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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
ar296
Provides Tips Planning Honeymoon Wedding Destination
We feature honeymoon registry service, destination wedding arrangements, destination information,and much more! Visit the links on both sides of this page to view superb honeymoon wedding destinations by state. Far away, exotic and world renowned for its spectacular scenery and friendly people, New Zealand is an ideal wedding and honeymoon destination. Jamaica is a fantastic honeymoon or wedding destination. Keep that in mind as you plan your wedding date and honeymoon destination. The first step in planning a destination wedding is to find a travel agent that specializes in honeymoons & destination weddings. - Provides tips on planning a honeymoon or destination wedding. Pick your wedding date to coincide with your honeymoon destination's off-season.Find the perfect wedding or honeymoon destination is easy. This site is a romantic getaway for your romantic honeymoon vacation or destination wedding. Food, wedding decorations, bridal shower favors and music can also be used to incorporate the theme of a honeymoon destination. It is no wonder why Barbados has featured amongt the top 10 wedding and honeymoon destinations for a number of years. A popular wedding and honeymoon destination. A unique fusion of lifestyles, ethnicity and architecture in a city pulsing with life makes this an exciting wedding or honeymoon destination. Don't forget to bookmark this page now so you may return often while planning your destination wedding, weddingmoon, or honeymoon. Browse through these guides for honeymoon travel advice and destination suggestions. A true exotic honeymoon travel destination. Virgin Islands These islands could be an excellent honeymoon destination for those who are new to overseas travel. Even driving is a great way to travel if your honeymoon destination is near. Climate and Weather Check local weather conditions for your honeymoon destination with your travel professional. Bain provides couples with vital information on cruises, foreign travel, packages, staying within a budgeteven how to get married at their honeymoon destination. DecorationsDecorate with travel posters and brochures that depict the couple's honeymoon destination. A delightful room, whether for a Virginia honeymoon destination or simply to treat yourself to luxury travel accommodations. InfoHub has compiled a list of travel opportunities for honeymoon trips and honeymoon destinations around the world. The price of air travel to your honeymoon destination also varies greatly. Many couples choose the most popular honeymoon destinations that are the most expensive ones. Future wife and husband choose together honeymoon destinations. To fulfil their dream they have to choose a superb destination for their honeymoon Holidays. Before you choose a destination for your honeymoon, decide how much time you can take.Everybody wants to have a memorable honeymoon, and there are plenty of destinations that you can choose from. GINZ.com lets you choose your perfect honeymoon destination. Couples may even choose a resort honeymoon destination, be married at the resort, and then vacation there. How to choose a honeymoon destination, is always a cause of concern for the couples.. Here are some testimonials from several couples that have decided to choose Aruba as their honeymoon destination. Sandals resorts will spoil you endlessly and any of their destinations you choose will be the best honeymoon possible.
We feature honeymoon registry service, destination wedding arrangements, destination information,and much more! Visit the links on both sides of this page to view superb honeymoon wedding destinations by state. Far away, exotic and world renowned for its spectacular scenery and friendly people, New Zealand is an ideal wedding and honeymoon destination. Jamaica is a fantastic honeymoon or wedding destination. Keep that in mind as you plan your wedding date and honeymoon destination. The first step in planning a destination wedding is to find a travel agent that specializes in honeymoons & destination weddings. - Provides tips on planning a honeymoon or destination wedding. Pick your wedding date to coincide with your honeymoon destination's off-season.Find the perfect wedding or honeymoon destination is easy. This site is a romantic getaway for your romantic honeymoon vacation or destination wedding. Food, wedding decorations, bridal shower favors and music can also be used to incorporate the theme of a honeymoon destination. It is no wonder why Barbados has featured amongt the top 10 wedding and honeymoon destinations for a number of years. A popular wedding and honeymoon destination. A unique fusion of lifestyles, ethnicity and architecture in a city pulsing with life makes this an exciting wedding or honeymoon destination. Don't forget to bookmark this page now so you may return often while planning your destination wedding, weddingmoon, or honeymoon. Browse through these guides for honeymoon travel advice and destination suggestions. A true exotic honeymoon travel destination. Virgin Islands These islands could be an excellent honeymoon destination for those who are new to overseas travel. Even driving is a great way to travel if your honeymoon destination is near. Climate and Weather Check local weather conditions for your honeymoon destination with your travel professional. Bain provides couples with vital information on cruises, foreign travel, packages, staying within a budgeteven how to get married at their honeymoon destination. DecorationsDecorate with travel posters and brochures that depict the couple's honeymoon destination. A delightful room, whether for a Virginia honeymoon destination or simply to treat yourself to luxury travel accommodations. InfoHub has compiled a list of travel opportunities for honeymoon trips and honeymoon destinations around the world. The price of air travel to your honeymoon destination also varies greatly. Many couples choose the most popular honeymoon destinations that are the most expensive ones. Future wife and husband choose together honeymoon destinations. To fulfil their dream they have to choose a superb destination for their honeymoon Holidays. Before you choose a destination for your honeymoon, decide how much time you can take.Everybody wants to have a memorable honeymoon, and there are plenty of destinations that you can choose from. GINZ.com lets you choose your perfect honeymoon destination. Couples may even choose a resort honeymoon destination, be married at the resort, and then vacation there. How to choose a honeymoon destination, is always a cause of concern for the couples.. Here are some testimonials from several couples that have decided to choose Aruba as their honeymoon destination. Sandals resorts will spoil you endlessly and any of their destinations you choose will be the best honeymoon possible.
ar295
Travel tips for your vacation rental trip to Bulgaria
Bulgaria offers pleasures for each one’s taste. Thinking of an active holiday? Bulgaria has it - swimming, skiing, riding, climbing, hunting, fishing... Thinking of relaxing - amazing nature, sunny beaches, healing spas, monasteries and churches, hospitable towns and villages... Ancient culture, endless beaches and an emerald sea, high mountains with marvellous gorges and caves, clear lakes and rivers full of fish, wide valleys, healing springs, ancient culture, hospitable people, tempting cuisine and wines, diverse flora and fauna... Rent holiday home or vacation rental in Bulgaria (http://bulgaria-vacation-rentals.com) and enjoy your stay!All accommodation places in Bulgaria have been categorised according to the 5-star international system. Privatisation has had a favourable impact and today the country is proud of hotels and restaurants that meet the modern world standard.When you are ready for that once in a lifetime experience of an Bulgarian vacation, consider a private home rental for your source of lodging. Hotels can be nice, but staying in a private home rented for the occasion can give you a chance to see the real Bulgaria. Explore the countryside, walk into the village and visit with the residents, and see what it feels like to actually go home, to a cabin or villa at the end of the day, living as the Bulgarians do. Or, try a beach house if that suits you or an apartment if you prefer a more urban setting. Getting to know the local people by living among them for an extended stay of a few weeks will give you a chance to learn some of the language, or if you already speak Bulgarian to brush up on your skills. It will also give you a chance to learn local history in a very unique way, from the people themselves. You will appreciate all of the similarities of Bulgarian culture with your own, and learn to appreciate the differences as well. The Bulgarians are a wonderful, friendly people with a rich culture and history. Taking the time to live among them, getting to know them as friends and neighbors, is truly an experience you will always remember. Private homes for rent to vacationers in Bulgaria can be found in various price ranges. If you are looking for luxury, there are villas available. If something more rustic suits your taste and budget, then smaller homes and even old farmhouses are available to appeal to all tastes. Just as an example, one property includes two bedrooms, queen size beds, kitchen, laundry area, bathroom, central eat and the satellite television, telephone and VCR that most tourists are used to having. Imagine though the coziness and comfort of coming back to the house after a day of sight seeing to sit by the fire place, drinking a glass of a local wine, having a light dinner of pasta, and enjoying the peace and quiet of your surroundings. Staying in a hotel in a major city will certainly show you the tourist hot spots, but staying in a private home will show you the real Bulgaria.There are so many wonderful places to visit in Bulgaria like:- Nessebar - beautiful small town on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast a few hours south of Varna. Another one of Bulgaria's many UNESCO world heritage sites. - Sozopol - together with Nessebar these are the two sea towns with traditional houses and ancient dig sites. - Bansko - a beautiful old village in the Pirin mountains with refurbished homes, stone wall, and cobblestone streets, but increasingly overtaken by resort hotels. Good place for skiing in winter and hiking in summer. The birthplace of the Bulgarian revival movement. If you want a true mountain village experience, there are a few other villages nearby from which to choose. In the beginning of august an annual Jazz festival is being held in the town. Skiiers and Snowboarders could find BanskoSki useful.No visa is required for entry for citizens of the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.However, foreigners have to register at the police after 72 hours. If you have booked with a travel agency, this will be taken care of. If not - usually, your hotel will handle the necessary paperwork (ask). If you do not stay in a hotel, you will need to go to the police and take the tedious task of registering on your own. Especially for UK and US citizens, Bulgaria is really cracking down on this. Failure to register might mean a 2000 Leva fine (about $1200 US). Also take care that you have an entry stamp in your passport, otherwise your exit could be quite troublesome.Bulgaria offers tourist attractions all around the year. Most popular are summer seaside resorts, along the entire Black Sea coastline. In winter numerous ski resorts are there to attract tourists. There are many spa, treking and historical destinations that offer incredibly rich variety of experiences.There are hundreds, maybe thausends of mineral water springs around the country, so this is something you'd better taste and drink. Ayrian and boza are two traditional Balkan non-alcoholic beverages.
Bulgaria offers pleasures for each one’s taste. Thinking of an active holiday? Bulgaria has it - swimming, skiing, riding, climbing, hunting, fishing... Thinking of relaxing - amazing nature, sunny beaches, healing spas, monasteries and churches, hospitable towns and villages... Ancient culture, endless beaches and an emerald sea, high mountains with marvellous gorges and caves, clear lakes and rivers full of fish, wide valleys, healing springs, ancient culture, hospitable people, tempting cuisine and wines, diverse flora and fauna... Rent holiday home or vacation rental in Bulgaria (http://bulgaria-vacation-rentals.com) and enjoy your stay!All accommodation places in Bulgaria have been categorised according to the 5-star international system. Privatisation has had a favourable impact and today the country is proud of hotels and restaurants that meet the modern world standard.When you are ready for that once in a lifetime experience of an Bulgarian vacation, consider a private home rental for your source of lodging. Hotels can be nice, but staying in a private home rented for the occasion can give you a chance to see the real Bulgaria. Explore the countryside, walk into the village and visit with the residents, and see what it feels like to actually go home, to a cabin or villa at the end of the day, living as the Bulgarians do. Or, try a beach house if that suits you or an apartment if you prefer a more urban setting. Getting to know the local people by living among them for an extended stay of a few weeks will give you a chance to learn some of the language, or if you already speak Bulgarian to brush up on your skills. It will also give you a chance to learn local history in a very unique way, from the people themselves. You will appreciate all of the similarities of Bulgarian culture with your own, and learn to appreciate the differences as well. The Bulgarians are a wonderful, friendly people with a rich culture and history. Taking the time to live among them, getting to know them as friends and neighbors, is truly an experience you will always remember. Private homes for rent to vacationers in Bulgaria can be found in various price ranges. If you are looking for luxury, there are villas available. If something more rustic suits your taste and budget, then smaller homes and even old farmhouses are available to appeal to all tastes. Just as an example, one property includes two bedrooms, queen size beds, kitchen, laundry area, bathroom, central eat and the satellite television, telephone and VCR that most tourists are used to having. Imagine though the coziness and comfort of coming back to the house after a day of sight seeing to sit by the fire place, drinking a glass of a local wine, having a light dinner of pasta, and enjoying the peace and quiet of your surroundings. Staying in a hotel in a major city will certainly show you the tourist hot spots, but staying in a private home will show you the real Bulgaria.There are so many wonderful places to visit in Bulgaria like:- Nessebar - beautiful small town on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast a few hours south of Varna. Another one of Bulgaria's many UNESCO world heritage sites. - Sozopol - together with Nessebar these are the two sea towns with traditional houses and ancient dig sites. - Bansko - a beautiful old village in the Pirin mountains with refurbished homes, stone wall, and cobblestone streets, but increasingly overtaken by resort hotels. Good place for skiing in winter and hiking in summer. The birthplace of the Bulgarian revival movement. If you want a true mountain village experience, there are a few other villages nearby from which to choose. In the beginning of august an annual Jazz festival is being held in the town. Skiiers and Snowboarders could find BanskoSki useful.No visa is required for entry for citizens of the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.However, foreigners have to register at the police after 72 hours. If you have booked with a travel agency, this will be taken care of. If not - usually, your hotel will handle the necessary paperwork (ask). If you do not stay in a hotel, you will need to go to the police and take the tedious task of registering on your own. Especially for UK and US citizens, Bulgaria is really cracking down on this. Failure to register might mean a 2000 Leva fine (about $1200 US). Also take care that you have an entry stamp in your passport, otherwise your exit could be quite troublesome.Bulgaria offers tourist attractions all around the year. Most popular are summer seaside resorts, along the entire Black Sea coastline. In winter numerous ski resorts are there to attract tourists. There are many spa, treking and historical destinations that offer incredibly rich variety of experiences.There are hundreds, maybe thausends of mineral water springs around the country, so this is something you'd better taste and drink. Ayrian and boza are two traditional Balkan non-alcoholic beverages.
ar294
A day trip to Cordoba, Spain
2007-10-17 08:35:32 view : 131
Like the Seville region, the province of Cordoba is landlocked, though that should not be a reason for the more adventurous traveller to not visit either for they both are fascinating. The region of Cordoba is split by the mighty Rio Guadalquivir on which lies the ancient city of Cordoba, founded by the Romans, though it flourished under the Moorish occupation and this is evident in the architecture found all over the city. Built on a sharp bend of the river which is crossed by the Roman bridge, the El Puente Romano, the city was once a port. When the Moors were replaced by the Christians, the city’s beauty was left untouched and the Christian cathedral was built within the mosque, the Mezquita. The Mezquita dates back to the 12 century and symbolises the power of the Moorish Islamic influence on this region of Andalucia. Built in 785AD by Abd al Rahman, the mosque has been added to over the generations by both Christian and Islamic faiths as they each controlled this area.At the centre of Cordoba is the old Jewish quarter where little has changed in centuries, narrow streets and garden plazas, tapas bars and restaurants, an ideal area to explore and relax in the Spanish way. The bull fighting museum and the cool and refreshing fountains and gardens of the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos are well worth a visit both being open from Tuesday to Sunday.Move outside of the city into the area of Cordoba, and you'll find it quite unoccupied, most of the population live in the city itself while the remainder are spread out in this large unexploited region. Summers here are dry and hot, so the best time of the year to visit is during the cooler spring and autumn months, where you will find villages that still hold on to their Spanish values, something that has almost all but disappeared from the Costas to the south.
Author: Warren Ward runs the vacation owner rental website of www.ChooseSpain.com which advertises hundreds of holiday villas and apartments throughout Spain.
2007-10-17 08:35:32 view : 131
Like the Seville region, the province of Cordoba is landlocked, though that should not be a reason for the more adventurous traveller to not visit either for they both are fascinating. The region of Cordoba is split by the mighty Rio Guadalquivir on which lies the ancient city of Cordoba, founded by the Romans, though it flourished under the Moorish occupation and this is evident in the architecture found all over the city. Built on a sharp bend of the river which is crossed by the Roman bridge, the El Puente Romano, the city was once a port. When the Moors were replaced by the Christians, the city’s beauty was left untouched and the Christian cathedral was built within the mosque, the Mezquita. The Mezquita dates back to the 12 century and symbolises the power of the Moorish Islamic influence on this region of Andalucia. Built in 785AD by Abd al Rahman, the mosque has been added to over the generations by both Christian and Islamic faiths as they each controlled this area.At the centre of Cordoba is the old Jewish quarter where little has changed in centuries, narrow streets and garden plazas, tapas bars and restaurants, an ideal area to explore and relax in the Spanish way. The bull fighting museum and the cool and refreshing fountains and gardens of the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos are well worth a visit both being open from Tuesday to Sunday.Move outside of the city into the area of Cordoba, and you'll find it quite unoccupied, most of the population live in the city itself while the remainder are spread out in this large unexploited region. Summers here are dry and hot, so the best time of the year to visit is during the cooler spring and autumn months, where you will find villages that still hold on to their Spanish values, something that has almost all but disappeared from the Costas to the south.
Author: Warren Ward runs the vacation owner rental website of www.ChooseSpain.com which advertises hundreds of holiday villas and apartments throughout Spain.
ar293
Mulch: the great cover-up - varieties and application techniques
WHEN A LEAF FALLS IN THE woods, it is not likely that anyone would pick it up. Leaves, plant litter and other organic debris cover the forest floor, grass layers build up over the prairie and rocks and gravel top off the sandy soil in desert areas. No matter what the climate or topography, the soil in nature is covered with some kind of mulch. It pays for us to apply this lesson in our home gardens as well, to reap the benefits that nature has enjoyed from the beginning.
FOUR REASONS TO MULCH
Smother out weeds. A mulch on top of your soil reduces weeds in two ways. First, it blocks the weed seeds that blow into the area from above by providing a less hospitable germination bed than bare soil. Second, it blocks many weed seeds already in your soil that may try to sprout up from below. The deeper the mulch, the more weeds you will block.
For more effective weed blocking, lay down a three-page layer of newspaper before applying your mulching material. The newspaper will provide an additional weed barrier and will decay into the soil over time.
Conserve moisture. Water evaporates more quickly from soil that is left naked. A mulch not only shades the soil from the hot sun, but organic mulches soften the earth and improve aeration as they slowly decompose. This softening encourages plant roots to reach down deeper, where they are more likely to find moisture on their own.
WHEN A LEAF FALLS IN THE woods, it is not likely that anyone would pick it up. Leaves, plant litter and other organic debris cover the forest floor, grass layers build up over the prairie and rocks and gravel top off the sandy soil in desert areas. No matter what the climate or topography, the soil in nature is covered with some kind of mulch. It pays for us to apply this lesson in our home gardens as well, to reap the benefits that nature has enjoyed from the beginning.
FOUR REASONS TO MULCH
Smother out weeds. A mulch on top of your soil reduces weeds in two ways. First, it blocks the weed seeds that blow into the area from above by providing a less hospitable germination bed than bare soil. Second, it blocks many weed seeds already in your soil that may try to sprout up from below. The deeper the mulch, the more weeds you will block.
For more effective weed blocking, lay down a three-page layer of newspaper before applying your mulching material. The newspaper will provide an additional weed barrier and will decay into the soil over time.
Conserve moisture. Water evaporates more quickly from soil that is left naked. A mulch not only shades the soil from the hot sun, but organic mulches soften the earth and improve aeration as they slowly decompose. This softening encourages plant roots to reach down deeper, where they are more likely to find moisture on their own.
ar292
Victorian garden edging tiles
Among the many materials used to edge walks, parterres, and planting beds in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the most popular was dwarf, or edging, box (Buxus sempervirens Suffruticosa). This dense, slow-growing, evergreen shrub was easy to propagate; it thrived in a variety of growing conditions; and it resisted insects and diseases. Often referred to as Dutch or English box, this popular edging plant was clipped in April and July to maintain the desired height of five to six inches. As late as 1834, John Claudius Loudon's Encyclopoedia of Gardeninq noted that dwarf box was superior to every other edging.
While dwarf box remained in common use throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, by 1843 there are references to the use of tiles as a substitute for box. The earliest of these occurs in Jane Loudon's Gardening for Ladies; and Companion to The Flower Garden:
Edgings are lines of plants, generally evergreen, to separate walks from beds or borders. The plant in most universal use for this purpose in British gardens is the dwarf Box.... Edgings to beds and borders are also formed of other materials, such as lines of bricks, tiles, or states, or narrow strips of stone, or even of wood.. .. Edgings oldies, to be kept securely in their places, should be set in concealed brickwork; otherwise they are apt to get out of place and to have a ragged and temporar
Among the many materials used to edge walks, parterres, and planting beds in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the most popular was dwarf, or edging, box (Buxus sempervirens Suffruticosa). This dense, slow-growing, evergreen shrub was easy to propagate; it thrived in a variety of growing conditions; and it resisted insects and diseases. Often referred to as Dutch or English box, this popular edging plant was clipped in April and July to maintain the desired height of five to six inches. As late as 1834, John Claudius Loudon's Encyclopoedia of Gardeninq noted that dwarf box was superior to every other edging.
While dwarf box remained in common use throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, by 1843 there are references to the use of tiles as a substitute for box. The earliest of these occurs in Jane Loudon's Gardening for Ladies; and Companion to The Flower Garden:
Edgings are lines of plants, generally evergreen, to separate walks from beds or borders. The plant in most universal use for this purpose in British gardens is the dwarf Box.... Edgings to beds and borders are also formed of other materials, such as lines of bricks, tiles, or states, or narrow strips of stone, or even of wood.. .. Edgings oldies, to be kept securely in their places, should be set in concealed brickwork; otherwise they are apt to get out of place and to have a ragged and temporar
ar291
Heart-smart herbs: tonics to keep your ticker in tip-top shape - includes related articles - The Herbalist
HE BEAUTY of a spring meadow in bloom. The profound sense of presence in a grove of redwoods. The appearance of tiny green shoots in a garden--all these things can give flight to the heart and bring us peace. Yet the heart-healing power of the earth's magnificent flora is not just spiritual; it can be physical as well.
Garlic and hawthorn berries are two herbs you can take every day to gently strengthen your heart and circulatory system, and prevent heart disease. A word of warning though: Self-diagnosis is a very hazardous pastime! If you suspect you have any kind of heart condition, see your health-care practitioner. Keep in mind that the favored tools of cardiology--drugs and surgery--do have an appropriate place and can be dramatically successful at treating acute conditions and cardiac emergencies.
Our discussion of garlic and hawthorn berries is limited to their use by generally healthy persons. While well-trained phytotherapists (health-care practitioners clinically trained in the use of botanicals) may have striking results when using them for patients with heart conditions, the layperson's use of these herbs should be as a preventive measure, not a substitute for medication. Like a low-fat vegetarian diet and regular exercise, herbs that benefit the circulatory system are best viewed as one aspect of a healthful lifestyle (see "Prevention Is the Best Medicine," p. 106).
HEALING WITH HAWTHORN BERRIES
Victorian garden edging tiles
Among the many materials used to edge walks, parterres, and planting beds in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the most popular was dwarf, or edging, box (Buxus sempervirens Suffruticosa). This dense, slow-growing, evergreen shrub was easy to propagate; it thrived in a variety of growing conditions; and it resisted insects and diseases. Often referred to as Dutch or English box, this popular edging plant was clipped in April and July to maintain the desired height of five to six inches. As late as 1834, John Claudius Loudon's Encyclopoedia of Gardeninq noted that dwarf box was superior to every other edging.
While dwarf box remained in common use throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, by 1843 there are references to the use of tiles as a substitute for box. The earliest of these occurs in Jane Loudon's Gardening for Ladies; and Companion to The Flower Garden:
Edgings are lines of plants, generally evergreen, to separate walks from beds or borders. The plant in most universal use for this purpose in British gardens is the dwarf Box.... Edgings to beds and borders are also formed of other materials, such as lines of bricks, tiles, or states, or narrow strips of stone, or even of wood.. .. Edgings oldies, to be kept securely in their places, should be set in concealed brickwork; otherwise they are apt to get out of place and to have a ragged and temporary appearance. (2)
HE BEAUTY of a spring meadow in bloom. The profound sense of presence in a grove of redwoods. The appearance of tiny green shoots in a garden--all these things can give flight to the heart and bring us peace. Yet the heart-healing power of the earth's magnificent flora is not just spiritual; it can be physical as well.
Garlic and hawthorn berries are two herbs you can take every day to gently strengthen your heart and circulatory system, and prevent heart disease. A word of warning though: Self-diagnosis is a very hazardous pastime! If you suspect you have any kind of heart condition, see your health-care practitioner. Keep in mind that the favored tools of cardiology--drugs and surgery--do have an appropriate place and can be dramatically successful at treating acute conditions and cardiac emergencies.
Our discussion of garlic and hawthorn berries is limited to their use by generally healthy persons. While well-trained phytotherapists (health-care practitioners clinically trained in the use of botanicals) may have striking results when using them for patients with heart conditions, the layperson's use of these herbs should be as a preventive measure, not a substitute for medication. Like a low-fat vegetarian diet and regular exercise, herbs that benefit the circulatory system are best viewed as one aspect of a healthful lifestyle (see "Prevention Is the Best Medicine," p. 106).
HEALING WITH HAWTHORN BERRIES
Victorian garden edging tiles
Among the many materials used to edge walks, parterres, and planting beds in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the most popular was dwarf, or edging, box (Buxus sempervirens Suffruticosa). This dense, slow-growing, evergreen shrub was easy to propagate; it thrived in a variety of growing conditions; and it resisted insects and diseases. Often referred to as Dutch or English box, this popular edging plant was clipped in April and July to maintain the desired height of five to six inches. As late as 1834, John Claudius Loudon's Encyclopoedia of Gardeninq noted that dwarf box was superior to every other edging.
While dwarf box remained in common use throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, by 1843 there are references to the use of tiles as a substitute for box. The earliest of these occurs in Jane Loudon's Gardening for Ladies; and Companion to The Flower Garden:
Edgings are lines of plants, generally evergreen, to separate walks from beds or borders. The plant in most universal use for this purpose in British gardens is the dwarf Box.... Edgings to beds and borders are also formed of other materials, such as lines of bricks, tiles, or states, or narrow strips of stone, or even of wood.. .. Edgings oldies, to be kept securely in their places, should be set in concealed brickwork; otherwise they are apt to get out of place and to have a ragged and temporary appearance. (2)
ar290
In pursuit of the perfect pantry - food storage tips in kitchens - Brief Article
Tips for creating a food-storage area that fits your requirements
The pantry is staging a comeback. As more people buy in bulk from discount stores and use a wider array of cooking appliances, they need more kitchen storage space. "Pantries are popular because storage is an absolutely critical issue today," says designer Mary Jo Peterson, consultant to the National Kitchen & Bath Association. "Most people are constantly struggling to find more space in their homes."
Design tips
We asked experts around the West for their tips on organizing pantries.
* Think small. Pantries don't have to be large or expensive. Is there a small, underutilized space in your kitchen that could be converted to this purpose? "Narrow pantries are a good way to use space in your kitchen that otherwise would go to waste," says kitchen designer Michelle Minch of Moving Mountains Design in Denver. Many home stores sell small, inexpensive modular pantry units that you can put together yourself. For instance, IKEA's Elemental Pantry-1 foot wide by 7 feet tall by 2 feet deep-sells for about $120.
* Think versatile. As you and your family grow older, your storage needs are likely to change. That means using adjustable shelves, wire racks that can be added or removed from pantry doors, and multiuse baskets that can be stacked and moved. For additional space efficiency, consider such adaptable items as 12- to 16-inch-wide wire baskets, which can easily hook to and hang from shelves.
Tips for creating a food-storage area that fits your requirements
The pantry is staging a comeback. As more people buy in bulk from discount stores and use a wider array of cooking appliances, they need more kitchen storage space. "Pantries are popular because storage is an absolutely critical issue today," says designer Mary Jo Peterson, consultant to the National Kitchen & Bath Association. "Most people are constantly struggling to find more space in their homes."
Design tips
We asked experts around the West for their tips on organizing pantries.
* Think small. Pantries don't have to be large or expensive. Is there a small, underutilized space in your kitchen that could be converted to this purpose? "Narrow pantries are a good way to use space in your kitchen that otherwise would go to waste," says kitchen designer Michelle Minch of Moving Mountains Design in Denver. Many home stores sell small, inexpensive modular pantry units that you can put together yourself. For instance, IKEA's Elemental Pantry-1 foot wide by 7 feet tall by 2 feet deep-sells for about $120.
* Think versatile. As you and your family grow older, your storage needs are likely to change. That means using adjustable shelves, wire racks that can be added or removed from pantry doors, and multiuse baskets that can be stacked and moved. For additional space efficiency, consider such adaptable items as 12- to 16-inch-wide wire baskets, which can easily hook to and hang from shelves.
ar289
Taj Mahal: a weekend of wonder
India for a short break? Simon Horsford heads for the Taj Mahal.
A short break to India seemed a great idea after a good dinner; less so in the cold light of day. But I calculated that by leaving on a Thursday morning, we could get three full days in Delhi and Agra and be back for the start of the following week, when the four-hour time difference would work in our favour.
Which is how we found ourselves driving into the Indian capital just after 10pm local time. The heat was intense even at this late hour, but it was still a welcome change from endless English rain. It's true that India consumes you the moment you arrive. The sights, the smells, the noise and the feeling that nothing ever seems to stand still.
If we needed any more convincing, the road trip to Agra proved the point. After a hearty breakfast of mango, fresh yogurt and scrambled eggs, we set off early for the four-hour journey; the train might have been quicker and more traditional but could hardly have been more entertaining or manic.
After only a few miles nothing surprised us any more, as a motley array of cars, lorries, bicycles, auto-rickshaws, people and animals jostled for position on the road. It was like a sub-continental version of Wacky Races. Families of four, five and more clung to rickety rickshaws, brightly coloured lorries took no prisoners while water buffalo, oxen and even an elephant vied for the limited space on the uneven two- and occasionally three-lane roads. The honking was incessant but oddly, the craziness was remarkably good-natured.
After three hours or so, and keen to make the most of our limited time, we made straight for the "ghost city" of Fatehpur Sikri, the stunning, short-lived imperial capital of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This walled city, built in 1571 in honour of Sufi saint Salim Christi, stands as a fabulous example of Mughal architecture and the emperor's admirably inclusive approach to religion. Hindus, Muslims and Jesuits all lived at court and Christi even developed a cult called Deen Ilahi, a blend of the main religions.
His vision also extended to Fatehpur Sikri's architecture, which blends Muslim, Hindu and Jain designs among the arches and domes of this red sandstone city. His creation, which lasted as a seat of power for only 14 years, can be seen best by wandering into the magnificent open mosque of Jami Masjid (make a wish by tying a cotton thread around Christi's exquisite tomb) and at the five-storey open pavilion of Panch Mahal.
If Fatephur Sikri had taken the breath away, it was still put in the shade by the next sight - our reason for being there. Off a dusty road in the unremarkable town of Agra we wandered into our hotel, the palatial Oberoi Amarvillas, and caught a first glimpse of the Taj Mahal, just 650 yards away.
There is always a nagging doubt that reputation might not match the reality. No such worries here. The Taj Mahal is strikingly, heart-tuggingly beautiful. Earlier this year, it was voted one of the seven wonders of the modern world after an eight-year, worldwide online poll which apparently attracted 100 million votes.
Rudyard Kipling likened it to an ivory gate through which all dreams pass, and it's this fantasy-like aura that we noticed first the following day at dawn while we wandered around emperor Shah Jahan's memorial to his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Our guide, clearly smitten, explained how everything about the Taj has a meaning, from the Islamic inscriptions and the calligraphic panels to the height of the dome and the location of the tomb chamber. Soon we were similarly affected. From our hotel room we saw first-hand how the monument changes colour as the light plays on the marble: from a misty reddish glow in the early morning to a dazzling white in the heat of the sun.
Dodging street hawkers proffering everything from postcards to copies of the Kama Sutra, we ducked into Agra's other gem, its magnificent fort. Again built of red sandstone by the open-minded Akbar, it also betrays other influences, such as the rigorously Islamic taste of Shah Johan (the Pearl Mosque being the best example) - there's even a touch of Britishness, in the shape of the barracks, added in the 19th century. It was on a marble balcony in the fort's Meena bazaar that our guide claimed Mumtaz Mahal had first met Shah Jahan.
Back in Delhi, we realised, inevitably, the shortcomings of such a short break, and wished we had more time to explore. The contrast between New and Old Delhi still astonishes: one British-built, ordered and modern, the other vibrant, daunting and with poverty disturbingly apparent.
With a copy of that week's Time Out: Delhi we contemplated everything from a Bollywood movie and a classical concert to a visit to the mango festival, ruling out the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets. In the end we sat in the beautifully landscaped Mughal gardens looking towards the Lutyens-designed Rashtrapati Bhavan, the former viceroy's house, and spent the last hours of a bright, Sunday afternoon snacking on super-sugary Indian cakes.
Back at my desk soon after lunch the following day, I reflected that, perhaps, there was too much to see in a long weekend. But it had been worth it to witness the hypnotic beauty of the Taj Mahal and to experience, however briefly, the intensity of India. And I didn't have jet lag.
Essentials
Elegant Resorts Worldwide Reservations (01244 897518; www.elegantresorts.co.uk) offers two nights at The Oberoi New Delhi and two nights at The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, in a Premier Room, from £1,415 per person (based on two sharing) on a room-only basis.
The price includes return economy class flight from Heathrow with British Airways, private car transfers and a return train from Delhi to Agra with Designer Holidays, Elegant Resorts' India-based ground handler.
India for a short break? Simon Horsford heads for the Taj Mahal.
A short break to India seemed a great idea after a good dinner; less so in the cold light of day. But I calculated that by leaving on a Thursday morning, we could get three full days in Delhi and Agra and be back for the start of the following week, when the four-hour time difference would work in our favour.
Which is how we found ourselves driving into the Indian capital just after 10pm local time. The heat was intense even at this late hour, but it was still a welcome change from endless English rain. It's true that India consumes you the moment you arrive. The sights, the smells, the noise and the feeling that nothing ever seems to stand still.
If we needed any more convincing, the road trip to Agra proved the point. After a hearty breakfast of mango, fresh yogurt and scrambled eggs, we set off early for the four-hour journey; the train might have been quicker and more traditional but could hardly have been more entertaining or manic.
After only a few miles nothing surprised us any more, as a motley array of cars, lorries, bicycles, auto-rickshaws, people and animals jostled for position on the road. It was like a sub-continental version of Wacky Races. Families of four, five and more clung to rickety rickshaws, brightly coloured lorries took no prisoners while water buffalo, oxen and even an elephant vied for the limited space on the uneven two- and occasionally three-lane roads. The honking was incessant but oddly, the craziness was remarkably good-natured.
After three hours or so, and keen to make the most of our limited time, we made straight for the "ghost city" of Fatehpur Sikri, the stunning, short-lived imperial capital of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This walled city, built in 1571 in honour of Sufi saint Salim Christi, stands as a fabulous example of Mughal architecture and the emperor's admirably inclusive approach to religion. Hindus, Muslims and Jesuits all lived at court and Christi even developed a cult called Deen Ilahi, a blend of the main religions.
His vision also extended to Fatehpur Sikri's architecture, which blends Muslim, Hindu and Jain designs among the arches and domes of this red sandstone city. His creation, which lasted as a seat of power for only 14 years, can be seen best by wandering into the magnificent open mosque of Jami Masjid (make a wish by tying a cotton thread around Christi's exquisite tomb) and at the five-storey open pavilion of Panch Mahal.
If Fatephur Sikri had taken the breath away, it was still put in the shade by the next sight - our reason for being there. Off a dusty road in the unremarkable town of Agra we wandered into our hotel, the palatial Oberoi Amarvillas, and caught a first glimpse of the Taj Mahal, just 650 yards away.
There is always a nagging doubt that reputation might not match the reality. No such worries here. The Taj Mahal is strikingly, heart-tuggingly beautiful. Earlier this year, it was voted one of the seven wonders of the modern world after an eight-year, worldwide online poll which apparently attracted 100 million votes.
Rudyard Kipling likened it to an ivory gate through which all dreams pass, and it's this fantasy-like aura that we noticed first the following day at dawn while we wandered around emperor Shah Jahan's memorial to his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Our guide, clearly smitten, explained how everything about the Taj has a meaning, from the Islamic inscriptions and the calligraphic panels to the height of the dome and the location of the tomb chamber. Soon we were similarly affected. From our hotel room we saw first-hand how the monument changes colour as the light plays on the marble: from a misty reddish glow in the early morning to a dazzling white in the heat of the sun.
Dodging street hawkers proffering everything from postcards to copies of the Kama Sutra, we ducked into Agra's other gem, its magnificent fort. Again built of red sandstone by the open-minded Akbar, it also betrays other influences, such as the rigorously Islamic taste of Shah Johan (the Pearl Mosque being the best example) - there's even a touch of Britishness, in the shape of the barracks, added in the 19th century. It was on a marble balcony in the fort's Meena bazaar that our guide claimed Mumtaz Mahal had first met Shah Jahan.
Back in Delhi, we realised, inevitably, the shortcomings of such a short break, and wished we had more time to explore. The contrast between New and Old Delhi still astonishes: one British-built, ordered and modern, the other vibrant, daunting and with poverty disturbingly apparent.
With a copy of that week's Time Out: Delhi we contemplated everything from a Bollywood movie and a classical concert to a visit to the mango festival, ruling out the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets. In the end we sat in the beautifully landscaped Mughal gardens looking towards the Lutyens-designed Rashtrapati Bhavan, the former viceroy's house, and spent the last hours of a bright, Sunday afternoon snacking on super-sugary Indian cakes.
Back at my desk soon after lunch the following day, I reflected that, perhaps, there was too much to see in a long weekend. But it had been worth it to witness the hypnotic beauty of the Taj Mahal and to experience, however briefly, the intensity of India. And I didn't have jet lag.
Essentials
Elegant Resorts Worldwide Reservations (01244 897518; www.elegantresorts.co.uk) offers two nights at The Oberoi New Delhi and two nights at The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, in a Premier Room, from £1,415 per person (based on two sharing) on a room-only basis.
The price includes return economy class flight from Heathrow with British Airways, private car transfers and a return train from Delhi to Agra with Designer Holidays, Elegant Resorts' India-based ground handler.
ar288
Travel Tips
There are common sense travel tips, like "Check at least three web sites to get the best deal on plane tickets." Then there are the tips that are more along the line of "secrets." These are the little-known tricks learned by experience. Here are some of the best of those.Cheap Travel TipsFind out where local visitors from within the country stay. The cheapest "tourist hotel" I could find when in a resort town in Mexico was $135. I asked a local businessman where to find a cheap room, and got one for $10. There wasn't a swimming pool, but the room was spotless. I was there to travel, not to lounge, so this suited me fine.Negotiating room charges is common in many countries. In Banos, Ecuador, we negotiated our room rate down from $12 to $6 per night, by paying for several nights in advance. The trick here is to be sure that there are other options, then make your final offer and walk away. Most owners will call you back and lower the price.Consider hostels, if you don't mind sharing a room. They're much more common overseas. This saves you a lot if you are single, because you pay for the bed. I once spent four days in a hostel for $4 per day, breakfast included. I shared a room with several others, and a TV room with travelers from 16 countries.Hotels in the U.S. are less likely to negotiate, but we have done it. Most small chain motels are not company-owned, but franchises, so it is usually the owner behind the counter. Paying for several nights in advance, or just starting to walk away, has resulted in discounts for us many times.Travel is often only as cheap as your plane tickets. For international travel, search the fares to several countries that you would like to visit. Go to the cheapest one now - the others will be cheap another time, and a savings of $500 can buy a few extra days, or an extra mini-vacation some other time.Anywhere you go, there are things you can do to keep it cheaper. Eat where locals eat, for example, instead of at tourist restaurants. See the free and cheap attractions first. You might have so much fun that you'll never get around to doing the expensive things. Higher prices mean better quality with travel bags, but not necessarily with travel experiences.
Other Travel TipsE-mail important documents to yourself. These should include a copy of your passport, other IDs, phone numbers of the U.S. Consulate offices where you'll be, and your itinerary or e-tickets for any flights. In this way, even if you are robbed and lose everything, you'll have access to all the important documents from any internet cafe in the world.On a streetcar, I once had a pocket unzipped and the wallet removed without feeling a thing. Many pickpockets are experts. Fortunately, it was a "decoy" wallet, with nothing but a few pieces of paper, and a fake credit card. Other ways to protect money, cards and documents include putting a bill or two under the inner sole of running shoes, safety-pinning a hidden pocket inside your pants, and hiding cash in several different places.I see young travelers in other countries walking anywhere they feel like it at night, and then being shocked that they are robbed. Aren't there places in New York or Chicago where you wouldn't walk at night? Ask the locals where it is safe and where it isn't, and trust your intuition when it warns you. Leave expensive clothing and jewelry at the hotel when you are just out for a walk. Safety tricks are the most important travel tips.
There are common sense travel tips, like "Check at least three web sites to get the best deal on plane tickets." Then there are the tips that are more along the line of "secrets." These are the little-known tricks learned by experience. Here are some of the best of those.Cheap Travel TipsFind out where local visitors from within the country stay. The cheapest "tourist hotel" I could find when in a resort town in Mexico was $135. I asked a local businessman where to find a cheap room, and got one for $10. There wasn't a swimming pool, but the room was spotless. I was there to travel, not to lounge, so this suited me fine.Negotiating room charges is common in many countries. In Banos, Ecuador, we negotiated our room rate down from $12 to $6 per night, by paying for several nights in advance. The trick here is to be sure that there are other options, then make your final offer and walk away. Most owners will call you back and lower the price.Consider hostels, if you don't mind sharing a room. They're much more common overseas. This saves you a lot if you are single, because you pay for the bed. I once spent four days in a hostel for $4 per day, breakfast included. I shared a room with several others, and a TV room with travelers from 16 countries.Hotels in the U.S. are less likely to negotiate, but we have done it. Most small chain motels are not company-owned, but franchises, so it is usually the owner behind the counter. Paying for several nights in advance, or just starting to walk away, has resulted in discounts for us many times.Travel is often only as cheap as your plane tickets. For international travel, search the fares to several countries that you would like to visit. Go to the cheapest one now - the others will be cheap another time, and a savings of $500 can buy a few extra days, or an extra mini-vacation some other time.Anywhere you go, there are things you can do to keep it cheaper. Eat where locals eat, for example, instead of at tourist restaurants. See the free and cheap attractions first. You might have so much fun that you'll never get around to doing the expensive things. Higher prices mean better quality with travel bags, but not necessarily with travel experiences.
Other Travel TipsE-mail important documents to yourself. These should include a copy of your passport, other IDs, phone numbers of the U.S. Consulate offices where you'll be, and your itinerary or e-tickets for any flights. In this way, even if you are robbed and lose everything, you'll have access to all the important documents from any internet cafe in the world.On a streetcar, I once had a pocket unzipped and the wallet removed without feeling a thing. Many pickpockets are experts. Fortunately, it was a "decoy" wallet, with nothing but a few pieces of paper, and a fake credit card. Other ways to protect money, cards and documents include putting a bill or two under the inner sole of running shoes, safety-pinning a hidden pocket inside your pants, and hiding cash in several different places.I see young travelers in other countries walking anywhere they feel like it at night, and then being shocked that they are robbed. Aren't there places in New York or Chicago where you wouldn't walk at night? Ask the locals where it is safe and where it isn't, and trust your intuition when it warns you. Leave expensive clothing and jewelry at the hotel when you are just out for a walk. Safety tricks are the most important travel tips.
ar287
Family yoga in the hands of a goddess
"Hey dad! You look like a purple balloon" was not the sort of comment I had been hoping for when I signed up my wife and eight-year-old son for a week's family yoga holiday in Cyprus. I was in the small exercise studio of the Anassa Hotel trying to ease my legs over my head after a strenuous shoulder stand (from Salamba Sarvangasana to Halasana in yoga speak). It was our final class and I wanted to show off to my son, Ben, and our instructor, lovely Liitsa - the Nordic goddess.
All karma: Ben Morris practises his yogic skills at the Anassa Hotel
Deflated from hero dad to Homer Simpson, I collapsed in a heap while Ben moved on effortlessly to the next position. Watching from the sidelines, my wife giggled into her ginger tea as Liitsa, sounding like a sympathetic sat-nav, carried on seamlessly with the class.
Yogic enlightenment, or even just a few supple tummy muscles, seemed a long way off. But as I lay sprawled on my mat I did at least feel a little taller, less hunched up, and pleased that the Morris family had been introduced to the world of yoga via the Trojan horse of a luxurious five-star hotel.
The fixers
The week's holiday was organised by a London-based outfit called Yogoloji, which specialises in intimate yoga breaks in beautiful surroundings. As well as morning and evening classes for adults, its Anassa package included a children's yoga programme, bespoke yoga therapy sessions and daily holistic treatments.
The price tag of £940 per adult doesn't include flights, accommodation or meals. Full board is compulsory at an extra cost of £475 per person for the week. For a wine-loving omnivore like myself the option of a specially designed detox menu didn't make the deal any more attractive. Just when did not ordering the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and avoiding the coffee, cheese and beef steaks become so expensive?
The hotel
The real star of the show was the hotel. When we arrived at the Anassa, after a long drive from Larnaca to the western corner of the island, our driver introduced the hotel as a "she". He explained that in ancient Greek "Anassa" means "queen" or "grande dame". Inside, the hotel began to live up to its regal title. The first impression is of a five-star monastery where no expense has been spared on materials (marble, sandstone and stained glass), craftsmanship or staff.
The lobby and connecting corridors have vaulted ceilings, full-sized icons on the walls and minimalist fountains. The good taste continues in the central bars and restaurants beyond to the villas laid out as an idealised Cypriot village. There are winding pathways and gentle slopes edged with soft Mediterranean landscaping that at a glance look completely natural - almost wild. The design is restricted to a comfortable human scale and everything is directed towards the sweeping beauty of the Chrysochou Bay and the hills of the Akamas Peninsula beyond.
There is even a real Cypriot church within the hotel grounds, so I was not surprised to see a group of orthodox monks enjoying a deluxe buffet breakfast in the main restaurant one morning. It was this mixture of style and spirituality that formed the perfect backdrop for our introduction to yoga-lite. Believe me, if there are plans to form a new religion based around hotels like the Anassa, I would be the first convert.
The yoga
There were two group yoga classes every day: a dynamic morning class at 7.30, with lots of sun salutations and stretching, and a slower, more meditative evening class at 5.30. I found the early starts a torture, but apparently they're the norm in most yoga retreats and it's probably wise to get the stretching over with before tucking into your full English breakfast.
As for the classes themselves, apart from the few moments when I felt like a Guantanamo Bay prisoner crouched on the floor with my hands behind my head and the odd bit of gratuitous sermonising, I really enjoyed the yoga.
Liisa Halme, our instructor from Finland, gently talked us through the exercises, offering the occasional guiding hand towards a decent "upward-facing dog" or a well balanced "bridge". I particularly liked it when she wore her Dolce & Gabbana movie-star sunglasses and harem trousers for our outdoor morning session. The outfit seemed to sum up the style of our glamorous yoga retreat.
The children's yoga
Despite their irksome titles, the Teeny Yogini (three- to six-year-olds) and the Teen Yogini (seven- to 14-year-olds) classes on offer seemed like a great way of getting young people painlessly involved in exercising. The sessions were structured around a narrative as the children imitated animals or pretended to be snow-boarders or aeroplanes while mirroring the classic yoga poses. The yogic twist helps develop concentration, balance and posture - especially useful after all those hours crouched over a Nintendo DS.
was also glad to see there was an emphasis upon relaxation. Ben and I agreed that our favourite part was at the end class - when tucked up beneath a marshmallow of a duvet you can gently meditate, clear your mind or even doze off.
All good stuff, except that there were no other takers for the teen Yogini, so Ben had the choice of doing it on his own or teaming up with old balloon-face dad. The lack of other children on the retreat also caused problems with child-care during the adult sessions. An early start or hanging around late in the children's club is fine if you are with your mates. If it is just you and a disgruntled cleaner watching a video then it's a little sad. For this reason, it is well worth checking that there are definitely other children of your child's age on the course before you book.
The therapies
The mixed bag of Ayurvedic consultation, yoga therapy, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Abyhanga and Marma massage on offer from the ''Yogolojees'' (please!) did remind me of a restaurant I know in Southall. On the ground floor you can order biryani, while in the basement you can get a Chinese takeaway and upstairs there's pizza and pasta. All served on the same light blue plates by the same smiling Pakistani staff.
To be fair, my wife tells me that this mix-and-match approach to treatments is not unusual in a spa and she found the acupuncturist, Bobby Joy, impressive, experienced and very helpful.
The hotel's Thalasso spa also offers an extensive range of treatments so popular it's not unusual for them all to be booked before you have even unpacked your suitcase. In light of this, Yogoloji's day packages (£136 per person) include a treatment and two yoga sessions, and are a great way to ensure you do get a half-decent massage.
Bespoke bonuses
The Anassa has its own resident yoga teacher and therapist. Raven-haired Nana Georgiou looks every inch the exotic eastern mystic that one would hope to find teaching yoga in a retreat. She runs daily group classes, covering everything from Chakra meditation to dynamic detox and her own Aqua yoga (all £14 per person).
She also offers specially designed personal sessions and family yoga (£47), and even gives group yoga sessions free of charge in the children's club. The flexibility, choice and value for money make Nana's sessions the best bespoke yoga on offer at the hotel.
Escapes from the sanctuary
If you want to escape the Anassa, don't disturb your new-found karma by visiting the sprawling mess of Paphos. Instead, head north-west to the beautiful Akamas peninsula. Unlike many parts of Cyprus it's an unspoilt natural haven. Sadly, property developments are popping up at the fringes of the peninsula like Vandals at the gates of Rome, so visit now while it's still pristine. The hotel offers guided hikes, Jeep safaris or chartered yachts to explore the natural beauty of the area.
"Hey dad! You look like a purple balloon" was not the sort of comment I had been hoping for when I signed up my wife and eight-year-old son for a week's family yoga holiday in Cyprus. I was in the small exercise studio of the Anassa Hotel trying to ease my legs over my head after a strenuous shoulder stand (from Salamba Sarvangasana to Halasana in yoga speak). It was our final class and I wanted to show off to my son, Ben, and our instructor, lovely Liitsa - the Nordic goddess.
All karma: Ben Morris practises his yogic skills at the Anassa Hotel
Deflated from hero dad to Homer Simpson, I collapsed in a heap while Ben moved on effortlessly to the next position. Watching from the sidelines, my wife giggled into her ginger tea as Liitsa, sounding like a sympathetic sat-nav, carried on seamlessly with the class.
Yogic enlightenment, or even just a few supple tummy muscles, seemed a long way off. But as I lay sprawled on my mat I did at least feel a little taller, less hunched up, and pleased that the Morris family had been introduced to the world of yoga via the Trojan horse of a luxurious five-star hotel.
The fixers
The week's holiday was organised by a London-based outfit called Yogoloji, which specialises in intimate yoga breaks in beautiful surroundings. As well as morning and evening classes for adults, its Anassa package included a children's yoga programme, bespoke yoga therapy sessions and daily holistic treatments.
The price tag of £940 per adult doesn't include flights, accommodation or meals. Full board is compulsory at an extra cost of £475 per person for the week. For a wine-loving omnivore like myself the option of a specially designed detox menu didn't make the deal any more attractive. Just when did not ordering the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and avoiding the coffee, cheese and beef steaks become so expensive?
The hotel
The real star of the show was the hotel. When we arrived at the Anassa, after a long drive from Larnaca to the western corner of the island, our driver introduced the hotel as a "she". He explained that in ancient Greek "Anassa" means "queen" or "grande dame". Inside, the hotel began to live up to its regal title. The first impression is of a five-star monastery where no expense has been spared on materials (marble, sandstone and stained glass), craftsmanship or staff.
The lobby and connecting corridors have vaulted ceilings, full-sized icons on the walls and minimalist fountains. The good taste continues in the central bars and restaurants beyond to the villas laid out as an idealised Cypriot village. There are winding pathways and gentle slopes edged with soft Mediterranean landscaping that at a glance look completely natural - almost wild. The design is restricted to a comfortable human scale and everything is directed towards the sweeping beauty of the Chrysochou Bay and the hills of the Akamas Peninsula beyond.
There is even a real Cypriot church within the hotel grounds, so I was not surprised to see a group of orthodox monks enjoying a deluxe buffet breakfast in the main restaurant one morning. It was this mixture of style and spirituality that formed the perfect backdrop for our introduction to yoga-lite. Believe me, if there are plans to form a new religion based around hotels like the Anassa, I would be the first convert.
The yoga
There were two group yoga classes every day: a dynamic morning class at 7.30, with lots of sun salutations and stretching, and a slower, more meditative evening class at 5.30. I found the early starts a torture, but apparently they're the norm in most yoga retreats and it's probably wise to get the stretching over with before tucking into your full English breakfast.
As for the classes themselves, apart from the few moments when I felt like a Guantanamo Bay prisoner crouched on the floor with my hands behind my head and the odd bit of gratuitous sermonising, I really enjoyed the yoga.
Liisa Halme, our instructor from Finland, gently talked us through the exercises, offering the occasional guiding hand towards a decent "upward-facing dog" or a well balanced "bridge". I particularly liked it when she wore her Dolce & Gabbana movie-star sunglasses and harem trousers for our outdoor morning session. The outfit seemed to sum up the style of our glamorous yoga retreat.
The children's yoga
Despite their irksome titles, the Teeny Yogini (three- to six-year-olds) and the Teen Yogini (seven- to 14-year-olds) classes on offer seemed like a great way of getting young people painlessly involved in exercising. The sessions were structured around a narrative as the children imitated animals or pretended to be snow-boarders or aeroplanes while mirroring the classic yoga poses. The yogic twist helps develop concentration, balance and posture - especially useful after all those hours crouched over a Nintendo DS.
was also glad to see there was an emphasis upon relaxation. Ben and I agreed that our favourite part was at the end class - when tucked up beneath a marshmallow of a duvet you can gently meditate, clear your mind or even doze off.
All good stuff, except that there were no other takers for the teen Yogini, so Ben had the choice of doing it on his own or teaming up with old balloon-face dad. The lack of other children on the retreat also caused problems with child-care during the adult sessions. An early start or hanging around late in the children's club is fine if you are with your mates. If it is just you and a disgruntled cleaner watching a video then it's a little sad. For this reason, it is well worth checking that there are definitely other children of your child's age on the course before you book.
The therapies
The mixed bag of Ayurvedic consultation, yoga therapy, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Abyhanga and Marma massage on offer from the ''Yogolojees'' (please!) did remind me of a restaurant I know in Southall. On the ground floor you can order biryani, while in the basement you can get a Chinese takeaway and upstairs there's pizza and pasta. All served on the same light blue plates by the same smiling Pakistani staff.
To be fair, my wife tells me that this mix-and-match approach to treatments is not unusual in a spa and she found the acupuncturist, Bobby Joy, impressive, experienced and very helpful.
The hotel's Thalasso spa also offers an extensive range of treatments so popular it's not unusual for them all to be booked before you have even unpacked your suitcase. In light of this, Yogoloji's day packages (£136 per person) include a treatment and two yoga sessions, and are a great way to ensure you do get a half-decent massage.
Bespoke bonuses
The Anassa has its own resident yoga teacher and therapist. Raven-haired Nana Georgiou looks every inch the exotic eastern mystic that one would hope to find teaching yoga in a retreat. She runs daily group classes, covering everything from Chakra meditation to dynamic detox and her own Aqua yoga (all £14 per person).
She also offers specially designed personal sessions and family yoga (£47), and even gives group yoga sessions free of charge in the children's club. The flexibility, choice and value for money make Nana's sessions the best bespoke yoga on offer at the hotel.
Escapes from the sanctuary
If you want to escape the Anassa, don't disturb your new-found karma by visiting the sprawling mess of Paphos. Instead, head north-west to the beautiful Akamas peninsula. Unlike many parts of Cyprus it's an unspoilt natural haven. Sadly, property developments are popping up at the fringes of the peninsula like Vandals at the gates of Rome, so visit now while it's still pristine. The hotel offers guided hikes, Jeep safaris or chartered yachts to explore the natural beauty of the area.
ar286
The gentle art of forcing bulbs - Brief Article
Coax spring bulbs to flower indoors during winter
In the dead of winter, spring-blooming bulbs are especially welcome in the house. They can easily fill a room with a delightful perfume and remind you that spring really is just around the corner.
The process of getting flower bulbs to bloom ahead of schedule is called forcing. Depending on the kind of bulbs you choose, you could enjoy your first blooms in less than 10 weeks.
We list several popular bulbs, which you can find at most nurseries and garden centers this month or buy through mail-order catalogs. Note that many bulbs require a certain amount of chilling; some need to be refrigerated, others can be planted then chilled outdoors (see "Forcing tips" on page 83). Chilling periods given here are based on the recommendations of the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center.
CROCUS AND HYACINTHS must be chilled. They can be forced, one bulb per jar or vase, in water alone without any soil; there are special forcing jars and vases for crocus and hyacinths.
Crocus corms need to be refrigerated for 15 weeks. After chilling, place each corm in its own water-filled crocus forcing jar or vase at around 60[degrees]; flowers will emerge in about two weeks. Choose Crocus vernus in shades of purple, lavender, yellow, or white.
Hyacinth bulbs need to be refrigerated for 12 weeks. Then place each bulb in a water-filled hyacinth forcing jar or vase at around 70[degrees]; flowers follow in two or three weeks. Try fragrant Dutch hyacinths in shades of blue, purple, pink, or white.
Coax spring bulbs to flower indoors during winter
In the dead of winter, spring-blooming bulbs are especially welcome in the house. They can easily fill a room with a delightful perfume and remind you that spring really is just around the corner.
The process of getting flower bulbs to bloom ahead of schedule is called forcing. Depending on the kind of bulbs you choose, you could enjoy your first blooms in less than 10 weeks.
We list several popular bulbs, which you can find at most nurseries and garden centers this month or buy through mail-order catalogs. Note that many bulbs require a certain amount of chilling; some need to be refrigerated, others can be planted then chilled outdoors (see "Forcing tips" on page 83). Chilling periods given here are based on the recommendations of the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center.
CROCUS AND HYACINTHS must be chilled. They can be forced, one bulb per jar or vase, in water alone without any soil; there are special forcing jars and vases for crocus and hyacinths.
Crocus corms need to be refrigerated for 15 weeks. After chilling, place each corm in its own water-filled crocus forcing jar or vase at around 60[degrees]; flowers will emerge in about two weeks. Choose Crocus vernus in shades of purple, lavender, yellow, or white.
Hyacinth bulbs need to be refrigerated for 12 weeks. Then place each bulb in a water-filled hyacinth forcing jar or vase at around 70[degrees]; flowers follow in two or three weeks. Try fragrant Dutch hyacinths in shades of blue, purple, pink, or white.
ar285
Best Accommodations For Hawaii Family Vacations
Are you and your family interested in taking a Hawaiian family vacation? If you are, you should know that you have an unlimited number of options. One of those options involves where you and your family would like to stay when visiting Hawaii. For information on popular Hawaii family vacation accommodations, you may want to continue reading on.
Vacation resorts are one of the best choices for families looking to vacation in Hawaii. One of the many reasons why vacation resorts are nice for family vacations is because they often have a number of onsite activities. These activities may include golfing, access to a children's game room, swimming, and so forth. Many Hawaii resorts are designed for parents traveling with children.
Another one of the many reasons why Hawaii resorts may be the best option for you and your family is because of the onsite services that you may gain access to. It is not uncommon for Hawaii resorts, especially those luxury in nature, to extend a number of services to their guests. These services may include room service delivery of foods, a laundry service, as well as a childcare service. If you are traveling with young children or if you just want a break, a childcare service may be ideal for you.
Although there are a number of reasons as to why you should book a stay at a Hawaii resort, for your next family vacation, you should also know that there are a number of downsides to doing so as well. One of those downsides is the potential for crowding. Vacation resorts often have a number of guests, especially during popular vacations months. With that in mind, a large number of guests may also have its benefits. For instance, you and your family could make new friends. This is something that your children may love.
In addition Hawaii vacation resorts, you also may want to book at stay at a Hawaii vacation home. Hawaii vacation homes are nice for family vacations, as they give you the ultimate level of privacy. They also tend to resemble traditional homes, giving off a home-like feel. This is good for parents who are traveling with young children or first time travelers.
Another one of the many reasons why you should examine vacation home rentals, for your next Hawaii family vacation is because of freedom. When renting a Hawaii vacation home, you may have a backyard or even easy access to a beach. This enables you and your family to come and go as you please. You also can enjoy an unlimited number of activities, without having to worry about the noise level or how the person in the next room is feeling. This, alone, gives many parents comfort and peace of mind.
As with Hawaii resorts, you will also find that Hawaii vacation rentals have a few downsides as well. One of those downsides is the cost. Hawaii vacation rentals can be costly. With that in mind, it is important to remember that cost depends on a number of different factors, including size and location. If you are looking to take a Hawaii family vacation on a budget, you may want to examine smaller vacation homes or those that are located inland, as they are often cheaper in price.
You also have the option of staying at a Hawaii hotel. Hawaii hotels resemble Hawaii resorts; however, they don't always have as many onsite activities or services. They are, however, ideal for those who are vacationing on a budget. If you are interested in getting out and seeing Hawaii, as opposed to staying at your hotel, this may be a nice option for you.
Hawaii condo rentals are another popular choice for vacationers in Hawaii. Although you may want to take time to examine them, you may find Hawaii resorts or vacation homes a better choice. This is because many condo complexes are designed with adults in mind. You may still want to take the time to examine condo rentals, as you may be surprised with what you are able to find available.
Of course, the decision as to where you want to stay for your next Hawaii family vacation is your decision to make. When making that decision though, you may want to keep the above mentioned points in mind.
Are you and your family interested in taking a Hawaiian family vacation? If you are, you should know that you have an unlimited number of options. One of those options involves where you and your family would like to stay when visiting Hawaii. For information on popular Hawaii family vacation accommodations, you may want to continue reading on.
Vacation resorts are one of the best choices for families looking to vacation in Hawaii. One of the many reasons why vacation resorts are nice for family vacations is because they often have a number of onsite activities. These activities may include golfing, access to a children's game room, swimming, and so forth. Many Hawaii resorts are designed for parents traveling with children.
Another one of the many reasons why Hawaii resorts may be the best option for you and your family is because of the onsite services that you may gain access to. It is not uncommon for Hawaii resorts, especially those luxury in nature, to extend a number of services to their guests. These services may include room service delivery of foods, a laundry service, as well as a childcare service. If you are traveling with young children or if you just want a break, a childcare service may be ideal for you.
Although there are a number of reasons as to why you should book a stay at a Hawaii resort, for your next family vacation, you should also know that there are a number of downsides to doing so as well. One of those downsides is the potential for crowding. Vacation resorts often have a number of guests, especially during popular vacations months. With that in mind, a large number of guests may also have its benefits. For instance, you and your family could make new friends. This is something that your children may love.
In addition Hawaii vacation resorts, you also may want to book at stay at a Hawaii vacation home. Hawaii vacation homes are nice for family vacations, as they give you the ultimate level of privacy. They also tend to resemble traditional homes, giving off a home-like feel. This is good for parents who are traveling with young children or first time travelers.
Another one of the many reasons why you should examine vacation home rentals, for your next Hawaii family vacation is because of freedom. When renting a Hawaii vacation home, you may have a backyard or even easy access to a beach. This enables you and your family to come and go as you please. You also can enjoy an unlimited number of activities, without having to worry about the noise level or how the person in the next room is feeling. This, alone, gives many parents comfort and peace of mind.
As with Hawaii resorts, you will also find that Hawaii vacation rentals have a few downsides as well. One of those downsides is the cost. Hawaii vacation rentals can be costly. With that in mind, it is important to remember that cost depends on a number of different factors, including size and location. If you are looking to take a Hawaii family vacation on a budget, you may want to examine smaller vacation homes or those that are located inland, as they are often cheaper in price.
You also have the option of staying at a Hawaii hotel. Hawaii hotels resemble Hawaii resorts; however, they don't always have as many onsite activities or services. They are, however, ideal for those who are vacationing on a budget. If you are interested in getting out and seeing Hawaii, as opposed to staying at your hotel, this may be a nice option for you.
Hawaii condo rentals are another popular choice for vacationers in Hawaii. Although you may want to take time to examine them, you may find Hawaii resorts or vacation homes a better choice. This is because many condo complexes are designed with adults in mind. You may still want to take the time to examine condo rentals, as you may be surprised with what you are able to find available.
Of course, the decision as to where you want to stay for your next Hawaii family vacation is your decision to make. When making that decision though, you may want to keep the above mentioned points in mind.
ar284
How To Find Cheap Airfare Within Europe
It is often tiresome to search for cheap airfare between European cities and has been near hopeless for a number of years. Travelers were told that Europeans didn't bother offering cheap airfare. Instead of by air, they traveled at a low cost within Europe using the railway system or rented cars to get around if required.However, now there are situations where cheap airfares within Europe are in fact the only option, peculiarly when time is of the essence. Some travelers cannot afford to pay not-so-cheap prices to get from Point A to Point B using airfare within Europe, but they often require to get there faster than say, by car.The primary point to consider when researching cheap airfares within Europe is to look and see if you can arrive and depart from cities different than your originals. Why? Because a different terminal may be cheaper to fly from, or to, when planning airfare within Europe. Restructuring a trip to admit for a little more travel isn't terribly bad, especially IF there are giant savings, yes?The problem with really cheap airfares within Europe is that there can be strings attached. Perhaps your return trip will be almost twice the cost of the one that got you there in the first place. Or the dates you can choose to travel may be very restrictive. And don't forget that the tax on some of these cheap airfares within Europe is as a rule more than the flight itself.Also, be sure to bear in mind that shopping for cheap European airfares isn't the same as in North America. There aren't many connecting flights in Europe and the majority of cheap airfares are straight, city to city runs.Places to Look for Cheap Airfares within EuropeIt may be important to note that we are not supporting any of the following airlines. It's a reasonable starting point for cheap European airfare, however. Here are some of the movers and shakers in the cheap European airfare game so you can get started with your cheap airfare within Europe research.Basiq Air - Has a home base in Holland and flies to 20 cities, give or take. Flights from Amsterdam run anywhere between 30-60 EUR ($37-74 USD).BMI Baby Airlines - Offers routes across Europe.Simple Jet - A very large amount of routes across Europe. However, there is an extra burden if you book with a credit card, and there are no refunds, unless there are extenuating circumstances (i.e. death of a family member).Germania Express - Discount flights between Spain, Italy, Germany and Greece.Sky Europe - Apparently the cardinal deduct airline in middle Europe.Snowflake - Caters for the Mediterranean from Europe.Continent Express - Taxes and fees at this locale are incomparably higher than the authentic fares.Volare Airlines - An Italian based airline.Wizz Air - A new airline, but quite prolific with it's customers. Travels between Warsaw and Athens.Finding cheap airfares within Europe doesn't have to be an uphill battle. As long as you're armed with the correct facts and appropriate resources, you're on your way to finding that cheap airfare!
It is often tiresome to search for cheap airfare between European cities and has been near hopeless for a number of years. Travelers were told that Europeans didn't bother offering cheap airfare. Instead of by air, they traveled at a low cost within Europe using the railway system or rented cars to get around if required.However, now there are situations where cheap airfares within Europe are in fact the only option, peculiarly when time is of the essence. Some travelers cannot afford to pay not-so-cheap prices to get from Point A to Point B using airfare within Europe, but they often require to get there faster than say, by car.The primary point to consider when researching cheap airfares within Europe is to look and see if you can arrive and depart from cities different than your originals. Why? Because a different terminal may be cheaper to fly from, or to, when planning airfare within Europe. Restructuring a trip to admit for a little more travel isn't terribly bad, especially IF there are giant savings, yes?The problem with really cheap airfares within Europe is that there can be strings attached. Perhaps your return trip will be almost twice the cost of the one that got you there in the first place. Or the dates you can choose to travel may be very restrictive. And don't forget that the tax on some of these cheap airfares within Europe is as a rule more than the flight itself.Also, be sure to bear in mind that shopping for cheap European airfares isn't the same as in North America. There aren't many connecting flights in Europe and the majority of cheap airfares are straight, city to city runs.Places to Look for Cheap Airfares within EuropeIt may be important to note that we are not supporting any of the following airlines. It's a reasonable starting point for cheap European airfare, however. Here are some of the movers and shakers in the cheap European airfare game so you can get started with your cheap airfare within Europe research.Basiq Air - Has a home base in Holland and flies to 20 cities, give or take. Flights from Amsterdam run anywhere between 30-60 EUR ($37-74 USD).BMI Baby Airlines - Offers routes across Europe.Simple Jet - A very large amount of routes across Europe. However, there is an extra burden if you book with a credit card, and there are no refunds, unless there are extenuating circumstances (i.e. death of a family member).Germania Express - Discount flights between Spain, Italy, Germany and Greece.Sky Europe - Apparently the cardinal deduct airline in middle Europe.Snowflake - Caters for the Mediterranean from Europe.Continent Express - Taxes and fees at this locale are incomparably higher than the authentic fares.Volare Airlines - An Italian based airline.Wizz Air - A new airline, but quite prolific with it's customers. Travels between Warsaw and Athens.Finding cheap airfares within Europe doesn't have to be an uphill battle. As long as you're armed with the correct facts and appropriate resources, you're on your way to finding that cheap airfare!
ar283
How to Research for Your Best Las Vegas Airfare
I like to collect things from all my flight experience, I'm just that kind of person. I have a Las Vegas airfare travel mug and I have a collection of knick-knacks from airlines that I've been on too. My shower is full of soaps I've collected and my closet is full of plush bathrobes I've picked up. My Las Vegas airfare flight pins are also a favorite of mine.Looking back on my many trips it occurs to me that trying to find the best deals on Las Vegas airfare can be confusing. Should I approach a travel agent in my area or should I look for a discount broker on the Internet? If I look on the Net, who is the best? Which airlines are the best ones for me? Who provides the most reasonable Las Vegas airfare?Planning your trip to the great city of Vegas can be as fun as the city itself if you know where to look. We live in an age when opportunities for consumers are everywhere. The best first step when looking for Las Vegas airfare is to visit a discount flight broker like Orbitz, Priceline or Lowestfare dot com. Here you will get a reasonable idea of what the going rates are for Las Vegas airfare.Discount brokers often find connecting flights or last minute deals that other travel services won’t use. Because of the number of trips they plan, they can also get impressive volume discounts. But these types of brokers will not include total trip expenses in their estimates, only the lowest, quickest Las Vegas airfare.Planning where you will stay, what shows and sites you want to take in, what your budget for food and gambling, as well as planning for your Las Vegas airfare, are also important considerations when planning an overall trip. This is your experience.The question you need to ask yourself is: what does Las Vegas airfare mean to you? Perhaps your definition of Las Vegas airfare includes accommodations, gambling, or car rentals? For these types of Las Vegas airfare quotes you are better off going to a more inclusive agent like Travelvacations or Affordable travel dot org. Travel Zoo, Expedia and Travelocity are also good picks if you are interested in overall travel planning as well as factoring in what they consider to be the best Las Vegas airfare rates they can find. Vegas continues to be one of the most popular and legendary travel destinations in the US and when considering your ticket purchases, it is important to decide on the length of your visit and the cheapest months in which to travel. February is the cheapest month for Las Vegas airfare with August as a close second.In conclusion, searching for Viva Las Vegas airfare can be a rewarding experience if you use the latest resources and have clear goals set.Have fun and viva Las Vegas!
I like to collect things from all my flight experience, I'm just that kind of person. I have a Las Vegas airfare travel mug and I have a collection of knick-knacks from airlines that I've been on too. My shower is full of soaps I've collected and my closet is full of plush bathrobes I've picked up. My Las Vegas airfare flight pins are also a favorite of mine.Looking back on my many trips it occurs to me that trying to find the best deals on Las Vegas airfare can be confusing. Should I approach a travel agent in my area or should I look for a discount broker on the Internet? If I look on the Net, who is the best? Which airlines are the best ones for me? Who provides the most reasonable Las Vegas airfare?Planning your trip to the great city of Vegas can be as fun as the city itself if you know where to look. We live in an age when opportunities for consumers are everywhere. The best first step when looking for Las Vegas airfare is to visit a discount flight broker like Orbitz, Priceline or Lowestfare dot com. Here you will get a reasonable idea of what the going rates are for Las Vegas airfare.Discount brokers often find connecting flights or last minute deals that other travel services won’t use. Because of the number of trips they plan, they can also get impressive volume discounts. But these types of brokers will not include total trip expenses in their estimates, only the lowest, quickest Las Vegas airfare.Planning where you will stay, what shows and sites you want to take in, what your budget for food and gambling, as well as planning for your Las Vegas airfare, are also important considerations when planning an overall trip. This is your experience.The question you need to ask yourself is: what does Las Vegas airfare mean to you? Perhaps your definition of Las Vegas airfare includes accommodations, gambling, or car rentals? For these types of Las Vegas airfare quotes you are better off going to a more inclusive agent like Travelvacations or Affordable travel dot org. Travel Zoo, Expedia and Travelocity are also good picks if you are interested in overall travel planning as well as factoring in what they consider to be the best Las Vegas airfare rates they can find. Vegas continues to be one of the most popular and legendary travel destinations in the US and when considering your ticket purchases, it is important to decide on the length of your visit and the cheapest months in which to travel. February is the cheapest month for Las Vegas airfare with August as a close second.In conclusion, searching for Viva Las Vegas airfare can be a rewarding experience if you use the latest resources and have clear goals set.Have fun and viva Las Vegas!
ar282
India - an experience of your lifetime
India – a country with an ancient history and over the billion population is an ideal place for visiting in winter. Warm weather, without an exacting heat, and the end of the rain season is what you can expect there in December, January and February. As India is a huge country you’d better to make your route ahead not to waste your time trying to reach the desired point of interest. India varies a lot from north to south and from east to west. One life is not enough to know all the secrets of the country. What to do if you have only few weeks? Of course you would like to see all the best, the quintessential of India. Usual tourist routs can be divided into 3 kinds – resort (Goa, Kerala), excursion (so called Golden Triangle) and mountain trip to Himalayas. It’s hard to combine all these routes in one single trip, but it’s possible if you have time, money and health! It surely promises to be the experience you never forget.
The main cities of the Golden Triangle are Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, but if you choose this route you also visit other cities, lying on the way. Delhi, the capital of India firstly strikes the western traveler with its noise, dirt and smell. However, when throw away it, you see that this city hides a lot of treasures really worth visiting. With a population of about 14 millions, Delhi is a huge metropolis with all its advantages and disadvantages. Being an ancient city Delhi has a lot of traces of its past. A mix of cultures and religions is reflected in its architectural heritage. The Jama Mazjid of the walled city is an example of Indo-Persian art the Birla Temple and the Chattarpur Temple complex are considered as a blend of the North and South Indian architectural styles. Gurdwara Raquab Ganj, Sheesh Ganj and Bangla Sahib belong to Sikhism, whereas St. Thomas and St. Columbus were bilt for Christians.
Agra with its world-famous Taj Mahal become one the most recognized symbols of India. This mausoleum was created by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his second wife Mumtaz Mahal.Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan state and is wide known as the 'pink city' because of the ochre-pink hue of its old buildings and crenellated city walls.Goa and Kerala – the best Indian resorts, attract a lot of visitors from allover the world. Goa on the Arabian Sea shore has become a legendary place known for its sun, sand and psychedelia. It’s divided into 2 parts – Northern and Southern. The South is a place for the respectable western tourists with its prestigious hotels and clear beaches. The North is the place for youth from all the countries, mostly known for its discos and beach parties.
Kerala is a green strip of land, in the South West corner of Indian peninsula. Natural paradise with its palms, sand and ocean it is a perfect place for beach vacations. Himalayas, Tibet is a mysterious land attracting a lot of people seeking harmony, self- comprehension and the solutions to some of their problems. The way o this place is very hard. It can become the most challenging trekking expedition in your life, but when you reach your aim you will know that this torture hasn’t been useless. Some people nevertheless find their harmony and stay in Tibet. But even if you decide to return home Tibet will always stay with you!
India – a country with an ancient history and over the billion population is an ideal place for visiting in winter. Warm weather, without an exacting heat, and the end of the rain season is what you can expect there in December, January and February. As India is a huge country you’d better to make your route ahead not to waste your time trying to reach the desired point of interest. India varies a lot from north to south and from east to west. One life is not enough to know all the secrets of the country. What to do if you have only few weeks? Of course you would like to see all the best, the quintessential of India. Usual tourist routs can be divided into 3 kinds – resort (Goa, Kerala), excursion (so called Golden Triangle) and mountain trip to Himalayas. It’s hard to combine all these routes in one single trip, but it’s possible if you have time, money and health! It surely promises to be the experience you never forget.
The main cities of the Golden Triangle are Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, but if you choose this route you also visit other cities, lying on the way. Delhi, the capital of India firstly strikes the western traveler with its noise, dirt and smell. However, when throw away it, you see that this city hides a lot of treasures really worth visiting. With a population of about 14 millions, Delhi is a huge metropolis with all its advantages and disadvantages. Being an ancient city Delhi has a lot of traces of its past. A mix of cultures and religions is reflected in its architectural heritage. The Jama Mazjid of the walled city is an example of Indo-Persian art the Birla Temple and the Chattarpur Temple complex are considered as a blend of the North and South Indian architectural styles. Gurdwara Raquab Ganj, Sheesh Ganj and Bangla Sahib belong to Sikhism, whereas St. Thomas and St. Columbus were bilt for Christians.
Agra with its world-famous Taj Mahal become one the most recognized symbols of India. This mausoleum was created by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his second wife Mumtaz Mahal.Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan state and is wide known as the 'pink city' because of the ochre-pink hue of its old buildings and crenellated city walls.Goa and Kerala – the best Indian resorts, attract a lot of visitors from allover the world. Goa on the Arabian Sea shore has become a legendary place known for its sun, sand and psychedelia. It’s divided into 2 parts – Northern and Southern. The South is a place for the respectable western tourists with its prestigious hotels and clear beaches. The North is the place for youth from all the countries, mostly known for its discos and beach parties.
Kerala is a green strip of land, in the South West corner of Indian peninsula. Natural paradise with its palms, sand and ocean it is a perfect place for beach vacations. Himalayas, Tibet is a mysterious land attracting a lot of people seeking harmony, self- comprehension and the solutions to some of their problems. The way o this place is very hard. It can become the most challenging trekking expedition in your life, but when you reach your aim you will know that this torture hasn’t been useless. Some people nevertheless find their harmony and stay in Tibet. But even if you decide to return home Tibet will always stay with you!
ar281
Travelling to and within Ireland.
To enjoy travelling in Ireland one has to have first travelled to Ireland. As Ireland is an island nation, travelling to Ireland means arriving by either air or sea. One also has to consider the modes of transport on offer to travel around this wonderful country.If you intend to arrive by air, you will enter the country through one of four airports.
For visitors arriving on flights directly from/through North America either Shannon or Dublin airports will be your destination. Shannon Airport due to its proximity to Cork & Kerry is the most ideal destination. Dublin Airport is Ireland's biggest airport, serving the North Atlantic routes, Middle and Far Eastern routes and European routes. Regular shuttle flights are available between Dublin and both Cork and Kerry Airports. Cork Airport can be reached from many European destinations as well as from all over the world if you change flights at either London or Dublin. Cork Airport is, at the most, just two hours away from a stay in the Cork / Kerry region. Your final choice of arrival airport is Kerry Airport. Kerry Airport can be reached by flights from the U.K., or Düsseldorf.
If you intend to arrive by sea, which is ideal for those who wish to use their own car, there is a choice of 3 ports of arrival. The closest port of arrival is Ringaskiddy, which is just outside Cork City. Next Rosslare, which is located in the southeast corner of Ireland and is suitable for those who prefer a shorter sea journey. Finally Dun Laoghaire just outside Dublin links with Holyhead in North Wales for visitors coming through from the Midlands and Northern England.If you have arrived in Ireland by air or sea at Dublin / Dun Laoghaire or by sea at Rosslare, a comfortable way to travel onward to Cork or Kerry is by train (Iarnród Éireann).Kent station in Cork is less than 5 minutes walk from the city centre. It is also possible to change trains at Mallow to get to Millstreet, Killarney and Tralee. For Killarney and Tralee this will cost a small bit extra. Full timetables are posted at all stations.
Travelling by bus (Bus Eireann) is a cheap way to get around Ireland and a great way to meet people. Often very lively conversations will develop during your journey, with plenty of advice given for your stay in Ireland. The Dublin Bus Navigator is useful for finding your way around the capital city. The cheapest way to travel by bus is to get a rambler ticket available from most bus stations. These give unlimited travel on all Scheduled services - excluding Day Tours.
If you are travelling as a group of 10 people or more, then why not hire a coach for your stay in Ireland. This way you will be chauffeured day and night to you chosen destinations in safety and with no worries about who drinks and who does the driving!
For complete travel independence a car is your best choice whether you bring your own or hire one. The roads in Ireland are uncluttered and once off the main National primary routes, roads are considered crowded if you see another car going in the same direction and one coming against you at the same time.
For those who want to travel at a leisurely pace and enjoy the fresh air, Ireland is ideal cycling country. Bicycles can be hired nationwide.
Finally hitchhiking is perfectly safe in Ireland, for those on a low budget this is an ideal way to get around and meet people. Getting a lift is quite easy, especially if you have the flag of your country sewn onto the back of your backpack and displayed so drivers can see it easily. Many local people in Ireland hitchhike so you will often have competition at the best locations for a lift, which is usually between the 30m.p.h., and 40m.p.h. signs on the road-leaving town.
To enjoy travelling in Ireland one has to have first travelled to Ireland. As Ireland is an island nation, travelling to Ireland means arriving by either air or sea. One also has to consider the modes of transport on offer to travel around this wonderful country.If you intend to arrive by air, you will enter the country through one of four airports.
For visitors arriving on flights directly from/through North America either Shannon or Dublin airports will be your destination. Shannon Airport due to its proximity to Cork & Kerry is the most ideal destination. Dublin Airport is Ireland's biggest airport, serving the North Atlantic routes, Middle and Far Eastern routes and European routes. Regular shuttle flights are available between Dublin and both Cork and Kerry Airports. Cork Airport can be reached from many European destinations as well as from all over the world if you change flights at either London or Dublin. Cork Airport is, at the most, just two hours away from a stay in the Cork / Kerry region. Your final choice of arrival airport is Kerry Airport. Kerry Airport can be reached by flights from the U.K., or Düsseldorf.
If you intend to arrive by sea, which is ideal for those who wish to use their own car, there is a choice of 3 ports of arrival. The closest port of arrival is Ringaskiddy, which is just outside Cork City. Next Rosslare, which is located in the southeast corner of Ireland and is suitable for those who prefer a shorter sea journey. Finally Dun Laoghaire just outside Dublin links with Holyhead in North Wales for visitors coming through from the Midlands and Northern England.If you have arrived in Ireland by air or sea at Dublin / Dun Laoghaire or by sea at Rosslare, a comfortable way to travel onward to Cork or Kerry is by train (Iarnród Éireann).Kent station in Cork is less than 5 minutes walk from the city centre. It is also possible to change trains at Mallow to get to Millstreet, Killarney and Tralee. For Killarney and Tralee this will cost a small bit extra. Full timetables are posted at all stations.
Travelling by bus (Bus Eireann) is a cheap way to get around Ireland and a great way to meet people. Often very lively conversations will develop during your journey, with plenty of advice given for your stay in Ireland. The Dublin Bus Navigator is useful for finding your way around the capital city. The cheapest way to travel by bus is to get a rambler ticket available from most bus stations. These give unlimited travel on all Scheduled services - excluding Day Tours.
If you are travelling as a group of 10 people or more, then why not hire a coach for your stay in Ireland. This way you will be chauffeured day and night to you chosen destinations in safety and with no worries about who drinks and who does the driving!
For complete travel independence a car is your best choice whether you bring your own or hire one. The roads in Ireland are uncluttered and once off the main National primary routes, roads are considered crowded if you see another car going in the same direction and one coming against you at the same time.
For those who want to travel at a leisurely pace and enjoy the fresh air, Ireland is ideal cycling country. Bicycles can be hired nationwide.
Finally hitchhiking is perfectly safe in Ireland, for those on a low budget this is an ideal way to get around and meet people. Getting a lift is quite easy, especially if you have the flag of your country sewn onto the back of your backpack and displayed so drivers can see it easily. Many local people in Ireland hitchhike so you will often have competition at the best locations for a lift, which is usually between the 30m.p.h., and 40m.p.h. signs on the road-leaving town.
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Travel Credit Cards
Why bring travel credit cards instead of traveler's checks? Convenience, safety and savings. The first time I had to exchange $200 of travelers checks overseas, the bank charged me $8. Later, during the same trip, I used my debit card at an ATM to get $200 from my checking account. The charge was one dollar, and that was the last time I used traveler's checks.
Travel Credit Cards And Debit CardsIt is best to carry a credit card AND a debit card, and keep them well-hidden in two separate places. Bring cards that have either zero liability, or a fifty dollar liability limit for any unauthorized charges. Ask your bank or credit card company about this. Make sure you bring a Visa card, as this seems to be the most widely accepted right now.Sometimes an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) won't take a card for some reason. Normally, you can use the other card, which will usually work fine. That's the advantage of having two cards. By the way, criminals watch those ATMs, so be especially careful not to flash your money around when you leave an ATM.For most travel, credit cards may be less trouble than debit cards. They can be replaced quickly if stolen. On your stolen debit card, your liability might be zero, but you probably won't have access to your account until the matter is sorted out.On the other hand, on longer trips it's a hassle to pay the credit card bill on time, which isn't a problem with debit cards. That's another reason to carry both. On longer trips you can wait until you're a few weeks from home to use the credit card, and you'll get there before the bill does. Another advantage travel credit and debit cards have over traveler's checks, is that when you need the local currency, you'll almost always get a better exchange rate with your cards. Plus, the cash you get from the local ATM will truly be accepted everywhere, something no traveler's checks can promise.Be sure to call your credit card company or bank before you travel overseas. They may decline your card when you try to use it otherwise. Just let them know where you'll be and for aproximately how long. E-mail yourself the phone numbers to call in case of loss or theft, so you can get them from anywhere in the world.To sum up : Use cards with low liability, high enough limits for your trip, and hide them well on your body. These are the requirements for good travel credit cards.
Why bring travel credit cards instead of traveler's checks? Convenience, safety and savings. The first time I had to exchange $200 of travelers checks overseas, the bank charged me $8. Later, during the same trip, I used my debit card at an ATM to get $200 from my checking account. The charge was one dollar, and that was the last time I used traveler's checks.
Travel Credit Cards And Debit CardsIt is best to carry a credit card AND a debit card, and keep them well-hidden in two separate places. Bring cards that have either zero liability, or a fifty dollar liability limit for any unauthorized charges. Ask your bank or credit card company about this. Make sure you bring a Visa card, as this seems to be the most widely accepted right now.Sometimes an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) won't take a card for some reason. Normally, you can use the other card, which will usually work fine. That's the advantage of having two cards. By the way, criminals watch those ATMs, so be especially careful not to flash your money around when you leave an ATM.For most travel, credit cards may be less trouble than debit cards. They can be replaced quickly if stolen. On your stolen debit card, your liability might be zero, but you probably won't have access to your account until the matter is sorted out.On the other hand, on longer trips it's a hassle to pay the credit card bill on time, which isn't a problem with debit cards. That's another reason to carry both. On longer trips you can wait until you're a few weeks from home to use the credit card, and you'll get there before the bill does. Another advantage travel credit and debit cards have over traveler's checks, is that when you need the local currency, you'll almost always get a better exchange rate with your cards. Plus, the cash you get from the local ATM will truly be accepted everywhere, something no traveler's checks can promise.Be sure to call your credit card company or bank before you travel overseas. They may decline your card when you try to use it otherwise. Just let them know where you'll be and for aproximately how long. E-mail yourself the phone numbers to call in case of loss or theft, so you can get them from anywhere in the world.To sum up : Use cards with low liability, high enough limits for your trip, and hide them well on your body. These are the requirements for good travel credit cards.
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6 Great Las Vegas Hotels
Looking for tips on just the right place to stay on your Las Vegas vacation? There are a lot of great hotels in Vegas, but these six definitely stand out.
Wynn HotelThe newest masterpiece by Vegas hotel legend Steve Wynn, the 50-story Wynn Hotel opened in 2004 with 2,716 rooms, an 18-hole golf course, 19 restaurants, and 54 private spa treatment rooms. His namesake hotel displays his amazing art collection, offers incredible shopping right on site, and has a posh private lobby for VIPs. And of course, there's an awesome state-of-the-art casino at it's heart.
BellagioBuilt by Steve Wynn in 1998, the lavish Bellagio has excellent rooms, awesome service, and an amazing water fountain show. In December 2004, just before the Wynn Hotel opened, the Bellagio added a special 928-room Spa Tower, boosting total capacity to 3,933 rooms. The Bellagio is so ritzy that they offer a 50-minute body bronzing treatment with real gold dust.THEhotel at Mandalay Bay
This all-suite exclusive hotel within the larger Mandalay Bay property has 1,117 rooms that aim for a more cosmopolitan clientele than it's namesake parent. Each suite is 725 square feet of luxury with three flat-screen televisions, including one in the mega-swank bathrooms.Four Seasons
Another swank luxury hotel within the Mandalay Bay complex, the Four Seasons occupies floors 35-39 and has rates much higher than the standard $119-$349 of its parent. Four Seasons guests have their own elevator and entrance, plus pools, spa, and restaurants in an adjacent building.
Ritz Carlton at Lake Las VegasThe Ritz Carlton hotel is a half-hour's drive from the Strip, but it's renowned for it's golfing and outdoor activities. It nestles against manmade Lake Las Vegas where the water offers a refreshing alternative to the summertime heat. This three-year-old Tuscan-themed resort still maintains a touch of the glitz: Guests can stay on a special bridge with suites built to recreate Florence's legendary Ponte Vecchio (Bridge of Gold).
Venetian Resort Hotel CasinoLocated near the Wynn, this 4,027-suite hotel is part of the Sands Hotel group. Rooms are luxuriously appointed and the casino is magnificent. Coming this summer is a new theater hosting Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash hit musical, the "Phantom of the Opera."So, there you have it. Six great Vegas hotels that will never fail to dazzle and are guaranteed to impress even the most jaded repeat visitor. Just be sure to book ahead to get the best discounts on room rates and snag hard-to-get show tickets well in advance.
Looking for tips on just the right place to stay on your Las Vegas vacation? There are a lot of great hotels in Vegas, but these six definitely stand out.
Wynn HotelThe newest masterpiece by Vegas hotel legend Steve Wynn, the 50-story Wynn Hotel opened in 2004 with 2,716 rooms, an 18-hole golf course, 19 restaurants, and 54 private spa treatment rooms. His namesake hotel displays his amazing art collection, offers incredible shopping right on site, and has a posh private lobby for VIPs. And of course, there's an awesome state-of-the-art casino at it's heart.
BellagioBuilt by Steve Wynn in 1998, the lavish Bellagio has excellent rooms, awesome service, and an amazing water fountain show. In December 2004, just before the Wynn Hotel opened, the Bellagio added a special 928-room Spa Tower, boosting total capacity to 3,933 rooms. The Bellagio is so ritzy that they offer a 50-minute body bronzing treatment with real gold dust.THEhotel at Mandalay Bay
This all-suite exclusive hotel within the larger Mandalay Bay property has 1,117 rooms that aim for a more cosmopolitan clientele than it's namesake parent. Each suite is 725 square feet of luxury with three flat-screen televisions, including one in the mega-swank bathrooms.Four Seasons
Another swank luxury hotel within the Mandalay Bay complex, the Four Seasons occupies floors 35-39 and has rates much higher than the standard $119-$349 of its parent. Four Seasons guests have their own elevator and entrance, plus pools, spa, and restaurants in an adjacent building.
Ritz Carlton at Lake Las VegasThe Ritz Carlton hotel is a half-hour's drive from the Strip, but it's renowned for it's golfing and outdoor activities. It nestles against manmade Lake Las Vegas where the water offers a refreshing alternative to the summertime heat. This three-year-old Tuscan-themed resort still maintains a touch of the glitz: Guests can stay on a special bridge with suites built to recreate Florence's legendary Ponte Vecchio (Bridge of Gold).
Venetian Resort Hotel CasinoLocated near the Wynn, this 4,027-suite hotel is part of the Sands Hotel group. Rooms are luxuriously appointed and the casino is magnificent. Coming this summer is a new theater hosting Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash hit musical, the "Phantom of the Opera."So, there you have it. Six great Vegas hotels that will never fail to dazzle and are guaranteed to impress even the most jaded repeat visitor. Just be sure to book ahead to get the best discounts on room rates and snag hard-to-get show tickets well in advance.
ar278
Say goodbye to paper airline tickets
All-electronic tickets will save money, add convenience for customers
NEW YORK - Next summer, paper airline tickets will go the way of vinyl records and rotary-dial phones: They won't entirely disappear, but they'll be hard to find.
On June 1, the industry association that handles ticketing for most major airlines will stop issuing paper tickets. Some small regional or foreign airlines will continue issuing paper tickets, but they'll be few and far between.
Indeed, even without the International Air Transport Association's directive, the vast majority of airline tickets are already electronic. IATA says paper tickets have fallen to less than 14 percent of the 400 million tickets it processes each year.
On its face, the move to all electronic ticketing is a no-brainer for the airline industry. Paper tickets cost airlines $10 to $17, on average, compared with $1 or less for electronic tickets. A fully electronic ticketing system will save the industry $3 billion a year, the IATA estimates.
"From the airline perspective, it's 100 percent upside," said Robert Mann, an airline consultant in Port Washington, N.Y.
dition to pure cost savings, electronic ticketing lets airlines record revenue more quickly on their balance sheets and track revenue patterns. Airlines used to have to bundle and ship tickets to a processing facility, where each ticket had to be fed into a computer, before revenue could be booked or analyzed.
The industry also says electronic ticketing is more convenient to customers, who can manage their own bookings and make changes online without needing to call a travel agent or airline representative.
"It's very simple for the customer and has far superior protections for the customer," said Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines parent AMR Corp.
Mann has a slightly different take.
"What's really happened here is that a lot of the work has been outsourced to the customer," Mann said.
Travelers holding electronic tickets perform most of the functions that used to be handled by the airlines, including in many cases booking their flights at a Web site, printing their itinerary, checking in for their flights online and printing a boarding pass from an airport kiosk.
Many people prefer it that way, but those who don't will still have the option of booking through a travel agent or airline sales representative.
Lorne Riley, an IATA spokesman, says electronic tickets are more secure than the paper variety, which can be easily forged. Mann notes that many foreign countries require travelers to present a ticket for either onward or return travel to gain entry. Riley said printed itineraries are accepted in most cases as proof of electronic ticket-based travel plans.
Most airlines have already mostly phased out paper tickets — AMR's Smith estimates that more than 98 percent of American's tickets are electronic — so the IATA move largely just codifies an industry shift that has already occurred.
Some smaller airlines will likely stick with paper ticketing, for now.
"It's ones for whom moving to a fully electronic system doesn't make economic sense," such as small regional carriers that fly a few thousand customers a year, who will keep issuing paper tickets, Mann said.
"Some carriers ... they'll just continue to provide their own solution," said Riley.
Indeed, the IATA's move applies only to the 70 to 75 percent of overall airline tickets. The IATA does not represent low-cost carriers such as Ryanair Holdings PLC and Southwest Airlines.
"We do not have any plans of eliminating paper stock," said Jeannine Rahe, a spokeswoman for the Airline Reporting Corp., or ARC, a separate organization that processes 169 million airline transactions, including tickets and exchanges, each year.
Still, Rahe said 96.8 percent of the tickets ARC processes are electronic.
All-electronic tickets will save money, add convenience for customers
NEW YORK - Next summer, paper airline tickets will go the way of vinyl records and rotary-dial phones: They won't entirely disappear, but they'll be hard to find.
On June 1, the industry association that handles ticketing for most major airlines will stop issuing paper tickets. Some small regional or foreign airlines will continue issuing paper tickets, but they'll be few and far between.
Indeed, even without the International Air Transport Association's directive, the vast majority of airline tickets are already electronic. IATA says paper tickets have fallen to less than 14 percent of the 400 million tickets it processes each year.
On its face, the move to all electronic ticketing is a no-brainer for the airline industry. Paper tickets cost airlines $10 to $17, on average, compared with $1 or less for electronic tickets. A fully electronic ticketing system will save the industry $3 billion a year, the IATA estimates.
"From the airline perspective, it's 100 percent upside," said Robert Mann, an airline consultant in Port Washington, N.Y.
dition to pure cost savings, electronic ticketing lets airlines record revenue more quickly on their balance sheets and track revenue patterns. Airlines used to have to bundle and ship tickets to a processing facility, where each ticket had to be fed into a computer, before revenue could be booked or analyzed.
The industry also says electronic ticketing is more convenient to customers, who can manage their own bookings and make changes online without needing to call a travel agent or airline representative.
"It's very simple for the customer and has far superior protections for the customer," said Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines parent AMR Corp.
Mann has a slightly different take.
"What's really happened here is that a lot of the work has been outsourced to the customer," Mann said.
Travelers holding electronic tickets perform most of the functions that used to be handled by the airlines, including in many cases booking their flights at a Web site, printing their itinerary, checking in for their flights online and printing a boarding pass from an airport kiosk.
Many people prefer it that way, but those who don't will still have the option of booking through a travel agent or airline sales representative.
Lorne Riley, an IATA spokesman, says electronic tickets are more secure than the paper variety, which can be easily forged. Mann notes that many foreign countries require travelers to present a ticket for either onward or return travel to gain entry. Riley said printed itineraries are accepted in most cases as proof of electronic ticket-based travel plans.
Most airlines have already mostly phased out paper tickets — AMR's Smith estimates that more than 98 percent of American's tickets are electronic — so the IATA move largely just codifies an industry shift that has already occurred.
Some smaller airlines will likely stick with paper ticketing, for now.
"It's ones for whom moving to a fully electronic system doesn't make economic sense," such as small regional carriers that fly a few thousand customers a year, who will keep issuing paper tickets, Mann said.
"Some carriers ... they'll just continue to provide their own solution," said Riley.
Indeed, the IATA's move applies only to the 70 to 75 percent of overall airline tickets. The IATA does not represent low-cost carriers such as Ryanair Holdings PLC and Southwest Airlines.
"We do not have any plans of eliminating paper stock," said Jeannine Rahe, a spokeswoman for the Airline Reporting Corp., or ARC, a separate organization that processes 169 million airline transactions, including tickets and exchanges, each year.
Still, Rahe said 96.8 percent of the tickets ARC processes are electronic.
ar277
Provides Tips Planning Honeymoon Wedding Destination
We feature honeymoon registry service, destination wedding arrangements, destination information,and much more! Visit the links on both sides of this page to view superb honeymoon wedding destinations by state. Far away, exotic and world renowned for its spectacular scenery and friendly people, New Zealand is an ideal wedding and honeymoon destination. Jamaica is a fantastic honeymoon or wedding destination. Keep that in mind as you plan your wedding date and honeymoon destination. The first step in planning a destination wedding is to find a travel agent that specializes in honeymoons & destination weddings. - Provides tips on planning a honeymoon or destination wedding. Pick your wedding date to coincide with your honeymoon destination's off-season.Find the perfect wedding or honeymoon destination is easy. This site is a romantic getaway for your romantic honeymoon vacation or destination wedding. Food, wedding decorations, bridal shower favors and music can also be used to incorporate the theme of a honeymoon destination. It is no wonder why Barbados has featured amongt the top 10 wedding and honeymoon destinations for a number of years. A popular wedding and honeymoon destination. A unique fusion of lifestyles, ethnicity and architecture in a city pulsing with life makes this an exciting wedding or honeymoon destination. Don't forget to bookmark this page now so you may return often while planning your destination wedding, weddingmoon, or honeymoon. Browse through these guides for honeymoon travel advice and destination suggestions. A true exotic honeymoon travel destination. Virgin Islands These islands could be an excellent honeymoon destination for those who are new to overseas travel. Even driving is a great way to travel if your honeymoon destination is near. Climate and Weather Check local weather conditions for your honeymoon destination with your travel professional. Bain provides couples with vital information on cruises, foreign travel, packages, staying within a budgeteven how to get married at their honeymoon destination. DecorationsDecorate with travel posters and brochures that depict the couple's honeymoon destination. A delightful room, whether for a Virginia honeymoon destination or simply to treat yourself to luxury travel accommodations. InfoHub has compiled a list of travel opportunities for honeymoon trips and honeymoon destinations around the world. The price of air travel to your honeymoon destination also varies greatly. Many couples choose the most popular honeymoon destinations that are the most expensive ones. Future wife and husband choose together honeymoon destinations. To fulfil their dream they have to choose a superb destination for their honeymoon Holidays. Before you choose a destination for your honeymoon, decide how much time you can take.Everybody wants to have a memorable honeymoon, and there are plenty of destinations that you can choose from. GINZ.com lets you choose your perfect honeymoon destination. Couples may even choose a resort honeymoon destination, be married at the resort, and then vacation there. How to choose a honeymoon destination, is always a cause of concern for the couples.. Here are some testimonials from several couples that have decided to choose Aruba as their honeymoon destination. Sandals resorts will spoil you endlessly and any of their destinations you choose will be the best honeymoon possible.
We feature honeymoon registry service, destination wedding arrangements, destination information,and much more! Visit the links on both sides of this page to view superb honeymoon wedding destinations by state. Far away, exotic and world renowned for its spectacular scenery and friendly people, New Zealand is an ideal wedding and honeymoon destination. Jamaica is a fantastic honeymoon or wedding destination. Keep that in mind as you plan your wedding date and honeymoon destination. The first step in planning a destination wedding is to find a travel agent that specializes in honeymoons & destination weddings. - Provides tips on planning a honeymoon or destination wedding. Pick your wedding date to coincide with your honeymoon destination's off-season.Find the perfect wedding or honeymoon destination is easy. This site is a romantic getaway for your romantic honeymoon vacation or destination wedding. Food, wedding decorations, bridal shower favors and music can also be used to incorporate the theme of a honeymoon destination. It is no wonder why Barbados has featured amongt the top 10 wedding and honeymoon destinations for a number of years. A popular wedding and honeymoon destination. A unique fusion of lifestyles, ethnicity and architecture in a city pulsing with life makes this an exciting wedding or honeymoon destination. Don't forget to bookmark this page now so you may return often while planning your destination wedding, weddingmoon, or honeymoon. Browse through these guides for honeymoon travel advice and destination suggestions. A true exotic honeymoon travel destination. Virgin Islands These islands could be an excellent honeymoon destination for those who are new to overseas travel. Even driving is a great way to travel if your honeymoon destination is near. Climate and Weather Check local weather conditions for your honeymoon destination with your travel professional. Bain provides couples with vital information on cruises, foreign travel, packages, staying within a budgeteven how to get married at their honeymoon destination. DecorationsDecorate with travel posters and brochures that depict the couple's honeymoon destination. A delightful room, whether for a Virginia honeymoon destination or simply to treat yourself to luxury travel accommodations. InfoHub has compiled a list of travel opportunities for honeymoon trips and honeymoon destinations around the world. The price of air travel to your honeymoon destination also varies greatly. Many couples choose the most popular honeymoon destinations that are the most expensive ones. Future wife and husband choose together honeymoon destinations. To fulfil their dream they have to choose a superb destination for their honeymoon Holidays. Before you choose a destination for your honeymoon, decide how much time you can take.Everybody wants to have a memorable honeymoon, and there are plenty of destinations that you can choose from. GINZ.com lets you choose your perfect honeymoon destination. Couples may even choose a resort honeymoon destination, be married at the resort, and then vacation there. How to choose a honeymoon destination, is always a cause of concern for the couples.. Here are some testimonials from several couples that have decided to choose Aruba as their honeymoon destination. Sandals resorts will spoil you endlessly and any of their destinations you choose will be the best honeymoon possible.
ar276
Wonder Water
How to use:
Assemble the following materials:
• Wonder Water® • Silk flowers or dried flowers
• Wire, tape, or rubber band (optional, to hold stems in place) • Clean and Dry vase • Oven mitts and paper towels
STEP 1 Cut stems to desired lengths. Pre-arrange the materials and tie together with tape, wire, or a rubber band. You can seal porous stems that will touch the Wonder Water® using a white craft glue or clear spray paint to reduce the possibility of air bubble formation.
STEP 2 Place the bottle(s) of Wonder Water® in a pan. Make sure the cap is on the bottle tight! Fill the pan with water until bottle(s) float. Heat on a stove or hot plate until the water is nearly boiling. Do not microwave. Maintain the heat. Allow the Wonder Water® to liquefy in the bottle. (approx. 15-30 minutes)
STEP 3 Once the Wonder Water® has turned into a liquid, turn off the heat. Put on oven mitts and carefully lift the bottle(s) from the pan using tongs or a similar tool. Dry the bottle with paper towels. Immediately pour the liquid into your vase to the desired depth. Be careful not to let it run down the sides. To reduce the chance of bubbles forming, wait till the pan is no longer steaming then place the vase back in the hot water and leave it there for the duration of this procedure. Do not allow any regular water to contaminate the Wonder Water®.
STEP 4 Wait about 15 minutes and then add the arrangement. Be sure your tie is high enough so you can remove it once the Wonder Water® sets up. Allow the arrangement and vase to remain in the pan undisturbed for several hours or overnight. It is important to allow it to cool down slowly. The Wonder Water® will gel at room temperature.
STEP 5 Once you have removed the tie around your arrangement, you can make some small final adjustments. Just be careful not to disturb the part of the stems down in the gel. Clean up any spills with dish soap and water.
How to use:
Assemble the following materials:
• Wonder Water® • Silk flowers or dried flowers
• Wire, tape, or rubber band (optional, to hold stems in place) • Clean and Dry vase • Oven mitts and paper towels
STEP 1 Cut stems to desired lengths. Pre-arrange the materials and tie together with tape, wire, or a rubber band. You can seal porous stems that will touch the Wonder Water® using a white craft glue or clear spray paint to reduce the possibility of air bubble formation.
STEP 2 Place the bottle(s) of Wonder Water® in a pan. Make sure the cap is on the bottle tight! Fill the pan with water until bottle(s) float. Heat on a stove or hot plate until the water is nearly boiling. Do not microwave. Maintain the heat. Allow the Wonder Water® to liquefy in the bottle. (approx. 15-30 minutes)
STEP 3 Once the Wonder Water® has turned into a liquid, turn off the heat. Put on oven mitts and carefully lift the bottle(s) from the pan using tongs or a similar tool. Dry the bottle with paper towels. Immediately pour the liquid into your vase to the desired depth. Be careful not to let it run down the sides. To reduce the chance of bubbles forming, wait till the pan is no longer steaming then place the vase back in the hot water and leave it there for the duration of this procedure. Do not allow any regular water to contaminate the Wonder Water®.
STEP 4 Wait about 15 minutes and then add the arrangement. Be sure your tie is high enough so you can remove it once the Wonder Water® sets up. Allow the arrangement and vase to remain in the pan undisturbed for several hours or overnight. It is important to allow it to cool down slowly. The Wonder Water® will gel at room temperature.
STEP 5 Once you have removed the tie around your arrangement, you can make some small final adjustments. Just be careful not to disturb the part of the stems down in the gel. Clean up any spills with dish soap and water.
ar275
Beijing shows off new, expensive airport
BEIJING - Beijing showed off its new multibillion-dollar airport terminal Wednesday — a mammoth structure of glass and steel with a gracefully sloping roof that the owners said is meant to impress visitors to China's capital for the 2008 Olympics.
Terminal 3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport is a centerpiece project for the Olympics designed to relieve the overloaded airport's other two terminals and accommodate the city's torrid growth for the next seven years, executives with the airport's state-run holding company said at a tour for foreign media.
The terminal, which will be opened for testing in February, is outfitted with a state-of-the-art-baggage handling system, a rail terminal to carry passengers into the city and gates and a runway capable of handling Airbus' huge A380 superjumbo.
The terminal building alone cost 21 billion yuan (US$2.8 billion; €2 billion), 35 billion yuan (US$4.6 billion; €3.4 billion) with all the related infrastructure added in, the executives said.
The terminal is an "important non-competition venue" for the Olympics, said Zhang Zhizhong, general manager of Capital Airport Holding Co. He said it is intended to "give an excellent impression when visitors arrive at the airport."
Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the building attempts to combine traditional architectural elements with up-to-date technology. Its red columns and muted gold roof are meant to evoke Beijing's imperial palaces and temples while the US$250 million (€180 million) baggage system, made by German engineering giant Siemens AG, can handle 19,000 pieces of luggage an hour, the executives said.
Beijing desperately needs a new airport, with the double-digit economic growth of recent years outstripping city planners' original projections and stressing the capital's infrastructure. The capital airport's second terminal, which opened eight years ago, quickly reached its limits, and long lines for check-in and flight delays.
BEIJING - Beijing showed off its new multibillion-dollar airport terminal Wednesday — a mammoth structure of glass and steel with a gracefully sloping roof that the owners said is meant to impress visitors to China's capital for the 2008 Olympics.
Terminal 3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport is a centerpiece project for the Olympics designed to relieve the overloaded airport's other two terminals and accommodate the city's torrid growth for the next seven years, executives with the airport's state-run holding company said at a tour for foreign media.
The terminal, which will be opened for testing in February, is outfitted with a state-of-the-art-baggage handling system, a rail terminal to carry passengers into the city and gates and a runway capable of handling Airbus' huge A380 superjumbo.
The terminal building alone cost 21 billion yuan (US$2.8 billion; €2 billion), 35 billion yuan (US$4.6 billion; €3.4 billion) with all the related infrastructure added in, the executives said.
The terminal is an "important non-competition venue" for the Olympics, said Zhang Zhizhong, general manager of Capital Airport Holding Co. He said it is intended to "give an excellent impression when visitors arrive at the airport."
Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the building attempts to combine traditional architectural elements with up-to-date technology. Its red columns and muted gold roof are meant to evoke Beijing's imperial palaces and temples while the US$250 million (€180 million) baggage system, made by German engineering giant Siemens AG, can handle 19,000 pieces of luggage an hour, the executives said.
Beijing desperately needs a new airport, with the double-digit economic growth of recent years outstripping city planners' original projections and stressing the capital's infrastructure. The capital airport's second terminal, which opened eight years ago, quickly reached its limits, and long lines for check-in and flight delays.
ar274
Phuket Island Attracts Millions Of Visitors Every Year
Every year, the island of Phuket attracts millions of visitors, with it's beautiful beaches and scenery. In the past, the island derived much of its wealth from tin production, which began in Phuket over 500 years ago. Patong, across the island from Phuket Town, is the noisy nightlife centre of the island with great beaches and facilities. On the other hand, the area to the south of the island (Phuket City today) was developed and became a tin trading center.But Phuket is much more than just a holiday island. We will hand-hold you through finding that dream property on beautiful Phuket island, and through the entire Thailand real estate buying process. Mainstream media also failed to explain enough that much of the damage on the island was distant from Phuket's main beaches. Our new Phuket edition is free to the public and available at an increasing number of distribution points throughout the island. Buses are also available to Phuket town and all major holiday destinations and beaches on the island.The airport on Phuket island is a well-equipped little airport, the staff is friendly and immigration officers are very efficient and work fast. Half of those killed were foreign tourists visiting the island of Phuket and surrounding resort areas. Thailand's largest island, Phuket is incredibly diverse, with rocky and sandy beaches, tall cliffs, forests, waterfalls and temples. Boats can be chartered to go to some small island south of Phuket. See the Phuket beaches page for an overall map to the main beaches and towns of the island. A comfortable Phuket hotel for groups, families and company meetings or large conferences. For detailed Phuket hotels information or to make a reservation, select a hotel and let asiahotels.com be your Phuket travel agent. You can look at Thailand best hotel prices and book the best hotel in Phuket. Book your Phuket hotel stay safely, securely and without worries. Set in its own tropical gardens, the phuket hotel boasts three magnificent pools and sundecks for soaking up the glorious sunshine over Phuket.Read Phuket hotels descriptions, reviews by former hotel guests or place your own Phuket hotels review. You can look at Thailand luxury hotel prices and book the luxury hotel in Phuket. Book your hotel in Phuket before you leave home and save money! Our hotel is one of the best-valued vacation resorts in Phuket. The location of the hotel was also great in relation to the nightlife in Phuket. We returned to Phuket at about 2.30 and we were taken back to the hotel. Find and reserve the right Phuket meetings hotel for your group today.
Every year, the island of Phuket attracts millions of visitors, with it's beautiful beaches and scenery. In the past, the island derived much of its wealth from tin production, which began in Phuket over 500 years ago. Patong, across the island from Phuket Town, is the noisy nightlife centre of the island with great beaches and facilities. On the other hand, the area to the south of the island (Phuket City today) was developed and became a tin trading center.But Phuket is much more than just a holiday island. We will hand-hold you through finding that dream property on beautiful Phuket island, and through the entire Thailand real estate buying process. Mainstream media also failed to explain enough that much of the damage on the island was distant from Phuket's main beaches. Our new Phuket edition is free to the public and available at an increasing number of distribution points throughout the island. Buses are also available to Phuket town and all major holiday destinations and beaches on the island.The airport on Phuket island is a well-equipped little airport, the staff is friendly and immigration officers are very efficient and work fast. Half of those killed were foreign tourists visiting the island of Phuket and surrounding resort areas. Thailand's largest island, Phuket is incredibly diverse, with rocky and sandy beaches, tall cliffs, forests, waterfalls and temples. Boats can be chartered to go to some small island south of Phuket. See the Phuket beaches page for an overall map to the main beaches and towns of the island. A comfortable Phuket hotel for groups, families and company meetings or large conferences. For detailed Phuket hotels information or to make a reservation, select a hotel and let asiahotels.com be your Phuket travel agent. You can look at Thailand best hotel prices and book the best hotel in Phuket. Book your Phuket hotel stay safely, securely and without worries. Set in its own tropical gardens, the phuket hotel boasts three magnificent pools and sundecks for soaking up the glorious sunshine over Phuket.Read Phuket hotels descriptions, reviews by former hotel guests or place your own Phuket hotels review. You can look at Thailand luxury hotel prices and book the luxury hotel in Phuket. Book your hotel in Phuket before you leave home and save money! Our hotel is one of the best-valued vacation resorts in Phuket. The location of the hotel was also great in relation to the nightlife in Phuket. We returned to Phuket at about 2.30 and we were taken back to the hotel. Find and reserve the right Phuket meetings hotel for your group today.
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The Five Niyamas of Yoga
The second limb of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga system contains the five internal practices of Niyama (observance). These practices extend the ethical codes of conduct provided in his first limb, the yamas, to the practicing yogi’s internal environment of body, mind and spirit. The practice of Niyama helps us maintain a positive environment in which to grow, and gives us the self-discipline and inner-strength necessary to progress along the path of yoga. Shaucha (purification) is a central aim of many yogic techniques, and is the first principle of Patanjali's five Niyamas. The yogis discovered that impurities in both our external environment and our internal body adversely affect our state of mind, and prevent the attainment of real wisdom and spiritual liberation. The practices of asana, pranayama and meditation cleanse and purify the body and mind, as well as strengthening their capacity to maintain a pure state of being. We must also consciously work at surrounding ourselves with a pure environment (including food, drink, friends, entertainment, home furnishings and transportation) to not add any external impurities back into our bodies or minds.
Samtosha (contentment) is not craving for what we do not have as well as not coveting the possessions of others. The yogis tell us that when we are perfectly content with all that life gives us, then we attain true joy and happiness. It is easy for the mind to become fooled into thinking that we can attain lasting happiness through the possession of objects and goods, but both our personal experience and the teachings of the sages prove that the happiness gained through materialism is only temporary. Practicing contentment frees us from the unnecessary suffering of always wanting things to be different, and instead fills us with gratitude and joy for all of life’s blessings.
Tapas (asceticism) is a yogic practice of intense self-discipline and attainment of will power. Basically, Tapas is doing something you do not want to do that will have a positive effect on your life. When our will conflicts with the desire of our mind an internal “fire” is created which illuminates and burns up our mental and physical impurities. This inner fire can also be used as a source of spiritual energy; the yogis say the sole practice of Tapas can lead to the release of kundalini and attainment of enlightenment. Tapas transforms and purifies us as well as enables the conscious awareness and control over our unconscious impulses and poor behavior. Tapas builds the will power and personal strength to help us become more dedicated to our practice of yoga .
Svadhyaya (self-study) is the ability to see our true divine nature through the contemplation of our life’s lessons and through the meditation on the truths revealed by seers and sages. Life presents an endless opportunity to learn about ourselves; our flaws and weaknesses give us the opportunity to grow and our mistakes allow us to learn. Examining our actions becomes a mirror to see our conscious and unconscious motives, thoughts, and desires more clearly. The yogic practice of Svadhyaya also involves the study of sacred and spiritual texts as a guide to our interior world where our true self resides. Self-study requires both seeing who we are in the moment and seeing beyond our current state to realize our connection with the divine.
Ishvara Pranidhana (devotion) is the dedication, devotion, and surrender of the fruits of one’s practice to a higher power. This Niyama fuses two common aspects of yoga within it: the devotion to something greater than the self and the selfless action of karma yoga. Patanjali tells us that to reach the goal of yoga we must dissolve our egocentric nature and let go of our constant identification with ourselves. To do this, our yoga practice and all of the benefits we may receive from our practice must be seen as an offering to something greater than ourselves. Through this simple act of dedication we become reminded of our connection to our higher power, and our yoga practice becomes sacred and filled with grace, inner peace, and abounding love.
The foundation limbs of Patanjali’s eight-fold path of yoga, yama and niyama, create a solid foundation and strong container for the yogini to move into the deeper stages of yoga with focus, inner-strength, and success. Practicing the Yamas and Niyamas is a journey and process. Take one step, one Yama or Niyama at a time and proceed with compassion and without worry of perfection. As Swami Sri Kripalvanandaji said, " When you pick one petal from the garland of yamas and niyamas, the entire garland will follow
The second limb of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga system contains the five internal practices of Niyama (observance). These practices extend the ethical codes of conduct provided in his first limb, the yamas, to the practicing yogi’s internal environment of body, mind and spirit. The practice of Niyama helps us maintain a positive environment in which to grow, and gives us the self-discipline and inner-strength necessary to progress along the path of yoga. Shaucha (purification) is a central aim of many yogic techniques, and is the first principle of Patanjali's five Niyamas. The yogis discovered that impurities in both our external environment and our internal body adversely affect our state of mind, and prevent the attainment of real wisdom and spiritual liberation. The practices of asana, pranayama and meditation cleanse and purify the body and mind, as well as strengthening their capacity to maintain a pure state of being. We must also consciously work at surrounding ourselves with a pure environment (including food, drink, friends, entertainment, home furnishings and transportation) to not add any external impurities back into our bodies or minds.
Samtosha (contentment) is not craving for what we do not have as well as not coveting the possessions of others. The yogis tell us that when we are perfectly content with all that life gives us, then we attain true joy and happiness. It is easy for the mind to become fooled into thinking that we can attain lasting happiness through the possession of objects and goods, but both our personal experience and the teachings of the sages prove that the happiness gained through materialism is only temporary. Practicing contentment frees us from the unnecessary suffering of always wanting things to be different, and instead fills us with gratitude and joy for all of life’s blessings.
Tapas (asceticism) is a yogic practice of intense self-discipline and attainment of will power. Basically, Tapas is doing something you do not want to do that will have a positive effect on your life. When our will conflicts with the desire of our mind an internal “fire” is created which illuminates and burns up our mental and physical impurities. This inner fire can also be used as a source of spiritual energy; the yogis say the sole practice of Tapas can lead to the release of kundalini and attainment of enlightenment. Tapas transforms and purifies us as well as enables the conscious awareness and control over our unconscious impulses and poor behavior. Tapas builds the will power and personal strength to help us become more dedicated to our practice of yoga .
Svadhyaya (self-study) is the ability to see our true divine nature through the contemplation of our life’s lessons and through the meditation on the truths revealed by seers and sages. Life presents an endless opportunity to learn about ourselves; our flaws and weaknesses give us the opportunity to grow and our mistakes allow us to learn. Examining our actions becomes a mirror to see our conscious and unconscious motives, thoughts, and desires more clearly. The yogic practice of Svadhyaya also involves the study of sacred and spiritual texts as a guide to our interior world where our true self resides. Self-study requires both seeing who we are in the moment and seeing beyond our current state to realize our connection with the divine.
Ishvara Pranidhana (devotion) is the dedication, devotion, and surrender of the fruits of one’s practice to a higher power. This Niyama fuses two common aspects of yoga within it: the devotion to something greater than the self and the selfless action of karma yoga. Patanjali tells us that to reach the goal of yoga we must dissolve our egocentric nature and let go of our constant identification with ourselves. To do this, our yoga practice and all of the benefits we may receive from our practice must be seen as an offering to something greater than ourselves. Through this simple act of dedication we become reminded of our connection to our higher power, and our yoga practice becomes sacred and filled with grace, inner peace, and abounding love.
The foundation limbs of Patanjali’s eight-fold path of yoga, yama and niyama, create a solid foundation and strong container for the yogini to move into the deeper stages of yoga with focus, inner-strength, and success. Practicing the Yamas and Niyamas is a journey and process. Take one step, one Yama or Niyama at a time and proceed with compassion and without worry of perfection. As Swami Sri Kripalvanandaji said, " When you pick one petal from the garland of yamas and niyamas, the entire garland will follow
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Seven Ways to Waste Your Money on Yellow Pages Advertising
Each year there is a Yellow Pages arms race where competitors in each category are encouraged to out spend each other. There is only one winner in this arms race, and it is not you! Too many advertisers waste their money on Yellow Pages advertising without first considering their marketing strategy. Here are seven ways you can waste your money.
1. Attempting to outspend your competitor
As soon as Yellow Pages has convinced you to increase the prominence of your ad, they get your competitors to match or outbid you. This becomes an annual auction, with some categories containing pages of half and full page ads. A buyer can be overwhelmed with choice and may make their decision before they even get to your ad. Priority in listing is given to those who have advertised the longest in a category for a given ad size. You can only get closer to the front by upsizing your ad or if someone else closer to the front ceases advertising.
2. Putting all your eggs in the Yellow Pages basket
An advertising decision is something you should only make after you have developed a marketing strategy. Many businesses rush into advertising in the Yellow Pages, just because that’s what everyone else does. You don’t become a leader by following the herd. You need to consider your payback for your investment in this marketing channel. Ask your Yellow Pages consultant how many leads a particular size ad generates in your category. Then ask yourself how many of these leads will you convert into sales, and then decide whether this is a good investment.
3. Engaging in destructive Head to Head Competition
When you advertise in the Yellow Pages, not only can potential customers see your ad and your offer, so can your competitors. This can result in price competition that can turn your product or service into a commodity. Yellow Pages make comparison shopping easy for buyers and market research easy for competitors.
4. Spending too much on prominence
When spending on a Yellow Pages ad, you can invest in size and colour. Size is important, but what you put in the ad, your copy, is far more important. It is better to go down a size and spend the money you save on a copywriter. Good copy can generate up to 20 times the response as poor copy. Colour is also important, but not as important as size, so go up a size rather than go to colour, which is expensive for its return. If your category is cluttered with large ads, investing in your copy is essential.
5. Relying on Yellow Pages free design service
Ad design is important. Yellow Pages do offer a free design service, but its worth what you pay. The typical design is done in 15 minutes. As they are designing tens of thousands of ads you can’t really expect any special attention- especially as there is no charge for the service! When they design your ad, they will appeal to your vanity rather than to your customers. So they will put “Joe’s Plumbing” in the headline. But buyers don’t care who Joe is, and are far more interested in why they should use Joe. This requires some marketing analysis of your points of difference and ultimate service benefits, which won’t happen in 15 minutes!
6. Putting your ad in the wrong category
If you are a plumber, the decision of where to place your ad is easy. But if your business is in a fairly specialised market such as oil refinery plumbing, there probably isn’t a good category for you. In fact, for many B2B businesses Yellow Pages is a poor marketing tool. Ask yourself the question, where would a buyer look to find out about your business- it might not even be in the Yellow Pages.
7. Depending on old technology advertising
Every year internet advertising increases, with less being spent on print advertising. Yellow Pages is now available online and for certain businesses this is a better option, particularly with a link to their website. When being sold paper Yellow Pages ads, you may be offered complimentary online advertising. However, unless your ad is near the front, you will be invisible to buyers who rarely will browse further than three pages. It is also worth paying for a link to your website.
The Yellow Pages consultants are on commission to sell you advertising. They only interested in getting you to spend as much as possible, not on providing the best marketing solution for your business. Advertising is not the same as marketing! Good marketing advice on whether and how you should advertise is money well spent. Not only can this increase sales, but it can save you thousands of dollars in advertising.
Before making a decision on Yellow Pages advertising, you should consider all your marketing channels, and make decisions on how much you invest in each dependent on their ability to attract leads. Having determined how much you will invest in Yellow Pages, do some market analysis and invest in your ad copy. This is particularly important for larger ad sizes. Yellow Pages advertising can be rewarding, but should only be considered as just one part of your overall marketing strategy.
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Yoga Therapy for Colds and Flu
While we all are bound to suffer from the occasional cold or flu, the practicing yogi/yogini is less likely to come down with the sniffles, and when he/she does, tends to have a much faster recovery rate. This is true because of yoga’s known abilities to regulate the immune system, keeping it strong and healthy to withstand infections, and yoga’s ability to boost immune function with specific yogic practices. Yoga’s stress reducing abilities is one of the primary reasons a regular practice of yoga helps prevent and cure the common cold. Stress is known as a major contributing factor to catching a cold or flu, as stress hormones cause the thymus to shrink in size, causing it to poorly function as a producer of immune cells. Besides the general calming effects of most yoga poses, restorative poses and forward bends are especially calming to the nervous system, helping to reduce whole-body stress. The following poses are known to be especially calming to the body and mind: child, shavasana, supine bound angle pose, seated forward bend, and seated head to knee.
Any type of physical activity will give a boost to the immune system, and yoga, with its inherent stress reducing and immune enhancing properties, will both provide a short-term boost and a long-term strengthening of the immune system. In addition to a general yoga practice, specific yoga postures can be used to target specific organs of the immune system to further enhance yoga’s immune boosting abilities.
Chest opening upper back bends will activate the primary organ of the immune system, the thymus gland, located in the center of the chest. The most beneficial postures for this purpose are Cobra, Pigeon, Fish, Boat, Bow and Bridge. Since the thymus gland is located at the fourth chakra center, chanting “yum,” this chakra’s bija mantra, while performing these poses can further activate the thymus gland .
Inversions increase the passive circulation of the lymphatic system, which is responsible for the production and circulation of the immune cells to defend the body from the viruses and bacteria. Inversions such as shoulderstand, headstand, plow and legs up the wall pose, will all help improve the flow of lymph and immune cells through the body. Twists and hip openers activate secondary organs of the immune system: the spleen and the lymph nodes in groin and armpits. These organs are the production sites for the immune cells, so using yoga poses to target these organs during a cold or flu would be especially beneficial. Use twists such as seated twist, prayer twist, and knee down twist, and hip openers such as bound angle, seated angle, and pigeon to activate these organs to keep them healthy and strong.
Lion pose is a specific yoga posture that activates the immune glands of the tonsils and the lymph nodes in the neck. Performing lion pose at the very beginning of a sore throat can dramatically stop and prevent the sore throat from progressing. Another specific yogic technique that helps prevent and cure colds, especially sinus related infections, is Jala Neti (nasal irrigation). Jala Neti is the use of a Neti pot to pour water through the nasal passages, flushing out the bacteria or germs that can cause infection.
Many practicing yogis/yoginis follow a yogic diet, which can also help to prevent and cure the common cold. A yogic diet’s emphasis on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes naturally provides the body with the proper nutrition and the abundance of antioxidants that the immune system needs to function optimally. A yogic diet is also naturally free or low of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and fat—all of which are known to suppress various immune functions.
These various practices and poses of yoga are an excellent way to keep the immune system healthy and strong to prevent and quickly recover from the common cold or flu. If you do come down with a cold or flu, it is important to rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat simple wholesome foods and to practice some gentle yoga poses. If after three to four days there is no change in your symptoms, or a worsening of symptoms occurs, please seek medical attention from a qualified health care practitioner.
While we all are bound to suffer from the occasional cold or flu, the practicing yogi/yogini is less likely to come down with the sniffles, and when he/she does, tends to have a much faster recovery rate. This is true because of yoga’s known abilities to regulate the immune system, keeping it strong and healthy to withstand infections, and yoga’s ability to boost immune function with specific yogic practices. Yoga’s stress reducing abilities is one of the primary reasons a regular practice of yoga helps prevent and cure the common cold. Stress is known as a major contributing factor to catching a cold or flu, as stress hormones cause the thymus to shrink in size, causing it to poorly function as a producer of immune cells. Besides the general calming effects of most yoga poses, restorative poses and forward bends are especially calming to the nervous system, helping to reduce whole-body stress. The following poses are known to be especially calming to the body and mind: child, shavasana, supine bound angle pose, seated forward bend, and seated head to knee.
Any type of physical activity will give a boost to the immune system, and yoga, with its inherent stress reducing and immune enhancing properties, will both provide a short-term boost and a long-term strengthening of the immune system. In addition to a general yoga practice, specific yoga postures can be used to target specific organs of the immune system to further enhance yoga’s immune boosting abilities.
Chest opening upper back bends will activate the primary organ of the immune system, the thymus gland, located in the center of the chest. The most beneficial postures for this purpose are Cobra, Pigeon, Fish, Boat, Bow and Bridge. Since the thymus gland is located at the fourth chakra center, chanting “yum,” this chakra’s bija mantra, while performing these poses can further activate the thymus gland .
Inversions increase the passive circulation of the lymphatic system, which is responsible for the production and circulation of the immune cells to defend the body from the viruses and bacteria. Inversions such as shoulderstand, headstand, plow and legs up the wall pose, will all help improve the flow of lymph and immune cells through the body. Twists and hip openers activate secondary organs of the immune system: the spleen and the lymph nodes in groin and armpits. These organs are the production sites for the immune cells, so using yoga poses to target these organs during a cold or flu would be especially beneficial. Use twists such as seated twist, prayer twist, and knee down twist, and hip openers such as bound angle, seated angle, and pigeon to activate these organs to keep them healthy and strong.
Lion pose is a specific yoga posture that activates the immune glands of the tonsils and the lymph nodes in the neck. Performing lion pose at the very beginning of a sore throat can dramatically stop and prevent the sore throat from progressing. Another specific yogic technique that helps prevent and cure colds, especially sinus related infections, is Jala Neti (nasal irrigation). Jala Neti is the use of a Neti pot to pour water through the nasal passages, flushing out the bacteria or germs that can cause infection.
Many practicing yogis/yoginis follow a yogic diet, which can also help to prevent and cure the common cold. A yogic diet’s emphasis on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes naturally provides the body with the proper nutrition and the abundance of antioxidants that the immune system needs to function optimally. A yogic diet is also naturally free or low of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and fat—all of which are known to suppress various immune functions.
These various practices and poses of yoga are an excellent way to keep the immune system healthy and strong to prevent and quickly recover from the common cold or flu. If you do come down with a cold or flu, it is important to rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat simple wholesome foods and to practice some gentle yoga poses. If after three to four days there is no change in your symptoms, or a worsening of symptoms occurs, please seek medical attention from a qualified health care practitioner.
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Yoga for Anxiety
While anxiety (feelings of worry, fear and tension) is a normal reaction to stress, a constant state of anxiety or excessive levels of anxiety is a primary symptom of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are quite common, affecting about 18 percent of American adults, and are complex in nature, most likely occurring as a result from a combination of genetic, environmental, psychological, and developmental factors. While the traditional treatment of anxiety disorders with medication and Psychotherapy is effective, the stress reducing effects of yoga and meditation can reduce excessive levels of stress and anxiety, and can greatly enhance the effects of traditional therapies. Recent medical studies have shown that a regular practice of yoga and meditation is effective at lowering levels of anxiety. Excessive anxiety can be alleviated through a slow, gentle yoga practice focusing on postures that calm the heart and the mind, balance the emotions, and release body tension. Pranayama (yogic breathing) and meditation will also be helpful to calm the mind and body, and to reduce stress and negative thinking.
Besides the calming effects of a general yoga practice, restorative poses, inversions and forward bends are especially calming to the body and mind, helping to reduce and prevent excessive anxiety. The following poses are known to be especially calming: child, shavasana, crocodile, supine bound angle pose, seated forward bend, and seated head to knee. Simple inversions such as downward dog, standing forward fold, standing yoga mudra, shoulderstand, plow and supine staff pose create a temporary rise in blood pressure in the head which triggers the body’s natural calming mechanisms, dilating the blood vessels and lowering heart and breathing rates. If symptoms of fatigue, depression and heart palpitations are present, the qi or energy of the heart center may be weak, and heart opening poses such as Cobra, Pigeon, Fish, Boat, Bow and Bridge would both strengthen and calm the heart chakra.
Emotions play a large role in anxiety disorders. Excessive feeling of fear, worry, irritability, anger and depression can all add and exasperate our level of anxiety. Twists, hip opening poses and sidebends will all help to balance the emotions, and thus help reduce feelings of anxiety. Twisting and hip opening poses harmonize the nervous and endocrine systems, the two primary systems that regulate our emotional health, and side bending poses activate the Liver meridian, the energy channel known in Chinese medicine to regulate the emotions. The following poses will be especially helpful to regulate the emotions: prayer squat, standing angle, supine bound angle, half circle, revolved head to knee, seated angle, seated twist, knee down twist, and prayer twist.
The breath plays a major role in many cases of excess anxiety. During feelings of anxiety, the breath becomes shallow, rapid and constricted, which in turn reinforces our nervous system’s state of anxiety. When practicing pranayama, yogic breathing exercises, the nervous system is naturally calmed and soothed. With a regular practice we can learn how to consciously maintain a slow deep breath at all times to prevent and minimize excess states of anxiety. The practice of Dirga and Nadi Sodhana Pranayamas will be the most strongly calming to the body. If there is excess heat in the body, with symptoms of agitation, restlessness, impatience, craving, compulsions and poor sleep, then Sit Cari and Shitali pranayamas will be helpful as well.
The mind also plays a major role in most states of long-term anxiety. Continual focus and obsession with thoughts of fear and worry will only create additional levels of anxiety. Yoga and meditation allow us to have control over our thoughts through mental detachment and the ability to focus the mind on the present experience. The benefits of a regular meditation practice are known to include the reduction of stress, tension, anxiety and frustration.
Yoga, pranayama and meditation are all powerful tools in the reduction and prevention of excess states of anxiety. All of these practices cultivate the mental faculties of faith, self-control, concentration, determination, and patience. And when practiced together will create an even stronger effect on calming the mind and emotions.
When using the above yogic practices, it is important to avoid any of these yogic practices scare you or make you feel unsafe, as this may trigger the body's fight-or-flight response, which in turn will increase feelings of anxiety. And while yoga is effective at treating excess levels of anxiety, yoga is not a substitute for conventional medical treatment; please consult your medical professional if you are experiencing any of the signs or symptoms of anxiety disorders.
While anxiety (feelings of worry, fear and tension) is a normal reaction to stress, a constant state of anxiety or excessive levels of anxiety is a primary symptom of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are quite common, affecting about 18 percent of American adults, and are complex in nature, most likely occurring as a result from a combination of genetic, environmental, psychological, and developmental factors. While the traditional treatment of anxiety disorders with medication and Psychotherapy is effective, the stress reducing effects of yoga and meditation can reduce excessive levels of stress and anxiety, and can greatly enhance the effects of traditional therapies. Recent medical studies have shown that a regular practice of yoga and meditation is effective at lowering levels of anxiety. Excessive anxiety can be alleviated through a slow, gentle yoga practice focusing on postures that calm the heart and the mind, balance the emotions, and release body tension. Pranayama (yogic breathing) and meditation will also be helpful to calm the mind and body, and to reduce stress and negative thinking.
Besides the calming effects of a general yoga practice, restorative poses, inversions and forward bends are especially calming to the body and mind, helping to reduce and prevent excessive anxiety. The following poses are known to be especially calming: child, shavasana, crocodile, supine bound angle pose, seated forward bend, and seated head to knee. Simple inversions such as downward dog, standing forward fold, standing yoga mudra, shoulderstand, plow and supine staff pose create a temporary rise in blood pressure in the head which triggers the body’s natural calming mechanisms, dilating the blood vessels and lowering heart and breathing rates. If symptoms of fatigue, depression and heart palpitations are present, the qi or energy of the heart center may be weak, and heart opening poses such as Cobra, Pigeon, Fish, Boat, Bow and Bridge would both strengthen and calm the heart chakra.
Emotions play a large role in anxiety disorders. Excessive feeling of fear, worry, irritability, anger and depression can all add and exasperate our level of anxiety. Twists, hip opening poses and sidebends will all help to balance the emotions, and thus help reduce feelings of anxiety. Twisting and hip opening poses harmonize the nervous and endocrine systems, the two primary systems that regulate our emotional health, and side bending poses activate the Liver meridian, the energy channel known in Chinese medicine to regulate the emotions. The following poses will be especially helpful to regulate the emotions: prayer squat, standing angle, supine bound angle, half circle, revolved head to knee, seated angle, seated twist, knee down twist, and prayer twist.
The breath plays a major role in many cases of excess anxiety. During feelings of anxiety, the breath becomes shallow, rapid and constricted, which in turn reinforces our nervous system’s state of anxiety. When practicing pranayama, yogic breathing exercises, the nervous system is naturally calmed and soothed. With a regular practice we can learn how to consciously maintain a slow deep breath at all times to prevent and minimize excess states of anxiety. The practice of Dirga and Nadi Sodhana Pranayamas will be the most strongly calming to the body. If there is excess heat in the body, with symptoms of agitation, restlessness, impatience, craving, compulsions and poor sleep, then Sit Cari and Shitali pranayamas will be helpful as well.
The mind also plays a major role in most states of long-term anxiety. Continual focus and obsession with thoughts of fear and worry will only create additional levels of anxiety. Yoga and meditation allow us to have control over our thoughts through mental detachment and the ability to focus the mind on the present experience. The benefits of a regular meditation practice are known to include the reduction of stress, tension, anxiety and frustration.
Yoga, pranayama and meditation are all powerful tools in the reduction and prevention of excess states of anxiety. All of these practices cultivate the mental faculties of faith, self-control, concentration, determination, and patience. And when practiced together will create an even stronger effect on calming the mind and emotions.
When using the above yogic practices, it is important to avoid any of these yogic practices scare you or make you feel unsafe, as this may trigger the body's fight-or-flight response, which in turn will increase feelings of anxiety. And while yoga is effective at treating excess levels of anxiety, yoga is not a substitute for conventional medical treatment; please consult your medical professional if you are experiencing any of the signs or symptoms of anxiety disorders.
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A staggering 1.37 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in calendar 2005. That statistic was taken straight from the American Cancer Society's own reports. Given the crushing impact of cancer on public health, coupled with the ineffectiveness of measures like chemotherapy and radiation, you'd think that agencies like the American Cancer Society (ACS) would clamor for the chance to investigate new methods for preventing and combating the disease. Unfortunately, you might be wrong.
In this article, we'll explore how agencies like the ACS have an eye for their own financial interests. Why does the ACS reportedly put far greater financial emphasis on chemotherapy and radiation research than on life-saving prevention techniques? Why does the ACS appear to discredit physicians researching and practicing effective alternative cancer-fighting techniques? A closer look at the American Cancer Society reveals the agency's ties to the cancer industry.
Conflicts of Interest: Why the ACS stresses treatment and screening over prevention
So what are the American Cancer Society's strategies for fighting cancer? Innocent Casualties author Elaine Feuer comments that the ACS is more intent on developing cancer treatments than preventing the disease. Feuer argues, "Instead of allotting money towards the prevention of cancer, the medical establishment prescribes chemotherapy and radiation (which can be very expensive and even toxic)."
Also contentious is the agency's emphasis on screening. Samuel S. Epstein, author of The Politics of Cancer, argues that the society's "priorities remain fixated on damage control -- screening, diagnosis, and treatment." Sure enough, the ACS' 2005 Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts and Figures report focuses primarily on screening. While screenings are valuable in helping people fight cancer, they do not prevent the disease. If decreasing the number of cancer fatalities is the first priority, why not prevent the disease before it starts?
Many critics of the American Cancer Society are quick to suggest its "vested interest" in the cancer industry, especially in chemotherapy and pharmaceutical treatments. Dr. Samuel Epstein, former head of a Congressional committee on cancer, has accused the ACS of foul play for years. Epstein claims that the ACS' "longstanding conflicts of interest with a wide range of industries, coupled with a systematic discrediting of evidence of avoidable causes of cancer" preclude many powerful life-saving initiatives.
In a debate this year, Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society did not deny the agency's connection to corporate interests. “The American Cancer Society views relationships with corporations as a source of revenue for cancer prevention,” said Dr. Thun. “That can be construed as an inherent conflict of interest, or it can be construed as a pragmatic way to get funding to support cancer control.”
So it is in fact true that the ACS' 22-member board was created in 1990 to solicit corporate contributions. It's also true that board members include Gordon Binder, who is the CEO of Amgen, a biotechnology company that sells chemotherapy products. Another board member, David R. Bethune, is president of Lederle Laboratories, a multinational pharmaceutical company and a division of American Cyanamid Company. In fact, many board members seemingly stand to make more money by treating cancer than preventing it.
But as Thun said, these relationships are "pragmatic" ways to garner funding. Money, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, is the name of the ACS' game. The Chronicle of Philanthropy is a watchdog organization that monitors major charities. After analyzing the ACS' budgets and programs, they concluded the agency is "more interested in accumulating wealth than saving lives."
Epstein argues that the ACS's financial ties with industry also skew its policies pertaining to environmental causes of cancer. In his new book, Cancer-Gate: How to Win the Losing War Against Cancer, Epstein claims the agency is willfully suppressing information about the environmental causes of cancer. Carcinogens can be found in pesticides, industrial pollution, materials used in plastic or reconstructive surgery, the water supply and many other everyday materials.
Corporations – some of which contribute to the American Cancer Society – profit handsomely while they pollute the air, water, and food with a wide range of carcinogens, endangering the lives of millions of people. Why is the ACS silent? Epstein says they are more interested in inflating their budget than waging war against industrial pollution.
See the video: We've made available a short segment (3 minutes) from a must-see DVD called The Corporation, in which Dr. Epstein explains much more about the American Cancer Society and the cancer establishment in general. It's a large download (37MB), and it's a Windows .avi file format, compressed in a .zip archive. To download it, right-click here, then save the file to your computer. Once the download is complete, double-click the file on your computer to view it.
Full credit for this video belongs to The Corporation film, which is strongly recommended. This short segment from the supplementary interviews is used under Fair Use as a commentary on the film and the cancer industry. Special thanks to Dr. Epstein for his courage and dedication in standing up to the cancer industry.
Preventing Smoking: The ACS' unidirectional attack
After heavy criticism in the 1980s, the American Cancer Society did step up some of its preventative measures. To date, the ACS' anti-smoking campaign is the most effective action ever taken by the agency. With states like New York prohibiting smoking in all businesses – bars and restaurants included – and a decrease in adult and adolescent smoking, the fight against Big Tobacco appears to be paying off. Even in this case, however, the American Cancer Society nevertheless stands to gain in some fashion from its unidirectional preventative action against smoking.
In the past few years the ACS has taken corporate "sponsorship" money. Here's how it works: Sponsors pay the ACS to have the society's logo donned on certain products. SmithKline Beecham, producer of NicoDerm CQ and Nicorette anti-smoking aids, paid the ACS $1 million for the right to use the American Cancer Society name.
But does taking money from these companies decrease the number of cancer fatalities caused by smoking? Given the already exorbitant price of anti-smoking aids in addition to the amount Beecham pays for the rights to the ACS logo, few smokers (who are statically lower-income) are enticed to quit smoking. These sponsorships also create an even more startling question: Does the ACS endorse these products? The American Cancer Society says no, claiming that the use of their logo represents a "partnership," although representatives of the ACS seem slow to articulate just what a partnership is. No extra ACS money goes into research for these products, nor are Beecham's products part of a long-term anti-smoking initiative.
Conservative Medicine: The ACS' Committee on Unproven Methods of Cancer Management
Many alternative health doctors and providers charge the American Cancer Society with blackballing effective, albeit non-traditional, treatments. Critics claim the ACS attacks non-patentable, natural treatments in an effort to protect the interests of pharmaceutical companies. The main target of criticism: The ACS' controversial "Committee on Unproven Methods of Cancer Management." This Committee reviews unorthodox or alternative therapies, putting many of these treatments on the "Unproven Methods" list. Appearing on this list can mean literal ruin to any health practitioner. Dr. Stanislaw R. Burzynski, M.D., Ph.D., felt the full weight of just such an appearance. He was refused research money and raided by the FDA, which seized 200,000 documents from his clinic. But Dr. Burzynski stands by his method of treating cancer with antineoplastons, treating hundreds of patients a year with a relatively high success rate.
In Alternative Medicine, Burton Goldberg claims many of the treatments on the "Unproven Methods" list have never been demonstrated ineffective or dangerous. In fact, Goldberg states, "[These treatments] may not have been subjected to any tests at all -- neither by the American Cancer Society nor by any other agency, public or private. They merely seem ineffective in the light of prevailing theories of cancer etiology and therapy." Unfortunately, any practitioner assigned to this list is automatically considered a dangerous quack. Funding usually vanishes and the treatment fails before it has even undergone rigorous testing.
In fact, more than 100 promising alternative non-patented and nontoxic therapies have already been identified and discredited by the American Cancer Society in this way. Included among these are Tumor Necrosis Factor (originally called Coleys' Toxin), hydrazine sulfate, laetrile, Gersons therapy and Burzynski's antineoplastons. Practitioners, activists and cancer survivors are likening the "Unproven Methods" tactic to witch hunts that unfairly target natural therapies over toxic chemical therapies. Many have even called for a boycott of the ACS.
The American Cancer Society's mission statement says it is "dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service." Unfortunately, the ACS' corporate entanglements, slippery priorities, and lack of vision may constrict this public agency from making any meaningful strides in the war against cancer.
The experts speak on The American Cancer Society
The American Medical Association (AMA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and American Cancer Society (ACS), as well as certain large corporations profit from the cancer industry. It is important to emphasize that this confederation of interests known as organized medicine consists principally of medical politicians and business interests, not practicing doctors. Physicians themselves have often objected to the unscientific rejection of alternative therapies and to restrictions on their own freedom to research or administer them. When Healing Becomes A Crime by Kenny Ausubel, page 445
Having made his decision, Burzynski proceeded to experience, as his Baylor department chairman had predicted he would, the full-scale legal and regulatory terror of county, state, and national authorities. He was investigated by the Board of Ethics of the Harris County Medical Society on the charge of using unapproved medications; he was refused research money by mainstream funders who had previously funded him. Subsequently, he was to have his offices raided by the FDA, which seized 200,000 medical files and documents, and he was placed on the American Cancer Society's "unproven methods" list. He was sued by an insurance company and investigated by a Federal grand jury. Choices In Healing by Michael Lerner, page 614
Corporate sponsors currently have formed "partnerships" with a number of leading nonprofit organizations, which allows them to pay for the right to use the organizations' names and logos in advertisements. The American Cancer Society reeled in $1 million from SmithKline Beecham for the right to use its logo in ads for Beecham's NicoDerm CQ and Nicorette anti-smoking aids. Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 149
In spite of the almost universal experience of physicians to the contrary, the American Cancer Society still prattles to the public that their statistics show a higher recovery rate for treated patients as compared to untreated patients. After all, if this were not the case, why would anyone spend the money or accept the pain and disfigurement associated with these orthodox treatments? But how can they get away with such outright lies? World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 146
Corporate sponsors have formed "partnerships" with a number of leading nonprofit organizations in which they pay for the right to use the organizations' names and logos in advertisements. Bristol-Myers Squibb, for example, paid $600,000 to the American Heart Association for the right to display the AHA's name and logo in ads for its cholesterol-lowering drug Pravachol. The American Cancer Society reeled in $ 1 million from SmithKline Beecham for the right to use its logo in ads for Beecham's NicoDerm CQ and Nicorette anti-smoking aids. Although the nonprofit organizations involved in these deals deny that the use of their names and logos constitutes an endorsement, the corporate sponsors have no such illusions. "PR pros view those third-party endorsements as invaluable ways to build goodwill among consumers for a client's product line," notes O'Dwyer's PR Services Report. For propriety's sake, however, a bit of discretion is necessary. "Don't use the word 'endorse' when speaking to executives from non-profits about their relationships with the private sector," O'Dwyer's advised. "The preferred non-profit vernacular is: recommended, sponsorship, approved, or partnership." Trust Us We Are Experts by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber, page 16
It is natural for the careerist to gravitate into such apparently humanitarian organizations as the American Cancer Society. Not only does this provide him with the aura of status among his approving friends, but it also provides some pretty nice employment in a low-pressure field devoid of competition or of the economic necessity to show either a profit or even tangible results. In fact, it is the very lack of results that adds stature to his position and importance to his work. World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 331
These are the best examples the American Cancer Society spokesman can come up with as proof that there is no suppression of innovation by the medical establishment! Nothing in the history of these innovations, nor of any of the other examples cited in this book, contradicts the view that new ideas often have a difficult time getting established and must face the indifference—and even the hostility—of vested interests. The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 438
…a 60 percent five-year survival rate, but Hodgkin's disease represents only about 1 percent of all cancers. Table 1.4 reflects the best available data on historical trends in cancer patient survival from the NCI Cancer Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program.8 (Results are much less encouraging than those claimed by the American Cancer Society on the basis of the same NCI Data.) This is the case despite the vast sums of money spent over the last 30 years, despite the high priorities for cancer research set by Congress, despite devotion of an entire federal agency (the National Cancer Institute) to the cancer problem, and in the face of continuing misleading and optimistic reassurances by the American Cancer Society. The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 15
Each year, thousands of Americans travel to Mexico and Germany to receive Laetrile therapy. They do this because it has been suppressed in the United States. Most of these patients have been told that their cancer is terminal and they have but a few months to live. Yet, an incredible percentage of them have recovered and are living normal lives. However, the FDA, the AMA, the American Cancer Society, and the cancer research centers continue to pronounce that Laetrile is quackery. The recovered patients, they say, either had "spontaneous remissions" or never had cancer in the first place. World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 22
It is clear that the American Cancer Society—or at least someone very high within it—is trying to give the American people a good old-fashioned snow job. The truth of the matter is—ACS statistics notwithstanding—orthodox medicine does not have "proven cancer cures," and what it does have is pitifully inadequate considering the prestige it enjoys, the money it collects, and the snobbish scorn it heaps upon those who do not wish to subscribe to its treatments. World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 152
"The ordinary observer might assume that the treatments on this list have been demonstrated to be ineffective," continues Dr. Coulter. "That is not the case: they have not been subjected to any testing at all—neither by the American Cancer Society nor by any other agency, public or private. They merely seem ineffective in the light of prevailing theories of cancer etiology and therapy." Dr. Coulter doubts that any procedure on the "Unproven Methods" list will ever obtain the financing or bureaucratic approval needed to establish its therapeutic value. "Hence," he says, "characterizing a cancer therapy as 'unproven' is a self-fulfilling prophecy in the truest sense of the word. Competition by maverick researchers is effectively suppressed." Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 51
Predictably, spokesmen for the cancer establishment deny that the suppression of new ideas even takes place. "As a result of the medical profession's insistence upon reliable standards of proof of cure," according to the American Cancer Society's book Unproven Methods, "the proponents of unproven remedies are prone to charge that they are being persecuted by the 'medical trust' or 'organized medicine' " (ACS, I97ib:i8). The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 435
Another propaganda film with a similar approach was produced by the American Cancer Society and is called Journey Into Darkness. Featuring guest star Robert Ryan as the host, the film is a masterpiece of scripting and acting. Weaving several stories into one, it portrays the mental torture experienced by several cancer victims as they grapple with having to decide whether they should take the advice of their wise and kindly doctor and pursue proven orthodox treatments, or allow their fears and doubts to overcome their judgment and seek the unproven treatments of a medically untrained quack who promises miracle cures but whose only real interest is in how much money the patient can afford to pay. In the end, some make the "right" choice and resolve to follow the guidance of their doctor. Others make the "wrong" choice and begin their long and tragic journey into darkness.
In this article, we'll explore how agencies like the ACS have an eye for their own financial interests. Why does the ACS reportedly put far greater financial emphasis on chemotherapy and radiation research than on life-saving prevention techniques? Why does the ACS appear to discredit physicians researching and practicing effective alternative cancer-fighting techniques? A closer look at the American Cancer Society reveals the agency's ties to the cancer industry.
Conflicts of Interest: Why the ACS stresses treatment and screening over prevention
So what are the American Cancer Society's strategies for fighting cancer? Innocent Casualties author Elaine Feuer comments that the ACS is more intent on developing cancer treatments than preventing the disease. Feuer argues, "Instead of allotting money towards the prevention of cancer, the medical establishment prescribes chemotherapy and radiation (which can be very expensive and even toxic)."
Also contentious is the agency's emphasis on screening. Samuel S. Epstein, author of The Politics of Cancer, argues that the society's "priorities remain fixated on damage control -- screening, diagnosis, and treatment." Sure enough, the ACS' 2005 Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts and Figures report focuses primarily on screening. While screenings are valuable in helping people fight cancer, they do not prevent the disease. If decreasing the number of cancer fatalities is the first priority, why not prevent the disease before it starts?
Many critics of the American Cancer Society are quick to suggest its "vested interest" in the cancer industry, especially in chemotherapy and pharmaceutical treatments. Dr. Samuel Epstein, former head of a Congressional committee on cancer, has accused the ACS of foul play for years. Epstein claims that the ACS' "longstanding conflicts of interest with a wide range of industries, coupled with a systematic discrediting of evidence of avoidable causes of cancer" preclude many powerful life-saving initiatives.
In a debate this year, Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society did not deny the agency's connection to corporate interests. “The American Cancer Society views relationships with corporations as a source of revenue for cancer prevention,” said Dr. Thun. “That can be construed as an inherent conflict of interest, or it can be construed as a pragmatic way to get funding to support cancer control.”
So it is in fact true that the ACS' 22-member board was created in 1990 to solicit corporate contributions. It's also true that board members include Gordon Binder, who is the CEO of Amgen, a biotechnology company that sells chemotherapy products. Another board member, David R. Bethune, is president of Lederle Laboratories, a multinational pharmaceutical company and a division of American Cyanamid Company. In fact, many board members seemingly stand to make more money by treating cancer than preventing it.
But as Thun said, these relationships are "pragmatic" ways to garner funding. Money, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, is the name of the ACS' game. The Chronicle of Philanthropy is a watchdog organization that monitors major charities. After analyzing the ACS' budgets and programs, they concluded the agency is "more interested in accumulating wealth than saving lives."
Epstein argues that the ACS's financial ties with industry also skew its policies pertaining to environmental causes of cancer. In his new book, Cancer-Gate: How to Win the Losing War Against Cancer, Epstein claims the agency is willfully suppressing information about the environmental causes of cancer. Carcinogens can be found in pesticides, industrial pollution, materials used in plastic or reconstructive surgery, the water supply and many other everyday materials.
Corporations – some of which contribute to the American Cancer Society – profit handsomely while they pollute the air, water, and food with a wide range of carcinogens, endangering the lives of millions of people. Why is the ACS silent? Epstein says they are more interested in inflating their budget than waging war against industrial pollution.
See the video: We've made available a short segment (3 minutes) from a must-see DVD called The Corporation, in which Dr. Epstein explains much more about the American Cancer Society and the cancer establishment in general. It's a large download (37MB), and it's a Windows .avi file format, compressed in a .zip archive. To download it, right-click here, then save the file to your computer. Once the download is complete, double-click the file on your computer to view it.
Full credit for this video belongs to The Corporation film, which is strongly recommended. This short segment from the supplementary interviews is used under Fair Use as a commentary on the film and the cancer industry. Special thanks to Dr. Epstein for his courage and dedication in standing up to the cancer industry.
Preventing Smoking: The ACS' unidirectional attack
After heavy criticism in the 1980s, the American Cancer Society did step up some of its preventative measures. To date, the ACS' anti-smoking campaign is the most effective action ever taken by the agency. With states like New York prohibiting smoking in all businesses – bars and restaurants included – and a decrease in adult and adolescent smoking, the fight against Big Tobacco appears to be paying off. Even in this case, however, the American Cancer Society nevertheless stands to gain in some fashion from its unidirectional preventative action against smoking.
In the past few years the ACS has taken corporate "sponsorship" money. Here's how it works: Sponsors pay the ACS to have the society's logo donned on certain products. SmithKline Beecham, producer of NicoDerm CQ and Nicorette anti-smoking aids, paid the ACS $1 million for the right to use the American Cancer Society name.
But does taking money from these companies decrease the number of cancer fatalities caused by smoking? Given the already exorbitant price of anti-smoking aids in addition to the amount Beecham pays for the rights to the ACS logo, few smokers (who are statically lower-income) are enticed to quit smoking. These sponsorships also create an even more startling question: Does the ACS endorse these products? The American Cancer Society says no, claiming that the use of their logo represents a "partnership," although representatives of the ACS seem slow to articulate just what a partnership is. No extra ACS money goes into research for these products, nor are Beecham's products part of a long-term anti-smoking initiative.
Conservative Medicine: The ACS' Committee on Unproven Methods of Cancer Management
Many alternative health doctors and providers charge the American Cancer Society with blackballing effective, albeit non-traditional, treatments. Critics claim the ACS attacks non-patentable, natural treatments in an effort to protect the interests of pharmaceutical companies. The main target of criticism: The ACS' controversial "Committee on Unproven Methods of Cancer Management." This Committee reviews unorthodox or alternative therapies, putting many of these treatments on the "Unproven Methods" list. Appearing on this list can mean literal ruin to any health practitioner. Dr. Stanislaw R. Burzynski, M.D., Ph.D., felt the full weight of just such an appearance. He was refused research money and raided by the FDA, which seized 200,000 documents from his clinic. But Dr. Burzynski stands by his method of treating cancer with antineoplastons, treating hundreds of patients a year with a relatively high success rate.
In Alternative Medicine, Burton Goldberg claims many of the treatments on the "Unproven Methods" list have never been demonstrated ineffective or dangerous. In fact, Goldberg states, "[These treatments] may not have been subjected to any tests at all -- neither by the American Cancer Society nor by any other agency, public or private. They merely seem ineffective in the light of prevailing theories of cancer etiology and therapy." Unfortunately, any practitioner assigned to this list is automatically considered a dangerous quack. Funding usually vanishes and the treatment fails before it has even undergone rigorous testing.
In fact, more than 100 promising alternative non-patented and nontoxic therapies have already been identified and discredited by the American Cancer Society in this way. Included among these are Tumor Necrosis Factor (originally called Coleys' Toxin), hydrazine sulfate, laetrile, Gersons therapy and Burzynski's antineoplastons. Practitioners, activists and cancer survivors are likening the "Unproven Methods" tactic to witch hunts that unfairly target natural therapies over toxic chemical therapies. Many have even called for a boycott of the ACS.
The American Cancer Society's mission statement says it is "dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service." Unfortunately, the ACS' corporate entanglements, slippery priorities, and lack of vision may constrict this public agency from making any meaningful strides in the war against cancer.
The experts speak on The American Cancer Society
The American Medical Association (AMA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and American Cancer Society (ACS), as well as certain large corporations profit from the cancer industry. It is important to emphasize that this confederation of interests known as organized medicine consists principally of medical politicians and business interests, not practicing doctors. Physicians themselves have often objected to the unscientific rejection of alternative therapies and to restrictions on their own freedom to research or administer them. When Healing Becomes A Crime by Kenny Ausubel, page 445
Having made his decision, Burzynski proceeded to experience, as his Baylor department chairman had predicted he would, the full-scale legal and regulatory terror of county, state, and national authorities. He was investigated by the Board of Ethics of the Harris County Medical Society on the charge of using unapproved medications; he was refused research money by mainstream funders who had previously funded him. Subsequently, he was to have his offices raided by the FDA, which seized 200,000 medical files and documents, and he was placed on the American Cancer Society's "unproven methods" list. He was sued by an insurance company and investigated by a Federal grand jury. Choices In Healing by Michael Lerner, page 614
Corporate sponsors currently have formed "partnerships" with a number of leading nonprofit organizations, which allows them to pay for the right to use the organizations' names and logos in advertisements. The American Cancer Society reeled in $1 million from SmithKline Beecham for the right to use its logo in ads for Beecham's NicoDerm CQ and Nicorette anti-smoking aids. Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 149
In spite of the almost universal experience of physicians to the contrary, the American Cancer Society still prattles to the public that their statistics show a higher recovery rate for treated patients as compared to untreated patients. After all, if this were not the case, why would anyone spend the money or accept the pain and disfigurement associated with these orthodox treatments? But how can they get away with such outright lies? World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 146
Corporate sponsors have formed "partnerships" with a number of leading nonprofit organizations in which they pay for the right to use the organizations' names and logos in advertisements. Bristol-Myers Squibb, for example, paid $600,000 to the American Heart Association for the right to display the AHA's name and logo in ads for its cholesterol-lowering drug Pravachol. The American Cancer Society reeled in $ 1 million from SmithKline Beecham for the right to use its logo in ads for Beecham's NicoDerm CQ and Nicorette anti-smoking aids. Although the nonprofit organizations involved in these deals deny that the use of their names and logos constitutes an endorsement, the corporate sponsors have no such illusions. "PR pros view those third-party endorsements as invaluable ways to build goodwill among consumers for a client's product line," notes O'Dwyer's PR Services Report. For propriety's sake, however, a bit of discretion is necessary. "Don't use the word 'endorse' when speaking to executives from non-profits about their relationships with the private sector," O'Dwyer's advised. "The preferred non-profit vernacular is: recommended, sponsorship, approved, or partnership." Trust Us We Are Experts by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber, page 16
It is natural for the careerist to gravitate into such apparently humanitarian organizations as the American Cancer Society. Not only does this provide him with the aura of status among his approving friends, but it also provides some pretty nice employment in a low-pressure field devoid of competition or of the economic necessity to show either a profit or even tangible results. In fact, it is the very lack of results that adds stature to his position and importance to his work. World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 331
These are the best examples the American Cancer Society spokesman can come up with as proof that there is no suppression of innovation by the medical establishment! Nothing in the history of these innovations, nor of any of the other examples cited in this book, contradicts the view that new ideas often have a difficult time getting established and must face the indifference—and even the hostility—of vested interests. The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 438
…a 60 percent five-year survival rate, but Hodgkin's disease represents only about 1 percent of all cancers. Table 1.4 reflects the best available data on historical trends in cancer patient survival from the NCI Cancer Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program.8 (Results are much less encouraging than those claimed by the American Cancer Society on the basis of the same NCI Data.) This is the case despite the vast sums of money spent over the last 30 years, despite the high priorities for cancer research set by Congress, despite devotion of an entire federal agency (the National Cancer Institute) to the cancer problem, and in the face of continuing misleading and optimistic reassurances by the American Cancer Society. The Politics Of Cancer by Samuel S Epstein MD, page 15
Each year, thousands of Americans travel to Mexico and Germany to receive Laetrile therapy. They do this because it has been suppressed in the United States. Most of these patients have been told that their cancer is terminal and they have but a few months to live. Yet, an incredible percentage of them have recovered and are living normal lives. However, the FDA, the AMA, the American Cancer Society, and the cancer research centers continue to pronounce that Laetrile is quackery. The recovered patients, they say, either had "spontaneous remissions" or never had cancer in the first place. World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 22
It is clear that the American Cancer Society—or at least someone very high within it—is trying to give the American people a good old-fashioned snow job. The truth of the matter is—ACS statistics notwithstanding—orthodox medicine does not have "proven cancer cures," and what it does have is pitifully inadequate considering the prestige it enjoys, the money it collects, and the snobbish scorn it heaps upon those who do not wish to subscribe to its treatments. World Without Cancer by G Edward Griffin, page 152
"The ordinary observer might assume that the treatments on this list have been demonstrated to be ineffective," continues Dr. Coulter. "That is not the case: they have not been subjected to any testing at all—neither by the American Cancer Society nor by any other agency, public or private. They merely seem ineffective in the light of prevailing theories of cancer etiology and therapy." Dr. Coulter doubts that any procedure on the "Unproven Methods" list will ever obtain the financing or bureaucratic approval needed to establish its therapeutic value. "Hence," he says, "characterizing a cancer therapy as 'unproven' is a self-fulfilling prophecy in the truest sense of the word. Competition by maverick researchers is effectively suppressed." Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 51
Predictably, spokesmen for the cancer establishment deny that the suppression of new ideas even takes place. "As a result of the medical profession's insistence upon reliable standards of proof of cure," according to the American Cancer Society's book Unproven Methods, "the proponents of unproven remedies are prone to charge that they are being persecuted by the 'medical trust' or 'organized medicine' " (ACS, I97ib:i8). The Cancer Industry by Ralph W Moss, page 435
Another propaganda film with a similar approach was produced by the American Cancer Society and is called Journey Into Darkness. Featuring guest star Robert Ryan as the host, the film is a masterpiece of scripting and acting. Weaving several stories into one, it portrays the mental torture experienced by several cancer victims as they grapple with having to decide whether they should take the advice of their wise and kindly doctor and pursue proven orthodox treatments, or allow their fears and doubts to overcome their judgment and seek the unproven treatments of a medically untrained quack who promises miracle cures but whose only real interest is in how much money the patient can afford to pay. In the end, some make the "right" choice and resolve to follow the guidance of their doctor. Others make the "wrong" choice and begin their long and tragic journey into darkness.
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