Commze

No trip along the nation’s East Coast would be complete without a stop at one of the oldest colonies in America, Williamsburg.  The first successful British Colony in North America was Jamestown, founded in May of 1607, four hundred and three years ago.  There were several failed attempts before it, with the Roanoke Lost Colony creating a number of mysterious legends in its wake (a play titled The Lost Colony was produced by the Roanoke Island Historical Association that explores this fascinating moment in American history).  In 1693, the nearby town of Middle Plantation began one of the oldest colleges in the nation, the College of William and Mary.  A few years later, Virginia’s Colony’s capital moved to Middle Plantation, where it became known as Williamsburg.

All of this history makes Williamsburg a fascinating place to visit.  You can attend Colonial Williamsburg, where buildings are virtually unchanged from the early days of the United States, and people re-enact what it was like to live in that time.  You can travel the Colonial Parkway, part of the National Park Service, taking in its scenic eleven miles, which connects Williamsburg to Yorktown.  There, you’ll find the Colonial National Historical Park, where you can see the Yorktown Battlefield, the actual place in which the Battle of Yorktown was waged.   You might check out the Yorktown Victory Center, as well, where you’ll find more living history run by the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation.

If the study of the Civil War isn’t to your liking, then you might try a ghost tour or spend a day or two at Busch Gardens Europe amusement park.  No matter what your interest, you’ll find stopping at Williamsburg will be worth it.  All you need to do is find a place to stay there, and that’s easy to do.  Just go to http://www.hotelswilliamsburg.com and you’ll find a hotel right for you.

This was the place where I found the things that I thought were lost forever.  It’s a city that holds many secrets, and in every corner of life, we can also find the lost wishes of the ones who have gone before us.  It’s a place that mixes us up, and the ones who learn to love the complications learn its hidden rhythms.  There is a pulse here that can only be heard by those who once looked for paradise, but instead only found that the gold never did go very deep, and the source had turned bitter from so many years of neglect.  The places I like to stay the most can be found here, because these are the ones that are the shiniest.

It’s an edge that becomes familiar, and there are times when you wake up and realize that you have started to get used to the cuts.  There’s a center that gets buried in lights and sounds, and it’s sometimes hard to find your way back where you came from.  But there’s also a kind of wisdom in making the decision to ignore the cries to go back home, and that’s the place where you start to find your way forward, and something that was hidden and forgotten starts to shine in the dark.

It doesn’t matter that the New York that I once found was not like the New York that I once left.  It’s always changing its face, and its rhythms are constantly shifting to become something indistinguishable from what it was a moment ago, if you leave, or if you blink.  But it’s still the same crucible.  The way it works the soul with fire is always the same, and the way the soul learns to give birth to itself again is also always the same pattern.  The same numbers in the dirt that faced me before still face me, but I understand better now how I will never really understand what they are supposed to mean for me.

Sam Shepard always seemed to be at the front of the stagecoach when it came to writing that was not self-aware, but at the same time utterly mad, and utterly visionary.  This is not un-self-aware, and it’s not a review of Lie of the Mind, but might be a reflection on mortality.  I hope it’s not poignant, nor too self-conscious.  Either way, this is very shaky ground, because I am from a certain generation that came of age when Shepard was already recognized as one of the major writers of the generation that came before us.  The stories we heard about were apocryphal and sometimes apocalyptic, but always interesting, because he had some secrets that he kept secret.
In a field where everyone tells you everything about themselves, to the point where they believe there are no lies or shadows left hidden in their souls, it was refreshing to meet a hero that prescribed hiding out.  It’s ironic and not that www.newyorkbroadwaytickets.net  is offering seats for the revival of his Lie of the Mind, directed by Ethan Hawke.  It’s got a great cast, and all the signs point to a solid work that everyone will probably pan anyway, just because that’s what they do.

But the real irony comes when I think about how we were coming of age right on the heels of Buried Child.  A few of us who liked to escape in libraries would find the copies of his early work, and realize that this was a reckless genius who was telling our stories, about our addictions, our demons, and our families.  There was something of a reluctant shaman about Sam, which later proved to be a mantle he’d throw off like Dylan, one of our other heroes.  Ethan Hawke was just becoming popular in those years.  To see that he’s directing the work, and what was once our present is now called a revival, this suggests that the wheel has truly spun another round, and there’s a generation of kids right now who just might have a sense that there’s something of a liberation in the visionary, along with a number of traps, if they care to ask for advice from the ones who came before.

Recently my neighbor had a major blow out on the throughway. Both the back tires made this grenade explosion and caused him to pirouette his car across three lanes of traffic where it stopped just shy of the ledge where that small strip of cement protects drivers from swerving off the black tar veins that intersect cities throughout the United States. He left cursive lines of where the wheels snaked and squealed on the blacktop . It was kind of beautiful and I was kind of out of my head after that Coney Island Wonder Wheel ride on four tires so I took a bunch of photographs. He told me I was weird, but I think car catastrophes make you weird.

He needed to buy tires after that. We searched a bunch of different places from small independent automotive shops and corporate locations. You know, the Bulk Club places where you can buy a hundred rolls of toilet paper and leave the cash register wondering about your stomach health. There were actually a lot of cool things to photograph in there, but my friend told me not to whip out my camera: he was still recovering from my latest shot at his tire blow out ride. I loved the stacks of tires, the automotive equivalent of huge Roman columns holding up on high places of political and religious importance that were now just crumbs. They were lined up in neat rows. It reminded me of those Chinese statue soldiers guarding that dead empower.

There were really weird stains on the floor too. Gum, oil, rubber had all made their mark throughout the years there. I thought that the marks were like some sort of secret code for the rubber tire soldiers, so started to traipse around them and making up a story from them because my fried had already taken an hour to get tires. He still did not have them in an hour, and I was bored enough to make a story from Bubble Yum and old Castrol oil. I work at a library where I read to children: it just sort of got into me to start telling stories at any hour or minute of the day after working there about a month. My friend likes to listen to them though he does dislike my photos. He says the stories told in the photos are not as good as the stories I make up from tires and other things.

San Francisco, California is full of amazing cultural attractions, beautiful architecture and of course amazing views. At least two of the bridges that span the Bay, the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge are major city icons and tourists frequently find a thrill in crossing them. There is such a diverse assortment of cultural elements and events that occur year round that the hotels San Francisco are full of people from all over the world and who are frequently there for very different reasons. A couple of the current exciting events taking place in this great American city are the 75th Anniversary Celebration at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Noir City, SF Film Noir Festival.

The SFMOMA Anniversary Celebration will include three days of free special programs. Some of these include seventy five gallery talks and installations by artists Allison Smith and Bill Fontana. There will be a special musical presentation on Saturday night with performances by Matmos, Loop!Station and cellist Zoe Keating. Keating composed some music for two works in the museum’s permanent collection and it will be included in the launching of a multimedia tour of the collection. Sunday a the museum is family day and their will be plenty of entertainment and activities for everyone. There will also be film screenings among other special events. The museum is located at 151 Third St.

The Film Noir Festival will take place at the Castro Theater from January 22 to the 31st. It is intended to celebrate and examine the philosophy of noir in various mediums. The festival proves to be the largest of its kind in the entire United States and celebrates the spirit, attitude and style of noir in books, music and art. The festival will include some very special and as of now secret guests as well as some of the most rare noir films in the world. The theatre is located at 429 Castro Street.

My third day in Sarasota, Florida! Today, I wanted to check out Myakka State Park, which is located out on Longboat Key. I drove out on the causeway and veered left, this Key felt more private than the others I’ve been to so far during my stay here, so I ended up driving a while, because it all looked so very private. I didn’t see public entrance to get to the beach. All I saw were hundreds of condos, vacation rentals and many country clubs with golf courses. So, I drove with what felt like hours until I was outside of Sarasota county and entering Manatee county. I was really wondering if there was no way to see Myakka and was about to turn around, when all of a sudden I was surrounded on both sides with parking lots for the beach. I picked one and got out. I was at Coquina Beach, with beautiful white sand. I only stayed for about an hour because I felt I was too far up the coast.

I headed back towards Sarasota. I ended up driving back into the downtown area and feeling better, because I was in familiar surroundings. I went back to park my car at my hotel, which I found on-line at this site: http://www.westfloridahotels.com when I did a search for West Florida hotels.

The next morning, I checked out and packed up my car and gave it one more try for Myakka State Park. This time I got on Fruitville road and travelled for about 18 miles. I really wanted to see an alligator, I mean after all, I am in Florida! I finally ended up at the entrance to the State Park, but I couldn’t take my car inside, the park is designated for pedestrians and bicyclists. I was told that I could take my car here. When I asked about, someone told me to head down the road for about 45 minutes and I’ll see the main entrance to Myakka. I was thrilled when I passed the Rangers Station and drove at a very slow 15 MPH. This was fine by me, because all the flora I was passing was awesome. I drove passed a bridge and found a place to pull over.

I walked over to a boardwalk that led up a hill to a viewing area, which overlooked a small inlet. I saw plenty of birds and tall grass. I then headed up where there was a bike rental place and stepped onto the grass and looked across the water. That’s when I saw something start to move; it was big, black, very long and had scales on it! When I saw the nostrils that when I knew I’d finally saw my first glimpse of an alligator! Alligators! There were a few more and one of them moved from the sandy beach into the water and began to swim. My goal was complete, so now I can drive out of Florida knowing I got to see a real live alligator.

The Elgin Theatre in New York city, was a popular movie house in the 1940’s.  When the venue located at Eighth Avenue and 38th Street began to change, from the revival movies towards a more questionable list of movies, more “adult” in content and nature, the community closed it down.  In the early 1980’s, this building became home to the Joyce Theatre Foundation.  Two years of renovations were necessary, to create the one of the most premiere and elegant venues for performances of not only more than three hundred dance companies throughout the city, and throughout the world, but one that supports and offers performance spaces to theatre productions and musical performances as well.

With just 472 seats, the theatre is the perfect venue for the smaller, and not quite well known companies.  The mission of the Foundation has been to support and to serve the community of dance, as well as all of the performing arts, and promote the variety and the richness, allowing the companies to fully express themselves artistically, and allowing more opportunity for the people of the community the exposure to this world as never before.  Hugh Hardy was the architect responsible for the building’s transformation.  He expanded on the Art Deco theme of the building, and totally gutted and redesigned the inside of the theatre, from the dressing rooms to the stage to the seats in the auditorium.

This beautiful renovation inspired other projects of renewal in the neighborhood, such as the redesigning and rebuilding of many of the restaurants, apartment buildings, and some of the finest boutique hotels in Manhattan.   The theatre brings together the cultural mix of the neighborhood, as well as the mix and the appreciation of that diversity through the various and different companies that have performed there over the last thirty years.  Classical performances celebrating tradition, and more cutting edge performances celebrating this new and modern age are some of the shows you can expect to find.  Should you be traveling through the city in 2010, some of the works you will have the chance to see are those by Bill T. Jones, Pacific Northwest Ballet Company, the John Jasperse Company, and the Lyon Opera Ballet.  And true to many of the arts foundations in the city, The Joyce Theatre hosts forums and many educational programs.  Stop by the Joyce this year,  and enjoy the dance!

After traveling 2 days, Beth and I finally made it New York City. We arrived early in the morning and we made our way via bus from the airport. We booked our accommodations when we were in Brazil, but unfortunately, in our whirlwind packing frenzy, we forgot to write down the address. We had the bus just drop us off around 94th street, and finally figured out we should have been on 73rd street to try and find one of the New York Luxury hotels that had our reservations. We eventually found our hotel by mid-morning and our room was ready and waiting for us! We really needed a hot shower, but decided to make most of the little time we have here and took advantage of the hotels hair salon. I’ll just say this, it was heaven, especially after 3 months of traveling in dusty Africa and humid Brazil.

It was supposed to be extremely cold while we were here, but we’ve been pleasantly treated to a warm spell. So, we decided it was a perfect time to see Central Park for lunch. We weren’t alone in our thinking, it seemed all of New York was out at the park. The trees were beginning to turn, so it made our stroll through the park magical. We noticed that almost everyone in the park had a dog. We had a hard time imagining how these dogs live in those small flats or apartments with no yards. Later, is when we noticed why there are tons of doggy day care centers and doggy walkers.

It was a treat for us to order a cup of coffee and a cheap bagel near the park. We’ve also noticed it’s hard to stay on a budget in New York, there’s just so much to see and do in this vastly diverse city. The bagel only managed to wet our appetite, so we went in search of a Vietnamese restaurant, but not before we headed back to our hotel and changed into our newly made Vietnamese dresses. We knew we might seem silly, wearing a Vietnamese dress to a Vietnamese restaurant, but when we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted with warm smiles and attentive service.

We went over budget by splurging on tickets to see ‘The Lion King’ on Broadway. We couldn’t help but want to experience a little bit more of Africa, but this time without the dust. We were so happy we busted our budget, the musical was absolutely awesome. The performances were outstanding and we were enthralled with every moment. We highly recommend seeing this musical if your in New York.

That’s all we had time for really, because it was time to catch our flight back home to Georgia. I personally feel, after being abroad, that there’s no place like America, it truly is a wonderful country, and now that I’ve experienced it, there’s nothing like New York City. It’s a fantastic place.

Serena Williams has been known to wear the same pair of socks throughout an entire tennis tournament.  Will she do this alleged habit/superstition of her for the Australian Open Tennis Championship this year?  Probably, as all players have kooky little pre game and post game rituals that they indulge in.  They will no doubt be fashionable since she has her clothing line now that she designs for.

In fact, fashion (she used to have a line with Puma but switched over to Mike with whom she is currently with) among other things (she has had brief acting stints on shows like Law and Order and in music videos too), such as the money from copious advertisements and fame, were said to be at the root cause of her failure in her match against Madison Keys.  Though it was simply an exhibition game, in addition to her John McEnroe meltdown at the U.S. Open in 2009 over a foot fault in which she physically threatened a judge, some of her former fans have become less enamored of her lately.

However, she is still the number one women’s player in tennis.  She also has two gold medals to put on her credentials, and has won more money than current female players till active in the game.  Perhaps most importantly is that she is a role model for African American girls and the kind of success they can have through focus and hard work.

She plays a high-risk game, staying close to the baseline, and has great volleys, the kind of which her opponents cannot duplicate.  Her sister, Venus, has provided her with a great kind of rivalry that has pushed her onto the higher accomplishments and greater feats.  Perhaps her saavy business sense for fashion and copious deals with companies for advertising is not necessarily a fault showing that she is stretched too things, but a strength showing how far a woman can go and be a success—and in several different ventures.  However, she better show better behavior this year at the Australian Open if she wants to coninue to be a good role model and popular with the crowds.

My luck has never been very strong when it comes to the big competitions that the world seems to care so much about, so I try not to get caught up in anything.  I focus my luck on making things work in my own life, whether it’s finding parking spaces, better jobs, or hoping that the movie hasn’t started yet.  When I’m in Singapore, however, it all changes.  I can’t really say what it is, exactly, but something about the place makes me fall madly, deeply, and even truly, in love with anything that has even a hint of the sheen of pop culture.  I just go for it, and whatever the genre, whether it’s sports or music or even industrial design, I love to be somewhere in the middle of the crowd.

I made a decision not to get caught up this time, and instead, focused my trip on enjoying all of the things besides pop culture.  I love going to the galleries, and there’s always some exciting new performance art going on here, that’s much better than the work in my hometown, which is always so derivative of Marina’s early body work.  And when it comes to finding a good Chinese restaurant, I have an incredible skill.  It’s like second nature to me, although finding a good Chinese place in Singapore is sort of like finding a  goatee in Seattle.  So I was altogether absorbed and very happily into my appetizers when I couldn’t help but over hear the table next to me talking about Singapore Idol.

Thousands were expected turn out to see the finals live, and I had happily avoided it altogether.  But someone was talking about how they really wanted Sezairi Sezali to win, because they couldn’t stand seeing a woman get the award.  This made me so angry that I became a fan of Sylvia Ratonel right there on the spot.  By the next morning, I knew everything about her.  I knew that she didn’t eat her vegetables, and I forgave her for that.  I also forgave her for snoring like a trucker, and even imagined its sound in my mind.  It was sweet.  So cute.  So very like Sylvia.  Of course, she lost, because that’s my luck, and that’s my curse, and I just want to tell her I’m sorry.  But you know I love you.

When circumstances dictate a time necessary to ask for money from friends or relatives, but they too are cash strapped, then it’s time to consider applying on-line for a money mutual loan, otherwise known as a Payday loan. A Payday loan will take the anxiety away from the borrower by being the best solution to a financial crunch, plus the loan will be funded almost immediately; as for a regular bank, it can take up to a month for them to go through the application alone and then, most likely the bank will not approve of the loan, which in turn, will only delay payment of that unexpected bill and make the borrowers anxieties rise.

A money mutual loan, is also called, in the financial world, a micro-loan and the function of a micro-loan is to help people who are in urgent need of cash and an easy way to receive that cash. Payday loans are short-term loans that will provide an unsecured loan that can be obtained by applying on-line at any number of Payday loan websites, like advertised on the Money Mutual Montel Williams commercial.  There is no credit check and no reason is necessary when applying. These sites are open 24/7, because companies know emergencies wait for no one.

There are some qualifications needed before considering applying for a Money Mutual (Payday) loan: the borrowers needs to be 18 years of age, a United States of America Citizen, a valid checking account and an minimum income per month. If all the above criteria are met, the borrower will have the cash wired to their bank account within 24 hours. The repayment is usually by the borrowers next payday, which is highly recommended to make this type of short-term loan beneficial.

All and all, no matter what term you call this loan: money mutual, Payday or micro-loan, this loan only benefits the borrower in several different ways. The borrower can pay off credit cards or pay late bills that will stop late fees or penalties. In turn, the borrowers credit rating will improve and those bothersome collection calls will cease; giving the borrower a way out of debt. What could be better than being out of debt? So, next time an emergency arises, or you can’t make your payments on-time for your bills, go on-line and apply for a short-term Payday loan.

Once cartographers had been working on the world map for many years, some astronomers and map makers began to long for maps of the outer realms.  Scientists such as Galileo, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Hevilius began to map beyond the boundaries of the known world, the known universe.  The telescope was invented in 1609, and with this invention detailed diagrams and maps of the moon and the stars opened up a view of the heavens, a road map to spaces never before seen by the human eye.

During this time, microscopes and magnifying glasses brought into view the tiny worlds that live withing ours.  Again, a world that was never before witnessed, a piece of the world globe, in the tiny worlds on the microscope slides.  Now what had begun to fascinate these scientists was the inner world, the core of the earth.  Tides, and earthquakes, mountains and volcanoes were evidence that something was indeed happening at the core, which led such scientists through deductive reasoning, men such as René Descartes, to reaching propositions about phenomena that is not seen by naked eye.  The imaginary places were now becoming very real indeed.

These phenomena were finding their way into the writings of the poets of the time, such as excerpts from Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream“. These astronomical and global happenings were finding their place as “good” and “evil”.  This brought into the minds of scientists and artists alike, a change in perspective, not only of the universe but of the human psyche as well.  The medical field had begun to seriously “map” the human physical body.  This was a time of discovery, of thinking people finally seeing the evidence of certain things that they knew all along, but had not yet seen the physical proof.  Maps, and the early creation of maps, led people not only to places they were longing to go, but to places within where they already were.

From Swiftrank: There’s no doubt that we live in an age where we like to measure things.  This is a result of the kinds of holdovers from logical positivism, who saw its great moment at the end of the 19th century, when the industrial revolution, combined with the new advances in science, suggested that there was a knowable world out there, and we could understand everything if we just had the right tools.  In the field of naturalism, there were sudden attempts to catalogue everything in the known world, and we have some extraordinary works of art that came from these attempts to catalogue all the discoveries from the previous century’s explorations.

It may very well be that we’re finding ourselves at the end of measuring, in terms of recent philosophical shifts that are a result of the kinds of science that came after relativity exploded everything.  However, we still have the need to measure and to compare, and it’s a reflect to look at nearly everything and to give it a swiftrank in terms of popularity, elusive measurements of value, or personal interest. On good days, these attempts to rank everything seem very optimistic, but on most days, it is a kind of thinking that is nostalgic.  But it does enter into the field of popular culture in increasingly complex ways.

Any surface look at the recent youtube video listings will show a considerably baffling number of responses, and many of these responses begin with an attempt to catalogue the video based on a very personal scale of interest.  But they inevitably fall to a kind of self-promotion of personal opinions that often escalate into online flame wars.  While these flame wars may be fascinating as a new kind of cultural phenomenon, they also point to a much deeper illustration of the history of science in contemporary times.  While the initial responses are somewhat quantitative in nature, they very quickly devolve into a kind of chaos or entropy, and this is the same road that modern physics took when it moved from positivism into relativism, and the results of this turn are still being sorted out in the consciousness of the culture at large.

Ethics, honesty, and organization.  These are three of the skills that are required when you choose to enter into the world of property managing.  For the members on the team of TransGlobe Property Management, these are just a few of the qualities that come as second nature.  Property managers take care of the finances and the buildings of those who have invested in them as well as taking care of the tenants.  This is one aspect of the job that requires a great sense of integrity.

Being organized and diligent with the books and the records is a must as well as staying up to date on the laws and the regulations of the state in which you live and work.  Multi-tasking is a must as they will be responsible for the repairs and the requests of the tenants as well as ensuring that the grounds remain in tip-top shape.  The managers at TransGlobe Property Management are well aware of the necessity for communication skills. They are people persons, and must be able to relate to the tenants, and to communicate their concerns or their suggestions to the property owners.  In some cities, being multi-lingual is a benefit, as the cultures are becoming much more diverse.  So this goes without saying that a great property manager is one who truly loves working with the public.

And when taking care of aspects of a property, such as plumbing or electrical issues, they must have great problem solving skills and be up to accept the challenges presented when something goes wrong in the middle of the night.  Computer skills are beneficial as well, as in this day and age so much is done online, and the computer is now at the center of the industry, be it as a means of communication or record keeping.   An investigative mind will help as you will be required to do research on the current trends in the market.  These are the skills that make the difference between a good property manager and a great one.

How many stove for sale adds did you sift through to just get an idea of what your looking for? You know you want a new stove but what kind do you want to buy? As I looked through the paper and websites on the subject I got more interested in the history of the heating stove. I mean it is just crazy that we are looking through stove for sale adds on a computer now a days. And how about the many options consumers have on the styles, designs and functions of the stoves made new today. How did we get here?

One of the early contributor to modern day heating stoves was cast-iron. What is cast-iron exactly? Well, its grey iron, named after the color the crack leaves, for the most part. But now there are many other alloys that fall under the name cast-iron. You can usually tell what kind of alloy you are working with by the color of the fractured surface. White cast iron has a white fractured surface form the carbide impurities. Grey cast-iron of course has a grey surface fracture and that come from the graphite flakes.

Malleable cast iron is the only type that can be used for heating stoves. It has a low melting point, is machinable, fluid and cast-able. It is resistant to deformity and has great track record with wear and tare. This makes for a great substance to use for many applications like pipes, auto parts and other building materials. Cylinder heads and blocks as well as gear boxes in automobiles are a few of the places were cast iron has excelled.

History has many pieces of cast iron products in many museums around the world. King Henry VIII had one of the first cannons made of cast iron in England. They were much cheaper than the previous bronze cannons but they were heavier. Cast iron pots made there way into the scene around 1707 with Abraham Darby’s patented method of a thinner pot and kettle. The big steam engine created by Thomas Newcomen became a big use for cast iron which replace brass because it was cheaper. Anyway, there is quite a history to heating stoves that goes beyond just a simple add.

While in Hyderabad it will be worth having a look at one the most wackiest creations, The Sudhacar Museum, it’s known throughout the world as the Wacky Car Museum, created by Mr. Sudhakar. It’s located on the Hyderabad – Bangalore highway, not to far from the hotels by the airport and near the Nehru Zoological Park.

The museum has almost one hundred models of two wheelers and mini cars. A majority of the cars were created out of scrap metals. Children thoroughly enjoy this museum because it allow their imaginations to soar, just like Mr. Sudhakars has, which has won accolades around the world. There are cars shaped in unbelievable and recognizable shapes, some you’ll laugh at and others that will make you ponder.

For another interesting sight while in Hyderabad, check out the famous Ramoji Film City. It is spread over 1800 acres and is situated a little be further from the airport. The Ramoji Film City is one of the most comprehensive and largest planned film production centers in the world. A producer can walk in with a script and walk out with a film. But, not only is this place all about films, it also hosts the Yuva Fest, which consists of the best music bands in India.

If wacky cars or film industries isn’t your cup-of-tea, the come to Hyderabad during the winter solstice and participate in the Makar Sakranti, a Hindu festival where people offer prayers to their local deities, and witness the best kite flying in all of India and this traditional Kite flying is done with a frenzy of passion that charges the atmosphere full of excitement.

So, have no worries when in Hyderabad, there’s plenty of interesting or unusually things to do, especially if you have children and adolescents. The climate in Hyderabad is very pleasant, making it an ideal place to visit anytime of the year.

If you’re a War War II buff, and find anywhere near Germany, then you may want to check out that small city’s main attraction, the world’s last existing type V11-C submarine, the U-955, built in 1942 for the German Navy.  Following the war, the sub was moved to the Norwegian Navy.  In 1965, the decommissioned U-955 was returned to Germany, where she rests today, a museum that’s become one of the main tourist attractions for the city of Kiel.

After checking in to one of the many Kiel hotels, take a visit to the Rathaus’s 100 year old tower, three hundred and fifty feet tall.  The tower was damaged by bombing in World War II, but much of it has been restored today and, by climbing to the top, you will have a great view of the city and harbor.  From May to September, guided tours are offered on Wednesdays at around two in the afternoon.  Afterwards, you can walk along the Hindenburg Embankment’s two mile stretch for a closer look at the harbor.  You’ll be walking on the fjord’s west side, with a good view of the shipyards.

But one of the big reasons to come to the city is the chance to crawl around inside an actual World War II German sub, which you can do (every day, if you like) from April to October, from about 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., while the winter months, November through March, you’ll find the museum closing a bit earlier at five in the afternoon.  You’ll see the astonishgly cramped spaces where about forty to fifty men lived.  If you’re claustrophobic, you may double-think going to this exhibit, but if you’re okay with tight hatchways and narrow corridors, then the sub will provide a chance to take a close look at history in a way few people ever do.

The people of India are overall a very friendly bunch, but I’ve quickly learned that if you ask for something specific in a shop, the sales clerk will confidently try to sell you something completely different and making you feel that it’s what you actually asked for. For example: George wanted to buy his girlfriend a hanuman pendant, which is a little monkey. We were down at the Wednesday Flea Market in Anjuna, Goa when he asked one jewelry stall if they had the ‘little monkey’ pendant, and the sales clerk responds that they do a shows him a poodle. We went to the next stall and he ask again, and again the sales clerk says yes that they have the hanuman monkey pendant and shows him a teddy bear. This when on for several stalls and no one actually had that particular pendant, but they don’t want to lose out on a sale.

The other day, when I was on the road to recovery from the tummy bug, we decided to head down to the south beaches of Goa to a place called Benaulim, it’s a peaceful, rural village and the beaches is of white sand and clean. After we all gathered at my Goa India hotel, we headed on out. On our arrival, I noticed a few of my companions were a bit miffed that I had booked a guest house for the day, but that it didn’t have a pool. I didn’t think we needed a pool, I mean, after all, we were going to the beach.

Too be fair, their mood was related to the fact that they too are suffering from Delhi-belly, and have not fully recovered. They needed to be near a bathroom more than be near a beach. Anyways, I spent my afternoon basking in the gorgeous beauty of south Goa beach and I managed to form a friendship with a girl selling pineapples as she traversed the beach. It wasn’t long that every beach hawker found their way to me and I became surrounded by every trinket seller that lives in Benaulim!

When it was evening, I checked in on my moody companions, and they were still asleep. I hated to wake them up, but I only booked the guesthouse for the day. They woke up in a better mood, but sad they missed the beach and happy to be heading back to the comforts of our hotel.

When you opt for a Singapore wedding, you will be bringing the exotic world of Singapore into the beginning of the rest of this new life.  There are many options for indoor and outdoor weddings, each with something different and wonderful to offer.  From the glorious array of tropical flowers that will find to surround yourself, to the colorful and majestic clothing, to a myriad of choices when it comes to choosing the menu for the reception.  When my husband and I choose to get married in Singapore, we planned in a short trip for our selves, just before the wedding started, on a the cruise ship of Admiral Cheng Ho.  This is a replica of the Emperor of China’s ship, as his reign was during the fifteenth century.  So while it is exactly like his ship in every way, there are modern amenities.   In the United States, it is considered bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.  However by the time you reach your ceremony in Singapore, we were already married legally, as is the way that the law states in the country.

So we decided that no bad luck would come our way.  The cruise is offered at different times in the morning and in the afternoon.  All of the tours are narrated, and give insight into the fascinating history of the city, from the view of the Singapore River.  We made our way past the magnificent architecture of the city skyline and down to the Harbourfront Center, passing old Singapore and heading to the modern city.  The port here is the busiest in the world, and we passed many ships and boats before stepping ashore on Kusu Island. What we took with us to our ceremony, was a deeper and more rich understanding of the culture, the people and the city in which we would be beginning our lives together.  I highly recommend considering looking at your options in Singapore, if an exotic experience on your wedding day is something you desire.

Curtis was an architecture major at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He particularly loved Romanesque design and wanted to establish a revival of that style. In a recent design analysis paper, he chose the St. John’s Cathedral in his own city to serve as his subject. He had always loved the Cathedral and though he isn’t catholic, he has visited it many times and has even attended a mass. Just driving by the building always gave him both a sense of peace and inspiration. Part of him was strongly drawn to designing sacred buildings though he was equally pulled to the arts community and loved the idea of building a grand theatre or opera in a neo-Romanesque style.

The Cathedral is listed on the National Registry of Historic Properties and attracts numerous tourists who are staying in one of the Lafayette hotels. Curtis imagined the day that that tourist would want to visit a building that he had designed. While he definitely worked hard and studied almost non-stop, Curtis also had a strong sense of confidence and a tremendous capacity to fantasize about the great things he would accomplish.

However, he was focused and realistic in his approach to the paper he was writing about St. John’s Cathedral. It was built in 1916 and was the third church to be constructed on the land, which had been donated by Jean Mouton in 1821. In his paper he would focus on the turrets that flanked the octagonal steeple. He also loved the contrast between the graceful curves of the arches and the sturdy brick from which the church was made. As with everything else, Curtis continued to make mental notes about what might be incorporated into his masterpiece opera design and this paper was no different. I imagined a sturdy brick or stone building though it had to be laced with gentle arches and he somehow had to do a variation on a steeple.

Visiting Bangalore is almost as pleasurable as eating in Bangalore, but when you’re trying something new, and the spices hit you for the first time as being exactly just right for this moment right now, there’s nothing else in the world.  Memory is strange, and immensely fascinating, but there’s something peculiar about food and what it does to the senses.  The taste buds are connected to the olfactory centers, and this is related to memory in a very profound way.  When you are tasting something wonderful for the first time, it does something to the memory itself, and creates something new in your mind.  Making memories is intimately connected to the sense of taste then, and you can make as many memories as you like at the wonderful Bangalore restaurants.

Proust wrote most articulately about memory, and particularly this notion, of taste and smell being connected, but I can never remember exactly what he said, or where he said it.  It was not in Bangalore, but today, this is a spectacular place to visit, and offers enormous variety for the chowhound.  There are plenty of wonderful options on every menu, and it’s possible to taste brand new dishes every single day.  When you’re on vacation, it’s a pleasure to eat comfort foods for sure, but it’s also lovely to try out something that will open up the senses.

It’s difficult to find foods cooked in the Shree Vaishanava tradition these days, but their memory still lingers very clearly in the minds of some of the local population.  This is a branch of Hindu philosophy that was an all-encompassing tradition, and its foods are remembered in the way of Proust in a collection of recipes by Sampath Iyengar.  This is cooking with a great capacity for joy, honoring the sacred capacities of preparing food together as a spiritual observance, and as such, it is a splendid book about a past that is dissolving.

Often times the soul of a person or a culture is expressed through dance, and this is true in the traditional Hula dance of Hawaii.  This is a dance for both women and men, and has been throughout history and legend.  There are many Polynesian traditional dances, but as one will see through Oahu or Kauai travel, the Hula is special and quite different from all of them.  The history of the dance lies within the ceremonial and the religious, and evolved over time to become one the most widely recognized form of Hawaiian entertainment.

However, it is still quite ceremonial, as each movement of the body of the dancer, each flip and twist of the hand has specific and symbolic meaning.  Some may refer to animals or plants, or elements of society such as war.  For the Hula dancer, if their movements are that of a shark, the dancer is believing that he or she is the shark, contains the spirit of the shark within them.  Kauai travel packages offer suggestions on the best places to catch a glimpse of this tremendous experience.

When you find the perfect performance you will hear chanting, this is the story that accompanies the movements of the dancers.  Many years ago it was these chanted words that counted more that the movements of the body, however many today do not understand the traditional native language, and so more emphasis has been places on the gestures of the hands and the body.  And the costumes…oh the costumes.  Leis are place around the neck and head.  The skirt, or pau, is made out of the grass Tapa, and the ankles jewelry is made from either the bones of a whale or the teeth of a dog.

In history, the classes in hula were extremely strict as this was a religious ceremony.  Many restrictions were placed on the dancers, even when they were not in the classroom.  Now, those restrictions have eased up a bit, and many take class as a form of exercise and a way to have fun.  Many discounts to the island are available through such offers as Oahu vacation packages, so book a trip, take a hula dance class, and enjoy the islands of Hawaii.

The New Orleans Saints are the professional football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are one of two major iconic factors of the city, other one being the annual celebration of Mardi Gras. And while these are two of the main aspects of the city that are recognized around the country and even the world they are not the only offerings New Orleans has to share. The Saints, however, one of their own pride and joys. And while many of the guests who stay in one of the New Orleans luxury hotels are there specifically to enjoy the Mardi Gras parades and festival, the Superdome is full of supportive Saints fans.

The Saints and the Superdome itself were the focus of national attention during the 2006 home opener. This sold out game marked the Saints’ return to the Superdome after the horrific damage it suffered during the Hurricane Katrina. This game was also nationally televised and the Saints beat their opponents the Atlanta Falcon’s by a score of 23 to 3. The following year, in 2007, this spectacular event received official recognition by ESPY as one of the best moments in sports. That season they also reached the NFC Championship Game, though they ended up losing to the Chicago Bears.

The team was founded as an expansion team in 1967 and they had a slow time gaining wining seasons and critical recognition. Finally in 2000 they defeated the St. Louis Rams, who were at the time the defending Super Bowl Champions, and earned the Saints their first playoff win. The team has a strong local support base and the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame was established to encourage continued enthusiasm and sponsorship. It is intended to preserve the history of the franchise and notable memorabilia for generations of loyal fans.

In 1796 Tennessee became a state of the Union. At that time, Knoxville became the Capital of Tennessee and remained so until 1819. Knoxville is the second largest city in the state, with Nashville claiming first place. Interestingly, Knoxville has a couple nicknames. Because of the numerous marble quarries in the area, it gained the nickname of, what else, The Marble City. There are several beautiful buildings in the city that were constructed from this marble. Textile and clothing mills were a big boon for the city’s economic base and soon earned the nickname The Underwear Capital. However, in the 1950’s, the mills started closing, jobs were lost and people moved away, seeking employment in other cities and states. This city had its share of ups and downs with the economy but the city fathers persevered and moved the city forward, always keeping their eyes focused on the future.

In 1982, Knoxville hosted the World’s Fair, which has been deemed one of the best ever. Calculations tally over 11 million visitors in attendance. This certainly helped the economy and brought Knoxville to the front of interesting places to visit. With extensive renovations throughout the city, major cleaning, clearing and planting, Knoxville has come into its own. There is plenty of history here, especially related to the Civil War. With many museums, art galleries, shopping, theatres, amusement areas and fabulous restaurants there is much to delight and entertain visitors of all ages.

The hotels Knoxville offers are also centered on visitors and feature the finest in amenities; polite, knowledgeable staff to assist and cater to guests, making sure their stay is comfortable and restful. You can also dine in elegance at the hotel restaurants, or head out to other fine establishments and take in some local nightlife. Enjoy the music and dancing, mingle with others. There is much to see and do in and around Knoxville. Do not overlook this southern city; this could be your next vacation destination.

Humayun’s Tomb is by far one of the most visited places in Delhi. Best hotels are not to far away from this beautiful sight. This tomb is actually a complex of many buildings that the Mughal Emperor Humayun built for his wife the lovely Hamida Banu Begum in 1562 CE. It was designed by a Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyath. It was the first tomb built on the Indian subcontinent and is near the Dina-panah citadel many know as Purana Qila. This was a structure of a few firsts. It was the first building to use red sandstone in such large amounts. It was also a start of having burials in gardens for this area. It is seen as a true change from the more modest mousoleum of previous Emperors.

The building includes the main tomb with the Emperor Humayun and his wife and also Dara Shikoh. Dara is the son of a Emperor Shah Jahan a later Emperor. There is also many other Emperor’s and notables such as Emperoer Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi Ul-Darjat, Rafi Ud-Daulat and Alamgir II. The site was built  on the banks of the Yamuna River because it is closer to the Nizamuddin Dargah, the mausoleum created for the Sufi Saint of Delhi. The Sufi Saint was admired by rulers of Delhi whose homes area built just north east of the tomb. One story told about the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar is that he hide in the tomb during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 with three princes but was captured by Captian Hodson and then exiled to Rangoon.

The building has such a blend of simple arch ways and ornated detail. It seems so soft with the red sandstone giving a more pink tranquility. It is almost feminine in nature and reminds me of resting the a mothers comforting arms. It is no wonder the appeal it’s dynastic memorial for so many generations of the Mughal royal family and nobility. It is the top of many “must see” lists when visiting Delhi.

Intention, ideology and insight are the three elements that are crucial for brand strategy. These are key elements that Next Day Blinds focus on every day.  Insight involves knowing what your customers need and want, and the ability to predict the trends.  By understanding the motivations of the consumer a company will have a leg up on the competition.  There are many options, many choices for consumers theses days, from retail stores to shopping on the Internet, and companies are doing more now than ever before in finding ways to meet customer demands, and retain their business.

Many companies, such as Next Day Blinds, hold brain storming meetings to facilitate new ideas and to ensure that their brands will remain the recognized brands, that their target audience is well defined.  Without these meetings they would find it necessary to simply guess what it is the people want.  The ideology core, is the purpose of the company.  This involves reviewing the values of operation and what the long term goals are, the future of certain products, and the future of the growth of the company.

This involves not only new product development, but customer service as well.  At www.NextDayBlinds.com, issues should they occur are handled efficiently and often result in even more of a customer loyalty.  These are all opportunities to guarantee that continued loyalty.  The ideology of a company affects directly the strategies a company employs.  If the ideology is not reflected, this will create a disconnect and a conflict, when the brands do not deliver what they are intended to deliver.

The purpose and the values of a company are reflected in the ways in which their products really perform.  If a cell phone company advertises a great new phone, but the phone has continued problems, breaks down frequently, the company will be seen as not sticking to their promises, and customers will begin to go elsewhere.  When the insights of a company are on target and the ideology is thoroughly recognized a company can then begin to really pay attention, to their intentions.  This involves tremendous focus on the goals, on what is relevant and what is meaningful.  These components in a world that is driven by choices, and consumers evaluating those choices, a company will not lose out to the competition.

There’s something very appealing about getting away to a big city that’s known as the most isolated large city in the world.  Perth has everything you’d ever want in a city: a lively urban culture, a sense of history, access to magnificent beaches, plus, it’s the most isolated large city in the world.  So even if you’re in the middle of things, you can still have at least an imaginary sense of solitude.  For all of that, however, Perth is also an extremely cosmopolitan place.  It reflects all the cultures that pass through here or live here, including the indigenous population, which has been in this part of the world for 40,000 years.

For diversity, it has many different immigrant populations, from all over the world, and for hotels, Perth specializes in the Australian brand of hospitality.  Which is to say, it’s very warm and very friendly, and it’s also one of the most livable cities on the planet, according to more than one reliable source.  Perth is an amazing place to get away from what you’re familiar with, and discover new ideas in a fantastic city.  There truly is something for everyone here, including fantastic day trips, and a night life that ranges from the pedestrian to the underground and wilder sides of Perth.

There are also plenty of the usual attractions one would expect in a large city, and one of these not to miss is the Art Gallery of Western Australia.  This has been here since 1895, and is one of the most established in the region.  There is a splendid permanent collection, and wonderful new exhibitions by contemporary artists from the region, country, area, and world at large.  There is a concentrated focus here on indigenous art, as well as Oceanic art in general, and is a fantastic place to get introduced to the area.

We went to Huntsville, AL for Halloween this year and we all had a good time. We live in a rural area about two hours from Huntsville and there really isn’t a lot for the children to do on Halloween. So with the holiday falling on a Saturday this year we were able to pull off the trip with minimal schedule disruption, no school missed and pretty inexpensive since we will be staying over night. Our room was booked at a Huntsville hotels near the Huntsville Botanical Gardens.

The botanical gardens were having their annual Scarecrow Trail fall event. It was amazing to see 100 scarecrows made out of all kinds of materials and objects. Some of them were down right amazing. All types of fruits, vegetables, leaves, straw, grape vine, flowers, sticks, brooms and so much more stuff was creatively combined to create the Scarecrow Trail. The children enjoyed this a lot more than I anticipated they would. In the afternoon we found a haunted house to take the children to they had never been to one and have been asking. It was a really scary one and all the kids got a really big scare it was very funny to watch as they went from tough and brave to very, very scared. It was another very good time.

After the haunted house tour we got everyone something to eat and then got them to settle down for a little while before getting their costumes on for the night.

We saw an ad for a neighborhood Halloween block party that didn’t seem like it was too far from the hotel. Not really knowing the city we were not comfortable to just take the children out trick or treating. We were grateful we saw the as. The party was great with a ton of activities for all of us. The children were able to trick or treat for candy and I bobbed for apples, that was a good laugh for us all.

It was a fun time and maybe we will do it again next year, with Halloween on Sunday I bet most of these events will be held on Saturday.

Aunt Viva had decided that she was going to install a hot tub in the backyard of her comfortable town home. She was a relatively modest woman and has continually made improvements and upgrades to her home since she purchased it six years ago. After reading some literature about the potential health benefits of hot tubs and their stress relieving potentials she decided that having one at her home would be perfect for her. Aunt Viva works as an emergency room nurse and her job can be extremely chaotic and stressful and she always has long hours and unpredictable schedules.

She loves her job and would not dream of quitting or changing careers. However, due to the demanding nature of it, she has always considered her home to be her personal sanctuary and she decorates it using peaceful and harmonizing colors and themes. When she decided to purchase a hot tub she contacted choosehottubsdirect.com and received quality information on models and accessories that may be suitable for her space and her needs.

After further investigation into all the features and additional options that are available for most hot tub models Aunt Viva decided that she would redesign her small backyard and turn it into a variation of a Japanese tea garden. She would then have the hot tub enclosed by bamboo in one corner area. She also wanted a little pond installed and a space for mediation and yoga. She chose lighting features that would enhance a meditative atmosphere and will play soothing sounds and music on the stereo system. In addition she found aromatherapy scents that are designed for hot tub use and will have those available as well. Aunt Viva could not be happier or more excited about her intentions and hardly wait to have her tub installed and her yard overhauled. She is sure that this will be the perfect answer to stress relief and relaxation after a crazy sixteen hour shift in the emergency room.

Starting today, Betty is going to be writing the travel blogs, I need to take a break and load up all the photos I’ve been taking. She is refusing to do so because she only knows how to hunt and peck on the keyboard. Well, it’s not really her fault, she was born too early. All this computer stuff is just to much for her. But, I told her it’s never to late to learn, to get with it and stop acting old. I’ll do my best to edit her work and make sure our travelling expeditions make sense, but I bet she’ll be extra careful. One more thing, She made the same mistake I did when we she came to Goa, she thought it was one beach rather than a state in India. Ha!  When she arrived here, she called me up at the Goa beach hotel where I was staying and told me to come and pick her up. To make this a little bit more clear about what she was requesting of me is like when someone calls you in Portland and say to you to come pick them up in Oregon! So, this next part is from Betty, enjoy.

Back to Goa…

Joining up with Julie again was a good reason to come to Goa. Not because of the beaches, the bars and all the parties, well, maybe for the parties. Unfortunately, I had two problems. One was that the season was ending and Goa was shutting down. Second, I lost all my luggage. Well not all, I did have my carry-on, which I’m very thankful, because it has all my medications. Julie found me waiting at a bar in this small Vagator with a bottle of whiskey and a skateboard (Doesn’t sound like me does it, but I let loose when I travel abroad, I think everyone should). So, for the next few days, I simple relaxed, or what the kids say: chill-out while I waited for the airlines to find my luggage. Oh yes, in case you ever come to Goa and you happen to rent a scooter, make sure you ALWAYS have the headlights on, even in the day time. There’s nothing more freaky to Indians than two white females on a scooter with their lights on, now having six children and a rooster is normal.