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MICHIGAN

13 Feb 2019

Bordered by four Great Lakes, the state of Michigan offers amazing landscapes for its visitors, especially in the Upper Peninsula....

Most Romantic Things to Do in New York City

22 Dec 2018

Book The Best Car Rental Service For You Today

21 Dec 2018

Cats are one of the fastidious creatures, and it can be clearly seen in their litter box habits. It has seen that cats always avoid litter box when they want to pee. They urinate all over the house instead of a litter box which is the right place for that activity. This is the main issue which has been faced by the cat owners. Now if we talk about the reasons behind this habit of cats, then many things come forward. In this article, you can check out the main reasons for cats’ peeing habit.

Many pets in one house

Having multiple pets in the home is known as the reason for peeing outside the litter box. When there are more than one cats, then the chances of this habit gets higher. Well, many times one of the cats is bull who always stops other carts for using the box. In order to solve this issue, you are advised to place many litter boxes in different rooms so that every cat can use it easily.

Uncomfortable litter box

There is a huge variety present of the litter box; however, not every type will suit the cat. So, when you are selecting the box, then make sure that it is comfortable for the cat. Majority of the times, it has observed that cat owners pick the option of the covered box which is a big no. well, it is an uncomfortable box, so cats avoid using this. Buy the litter box which will offer the great comfort zone to the cat. For this, you can try different options. You can search for the best litter box over the internet and also get more hints.

Unclean litter box

The cat owners should always pay proper attention to the cleanliness of the litter box because unclean box can also be the reason for peeing outside the litter box. When the boxes are not clean, then cats find another place to pee. Thus, cleanliness is important, and we should clean the box on a daily basis. After a few weeks, cat owners should do deep cleaning, and for this, you can also hire professional cleaners.

Medical issues

Cats can also have the health issues which force them to pee outside the box. There are many health problems which are painful, so cats don’t prefer using the box. You should also focus on the medical condition of cats for this; take the cat for full body checkups after a certain time. The medical issues change the feelings of cat, and it also reflects in the littering behavior.

In addition to this, sometimes cat also finds it hard to reach the litter box. For example, if the litter box in place in the basement, then the cats will have to face issues while reaching the box. These are the main reasons behind the peeing behavior of cats. So, the cat owners should make sure that they are paying proper attention to these factors.

March 17, 2019 / Richard / Pets

Get On The Top Of The Search Results

Today it is hard to find people without a smartphone. Each person is using the online world to search for everything they need. With the help of the online world, it is not had to get anything within a few clicks in your doorstep. So in short, the search engines in the online world is ruling us without any doubt.Therefore, it is the duty of the business to present their website to the online users in an attractive manner. This is the place where you need to find the most professional SEO company for your help. Before that, it is important to understand about the search engine optimization.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization is in a way simply a marketing technique used to get a comfortable spot in the search engine results page displayed to the online users. People search everything through the help of online search websites and Google is leading expert in the market today. Actually mostly seventy percent of people reach the websites only through the search engines. So making the search engine to recognize your website as opt result for a search phrase is very important to reach huge number of people. By optimizing the content of your website through proper keywords and back links, SEO helps you to achieve a good page rank.

How to get a decent page rank?

By the help of white hat techniques, it is possible to obtain good page rank from the search engines without any hassles. Because black hat techniques will lead to into future problems because these techniques are not normally approved by any a search engines. SEO procedures looks in all type of content within the website like images and videos. Therefore, along with refining the text with proper keywords you need to look at other formats also.

February 25, 2019 / Richard / Internet and Businesses Online

Debt Relief By Consumer Wiz of Connecticut

Almost all debt consolidation companies work for profit. Consumer Wiz of Connecticut is one of those rare companies that are motivated to work for the well being of their customers.

About Consumer Wiz of Connecticut

It is a Non Profit, Debt consolidation firm that consolidates all the monthly debt payments into one, easier and convenient payment. Consumer Wiz of Connecticut was established in July 1997. The company has highly qualified staff members, who work effectively, in reducing the interest rates on the total debt of their clients.

They negotiate with all sorts of lenders and creditors and try to reach the easiest terms for their clients.

Salient Features of Consumer Wiz of Connecticut
Consumer Wiz of Connecticut has a Debt Management Program (DMP) which enables their clients to effectively manage their finances.

The Program also incorporates a Guidance Program on how to trim various expenses and save money. This program enables the clients to pay off their debts easily and in record time.

The vision behind Consumer Wiz of Connecticut

The company sees bankruptcy as the last resort. They always enable their clients to pay off their due debt by making things easier for them. They do this through their unmatchable debt negotiation and debt reduction services.

Services Offered by Consumer Wiz of Connecticut

They provide debt counseling services. They also keep their clients updated about the company and the new methods of debt reduction through newsletters.
They charge a very low fee of $20 per month for their services. This is an insanely low amount being charged, as compared to most of the companies that provide similar services.
The company offers a guidance program, for making their clients reach their financial goals in a stipulated amount of time.
They promise to resolve all the debts of their customers in 24-48 months, depending on the amount of debt owed.
Consumer Wiz of Connecticut also offers counseling services that aim to produce a sense of responsibility in their clients by controlling and managing their finances.
It also provides Debt Analysis services and helps to enable their customers in making quick and appropriate decisions. They completely analyze your debts, negotiate with your creditors or lenders and consolidate all your debts into one easy payment.
They provide premium debt reduction services that can help reduce your debts up to 40%. This enables all sorts of clients, irrespective of their financial backgrounds, to pay off their debts easily. They do so by demanding the creditors/lenders lower the interest rates on the actual debt amount.
The company also provides informative books and pamphlets in order to educate and help their clients. They help them in understanding the importance of being debt free and savings in today’s time.

Contact Consumer Wiz of Connecticut
The company can be contacted on following address:-

258 Route 12
Groton, Connecticut (CT) 06340

Phone: (860) 405-1000

February 18, 2019 / Richard / Finance

Veterans’ national ride coming through; On 25th anniversary of event, number expected to grow to about 600

For the 10th consecutive year, hundreds of motorcycle riders — many of them war veterans — are expected to roll through downtown Raton Saturday morning as part of the annual “Run For The Wall” that is marking the 25th anniversary of its riders traversing the nation, heading for a Memorial Day weekend arrival at the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“We ride for those who can’t” is the slogan of the event, referring to prisoners of war and those missing in action.

The number of riders coming through Raton this weekend is likely to be more than previous years. The Independent Riders of Raton, a local motorcycle group that organizes the activities planned for the riders in Raton Saturday morning, have been told by a Run For The Wall official that since this is the 25th anniversary of the event, about 600 riders are anticipated to make the Run’s central route cross-country trek that begins Wednesday from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and comes through Raton. A year ago, some 350-375 Run For The Wall riders came through Raton.

The ride has a long history of coming through Raton, although there was a period when it stopped coming directly through town and making a stop. However, the Raton stop on the Run route was re-established 10 years ago.

The Independent Riders of Raton raises money each year to be able to provide fuel to the motorcyclists as they head on the next leg of their journey.

The riders — whose numbers grow as they cross the country — will spend Friday night in Eagle Nest and many will visit Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park near Angel Fire that night. The riders are expected to arrive in Raton about 8:45 a.m. Saturday, refueling at the Conoco station on Clayton Road. During the stop — expected to be about an hour — the Independent Riders plan to recognize local individuals and organizations that made donations and helped with fundraisers to raise the money necessary to pay for the fuel.

After gassing up, the parade of riders will drive north on Second Street, through downtown and onto Interstate 25 at Raton’s northern on-ramp. The riders are expected to cruise through downtown starting at about 9:45 a.m. The local Independent Riders ask people to line the street and wave flags to show support for the Run For The Wall riders. They are scheduled to parade along Trinidad’s Main Street when they get into Colorado on their way to that night’s stop in Goodland, Kan.

Saturday’s Raton visit will occur on day four of the 10-day ride on the Run For The Wall’s central route. Other bikers choose to take the southern route that passes through Las Cruces during its time in New Mexico. Both routes start in Rancho Cucamonga and all the riders will converge again in Washington, D.C., for the Memorial Day weekend Rolling Thunder Parade.

The annual Run is designed to “promote healing among all veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world,” according to the event’s website.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, there remain 1,648 American personnel who served in the Vietnam War still unaccounted for in southeast Asia. From the Korean War, 7,918 American servicemen are still missing, and another 73,677 are still unaccounted for from World War II. There are even 126 listed as missing from the country’s Cold War period. More recently, the government office lists six servicemen unaccounted for from Iraq and other conflicts.

As it has in many years past, this year’s Run For The Wall passes through Raton on Armed Forces Day, which is designed to honor those who have served or are serving in America’s military forces. The commemoration was created in 1949 to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force days, which had been held until then. The reason for the change was the creation of the Department of Defense, which brought all the branches of the military under one authority.

The Run For The Wall was started in 1989 as an effort by James Gregory and Bill Evans, a pair of Vietnam veterans who had traveled across the heartland of America on motorcycles, talking to local radio, TV and newspapers about the fact that there were thousands of men and women still unaccounted for from many wars. The first year of the formal event drew 115 motorcycles, but only 15 went all the way from San Diego to the nation’s capital.

Now, the Rolling Thunder Parade in Washington, D.C. annually features about 350,000 motorcycles starting from the Pentagon parking lots, parading through downtown Washington, and ending at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

February 15, 2019 / Richard / News

MICHIGAN

Bordered by four Great Lakes, the state of Michigan offers amazing landscapes for its visitors, especially in the Upper Peninsula. Because the Lower Peninsula is home to more than 90% of its residents, not many people know Michigan comprises two peninsulas. The Upper one has unaltered nature and offers images of great beauty, while the Lower one holds the urban centers and is the birthplace of Fordism. Michigan, especially Detroit, gained its reputation due to their industrial potential, especially automobile mass production. If you have heard of Michigan, but none of these things sounds familiar, then maybe you just watched American Pie.

People perceive Michigan natives as hard-workers and tough since the work ethics of Indiana and Michigan seem very strict to others. They appear more adaptable and grounded because they face snow and cold temperatures sometimes even in the summer. In fact, the state is a leader in snowmobile acquisition. The state even has a National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Michiganders mock the stereotype of hardworking people since the job market is seriously lacking. There’s also a running joke to them that they have a state where one’s horoscope is more precise than the weather forecast since it can snow pretty much anytime.

For tourists, the Upper Peninsula will charm you with its bright colors, wildlife and lakes, rivers or waterfalls. Michigan prides itself with the nickname of Water Wonderland. You can cross the Mackinac Bridge to the Lower Peninsula, in a gorgeous setting. Visit Mackinac Island and its historic buildings, with 2 centuries of history behind. Other tourist destinations include the Fisher Building, Michigan Stadium, the State University with its emblems, Beaumont Tower and the Spartan statue, a Sculpture Park or the German architecture in Frankenmuth. A memorial building for Hemingway, General Motors and the Henry Ford Museum are popular too. As in any state, the Capitol is one of its most representative buildings.

February 13, 2019 / Richard / Travel and Leisure

India’s mass cancellation of mining licenses spurs debate

The mass cancellation of coal licences has sparked off an uproar in India Inc.

Many captains of industry have said it could cause serious supply disruptions and exacerbate India’s on-going power crisis. Worse, the economy would have to pay a heavy price for the Supreme Court’s decision to cancel coal blocks and get them auctioned by the government.

“The authority of the government is at stake here. The damage is unlikely to be confined to only coal blocks. Any administrative decision taken in the future in the mining sector would be fraught with uncertainity, and would fail to inspire confidence and carry credibility,” said a senior corporate official.

The Supreme Court, India’s highest court, recently ruled that allocations of 218 coal blocks for mining were all illegal except for four, and cancelled the whole lot. The total investment at stake: $32.55 billion (Rs 2,000 billion). Coal producers could also face penalties of upto $3 billion. India's mass cancellation of mining licenses spurs debate

Amar Ambani at broking firm IIFL said the focus would now shift to investor uncertainty about investing in the Indian mining industry. The impact of the verdict would be highest on JSPL and Hindalco in the metals space, he added.

Others lamented that the economy, which was just about showing the first signs of a spring bloom after two years of deep frost, could soon go into reverse mode.

Vikas Khemani, from broking firm Edelweiss Securities, said, “Some 40 producing coal blocks are set to pay a penalty. All producing coal blocks are to be turned over to Coal India within the next six months. The judgement is silent on possible auction of the coal blocks and the onus is on the government to decide the future course of action. Mine owners’ woes would continue.”

Analysts added that bidders in the coal mine auction would be reluctant to borrow money from banks to start mining till the issue was finally resolved, thus causing further delays and cost escalation.

The court has allowed these cancelled blocks to continue extracting coal till March 31, 2015. The central government and Coal India Limited (CIL) are expected to come out with a policy for the new situation.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) president Ajay Sharma said the decision was likely to adversely impact domestic coal supplies in the country and also erode investor confidence.

“Confidence needs to be restored and quickly. The government needs to ensure a better, transparent tender process for the leases, which would be an important first step,” said an analyst.

An official at Khaitan & Co, a law firm, added: “The manner in which coal block allocations have been made clearly leaves much to be desired, and speaks volumes about the sanctity, transparency and fairness of the process, or rather the lack thereof.”

Stating that the implication of the apex court’s judgment and the order would be felt for some time, the legal luminary said coal block allottees would need to assess the possibility of disputes arising out of contracts entered into between them and the relevant counterparties.

India's mass cancellation of mining licenses spurs debate

Given the fact that there has been a lack of confidence and a great deal of public mistrust in the mining lease allocation process, the official said the court’s decision would undermine investor confidence.

Arguing that a robust regime for effective private sector participation in coal mining was important to ensure efficient exploitation of the precious natural resource for maximum common good, the official added that the cancellation of all, but four coal block allocations however, presented an opportunity to rid the important sector of uncertainties.

Similarly, Barclays has said in a note to its clients: “Despite the near term negatives, especially for JSPL and Hindalco, the judgment offers the government an opportunity to introduce a transparent and sustainable mechanism for minerals allocation in India.”

Chirag Shah at Barclays said investors would now look forward to the timeline, bidding amounts and other details on coal block auctions. “We view the SC ruling as an opportunity for the government to implement an image make-over of the mining sector in India,” he said.

Negative impact

Many industrialists have however, maintained that the apex court’s decision would have a negative impact on the economy. India’s population, including its industries, are largely dependent on thermal power, so any problems with the coal supply means an indirect effect on its economic growth.

“It is highly unlikely that the allocation process, through competitive bidding or any other process, would be complete by FYE15. In this situation, CIL would take things forward. CIL itself is struggling to achieve its own coal production targets. In FY14, CIL achieved 95.96% of its production target and achieved 2.3% growth over FY13 production. To achieve the captive coal mines’ FY14 coal production target, CIL would have to improve its production performance by 8.41%, which does not look too feasible,” said Devendra Kumar Pant, Chief Economist at ratings firm, India Ratings.

India's mass cancellation of mining licenses spurs debate

Some experts have even predicted that coal imports would go up four times from the current levels. They added that the government would need to expedite reallocating the cancelled producing blocks, so that production was not affected in the short term.

Crisil research has said that players who have operational coal blocks would witness a sharp decline in profitability post 2014-15, as they would
have to substitute captive coal with imported coal which is about four times more expensive.

According to CII, acute fuel shortages were already affecting the power sector, and currently close to 80 million tonnes of coal was being imported.

Experts added that the decision would lead to increased import dependence. The demand supply mismatch has increased India’s dependence on import for coal supplies. In FY14, India imported 171 million tonnes (mt) of coal at $16.41 billion. In FY13, it was 145 mt at $17.01 billion.

In a scenario where CIL is not able to extract coal from captive coal mines of cancelled coal blocks, India’s dependence on imported coal would increase significantly in FY16. Factoring in the increase in coal production in FY14 as compared to FY13 and FY14 and the average imported coal prices, the FY16 coal import bill is likely to widen by $6.22 billion. This would exert pressure and affect macroeconomic stability.

Huge shortage

It may be corporate India’s biggest ironies: even though India sits on an estimated 200 billion odd tonnes of coal reserves, it has been facing a shortage for some years now.

Overall, India is the third largest coal producer in the world, but the shortfalls have forced steel, cement, aluminium and power companies to purchase expensive foreign coal.

It all started because of an artificial shortage created in 1972, when the Coal Nationalisation Act was passed, giving the state owned CIL the sole right to mine coal in the country. But CIL, like any other government owned outfit in the world, failed to keep up with the rising demands of the Indian industry. Its annual production went up from 431.26 million tonnes in 2009-10 to an estimated 462.46 million tonnes in 2013-14.

The outcome of the production lethargy – an annual shortage of 100 million tonnes. To overcome it, some Indian private companies struck deals with foreign mines. That was one of the main reason why previous governments had started allocating `captive’ mines to private companies, with the condition that coal thus mined would not be sold in the open market.

It was the process of allocating such captive mines that the Supreme Court has now found illegal.

Steel and cement companies are slightly better off as compared to the power counterparts, even though there is about 25% shortage of coking coal, something which is scarce in India. A majority of the former have managed to have other accesses to coal, some in the form of a tie up with Coal India, while others have tied up with foreign companies.

The situation is rather grave. Analysts have said that half of India’s thermal power stations have less than a week’s supply of coal on hand, the lowest since mid-2012, and which could run out next week.

India's mass cancellation of mining licenses spurs debate

With the new government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi having taken over in May this year, plans for industrial revival were chalked up under the `Make In India’ programme, which ironically was officially unveiled by Modi on Thursday, September 25, a day after the Supreme Court ruling.

The new government’s goal is to increase coal production to one billion tonnes a year by 2019. To achieve this, production would have to grow by more than 18% annually, something not seen since the last decade.

India has also missed its target to increase coal output to 680 million tonnes by the end of the 11th five year plan (2007-12). China, its neighbour, on the other hand, produces roughly 3.5 billion tonnes a year.

Analysts have said that the 1 billion tonnes a year coal production plan may as well be still born, if the government does not sort out the coal mess and ensure 24/7 power supply to industries. The target right now looks unachievable, especially since even at its peak, India produces only 160 gigawatt of electricity out of its total installed capacity of 250 GW.

By the government’s own reckoning, the country lost about 15 billion units of electricity due to non availability of coal in the last two fiscal years. A report by industry body FICCI has said that power problems in 2011-12 had caused a loss of $64 billion to the economy.

The situation appears to be only worsening. With the economy picking up, and coupled with the court ruling, the fuel crisis is worsening. In 2008, for example, power plants had, on an average, coal stocks of 10 days at the beginning of each month. By 2014, the average was down to six days as against laid down guidelines of thermal power plants needing to have coal stocks for 15 to 30 days.

The Central Electricity Authority released data earlier on coal supplies for September 10 that showed that only 12 of 100 plants around the country had stocks for 15 days, and 64 plants that make up more than 40 per cent of the country’s installed capacity had less than a week’s reserves.

December 29, 2018 / Richard / News

First Majestic defers Q3 silver deliveries; looks for better prices

With its five operating silver mines in Mexico, miner First Majestic Silver has announced its Q3 production figures and interestingly, that it is deferring some silver sales due to the low silver price.

As company President and CEO, Keith Neumeyer notes in a statement accompanying the figures that silver prices declined 19% in the third quarter – representing the second largest quarterly decline since the financial crisis in 2008. Indeed the price has fallen yet further since the end of the quarter. As a result of this weakness, the company has decided to temporarily suspend silver sales in an attempt to maximise future profits. This sales suspension will result in lower Q3 revenues and earnings.

Obviously this is something of a gamble that silver prices will pick up in Q4 and although the gold price has seen something of a recovery, the silver price has been further depressed, briefly falling below $17 an ounce on Wednesday morning – the lowest price level since 2010.

Neumeyer goes on to note, however, that it is likely that these inventories of unsold ounces will instead be sold during the current quarter. But if silver prices remain depressed, what then? As of September 30, First Majestic was holding approximately 934,000 ounces of silver in inventory. First Majestic defers Q3 silver deliveries; looks for better prices

Chris Powell of the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA) has published a comment thoroughly approving of First Majestic’s decision in making a move GATA has recommended to other producers. This on the grounds that silver supplies to the markets are limited and that if other producers also hold back on deliveries, there would be a serious physical silver supply squeeze driving the price up.

The outspoken Powell, somewhat harshly in our view, scathingly pours scorn on the top management of most gold and silver producers in his note, for not being prepared to take the kind of action Neumeyer has taken.

Powell’s comment was as follows: “Ninety-nine point nine percent of gold and silver mining companies and their executives are brain-dead, merely geologists and accountants, unaware of the monetary nature of their product and how their product is priced by surreptitious market intervention by central banks. But here and there certain companies and their executives have a clue, and First Majestic Silver Corp. today again proclaimed itself to have far more than a clue.”

Powell goes on to point out that First Majestic has always looked at other ways of maximising value out of its silver production, through minting its own silver rounds, bars, and ingots and selling them directly to the public, thus generating a premium over the prevailing silver price for some of its output.

First Majestic defers Q3 silver deliveries; looks for better prices
Of course First Majestic does not rely on silver alone for its revenues and earnings, so perhaps the financial effects of withholding its silver from the market will not be as serious as it might be were it not for its substantial byproduct output of lead, zinc and gold. Nonetheless, at the current low silver price its stated inventory would be worth some $15.9 million – around a quarter of its quarterly revenue figures based on Q2 results. Although with zinc prices in particular having risen over 20% in the past year, the byproduct earnings are substantial.

In Q3, First Majestic produced 2.68 million ounces of silver, 9.7 million pounds of lead, 3.2 million pounds of zinc and 2,781 ounces of gold. Zinc output was actually up 22% quarter on quarter. As can be seen by these figures, the silver inventory at the end of the quarter was only around 35% of Q3 production, so presumably First Majestic did sell 65% of its silver over the period.

Because of the low silver prices, First Majestic has also been managing cost reductions by improving efficiencies and cutting labour – although the impact of the latter will not be apparent in the company’s earnings until Q4, due to severance charges.

We now await Q3 financials, which will probably be released in mid-November, to see exactly what the impact of the lower silver prices and silver sales deferrals will be on the quarterly earnings figures.

December 27, 2018 / Richard / Business

Have You Eaten At FAT BOYS Diner Lately?

One of my favorite things to do is discovering and trying new places to eat…..new dishes to taste….old forgotten dishes to fall in love with again….and again.

Nothing makes me happier on my quest for a good restaurant or good meal then finding one within reasonable driving distance from my house.

What I consider reasonable driving distance you ask? Well, I will drive 1 to 11/2 hour for a good meal.Remember I live in a small town almost middle of nowhere….

One of my “go to” places is FAT BOYS DINER also known as FB’S Family Grill in Oroville, Washington.

I’ve been crossing the border to satisfy my craving now and then since teenager was still ordering from kiddie menu.

If you are looking for home cooking with flair….friendly service….unique decor and great price….Fat Boys Diner got you covered.

This retro diner with displays of muscle cars is cranking up heat with old fashioned diner dishes like Hush Puppies…Corn Dogs…Pulled Pork Sandwiches….Chili Fries Have You Eaten At FAT BOYS Diner Lately?

Monday & Saturday night is always STEAK NIGHTat Fat Boys Diner….my favorite….for under $11.00 you can get made to perfection sizzling steak accompanied by loaded baked potato, perfectly seasoned medley of different vegetables, garden salad with homemade dressing (or homemade soup) and loaf of fresh bread with garlic butter.

Friday night is All-You-Can-eat FISH & CHIPS….this is the night that teenager is always excited about.

$10.95 get you unlimited (fresh and tasty) fish, french fries and garlic toast.

All the other nights chef surprises his diner with delicious and sometimes pretty different dishes from around the world.

My husband never orders dinner from the menu….he always tries the specials and rarely is disappointed…..unless he is in the mood for giant plate of Spaghetti with Meatballs.

Have You Eaten At FAT BOYS Diner Lately?

I am not a big seafood eater,but no matter what we order and what time of the day it is….all of my men start their culinary trip at Fat Boys with bowl of Clam Chowder.

Myself, I am always excited when I see Homemade Hungarian Goulash soup on the menu…..my youngest starts his meal with Chowder then moves onto either Corn Dogs or Popcorn Chicken Basket and finishes with one or two of 20 flavors of hard ice cream.

Did I mentioned that their burgers are amazing as well? My hubs favorite is the Impala Burger….yes, they are named after classic muscle cars…very fitting.

So, when my family is feeling like throwing caution to the wind….needs little pick me up or just craving some diner calories we run for the border all the way to Fat Boys Diner in Oroville, Washington.

Oh, you need an address do you? Well, I am pretty sure if you are driving through Oroville you won’t miss Fat Boys Diner, but just in case….it’s 1518 Main Street.

December 25, 2018 / Richard / Food

Nas Celebrates Illmatic’s 20th Anniversary In Oakland

I used to rewrite Nas‘ rhymes, replacing key words in his lines in order to make his verses apply to my life here in Oakland. On October 19th, 2014, I heard Nas make alterations to his own rhymes to make them apply to life here in Oakland. “Nothing is equivalent to the Oakland State of Mind,” said the MC from Queens, NY, changing the hook on his “New York State of Mind” track.

His words echoed through the Fox Theatre in downtown Oakland, as hundreds of fans bobbed their heads to the distinguished sound of a 90s east coast hip-hop pioneer. Nas hails from “The Golden Era,” an age dating back to the influx of crack cocaine in inner-cities, the social fall-out of Urban Renewal and the evolution of rap music from its predecessors – Funk and Blues. The drugs, the hood and the southern soul were all elements in Nas’ first album, Illmatic.

NAS CELEBRATES ILLMATIC’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN OAKLAND

Two decades after the album was released, it has maintained a devout following. And now, thanks to a tip of the hat from Harvard University, and a push from Tribeca Films, Illmatic is the basis of a well-done documentary film. Two producers, Erik Parker and One9 came together to create a film which highlighted not only Nas’ debut album, but the environment from which that album grew.

Time Is Illmatic uses photos to illustrate that environment the same way Nas’ lyrics did. The archival pictures of young Nas in grade school, teenage Nas in the neighborhood, rapper Nas showing success, the slow pans, the usage of the Ken Burns Effect, and the way the stories and music work together to support the images drove it all home.

There was this one photo of Nas and his homies sitting on a bench in the middle of the Queens Bridge Housing Projects. The film shows Nas’ brother pointing to the individuals and revealing that many of them, if not all, had been incarcerated at one point in their lives. It was a very poignant anecdotal story, a strong example of how these young Black men’s lives turned out.

NAS CELEBRATES ILLMATIC’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN OAKLAND

If the aforementioned point in the documentary would’ve been a lyric, I wouldn’t have had to rewrite it to make it apply to life here in Oakland.

After the screening, Nas came out and rocked the stage. He performed every track off of his 1994 classic release. Although noticeably winded by the end of his set, the Hip-Hop vet received a great response from a very racially diverse crowd.

The top three moments in the show:

1. When Nas and his DJ mixed the 2nd verse of “Memory Lane” with the beat from Too Short’s “Life is Too Short” (an Oakland favorite).

2. When Nas and his DJ mixed the 3rd verse to “One Love” with the beat from Notorious BIG’s “Sky’s The Limit” beat (a personal favorite).

3. When Nas took a moment to “get his mind right” before the song “one time for your mind”… he paused, accepted the kind offer from a member of the audience– and took a couple pulls from what appeared to be a lit blunt. “Thanks, God.” Nas said, as he exhaled “that Oakland Kush”.

The album, the film and Nas himself are all aspects of the American story. Although locations change and time passes, the basis of the story is the same. Thanks to Nas, all of these elements coalesced to make something timeless that will always be Illmatic.

December 23, 2018 / Richard / News

Most Romantic Things to Do in New York City

It’s easy to experience a romantic getaway in New York City. However, you can make your trip even more sultry by visiting some of New York’s “hottest” spots. Some of New York Magazine’s top romantic things to do in Manhattan are visiting Central Park, dining at Masa restaurant, having a cocktail at La Esquina and ending your night with a stay in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Central Park

Nothing is more romantic than a picnic in New York’s biggest park on a beautiful, sunny day. The park features a zoo, radio boat races, your choice of tasty ice cream and snack stands and a gorgeous antique carousel that is perfect for a quixotic ride. For English buffs on a romantic getaway, visit the Literary Walk which includes statues of Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott. Snuggle next to your loved one on a scenic carriage ride along the paths. Enjoy a dreamy boat ride from Loeb Boathouse in Central Park, which offers paddleboat rentals. You can enter Central Park at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue across from the Plaza Hotel. For a guide with access to other entrances, visit the Central Park Conservancy at 14 E. 60th Street. For more information about the park, call (212) 310-6600 or visit centralparknyc.org.

Most Romantic Things to Do in New York City

Masa

For a superb romantic dinner, visit Masa, New York Magazine’s Best Romantic Dinner Pick 2006. Offering a plethora of Japanese cuisine including sushi, white truffles in tempura batter, risotto folded in uni and shabu-shabu style boiled foie gras, Masa prides itself on being shibui, or “devoid of unnecessary elements … [with an] honest presentation of materials.” Meaning, there are no frills or gimmicks; simply delicious delicacies and a gorgeous, warm setting. Masa offers an extensive champagne and wine list, as well as cold sake and mouthwatering cocktails. Dinner is served Monday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and lunch is served Tuesday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. To make reservations, call (212) 823-9800 Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit masanyc.com.

Most Romantic Things to Do in New York City

La Esquina

After a fantastic romantic dinner, take your date or significant other to La Esquina, picked Best Date Bar by New York Magazine. This small, secretive bar gives the impression of sophistication and class, making you feel like VIPs as you walk past the kitchen into an ambient-lit Mexican-tiled bar. This celebrity-ish entrance needn’t worry you, however; La Esquina may seem showy on the outside, but inside it’s really a down-to-earth Mexican bar that serves delightful taco-stand food and delicious margaritas. New York Magazine recommends the chorizo quesadillas and one of the 100 specialty tequilas this charming nightspot offers. The brasserie and tequila bar is open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and serves full dinner. La Esquina is located at 114 Kenmare Street. For more information or to make reservations, call (646) 613-7100 or visit esquinanyc.com.

Most Romantic Things to Do in New York City

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

New York Magazine recommends the five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel for the perfect weekend getaway with your spouse or significant other. With gigantic wrap-around windows that reach from the top of the ceiling to the bottom of the floor, rooms at this sumptuous hotel offer breathtaking sunrises and phenomenal views of Central Park. The rooms also feature velvet chaise lounges, lovely purple orchids and hanging lanterns. New York Magazine recommends booking the 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. block in the VIP Spa Suite, where you can receive toe-curling massages and relax in a stone Jacuzzi. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is located at 80 Columbus Circle. To make a reservation, visit mandarinoriental.com or call (212) 805-8800.

December 22, 2018 / Richard / Travel and Leisure