Archive for December, 2009.
Posted on December 28th, 2009 by Peter in
The Italian Cultural Institute plays a very big part in the promotion of Italian culture in Singapore. There are always new and exciting events on the horizon, and they have a wonderful support system that is extremely adept at helping to spread the word about their terrific events. It’s one way to keep in touch with what’s happening with Italian culture in Singapore. Another way, of course, is by regular visits to your favorite Italian restaurant . If you don’t have a favorite yet, or if you’re coming to Singapore for the first time, rest assured you will have a few favorites in a very short amount of time.
The culture in Singapore is impossible to classify, because there are so many cultures that exist here. The Chinese, Malay, and Indian populations are very sizable, and there are influences from their traditions all over this vibrant city state. There are many other cultures here, too, and of course one the best ways to discover them is through food. Singaporeans are, generally speaking, very discerning eaters, and dinner time is a very exceptional part of the day. It’s a splendid time to be alive anywhere, but here in particular, mealtimes are pretty spectacular. The availability of fresh ingredients makes it particularly lovely for chefs as well as patrons, because there are limitless possibilities for what can be obtained here, and a limitless passion for trying new things.
The same passion extends into film, and this is demonstrated by the success of the Italian Film Festival where, for two weeks, residents of Singapore are treated to a host of recent cinema from one of the greatest film cultures on earth. Some of the greatest masters of cinema are Italian, and the recent festival showcased films by Andrea Molaioli, Anna Negri, and Gabriela Salvatores. The festival always marks new benchmarks in the history of Italian and world film, and this was certainly no different. The 2009 festival was a bit grander than usual, being part of the European Season in Singapore , but it is always an exciting time to be here.
Posted on December 28th, 2009 by Peter in
This last December, I was working at my computer when I looked up to see on television Pope Benedict XVI delivering the Christmas mass inside the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter, which immediately brought back memories of attending an exhibit in San Diego a few years ago (in 2004) at the museum complex known as Balboa Park : “St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes.” It was a fascinating look at over 353 objects taken from the Vatican collections and other objects; at least two thirds of which were objects of history, rare documents, altar items, art works, and so on, that haven’t ever been displayed for visitors to the Vatican. In the exhibit over a half decade ago, I saw works I would never see if I traveled to a Rome hotel and visited Vatican City for myself; however, there was one thing in Rome that I would never be able to see in a traveling exhibit in San Diego, and that’s St. Peter’s Basilica itself, perhaps the most impressive building in the world.
While I’ve seen my share of cathedrals, including St. Paul’s in London, I’ve yet to set eyes on St. Peter’s (although technically, this isn’t a cathedral because it’s not a seat of bishop; technically, it’s a papal basilica), and it’s perhaps the one place I’d most like to see in person, just for the architecture and the art work alone, and to feel the true size of the place: The basilica is capable of holding within it sixty thousand people. Traditionally, St. Peter is buried here, and in that sense is one of the grandest tombs ever built for a person (unless, perhaps, you consider the Pyramids; however, in a comparison, while impressive, they’re still pretty plain).
While a church has been on this site since the fourth century, the present basilica began construction in April of 1506 and took one hundred and twenty years to complete, on November 18th, 1626. The dome is prominent on Rome’s skyline, although its contained in one of the three city-states remaining in the world (the other two are Singapore and Monaco), rising to height of 448 feet from the floor to top of the external cross, and is the tallest dome in the world. The internal diameter is about 136 feet and is a little smaller than two of the other three domes that came before it: the domes from the Pantheon of Ancient Rome, from the Florence Cathedral from the Early Renaissance, and from Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia church from the 6th Century.
Perhaps next Christmas, finances permitting, I will have had a chance to see the basilica myself, and to witness the awe-inspiring architecture that architects and artists (and a century’s worth of work) are capable of creating.
Posted on December 22nd, 2009 by Peter in
The hotels Scheveningen Netherlands has are found throughout an old fishing and port town. This is a town along waters edge that is location of famous battles. Admiral Michiel de Ruyter battled with the Franco-British fleet in 1673 and was victorious. Visitors can learn more about this battle and a few others at the Schevenings Museum. The exhibits include ship models, traditional clothing and jewelry, and then some nautical attractions. Your hotel would have information on where to go and how to get there.
Some other attractions that are available depending on the time of year you visit may include the air show, harbor cruises, art festivals, a couple of shopping markets and sand sculpture festival. The Westbroekpark Rosarium is a nice place to take a walk among the botanical life of the area. If you enjoy marine life there are also a couple of aquariums to visit. A growing popular activity to do while in Scheveningen is water sports. So how about seeing the marine life while wearing a wet suit and scuba tanks .
Water sports is a reason people visit this town. If you are an experienced diver you can even take a dive down to some ship wreckage. If you prefer to be on top of the water you will find some other great things to do. Wind Surfing is a very popular thing to do here. In fact, this town has become the best place to windsurf in Holland. If you plan on being there a while then join the Scheveningen Jump Team. This would be a great organization to tap into to meet other windsurfers and become friends. Sailing is also a huge sport in these waters. There are high speed yachts and old classic sailors moving off the coast. There is always the opportunity to get on a big power boat and go out fishing for something nice and big to brag about when you get home.
Posted on December 20th, 2009 by Peter in
“Weaving Women’s Words” is a show produced by the Baltimore organization, the Jewish Women’s Archive. Their mission is to discover, to chronicle and the expose the public to the history of not only Jewish women in Baltimore, but strong Jewish women in every city. This non-profit organization was created in 1995 and is devoted to exposing the achievements of , This is an exhibit that honors the lives and the stories of thirty women of Baltimore, their families and their friends. To understand the past is to prepare for the future, and this is one of the goals of the Jewish Women’s Archives.
They have the largest and most inclusive collection of artifacts and materials anywhere in the United States on Jewish women in America, be they female plumbers in Baltimore , artists, chefs, doctors, lawyers, or business owners. All of these archives can be downloaded free of charge. Over a period of two years, the WCA recorded the stories of various Jewish women, women who had lived through economic, political and social upheaval. They come from all walks off life, and different backgrounds but they all shared the struggle of what it is to be a woman, and what it is to be Jewish.
The exhibition illustrates their lives not only through these stories, but through works of visual art and the photography of Joan Roth . Roth has traveled the world over, for the last thirty years, photographing Jewish women in their own countries and environments, ordinary women leading extraordinary lives. Through the years Roth as earned several awards for her photographs, which have been exhibited and published worldwide, and many of which are now part of the permanent collections of museums. Roth has been involved in the women’s movement her years preceding her venture into the world of photography, and she found similarities with her own life and with the subjects of her photos.
Two momentous occasions are what prompted Roth to pick up her camera. One was the march on Washington that was led by Betty Friedan in 1978, where one hundred thousand women dressed in white called for ratifications in the The Equal Rights Amendment. She was also further inspired when the Fourth World Conference was held in 1995 in Beijing. More than thirty thousand women traveled to the country making this the largest United Nations conference in history. These stories and these photos lend themselves to the rest of the world, in a way that shows how far equal rights has come, and how far we still need to go.
Posted on December 17th, 2009 by Peter in
Carey lived in a rented house with two roommates while she was in graduate school. She worked full time with a legal firm during her school years so she would not have extremely high student loans. She also planned to go to law school after she finished her graduate degree in psychology . The reason for two degrees is that ultimately she wanted to work in family law and be an advocate for victims of domestic violence and she decided that a degree in psychology would be benefit her. Meanwhile, her life was pretty stressful in those years and she had a lot weighing on her. She had some major responsibilities in her paralegal position and graduate school was also extremely demanding.
One day another student who was in Carey’s program was talking about a hot tub she had recently purchased and which made all the difference in her ability to relax and had a complete reduction in her stress level. While this seemed remarkable to Carey she started to ask questions about her classmate’s recent purchase. Carey realized that this would be the perfect solution for her too however it would be impossible at that point because she was in a rental house. Her classmate invited her over to experience the joy of the hot tub and Carey couldn’t believe how good she felt during and after her soak. She had to have a tub she thought and suddenly her classmate remembered that she had seen some portable hot tubs while she was shopping for hers.
Carey couldn’t believe her ears. The next day she went to the local distributor and found some great portable models. She also sound a wide variety of permanent hot tubs and was amazed at the amount of options she had. However, at that moment in her life she opted for what she thought would be a comfortable and durable portable model and could not wait to have it delivered. She was also excited about taking it with her when she went on to law school and knew it would be extremely beneficial to her at that time as well.
Posted on December 16th, 2009 by Peter in
During downturns in the economy, businesses find that they must cut costs, and one of the programs that are often the first to go are the business training programs. But what they do also tend to do is to implement the training sessions by using internal talent. This is a cost effective and a successful way to ensure that employees will still receive the training in which they need. Many innovative companies are utilizing the skills and the objectives while at the same time staying true to the integrity of the company.
And just as with many projects with limitations or financial restrictions, out of these business and sales training exercises comes creative results. It is a way of maximizing what you do have, with less resources. One of the most successful companies to offer peer training is the Imageworks Animation Studio in California. The artists and the directors are trained by the other artists and directors. This has created not only a well organized and trained staff, but also an incredible sense of team work and collaboration, and a great sense of morale throughout the entire company.
Many corporate businesses are following suit when it comes to training their staff. Companies overseas, will hold conference-training calls in which all of the staff is invited to sit in on. Another way to give a new employee a sense of all of the departments in the company is called “shadowing”. Mentoring programs are also an incredible way to ensure that new employees not only learn the business, but they will also be more comfortable and welcomed into the new situation, and the new company. This is just one of the brilliant ways that companies are finding new and creative ways to sustain and actually grow, even during these tough economic times.
Posted on December 15th, 2009 by Peter in
Ok so you have been hanging around one of the hotels Miami has and you have finally caught up on some well deserved rest. Now it’s time to get out and take some adventures. There are many things to do from your hotel in Miami so what are you going to choose? Let’s see there is of course the beach and ocean and you could go for a deep sea fishing trip but now that you have to pay for extra bags on the airlines what will you do with the big fish you caught? There are plenty of zoos with all sorts of animals and birds to see. How about something that is really true to a Florida adventure. How about a trip through the Everglades National Park.
It is such a large park you could never see the whole thing. It has about 1.5 million acres of sub-tropical jungles, swamps and saw-grass prairies. It is truly one of the most unusual Parks in America. It is a refuge for some endangered species like the American Crocodile . You will find the rare Florida Panther and the Manatees in certain areas of the land. It is still a really primitive park and has many researchers coming to keep track of what is living there. However, there are many areas where the common visitor can camp, canoe and take nice walks.
This park is a remembrance of what Florida used to be, mostly an Everglade condition. From the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Okeechobee this state of the America was mostly a swamp land five thousand years ago. The Native Americans found this area hospitable around the 16th and 17th centuries. The first Europeans landed in St Augustine and then moved around the state from there. The Native Tribes scattered around and ended up in the more swampy areas. Now the state is a booming with adventure and fun for everyone.
Posted on December 15th, 2009 by Peter in
The icon of the hot tub is something that’s definitely entered into the culture. It’s inescapably a part of the idea of the Good Life, whatever that might mean. We see them in films and on television, and they represent many different things. But they’re always linked to a way of life that speaks of fine things, and of the ability to enjoy the same fine things. You’ll get to discover how your own world view enters into it when you start looking into buying your very own hot tub, and choosehottubsdirect.com makes it easy and fun.
You might see yourself as a reality tv show person, and your hot tub adventures will probably revolve around leisurely meals with friends, with some occasional intrigue. Even if the time spent here is quiet time, it’s still amazingly fulfilling, and it can be wonderful to enjoy a fantastic meal and then relax in the solitude of your own back yard. It’s a perfect time to reflect on the day that just passed, and to start to daydream about the perfect life. You’ll have the luxury of knowing that if you’re reflecting on life in your own hot tub, then life is already pretty good, and you can spend your time making plans to make it even better.
You can also use your hot tub as an excuse to stop worrying about everything and just enjoy the moment at hand. Perhaps you’re feeling more like your life is a comedy than a reality-tv show, and think about the famous hot tub scenes in shows like, How I Met Your Mother, or Drawn Together. Or, if you’re feeling particularly absurd, you can imagine yourself as James Brown, having your own celebrity hot tub party. Invite all your friends and tell them to come dressed up as their favorite star. Add food and drink. Stir and enjoy.
Posted on December 12th, 2009 by Peter in
In the past four hundred thousand years, we’ve come a long way in our relationship with heat. At one time, fire was something our distant ancestors saw only when lightning hit the Earth, but today, we take the fire into our homes, contain it in brick, stone, ceramic, iron or steel, and then reinforce those places with more metal boxes, fitting snugly inside the hearth, and allowing us to not even use the traditional methods of heating, like wood or coal. Instead, we now have everything from the wood, gas, coal, or pellet fireplace .
The truth is that, over the years, we’ve discovered wood smoke can cause many problems for people with health problems, especially among the very young, the pregnant, and those who have problems breathing. Everyone from the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition to the United States Environmental Protection Agency warns about the potential dangers of smoke from a wood fire and those not healthy enough to be near it. Does this mean your family has to give up its fireplace? The answer is no, because there are healthier alternatives, a way to stoke a greener fire, if you will, by installing an insert, particularly a pellet fireplace. By burning wood pellets, which consist of lumber byproducts and sawdust, the burn is much more efficient. There’s so little moisture in these pellets that fewer pollutants get into the air, either inside your home or outside!
How does a pellet fireplace work? It’s a device that inserts into your existing fireplace, and it uses an igniter, which fires up the pellets, and a blower, which fans the fire, and then an augur, which adds more pellets into the flames. Altogether, they eliminate any need to open and close a stove door to feed the fire, thus eliminating the need to allow smoke into your house.
Posted on December 8th, 2009 by Peter in
It was time of Cory to pick a college and from the beginning he was interested in going to Colorado State University in Fort Collins . His older cousin had gone there years ago and he visited him once and thought the campus was beautiful. His cousin Joe also said the school was great and he had a wonderful time during his four years there. The atmosphere in the town had a strong college feel to it and Cory liked this about Fort Collins itself. He felt this would be the perfect place for him to spend his collegiate career. His parents, however insisted that he explore at least four other schools and wanted him to apply to a minimum of three.
Cory had always been a good student and maintained a high gpa. He was even expecting to receive at least a partial scholarship wherever he went. The thought of not getting into a school had never even occurred to him, which was actually consisted with his personality. Cory wasn’t pompous or egotistically, he just had an amazing ability to consistently expect things to turn out for the best. His parents had always tried to temper this in him. They didn’t want to make him believe otherwise, they just wanted to instill the skills and habits in him that would help to ensure that things did turn out the best way they could.
After searching for other schools Cory chose the three he would apply to and Fort Collins was at the top of the list. His parents agreed to visit each town and they went there first. They stayed for two days in one of the hotels Fort Collins and they loved the town almost immediately. They agreed that the campus was beautiful and they toured the buildings that were connected to the college of business, to which Cory was applying. They also visited the library and the Lory Student Center. They noticed the university theatre on their way back to their car and mentioned that Cory might try and play the trumpet in a music theatre program. Overall his parents were pleased with what they found and were happy he would be going there though they still insisted he apply to two other schools.