It was the eve of my trip to California, touring the first group of oils from my 'Banjo Paterson's People' series. The pictures to be exhibited were being previewed for Australian collectors at a cocktail party hosted by the gallery which represented my work at the time.

Suddenly, a trendy local architect loomed up beside me, champagne flute in hand. Looking down the considerable length of his nose at me, he commented, 'So, you're really an illustrator, I see.' I beamed up at him and gushed, 'Oh, thank you!' His smirk made his thought transparent: (She's too dumb to even realise she's just been insulted.)

Then I added: 'You've elevated me into the company of Michelangelo and Leonardo, Raphael and Rembrandt.' As his jaw hit his chest, it was clear the truth had hit him between the eyes, and I walked away, chuckling. Now, why could I dare list my work alongside the Masters? Because their 'book' was The Bible; mine was 'Banjo' Paterson (1864-1941.)

(That night, I didn't bother to point out that of close to 300 titles in my Register of sold paintings at the time, only 33 were based on Paterson poems or stories. The current totals are 400 and 63, plus 30 illustrations of my own version of the story of Paterson's words to 'Waltzing Matilda.')

But back to the Masters:When you stand gazing up at the massive marble sculpture of David by Michelangelo, you know it can be no one else but the youth who challenged and defeated Goliath. Yet, it might be anyone. He stands naked of any identifying costume. And in this portrait - of the young man destined to become the second Jewish king - he is shown not circumcised. We are given only one clue: the slingshot. But that is enough.

Still, as you know, no artist is content to simply illustrate the facts. S/he is thinking always of how to present those facts in a new way; a way that will stimulate the viewers own imaginations, start them thinking about more than the remembered story. Michelangelo pared away everything superfluous. No action is evident in the sculpture. But every gesture of the figure, the complex expression of the face, tells us that something is about to happen.

Leonardo was thinking the same way when he made The Last Supper. The great innovation here is the placement of Judas on the same side of the table as all the other disciples, a breakaway from the tradition of isolating the betrayer by seating him apart. In the hands of the Master painter, all that's needed is the expression on the face of Judas and the gesture of his figure.

Both masters used every skill of craftsmanship at their disposal to engage our emotional response to the work and the story it tells. And even today, these images, made 500 years ago, fill our minds when we think of those ancient stories. How is that for memorable art?

Now, jump to New York post-WWII, when Abstract Expressionism was riding the crest of its wave. Abstract Art was declared the successor of all art that had come before, a new broom sweeping away the unfashionable traditions of representational art. And with it, a new dogma was proclaimed: 'Narrative is dead!'

I believe all artists from Kandinsky (1866-1944) to the latest 'name' in 'Modern Art' circles have been genuine in their desire to revolutionise art by experimenting with (seemingly) new ways of laying paint on a surface. Left to themselves, they would have done no harm. Art is the biggest game we humans have invented, and within it there is room for all manner of playfulness. But some art dealers, and those critics who served them, soon awoke to the golden opportunity this new art presented.

There are people who have much money but little confidence in their own taste, others who feel the need to display a 'sophistication' above that of their fellows. Then there are those who must demonstrate their superiority by possessing whatever is the latest, or most exclusive. They were the perfect targets for the purveyors of this new style of art that was presented as beyond the understanding of 'the common people.' They pushed the new fashion to unprecedented heights of hyperbole and obscene prices. And each novelty, regardless of its worthiness by any standard except fashion, was hailed as a masterpiece as soon as it hit the market.

But we need to be sure we're all 'on the same page' when we discuss Abstract Art. The officially accepted definition specifies: art in which the portrayal of things from the visible world plays no part. No recognisable objects can be included. It follows that there can be no such thing as an 'Abstract portrait' or 'Abstract landscape.' Those paintings mis-named as such should properly be described as 'Figurative.'

The astonishing body of work by Picasso (1881-1973), which covers 80 years of innovation and experiment, contains no works that are actually Abstract, so far as I know. If you have found one, I would like to hear about it.

A true form of Abstract painting can be found in the work of 'Colour Field' painters such as Mark Rothko (1903-1970) and his many imitators. On these - always vast - canvases, geometric shapes are filled with colour, sometimes solid, sometimes transparent. Sometimes they are given titles apparently freighted with mysterious meaning e.g. The Existential Sadness of Happiness. Sometimes the title is more honest: a stark Untitled #14. And when you leave the museum where they are displayed, can you recall which design told of 'The sadness of happiness' or which extolled The kindness of cruelty?' Can you differentiate between Untitled #7 and Untitled #13 from memory?

Picasso never lost sight of the power of Story. Only think of his incandescent protest against the futile brutality of war in 'Guernica.' Or the psychological power of his series based on the ancient myths of the Minotaur. It seems to me that all forms of art are servant to the Story. Let me show you why I think that.

The Movie:This has to be the most perfect art form, I think. It combines all the classic forms, embellished by the many technological innovations now available and who knows what wonders yet to come. Yet, without a Story, there is no movie.

The Novel:Attempts have been made to produce a novel devoid of narrative. Famous examples include 'Finnegan's Wake' and 'Ulysses' by James Joyce (1882-1941.) Complex constructions using devices of 'interior monologue' and the 'stream-of-consciousness,' these books fascinate literary critics. But have you ever read them? Do you know anyone who has?

Architecture:If I mentioned the Sydney Opera House or Notre Dame cathedral, you would not need a photograph to remind you of them. You would immediately see a mind-picture of them. Two buildings set far apart in time, they reflect the very different Story of the people who raised them.Then think of a skyscraper, the icon of modernity.

Except for those topped with identifying decorations, or those endowed with emotional signifigance like the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, you would be hard put to say which city housed any one typical box. A founding father of the skyscraper, Louis Sullivan (1856-1924), believed 'form follows function' and the skyscraper embodies that principle. Its function is to fit the largest number of paying tenants into the smallest piece of high-priced real estate. And its design clearly states its lack of interest in who those tenants might be.

Music:When you listen to a recording of, say, 'Hall Of The Mountain King' by Edvard Grieg, you have no need to know about the folk stories that inspired him. But you will see pictures in your mind as you listen. And yet, unless you are a classical musician, you are unlikely to be able to hum the entire composition in the shower. This is because there are no words to help you recall the music.

Introduction

“Teerak, my mom is sick and I need money”. For those who don’t know, “teerak” is the Thai equivalent of “darling”, used by “faan”, a gender neutral equivalent of boyfriend and girlfriend. It’s no big secret that there is a lot of prostitution in Thailand, though the numbers are vastly exaggerated by sensationalist media. There are many tales of cunning bar girls managing five or six boyfriends at a time and inventing increasingly innovative ways to extract money. “Teerak, my mom is sick and I need money” is a classic line used by farang residents in Thailand to describe such girls.

Perhaps less well known is the culture of family. The Thai family is the centerpiece of society in ways that many people in the West find difficult to understand. Put simply, the family looks after each other. If you marry into a Thai family you are expected to support that family. In practice, however, most Thai women will expect their Farang boyfriend to support the family as well. The “wealth” of a man is therefore a very important factor in choosing a partner. To some this seems very cynical, almost akin to prostitution. This is a vast over- simplification. Thai culture is not Western culture: neither necessarily better or worst, just different.

The Beginning: March 25 2006 My ex faan(very ex ex) calls me. As usual I don't answer. If I answered every phone call I get I would be on the phone 30 hours a day. Then see I have an sms from her. “My mom dying.” Ok, that sounds serious. I call her and 2 hours later I am in Phatumtani hospital, about an hour out of central Bangkok.

It's a government hospital and I heard bad things about these institutions. But it was clean, the patients were sick but not badly cared for, the staff seemed professional and the care was pretty good. In that classic Thai way that I genuinely love and admire all the families of the patients are in situ. It is all very chaotic but everything in Thailand is chaotic, and it's nice.

Opposite us is very old and very tiny lady. She must be in her 80s and she is dying. It’s not a big deal. It’s just her time. Her whole family is there, working shifts. Her grandson, who I guess is 35+, is on his shift now. You can see immediately that caring is not his thing! Yet he is washing her, chasing around after her, resting her head on the pillow, holding her hand, sleeping on the floor underneath her bed. All in all he is showing his love and respect for his grandmother. It's a sad occasion yet also invigorating.

I see this with almost every patient and family. A cancer sufferer, close to death, being cared for by her sister. A very, very old lady being cared for and fed by her equally old husband. Young kids wandering around. Human traffic in the best way. We farang have much to learn from the Thais.

Neung, my ex, has cried all the way in the taxi. We arrive and her mom is not good. Seems she has had an aneurism. She is unconscious and the nurses have said to get prepared. Her sister Ying has flown in from Chiang Mai and is there. So the girls do their Thai thing and I settle down for a long day. They wash their mom, talk to her, hold her hand, and cry a lot (of course!). I kid around a little, buy food, buy drink, and so on. And we wait for the doctor. He arrives on the floor and starts his rounds but soon disappears. Someone is dying on the floor below. He is back a couple of hours later. He gets very close to us this time before his phone rings and he's off again. An hour more goes by and then he finally gets to us.

The nurses do some rather horrible things to Neung's mom, but for the right reasons of course. The doctor takes his time. He is young but he is thorough. The prognosis is unclear. In essence he says we just have to wait a few days and see what happens.

Neung starts asking me how she can go to be with her mom while she is working, how she can pay for the taxi and so on. Gradually we are getting to the point of “teerak, my mom is sick and I need money”. Before I get the chance to make the expected "offer" her aunt arrives form Chiang Mai, stays a while, is obviously wondering who the hell this farang is, then leaves while giving Neung some cash to take care of expenses.

And gradually everyone cheers up. Neung even has the "balls" to call the insurance agent about the life policy...."teerak, I need to think about funeral expenses....". Go figure!

Neighbors come and neighbors go. Telephones are "hot". It's good to see people caring. I wish that would be the case when it's my turn to go.

Through the day I have wandered up and down the hospital. And it's interesting. I am the only farang there. No one speaks a word of English. A little boy of perhaps 7 years looks at me and says, eyes in awe, "falang" (Thais cannot pronounce the consonant “r”, so “farang” comes out as “falang”). The girls in the 7/11 shop stare at me and giggle...then ask me if I like Pattaya and can they go with me! I am just an hour from Bangkok yet it seems as if I am in a different world.

I could have done without it all. I have had to delay a flight back to Switzerland, my home. I am tired. I have work to do. And I would obviously prefer Neung’s mother to be well. Yet I would not have missed the experience. It showed me some good things about this country. It reaffirmed the family ethic. It showed dignity. I am glad I was there. I don't think Neung's mom will recover but I think her daughter is beginning to adjust. We hadn't talked for many months. Maybe this is not the best reason to talk again, but it was good to do so anyway.

Most of us would stop working if we could. We constantly dream about it, but that's about as far as we get-dreaming. Working a 9-5 just seems inevitable. I, Timothy Ward, however am a master at defying the inevitable. I stare 'The Inevitable' in the face and call him dirty names. I say, if you want to stop working, STOP WORKING; I'll even give you 5 reasons why you should.

1. If you stop working you'll have more time to devote to reading my articles, columns, and lists. This will enable me to become a household name down at the Unemployment and Welfare offices. My fame is a small price to pay for you living your dreams. Think about this when you see me on the 'Today Show'.

2. Quitting your job will make you feel wonderful. For about 10 minutes you'll be on cloud nine, you'll be on top of the world, you'll be living the good life, you'll be: -insert your own cliche here-. Then you'll start worrying about the car note, the mortgage, the kid's school clothes, groceries, and how you're going to pay that $850 you owe the Petermanns for running over their mailbox and a whole row of prize-winning azaleas. All this will probably depress you to the point of assisted suicide, but at least you had 10 minutes of freedom.

3. Daytime television is some of the most exciting and captivating television around. You'll wonder how you ever survived without all those quality soap operas, daytime talk shows, and judge shows where you get the sinking suspicion that the judge has been paid off. When you combine this with all the informative commercials that air during the daytime that will 'Show you how to make $1,000 a day stuffing envelopes, 'Teach you to drive a tractor trailer in 4 days', 'Allow you to get a degree from home in such exciting fields as GED preparation and septic tank scrubber' and you'll not only wonder why you didn't quit your job sooner, you'll also vow to never work again.

4. In your formerly employed state you missed all those important calls from collection agencies and other bill collectors. Now that you have quit your job you'll be able to sit at home in eager anticipation of these oh-so-important calls. Toss in a few telemarketers, calls from the Sheriff's Association asking for donations, and a few of those computers that call you and ask you to 'Hold for an important message' and you'll have a full day of just answering the phone. It will be like having a full-time job all over again, without all the hassle of getting a paycheck.

5. Dragging yourself out of bed every morning at 5:45 a.m. can't be good for your health. Your doctor will proud of you for caring enough about your body's well-being to go as far as quitting your job. He will not, however, see you as a patient anymore because you no longer have health insurance. But there's no need to worry, after all that's why we have free clinics. Sitting all day in a damp clinic waiting room next to two teenagers with Stage 3 Chlamydia is yet another experience you would have missed out on if you had kept your day job.

There you have it folks. 5 reasons why you should immediately go out and quit your job. Feel free to quote any of these reasons to your employer when you turn in your two weeks notice. If she wants to know where you came across such valuable information tell her that a unselfish friend of humanity supplied them to you free of charge, and all I asked in return was that you remember me next time you need your septic tank scrubbed.

Anybody who has wended his or her way through the linguistic excellences and frequently petulant schemers in Shakespeare’s plays longs, at some point, to say to Lady Macbeth herself, “Out, out, damned spot!” After all, how much can anyone take of such a relentlessly scheming prod to the plot of Duncan’s uninvited demise and Macbeth’s unmotivated remorse. Perhaps Macbeth’s own murderously ambitious temperament can be traced to having to live with such a harridan.

At any rate, the bad news for us is that the unpleasant lady just won’t make her exit. Now, some behavioral researchers, in a bit of a stretch to lend cultural embellishment to their not-entirely-revelatory discovery, have named a syndrome in her dishonor.

It appears that people who do things they consider wrong, such as lying, cheating, or stealing your identity, often feel better after they wash their hands. Apparently, a lot of these guilt-ridden malefactors wash their hands with manic frequency.

In an article that appears in the journal Science, Chen-Bo Zhong and co-author Katie Liljenquist say, “The association between moral and physical purity has been taken for granted for so long that it was startling that no one had ever shown empirical evidence of it.”

Now unladylike Macbeth makes her regrettable entrance.

The researchers have decided to call the urge to wash the “Macbeth effect,” after the scene in which, as we’ve all known since we held our palms to our mouths in high school at her awful example of adult misbehavior, Lady Macbeth, looking at her dye-besotted hands, calls, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”

“We do believe there might be limits to how well simple hand washing can clean your slate,” Chen-Bo said, “but it remains to be seen where that limit is.”

The effort to cleanse is an aspect of what psychologists consider compensatory behavior.

In a stretch of our own, maybe that’s why talk show hosts often like to hideout on the weekend. They’ve spent so much time talking to people like Chen-Bo Zhong they just need to wash those folks right out of their hair.

INTRODUCTION

One of the most strident elements that pervades each person's psyche is the ego's inability to recognize the perceived world as its own creation. By willfully ignoring the process of perception, the observer is forced into a world of suffering without ever recognizing his/her role as the catalyst.

It is simple to blame others for our own reactions rather than force ourselves to face the fact that we allow influence and, therefore, voluntarily react (albeit by routine). This is not to say most people “should” know this, for society has become very manipulative at usurping the personal responsibility inherent in each individual; this is a matter of recognizing and overcoming the aforementioned egotistic disability as an individual matter so the collective evolves. This is about enlightening humanity to make the best choice for quality survival.

WHAT IS A FICTIONAL NARRATIVE?

One of the first steps an individual must take to deconstruct this disability is to focus on his/her fictional narrative and admit the inherent lunacy that is within it. A fictional narrative is the “story of the self” that people use to define who they are. Their history, memories, and beliefs are all parts of the fictional narrative. All of these are fabricated elements people mistake as reality and, more importantly, as the construct known as “identity.”

While there is little doubt that fictional narratives play vital roles in forming both an individual’s and a culture’s identity, it cannot be denied that identify is still fictitious in nature.

It is important that an observer remembers reality will always need to be perceived, and it is because of that element in the process of observing that reality can never be known, only interpreted. Therefore, objectivity, by definition, can never be reached. This paradox forces each human to individually create his/her own worldview. This worldview is generally subjected to or at least influenced by the whim of the collective, and oftentimes what we see is both an internal and external struggle between the individual and collective (and most of the time, the individual suffers).

However, because this is a continuous process and suffering has evolved into a type of normalcy, humanity negates the consciousness needed to maintain its autonomy while it creates its own reality. Because this is lost, very few persons know the world is illusionary, and thus, the majority mistakes it for objective reality. The majority will even go as far as to debate which constructions are “true” and “good.”

This flaw is a direct contraindication to the needs for survival and social pragmatism inherent in humanity. This flaw is what causes conflict, suffering, and everything contrary to humanity’s potentially unspoiled quality of life.

THE CONCEPTS & CONUNDRUMS

The question I am presenting is somewhat twofold but the concepts are not mutually exclusive: Why do humans continue to live in this self-imposed world of illusion? What does illusion offer humanity?

Some people might answer the former question with loaded words like greed, fear, or ignorance, and the latter question with loaded words like security, stability, and sanity. These words (read: jargon) are human constructs, ones humans voluntarily choose to define, compartmentalize, and experience. Perhaps we can consider these illusions to be part of a cause-and-effect relationship, catalyzing this type of “normalized” illusion forward, but I would not say “illusions cause illusions” here as an answer to the posed question. Illusions are merely a by-product, a symptom of a greater ailment.

The way people have shaped their reality has not necessarily caused their objectives to change but rather for their perceptions to become skewed. The pragmatic objectives are still present—such as continuity and companionship—but there seems to be a blockage, a hindrance on the path to achieving human goals; either the process of meeting them has changed, or everything is so skewed that it seems impossible to know.

With very few exceptions, humans inherently want to survive both as individuals and as a collective. So why aren’t we taking steps to assure our survival? With recent bombings in the Middle East, “the war on terror,” the rising political conflict and division, and millions of people dying of needless starvation and disease every day, it would seem that our prime objective as humans is quite the opposite of survival. We are killing each other—voluntarily— in a systematic way.

Before I answer my own question, I want to point out what is interesting here is that illusion does not just cause the aforementioned negative outcomes but also acts as a type of safeguard against its own negative by-products by creating and fulfilling needs. In reality, life is intrinsically valueless. It logically follows that the only value human life has is whatever value the observer chooses to give it. There is an obvious understanding over the initial anxiety that an observer generally feels when confronted with this thought, but that certainly does not lend credence to an observer’s voluntarily accepting illusion into his/her paradigm— no matter how it’s rationalized.

RELIGION AS A FICTIONAL NARRATIVE & ITS EFFECTS ON IDENTITY

For example, the creation of religion, an institutionalized illusion (and a mass fictional narrative), has given people fabricated hope and “answers” to unanswerable questions; conversely, it alleviates anxiety with regard to our inherent lack of value, knowledge, and objectivity. Religion offers not just misinformation but also disinformation. It simultaneously creates needs and fulfills them.

Many religious people will argue to the tune of Dostoyevsky’s famous (and isolated) remark, “If God does not exist, then everything is permitted.” This shows that religion offers people structure, which includes concepts like morality, stability, security, and boundaries. However, it is quite logical to suggest the very “opposite” is true: If God does exist, then everything is permitted.

Why?

Humanity knows human nature insofar as its observations and judgments are concerned. Of course, observation and judgment are not the same, yet we often see humans manipulating their observations into judgments and calling that objectivity (which goes back to the original question I posed). For example, the line often heard by religious fundamentalists is “I call it like I see it” does not imply objectivity; rather, it shows that the observer mistakes the personal prejudice inherent in perception for objective observation. It is very simple for a person to take the complexity of human expression and mold it into definitions and categories he/she already has in place.

Humanity, however, does not know God’s nature, and thus can assign characteristics to God in any way it pleases. Humanity can use books, beliefs, past experience/tradition, and rituals as a way to defend their religious positions and their created deities, but if we take note of the recent violence of our times, most of it stems from religious conflict. Religions that seem to have originally preached peace now preach violence and destruction—and those books haven’t changed much in over 2,000 years, the interpretations have.

Culture is based on methods of communication, and because our primary method of communication is language, culture is based in language. Language, which Western religion is also based upon, is fallible and malleable, which means a god, like a culture or an individual’s paradigm, can be whatever we want it to be.

We can, therefore, create a god of war. In fact, we already have. If this god exists (at least in our minds), then this god can condone or condemn a nation’s and individual’s violent tendencies, including specialized or generalized hatred. Even though these go against social pragmatism, it’s all “in the name of the Lord.”

In some religions, it is even noble to die for the belief in a god, to die for the sake of keeping one’s identity holistically undamaged and/or unchanged. Death, in certain religions and cultures, is glorified. Sacrifice is seen as saintly. Suffering is godly. Martyrs are revered. All these go against social pragmatism, against the need to not only survive but to live a quality life.

The movements against social pragmatism that pervade our postmodern culture are not being given enough constructive attention. Why do humans continue to live in this self-imposed world of illusion? Because it has become the normal thing to do. What does illusion offer humanity? Falsities that humanity has come to rely upon, to fight for, to die for. It is in vogue to create a paradigm and identity based upon a carefully chosen fictional narrative since humanity has seen fictional narratives form identity—it really is the only methodology humanity has been exposed to.

Assigning value is a necessity to the survival of the species and its quality of life. However, the value humanity places and the priorities humanity generates are (more and more) against pragmatism, against the secular. This, however, is logical for a religious person since his/her “reward” or “life” is “not of this world.” Religion promises what it never has to deliver: eternal life.

It was 400 years ago that Dutch sailors first sighted Australian shores but left deterred by our rough exterior.

Today, however, rugged Australia appeals to the citizens of the Netherlands greatly. And just this year the spirit of a Dutchman-led Socceroos captured the attention of the world during their most successful World Cup campaign.

Arrangements between Australia and Netherlands that allow thousands of young Australian and Dutch holiday makers to work in each others countries were formalised at a ceremony today.

Australia’s Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Amanda Vanstone, announced that the Ambassador for the Kingdom of the Netherlands and her department had signed a Memorandum of Understanding celebrating 25 years of working holiday arrangements between Australia and the Netherlands .

“The arrangement with the Netherlands is a win-win for young people from both our countries,” Senator Vanstone said.

“The boost provided to the Australian economy by young Dutch travellers is welcomed by both our tourism sector and employers.”

Senator Vanstone said it was also appropriate that the MOU was signed during the 400 th anniversary of first contact between Australia and the Netherlands .

The Ambassador for the Kingdom of Netherlands, His Excellency Niek van Zutphen also praised the arrangements.

“In this year of bilateral celebrations, it is very fitting that we try to encourage even more young people to visit each others’ countries,” Ambassador van Zutphen said.

“This will ensure that our strong bilateral relations will continue in the future,”

The Netherlands is the third largest source of European short-term visitors to Australia. Each year about 60,000 Dutch tourists and 3,000 young Dutch working holiday makers visit Australia.

If you make a decision to spend your vacation in Egypt, usually you have a choice of two sea resorts – Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh. They both are very popular, but Hurghada is situated in African continent while Sharm El Sheikh lies on Sinai peninsula.
About 30 years ago Hurghada was just a simple fishing village. But now, with it's a resort with crystal clear water, untouched reefs. It has become one of the best Egyptian tourist destinations. A significant part of its fame Hurghada gained as one of the best diving centres of the world. Like all oriental cities Hurghada make living out of trade, so if when you walk along the city, be ready to beat off the pressing offers of the sellers, deserving to make you buy their souvenirs. There are some more entertainments except shopping and diving in Hurghada. You can make a jeep trip to a desert, visit Bedouin’s village there; you can see corals and some natural preserves. Hurghada is also has aqua-park. Fishing is one of the popular tourist’s activities in Hurghada too. Today, Hurghada is known as a party town, particularly among Europeans. Locals and others will tell you that life begins at night in Hurghada, with the many, many clubs.
The best time to visit Hurghada is October-November. In winter there are strong winds and it becomes dark very early.
When you are in Hurghada don’t miss the chance to see one of the most outstanding monuments of Egypt history – Luxor and the Valley of the King. Pharaoh’s tombs and ancient temples are worth visiting.
Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the most accessible and developed tourist resort communities on the Sinai peninsula. All around are Bedouins, colorful tents, mountains and sea. Na'ama Beach is one of the center of the tourist activities. Located just north of Sharm, this area is developing into a resort town of its own. For those who like shopping, the Sharm El-Sheikh mall provides shops with both foreign and local products, including jewelry, leather goods, clothing, pottery and books. Nobody leaves Sharm el-Sheikh without several useless but very pleasant souvenirs. Like Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh is famous for diving too, but it has more diversity in corals.
Those, who choose Sharm el-Sheikh also has opportunity to watch the attraction of Sinai peninsula - The Monastery of St Catherine, Mount Sinai (or Mountain of Moses), Pharaoh's Island and Salah El Din Citadel, Nabq National Park, Ras Abu Galum National Park and so-called 'Coloured Canyon'.
The last but not the least of the Egypt must-sees is Cairo with its pyramids. From either Hurghada or Sharm El-Sheikh it will be a long trip, but you will never regret it!
When you going to Egypt, be aware that 3-star hotels in Egypt have nothing to do with 3-star hotels in Europe. So, it’s better to choose 4 or 5 star hotel. Probably it saves you from many inconveniences. Often, the large hotels have zoos, playgrounds, discos, bars, a number of pools and even small theaters. So, may be you will to want to leave your hotel.

The undiscovered paradors of Spain

No matter which season you choose for travelling, there is nothing more delightful than
a Spanish vacation. This is truly a top destination providing something for everyone, whether you're after beaches or sweeping plains, lively clubs or impressive cathedrals.
It is much more than just bull fighting, bull running, flamenco and tomato fights that make this small country so exotic. Spaniards have always tried their best to make the country attractive and unforgettable for tourists.
Spain has the usual selection of modern hotels and hostels, but if you travel off the
beaten track you can easily discover many alternative kinds of tourist accommodation.
Within this category, the Spanish paradors particularly stand out.
The word “parador” literally means “stopping place”. Paradors form a chain of historic
buildings converted into lodging places all around the country. They stretch from
Galicia in the North West through Catalonia to Andalusia in the south, the Canary
Islands and to the Spanish cities of North Africa.
It was the idea of the Royal Tourist Commissioner Marques de la Vega-Inclan in 1926
to set up paradors in places of special interest or remote locations with two purposes.
Firstly, it would help provide inexpensive accommodation to travellers in remote areas. Secondly, it would keep all the run-down monuments and historic buildings in good condition which would otherwise be left to fall apart.
You can call it an irony of fate, but nowadays paradors are respectable high-standard
hotels with all mod cons. They preserve their previous elegance and at the same time ensure your absolute comfort. The Spanish parador is also where you will discover Spanish cuisine of the highest calibre.
So, if you like to be pampered and realise that staying at one of Spanish paradors is
just what you have always wanted, the next step is deciding what kind of parador will
make the most of your holidays.
Below are just a few of the many options available to tourists. Each suggestion is accompanied by an example – one of paradors offered by Keytel International, the UK’s only official representative for the Paradores.
1) Perhaps you wish to enjoy the atmosphere of Medieval Spain, staying in a medieval castle.
Example: Cardona – the fortified 9th century enclosure, conceals a 2nd century
tower and an 11th century church along with spectacular bedrooms, some with four-poster beds. Located on a vantage point of the fortified town and inside the solid stone
walls, we find furniture inspired from medieval times in the drawing rooms.
2) Then, it may be a Monastery or a Medieval Hospital, where walls have been
oozing religious spirit for many centuries.
Example: Guadalupe – the 15th century hospital of St. John the Baptist reflects
religious spirit of absorption and reflection on the former Monastery of Nuestra
Seňora de Guadalupe. The unique orchard forming the garden, its secluded swimming
pool, arcade and white walls, announce the spacious interior, whose bedrooms recall
the original religious function.
3) You may prefer a stay in the Spanish countryside with colourful views of Spanish
landscape and fresh country food. This option is gaining in popularity as tourists wish
to leave the busy city life behind.
Example: Keytel Int. offers a great number of country-side paradors. One of them is
located in Albacete, in central Spain, near to Madrid Airport, La Mancha Country
House. The stamp of Cervantes influences the character of this Parador, the
calmness of its luxuriant garden, its swimming pool, and attractive corridor. Its
décor offers the privacy and calm necessary to escape from daily routine in
relaxed working sessions in the Sancho Panza and Dulcinea rooms.
The local cuisine covers everything from "pisto manchego" (fried vegetables),
partridge in "escabeche" sauce and a puff-pastry sweet, "Miguelitos de la Roda".
4) If you are not a fan of history and ancient architecture, you are free to choose a
parador built in the modern style. Located in areas of great natural beauty, close to
entertainments and shopping centres they are built to accommodate modern
requirements and convenience.
Example: El Hierro – The Parador is located on the most recent and least populated
of the Canary Islands. This is also the place, where up until a century ago, the "O"
meridian line passed through. The Parador rises up, by the sea, with whitewashed
walls and wooden balconies. Comfortable bedrooms complement an interior with an
elegant, colonial tone along with a garden with a swimming pool.

After decades of refusing to admit that Palestine has a legitimate right to exist, Israel inched toward possible approval of the idea it has opposed as part of its militantly anti-Palestine platform. Palestinians, who have by now grown used to the belief that they are the ones who get to decide which state has a right to exist, were bewildered by the surprise announcement. They also puzzled over whether it meant that they really ought to acknowledge Israel's right to exist.

The Hamas faction of the proposed unity government remained particularly puzzled, demanding Israel explain exactly what it means by its recognition of Palestine’s right to exist. Hamas also insisted that any recognition of Israel's right to exist could only be addressed after certain recurrent provocations by Israel were ended, such as militant Jewish grandmothers acting as suicide bombers and malcontent Orthodox Jews firing rockets into Gaza and the West Bank that are loaded with matzoh balls.

Undaunted by the intense confusion among the Palestinians, Israel continued to forge ahead with its plan, saying that, even if Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, it plans to move ahead independently to recognize Palestine.

Israel’s continued insistence on a Palestinian state caused even more head scratching among the Palestinians, with the leader of Hamas declaring, "What do the Israelis mean? I don't know what the ramifications of such a go-it-alone policy are. I have to think about it. We're a state but they're not? How does that work?"

Ehud Olmert said, "In Yiddish we call what we gave them a real kinnahurra. But it's for their own good. We can only hope they eventually figure it out."

Given the new willingness to face reality on the Israeli side, there may finally be the real possibility of a tit-for-tat two-state agreement.

According to an official Israeli announcement, the shish-kabob is now in the court of the Palestinians, where Hamas radicals are still attempting to decide if they can make a break with their past and adjust to having a state they can call their own.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did figure out that the Israeli plan is a good one and has cancelled talks with Hamas about a unity government until the long-time terrorist organization figures it out for themselves. He is flying to New York for a meeting with the United Nations, at which time he is expected to say, “If Israel says Palestine has a right to exist, I’m ready to say Israel has a right to exist. I only ask that they keep their grandmothers and motzah balls to themselves.”

The surgeon general, noting the widely publicized outbreak of e.coli in 20 or so states, has issued a new health warning on spinach.

There were, of course, comments aplenty in the press about the possible effects on Popeye, The Sailor Man. But what about Olive Oil? Could she escape, especially since she, no doubt, made the salad the sailor man got his grand mal from? T

he FDA finally tracked down the source of the bacterium, which is an outfit in California known, appropriately enough, as Earthbound Foods, aka Natural Selection Foods, where, it seems, cleanliness is next to nonexistent.

Now, we don’t want to blame the whole company. No doubt most of management endorses squeaky clean work habits, while only a worker or a few are not yet entirely convinced of the germ theory of disease. So they failed to see the advisability of washing their hands.

Given the enormity of the food supply chain we all now depend on and the wages generally paid along the points of it, the wonder may be that such wretched alarms only come along as infrequently as spinach is declared unhealthy.

We assume that for some time there will be less of the leafy green nutrient embellishing America’s tables.

We humans of normal strength simply do not have Popeye’s ability to deal with a villain that afflicts us with, as we have heard the usual debility light-heartedly called, the trots.

The real causative agents of the terror in our society are the same people who live among us, born in our or neighbor’s families, would have been childhood friends, raised amongst us, do anyone wonders what would have compelled them to take such a path of destruction, pain and terror? May be some inherited this trait from their families; some are derived from external factors like financial gains or just to the point of being famous. Other factors being poverty, ignorance, corruption, political oppression and ‘power’ seems to be the dominant reasons of all. But how do they do it? So easily… how are they able to easily adulterate the minds? By using the pretext of most of the strongest beliefs of human kind – “Religion”

Religion prevails as long as the universe and as everyone who is willingly or unwillingly associated to it. The people who can be really affected by this pretext are extremists by nature, if not, they are molded to become one, in religious context. These days we fear to tread on the road, in the air, in the water, nothing is less than dangerous; every element is breached by terrorism. The most of who participate in this religious vandalism are unfortunately Islamic. The world’s most wanted terrorist is a Muslim and he tries to propel the factor – ‘Save Islam by following the road of martyrdom’; which is actually a road of massacre, which never leads to heaven but always ends up to hell. No religion preaches to kill the fellow human. They do it all in the name of God. Nothing can be more disgraceful to preach terrorism in the name of God. They’re not glorifying their religion but only demeaning it in every possible way.

Some nations harbor and support terrorism and act as a backbone of the terrorism. Do the leaders of these nations ever give a genuine thought to the aftermaths? They’re too busy puffing up their Swiss accounts. Do they ever bother to think what are repercussions of such heinous crimes? No, not only they’re earning a tarnished image in the world but also they denigrate the image of their citizens. Those Islamic terrorist claiming to be the ardent follower of Islam, do they ever realize what are they earning for their own Islamic citizens? Nobody these days is ready to mingle with a Muslim person, nobody wishes to employ them or rent them a house, the future will bring more difficulties to survive, making it impossible for them to earn a living, particularly in non-Islamic countries. Everybody will doubt the integrity of a Muslim by the mere fact that the person is an Islamic follower. Is it what they wish for? This is what they want out of their so-called ‘Movements’! They claim to be Anti-Christian, they want to kill all Hindus of the world but do they ever bother about the fate of the Muslims? Who in the world will trust a Muslim or befriend them or even talk to them in the near future. This is the fate they have chosen for their fellow Muslims, the path of dejection and hatred. Do they deserve it all? Why are they becoming mere puppets in the hands of those ravagers? They jeopardize the whole Muslim community and the leader faintly realizes it or more to say ignores it.

People who disperse fear, pain, bitterness, grief, agonize and torment the lives of many; cannot be the follower of any religion. Their claim is a mere hoax to deceive weak-minded and realize their own egocentric objective of ‘Ruling the World’. They least bother about the devastating effects of terrorism, tangible or intangible, on Muslims or anybody, they’re busy fulfilling their own unscrupulous motives.

Don’t the Muslims suffer in bombings and wars? Do bombs spare Muslims? No, none of the fact in the world defies that religion can be the basis of terrorism. Terrorism in no way advocates religion it only implies agony, grief, malaise, hatred and death.

No matter how much the death rate has dropped since past centuries, certainly this is not the way we ever choose to die. It’s always better to die from terminal disease, than to be a victim of terrorism.

It remains a choice of those minds that still succumb to such follies under the veil of religion. Its up to those who can easily endanger or rather save the human existence, so that every day brightens with light of peace and love; so that every flower that blooms is not under the shadow of thorns but blooms above thorns; so that dark clouds only bring rains and not the dusty fumes of suffering.

As with most products, there is usually a large selection to choose from and invariably you are unsure of quite where to start, and this is especially the case when choosing an oil painting. Think of practically any object under the sun and there will be an oil painting of it somewhere. You can even get an oil painting of an oil painting; some artists will reproduce an oil painting of an old master. That's certainly a much cheaper option than buying an original! You can even have your favourite photograph transformed into oil painting form. Various Chinese artists will do this and most of the paintings are actually very good. Original Chinese oil paintings though can always be detected by anyone with the slightest bit of experience. However, from the huge selection of themes available, my favourite will always be those based on the seashore.

The seashore depicts tranquility and calm, a naturalness unaffected by the effects of time. Various artists over the years have reproduced this in their paintings. Ivan Aivazovsky, the 19th century Russian artist, was one to note, with several excellent paintings including the appropriately named 'Seashore', 'Seashore.Calm' and 'Sunset at sea', all painted in the 1840's. Other artists to note include Shchedrin as well as Adamson, the artist infamous for his oil painting of the seashore.

Many other great artists have included the seashore theme in their works and I've used the internet to locate many fine examples. Whilst an oil painting can represent an excellent investment if chosen carefully, if I've seen one that I particularly like but can't quite afford, I've cheated and commissioned an artist to create a replica and nobody except and expert would know the difference!