#piece of national industry they can and coast off that for a bit. in 30 years itll be unfixable and itll all be kinda fucked up

[0ystercatcher]

the worst part is i dont think arg is gonna do that bad for now

[floresgavriil-blog]

Singapore today is known as one of the best cities in the world to stopover en route to wherever you are going on your journey. Singapore Changi Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports, and the largest in Southeast Asia, as well as being rated the best airport in the world seven times in a row. With all the accolades it’s only a matter of time until you head over to the region and find yourself on a Singapore stopover and need some things to do.

Stopovers for some can be boring if you find yourself stuck on the floor of a terminal trying to connect to WiFi or craving a hot shower and a meal. Stopping over in Singapore has never looked so good especially when there are exceptions to Visa’s required to enter the country.

For most nationalities, all you need to enter is a passport with six or more months remaining, money that will last your stay, and a confirmed ticket to your next destination.

Singapore layovers for up to 30 days are Visa-free but be sure to check with your government website prior to entering Singapore as passports from country to country have different rules and regulations.

Things to do on a 24 hour Singapore Stopover

1. Eat Chilli Crab

Singapore’s famous chilli crab

If you only have 24 hours in Singapore you need to at least try the food! Without a doubt, Singaporean is my favorite food while traveling in Asia. There are a lot of meals to choose from but one stands out from the rest and that’s Singapore Chilli Crab.

Eating a crab can be one of the messiest things you can do food related so be prepared to make a mess. However the dribbling tomato, chilli and basil sauce down your shirt is so worth it.

Singapore Chilli Crab in most places is very expensive but for a cheaper meal of the exact same quality, head to Chinatown where most restaurants and vendors will serve you up a freshly cooked crab for around 20 Singapore Dollars (SGD or S$). Expect to pay S$100 plus in Boat Quay or downtown Singapore.

2. Explore Chinatown

After finishing a delicious chilli crab, keep exploring Chinatown as there are plenty of things to do in Singapore here. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple tops the list and hence the name, this temple is said to hold one of the Buddha’s teeth in this massive, architectural masterpiece rising to five stories high.

Chinatown also has the cheapest food and drink anywhere in Singapore so if you are keen on local cuisine, Chinatown is your best bet.

Pretty much every street within Chinatown has some sort of restaurant, cafe or street vendor selling delicious local cuisines such as chilli crab, papaya salads, or Singapore’s famous runny egg and toast.

Getting to know Singapore’s past can be done by visiting Chinatown. Baba House is a museum in Singapore and shows just what the life of the Peranakan culture used to be and what it is still like.

The Peranakan people are descendants or were related to families with an immigrant who then went on to marry a local Malayan. The Peranakan culture is unique as the local Malaya women would create a whole new set of traditions.

3. Walk around Mount Faber Park & Southern Ridges

Exploring a jungle in Singapore’s city center

Mount Faber Park & Southern Ridges would have to be one of the most chilled out places in Singapore. It has the most beautiful natural corridors complete with tropical rainforests, monkeys and exceptional views of Sentosa Island and the distant Singapore skyline.

The whole Southern Ridges area from Mount Faber Park to Kent Ridge Park are not often busy places so expect to have the gardens to yourself. My favorite thing to do is find a giant fan-palm to sit under and chill out Singapore style.

Singapore is known for some very unique bridges including that of Henderson Waves, a bridge-shaped into a wooden wave which connects Mount Faber Park to neighboring Telok Blangah Hill Park.

Before development and the tourism boom began in Singapore, places like Kent Ridge and Mount Faber were culturally rich with kampong (traditional houses) and a life relatively untouched until the turning of the tide.

4. Cycle Pulau Ubin Island

Plenty of bikes to choose from on Pulau Ubin Island

Pulau Ubin Island is my number one must do while in Singapore. Singapore isn’t a big country but getting to Pulau Ubin can be a bit of a mission especially if you are based in the downtown Quays area.

I chose to take the bus all the way across Singapore and alight at Changi Village (not Changi Airport) the bus/ train section takes around one hour.

From Changi Village, you’ll need to walk to the coast and through an undercover food market which is ideal to fuel up on food before boarding a bum-boat to Pulau Ubin Island at Changi Point Terminal.

A ticket one-way costs under S$3 which can be bought when on the boat or at the boat dock. The boat ride takes around 10 to 15 minutes each way and is quite scenic as Pulau Ubin Island sits in the Strait of Johor.

Pulau Ubin Island is a step back in time and reflects what Singapore used to look like, long before industrial development. Today, Pulau Ubin might seem a bit ‘touristy’ with bike hire stalls flocking the main street but there is more to the island that definitely needs to be put on your list of things to do in Singapore.

Hiring a bicycle on Pulau Ubin Island

To best see the island you’ll need to hire a bicycle which will cost anywhere between S$10 and S$20. Don’t be coaxed into paying more as a large proportion of the bicycles breaks cease to work. I was told that it’s best to ride anti-clockwise around the island.

As you cycle from one end of the island to the other, there are remnants of old Singapore with kampongs scattered around. A kampong is a hut generally built on stilts to avoid water rising in the monsoon season and allow air to ventilate the hut when humidity skyrockets.

Along with the kampongs, the island is known for its variety of wildlife especially monkeys and exotic bird species fluttering throughout the thick rainforest.

How Singapore used to be.

At the eastern end of the island, the Chek Jawa Wetlands is worth paying a visit for bird sightings and one of the highest points on the island for rather good views of Pulau Ubin Island.

Getting back to the mainland of Singapore is easy; just return your bike where you hired it from and head for the one and only dock adjacent to the main street to board a bum-boat.

5. Explore Gardens by the Bay at Night

One of the very best things you can do on a Singapore stopover is visit Gardens By the Bay. Most cities at night are spectacular if you know where to go, and Singapore is no different. Many people are mesmerized by bright lights and tall buildings, but in Singapore, it’s also easy to be impressed by the Gardens by the Bay.

Gardens by the Bay are a year-round destination and the top thing to see and photograph in Singapore. They are accessible during the day, but nighttime is when they really come alive.

The architects of Gardens by the Bay named a series of skeleton looking trees called ‘SuperTrees.’ Each unique tree is sculpted from metal and covered from roots to the canopy with lights that change color every few minutes.

To get exceptional views of the SuperTrees, there are a few spots to check out such as the Singapore Flyer, an extremely large Ferris wheel. The Singapore Flyer goes so high those not only are the SuperTrees down below easy to see, lights from Indonesia and Malaysia become visible which is seriously mind-blowing!

6. Take in the Views from Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands is one of, if not the most architecturally stunning and weird hotels on earth.

Marina Bay Sands has to be seen to be believed and it’s not hard to see in Singapore. From the ground, take a walk from Fullerton Road past the iconic Merlion along the edges Marina Bay.

The best time to do so is during the night as the hotel shows off an incredible display of dazzling lights and lasers along with water fountains that appear miraculously out of Marina Bay in a breathtaking display of choreography.

At the top of Marina Bay Sands, there is an infinity pool that gives the impression of being one with the city skyline but don’t look down, it’s seriously high up.

The only way you can access the infinity pool is by being a guest of the hotel. If you are not one of the lucky bunch that gets to stay at the Marina Bay Sands there is another section which you can access, delivering views of Marina Bay, The Singapore Flyer, SuperTrees and the Singapore skyline. The best time to go onto the viewing deck is at night.

Inside the Cloud Forest

  7. Chill out in Sentosa

Henderson Waves bridge

Sentosa Island is very much unlike the rest of Singapore and the complete opposite of Pulau Ubin Island. Sentosa is designed to be a little piece of paradise amongst the vibrant city of Singapore, a place close to downtown that is accessible for locals and international visitors.

Sentosa Island is the tourism hotspot in Singapore with everything from a world-class golf course, Universal Studios, tropically styled beach to massive shopping centers.

Sentosa Island is more of a playground for fine dining, drinking, and just having a whole lot of fun and there is something for everyone.

It may be hard to find a piece of the old Singapore on the island but a few remaining locations will ensure you don’t become completely overwhelmed by towering roller coasters and wave pools.

The Malaysian Street Food Hawker Centre will give you traditional Singaporean dishes as well as a mix of Malaysian goodness.

If Sentosa becomes a bit much, take the cable car to Mount Faber Park on a scenic 10 to 15-minute ride. One way costs under S$10 Singapore dollars.

8. Little India and Kampong Glam

Singapore’s SuperTrees were made to signify the multicultural nation that the country holds so dearly and Little India is a reflection of just how everyone gets along with one another despite cultural differences.

As the name suggests, Little India is one of Singapore’s most colorful suburbs for all things food, people and culture along with a series of vibrantly painted houses. Little India is a piece of traditional India tucked away from the futuristic feels of Singapore.

It’s here that you can expect the people, food, and culture of this place to thrive and be everything India is with marigold’s sold in excessive amounts to fragrant wafts from nearby wholesale markets.

The Tekka Centre Wet Market is where you will find a constant bartering and trading of fresh goods, spices and things you would ever imagine. Tekka Centre is certain to be a rush and you won’t necessarily find a cooked meal here instead walk or cycle to Dunlop Street for a guaranteed meal full of chilies and spice!

Kampong Glam is a hotspot for multiculturalism where everything seems to be happening right before your eyes. Kampong Glam is a short but humid walk across Rochor Canal and you hit Kampong Glam once you see the magnificent Sultan Mosque, dating back to the early 1900s.

Before you leave Kampong Glam, Kuan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple is a must see where pilgrims of Hindu faith ascend to be shrouded by the intense aromatic smells of incense all while aiming to get a rub of the bronzed Buddha’s belly.

9. Explore Boat Quay and Clarke Quay

Singapore has three quay spots to visit along the Singapore River with Boat Quay and Clarke Quay being the two must-sees. Boat Quay is the closest to Marina Bay with Clarke Quay a few minutes’ walk west of Boat Quay.

During my stay in Singapore, I chose to stay in Boat Quay given its close vicinity to pretty much everything in Singapore and it was a good choice. At Boat Quay, you’ll find many riverside restaurants, ferry terminals, and bars where the beer and Singapore Sling’s are anything but cheap.

From Boat Quay, everything is walking distance or if you prefer to catch a train, head to Clarke Quay Metro for access to Sentosa Island, Changi Island or Marina Bay.

Clarke Quay is a bit outdated with its 80’s style hotels and outdoor spaces but Clarke Quay is all about food and nightlife. Clarke Quay is a great place to relax but the nights often get busy so look at heading to Chinatown for a chance at getting a seat for dinner and drinks.

10. Fort Canning Park

Fort Canning Park and Raffles Terrace

Within walking distance from Clarke and Boat Quay’s, Fort Canning Park is a tropical haven for everything natural so expect to find ancient trees, giant fan-palms and vines reaching to the sky.

Fort Canning Park has a darker side despite its sheer beauty. During World War II, Singapore was seen as a strategic place to obtain and the defense of Singapore was crucial. Scattered throughout the park are cannons and other weapons used during these dark days.

Getting around Fort Canning Park is simple, with a few concrete paths zig-zagging throughout the lush space. At the northern end of the park is Singapore’s National Museum.

11. Visit the Asian Civilisation Museum

If you are near Clarke or Boat Quay, cross one of the bridges over the Singapore River to the Asian Civilisation Museum for insight not only into Singapore’s heritage, the museum offers vast collections of Asian artifacts from present times to thousands of years ago.

12. Explore Changi

Getting to Pulau Ubin is easy from Changi Village

Not all Singapore stopovers are lengthy so why not go for something super close to the international airport? Changi or Changi Village is an industrial suburb of Singapore which hugs a section of coast along the Strait of Johor.

Changi Village is nothing like downtown Singapore. Instead, you will find easier access to Pulau Ubin Island and a food center or “hawker” which serves some top quality Hainanese duck and rice.

Right near Changi International is the Changi Prison Museum and Chapel dedicated to telling the story of those fighting during WWII and how the prisoners of war survived the hardship.

13. Venture Around Changi Airport

Not all stopovers in Singapore are lengthy and many times you may not be able to leave the airport. The good news is that Singapore Changi International Airport happens to be the best airport in the world so don’t worry, you will get a taste of Singapore without ever having left the terminal!

Changi International is ridiculously big so the chances of seeing everything will be near impossible. A recent new addition to the airport’s interior includes a waterfall that cascades from the roof while lush gardens reach high to the ceiling of the glass roof.

Over the past couple of years, I have ventured to quite a few international airports and not being able to leave them and experience what lay outside of its doors really gets me down. To get over this I allocate S$20 of cash into the local currency so I can spend it on the food of the local cuisine. This way I will be able to get a taste of what the country would be like and gives me the motivation to start planning future trips to that destination. See more long haul flight tips here!

14. Enjoy Singapore’s Best Eats

Secretly, I am a big foodie and sampling local cuisines (in large proportions) is my hidden talent. Singaporean food tops the list for me anywhere in Asia despite it being one of the most expensive countries to get a meal. Howver a meal in Singapore can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be. It’s definitely possible to spend less than S$5 if you know the right spot.

The most expensive places to get a meal in Singapore are downtown Singapore, Sentosa Island, Mount Faber, Clarke and Boat Quays and Marina Bay Sands so expect to pay over S$20 for a starter meal and upwards of S$30 for a main course.

Chinatown, Little India, Changi Village, Pulau Ubin Island and Kampong Glam are your best bets for street food like Hainanese duck and chilli crab.

You have probably heard of the famous Singapore Sling, a cocktail invented at the Raffles Hotel. The Singapore Sling is a mix of liqueurs and spirits that taste a bit like cough medicine; unfortunately you won’t find many places that sell this cocktail cheaply apart from corner stores.

Anywhere in Singapore, expect to pay S$20 or more for the Singapore Sling otherwise a corner store is more reasonably priced at S$7 (it comes in a bottle).

Scattered throughout Singapore are places called ‘Hawker centers’ that are renowned for serving top quality street food for a very cheap price. That’s where the above two photos were taken.

Food ranges from Indian, Malaysian, and Singaporean to Thai, generally open all day long. The best Hawker Centers are located in Changi Village near the ferry terminal and at the entrance to Sentosa Island near the cable cars.

15. Relax at Telunas Resort

Telunas Private Resort isn’t really an option for those with only 24 hours in Singapore, but rather for those on a long layover in Singapore. Natasha and Cameron had a six-day layover in Singapore and chose to spend for of those at Telunas, an exclusive beach resort that is a two-hour boat ride away from Singapore – technically in Indonesia.

Telunas is a true island eco getaway where those can come and relax away from the city staying in beautiful overwater bungalows. At Telunas Private Island there is no WiFi anywhere on the property and no 3G signal. So come with a good book in hand and get ready to relax! It’s hard to paint the true picture in just this paragraph, so you can read the full review and see the video here!

Timing your Singapore stopover

With Singapore being a small country with efficient modes of transport you’ll be able to get from the airport to Marina Bay in 20 to 30 minutes via taxi. Uber and taxis are an affordable way to get around, but the metro and buses are also fantastic.

Here are my personal things to do in Singapore recommendations if you have 24 hours or less.

Three full hours in Singapore city (six hours of layover time):

Marina Bay Sands

Chinatown

Tooth Relic Temple

Six full hours in Singapore (nine hours of layover time):

Marina Bay Sands

Gardens By the Bay

Chinatown

Little India

10 full hours in Singapore (12 hours of layover time):

Pulau Ubin Island

Changi Village

Mount Faber Park

Boat Quay

Gardens By the Bay

24 hours in Singapore

You could viably fit everything on this list in if you hustle your way around the city and try to fit as much in as you can, but that can be exhausting, so consider what interests you the most before doing that. We find that hitting less places for a longer amount of time keeps us happier than running ourselves ragged around a destination.

When is the Best time to Travel to Singapore?

Singapore’s has two kinds of weather; very humid or monsoonal rains.

Mornings in Singapore are the best before the sun rises and the humidity skyrockets. Any time after that, air conditioning will be your best friend. If you’re ever feeling hot just duck into one of the many shopping malls.

Anywhere from midday onwards, storms form and bring torrential rain to the city and generally will cool everything right down. One minute it can be clear blue sky, the heavens will have opened.

Luggage Storage for your Singapore layover

It is possible to leave your luggage in storage while you go enjoy the city. this is much more enjoyable than lugging it around with you if you don’t have a hotel for the night. 

All terminals in Singapore Changi airport have baggage storage 24 hours a day. Prices range from S$5-S$20, see all the details here.

Getting Around Singapore on your layover

Getting into the city is very straightforward once exiting Changi International.

Taxis are frequently available 24 hours of the day outside of the international terminal so getting a ride is always simple task. Expect to pay upwards of S$20 to Clarke or Boat Quay.

Trains frequently depart the international terminal and head everywhere around Singapore. Trains are much cheaper than taxis and are clean, safe, and efficient. Look for signs leading to METRO.

Once you are out of the airport, getting around is very easy with bicycles readily available but expect to be lathered in sweat after a ride, humidity often soars above 80% all day, every day.

METRO stations are everywhere in Singapore meaning you can get wherever you need without spending too much money. If you plan on using buses and trains, purchase an EZ link card which will enable you to use the card on both buses and trains with ease.

THANKS FOR READING!

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About the Author

Calumn Hockey

G’day! My name is Calumn Hockey and I am a keen adventurer, traveler, and photographer from Bowraville, Australia. I have a huge passion for the mountains of the Himalaya in Nepal to the Southern Alps of New Zealand while being one who loves to become immersed in local culture. Over the past few years, I have been fortunate enough to travel to some pretty epic locations such as Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Nepal, and South East Asia. I might not have a high tally of countries under my belt but there is nothing better than exploring somewhere you love in depth and becoming connected with the sights and sounds. Keen to follow my adventures? Follow me on @CalumnHockey

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The post 15 Things to do on a 24 Hour Singapore Stopover appeared first on The World Pursuit.

[davidoespailla]

The Most Expensive Neighborhood in Every State in America

iStock; realtor.com

We’re curious. There’s no other way to explain our fascination—make that obsession—with the biggest, the best, and the richest. We always desire a glimpse inside the lives of the wealthiest among us, to learn what cars they drive, what clothes they wear, and, most importantly, where they live. (What else could possibly explain 14 seasons of “The Real Housewives of Orange County”?)

To satisfy our innate curiosity about high-end housing, the data team at realtor.com® set out to pinpoint the most expensive neighborhoods in each and every state. Plus DC, because why not?

To track down each state’s priciest place, our data team calculated the median listing price for every ZIP code in the U.S. in 2018. ZIP codes with fewer than an average of 30 listings per month were eliminated, to make sure the results weren’t skewed by a few big-ticket listings.

The result is a fascinating mix of places you’ve probably heard of alongside some up-and-coming bastions of wealth. You’ll find them below in alphabetical order by state.

Grab your checkbook and take a look!

Alabama

Birmingham, AL (Mountain Brook) ZIP code: 35223 Median home list price: $611,612

Mountain Brook in Birmingham, AL

realtor.com

Birmingham’s real estate market is in the midst of a boom, with new jobs delivering droves of eager home buyers into the burbs. But only the elite earn a spot in the Magic City’s southeastern suburb of Mountain Brook, which has long been a haven for the city’s upper crust, according to Zachary Armstrong, a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway in Birmingham. They’re flocking to Beverly Hills–style estates built in the 1920s with enormous pools, manicured lawns, and city views. Plus, the suburb offers low property tax rates and the highest-rated schools in the state—a potent combo.

Alaska

Anchorage, AK ZIP code: 99516 Median home list price: $537,129

Anchorage, AK

realtor.com

Ever dream of quitting your stressful 9-to-5 and taking off for greener pastures? How about whiter and fluffier ones? For years deep-pocketed international buyers have done just that, swooping into the upscale southeast section of Anchorage where huge cedar and wood homes offer primo views of snow-capped mountains.

“At first it was a lot of Canadians, but we’ve also been seeing Koreans, Russians, and Germans,” says Jacob Sebring, a local real estate agent with Keller Williams.

Arizona

Paradise Valley, AZ ZIP code: 85253 Median home list price: $2,263,540

Paradise Valley, AZ

realtor.com

Nestled between Phoenix and Scottsdale, Paradise Valley manages to juggle a few distinct personas: amped-up tourist locale (eight full-service resorts!), upscale retirement mecca (one-quarter of the city’s population is aged 65 and up, according to the U.S. Census Bureau), and, weirdly, hot spot for pro athletes. But the last part of that equation may be falling off a bit: Over the past year, we’ve seen Randy Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Matt Williams all put their Paradise Valley megamansions on the market.

Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR ZIP code: 72703 Median home list price: $417,265

Fayetteville, AR

DenisTangneyJr/iStock

It’s the Walmart effect. Questions?

California

Beverly Hills, CA ZIP code: 90210 Median home list price: $6,062,925

Beverly Hills, CA

dszc/iStock

Despite the frenzied attention paid lately to the eye-popping home prices in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, the old-money enclave of Beverly Hills holds its own as the wealthiest neighborhood in the Golden State—and the most expensive town in America.

The iconic 90210 ZIP did more than just launch one of the most fab shows of the ’90s (the less said about the CW reboot, the better), it also boasts some of the nation’s most extravagant properties, including the Beverly House, a 19-bedroom estate once owned by William Randolph Hearst. Even dirt and trees go for big bucks in this sunny paradise. Case in point? This massive plot of land on the market for $1 billion. And no, there isn’t a house on it.

Colorado

Snowmass, CO ZIP code: 81654 Median home list price: $3,355,488

Snowmass, CO

realtor.com

With home prices in red-hot cities like Denver and Boulder soaring, it might come as a surprise that a small ski village topped Colorado’s most expensive list.

Location, location, location: Nestled in the Colorado Mountains, Snowmass is just a 25-minute drive to ultraposh Aspen. This ski town’s housing stock consists mostly of enormous mansions—unlike in Aspen, where a plethora of small condos have pulled down the median prices.

Connecticut

Greenwich, CT ZIP code: 06831 Median home list price: $2,625,154

Greenwich, CT

realtor.com

Located within easy-peasy commuting distance to New York City, Greenwich is the crown jewel of Connecticut’s “Gold Coast”—a cluster of leafy and enormously affluent suburban towns along the Long Island Sound. It’s long been the destination for ungodly rich hedge fund managers or titans of industry who want to spread out and escape midtown Manhattan.

Some real estate markets in the tri-state region are seeing slowdowns, but not Greenwich. Area mansions are still selling briskly, according to Leslie McElwreath, a real estate agent at Sotheby’s International.

Delaware

Wilmington, DE (Westover Hills) ZIP code: 19807 Median home list price: $890,829

Wilmington, DE

realtor.com

Fun fact: Even though it was set in Vermont, 1989’s “Dead Poets Society” was the first major Hollywood release filmed entirely in Delaware, most of it in the Westover Hills area (yep, even the traumatizing student suicide scene).

Today Westover Hills, just 10 minutes north of downtown Wilmington, is sought-after for its old-money homes built in the late 1920s and 1930s, says Tucker Robbins, a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway.

“The neighborhood blends Tudor-style homes with Georgian-style homes with Colonial homes,” he says. “Our community fights to keep this particular look, and people are willing to spend the money to be a part of it.”

District of Columbia

Washington, DC (Georgetown) ZIP code: 20007 Median home list price: $1,246,663

Georgetown in Washington, DC

Mableen/iStock

Scores of wealthy diplomats, lobbyists, and politicians have called Georgetown home over the years. Administrations come and go, but the beautiful brick homes and 100-year-old Colonial row houses in this neighborhood continue to attract those who want to live in style close to the action. Home prices in this famous neighborhood along the Potomac River begin in the seven digits and range all the way up to $18 million.

Florida

Miami Beach, FL (Fisher Island) ZIP code: 33109 Median home list price: $3,592,981

Fisher Island in Miami Beach, FL

iStock

Just off the shores of Miami, Fisher Island has become a second-home destination for many of the world’s wealthiest folks—including Russian oligarchs, who keep their helicopters and yachts here. The 200-acre island, once owned by the Vanderbilt family, is accessible only by ferry, water taxi, or helicopter. Luxury condos and villas dominate the housing stock and can easily top $10 million, including this five-bedroom beauty for $12 million.

Georgia

Sea Island, GA ZIP code: 31561 Median home list price: $2,786,717

Sea Island, GA

realtor.com

Sea Island, a privately owned territory about 60 miles south of Savannah, has long been a hot spot for the ruling class. The centerpiece is the Sea Island Beach Club and its accompanying hotel, The Cloister. After President Calvin Coolidge vacationed there in 1928, Sea Island gained national attention. It wasn’t long before Eugene O’Neill and John D. Rockefeller Jr. bought property in the area, and the VIP cavalcade has barely abated since.

Buyers are attracted to the oceanfront mansions with manicured lawns and mature oaks, such as this 5,700-square-foot palace for a cool $14.95 million.

Hawaii

Kilauea, HI ZIP code: 96754 Median home list price: $2,285,904

Kilauea, HI

realtor.com

At the northern tip of the island of Kauai, you’ll find Kilauea, a small community with multimillion-dollar homes that boast ocean views that are almost painfully beautiful. The place worked its charms on Mark Zuckerberg, who bought a coveted (and controversial) piece of property along the ocean.

Homes on this part of the island are often relatively modest structures, but you don’t come to Hawaii for megamansions.

In Kilauea, “most homes are within walking distance to all Hawaii has to offer: swimming, snorkeling, and hiking,” says Danette Andrews, a real estate agent at Sotheby’s International Realty in Kauai.

Idaho 

Ketchum, ID ZIP code: 83340 Median home list price: $1,488,696

Ketchum, ID

realtor.com

Ketchum gained attention after it caught the eye of Ernest Hemingway in the late 1950s. The novelist loved fishing and hunting in the area so much that he bought a home overlooking Wood River, where he lived until his death in 1961.

Today, the area is popular with wealthy and famous folks looking for a (beautiful) second home near plenty of outdoor activities. Ketchum is right next to the famed Sun Valley ski resort, and it’s also a prime spot for media titans thanks to the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference. It pretty much defines chic-but-mellow ski town ambiance.

Illinois

Kenilworth, IL ZIP code: 60043 Median home list price: $1,517,467

Kenilworth, IL

realtor.com

Businessman Joseph Sears sought to create the perfect (and perfectly opulent) suburban community when he planned and built Kenilworth in the late 1800s. Flash forward to 1987, and it was the cherished place where Steve Martin‘s character struggles to make it home for Thanksgiving in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

Dubbed “the most exclusive neighborhood in the Midwest” by Forbes, this Chicago ZIP code is still a mecca for suburban bliss. The city’s heavy hitters are lured by the quiet streets and the giant estates that Sears once dreamed about.

Indiana

Zionsville, IN ZIP code: 46077 Median home list price: $560,520

Zionsville, IN

realtor.com

Just 18 miles north of downtown Indianapolis, Zionsville is sought-after for its excellent schools and redeveloped downtown, complete with restaurants, boutiques, and year-round festivals.

“I get a lot of people moving in from out of state who will commute down to the city,” says Kelly Lavengood, a real estate agent with the Lavengood Team in Indianapolis. The high end of the market stretches to about $3 million.

Iowa

Cedar Rapids, IA ZIP code: 52411 Median home list price: $450,469

Cedar Rapids, IA

iStock

The northwest side of Cedar Rapids is the place to be! However, some may call it trouble in paradise. The city is attracting so many deep-pocketed buyers that wannabe home buyers are finding it more difficult to score a house. Competition is through the roof, with homes selling way over listing price.

Kansas

Leawood, KS ZIP code: 66211 Median home list price: $1,078,967

Leawood, KS

realtor.com

Leawood’s small-town charm and proximity to Kansas City have spurred real estate prices, says local real estate agent Tamra Trickey with ReeceNichols. Lately there’s been a housing shortage, and three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes can easily fetch over $1 million.

Kentucky

Goshen, KY ZIP code: 40026 Median home list price: $545,298

Goshen, KY

realtor.com

Just 20 miles northeast of Louisville, Goshen is home to a number of historic horse farms in its high-end neighborhoods. Not only do these farms raise property values, but equestrian property buyers are willing to cough up extra cash to keep their precious ponies in their own backyard. Giddyap!

Louisiana

New Orleans, LA (Lakeview) ZIP code: 70124 Median home list price: $511,027

Lakeview neighborhood in New Orleans, LA

realtor.com

Few neighborhoods in New Orleans were harder hit by Hurricane Katrina than the upper-middle-class enclave Lakeside, which completely flooded after the levees were breached.

Its “very existence was in peril,” according to The Advocate. But after federally funded rebuilding, Lakeview rebounded with a vengeance and is now thriving—and it’s more upscale now than before the storm. Currently, you’ll find no shortage of pricey properties, including this Colonial-style home for $849,000.

Maine

Kennebunkport, ME ZIP code: 04046 Median home list price: $727,765

Kennebunkport, ME

iStock

This tiny town is home to some seriously big bucks and understated wealth, New England style. Expect to see popped collars, vintage yachts, and four- to five-bedroom homes quaintly referred to as “cottages.”

On the banks of the Atlantic you’ll find Walker’s Point, the summer compound of the late President George H.W. Bush. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently built his own cottage on the land.

Maryland

Potomac, MD ZIP code: 20854 Median home list price: $1,346,967

Potomac, MD

realtor.com

Many of DC’s movers and shakers actually live in Maryland, where the vibe is..

The Most Expensive Neighborhood in Every State in America

[ellahmacdermott]

Beyond the Classroom: The Rise of University Blockchain Labs

As the cryptocurrency industry matures and public interest heightens, blockchain research and educational efforts have made their way into the halls of some of the world’s leading universities. Courses on cryptocurrency finance, blockchain development and related law are developing into serious avenues of study. They’re academia’s response to a formerly stigmatized space’s debut into mainstream culture, a formal and accredited extension to the work of innovators and leaders who propelled the space forward when it was still relatively underground.

Complementing classroom offerings, university-led blockchain research and development initiatives are on the rise, as teams of professors, blockchain developers and students work to take the industry from market speculation to mainstream application.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) features the oldest and perhaps best-known university-sponsored blockchain development lab in the world. Since 2015, the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative has brought together some of the space's leading independent developers with MIT faculty to extend the development of such applications as the Lightning Network.

Halfway into 2018, some of the world's top universities are joining MIT and vetting initiatives of their own. New in structure but by no means new to the field, Stanford's month-old blockchain R&D lab was launched with a bit of a jumpstart. Co-directors Dan Boneh and David Mazières have three years of blockchain-focused research and academic papers to set the lab into motion. Both directors are computer science professors at Stanford and have taught courses on blockchain technology since 2015.

As these labs begin operating in the background of academia, these professors can take the work they've done in the classroom and work toward tangible developments. At the intersection of education and innovation, these R&D efforts show the potential and need for industry growth — and the plethora of talent that can nourish it.

They also show us that market cap and investor returns alone may be poor indicators for whether a fledgling industry is growing. These labs aren’t paying the way themselves; they’ve tapped into the pocketbooks of some of the space’s most notable entities, including the Ethereum Foundation and Ripple. Disregarding the market’s steady decline from all-time high prices this year, these big players are investing heavily in research and development for the future growth and health of the space.

Together, these funds and the labs they support are creating the infrastructure to push blockchain development through a new era of mainstream exposure to mainstream adoption.

MIT

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has had its hand in blockchain and cryptocurrency research and development longer than most. Founded in 2015, the MIT Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) is an offshoot of the university’s Media Lab. Working alongside other universities and research centers, the lab is a collective of tech industry veterans, crypto programmers, faculty, students and research scientists. Its main R&D focuses include platform/pilot testing, research publication and open-source development for blockchain technology.

The initiative has pulled both from within MIT faculty and from without to cultivate an accomplished team. Led by Director Neha Narula, a 2016-2017 member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Blockchain, and MIT Media Lab Director Joi Ito, the team features a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund in Simon Johnson and Gary Gensler, an Obama-era Commodity and Futures Trade Commission chairman.

As one of the oldest R&D labs in the space, it also employs Bitcoin Core developers Wladimir van der Laan and Cory Fields, as well as Tadge Dryja, co-author of the Lightning Network white paper.

Dryja in particular has used his time at DCI to continue the work he and Joseph Poon started with the Lightning Network. This summer, the lab has been piloting a prototype to test the Lightning Network’s smart contract functionality. Contrary to common misconceptions, Bitcoin does house a scripting language, though it’s less flexible and more limited than those of platforms like Ethereum.

“It's not as developer friendly because bitcoin didn't go in that direction, but you can use it. You have to be a little creative,” said Alin Dragos, Head of Strategic Partnerships at DCI.

Working their way around Bitcoin’s scripting limitations, Dryja and Dragos have brought smart contracts to the Lightning Network. Broadcasting data for the smart contracts to the second layer, off-chain network that Lightning provides, these smart contracts can be both private and scalable, their information being stored off-chain. Only the transaction, whenever the service’s users decide to close their payment channel, will be sent to Bitcoin’s network.

This Lightning Network application is just one of the many contributions the lab has facilitated to enrich Bitcoin’s network. It has also overseen or assisted with much of Wladimir van der Lann’s work on Bitcoin Core.

In addition to its efforts with such key contributions, the initiative publishes academic papers, thought pieces and informative articles on topics from anonymity algorithms to blockchain use cases for legacy sectors, and it provides free cryptocurrency and blockchain courses on its website.

The team also attracts mainstream media and news coverage to provide input on industry-related topics. In the past, Gary Gensler has discussed token security status with the New York Times, and PBS has invited Neha Narula on to its NewsHour for a feature on Bitcoin.

Stanford

Ironically, with DCI, MIT boasts the oldest university-run blockchain R&D lab in the nation, but the university offers no official undergraduate courses on blockchain technology — only standalone online ones that don’t offer any university credit.

Stanford is in the opposite position. The West Coast University has offered cryptocurrency and blockchain classes for as long as DCI has been active, but it wasn’t until this year that the institution launched its own research initiative.

Supported with funding by the Ethereum Foundation, Protocol Labs and Polychain Capital, among others, Stanford’s Center for Blockchain Research is led by computer science professors Dan Boneh and David Mazières. The center is, in effect, the practical culmination of the academic work both professors have committed to the field since 2015.

“Our goal is to support the ecosystem,” professor Dan Boneh said in an interview with Bitcoin Magazine.

“[CBR] is a technically focused research center that is going to be developing technology to support the blockchain ecosystem. We’ve been doing that now for a while and, basically, this is giving more structure to that,” he added, emphasizing the role the center plays in building on the work the Stanford computer science department has already produced in the field.

After establishing three years’ worth of pedagogical groundwork, Boneh and Mazières spent the last year adding structure to the CBR. A physical hub for future innovation, the center solidifies the body of work the professors have published to date, and it will house more hands-on research and development going forward.

Fittingly, the vast majority of this research will be technically focused from the center’s onset.

“We’re focusing on a number of different areas, starting with cryptography, obviously. For me this has been really exciting because every time I talk to a project, I come away with new research problems to think about,” Boneh stated in the interview. “We’re also working on languages for smart contracts. We’re working on verification tools … consensus protocols.”

Like DCI, CBR is already taking the theoretical and making it functional. The lab’s smart contract brain child is already in testing, Boneh revealed in the interview, and the demo’s findings will be published in a forthcoming paper.

This paper will enrich the library of work that Boneh et al. have already produced. Keeping with Bitcoin’s ethos for open-source access, CBR and Stanford offer these articles free of charge, and they cover topics that range from consensus protocols to confidential transactions.

While research for these works comes from within Stanford, the inspiration for them — and the problems they look to solve — come from the industry’s myriad projects.

“The research work is primarily to the center, but the question is: where are the research questions coming from? The research questions are coming from the projects. So we publish papers to look for solutions.”

As these solutions and the papers positing them suggest, the center’s technical bent is obvious. Still, Boneh stressed that the center’s focus will widen as it builds out its team and resources. Joe Grundfest, a former SEC commissioner and Stanford Law professor, is CBR’s original anchor to fields outside of the realm of computer science, but he won’t be the only one down the road.

“The center is focused on computer science. The plan is actually to grow and include the broader aspects of blockchain — this is why it was important for me to have someone from the law school involved from day one. But we will have folks in economics, folks from the businesses school,” Boneh claimed.

Looking toward what’s to come, Boneh indicated that, for the near future, the center is focused on educational outreach. It’s holding an open series of summer seminars on topics like scaling and SNARKs, and it’ll be hosting the third annual Stanford Blockchain Conference from January 30 to February 1, 2019. The conference is calling for submissions until October 16, 2018.

University College London

University College London’s Centre for Blockchain Technology (CBT) is holistic in its R&D approach. In many regards, it casts its net wider than MIT or Stanford, both of which, for the time being, focus mainly on technical incubation and research.

CBT was founded in 2015 when “the crypto-space was in its early embryonic stage and not as mature as it is now,” when “no one was really aware of the real blockchain potentials,” Founder and Executive Director Paolo Tasca told Bitcoin Magazine in an interview. It was created as “an interdisciplinary group able to address at the highest levels the major technical, socio-economic and legal challenges posed by the advent of distributed ledger.”

The center’s research philosophy is built on three disciplinary tenets, namely science and technology, finance and business, and law and regulation. Spanning so many fields, it is “the largest centre on blockchain technologies in the world which counts more than one hundred research associates involved in several research projects,” according to Tasca.

Currently, the center has 60 applicants under consideration to add to its team of scholars and researchers from UCL’s mathematics, computer science, economics, science, statistics, law, psychology and energy departments.

Tasca indicated in our interview that “[every] department supporting the CBT is independent in managing its own research agenda.” Though it’s “very often,” he continued, that “blockchain-related issues can be addressed only by adopting an interdisciplinary approach. Thus, the CBT is the UCL body that provides a core team of leading blockchain scholars and facilitates these cross-departmental and often inter-university projects on blockchain-related areas.”

Such an extensive, interdisciplinary approach has given birth to a wide range of variegated research. On the CBT’s resources page are papers that span topics from network attacks to the failure of interdependent economic ecosystems, some of which appear to have only vague threads of association with blockchain technology.

Over the past two years, UCL CBT has supported projects such as a pilot for verifying academic credentials on the blockchain and a study on the crypto economy’s evolution.

Like Stanford, CBT also holds seminars and events to further foster education. In addition, the center offers its expertise by way of consulting services, a private counterpart to the public engagement the summits and seminars facilitate. It’s offered its advisory services to startups and private/public entities alike, including the Bank of Canada, Financial Conduct Authority, Banca D’Italia and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, to name a few.

The project is funded in part “from government public grants and international grants,” Tasca revealed, including “a recent funding award … the BARAC (Blockchain for Automatic Regulation and Compliance) project which was the largest 2017 EPSRC UK grant for a blockchain project” and “the PETRAS Internet of Energy Things (P2P-IoET) [grant] for supporting peer-to-peer energy trading and demand-side management through blockchains.”

The initiative also relies on funding from the CBT industry alliance and such third party companies as Ripple, Fidelity Investments, R3, State Street and Oracle, among others.

With a stack of resources both monetary and academic, the CBT contracts its expertise out to some of the world’s leading governmental entities. Notably, Tasca said that the center has consulted with the UN’s World Food Organization on how blockchains could be used to effect transparent quality control over international food supply chains. It has also worked closely with “the EU Parliament, the U.K. government, the U.K. parliament, the Bank of England and the FCA [Financial Conduct Authority].”

In addition to government organizations, the CBT also offers support for blockchain pilots and startups, and Tasca teased that the center will soon reveal “a specific program to promote entrepreneurial ventures to advance technology innovation in the areas of IOT, AI and blockchain.”

University of Edinburgh

With funding from Charles Hoskinson and Jeremy Wood’s IOHK, the Blockchain Technology Laboratory (BLT) is working with the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics to advance blockchain research and innovation. BLT’s director Aggelos Kiayias and Hoskinson forged the alliance from a shared desire to address the industry’s pain points, such as the proof-of-stake consensus model, using what Kiayias calls “a first principles approach.”

In an interview, Kiayias continued to say that, while the lab’s “focus so far has been on the design of distributed ledgers protocols, their security, scalability, sustainability, performance, interoperability and economics,” it is “in the process of expanding with collaborations in the school of business, economics, math, architecture and political science.”

Other Centers of Research

The Imperial College of London has its own center dedicated to blockchain and cryptocurrency research, as well. Like its peers, the Centre for Cryptocurrency Research and Engineering publishes academic articles on its findings and hosts educational events. Recently, two of its members, professors William Knottenbelt and Dr. Zeynep Gurguc, published a report entitled “Cryptocurrencies: Overcoming Barriers to Trust and Adoption.” It touts cryptocurrency as global finance’s next logical iteration, rationalizing the reasons why the financial tool has all the markings of a digital fiat equivalent and what it will take to see comprehensive adoption.

Outside of lab-directed research, other universities and their faculty have published research and reports that have been invaluable for the industry. At the University of Austin Texas, for example, professors of finance John Griffin and Amin Shams published a lengthy report correlating Tether’s issuance with bitcoin’s meteoric price rise in 2017. The report corroborates a long-held concern within the community, as it claims that Tether was used to artificially support bitcoin’s price during its most recent bull run.

For academia’s role in blockchain research and development, in the words of Professor Boneh, “There’s real science to be done here.” And as Tadge Dryja and Wladimir van der Laan’s collaboration with MIT suggests, these scientific pursuits are often paired with and strengthened by the contributions of independent developers and those visionaries whose work predate the advent of university research in the industry.

With universities and independent researchers chipping away at the space’s challenges and limitations, such contributions are a welcomed reminder that, even in times of market downturns, there’s more to the industry than investing. Innovation cares little for speculation, and the work being undertaken at these universities bodes well for the continued growth of the technology.

For part one of our series on blockchain education, read our earlier cover story, From Chatroom to Classroom: The Evolution of Blockchain Education.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.

from InvestmentOpportunityInCryptocurrencies via Ella Macdermott on Inoreader https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/beyond-classroom-rise-university-blockchain-labs/

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Pushing the Limits of What a Video Game Can Be at IndieCade

  “It’s Going to be OK” (image courtesy IndieCade)

In 2009, the Los Angeles Times called the then-young Indiecade Festival “the video game industry’s Sundance.” Now, in the game festival’s 13th year, that label feels reductive. Sundance has become thoroughly mainstream, whereas the Indiecade International Festival of Independent Games is rich in outsider spirit. Taking place this year at the Japanese American National Museum in Downtown Los Angeles (before moving on to East Coast and Europe iterations), the festival space is crammed with booths offering unique combinations of computers, laptops, tablets, VR headsets, jerry-rigged older gaming consoles, cards and boxes, modified CRT TVs, and much stranger devices. One augmented reality game involves a physical statue of a fishlike creature, helpfully cordoned off from pedestrians so the player can touch it and explore its space undisturbed.

There’s been an explosion in independent video game creation in recent years, enabled by a rapid proliferation of developer tools and devices which are cheaper and easier than ever to use. This has come linked with a rise in creators who seek not to make the next Angry Birds, but to get audiences to rethink how they play and even what a video game can be.

Sometimes all it takes to do this is slightly modifying a familiar premise. Music games are massively popular, particularly as arcade staples, and Rhythm Doctor upends the tradition of pushing buttons in time to onscreen prompts in favor of one directive: Hit a single button on the seventh beat of a tune. That basic idea soon grows challenging, as the game throws up both visual and auditory distractions to the main rhythm. In this way, the game subtly instructs the player on rhythm theory, training even the most tone-deaf person to sync themselves to a beat.

“Atchafalaya Arcade” (image courtesy IndieCade)

A few of the games on view would be more at home as museum pieces than anything else. Atchafalaya Arcade utilizes a modified SNES with a Game Boy Color as a controller for a player-created “audiovisual performance.” By simply directing a small dot across the screen, the player causes moss-like 8-bit imagery to creep outward. Pressing or holding a button plays a blip of chiptune music, and your location on the screen determines the pitch of the sound. Thus, the player can make up both their own song and artwork via simple exploration. It’s like experimenting with a magic Etch-a-Sketch.

There are works at the fest which use the setup of traditional games while upending the standard of what counts as “progress” or “success.” Oblige is a side-scroller full of minigames in which the world is 1979 Hong Kong and the minigames are typing busywork. Reminiscent of the masterpiece Papers Please, it fits game mechanics into the mundane aspects of daily life within a hyper-specific real-world-based milieu. The goal is to get you to think like a working mother, which it pulls off poignantly.

“Oblige” (image courtesy IndieCade)

Similarly, Busy Work turns the drudgery of cubicle life into a frantic competition. The game had one of the more elaborate setups at the festival, featuring a miniature recreation of an office, complete with a water cooler. Up to eight players see who can answer the most emails in two minutes, which is accomplished by banging randomly on their keyboards — no matter what you press, the game automatically fills in a few words of boilerplate patter. Thrown into the players’ way are instant messages from co-workers, phone calls that must be answered, and other physical distractions. It makes a biting statement about the meaninglessness of most 9-5 work and office life, while also being breathless fun.

There were many VR games at the fest, but as its title suggests, Virtual, Virtual Reality takes things a step further. Upon strapping on the headset, the player learns that they are a human press-ganged into creating simulated entertainment for artificial intelligences, a reversal of the usual paradigm (and metatextually ironic). Within the game, this involves strapping on additional virtual headsets, creating multiple Inception-like levels of reality. The five-minute preview takes the player through half a dozen different worlds, each of which they interact with in a different way via a simple but flexible handheld remote.

Some of the games blend VR and tactile experience, and require cooperation to win. Un-Destined needs two players, one of whom puts on a headset while the other interacts with a physical series of doodads. Actions in the virtual realm affect the real world, and vice-versa. The VR player must figure out how to properly communicate both verbally and nonverbally what the outside player needs to do to help them progress. Similarly, Emotional Fugitive Detector has two players sit across from one another with their faces shoved inside a little booth. One player has a tablet with a facial recognition program before their face, and must convey an indicated emotion (happy, surprised, angry, etc.) in a manner that’s clear enough for their partner to understand but subtle enough for the system not to detect their expression.

My favorite game I played at the festival was Everything is going to be OK. Billed as an “interactive zine,” it consists of an array of pages which can be selected in any order, each of which contains a minigame of sorts which is really an interactive life experience. Most of these pages represent some sort of romantic, emotional, or physical trauma or disfunction via the allegorical misadventures of cutesy bunnies and other creatures subjected to cartoonish violence. In one choice bit, the player navigates a series of “crushes,” attempting to get into a relationship with them by selecting the right dialog choice. The odds of choosing the right option are … not great. As an example of the game’s sense of humor, a successful relationship with a crush results in a message informing you that you were together for two years and had eight children. The setup fragments life and pain into a harrowingly accurate representation of how we remember traumas and frustrations.

IndieCade was held in Los Angeles October 6-8, 2017

IndieCade Europe takes place October 30-31, 2017 in Paris, France

    The post Pushing the Limits of What a Video Game Can Be at IndieCade appeared first on Hyperallergic.

from Hyperallergic http://ift.tt/2yEuPne via IFTTT

[minnievirizarry]

#NoTwoDays: A Day in the Life of Sergio Perez of Johnny Rockets

In the fourth installment of our new series, #NoTwoDays, we examine the day of fellow marketer Sergio Perez, Senior Digital Marketing Manager for international restaurant franchise Johnny Rockets.

Whether he’s meeting with franchise partners, building out a national digital strategy or solving the world’s burger problems, this is a (edited for clarity) day-in-the-life look through the lens of Johnny Rockets’ Senior Digital Marketing Manager.

MORNING:

5:30 a.m.: Rise and grind. I open my eyes and take a moment to recognize how lucky I am to have the opportunity to chase the dream and happiness, as hard as it gets. I find that starting the day with gratitude is great mental preparation to execute and engage in today’s busy world.

5:35 a.m.: The first case of #FOMO kicks in. Living on the west coast and working for a global restaurant chain that operates 400 restaurants in 32 countries, you realize that life and events have happened by the time you’re up.

As I scroll through my notifications, among the many thoughts that cross my mind are: Did I miss an important world event? Did sales improve over the previous week? What are people saying about Johnny Rockets? Was there another “covfefe” moment?

6:06 a.m.: I scroll through notifications on Sprout Social’s mobile app to get a first glimpse at what’s happening in the burger world. It comes in handy, as I’m responsible for overseeing over 200 local restaurant Facebook Pages, and all the global brand handles.

Making time to check in on people makes a difference.

Sergio Perez Sr. Digital Marketing Manager, Johnny Rockets @Sergeprz

6:30 a.m.: Breakfast time. Cup of coffee + one sunny side up egg + crispy thick-cut bacon + warm and buttery toast + glass of water + [insert any news channel in the background].

7:07 a.m.: Today is going be a hot one at the office: Busy between meetings, solving the world’s burger problems, pretending to be a burger on the social space and creating content for September. I decide to go with the casual side of business casual, opting to wear jeans, a button down, sneakers and a blazer.

7:45 a.m.: Time to head to the office. I have a 12-minute commute to the Burger HQ, aka The Johnny Rockets Group Restaurant Support Center.

7:58 a.m.: My first order of business is to spread positive vibes to our team. I walk by everyone’s office or cubicle and say good morning and check how they’re doing. Although only a brief gesture, making time to check in on people makes a difference.

It shows people you genuinely care about them and that you’re interested in their well-being. We’re a unified front, with a unified voice. That’s why at Johnny Rockets we live by the mantra of #OneTeamOneDream. We’re all in this together.

8:10 a.m.: Before I dive in, I select a solid playlist on Spotify to get in the zone. A mix of Drake, Luke Bryan, J Balvin, Jay-Z and Calvin Harris is in order.

8:15 a.m.: This is when I get into character and pretend to be a burger online. I start by tracking the global conversation happening around Johnny Rockets. I use Sprout Social’s Smart Inbox to identify conversations that I can engage with. At the same time, I look for any guest related issues that we need to address and resolve.

Guests often times come to social media platforms to comment on their experiences with our food and service. As a guest-driven brand, we’re committed to responding to these issues, and most importantly committed to solving these and earning their trust back. At Johnny Rockets, every guest matters, and we want to ensure every single one of them has a memorable burger experience.

9:00 a.m.: Meeting with the field marketing team to review local digital plans for franchise partners. The goal is to support the national digital strategy with tailored local plans that focus on driving incremental transactions. I won’t give you the secret recipe, but we focus on delivering the right message at the right time through the right platform.

In the restaurant industry, it’s imperative that you create craveable moments that add value, spark emotion and inspire action.

9:30 a.m.: Meeting with the agency to walk through the upcoming grand opening plans. On the digital side, we focus on inspiring burger fans to take action through brand, culture and food offerings.

We do everything from paid social ads, like campaigns, Snapchat filters and email campaigns to build relationships around the communities in which we serve. This year we are on track to open more than 50 restaurants worldwide.

10:00 a.m.: Another meeting with the team to review content concepts for the month of September. We look at upcoming food-related holidays, system-wide promos, new menu items, brand partnerships, new restaurant openings and sales-driving menu items, among other topics.

These sessions are particularly helpful because it ensures that our content aligns with our brand voice, our brand, our business objectives and storytelling pillars.

11:15 a.m.: Almost six hours into the day, it’s time for a pick me up. Two shots of espresso and a splash of half and half, a quick glance at my personal phone to avoid #FOMO, and off we go.

11:25 a.m.: An unexpected call from a company trying to pitch their services. Just like any relationship, I think it’s important to be honest and transparent in these conversations.

If you’re not interested in [insert any product or service], make sure you answer and share why—it’s the right thing to do. Everyone wants to be heard.

11:45 a.m.: Last call before lunch. A franchise partner wants a local piece of content published on their Facebook page. As part of our process, I review the content to ensure it meets brand guidelines. I log on to Sprout Social to schedule it for a later day and time. As you can imagine, with over 200 domestic restaurants, I get requests like this all the time.

AFTERNOON:

12:15 p.m.: Our rockstar in-house graphic designer and I are heading to our flagship Johnny Rockets restaurant, in Orange, CA, to shoot some content for September.

12:22 p.m.: We are stuck in traffic in the deathly hallows, aka the I-5. Those who have been to California know how soul crushing, and at times stressful, this highway can be. Rule of thumb, breathe in and breathe out.

1:04 p.m.: We arrive at the restaurant, pick a table and order lunch. My go-to meal is the Smoke House Burger, paired with a Chocolate Banana Shake. Seriously, this is what dreams are made of. While we grub, we talk through the shot list and we coordinate with the kitchen to bring out food in that order.

1:52 p.m.: Post-lunch, we set up in the far end of the restaurant to shoot. We pick this place to ensure minimal disturbance of service and operations.

2:00–5:30 p.m.: Armed with an iPhone 7+, some food styling skills and a desire to capture beautiful burger imagery, we make our way through the shot list. In order to tell the right story, it’s important to find the right composition, the right angle, the right lighting and the right time to take a photo. But truth be told, sometimes you just have to let food and every ingredient do the work.

In the restaurant industry, it’s imperative that you create craveable moments that add value, spark emotion, inspire action and/or drive people into restaurants. It’s just as important to put yourself in people’s shoes as they are making food decisions. What burger moments will get mouths watering as they travel through their daily hunger journey?

EVENING:

5:45 p.m.: Clean up. Pick up. Before we leave the restaurant. We make sure we extend our deepest gratitude to the restaurant team. They’re the real MVPs. They make invaluable contributions to the brand.

6:00 p.m.: I like to end long and busy days with a bit of Southern California. I head over to Pacific City in Huntington Beach. As I make my way via Uber, I check emails to make sure I’m caught up. This time I decide to shower burger fans that share their burger moments via #JohnnyRockets with likes and comments.

It warms my heart to see pictures of families with their kids enjoying a burger, couples on a date sharing a shake, a group of friends refueling after a long day in class or those burger loyalists that share mouthwatering burger pictures with us. Moments like these remind me how special our guests and fans are.

6:17 p.m.: The group decides to live up to the SoCal lifestyle. Fish tacos, margaritas and an ocean front view.

7:00 p.m.: We take a walk down to the beach. Shoes off, sand in feet, the breeze hitting your face and the last rays of sun for the day. It’s absolutely amazing and, in my opinion, the best way to unwind after a long day at the office.

8:45 p.m.: Eleven hours later, I’m finally home.

9:00 p.m.: I start my nightly routine:

Read one chapter of a book. This month I’m reading, “The Captain Class” by Sam Walker. It’s a book about “the hidden force that creates the world’s greatest teams.” As a student of life, I feel it’s important to constantly find ways to learn, get better and feel inspired and empowered.

Catch an episode of a series on Netflix. This month I’m re-watching two great shows: House of Cards and The Office. I think everyone needs a bit of Frank Underwood and Michael Scott in their life.

11:00 p.m.: One last look at email and Sprout to make sure all things social and digital in the burger space are in check.

11:45 p.m.: Time for bed. I like to end my day just like I start my day, with some gratitude. I realize how lucky I am to have the opportunity to do what I love along with a fine group of men and women, but most importantly to have a roof over my head and a plate of food every day. Over and out.

This post #NoTwoDays: A Day in the Life of Sergio Perez of Johnny Rockets originally appeared on Sprout Social.

from SM Tips By Minnie https://sproutsocial.com/insights/no-two-days-sergio-perez/

[everettwilkinson]

TRUMP hosting Dems at the W.H. for tax reform dinner — ALEXANDER, PORTMAN and SHAHEEN break bread — Russia probe: loyalty test for Trump staffers — KATY TUR’s new book is out — B'DAY: Matt Lewis

THE NEXT TIME YOU HEAR SOMETHING ABOUT URGENCY IN WASHINGTON, remember this: the House comes in tonight at 6:30 p.m., and is gone by noon on Thursday. The week was cut short by Hurricane Irma, but still …

L.A. TIMES MEXICO BUREAU CHIEF KATE LINTHICUM: (@katelinthicum): “After a devastating earthquake and hurricane (and after Trump failed to send condolences), Mexico today rescinded its offer of aid to the US”.

Story Continued Below

Good Tuesday morning. SPOTTED: Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) dining at Tadich Grill on Pennsylvania Avenue Monday night. Could there be a health-care deal in the offing?

BURGESS EVERETT — “Trump, continuing courting Democrats, will host dinner on tax reform”: “Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana have been invited and are expected to attend, aides said. GOP Sens. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and John Thune of South Dakota are among the Republican attendees. … The three moderate Democrats are all up for reelection next year in states Trump won handily in 2016. They have also been closer to the president than other congressional Democrats. Each declined to join a letter with party leaders outlining conditions on tax reform and all three supported Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch earlier this year.” http://politi.co/2xhae7p

— THE REALITY: Democrats have been shut out of the tax reform process. The Big Six is made up of only Republicans. Republicans have designed a legislative process that only requires Republican support — reconciliation. When asked last week if Democrats would go along, Speaker Paul Ryan said, “I hope Democrats join us on tax reform. I think that’s fantastic if they do. We’re going to go the path we’ve been planning on tax reform.” LET’S BE REAL: Do you really think Donnelly, Manchin and Heitkamp’s votes can be bought with some chicken? By the way, we heard this dinner was originally slated to be only Democrats.

AND, REMEMBER: Republicans have not yet passed a budget — a prerequisite for tax reform. There’s talk they’ll take it up in the House in the last week of September, but the support is not nearly firm enough yet. There’s a chance there is no final action on the budget until October or November. Without a budget, tax reform talks are just that, talk. STEVEN MNUCHIN and GARY COHN are meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Republicans on the Budget Committee today.

— More from Colin Wilhelm and Aaron Lorenzo on the lack of reform details http://politi.co/2eSWXHN

**SUBSCRIBE to Playbook: http://politi.co/2lQswbh

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO MIDDLE EAST PEACE? — “Some Trump Lawyers Wanted Kushner Out,” by WSJ’s Peter Nicholas, Rebecca Ballhaus and Erica Orden: “Some of President Donald Trump’s lawyers earlier this summer concluded that Jared Kushner should step down as senior White House adviser because of possible legal complications related to a probe of Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election and aired concerns about him to the president, people familiar with the matter said. Among their concerns was that Mr. Kushner was the adviser closest to the president who had the most dealings with Russian officials and businesspeople during the campaign and transition, some of which are currently being examined by federal investigators and congressional oversight panels. Mr. Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and confidant, has said he had four such meetings or interactions.” http://on.wsj.com/2y1yloz

— FLASHBACK: July 12, Axios’s Jonathan Swan: “Scoop: Trump lawyers want wall between Kushner, president” http://bit.ly/2y1HUE2

— “Russia probes pose loyalty test for Team Trump,” by Darren Samuelsohn: “Lawyers representing Donald Trump’s current and former aides are giving their clients one simple piece of advice: don’t lie to protect the president. As special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional investigators prepare to question high-ranking aides – including Hope Hicks, Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer – in the coming weeks, Trump’s long history of demanding his employees’ complete loyalty are being put to the test.

“But Trump stalwarts know the president is closely following the media coverage of the Russia case – and the last thing they want is to be deemed a turncoat whose answers end up becoming further fuel for investigators. Several of the lawyers representing current and former aides told POLITICO they’re actively warning their clients that any bonds connecting them to Trump won’t protect them from criminal charges if federal prosecutors can nail them for perjury, making false statements or obstruction of justice.” http://politi.co/2h0Ab1b

HURRICANE UPDATES …

–“Battered Florida tries to assess scope of Irma’s destruction,” by AP’s Jennifer Kay in Miami and Doug Ferguson in Jacksonville: “Battered Florida tries to assess scope of Irma’s destruction,” by Aid rushed in to hurricane-scarred Florida early Tuesday, residents began to dig out, and officials slowly pieced together the scope of Irma’s vicious path of destruction across the peninsula. … [T]he fate of the Florida Keys … remained largely a question mark. … A Navy aircraft carrier was due to anchor off Key West to help in search-and-rescue efforts. Drinking water supplies in the Keys were cut off, fuel was running low and all three hospitals in the island chain were shuttered. A stunning 13 million people, two-thirds of the third-largest state’s residents, plodded on in the tropical heat without electricity, and nearly every corner of Florida felt Irma’s power.” http://bit.ly/2feMNSe

— “Hurricane Irma’s impact, from the air: Florida Keys a bit battered but mostly spared,” by WaPo’s Joel Achenbach “above the Florida Keys”: “The Conch Republic is still here, if dark, dirty, trashed, and weeks away from being what it was before Hurricane Irma blew in. It wasn’t devastated because, for some reason, this massive storm punched below its weight. This was a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale as it rolled into the Keys. It brought a fair bit of destruction, and tossed boats onto lawns. It turned towns raggedy. But a tour of Southwest Florida and the Florida Keys on Monday afternoon by air suggests that this quirky storm spared the state the kind of direct, punishing violence that residents had dreaded.

“A Coast Guard C-130 transport plane carrying two U.S. senators, a congressman and a handful of journalists left from the Coast Guard air station in Opa-Locka, just north of Miami, for the two-hour tour of hurricane damage. At 2,000 feet, the journey offered no chance for a granular diagnosis, but the big picture was clear: Southwest Florida and its huge population of retirees emerged relatively unscathed. The storm severely battered some of the small and fragile Keys. Key West itself is generally intact, though without power, a water supply and a functional sewage system.” http://wapo.st/2wUekTh

— NYT’S ALEX BURNS ANCHORS THE N.Y.T. LEAD ALL: “Damp, Dark and Disarrayed, Florida Starts Coping With Irma’s Aftermath” (with reporting by Trevor Aaronsen from St. Petersburg, Fla.; Jess Bidgood from Tampa, Fla.; Audra Burch and Jonah Bromwich from Orlando, Fla.; Richard Fausset from Isle of Palms, S.C.; Sheri Fink from Houston; Henry Fountain from Naples, Fla.; Joseph B. Treaster from Miami; and Caitlin Dickinson, Christine Hauser, Hannah Fairfield, Daniel Victor and Mary Williams Walsh from New York). http://nyti.ms/2wWTDUr

DATA DU JOUR – Over 24 hours on Sunday, Snapchat received almost 250,000 submissions from Snapchatters to their Irma news story, which is two and a half times more than what the company saw during Harvey last week.

****** A message from CTIA and America’s wireless industry: The global race to deploy 5G wireless is on—and America needs to win. Government action on spectrum and infrastructure policy will allow U.S. wireless companies to invest $275 billion, create more than 3 million jobs, and add $500 billion to the economy, according to Accenture. Learn more at CTIA.org. ******

FOR THE WHITE HOUSE’S TO DO LIST — “After nine months, federal offices are still waiting to hang Trump’s picture,” by WaPo’s Lisa Rein: “In the lobby of every federal building, just inside security turnstiles and before the elevator banks, a framed photograph of the president has always hung on the wall. Not so anymore. Nine months after Donald Trump’s inauguration, pictures of the president and Vice President Pence are missing from thousands of federal courthouses, laboratories, military installations, ports of entry, office suites and hallways, and from U.S. embassies abroad. …

“Federal agencies ordered photographs of their new commander in chief months ago. But they say they are still waiting for the Government Publishing Office, the printer of official portraits, to send them for distribution by the General Services Administration, which owns or leases 9,600 federal buildings across the country. The Government Publishing Office says it has yet to receive the images from the White House. And the White House says the president and vice president have not yet decided when they will sit for the type of high-quality official photographs usually churned out by the modern GPO, continuing a portrait tradition that began after the Civil War.” http://wapo.st/2vQrKfd

THE LATEST ON NORTH KOREA …

— “Oil will keep flowing, but UN sanctions hit Pyongyang hard,” by AP’s Eric Talmadge in Tokyo: “North Korea will be feeling the pain of new United Nations sanctions targeting some of its biggest remaining foreign revenue streams. But the Security Council eased off the biggest target of all: the oil the North needs to stay alive, and to fuel its million-man military.

“Though the United States had proposed a complete ban, the sanctions by the U.N. Security Council to punish North Korea for its sixth nuclear test cap Pyongyang’s annual imports of crude oil at the same level they have been for the past 12 months: an estimated 4 million barrels. Exports of North Korean textiles are prohibited, and other nations are barred from authorizing new work permits for North Korean workers, putting a squeeze on two key sources of hard currency.” http://bit.ly/2gZalyz

— “How Russia quietly undercuts sanctions intended to stop North Korea’s nuclear program,” by WaPo’s Joby Warrick: “Russian smugglers are scurrying to the aid of North Korea with shipments of petroleum and other vital supplies that could help that country weather harsh new economic sanctions, U.S. officials say in an assessment that casts further doubt on whether financial measures alone can force dictator Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear weapons program. The spike in Russian exports is occurring as China — by far North Korea’s biggest trading partner — is beginning to dramatically ratchet up the economic pressure on its troublesome neighbor in the face of provocative behavior such as last week’s test of a powerful nuclear bomb.

“Official documents and interviews point to a rise in tanker traffic this spring between North Korean ports and Vladivostok, the far-eastern Russian city near the small land border shared by the two countries. With international trade with North Korea increasingly constrained by U.N. sanctions, Russian entrepreneurs are seizing opportunities to make a quick profit, setting up a maze of front companies to conceal -transactions and launder payments, according to U.S. law enforcement officials who monitor sanction-busting activity.” http://wapo.st/2vReWp4

— BREAKING THIS MORNING: BOEHNER TO TRUMP: DON’T WITHDRAW FROM SOUTH KOREAN TRADE DEAL: Former Speaker John Boehner — a staunch proponent of free trade — is urging Trump to bolster ties with Seoul: “For our strategic endeavors to succeed, however, the United States must strengthen — not weaken — its already vital economic relationships in the Pacific, from South Korea and Japan to Australia and China. We cannot isolate the regime in Pyongyang by isolating ourselves.

“Withdrawing from the Korea-U.S. Trade Agreement … would undermine America’s strategic objectives in the Pacific region and undercut our own workers and employers, who continue to depend on the free flow of goods and services between the US and the Republic of Korea. Instead of pulling back from our current engagements and commitments, we must renew and strengthen our relationships in the Pacific region, not just with South Korea, but with China, as reflected in the joint commitment to economic cooperation that was expressed by President Trump and President Xi in April; and with Australia and Japan, our long-standing allies, whose alliances and friendships with America are now more important than ever.” PDF of full statement http://politi.co/2wWphBn

TRUMP’S BUDGET — “Congress Rejects Trump Proposals to Cut Health Research Funds,” by NYT’s Robert Pear: “Back in March, when President Trump released the first draft of his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, he asked lawmakers for deep cuts to one of their favorite institutions, the National Institutes of Health — part of a broad reordering of priorities, away from science and social spending, toward defense and border security. Six months later, Congress has not only rejected the president’s N.I.H. proposal; lawmakers from both parties have joined forces to increase spending on biomedical research — and have bragged about it.

“The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bipartisan bill last week providing $36.1 billion for the health institutes in the fiscal year that starts next month. Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri and the chairman of the subcommittee responsible for health spending, said it was the third consecutive year in which he had secured a $2 billion increase for the agency, amounting to an increase of about 20 percent over three years. The audience erupted in applause when Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, announced the increase at a hearing of a separate Senate committee.” http://nyti.ms/2eSBRJL

KELLY VS. GUTIERREZ — “John Kelly fires back at Democrat who called him ‘disgrace to the uniform,'” by FoxNews.com’s Christopher Wallace: “Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez had leveled the criticism at Kelly over his support of President Trump’s decision to end a controversial program that shielded young illegal immigrants from deportation. In an email to Fox News late Sunday, Kelly responded by saying Congress did ‘nothing’ to help so-called Dreamers when they had the chance. ‘As far as the congressman and other irresponsible members of congress are concerned, they have the luxury of saying what they want as they do nothing and have almost no responsibility,’ Kelly said. ‘They can call people liars but it would be inappropriate for me to say the same thing back at them. As my blessed mother used to say “empty barrels make the most noise.”’ http://fxn.ws/2wmb6DC

TRUMP’S TUESDAY — THE PRESIDENT is meeting with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. He meets with H.R. McMaster before hosting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak at the White House. Afterwards, he is huddling with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. He’s then hosting senators at the White House.

ANNA’S POSTCARD FROM LONDON — POLITICO LONDON’S TOM MCTAGUE shares with us two fun tidbits from his upcoming book lifting the lid on Prime Minister Theresa May’s disastrous decision to call a snap general election “Betting the House: The Inside Story of the 2017 Election” with Tim Ross. Interesting nuggets for this side of the pond — former President Barack Obama called conservative campaign headquarters (the same team former aide Jim Messina worked for) on the day of the election to let them know someone from the Labour’s campaign told him the party was going to lose 20 to 30 seats. …

ON THERESA MAY: The two write that an aide briefing the prime minister before a Sunday show appearance in January was concerned May would get asked about President Donald Trump. “As she waited to collect the PM from her Sunday morning church service, May’s spin chief knew she would have to find a way to prepare her boss. She decided she would just have to say it. ‘Prime Minister, it’s possible she will be asked what you think of Donald Trump saying he can grab women by the p****.’ In the front seat of the Government Jaguar, the police protection officer snorted. May was told not to grimace because the camera was likely to zoom in on her face in a close-up. In the end, May remained perfectly composed, waiting, expressionless, before answering: ‘I think that’s unacceptable.’ Pre-order the book on Amazon http://amzn.to/2xWN3MV

THE JUICE …

— KATY TUR’S BOOK IS OUT TODAY … WAPO’S CARLOS LOZADA – “Katy Tur’s insider memoir chronicles the Trump campaign — and the indignities of reporting while female” http://wapo.st/2jlqfUm … NYT REVIEW, by Jill Abramson: “A Memoir by Donald Trump’s Favorite Target” http://nyti.ms/2vR1fX8 … BUY THE BOOK: http://amzn.to/2gXyRQA … Ranked No. 68 on Amazon as of this morning … MARK YOUR CALENDARS for Katy’s event with Jake at Politics and Prose Sept. 22 http://bit.ly/2wWffjD

— MORNING JOE IS 10! — “Morning Joe” is starting a 10-year anniversary Twitter sweepstakes this morning ahead of the anniversary show on Sept. 19. A pic of the prizes that fans can win http://bit.ly/2h0y2mv … More info http://on.msnbc.com/2xtKk1p

— American Action Network is launching a $2.5 million TV ad campaign on tax reform targeting 23 congressional districts nationwide, including those in leadership, on key committees, in the Freedom Caucus and holding competitive seats. List of districts http://bit.ly/2eS79Aq … The ad http://bit.ly/2wXgUFG

FOR YOUR RADAR — THREE NEW IPHONES — “What to Expect at Apple’s Biggest Event in Years: Look for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and a bunch of other iProducts on Tuesday,” by Bloomberg’s Mark Gorman. https://bloom.bg/2wXChrQ

DESSERT — HAPPENING FRIDAY — Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a noted harmonica player, and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a multi-instrumentalist, are joining members of the Buck Mountain Band to perform as “The Amateurs” at the 17th Annual Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion on Friday. 15-second video of Alexander (on the piano) and Kaine practicing http://bit.ly/2jlguWj

PHOTO DU JOUR: A man with flowers stands at the edge of a waterfall pool at Ground Zero during a ceremony on the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo

AUSTIN WRIGHT: “Kaine hits the trail again, battling 2016 ghosts on his way”: “An aide to Tim Kaine enters a diner in Charlottesville and informs the host that the Virginia senator is about to walk in. The host smiles and cracks a joke: ‘You mean the guy who lost to Trump?’ Ten months after the presidential election, Kaine is still trying to shed the stigma of being the vice presidential candidate on the ticket that came up short against Donald Trump, a man so reviled by Kaine’s fellow Democrats that many of them can’t bear the thought of him serving out his full four-year presidential term. The senator is back on the campaign trail — stumping in Virginia for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam and preparing for his own 2018 reelection campaign.

“But even as Kaine tries to keep his focus on the next election, there are constant reminders of the last one — the only election he’s ever lost. Trump, it seems, looms over everything. Kaine isn’t interested in relitigating one of the biggest electoral upsets in U.S. history. He looks visibly uncomfortable talking about the election and cautions against ‘overinterpreting’ what went wrong.” http://politi.co/2y1mR4B

HRC: GOING NOWHERE — NPR’S TAMARA KEITH interviews HILLARY CLINTON: When asked about critics who believe she should disappear from public life, CLINTON: “Well, they’re going to be disappointed because I think it’s important for people with my experience and my insight into what went on in the campaign but more generally about our country to speak out. We need more voices, not fewer voices.” Clinton chronicler Jonathan Allen in POLITICO magazine reviews her new book http://politi.co/2vPKsUf

STATE OF THE DARK ARTS — “Russia Used Facebook Events to Organize Anti-Immigrant Rallies on U.S. Soil,” by Ben Collins, Kevin Poulsen, and Spencer Ackerman in The Daily Beast: “Russian operatives hiding behind false identities used Facebook’s event management tool to remotely organize and promote political protests in the U.S., including an August 2016 anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rally in Idaho, The Daily Beast has learned. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Beast that the social-media giant ‘shut down several promoted events as part of the takedown we described last week.’ … The Facebook events—one of which echoed Islamophobic conspiracy theories pushed by pro-Trump media outlets—are the first indication that the Kremlin’s attempts to shape America’s political discourse moved beyond fake news and led unwitting Americans into specific real-life action.” http://thebea.st/2w42y94

ISAAC DOVERE interviews REP. WILL HURD (R-TEXAS) in the latest “OFF MESSAGE” podcast: “To House Republicans who don’t like the funding deal President Donald Trump made with Democrats, Rep. Will Hurd has a message: Get yourself together, or quit complaining. Otherwise, get used to the feeling of watching the Republican president brag about how much he’s getting done with Chuck and Nancy. ‘If we’re not in agreement on what the topic is going to be or what we want to achieve, then guess what? You’re probably not going in with a strong hand,’ Hurd told Dovere. ‘I think rank-and-file members need to understand that there is a team aspect to politics.’ On getting rid of the debt ceiling: ‘you give that up, you’re basically giving up your responsibility.’” http://politi.co/2vQPjVr … Listen to the full podcast http://apple.co/2h1efTG

ROSIE GRAY: “An Ousted NSC Official Is Joining the House Intelligence Committee Staff”: “A former National Security Council official, forced out by National-Security Adviser H.R. McMaster in July, is set to join the staff of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, according to two sources familiar with his move. Derek Harvey, who was the NSC’s senior director for the Middle East and had been appointed by the former National-Security Adviser Michael Flynn, was among several officials who were ousted this summer.” http://theatln.tc/2xWNYNq

****** A message from CTIA and America’s wireless industry: Tomorrow’s 5G networks will create 3 million jobs, add $500 billion to the economy, and fuel innovation and entrepreneurialism across every sector. If policymakers move quickly to release more spectrum and modernize infrastructure rules, the wireless industry stands ready to invest $275 billion to build these next-gen networks, according to Accenture. This will drive breakthrough advancements in remote health care, connected vehicles, energy, education and beyond—making our lives better and safer. But the race to deploy 5G wireless networks is underway—and we’re at a critical moment. The EU, China, Japan, South Korea and others are doing everything they can to win. If policymakers act now, the U.S. can continue our global leadership in wireless. Learn how at CTIA.org. ******

GOOD LIFE LESSON — “An Exit Interview With Richard Posner, Judicial Provocateur,” by NYT’s Adam Liptak: “Judge Richard A. Posner, whose restless intellect, withering candor and superhuman output made him among the most provocative figures in American law in the last half-century, recently announced his retirement. The move was abrupt, and I called him up to ask what had prompted it. ‘About six months ago,’ Judge Posner said, ‘I awoke from a slumber of 35 years.’ He had suddenly realized, he said, that people without lawyers are mistreated by the legal system, and he wanted to do something about it.

“For starters, as is his habit when his interest alights on a fresh topic, he wrote a book on the subject. Judge Posner blurts out books at a comic pace. ‘I realized, in the course of that, that I had really lost interest in the cases,’ he said. ‘And then I started asking myself, what kind of person wants to have the same identical job for 35 years? And I decided 35 years is plenty. It’s too much. Why didn’t I quit 10 years ago? I’ve written 3,300-plus judicial opinions.’” http://nyti.ms/2wU2vfX

MEDIAWATCH — “Laura Ingraham set to take over Fox News’ 10 p.m. slot,” by CNN’s Brian Stelter and Hadas Gold: “Ingraham is expected to take over the 10 p.m. hour on Fox News, according to people who spoke on condition of anonymity. While there may be one or two final details to negotiate, Ingraham has been telling friends that the deal is essentially done … Her new show will be part of a broader change to the network’s top-rated prime time lineup. Sean Hannity’s show, currently at 10 p.m., will move one hour earlier to 9 p.m. … And ‘The Five,’ a talk show originally named for its 5 p.m. time slot, will shift from 9 p.m. back to its namesake hour.” http://cnnmon.ie/2wW1h15

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — From an FT memo going out today: “Pilita Clark is appointed business columnist and associate editor. … Lyndsey Jones is appointed an executive editor. … Robin Kwong is appointed head of digital delivery under editorial director Robert Shrimsley. … Paul Murphy is appointed investigations editor.”

— KIMBERLY DOZIER has been named executive editor of The Cipher Brief. She previously was a reporter for the AP, CBS News and The Daily Beast.

— SCOTT WILSON will cover “the West and especially California” for The Washington Post. He had been national editor (h/t Morning Media).

— TAYLOR ANTRIM has been named executive editor of Vogue. He has spent five years at Vogue, first as senior editor and then articles editor.

SPOTTED: Gina McCarthy last night at Dirty Habit bar near the EPA, having a relaxed drink. She had a rolling backpack with her. … Carly Fiorina last night at Charlie Palmer … Justice Stephen Breyer in coach on American’s 5:30 p.m. shuttle from DCA to Boston … Eric Cantor at District Commons last night entertaining two people — pic http://bit.ly/2wUoB1S … former Ariz. Sen. Jon Kyl in seat 23C of an American Airlines flight from PHX to DCA.

OUT AND ABOUT – Pool report: “The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute kicked off their annual conference with a reception featuring Google Arts & Culture’s new Latino Cultures in the U.S. — the largest ever online collection of artifacts and stories dedicated to U.S. Latino history and culture. Guests entered through a hologram wall of the mural ‘Mundos de Mestizaje’ by Frederico Vigil and took virtual field trips in the virtual reality lounges.”

SPOTTED: Reps. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Jimmy Gómez (D-Calif.) and Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Mayor Muriel Bowser, Henry Muñoz and Kyle Ferari, Domenika Lynch, Susan Molinari, Caroline Atkinson, Daniel Alegre, Laura Marquez, Stephanie Valencia and Katherine Vargas.

TRANSITIONS — Tina Tchen is returning to Chicago to lead the Chicago office of the law firm Buckley Sandler http://trib.in/2wXdMel … Adam Sharon has joined the Harbour Group as a senior vice president. He previously worked at Prime Strategies, and was the former Democratic communications director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. … Adrienne Kimmell is joining NARAL Pro-Choice America as the VP of strategic research. She previously was executive director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation and Barbara Lee political office. …

… Farrin Jay has joined the Snap Inc communications team. She was previously at NBC News, where she did PR for the “Today Show.” … Chris Simone started this week as a legislative affairs specialist on contract to FEMA for Klett Consulting Group. He was previously a researcher at America Rising Squared.

K STREET FILES — Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas is launching a new podcast, “14th & G,” which is “designed to deliver quick, easily digestible insights into the business of Washington”. The podcast is hosted by Mehlman Castagnetti principal CR Wooters. http://politi.co/2xhvx8T

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): hedge fund manager David Tepper … Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Matt Lewis, senior columnist at The Daily Beast and CNN political commentator. A fun fact about Matt: “My mom had twelve siblings; my dad had nine. They must have gotten tired of all the noise, because I’m an only child.” Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2wWcfUh

BIRTHDAYS: “Face the Nation” senior producer Jill Jackson (hat tip: Caitlin Conant) … Andrea DiVito of “Fox News Sunday” … GQ’s Ben Schreckinger … Politico’s Walt Houseknecht … Don Fowler, former DNC chairman … former Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) … former Waxman staffer Greg Wetstone … Dave Willett … Johnny Enterline of LCV … Natalie Raps, director at SKDKnickerbocker … Andrew Whalen … Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) … Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.) … Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback … Ed Moy, former director of the U.S. Mint … Maria Harris Roumel … Desiree Sayle … Jill Alper (h/t Jon Haber) … Max D’Onofrio, press secretary for Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) … Emily Lampkin … Melissa Schulman, SVP of gov’t and public affairs at CVS Health … former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) (h/t Ryan Williams) … Brett Thompson, partner at Banner Public Affairs and CEO of Pork Barrel BBQ … NYT’s Kim Severson … John Lippman, deputy director for programming at VOA … Alex Botting of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce … Pam Stevens …

… Courtney O’Donnell, head of external affairs at Airbnb … Ethan Klapper, global social media editor at HuffPost … Peter Robbio, SVP at CRC … Fox News alum Jim Angle … Fred Schuster … Jason Stverak … James Faeh … Edelman’s Gavin Mathis … Jason O’Malley … Amazon’s Allison Marshall … Joseph Voss … Anne Johnson … lawyer Matthew Wald … Erin Hood … Russel Wade … Chip Ward is 64. He’s a big Terp fan and “thrilled that Maryland is off to a 2-0 start. His dad, Bob Ward, was consensus all-American football player there in early 50s” (h/t Jon) … Bill Hayden … Alison Harden Siciliano … Allison Ramiller … Nate Yohannes, director of business development at Microsoft and an Obama alum (h/t Sophia Kim) … Tom Vilmain … Alexandra Simbana (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from CTIA and America’s wireless industry: We need new rules for new 5G networks. New policies that will allow the U.S. to win the race to 5G and enable breakthrough advancements in healthcare, transportation, energy and more. First, a pipeline of low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum will help meet today’s mobile needs and enable the 5G networks of tomorrow. Second, every level of government must modernize their rules for the building of small cell wireless infrastructure. Third, permanent and common sense federal regulations for interstate services like mobile broadband will preserve an open internet and protect consumer privacy while promoting innovation and investment. Finally, America’s tax structure must be updated to spur billions of dollars in new 5G investment. Learn more about how wireless is working to invest in America’s future at CTIA.org. ******

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[gs-offshore]

Living, Doing Business, and Banking in Thailand

What’s warm, politically stable, has very low if not zero taxes, and a business-friendly environment? Yep, you guessed it. Cayman Islands.

What’s warm, politically unstable, has onerous taxes, and so much red-tape that it would make even an Italian bureaucrat jealous? Sawadee! Welcome to Thailand, the topic of today’s casual inspection.

Embed from Getty Images

Let’s kick things off with the basics.

Thailand

You don’t come to STREBER Weekly for history lessons, but suffice to say that while Thailand has existed in numerous incarnations throughout the centuries and millenniums, what we today call Thailand is quite young.

If we go right ahead to modern times, Thailand emerges as the sole nation in the region to have maintained independence. While it was under strong British influence, it avoided both the French and British colonialism that took over most of the so-called Indochina region.

In World War 1, Thailand (Siam, as it was called then) aligned with the British and French, declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1917. Siamese troops were deployed among in Europe, shortly before the war ended.

The absolute monarchy that had been prevalent in Siam and Thailand in various shapes and forms for centuries came to an abrupt end in the 1932 Siamese revolution. The revolutionaries changed Siam to a constitutional monarchy. This lasted for barely a year and in 1933, the country fell into civil war. The end-product of the war was a rise of a fascist regime, led by a man Plaek Phibunsongkhram, who looked up to Mussolini and Hitler. It was at this time, the name of the country changed from Siam to Thailand.

Thailand declared itself neutral in World War 2 until it was occupied by Japan. Grim atrocities were committed by the Japanese forces as well as by the complacent and sometimes supportive Thai leaders.

As the war came to an end, Thailand was freed by Allied forces and received significant US support, which saw Thailand as a staunchly anti-communist country. A free election was held in 1946, the country’s first ever.

However, by the 1950s, military rule was back. I’m going to gloss over the next couple of decades simply because so much happened due to the Vietnam war and other changes in the region. Briefly speaking, Thailand remained a military dictatorship until the 1970s, when between 1973 and 1976 a democratic government ruled until the military took over again.

There has been back and forth between various incarnations of dictatorship, moments of democracy, and severe political instability. This continues to this day. I plan to publish this article in the middle of April 2017. Come back in one year, and the rule of government may be entirely different in Thailand.

Through it all, Thailand has managed to become a significant economic power in the region, with a PPP GDP comparable to that of Australia, albeit with three times the population, and twice that of Vietnam with 2/3 the population. Thailand holds tremendous financial reserves and is by, most economic measurements, is fiscally healthy. To give you an idea, in many economic performance indices of the region, it’s only beaten by Singapore (not all such indices separate Hong Kong from China and may not include Taiwan, though).

Official unemployment figures are low, often below 1%. Most (upwards of 90%) are employed in unskilled or low-skilled jobs, many or most which may become obsolete with automation. The government is investing heavily in education to reduce the impact of this over the coming decades.

The economy is fairly diverse with no over-reliance on any one industry or sector. In broad terms, agriculture, manufacturing/production, and tourism are the largest sectors.

There is a large divide between rich and poor. The literacy rate stands at around 95%, with youth literacy being close to 99%; an indicator that investments in education are successful.

English name: Kingdom of Thailand Official name: ราชอาณาจักรไทย (Ratcha-anachak Thai) Population: 68 million Area: 512,210 km2 Region: South-East Asia Official language(s): Thai Other major languages: Isan, Kam Mueang, Pak Tai GDP (PPP): 1.15 trillion USD GDP (PPP) per capita: 16,000 USD Currency: Baht (THB) Government: Monarchy / Military junta Indepence: Multiple Legal system:  Civil law with common law influences Tax system: Worldwide FATCA: IGA Model 1 CRS/AEOI: Probably by 2022 OECD Rating: Unreviewed TIEA: 0 DTC: 48 FATF 40+9: Mostly Compliant FATF AML Deficient: No Corruption Ranking: 101 (of 176) Narcotics Majors List: No Fragile States Index: Elevated Warning (78.8) Basel Index: 49 (of 149) Financial Secrey Index: N/A

  Living

What started out as tourism turned into expats staying longer and longer, with many eventually settling down.

Costs of living are low in Thailand, compared to high-income countries. A modestly-sized wealth lasts a lot longer in Thailand than in Finland.

Where

At some 513,000km2, Thailand is a large country. It has enough variation to satisfy most tastes: stunning beaches, one huge city, deep jungles, small villages, and medium-sized cities.

Most expats settle down in Bangkok or somewhere along the coast.

Bangkok is a huge city with over 8 million people living in the city and 15 million in the metropolitan area. The second largest city in Thailand is Nonthaburi, with a population of a bit under 300,000. A thick skin is required to live in Bangkok. The city is an unpolished pearl in many ways. Intense traffic, busy people, loud noises, oppressive heat, high humidity, and no shortage of decadence. It’s also incredibly beautiful and serene in some parts.

If you want your money (and health) to last longer, you’ll find large expat communities throughout the cities and villages on the coast and out on the islands. You will also run into thousands of tourists in most places but there is no shortage of quiet villages.

Integration and Assimilation

Most readers of STREBER Weekly come from Europe, North America, and Australia (i.e. wealth western nations) as are most expats I know of who have moved to Thailand, so this is going to be written from that perspective. Your reality may differ.

Depending on where you settle down in Thailand, you may either be dime a dozen (i.e. in Bangkok), just another westerner (in some community with tourists/expats), or stick out like a sore thumb. However, no matter where you settle down, one thing seems to be in common: you will be well-received. There is no significant hostility towards expats, as long as you make an effort to fit in. I’m told it’s very similar to Costa Rica in this regard.

Pick up the local language. It’s very difficult to fully master but learning the basics should be on your to-do list.

Health and Safety

Understand that much of Thailand is jungle and the wildlife isn’t always cute and friendly. Take precautions. Stay up to date on your inoculations and vaccinations as required depending on the area you are in (or just get them all!).

Crime is generally low throughout the country, including in Bangkok. Take normal precautions and be vigilant, as you would anywhere else, and you’ll be fine. You would be wise to ensure you have a good private health insurance before you step out in the streets of Bangkok (or anywhere else) because accidents are quite common.

It’s quite common to rent or buy motorbikes in Thailand. Wear a helmet and as much protective gear as you are comfortable with in the heat (relative to how much you treasure your own life). Accidents are common, whether with other motorists, due to poor roads, or accidents involving wildlife.

Hospitals are quite good but you’ll thank yourself if your health insurance covers being taken to for example Singapore or South Korea, where the quality is much higher. (I plan to write an article at some point in the future on international private health insurances.)

Liberty

Freedoms of speech, of press, and of religion are not strong in Thailand. Personal liberty is not comparable to the west in these regards.

As an expat keeping a low profile, this is unlikely to ever affect you, though.

As hard as it may be to believe after a night out in Bangkok, Thailand is tough on criminals and especially on drugs.

Keep a few hundred baht around for paying bribes to police. There isn’t much subtlety here so you’ll know when it’s time to pay the bribe, unlike in many other countries where bribing is much more of a delicate art.

Taxation

Tax residence follows an 180-day rule, whereby you become tax resident in Thailand if you stay in the country for 180 or more days in a year.

Personal income tax varies from 0% to 35%.

Foreign-sourced income, which includes capital gains, is exempt from tax if they are remitted into Thailand the year after they were earned. If you move to Thailand in 2017 and have enough savings to live on for a year, you can start bringing in foreign-sourced income earned in 2017 and pay no tax.

There is also a special flat 15% tax rate for expats holding special professions. This is similar to Highly Qualified Persons scheme in Malta but with a much broader availability.

Visas and Permits

I have dreaded writing this part since it’s the piece I’m least familiar with. The expats I know in Thailand have settled down under convoluted usages (and in some cases abuses) of visas. Only some have managed (or have bothered) to secure actual immigration visas. Many are content keeping a low profile, coming and going as they please and paying no tax.

There are a number of different visas and many can be extended in Thailand or by leaving the country for a day and coming back. Under such schemes, you often stay in Thailand for blocks of 30, 60, or 90 days before you have to renew or do a visa run. During that time, you can’t take up local work but there is very little stopping you from running a foreign business.

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Doing Business

So what’s it like to run a business from Thailand?

Incorporation in Thailand

Compared to other developing countries, it’s not terribly difficult to set up a company in Thailand and things continue to get better. It’s far behind regional powerhouses like Hong Kong and Singapore as well as many European countries and the US. Expect the whole process to take about a month. Get yourself a solid accounting or law firm to help you out.

Costs are rather humble. It’s entirely possible to set up a company for well under 50,000 THB (as of writing, about 1,400 EUR/USD) including all forms and fees and services such as registered office address.

If you are forming the company prior to arriving in Thailand and you want to set up a business in Thailand to get residence visa and work permit, expect the total costs to double. If this is the case, the minimum capital requirement of the company should be at least two million THB (as of writing, about 55,000 EUR/USD). Otherwise, there is no minimum.

Foreign vs. Local Company

If you’re not hiring people locally or run a local business that sells to customers in Thailand, most expats don’t actually form a local company. Many keep whatever company they had prior to coming to Thailand or set up new entities in usually Hong Kong or Singapore.

Taxation

Corporate taxation in Thailand is a tricky beast on paper and a very different one in reality.

The corporate tax is 20% on worldwide-sourced profits. Various exemptions and incentives exist to lower this for companies with share capitals under 5 million BHT and gross income under 30 million THB: a full exemption on the first 300,000 THB profit and a reduced 15% rate on profits from 300,000 to 3 million THB.

What about tax residence for companies in Thailand? Is a company incorporated in a territorial or zero taxation jurisdiction, operated from Thailand is exempt from taxation? Can you run a Hong Kong company in Thailand at zero tax?

Things get messy here but the gist of it is that Thailand effectively has a mix of a territorial and a remittance taxation system for foreign companies.

If an entity is not incorporated in Thailand, it usually only owes tax on income that derives from local activities. What constitutes local activities is less clear. It’s generally tolerated but not necessarily fully compliant with the law for foreign companies (especially owned by foreign nationals) that engage in digital services, investment/holding activities (passive or semi-passive incomes), or don’t sell to Thai customers to not pay any corporate tax in Thailand.

However, income remitted into Thailand may be considered taxable. It’s extremely rare for these companies to bank in Thailand, though, so this hardly ever becomes relevant.

Banking

Banks

Walking around in Bangkok or elsewhere in Thailand, you might be surprised by how few familiar bank names you might see in Thailand. While Citibank, HSBC, and Standard Chartered are here, they are relatively small.

The banking sector is dominated by local banks, although there is significant ownership by foreign banks such as Bank of Ayudha, which is 76% owned by Japanese bank BTMU (whose own operation in Thailand is a fraction), and Thanachart Bank which is 49% owned by the Canadian bank Scotiabank.

Foreign currency accounts are fairly commonplace and have minimum deposits of around 500 to 5,000 USD/EUR. An impressive range of currencies is usually available; major Asian and European currencies are often on the menu. Fees are usually quite low. Nearly all banks offer online banking in English and pretty good customer service in English.

Banking Secrecy in Thailand

As of writing, Thailand is in the process of signing up for the Commons Reporting Standard (CRS) and is expected to implement AEOI in the next coming years. It has already signed up for FATCA.

As is common in developing countries, banking secrecy is not particularly strong in Thailand (or has historically only been strong due to a lack of implementation of international standards; not intentionally). However, not being entirely up to date with the latest standards of customer due diligence means Thai banks and financial service providers often aren’t as inquisitive as in other jurisdiction. This is the root cause of most jurisdictions’ compliance problems. They don’t know to question who’s behind a trust or a company. This can be, and routinely is, exploited to open bank accounts without disclosing the UBO.

When it comes to UBO secrecy, I prefer the lawful methods I touch on in my AEOI Mitigation article.

Personal Resident Bank Account

Although you might not need one if you earn your income from outside Thailand, having a local personal account can be very convenient as it lets you access the local debit card networks and ATMs at much more attractive fees.

Armed with a passport and work permit or some other form of immigration visa, you’ll walk out with a bank account, online banking, and debit card quickly.

Personal Non-Resident Bank Account

Opening a bank account for non-residents is still a fairly uncommon request in Thailand. There are really no clear policies and you will find different responses at different branches even with the same bank.

You will often be asked to produce work permit or some other form of visa that proves you have the right to stay in Thailand. Showing a tourist visa and hoping for the best usually won’t work, at least not on its own. Expect to have to explain your reason for opening a bank account clearly.

If possible, make arrangements in advance and schedule an appointment at a specific branch with a specific person.

The following banks are known to open bank accounts for non-resident persons:

Bangkok Bank

CIMB

Kasikorn

SCB (Siam Commercial Bank)

UOB

Local Company Bank Account

It’s worth noting that banks often require that a local company have a majority of its directors be resident in Thailand.

Foreign Company Bank Account

Practically never opened other than if the foreign company has a local branch in Thailand and does business in Thailand. This isn’t a huge loss since corporate banking in Thailand isn’t up to par with for example Hong Kong and Singapore, both of which are a short flight away.

Conclusion

I have not spent any long periods of time in Thailand but I have enjoyed every visit, whether it’s been to Bangkok or elsewhere in the country. Those expats who make it work for themselves tend to stick around for a long time. Some, however, can’t take it and move away.

Doing business in Thailand doesn’t have any significant advantages, unless you are making use of the large workforce, low costs, and strong infrastructure for exporting. If you’re a typical digital nomad type of person earning a good salary from a foreign company outside of the country,  Thailand can be a fantastic place to live.

For the perpetual traveler, establishing a tax residence in Thailand can be a moderately attractive prospect.

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The post Living, Doing Business, and Banking in Thailand appeared first on STREBER Weekly.

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New Post has been published on Globeinfrom

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Friday night snow to effect evening travel

Iciness Weather Advisory Friday until midnight for Gallatin, Madison, Beaverhead, Jefferson, Deer Motel, Silver Bow, Powell, Granite, and Ravalli counties. Showers will produce periods of heavy snowfall that might impact travel. Right here are predicted snow accumulations Friday night time.

Showers will linger after nighttime, however, will no longer be as impactful. Snow blanketed roads and restrained visibility will make the tour this night hard in some of the regions predicted to be hardest hit by snow, consisting of Homestake Bypass.

Locations like Missoula and Kalispell will see a stray bathe however need to be missed by means of the more severe conditions.

situations will enhance quite a piece in the morning, with many areas seeing a little sun. Lows may be inside the 20s and we will heat as much as the 40’s and 50s Saturday afternoon. Some showers are probable from Missoula north to the Canada border.

Easter morning will be a bit cold for dawn celebrations with temperatures in the low to mid-20s beneath primarily clear skies. Easter day ought to be fantastic, with lots of sunshine and highs growing to the mid and higher 50s.

Rain returns subsequent week, beginning Monday and sticking round thru Thursday. Highs might be inside the 50s with lows in the 30s. It is able to be cold sufficient for greater snow at higher elevations starting Wednesday morning. In any other case, it looks as if a reasonably everyday spring week. Corn Island – In which Even Tourists on a Strict Budget Can Have enough money a Caribbean Holiday Corn Island is a hidden paradise alongside the gap coast of Nicaragua. Right here, you can enjoy a proper Caribbean island Vacation while not having to spend hundreds of dollars on Aruba, St Barth, Montserrat or any of the opposite more Caribbean excursion destinations. Room expenses on the Corn Island commonly begin around 10 USD and your most inexpensive eating choice is to buy meals from street providers. you can without problems get a street meal for much less than 2 USD.

The Corn Islands are islands dotted inside the Caribbean Sea right off the coast of Nicaragua, with Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The larger of the islands are called Large Corn, and the diminutive one has (of course) been given the call Little Corn.

Earlier than you decide to leap on a plane to get Here, a word of warning: Little and Large Corn are not appropriate for travelers in search of large expensive inn complexes and four big name restaurants. This Vacation spot is off the overwhelmed music after which some. Bluefield, the closets mainland metropolis, is not even accessible by using avenue from western Nicaragua Where a majority of the Nicaraguans stay. Alternatively, you need to head via boat from the colonial town of Granada or with the aid of aircraft from the Managua, the country’s capital. A small propeller aircraft departs numerous instances an afternoon from Sandino Airport within the outskirts of Managua and could stop first at Bluefield and then at Big Corn. To get to Little Corn you want to capture a ship from Large Corn.

If you need current home equipment like lovers, air-conditioners and Tv then Large Corn is the high-quality alternative for you. In case you are k with staying in a seashore hurt playing the sea breeze instead of a fan, then Little Corn is an alternative. Regardless of which island you choose it can be an awesome concept to % a flashlight due to the fact blackouts now and again arise. They may be considered a regular part of lifestyles and do not definitely reason any disruptions to the tempo of things. Absolutely everyone will truly pass approximately their enterprise as traditional, and also you may not have any trouble finding an open eating place In which you can revel in a candle-lit dinner prepared over open fireplace or on a gas range.

Little and Large Corn are well-known for their nicely-saved coral reefs. Divers and snorkelers will not be disillusioned, and on the grounds that such few visitors ever come to the Corn Islands the reefs are in superb circumstance. If you want to get your certificate throughout your holidays, PADI teachers are to be had. The reefs off Little and Big Corn are domestic to sea creatures together with the spotted eagle ray, the nurse shark, the ocean turtle and the barracuda.

Another famous activity on Corn Island is fishing. The sea is teeming with species consisting of sailfish, tuna and marlin, and massive tarpon and snook is caught inside the rivers and lagoons. several operators arrange boat journeys to appropriate fishing regions and could offer you with all of the equipment you need. Earlier than booking a cruise, make sure to check if foods and drinks are covered inside the fee or not. some organizers will host a dinner inside the nighttime after every journey In which the anglers get a chance to revel in the capture of the day, prepared in normal Caribbean style.

Pinnacle three travel Trends For Contemporary travel Agent 1869-1948, Preeminent chief of Indian nationalism

Fashion #1 – The Internet

Everybody knows that the Internet has changed simply everything… in particular the travel Industry. Online giants like Motels.Com, Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz have revolutionized tour. Even journey Sellers & Groups are booking Online while the majority searches and buys their very own holidays Online. In reality, it’s anticipated that eighty two% of all tour is now being booked Online. tour is one of the most researched subjects on the Net… And also the most worthwhile.

The Internet is simple, seamless and the right medium for the travel Enterprise. We simply factor, click on, and percent our bags. Before the Internet, but, an agent’s bread & butter changed into commissions earned with business Tourists… Predominantly flights. American Airways became the primary to drag the plug on paying commissions on flight purchases as the Internet began getting into its own and extra business Vacationers had been finding higher offers Online.

given that 1997 properly over two hundred,000 Groups went out of enterprise. Over 1 million travel Marketers misplaced their jobs to the Internet. That number grew after 9/11. The times of brick & mortar in no time were given taken over by way of click & order, making for a much greater efficient gadget. however, the ones only a few Agents & Groups that would foresee the effective effect the Internet should have for them, jumped proper into the explosive opportunity that the Internet delivered, to preserve as a good deal in their consumer base as possible. only a few, a decade ago, opted to go along with the flow of exchange. Nowadays, All of us is aware that the Net is Right here to stay. While we are adaptable to trade, we flourish… And income.

Because of the Internet, the net journey agent is likewise home-primarily based. Due to the wonderful opportunity, non-stop Industry boom, and #1 Enterprise training, Present day journey agent is your mother, cousin, aunt, neighbor, best pal, etc. And earning 60-a hundred% of the provider��s commission. it’s for Each person.

Trend #2 – word-of-Mouth Marketing

word-of-mouth Marketing has been and always might be the nice manner to marketplace something. Statistics show that eighty% of all vacations (most something genuinely) are taken Due to a recommendation from a friend, family member or co-worker. Reflect consideration on the last time you got here home from a vacation. Did you maintain it a secret? No way! We talk about it for 2 months Earlier than leaving and communicate about it for two months once we get again! And we display Absolutely everyone photos and films! And we endorse the destination and hotel to All people (or now not) and inform them In which we bought our terrific deal!

Familiarization trips (FAMs) play a large element in phrase-of-mouth Advertising. The best way for Retailers to truly study what they sell is to experience it first hand. FAMs are prepare by means of cruise strains, lodge chains and destinations international. They commonly include lodging, tours, food, suggests, transportation, and so on. charges are slashed making it low cost for Retailers to tour more than one instances a year… VIP!. The vendors roll out the proverbial pink carpet for Agents Whilst they come. They’re given the most one-of-a-kind experience viable due to the fact companies know that after Marketers return home… They may be going to speak about it!

The average man or woman will purchase his Vacation Online at retail, once 12 months.

Sellers will tour multiple instances a yr, all over the world as far and extensive as they want to head, for pennies on the greenback. For this, FAMs remain one of the major perks Nowadays for Marketers in the Industry.

Which takes us to…

Trend #3 – home primarily based enterprise

travel college students, Child Boomers, and Every person in among are bringing journey domestic!

Main Organizations clever enough to observe the Net Trend, have long gone On-line and now provide pretty much everybody the possibility to be professionally educated to function and promote travel from domestic!! Woohoo!! This is proper! you can promote journey from the consolation of your house and receives a commission!

Would not it make feel that If you’re going to journey beside (in particular as plenty because the Boomers), which you buy it from yourself and get paid? Or receives a commission commissions at the trips your buddies, family, acquaintances and co-employees are taking already? Of route! Most of the people will do commercial enterprise with someone they realize & believe. You could as properly be that man or woman, proper?

Groups quick caught directly to the franchise phenomena Online and feature unfolded the possibility to pretty much everyone with a precious work ethic who’s inclined to learn. Coupled with phrase-of-mouth Advertising and marketing… you have a prevailing mixture! The extra informed you become, the more perks, FAMs, Loose trips, upgrades, and so forth, become available to you… Cha-ching!

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Tokyo 42 and the unkillable charm of isometric gaming

New Post has been published on https://soulcrazy.org/1161-2/

Tokyo 42 and the unkillable charm of isometric gaming

Hardware video gaming generations come and pass; pics processing strategies tumble into  Tokyo and out of fashion. However the allure of so-called “isometric visuals” refuses to wane. The remaining year saw the discharge of Gareth Noyce’s Lumo, a tidy little 450-room throwback puzzler starring a chubby wizard, which harkens lower back to the fixed vantage factors and tile-based totally environments of eight-bit classics like Head over Heels. This spring has already given us Torment: Tides of Numenera, InXile’s tribute to the select of Infinity Engine RPGs. And later this yr you’ll get to play Tokyo 42, an open international assassination recreation which unfolds in an airborne, plastic town of exhilaratingly jammed-collectively architectural styles, rendered in 3-D however with a zoomed-out, semi-manual digicam that calls to mind the authentic Syndicate.

Gaming

Created using two-man developer SMAC, it is a bouncy arcade affair that wears the trappings of a tactical sim lightly but convincingly, as you scuttle around the busy yet idyllic city claiming skulls, evading rival assassins or police and getting to the lowest of a conspiracy. Infiltrations oblige you to either avoid patrolling guards or become them – anybody in the games international has an artificial body, which (apart from robbing dying of its sting) approach you may spend “juice” to modify your appearance and blend in. The stealth is otherwise redolent of Steel Equipment Strong, as you duck underneath AI view cones and look ahead to alertness states to reset. Firefights have extra in commonplace with Radiant Silvergun – sluggish-transferring bullets, rockets, and grenades crowd the screen, touch you to preserve tune of your tiddly, trench-coated killer amid the carnage.

4 One of the earliest dimetric pc gaming is Head over Heels, lovingly recalled by Graeme Mason some place else on this site. The PvP area multiplayer, in the meantime, takes intention squarely at Assassin’s Creed’s lapsed multiplayer – each participant begins off incognito in a throng of NPCs, and also you need to discover warring parties with the aid of maintaining your eyes peeled for suspicious behaviour and dispatching your trusty pet cat to sniff out nearby players. All in all, Tokyo 42 has the makings of a delightfully open-ended throwback blaster, refreshingly unencumbered through meant current stipulations like individual or weapon improvements – but what truly grips me approximately the sport is the way it reveals inside the opportunities of an isometric game standpoint.

I am the usage of “isometric design” extraordinarily loosely in this piece, of course (fair warning, photographs programmers – the following might also strike you as painfully noobish, assuming you have not clicked away already in disgust). Typically taken to intend a recreation with a digicam located diagonally above the surroundings, “isometric art” absolutely refers to the orthographic projection of cubic volumes onto a second plane to create the illusion of intensity, such that all the visible angles on every cube identical one hundred twenty levels. “Authentic” isometric is, but, hard to attain with older presentations and CPUs, as it’s difficult to draw angles which are multiples of 30 degrees while you’re working with square pixels. In reality, some of the video games often labeled “isometric” truly use “dimetric” projection, wherein most effective of the cube’s seen angles are identical, or “trimetric” projection, in which all the angles are one-of-a-kind.

Isometric or near-isometric projection, in the beginning, came into use in a manner of faking 3D at a fragment of the computational rate. But over a long time, isometric gaming has flourished right into an awesome style with its very own aesthetic and creative possibilities, while the ones computational overheads have evaporated. One advantage of isometric projection or strategies that mimic it is that artists are capable of honestly nice-device or stylize each object’s internal geometry, color and lights contrasts, capitalizing on the constant attitude – you might forget one face of the object in robust shadow, the opposite in daylight. Another effect is to impose a discreet diamond motif at the visuals, fashioned using the arrangements of cubes – a motif that can be adhered to and broken from to softly interesting impact, as inside the fabulous iOS name Monument Valley.

Tokyo 42 permits you to rotate the view around the protagonist by way of forty-five diploma increments, exposing pathways around buildings, dug-in enemies and beguiling info along with waterfalls or apartment owners smoking on balconies. However its cuboid international is also clearly designed to be appreciated in isometric view, made up as it is of striking contrasts that are much less substantive when regarded from ninety ranges on – terracotta red plazas slicing across walls daubed pistachio-green, shiny yellow stairways slicing via matt black monoliths, and lively advert forums that are discreetly organized to play up that underlying diamond pattern. You can even make out the diamond motif in the flight paths of hovercraft – each a lovingly faceted bit of cyberpunk, like a WipEout racer repurposed for civilian use.

Tokyo

The sport’s global changed into, in fact, at first designed to be a flat pixel-artwork example, but SMAC opted for polygonal 3-D and a spinning digicam after noting that players were struggling to navigate. “while we commenced, we had the sport running in natural isometric orthographic. However, it was clearly too difficult to differentiate foreground and background,” observes studio director Maciek Strychalski through e-mail. “This is important for our sport because we’ve vertical traversal and fight and gamers want so as to study intensity. This would not have been trouble if we had been a pure dual-stick shooter or flat aircraft sport. “To get around this, we moved the digital camera waylay back, like a kilometer, and tightened the sphere Of View down. This did matter, it allowed for a tiny quantity of parallax, and it allowed us to put in force a Depth Of Field effect (that’s not possible without intensity facts – i.E. impossible when using an orthographic digital camera which has no intensity data). This offers the participant that greater statistics had to parse depth.”

So why go to all that effort to retain the arrival of a fake-3-D game, while you’re in reality operating in “Real” 3-d? “Nicely, it’s simply neat, is not it? Especially while viewed from a 45 diploma angle, the lines are so photo and consistent to the attention. I discover it lovely.”

Pokemon has had a totally vital cultural impact in many nations wherein it’s been imported. In Japan, Pokemon became famous, selling more than one million copies of Pocket Monsters in 1996. On the Tokyo sports Show in 1997, gamers should get the Mew Pokemon by way of downloading their video games. The result changed into a queue that was four km, with some humans tenting overnight earlier than the Display. Arriving in the U.S., the Purple and Blue versions sold more than 200 000 devices in weeks, then persevered to promote at a mean of 800 000 units in step with the month. Both versions had been the pleasant video games offered by way of Nintendo. At that factor in time, they had been the exceptional-promoting video games in the history of video games. Pokemon Pinball becomes the sport released on recreation Boy, and it sold even greater fast, with extra than 262 000 devices sold in 20 days. The collection that was allotted with the aid of Hasbro toys were also industrial successes. Because the tv collection grew in recognition, so did Hasbro which surpassed its main competitor, Mattel, in 2000. The games have been so famous that Hasbro was not able to collect sufficient toys to fulfill demand. Wizards of the Coast had the same problem with the card game collectibles and had offered over 50 million playing cards among January and March 1999. As of July 1999, Pokemon had generated extra than $ 5 billion.

The phenomenon also affected Ecu nations, like France, where the Crimson and Blue versions were the quality selling video games of 1999, and a million copies of every were bought as of June 2000, less than a 12 months after its launch in France. The lively collection was broadcast in numerous international locations, which include America, Australia, Japan, and Canada.

Who hasn’t been interested in this superhero that is so one of a kind from other superheroes, no longer having any unique powers in any respect save his cunning? Beginning as a DC Comics character, the darkish knight now invades not simply the tv and movie monitors however additionally video games.

Batman video games are created to permit the Caped Crusader’s fans to live the existence of a superhero, saving lives and a defensive the residents of Gotham town from the evils lurking while the streets get dark.

First, of the Batman game franchise is Batman launched in 1986 released through Ocean Software program and became designed as an isometric motion/adventure game.

isometric

Batman: The Caped Crusader, became released in 1988 by using Ocean Software program. This paid homage to Batman’s original comedian appears and with comic e-book panels as sports backgrounds.

Batman (also referred to as Batman the movie). Launched in November 1989 by using Ocean Software and turned into obviously based on the 1989 Batman film. This game spearheaded a new fashion in gaming design and become Well acquired using the gaming public. It has a higher reminiscence than the previous Batman video game and the pictures improved to present off a 3-d effect.

Batman. Released on NES in December 1989 and changed into additionally inspired by way of the 1989 Batman film. Every other Batman recreation inspired with the aid of this movie become launched via Mega Force in July 1990. In reality, there can be greater Batman games created basing on this movie. What do they discover so unique on this specific movie they preserve turning it into numerous games with similar sports plays?

Pc Engine launched a Batman online game in October 1990 which has gameplay capabilities similar to that of Percent-guy.

Batman: Go back of the Joker. Launched by using game Boy, Mega Force, and NES in December 1991 capabilities specialized boss combating At the Last Degree.

Batman Starts of evolved. Released in June 2005 and inspired via the film with the identical title features new forms of play regarding stealth, driving, and platforming.

The latest launched Batman online game is Batman: Arkham Asylum launched in August 2009 and only a few months ago in Japan. The PS3 model has specific downloadable Joker venture levels.

Two Batman video games are nevertheless pending launch. One (Batman: The Courageous and the Ambitious the Videogame) might be launched in September 2010 and the alternative (Batman: Arkham Asylum 2) in 2011.