Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Landscapes of the World
0:10 The Pyramids at Giza, Egypt
0:20 Naples, Italy near Mt. Vesuvius
0:35 Auckland, New Zealand
0:45 Angkor Temple, Cambodia
0:55 Amboseli Natural Park, Kenya
1:10 The Taj Mahal, India
1:20 The Grand Tetons, Wyoming
1:35 The Matterhorn, Switzerland
1:45 Mont Saint Michel, Normandy, France
1:55 Monument Valley, Utah
2:10 Mount Fuji, Japan
Music: Beethoven's Sonata in C Sharp Minor, opus 27, Second Movement
Monday, December 15, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Ukulele Version of 'My Guitar Weeps'
An Unbelievable performance by Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro. If you haven't heard this yet, you will not be disappointed,,,Trust Me!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
'Life is Unfair,' John F. Kennedy
This is a good article on the financial crisis. There is no end to
corruption and bad decision makers. M
Friday, September 26, 2008 (SF Chronicle)
Bailout offers amnesty for stupidity
Patrick J. Buchanan, Creators Syndicate, Inc.
Is it fair that businessmen who fail in neighborhood stores have to close
shop and often sell their homes, while Wall Street titans are spared the
consequences of monumental stupidity and greed?
No, it is not fair. Yet, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson may be right. To
save the sheep who might have been wiped out in a general financial panic,
we may have to save the pigs.
Life is unfair, said John F. Kennedy.
Yet, this is going to be the mother of all bailouts. Paulson probably will
be given authority by Congress to spend $700 billion, 5 percent of our
gross domestic product, to buy all that toxic paper stinking up the books
of our banks.
And this is not the first such bailout of foolish and incompetent
financiers and politicians.
In 1975, when its cravenness to extortionate union demands had bankrupted
New York, the Big Apple had to be rescued by President Gerald Ford.
Mayor Marion Barry's Washington, D.C., was next in line at the cashier's
window.
In the Reagan era, it was Chrysler. Later that decade, Citibank,
Chase-Manhattan and Bank of America were staring into the abyss, as Latin
American regimes, to whom they had lent scores of billions, were balking
at paying their debts. Uncle Sam stepped in.
Then came the Mexican and Asian financial crises and the U.S.-IMF bailouts
of the 1990s. The Mexican bailout was as much a rescue of Goldman-Sachs as
Mexico City, as Treasury Secretary Bob Rubin's old firm was choking on all
its Mexican paper.
The great myth is that these 1990s bailouts were models of U.S. financial
statesmanship and great successes. The reality is the U.S. workers took it
in the neck.
For the countries bailed out, like Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and South
Korea, were forced to devalue. This radically reduced the wages of their
workers relative to American workers, creating incentives for U.S.
manufacturers to shut plants and move them abroad. The devaluations also
slashed the price of foreign goods relative to U.S. goods. Imports flooded
in.
Who ultimately paid for the Mexican bailout? Florida tomato growers wiped
out by Mexican producers, the price of whose tomatoes was chopped
two-thirds by the devaluation. U.S. autoworkers who saw Ford and Delphi
plants shuttered as new Ford and Delphi plants opened in Mexico. U.S.
textile workers whose mills closed and jobs vanished.
Middle-class American families have paid and paid - in lost jobs, lower
wages, a falling median income - to save the big banks from the
consequences of their follies. And those bank bailouts are behind the
trade deficits that set five records in the Bush era, reached 6 percent of
gross domestic product, forced huge U.S. borrowings from abroad and
ravaged the dollar.
Having bailed out Latin America, Mexico, Asia and their U.S. creditors, we
now find our own country in trouble. And how are our allies reacting?
"Europeans on left and right ridicule U.S. money meltdown," ran the Los
Angeles Times headline. Italy's finance minister compares us to
corruption-ridden Albania, where "a nationwide pyramid scheme cost
hundreds of thousands of people their savings and ignited anarchic civil
conflict" in the 1990s.
How will the bailout work? Will every bank that brings in toxic paper be
able to dump it on the Treasury? Will the Treasury buy securities based on
subprime U.S. mortgages from foreign banks? Apparently so.
About one thing we may be sure. The U.S. deficit and national debt are
going to soar. The credit rating of the United States, as this nation of
nonsavers has to borrow abroad to save its banks, and their banks, is
going to fall. We are going to be a poorer nation and people.
As for the promises and plans of Barack Obama and John McCain - be it for
national health insurance or middle-class tax cuts - they are going by the
wayside. For the United States is as bankrupt as Lehman Bros., with this
difference: Uncle Sam can still borrow from abroad because foreigners see
many juicy U.S. assets they would like to take off our hands with their
hoards of ever-cheapening U.S. dollars.
"There is a great deal of ruin in a nation," Adam Smith once consoled a
friend who lamented that Britain would be ruined if the 13 Colonies were
lost.
We are about to test Smith's proposition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2008 SF Chronicle
corruption and bad decision makers. M
Friday, September 26, 2008 (SF Chronicle)
Bailout offers amnesty for stupidity
Patrick J. Buchanan, Creators Syndicate, Inc.
Is it fair that businessmen who fail in neighborhood stores have to close
shop and often sell their homes, while Wall Street titans are spared the
consequences of monumental stupidity and greed?
No, it is not fair. Yet, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson may be right. To
save the sheep who might have been wiped out in a general financial panic,
we may have to save the pigs.
Life is unfair, said John F. Kennedy.
Yet, this is going to be the mother of all bailouts. Paulson probably will
be given authority by Congress to spend $700 billion, 5 percent of our
gross domestic product, to buy all that toxic paper stinking up the books
of our banks.
And this is not the first such bailout of foolish and incompetent
financiers and politicians.
In 1975, when its cravenness to extortionate union demands had bankrupted
New York, the Big Apple had to be rescued by President Gerald Ford.
Mayor Marion Barry's Washington, D.C., was next in line at the cashier's
window.
In the Reagan era, it was Chrysler. Later that decade, Citibank,
Chase-Manhattan and Bank of America were staring into the abyss, as Latin
American regimes, to whom they had lent scores of billions, were balking
at paying their debts. Uncle Sam stepped in.
Then came the Mexican and Asian financial crises and the U.S.-IMF bailouts
of the 1990s. The Mexican bailout was as much a rescue of Goldman-Sachs as
Mexico City, as Treasury Secretary Bob Rubin's old firm was choking on all
its Mexican paper.
The great myth is that these 1990s bailouts were models of U.S. financial
statesmanship and great successes. The reality is the U.S. workers took it
in the neck.
For the countries bailed out, like Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and South
Korea, were forced to devalue. This radically reduced the wages of their
workers relative to American workers, creating incentives for U.S.
manufacturers to shut plants and move them abroad. The devaluations also
slashed the price of foreign goods relative to U.S. goods. Imports flooded
in.
Who ultimately paid for the Mexican bailout? Florida tomato growers wiped
out by Mexican producers, the price of whose tomatoes was chopped
two-thirds by the devaluation. U.S. autoworkers who saw Ford and Delphi
plants shuttered as new Ford and Delphi plants opened in Mexico. U.S.
textile workers whose mills closed and jobs vanished.
Middle-class American families have paid and paid - in lost jobs, lower
wages, a falling median income - to save the big banks from the
consequences of their follies. And those bank bailouts are behind the
trade deficits that set five records in the Bush era, reached 6 percent of
gross domestic product, forced huge U.S. borrowings from abroad and
ravaged the dollar.
Having bailed out Latin America, Mexico, Asia and their U.S. creditors, we
now find our own country in trouble. And how are our allies reacting?
"Europeans on left and right ridicule U.S. money meltdown," ran the Los
Angeles Times headline. Italy's finance minister compares us to
corruption-ridden Albania, where "a nationwide pyramid scheme cost
hundreds of thousands of people their savings and ignited anarchic civil
conflict" in the 1990s.
How will the bailout work? Will every bank that brings in toxic paper be
able to dump it on the Treasury? Will the Treasury buy securities based on
subprime U.S. mortgages from foreign banks? Apparently so.
About one thing we may be sure. The U.S. deficit and national debt are
going to soar. The credit rating of the United States, as this nation of
nonsavers has to borrow abroad to save its banks, and their banks, is
going to fall. We are going to be a poorer nation and people.
As for the promises and plans of Barack Obama and John McCain - be it for
national health insurance or middle-class tax cuts - they are going by the
wayside. For the United States is as bankrupt as Lehman Bros., with this
difference: Uncle Sam can still borrow from abroad because foreigners see
many juicy U.S. assets they would like to take off our hands with their
hoards of ever-cheapening U.S. dollars.
"There is a great deal of ruin in a nation," Adam Smith once consoled a
friend who lamented that Britain would be ruined if the 13 Colonies were
lost.
We are about to test Smith's proposition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2008 SF Chronicle
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
STAYING YOUNG IN GREECE- WITHOUT BOTOX
Choose A Layout - VirtualTourist.com
How To Stay Young Without Botox!
The island of Kos, in Greece was the home of modern Medicine. It was on the island of Kos, that Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine took care of famous people from all around the Mediterranean. One of his more famous and purportedly most beautiful patient was Cleopatra herself. People came to Kos not only for medical cures, but for what was the precursor to today's modern day Spa experience. Hippocrates used the herbs and natural growing plants of that island and of the surrounding landscapes, to make beauty treatments that are still being used in modern times. Among the most well-known are those made from Aloe and from other herbs such as lavender, chamomiles, thyme, clays, apple, cucumber, olive oil, honey, milk and yogurt.
You don't have to spend a lot of money for store bought creams and preparations to have a youthful looking skin. I have found some excellent recipes and have been using these for many years to keep my skin looking fresh and youthful. One of the simplest things you can do for 'lifting' the skin and for adding moisture, is to apply fresh cut strips of cucumber directly onto a clean face and lie back and relax for about 15 minutes. This is especially refreshing after having been out in the hot summer sun or after a day at the beach..I may look silly, but believe me it feels great!
Avocado Facial Mask
You Thought Vegetables were only for Salads?
Mash the meat of the avocado into a creamy texture. Apply it thoroughly on your face and leave for about 15-20 minutes. rinse with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores. This is a natural moisturizer and skin smoothing mask.
Honey Facial Mask
Rinse your face with warm water to open up the pores. Apply honey and leave for about 1/2 hour. Rinse with warm water, then use cold water to close the pores. rinse with warm water, than again with cold water.
Cucumber Face Mask
Cucumbers have a natural ability to fight against wrinkles and at the same time will not cause you to go broke from having to buy expensive treatments. To make a good cucumber Face Mask: peel one cucumber removing seeds. Put in Blender or food processor along with a tespoon of lemon juice, a teaspoon of witch hazel and one egg white. Puree all the ingredients and apply the mixture to your face. Let dry for about 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water and then with cold. Your face should be clean and smooth and fresh feeling.
Natural Fruit/Acid Skin Refreshing Mask
This is a great mask to use in the Autumn after the summer sun has damaged and dried your face skin. Add apple to a cucumbre mask for gentle lfruit-acid exfoliation. Chop 1/2 cucumber and 1/2 apple and mix in a food processor until all hte large pieces are incorporated. Add 1tsp. of honey and apply to the face and neck, avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse with warm, then cool water.
TIP: ALWAYS DISCARD REMAINDERS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE FACIALS. DO NOT KEEP THEM FOR A SECOND USE SINCE THEY DETERIORATE RAPIDLY AND LOSE EFFECTIVENESS.
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- After the cucumber/advocado mask-no wrinkles at 60
After the cucumber/advocado mask-no wrinkles at 60
CUCUMBER/ADVOCADO FOR SKIN TIGHTENING
Combine cucumber with avocado for a skin tightening and noursishing facial mask. Chop 1/2 cucumber and 1/2 avocado and mix in a blender or food processor. Add the white of 1 egg and 2 tsp. of powderedmilk. Refrigerate for a half hour before applying the mixture to the face and neck. Leave on for 30 minutes. rinse with warm, then cool water.
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- One Day after turning 60! Smile!
One Day after turning 60! Smile!
One Day After My 60th Birthday
The truth is out! But, who would have believed that I am 60 years old! I certainly cannot believe it either. Of course, we all know that it's how we feel that matters and not necessarily the statistic. Looking as good as you can, for sure is one way to help us feel better. I am a strong believer in taking good care of my skin, eating healthy foods, exercising and getting a good night's rest. You don't have to spend lots of money to have a nice complexion BUT... ONE GOOD FACE CREAM is something I have never skimped on. I have been using a good daily face moisturizer since I was in my early teens...religiously. Has it helped? I don't think it has hurt. I also think it is very important to keep your face protected from the sun. I have been wearing a 50% tinted sunscreen on my face everyday for the past 10 years. I think this has also been very important. After all this, a lot has to do with just he genes you inherited from your parents! On the other hand, 'An ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of medicine!'
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
August - Time of Harvest- Virgo- Horn of Plenty
The Secret Legend of the Horn of Plenty...
The Horn of Plenty is from the Latin, cornu copiae,
meaning an inexhaustible abundance of richness and plentitude. In
addition to being strongly linked to angels, 2,000 years ago the Greeks
believed in an enormous magical horn that overflowed with dazzling gold
and silver coins. Pursued by many, envied by all, The Horn of Plenty
brought great wealth to whoever possessed it.
The story of this beautiful and valuable
cornucopia jewel reappears in the story of Zeus's birth. Zeus had a
father named Cronus, who had overthrown his own father, and a mother
named Rhea. Cronus learned he would suffer the same destiny with one of
his own children, and in order to try and prevent this prophecy from
happening, he swallowed all of his children as soon as they were born.
But by the sixth, Rhea devised a plan to stop him. She found a stone
and wrapped it in swaddling clothes and gave it to Cronus. Cronus
swallowed the stone and Rhea crept away to a crystal cave where she
gave birth to Zeus.
Zeus was nursed by Amalthea, the divine
goddess of nourishment, who had the power to change from a beautiful
nymph into a goat with soaring horns that curled all the way to her
back.
She nursed and raised Zeus, feeding him milk
and honey. One day, legend has it, one of her horns broke off so she
filled it with herbs, pomegranates, grapes and other bounteous fruits.
In return, Zeus bestowed upon it the magical ability to grant wishes.
When the receiver made a wish, the horn would be filled with whatever
the receiver wished to have.
Because of its close tie to power, wealth
and good luck, the cornucopia appeared on ancient coins all over the
world for centuries to come. It is the most important symbol of plenty,
wealth and the fulfillment of wishes in the mythology
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
What to Do In Athens- BE AWED
When was the last time you sat for months carving a great sculpture? Not lately you say? What's the problem? No time?
NOT BUILT DURING A COMMERCIAL
How did these ancient Greeks create such lasting masterpieces? First, they didn't sit around in their spare time watching soap operas or 'reality T.V.!' Their reality was being created to last centuries, not seconds!
The next time you think you have no power to leave anything for future generations, than just stay glued to that 'boob tube.'
On the other hand, if you think you really want to make an impression, make some art, write a poem, paint a picture, or take your children to see what human kind have done and can still do if they would only refuse to be 'brain washed' by modern media. Turn off the noise and make your own! We could all start by making our voices heard and having the stolen treasures of one of the World's most important architectural structures of the ancient world, returned!
The so called 'Elgin Marbles,' have been missing for too long. Greece deserves to have them back. The Acropolis would be even more spectacular.
Thought for the Day #1
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who really make it in this world are the ones who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, they make them.
We are where we choose to be~!
We are where we choose to be~!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Carnival Parades in Greece have Begun
What happens in Greece in February, you may be asking yourself? Certainly, it's not a month for sunbathing, not that we don't have plenty of sun, even in February, but the sea does get a bit nippy for most tourists! For all you tourists who don't think that going on a holiday is only 'sitting on the beach,' you are going to love Greece in February, especially if you love to PARTY! That's right! February is full of fancy dress parties, parades, masks, noise, eating and drinking with friends and, CARNIVAL!
I bet you thought that Carnival time was only a Brazilian invention! Or that Venice was the place to be! Not true! Greece has one of the most colourful and exciting Carnivals in Europe! Actually, there are many places in Greece that have carnival parades, but the biggest Carnival takes place in Patra every year. This year the Carnival Period begins on the 17th February, 2008. This day is called "Triodiou" and it is the day that the Party Begins! From the 17th February, people begin to make their costumes, or buy them from the many shops that have costumes or if you don’t want to buy a costume, you can even rent one. It's really a fun and happy time in Greece!
This year’s big Carnival parade will be held on the 9th of March in 2008. If you haven't booked a yet, it's a good time now to start thinking about doing that! Some of the better in Patra for example, get booked a year in advance. Patra, however, is only a 2 hour drive from Athens, so even staying in Athens for the Carnival time, and driving or going by train or bus to Patra for one day, is an easy option to consider. If you don’t like the big crowds and just want to stay in Athens and visit the many sites and museums, not to worry because there is also a carnival Parade in an Athens’ suburb called Moscato and there are plenty of hotels available in Athens.
I will be telling you where to stay and what to see during the Carnival in Greece everyday here on my Bog, so check back everyday to be sure to get all the inside information about what to do in Greece in February, and especially about Greece's great Carnival.
In the mean time, drive safely, enjoy your life, and don't wait to travel; tomorrow could be too late!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
UntypicalTropical Snow
Morning Snow Covered Fronds! No Coconut Milk Today! Vanilla Ice Cream Maybe!
Palm Tree Freeze
No Sunny Sandy Beach Breeze
Palm Tree Freeze
No Sunny Sandy Beach Breeze
Global Colding in Vouliagmeni, Greece
February 18, 2008
If you think Greece is only sunny skies and lying in the beaches, think again! If you come to Greece in the winter, be prepared for sudden and unexpected snow storms! Even here, next to the sea, in Vouliagmeni where the temperatures are most always 2 degrees warmer than anywhere else in Athens, it has snowed at least once every year for the past 4 years. What's happening to our climate? Global warming??? It's more like 'Global Colding!'
The is the very first video I have ever made! Not bad coming from my simple little Canon Sureshot 7.1 megapixel digital camera! As I was slowly driving down the road in Vouliameni, I rolled my car window down and held the camera through the window to capture this 'Day to Remember.'
The music in the background, an appropriate accompaniment for this cold winter's day, by Billy Joel, just happened by chance to be playing on my car CD player. Not until I returned home and downloaded the video to my computer, did I realize just how 'cool,' the music made the entire video! Not bad for a beginner!
The is the very first video I have ever made! Not bad coming from my simple little Canon Sureshot 7.1 megapixel digital camera! As I was slowly driving down the road in Vouliameni, I rolled my car window down and held the camera through the window to capture this 'Day to Remember.'
The music in the background, an appropriate accompaniment for this cold winter's day, by Billy Joel, just happened by chance to be playing on my car CD player. Not until I returned home and downloaded the video to my computer, did I realize just how 'cool,' the music made the entire video! Not bad for a beginner!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
JUST ASK JANET!
Remembering How to Be a Touist
Let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Janet and I am an English Teacher, Artist and Avid traveler, living in Athens, Greece. I am originally from the Great Lake State of Michigan in the U.S.A. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Art Education, Art History and Studio Art from Michigan State University. I have a Master's Degree in Curriculum Development and Teacher's Education.
I've had various, diverse and interesting jobs in my life, but my true love is combining my knowledge of the Arts with travel and with helping other travelers find there way around Greece.
If you are planning on coming to Greece, and you would like your questions answered, here is the place to start.
If you would like a personal guide while you stay in Athens or would like someone to take you on short day trips from Athens, I am the person to ask.
Welcome to my blog, and I hope I will be able to provide travelers to Greece with lots on 'inside' information on what to expect from your trip to Greece and how to make your travel plans in the best way that most suit your travel needs.