About Sri Lanka

Discovering Serendipity – stepping into a world of magic

Sri Lanka is paradise. A kaleidoscopic experience of vivid intensity, where colourful sights and brash sounds intermingle with confusions of aromatic spices, friendly smiling faces, cultures that reflect peace and tolerance, and religions that promote total harmony. Lifting the veil on this magical island reveals a country where ancient customs and traditions blend perfectly with modern life. For many centuries past travellers to Sri Lanka have enjoyed its tranquil hospitality, its spellbinding history and its outright friendliness. Today nothing has changed and its traditional welcome, ‘Ayubowan’ - may you live long - is extended to each and every visitor.

Colombo, invariably the first port of call of travellers, is a city proud of its mixed heritage. Colonial Dutch, Portuguese and British architecture, in the presence of the old town hall, parliament house, churches, cathedrals, tree-lined avenues, parks, railway station and government buildings, stand cheek-by-jowl with ultra-modern office blocks and five star hotels. Reflecting a more traditional way of life an eclectic intermingling of Hindu and Buddhist temples, spice bazaars, bustling street markets, gemstone, ceramic and batik stalls all add taste and flavour to this most vibrant of cities.

Snapshots of its colonial history are to be found everywhere; still in use the red pillar-boxes erected during the days of the British Raj, but more unusual to the foreign eye is the ubiquitous, omnipresent tuk-tuk, a motorised three-wheel vehicle. A cheap and noisy way to travel it is an experience to be tried, but perhaps only once.

Top quality hotels, of which there are many, add to the creature comforts of Sri Lanka. In Colombo the Oberoi, Hilton and Taj Samudra offer clients a world of serene grandeur and pure luxury, but for many people the Mount Lavinia Hotel, where guests are greeted by white uniformed solar topee’d doormen, is the most romantic. Once the residence of Sir Thomas Maitland, a British governor in colonial days, the hotel is named after a local dancing girl with whom he fell in love and who later became known as Lady Lavinia. This is one reason why the hotel is reputed to be the most idyllic in Sri Lanka and, because of its association with Lavinia, is a favourite venue for weddings and honeymooners.

Marriage ceremonies are conducted at many of the first class beach hotels that front the Indian Ocean on the south-western corner of the island. Along the palm fringed ribbon of white coral sand between Colombo and the world heritage site walled city of Galle, the Neptune - Beruwela, the Taj Exotica - Bentota, and the Triton Hotel at Ahungalla each provide exclusive romantic wedding packages. Elephants, colourfully robed and strewn with flowers, accompanied by traditional dancers and drummers, provide local colour at the ceremony during which, if she so wishes, the bride can add to the occasion by dressing in a traditional Sri Lankan saree. Here everlasting memories are created on the beaches of Serendipity*.

Sri Lanka’s beaches extend for over a 1000 miles around its coastline. Warm shallow waters, deep natural harbours, and still lagoons with underwater coral gardens are ideal for wind-surfing, water-skiing, wave boarding, canoeing, sailing, snorkelling, deep sea diving, exploring offshore wrecks, water polo and sea fishing.

The beach holiday is just one sparkling facet of the many wonders that constitute Sri Lanka. Up-country, in cooler climes, exotic wildlife, fascinating flora, ancient temples, rock fortresses and the many sacred relics that dominate the culture and history of Sri Lanka awaits the visitor, but to many travellers discovering the intricacies of the famous Ceylon Tea industry is a fascinating challenge.

Orange Pekoe, Silver Tips, Earl Grey, English Afternoon, and Green Tea with Jasmine flowers are typical of the choice selections of Ceylon Tea that are grown and processed in the cool, hilly regions of Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Udapussellawa, Uva, and Dambulla. In a fragrantly aromatic atmosphere, visitors can absorb themselves in the practicalities of tea processing, a skill seemingly unchanged for 150 years. Here they can follow the arrival of the tender freshly picked tea leaves, and view the various stages of preparation to final grading, weighing and packaging prior to export worldwide.

Especially recommended is a stay at the Tea Factory, which stands some 6,800 feet above sea level, just six degrees from the equator, in the lush green misty mountains of Kandapola. Built in the days of British Raj as a factory for tea processing, it has been sympathetically converted into a five star hotel so that much of its original style and machinery remains. Its reception area is where the factory’s leaf drying process was carried out, the tea packing room is now the hotel bar and the grading and sifting area is the restaurant and as can be imagined the views from the Tea Factory are breathtaking.

Important to Sri Lanka is the protection of its natural environment. Although visitors are encouraged to explore its Sinharaja rain forests, which is the sanctuary for over 170 varieties of exotic orchid, and Horton Plains - the only habitat in the world for certain species of fauna and flora - the government rightly insists on maintaining a definitive line between tourism and its very fragile eco-system.

In national parks such as Yala, Wilpattu and Inginiyagala, where leopard, elephant, monkey, deer, boar and bear roam free, conservation and safety is a priority, and visitors are taken by covered vehicle on safari to observe the wildlife. Arguably that most impressive of all beasts, the elephant, can still be seen wandering around in sizeable herds.

A project that enables the visitor to get close to nature without compromise is the Kandalama Hotel, the first building of its type in Asia to be awarded Green Globe 21 certification. Located on the border of a vast primeval forest its design gives centre stage to nature. Rocks, caves and even cascades of rain water add charm to its corridors, and forest trees brush against galleries and room windows, while flowering woodland creepers curtain balconies and the roofs are terraces of wild grass.

Just two hours by coach from Colombo is the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage where over 60 elephants displaced from the wild are cared for in their natural habitat. Elephant watchers can observe these magnificent creatures at close quarters, see them bathing in the river, and enjoy the sight of baby orphans being fed by hand. Without doubt a visit to Pinnawela is the highlight of their visit to Sri Lanka for many people.

Kandy is thought by many to be Sri Lanka’s most beautiful city. Situated centrally in temperate hill country it is the last capital of the Sinhala kings and is dominated by the Dalada Maligawa – the temple of the Sacred Tooth relic, where, it is said, Lord Buddha’s tooth is kept. For horticulturists the Royal Botanic Gardens in Peradeniya (close to Kandy) is a must, its vast acreage of carefully tended tropical trees, shrubs and flowers are undeniable magnetic attractions. For ten days each year Kandy is the setting for the festival of the August Moon. “Flaming torches blaze a trail for the glittering procession. Trumpets, conches, oboes and drums beat out a ritual rhythm for the dancers and rank upon rank of elephants – bedecked with golden caparisons – precede the lofted Sacred Casket, as late into the night the holiest of festivals is transformed into an unforgettable spectacle,” comments a local tourist brochure.

Also not to be missed is the ancient city of Anuradhapura. Founded in the fifth century BC, it is venerated as Sri Lanka’s Buddhist capital. Fifteen minutes away is Mihintale the mountain monastery connected with Arahat Malinda who introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka. Whether you travel north, south, east or west historical Sri Lanka can always be relied on to surprise and excite.

One of Sri Lanka’s most ancient and revered historical sites is Sigiriya, a massive 200-metre high rock fortress constructed in the fifth century AD. On its flat summit the ruins of moats, gateways, pavilions, a palace and pleasure gardens, that took seven years to build, still remain. On the rock face, the celebrated Sigiriya Maiden frescoes attract thousands of admirers each year.

The island is a fascinatingly beautiful experience. With its colourful mixture of ancient religions and cultures, friendly smiling faces, and a range of activities that embrace almost every taste imaginable Sri Lanka, the emerald pearl set in the Indian Ocean, is the tropical meeting place of old and new. Mass tourism has still yet to make its mark on Sri Lanka, and perhaps it never will, but for those people who do make the effort to visit this most fascinating country they will be well rewarded.

*Sri Lanka is often referred to as the land of Serendipity, derived from the Persian fairytale of the three princes of Serendip who had a wonderful talent for making fortunate discoveries by accident.

IS 'MANAGING CUSTOMER EXSPECTATIONS' REALLY MANAGEABLE

Part Three

While these two reasons do indicate the possibility of loyalty, it would be naive to believe they are sufficient indicators of loyalty. We need to determine whether customer retention and/or repurchase are due to inertia or a lack of options? Or, is it due to high switching costs? For example, several people retain their bank accounts in a particular bank only because that is where their employer is willing to credit their salary. Can we really consider them as loyal customers? The fact is many of such customers will have accounts with more than one bank, and will move business elsewhere if communications on offerings are not done routinely and well, Ultimately, given an option many of these customers will easily migrate elsewhere.

A study reported in an article by Stephanie Coyles and Timothy C. Gokey, "Customer Retention is not enough," in The McKinsey Quarterly, 2002, Number 2 indicates that more customers tend to change their spending behavior rather than defect. They report that at one retail bank five percent of checking-account customers defected annually, taking with then 10 percent of the bank's checking accounts and three percent of the balances. But, every year, the 35 percent of its total balances, while the 35 percent who increased their balances raised its total balances by 25 percent. Obviously, merely retaining accounts is not good enough.

A better measure of loyalty is when customers are active and emotive loyalist who have no problem in being unpaid referrals and advocates. These are customers who have a high level of satisfaction and have no intention of reassessing their banking options. Research shows that these are the customers who typically end up spending the most.

The conclusion is that customer loyalty is a complex phenomenon and heeds to be approached from different directions, behavioral as well as attitudinal. A few good places to start would be understanding expectations, and use it to shape customers' perceptions of results. But, customer loyalty could also be incresed by raising switching costs and building defection barriers.

IS 'MANAGING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS' REALLY MANAGEABLE?

Part Two.

The other part of the customer satisfaction equation is the customers' perception of results. For fat too long, institutions have had a narrow focus in this area. Attention has been given to 'checking' customer perceptions instead of trying to 'shape' it. The focus has been on asking 'how are we doing?' Instead, making customers see what the institution has been (doing) and is doing for them, will yield better results. Research shows on average customers defect to competitors simply because they have failed to perceive the value received from their current institution. What this means to institutions is to manage expectations better, they should make it a priority to ensure their customers are aware of everything being done fro them. Institutions should not assume that customers will automatically make the perceived value connection.

A bank in Montreal tested out this conclusion by instruction its staff to inform all customers who came into their bank about 'all' the services and products the bank had on offer. Result? The bank experienced an 18 percent increase in sales during the first month of the programme. Institutions typically make the mistake of not making it a routine to communicate with exciting customers about their product offerings. For any number of reasons a customer may have initially declined a product or service at the time of opening their account. Failing to communicate product and service offerings after the account is opened can lead to customer's using a competitor for a product or service available at the institution. The value of spaced repetition to existing customers on the bank's offerings cannot be overemphasized.

A few words on loyalty are necessary especially since it is defined in different ways. Some consider customer retention or just continuing to bank with them as enough evidence of customer loyalty . Several banks in the Gulf offer better rates to customers based on the length of time the account has remained with them. Other consider a repurchase as an indicator of customer loyalty.

To be continued................

IS 'MANAGING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS' REALLY MANAGEABLE

Part one

An international study on customer loyalty in financial services was presented at the 17th World Conference of Banking Institutes in year 2007 Toronto.

Dr. J. Bergeron of Univesity du Quebec, Montreal, reported results of this study that covered 1,000 financial advisors and 2,000 customers. The bottom line of the study was the number one factor to influence customer satisfaction and loyalty is to "manage customers' expectations."

This is in line with the mantra being chanted by customers relationship management experts for the past few years that "managing customers' expectations is the surest way to build customers loyalty". While the formula appears quite simple, it would be native to think that managing expectations is easy.

It is usually as tricky as answering a question, "Have you stopped beating your wife?" A 'yes' can get you in trouble as it is an admission that she was being beaten in the past, and a 'no' is even worse! So is the task of setting, meeting, and exceeding customers expectations - or the art of managing expectations.

So how are expectations managed? A customer's satisfaction is measured by the difference between his expectations and perception of the results. Service experts advocate that the golden rule of customers service is 'under promise and over deliver.' Such an approach raised the ethical question "are we manipulating customers?"

The golden rule implies that institutions will reduce (hopefully within reason) customer expectations to make it easier to impress them. But, the simple truth with expectations is Yeasterday's differentiators in customer accuracy and speed have become today's 'givens'.

To be continued................

2008 is the international Year of Potato - Part 2

2008 is International Year of Potato - Part 2 (Final)

Potatoes feed the hungry

The potato should be a major component in strategies aimed at providing nutritious food for the poor and hungry. It is ideally suited to places where land is limited and labor is abundant, conditions that characterize much of the developing world, The potato produces more nutritious food more quickly , on less land, and in harsher climates than any other major crop - up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, compared to around 50 percent in cereals.

Potatoes are good for you

Potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, making them a good source of energy. They have the highest protein content (around 2.1 percent on a fresh weigh basis) in the family of root and tuber crops, and protein of a fairly high quality, with an amino-acid pattern that is well matched to human requirements. They are also very rich in vitamin C - a single medium-sized potato contains about half the recommended daily intake - and contain a fifth of the recommended daily value of potassium.

Demand for potatoes in growing

World potato production has increased at an annual average rate of 4.5 percent over the last 10 years, and exceeded the growth in production of many other major food commodities in developing countries, particularly in Asia. While consumption of potato has declined in Europe, it has increased in the developing world, from less than 10 kg per capita in 1961 -1963 to almost 22 kg in 2003. Consumption of potato in developing countries is still less than a quarter of that in Europe, but all evidence suggests it will increase strongly in the future.

The End

2008 IS THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF POTATO - PART 1

2008 is international year of potato - part 1

Why Potato?

The celebration of the International Year of Potato (IYP) will raise awareness of the importance of potato - and of agriculture in general - in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment.

Over the next two decades, the world's population is expected to grow on average by more than 100 million people a year. More than 95 percent of that increase will occur in the developing countries, where pressure on land and water is already intense. A key change facing the international community is, therefore, to ensure food security for present and future generations, while protecting the natural resources base on which we all depend. The potato will be an important part of efforts to meet those challenges...

Potatoes are grow worldwide.

The potato has been consumed in the Andes for about 8000 years. Taken by the Spanish to Europe in the 16th century, it quickly spread across the globe: today potatoes are grown on an estimated 195,000 sq km, or 75,000 square miles, of farmland, from China's Yunnan plateau and the subtropical lowlands of India, to Java's equatorial highlands and the steppes of Ukraine. In terms of sheer quantity harvested, the humble potato tuber is the world's No.4 food crop, with production in 2007 of more than 320 million tonnes (about 353 million US tons). More than half of that total was harvested in developing countries.

to be continued...........

New Video's to Come

Dear friends,

By July you will get more posting about the Hungary and France in my blog with some interesting places and sight seeing of these countries. My journey to these countries in first week of July. You will get some video's as well.

Keep in touch with this blog for more information.

How to control your anger before it controls you - Final Part

How to control your anger before it controls you - Final part.

Some other tips for easing up on yourself

Timing : If you and your spouse tend to fight when you discuss things at night - perhaps you're tired, or distracted, or maybe it's just habit - try changing the times when you talk about important matters so these talks don't turn into arguments.

Avoidance : if your child's chaotic room makes you furious every time you walk by it, shut the door. Don't make yourself look at what infuriates your. Don't say, "well, my child should be clean up the room so I won't have to be angry!" That's not the point. The point is to keep yourself calm.


Finding alternatives : If your daily commute through traffic leaves you in a state of rage and frustration, give yourself a project - learn or map out a different route, one that's less congested or more scenic. Or find another alternative, such as a bus or commuter train.


Do your need counseling?

If you feel that your anger is really out of control, if it is having an impact on your relationships and on important parts of your life, you might consider counseling to learn how to handle it better. A psychologist or other licensed mental health professional can work with you in developing a range of techniques for changing your thinking and your behavior. When you talk to a prospective therapist, tell her or him that you have problems with anger that you want to work on, and ask about his or her approach to anger management. Make sure this isn't only a course of action designed to "put you in touch with your feelings and express them" - that may be precisely what your problem is. With counseling, psychologist say, a highly angry person can move closer to a middle range of anger in about 8 to 10 weeks, depending on the circumstances and the techniques used.

The End

How to control your angry before it controls you - 6

How to control your angry before it controls you - part 6

Problem Solving

Sometimes, our anger and frustration are caused by very real and inescapable problems in our lives. Not all anger is misplaced, and often it's a healthy natural response to these difficulties. There is also a cultural belief that every problem has a solution, and it adds to our frustration to find out that this isn't always the case. The best attitude to bring to such a situation, then, is not to focus on finding the solution, but rather on how you handle and face the problem.

Make a plan, and check your progress along the way. Resolve to give it your best, but also not to punish yourself if an answer doesn't come right away. If you can approach it with your best intentions and efforts and make a serious attempt to face it head-on, you will be less likely to lose patience and fall into all-or-nothing thinking, even if the problem does not get solved right away.

Changing your environment.

Sometimes it's our immediate surrounding that give us cause for irritation and fury. Problems and responsibilities can weigh on you and make you feel angry at the "trap" you seem to have fallen into and all the people and things that form that trap.

Give yourself a break. Make sure you have some "personal time" scheduled for times of the day that you know are particularly stressful. One example is the working mother who has a standing rule that when she comes home from work, for the first 15 minutes "nobody talks to Mom unless the house is on fire." After this brief quiet time, she feels better prepared to handle demands from her kids without blowing up at them.

to be continued......................

How to control your anger before it controls you - 5

How to control your anger before it controls you - Part 5

Cognitive Restructuring

Simply put, this means changing the way you think. Angry people tend to curse, swear, or speak in highly colorful terms that reflect their inner thoughts. When you're angry, your thinking can get much exaggerated and overly dramatic. Try replacing these thoughts with more rational ones. For instance, instead of telling yourself, "oh , it's awful, it's terrible, every thing's ruined," tell yourself, "it's frustrating, and it's understandable that I'm upset about it, but it's not the end of the world and getting angry is not going to fix it anyhow."

Be careful of words like "never" or "always" when talking about yourself or someone else. They also alienate and humiliate people who might otherwise be willing to work with you on a solution.

Remind yourself that getting angry is not going to fix anything that it won't make you feel better (and may actually make you feel worse).

to be continued........................

How to control your anger before it controls you - 4

How to control your anger before it controls you - part 4

Strategies to be relaxed:

Simple relaxation tools, such as deep breathing and relaxing imagery, can help calm down angry feelings. If you are involved in a relationship where both partners are hot tempered, it might be a good idea for both of your to learn these techniques.

Some simple steps you can try:

• Breathe deeply, from your diaphragm; breathing from your chest won't relax you. Picture your breath coming up form your "gut."
• Slowly repeat a calm word or phase such as "relax", "take it easy". Repeat it to yourself while breathing deeply.
• Use imagery; visualize a relaxing experience, from either your memory or your imagination.
• No strenuous, slow yoga-like exercise can relax your muscles and make you feel much calmer.

Practice these techniques daily. Learn to use them automatically when you're in a tense situation.

to be continued..................

How to control your anger before it controls you - 3

How to control your anger before it controls you - Part 3

Anger Management

The goal of anger management is to reduce both of your emotional feelings and the physiological arousal that anger causes. You can't get rid of, or avoid, the things or the people that enrage you, nor can you change them, but you can learn to control your reactions.

Are you too angry?

There are psychological tests that measure the intensity of anger feelings, how prone to anger you are, and how well you handle it. But chances are good that if you do have a problem with anger, you already know it, it you find yourself acting in ways that seem out of control and frightening, you night need help finding better ways to deal with this emotion.

to be continued....................

How to control your Anger before it Controls you - 2

How to control you anger - part 2

Expressing Anger:

Responding aggressively is the instinctive, natural way to express anger. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival. On the other hand, we can't physically lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us; laws, social norms, and common sense place limits on how far our anger can take us.

People us a variety of both conscious and unconscious processes to deal with their angry feelings. The three main approaches are expressing, suppressing, and calming. Expressing your angry feelings in an assertive - not aggressive - manner is the healthiest way to express anger. To do this, you have to learn how to make hurting others. Being assertive doesn't mean being pushy or demanding; it means being respectful of yourself and others.

Anger can be suppressed, and then converted or redirected. This focus on something positive. The aim is to inhibit or suppress your anger and concert it into more constructive behavior. The danger in this type of response it that if it isn't allowed outward expression, you anger can turn inward - on yourself. Anger turned inward may cause hypertension, high blood pressure, or depression.

Unexpressed anger can create other problems. It can lead to behavior (getting back a t people indirectly, without telling them why, rather than confronting them head -on) or a personality that putting other down, criticizing everything, and making cynicat comments haven't learned how to constructively express their anger. Not surprisingly, they aren't likely to have many successful relationship.

to be continued.................

How to control you ANGER before it CONTROLs you

Anger is a completive normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it get out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems - problems at work, in your personal relationship, and in overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you're at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion. This article is meant to help you understand and control anger.

Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry at a specific person( Such as a coworker or supervisor) or event (a traffic jam, a canceled flight), or your anger could be caused by worrying or brooding about your personal problems. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feeling.

to be continued......

Nvidia - beyond the imagination

Good news for extreme gamers like me, Nvidia is always do something revolutionary, their new product introduced to this graphic card market. It's Nvidia Geforce 9800 GTX SLI card, gamers ultimate choice. It's three way SLI which can give more realastic to games and bring life the the next generation games.

It has a large amount of memory and ultimate shader module that no other graphic card manufacture can competite with.... One more good thing about Nvidia card that it can generate more frame rates than the other cards in the market.

It has a core clock of 675Mhz and memory clock of 1100Mhz... and moreover it has a 256 bit memory interface and shader clock is 1688Mhz and many more options are available.

for more details you can visit to Nvidia website and have a look of this new monster for extreme gamers.

So, what you waiting for............. purchase new Nvidia Geforce 9800GTX SLI card and make your dream come true

Another New Product

Yet, another new product has introduce to the competition market, it's a digital keytag. It's smaller in size and carrying multi function, manufacture discribe the product.

Missing your family

It's always hard to away from your love one, as I live here in the country which is totally unknown and surrounded by desert. I have to served nearly two years to see my love and my little son. This is the perfect time to stay with your family as we are still young and it's more sweet to here your children speaks.

I'm missing my family every day very badly. Sometimes I think that coming away from your family is fool decision. Either you have to stay with them or bring them with you. Whenever my son asks me that when are you coming home, and are you coming tonight after I sleep..... It's painful and I can feel the pain of that little heart, and how eager to see his dad back at home. They aren't mature enough to understand thing around them. Hardness of live, struggle to keep them happy.

Whenever i feel sick, happy or sad, it's always a picture coming in front of you is your home. Even this country is how developed or what facility you get, I'm not comfortable as I sleep in my home, eat with my family, laugh with them and share the good and bad times with them.

Before I come here I thought as ever other human being that I will be adjust to this place after sometimes, yes.. you can adjust if you are a bachelor, but on the other side if you have a family which always cares about you, this it's not a possible thing.

I born in a family where everybody is united, taking care of me more than anyone in the family, I'm the one and only son for my parents, and my mom used to call me that I'm here herbal plant and leaving them also is another pain.

Please think twice before you leave your home for long time purposes, either take them with you where ever you settle or be with them and make them comfortable.

Are you support terrorism act??????

My dear brothers, sisters and friends, how many of your support terrorism? and why? I know few of you will say yes, but others will say no... But what my personal opinion is never ever support this act. No matter that some group or the government does it. Do you know the simple fact that the innocents like you or me paying the price.

I lost my brother at a bomb explosion, planted by terrorist group targeting the civilians, not only I, many mothers lost their sons & daughters, wives lost their husbands, child lost their parent and mother land lost their valuable citizens. Another explosion I lost my very best friend, who talked me over the phone while he was going to have his lunch in a nearby hotel, I still remember the last word he told me before his death, "I feel like something going to happen to me today" I told him " don't say utter things and what has happened to you". That was the last conversation I had with him and I heard the sound of explosion.

But the worse case I went through in my life is the suicide bomb attack to the heart of the country and the busiest bank building. I saw many bodies scattered all over the street, I was not hurt severely but my co-workers..................... I was helping the injured victims to rush to hospital, my entire uniform is on blood stain of my brothers and sisters. It was a divesting incident in my countries history next to Tsunami hit on 2004 December 26, day after Christmas festival.

So my dear brother and sisters the choice is yours.... are your really wanted to support this activity???????? or would like to join with me to support peace and human kind to this earth.

American President History

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln 's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln .

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln , was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.



John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln , was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.



Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.

Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford.'
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford.'

Lincoln was shot in a theater and hi s assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the kicker...

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe , Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

My Gaming Rig

I started to build my own computer for the gaming, I was impressed by the Microsoft Flight Simulator series. I started to play MSFS 2002 and later I got MSFS 2004 - A Century of Flights. so I thought of build a new pc. I bought AMD Sampron 2.8 Mhz Processor, 512MB Ram, 128 PCIe card, Sata Hard and K8NX series mother board, and it the flight simulator was worked very well but after some years Microsoft launch the Flight Simulator X and which needed more upgrade on my pc to get a better performance.

Once again I purchased new parts to assemble a new pc. I bought Intel Dual Core 2.0 Mhz, 2GB ram, 512 ATI PCIe card, 160 Sata, Gigabyte 945 Mother Board. Installed the simulator but the performance was not that well and it showed the frame rate bit low but for other games like Call or Duty 4, FIFA 2008, Pro Street and other games were working very well even in the high quality mode at the graphic card.

At last I sold the PC to my one of best friends, and assembled a new one which was introduced in the market a week a go and it's.............................. new Intel Core 2 Quad - Q6600, Processor itself is very expensive, I got Gigabyte P35 Mother Board, 4GB Transcend RAM, 160 GB Sata and Nvidia Geforce 8600 GT PCIe card.

Now my flight simulator X is working very well and upto my satisfaction and it is running while other programs running on the background. Frame rate is also good. I put some add-ons and installed PMDG 747 collection too.

So try today your gaming experience with new Intel Core 2 Quad.......................

Microsoft Flight Simulator X

Microsoft® Flight Simulator X is the culmination of nearly 25 years of the landmark Flight Simulator franchise—the most significant addition to date. Flight Simulator X immerses you in a beautifully rich and realistic world with dozens of aircraft and interactive Missions for a completely new and innovative gaming experience. Free Flight lets you fly anywhere in the world, from your hometown airport to the most exotic places you’ve ever dreamed of. Gamers and simmers of all ages and skill levels feel firsthand what it’s like to be an aviator traveling the globe solo or online with others.

The Pearl Qatar

What is The Pearl-Qatar?
This is a US multi billion man-made island covering 985 acres (400 hectares) of reclaimed land offshore the Arabian Peninsula state of Qatar - the Arab world's wealthiest per capita country. The Pearl-Qatar is the country's first international real estate venture, its largest real estate development and the first to offer international investors freehold. It is a four-phase mixed-use development comprising 10 distinct, themed districts to be developed over five years housing beachfront villas, elegant town homes, luxury apartments, exclusive penthouses, 5 star hotels, marinas, schools as well as upscale retail and restaurant offerings. It will be a destination in its own right - a lavish, secure and exclusive island retreat with a Riviera-style community.

Where in Qatar is the project?
It is being built offshore eastern Qatar, immediately east of the West Bay shoreline. The Pearl-Qatar will be approximately 20 kilometres north of the central business district of the Qatari capital, Doha. The island will be just 20 kilometres from Doha International Airport in the south. The island has been positioned with the greatest respect for the marine environment and topography.

Who is the developer?
The project developer is United Development Company (UDC), Qatar's largest private sector shareholding company with a mission to identify and invest in long-term projects that contribute to the country's growth and provide good shareholder value. UDC's founders, who on launch in 1999 held 45% of the shares, are among Qatar's most successful investors and developers. Equity is also held by a large number of other Qatari and regional investors.

What is the rationale behind the project?
UDC intends to make The Pearl-Qatar a unique living and cultural experience that integrates the best of the country's past and present. A primary objective is to incorporate a diversity of high quality living environments - from high-end luxurious villa living with private sandy beaches to fashionable apartment-style accommodation with sweeping sea views. Diversity and quality of accommodation is a key objective in the project's master planning.

The Pearl-Qatar will be a secure, family oriented environment. It will be like no other destination in the Middle East. Modeled on the best of the Mediterranean, it will be the Arabian Riviera (Riviera Arabia) and will offer a lifestyle reminiscent of France and Italy in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. The Pearl-Qatar, with 40 kilometres of reclaimed coastline and 20 kilometres of pristine beaches, will be a tourist destination in its own right.

Is Qatar ready for a development of this nature?
As Qatar has joined the ranks of the world's wealthiest and most advanced nations, it naturally seeks to develop its resources and build world-class environments. The people of Qatar deserve nothing less than the finest developments which give expression to their rich cultural heritage and national destiny. The Pearl-Qatar will live up to these expectations reflecting Qatari cultural values and economic strength while being sensitive to environmental stewardship.

Why was the name The Pearl-Qatar chosen?
Both the island's name and location, on the site of a former pearl diving site, leverage the country's strong cultural ties with the sea. This is an island rediscovered. The name pays homage to the previous mainstay of the economy - pearl fishing. Although pearling is no longer a key economic driver, it left a legacy of skills, stories, music, art and poetry that is a source of identity and pride for Qatari's today.

When will the project be complete?
Construction is in four phases with a target completion date end of 2011.

Will the island be linked to the main land?
Yes, a causeway will be constructed. Though The Pearl-Qatar will be an exclusive retreat, the causeway will ensure the island is closely integrated with, and has easy access to, the capital, Doha's, thriving community.

Is investment restricted to Qataris only and are there any conditions applied to ownership?
The project is open to investors both from within Qatar and overseas. This is the first project in Qatar to offer freehold residential rights to the international community.

Are mortgages available to local and international investors and, if so, through which financial partners?
Mortgages are available for up to 25 years and up to 85% of the total purchase price could be financed.

What are the terms of sale?
Initially a deposit of 20% is required upon reservation. The remaining 80% is due upon completion.

How many residences will be on the island and how many people will eventually reside on The Pearl-Qatar?
When fully developed the island will house around 16,000 luxury villas, town homes , penthouses and apartments which will, in total, be home to up to 41,000 residents. Exclusive luxury villas will be located in clusters, around the island's perimeter, with private beaches and stunning sea views. Also planned are medium-sized private, luxury villas and fashionable apartments, again with breathtaking sea views.

When will the first investors take up residency?
December 2008.

How many hotels will there be on the island?
Current plans are for three five-star hotels with a total room capacity of 800.

How many marinas will there be and what is their capacity?
In total there will be three marinas with mooring for 1004 boats. Extensive private and public moorage is planned and the island will have canals, lakes and interior navigable coves. The island will host a yacht club of world-class standing to cater to the international, regional and local yachting community

What is the retail capacity of the project?
The total retail space is 2 milllion square meters of retail, leisure and restaurant space, which will be targeted at the top end of the market.

What community facilities will there be on the island?
Locations have been identified for three primary schools and a secondary school. In addition, there will be several kindergarten and day care centres. The island will have several public parks and accessible open spaces.

What will set The Pearl-Qatar apart from other real estate ventures in the Arabian Gulf?

Freehold, residency Long term Riviera Island Living World-class facilities Three Marinas Breath-taking views Secure Qatari culture Strong Qatar Economy Which are the main countries to be targeted for investment? Our market research and initial interest following the project's soft launch have led us to earmark the GCC, the wider Middle East and leading European nations as our primary markets.

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Facts about Kingfisher

Kingfishers are birds of the three families Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers). There are about 90 species of kingfisher. All have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. They are found throughout the world.
The etymology of kingfisher is obscure; the term comes from king's fisher, but why that name was applied is not known[1].
The taxonomy of the three families is complex and rather controversial. Although commonly assigned to the order Coraciiformes, from this level down confusion sets in. The kingfishers were traditionally treated as one family, Alcedinidae with three subfamilies, but following the 1990s revolution in bird taxonomy, the three former subfamilies are now usually elevated to familial level. That move was supported by chromosome and DNA-DNA hybridisation studies, but challenged on the grounds that all three groups are monophyletic with respect to the other Coraciiformes. This leads to them being grouped as the suborder Alcedines.
The tree kingfishers have been previously given the familial name Dacelonidae but Halcyonidae has priority. This group derives from a very ancient divergence from the ancestral stock.
Kingfishers live in both woodland and wetland habitats. Kingfishers that live near water hunt small fish by diving. They also eat crayfish, frogs, and insects. Wood kingfishers eat reptiles. Kingfishers of all three families beat their prey to death, either by whipping it against a tree or by dropping it on a stone.
They are able to see well both in air and under water while swimming. Their eyes also have evolved an egg-shaped lens able to focus in the two different environments.
The Old World tropics and Australasia are the core area for this group. Europe and North America north of Mexico are very poorly represented with only one common kingfisher (Common Kingfisher and Belted Kingfisher respectively), and a couple of uncommon or very local species each: (Ringed Kingfisher and Green Kingfisher in the southwest USA, Pied Kingfisher and White-breasted Kingfisher in SE Europe).
Even tropical South America has only five species plus wintering Belted Kingfisher. In comparison, the tiny African country of The Gambia has eight resident species in its 120 by 20-mile (32 km) area.
The six species occurring in the Americas are four closely related green kingfishers in the genus Chloroceryle and two large crested kingfishers in the genus Megaceryle, suggesting[citation needed] that the sparse representation in the western hemisphere evolved from just one or two original colonising species.
The smallest species of kingfisher is the African Dwarf Kingfisher (Ispidina lecontei), which averages at 10.4 g and 10 cm (4 inches). The largest overall is the Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima), at an average of 355 g (13.5 oz) and 45 cm (18 inches). However, the familiar Australian kingfisher known as the Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) may be the heaviest species, since large individuals exceeding 450 g (1 lb) are not rare.

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Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 - May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath: scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, musician and writer. Born at Vinci in the region of Florence, the illegitimate son of a notary, Messer Piero, and a peasant girl. Catherine, Leonardo was educated in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter, Verrocchio.

Much of his earlier working life was spent in the service of Ludovico il Moro in Milan where several of his major works were created. He also worked in Rome, Bologna and Venice, spending his final years in France at the home given him by King Francois I.

Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the "Renaissance man" or universal genius, a man whose seemingly infinite curiosity was equaled only by his powers of invention. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painter of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have live. It is primarily as a painter that Leonardo was and is renowned. Two of his works, the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper occupy unique positions as the most famous, most reproduced and most parodied portrait and religious painting of all time, their same approached only by Michelangelo's Creation of Adam. Leonard's drawing of the Vitruvian Man is also Iconic. Perhaps fifteen paintings survive, the small number due to his constant, and frequently disastrous, experimentation with new techniques, and his chronic procrastination. Nevertheless these few works, together with his notebooks, which contain drawings, scientific diagrams, and his thoughts on the nature of painting, comprise a contribution to later generations of artists only rivaled by that of his contemporary, Michelangelo.

As an engineer, Leonardo conceived ideas vastly ahead of his own time, conceptualizing a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, a calculator, and the double hull, and outlining a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics. Relatively few of his designs were constructed or even feasible during his lifetime, but some of his smaller inventions such as an automated bobbin winder and a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire entered the world of manufacturing unheralded. As a scientist, he greatly advanced the state of knowledge in the field of anatomy, civil engineering, optics, and hydrodynamics.

All about Pearls

Pearls are an organic gem, called that because they are created by living creatures. Each pearl begins its existence as a piece of grit or other particle that makes its way into the shell of a marine or freshwater mollusk some types of oysters and clams. A defense mechanism kicks-in and coats the particle with layer after layer of substance called nacre, or mother-of -pearl, which eventually become thick enough to form a pearl.

Pearl Origin Classifications

Natural Pearl
Natural Pearls are formed when an accidental intruder enters a mollusk's shell and continuous layers of nacre grow like onion skin around the particle. Natural pearls vary in shape depending on the shape of piece being coated.
Natural pearls have always been considered rare and are quite expensive. They are usually sold by carat weight. Most natural pearls on today's market are vintage pearls.

Culture Pearls
Like natural pearls, cultured pearls grow inside of a mollusk, but with human intervention. A shall is carefully opened and and object is inserted. Shapes of object vary, depending on the final shape of pearl that's desired. Over time the object becomes coated with layers of nacre. The depth of the nacre coating depends on the type of mollusk involved, the water it lives in, and how long the intruder is left in place before being harvested.
As nacre thickness increases, so does the quality and durability of the cultured pearl. Cultured pearls are sold by their size in millimeters.

Saltwater Pearls
Saltwater pearls originate within a saltwater mollusk. Saltwater pearls can be either natural or cultured.

Freshwater Pearls
Freshwater Pearls grow inside of a freshwater mollusk one that lives in a river or a lake.

Pearl Shape Classifications
Spherical pearls are round, which is traditionally the most desirable shape. The rounder the pearl, the more expensive its price tag. Symmetrical pearls include pear shaped pearl and other shapes that have symmetry from one side to another, but are not round.

Baroque pearls are irregularly shaped pearls. They are often the least expensive category of pearls, but are unique and quite beautiful.