Although most of the birds escaped

A daily commuter, Alex Johns, of Ryde, asks: ''Are we becoming a nation of backpackers? It doesn't seem so long ago that city workers on buses and trains travelled light - women carried all they needed in a purse, and for men it was just a wallet and sometimes a briefcase. Now every second person is lugging an overstuffed backpack. I'm always tempted to ask: 'Why do you need all that stuff?''' Good question. So, all you encumbered commuters, are you willing to unburden yourselves and tell us what's in the backpacks? Another sign of the times. Rhona Stoloff, of Woollahra, reports: ''Passing a shop in Edgecliff Road recently, I noticed a sign saying 'Sorry we are open'.'' And John Boast, of Hunters Hill, informs us that a signpost in Bundanoon pointing to the Quest for Life Centre and the cemetery (Column8, yesterday) is out of date. He writes: ''The Quest for Life Centre has been dead for some time but the cemetery lives on.'' Rick Steedman's traveller's tale of ordering a flat white coffee in Canada but receiving a glass of chardonnay (Column8, yesterday) drew this response from Mike Millard, of Vancouver: ''Yep, a 'flat white' is unknown in Canadian Rosetta Stone coffee shops. And in Canada the prefix 'Tim' goes with the suffix 'bits', not 'Tams'.'' Advertisement: Story continues below ''By asking for mixed metaphors in Column8, you have unleashed a Pandora's can of floodgates into the china shop,'' warns James Cribb, of Lindfield. He may well be right, if the following contributions are anything to go by. ''One of my friends once told me I was 'digging myself into a corner'', writes Max Philipson, of Cremorne. ''I tell him now and then that he's 'backing himself into a hole', but my favourite is, 'I'll chew you up, spit you out, and throw away the key!' '' If mixed metaphors can be confusing, mixed drinks can be downright disgusting. Jennifer Saunders, of Bungendore, tells us: ''I ordered a lime and soda in a bar in Ireland and was given the most vile drink, which turned out to be lime and cider.'' An internet search by Aidan Wilson, of Bathurst Island, Northern Territory, of ''Googled'' as a verb (Column8, yesterday) yielded more than 20 million hits. And on the topic of genericised brand names, he tells us: ''In the outback, or more specifically in Kriol, the creole language of many top-end Aborigines, 'Toyota' has become the word for a four-wheel-drive, whether it's the Toyota brand or not. Any other car, whether a Toyota or not, is a 'modaga' (motorcar).'' It's bad news about one of the Sydney pigeons that stowed away on a container ship and ended up in Bluff, New Zealand (Column8, yesterday). Although most of the birds escaped, one was captured and is on death row. The Bluff Beacon's editor, Alan Mitchell, reports: ''The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has confirmed that the captured pigeon is being euthanased because of risk of avian disease.'' More likely revenge for the underarm bowling incident.

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Sceptical, I check, and it is simply not true

In my model, it's not a question of leading the economy but regulating it - but those limits on markets must be set by a respect for people's identities, traditions, lifestyles.'' Jacques Reland, the head of the European program at the Global Policy Institute in London, says Le Pen has managed to wrest the carpet from under both the left and right: ''She has pushed Sarkozy to the right to the point that he has alienated the centre while the left have alienated the workers and are seen as elite representatives of the civil services, the professional classes,'' he says. ''Le Pen does not describe herself as rar right as they are anti-Republic Amazingly, she has claimed the mantle of De Gaulle '' Alain Duhamel, the veteran from Liberation, the paper founded by Jean-Paul Sartre, says Le Pen is ''unfortunately, a very intelligent woman: combative, highly polished on radio and the television, extremely sure of herself and her intuitions and gifted with in an incomparable aplomb. She is, in fact, far more dangerous then her father ever was.'' Le Pen's formal leadership of the National Front may be new but she is no political tyro, despite her protestations that she ''fled politics'' all her life. At 18 she joined the National Front, for a while leading the party's youth wing. She has been a regional councillor in northern France and ran her father's campaign in 2007. Despite her profound Euro-scepticism, she has also been a member of the European Parliament since 2009. At university she trained as a criminal lawyer but in 2006 wrote in her autobiography, A Contre Flots (Against the Current) that her father's choices meant a miserable childhood. In 1976, when she was eight, a 20-kilogram bomb intended for her father blew up the family's apartment building in Paris. Unbelievably, nobody was killed or injured. Less than a decade later the party's office was destroyed in an arson attack. In 1987, when she was just 19, her mother, Pierrette, fell in love with her husband's biographer and ran off with him, sparking a bitter and undignified war over alimony. When Le Pen refused Rosetta Stone French to pay, making a quip about his former wife cleaning houses to earn money, Marine's mother posed for Playboy, not nude but in a skimpy maid's outfit. Le Pen says it was nearly impossible to practise law because nobody wanted anything to do with the poisonous family name. In 1998, by necessity she says, she moved into the ''family business'', taking on the National Front's legal branch. ''Being the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen - and therefore politics - was a very difficult milieu. It brought with it a lot of suffering, a lot of pain. It was for this reason that I avoided it,'' she says. ''But then politics set a trap for me. When you are born in such a milieu, when you grow up with it, you think - and I do believe - that it is a noble art in this world of such individualism. Politics is about caring for others. You cannot look after only yourself but have empathy, for the difficulties and experiences of others,'' she says, without a skerrick of irony. While Le Pen jnr refashions the National Front for a new generation, her anti-immigration stance remains as brutal as her father's. The big difference is that the rhetoric is tempered for a different period in history, a new zeitgeist in which a focus on cultural, not racial, differences is more palatable and intolerance is given gentler expression. So, too, Marine Le Pen's forays into the role of Islam in French society and the erosion of French values: all are favoured refrains but the most stinging criticism of populist, lightning rod issues such as Muslim prayers in the street, the headscarf and women-only days at public swimming pools is folded into the more respectable campaign for a national revival of France's all-important secularist traditions. For all this, she is free and easy with scaremongering statistics. At one point she asks if I was aware that French literacy levels have fallen below those of Tunisia. Sceptical, I check, and it is simply not true. Le Pen is not alone in this push to appeal to a new and wider generation of right-wing voters. Throughout Europe, the far right has gained ground in almost every poll over the past year - as well as in the European Parliament - as voters, confronted with vanishing jobs, burgeoning immigration and stagnant economies, walloped the mainstream parties they decided were responsible.

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Proud of time as president of chamber of commerce

As part of the Barnstaple and District Chamber of Commerce centenary celebrations Joel Cooper spoke to former president Herbert Malek about his time at the helm. As part of the Barnstaple and District Chamber of Commerce centenary celebrations, Journal reporter Joel Cooper spoke to former president Herbert Malek about his time at the helm. HERBERT Malek, 72, is known to many in the town as Mr Wimpy, having run the Barnstaple franchise of the burger bar since 1984. Originally from Austria, Herbert moved to the UK in 1959 for one year to learn the language. However, after meeting his future wife of nearly 50 years, Herbert decided to stay in the country and moved to Barnstaple in 1984.Having previously worked for Wimpy as a field operations manager, Herbert decided to open his own franchise of the brand in the town. He said: "I was very keen to get involved with the local community and meet some other businessmen in the town. "I joined what was then the Barnstaple and Braunton Chamber of Commerce just a couple of months after moving to the area." When Herbert joined the group there were 412 members. He said: "In its heyday the Chamber was at the forefront of the business community. "Almost every local business owner would join up and even the national chains like Boots and Marks & Spencer would encourage their managers to get involved." Herbert was president of the Chamber from 1988 to 1989. He said: "My year as president was fantastic. I made many friends and forged some great business relationships. "It also put Wimpy on the map in Barnstaple and Rosetta Stone Language attracted a lot of customers who wouldn't otherwise have visited." Herbert said his year at the helm had afforded him some fantastic experiences. He said: "I made it my business to attend every event I was invited to. "We supported the Pounds 10,000 CLIC Scanner fundraising scheme, played a big part in the Armada 400th anniversary celebrations and when he was North Devon MP Tony Speller, who was an honorary member, even took me on a tour of the Houses of Parliament. "My proudest moment as president was being invited to the opening of the fair at the Guildhall in 1988. I felt privileged and honoured and the experience will stay with me for the rest of my life." Herbert is still a member of the chamber but says he is more of a "backbencher" these days. He said: "We no longer have the influence because we have so few members. "National businesses don't encourage their managers to join any more and out-of-town shops like the new Tesco have pulled a lot of trade away from the High Street. "I would recommend the Chamber to anyone. It's a great way of meeting people, making friends and developing your business." IT was during Herbert's year as president that one of his former businesses, Mr M's Burger Bar on Queen's Street, was the subject of an attempted robbery. The would-be burger burglar burst into the restaurant wearing a pair of Y-fronts on his head and holding what appeared to be a shotgun. While he ordered a member of staff to empty the till, a female customer told the thief a police car had just pulled up outside, something she made up to distract him. The robber ran out of the shop without taking any money.

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Spare the electorate of any more stuffing around and just do it

Bruce Jones Pennant Hills Trolley good way to get the city moving Memo to Barry O'F and Gladys B: Amid the flood of advice from expensive experts on public transport, please consider this six-point, practical, achievable solution to moving Sydney's passengers expeditiously (Former CBD Metro chief to drive north-west rail link,'' April 7). 1.Eliminate all references to trams or the euphemistically termed "light rail". The 19th century technology. 2. Contact several of the major manufacturers of trolley bus systems around the world, and call for tenders to have a system running within your four-year term of office. (Some also make trams, but recommend using electric buses instead.) 3. Ask for the cost comparisons with trams, metros etc, and be very surprised at the capital savings, and the seamless blending with other traffic, on already existing roads and bus routes. The roads don't have to be destroyed and rebuilt for the rails. 4. Ask them how easy it is to extend the service quickly, to wherever it is needed, including greenfield developments and existing communities; as proven in hundreds of cities worldwide. Buses can use independent power systems away from the overhead wires if necessary. 5. Spare the electorate of any more stuffing around and just do it. Please. 6. Have a happy second term in office. John Ward Bangor Believe it or not, it's time to move on Imagine the outcry if the Reserve Bank raised interest rates because Glenn Stevens's horoscope had suggested he do so, or if he said that God told him to. He would soon be looking for a new job. A large number of people tolerate religion in Australia because they assume it will not have any effect on anything of substance - just a lot of rituals. In yesterday's Herald we see two articles: Aborigines against uranium mining (''Forget the billions, return Jabiluka Rosetta Stone Hindi site to Kakadu, say traditional owners''); and a proposed eruv in St Ives (''Panel to inspect sites before deciding on religious boundary''). Both these stories are in the same category as the Reserve Bank example above. All clear-thinking people should reject decision-making based on dark-ages ''thinking''. Kym Haines GordonGood Samaritan Tony Abbott quoted from the gospel of Matthew - ''The poor will always be with us'' - recently when referring to the plight of the homeless. Then today we have Cate Blanchett showing the true meaning of the gospels (''A big day for social justice'', April 7). Sometimes selective reading of the Bible can show up our innermost prejudices while others only find charity in their hearts. Zuzu Burford HeathcoteUnhappy Vegemite Forget golden staph and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. This morning I opened a jar and saw the ultimate suberbug: fungus able to grow on Vegemite. Brendan Jones Paddington (Qld)BYO party Why don't those in Labor's Left faction join the Greens, those in the Right faction join the Liberals, and close the party down? Put us all out of our misery. Janine De Saxe Cammeray It would appear that Tony Abbott's advisers have been impressed with the results of Barry O'Farrell's ''small target'' approach judging by Mr Abbott's conspicuous lack of growling and barking over the past few weeks. At least Australia seems a much calmer place while ever his spin doctors keep him at bay. Mark Pearce Richmond The Prime Minister's credibility fell a long way down into a dark pit of ignorance on Wednesday night's 7.30 with her mispronunciation of the word ''hyperbole''. I've heard of superbowl and pudding bowl, but never ''hyper-bowl''. Ellie Hallett Coffs HarbourA league of his own Cathy Wilcox's cartoon is footnoted ''(apologies to Churchill)'' (April 7). I know Clive was an inspirational rugby league player but I wasn't aware that he was given to delivering great speeches from fullback. Jim Dewar North GosfordMind your language Interesting how terminology changes to suit the circumstances.

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Iran's English-language Press TV airs re-enactment of murder

Camera, action ... Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani at her home in Oskou, north-west Iran, during the re-enactment. Photo: AP TEHRAN: Iran's English-language Press TV has aired footage of a woman, sentenced to death by stoning, re-enacting what it said was the murder of her husband. The broadcast came a day after reports from Germany that Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, whose case has sparked an international outcry, had been released. But those hopes were dashed as Iranian authorities mocked talk of her release by saying Mohammadi-Ashtiani was still in custody. Advertisement: Story continues below ''The defendant's case and judicial situation have not changed and she is still in Tabriz prison. Any news of her release is a sheer lie,'' Tabriz prosecutor Mousa Khalilollahi told the official IRNA news agency. ''Every once in a while foreign media give this case massive coverage for political aims.'' The Press TV report, which included interviews with Mohammadi-Ashtiani, her son Sajjad and lawyer Javid Houtan Kian who are also both in jail, did not give new information about the case. But it accused Germany-based Iranian anti-stoning activist Mina Ahadi of seeking to politicise the case in the Western media with the aim of undermining the Islamic republic. A German-based campaign group had said earlier that Mohammadi-Ashtiani had been released along with her Rosetta Stone Japaneseson and lawyer after photographs of her at her home first appeared in the media. The still photographs were taken from the television reconstruction. Mohammadi-Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, was sentenced to death by two different courts in the north-western city of Tabriz in separate trials in 2006. Her sentence to hang for her involvement in the murder of her husband was commuted to a 10-year jail term by an appeals court in 2007. But a second death sentence by stoning on charges of adultery levelled over several relationships, notably with the man convicted of her husband's murder, was upheld by another appeals court the same year. The ''reconstruction'' aired on Friday showed Mohammadi-Ashtiani repeating details of her husband's murder - as previously described by Iranian officials - in her home in the small town of Oskou in north-west Iran. It was the third time she had been paraded on Iranian TV. The report also showed pictures of two German journalists jailed since October along with Mohammadi-Ashtiani's son and lawyer after reportedly conducting an interview with Sajjad. Before the broadcast, the English-language satellite channel said the program ''will shed light on the highways and byways of the murder''. Faced with an international campaign for Mohammadi-Ashtiani's release, Iran has sought to shift the focus from adultery charges to her involvement in murder. Amnesty International condemned the broadcast before it was aired, saying ''international standards for fair trial guarantee the right not to be forced to incriminate oneself or to confess guilt''. ''It appears that the Iranian authorities are using the Iranian media as a tool to portray her as a dangerous criminal who deserves to be executed,'' Amnesty said.

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Sunday TV: 100 Years of Mills Boon

Photo: Reuters Consuming Passion: 100 Years of Mills Boon ABC1, 8.35pm Lust, tears, burning stares and 100 years of arrogant andhandsome men penetrating passionate and proud women's betterjudgment are celebrated beautifully in this salute to romancepublisher Mills Boon. Writer Emma Frost's clever approachweaves together three women's stories, each set in a differentperiod, to illustrate the impact, importance and oft-disdainedformula of Mills Boon books. Advertisement: Story continues below Olivia Colman is excellent as Janet Bottomley, a put-uponspinster living in the 1970s. She finds refuge from the era'sdreary sexism and her mother's ailing health in Mills Boonnovels but becomes infatuated with the officious doctor giving hermo ther a hip replacement. Inspired, Bottomley writes a swooningromance novel of her own. The second story, set between and , centres on Mary Boon, who pressed her husband, Charles, to concentrate on romancetitles. In the third story, Emilia Fox plays a present-day English lecturer who is teaching a course in romantic fiction and whose cynical, somewhat politically correct notions of passion areup-ended by a young, hot-blooded student. Heston's Feasts SBS One, 8.35pm Jelly phalluses, melting watches, an edible mini-garden with fried insects and a drink flavoured with toffee, buttered toast,cherry pie, custard, pineapple and turkey. British chef Heston Blumenthal makes these dishes to re-create the Victorian era's love of the exotic and invites celebrities to taste them. He seems like a spoilt twit until his determination and exhaustive Rosetta Stone German research reveal him to be an adept scientist and ingenious bon vivant. History of Scotland SBS One, 7.30pm In the first episode of this ambitious five-part series,Scottish archaeologist Neil Oliver stands before an aerial view of his homeland to declare its beauty "overwhelming". But he believes it has suffered from its past being shaped by myths. His mission -to look beyond the legends and find the nation's real story -begins with the "birth" of Scotland, a land inhabited by disparategroups that joined to fight invading Romans. Lenny Ann Low Show of the week: John Adams SBS One, 9.30pm Quiz games are in vogue. The best of recent times was Stephen Fry's QI which modestly stands for Quite Intelligent but could alsoembrace Quite Indulgent. The hum our was scarcely restrained as it descended into erudite vulgarity, the best and naughtiest exponents of which were rewarded the lowest marks and loudest applause. QI has just finished up on the ABC so here's a quiz question tokeep the pot boiling. Who was the first vice-president of the US,eventually succeeding George Washington in the top job by a mere three votes? The title of this absorbing series and wondrous love story from HBO gives the game away. Its chubby hero, John Adams, apassionately honest Boston lawyer and orator, would eventually bindtoge ther the emerging 13 United States and establish a lastingrelationship with a defeated Britain and its detested redcoats. Adams was a forgotten pinnacle of US politics until this seven-part series, based on David McCullough's book, won 13 Emmy Awards. Frugal in everything apart from the flowing language with which he notably defended British troops during a hostile courtroomappearance, Adams is played with magnetic perfection by Paul Giamatti. His skill is matched by Laura Linney, as his beloved and influential wife Abigail. Their partnership offers a warm glow, asanctuary from the horrifying happenings on the streets as the Boston Tea Party brews open rebellion. The first episode contains a horrendous scene of mob law that starts powerfully and grows in intensity to its distressingconclusion. The episode opens in 1770 with Adams plodding home on his horse to snowbound Boston. It ends with him clip-clopping off to Philadelphia, an elected member of the short-lived Continental Congress.

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Most homes have DVDs and a digital camera

This classic combination of technological advances caused what many people call an inflection point - when all the conditions are right for a major new advance. Nobody really predicted the explosive growth of the internet. As late as 1994, even Bill Gates called it a transitionary technology "that doesn't even have a billing system" (Gates is into billing systems). But the inflection point hit hard in the mid '90s, leading to a frenzied tech boom and some of the biggest changes we have ever seen in the effects of technology on society. Falling prices and vastly improved ease of use switched the focus of technology from corporations to the individual, and to the home. The biggest changes have been in personal communication - the internet, the mobile phone and pay TV. In April this year, research company Connection Research Services released the results of a major survey into the digital usage habits of Australian households. CRS interviewed more than households, and found that 65 per cent were connected to the internet. More than one-third of these were on broadband, with the proportion predicted to grow to half over the next two years. Ten years ago less than per cent of homes were on the internet. All connections were dial-up - the concept of broadband didn't even exist. The CRS study also found that more than 80 per cent of Australian homes have at least one mobile phone, and most own more than one. Most homes have DVDs and a digital camera. They also have multiple TVs, and 80 per cent have at least one computer. Home theatres, driven by the plummeting cost of new TV technologies, are now found in nearly per cent of all homes, often in rooms dedicated to the purpose. For a glimpse at the future, look at Korea. Nearly 80 per cent of Korean homes have broadband connections - and Korean broadband is truly Rosetta Stone Chinese broad. Most connections are at 2 megabits per second (2Mbps) or higher (a typical residential broadband connection in Australia is 5kbps). The Korean Government expects that 70 per cent of internet connections will exceed Mbps by the end of 06 and that most will be at 100Mbps by the end of the decade. At these speeds, and with this level of penetration, the internet pervades Korean society to an extent unknown in the rest of the world. But with success come problems. In Korea, cyber crime is out of control, and a quarter of all teenagers are classed as internet addicts, many with behavioural problems. New cultural tools have appeared, such as "avatars", digital characters used to identify yourself online. There exists in Korea a digital world, of the kind predicted in Tad Williams's sci-fi trilogy Otherland, which is as real to its inhabitants as the corporeal world. Gangs of cyberyouths roam the net, stealing cybergoods from unfortunate avatars and disrupting things. There are other challenges. What is the future of intellectual property when music, films and software can be transmitted around the world in an instant and copied an infinite number of times? How can we make the virtual world as secure as the real world? Can we even distinguish real life from cyberlife? In , we already have the sub-$ notebook, the terabyte (1024 gigabytes) of storage on our video recorder, and the video camera in our phone. Ten years from now, everything we have now will be cheaper, smaller and easier to use, and a lot more mobile. The phone network, pay and free-to-air TV networks, and the net itself will all merge into a larger network, which some are calling the Supernet.

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France-bound Steyn still hopes for World Cup

Springbok star Francois Steyn, the youngest ever World Cupwinner at aged 19 in 07, is hoping to star in the next edition ofrugby union's showcase tournament despite playing in France. Steyn has signed a three-year contract with newly-promotedRacing-Metro, the second Parisian side in the French firstdivision, the Top 14, alongside Stade Francais. The Sharks back, who says his preferred position is centre orfly-half, admitted that playing in France had been something thatformulated itself during the last World Cup, hosted by France. Advertisement: Story continues below "After the World Cup, I always told myself that I'd come toplay in France," he told L'Equipe newspaper. "I remember walking around Paris looking at the magnificentstreets packed with history, drinking coffee and eating chocolatand banana crepes - maybe too much." He added: "South Africa has a policy that foreign-based playerscan play for the national side. I haven't given up on representingmy country at the next World Cup. "I hope that the Springboks will be the first in history toretain the crown." Steyn, who is in the Springbok squad to play three Tests againstthe British and Canada Goose Sverige Irish Lions over the coming weeks, said he waslooking forward to playing in a championship that did not mean asmuch travel. "The Top 14 and Super 14 are a relatively similar level. TheSuper 14 only lasts 14 weeks but there are long trips combined withpressure and the demands of the competition. "I hope my stay in France will teach me to adopt a new approachto matches and make me stronger mentally. "But it will be a huge challenge to learn a new language, tolive far from my family, to live through the European winter." With Steyn due to arrive in Paris after the Lions Tests beforedecamping again to South Africa for the Tri Nations tournament, itwas telling that he named Ireland and Lions centre BrianO'Driscoll, a potential opponent in the weeks to come, as hisfavourite player. "When he landed on the international scene it was quicklyapparent that he was a player capable of doing some incrediblethings," Steyn said. "And although he is marked by his opponents, he has remained adangerous player for a number of years." When asked whether he agreed with many in France who had namedSteyn as the best player in the world, the South African added: "Ithink you've got me mixed up with Brian O'Driscoll. "I've still got many things to learn. For the moment my soleambition is to become the best player possible. I hope to be ableto do that in a Racing shirt.

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We carried a tent, which was used once

It's just that he didn'tunderstand a single word for nearly two hours, especially the bitabout an apocalyptic end to the world in the next three years thatwas explained to him days later. Tomas used to work for a bank inMadrid. People travel along the Cami no every day of the year. The mostpopular time is summer, with the peak occurring each year aspilgrims hobble to reach Santiago on St James' Day, which is July25. When that day falls on a Sunday, as it will in 10, numbersare massively boosted from the average of ,000 who begin thepilgrimage each year. Every day in summer about 100 people begin their pilgrimage fromSt Jean. You can travel at any pace, but there is a fairly settimetable of large towns that draw the majority . So familiar facesreappear along the way - greeting you in bars, passing you ontrails, snoring like bulls in the bunkroom. Unfortunately, our lack of a European language cut into thepower of our connections. Instead, we gave them nicknames: Gerrythe Under-prepared Irishman - carrying less for a month than mostkids lug to school every day - and our little French friend, theEwok! And here comes French Guy With Low Nipples. Our oldest companion is a Spanish man in his 60s who has walkedthe Camino three times: (He Likes) Beer For Breakfast. With haltingSpanglish and effusive hand gestures, we find out that BFB is atrain driver from Seville. You should carry no more than kilograms on the Camino -removing everything except a toothbrush, change of clothes and rainjacket. We carried a tent, which was used once. It weighed only 1.8kilograms, but that is like carrying the White Pages from Melbourneto Adelaide so that you can check a number. If you walk the last 100 kilometres, or cycle the last 0, youare eligible for the compostella, an official certificate thatrecords your achievement. Rosetta Stone Arabic The compestella is allegedly a good thing to pack your CV with,meaning that the final section of the Camino is busy, with localstudents and time-poor pilgrims jamming the experience into a fewdays. We reached Santiago in 24 walking days - potentially a newrecord in the B-category of Transport-Assisted Melbourne-basedCatholicJewish Duo. Santiago's soaring cathedral was a joyous anti-climax. It'sbeautiful, but after walking that far it didn't feel like thegraduation day we had expected. For the three days before we weresurrounded by eucalyptus trees; the more it smelt like home, themore I wanted to be back in Australia. A further 90-kilometre walk brings you to Finisterre,traditionally known as the end of the world. It's a tiny fishingvillage with nothing to do but eat calamari, drink beer, and swimin the frigid Atlantic. Watching the sun extinguish itself into the sea, we realised howhappy we were that we had the chance to walk the Camino. Perhapsthat's the reason we did it: we had the chance. Walking throughtowns, you could see people getting on with their lives - takingtheir kids to school, heading to the bar to see friends, parking onthe footpath and going for a drink. Maybe we're all heading towards something, we thought, openingthe eighth beer of the day and downing an anti-inflammatory pill -but the Camino gives you the chance to walk a bit closer for awhile. Shirley would be proud. Fast facts Getting there: Qantas flies to London from$1922. Ryanair flies to Biarritz (France) from $5 and there aretrains to St Jean Pied de Port. Getting around: Local buses are cheap andpunctual, taxis are plentiful. Staying andor eating there: It's hard to eat badly in Spain.The Rioja wine region is rightly world-famous. Visas: Australian passport holders can stay inFrance and Spain for three months (each) without a visa.

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In my opinion the industry is really quite self-limiting

So we really wanted to do it justice. We spent time going back to the original game, reading the books, finding out what it was about the original game and the books that people loved so much and responded well to. There's been so much community support over the years, people still dress up as American McGee's Alice and they still create fan art so we looked at all of that and we found there was some really strong stuff we could build on. We think that this sequel really stays true to the original game. Was their one goal or objective or theme that you decided very early on that the game was going to be all about? (American McGee) We did decide early on the central narrative theme. In the first game the idea was that she was bringing herself psychologically, so the only person in that game in jeopardy in that product was Alice herself. She needed to overcome that emotional trauma in Wonderland using Wonderland's tools in order to free herself from the asylum. But this time the goal was to bring the drama and the threat into the streets of London and to Alice's life outside this mental landscape as well. So this sort of creates an arc whereby she first conquers this psychological or mental space and in this game she conquers the physical. If ever we decided to make a follow-on there would be a combination of these two because if Alice has prevailed in this story then she's conquered both the physical and the psychological. I'm sorry I can't dive into the details of the story too much but it would kind of give it away... What elements of the game do you hope that players will most appreciate? (Ken Wong) Obviously we're proud of the story that we've put together, we think we've got a really interesting tale to be told. We knew that the first game that was really recognised as having an amazing art style and so my art team worked Rosetta Stone Spain Spanish really hard to satisfy fans and create a visually stunning landscape and recreate those amazing character designs. And the gameplay of course is super-integral to the experience. We spent a lot of time looking back at the first game and what people's experiences were and building on what they enjoyed and working on or fixing those things that weren't so strong. Is there any concerns that the game wont sell as well as it deserves because it doesnt feature the typical soldiers or aliens that a lot of consumers seem to want in a modern action game? (American McGee) It's an excellent question. In my opinion the industry is really quite self-limiting. It's difficult sometimes for publishers to think outside of the traditional boxes in which they tend to put the games that are being made. For game creators that is a challenge because you want to be able to stretch and try new things. But at the same time you have to work with your publisher and within audience expectations, not to stretch so far that you create a new genre that no-one is interested in. The first game proved the concept that we're carrying to the second. It also showed that Alice herself as a character and also Alice in Wonderland as an IP is truly universal. It's global. It's what they call a four quadrant IP. It's male and female, young and old. It appeals globally. So whatever we build on top of that, as long as we are true to what makes Alice in Wonderland so appealing to everyone, I don't think we're so worried. I think it actually expands the definition of what a market for a game like this can be. American, it is interesting that EA has brought you and Suda out to Australia together.

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China-US spat hobbles G push on world economy

G leaders vowed on Friday to avoid currency manipulation and trade protectionism, but bad blood between China and the United States blocked deeper progress in rebalancing the skewed global economy. After a stormy two-day summit, the leaders of the world's biggest rich and emerging economies agreed in a declaration to craft "indicative guidelines" to reorient imbalanced trade between surplus and deficit nations. Due to Chinese-led resistance to binding trade targets, that was far less ambitious than sought by the United States as the world's richest power nurses a hangover from its worst recession since the s. Advertisement: Story continues below US President Barack Obama renewed an offensive on the Chinese yuan, which critics say is kept deliberately cheap to support Chinese exporters at the expense of US jobs. "It is undervalued and China spends enormous amounts of money intervening in the market to keep it undervalued," Obama told a news conference, continuing a jobs-themed Asian tour after a mid-term electoral drubbing last week. Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao and the other G leaders warned that "risks remain" to the global economy and said that "uncoordinated policy actions will only lead to worse outcomes for all". Their statement pledged to move "toward more market-determined exchange rate systems" and to refrain from "competitive devaluation of currencies". They renewed calls for the World Trade Organisation's "Doha round" of talks to be concluded next year, and expressed commitment "to resisting all forms of trade protectionism". President Hu had presented Rosetta Stone software his own counter-proposals in Seoul, calling on the debt-burdened United States to adopt "responsible policies" and maintain a stable dollar. The Chinese leader, who presides over the world's second-largest economy and its largest exporter, demanded global resistance to trade barriers as he painted a bleak picture of the economic outlook. "The international financial markets are volatile, the fluctuation in the major currencies is large, prices of commodities are high, and there is a clear rise in protectionism," he said. The G statement was only struck after a week of late-night negotiating sessions in Seoul. It risks being seen by markets as toothless, shorn of US proposals to limit trade surpluses and deficits to a specific level. Marco Annunziata, chief economist with the UniCredit Group in London, said the G had flunked its test after acting decisively to ward off a global panic in late . "The worst the G could have done is to just diplomatically paper over conflicts and tensions that keep brewing more and more dangerously", he told AFP. China, backed by other export titans such as Germany, intensified an anti-US offensive last week when the Federal Reserve instituted a 600-billion-dollar attempt to reflate the US economy. They argue that the Fed's "quantitative easing" policy is a back-door way for the United States to depress the dollar and trade its way back to prosperity, at the expense of export-reliant countries around the world. In the end, the G leaders settled for vague language and an indeterminate timetable on redressing trade imbalances. They told their finance ministers to write the non-binding guidelines "and pursue the full range of policies conducive to reducing excessive imbalances and maintaining current account imbalances at sustainable levels". IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn acknowledged that the G was finding the going tougher today than when it hurried to roll out stimulus plans worldwide in the face of the financial crisis. "We were on the edge of the precipice," he said in Seoul. "Now, it is more difficult to organise cooperation when people think the crisis is over," Strauss-Kahn said. "But I am fairly optimistic.

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It Support Assistance -- Who Provides?

Many people inquire, "Exactly where is my I.T. support assistance coming from?". It's a valued question, and in all honesty the answer most likely resides in India. Without a doubt, India is one of the largest up-and-coming technological markets out there. An exploding population, with a culture strongly tied to logic and mathematics, India has been an ideal labor pool for many American and European businesses to outsource their I.T. support. CRM training, that is to say Customer Relationship Management Training, is offered online throughout the world at reduced costs. The use of English as a lingua franca has enable countries like India to expand their economical base by offering technological support to first world countries, in first-world native languages. These factors have played a huge role in transforming classical telephonic help to an international venture. With the new global market, ringing support in hopes of finding one of your own countrymen is a dying fad. Your call will most likely be routed to Asia, and handled by a level-1 support technician who may or may not have received CRM or MAS training. However with the advent of speech recognition, those of us finding outsourced overseas IT support help lacking will probably find automated support to be even less worthwhile. The question we must ask ourselves is this: Are we willing to pay money for Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin) telephonic or online support just to speak to a native from our own country who has received CRM training? As well, are we willing to pay extra for products to retain the level of MAS trained IT support help we've gotten used to over the years? If the answer is 'yes', we may have found an answer that provides solvency for more than just this issue. For the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, "Tibet is a region of the People's Republic of China. It has a status of autonomous region of ethnic Tibetans and, administratively, Range province, "and he adds that" as part of a state, Tibet enjoys no sovereignty own under international law .For the Tibetan government in exile, Tibet refers to a larger region comprising lensemble the former provinces of Ace-Tsang, Kham and Amdo, with the exception of Arunachal Pradesh.In Chinese, the name is Xizang Autonomous Region . According to some authors, xi means "west" and zang means one of two parties in the region of Tsang, Xizang was used for the first time by Emperor Qianlong in the eighteenth century. For others, including representatives of the Tibetan government in exile, Xizang means "treasure house of the West" or "reservoir of natural resources of the West".The climate of Tibet is very continental, cold and dry. Paradoxically, the average annual temperature is higher than that of the atmosphere at an altitude equivalent (radiation of the earth). This effect causes major north-south gradient of pressure, and participates actively in the monsoon phenomenon. The changes are fairly abrupt temperature on the Tibetan Plateau. The climate also varies greatly between night and day.

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This is the case because speech originates in our life center

Therefore, it is good to take an inventory of the things we do, and cut back on those that are extraneous and secondary. Not only will we be more productive, but energy will continually surge from within. Maintain Positive Attitudes; Overcome Negative OnesIt is always best to have a positive attitude in life. It not only helps us maintain a high energy level, but it invariably attracts positive conditions. On the other hand, a negative attitude will have the opposite effect. Worry, anxiety, fear, anger, depression, restlessness, rebelliousness, impatience, unwillingness, etc. not only deplete energies, but attract negative circumstance from the world around us. Therefore, it is best periodically our psychological state to see what we are thinking and feeling. If it is positive, then better to keep it up! However, if our attitudes are negative, we need to stop it in its tracks. Not only will fresh energies well up inside us, but positive conditions will quickly present themselves from out of nowhere. Hold Back an Opinion What applies to a negative attitude also applies to an opinion. It is also an energy depleter. What is an opinion? It is a view of things that we tend to assert -- whether it is true or not. It is simply a thought and feeling that we are overly attached to, and are therefore more than happy to express in conversation. Though it is emotionally stimulating and satisfying to verbalize such opinions, our energy level tends to quickly fall off as a result. Speak Less, Speak SoftlyRelated to opinions, one of the most powerful ways to generate more energy is to simply speak less. Instead of verbalizing everything that is on Rosetta Stone Portuguese our mind, we need to hold back those thoughts, and energy will surge within us. Likewise, if instead of speaking loudly and boisterously, we express ourself in a low, soft voice, it will have a similar effect. This is the case because speech originates in our life center. When we speak too much or too loudly, we deplete the vital energies that originate there. Doing the opposite will not only restore or heighten our energy, but will attract positive conditions from life. Shift Your Focus to OthersOne of the most powerful ways to increase our energy is to shift your focus from our own interests and concerns to those of others. Not only will movements of selflessness, self-givingness, goodness, goodwill, and generosity generate a sense of peace within, and balance and amplifying your energies, but positive conditions will suddenly present themselves. There is no faster way to refresh our energies than by shifting from self-absorption in ones own self-interest to self-givingness towards others. To conclude, an important take-away :If we want to feel truly alive and open to lifes opportunities we need to look carefully at our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. We need to identify our shortcomings and make those changes we need so that we are truly vibrating at the highest level and enjoying life to the fullest.

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Small Business Bookkeeping Demand And Learning It Online

Small business bookkeeping should not be only be seen as a lucrative job during the filing of tax. It should be handled on a daily basis or what seems to be constant and consistent for the small business owner. This is because often than not, transactions not recorded may result in big problems in the future like overstated income hence, overstated tax because of unrecorded expenses or unclaimed tax deductions or wrong business decisions because of wrong numbers seen in the books. And since, books of accounts represent the companys status, it is very vital to see the real deal. This serves as the compass for business owners to where to lead the company.With this need, bookkeepers and other accounting jobs are always in demand. It can be a fulltime job, sideline and with the advent of technology, it can be an online work as well. So if you have the knack for learning new things why not join the bandwagon and take basic bookkeeping courses? The road seems endless for those who know simple accounting. Whether its a small enterprise, a medium business or a multi-national firm, efficient bookkeeping is necessary. Even during the financial crisis, a lot of companies are hiring financial analyst, accountant and bookkeepers. Equipping yourself with basic bookkeeping can be done via physically enrolling in a university or taking basic bookkeeping courses online. Rosetta Stone V3 Studying online would give you the flexibility of time. You could still be working with your full time career as you nurture yourself with accounting. This will also save you money since there is no need to travel to universities. An online course as well will give you access to top online universities, modules and support from top professionals. It is not limited in giving you information about simple debit and credit but also involves teaching you how to use the basic bookkeeping software which is in demand in the market nowadays since more likely than not future clients prefer to work with a reliable bookkeeping software.Basic bookkeeping is a very lucrative career which can be life changing since this will not only augment your household income but will also gives you security because you got a lot to offer in this world of stiff competition. Most of the time it is demanding, challenging and stressful and at the end, very rewarding so why not taste the good life it offers. Be ready to be a bookkeeper or a small business entrepreneur by equipping yourself and taking online bookkeeping courses now.

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The Benefits Of Receiving An Education Through Online Colleges

Higher education has taken on an even greater importance today, due to the intense competition for the most desirable careers. If you want to bolster your job prospects, but are not so enthralled by the option of enrolling in a traditional educational establishment, it may worth researching the online option. Thanks to the improvements in internet speeds and other communication links, attending a net based program of study is now a real possibility.Studying via the internet has a number of benefits and advantages when compared with attending a traditional bricks and mortar school. For a start, there is the flexibility of the schedule. Many of us simply do not have the time to commit to a traditional schedule of study, by opting to enroll in an online college, you should find it much easier to plan and organize your commitments around your lessons and assignments.Those people who have a full time job bringing up a family may never have considered the option of studying for a degree, thanks to the internet this has now been changed. No matter what the reason for being housebound, this no longer has to impact on your ability to receive a quality education.If you are in middle age, you may feel rather self conscious if attending a traditional college. It can often seem that students today have more interest in partying than their education. By opting to go down the online route, you will not Rosetta Stone French have your studies disturbed due to frat parties, sports events, and the like.Another major plus point when comparing a net based degree program with those offered locally is the cost. Be under no illusion that receiving a higher education would be cheap. With the cost of tuition, housing, and everyday commodities rising on a constant basis, finding the capital to fund studies is not always easy. An online course would usually be offered at a lower price than traditional programs. This is primarily because a net based school would have fewer overheads than their counterparts that have a physical presence. You can also save money by not having to commute to classes each day.If you would like to graduate as early as possible, by choosing to enroll in a net based college, this is more likely to happen. Most online programs offer students the option of fast-tracking their studies so as to graduate sooner. If this is a concept that is of interest to you, make sure you discuss your plans with the schools' admission officers, they should be able to tell you the shortest time-frame that can be followed.

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Make Money Online Fast With Traffic Generation

Myths about affiliate marketing are appealing and attractive. People who do not know the entire system the wrong way is inclined to believe that there is something capable of giving great fortune overnight. Stories swimming affiliates who earn tremendous amounts of money on his head, and while these stories are as true as they are, are those who believe they have the same fate once they enjoy this activity.It is true that affiliate marketing is a cost effective solution. People who have been through in order to succeed in this business are reaping the seeds sown tirelessly. Many of them enjoy the kind of life that was not possible that they have had under normal circumstances. Having gone through the AZ of affiliate marketing, but these people are those who know that when business is so lucrative, there is absolutely no easy money in it.Ignorance about this fact is one of the main reasons why there are people who fail miserably in the internet business. There are those who believe in the myth of easy money involved in systems such as affiliate marketing. They do not know that there are people who have wasted time, effort and many resources to trying to find a life of ease that they believe this business will provide. And then they go into affiliate marketing armed with nothing but myths and fantastic notions of wealth swimming in their consciousness, never realizing that they are Rosetta Stone German bound to make mistakes that would be her undoing.What could be the reason why in businesses such as affiliate marketing, many are called but few are chosen? Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that many affiliates make mistakes due to ignorance of the facts about how the business goes. Affiliate marketing is not as simple as an affiliate promoting \ merchant s products through your website and get paid for it. It is also about knowing the market and customers in hand.Discovering what the most common mistakes affiliates maybe you can remove the dark about the myths surrounding affiliate marketing by correcting some misconceptions about it. It may also be able to make clear to stakeholders that, like any other business, there are dos and donts involved in this case they want to count each of its steps. The first common mistake affiliates make is their lack of knowledge of the principles involved in their activities. This refers to the \ member "s knowledge of search engines in particular.Affiliate marketing involves publicity and advertising over the Internet could not have been better without the existence of search engines. What every affiliate has to do is make these search engines his best friend through studying search engine optimization closely. Thus it is able to know what to do in relation to building a better website to ultimately use for business.The second is that affiliates make the mistake of filling their places with banners that do not provide enough information about the product on hand. The best way to combat this problem is to provide good content hand in hand with banners. It is important for customers to know and understand the characteristics of a product, and good content will help them achieve that goal.

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How Not To Be Lonely When Studying Online

You've decided that taking some online courses will be the most convenient way for you to earn that degree you've been seeking. However, you soon come to realize that studying online is a bit different than the traditional classroom in the sense that you do not have personal contact with anyone and cannot just "talk" with them directly.Therefore, it can get quite lonely when you're attempting to complete online courses, since you will be working alone for the most part, reading the material, logging on and commenting about different topics that are posted, and completing the assignments and tests assigned to you. However, there are some steps you can take to make the online classroom experience a little more socially friendly. First, try to connect with the other students who are taking the online course with you. You can join them on the message board and discuss the topics being discussed in the online course, as well as assist them if they have problems with the assignment. They may do the same for you when you have difficulty with an assignment as well.Second, see if any of your fellow classmates live near you; if so, you could suggest meeting together in a study group to help one another learn the material. This can help you have more personal contact with your online classmates. Third, it's important that you log onto the course a minimum of 5-6 times a week, if not more; staying up-to-date with what the professor and your classmates have posted on different topics can help you concentrate on the course material and make you feel more like you're in a traditional Rosetta Stone outlet classroom setting. If you log on less often and fall behind, it will be very difficult to catch up, and being that you alone will have to make the effort and commitment to catch up, this will just increase the feelings of loneliness, which could further hinder your ability to complete the online course. So don't fall behind; attend online class religiously just like you would a traditional classroom.Fourth, make sure that you take some time away from the computer and spend some quality offline time with family and friends. This can help to give you a break from the "isolation" of attending classes online.If possible, try talking with them about what you are learning online and how the process works; this can involve them in what you are doing and they may provide additional motivation for you to stay with and complete the online coursework even when you don't feel like doing so by asking you what you are learning online, how you like the experience of online coursework, etc.Fifth, discuss your online coursework with your colleagues at work. Tell them what you are learning and describe the process of how you are learning it online. This may increase their curiosity of online coursework and they may want you to keep them updated on how it is working out for you, further encouraging you to finish the online coursework. In addition, they may even want to take an online class themselves; you might even take some future online classes together, which can help you from becoming lonely the next time you decide to or need to take an online course.Nowadays, online courses can be just as educationally beneficial as their offline counterparts, but you need to be aware that online coursework requires less human interaction, and therefore, you need to adjust accordingly to make sure you stay committed and complete your online courses.

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Invitations to the Most Important Day of Your Life

Some of the toughest decisions in planning a wedding are faced when the guest list is made. Only you and your fiancé can decide who to ask to be a part of your special day. The decision-making process does not end here, however. Many options exist when making the guest list, but just as many options exist when choosing the invitations.The following are some of the basic traditional rules of wedding etiquette you may want to remember when preparing their invitations and announcements:1. Names and titles should be spelled out. The only exceptions are Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Jr.2. Write out all dates and times in the invitation. The numbers in addresses need not be spelled out, although streets should be. Include the state if the city is not well known.3. Never under any circumstances, include information regarding your gift registry or desire for monetary gifts. All information regarding gift preference should be passed along by word of mouth. Today, however, it has become acceptable to declare "no gifts" or in lieu of a gift to make a donation to a specified charity.4. Put response cards and stamped pre-addressed envelopes inside the invitation with any other enclosures. Place this in the inner envelope, and put the inner envelope in the outer one, so that it faces the back flap. 5. Do not seal the inner envelope. Address it simply to "Mr. and Mrs. Jones". Do not use first names, except in the case of children. Even then, they should be listed on a second line underneath their parents' names.6. Envelopes should be addressed in black ink and never typed. Do not Arabic Learning Software abbreviate names or addresses and include the return address centered on the back, near the top.7. Mail invitations six to eight weeks before the wedding.8. Mail announcements on the day of the wedding (or soon after) if you are sending out announcements.Inserting Invitations1. Insert invitation into the inner envelope along with enclosure card, reply card and any other enclosures. Always remember the front (printed side) of the invitation faces the back side of the envelope, fold down. The tissue that is placed over lettering to prevent smudging may be discarded or left in place.2. Place the unsealed inner envelope into the outer envelope. The front (addressed side) of the inner envelope faces the back flap of the outer envelope.Helpful HintsSince most couples do not know a great deal about the process of inviting guests, they are encouraged to keep a few other things in mind:1. Order invitations four to six months before the wedding. Make sure all details are secured before ordering (i.e. location, date, time).2. Find a store where the staff will spend enough time with their customers. Deal with people who know what they are doing. Not all people who sell invitations are professionals who know proper etiquette and wording.3. Get everything - invitations, envelopes, announcements and any supplements - at the same time. Be sure to have an accurate guest count. Order extra invitations and envelopes, because extra orders later will mean extra costs.4. To save headaches later, you may want to choose programs, thank-yous, printed napkins, place cards and other related items now.5. Proofread the order form carefully before signing it. Printers will not usually correct mistakes unless you pay for them.6. Mail invitations six weeks before the wedding (eight weeks if most of the guests are out-of-state or it is a holiday weekend).7. After the invitations are sent, responses begin arriving immediately. Devise a system to keep track of replies. An alphabetized checklist, index cards, ledger or home computer are all easy ways to keep track of who has and has not responded (keep in mind that statistics show you should only expect a 75 to 80 percent return).

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Unique and Inexpensive Personalized Wedding Favors

Great wedding favors are personalized wedding favors because they not only serve as a gesture of thanks to your guests, but also as a memento of your special day. Wedding favors don't need to be expensive. There are plenty of very unique and inexpensive favors to compliment every taste and style. This article will highlight some special, yet inexpensive personalized wedding favors that your guests will enjoy and treasure.Personalized Chocolate BarsA great wedding favor is one that can be savored and that can also become a keepsake in a scrapbook or memory chest. Personalized chocolate bars are the ideal personalized wedding favor to meet both needs.After guests slide out the foil-wrapped milk chocolate bar, the personalized sleeve serves as a wonderful memento. Personalized chocolate bars come in both full size and miniatures and can be used a main favor or as a filler in a basket of favors. The bars have ample space to personalize and both sizes come in a variety of wrapper styles.Personalized Cocoa and Cappuccino Wedding FavorsA cup of cocoa or cappuccino that is as warm as the love you feel for your friends and family is a wonderful way to say thank you. With 22 different styles of art, font, and text, you're certain to find one that matches the theme of your wedding. These wedding favors aren't only for fall and winter weddings, there are plenty of summer styles decorated with palm trees, spring flowers, and pastel colors for warm weather weddings.Try packaging these favors in a personalized coffee mug and embellishing with a wire ribbon that matches the colors of your wedding. After your guests enjoy the warm cocoa or cappuccino, the beautiful packaging serves as a happy reminder of the festivities of your wedding day.Personalized Wedding Mints Rosetta Stone Language These wedding favors not only taste great, they look amazing on the table. Wedding mints can be personalized in a variety of ways. Individually wrapped mints come in foil packaging with the option to personalize up to four lines of text. Try packaging these wedding favors in a pretty organza bag to top your guest's place setting.Wedding mints also come packaged in personalized reclosable boxes with 25 peppermints per box and with your name and wedding date printed right on the cover. For a wonderful keepsake, consider the gorgeous mint tin wedding favor. These adorable tins have lots of room for customization with 15 different image and text styles from which to choose. These unique and inexpensive personalized wedding favors are an ideal way to thank your guests for making your wedding day even more special.Personalized Wedding Fortune CookiesEveryone loves a crispy sweet fortune cookie especially when there is a sweet personalized message inside. When guests crack open the individually wrapped fortune cookies, they'll find inside a personalized message from you with up to two lines of text.This wedding favor is one that your guests can both enjoy and keep as a memento. Place big brimming bowls on the reception tables filled with these personalized wedding favors or put together individual gifts in further personalized Chinese take out favor boxes printed with your names and wedding date.Wedding favors that your guests will treasure and enjoy don't need to be expensive to make a big impression. When you've got lots of options for imagery, packaging, colors, fonts, and messages, you can truly custom make a personalized wedding favor that is as unique as your wedding.

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Some tips for your beautiful big day

The big day is approaching and there is still so much to do. The timetable for the preparations of the most beautiful day was fallen countless times, and now need help doing before planning the absolute chaos occurs, we tell you what is really important for an unforgettable wedding.Tip 1: For the preparations for a wedding is a cost planning. A list of costs provides an overview and you can better plan where the money that can be used.Tip 2: For a captivating aura should advance with the right skin care started. Facial masks, scrubs washing gel and ensure a rosy and healthy skin, remove impurities and refine the skin. Anti-aging skin creams entknittern and conjure a young complexion.If you lose a few pounds you should not wait too long.Zero diets are a health risk and also allow the skin to look pale and tired.For the Makeup and the taming of hair specialists should be tried. You know what to fit your type and what is feasible. Both the makeup, as well as the wedding hairdo should be in the run-up to ever be tested, otherwise there may be surprises coming.Tip 3: The wedding rings should be three months before the big day ordered. And forget not the engraving!Tip 4: the wedding dress should be three months before the wedding. About two weeks before the wedding clothes should be worn once a trial, so that any repairs can be made on time. The costumes for the bride, bridesmaid dress and flower girl dress should be purchased together.Tip 5: For the wedding hall is not empty, should be clarified that all the important guests are also free to take. The best date for the wedding is to a weekend, since most of the guests on this day not have to work.Tip 6: The invitation cards for the guests should have an attractive design. It is important that the reason the date and the exact address of the office or the Rosetta Stone church at the invitation stand. The cards should be early enough for the trip will be to allow guests enough time for the preparations have.Tip 7: The photographer or videographer should be one month in advance. Also to the musicians you should take care of soon. Perhaps friends have good experience with a band or a DJ can collect.Tip 8: For the party should have a rented room, in which all the guests have. Even enough for chairs, tables, crockery and cutlery must be ensured. Thus there is no chaos in the search space, you can place in the run-up cards with the names of the guests are prepared. Small parties can also arrange home.Tip 9: For the wedding party can be a service company that specializes in weddings, will be hired. Who even wants to make the meals, should think of a cold buffet. The wedding cake can be a week before the wedding with the confidence ener bakery ordered.Tip 10: What would a wedding without a wedding toast and speech? The speech should be well read on a note written down. The speech should be made slowly. Breaks are important, so that words can really act and not in speech jokes Schwall go.Tip 11: The wedding night should be well prepared. Beautiful decorations like candles and scattered rose petals on the bed make for a romantic and pleasurable atmosphere.Tip 12: When it comes to the honeymoon in the Far go, it must be ensured in advance whether the passport not long ago, has its validity. Also the hotel reservations should already be in warm towels. And do not forget the camera-after all, the honeymoon is the most important holiday in the life!

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Honeymoon Planning as a Couple

It's your first week as Mr. and Mrs.; you're both exhausted from the wedding and you both want to unwind. Keep this scene in mind once you've started planning for the honeymoon trip. Yes, it is a vacation; it has been a long dream of yours since you were small and it costs half as much as the wedding, but never forget that it is still about the two of you. Consider the following before you plan the perfect honeymoon trip you've always wanted without the lovers' quarrel and unwanted stress.Be considerate of your partner's preferences. Be it simple decisions such as hotel rooms, itineraries and side trips- ask your partner about it. You know a lot about your partner - what he/she likes and dislikes - remember to use these vital information when you plan activities so that you can have fun together.Schedule a whole day of fun dedicated to each of you. A great way of getting to know your spouse is by doing what he or she loves to do, and the best time to start this is during your honeymoon. For example, on the second day of your trip, set an appointment for surfing lessons and have lunch by the shores if your partner is into water activities. After surfing, top it off with a romantic dinner by the boardwalk or a trip up the lighthouse. The next day, it's your turn to do whatever you want - shopping, getting a Rosetta Stone Language body scrub, visiting museums - and your partner will surely tag along happily.Devote an afternoon for relaxation. A wedding not only leaves rings on your fingers but then also leaves tons of tension for the both or you. Hire a masseur and a masseuse to give you full body massages right in your hotel room. Get room service to bring you lunch and dinner; stay in your room together and try to have some quiet time. Be it reading a book, watching DVDs or soaking in the tub, any activity will be good, as long as you are together.Always try to compromise and meet in the middle. Can't decide what to do or where to go? If your partner loves scuba diving but you hate wet suits, you can opt for other related activities, like renting jet skis or going on an island hopping tour. Never end a discussion with a quarrel and don't ever forget the purpose of the trip, which is to celebrate your love for each other.Reserve at least one unplanned day. After days of roaming around an island and visiting touristy spots, a day without any planned activities will be very liberating. Feel free to sleep in until lunchtime, lounge around the luxurious suite you're staying in or trek back to linger in a beautiful spot you've visited before during the group tour. Be spontaneous! Try to do whatever you and your partner think will be fun and enjoyable. Who knows? The one unplanned day you have might be the most exciting and romantic day in the whole trip!

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Vacation rentals also have a lot more to offer than your average hotel room

All of a sudden the idea of a vacation isn’t so relaxing anymore. Fortunately, there is an alternative and if you don’t like the idea of crowds, then consider renting an Orlando Vacation Rental when the time comes to decide where you’ll be staying while you’re in Central Florida. What Vacation Rentals Have to Offer The best part about renting your own villa to vacation in during your stay is that you can enjoy total privacy from other guests while not giving up anything in terms of luxury accommodations. The best of both worlds indeed, especially if you want to have a good night’s rest after spending all day touring the sights and sounds of Orlando. If you’ve already been to Disney or one of the other theme parks such as SeaWorld or Universal Orlando during the day, then you probably wouldn’t want a ruckus to keep you up during the night while you get some much needed rest for the day ahead, would you? The great thing about the privacy part of a vacation rental is that you can stop worrying about disturbing others, or others disturbing you during your vacation.As well as having total privacy, another good part about renting your own vacation home is that when you’re traveling as a small party, you’ll certainly appreciate having multiple bedrooms in one residence. Instead of facing the possibility of everyone in your party having to stay at different hotels or spread about all over the place in one hotel, which causes no end of trouble when meeting up for outings, you’ll simply have to rent one single villa to house everyone. Resort-like amenitiesNot only are the bedrooms inside the villa residence just like luxury hotels, you won’t have worry about missing out on what the luxury resorts have to offer. Every vacation home comes with a swimming pool as standard and if you select the Rosetta Stone Spanish Spain right vacation rental company, you will find that they even have a concierge service that can arrange everything from transportation to dining and shopping to VIP theme park tours. Vacation rentals also have a lot more to offer than your average hotel room. For instance, there is usually a full size kitchen so you can save money by having meals at home when you feel like it. Vacation rentals typically also have at least two or three TV sets and that can be important when you want to watch your show and someone else wants to watch theirs! Another great thing about a rental is that it typically has a laundry area so you can save on having to haul a load of extra clothes around with you. Airlines are now starting to charge for each and every bag and that’s where the laundry comes in to save you money and aggravation.Vacation Rental LocationsIn the Orlando area there is a wide range of rental options to choose from. From 1 and 2 bedroom condos and townhouses to spacious 3 to 7 bedroom vacation homes the choice is amazing. The best vacation rentals are located within minutes of Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios so make sure you check how far away the rental of your choice actually is. Finally, it is wise to book early, as the best vacation rentals go quickly. After all, you don’t want to be disappointed that you didn’t get the perfect Orlando vacation villa for your vacation getaway.About Nigel G. Worrall:Nigel Worrall is President / CEO of Florida Leisure Vacation Homes & Total Real Estate Solutions. He is regularly sought by the media as a vacation home and real estate expert and has featured on NBC, ABC, Fox, CBS. He has also featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, Newsweek, Chicago Sun Times, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Business Journal and several other publications. Nigel is also the best selling author of “Big Ideas For Your Business” (Advantage Media)Nigel serves many clients around the world as a Realtor?, Real Estate Broker, Real Estate Investor, Mortgage Broker and Real Estate Trainer.

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All you need to know about traveling to Europe found in a book

Longing to tour Europe without spending all of your entire life's savings? Longing to catch the action happening in places such as Paris, London, Rome, Budapest, Moscow or perhaps, Belgrade? Then what are you waiting for? Grab a copy of the Harvard students? latest publication ? an informative guide to Europe. This 320 page paperback book in blue contains so much intelligence and that is something that makes it stand out from other travel guides. Across most universities, dining hall doors are flung open to accommodate both resident and foreign students during the time of summer. The kinds of victuals students can find run from the worst gastronomic concoctions served in small filthy and overcrowded cafeterias up to the highest range of sophisticated food found in areas as posh as well. If you want to meet your European counterpart and stick to your budget, the best thing you can do is to avail the services of student inns which about throughout the major cities of Europe. These are basically dormitories in colleges that are changed into hostels temporarily to cater to a lot of students as well as many of the tourists that come to see beautiful Europe. Even as students wrote and published the travel guide for other students, many American travelers under a strict travel budget still found this so useful. A man with his wife may not need an Italian translation of where can we be alone, but he will certainly need to know more things. One great example would be its page on hitch hiking. The perfect hitch hiking companions would be one girl and one boy the same thing applies to real life too. The sight young couples waiting together on the roadside will definitely raise combined feelings of nostalgia, curiosity, good will, and even envy or protectiveness so this guarantees that the drivers will give Rosetta Stone V3 them a lift. A dollar a person is the rule for those who go to Russia for camping carrying their bedding and tents. In order to lessen the chances of waiting in line for a very long time just to get to the shower or toilet, people have to plan their trips there and this is all thanks to the fact that each year, more tent dwellers set up in the free spaces available. You can opt to wash at the basins with cold running water but at some periods during the day, 10 or 15 cents get you some nice hot water for a warm shower. One doesn't necessarily have to show an ID as an undergraduate to grab some tips on pub crawling tips around England or go on a France wine tasting spree. There are special sections on each and one on how to buy art works, too. You are also not required to be a student so that you can get some vital nightlife information in places such as Turkey, Germany and Israel and the ones in 50 cities and regions in 19 countries. All of the useful information within it are gathered by students hired to go through all the hotels, pensions, cafes and restaurants where an American can sleep and eat well while still holding on to some money for a bit of swinging. The emphasis is on leading people on Europe's most interesting but inexpensive destinations and sights. Meeting new European men and women are made easy thanks to the feature on discotheques and nightclubs. Its highly informative chapter that focuses on one country has specific sections underneath it that contain details on Getting Around, Accommodations, Sights, Excursions, Nightlife and of course Restaurants and other Dining Areas. This also is composed of data about working in Europe, places where students on holiday vacation can go to such as adventure trips like scuba diving or mountain climbing, and even transportation and tour rates that will fit the budget of students. People back in 1960 traveling on board Harvard student flights were able to benefit from the first copies which were given out for free to them when it was only a 20 pager pamphlet on mimeograph paper.

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Seattle Washington Trip: Save Money With City Pass

Are you planning a trip to Seattle Washington that will last a few days? If so then considering a City Pass is a great idea. With a City Pass you will get to visit some of the cities most popular and best attractions at a mere fraction of the cost others will have to pay. Your pass is good for up to nine days fro the first time it is used and is also good for free public transportation. This is a great way to have several options for different activities that you can participate in during your stay. Museum of FlightAt the Museum of flight you will really enjoy yourself as the history of flight comes to life right before you eyes. This museum has a wonderful array of fun activities to offer for every age. You can do things like touring the original Air Force One jet or sit yourself behind a modern day jet flight simulator. You will find yourself entrenched and amazed as you explore the history of both personal and military flight. It is so much fun that the admission price is well worth it but remember with the city pass you are getting a great deal and paying only a fraction of what everyone else. Even at the full price this is still a recommended attraction.The Seattle Harbor Tour This tour is offered by Argosy Cruises and will probably be a highlight of your time in Seattle. If not a highlight, then perhaps the boost you needed to try some of the more elaborate tours that Argosy has to offer. This tour lasts about an hour long and provides a tour of the bay while pointing out some of the stunning scenery that surrounds Seattle. You do have the option of upgrading your cruise to one of the others offered by Argosy for an additional fee. If you've never been in open water before, I recommend starting with a smaller cruise and seeing how your sea legs (and stomach) measure up before embarking on a longer or dinner cruise. Woodland Park Zoo The Rosetta Stone Latin America Spanish Woodland Park Zoo is known for its natural looking and enjoyable exhibits. In fact the zoo has won many prestigious awards for its exhibits. There is so much to do and see here at the zoo that this can easily be a whole day adventure for any family. In fact that is what I would recommended is that you take a whole day and while you are there why not take a stroll next door to the beautiful Rose Garden. This is a free side trip as it doesn't cost anything to view the roses but it is a wonderful experience and it goes well with the Woodland Park Zoo.Pacific Science CenterFrom video games and laser shows to fascinating science exhibits the Pacific Science Center really is a fun place to visit. While you're there you might want to check out the IMAX theatre and see what is playing. Among the permanent exhibits is a Dinosaur exhibit from the Mesozoic Era, a tropical butterfly house, an Insect Village, and a saltwater Tide Pool where little ones can see and touch many of the creatures that can be found in the Puget Sound.Seattle AquariumDelve into life under the sea and the many salt water and fresh water creatures that can be found in and around the Puget Sound. This will be a highlight for everyone in your group I can almost guarantee.If any of these or most of these is appealing to you and or those you are traveling with, then purchasing a city pass is probably a wise investment. Even if you don't visit all of the attractions, you can save money by visiting a few.

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Airlines and Passengers With Disabilities

Over 40 million Americans have disabilities. The Air Carrier Access Act and the Rosetta Stone Language Department of Transportation (DOT) rule that implements it set out procedures designed to ensure that these individuals have the same opportunity as anyone else to enjoy a pleasant flight. Here are some of the major provisions of the rule. A person may not be refused transportation on the basis of disability or be required to have an attendant or produce a medical certificate, except in certain limited circumstances specified in the rule. Airlines must provide enplaning, deplaning and connecting assistance, including both personnel and equipment. (Some small commuter aircraft may not be accessible to passengers with severe mobility impairments. When making plans to fly to small cities, such passengers should check on the aircraft type and its accessibility.) Airport terminals and airline reservations centers must have TDD telephone devices for persons with hearing or speech impairments. Passengers with vision or hearing impairments must have timely access to the same information given to other passengers at the airport or on the plane concerning gate assignments, Language Learning Software delayed flights, safety, etc. Newer wide-body aircraft must have a wheelchair- accessible lavatory and an on-board wheelchair. Airlines must put an on-board wheelchair on most other flights upon a passenger's request (48 hours notice required). Air carriers must accept wheelchairs as checked baggage, and cannot require passengers to sign liability waivers for them (except for pre-existing damage). Most new airplanes must have movable armrests on half the aisle seats, and on-board stowage for one folding passenger wheelchair. Carriers must allow service animals to accompany passengers in the cabin, as long as they don't block the aisle or other emergency evacuation route. FAA safety rules establish standards for passengers allowed to sit in emergency exit rows; such persons must be able to perform certain evacuation-related functions. FAA rules also prohibit passengers from bringing their own oxygen. Most airlines will provide aircraft-approved oxygen for a fee, but aren't required to. Airlines may not charge for services that are required by this rule. Airlines must make available a specially-trained Complaints Resolution Official if a dispute arises. There must be a copy of the DOT rule at every airport. It's wise to call the airline again before your trip to reconfirm any assistance that you Korean Learning Software have requested. Check with the TSA web site for the latest security information.

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