Online Branding, Internet Branding, Marketing – Brand New Buzz

The Western Trails of Phoenix

February 1st, 2010

A few years ago, my East Coast grandmother visited from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  My sister and I picked her up at the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, and when she stepped into our view we knew we were in for one crazy week with grandma.  She was dressed in full “cowgirl” regalia, a bright red shirt with fringe, a red cowboy had, white polyester bell-bottomed pants, and red cowboy boots.  We love our grandmother, but at that moment we were both very pleased to know that she would be staying in one of the best Phoenix hotels, and not with either of us, as grandma in small doses was good, but grandma 24 hours a day would be a bit much.

She seemed to be caught in time long past when she thought about Phoenix.  She had never been to the city before and was seriously expecting Cowboys and Indians to be riding their horses along next to our car as we sped down I10.  She made it perfectly clear that she wanted to do “Western” things during her visit, so that night my sister and I planned out a bit of our itinerary with grandma.  We went the first day to the Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle monuments.  We hiked a bit, but for the most part wandered through the museums at both locations.  The next day we gave her a bit of a thrill by taking a drive along the Apache Trail, a winding road that takes you past the Tonto National Monument, Saguaro Lake and the Gold Field Ghost Town.

The next two days we spent in town, taking a tour of the Heard Museum, and then walking through the galleries of Scottsdale during the Thursday night Art Walk.  Our last night with her, we spent at a place called Rawhide. This is a replica of an old time western town, with stage coaches and staged gun fights in the street.  The real life cowboys were everywhere, and she was overwhelmed by it all.  As we took her to the airport the next day she claimed how she thought that the my sister and I were real live cowgirls, which made both of us smile on the drive home.

Advertising and Online Reputation Management

January 29th, 2010

Methods and outlets for advertising are always growing and changing. And a struggling economy is the perfect opportunity to look over that advertising/ marketing budget and make some much-needed changes that will grow with it.
Billboards are probably one of the oldest forms of advertising. They began as big posters hung on the sides of buildings near the end of the 18th century, but as technology increased and highways and automobiles began to thrive so did the billboard industry. They grace the sides of roads and highways from the middle of nowhere to the heart of the city. Today, billboards are still a very useful advertising tool, since most people spend a good portion of time out and about or commuting to and from work.
Television is a more recent form of advertising; however, since their inception in the 1940’s they have really taken off. Every television show you watched is interrupted nearly every 15 minuets for 5 minutes of commercials. Many television stations will allow you to choose the time slots and area that your advertisement will be aired in so you can really get the most out of your money.
The Internet is by far the most recent form of advertising. The Internet as we know it has only existed since the early 1990’s but has exceeded by far many other types of technology. Billions of people worldwide use the Internet for research, social networking, and entertainment. As a result, Internet advertising has gone ways billboards and television never could. With reputation management online businesses and individuals can help monitor what is being said, or written, about them online and influence the ranking of websites on search engines such as Google. Here the Internet has opened up a whole new way for businesses to advertise and increase their visibility, as well as deal with competitors.

Family Fun in Dallas at Bahama Beach Water Park

January 27th, 2010

Jason had never seen such a wondrous sight as the week he spent in Dallas, Texas with his mother, father and older sister Denise. The family spent six nights in one of the glittering Dallas resort hotels to make a vacation out of a trip his father, Mike, had to take regarding a job interview. Mike was the only member of the family to have ever visited Dallas before and he wanted his wife, Martha, and children to come along so that they could experience the city and get a feel for what their life might be like there. In addition, he liked the security and sense of confidence his wife gave him and really wanted her there for support, though he only admitted to the family that he was bringing them along so they could enjoy a vacation.

This was more than fine for Martha, who also understood that her husband needed her and was eager to support this major career advancement opportunity. And it was also true that the family didn’t get to take a vacation last year so she thought it was a great idea to combine the purposes of this trip. Denise was also excited about going and loved the idea of moving to Dallas. She wanted to become a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader when she was old enough and had already been practicing the moves for a year and would dance the routines with them when Mike and Jason watched the games on television. Jason was the only member of the family who wasn’t particularly thrilled with the idea of moving.

However, once they arrived in this iconic Texan city, Jason was immediately captivated and enthralled. He had never been in a city that large or seen so many enormous buildings. Martha decided to capitalize on her son’s sense of wonder and took him and his sister to the Bahama Beach Water Park while Mike was in his interview. All three of them enjoyed the attractions and each of them had a favorite. Martha loved great views of the entire park while enjoying a cruise down the Calypso Cooler Lazy River. Denise’s favorite was the body slide known as the Bermuda Triangle. She wanted to go on this one over and over again. Jason loved the interactive rain forest Coconut Grove. And as simple as it may sound, this one afternoon in the water park, sealed the deal for Jason, and he desperately wanted to move to Dallas.

Luckies in New York

January 26th, 2010

It’s always great to be working on an assignment, any assignment.  These days, I don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. When I’m asked to write, I don’t even ask how much it pays or how many words, I just want to know if I can have my deadline cut short.  I like the energy I get, the steam that builds up, when I’m working under extreme pressure.  I was trained in the old school ways of writing.  You get yourself a room at one of the best hotel buildings in Manhattan, and you settle in, and you get to work.  Forget about your best girl, because she’s probably forgotten about you already again, anyway.

Maybe I showed too much of myself just now.  I can’t help it.  It slips out sometimes.  It doesn’t matter, doesn’t mean anything.  I like the tradition of the last generation, where you just hole up with nothing but a bottle of cutty, and a pack of luckies, and then you go.  You dig in to your chair and you set off to type as much as you can, but not just anything.  You have to write hard.  Every sentence, every word, has to land, and it has to land surely and squarely.  And if it doesn’t land, you throw it all away and you start over again.  If you spill some of the cutty, you throw that away, and start over again with another bottle.  Because it’s important to keep moving.

Of course, these days, it’s hard to find the right sized bottles to slip into a jacket.  And luckies are retro again, which means they’re more expensive.  These are details, though, that don’t mean a lick when it comes to being a merchant of dreams, despite the misery of your own fading desires.  If I have to write the copy for the coupon saver, I can do it.  I can take that job, and I can do it.  I can make it so that no one could ever even think of writing a coupon again.  Coupons are like life, they’re the angels that follow you into the alley when you’re hard on your luck and wondering what it’s all for.  They’re sweet little reminders, is what they are.

Online Reputation Management for Everyone

January 25th, 2010

Regardless of your station in life, your reputation is one of your most important assets. Whether you are a high-ranking business man or a blue-collar working man, a crafty politician or a stay-at-home mom you have worked hard to establish and maintain your reputation. You have made a name for yourself. However, with the Internet becoming increasingly available and more people getting online with blogs and social networking , it only takes a few moments and couple clicks for a former friend or disgruntled employee to tarnish that hard earned reputation with a few careless words. Fortunately for you it doesn’t have to come to that. There is something you can do-online reputation management.
Managing your Online Reputation sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. By maintaining the image that you desire on major social networking sites, such as Facebook or Twitter, you as an individual can do a lot toward protecting the image you’ve created. It is important that you are very careful what and how much information you put on these sites, since potential employers will often check them before making a job offer. For those in a more public spot light, companies such as Elixir Interactive can step in. They will work with you to develop a plan for pushing the negative sites down and replacing them with more positive ones; especially in search engines such as Google.
In our fast paced technological world, managing your online reputation is as important as locking up your house up at night. Protect the image that you have worked so hard to build. By taking those first steps early on you can avoid the potential nightmare of a tarnished reputation that can affect your job, goals, and identity.

The Harlem Renaissance in New York

January 19th, 2010

New York is the largest city in the United States. It is also one of its historical cultural and political centers and has played a prominent, frequently essential role in the development of this country. In addition to the significant personalities that have lived and or been born in this city, it has also given birth to many cultural transitions and movements. He Harlem Renaissance is one of these important cultural developments to rise from New York. Tourists have always flocked to this city and the hotels New York USA are full of adventure seekers and people from across the world wishing to explore the secrets and the beauty of this great city. They are often lucky enough to experience history in motion as major cultural transitions and artistic events unfold before them.

The Harlem Renaissance refers to the period of time during the 1920s and the 1930s when a new birth of African American intellectual, artistic and cultural life flourished in this area. During these early days it was referred to as the Negro Movement and while it is commonly called African American today, much of this population prefers simply to be called black and might refer to it as a black movement. Regardless of what it is called, though not to mitigate the importance of a title, it was an extremely significant and important period of cultural identity recognition and expression.

The Renaissance grew out of a continually developing African American literature tradition and the exact dates and persons associated with the movement are sometimes debated. In addition, music, art and the theatre contributed to and evolved during this period. This marked the decline and eventual end of the use of blackface and the corresponding minstrel shows. In addition, a particular style of piano playing developed during this time, which became called the Harlem Stride style. This development served to blur the cultural distinctions between the elite and poor black populations and introduced the piano to “poor peoples” music and jazz to the rich.

New York City is a Nutty Place

January 18th, 2010

I woke up very early yesterday, which is a new for me, and took the subway to 6th and 14th to do a bit of sightseeing. I didn’t realize I was walking the wrong way for about 20 minutes. The only point of interest when I realized my error was the First Presbyterian Church, well okay, not that much of a point of interest. I headed back the right way and walked most of midtown Manhattan. I went up to the Empire State Building, which by-the-way, is so tall that I had to walk back a couple of blocks just to see the entire building.

I found the roads of New York City to be nutty. They’re all one-way in general and due to the grid system, cars can only turn left or right when the pedestrian walk sign is on, or the cars don’t even bother with the signals and as a result, cars almost keep hitting me. I’ve been duly informed that this happens to everyone, not just me.

I didn’t have to purchase a new cell phone, I found a place that unlocked my mobile, which after paying them $50, it probably would have been cheaper to buy an new phone. After opening up my phone to the world again, I found a nice park, Bryant Park, to sit down for a bit and cool down. Just wearing a t-shirt and jeans, like everyone else in New York seems to be wearing is still pretty hot. I’d really like to cut the legs off. Bryant Park is next to Times Square, so I wandered though the street, although, it really struck me that this area is just a big huge advertisement and a place where chain shops sprout up.

It was lunch time, so I headed over to a place my guidebook recommended, but was surprised to find that place no longer existed and has been replaced by a kebab joint. I ended up going to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and had a really good chicken Parmigiana. After eating this huge plate full of food, that when I noticed my jet-lag kicking in. It was time to head back to my wonderful boutique hotel New York has provided for me and dream more about my upcoming adventures in this fabulous city.

Hop-On Hop-Off is Best When Visiting New York

January 13th, 2010

My flight arrived after 5am and despite arriving an hour early, the first thing I noticed in the airport terminal was just how humid and muggy it was. At 5am! I felt like I was arriving at a tropical country outside the US. I caught the Air-Train to first Howard Beach, where I would then catch the subway into Brooklyn, then into Manhattan. While I waiting for the subway, I began talking to this guy who lives in L.A., but was originally from New York and he told me about all kinds of stuff to do and see while I was here. Then this Russian woman entered into our conversation and gave me even more recommendations. I’m not in New York for more than an hour and I’ve meet some really great people!

Once on the subway and to Hoyt-Schermerhorn stop, I then got off and found the route that would take me to Manhattan where I have reservations at a small New York hotel. After dropping checking in and dropping off my bags, I immediately went exploring. I managed to find a nice little cafe that was just opening up for breakfast. Breakfast only made me more sleepy, but I really wanted to explore the city and not my hotel bed.

My hotel wasn’t too far from Times Square, so that’s where I went first. Even though it was still early in the morning, Times Square was bustling with people heading off to work! I walked around soaking it all in; everywhere I looked there were huge neon signs blinking one advertisement after another. It seemed that every single corporation of the world had purchase advertising space in Times Square and each one outshining the other one. I literally could only take so much before I got sensory overload. Gratefully, in the middle of all this hype, I saw an area set aside with tables and chairs. I had to sit down, but this gave me a great opportunity to observe my first morning in the busy, busy city.

I heard about the ‘hop-on hop-off’ bus tours, so I decided this would be the best way for me to explore the city. The buses took me all around the city and to all the major attractions. I think for the money I paid for one ticket – $54.00 – was well worth it. It was the best way, in my opinion, to see the city and at my own pace. It made my short visit here all that much better. I highly recommend taking full advantage of these ‘hop-on hop-off’ buses when visiting New York for the first time.

Foster Farms Dairy in Modesto

January 13th, 2010

Billy loved dairy food and all things that could be derived from milk. Interestingly, he was also a vegetarian and loved to work with cows. He had grown up on a small organic farm spent much of his early childhood out in the pasture playing with the cows. There was a calf that had been born on the same day as Billy and the family named it Joel. The connection is obvious and also true. Billy Joel was his parents’ favorite musician and both Billy and the cow were named after him. It was an odd legacy by as if deemed by fate the cow and the boy got along famously and were good friends through all of Joel’s life.

When Joel was sixteen his parents sold the farm and they moved into a house in Fresno, California. Billy enjoyed the city but always missed living on a farm. By the time he was ready to go to college he was certain that he wanted to study dairy farm practices and he sought out the best agricultural programs across America.

He was also a daily runner and a long distance bike rider. Last year when the Tour of California, as part of the UCI America Tour and the USA Cycling Professional Tour, arrived in Modesto, Joel was there to watch Lance Armstrong cross the finish line. He drove down with his family while he was home visiting and while he was in Modesto he remembered that Foster Farms is located there. On their last day in the hotel Modesto Billy asked his parents to go with him to our the dairy. They happily agreed as they too missed the farm and dairy life. They were all stunned by the size of the Foster Farms area and Billy thought this would be a great place to gain some experience before he tried to open a farm of his own. His parents were happy that their son had such a passion for dairy farming and would enjoy visiting him on his own farm someday, but reminded him that he had little to no experience with chickens.

The Score on Tennis Scoring

January 7th, 2010

It would seem strange that there would controversy over not necessarily tennis scores but how to keep them, yet there are two completely different ideas on how to keep tennis scores.  The strain of thought about how to keep tennis scores comes to us from the medieval time period.  Because superstitions ran high in those times, daily life was affected by their superstitions, right down to how tennis should be scored.  Originally, those in the period persisted in the notion that the number sixty a good number to score the name by because it was a whole number, a round number, similar to how the number one hundred is now thought to be a whole number.  We count out dollars according to it and so on.

It had 4 levels in the game, coming in fifteen point increments from fifteen to sixty.  Today, most people know, even those not involved in tennis, that forty is now the whole number in tennis.  Why it went from forty to forty-five is another whole slew of theories as well.

The second theory about why we score the way we do in tennis today is actually based on time, specifically how we make an hour and a minute based on increments of 60 for each unit of time.  Those in the old tennis days actually used a clock to score their matches, moving the small hand of the clock to the different fifteen units it holds on its face: from twelve (which would be 0 point) to three (which would be fifteen), from three to six (which would be thirty), from six to nine (which would be forty-five), and from nine to twelve (which would be sixty points in total).

Such trivia might seem silly and strange to know for the average tennis fan or those that watch the sport simply to pass the time when there’s nothing else on the TV, but for those with a deep appreciation for the sport, it can only deepen it more.  It demonstrates how far tennis has come and what different factors affected it throughout the years.  They are interesting facts to to know, in particular because of the Australian Open Tennis that is coming up, one of the highlights of the tennis world.

Early U.S. History

January 6th, 2010

The state of Georgia was one of the first thirteen colonies that put their fists up to British rule. It was the last to be established but it happened in 1733. It accepted the U.S. Constitution in 1788 and was the forth state to do so. Later, it became one of the seven confederate states in 1861 when it seceded from the Union. But came back to the Union of states in 1870. Today it is still a fast growing state with Atlanta being its capital. There are some out door enthusiasts who come to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains that is apart of the Appalachian Mountain range. They can also hit the beach along the Atlantic Sea.

People check into the nice hotels Georgia has to offer and learn more about the battles that took place here during the American Civil War. The Battle of Chickamauga was most significant in the Union defeat and had the second highest amount of soldier casualties in this war, next to Gettysburg of course. Then there was the battle of Kennesaw Mountain and the Battle of Atlanta or it was also called the Battle of Decatur. You can find information on all the battles that took place in Georgia. They are studied well by our military training today.

Georgia has become quite the media center in current times. Television, Movies and Radio industries all of hubs in the state of Georgia. Ted Turner is the big name in Television. He founded TBS, TNT, TCM, the Cartoon Network, CNN and Headline News to name only a few. Atlanta is where the head quarters are to his great empire of media. There have been some movies filmed here and is the home of a couple of studios, Tyler Perry and Rainforest Films. Atlanta is often called the Black Hollywood because there are many films produced with African American actors.

Money Mutual Benefits of a Montel Williams Endorsed Micro Loan

December 29th, 2009

If you are financially strapped, then applying for a short-term payday loan on-line is the perfect solution and one that will not keep you in a cycle of debt. Payday loans are what’s called in the financial industry a micro-loan. Micro-loans allows you to borrow a small amount of money for the things you currently need, like an unexpected automobile repair, a doctors visit or to catch up on past-due bills in order to get out of late fees and to, once and for all, stop collection calls. You pay back the payday loan when you next get paid.

It might seem strange to borrow money to reduce you current balances, but if you do it right, but paying back the payday loan with your next paycheck, you will be saving money by not having to pay anymore late fees, interest charges or other fees added to your monthly bills because of late payments. By applying on-line for a payday loan, like on the Money Mutual Montel Williams commercial, or many other payday loan companies, you will reduce those credit card balances below your credit limit and will make you budget easier to keep.

You’ll also be able to repair any damaged credit when you get a short-term payday loan. When you start making your payments on time, your creditors will report to the credit bureaus that your accounts are no-longer in the rears, and after a year of keeping your payments on time, your credit score will improve, which then makes it easier to apply for credit at stores, or get a better interest rate on a car loan, a home loan, or any type of loan you’ll need to make your life better. You will also notice that the payday loan helped you with you self-esteem because you will once again be on top off your expenses instead of drowning under them and you’ll no longer have to hide from creditors.

There are several benefits to applying for a payday loan, even though the interest rates look higher than other types of loans, all you need to keep in mind is that once you’ve paid back the short-term loan, you will see just how much money you have saved by not having to pay anymore penalty fees, late fees or interest fees on all your other bills.

Back to Basics for the First Time

December 29th, 2009

There are some who might feel that it’s always a dangerous proposition to look down, or to look back.  If we’re climbing a mountain, or running a race, this might very well be true, and probably can help in saving a lot of trouble later on down the road.  However, we don’t have to be at the edge of the precipice or in the middle of the storm all the time, and this is very fortunate.  Haste makes waste, there’s no doubt about that, and in order for things to work, we have to be able to take time and reflect every now and then.  Thinking about where we are, and where we’re going, is necessary in a personal life, in a relationship, and also in a business.

Being able to reflect on all the lives and the wisdom that came before us can be nothing less than overwhelming.  To consider all the lives and civilizations that have lead us to this moment before us is daunting and humbling.  But it’s also enormously inspiring.  In leadership training, it’s necessary to be able to consider where we are in relation to all that’s gone before.  We usually discover that we’re at a particularly splendid moment, one filled with opportunity.  We also start to see that some of the best ideas of the leaders before us are still extremely useful, and have very practical applications to whatever tasks we might have at hand.

This isn’t to suggest that we haven’t changed, or haven’t gotten smarter over the years.  Those things might be debatable, really, but this points out that the wisdom we’re looking for is already there.  In business training, we can begin to mine the best wisdom from the best minds, and learn how to work with it.  It’s not that we haven’t learned, but that we simply need to learn how to apply it.  It’s a marvelous thing, and it’s also a likely thing, to see how this can yield some very splendid results.

Counselor in Scottsdale

December 28th, 2009

The leading Scottsdale counselor and energy coach, believes that emotional and physical purification helps individuals achieve total well-being. She says, “We all end up with some internal congestion that eventually needs to be released. When we fast and take the time to process our feelings, life energy flows through us and we feel fully alive.”

Musical Theatre Tradition of New York

December 28th, 2009

One of the things you are least likely to hear about New York is that there is never anything to do there. In fact, most people are more concerned with doing everything that was on their agenda prior to their visit. And while touring everything in the city or experiencing all it has to offer in a single trip is generally impossible, one of the things on many people’s agenda that will definitely happen is attending a Broadway play. Broadway is the icon for the American theatre tradition and is also well known across the globe for its quality of productions and bringing new works into the international scene. It is often considered to be equivalent of the West End in London, which is England’s iconic theatre area.

One of the things Broadway has always been known and loved for is the spectacular musicals that are produced on its stages. Theatres like the Shubert and Winter Garden take on mythical status in the nation’s theatre tradition and represent the ambitions and dreams of young artists from around the world. The theatre district in New York includes more than the Broadway theatres and is often referred to as the Great White Way. The actual district is colossal in significance and symbolic importance though it is located on a relative small strip in Manhattan. It extends from 53rd to 42nd street and is between 6th and 8th Avenues.

And while many great dramatic and comedic plays have been and continue to be produced on the New York stage, Broadway is legendary for its great musicals. Names like Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rodgers and Hammerstein are part of the nation’s collective consciousness and their shows have highlighted many aspects of our lives. Guests in a New York Cheap hotel have always and will continue to visit the city and enjoy one or more of its great theatrical offerings.

Updating the Look of Your Fireplace

December 21st, 2009

One way to update the look of your traditional fireplace, is also a great way to increase the efficiency of that fireplace.  Fireplace inserts have become extremely popular for a number of reasons.  They provide a means of insulation, preventing the heat from escaping through the masonry and the walls surrounding the fireplace.  Some of the older designs of fireplaces, are polluting to the environment, and just not that efficient.  This metal shell, will prevent the heat from leaking through, and will also serve to more evenly and effectively disperse the heat throughout the house.  Decorative face-plates add to the design, creating new looks as well as more heat.  Fireplace inserts have been in use since the 1980’s.  At that time, they were not so efficient and had a bad reputation for being un-safe.  They were not connected well and allowed many carcinogens to be released up through the chimney.

Now though, as the designs have improved, the liners go all the way up the chimney, ensuring that the insert stay firmly in place.  The stainless steel means that corrosion will not be an issue, and the structure will remain viable and functioning for many, many years.  This improvement has also had another effect, which is that it drastically cuts down on the level of pollutants.  They increase the performance of the fireplace, creating the heat that a free standing wood burning stove would create.  The hearth mount is another way to increase the heat, and to give the fireplace a whole new design.  These are inserts that extend out from the fireplace, and provide a second hearth so to speak.  Most of the inserts are certified nowadays, by the EPA, so you can be certain that this will not only benefit the performance of the fireplace, and the looks of your home, but they are more effective in the means of protecting the environment as well.

Cold Weather Car Maintenance

December 21st, 2009

If you are not certain what to do when cold weather hits, check your Ford Expedition repair manual.  The cold temperatures can wreak havoc on the bodies of, and the engines of vehicles.  It is super important to keep an eye on your car, to maintain all aspects to not only save yourself some money in repair costs, but to keep you safe as well.  The battery must be in great operating condition during the winter months, as the cold will reduce the crank power of your vehicle.

Also, as you will find outlined your Jeep Grand Cherokee repair manual, the electrical charge needed to start your car in the winter is increased, thus it is necessary for your battery to be in top notch shape.  It is recommended that at all times, especially during extreme cold weather, that you keep a set of jumper cables in your vehicle for times when your battery will not have that crank power.

Another simple thing that you should check is the windshield wipers and the wiper fluid.  Yes, it may seem simple, but great wipers and a lot of fluid will help to break down the snow and the ice that will collect on the windshield.  Take care with your air filter and your your oil filter, as well as the thermostat.

The thermostat is the engine part that will help your engine heat up to a functioning level.  Change your coolant each two years and make certain that all the hoses are in proper working order with no leaks.  The weight of your oil will also help with car start-up.  The oil should be multi-viscous as in the 10W30 or 15W30.  These oils with lower viscosity will not only serve to help you start your car quicker, but will protect the parts of engine during times of extremely low temperatures.   All of these simple tips will help to keep you on the road, even when that road is covered in snow and ice.

High End Hotels and the Refuge of Hospitality

December 21st, 2009

It’s a strange sensation to be in a balloon, high above anything, much less high above a city that you know and love.  I didn’t expect to come to love Vienna as much as I have over the years, and never expected to fall in love with it so deeply.  But it’s forever connected with a ride above everything, and this ride put me in the middle of everything.  I don’t know if it’s the way that things sound and smell in different countries, and in this part of Europe, there’s a kind of exotic dustiness to everything, that’s somehow inexplicably connected to the weight of breath.  It plays in memory with a heaviness that cannot float above any city.

This is the same shift in perspective that I sometimes get when I’m in the kinds of hotels that my grandparents never even dreamed about.  It’s a luxury that’s better than anything I can compare.  But the moment I first touched the sheets with the high thread count, surrounded by a sumptuousness that reminded me of the countryside in all its splendor, this luxury made a very swift rank to the top of my memory banks of the delightful.  I’m not the type for acts of conspicuous consumption, but something about Vienna told me that it was time to start enjoying the rewards of my successes.

First it was a hotel of the highest quality, and next was the ride above the city.  Already it sounds trivial somehow, but there are important details connected to these events, and the details made all the difference to me.  Of course, the details are also the part that I cannot write about, nor can I ever speak of, because they are so dear to me.  Perhaps it’s best to just mention that falling in love in Vienna is easier than I would have suspected, and as heavy as a life afterwards, even one spent pursuing and finding more glorious instances of true luxury.

Arenberg Orchestra Leuven

December 14th, 2009

Corey was absolutely thrilled when his wife Ruth was scheduled to go to Belgium on a business trip. He would frequently go with her when the location sounded interesting to him and this was one of the places he had wanted to visit his entire life, or at least as long as he could remember. It made it nice for Ruth when her husband accompanied her on these trips as well and though she spent most of her days in business meetings or presenting project ideas the two of them generally enjoyed a nice evening out together and when it was a particularly attractive city that they would be visiting they would frequently book an extra few days like they did at one of the Leuven hotels where they would be staying.

As usual Corey had not problem getting out and touring the city on his own while his wife as at work and he as absolutely amazed by the beauty of the architecture. Every building he encountered seemed to be majestic in size and structure and could have stood for hours and just stared ahead at whatever he happened to be standing in front of. Some of the late Gothic style buildings particularly attracted him and Corey made a note of places that he would want to return to later with Ruth.

One of the things that both of them definitely wanted to do while they were there was to attend a performance by the Arenberg Orchestra. They were both huge fans of symphony music and Corey had wanted to become a concert flutist in his early life. Those dreams eventually gave way to the practicality that he just wasn’t good enough to pursue it as a career though he continued to play frequently for fun and sometimes with the local orchestra. The performance they saw on one of their last nights in town was absolutely amazing they both left it inspired and appreciative. The next day Ruth had off and the two of them planned a day’s trip over to Brussels.

From the Beach to the Sky in Langkawi

December 14th, 2009

Depending on the tide, there are either ninety-nine or one hundred and four islands in the archipelago that makes up Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (Langkawi Permata Kedah in Malay).  Named after the the Sultan Abdul of Kedah’s Golden Jubilee Celebration in July of 2008, out of all these islands, only three are populated, the largest of which is Pulau Langkawai inhabited with about forty five thousand people.  The next island is nearby Pulau Tuba, with about five fishing villages and three thousand people.

Recently, in 2007, UNESCO gave Langkawi Island World Geopark status, creating conservation areas in the following areas inside Langkawi Geopark: Machincang Cambrian Geoforest Park, Kilim Karst Geoforest Park and Dayang Bunting Marble Geoforest Park.  These parks comprise quite a popular spot for tourism.

Some of the best beaches in Malaysia may be found in Langkawi, and if you’ve checked into one of the luxury hotels Langkawi provides its visitors, you’ll find many spectacular white sand beaches, lined by coconut trees and casuarina trees and shrubs.  A number of the beaches have different qualities that make a visit worthwhile.  Pentai Tengah, for instance, contains a small cape, separating it from Cenang.  Migratory birds favor Burau Bay, which is ringed by outcrops of rock.  Pantai Kok is more on the peaceful side, with limestone hills in the background, while Datai Bay contains both examples of forest and sea, where the white beach lies against a deep, green forest.

Aside from the beach what is one to do in Langkawi?  Scuba diving and snorkeling, for one.  There’s a great number of marine life in the waters, where you can see black tip sharps, giant groupers, and barracudas.  There’s coral, too, both soft and hard.  You may also fish and swim here, as well.  But if you tire of the beach, you may be interested in a differnet view, available by taking the Langkawi Cable Car to the peak of Guinung Mat Chinchang, where you can take a look at the Langkawi Sky Bridge.

Family Fun in Grand Prairie

December 9th, 2009

Rivers run through a number of towns and cities in the United States, but how many comprise over twelve percent of the city itself?  I don’t know the answer to that, but at least one of those cities is Grand Prairie, Texas, just outside Dallas, whose Johnson Creek flows through the city of over a hundred and sixty thousand and into the Trinity River.  This small city is a destination spot for families and offers those who stay in the hotels Grand Prairie offers its guests a number of fun activities, including fishing and camping and boating and hiking in the Cedar Hill State Park or Joe Pool Lake.  There’s also the Traders Village Flea Market, which is perhaps one of the most popular flea markets in Texas, where you can find typical Texan cuisine: turkey legs, burgers, corn-on-the corn, not to mention corn dogs. There’s theme park rides, too, as well as amusement parks.  Just a few blocks away from a number of hotels, you can find entertainment similar to the kind you might if you were visiting Hollywood: A Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum and a Palace of Wax (Of course, Hollywood doesn’t offer a Lone Star Park horse track or Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor [you have to drive forty miles north for the latter amusement park in California]).

Originally, the city was known as “Dechman” after a man named Alexander McRae Dechman who learned in 1863 that he could trade for land in Dallas County.  Using his oxen, a broken wagon, and two hundred in Confederate cash, he bought nearly two hundred and forty acres.  Well after the Civil War, in 1876, he traded this prairie property to the T&P railroad, making certain that trains would come through town.  The railraod depot was named Dechman.  In 1877, the postal service used the name Deckman because they couldn’t read the handwriting on the form, creating confusion between Deckman and Dechman.  The post office decided they would just use the name Grand Prairie, based on map designations of the area from twenty years prior, around 1850 to 1858.  Soon, a legend grew up (that proliferates all over the internet): A famous actress came to town by train, got off at the depot, and said, “Oh, what a grand prairie.”  Perhaps it’s true.  I’m sure somebody said it at some point, perhaps more than once!

Malibu is Great for Outdoor Activities and Sports

December 8th, 2009

If you are talking about beautiful, clean sandy beaches, brilliant, crystal clear water, huge rolling waves, breathtaking views, spectacular vistas, fabulous sunrises and sunsets, you must be talking about Malibu, California. Malibu has it all and you really need to experience it for yourself. I’m sure you’ve seen the awesome pictures and heard people talk about it. You know hundreds of movie stars, writers, directors, playwrights, singers and others involved in the California entertainment industry call Malibu home. This western Los Angeles County city has a population close to 13,000 according to the 2000 census bureau. The Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1 runs along the California coast and is considered one of the most scenic ocean views there is. It is absolutely an incredible sight as you drive along.

This is a very artsy area and the many musical festivals and concerts are exciting to attend. You just never know who you might see there, maybe even get your picture taken with a celebrity, or get an autograph. There is so much to see and do here. For outdoors, other than the beaches, there is horseback riding, trail hiking, or take a mountain bike out and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The museums are some of the best around; you sure want to visit the Getty Villa and the galleries of the J Paul Getty Museum.

Malibu hotels are just as impressive as the area itself. With a their guests’ comfort in mind, the hotel staff is especially friendly and accommodating, and the amenities are top notch. You will be pampered as you relax during your stay. And of course you will enjoy fine dining at the elegant restaurants, either at your hotel or scattered throughout the city. Whatever your reason, whatever the season, Malibu will not disappoint, and it will beckon you again. Listen to that call.

Great Service and Great Hot Tubs

December 3rd, 2009

Spending just a little bit of time in a hot tub can remind you of how good life can be.  There is a splendid sense of the worries of the day just falling away, and you might even get to that perfect point of relaxation where you don’t even remember what was causing anxiety before.  It’s a fantastic way to reduce stress, and the physical side effects are positive: better circulation, a happier heart, and even improvement in sleep cycles, inducing a deeper state of total relaxation during the night.  With so much to recommend a hot tub, it’s hard to see any reasons why not to have one.  Even climate shouldn’t be prohibitive, because they can be used throughout the year, and can even be a fun and exciting way to add a touch of zest to those long winter’s nights.  Polar bears do it, and human beings can, too!

There are are so many good reasons why to have a hot tub, but it can be difficult to decide exactly how and where.  Choose Hot Tubs Direct has an excellent record for quality customer service, where the sales team is trained and educated in all areas of the business, including being prepared to help ask questions at the installation stage.  They answer their calls and emails quickly and efficiently, and their years of dedication to working with people demonstrate a commitment to helping the community as well as distributing a very high quality product.

When you have decided on this company for all your hot tub needs, then the next challenge is the most fun, as well as the most exciting.  You get to choose which hot tub you want for your very own.  The user-friendly website can show you a stunning array of choices, and the staff is there to answer any questions you might have during the entire process – this is also true after you purchase, and after it’s arrived at your house.  They are there for the customer, and because they build their reputation on word of mouth, they count on your happiness and satisfaction.  It’s a wonderful sense of security to work with them, and exciting to be thinking about your own personal spa.

Dylan Thomas in the Chelsea Hotel New York

December 1st, 2009

New York is associated with many famous and interesting personalities and cultural movements. It is also well known as a favorite city of artists, actors, writers and other creative personalities. This has been true through most of the 20th century due to the fact that artistic personalities of all types have made their way to this great city through the decades. Dylan Thomas is just one of them. He was a Welsh writer who was well known for his public solo readings and his prominent works Under Milk Wood and the poem Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. Tourists have also been attracted to New York throughout the 20th century and they have enjoyed visiting some of the same locations during their stay in a boutique hotel New York as what famous people were and are known to frequent.

Thomas was born in Whales and lived there through most of his childhood. He visited London in 1932, which was the first of many that would occur through the rest of his life. By 1946 had established his career and the publication of Deaths and Entrances solidified his writing reputation. He began touring the United States in the early 1950s and gave the first public solo reading of Under Milk Wood at Harvard in May of 1953. He then performed it with a cast at the Poetry Center in New York. Thomas’s addiction to alcohol was already affecting his life by this point and was well known to his friends and work associates.

He was back in New York and staying at the Chelsea Hotel in November of 1953. He would regularly visit the White Horse Tavern, which was his New York favorite and was there a few nights before he died. It is famous for being the last place he actually drank. He had been introduced to the tavern by the Scottish Poet Ruthven Todd and could be seen there every time he was in New York. It was immediately suspected that Thomas died from alcohol poisoning or from the effects of chronic drinking. However, he had been complaining of feeling sick and had been given shots of morphine prior to his death. It is also believed that he had pneumonia at the time.

The TransGlobe Community in Vancouver

December 1st, 2009

The rental properties that are in the care of TransGlobe Property Management in Vancouver are located conveniently close to many of the parks, shopping centers and public transportation.  This fosters an even stronger sense of community as the climate of the city is such that all year round people are out and about taking part in any one of the many outdoor festivities and activities.  Many people head out to the Stanley Park Seawall.

This is a great place to go for a run, or a walk, skating or cycling.  This is just one section of the Greenway stretch that runs along the shore for just over twelve miles.  Traversing through this stretch will take you past the Spanish Banks, False Creek and on through to Coal Harbour.  Many of the natural wildlife habitats, forests and marshes sit along these shores, and so no matter if you’re jogging or biking the stretch is a nice way to catch glimpses of the life of the natural world of Vancouver.  This is the area too, where many of the festivals and summer celebrations are held, creating a vibrant and wonderful place to live and work.

TransGlobe Property Management carries over this sense of community into the rental units in which they manage, often holding their own festivals within their buildings and with their tenants, creating again, a great place to live and to work.  The properties reflect the outdoors, with landscaping that is well tended and lush, and the managers take care to get to know each of the tenants personally.  There are many different communities and neighborhoods to choose from in Canada, and TransGlobe makes all feel at home, giving all of their tenants a sense of belonging, and pride.  This is important in the busy world we live in today, to have a great place in which one can call home.

Delhi’s Samanta

November 30th, 2009

India is a fantastic place to visit, with some of the most exquisite vistas in the world.  There are natural areas that are simply stunning, and endlessly elegantly marvelous.  There are plenty of ancient temples, and temples still in use today, where the local population will gather on special days to worship.  There are also plenty of street festivals, with elegant dancers making interesting new creations in front of your very eyes, as if there were a new artistic movement in the works, and there usually is.  India does not stop, and wouldn’t think of stopping.  The motion is very splendid.  Delhi is all of this, it’s almost like a condensed version of the entire country, with an enormously dense population, and many cultures mixing and living in the same time and place.

It has everything, like any big city, but there’s something rather unique about Delhi.  Or perhaps there are many unique things about Delhi, and too many to mention, surely, but it is unlike anywhere else on the planet.  If you’re coming, hoping to taste the offerings from some of the world’s best restaurants, Delhi may very well have these.  There is certainly a fantastic selection here, and some of the finest chefs in the world are preparing some of the world’s finest cuisine.  And some of the best artists are cooking up some new and fantastic worlds to explore on canvas.

Delhi’s Tanmoy Samanta is certainly an artist to watch.  He’s had a good beginning as an artist, and is reaching a phase where the maturer works are starting to make their way into the world, and it’s a splendid thing to see.  Especially when the style and execution produce such stunning results.  His Eye of the Needle show brings together some of the most interesting things to give life to gallery walls in awhile, and with spectacular energy and focus in each painting.  They are very bare and very spare, and could be best described as deconstructions of objects, and mediating on these brings enormous sized-worlds into focus, and it’s often stunning and often distubring.

What Happens When Your Tires are Unbalanced?

November 24th, 2009

Making sure that the tires on your vehicle are correctly balanced will provide you with a smoother ride.  When a car’s tires and wheels are out of balance and alignment the car not only rides rough, but becomes hard to handle, creating situations that could affect the safety of you and your passengers.  Many people are learning how to fix their vehicle’s smaller problems at home, this saves money and is a great way to learn just a bit more about your own vehicle and cars in general.

An unbalanced cooper tire must work harder for you to get where you are going, must work harder to keep you on the road, and therefore may wear unevenly as a result.  Evidence of this wear can be seen by the naked eye, so inspect your tires for signs such as flat or bald spots on the tread of each tire.  Weights are installed at the same time your tires are mounted and if you notice that some of those weight are missing you may experience balance issues.  While driving your vehicle, some indications that the balance is out of whack, is what happens when you put on the brakes.

If your car pulls in one direction or the other, this may mean the tires not in balance, but it may also just mean that the air pressure is low.  A good way to keep this in check, aside from your own inspections, is to have the rotated about every three thousands miles and this is cheap.  Tires will benefit from this inexpensive practice, and when you think of the expense of replacing your tires, or the expense of being involved in an accident as a result, the cost of rotated the tires becomes relative.  When you do have your tires replaced, check them frequently for signs of wear, as if you catch those signs earlier enough, your tire retailer will take care of the expense of fixing them for you and properly balancing them in the process.

Game at Yankee Stadium in New York Creates Lifelong Fan

November 23rd, 2009

Phil had loved baseball for as long as he could remember. He grew up in Southern California, though his parents had moved from New York City shortly before he was born. So naturally they had strong East Coast and New Yorker personality aspects and a loyalty to their home city. Phil’s father would watch baseball every Saturday afternoon and from these early games Phil became extremely familiar with the history of the New York Jets. However, having been born in Southern California, Phil himself was something of a San Diego Padres fan. This caused him to develop a bit of personal conflict, which he tried to keep to himself. He would demonstrate his loyalty to the Padres at school and with his friends, meanwhile at home he would root for the Yankees. He knew this would eventually lead to trouble, but it seemed to be the best idea at the time.

Then there was Phil’s grandfather, also named Phil, who would visit the family at least twice a year. This die hard New Yorker would never dream of moving from his beloved city though he was close to his family and tried to visit often. Little Phil only remembered having visited his grandfather once when he was boy. This was because his father believed he should visit the city at least once but was afraid his son would turn into a New Yorker himself if he visited too often. After all it was in his blood and his genes. And that being the case, it was only a matter of time before Phil came to his father and announced that he wanted to visit his grandfather over the summer. Coincidentally, he received notice from his own father that he was commanded to bring his wife and son to New York that summer. Little Phil had the right to visit his grandfather in his own setting. So, against Phil’s father’s better judgment the family booked a room in a five star hotel New York City and headed out to visit Big Phil. And as it turns out Big Phil had plans to take Little Phil to Yankee Stadium for a ballgame. And that experience was all it took. Little Phil was an uncompromising Yankee fan for the rest of his life.

CNN’s Top 10 Seafood Markets: The Lexington Market in Baltimore

November 23rd, 2009

When are in Maryland, and you are out to eat at a one of the best Baltimore restaurants, do you ever wonder where they get their seafood?  Well, chances are they go where most of the city goes for the best of the best, and that is the Lexington Market.  The entire city is steeped in history, and the market is no different.  The market has been in business since 1782, the largest market in continual operation in the world.  Recently the market made it to the CNN list of the top ten seafood markets in the country.  They are  still at their original location between Greene and Eutaw Streets on Lexington.  They know what they are doing.

Along with the variety and the quality of the seafood, the market also sells fresh meat, poultry, specialty items and groceries.  There are many stalls that sell prepared food, for eat in or take away.  More than one hundred and forty merchants have stalls in the market, and many events and festivals are scheduled here throughout the year.  Two favorites are the The Chocolate Festival and Lunch with the Elephants.  An ongoing event is the “Fresh Music at the Market” in which live musicians set up and play every day at noon during lunch time.

School children throughout Baltimore are introduced to the market at a young age, for if their parents don’t shop there, their schools will bring them there.  Staff of the market lead field trips and teach children about the foods at the market and topics such as the environment and organic farming.  The market has seen the city change, and will be there to see it change again.  The Urban Village project is underway.  It is a project in adaptive re-use and green development.  The market too will be renovated, with upgrades on the facilities–an overall face lift for this structure more than two hundred years old.  The project will also include the construction of reasonably prices apartments, bringing more life on a day to day basis into this already lively and wonderful area of Baltimore, Maryland.

Sugrue: Digital Life in Madrid

November 20th, 2009

Madrid is pretty close to being the center of Spain, physically speaking, and certainly feels like it in many other ways.  It is the capital of the country, and the largest city, and some will say it feels like the center of the universe.  It has been the center of many fascinating historical moments, and has been a creative capital for many generations.  Today it is one of the world’s great financial hubs, and there is a tremendous creative output from the people who live here.  There is a constant sense of things happening , with an infectious energy that is very appealing to travelers from all walks of life.  The Madrid best hotels are those that can offer that perfect combination of classical sensibility with contemporary taste.

It’s very difficult to avoid good taste and splendid style anywhere in Spain, being one of the most fantastically cultured places in the world, and Madrid again rises up as a center for gracious sensibility, and is never shy to display its magnificent flair.  Hotels and restaurants will showcase this sense of style, and it’s also visible in the local fashions.  It seems to be a city designed to blur the boundaries between art and life, just as so many of its artists have done.  One artist to watch in this regard is Chris Sugrue.

She works here and in New York, and her work is seen all over the world, in places like Portugal, Japan, Brazil, Austria and Turkey.  Her works are fascinating interrogations into how human life and digital life intersect, and it’s a very fine line in these times.  Her art projects have been all over the map, from solo shows to massive collaborations, and they are all equally marked with a spark of genius.  The question of life and art has been asked for generations, and is always a concern of the avant-garde, and the technological focus of Sugrue’s works puts this into a new direction for a whole new generation that is still in the process of defining itself.