#I return to the comforts of a customizable blog

[cidatesart]

We meet again!

I'll be starting from scratch in the coming weeks and posting my old works for the time being!

Setting up my things for commission info as well!

Just hope I'm not too lost in how things run here nowadays

Anyhow! It's good to be back

[roseborough-if]

[a slife of life / romance story set in the countryside of emerald acres]  🤍

DEMO (TBA) / PINTEREST / KO-FI

Note from the author: Hi and welcome! I'm Vilna (she/any). This is my first interactive fiction project that is still very early in developement. I was inspired by various medias, primarily Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon, to develope my own little game in novel format written in twine. I hope you enjoy your stay! 

Tales from Roseborough and this blog is only suitable for 18+ audience for eventual optional sexual content. Ask box is open for any kind questions (nsfw included).

THE STORY:

You are a farmer who has very recently become one after your distant grandparents you've never met have died and have left their old farm and everything that comes with it solely to you.

You don't know why they would do such a thing but you have been quite bored of your current life for some time so you decide to take a leap faith and leave the comforts of the city behind to move into the idyllic Emerald Acres for a new beginning. The countryside is certainly breathtakingly beautiful; your new farmhouse comes with a huge garden exceeding all of your expectations and the animals are so cuddly and cute, too!

Unfortunately, you have no idea what you're doing but it can't be that hard to run a small farm all by yourself. Can it? Maybe with some help from the other residents of Emerald Acres you may have a better chance at making it...

Fully customizable MC. Decide your character's name, gender (trans + non-binary inclusive), pronouns, physical appearance, personality & background ++ The only thing that is locked in is that MC will always be queer-coded, no matter how you play them. 🏳️‍🌈

Name and maintain your farm by taking care of your animals and garden. Do you thrive in your new life as a farmer or do you hate every second of it? Will you settle down permanently or will you return back to the city with your tail between your legs?

Discover family secrets! Apparently the farm and the house come with certain strings attached.

Choose an animal companion who will follow along with you on your adventures.

Explore the Emerald Acres: the village of Roseborough, the Wuthering Woods, Honeyfur river and other surroundings.

Romance 1 out of 6 possible candidates. Queerplatonic routes are available for Juniper and Bunny/Bo.

Build lasting friendships with the other main cast + side characters.

ROMANCE OPTIONS:

🧸 Bunny / Bo Abernathy [F/M], she/her or he/him. || intro.

B, along with their daughter Sunny, is your new friendly neighbour who owns a farm a couple of kilometers away from you. They are always willing to listen to your troubles and help in any small or big way they can. They are one of the kindest people you've ever met but remain surprisingly tight-lipped about themself, perhaps for a good reason.

»»-----------► I've never known someone like you. Someone who makes me feel so loved and happy that I feel like I could just float away.

🔧 Oskari Kivi [M], he/him. || intro.

You never expected to meet him again here of all places. Oskari is a city boy through and through and your past with him is complicated (whether you were lovers or just friends) and you haven't seen him in at least four years since your fallout. You're not sure whether it's a good or bad thing that he hasn't changed at all.

»»-----------► I missed you. A lot. I just wanted you to know that.

🐾 James Briar [F], she/her. || intro.

The fact that James is hot as hell only slightly makes up for her rude and disagreeable behaviour when you first meet her. She is the town's only vet so you will need her services from time to time whether you like it or not. James seems to have great love for animals, but claims that fellow humans are not her thing. You don't quite know what to make of her.

»»-----------► When I first met you I thought you were a spoiled city brat. Turns out I sort of like it.

🦋 Juniper Starling [NB], fae/faer. || intro.

Juniper is an eccentric but respected figure in Roseborough as fae runs a small (and free!)  healer's clinic offering help without turning anyone away. Fae must be one of the most beautiful people you've ever met and seems to always have a line of suitors following faer wherever fae goes. You need to stick out if you want faer attention.

»»-----------► You are certainly an interesting one, kitten. I will have to keep a close eye on you.

🥧 Willow / William Higgins [F/M], she/her or he/him. || intro.

Will is almost as new in the town as you; they bought the tavern of Rosebud a few months prior and are still adjusting to their job and everything that comes with it. Will clearly feels out of place and lonely in their current situation, at least before meeting you. They seem friendly, if a little overly flirty, and eager to get to know you.

»»-----------► Oh, you are absolutely precious, sunshine. I could just eat you up for a dessert. 

🔮 Sage Moonfall [NB], he/him and they/them. || intro.

The people of Roseborough call him the Hermit of Wuthering Woods but that seems to be only a fraction of the truth. There's a rumour that they are over a century old and something not entirely human, but no one has the courage to approach them to actually ask. He seems to be endlessly fascinated by you.

»-----------► Tell me: what do you desire? I could make that happen with the snap of my fingers.

[fluffenough]

forfeit all mortal possessions to  the furby- aka my intro post

hey there! this is eidolon. i follow from dozingdeer! this is my furby/toy blog. welcome! read my before you follow pls

furbies are a huge special interest, so feel free to dm me if youd like to infodump or have me infodump at you about them!

im eidolon, 24, they/them pronouns. im genderfluid and disabled.  my partner, who ive been living with for 6 years and dating for 7, is @tiedyefurb​​!

here is a photo of my recent go-to furbies from my collection

i will post photos of my furbies under the tag #my furbies as well as the name of the furby! i do reblog other peoples furbies and toys, too, but often forget to tag.

my dolls will be under the tag #my dolls and have their name, brand (if applicable). if you are creeped out by ball jointed dolls you can blacklist #bjd and #realistic doll. or if you like those, there are the tags for you!

my history and interests within the furby community

as of may 2023 im returning to the furby fandom! i joined in january 2018 and ive seen it all! that said, ive been on semi-hiatus for years so i do feel like a grandpa.

my favorite thing to do is take photographs of my furbies! especially outside or on trips!

i post sporatically as i take photoshoots, so i may post 10 + photos at once then nothing for months.... i refuse to queue im sorry in advance

im a big fan of 1998 and 2005 furbies. their designs are so lovely! i like how customizable 98s are and how interactive 05s are. i think 05s have an adorable, unique aesthetic.

i have many customized furbies but they were almost all bought pre-customized! i have done some minor customization and touch ups before, but nothing intense. ive skinned and washed furbies as well.

i have about 6 furbies awaiting customization, lol. i will for sure be sharing my experiences!

before you follow:

-i am 24 years old. i will not block minors but i am not comfortable talking one-on-one (you can comment, leave tags on my posts, send asks etc but we cant be friends! its just for my own comfort.)

-im a transgender queer disabled fucko and if you are a right-wing person youre not welcome here. and you dont want to be here! click off. block me. whatev

-TERF, truscum, neonazi, radfem, gender critical, anti social justice or anti feminism, anti self-dx (not everyone has the resources), anti-recovery. basically if you are a hateful person (ableist, racist, etc) go AWAY! lol

-dont follow if you find furbies creepy! plain and simple. (comments like “i usually find 05s scary, but this photo is really cute...” are ok! even in-jokes in good faith are ok. i just dont want to hear how much you want to kill my furby.)

-i will tag to the best of my ability, but w/ my disability i do struggle sometimes. i will always tag my own posts but reblogs can be the wild west

-please dont misgender my furbies! if you dont know their pronouns, use they/them or it/its. (feel free to ask their pronouns in dm, message, or on the post. :) this is very important to me. so please respect it!)

-i am taken and if you do not respect that you will be swiftly blocked no matter how close we are lol.

thanks for reading! im very friendly i swear i no bite

have a furbalicious day!

[wildfangz]

ok ok ok ok back 2 excitement

First of all just generally I love the vibe of the pack. A few people have mentioned it having older Maxis energy and I’d have to agree it makes me feel a bit nostalgic :)

- YAWNING AT THE BEGINNING someone on twitter pointed this out but I hope it’s like an actual thing that happens now, at least sometimes. TS4 needs less things like tricks while cooking and more little touches like ts2 had, like sliding down banisters.

- Is sitting cross-legged like this new? Because I could have sworn before if they did their homework on the floor they’d just kneel and I HATEDDD it. Hope kids will be able to sit comfortably too.

- I hope we can direct them to sit on the floor now too I’d like that

- FINALLY A MORE NORMAL LOOKING CLOTHES RACK

- Lockers are cute and I’m excited to see how we can decorate them. Also the hairspray ... sims team said crunchy hair rights

- I know a lot of people hated the idea of active classes but as long as they fix only one sim being able to go at once...I like it i think it'll be cute. :) From what I understand w/ ts3 hopefully it won't be as boring since you could always just opt not to go. but sorry i think watching my sim write in their little notebook for an in-game hour is relaxing and cute. Hoping there will be some little interactions here and there like passing notes in class.

- Speaking of notes:

Looks like sims might be able to find/leave notes in their locker. Love that choker btw.

- Also.

Shitty desk shitty desk shitty desk

- Rubik’s cube... Jorts..... enough said

- Obsessed with the little Boba Monkey. Also I’m happy we’re getting Boba too! One of my favorite little treats. :)

- FERRIS WHEEL MY BELOVED. You guys have NO idea how badly I’ve wanted like a boardwalk/amusement park/fair in game and it was such a nice surprise. The haunted house is cute and I hope it’ll count as a spooky festivity for Spooky Day, I didn’t even notice the tunnel of love but apparently that’s a thing too! Also I’m SO glad the photobooth is returning.

- Principals daughter better have the evil trait for having her bed out in the middle of the room like that

- I love them being able to sit on their beds and do things omg ... like reeead FINALLY its so cute!!

- I’m glad we’re finally getting body hair and the shaving is cute. :) I’d assume and hope it’d be enabled for feminine sims, but I just hope we have some variations that’ll suit AFAB bodies or just less hairy sims in general. I messed around with the Saints Row reboot character creation recently and I was extremely disappointed to find out women could have body hair, but the only options were kind of extreme with full on chest and back hair. I literally have hormonal issues and I’m not even that fuzzy, not like there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s just like... We need more variation.

- i DID also notice the acne and there seems to be some variations! I just hope it’s an actual thing sims can end up with rather than a skin detail in CAS, and I’d like it honestly if adult sims could struggle w/ it too. I think it should be like TS2 where you’d have a chance of getting it if you let your hygiene get too low.

- Extremely happy about this CAS asset. I was just thinking the other day while making a hijabi sim that we need some t-shirts w/ sleeves.

- The window is Extra and I love it, along with the trellis. I kinda wish other windows were compatible w/ it too but it’s still a nice touch. 

- I have no strong feelings on the prom stuff. I think it’s nice sims can plan for it and apparently customize the promposals n stuff and that it’s customizable. Maybe I’ll have a bit of fun with it though since I never got to experience prom myself.

- PILLOW FIIIIIGHTS IM SO HAPPY

Now onto some stuff from the blog:

- “You’ll even have the opportunity to navigate through the challenges and joys of young love, whether it’s the blissfulness of the crush stage, or the woes of a teenage breakup.” Hope this means relationships are getting a lil more depth.

- “Teen years and high school are the launching points for self-discovery. Creating even more ways for Sims to explore their identities, a free base game update will go live alongside the release of High School Years, introducing an additional new feature that will add more choice and opportunity for discovery to your Sims’ lives.“ This is 👀 does anyone have any theories? I wonder if it could be related to orientation/gender identity considering the trans flag being nearby the base game update, maybe the option to set preferences and come out or transition in some way? Just shooting at something based on that small detail. I’m also wondering when we’ll be getting this iterations version of chemistry since I feel like that was initially hinted at in MWS and there’s a little more of it in this trailer and people have been asking for it for years. And I mean, that’d also fit into an identity exploration theme and the “opportunity for discovery” wouldn’t it? As well as fit w/ the whole prom thing and high school relationships? Wishful thinking but hey

- “Successfully pranking other Sims will increase your mischief skill, but being discovered will have consequences on relationships, as well as lead to trust issues.” Guessing this will be a sentiment but I really hope if I have a sim that’s a bastard they’ll face like genuine REAL consequences for it. Not just an initial dip in levels. Imagine if a promposal or Actual proposal could be rejected because you couldn’t be trusted regardless of relationship, for example

- Despite my issues with how they decided to introduce “thrifting” in this pack, I hope it’s not just restricted to like, Thriftea, and that it’d also be easy for modders to do something neat with and integrate well w/ the retail system.

- Speaking of I kinda do want a get to work refresh so bad LMAO I want clothes shopping from ts2 back. Just add a switch to turn it off if people want CAS fully unlocked!!!

- They mentioned Science Fairs and that has me excited bc it could maybe just be like, a rabbit hole, but at the same time it sounds like a notable feature and we didn’t see it in the trailer at all. Hoping there’s a lot of little things like that to discover, even if they’re simple little rabbit holes.

[gobeautysalon]

Luxury Salon Furniture and Equipment from China: Elevating the Pampering Experience

In recent years, the beauty and wellness industry has witnessed a surge in demand for luxurious and comfortable salon furniture and equipment. Among the diverse range of products available in the market, three stand out as essentials for any high-end salon: the Foot Pedicure Massage Chair, the Hair Salon Styling Mirror Station, and the Adjustable Massage Shampoo Reclining Bed. In this blog, we will explore these three cutting-edge salon pieces, sourced from the thriving beauty manufacturing hub of China, that promise to revolutionize the pampering experience for both salon owners and clients.

1. Foot Pedicure Massage Chair: The Foot Pedicure Massage Chair is an epitome of relaxation and rejuvenation. Designed to provide ultimate comfort, this state-of-the-art chair combines the functions of a pedicure station with the luxury of a massage chair. Clients can unwind in the plush seating while their feet soak in a soothing basin of warm water. The chair's massage feature is expertly crafted to target pressure points, promoting better blood circulation and relieving stress. Made with premium materials, this chair guarantees durability, making it a long-term investment for salon owners.

The Foot Pedicure Massage Chair available in China boasts cutting-edge technology, customizable massage settings, and premium upholstery choices, giving salon owners the opportunity to offer a personalized and unforgettable pampering experience to their clientele. Additionally, the chair's elegant and modern design enhances the ambiance of any salon, leaving a lasting impression on customers and setting the stage for a truly relaxing experience.

2. Hair Salon Styling Mirror Station: The Hair Salon Styling Mirror Station is more than just a reflective surface; it is a crucial element of the salon's interior and functionality. The styling mirror station from China embraces both practicality and aesthetics, catering to the needs of salon professionals and their clients alike. These stations typically come with ample storage space for hairstyling tools and products, ensuring a neat and clutter-free workstation.

What sets the Hair Salon Styling Mirror Station apart is its incorporation of high-quality LED lighting, providing the perfect illumination for precise hair styling and color treatments. The adjustable lighting settings allow stylists to simulate different environments, ensuring their clients' hair looks impeccable under any lighting condition. Additionally, the elegant design of the mirror station elevates the overall appeal of the salon, making it a visually inviting space that clients will love to return to.

3. Adjustable Massage Shampoo Reclining Bed: For the ultimate shampooing and hair treatment experience, the Adjustable Massage Shampoo Reclining Bed is a must-have in any luxury salon. Designed to prioritize the comfort of clients during hair washes and treatments, this reclining bed can be adjusted to various angles to suit individual preferences. The ergonomically designed bed reduces strain on the neck and back, allowing clients to relax fully while receiving salon services.

Incorporating a massage feature, this bed not only ensures a thorough cleanse during shampooing but also indulges clients in a spa-like experience. The massage functionality is a game-changer, as it enhances blood circulation, relieves tension, and contributes to an overall sense of well-being. With easy-to-clean materials and a durable build, this bed is an excellent addition for salon owners looking to create a tranquil and upscale ambiance in their establishments.

Conclusion: In conclusion, sourcing luxury salon furniture and equipment from China brings a myriad of benefits for salon owners seeking to offer an unparalleled pampering experience. The Foot Pedicure Massage Chair, Hair Salon Styling Mirror Station, and Adjustable Massage Shampoo Reclining Bed exemplify the fusion of innovation, comfort, and elegance. Investing in these state-of-the-art pieces not only reflects a commitment to excellence but also ensures that clients leave the salon feeling relaxed, rejuvenated, and eager to return for more. Embrace these modern salon essentials from China to transform your salon into a haven of beauty and well-being, setting new standards of luxury and customer satisfaction in the industry.

[mortensendejesus27]

The Ultimate Online Fashion Shopping Experience

You've been on the couple t shirt pair web site for a while now, and you actually love the pieces they've to offer. You recognize that they provide the highest quality, so you keep coming back. But then one day, when you are searching through their selection, you notice that it is too laborious to find what you are on the lookout for. It doesn't appear like there are enough categories to buy in, and that the gadgets are all over the place. What's a woman to do? Read this blog article and get a style of how AI-powered software program could make your procuring expertise a lot easier!

Introduction

As the holiday buying season quickly approaches, many people are looking out for the right present. But what if you are unsure what sort of model your loved one prefers? Fear not; on-line fashion procuring has made it potential for anyone, anywhere to find the proper outfit. There are a selection of excellent online style buying platforms that allow you to go looking by means of a wide variety of kinds and prices. Here is a fast introduction to three of the most well-liked on-line trend procuring platforms: - Etsy: This website permits customers to sell handmade or vintage gadgets. It options an in depth collection of merchandise from all over the world, and users can discover all the things from clothes to accessories. Etsy prices no listing fees, which makes it an incredible possibility for small businesses looking to get began in on-line fashion gross sales. - Zazzle: This site presents users a wide range of customizable products from T-shirts and hats to cellphone circumstances and magnets. Zazzle also affords a variety of creative customization choices, resembling including your individual logo or pictures. Products may be offered both individually and in teams, which makes it an excellent platform for businesses seeking to create branded apparel collections. - ShopStyle: This webpage offers

Why Should I Shop Online?

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to buy on-line as an alternative of in a bodily retailer. Listed below are just some: -You'll be able to shop from the comfort of your own home. -It can save you money on your buying invoice. -You can get your order delivered to your door! So why not give on-line purchasing a try in the present day? You could also be stunned at just how much you can save by shopping online!

Varieties of Stores

There are a number of several types of on-line fashion shops. Here's a look at each: -Department shops: These shops have a wide range of clothing, equipment, and home items. A few of the perfect department shops embrace Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale's. -Specialty stores: These stores carry just one kind of clothing, comparable to sportswear or formal put on. They can be found in massive malls and often carry dearer items than malls. -E-commerce stores: E-commerce shops are the preferred type of retailer on-line. They sell objects directly to customers via web sites and apps. Some of the best e-commerce shops embody Amazon and Zara.

Comparison of Buyer’s Benefits

When wanting to buy clothes online, there are a few things to remember. How do the completely different purchasing platforms measure up in the case of buyer’s benefits? Which platform is greatest for finding the best measurement? And which one presents the perfect return policy? We compare the four most important platforms right here: ShopStyle, Amazon Fashion, Zara, and H&M. ShopStyle is a platform that focuses on style items. It provides buyers a spread of benefits, such as free delivery on orders over $50 and returns for no fees. Amazon Fashion is Amazon’s own style procuring platform. It has a large collection of merchandise from leading brands, in addition to its own private label collections. Shoppers can get pleasure from free two-day shipping on most items and returns with no charges for up to 60 days after purchase. Zara is a popular Spanish retailer identified for its excessive-quality clothing at inexpensive prices. Shoppers can enjoy free returns within 14 days of purchase and free normal transport on all orders above €50. H&M is likely one of the world’s leading style retailers and gives buyers a wide range of advantages, including free returns inside

How you can Discover a Store

When you're on the lookout for a store to buy clothes on-line, there are a few things to bear in mind. First, analysis the shop's return policy. Some stores have generous insurance policies, while others might solely enable returns inside a certain time interval after the purchase has been made. Second, be sure to read the critiques of the shop earlier than making your purchase. It will show you how to to make an informed choice about where to shop. Finally, take a look at the shop's website to see if they have any special deals or affords which might be specific to their on-line retailer.

Final Conclusion

For an entire, trouble-free trend buying expertise, take a look at the following five online stores. Each provides a novel choice and purchasing experience, so you are sure to seek out the correct clothes for your look. 1. ASOS.com is a British on-line retailer that focuses on providing high-quality clothing at reasonably priced prices. You will discover every part from trendy designer clothes to on a regular basis fundamentals, all with free delivery worldwide. Plus, ASOS usually has exclusive discounts and special offers that you will not discover at different shops. 2. Net-a-Porter.com is a British online retailer that offers an in depth vary of high-finish vogue manufacturers resembling Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, and Dior. With greater than 250,000 items in inventory and free worldwide transport on most orders, Net-a-Porter is perfect for luxury buyers looking for one thing distinctive. Plus, Net-a-Porter usually has exclusive offers on top manufacturers that you won't discover wherever else. 3. Shopbop.com is an American online store that makes a speciality of providing trendy clothes at reasonable prices. You will discover every thing from well-recognized designer labels to off-the-shelf clothes

[bradyhardy]

Choose Vaping over Smoking Choose Information over Opinion

For many of us smoking started with a simple curiosity, an internal monologue where we argued for and against the temptation –

‘What does it taste like? It can’t be all that bad…’

‘So many people I know are smoking and they all look perfectly healthy to me.’

‘It’s just one time, I am definitely not getting addicted to this.’

‘Everyone around me is smoking and I definitely don’t want to be uncool. I will just take one drag, surely it won’t kill me and I do want to know what the fuss is about.’

Sounds familiar, right? When we played the devil’s advocate and justified the temptation to try just one time..

Sadly, “The one-time only theory” backfired for many and before we knew what happened, we were hooked. Each drag of the nicotine laden ‘death stick’ or ‘coffin nail’ satiated the addiction. By the time the reality dawned, it was a full-on addiction, it was too late and we still came up with so many alternate reasoning. We denied …we researched on Google, we calculated the extent of the addiction and analyzed the data.

‘I smoke only when I am drinking.’

‘It’s the stress, I would definitely not smoke, if I wasn’t so stressed.’

Last fall, I didn’t smoke for 3 weeks, I can quit anytime, and I have the willpower to stay away.’

Confronting an addiction and then chalking out a plan to successfully curb the desire is really tough. For those fighting the addiction, cigarettes unfortunately are not illegal; they are easily available and not very expensive.

According to Wikipedia – Around 86% of lung cancer deaths in the UK are caused by tobacco smoking and overall tobacco smoking is estimated to be responsible for more than a quarter of cancer deaths in the UK.

The Initial Breakthrough

After much trial and error, you are finally ready to quit. You make a commitment to yourself, and that is the first step. You chalk out a plan and swear to stick to it, but quitting smoking is not easy. Like all addictions –nicotine addiction is pretty tough to overcome.

According to a research done by American Cancer Society – Nicotine is as addictive as cocaine or heroin.

Why is Nicotine so Addictive?

To fully understand the extent of nicotine addiction, let’s take a close look at the vicious addiction cycle.

1st step: When you inhale a cigarette, you also inhale nicotine; the nicotine quickly moves to the lungs and enters the blood stream

2nd step: After about 10 seconds, the nicotine infused blood reaches the brain and a very interesting chemical reaction occurs.

3rd step: The nicotine laden blood seeks the nicotine receptors in the brain, and releases dopamine. Dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter to other nerve cells in the brain. Interestingly dopamine plays a strong role in the reward-motivated behavior, it is this feel good chemical that feeds the need to keep smoking.

Unfortunately this good feeling only lasts for a few minutes and as soon ‘the good feeling’ wears off –and thus returns the urge to smoke again.

What Happens when you Smoke?

The brain adapts itself to receive more and more nicotine by adding more receptive neurons, this has an  effect, as it means one needs to smoke more and more to feel the same good feeling.

And if in case you do not maintain the same levels, the body reacts by showing signs of withdrawal. In case of nicotine, the symptoms are stress, anxiety, headaches and irritation, thus the vicious cycle of addiction continues.

60.8% people above the age of 16yrs want to quit smoking.

– Opinions and Lifestyle Survey

Breaking away from any addiction is hard and quitting smoking is more than just having a strong willpower.

Smokers make between 6-11 attempts before they actually succeed in quitting. It is really hard to focus on long term benefits when the short term urges take over the senses.

The Healthier Alternate: Vaping

In UK e-cigarettes were introduced in 2006 and since then it has effectively become the safer, healthier option.

There are a variety of Vaping devices available in the market today: e-cigarettes, Vape pens and advanced personal vaporizers, also known as ‘MODS’. Vape Shop UK offers a range of products to choose from, something for everyone.

What is Vaping?

Vaping is an act of inhaling and exhaling vapor, also known as aerosol, which is synthetically produced by an e-cigarette or Vape. The device consists of a mouthpiece, a battery, a cartridge for e-liquid or e-juice and a heating component which is powered by a battery. The battery heats when the device is used causing the e-liquid to turn into vapor for inhalation.

How is Vaping safer?

Traditional cigarettes not only contain tobacco but also a lot of other chemicals that are harmful. Long term exposure to these chemicals has led to diseases like bronchitis, emphysema and heart diseases. Vapes and other e-devices do not contain tobacco.

E-cigarettes have emerged as an effective means for helping people get over their smoking addiction. Available in a variety of tempting flavored e-juices, which offers an array of selection that has something for everyone.

The key difference is the approach, it is an abstract proposition if you tell a smoker that if he quits, he will live longer and his health will improve. But if you tell the same person, you can Vape comfortably indoors as it poses no harm to others; it is more positive approach for introducing change.

From heavy smokers to social smokers Vaping is for everyone, from customizable flavors to being affordable Vaping definitely takes a solid lead over tobacco laden cigarettes.

The post Choose Vaping over Smoking – Choose Information over Opinion appeared first on Smokeless Vape.

Via https://www.smokeless-vape.co.uk/choose-vaping-over-smoking/

source http://smokelessvape.weebly.com/blog/choose-vaping-over-smoking-choose-information-over-opinion

[fastmusclecar123]

New Post has been published on http://fastmusclecar.com/mercedes-amg-muscle-car/best-muscle-cars/

Mercedes AMG Muscle Car

During the second quarter of 2019, Mercedes AMG finally returned to its roots and launched sports car-daily driver hybrid – the Mercedes AMG 4-Door Muscle Car.

Although intended to replace the Mercedes CLS class, the sports sedan is more similar to the Mercedes E-Class in appearance, as it features a slick shell, a rear-wheel drive platform and a vintage-style front-mounted engine and transmission.

As Mercedes Benz’ newest addition to the famed full-strength AMG model, the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door muscle car is a strong upgrade from the brand’s regular premium-billed muscle cars. With a stylish exterior and an added element of practicality, the Mercedes AMG 4-Door Coupe has the firepower and car upgrades to compete with even the newest models in the market today.

Powering the Mercedes AMG GT 4-Door 63 S is the AMG’s colossal 4.0-litre twin-turbo engine, winding up to a mad 470kW (at 5500 to 6500rpm) and 900Nm of torque from a mere 2500rpm.

As part of the AMG GT prestige, the car is also sizeable (over 5 meters long) with modern and stylish design cues on both the front and rear, including a special racer-style grille as well as ultra-thin LED tail-lights.

Buyers can also tailor the Mercedes-AMF 4-Door GT 4-Door Coupe to best suit their needs with its two variants. Accompanying the super V8 powered GT 63 S model is the AMG GT 53, which houses a 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six alongside a 48V hybrid system.

Like its counterpart, the GT 53 also guarantees enhanced performance by sporting impressive outputs of 320kW and 520Nm, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.5 seconds, as well as a maximum speed of 285km/h. The 4-Door is also the latest Mercedes AMG to include rear-axle steering, making for the perfect speed management when driving up to 100km per hour.

Despite its advanced specs and sports-car inspired design, the Mercedes AMG 4-Door Muscle Car can also substitute as a family car. Unlike other renown sports cars around the $250,000 price point (such as the Ferrari 812 Superfast and BMW M6 Gran Coupe), the AMG 4-Door Muscle Car series presents the added option of a daily driver with its convenient seven-speed dual-clutch transmission feature. This is also upgradeable to the versatile nine-speed MCT gearbox, providing complete control over all four wheels.

Both Mercedes AMG 4-Door Muscle Car models sport an aesthetic and athletic shell, alongside customizable vehicle interiors. Available in a wide range of colors and metallic hues, Benz’ 4-Door Muscle Car series involves buyers in its design process by including steering wheel options as well as cockpit and AMG performance seat choices.

If customizing your vehicle from scratch isn’t your thing, Mercedes also offers a number of pre-planned packages suitable for different purchasing wants and needs. These include the AMG Aerodynamics Package, the AMG Exterior Chrome Package, the AMG Exterior Carbon-Fibre Packages (I and II) and the AMG Exterior Night Package.

However, the Mercedes AMG 4-Door Muscle is not without its downsides. The sports sedan has a relatively heavy weight of 2045kg and also fails to include the latest MBUX infotainment system.

To ensure safety and compensate for its extra weight, the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe is protected by several bracing measures that are fit to deal with its increased load, whether in design or any riding baggage. Such bracing measures include a full-length wall made of carbon fiber behind the rear seats, as well as heavy-duty struts which support the trunk space as well as the car’s underfloor.

Across the entire bottom of the car’s engine compartment is also a rock-solid and rigid aluminate plate which acts as a protectant for the engine. There are also more cross-bracing struts running across the rear of the car to its middle, as well as on the transmission tunnel.

With its impressive specs, timelessly stylish exterior, comfortable and convenient interior, and quality protective measures, the Mercedes AMG-4-Door Muscle Car has become one of today’s most popular Mercedes car models and will certainly be on the list to stay.

Comparable to reputable cars already established in the scene such as the Porsche Panemera and Audi RS7, Mercedes’ first entirely in-house developed four-door car is a luxurious daily-driver option worth considering.

Daniel is an avid car enthusiast, with a growing passion for track racing. Since he was young he has been around performance vehicles and his supercharged love for sports cars has led him to writing for a number of Automotive blogs. He is now sharing his auto knowledge by writing for Euromotorsport blog

[weekendsinmaine]

Somewhere in our collection of home videos there is one of me sewing my newborn daughter’s first ever Halloween costume. I vaguely remember looking up as my husband provided voice over commentary while moving the camera closer.  I was engrossed in lining up the black and yellow fleece stripes and while they were not complicated to stitch together, my frustration level was rising. I’m fairly certain the distinguishing feature of that long lost video is me swearing and attempting to muster a faint smile so my daughter would not think her mother unhappy with the task. But, sadly, I was.

Although, I persevered and must say it did turn out to be one adorable little bee costume which I still have. Maybe my future grandchildren will wear it again someday and I won’t actually have to sew something new for them.

As our return to normal is delayed and the CDC recommends cloth face coverings when in public spaces where social distancing is not possible, I had a dilemma. To sew or not to sew.

Clearly, it wasn’t a tough choice. While I could probably sew some face masks for my family with hopefully a minimum of profanity, I’d rather work on my other crafts and hobbies instead. But somehow, I don’t think scrapbooking a paper face mask would meet the recommended guidelines.

Fortunately, there are some wonderful Maine crafters and artisans who’ve stepped up and are providing a lot of great options when it comes to face coverings. Below is a completely random and absolutely incomplete list of ten local Maine face mask makers and their beautiful products picked solely because I thought they were pretty.

(#1) Tree and Vine

Tree and Vine produces colorful costume pieces for children including butterfly wings and eye masks. They are beautiful, whimsical and guaranteed to help a child’s imagination soar.  I’ve blogged about this local business before in my post T is for Tree + Vine | Costumes that match a child’s imagination.  They’ve now switched the majority of production over to cloth mask making and are offering face masks in lots of fun prints.

The reversible cloth masks have around-the-ear elastic for keeping them comfortably in place. Masks can be purchased on her Etsy shop. $11.50.

Gray. (Instagram: @treeandvine)

View this post on Instagram

Fox mask/fox mask 🦊🦊 #morethanonewaytosewamask #shopsmall #foxmask #natureinspired #etsy #helpkeepmylightson #mainemade #madeinusa

A post shared by Ellen Okolita, Tree + Vine (@treeandvine) on Apr 27, 2020 at 7:13pm PDT

@treeandvine. (2020, April 27). Fox mask/fox mask … [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B_geL3TAvue/

(#2) Erin Flett

This textile artist creates gorgeous graphic prints in engaging colors. They sell a variety of products on their website from tea towels to tote bags. I’m partial to her makeup bags. They just launched a collaboration with LL Bean. They have also been intermittently offering a limited number of face masks in some of their signature prints.

The masks are made of linen or bark cloth lined with muslin and made with cotton ties.  You can purchase the face masks on their website. $25.00.

Gorham. (Instagram: @erinflett)

View this post on Instagram

More masks available for pre order! Link in bio. Getting in a groove! Choose neutral or colorful. Happy Friday everybody!! 😷 AND we have a few things left in our SAMPLE SALE SECTION so check it out! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻✨❤️

A post shared by Erin Flett (@erinflett) on Apr 24, 2020 at 2:18pm PDT

@erinflett. (2020, April 24). More masks available for pre order!… [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B_YOFSiAHMO/

(#3) Catalyst for Change

This local clothing and accessories manufacturer donates a portion of all sales to local charities. I’m a big fan of their t-shirts and have purchased a few from their shirt a day collection including one with “support local” messaging. Supporting local has never been more important than it is right now.

They are now offering a one-piece face mask made from lightweight jersey fabric. You can purchase them on their website. $4.50.

Biddeford. (Instagram: @cfcwear)

View this post on Instagram

Tomorrow 4/29. 8am Est. 300 Maine Strong Face covers Available. Made from the same fabric as our hoodies. Thicker fleece fabric, single ply, two ear holes for different sizes. Wear daily and wash or discard. These will be a $1.99. If you need one and cant spare $ right now please message us. ❤

A post shared by Catalyst For Change Wear (@cfcwear) on Apr 28, 2020 at 7:10am PDT

@cfcwear. (2020, April 28). Tomorrow 4/29. 8am Est. 300 Maine Strong… [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B_hwNDwAmx5/

(#4) ANNE RIGGS DESIGNS

This sustainable goods manufacturer makes reusable products like cloth “paper” towels and snack bags using organic fabrics.  I have some of her bowl covers which work as a great alternative to plastic wrap for keeping leftovers covered. They’re well made and beautiful.

Her face masks are made of all organic cotton and lined with organic muslin. They have elastic loops that go around your ears. They can be purchased from her Etsy shop. $15.00.

Portland. (Instgram: @anneriggsdesign)

View this post on Instagram

Reusable organic cloth mask, ready to ship within 24 hours $15.00 includes shipping. Link to Etsy shop in bio. #facemask #organicfacemask #portlandmaine #staysafe #etsyseller

A post shared by Anne Riggs Designs (@anneriggsdesigns) on Apr 28, 2020 at 8:36am PDT

@AnneRiggsDesigns. (2020, April 28). Reusable organic cloth mask, ready to ship…. [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B_h6GVNAwRh/

(#5) ROUGH AND TUMBLE

This local handbag and accessory business was established in 2008. They do all their manufacturing in Maine. They also offer a customizable bag feature and service where customers can design a one of a kind bag. They are now offering masks made by their local makers. They also are offering donation masks to those in need.

The masks are made of a tightly woven cotton nylon blend with the back lined in cotton. Ear loops are elastic.  You can purchase them on their website.  $15.50.

Brunswick. (Instagram: @roughandtumblebags)

View this post on Instagram

As a community initiative we have engaged our Makers to produce face masks for the Rough & Tumble and local communities. We want to help fill the need for non-COVID-19 patients and providers. 100% of sales from these masks go to payment to our Makers, materials, and helping to provide a donation mask to someone in need. See all details on our website of the non-medical grade masks. // #roughandtumbledesign #facemask #covid19 #shopsmallbusiness #madeinmaine

A post shared by Rough & Tumble (@roughandtumblebags) on Apr 6, 2020 at 2:31pm PDT

@roughandtumblebags. (2020, April 6). Tcommunity initiative we have engaged our Makers…. [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B-p5MOvgkB-/

(#6) JENNIE BLUE

I love the black and white sketch designs from this local artist. While her Etsy shop is focused on her tea towels and ceramics, she recently started offering face masks. Her first round sold out quickly so you’ll need to act fast when her next round goes up for sale. I’m partial to the lobster print one. It  feels like home to me.

Each face mask is made from a tea towel of one of her original illustrations. They have three separate layers: two of tea towel lined with one layer of flannel. There are four ties to attach the mask. While I don’t mind ear loops on masks, my husband has struggled a bit with that style. I think this design with ties might work better.  The masks can be purchased on her Etsy site. $22.00.

Belfast. (Instagram: @jenniebluevermont)

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Oh my ! Thank you! The response to the face masks was overwhelming , with 9 of the designs selling out within hours. Whoops……. I made a little booboo in pricing, not including all of my costs. The next batch will be a bit more. Sorry about that. 😳 For those already ordered, I will of course , honor the original price. Will add more to my Etsy shop in the next week. Stay tuned and please …. stay safe.

A post shared by Jennie blue vermont (@jenniebluevermont) on May 5, 2020 at 1:18pm PDT

@jenniebluevermont. (2020, May 5). “Oh my ! Thank you! The response to…” [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B_0b7Wsgk7L/

(#7) FOX & ROSE 

This shop traditionally  sells baby/children’s goods, home decor and accessories but they are now currently focused on face masks. They offer a variety of masks in fun, whimsical prints. She also offers child size masks and even has some doll sized ones for sale.

The masks are made with three layers of fabric. Two layers of cotton and a flannel filter sewn inside. Masks can be purchased on her Etsy site. $10.99.

Belfast. Instagram: @foxandrosedesign

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If you've been eyeing these prints, now is the time to order! I may not have the Woodland Tree print again, and this is the last Tiger Cat print I may have for a few days (they have been going as fast as I make them)! These are the last ones In ADULT SIZE! ❤ #facemasksforsale #facemask #facemaskfriday #etsygifts #etsyfinds #shopsmall #handmade #reusablefacemask #washablefacemask #staysafe #maine #madeinmaine #belfast #bucksport #portland #staysafe

A post shared by Fox & Rose || Kayla Nadeau (@foxandrosedesign) on Apr 24, 2020 at 10:50am PDT

@foxandrosedesign. (2020, April 24). If you’ve been eyeing these prints, now…. [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B_X2LXxA-om/

(#8) SPRUCE AND PINE

This Etsy shop makes reusable products for zero waste living.  They have some super cute and environmentally friendly zero waste cutlery kits that are on my wish list. They also started making face masks. The prints are simple and elegant.

The masks are reversible, double layered with your choice of print on the outside and contrasting cotton fabric on the inside. They have elastic ear loops. You can purchase them from her Etsy shop. $14.00.

Portland. Instagram: @spruceandpineco

View this post on Instagram

I am in love with these light spring colors. Not in stock? Send me a PM on Etsy and I can hook you up with a custom listing if I still have the fabric in stock. ❤️ #clothmask #staywell #covid19 #togetherwestay

A post shared by Christy Carmody (@spruceandpineeco) on Apr 20, 2020 at 5:51pm PDT

@spruceandpineco. (2020, April 20). I am in love with these light…. [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/B_OTMwIgUEk/

(#9) BLYND TOWN

This Maine based Etsy site has a large selection of face masks in fun prints and patterns.  I recently purchased the one below. It was shipped super quick and the quality is excellent. I’m looking forward to wearing it out soon.

Their face masks have a double  layer with coordinating fabric for added support, strength and coverage. They have elastic ear bands. Masks can be purchased on the Etsy site. $12.00.

(#10) BOWTIE.COM

This fun local business makes unique, colorful bow-ties, neckties and other men’s accessories and they’ve now added some equally fun face masks to their product line.

The masks are three layers of 100% pre-washed cotton. They are pleated and tie with elastics which can be worn encircling your head, or you can cut them to the lengths you prefer to loop around your ears.  Face masks can be purchased from their website. $22.00

Kennebunk. (Facebook: @BowtieDotCom)

@BowtieDotCom. (2020, May 2).[No text]….. [Facebook post]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/BowtieDotCom/posts/2833542810027953

I’ve included pricing with the information above as a reference point but please be sure to check the sellers shops to confirm as pricing may vary.

Maine MEP also has a list going of local face mask manufacturers:  Retail Sales of Cloth Face Covers. While there is some small overlap with the makers I’ve highlighted here, their list focuses more on larger manufacturers and is worth checking out too.

** IMPORTANT ** These masks are NOT medical-grade and as stated on the Etsy website where many of them are sold, these masks are not intended to “mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose or cure any disease or health condition.”1

For specific guidance on recommendations around face coverings, please see the CDC website.

While the thought of wearing a face mask can be overwhelming as it reinforces the seriousness of the pandemic that we are experiencing, for me personally, anything I can do to reduce the chance of potentially making someone else sick is worth any inconvenience.

It also  makes it a little more palatable when there are so many amazing choices available for masks that have been crafted with love from Maine. They bring a smile to my covered face.

Do you know of other local manufacturers who are making cloth face masks?

“COVID-19 Safety on Etsy.” Etsy Help, help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044460414-COVID-19-Safety-on-Etsy?ref=covidbanner&segment=shopping#h_262a1b98-6400-4c81-8ce1-b4265246c351.

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Check out my latest blog post... Ten creative face masks that are made in Maine. #facemasks Somewhere in our collection of home videos there is one of me sewing my newborn daughter's first ever Halloween costume.

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[communityglobalbuzrush-blog]

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[whosdavidphillips]

My Trip to Iraq

2016-May-18

A blog about my travel to Iraq - Written by David Phillips

The  journey to;

I flew from Winnipeg to Toronto at 10:45am on Wednesday May 18th, 2016. This is such a great time of the day to fly. You don’t need to wake up early, the airport is never too busy, and I had time to spend with the family in the morning, helping get the kids fed, dressed and ready for daycare. I hugged everyone extra hard. While I was sure I would be safe on my journey and return home in one piece, certainly the risks were higher than an average work trip or day in the field. I looked deep into Chantelle’s eyes. “I love you” I said, “I’ll come home to you, don’t worry”. With that they were off to daycare and work and I rushed back inside the house to get ready. I chose to travel with back packs. A day pack that was crammed with everything I'd need for an overseas flight and a 70L hiking pack, filled to the brim with rolled up shirts. Enough for 11 days. I hopped in a cab and headed to the airport nice and early. Avoiding as much stress on this part of my journey as I could.

The flight to Toronto was uneventful. I chatted with the person beside me who had his cottage roof go up in flames over the weekend.  Not from the recent wildfires that were running rampant in Southeast Manitoba and Northwest Ontario, but from a few young, drunk neighbors shooting fireworks off at 1:00 in the morning. None of that seemed to matter. I wanted to be polite, but I didn't care, I was focused on the trip ahead. I was starting to wonder if I'd made the stupidest decision of my life. Feeling like I should maybe back out. Could I back out? I felt like I had no choice at this point. On an airplane, paid for by my company, about to board an intercontinental flight. I was stuck.

In Toronto I picked up my bag and waited for Rene. This gave me a chance to move some items around. Things I realized I didn’t need to take on the plane, and things I had in my checked luggage that I suddenly thought I might want. Rene arrived. He had far less equipment then I thought he would have. But everything was there, all the test instruments and hand tools we needed to test the Bio-safety cabinets. We line up to check in. No automated service with Austrian Air, in Toronto, we had to wait in this huge line. Finally we see the attendant for check in.

“Mr Phillips, you are traveling with Mr. Soetens?”

'Yes”, I reply, “I believe we are sitting together”?

“No, I'm sorry, there's a problem with your seats” the attendant says. I’m worried. What could that mean?  Would one of us have to stay back? Would I have to navigate Vienna airport by myself? Rene knows some dutch which I was counting on for getting around.

“You’ve both been upgraded to business class”....

I couldn't keep the smile from jumping off the sides of my face. My dad has flown enough overseas for me to know, this is the only way to go! Priority lines and first class service all the way to Vienna.

We board first, priority service. The seats are amazing. A full cockpit with tables and lamps, plug ins of every kind. The seat is customizable in many ways, lumbar support, head support, full recline, and of course, full recline into a wonderfully comfortable bed. We’re offered a hot cloth and champagne as the rest of the plane boards. People scoff as they get on the plane. So many people. It was a huge plane. I don’t know what type it is. Huge. And Full. While everyone gets seated and the safety movie is showing, a chef, an actual chef, with the white fluffy hat and apron comes to take a few orders. First supper, atlantic salmon with all the trimmings and to compliment, I order a nice glass of white wine. He also takes our breakfast order, the menu is full of options. Eggs bendict, whole wheat pancakes, fruit, yogurts, eggs done any way you want, it goes on and on. I make my order and sit back to relax. It’s late for my body clock, but there are so many good movies to watch! I’m almost too excited to sleep! I finally convert my chair into a full bed and nod off. It feels like I just closed my eyes when I get a gentle rub on my shoulder. “Sir, it’s breakfast time, we’ll be landing in one hour” the attendant tells me. I sit my chair up and breakfast arrives, hot and fresh. This is the life….

We land in Vienna and navigate to the nearest washroom to freshen up. Funny how something as simple as a washroom, is so much different in another country. All the “things” are there, sink, toilet, mirror, ect, but everything is different! I got a good tip from my folks who fly internationally often. Change of socks and underwear, and all the toiletries to freshen up. I meet back up with Rene and I manage to make our way through the dutch signage to our gate for our Erbil flight. Plenty of time to spare. I Look around the boarding area. “So who else is crazy enough to go to Iraq” I wonder? There are several very well dressed business men. Nationals I assume. Several women with small children and babies. Families. All in all, no one looked crazy. The flight is half full. Erbil Iraq is part of the Kurdistan region and we have been informed that it is much more secure and stable than the rest of Iraq. It’s a fairly normal flight, although long, and we are in coach, which takes a bit of adjustment after the flight we had previously been on. We land in Erbil and pick up our bags; for some reason have to put them through a scanner on the way out! Our equipment sets off all kinds of red flags, as usual. The security guard asks “what's in the black case”. It’s one of those Pelican hard cases that’s waterproof and expensive. The kind that you know is holding something fancy.  He wants it opened. We comply. He looks inside,

“what is this?” He asks in broken English.

Rene: “it's a photometer”.

Iraqi security guard, “yes, a photometer”.... He looked like he was embarrassed, as if he should have known that. Without further ado he clears the box and we’re off. We meet our security rep who greets and briefs us on a the security situation in Erbil. The trip is planned out very carefully by our hosts from the US. A certain level of security is provided at each location as soon as we enter Iraq.

“Erbil has very very good security” he says in his Iraqi accent,  “safe here”. We start driving toward our hotel. The 5-star Divan, Erbil. As we are driving, we notice walls everywhere. Every community is gated and surrounded by walls. Some are sheet metal, some are stone, brick, concrete. There are a lot of buildings in the middle of construction. Cranes hang idle over tall cement structures. The skeletons of the buildings.

“There’s lots of construction here” Rene comments.

“Yes, last year we are building many buildings,” our local national security rep says “this year is stopped. No money. This year is not good year for Kurdistan. We cross our fingers and hope that next year will be better”.

We arrive at the front of our hotel entrance. It's gorgeous from the outside. Beautiful stone, gold trim, fountains, very luxurious looking. But as everything else is, it is surrounded by thick, tall concrete walls. We drive up to the front entrance of the gate. There’s a security shack and many guards. There's a heavy steel wall that comes up from the ground about 3 feet. The wall is above the bumper of our SUV, it’s clearly designed to stop anyone from forcefully driving in, I’d bet it would even stop a tank. The security rep knows the guards. We pull up, “Salam” he says. He speaks to them briefly and we are let through. The metal knee wall is lowered into the ground and we start to drive toward the front doors. Down from the entrance gate is a guard, hiding in bushes, watching us come in. He has a large assault rifle, in hand, ready to be used. He watches us carefully as we pass. As we pull up, vallets help us out and take our luggage. Metal detectors at the front entrance give us a second assurance of security. We check in and view our rooms. They are beautiful. If you ever find yourself in Erbil, I recommend the Divan hotel! We eat at the buffet, $50 American dollars each, but it’s well worth it. We eat and sleep well that night. Heading to Baghdad the next morning. Rene and I make a plan to meet around 10:00 local time. 10:05 rolls around so I knock on his door, he’s still sleeping! 13 hours worth of sleeping for him and he’s caught up and ready to roll!!!

Arrival in Baghdad;

The plane from Erbil to Baghdad is only an hour. It's an older plane, no features, just a tray in the seat back. We were given the exit aisle row because “we’re taller”, the booking agent said. The plane was barely half full, I start to wonder… Is it only crazies on this plane? Everyone looks at you with shifty eyes. “Because we are Canadian”? Or because they are wondering just how crazy we are?! Two white guys, one old, one young, heading to Baghdad Iraq. On the plane I review for a third or fourth time the BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) entry document prepared by Garda World . This extremely thorough document describing exactly the process for airport entry off the plane, through immigration and finally through customs. It has photos of the people who will meet us in the airport. The pilot announces that we are starting the decent. We are high in the sky still and start to go into a controlled downward spiral.  I start looking out the window, as if I would be able to spot incoming small arms fire, something that has been a problem in the recent past. The Iraqi security force is able to keep a small area surrounding the airport secure, so the idea is the plane flies in at or near cruising altitude, gets inside that small bubble and then spirals downward within the bubble to land. It’s a bit rough, you get a bit disoriented. Looking around, it looks like it was just us who were feeling off, everyone else seemed to be used to this kind of decent. We drop into the airport, hot and heavy. The plane parks on the taxiway and a bus comes out to pick us up. It's crammed. Standing room only. We arrive at the arrivals terminal and debark. As soon as we walk in the door, I see one of the Garda world BIAP workers is there, holding a sign with our name on it. He greets us, in English and leads us to the appropriate immigration line. He explains, “we will go through this line, present our visas and he will meet us on the other side”. When it's our turn, we present our passports. The officer glances through the pages to see where else we’ve been. Mine’s mostly empty, Rene’s is mostly full! They look at both of our visas long and hard. The officer takes my passport into a side office. He's there for a while. I’m nervous and disorented. Is this really happening? I am really trying to get into Baghdad? Finally he comes back, stamps the passport and we are on our way. We meet up with staff from the ministry of Agriculture. They are they to assist in explaining our equipment to customs. We line up and scan the bags and boxes. As usual, the aerosol generator and air compressor box and the photometer box bring the scanning line to a halt. “Sir, open this” one of the customs agents say. “What is this”? He asks.

Rene comments “this is a test instrument”.

“Test instrument?”, the Iraqi agent mumbles to himself, “ok”.

And with that, we were sent on our way! Easy. Rene commented to me that, it was the easiest customs entry he has ever had. It's harder to get out of the Toronto airport flying regionally then it was for us to enter Baghdad Iraq. Our BIAP hosts leads us to a special pick up spot. Most people are not allowed to drive up to the airport. They must take a bus to a “meeting area” outside of the final and most secure BIAP check points. Our security team drives right up to us with a white Toyota Land Cruiser that has been modified to be a certified B6 armored vehicle. A guy with a strong Scottish accent gets out.

“Good day gents” he says right away. “I’m Paul, your expat team leader. If you want to give me your bags and hop into the back of the vehicle, I’ll give you a bit of a security briefing and we’ll be off”. It's hot, bright. The driver opens the doors for us, I immediately notice the two body armor vests on the floor between the seats. We jump in, the air conditioning is powerful! Paul explains right away, “I'm not going to make you wear the body armor gents, but if you’d like, or you feel uncomfortable, you can put it on at any time”. Holy shit, I’m thinking…… What the hell are we doing here…

“Okay gents, what we’re going to do is give you gents a bit of a briefing, then head out of here and go directly into the international zone, the IZ. We’ll take you gents on a bit of a tour of the IZ and then we’ll drop you off at Dojo’s where you’ll meet Sean, my operations manager and he’ll take you from there, okay gents?”. He’s done this before…..

Paul continues, “ Now, basic security briefing here gents. The road from the BIAP to the IZ is pretty safe now. There's quite a lot of checkpoints, you’ll need your passport on you and they may want to search the vehicle. Just listen to my instructions and follow what I say. There's a medical kit in the back and I am a certified field medic. If anything happens, get as low as you can in the car and we’ll drive drive drive. If something happens to this vehicle, either my chariot vehicle at the back or the alpha vehicle at the front will pull alongside. Listen to my instructions on which side to exit, stay low, one foot on the ground and next up into the vehicle ya, and we’ll drive drive drive. If I push this button (he motions to a special button near the dash) that will signal the GW operations room that we need help and they, will send a strike force to our location. Okay gents, any questions? Are ya ready to go?”. We nod, and with that we were off. I’ll admit, there’s a bit of grin on my face that I try to hide…. This is cool….. Really cool….. Who does this kind of stuff?!

On the way to the IZ, Paul explains the road from the BIAP to the IZ, called the Irish road, used to be the most dangerous road in the world. Snipers would set up along the road and shoot cars containing westerners on a regular basis. IEDs along the roadside were commonplace. He says, that's all changed now, now it might be the safest road in the world. We pass our first check stop. A considerable amount of soldiers are milling about, all carrying AK-47’s. There are three or four army hummers with urban camouflage paint and large guns mounted on the top at various positions around the check stop. Our driver, who is a local national, flashes his IZ pass and we get waved on. I notice as we are driving, there are elevated cement turrets all over along the road. Some manned, with guns on tripods sticking out, some empty. We pass a large armored personnel carrier with several guns of varying sizes sticking out from different positions. A large, real deal, army tank sits by the side of the road, poised and ready to blow something big to oblivion. Another check stop. More turrets. And again, another check stop. This time we pull into a bay and turn off the car. An IED sniffing dog makes a pass around our three vehicle convoy. We are cleared to go and head into the IZ. Things feel a little more relaxed in the IZ. It’s basically a large area, probably 20 or 30 square city blocks. It backs against the ancient Euphrates river and has 6 entry points by road. All entry points are highly guarded, typically with at least two different guard stations on the way in. Iraqi security guards as well as Iraqi special forces man multiple stations on the same entry point. They don’t trust each other’s security screening. Very large, thick concrete walls surround the entire IZ upto the river. We pass various palaces, they are beautiful. These are the palaces that Saddam built while he was still in power. He spared no expense. We pass the Iraqi Prime Minister's office, British and Australian embassies. We take a drive past the US embassy. It's massive. Would be at least 4 or 5 city blocks together. It took about 3 or 4 minutes to drive from one end of the embassy to the other. “It's the biggest embassy in the world gents” Paul tells us. There are regular looking buildings in the IZ too. Every building, palace, office is surrounded by yet another fence, sometimes sheet metal, sometimes chain link with barbed wire. We also pass a hospital, “that’s where we’ll take you if you need a doctor gents”, Paul tells us. “it’s a good one, where ever we are, we’ll try to make it back here if you need medical care. You’ll be safe there.” We drive on a bit more, not many people around. Some vehicles, stray dogs, but for the most part, it’s quiet in the IZ. “Alright gents, I’ll take ya to Dojo’s”, Paul says.

We arrive at this battered metal gate with several vehicles out front. I notice what looks like a small guard shack, there's a guard there with an Ak-47. Not slung over his shoulder, but in his hands, ready to use if needed. Sean comes out to greet us. He is the Garda World operations commander. He is the one who calls the shots with our security team. Another British bloke. He has a gentle but serious face. White hair. He's checks us in and shows us around. The dojo’s compound is really nice on the inside, you’d never know it looking at it from the street. Green grass and local vegetation in the front court yard. Several well furnished sitting areas. We pass a nice court yard with a sitting area outside. He shows us the restaurant, it's a few 4 x 4 posts with a 2 x 4 frame and a tin roof. Plexi glass walls. It has nice flooring and several wood tables. There are large air conditioners stationed all over the place. It's hot. Next we cross the road into the remainder of the Dojo's compound, It’s split on both sides of the road we came in on. We see the gym, it’s a typical military type gym, weights, a treadmill, chin up bar and a punching bag. We view the meeting room and finally the pool. The pool area is lovely, wooden and tile deck, 2 lounge chairs, large trees surrounding. Sean takes us back across to the other side and to our rooms. Inside our residence building there's a nice pool table and dartboard. I open my room. It's older, outdated carpet and an older looking twin bed. It's Iraq! This is a 4 star hotel (for real, check trip advisor)! We drop our luggage and the body armor we’ve been given to hold onto. Sean tells us, “let’s meet at half two in the front and I’ll give you a quick security briefing. We drop our bags and stretch a bit. There’s a sense of calm, of safety. Not many people are able to stay in the safe confines of the IZ, let alone at a hotel with an armed guard at the front. We head out to meet Sean. He gives us a general security briefing, detailing extraction procedures should we need to flee dojo’s for safer ground. The Garda World compound is literally a 2 minute drive, at normal speeds from Dojo's. Sean tells us to freshen up and head to the briefing room for 15:45.

The detailed brief we received was from someone called “the RAM”. Risk Assessment Manager. This person knows as much as there is to know about the area and the people. It is his job to review the latest developments and make appropriate recommendations regarding safety, and the risk of tracking to the proposed area. We get a history of Iraq, information about the different religious groups, namely the Shi’a and the Sunni, and we get a lot of details about the breach of the IZ compound which happened on April 30. I’d been reading so much about this breach. It was a really big deal. A “million man march” swarmed the IZ check point gates and forced their way in. Many of these people were related to the guards. What could they do? They certainly wouldn't be shooting family members. The breach caught everyone in the IZ off guard, no one had any idea it was about to take place. These protestors broke into the PMs office and parliament buildings.  They were upset at the current government's inability to bring change and their efforts to keep the IZ and themselves safe while the rest of Baghdadian’s and Iraqi’s were dying in terrorist attacks. People literally wandered the IZ with a  free pass. We would later hear from one of the semi-permanent residences of Dojo that they just suddenly noticed a large number of people walking past the Dojo’s entrance, with no idea what was going on! The breach and other similar demonstrations/ actions were mostly organized by Moqtada Sadr. The RAM mentioned at the end of this presentation the high unlikelihood of something like that happening again. He chuckled a bit, It was embarrassing to the Iraqi government, showed weakness. The government just wouldn’t allow it…..

18:15…. I’m mostly unpacked, snapping photos of myself wearing body armor and letting my family and friends know I arrived. There’s wifi and I have an international package on my phone, it has good reception. Iraq is on ATZ time, 9 hours ahead of Winnipeg. Someone knocks at the door. It's John, one of the Garda World team leaders, an equal to Paul who led us from the airport. He’s british as well! He has also knocked on Rene’s door, who’s right beside me, and Rene is in the hallway as well.

“Guys, I just want to let you know about a bit of a situation that is developing”, he says in his strong Scottish accent. “A few protesters are starting to gather at one of the check points. It's probably nothing, but if things get worse, we’ll extract you to the Garda world HQ. If you could, please pack a day bag with your personal items and have it ready”.

“A few protesters”, I comment to Rene and John, “that doesn’t sound too bad”.

“Well it's a few hundred”, John shares. But it's far less than it was last time, so we think things will be under control”. With that he's off and we get a few things packed up. About 15 minutes later, Sean arrives at our door to fill us in. He's told us the numbers have increased. Probably a thousand people. But they haven't breached the IZ yet. We are to continue to wait and see how things unfold. I let my wife know what's up via a text. I start to notice some banging noise. It sort of sounds like someone opening and closing the doors over and over again upstairs. I’m relaxed, but things are starting to get a little tense. I’m not going to overreact though. Another knock at the door. It's Rene. “Come outside a moment” he says.  We exit the residence building and the noises become clear as day. “BOOM”. “Rat-tat-tat-tat”. “BOOM, BOOM”. It reminds me of a very active thunderstorm with someone shooting off fireworks at the same time. But it's not a thunder storm. It's explosions and the sound of automatic rifles shooting off. I can’t believe my ears. I sit down in the courtyard and listen. It continues with intensity. Non stop explosions (I assumed grenades) and automatic weapons. I call Chantelle. She's panicky before I even say anything. “I called your parents” she says “I could hardly tell them what was happening”.

“See if you can hear this love,” I say and hold the phone up into the air. I hold it there for about 10 seconds as the explosions and guns fire continue. As I am doing this, a semi distressed looking Sean, the ops commander, comes bursting around the corning. “Okay boys, we’re gonna go, get your things, grab your body armor.”

I’m sitting outside still. Up until that moment, I had continued to feel fairly relaxed, that quickly ended. “I gotta go babe, we’re gonna go”. She already knew what that meant. We were being extracted to the ultra secure Garda world compound.

“Okay babe be safe” she says “I love you”.

I frantically grab my body armor and bag, already packed up with everything, and Rene and I quickly make our way to the armored car already running and waiting for us, doors open.  We hop in and go. I can’t remember if there was any conversation in the car. I kept looking for signs of the action. We arrive at Garda in what feels like seconds. “Okay boys, follow me” Sean says. We head passed several of the toughest looking guys I’ve ever seen. Some with rifles, some with handguns on their hips. We are taken to the GW operations command room and are seated very comfortably in front of a TV.. Cricket is playing. Rene and I look at each other and laugh a bit. “Hell of a first day” the Ops Commander says. We’re joined by a couple of British fellows who are also there working and under the protection of Garda World. We chat and talk about cricket, eat some supper and watch more TV. Things seem to be calming down outside. The Ops Commander brings out a bottle of gin.

“At times like this, I think a gin and tonic is in order” he says. One of the Brits pours everyone a stiff Gin and tonic. It's nice. Takes the edge off the situation. We are constantly trying to find out whether the IZ had been breached. I’m searching Twitter and Iraqi news. Twitter is full of photos of protectors inside the IZ but with no real way of knowing whether they were current. Around 22:00 we return to dojo’s. “No movements tomorrow guys” Sean says “there's a city wide curfew in effect and the IZ has been completely locked down and sealed”.  We’ll reassess tomorrow for movements on Sunday. It's Friday today. That's significant. Friday is the start of the Muslim weekend. They gather for special prayers and often afterwards congregate in public areas. The specific one of interest is Tahrir square, near check point 1 of the IZ. Protestors are easily able to cross a bridge from there and head towards the IZ. Rene and I make a plan to meet for breakfast and call it a night. That's day one in Baghdad.

Day two is spent relaxing, there's nothing else we can do. We are not allowed to travel outside the IZ for work and we are not allowed to leave Dojo’s compound. We hit the pool late morning. It's wonderful. Hot whether +38C, cool water. Rene and I read and chat for a few hours. We head in for lunch and do it all over again in the afternoon. When we’re not at the pool, i’m catching up on work. Rene's watching TV. Sean arrives at some point in the early evening and tells us we will be allowed to go to the CVL (central veterinary lab) tomorrow. This is good news. We prepare our equipment. The CVL houses the majority of our work. I take some time to review the GW reconnaissance info package. GW will not travel anywhere without first sending a reconnaissance team to get a lay of the land and an assessment of both the security measures in place, and the ability of the facility to defend itself. Each night, I had been setting my alarm at 3:00 AM to wake up and video call the kids before they went off to daycare. Rene and I hit the hay in good time. Pick up is at 08:30.

Day three. We load the armored Toyota Land Cruiser with our equipment, and the security team helps us into our body armor. I was a bit surprised that we were going to be wearing body armor while traveling, but maybe I shouldn’t have been. John takes us out on this trip, he's the ex pat and security detail leader. We have three vehicles. An alpha vehicle in the front, us in the middle and the chariot vehicle bringing up the rear. They are all B60 armor Toyota Land Cruisers. We get another briefing. He talks about the potential for another protest to start today. We will only allow 4 hours at this site. We need to be back at Dojo's should any protests start later in the day. We start driving, John explains to us the traffic rules… “There are no rules”, he says. “Everyone does what they want and drives where they want. There is one working traffic light in Baghdad.” I watch as the alpha vehicle skillfully pulls into traffic. He takes command of the road, he angles himself so as to block the flow for us and the chariot vehicle to enter. It's incredible to see. Cars everywhere, no order, no rules. People squeeze 4 cars into 3 painted lanes. Somehow though, we navigate through unscathed. At one point a large van tries to cut us off, I watch John shoot the driver the meanest, dirtiest look I have ever seen. If looks could kill, this car would have exploded. The driver of the van stops and signals us in, as if he had a choice. People stare at us as we drive. I’m sure we draw all kinds of attention. Not sure that's a good thing. I ask John what the locals drive. “Do those who can afford an armor car buy them”?

“No he says, it's actually illegal for nationals to own armored vehicles”.

That seems off. These people, if they had the means to afford it, still couldn't get safe vehicles to travel in? I'm starting to see the bigger picture here. That cause for the protests. They aren't allowed in the ultra safe IZ, they aren't allowed to own armored cars. They have to shop at markets and use cafes which carry the highest risks of bombings.

We arrive at the CVL and are greeted by the director, Basem. He is very happy to have us. He insists on us going into his office. I’ll later learn that this is common and is a sign of mutual respect, an office meeting prior to any work. It's large and very nice, couches and chairs run along each side leading up toward his desk. He offers coffee, tea and cookies. Something I read before coming to Iraq was that you must never refuse an offer outright. Iraqis are very generous people and it would be rude to do so. “You come to my house for dinner tonight” he says.

“Well we’ll see how the day goes, our security team will only let us out for 4 hours today” Rene says. In fact we should get working soon”. The power cuts out. This happens all the time in Iraq. The power grids can't handle the load. Only the IZ is safe from the rolling power outages. No one panics, it's normal!  It comes back on about 15 seconds later. With that, we get started. No less than 15 lab staff join us to watch. People are taking pictures of everything we do. I write in my notebook “Scanlaf Mars 1200”, the name of the bio cabinet we are testing. Someone pops in and takes a picture of that! This continues throughout. We continue testing, Rene talks about proper lab techniques and bio cabinet use. We start to push our time there. I can see John is starting to get worried. He’s pacing a bit and getting antsy.

“It's time to go” he sternly tells me in his Scottish accent. I frantically start packing up equipment, not sure what to expect outside of the secure lab compound. We rush. The director wants us to stay for lunch. “What kind of wine do you prefer Mr. David” he asks.

“Well, red I suppose, but Basem, our security force is telling us, we must go, we have to listen to them, they are the boss “. I tell our contact.

Rene and I get back into the body armor and load the vehicle. We get moving quickly. John points out groups of people starting to gather together. “This is the kind of thing we watch for” he says. We get back to Dojo's in good time and go for lunch. It's about 13:30 when we are back. After lunch we realize….. It's hot….. we better head to the pool! What choice do we have really?!!! No protests end up taking place. This is a good thing, it means we'll be allowed out the next day.

Day 4. We return to the CVL and get working right away. Taking the same drive twice in a row, you really start to take notice of the city along this route. There are many beautiful large homes, several large buildings. Ministry building we are told. We pass a market, it’s what you’d expect, things just scattered about everywhere. Old parts salvaged from cars and trucks. A lot of places sell air conditioners. For the most part, the buildings we see are intact, not blown to bits with debris everywhere as you see on the news. But, it’s clear, the people are tired, distressed. Some people move frantically, as if their actions may help guard their life. Some people lazily swagger through the markets, as if they don’t have a worry about what might happen. This is life in Iraq for many. And for many, it’s a great city with many things to offer. The staff at the CVL seem like they are happy. They have a good job in a secure facility. There are men and women working side by side. Everyone is so friendly. One Iraqi lady takes a shine to me. She reminds me of the “large” jolly Nun in Sister Act, but a middle eastern version. At one point in the day she asks if I’m married, I think she’s trying to set me up with her daughter! I chuckle! She wants a picture of us! Rene and I work away hard and fast. Anything that can be done off site is left, such as reporting. We want to maximize our time there and we work efficiently. We split up at one point with the equipment. Are we letting our guard down? We don’t think so. The facility is safe and there are a couple GW guards for each of us. Things go well, we do more than we were assigned to do. Everyone is happy. Basem has a gift for us before we go. A traditional Iraqi scarf. “when you’re fishing you put it on your back “ he says and shows us how to hold the scarf and wear it. He folds it corner to corner and drapes it over Rene’s shoulders like a cape.

“And when it's hot you put it on your head. Very good for keeping your warm in cold Canada.” He takes the “cape” off of Rene’s shoulders and drapes it in the same way over his head. One of the younger lab workers whom I hit it off with helps put my scarf on my head in the way you’d commonly see Middle Eastern headscarves worn wrapped around men’s heads. We’re honoured. We return to Dojo’s around 14:40 and head for lunch. “I guess we better hit the pool again Rene” I say.

Day 5 we travel to Al Nahrain medical college. It's located in a mostly Sha’i area of town. While the school is well protected, sha’i areas are very dangerous to be in. We pull up to security and are denied entry. We must wait for some director to come down and let us in. “maybe 5 to 10 minutes” the local national team rep says. Paul turns to us and says “that's half an hour in Iraqi terms”. We wait. And wait. We start to get nervous. We are sitting in a three vehicle, armored convoy on the side of a busy roadway. It's a hospital as well as school so cars are pulling up and dropping people off continually. We start to get really worried, any of these cars could have a UVIED (under vehicle improvised explosive device). Sitting in one place for too long can be very dangerous. Anyone driving by, or who sees us could call someone about “VIP’s in armored cars” on the side of the road. The phone rings for the ops commander, Paul. Just at the same moment, local national team leader, who is our representative to the Iraqis comes to the door of our SUV. The escort is here. We are good to go, we can enter. Thank goodness. We find out a day later that the phone call was the operations Center telling us to get the hell out of there. They track all the vehicles with gps while we are away and they had seen that we were just sitting on the side of the road for too long. They wanted us to evacuate the area immediately. I'm glad we gained entry to the college though. We go through and test the equipment there, total failures. Nothing is working right. We tour the campus, it's beautiful. Life is present. Young adults are everywhere. Kids with stethoscopes, people in lab jackets. Baghdad is not in ruins, it's alive and thriving. At least in this location. We drive home and get lunch. At this point, we are on a roll, it's +44C, time to hit the pool :)

Day 6, if things go well, our last day of work. We travel to the holy city of Karbala. Driving on the highway seemed a bit risky. There are cars and large trucks everywhere. But we sail safely through and into the medical labs. The landscape was beautiful. Sort of a desert tundra. No areas of just sand, the way this area is portrayed on “Three Kings”. There are palm trees and small shrubs everywhere. Lots of people on the side of the road, cleaning and selling Carp. Kids, ahead of every check stop, selling water. At one point we see a small shack/ booth set up on the side of the road with raw meat carcases hanging up for sale. Just sitting there, in the heat of the sun….  We easily gain entry to the hospital. It’s a secure site but it is also a public hospital. We go in through the back entrance and park. We have to head through a very busy lab area. Women in full black and brown Burka’s everywhere. We squeeze through un-scathed. The unit we test there is damaged beyond repair. The staff has used a propane burner inside for sterilizing their inoculation loops, a big no no in a bio cabinet. They have melted the airflow probe, something critical for operation. I do everything I can, but I can‘t pass the unit or even get it working. We pack up and start to head home. We are called into the hospital director's office. Again, we don’t have too much of a choice, we must go. We are served chia, a traditional Iraqi sweet tea. They talk about touring us around Karbala, to some of the Holy sites. We’d love to see this while we were there, but our security team immediately declines on our behalf. They want us to go to another hospital to check another unit. We want to. After all, we are there to help. While we have charged a good amount for this trip, we are there to help, not make money. Our team again, declines. Maybe they are right. Would someone be there to kidnap us? Who knows. Probably not, but best be safe. My neck is killing me. 4 hours of driving wearing body armor will do that to you! On our drive home, we are quiet, looking at the sites of the roadway. Suddenly we hear a very loud BANG. I jump, Rene jumps, the vehicles swerves slightly and we look out the windshield to see whats happening. Our ex pat security lead didn’t jump, he grabbed his rifle and is ready to use it. The driver too, driving with one hand on the wheel and one hand on his rifle which still sits between the center console and his seat. We all look out the window trying to asses what’s happened… The truck driving beside us has blown a tire. The ex pat leader puts his gun down. “That’ll wake you up gents, nothing to worry about”. I’m done…. I’m tired, exhausted. In Iraq, you must always be alert. Always on. You must be watching, listening, thinking at all times, even sleeping is only half relaxing. It’s time to get out of Baghdad. This is the one and only day, I don’t hit the pool. Rene goes. But there is too much work for me to do. Either way, I am happy, we depart Baghdad tomorrow. We get the last two tickets on the plane.

Leaving Baghdad;

We have an early pick up. 06:15. Body armor, 3 cars again. Heavy security check points. We see humvees and tanks everywhere. Soldiers and sandbags, turrets outfitted with guns on tripods. Very heavily armed. Things are at a high alert level after the second breach of the IZ while we were there. At one point we have to leave the vehicles. The doors are left open, trunk and hood are opened also. Dogs come around to check for explosives. We get back in. At the next checkpoint we have to take our bags to an x ray scanner. They go through and we get back in the car. The airport is still a 10 minute drive away but they want to stop anyone dangerous from getting even close to the BIAP. It's smooth sailing after this. We chose to use the vip terminal which has really comfortable seats and breakfast. They take our luggage and put it through. They escort us to the gate and we get to bypass the lines. VIP’s!! It's nice. We board and land in Erbil again, about 60 minutes later. We have a long 5 hour layover. There one shop to sit at. After security, there is again just one cafe to sit down at. The time goes slowly. Finally we board the plane and head for Vienna. 4 hours. Once we arrive we drop our carry on luggage at the airport hotel and Rene and I head to downtown Vienna. We wander the downtown area looking at old buildings. It's wonderful. We are relaxed. We can let our guard down a bit. We have schnitzel and beers outdoors. It's so peaceful and safe in public. While we never felt unsafe in Iraq, there is certain calm about being back in normal civilization. We take the second last train of the night back and hit the hay. The next morning breakfast is incredible. Anything you could want. We board the plane for Toronto. It's a 9 hour flight. We are at the very back of the plane. I guess you can't complain when you switch flights 24 hours before it departs. I'm just happy to get getting home. Period. And two days early at that. After Toronto, 2 and a half more flight hours and i’ll be home. I can’t wait to see the kids! I can wait to hold Chantelle.

What An experience. I almost miss it already. I think I might want to go back….

David Phillips

[didsbumeare-blog]

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[marketerintel]

Marketing automation for search: Five time-saving strategies

There are many resources out there for digital marketers to help speed up recurring tasks, leaving more time to focus on more strategic initiatives to help grow and expand accounts.

A few of the resources and tools that are out there are scripts, Excel tools and functions, automated rules, automated bid rules, and smart bidding. Each one of these resources can be powerful tools if used in the correct way. We will walk through their benefits and some examples below.

Scripts

Google Scripts are JavaScript codes that can be used to help control and make adjustments to your campaign performance.

They can also be used to pull data to help with daily help checks or reporting that you may look at daily or weekly. You don’t have to be a developer to use scripts, although if you were looking to write them from scratch, some background in JavaScript would help.

There are a bunch of blogs and resources out there that already contain written scripts that can help solve some of your problems. Some scripts that I enjoy using are link checker, ad groups with no active text ads, negative keyword conflict checker, account checker, and auto-add negative keyword.

Excel tools & functions

Excel can be an overwhelming tool for those who are just beginning and might not have used some of the more advanced functions. Excel can be a powerful tool to help you save time performing bidding, analyzing account performance, and doing competitor analysis.

A great example of an analysis that paid search marketers find themselves doing over and over again is competitor analysis by looking at Auction insights. It can take some time to download the data and create all the charts for both brand and non-brand.

A way to speed up the analysis is with pivot tables and pivot charts, allowing you to format the data one time and just refresh it every time you want to look at what competitors are coming in and out of the auction at any given time.

Automated rules

Automated rules can help speed up tasks that you might do often, but scheduled automated rules and scripts tend to have some overlap in some of the functionality.

I would recommend testing both and seeing which one works best for you. Some automated rules that can be applied are pausing and activating copy, which is useful for clients that constantly have promotions; you can also set rules to activate and pause campaigns, ad groups, and keywords.

There are also rules that are more focused on performance. You can create rules to pause low-performing ads or keywords and increase or decrease budget based on performance or day of the week.

Please note: It’s important to set parameters for budget changes, or Google could continue to push budgets into a range where you are not comfortable spending.

Automated bid rules

Automated bid rules are part of Google’s automated rules; you can adjust keyword bids based on different criteria. These rules are powerful tools that should be used with lots of consideration.

Think about the adjustments that you are making daily or weekly and the steps that you go through. There might be an opportunity for you to automate those steps if your process is always the same day to day or week to week. There are a few popular bidding adjustments that you can implement, raising keywords to the top of page bid, raising keywords to the first page bid, and adjusting bids based on average position. But as you can imagine, if you gave Google the power to increase bids to the top of the page on every keyword, it could start to spend out of control.

It is important to set limits on those types of rules and consider a smaller set of keywords maybe these are your top performers or you might have launched a new product and you want to ensure that you are at the top of the page to raise brand awareness.

Another popular rule would be adjusting based on cost per conversion, allowing you to increase or decrease bids based on cost per conversion and conversion volume.

Some things to think about here are the number of conversions, average position, and impression share. You don’t want to adjust keywords that don’t have enough data, and you don’t want to continue to push keywords that are already at the top of the page. Automated bid rules are customizable so you can determine the conversion, average position, and impression share limits.

The upshot with automated marketing functions is that they’re very powerful and can save tons of time, but often have the potential to go haywire if they’re not properly set up. Use them wisely, and give yourself bandwidth to pursue more strategic initiatives which I’ll cover in future posts.

Smart bidding

Google’s smart bidding has come a long way since enhanced CPC was introduced a few years ago. Google has introduced other bidding strategies to include maximize clicks, target impression share, target CPA, target ROAS (Return on Ad-Spend), and maximize conversions.

With these bidding strategies Google will take into account device, location, time of day, remarketing and language when pushing out bids. Google does recommend these strategies for advertisers with at least 30 conversions in the past 30 days for target CPA and 50 conversions for target ROAS.

Automated bidding is something that is best A/B tested with campaign drafts and experiments to ensure that it is the best decision for your business. In some cases, there might not be enough data to make the most data-driven decision and other bidding methods might be better for your business.

Scripts, excel tools and function, automated rules, automated bid rules, and smart bidding are a few ways that marketers can speed up their time spent on recurring analysis and focus more on strategic initiatives to help further grow accounts.

Before trying to attack all five of these tools at once, think about which tools will save you the most time and start there.

Try to start with automated strategy once a week, you’ll never know how much time you can save.

Lauren Crain is a Client Services Lead in 3Q Digital’s SMB division, 3Q Incubate.

The post Marketing automation for search: Five time-saving strategies appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

Source link

[alanajacksontx]

Marketing automation for SEO: Five time-saving strategies

There are many resources out there for digital marketers to help speed up recurring tasks, leaving more time to focus on more strategic initiatives to help grow and expand accounts.

A few of the resources and tools that are out there are scripts, Excel tools and functions, automated rules, automated bid rules, and smart bidding. Each one of these resources can be powerful tools if used in the correct way. We will walk through their benefits and some examples below.

Scripts

Google Scripts are JavaScript codes that can be used to help control and make adjustments to your campaign performance.

They can also be used to pull data to help with daily help checks or reporting that you may look at daily or weekly. You don’t have to be a developer to use scripts, although if you were looking to write them from scratch, some background in JavaScript would help.

There are a bunch of blogs and resources out there that already contain written scripts that can help solve some of your problems. Some scripts that I enjoy using are link checker, ad groups with no active text ads, negative keyword conflict checker, account checker, and auto-add negative keyword.

Excel tools & functions

Excel can be an overwhelming tool for those who are just beginning and might not have used some of the more advanced functions. Excel can be a powerful tool to help you save time performing bidding, analyzing account performance, and doing competitor analysis.

A great example of an analysis that paid search marketers find themselves doing over and over again is competitor analysis by looking at Auction insights. It can take some time to download the data and create all the charts for both brand and non-brand.

A way to speed up the analysis is with pivot tables and pivot charts, allowing you to format the data one time and just refresh it every time you want to look at what competitors are coming in and out of the auction at any given time.

Automated rules

Automated rules can help speed up tasks that you might do often, but scheduled automated rules and scripts tend to have some overlap in some of the functionality.

I would recommend testing both and seeing which one works best for you. Some automated rules that can be applied are pausing and activating copy, which is useful for clients that constantly have promotions; you can also set rules to activate and pause campaigns, ad groups, and keywords.

There are also rules that are more focused on performance. You can create rules to pause low-performing ads or keywords and increase or decrease budget based on performance or day of the week.

Please note: It’s important to set parameters for budget changes, or Google could continue to push budgets into a range where you are not comfortable spending.

Automated bid rules

Automated bid rules are part of Google’s automated rules; you can adjust keyword bids based on different criteria. These rules are powerful tools that should be used with lots of consideration.

Think about the adjustments that you are making daily or weekly and the steps that you go through. There might be an opportunity for you to automate those steps if your process is always the same day to day or week to week. There are a few popular bidding adjustments that you can implement, raising keywords to the top of page bid, raising keywords to the first page bid, and adjusting bids based on average position. But as you can imagine, if you gave Google the power to increase bids to the top of the page on every keyword, it could start to spend out of control.

It is important to set limits on those types of rules and consider a smaller set of keywords maybe these are your top performers or you might have launched a new product and you want to ensure that you are at the top of the page to raise brand awareness.

Another popular rule would be adjusting based on cost per conversion, allowing you to increase or decrease bids based on cost per conversion and conversion volume.

Some things to think about here are the number of conversions, average position, and impression share. You don’t want to adjust keywords that don’t have enough data, and you don’t want to continue to push keywords that are already at the top of the page. Automated bid rules are customizable so you can determine the conversion, average position, and impression share limits.

The upshot with automated marketing functions is that they’re very powerful and can save tons of time, but often have the potential to go haywire if they’re not properly set up. Use them wisely, and give yourself bandwidth to pursue more strategic initiatives which I’ll cover in future posts.

Smart bidding

Google’s smart bidding has come a long way since enhanced CPC was introduced a few years ago. Google has introduced other bidding strategies to include maximize clicks, target impression share, target CPA, target ROAS (Return on Ad-Spend), and maximize conversions.

With these bidding strategies Google will take into account device, location, time of day, remarketing and language when pushing out bids. Google does recommend these strategies for advertisers with at least 30 conversions in the past 30 days for target CPA and 50 conversions for target ROAS.

Automated bidding is something that is best A/B tested with campaign drafts and experiments to ensure that it is the best decision for your business. In some cases, there might not be enough data to make the most data-driven decision and other bidding methods might be better for your business.

Scripts, excel tools and function, automated rules, automated bid rules, and smart bidding are a few ways that marketers can speed up their time spent on recurring analysis and focus more on strategic initiatives to help further grow accounts.

Before trying to attack all five of these tools at once, think about which tools will save you the most time and start there.

Try to start with automated strategy once a week, you’ll never know how much time you can save.

Lauren Crain is a Client Services Lead in 3Q Digital’s SMB division, 3Q Incubate.

The post Marketing automation for SEO: Five time-saving strategies appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

from IM Tips And Tricks https://searchenginewatch.com/2019/03/18/marketing-automation-for-seo-five-time-saving-strategies/ from Rising Phoenix SEO https://risingphxseo.tumblr.com/post/183386155560

[kellykperez]

Marketing automation for SEO: Five time-saving strategies

There are many resources out there for digital marketers to help speed up recurring tasks, leaving more time to focus on more strategic initiatives to help grow and expand accounts.

A few of the resources and tools that are out there are scripts, Excel tools and functions, automated rules, automated bid rules, and smart bidding. Each one of these resources can be powerful tools if used in the correct way. We will walk through their benefits and some examples below.

Scripts

Google Scripts are JavaScript codes that can be used to help control and make adjustments to your campaign performance.

They can also be used to pull data to help with daily help checks or reporting that you may look at daily or weekly. You don’t have to be a developer to use scripts, although if you were looking to write them from scratch, some background in JavaScript would help.

There are a bunch of blogs and resources out there that already contain written scripts that can help solve some of your problems. Some scripts that I enjoy using are link checker, ad groups with no active text ads, negative keyword conflict checker, account checker, and auto-add negative keyword.

Excel tools & functions

Excel can be an overwhelming tool for those who are just beginning and might not have used some of the more advanced functions. Excel can be a powerful tool to help you save time performing bidding, analyzing account performance, and doing competitor analysis.

A great example of an analysis that paid search marketers find themselves doing over and over again is competitor analysis by looking at Auction insights. It can take some time to download the data and create all the charts for both brand and non-brand.

A way to speed up the analysis is with pivot tables and pivot charts, allowing you to format the data one time and just refresh it every time you want to look at what competitors are coming in and out of the auction at any given time.

Automated rules

Automated rules can help speed up tasks that you might do often, but scheduled automated rules and scripts tend to have some overlap in some of the functionality.

I would recommend testing both and seeing which one works best for you. Some automated rules that can be applied are pausing and activating copy, which is useful for clients that constantly have promotions; you can also set rules to activate and pause campaigns, ad groups, and keywords.

There are also rules that are more focused on performance. You can create rules to pause low-performing ads or keywords and increase or decrease budget based on performance or day of the week.

Please note: It’s important to set parameters for budget changes, or Google could continue to push budgets into a range where you are not comfortable spending.

Automated bid rules

Automated bid rules are part of Google’s automated rules; you can adjust keyword bids based on different criteria. These rules are powerful tools that should be used with lots of consideration.

Think about the adjustments that you are making daily or weekly and the steps that you go through. There might be an opportunity for you to automate those steps if your process is always the same day to day or week to week. There are a few popular bidding adjustments that you can implement, raising keywords to the top of page bid, raising keywords to the first page bid, and adjusting bids based on average position. But as you can imagine, if you gave Google the power to increase bids to the top of the page on every keyword, it could start to spend out of control.

It is important to set limits on those types of rules and consider a smaller set of keywords maybe these are your top performers or you might have launched a new product and you want to ensure that you are at the top of the page to raise brand awareness.

Another popular rule would be adjusting based on cost per conversion, allowing you to increase or decrease bids based on cost per conversion and conversion volume.

Some things to think about here are the number of conversions, average position, and impression share. You don’t want to adjust keywords that don’t have enough data, and you don’t want to continue to push keywords that are already at the top of the page. Automated bid rules are customizable so you can determine the conversion, average position, and impression share limits.

The upshot with automated marketing functions is that they’re very powerful and can save tons of time, but often have the potential to go haywire if they’re not properly set up. Use them wisely, and give yourself bandwidth to pursue more strategic initiatives which I’ll cover in future posts.

Smart bidding

Google’s smart bidding has come a long way since enhanced CPC was introduced a few years ago. Google has introduced other bidding strategies to include maximize clicks, target impression share, target CPA, target ROAS (Return on Ad-Spend), and maximize conversions.

With these bidding strategies Google will take into account device, location, time of day, remarketing and language when pushing out bids. Google does recommend these strategies for advertisers with at least 30 conversions in the past 30 days for target CPA and 50 conversions for target ROAS.

Automated bidding is something that is best A/B tested with campaign drafts and experiments to ensure that it is the best decision for your business. In some cases, there might not be enough data to make the most data-driven decision and other bidding methods might be better for your business.

Scripts, excel tools and function, automated rules, automated bid rules, and smart bidding are a few ways that marketers can speed up their time spent on recurring analysis and focus more on strategic initiatives to help further grow accounts.

Before trying to attack all five of these tools at once, think about which tools will save you the most time and start there.

Try to start with automated strategy once a week, you’ll never know how much time you can save.

Lauren Crain is a Client Services Lead in 3Q Digital’s SMB division, 3Q Incubate.

The post Marketing automation for SEO: Five time-saving strategies appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

source https://searchenginewatch.com/2019/03/18/marketing-automation-for-seo-five-time-saving-strategies/ from Rising Phoenix SEO http://risingphoenixseo.blogspot.com/2019/03/marketing-automation-for-seo-five-time.html