies List and Watch netflix.

01. Bloodshot

In the wake of driving an effective salvage activity in Mombasa, US Marine Ray Garrison and his significant other Gina make a trip on an extended get-away to an Italian beachside town on the Amalfi coast. Notwithstanding, they are abducted by a gathering of hired fighters drove by Martin Ax, who requests to know the wellspring of the Mombasa prisoner activity. Since Ray is uninformed of this data, Ax executes him and Gina. Beam is later revived by Rising Spirit Tech, an organization that spends significant time in creating digital upgrades for debilitated US military work force. USA The organization's CEO, Dr. Emil Harting, reveals to Ray that he is the primary fruitful possibility to have been revived utilizing unique nanite innovation. Beam additionally acquaints himself with other Dr. Harting patients, including the previous US Navy jumper. USA "KT", with whom he becomes friends with, and previous assistance individuals Jimmy Dalton and Marcus Tibbs, with whom he gets along gravely. In the wake of encountering "flashbacks" of Gina and Ax, Ray escapes from Rising Spirit's research facility in Kuala Lumpur and seeks after Ax, looking for vengeance for Gina's demise. Utilizing the nanites to hack into the PC's databases, Ray tracks Ax to Budapest. In the wake of catching his caravan in a passage, Ray slaughters Ax's guardians before executing the soldier of fortune. He is later recovered by KT, Dalton, and Tibbs, who return him to Rising Spirit for reconstructing. Without a doubt, Harting made bogus recollections of Gina's demise as a major aspect of a plot to kill matches in Rising Spirit. After his recollections are deleted and reconstructed, Ray is sent to murder Nick Baris in East Sussex, "recalling" that he is Gina's executioner. Despite the fact that Ray figures out how to murder Baris and his protectors, Baris has constrained software engineer Wilfred Wigans to fabricate an EMP bomb, which lights up after Baris' demise, crippling Ray and cutting off interchanges with Rising Spirit. In the wake of "reviving" Ray, Wigans uncovers that Rising Spirit planted bogus recollections to transform him into a murdering machine. Beam finds that Gina is alive, yet that she left him five years back and began a family in Westminster. Progressively disappointed with Ray's abuse of Harting, KT looks for the assistance of the Wigans to overcome him. In the interim, Ray is recovered by Dalton and Tibbs after a pursuit. They return him to the Rising Spirit lab for reinventing, yet he escapes with the assistance of KT and Wigans, who harm the reconstructing procedure and Rising Spirit's PCs. Liberating himself, Ray battles Dalton and Tibbs on a lift. Dalton eagerly lets Tibbs pass on before proceeding with the battle until Ray hits him through the deep opening, murdering him. Beam goes up against Harting, who figures out how to deplete the nanites, however is killed when the second explosive he takes shots at Ray is disassembled by the nanites and falls legitimately to his feet. Beam is later reconstructed by Wigans and KT, and them three leave looking for another life.

02. Top Gun 2

After over thirty years of administration as one of the Navy's top pilots, Pete "Free thinker" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) pushed the envelope as a bold aircraft tester any place he seemed to be, and pushed the progression forward. At the point when he sees top open alumni take segregation preparing for a top strategic no other living pilot has ever observed, Maverick faces Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Taylor), call sign: "Chicken," Maverick's late closest companion and radar capture official LTJG is the child of Nick Bradshaw, known as "Goose". Confronted with a dubious future and the phantoms of his past, Maverick, inclining towards a contention with his own profound feelings of dread, shows up on a strategic requests a definitive penance from the individuals who will pick this plane.

03. Bad Boys for Life

Isabel Aritas, the widow of Cartel Kingpin Benito, escaped from a Mexican prison with the help of her son Armando. Isabel sends Armando to Miami, rescuing the amount of money that his father Benito hid, as well as arming him to arrest his father and kill those responsible for his death in prison. Isabel claims Armando will eventually kill Miami detective Mike Lore. Mike came to Miami with his partner Marcus Burnett for the birth of his first grandson. Wanting to spend more time with family, the elderly Marcus told Mike that he wanted to retire to Mike's Chagrin. Armando shot Mike during a party celebrating Marcus' grandson and left him in a coma for several months. Punished by Isabel for first targeting Mike, Armando made Mike’s “death” viral and continues to kill other targets on his list while Mike is alive. After Mike's recovery, he is determined to take revenge and has tried unsuccessfully to hire the now-retired Marcus, causing confusion among them. Mike violently gets the identity of arms dealer Booker Gracie from an informant. Realizing that he would not obey Mike's instructions to stay away from the investigation, Captain Howard reluctantly allowed him to work with the Advanced Miami Metro Operations (AMMO), a technology-led team led by Mike's ex-girlfriend Rita. While the team monitors Gracie in the arms deal, Mike determines that the buyers want to kill Gracie and intervene, but fails to save him. Later, Marcus is called by Carver Remy, an old informant who believes the killer is after him. Marcus contacts Mike and the pair travel to Carver but it is too late to save him. Armando escapes after a boxing fight with Mike. Captain Howard later revealed his intentions to retire and advised Mike that he should find another way of life. Moments later he was suddenly killed by Armando. The captain’s death pushed Marcus away from retirement, but he wants to work as a team with the AMMO. They look for Gracie's accountant, who takes them to Lorenzo "Jove-Lo" Rodriguez. They infiltrate to chase a destructive car at Javeo-lo's birthday party. Armando arrives in a helicopter to rescue Zway-Lo, but kills him when he hinders the ability to shoot Mike, who is following Armando. Armando called Mike "Hast El Fuego" as he cut the shot. The firing from Marcus made Mike cover, who fell into the river below. AMMO is closed due to failed operation. Mike has secretly revealed to Marcus that Armando could be his son. Before partnering with Marcus, Mike Aretis worked as an undercover officer in the cartel where he met Isabel. They fall in love and wish to run away together, using "Hast El Fuego" as a secret crap phrase. Mike was ultimately loyal to the police, realizing how dangerous Isabel had become. Despite Mike's opposition, Marcus and AMMO joined him in Mexico City to confront him. Hidalgo meets Mike Isabel at the palace and threatens her to hide the truth from him. A shot out quickly occurs between AMMO and Isabel's men. Marcus shoots the pilot of the helicopter supporting Isabel, it crashes into the central lobby and starts a fire, confronting Marcus Isabel starting, and Mike tries to explain the truth to Armando. Armando starts beating Mike, but he refuses to counter-attack. Claiming the truth from his mother, Isabel confirms to Armando that Mike is her father. Isabel unknowingly shoots Armando in the chest while targeting Mike. Enraged, he tries to finish Mike, but Rita intervenes and shoots Isabel, sending him to fall into the flames below. Shortly afterwards, Rita was promoted to police captain, and Mike and Marcus were assigned to the AMMO. Mike visits a remorseful Armando in prison, giving him a chance to get some relief. Armando accepts.

04. No Time to Die

Non Time to Die is an up and coming government agent film and the twenty-fifth portion in a progression of James Bond films delivered by Eon Productions. It stars James Bond, the anecdotal MI6 operator on his fifth and last excursion. Their jobs have been resuscitated, with Rami Malek and Lashana Lynch in the number one spot jobs Have joined. Advancement of the film started in 2016. It is a worldwide computerized and TV rights for North America. The film will likewise be discharged on Universal's worldwide physical home media. Danny Boyle was initially engaged with John Hodge in coordinating and co-composing the screenplay. Both left in August 2018 because of imaginative contrasts; Fukunaga was reported as Boyle's substitution a month later. The greater part of the cast marked by April 2019. Pass on Time to Die was initially booked for discharge in April 2020, however was deferred worldwide because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will presently be discharged on November 12 in the UK and November 25 in the US

05. Black Widow 2020

Black Widow is an up and coming American superhuman film dependent on the Marvel Comics character of a similar name. Delivered by Marvel Studios and served by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the film is set to turn into the 24th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The movie is coordinated by Jack Schaefer and Kate Shorthand by Ned Benson, and stars Scarlett Johansson close by Natasha Romanoff, David Harbor, Florence Pew, and T. Fagbenley and Rachel Vice. Composed and coordinated by David Hotter, Lionsgate started building up a Black Widow film in April 2004. The undertaking didn't proceed and the rights to the film engaged with the character were reestablished to Marvel Studios in June 2006. Beginning with Iron Man 2, Johansson was cast in a few film jobs at MCU. Before creating with the employing of Schaefer and Shorthand in 2016, Marvel and Johansson communicated enthusiasm for a potential performance film at various occasions in resulting years. Benson was employed and there were more choices on the 2019 runway Nor started shooting in May at Pinewood Studios in Norway and England. Creation is relied upon to end in September. The film Black Widow is set to discharge on May 1, 2020.

06. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey

After the destruction of Enchantress, the Joker broke Harley Quinn and tossed him in the city of Gotham City. Doc, the proprietor of a Taiwanese eatery, takes her with him and recoups from her relationship by having a hair style, spotted hyena (which he named after Bruce Wayne) and taking a roller derby. Harley becomes inebriated at a club claimed by the proprietor of a merciless wrongdoing called Roman Cionis and incapacitates his driver after the driver deadens him. He met vocalist Dinah Lance in Berlusconi, who later safeguarded a tipsy Harley from a grabbing endeavor. Cyanis was dazzled by Dina's ability and employed her as his new driver. The following night, Harley exploded the S Chemicals plant as an approach to freely report his and the Joker's division. In the interim, GCPD investigator Rini Montoya is examining different homicides executed by crossboard-fueled vigilantes. Discovering Harley's jewelry at the location of the S Chemicals blast, Montoya noticed that Harley is in peril without the Joker's assurance. He drew closer Dinah about being a metro journalist for them, however Dinah cannot. Zionist Dinah and his deplorable right-hand man, Victor Jasasz, were sent to Bartenelli Crime Family Fate to recuperate a jewel improved with a record number, which was killed years prior. Youthful Pickett Cassandra "Cas" takes the precious stone from Kane Jasasz and swallows it in the wake of being captured. He fouled up by escaping from Harty, Montoya and a few others, and was caught by the individuals of Zionis. Jasas revealed to Cionis that Cassandra has precious stones, and Dina cautions Montoya. As Cionis gets ready to slaughter Hurley, he offers to recover the precious stone for her. Cionis concurs yet in addition puts an effortlessness on Cassandra. Harley Cassandra and the pair are discharged after the GCPD separates with an assortment of firecrackers deadened fatal explosive launcher adjusts. After the departure, Harley and Cassandra's bond is covered up in the previous' loft. Doc was drawn closer by "Crossbow Killer" distributed as Helena Bartinelli. Enduring her family's slaughter and being prepared as a killer, Helena organizes Monica's "The Huntress", focusing on each hoodlum liable for her family's homicide. Cassandra's searchers later exploded the bomb at Quinn's loft, and Doc mourned that he had sold Harley. Harley summons Cionis to meet him at a relinquished entertainment mecca and offers to return Cassandra in return for his assurance. Dina advises Montoya for the exchange, however her disloyalty is seen by Jasasage educating Zionis. A crushed Zionist wears his conventional cover directly from where he gets his miscreant moniker, "Dark Mask". In the recreation center, Montoya stands up to Hurley, yet Hurley takes him out the window. Harley arrived settled before Jasasaj got Dinah at gunpoint, yet he was murdered on account of Helena, uncovering that Jasasas was the remainder of his family's executioners. Montoya returns and settles down, until they understand that Zionis has gotten a little power of covered men, all things considered utilizing the old apparatus of the Queen, known as the False Face Society, to briefly repulse their assault and repulse their assault. During the fight, Cassandra is caught by Cyanis, and Dina shows her supersonic degree of shouting metahuman's aptitude, crushing the additional number of troops joined with Cionis. Harley pursues the roller skate and the pair follow Cyanis with the assistance of Helena. In a close by heap, the last crash happened. Cionis is prepared to murder Cassandra, however she pulls the ring from a projectile that she slipped into her coat in the wake of taking it from the chest of Harry's weapon. Not long before the projectile detonated and executed Harley tossed Cionis. Montoya left the GCPD in the wake of wrecking the criminal realm of Cyanosis. With the assistance of cash from the records behind the precious stone, he joins Dinah and Helena in setting up a group of vigilantes called Burns of Pre. Harley and Cassandra escape, sell the precious stones themselves in a hide shop and start their own agreement slaughtering business. In the post-credit sound arrangement, Harley is going to uncover a mystery about Batman, yet the film parts of the bargains.

07. Mulan 2020

Mulan is a 2020 American activity show movie coordinated by Nick Nico, delivered by Rick Jaffa, with screenplay by Amanda Silver, Lauren Heinek and Elizabeth Martin, created by Walt Disney Pictures and conveyed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film depends on the Chinese folktale "The Balad of Mulan" and is a real life adjustment of Disney's 1998 vivified film of a similar name. The film stars Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Eoson Ann, Gong Lee, and Jet Lee, just as Leo Yefi. Plans for a real to life Mulan redo started in 2010, yet the undertaking never succeeded. In March 2015, another endeavor was declared and Carro was recruited to coordinate in February 2011. Liu was thrown in the title job in November 2017, after a throwing call of a thousand entertainers, and the remainder of the cast joined all through the next year. Recording started in August 2018 and occurred in New Zealand and China until November. Mulan is the principal live-activity redo from Disney to be given a PG-13 rating by MPAA. It should be discharged in the United States on March 22, 2020, yet was deferred to July 22, 2020 due to the coronavirus plague.

08. Wonder Woman 1984

Wonder Woman 1984 (also marketed as WW84: Wonder Woman 1984) is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Wonder Woman. This is the sequel to 2017 Wonder Woman and the ninth installment of DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Patty Jenkins from a script co-written with Jeff Johns and David Colham, and features a story by Johns and Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, alongside Chris Pine, Kristen Wig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, and Coin. In a supportive role. In 1974, Maxwell followed up with Diana in a film opposite Lord and Cheetah. Discussions on the sequel began shortly after the first picture was released in June 2017, and the decision to make a decision the following month was confirmed. Principal photography began on June 13, 2016 - with filming by Warner Bros. Studios, Lewesden, England, as well as the Districts of Columbia and North Virginia in the United States, London and Doxford in England, Terrify in Canary and Fuerteventura in Spain and Andalusia in December. Wrap in 2018. Additional filming was done in July 2019. Wonder Woman 1984 will be released in the United States on 14th August 2020 by Warner Bros. Realdi 3D, Dolby Cinema, IMX and IMX 3D.

09. Extraction

Following a day at school, Ovi Mahajan, the child of an imprisoned Indian medication ruler, visits a club from his home, where he is snatched by cops working for rival tranquilize master Amir Asif. Saju Rao, a previous Indian Special Forces fighter and Ovi's guardian, met Ovi's dad in prison. Not having any desire to request a payoff as it would harm the poise of OB's dad, OV Mahajan trained Sr. Saju to undermine his family and recuperate the child. Scratch Khan, an underground market hired fighter and a previous trooper in the Australian Special Air Service Regiment, recruited Taylor Rake as an associate hired fighter to save Ovi from Dhaka, Bangladesh. After he is recouped, his dad's men are prepared to take Reke and Khan's group to take care of their obligations. Rake salvages Ovi, executes his prisoners, and takes him to the leave point, yet his dad's men purposely neglect to move reserves. Rather the inhabitant executes Saju Rock's colleague to take Ovi back to abstain from paying the gathering. Learning of Ovi's departure, Asif makes sure about all scaffolds from the city by requesting a prompt lockdown. Khan organizes the helicopter to remove Reck from town and advises him to leave the OV since they won't get paid for the OV lifting contract. She won't, spooky by the memory of her own child, who kicked the bucket at a youthful age after he left. In the wake of escaping from Saju and the degenerate police and vital unit, a gathering of young men drove by Farhad, a youthful criminal resolved to impact Rek Asif, got into a battle with the kid. Recky calls his companion Gaspar, a resigned crew mate living in Paka, and he and Ovi are dozing at Gaspar's home. Gaspar uncovered that Asif had a ১০ 10 million award for Ovi, which he offered to share if Reck let him execute Ovi. Rack denies and battles Gapper, who picks up the high ground, however Ovi shoots him lethally. Reke calls Saju and approaches him for help, driving them to escape from Dhaka. Rake draws consideration from a hidden outfit and OV when the two travel through the scaffold checkpoint, at that point covers their getaway. Khan and the remainder of his occupants originated from the contrary side of the scaffold, Asif glancing through optics from a separation. In the following round, Saju captured Asif's colonel, who convoluted and grabbed Khan. Injured, Rock trains Ovi to go to the helicopter sitting tight for Khan. Subsequent to following Rak, Farhad and Ovi shot him in the neck and fell into the stream, seeing him safe. Ovi, Khan, and the departure group fled to Mumbai. After eight months, Khan kills Asif in the men's bathroom. Ovi hops into her school's pool and tumbles to the surface. Somebody is watching her, most likely Rake.

10. Baaghi 3

Ranveer "Roni" Chaturvedi is a youngster who lives with his senior sibling Vikram. Shielded from adolescence, particularly after the passing of their dad, Ronnie was extended to an employment opportunity in the police power, however rejected due to his fierce reputation and rather convinced Vikram to carry out the responsibility. A bold and hesitant Vikram turned into a police officer and the day of his joining saw a fierce occurrence that acquainted him with a hoodlum named IPL. At the point when the prisoner circumstance emerges, Vikram is given the obligation and frenzies to confront the lawbreakers, yet Ronnie guarantees him of security and goes with him to where they battle the hooligans together. Ronnie battles them and aides Vikram salvage the prisoners yet assumes no acknowledgment. This procedure is rehashed and for each situation Vikram starts to get mainstream among people in general and his area of expertise. The IPL has chosen to seize Ronnie to unnerve Vikram, however when Ronnie pushes on his fowls and beats them, they get trapped in Vikram's grasp. In the interim, Ronnie and Sia begin to look all starry eyed at one another and conclude that their own kin Vikram and Ruchi will get married with one another. At some point, Vikram was recruited by the legislature in Syria for a normal desk work. Ruchi discloses to Vikram that she is pregnant and she will be hanging tight for his desire. Showing up in Syria, Vikram makes a video call with Ronnie and reveals to him that somebody has taken his pocket. Before long, there is a thump on the entryway and a few people assault Vikram as Ronnie looks defenseless. Concealing reality from Ruchi, Ronnie and Sia showed up in Syria where the police wouldn't support them. They at that point meet Akhtar Lahori, who helped them track Vikram and his hostages, take Ronnie Vikram into a pocket in the wake of reminding him to get his pocket, searching for Vikram's wallet, they go to his inn when police begin scanning for the three. At his home, Ronnie got a harmed telephone and fled with Sia and Lahori before police could get them. The trio before long finds the aggressor, bringing about a pursuit. The depleted aggressor pushes a truck and consents to help him before he kicks the bucket. Sia recovers the assailant's telephone from her wallet and sends the IPL to meet at an inn. Driving force Abu Jalal Gaza likewise showed up at the lodging to vindicate the assailant's demise. He said he was messaged to the IPL by the executioner rather and the IPL fled when the police showed up. Be that as it may, Abu figured out how to escape in mask while catching the IPL and the fundamental cop with Ronnie. Dreading selling out from the IPL since his capture, Abu requested his men to bring him down. Ronnie and the group keenly trust Abu's psychos on the phase of a progression of occasions that they have been double-crossed by the IPL. They assault him and Ronnie salvages him and the IPL chooses to support him and the police. Before long, Vikram's companion Asif was prepared to put a bomb inside a structure in return for his family's assurance. Sia shows up and stops Asif, the police discharge his family. Ronnie, then again, battled alone with Abu's military before going to save Vikram and the prisoners. The IPL penances to spare the prisoners from being executed by a landmine and rather Lahori accidentally leaves the prisoners and the Abu winged animals show up. Abu consents to discharge everybody, except rather than Siya, he bolts Kake with Vikram. Ronnie Abu begins battling with the feathered creatures, however when Vikram begins to blow up when he sees Ronnie getting injured, he quits battling. Ronnie was cut and nearly slaughtered, changing Vikram who leaped out of the house to battle fiercely with everybody and constrained Abu on a steel pole. Vikram and Sia attempt to revive Ronnie however think he is dead, and when Abu seems to assault them from behind, Ronnie gets up and executes him. Back in India, Vikram is regarded for his fortitude and Ronnie envisions their dad, a copycat, salutes him for staying faithful to his obligation and embraces him.

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[norfolkshiddengems]

Park Farm Barn available for Christmas

Park Farm Barn has been one of our most popular holiday lets for Christmas and New Year. Until recently we were unable to offer it for hire due to renovations. The owner has now confirmed that the work is complete and we can start letting it out again. We apologise to everyone who has been forced to find somewhere else this Christmas.

Park Farm Barn is a 4-bed barn conversion in the heart of the North Norfolk countryside. Enjoy parkland views, easy access to the coast and a hot tub.

Park Farm Barn

Park Farm Barn is in a beautiful North Norfolk rural location near Little Barningham offering parkland views. With a hot tub and games room, it is a great place for groups of people to relax

The barn can sleep 8 adults plus 2 children and it is situated 7 miles south-east of the gorgeous Georgian town of Holt. The barn is 9 miles from the North Norfolk Coast, most of which is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. Holt has excellent shops, boutiques, galleries, cafes, delis and restaurants.

Being finished to a very high standard the sumptuous space available swallows large numbers of guests with ease and creates a welcoming feeling. We have found that it is an experience that guests often want to repeat.

Park Farm Barn offers you a centralised country retreat from which to enjoy your stay in beautiful North Norfolk.

Park Farm Barn features

Wood burning stove, underfloor heating downstairs and radiators upstairs making it cosy and comfortable.

Aga with 4 electric ovens and 6 gas burners enables a top chef production line.

American fridge/freezer ensures plenty of space and the plumbed-in cold water and ice provides cooling and refreshment.

Microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, all labour saving.

50 inch TV with Freeview, Blu-ray DVD player and film library provides quality entertainment.

Broadband Wi-Fi and Landline telephone (with honesty box) so you can stay in touch.

iPod docking station and radio/CD player giving you an unlimited choice of music.

Sunken patio with garden furniture and barbeque enables alfresco dining and fun.

Games room – table tennis, table football and darts provide fun and competition for all ages.

Hot Tub in private rear garden for total spa-type relaxation.

Inside Park Farm Barn

On entry to this 200+-year-old dairy barn conversion, you are faced with two beautiful exposed wood beam mezzanine floors at each end with enclosed bedrooms and en-suites. The barn feels light and airy with a configuration that allows large groups of guests to have plenty of space.

There is a very large open plan living room with dining area with a double-sided wood-burning stove between them. The lounge area has comfortable sofas and chairs with a coffee table, large TV, and online and offline games.

The large wood-burning stove can be lit from both sides and a stock of logs is available for your use. However, the vast expanse of wooden flooring downstairs has underfloor heating controllable via room stats.

Tucked down the side of the mezzanine stairs is a spacious downstairs cloakroom and lavatory.

The formal dining area is one of 3 dining areas and is an excellent focal point for family meals. Just around the corner is a kitchen dining area with chairs and benches which is great for a chat while food preparation is taking place. In addition to the formal dining area, there is the kitchen dining area and patio dining area.

Just off the dining area is the bespoke fitted kitchen with an Aga. The Aga has a 6 ring gas hob and 4 electric ovens. There is a free-standing microwave oven on the worktops. A large American style refrigerator is fitted with plumbed-in water and an ice maker. The dishwasher is a must for this size property and a full complement of crockery and cooking utensils finishes it all off.

Park Farm Barn Interior

Sleeping in Park Farm Barn

There are two king-size en-suite bedrooms, one on each mezzanine floor. One of the mezzanine floors has a decorative single day bed that can be made up for full occupation. On the ground floor, there are two twin-bedded rooms one with a trundle bed that provides an extra single bed. Between the two twin-bedded rooms is a family bathroom with a quality roll-top Norfolk Shower Bath.

Park Farm Barn Bedroom

Games Room

Through a door off the kitchen, you can access the games room; this includes a table tennis table, table football and dartboard with all the associated apparatus needed to have a great time. The games room has been a huge hit and there have been many cross-generation games played and enjoyed in there. Good-natured debates about the differing standards in umpiring abilities “in this day and age” tend to continue well into the night.

Park Farm Barn Games Room

Off the games room is a utility area with a washing machine and tumble drier.

Outside and garden

Park Farm Barn Outside

The rear of the property has a large area set to lawn with screening fences and hedges keeping it private.

Within the screened fence and to one side of the sunken patio raised above it is the Hot Tub. You can sit and soak up the experience while talking to people sitting at the patio table.

Within the large lawn is a sunken patio that leads into the rear of the property. On the patio is a large outdoor dining area with permanent seating for 8. There are a parasol and a Barbecue unit for great summer parties. Also sited on the patio is the wood store to feed the wood-burning stove on chilly evenings.

Sheringham, Holt and Cromer are only a short drive away for your pleasure. Days out are simple as Park Farm Barn is centrally located and less than 10 miles from the North Norfolk coast.

Using this handy map you can see where our cottages are in relation to local attractions.

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[nayeeman-blog]

Latest Trending Technologies for Better Career In 2019

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has already gained tons of murmur in recent years, however, it continues to be a trend to observe as a result of its effects on however we have a tendency to live, work and play area unit solely within the early stages. additionally, different branches of AI have developed, together with Machine Learning, that we’ll come in below. AI refers to computers systems engineered to mimic human intelligence and perform tasks like recognition of pictures, speech or patterns and deciding. AI do these tasks faster and additional accurately than human beings.

AI has been everywhere since 1956 is already broadly speaking used. In fact, 5 out of 6 Americans use AI services in one kind or another each day, together with navigation apps, streaming services, smartphone personal assistants, ride-sharing apps, home personal assistants, and good home devices. additionally, to customer use, AI is employed to schedule trains to evaluate assess business risk, predict maintenance, and improve energy potency, among several different money-saving tasks.

📷 AI is one a part of what we have a tendency to talk too broadly speaking as automation, and automation could be a hot topic thanks to potential job loss. consultants say automation can eliminate seventy-three million additional jobs by 2030. However, automation is making jobs yet as eliminating them, particularly within the field of AI: Pundits predict that jobs in AI can range twenty-three million by 2020. Jobs are created in development, programming, testing, support, and maintenance, to call a number of. AI creator is one such job. Some say it’ll presently rival knowledge someone in want for virtuoso professionals. To learn additional concerning potential jobs in AI, examine building a career in AI or why you must earn Associate in Nursing AI certification.

Machine Learning

Machine Learning may be a set of AI. With Machine Learning, computers are programmed to be told to try to one thing they’re not programmed to do: They virtually learn by discovering patterns and insights from knowledge. In general, we’ve got 2 styles of learning, supervised and unattended.

While Machine Learning may be a set of AI, we tend to even have subsets inside the domain of Machine Learning, as well as neural networks, linguistic communication process (NLP), and deep learning. every one of those subdivisions offers a chance for specializing in a very course field that may solely grow.

Machine Learning is a pace being deployed all told styles of industries, making an enormous demand for hot professionals. The Machine Learning market is achieved to grow to $8.81 billion by 2022. Machine Learning applications are used for knowledge analytics, data processing, and pattern recognition. On the patron finish, Machine Learning powers net search results, time period ads, and network intrusion detection, to call solely some of the various tasks it will do. In addition to finishing infinite tasks on our behalf, it’s generating jobs. Machine Learning jobs rank among the highest rising jobs on LinkedIn, with virtually 2000 job listings denote. And these jobs

📷pay well: In 2017, the median wage for a machine learning engineer was $106,225. Machine Learning jobs embody engineers, developers, researchers, and knowledge scientists. Learn a lot of concerning Machine Learning.

Check out this video that talks concerning 2018’s high ten Technology Trends and compare the similarities to the present list or scroll on to continue reading concerning what’s future for 2019:

Robotic Process Automation or RPA

Like AI and Machine Learning, Robotic method Automation, or RPA, is another technology that’s automating jobs. RPA is that the use of software package to modify business processes like deciphering applications, process transactions, addressing knowledge, and even replying to emails. RPA automates repetitive tasks that individuals accustomed to doing. These don’t seem to be simply the menial tasks of a low-paid worker: up to forty-five % of the activities we tend to do will be automatic, as well as the work of monetary managers, doctors, and CEOs.

Although Forrester analysis estimates RPA automation can threaten the keep of 230 million or a lot of information staff, or roughly nine % of the worldwide manpower, RPA is additionally making new jobs whereas sterilization existing jobs. McKinsey finds that but five % of occupations will be all automatic, however regarding sixty % will be part automatic.

📷For you, because the IT skilled wanting to the longer term and attempting to know technology trends, RPA offers lots of career opportunities, as well as a developer, project manager, business analyst, answer designer and advisor. And these jobs pay well. SimplyHired.com says the typical RPA wage is $73,861, however that’s the typical compiled from salaries for junior-level developers up to senior answer architects, with the highest ten % earning over $141,000 annually.

If you’re inquisitive about following a career in RPA, the Introduction to Robotic method Automation (RPA) course is that the place to begin.

Blockchain

Although the general public considers blockchain technology in regard to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, blockchain offers security that’s helpful in several alternative ways that. within the simplest of terms, blockchain may be delineated as the knowledge you’ll solely increase, not subtract from or amendment. thus, the term “chain” as a result of you’re creating a series of knowledge. Not having the capability to vary the earlier blocks is what makes it thus secure. additionally, blockchains square measure consensus-driven, as explained during this Forbes article, thus nobody entity will head of the info. With blockchain, you wouldn’t like a trustworthy third-party to supervise or validate transactions.

This heightened security is why blockchain is employed for the cryptocurrency, and why it will play a big role in protective info like personal medical knowledge. Blockchain might be accustomed to drastically improve the worldwide offer chain, as delineated here, in addition as defending assets like art and reality.

📷the use of blockchain technology will increase, thus too will the demand for hot professionals. in this regard, we tend to square measure already behind. in line with Techcrunch.com, blockchain-related jobs square measure the second-fastest growing class of jobs, with fourteen job openings for each one blockchain developer. A blockchain developer makes a specialty of developing and implementing design and solutions mistreatment blockchain technology. the typical yearly wage of a blockchain developer is $130,000.The job of a developer isn’t the sole one on the market within the blockchain area, however. Employers are searching for software system engineers, consultants and project managers. Jobs square measure on the market at money establishments, however conjointly in retail and attention, and shortly in all probability producing in addition.

Edge Computing

Formerly a technology trend to look at, cloud computing has become thought, with major players AWS (Amazon internet Services), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud dominating the market. The adoption of cloud computing remains growing, as a lot of and a lot of businesses migrate to a cloud answer. however, it’s not the rising technology. Edge is.as in a shift, cloud computing, and move for the sting.

As the amount of knowledge, we’re handling continues to extend, we’ve realized the shortcomings of cloud computing in some things. Edge computing is intended to assist solve a number of those issues as how to bypass the latency caused by cloud computing and obtaining information to a data center for a process. For this reason, edge computing is wont to method time-sensitive information in remote locations with restricted or no property to a centralized location. In the indicated things, edge computing will act like mini datacenters. Edge computing can increase as use the net of Things (IoT) devices will increase. By 2022, the worldwide edge computing market is predicted to succeed in $6.72 billion. As with any growing market, this can produce job demand, primarily for package engineers.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) immerses the user in Surroundings whereas Augment Reality (AR) enhances their surroundings. though VR has primarily been used for play up to now, it’s conjointly been used for coaching, like Virtual Ship, a simulation code accustomed train U.S. Navy, Army and Coast warship captains. the popular Pokémon Go is an example of Augmented Reality.

Both have huge potential in coaching, diversion, education, marketing, and even rehabilitation when an injury. Either may well be accustomed train doctors to try and do surgery, provide depository goers deeper expertise, enhance theme parks, or perhaps enhance promoting, like this dope goop bus shelter.

📷According to a piece of writing at Monster.com, the demand for job candidates with VR information is up thirty-seven %, however, the potential workers are in brief offer. That demand can solely increase. There are major players within the VR market, like Google, Samsung, and sensory receptor, however, lots of startups are forming and that they are going to be hiring—or making an attempt to, in light-weight of the shortage. obtaining started in VR doesn’t need tons of specialized information. Basic programming skills and a forward-thinking attitude will land employment, though alternative employers are going to be searching for optics as a skill-set and hardware engineers additionally.

Cyber Security

Cybersecurity may not seem to be associate rising technology, providing it’s been around for a jiffy; however, it’s evolving even as different technologies area unit. That’s partial as a result of threats area unit perpetually new. The malevolent hackers United Nations agency try to illicitly access knowledge don’t seem to be attending to quit any time shortly, and that they can still notice ways that to urge through even the toughest security measures. It’s additionally partially as a result of new technology is being custom-made to boost security. 3 of these advancements area unit hardware authentication, cloud technology, and deep learning, in step with one knowledgeable.

📷Another adds knowledge loss hindrance and behavioral analytics to the list. As long as we’ve hackers, we are going to have cybersecurity as associate rising technology as a result of it’ll perpetually evolve to defend against those hackers.

As proof of the sturdy wants for cybersecurity professionals, the amount of cybersecurity jobs is growing thrice quicker than different technical school jobs. However, we are falling short once it involves filling those jobs. As a result, it’s foretold that we are going to have three.5 million empty cybersecurity jobs by 2021.

Various cybersecurity jobs pay 6-figure incomes, and roles will change from moral hacker to security engineer to Chief Security Officer, giving a bright career path for somebody United Nations agency needs to urge into and stick to this domain.

8.Internet of Things

Although it seems like a game you’d play on your smartphone, the net of Things (IoT) is that the future. several “things” area unit currently being designed with wireless fidelity property, that means they will be connected to the Internet—and to every different. Hence, the net of Things, or IoT. IoT permits devices, home appliances, cars and for a lot of to be connected to an exchange knowledge over the net. And we’re solely within the starting stages of IoT: the amount of IoT devices reached eight.4 billion in 2017 is expected to succeed in thirty billion devices by 2020.

As shoppers, we’re already victimization and benefitting from IoT. we are able to lock our doors remotely if we have a tendency to forget to after we leave for work and heat up our ovens on our means work from home, all whereas trailing our fitness on our Fitbits and hailing a ride with Lyft. however, businesses even have a lot of to realize currently and within the close to future. The IoT will modify higher safety, potency and higher cognitive process for businesses as knowledge are collected and analyzed. It will modify prophetical maintenance, speed up treatment, improve client service, and provide edges we have a tendency to haven’t even unreal, however. However, against this boon within the development and adoption of IoT, consultants say not enough IT professionals have gotten trained for IoT jobs. a piece at ITProToday.com says we’ll like two hundred,000 a lot of IT staff that aren’t however within the pipeline, which a survey of engineers found twenty-five.7 % believe inadequate ability levels to be the industry’s biggest obstacle to growth.

For someone fascinated by a career in IoT, which means simple entry into the sector if you’re impelled, with a variety of choices for obtaining started. Skills required embrace IoT security, cloud computing data, knowledge analytics, automation, understanding of embedded systems, device data, to call solely a couple of. After all, it’s the net of Things, and people things area unit several and varied, that means the abilities required area unit in addition.

Although technologies area unit rising and evolving all around the United States, these eight domains provide promising career potential currently and for the predictable future. and every one eight area unit tormented by a shortage of experienced staff, that means the time is true for you to decide on one, get trained.

https://socialprachar.com/latest-trending-technologies-for-better-career-in-2019-2/?ref=blogtraffic/nym

[ranjithnirmamidi-blog]

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has already gained tons of murmur in recent years, however, it continues to be a trend to observe as a result of its effects on however we have a tendency to live, work and play area unit solely within the early stages. additionally, different branches of AI have developed, together with Machine Learning, that we’ll come in below. AI refers to computers systems engineered to mimic human intelligence and perform tasks like recognition of pictures, speech or patterns and deciding. AI do these tasks faster and additional accurately than human beings.AI has been everywhere since 1956 is already broadly speaking used. In fact, 5 out of 6 Americans use AI services in one kind or another each day, together with navigation apps, streaming services, smartphone personal assistants, ride-sharing apps, home personal assistants, and good home devices. additionally, to customer use, AI is employed to schedule trains to evaluate assess business risk, predict maintenance, and improve energy potency, among several different money-saving tasks. AI is one a part of what we have a tendency to talk too broadly speaking as automation, and automation could be a hot topic thanks to potential job loss. consultants say automation can eliminate seventy-three million additional jobs by 2030. However, automation is making jobs yet as eliminating them, particularly within the field of AI: Pundits predict that jobs in AI can range twenty-three million by 2020. Jobs are created in development, programming, testing, support, and maintenance, to call a number of. AI creator is one such job. Some say it’ll presently rival knowledge someone in want for virtuoso professionals. To learn additional concerning potential jobs in AI, examine building a career in AI or why you must earn Associate in Nursing AI certification.

Machine Learning

Machine Learning may be a set of AI. With Machine Learning, computers are programmed to be told to try to one thing they’re not programmed to do: They virtually learn by discovering patterns and insights from knowledge. In general, we’ve got 2 styles of learning, supervised and unattended.While Machine Learning may be a set of AI, we tend to even have subsets inside the domain of Machine Learning, as well as neural networks, linguistic communication process (NLP), and deep learning. every one of those subdivisions offers a chance for specializing in a very course field that may solely grow.Machine Learning is a pace being deployed all told styles of industries, making an enormous demand for hot professionals. The Machine Learning market is achieved to grow to $8.81 billion by 2022. Machine Learning applications are used for knowledge analytics, data processing, and pattern recognition. On the patron finish, Machine Learning powers net search results, time period ads, and network intrusion detection, to call solely some of the various tasks it will do. In addition to finishing infinite tasks on our behalf, it’s generating jobs. Machine Learning jobs rank among the highest rising jobs on LinkedIn, with virtually 2000 job listings denote. And these jobspay well: In 2017, the median wage for a machine learning engineer was $106,225. Machine Learning jobs embody engineers, developers, researchers, and knowledge scientists. Learn a lot of concerning Machine Learning.Check out this video that talks concerning 2018’s high ten Technology Trends and compare the similarities to the present list or scroll on to continue reading concerning what’s future for 2019:

Robotic Process Automation or RPA

Like AI and Machine Learning, Robotic method Automation, or RPA, is another technology that’s automating jobs. RPA is that the use of software package to modify business processes like deciphering applications, process transactions, addressing knowledge, and even replying to emails. RPA automates repetitive tasks that individuals accustomed to doing. These don’t seem to be simply the menial tasks of a low-paid worker: up to forty-five % of the activities we tend to do will be automatic, as well as the work of monetary managers, doctors, and CEOs.Although Forrester analysis estimates RPA automation can threaten the keep of 230 million or a lot of information staff, or roughly nine % of the worldwide manpower, RPA is additionally making new jobs whereas sterilization existing jobs. McKinsey finds that but five % of occupations will be all automatic, however regarding sixty % will be part automatic.For you, because the IT skilled wanting to the longer term and attempting to know technology trends, RPA offers lots of career opportunities, as well as a developer, project manager, business analyst, answer designer and advisor. And these jobs pay well. SimplyHired.com says the typical RPA wage is $73,861, however that’s the typical compiled from salaries for junior-level developers up to senior answer architects, with the highest ten % earning over $141,000 annually.If you’re inquisitive about following a career in RPA, the Introduction to Robotic method Automation (RPA) course is that the place to begin.

Blockchain

Although the general public considers blockchain technology in regard to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, blockchain offers security that’s helpful in several alternative ways that. within the simplest of terms, blockchain may be delineated as the knowledge you’ll solely increase, not subtract from or amendment. thus, the term “chain” as a result of you’re creating a series of knowledge. Not having the capability to vary the earlier blocks is what makes it thus secure. additionally, blockchains square measure consensus-driven, as explained during this Forbes article, thus nobody entity will head of the info. With blockchain, you wouldn’t like a trustworthy third-party to supervise or validate transactions.This heightened security is why blockchain is employed for the cryptocurrency, and why it will play a big role in protective info like personal medical knowledge. Blockchain might be accustomed to drastically improve the worldwide offer chain, as delineated here, in addition as defending assets like art and reality.the use of blockchain technology will increase, thus too will the demand for hot professionals. in this regard, we tend to square measure already behind. in line with Techcrunch.com, blockchain-related jobs square measure the second-fastest growing class of jobs, with fourteen job openings for each one blockchain developer. A blockchain developer makes a specialty of developing and implementing design and solutions mistreatment blockchain technology. the typical yearly wage of a blockchain developer is $130,000.The job of a developer isn’t the sole one on the market within the blockchain area, however. Employers are searching for software system engineers, consultants and project managers. Jobs square measure on the market at money establishments, however conjointly in retail and attention, and shortly in all probability producing in addition.

Edge Computing

Formerly a technology trend to look at, cloud computing has become thought, with major players AWS (Amazon internet Services), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud dominating the market. The adoption of cloud computing remains growing, as a lot of and a lot of businesses migrate to a cloud answer. however, it’s not the rising technology. Edge is.as in a shift, cloud computing, and move for the sting.As the amount of knowledge, we’re handling continues to extend, we’ve realized the shortcomings of cloud computing in some things. Edge computing is intended to assist solve a number of those issues as how to bypass the latency caused by cloud computing and obtaining information to a data center for a process. For this reason, edge computing is wont to method time-sensitive information in remote locations with restricted or no property to a centralized location. In the indicated things, edge computing will act like mini datacenters. Edge computing can increase as use the net of Things (IoT) devices will increase. By 2022, the worldwide edge computing market is predicted to succeed in $6.72 billion. As with any growing market, this can produce job demand, primarily for package engineers.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) immerses the user in Surroundings whereas Augment Reality (AR) enhances their surroundings. though VR has primarily been used for play up to now, it’s conjointly been used for coaching, like Virtual Ship, a simulation code accustomed train U.S. Navy, Army and Coast warship captains. the popular Pokémon Go is an example of Augmented Reality.Both have huge potential in coaching, diversion, education, marketing, and even rehabilitation when an injury. Either may well be accustomed train doctors to try and do surgery, provide depository goers deeper expertise, enhance theme parks, or perhaps enhance promoting, like this dope goop bus shelter.According to a piece of writing at Monster.com, the demand for job candidates with VR information is up thirty-seven %, however, the potential workers are in brief offer. That demand can solely increase. There are major players within the VR market, like Google, Samsung, and sensory receptor, however, lots of startups are forming and that they are going to be hiring—or making an attempt to, in light-weight of the shortage. obtaining started in VR doesn’t need tons of specialized information. Basic programming skills and a forward-thinking attitude will land employment, though alternative employers are going to be searching for optics as a skill-set and hardware engineers additionally.

Cyber Security

Cybersecurity may not seem to be associate rising technology, providing it’s been around for a jiffy; however, it’s evolving even as different technologies area unit. That’s partial as a result of threats area unit perpetually new. The malevolent hackers United Nations agency try to illicitly access knowledge don’t seem to be attending to quit any time shortly, and that they can still notice ways that to urge through even the toughest security measures. It’s additionally partially as a result of new technology is being custom-made to boost security. 3 of these advancements area unit hardware authentication, cloud technology, and deep learning, in step with one knowledgeable.Another adds knowledge loss hindrance and behavioral analytics to the list. As long as we’ve hackers, we are going to have cybersecurity as associate rising technology as a result of it’ll perpetually evolve to defend against those hackers.As proof of the sturdy wants for cybersecurity professionals, the amount of cybersecurity jobs is growing thrice quicker than different technical school jobs. However, we are falling short once it involves filling those jobs. As a result, it’s foretold that we are going to have three.5 million empty cybersecurity jobs by 2021.Various cybersecurity jobs pay 6-figure incomes, and roles will change from moral hacker to security engineer to Chief Security Officer, giving a bright career path for somebody United Nations agency needs to urge into and stick to this domain.

8.Internet of Things

Although it seems like a game you’d play on your smartphone, the net of Things (IoT) is that the future. several “things” area unit currently being designed with wireless fidelity property, that means they will be connected to the Internet—and to every different. Hence, the net of Things, or IoT. IoT permits devices, home appliances, cars and for a lot of to be connected to an exchange knowledge over the net. And we’re solely within the starting stages of IoT: the amount of IoT devices reached eight.4 billion in 2017 is expected to succeed in thirty billion devices by 2020.As shoppers, we’re already victimization and benefitting from IoT. we are able to lock our doors remotely if we have a tendency to forget to after we leave for work and heat up our ovens on our means work from home, all whereas trailing our fitness on our Fitbits and hailing a ride with Lyft. however, businesses even have a lot of to realize currently and within the close to future. The IoT will modify higher safety, potency and higher cognitive process for businesses as knowledge are collected and analyzed. It will modify prophetical maintenance, speed up treatment, improve client service, and provide edges we have a tendency to haven’t even unreal, however. However, against this boon within the development and adoption of IoT, consultants say not enough IT professionals have gotten trained for IoT jobs. a piece at ITProToday.com says we’ll like two hundred,000 a lot of IT staff that aren’t however within the pipeline, which a survey of engineers found twenty-five.7 % believe inadequate ability levels to be the industry’s biggest obstacle to growth.For someone fascinated by a career in IoT, which means simple entry into the sector if you’re impelled, with a variety of choices for obtaining started. Skills required embrace IoT security, cloud computing data, knowledge analytics, automation, understanding of embedded systems, device data, to call solely a couple of. After all, it’s the net of Things, and people things area unit several and varied, that means the abilities required area unit in addition.Although technologies area unit rising and evolving all around the United States, these eight domains provide promising career potential currently and for the predictable future. and every one eight area unit tormented by a shortage of experienced staff, that means the time is true for you to decide on one, get trained, and find on board at the 1st stages of technology, positioning you for fulfillment currently and within the future.

[talabib]

How To Cut Costs And Increase Your Revenue While Maintaining High Quality Standards.

When a company cuts costs, it usually means you can expect shoddier products and worse service. If you’ve ever been on a call with a bank or telecom provider after they had implemented a round of cuts and outsourcing, you may well have spent hours on hold, only to finally speak with a service employee who has no idea how to help you.

We’re all justifiably skeptical of companies who cut costs, but decreasing expenses and streamlining operations doesn’t have to mean lower quality products or services.

Every business, regardless of its size or customer base, can cut costs in an efficient manner – a way that leads to higher revenues and, crucially, excellent service. This post will show you exactly when and where to cut costs, providing an essential introduction to efficient operations for any business.

The key to a profitable business is cutting costs, maintaining quality and maximizing profit.

What’s the best way to make maximum profits? The simplest answer is to boost revenue, which of course helps if you can make it happen. But there’s a better and more easily controlled method that’s all about managing expenses. It’s called costs leadership, and here’s how it works:

For starters, you’ll need to focus on the two main types of costs: fixed and variable.

Fixed costs are independent of the level of a company’s production, and include computers, desks, telephones and other equipment. But the term can also refer to less tangible costs, like rent or insurance. In fact, labor is often considered a fixed cost since it takes time and money to hire employees.

Variable costs are dependent on the level of production, meaning that the more you consume, the more you pay. Examples of variable costs are raw materials, packaging and storage.

Now that you know the two main types of costs, you can start learning why intelligently managing them will produce lower-cost products, and therefore higher revenues, all while maintaining the same standards of quality.

You could reduce costs by making sweeping cuts, but this will likely lower the quality of the goods or services you provide. For example, if you decide to save money by cutting your customer support team, you’re likely to be facing some very unhappy customers in the near future.

However, wisely cutting needless costs will both increase revenue and maintain quality. For instance, IKEA’s founder Ingvar Kamprad built his 235-store empire through simple cost-cutting mechanisms that left quality intact. One strategy was to sell unassembled furniture, which takes up less space and requires less time to manufacture.

But how can you intelligently cut costs? Let’s look deeper at some specific strategies to reduce expenses while maintaining quality.

Less is more: saving on space and unnecessary activities is essential to cost reduction.

When entrepreneurs found a new business, they’re often prone to overexcitement and might end up spending money they don’t have. While this mistake is a common one, it can seriously cripple a business before it even gets off the ground.

So, it’s key to understand cost management from the start, and a good place to begin is with property.

Space is a major expense and a prime target for cost trimming. To get a sense of how much space is enough, keep in mind that the standard is eleven cubic meters per worker. If you’ve got more room than this, you’re likely spending too much money on it.

Another great way to cut space costs is through hot-desking, a means to maximize workstations by eliminating individual desks and having employees use whichever one is available. For instance, Stocks, a UK company that manufactures sewing machines, has a sales team of ten people working in a space designed for six. However, the office runs smoothly because the employees spend 60 percent of their time at outside appointments.

Alright, now that you’ve maximized your space, it’s time to cut other non-essential costs, and that means outsourcing – in other words, contracting out unessential tasks to other companies.

Any activity that’s not central to your business should be tested: if it costs more for you to do it internally than externally, it should be outsourced to someone else that can do it for cheaper.

While outsourcing work that’s already being done in-house can be more complicated because capital investments have already been made, it’s essential to do it nonetheless.

Say you realize you need to outsource your advertising, but just invested in new marketing design software. Although it may be difficult, it’s important to accept your sunk costs; the money you spent on the software is already gone, but you don’t have to keep wasting money by paying advertising staff.

Rapidly turning capital into products and back into more capital is essential to a high-performing business.

Do you know what the capital cycle is? Well, it’s essential knowledge for any company owner, because every business abides by it.

Here’s how it works:

You begin with cash in hand, either your own or someone else’s. This money is then used to purchase capital assets and materials that the employees’ work transforms into finished products for sale. You pay your suppliers, are paid by your customers and hopefully have some money left over to repeat.

Why is this central to cost reduction? Because low costs require a rapid capital cycle and a focus on the old adage that time is money. For instance, the more money tied up in working capital like stock, the greater the costs going towards things like interest and storage. It’s therefore essential to limit the amount of time that you have stock in your possession.

One way to accomplish this is through a limited inventory. Take Wal-Mart, whose stock storage is two-and-a-half times less than the industry average, ensuring an efficient cycle.

But negotiations with customers and suppliers can also cut the cost of capital assets. For example, if you sell goods and services on credit, and it takes you 90 days to collect payment from a customer, you’re essentially losing out on any interest that the money would accrue. A better strategy is to set shorter payment periods while disciplining late payers with fines and threats of legal action.

On the other side of the coin, if your suppliers offer you credit, it might be tempting to take it. However, depending on the situation, it could make good business sense to pay up front in exchange for a lower total cost. And, of course, it’s essential to avoid paying late, because doing so will give you a bad name in the industry.

Using your company’s profit margin to motivate employees is as essential as maximizing the impact of non-financial incentives.

Increased productivity is a great way to cut variable costs, but that means convincing your employees to get more done – and we all know this is no easy task. Luckily there’s a great strategy for boosting productivity, and it all relies on motivating your staff through your profit margins instead of their turnover; this gets you on the same side as your workers while increasing your own profits.

In most companies, the sales team is rewarded for sales they make. This structure causes employees to fixate on cutting deals and costs are often left unchained. A better strategy is to link commissions to company profits, thereby focusing your salesforce on saving money and improving the company’s bottom line.

For instance, Atrium, a London-based lighting company, more than doubled its profits by switching to a rewards system tied to gross profit. Their salespeople stopped slashing prices, and instead of coasting on an “anything to please the client” mentality, they invested in cutting extraneous costs and improving efficiency.

But money isn’t enough. While a good salary is a major aspect of workplace satisfaction, a fat paycheck alone won’t guarantee that your employees work at optimum efficiency. In fact, job satisfaction is also the result of various cashless motivators, like the feeling of achievement you want your cost-cutting workers to feel.

But how can you accomplish this? One way is by simply taking note of the effort your employees are making. In fact, a mere “thank you” e-mail or staff dinner party following a major project can go a long way toward motivating your team without breaking the bank!

Keep financing costs low by seeking out funding competitions, contacting friends and working the banks.

Every growing business is sure to face the challenge of financing costs, and it’s essential to bring these under control before they start eating into your profits.

Financing costs – that is, the cost of raising money – arise due to interest and other fees. It’s important to identify ways to actually obtain money at little or no cost.

One strategy is to go to government agencies or certain businesses, like banks and newspapers, that might have an interest in particular business activities taking place in a specific area; this could lead them to contribute money or offer benefits to your company.

For instance, every year there are thousands of awards given out around the world to new or small businesses. The majority of these are based around a business plan like the HSBC’s Start-up Awards which grants up to £25,000.

Another approach is to ask family and friends for money. This technique is beneficial because you avoid conforming to formalized and time-consuming procedures while also being afforded more flexible terms. However, it’s essential that you explain any and all risks to such funders because the last thing you want is for a helpful friend or family member to suffer economic hardship due to your failed financial commitments.

The third and final strategy is to negotiate with banks for more favorable terms. But to do so you need both the necessary know-how and a business plan. In the end, banks are subject to the same macroeconomic factors and pressure to turn a profit as you are, so it’s wise to seek out a bank that’s in good financial condition, as they’ll be able to offer you a better rate.

One way to do so is by reading the financial section of the newspaper and keeping in mind that the interest rates tend to be from three percent to nine percent. Naturally you should be shooting for the lower end of the range and should shop around until you get there.

Cutting costs in a crisis can necessitate serious action.

If catastrophe strikes your company, cutting costs is likely the first measure you’ll take. Sometimes this can mean making difficult decisions to keep your business afloat, and we all know that extreme times can call for extreme measures.

One such strategy is trading debt for equity, because offloading debt can sometimes be worth an major chunk of your company. For instance, the luggage company Samsonite traded a whopping 60 percent of its shares to CVC Capital Partners, one of Europe’s largest private equity groups, in exchange for the payment of a debt worth nearly $175 million.

Another extreme measure is to relocate your business to a new country to save on taxes. For example, certain countries have very low business tax rates, like the Maldives with a tax rate of nine percent and the United Arab Emirates with one of 15 percent. Compare that to countries with some of the highest rates, like Italy where the business tax rate is 76 percent or India where it’s 86 percent.

But no matter what action you take in a crisis, firing your employees is never the smartest option; businesses with insecure staff fare far worse.

Why? Well, being fired is the main source of fear for any employee, affecting both their productivity and the quality of their work. In fact, firing people can even cause valuable employees to look for ways out of a company they view as a sinking ship.

However, employees are also willing to make sacrifices that save the company money, if doing so will guarantee them a job. For instance, in June 2009, British Airways convinced 6,940 employees to take voluntary unpaid leave – a move that saved the company $16.7 million as well as the long-term jobs of those workers.

And, of course, there’s the measure of last resort: cut and run. After all, failure is just a fact of business, and in the United Kingdom alone, 400,000 businesses close their doors every year! So remember, getting out of an unprofitable business, if done well, can leave you in better shape to start another.

 Some people view cost-cutting as an emergency measure, but a long-term expense-reduction strategy is actually essential to boosting the profit margins of any company. Managing your costs effectively will also help you build a business that is prepared to face any crisis or difficult situation.

[click2watch]

Crypto is for Activists: Why We Need More Cypherpunks, Not Cypherposers

Zach Harvey is the CEO of Lamassu, an early and active provider of cryptocurrency vending machines. 

The following is an exclusive contribution to CoinDesk’s 2018 Year in Review. 

Emotions were high during bitcoin’s block size debate (each side believing bitcoin would be damaged by the other’s triumph), and they’re high again in this year’s bear market. People are once again listening to the fortune tellers, who shape their crypto outlook on market sentiment, and while there are many that signal allegiance to the cause, some are just here for the quick rewards, both social and monetary.

It disappoints me to see the toxicity in this small cryptocurrency community, but it doesn’t surprise me.

Specifically on Crypto Twitter, it’s the environment itself that rewards the group-think we’re seeing. Previously independent thinkers are rewarded for conforming and are punished for their dissent. While it’s easier to resist threats in groups, it’s harder to create and progress without being open-minded. We see similar patterns in politics and even in debates about nutrition.

All said, I must say that it is my experience that the Twitter toxicity does not transfer to offline interactions. I have met many bitcoiners from both sides of the block, and I can’t recall one time I felt any toxicity in person. In fact, the opposite is the truth, it’s always a treat. I would mention names, but I don’t want to blow their tough-guy covers.

To quote Ian Mackaye of Fugazi, the tough guys are all “ice cream-eating motherfuckers.” I mean that in the fondest of ways.

Instead of checking the daily graphs, it would better serve most crypto-enthusiasts to revel in cypherpunk writings such as Tim May’s Crypto Anarchist Manifesto and Wei Dai’s b-money paper. Both are great reminders of why we’re here in the first place. (If you’re going to look at a graph, make it the BTC:USD logarithmic graph. It has the best chance of predicting the future.)

Bitcoin is activism, not a get rich quick scheme or a startup platform. The point of bitcoin is to regulate bad laws and to democratize bad policies by way of circumventing harmful enforcement.

Any system, software or hardware, blockchain-based or otherwise, that contributes to these goals is worth paying attention to.

Equally, any software or hardware projects that fail in this manner are only of interest to me once they amend their fragility. In this regard, decentralized exchanges and ICOs are worthless in their current form, but DEX or ICO v2.0 or v3.0 may end up being decentralized and powerful tools for preventing oppression in all of its forms.

Go Gig (and Boring)

In 2012, my brother Josh and I printed up bitcoin postcards to give out at regional Students for Liberty events all over the East Coast. At the time, it was mostly the Libertarians embracing the infant technology and this was our activism.

For the International Students for Liberty Conference in early 2013, we decided to do something a bit wilder, we wanted to show these youngsters how bitcoin works. We built a little orange box that accepted cash notes and sent out bitcoin transactions. Not only was it a huge hit at the conference, it reached social media and we started getting interest from media and potential buyers.

This was our chance to take our passion for bitcoin to the next level. We founded Lamassu and started manufacturing bitcoin ATMs, a machine we like to now call “cryptomats.”

Fast forward almost six years and we’re still going strong, still advocating bitcoin and there’s a booming industry making machines that help people buy and sell bitcoin. From the get-go, our business has always been more about activism than pure short-term profit. The business decisions we make are a mix of what we need to do to succeed and how to stay in line with our techno-libertarian ideals of privacy and decentralization.

Our main goal has always been to introduce as many people to cryptocurrencies as possible. And so our software is free, open source and unlicensed. We don’t charge cryptomat operators any fees for machine usage, and they host their own servers. End-users who use the machines never have their coins stored for them by operators, but are required to actually use bitcoin to get it.

As a whole, the cryptomat industry is quite unlike others in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. There’s been very little drama of late.

We’ve seen healthy, steady growth. And the field is made of quality companies, such as our main competitors Genesis and General Bytes, that have endured radical bear and bull markets. All these are very important for the ecosystem, yet perhaps a bit mundane in terms of the news cycle. No ICOs, no mass hacks and the companies involved have at best millions worth of revenue, not billions.

But at the same time, I feel it’s the kind of boring the cryptoverse needs. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people around the world are using cryptomats every month to get small amounts of bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies directly to their wallets. No banks, no third party custody, no waiting.

It’s still the easiest way for a first time user to get crypto, and the more cryptomats there are in the world, the more useful and reliable they become. Inch by inch, row by row.

BUIDLers on the Roof

The hardest part for bitcoin was getting to $0.10.

The exponential growth since has become the norm and would take something extraordinary to derail. As such, we have to think about what happens when a growing population of the world starts owning bitcoin. Will the next financial crisis be the one that pushes bitcoin to the mainstream? What if this actually does happen, but there’s still no good user interface to protect people from losing, misusing and failing to protect their funds? Will they end up trusting people to help them?

For me, this is still the biggest question in crypto. I don’t doubt the success of bitcoin and other key cryptocurrencies, but I’m concerned things will get messy when the central banks run out of tricks.

At Lamassu, we have been keeping our heads down, working to improve our corner of the still unsolved UI problem of crypto. We’ve been aggressively hiring coders and customer support staff and expanding our manufacturing facilities.

We have fierce competition, but it’s one of mutual respect. I know our competitors are doing it for the same reasons we are, a deep rooted ideology with bitcoin at its core, to free money and markets from powerful middlemen.

The whole point of bitcoin is for people to help themselves, but it’s our jobs as proponents to make that easy. The sooner people can actually use, store, and secure their own coins, the safer they’ll be when the bank runs hit. Lest we build skyscrapers of blockchains, with no elevators in which to ascend them.

Have a strong take on 2018? Email news [at] coindesk.com to submit an opinion to our 2018: Year in Review.

Image via CoinDesk archives 

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[nakeddeparture]

Destruction of the Barbados Defence Force

BDF in Crisis -Destruction of BDF by Chief Of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff - Part One

Colonel Glyne Grannum

I am disappointed in your behaviour this morning with regards to the Central Mart.  You are wrong in the manner in which you have preceded to deal with this issue. You have not spoken to Col Quintyne; Major Yearwood; Sgt Best; Errington Shurland (Head of the RSS) amongst others but you have proceeded to try and drag these persons name through the mud and discredit their high level of integrity, you and that fucking harangatang called Aquinas Clarke.  I am one of the persons whom the Central Mart has served with distinction. I benefitted from the Mart and I strongly believe that you are being vindictive and unprofessional and you and the DCOS want to close the Central Mart because it was conceptualized by Colonel Alvin Quintyne. Is this why you never spent any of your salary in the mart? Is this why your wife or son never came and spent any of their monies in it because you never wanted it open in the first place. What you did this morning was the most unprofessional behavior I have encountered from a Chief Of Staff, whoever is feeding you with information obviously have their own agenda and has discovered that you are easily rattled. Is it Wesley Beckles the known thief from Mount Gay, that’s why they fired him? You sad COS, you poor as a Chief of Staff boss, I gine watch you fall from grace.

At no time were soldiers paying for items they were not aware of, the only time items came to the Mart is when they were ordered by the individual soldier. And it was the soldiers who wanted the items. In addition Sgt Best use to walk round at other entities checking prices etc. who’s you to question what my hard earn money should buy or how my woman is to spend my salary, fuck off , you worse than my woman telling me how to spend my money. Actually you does behave like a bitch ass woman, your antics, cussing and ranting worse than a suttle street whore.  It was us soldiers who asked Col Quintyne at various Welfare Meetings to allow the Central Mart to bring in items or purchase items for us such as Refrigerators; Washing Machines; TVs, Phones etc. so that we can pay a lower interest rate than what was being charge by the entities such as Courts ; Massy etc. This arrangement made to pay over time is same as these entities did but was better for us. Nicky Brathwaite has confirmed that a statement of accounts was prepared for Maj Yearwood. When last have you done one of these? You know what the problem, you was at RSS enjoying life and flying all over the place. You talking about spending, you should not talk when you get Trupper Springer build your house daily when he should be doing the government of Barbados work, karma is a bitch that’s why the floor crack. You are the worse, its sad to see this is what you brought this army to its knees.

For you now to sit and make the members of the BDF believe that they were being robbed is one of the biggest lies, what are you insinuating and having left your meeting it would have been remised of me to allow you to feed that to individuals without voicing my objection.  Who give you the authority to tell us soldiers how to spend our money, when you with the DCOS went and spent 3 million dollars of the government money that you wanted and not needed having receive a donation of vehicles from the Chinese. It is unprofessional to display people personal information across the force without authority. Where is the board paper, where is the cabinet approval sir you unethical dog, i.e. man who sleeps with children, read the bible that open on your desk and see that’s what the bible definition is for a DOG.

Colonel Grannum whatever it is you have against Colonel Quintyne you need to get rid of it, because you have now embarked on a road that will not be well for you.  TRUST ME THIS TIME.  The leaking of information has started to ensure you rein supreme, to ensure you are the worse of the best CHIEF OF STAFFS that ever walked in that place. You should really come out the government house let us save that $5000 plus that my same salary paying for the bling life you fucking living off we Barbadians.  Colonel Quintyne left the BDF with his character intact and you have now proceeded to try and destroyed it, and whenever I meet him I am going to tell him. I would wish Sir Elliot Belgrave of the Lodge Fraternity to intervene in your destructive leadership of the BDF. You are tarnishing a good organization through your selfish, arrogant self-centered behavior. That same demon Col Q according to you, left the BDF with 6.7 million dollars and you fucking blow it all, we save that money over the years and you just blow it, needs and wants bling life to basic life.  In addition, I will now have to bring this behaviour of yours to the attention of certain persons, because you are wrong in what you are doing and you are lying on both him and Major Yearwood, whatever you believe these people have done you, you need to move on from it and stop allowing persons to fuel your fire against them. Hey but who help you buy a big belly horse for sure ent gine help feed it, how many masters you got 3, that makes you a triple time nonsensical fucker sir.

You are fabricating stories to the soldiers telling those lies that because they owe money to the Mart; it is going under, what you are forgetting that I have heard you said that you are going to shut it down.  It going down, where is the profit it had, you and the Aquinas Clarke split the $200,000?  Could dear you need JESUS BOSS.  You are continuing to be dishonest and it is now clear to me from this morning that you are very self-centered and you do not care anything about the soldiers. Wait sir where is the rest of the money?  You get a cut I am told of the staff party money with the various people you all hired so you all running out of money so you want to get your hands on the rest of the profits the mart has hmmmmmmm.  You are using your office and authority to destroy everything that you believe Colonel Quintyne has done and you can’t even walk in his shadow. And it is so clear that the Farm Project is also now over, and you have sent home those young boys who could have made Agriculture a job. It is clear that you are not in charge of the BDF, it is Aquinas Clarke and whatever he says to you this is how you lead.  Your problem with the Central Mart is not Col Quintyne, it is Captain Wesley Beckles, you need to go and investigate how much stealing he has done, when he went and change the locks and then he use to wait until Sgt Best go home and go in the Mart with the Master Key along with his friend LS Hart and the supplier that was in the Barbados Coast Guard Malcom Vaughn. Under the management of Major Yearwood, the Central Mart was very profitable. We use to get Christmas Giveaways and everything was worked out properly and Sgt Best would show you whatever you need to know.

It is clear that you are now trying to discredit Col Quintyne; Errington Shurland; (Head of the RSS) Major Yearwood; Sgt Best; Holder Hoyte and anyone else. You have no fucking shame; you are a disgrace to the Force. Tek off we cammo And for you to come and shut down the Mart, telling lies; it is now clear that you do not give a fuck about us the junior ranks and you have allowed a few to feed you lies. We have enjoyed some very comfortable payment plans sorted out by Sgt Best, she was a good person and you get and send her home.  I am calling on the Government and people of Barbados to remove you and CDR Clarke from the BDF, if not one of these mornings you drive in BDF, someone is going to shoot at you. You are a disaster as a leader, this is the last thing to help us and you brought all of us in front of you, lying and making someone believe that we are being unfaired.  This is all lies.  Captain Wesley Beckles is the one that fed you a lot of lies because he wanted to get back at Major Yearwood and look now they have discovered that he is a thief and criminal and who has him on the back foot. Cdr Aquinas Clarke. Look out, he is now going to talk all the secrets he knows about all of you. He has already said that Commander Clarke and Stephen Hobson who owns NSG EXPORTS Barbados LTD, got together to defraud the Government and People of Barbados of 2.5 million dollars in old vehicles and he is not taking any blame for it. You are a sad, sorry pathetic lonely individual and for you to stoop so low to try to discredit your predecessor Col Quintyne speaks to your nasty unprofessional narcissistic character. Are you still screwing Maria Moore in your office, Rouse and the others?  Any problems with the Central Mart are under your leadership. Toxic Leader you be. Your problem is that you have spent government 7 million dollars so bad, that now you have no money to do things.  Well stand by official documents will show what you and the drug dealer DCOS SPENT IT ON.  By the way, the lavish dinner you held for the Other Ranks last year, can you say what date and time this year’s one will be, can you tell the people of Barbados how much money you spent from the public purse last year on this staff party, when you was told that you cannot spend government money on something like this? What did you say: SPEND THE FUCKING MONEY; THE GOVERNMENT WILL FIND MORE TO GIVE WE AND YOU WAS FULLY BACKED UP THE BEST DCOS AQUINAS CLARKE.

I am happy to hear that WO1 C Blenman said, that he went to you Col Grannum and tell you about the underhand behaviour of Captain Wesley Beckles and because he is holding secret s for you, you refuse to listen and take action but tell him go and talk to Wesley so that he does not get into trouble.  He further said, that he cannot believe that you as Chief of Staff, would have done this, so he don’t  know how to continue, because it is telling him that you want him to turn a blind eye to what is going on.  Dem is you friends doah SIR.  Cast your mind back and check and see if he did not tell you about this.

If you Colonel Glyne Grannum and dishonest Commander Clarke close that Central Mart, you are going to learn how junior soldiers can destroy dishonest and unprofessional individuals who can no longer be trusted and have no integrity. I.E.  YOU BITCH. AND YOUR SHADOW.  The two of you seem to have an agenda and you getting there trying to intimated and discredit good officers. No more something has to be done.  What is Lt Alexander in close arrest for, because Commander Clarke cannot get his way, this is the same Commander Clarke that uses to be at Lt Alexander woman’s house every Sat as he put it and he is the one along with Col Grannum that brought her back into the BDF without any checks being done.  Now he trying to lock up the young officer, This is the same Cdr Clarke who slept with Latoya Callender, who the fiancé of Pte Browne and then set up the youngster to be discharged under psychiatric grounds.  And we the junior ranks cannot get any justice because Col Grannum, Cdr dowridge, Lt Col Atheline Branch, Sir Elliot Belgrave; Captain Shurland; Capt Caddle; WO1 Knight; MCPO Howell; Trevor Thorpe; Major Clarke of the Queens Household and all the big boys in the District Lodge Fraternity covered for him.

I was of the opinion that the Lodge had good people, but to sit and allow this behaviour to occur speaks poorly of them. We the junior soldiers plan to protest against what has happen and no matter what some form of action must be taken.  I was also made to understand that the Governor General who is also a member of the Lodge was informed and no one did anything about it. He was then allowed to come back and has embarked on fucking up all those that went against, it was reported that Major Yearwood paid the biggest price, all the others try talking up to him so that they would not be fired. 

Standby FOR BDF IN CRISIS:  Destruction of BDF by Chief Of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff.   Anonymous

[charllieeldridge]

Where To Stay in Corfu: The Best Areas and Accommodations

Boasting beautiful beaches, rugged wilderness, ancient ruins, and charming towns, it’s no surprise that Corfu is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Corfu several times while sailing, and it’s one of my favourite stops along the Ionian Coast.

The pleasant climate, wonderful Mediterranean cuisine and lifestyle, and the fascinating history combine to draw me back every time — this is definitely one of the top destinations in Greece!

Certain areas of the island will appeal to different types of travellers, and this guide to where to stay in Corfu lists some of the island’s best locations, plus a selection of great accommodation options in each area.

Corfu Town

The main town on the island, with a vibrant centre and fascinating history, Corfu Town (Kérkyra) is a great place to stay if you’re looking for:

A wide selection of Restaurants and Cafes

Vibrant Nightlife

Museums, Palaces, Ancient Forts and Churches

Cobbled Streets and Wonderful Architecture

Whether coming by air or sea, you’ll almost certainly arrive first in Corfu Town.

The UNESCO World Heritage Listed old town is a bustling mix of shops, cafes, and restaurants.

It is home to most of the island’s museums and a stunning Venetian fortress on a peninsula that once housed the old town during Byzantine times.

It’s a great place to stay for a few days and enjoy strolling around the picturesque streets, squares, and harbour, and sampling the wide selection of Greek delicacies on offer, from Mousakka to Baklava.

This is one of the most beautiful towns to visit during your trip to Greece. 

Best Places To Stay in Corfu Town

Puppet Guesthouse

Location: Evaggelistrias 1, Kerkira

Rating on Booking.com: 9.8/10

Price: Rooms from $109 

This quirky and charming cafe/guesthouse is a favourite amongst visitors. The hospitality is second to none, and the included breakfast and coffee are among the best in town.

The location is fabulous – nestled just off one of the main pedestrian streets, only moments from the park and the old fortress.

All rooms are air-conditioned, and the property features a terrace, as well as a bar downstairs. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

2. Chic New-Build Studio in the Heart of Historic Old Town

Location: Corfu Old Town

Rating on AirBnB: 5/5

Price: From $99

If you’re looking for more than just a room, this newly built, light-filled loft apartment in the heart of the old town could be a great option.

Tastefully furnished and decorated, it offers all the comforts of home, including a kitchen and living area, and amenities such as a washing machine.

While being incredibly central, it’s located on a quiet street away from the main hustle and bustle, so you’ll be able to enjoy a great night’s sleep after a day of exploring! Click here to see the latest price from Airbnb.com.

3. Divani Corfu Palace

Location: Nafsikas 20, Kerkira

Rating on Booking.com: 8.2/10

Price: Rooms from $99

If you’d prefer a resort-style getaway, while still being close to all that Corfu Town has to offer, this four-star luxury hotel and resort is a beautiful place to stay and relax.

It’s located on the Kanoni Peninsula, just three kilometres away from the old town.

The rooms feature balconies opening onto lagoon or garden views, and there is a swimming pool with an attached restaurant. There is also a kids pool and playground, making it an excellent option for families and couples alike.

With wonderful sunset views over the lagoon and a good breakfast to look forward to in the morning, it’s a great choice for a relaxing holiday by the sea. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Arillas

The island’s hub of spirituality, Arillas is the perfect place to stay in Corfu if you’re looking for:

Beautiful nature and private beaches with clear water

Meditation, dancing, chanting, arts, and massage

Naturalist beaches

A relaxed, village feel

Arillas has a fast-growing spirituality scene and is perfect for those who want to get in touch with their inner selves. There are several spiritual centres and retreats, offering treatments for the mind, body, and soul.

Its private beaches have made it a hotspot for naturalists for many years, so if you prefer to wear a little less to the beach, this is the spot for you!

Arillas is not as developed as some other locations on Corfu, and accommodation can be more on the basic side — no resorts here. Instead, you’ll find quiet Blue Flag beaches, calm water, and many tavernas to choose from.

Best Places To Stay in And Around Arillas

Arillas Hillside Villa 2 – Mediterranean

Location: Arillas, Corfu

Rating on Booking.com: 9.5/10

Price: From $133

The Arillas Hillside Villa complex offers luxurious accommodations. The apartments are furnished to a high standard, with comfortable beds, and all the amenities you need to enjoy your stay.

Less than a kilometre from the beach, this apartment boasts a private pool, a garden, and access to BBQ facilities.

Around the pool, you will find sun loungers, a table, and chairs for your use – perfect for making the most of the lovely climate. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

2. Eleni Apartments

Location: Arillas Beach, Arillas

Rating on Booking.com: 9.1/10

Price: Rooms from $57

Eleni Apartments has a fantastic location — only around 150m to the beach! 

It’s close to the main strip so you have a great choice of restaurants and bars allowing you to enjoy your dinner with a glass or two of wine before you stroll home.

There is an outdoor swimming pool and bar, and while the rooms are somewhat modest, they are clean and comfortable. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

3. Makis Apartments

Location: Arillas, Corfu

Rating on Booking.com: 8.9/10

Price: Rooms from $27

Firmly on the more budget side of things, Makis Apartments offer fantastic value for money!

The location is great – it’s around 350m walk to the beach – and similar to Eleni Apartments, the rooms are basic but clean and comfortable.

There is no pool, but with a lovely beach so close by, you may decide the cost savings are worth it. After all, it leaves more in the budget to enjoy the delicious food on offer in town! Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Paleokastritsa

Known for its stunning bays, Paleokastritsa is one of the best areas to stay in Corfu if you’re looking for:

Blue-water and a choice of picturesque bays

Beautiful views and photo opportunities, with an amazing monastery on a hilltop above

Cool, clear waters due to underwater streams

The chance to explore hidden beaches in the area

Paleokastritsa is centred around numerous gorgeous bays, with crystal clear water — perfect for snorkelling, or lounging on the beach! It’s not uncommon to see superyachts anchor off during the warmer months.

There is a harbour where you can rent boats or hire someone to take you out for a day to explore the area — renting your own boat is definitely one of the top things to do in Corfu.

When you’ve had enough of the beach, you can trek up to the top of one of the hills jutting out over the water, and explore the Monastery, with its beautiful buildings and gardens.

There are a variety of quaint tavernas scattered through the town, serving up all manner of mouth-watering Greek delicacies!

Best Places To Stay in Paleokastritsa

Odysseus Hotel

Location: Palaiokastritsa 490 83, Greece

Rating on Booking.com: 9.1/10

Price: Rooms from $75

Set on a hillside offering stunning views over the Ionian Sea, Odysseus Hotel is a family-run hotel in a great location. The closest beach is just 150 metres away, and you are within walking distance to everything in town.

The air-conditioned rooms are comfortable, and there’s a lovely terrace with a pool to enjoy, overlooking the bay. A buffet breakfast is available, and there is a restaurant and bar if you don’t feel like walking into town.

The bus stop to Corfu town is right out the front, making it an easily accessible destination from the airport. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

2. Miltos Studios

Location: Palaiokastritsa 490 83, Greece

Rating on Booking.com: 9.8/10

Price: Rooms from $45

At the mid-range end, Miltos Studios offers fantastic value for money. Moments from the beach, each studio apartment has its own kitchen and access to a sun-filled terrace and garden with incredible views of the bay.

The rooms are comfortable and clean, and the hospitality from the owners is second to none.

The location is fantastic, with easy access to everything in town. It’s not far from the bus stop to Corfu Town. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

3. Zefiros Traditional Hotel

Location: Paleokastritsa, Corfu 490 83, Greece

Rating on Booking.com: 9.5/10

Price: Rooms from $75

Built in 1934, this historic building offers pleasant rooms in a traditional Corfiot style. Right by the beach, all rooms boast sea views, private bathrooms, and air conditioning.

Breakfast is offered in the downstairs cafe.

The central location is fantastic, right opposite beautiful Agios Spyridon Bay and its sandy beach. Click here to see the latest price from Booking.com.

Kavos

Lively Kavos is where you’ll want to stay if you’re looking for:

Bars and nightlife

A younger crowd

Beaches and watersports

If you’re the type of traveller who likes to party by night and relax on a beach by day, look no further!

Frequented by a younger crowd, the main strip is full of bars and clubs that will see you partying until the early hours of the morning. Beach parties, foam parties, boat parties — it has it all.

If you’re into pulsing music and nightlife, Kavos is the place for you. Party animals will fit right in.

Best Places To Stay in Kavos

Mediterranean Blue

Location: Kavos 490 80, Greece

Rating on Booking.com: 8.7/10

Price: Rooms from $36

For all watersports enthusiasts, Mediterranean Blue is located just moments from Asprokavos Beach.

The resort-style complex has an outdoor pool and a restaurant-bar, and the rooms have private patios or balconies. They offer a well-rated Full English Breakfast — just what the doctor ordered after a big night out!

There is a supermarket nearby, and it’s only a short stroll into the main part of town and the main beach. Click here to see the latest price on Booking.com.

2. Toni’s Guesthouse

Location: Kavos 490 80, Greece

Rating on Booking.com: 9.3/10

Price: Rooms from $35

Situated in the heart of town, just a few steps away to a variety of restaurants and bars, you won’t have to walk far to find everything you need. The main beach is just 200 metres away!

Toni’s features a large pool area with sun loungers and a poolside bar. Rooms have private balconies overlooking the pool, and there is airconditioning and Wi-Fi provided throughout. Click here to see the latest price on Booking.com.

3. Greco Mare

Location: Kavos 490 80, Greece

Rating on Booking.com: 9.6/10

Price: Apartment from $108

If you’re after a little more privacy, Greco Mare offers a nicely appointed holiday unit with a lovely private terrace and a wonderful view. You can step straight from the apartment into the sea! It doesn’t get much more beachfront than this.

The apartment comprises of a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom, and can accommodate up to four, making use of the fold-out couch, making it a great option for small groups. Click here to see the latest price on Booking.com.

Kassiopi

A charming village and resort in the affluent north-east of Corfu, Kassiopi is a great area of the island to stay if you are looking for:

Beautiful beaches

A pretty harbour and town centre

Crystal clear water

A more upmarket experience, with luxury accommodation options

Kassiopi is located in the north-east of the island of Corfu — an area that is sometimes known as Kensington-by-the-sea, making reference to its more exclusive nature.

Despite that, there are some ways to save money here — with affordable accommodation and food options available.

The village is set around a lovely harbour, with several small coves to choose from when you want to cool off in the clear water or relax on a sunbed.

A Byzantine-era castle sits atop a hill overlooking the village, while Mount Pantokrator serves as a spectacular backdrop to the coastal scenery.

There is a wide selection of restaurants to choose from, from quiet tavernas serving traditional dishes to lively bars and cafes.

Best Places To Stay in Kassiopi

Melina Bay Boutique Hotel

Location: Kassiopi Bay, Kassiopi 491 00, Greece

Rating on Booking.com: 9.3/10

Price: Rooms from $76

This beautiful hotel sits right underneath the castle and boasts magnificent views of the harbour, and across the Ionian Sea to Albania.

Centrally located, you can step out your door to the harbour, and choose from one of the many restaurants lining the waterfront.

The stylish, modern rooms each have a private balcony overlooking the sea or garden. Sun loungers surround the pool, perfect for relaxing after a day exploring the area.

The staff are friendly, and the breakfast is fantastic! Click here to see the latest price on Booking.com.

2. The Cassius Hill House

Location: Kassiopi 491 00, Greece

Rating on Booking.com: 9.9/10

Price: From $164

A great choice for small groups or families, the beautiful Cassius Hill House is the perfect place to unwind on your holiday. It offers space and privacy, while still being just a short walk to the beaches and harbour.

With three bedrooms and a comfortable living area with a beautiful cathedral ceiling, this place ticks all the boxes.

Watch the kids swim as you relax by the private pool or fire up the BBQ and settle in for a quiet evening watching Netflix.

If you don’t feel like cooking, it’s a short stroll into town where you can choose from authentic Greek food or international cuisine. Click here to see the latest price on Booking.com.

3. Poseidon Hotel

Location: 28 Kassiopi Bay, Kassiopi, Corfu 490 81, Greece

Rating on Booking.com: 8.6/10

Price: Rooms from $118

Close to the action of the square and harbour, this modest hotel features a sun terrace and an on-site bar. The spacious units each have a kitchenette and a dining area. Sleeping up to four, it offers fantastic value for families.

A stone’s throw from the beaches and the restaurants in town, you’ll be able to spend your days out and about and return to a comfortable space with wonderful hospitality from the owner and staff. Click here to see the latest price on Booking.com.

Sidari

This popular northern coast area is a good place to stay in Corfu if you’re interested in the following: 

Popular tourist area

Beautiful beaches

All amenities on offer

A variety of nightlife – restaurants and bars 

Great for couples and families

While Sidari may not be the most authentically Greek place on the island of Corfu, it’s definitely one of the most popular areas for families, couples and package holidaymakers. 

This is the place to go if you’re looking for comforts from home while visiting another country — you’ll find British pubs and restaurants, English music, etc.

During the day, laze in the sun while enjoying one of the beaches in the area. In particular, the stunning Canal d’Amour (Channel of Love), and the unique rocky coastline. 

In the evening, head to one of the many pubs or bars and enjoy a cocktail and some dancing. There’s a nightlife scene to suit all ages here. 

Best Places to Stay in Sidari

Del Mare Beach Hotel

Location: right on Canal d’Amour Beach

Rating on Booking.com: 8.9/10

Price: rooms from $85

This bright condo-hotel has all the amenities you could want on holiday, but the real reason it’s a great choice is its location. 

Located right on the beach, these rooms have stunning views of the sea. Plus, if you don’t feel like swimming, there’s a great pool here as well. This is one of the more popular places to stay, for good reason. Click here to see the latest price and reviews on Booking.com.

2. The Seahorse

Location: in Sidari Village, near the beach

Rating on Booking.com: 9.2/10

Price: studio apartments from $65

This relaxing place might not be right on the water, but it’s just a short walk to the beach. Plus, there’s a huge pool here on the property.

The air-conditioned apartments are comfortable, clean, and furnished with a mini oven, hob, fridge and more. For families, couples or groups of friends, The Seahorse is a good option. Click here to see the latest price and reviews on Booking.com.  

It’s Hard To Go Wrong in Beautiful Corfu

As you can see, Corfu has something to offer everyone. With its gorgeous coastline and beaches, rugged interior, authentic food, Mediterranean lifestyle and warm people, it’s a great place to spend your holidays — just make sure you book in advance in the high season. 

Wherever you choose to stay in Corfu, you’re sure to have a memorable trip.

Have you been to Corfu, and have any favourite places or restaurants to recommend? Leave a comment below and let us know!

*Photos in this article are courtesy of Shutterstock – a website filled with gorgeous royalty-free images and videos. Click here to learn more.

The post Where To Stay in Corfu: The Best Areas and Accommodations appeared first on Goats On The Road.

Where To Stay in Corfu: The Best Areas and Accommodations published first on https://travelaspire.weebly.com/

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  On July 15, 1875, the auctioneer proclaimed, “At one o’clock we will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder the Pacific Ocean, draped with a western sky of scarlet and gold; we will sell a bay filled with white-winged ships; we will sell a southern horizon; rimmed with a choice of purple mountains carved in castles and turrets and domes; we will sell a frostless, bracing, warm yet languid air braided in and out with sunshine and odored with the breath of flowers.” The first town lots in Santa Monica were then sold to the highest bidders.

Thus began the walking tour of my hometown, Santa Monica, California. The Santa Monica Conservancy Walking Tour begins at a building known as Rapp Saloon, on 2nd street, built in 1875 as a beer hall in the true “wild west” fashion. Today it is a youth hostel. Lovingly restored, the beer hall remains open for rental. As I imagined the voices of sailors and suitors gathered at the bar in the nineteenth century, I simultaneously envisioned my own future party here filled with joyous celebration.

The Rapp Saloon on 2nd St. in Santa Monica, CA

Tour guide Kay Pattison in the Rapp Saloon

Walking tour in the Rapp Saloon

Rapp Saloon

Santa Monica’s oldest surviving house is on Ocean Avenue, built in 1891, it subsequently belonged to the professional tennis player, Gussie Moran. It’s steep-gabled roof, shingles, and corner turret portray the Queen Anne Victorian style of the late 1800’s. In 1949, when Gussie occupied the home, she entered her Wimbledon tennis match wearing lace ruffled panties under her short-short tennis skirt. This caused quite the outrage! Hence, the expression, “gussied up” was born.

Gussie Moran House c.1891

Gussie Moran

Gussie Moran

Gussie Moran

I thought of Cambridge, as I walked up to the Keller building/block which was designed in 1893 by architect, Carroll H. Brown, in the classic Romanesque Revival style. The tall windows reflect the Victorian taste of the day. At three stories, it was the largest building downtown and the center of business in Santa Monica. Located at 1460 Third St,  it established Third Street as the center of Santa Monica and led to today’s Third Street Promenade mega shopping area.

The Keller block at 1460 Third Street

The 1920’s brought explosive growth to Santa Monica, and in 1927 a Builder’s Exchange was built on the corner of Fourth Street. Spanish Revival architecture was skillfully completed by the expert tradesmen who lived and worked in the area. The decorative wrought iron grills and original Spanish tiles are of particular note. The cartoonist who invented Popeye, E.C. Segar, worked in the building and fashioned his cartoon after a sea captain he knew named Frank “Rocky” Fiegel who had one eye, was toothless, and has unusual strength. Segar learned to draw from a $20 correspondence course and was hired by William Randolph Hearst to design a comic strip for his newspaper.

Interior of Builders Exchange

Builders Excange

Builders Exchange

Two years later, The Central Tower, an Art Deco masterpiece, rose high above Fourth Street. When viewing the building, the vertical lines carry one’s eye upward to the clock on top, which is purposefully placed off center. The original bronze lobby mail chute remains today, along with the cream and black variegated marble floor.

The Clock Tower at 1424 Fourth Street

Santa Monica’s first theater was originally designed in 1911, and then remodeled in 1929 along with the invention of “talking films.” Theatrical masks, flowers, and shields ornament the facade, along with iron balconettes. Today, only the facade remains and the rest of the property is a mixed use of stores and apartments. I personally love the color scheme.

Majestic Theater at 212-216 Santa Monica Blvd.

In 1912, the Juniper building was three stories and contained an elevator. A fourth story was added in 1925. Metal hooks remain on the corners of the building above the second floor windows. They were once used to assist the electric trolley which brought visitors into the city. Today’s Metro Line functions in the same way.

Juniper building 1912/1925

Hotel Carmel, with it’s Beaux Arts design and Spanish Churrigueresque interior, was built in 1928. Once frequented by Hollywood film stars, it’s roofline with ornamental lion heads was designed to protect its inhabitants from bad luck.

Santa Monica was devastated during the Depression. Gambling ships were placed at sea to attract tourists, who were then shuttled out in smaller boats. In 1931, a female entrepreneur, Rosamond Borde, decided to build a lavish seaside resort for the Hollywood elite. Using architect M. Eugene Durfee, who also designed the Builder’s Exchange and The Central Tower, she created THE GEORGIAN HOTEL on Ocean Avenue, a Beaux Arts/Art Deco masterpiece. Clark Gable, Carol Lombard, and Cary Grant were often seen on the veranda. Remaining open during prohibition, she had a speakeasy hidden in the basement. Now that’s one lady I would have liked to have known!

Georgian Hotel

That same year, HARVELLES BLUES CLUB opened and still functions today in its original capacity. Don’t be surprised to catch me on the dance floor, as I love this little hole in the wall.

When the Depression ended, the 1939 SHANGRI-LA HOTEL went up a few blocks away from The Georgian. The name symbolized paradise in the James Hilton novel, “Lost Horizon.” The architectural style was named Streamline Moderne, and expressed admiration for America’s new machines; the ocean liner and the airplane. The glass brick used in the entry was a new building material in 1939. The L-shaped building allowed for an interior courtyard (with pool) so that each hotel guest received an ocean view. As I live one block away from the Shangri-La, I have gotten to know it’s top notch concierge, Adrienne Miley, with her “whatever it takes” attitude and the hotel’s delicious American classic cuisine. I’m a frequent visitor to the poolside cafe, as well as the original Streamline Moderne dining room with club chairs and cozy booths.

  Shangri-La pool

The quintessential British Pub, YE OLDE KINGS HEAD, used to be the go-to bar for 1960’s rock music and was frequented by UCLA students. A band called “Rick & The Ravens” played every weekend, and featured Ray Manzarek on the keyboard, along with his brothers Rick and Jim. He had just received his M.F.A. degree from UCLA film school. A drunk guy at the bar would continuously request the song, “Louie, Louie.” Eventually, Ray asked the drunk to come up and sing it, while the band played. It was a stellar performance and the first time Jim Morrison sang on stage. That was the beginning of Jim joining the band, and later changing the name to The Doors. Here’s more of the story: THE FORMING OF THE DOORS

Ye Olde Kings Head

The Doors (Ray in glasses and Jim in front)

My current apartment is located in a building once named The Champagne Towers, as it was owned by singer Lawrence Welk. It’s a  16-story apartment building and Welk made his personal residence in the complex. According to Lois Wice of The New York Post, “It was not unusual to see model and actress Greice Santo basking in the sun next to folks that included Megan Fox, Larry David, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, while Britney Spears would go topless at the rooftop pool.” 

Champagne Towers

One question I wanted to be answered when I took the tour, was “How did Santa Monica get its name?” I found out that the King of Spain sent missionaries to colonize California. In 1769, these missionaries and some Spanish soldiers were drinking from a stream (located at University High) when one of them commented that the waters of the spring reminded him of the tears that Saint Monica shed for her son, Augustine, before his conversion. The city founders heard this story and named the city after the Saint. Her statue can be viewed at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue, a half block from my home.

Today, the two-hour walking tour of Santa Monica is presented weekly by Santa Monica Conservancy volunteers. Information can be found by clicking here: Santa Monica Conservancy Walking Tour

Santa Monica Vacation; Home Away From Home

Coast Street Festival, Santa Monica, California

Behind The Curtain At The Music Center, Los Angeles

A Walk Through History; Santa Monica, California On July 15, 1875, the auctioneer proclaimed, "At one o'clock we will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder the Pacific Ocean, draped with a western sky of scarlet and gold; we will sell a bay filled with white-winged ships; we will sell a southern horizon; rimmed with a choice of purple mountains carved in castles and turrets and domes; we will sell a frostless, bracing, warm yet languid air braided in and out with sunshine and odored with the breath of flowers." The first town lots in Santa Monica were then sold to the highest bidders.

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TWO NEW, WELL-RESEARCHED popular histories — The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone and Code Girls by Liza Mundy — reveal the roles female American cryptanalysts played in cracking secret messages from 1917 through the end of World War II. Fagone’s book is a biography of Elizebeth Smith Friedman’s professional and personal life, while Mundy’s book reveals the work of thousands of female codebreakers and their influence on modern intelligence gathering. During Friedman’s heyday, cracking ciphers meant, for the most part, breaking pencil-and-paper encrypted messages. But by World War II, military and diplomatic encryption systems were using more sophisticated devices: encryption machines like the German Enigma, the Japanese Purple, and the American SIGABA. Codebreakers were compelled to reverse-engineer machines that would help crack those encrypted messages.

Fagone portrays Friedman as a premier American codebreaker, on a par with her husband, the better known (at least in the world of secret messages) William Friedman. Elizebeth, like William, broke encrypted messages during World War I and World War II. Between the wars, Elizebeth also cracked the messages of rum runners and bootleggers. Fagone depicts her not only as a cryptological genius but also as a loving wife, the intellectual equal of William, but emotionally sturdier.

Born in Indiana, Elizebeth Smith was one of nine children. Her mother decided on the unorthodox spelling of her name because, Fagone speculates, “her ninth child named Smith would want something to set her apart in the world.” Elizebeth was educated at Wooster College in Ohio, where she studied English literature; she graduated from Hillsdale College in Michigan in 1915. Back then, an educated American woman might teach at the high school level or below; as Fagone puts it, such a woman “taught, had kids, retired, died.” So, Elizebeth taught school. But soon after beginning her professional life as a teacher, Elizebeth went to work for Colonel George Fabyan, an eccentric millionaire, at his research facility, Riverbank Laboratories, in Geneva, Illinois.

Elizebeth met Fabyan in 1916, at the library. She was 23 and deceptively diminutive. Bearded and towering more than a foot above her, Fabyan — having been expelled from his chauffeur-driver limousine “like a clog from a pipe” — asked her, “Will you come to Riverbank and spend the night with me?” Elizebeth didn’t know what he meant by the invitation or what Riverbank was. She protested that she didn’t have anything with her, to which he replied, “That’s all right. We’ll furnish you anything you want.” This was Fabyan’s way of offering her a job.

To call Colonel Fabyan eccentric is an understatement. His military title was honorary, but he relished using it. At Riverbank, Fabyan funded and conducted research on genetically engineered seeds and acoustical levitation devices. He also funded a department that tried to prove, through secret messages in the text, that Sir Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Fagone calls Riverbank “a bizarre institution now abandoned, a place that helped create the modern NSA but which the NSA knew little about.” Elizebeth agreed to work with Mrs. Elizabeth Wells Gallup, who led the department (and whom Mundy, in Code Girls, calls “a crank of the first order”). William Friedman, a geneticist, joined them, working on the so-called Bacon ciphers.

Elizebeth and William started courting at Riverbank and married in late May 1917. Neither Elizebeth nor William really believed that Bacon wrote Shakespeare’s plays — decades later, they co-wrote a book that proved he did not. Fabyan didn’t pay much, only $30 a month, and some months he paid nothing. Fabyan took credit for his workers’ discoveries and was generally a terror to work for. But a job was a job, and the Friedmans learned cryptanalysis — the art of analyzing and reading secret communications without knowledge of the system or the key. It could be arduous and debilitating mental work.

In addition to admiring Elizebeth, Fagone is clearly enamored with cryptology and enjoys describing ciphers. “There were two main animal kingdoms of cipher,” he writes, “‘transposition’ and ‘substitution.’ A transposition cipher was like Scrabble, a jumbling of the same letters into a new order. A substitution cipher was a swapping of letters.” Fagone includes samples of such encrypted messages and explains basic methods for “breaking” or “cracking” them. Even though this is not a “how-to” book, Fagone depicts, in a table in chapter four, simple frequency analysis, which amounts to evaluating language patterns: the frequency of individual letters like E and T, which are the most common in English, and letter combinations such as TH and THE. It’s a bit odd that Fagone refers to “smashing” codes in the book’s title and five times in the text, since the usual jargon is “cracking” or “breaking,” but that’s a minor quibble. The enthusiastic Fagone even includes, in the acknowledgments, a message to his wife and daughter encrypted with a Myszkowski transposition cipher, which crypto enthusiasts may want to try cracking. (No fair using a computer — the Friedmans didn’t have one.)

Back in the early 20th century, there was no Central Intelligence Agency, no National Security Agency. But there were the Friedmans. They became two of the few great codebreakers in the United States. Another couple, Parker Hitt and Genevieve Young Hitt, also broke ciphers. Parker Hitt wrote The Manual for the Solution of Military Ciphers, published in 1916. Army Colonel Joseph Mauborgne was another codebreaker of some repute, having executed the first break of the British army’s field cipher, Playfair. The United States did have a War Department, with a Military Intelligence Division (MID), led by Major Ralph van Deman, but it had only 17 officers and no codebreakers. Radio and other wireless transmissions had changed the way diplomats and soldiers communicated, and, unfortunately, the US government had no way to intercept ordinary unencrypted messages, let alone break the ciphers of foreign powers. So, in March 1917, Fabyan offered Riverbank’s services to break encrypted messages for the government.

About a month later, after Congress declared war, the War Department sent US Army Chief Signal Officer Joseph Mauborgne to evaluate Riverbank’s suitability for cryptanalysis operations. In preparing for Mauborgne’s arrival, Fabyan added clerks, stenographers, and translators to the newly created Riverbank Department of Ciphers, headed by the Friedmans. After Mauborgne made his report, Riverbank’s Department of Ciphers not only cracked messages for the government, but it also trained the military’s cryptanalysts. What’s more, William Friedman wrote several cryptanalysis manuals, known as the Riverbank Publications, some co-written by Elizebeth, though Fabyan tried to take the credit. In 1918, William enlisted in the army and traveled to France, where he worked as a cryptanalyst. Elizebeth wanted to join him, but the army told her that, as “a mere woman,” she “could not follow to pursue my ‘trade.’” She continued to break codes and train cryptographers, meanwhile enduring sexual harassment by Fabyan at Riverbank, unbeknownst to William.

After they finally left Riverbank, the two continued to crack secret messages, William for the army and Elizebeth for the coast guard, which was then part of the Treasury Department. Their annual salaries were considerably more than the pittance Fabyan had paid them: William received $4,500 and Elizebeth $2,200, although their jobs and qualifications were similar. Fagone notes that William was paid as a signal corps lieutenant and Elizebeth as a civilian, but he doesn’t remark much on the gender disparity, a topic Mundy treats in great detail.

After the war, Elizebeth cracked the messages of organized gangsters. Her expert testimony as a cryptanalyst helped convict many bootleggers and rum runners. At that time, the FBI was in its infancy and remarkably inept, but that didn’t keep J. Edgar Hoover from trying to get headlines. For her part, Elizebeth preferred to remain anonymous, a spy of sorts. In July 1931, the Treasury Department cleared her to lead a codebreaking team of her own, which would break codes for all Treasury agencies. She was given a new office, funds to hire staff, and a new title: Cryptanalyst-in-Charge, U.S. Coast Guard, with a pay raise to $3,800 per year. It was the first unit of its kind and the only codebreaking unit in the United States ever to be run by a woman — “another pioneering moment for Elizebeth.”

After prohibition ended, many criminal organizations switched to smuggling drugs like heroin and morphine, so Elizebeth cracked their messages, too. By 1938, “Elizebeth was now the most famous code breaker in the world,” Fagone writes. When the Friedmans weren’t decrypting messages for the government, they taught their children simple ciphers. They sent Christmas cards with cryptograms to their friends and organized live cipher-solving games at parties that became famous in their social group throughout the 1930s.

Even though “pencil-and-paper ciphers” were still employed in World War II, machine ciphers were being used by the Allies and by the Axis powers. In the United States, Elizebeth broke the pencil-and-paper ciphers used by Nazi spies in South America while William was overseas breaking Japanese ciphers. Codebreaking was grueling work, but Elizebeth withstood it better than her husband. William had been working on breaking the Japanese cipher machine Angooki Taipu B, called “Purple” by the Americans. Eventually, under the strain, he had a nervous breakdown. Elizebeth visited him at Walter Reed hospital as often as she could. After he was released “into Elizebeth’s arms,” he returned to the army in April but wasn’t “quite the same, and never would be.” Within a few weeks the army gave him an honorable discharge.

During World War II, Elizebeth also broke one version of the Enigma code that was used by the Abwehr, a German intelligence unit. Her break happened about the same time as that achieved by the British boffins at Bletchley Park. By the end of World War II, Elizebeth’s career was winding down, and she was terminated by the coast guard on September 12, 1946. Her salary that year was the most she’d ever earned: $5,390. Thanks largely to her and her husband’s efforts, cryptology had become a science, and intelligence gathering had grown from an amateur calling to an organized profession.

Despite Elizebeth’s professional accomplishments, becoming a teacher remained, during the early 1940s, the only consistently available job for an educated woman. With the possibility of the United States entering another major war, however, the situation changed dramatically. As Mundy’s Code Girls, which focuses on the World War II period, shows, the government actively recruited college-educated women to perform work so secret they weren’t permitted to talk about it. Just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Army had 181 people working on code breaking. By 1945, that number had grown to over 10,000, some 70 percent of whom were women.

These women worked for the army and navy in Arlington Hall, at the Naval Annex in DC, and also in Dayton, Ohio, where National Cash Register made machines called M-9s that replicated and decrypted German Enigma machine ciphers. These cryptographers, translators, stenographers, and clerks worked on cracking Japanese codes like JN-20 and JN-25, as well as the Japanese cipher machines, which the Americans codenamed “Red” and “Purple.” Breaks of the Japanese ciphers led to “Operation Vengeance,” the targeting and death of Admiral Yamamoto, architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Women cryptographers and their male counterparts also worked on the German Enigma machines and other German ciphers.

Mundy emphasizes that, although women were doing the same work as their male counterparts, they were not paid equitably.

According to a November 1941 proposed salary memo, female clerks, typists, and stenographers were paid $1,440 per year, while men doing the same job made $1,620. Women college graduates who had taken an elementary course in cryptanalysis made $1,800; men with those qualifications made $2,000. Women with masters’ degrees made $2,000, compared to $2,600 for men. Women PhDs made $2,300; men with doctorates made $3,200.

Many of these women enjoyed their work, were happy with the pay, and were thrilled with the opportunity to serve their country and make more money than they ever could teaching. Based on extensive research in declassified NSA archives, including the agency’s collection of oral histories, Mundy details the accomplishments of several of the top female codebreakers, such as Ann Caracristi (later the first female deputy director of the NSA), Wilma Berryman Davis, and Agnes Driscoll, who was every bit the codebreaker William Friedman was. But Mundy focuses on the life and career of Dot (Dorothy) Braden, who reported to Washington in September 1943 (and whom Mundy interviewed between 2014 and 2017, along with some two dozen other female professionals). Mundy’s treatment of Braden’s life humanizes a book that can sometimes be heavy reading, especially when explaining the cryptanalysis of additives to Japanese codes and ciphers.

As histories of cryptography, both of these books deserve a place alongside David Kahn’s immense 1967 volume, The Codebreakers – The Story of Secret Writing. Fagone brings a tone of romantic espionage to his coverage of Elizebeth’s life and career, while Mundy meticulously chronicles a patriotic generation of female cryptanalysts, linguists, and clerks. Shortly after the war, when the government insisted it was the duty of women to return to their families so men coming home from battle could have their jobs, many happily agreed. Others sought to pursue similar civilian careers but found it difficult to provide relevant résumés, since the work they had performed was classified. A few, though, remained as cryptographers, eventually employed by the NSA. What may be even more interesting than the formerly secret lives and careers that these books reveal is what the books don’t tell us. Despite the passage of so many decades, much of history is still classified.

¤

Joseph Peschel, a freelance writer and critic in South Dakota, maintains a blog at http://ift.tt/1KhbCUI.

The post Female Code Warriors appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

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