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A Hartford resident commuting on I-91 five days a week to New Haven (38 miles each way) during rush hour would pay $3.34 per round trip, or $16.70 for a five-day workweek. Multiply that by 48 weeks — assuming two weeks of vacation and a handful of holidays — and the cost per year is $801.60.
Take the same Hartford-to-New Haven commuter but let’s assume travel outside of rush hour. The cost per round trip drops to $2.66, the cost per week is now $13.30 and the cost per year — assuming the same four weeks off — is $638.40, a savings of $163.20.
Another commuter, taking I-84 from Waterbury to Danbury (27 miles each way), would pay $2.38 per round trip during rush hour and $1.90 if the trips were made during off-peak hours. Adding up those commutes, assuming they happened during rush hour, the driver’s weekly bill (for a five-day workweek) would be $11.90, for a yearly cost of $571.20, again assuming four weeks of not commuting.
A family traveling on a Sunday from Boston to New York City opting to take I-84 the entire way through Connecticut (98 miles) would pay $6.17 each way (6.3 cents per mile) if they had a Massachusetts E-ZPass, avoiding the surcharges for rush hour driving or failing to have a transponder. That same family driving without an E-ZPass, and without registering their car with Connecticut’s toll system, would pay $11.56 each way or $23.12 for their round trip from Danbury to Union.
An out-of-state trucker with an E-ZPass taking I-95 from the Rhode Island border to New York (112 miles) would pay $28.22 if the trip was made during off-peak hours and $35.39 if the trip was made during rush hour. With discounts, a Connecticut trucker would pay $19.71 and $24.64, respectively, for the same trip.
Buses and medium trucks pay more than cars, but less than heavy trucks. An out-of-state bus with an E-ZPass would pay $17.89 to travel down I-395 from Massachusetts and then take I-95 to the New York border, assuming the trip was taken outside of rush hour. The same trip made during rush hour would cost $22.44.
The year 2017 started with a bang for the global markets even as the US equities kept the momentum up continuing the optimism into the new year.
US markets cheered every comment of US president elect Donal Trump and the equity market prices rallied with Dow Jones and NASDAQ recording new highs.
Indian markets traded flat with a positive bias for the week gone by.
It is interesting to note that Kotak World Gold fund that invests in global markets is the best performer for the first week of the new year outperforming the equity diversified category funds that invest in Indian markets.
Shots fired in Derry overnight have been described as a “blatant bid to murder police officers”.
In the fourth consecutive night of disorder in the city, around 16 petrol bombs and five paint bombs were thrown from the Bogside area into the unionist Fountain estate.
The disturbances come in the lead up to the Twelfth commemorations in the North on Thursday and tonight’s Eleventh night bonfires.
Chief Inspector Neil Beck said six shots were fired at police officers close to the city’s famous walls. None of the officers were injured. “For a fourth consecutive night police officers dealt with violence and disorder,” he said. “Around 16 petrol bombs and five paint bombs were thrown from the Bogside area into the Fountain and, in what can only be described as a blatant bid to murder police officers, shots were fired at police close to our city’s walls.
“We believe that around six shots were fired striking the walls and nearby trees, however fortunately none of our officers were injured.
“Police officers should not be targeted under any circumstances and their lives should not be put in danger by simply doing their jobs, attempting to keep people safe.
A number of men have been charged with public order offences in connection with the disorder in recent days. Mr Beck said he is confident that further arrests can be made. “We have a robust strategy in place to identify those involved in the trouble of recent days and I am confident of further arrests,” he said.
The shots have been condemned by elected representatives. Sinn Féin MLA for Foyle Karen Mullan said it was a “reckless and highly concerning act”.
“The people of this city have already made it clear that they are completely opposed to the violence that has been taking place in the Bogside and Fountain areas this week,” she said.
Ulster Unionist councillor Derek Hussey, who is Deputy Mayor of Derry, also expressed his disgust. “The attempted murder of police officers in the city of Londonderry overnight is absolutely abhorrent and is to be condemned,” he said.
“I am also disgusted that the Fountain estate has had to endure yet another sectarian attack on what is a small Protestant community. There is clearly a very sinister element involved.
“Some have tried to play this down as kids acting up over the summer months. That is clearly not the case. These are well orchestrated, co-ordinated attacks on the PSNI and the Fountain estate.
Following Obama’s BP oil spill speech and 3 ways you can take action in response to the BP oil spill, I thought I’d add one more post on the BP oil spill today. This is a hilarious, if not still very sad, video mocking BP’s response to its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Although it is a very serious issue with very serious consequences, the video makes rather clear the absurdity of this situation and BP’s response to it.
Some of the successful Monkseaton Ladies' volleyball team, Victoria Richards, Claire Shorting, June Patterson, Lorna Hattrick and Sharon Smith, with the sponsor from Tyne Tyres.
Monkseaton Ladies’ volleyball team are celebrating after winning the Northern Counties League.
They are also celebrating receiving sponsorship from Tyne Tyres, who stepped in to help the club and bought them new kit.
The Blackhawks' Trevor van Riemsdyk on his first goal scored in the NHL.
Jonathan Toews had a goal and an assist while Trevor van Riemsdyk, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Bryan Bickell also scored to lift the Blackhawks to a 5-2 victory over the Sharks on Sunday night at the United Center. Corey Crawford was solid in goal as the Hawks snapped a three-game home losing streak. Joe Pavelski had both of the Sharks' goals.
With the Hawks leading 3-2 midway through the second period and on their heels, Crawford stoned the Sharks' Barclay Goodrow on a breakaway.
Crawford continued his torrid play with 32 saves to improve to 5-3-1. Former Hawks goalie Antti Niemi was shaky and yielded four goals on 36 shots. The Hawks also had an empty-net score (Toews).
Coach Joel Quenneville mixed up the Hawks' defensive pairings, splitting up the top duo of Duncan Keith and Seabrook. Keith skated with rookie van Riemsdyk and Seabrook was dropped to the third pairing with David Rundblad. The second pair remained Johnny Oduya and Hjalmarsson.
Niklas Hjalmarsson took a pass from Marian Hossa, cruised into the slot and ripped a wrist shot into the Sharks' net to cap a three-goal, first-period outburst by the Blackhawks that had the United Center rocking and rolling Sunday.
1: Seabrook. In addition to his first-period goal, tied with Keith with a game-high four blocks.
2: Pavelski. Two goals accounted for all of the Sharks' offense.
3: Van Riemsdyk. Credited with first NHL goal on a shot from the point that found its way through traffic.
Scratches for the Hawks were Patrick Sharp (right knee), Daniel Carcillo (right knee) and Michal Rozsival (healthy). Sitting for the Sharks were John Scott (suspended), Ty McGinn and Matt Irwin.
Vs. Lightning, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the United Center.
Fan of Taylor Swift and the Dead Kennedys (a duet I can only dream of). I like dystopias, slasher films, and video games that make me feel things.
Which Contestant From Rupaul's Drag Race Season 7 Are You?
Lick it up, baby. Lick it up.
It's not just the patriarchy that'll end up smashed.
Because there's so much more to cinema this year than Transformers 5.
How do you find a vegan at a dinner party? Don't worry, they'll write a listicle about it.
"Hello Kitty" is terrible, but we shouldn't be surprised: Our Avril is no stranger to putting out awful music videos.
Moving to the capital takes some getting used to, so here's a handy run-down of some very important London life-lessons.
Your boss might not know how much you slack off, but we do.
Later this month jazz singer Madeleine Peyroux will release her first “best of” album, titled Keep Me In Your Heart While. We recently chatted with the peripatetic chanteuse about her many influences, the differences in writing songs in French versus English, and what she considers to be the “perfect” song.
How do you decide which songs are most fitting on a “Best Of” album?
Well, if you’re so lucky as to have more than one album and you can take a step back and look at what it is you may or may not have accomplished, I guess it’s like making coffee. You strain the contents and chuck the coffee grounds that made it all stick together. That’s what you do. And it’s quite a satisfying feeling too say that all of this can be looked at from another angle.
You’ve listed singers like Serge Gainsbourg and Edith Piaf as among your influences. Are there things you’ve learned from French songwriters that appear in your English songs?
What an interesting question! Actually, French is much more monotone as a spoken language than English, so the consonants of words, therefore, get more attention. I have found songwriters like Gainsbourg are able to use alliteration to make an idea come across more powerfully. And I don’t really find that we have used English that way in songwriting. So it has helped me think about consonants when singing. I’m sure that Spanish or Portuguese songs are even more focused on the vowels than we are in English. And all that affects the rhythm too. There’s a different sort of pause that is necessary in each. Also, I think that in French songs, if written in a formal tone, the lyric could go on for days, but the slang or more informal speech gets interesting because it can say more in less time. That is the most difficult way to write for me, I think, to make a conversation sound like a lyric, and the most rewarding. Then there are things that can be said more efficiently in each language, and I find that it is impossible to ever really say the same thing in a translation. So I guess above all, one can learn how much influence the music itself has on a song by studying other languages, because that is where the unspoken side of the song lives.
How did you learn to play guitar?
Well, I had a very small ukulele when I was about four years old, and my mother and I played the chords from the songbooks together, especially songs we knew by ear so that I could accompany myself singing. And that was really the reason I wanted to play guitar. A Beatles songbook and early jazz standard books gave me opportunities to try to understand more complex harmonies than the folk songs. Then the most striking basic training I had was being instructed by a jazz guitar teacher named Cris Monen, of Holland, who taught me to play rhythm guitar arrangements in the style of Freddy Green. That became very important for me to get into the elementary playground of understanding chords on the guitar, because it is so different from the instrument we use to understand harmony, which is the piano. And I was shocked to find out that masters like Freddy Green were content with very simplified parts within a big band. It gave me a sense that I could learn this! Once I had the epiphany that I could play with three notes at a time, or less, and hear a chord, I thought I could start to build on that and learn to accompany myself, just enough so that things made sense.
I believe that I am a singer first, and always have been. So lyrics are incredibly important to the way that I approach any song. Therefore, I cannot deny that my songwriting heroes are the great lyricists. Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields, Woody Guthrie, all remain at the heart of why I like to do what I do, I think. But I know nothing exists in a vacuum, and neither would they without say Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Fats Waller, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk, and the three B’s.
The first song I ever wrote was about Brooklyn, where we lived. It was probably the length of a haiku, and as deep as varnish, but it felt really good!
Well, the first thing about a song, I think, is that you don’t write it down. At least, the song does not exist in silence, the way that a written page does. And if you’re a singer, you try to feel the lyric, or the idea, the mood, and the vibrations of a melody in your body, your whole body. I think you meditate on something that is important to you until it is a simple act to open your mouth and express it. What comes out then is anybody’s guess, and you have to put it away, forget it, and then try again to say that same thing, the way you want to feel it said. So you rewrite, or re-create it, over and over again. And I guess if you’re lucky, you make sense, and then you have a song. But what do I know?
Sometimes a poem feels like both a poem and a song, to me at least. And I do struggle with knowing if there is a difference or what that difference may be. Perhaps it is not a question of right or wrong. Perhaps it is only a question of perspective. For example, Linton Kwesi Johnson, a wonderful poet, and a brilliant dub poetry artist. Which is he? I don’t know if there is a right answer. I would like to sing the lyrics to his dub poetry, which he recites so perfectly, not to expand on what he does, but to share in it in my own way. So I suppose that for me, song lyrics are poetry, and need to be regarded as highly and as importantly as words that stand alone.
I don’t know if this is really a good thing to say. I believe that you write or sing, or whatever you do, in order to say what you feel no one has heard you say, whatever that may be. I think it is just that simple. So the things that inspire me to write a song are things that I believe I would like to talk about, or argue about, or fight about, or just think about, enjoy thinking about. And then, I think, a good song helps write itself, because whatever inspired you to start writing, If you really think about it, will bring you back to a very central part of yourself, something close to truth. And if you can write about truth, then you’re saying something that people will either want to hear or at least that they should hear. Did I answer your question?
I guess that one of my favorite self-penned songs is called ‘Ophelia’ and it is on a record called ‘Standing On the Rooftop.’ It’s kind of about nature, womanhood, and the depression that comes from the distance between them in today’s world. I really worked hard on that song, and I felt that I got to the bottom of the story when it was done. I felt that I was writing about something important, and it seemed to me that the song was a success. Then again, I think my favorite song is always the one I have not written yet. That one’s really the best.
What’s a lyric or verse that you’re a great fan of?
I love funny sounding words like sassafrass, hootenanny, Chattanooga. I don’t like words that are mean, like c*nt or pr*ck.
Perhaps the most well-known song I’ve written is “Don’t Wait Too Long,” which is a very simple song, as it was meant to be, but has taken on some momentum in this day and age because surprising as it is to me, love songs have quite the power to be political when those ideas are clammering for a voice. I believe that we are witnessing a great change of social awareness in regards to gay marriage rights in this country and around the world, and I am proud to dedicate the song to that awareness when I introduce it at shows.
I guess you can’t get better than Shakespeare or Emily Dickinson. If it has to be a songwriter in the popular sense I’d say Kate Bush!
There are probably millions of underrated songwriters. Here are a few I can think of. Richard Julian, Jenny Scheinman, Andy Rosen, Rob Morsberger.
What do you consider to be the perfect song (written by somebody else), and why?
At this point in my life, I couldn’t think of a better song than “Blowing in the Wind.” Perhaps it doesn’t have the most modern sound, but that is all a question of fad. The staying power in the song comes from the simplicity of its every aspect: melody, harmony, form, common word usage (“my friend”), its universal poetic imagery, and of course, its eternally important subject matter: humanism.
Tourists in Ayutthaya have fun in a water battle with the elephants.
Asiatique the Riverfront joins the Water Festival with a wide range of delightful retro-themed activities.
All generations of Mon are pouring water through a long bamboo tube to bathe a Buddha image.
IT’S SONGKRAN and while plenty of Thais will head home to spend time with their families, cities all over the country are celebrating the Thai New Year with ceremonies, performances, fun activities, food and the occasional water fight.
We take a look at what’s on over the holidays.
Known for celebrating the most beautiful of Thai traditions, the Water Festival is once again turning nine iconic piers along the Chao Phraya River into entertainment venues from today to Monday.
Designed on the theme of “Yoo Yen Pen Sook” which literally means “live peacefully”, the festival invites visitors to pour water over elders’ hands in the rod nam dam hua ceremony, bathe Buddha statues to ask for blessings and have fun creating their own handicrafts at a series of workshops.
One of the popular stops is Lhong 1919, where visitors can pay respect to the Mazu Goddess, watch a contemporary long-drum dance troupe perform, check out the food truck carnival and learn how to prepare Thai desserts, craft fish out of palms and make Thai flower garlands.
The Tha Maharaj community mall is transforming itself into a Thai temple fair and offers a variety of classic games, Thai brass and long-drum troupe performances, watercolour classes and a Thai kite-making workshop.
From 5 to 10pm on all three days, Asiatique the Riverfront joins the celebration with concerts featuring Thai favourites Lada R-Siam, Wan Thanakrit and Paowalee Pornpimon. Here visitors can walk through the Very Cool Loincloth tunnel, experience Wet ’n’ Wild Sea Boxing, roam around the old market, join the traditional loincloth workshops and ride the giant Ferris Wheel to watch the sunset over the Chao Phraya River.
Thai cultures and traditions are the focus at Iconsiam.
Thai cultures and traditions are also the focus at the Iconic Songkran Festival 2019 being hosted by Iconsiam on the Thon Buri side of the river until Monday.
Visitors are invited to pour sacred water on four revered Buddha images from different periods, namely Shinnasri Buddha from the Sukhothai period, Nimit Vichitmarn Molee Sri Sanpetch Borom Tri Lok Nart Buddha representing the Ayutthaa era, Buddham Viseth Sasada Buddha from Thonburi and Siam Dheva Thirat Buddha of the Rattanakosin period.
The Songkran exhibition depicts the festival’s history and tradition and features performances of the Viva Songkran dance, silk reeling dance and traditional drumming. Here too visitors can take part in free workshops such as making scented fans and scented water, Thai-pattern fabric painting and the art of fruit and vegetable carving and also dress up in traditional costumes for a photo shoot.
Top Thai actresses will join the procession by dressing in royal court costumes from four eras – Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Thonburi and Rattanakosin. There’s also some water splashing and a concert by Nont Tanont and Da Endorphine.
Iconsiam’s Sook Siam zone is home to the “Sook Siam Yoo Yen Pen Sook” where visitors can pour water on hands of senior residents from the Ban Bang Khae Elderly Centre. Other highlights include a Ferris wheel, the egg pond game, sand pagoda making, a Songkran beauty contest and the presentation of traditional foods and handicrafts.
From 9am to 10pm, celebrants can take advantage of the free Chao Phraya Express Boats cruising to Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklaram, Wat Arun Ratchawararam, Wat Kalayanamitra Worawararam, Wat Prayurawongsawat Worawihan, Tha Maharaj, Yodpiman River Walk, Lhong 1919, Iconsiam and Asiatique.
Just 30 minutes away from downtown Bangkok, Thai-Mon residents are gathering in the grounds of the provincial hall today to take part in the grand Hang Hong Thong Takhab processions, which see statues of swans decorated in coloured mirror glass and centipede-inspired handcrafted flags carried to the temples.
They will also show off their skills in making the traditional hot season dish khao chae and building sand pagodas.
Continuing through Thursday, the festival includes the rod nam dam hua ceremony, culinary demonstrations of khao chae and mixed red sticky rice, Thai, Muslim and Chinese cultural performances, a sand pagoda building competition, Mon dance and Mon orchestra concerts. Youngsters will play Mon skittles in a showcase of the ethnic group’s unique culture.
Travelling back in time to the good old days of the old capital, Si Sanphet Road will serve as the main Songkran venue throughout the weekend. Here tourists can join the bathing ritual of Buddha statues and sand pagoda building and have fun with retro Thai dance and water fights with elephants from Ayutthaya Elephant Palace & Royal Kraal.
Tomorrow, the Thai-Mon residents of Bang Pa-in district will don traditional costumes for a unique centipede-inspired flag procession to Wat Thong Bo and join a bathing ritual of Buddha statues, in which they will pour water through split bamboo tubes to ask for luck, happiness and success in the coming year.
Nang Yai Wat Khanon National Museum is the place for art lovers to celebrate Songkran. Taking place today and tomorrow in a classic Thai ambience, the event features an art market and Thai-Mon food street where visitors can use cowrie shell money to bargain, a grand shadow play, a pong lang performance, a likay hulu dance and Lanna-style khon (masked dance drama).
Wat Ban Sing in Photharam district is today hosting the Bai Si ceremony to bring luck and happiness to Lao-Wieng residents for the year to come. There are also several cultural performances and activities to enjoy.
Later than in other parts of the province, Wat Ched Samian will celebrate the beginning of the Thai New Year next week with Flower Car processions, a long-tail boat racing tournament, a sand pagoda contest and the rod nam dam hua ceremony.
Sukhothai underlines its traditional heritage in the Songkran celebration at the historical parks.
The Retro Songkran Splendours event at Sukhothai Historical Park runs until tomorrow and features a variety of cultural activities and performances including a sand pagoda building competition, a Songkran beauty contest, bullock-cart processions from 12 communities, traditional sports and a market selling all kinds of local dishes, snacks and desserts.
The city is also hosting the Flowery Shirt Songkran Khao Tok Road festival around the Clock Tower until Monday, which will see residents building sand pagodas at Wat Thai Chumpol and dressing in colourful flower-covered shirts for the “flower car” procession. Other activities include retro Thai dance and a Miss Songkran contest.
The Amazing Songkran 2019 event, which runs until tomorrow at Phra Ram Ratchaniwet, takes visitors back to the contemporary culture during the reigns of Kings Rama V and VI.
Visitors can bathe Phra Buddha Sothon, register for royal cuisine workshops and watch demonstrations of 10 traditional Thai handicrafts, and enjoy a classical music concert by Sunatraporn Big Band, Vietrio, Lula, Radklao Amaradit, Saranya Songsermsawad and Praew Kanitkul.
The reception hall serves a formal Afternoon Tea set and guests can dress in period costumes to join a palace tour and watch a vintage car exhibition.
Chiang Mai is hosting the Pee Mai Muang Festival all over town.
The Northern city always prides itself on fantastic Songkran celebrations and this year the old Lanna capital celebrates its cultural heritage with the much-loved Pawenee Pee Mai Muang Festival that gets underway today and continues through Monday.