Fuzzy Bus

Founded in the 17th century, Channis is the capital of India’s Tamil Nadu state. It was known in the West as Madras until the official name change in 1996. As India’s fourth largest metropolitan area, Chennai has much to offer visitors. In addition to the many temples and cultural venues, the city has a thriving film industry, modern sports facilities, beaches, a national park, and plenty of opportunies to shop and dine. Visitors can choose from a range of lodgings, including the five star hotels of Chennai and easily find restaurants, markets and shops that suit their budget.

The Theosophical Society’s world headquarters are on the banks of the Adyar River. They include shrines to all major faiths and extensive gardens. Chennai is an ideal place for this multi-faith center, given that it is home to dozens of temples, churches, and mosques representing the many faiths of its citizens.

Santhome Cathedral Basilica is perhaps the most famous of Chennai’s churches. Christian tradition holds that St. Thomas, one of the original apostles of Jesus, came to India in 52 A.D. and died there twenty years later. The National Shrine of St. Thomas Basilica was built over his tomb. Chennai houses the oldest Anglican church in India, Mary’s Church which was build in 1680. The Tamil Baptist Church is over 100 years old.

Visvaroopa Baktha Anjaneyaar Temple is notable for its 32 foot idol. Ashtalakshmi Temple is one of the more modern religious structures in Chennai. Dedicated to the Goddess Lakshmi, it is less than twenty years old. The city is home to dozens of other temples and mosques that offer a glimpse into the architecture and culture of the region.

The area surrounding Chennai is famous for its temples. Most are a short trip from the city and offer stately architecture and beautiful grounds. The Vaidhya Veera Raghava Swami Temple and Sri Viswaroopa Panchamukha Anjaneya Swami Ashram in Tiruvallur houses a Murti of Hanuman that is forty feet tall. The reknown Meenakshi Temple is in Madurai. The Kamakshi Temple in Kanchipuram is the seat of one of the Shankaracharyas, which is the closest thing to a spiritual leader that Hinduism recognizes.

The Spanish island of Mallorca appeals to tourists from Europe and the rest of the world due to its dry, sunny climate and its amazing beaches. Each year, visitors travel to the island to shop, dine, and relax on the sands. They stay in a variety of lodgings, ranging from the small bed and breakfasts scattered throughout the island to the 5 star Mallorca hotels. A lesser-known reason to visit the island is its intriguing architecture, mostly centered in the capital city.

Palma de Mallorca, known to locals as Ciutat is home to the island’s premiere architectural sites. Built on the site of an Arab mosque, the Cathedral La Seu was begun in 1229 but not completed until 1601. It is a prime example of Spanish Levantino Gothic styles, with strong influences from French and North European Gothic styles. Restoration of the Cathedral began in the mid-nineteenth century and was taken over by Antoni Gaudi in 1901 who worked on the cathedral for over a decade before abandoning the project.

Castell de Bellver is also located in Palma. It was designed by Pere Salva and begun in 1300. It is the only castle in Spainthat is completely round, with large towers surrounding a two-level courtyard. This central structure is connected to a free-standing keep by an arch. Intended as a royal residence and defensive installation, the building was used as a prison from the Middle Ages through the Spanish Civil War.

Other architectural sites of interest in Palma include La Lonja, which is a stunning example of Mediterranean Gothic styles and features sculpture by its architect Guillermo Sagrera, the Monastery of St. Francis, the Almudaina Palace (also designed by Pere Salva), and the Palma Cathedral. The city is also home to the Arab Baths, relics of the island’s Islamic conquerors.

Barcelona is a prime destination in Spain known for its art, architecture, food, and nightlife. The city has a style and energy all its own. The museums, monuments, historic taverns, modern nightclubs, and amazing food all serve as magnets drawing visitors to experience, not just see, this cosmopolitan city on the Mediterranean.

The best time to visit Barcelona is April - June and late September - November. During this time the temperature ranges from 19-23 degrees Celsius (66-73 degrees Farhenheit), which, with the high humidity, is considered quite comfortable. As the temperature rises above that range, the humidity can make it seem unbearably hot. The humidity factor also makes the off-season an attractive time to visit. Winter in Barcelona has much lower humidity, making the 9-10 degrees Celsius (48-50 degrees F) temperatures tolerable and the lack of crowds appealing. Just be careful to keep an eye on the rain forecast.

Summer is the busiest time for tourists in Barcelona with August leading the pack. Because most business owners tend to go on vacation themselves from mid-August through early September, as much as ten percent of the restaurants and shops can be closed during this time. Barcelona is much quieter at this time, but there will still be plenty of tourists, so don’t expect the city to be as deserted as in the off-season. Hotels may offer great bargains at this time, due to the lower demand, so be sure to investigate rates even at 5 star Barcelona hotels to make sure you get the best deal on the accomodations you want.

The exotic islands that make up Singapore have a reputation for the diverse and delectable food available to both locals and tourists. Part of this reputation is a result of the fusion of Chinese, Malay, and Indian cuisines. No where else in the world will you find Malay versions of Tamil dishes and Chinese foods created using indigenous Malay techniques and ingredients. Increasingly there are also influences from other Asian cuisines as well as western food traditions. Given that many restaurants use the finest imported ingredients, the variations and combinations are virtually limitless.

Another reason for the strong reputation of Singapore fine dining is the influx of chefs from around the world. Some of the top chefs from the east and west are finding their way here to experiment not only with the diverse ingredients and local flavors, but to take advantage of the open and welcoming environment of the Singapore food scene. The adventurous diners here applaud innovation and appreciate the new flavors created with cutting edge gastronomic techniques.

As an international destination, Singapore is not limited to Chinese, Malay, Indian, and local fare. Cuisines from around the world are offered in Singapore restaurants. Some of the most popular eateries feature French, Italian, Thai, and Japanese dishes. The variety of foods available is matched by the environments in which to eat. Food lovers can choose from some of the finest restaurants in the east or explore street vendors, coffee shops, and hawker stalls.

Public speaking is one of the biggest fears of those trying to climb the corporate ladder. One of the most successful ways for individuals to overcome their fear of public speaking is to enroll in presentation skills training.

Many people still get nervous when presenting during sales training seminars but there are several techniques that make it easier.  It’s important to always prepared to minimize the chance of nervousness while presenting or speaking.  Participating in corporate team building programs can refine your skills as well as those of other employees to increase the effectiveness of an organization.

Preperation is the key to overcoming your fear.  Most people are nervous they’re going to make a mistake or worse forget what they’re trying to say.  The more prepared you are minimizes the chances of you forgetting your content and increases the chance that your presentation will be a success.

Formentera is a small island within the Spanish Balearic Islands group.  It is close to Ibiza a very popular tourist destination - especially amongst young people who are into the rave and techno music scene.  It is a small island only 19 kilometres long.  It has no airport and can only be accessed by ferry which often travel the three miles from Ibiza across the Mediterranean Sea. This means that relatively few tourists come to this unique island location making it a quiet place compared with some of the other islands in the group.  Formentera hotels are being developed to cater for the increased flow of tourists.  However mant tourists choose to stay in the five star hotels Ibiza and travel over to Formentera on day trips.

Finding the best way to improve the look and function of your truck is easy to do. One of the most popular trends today is using chrome door handles, for example. This is going to give you the look you are after, and it will definitely give character to the truck. You can purchase them for a variety of types of trucks, too.

In addition to chrome, you can find other items that will help to add the flare, look and function you need. The more customizing you do for your truck, the more personalized it will be for you. For example, you may want to invest in a bull bar. This is a popular choice today for its look. There are several styles available to choose from, too. Perhaps the most important and most sought after investment in truck accessories today is the bed liner. It makes senses since it provides so much protection to the truck.

When it comes to personalizing or customizing your truck with chrome or other details, it is important to look at it from the viewpoint of function first and then character. You will find that you can accomplish both with the options available. With the new concepts in trucks out there, you may have even more fun customizing those!

Back in my days in high school, the neighbors next-door would restore a car every summer. It was so much fun anticipating what model would be brought in during the late spring. Most of the time, I had to watch the process from a distance, but every so often I’d be invited to assist. Even so, I felt very privileged to witness the transformation of old, rusty metal into a majestic like-new vehicle. My favorite over the years was probably the ’49 Volkswagen Bug, with its classic white wall tires and smooth lemon paint job. Part of the thrill was having some hands on knowledge of the older model just before the new beetle hit the market.

Now that I’m a little older and wiser, and many car shows later, I’ve started thinking about restoring cars of my own. It’s a big project and nothing like the small custom wheels job I had done on my college ride. Getting started is the hard part, because you have to choose which car you want to work on out of the ones that are available. In making the selection, I know for certain that I’d like to use whitewalls – as homage to my childhood memories. There have also been some great retro-style designs lately for specific car parts - take this grant steering wheel selection for example. Finding parts that will fit just right is somewhat of a challenge, but like a treasure hunt it’s a thrilling adventure.

General Motors has reported a three month net loss of $15.5bn (£7.8bn) as North American sales fell by 20%.

GM took a $3.3bn charge for buying out the contracts of 19,000 hourly workers who left at the end of June.

It also wrote off $1.3bn because of reduced values of big, used cars, which cut the value of formerly leased cars owned by its financing unit, GMAC.

Without one-off charges, GM lost $6.3bn compared with a net profit of $891m in the same period of 2007.

It is the third biggest quarterly loss in the carmaker’s history.

GM shares fell 4.7% in early trading.

The 2008 Olympics begin on August 8, 2008, which is 8/8/08-a lucky number to the Chinese. The tennis portion begin toward the beginning of the games which is right before the U.S. Open. Most of the players will leave the Olympics to head for the U.S. with little rest.

The U.S. Open tennis coverage will certainly be exciting as the commentators note all of the Olympic winners. Roger Federer will certainly win a metal and he will be determined to win the U.S. Open. He has yet to win the French Open but not due to lack of trying. He lost this year’s Wimbledon tournament, which was a surprise to most.

Rafael Nadal won both of these tournaments. I’m sure he is tired of being ranked at number two and he wants that coveted spot. He will be determined to win a metal for his home country of Spain and he will want to win the U.S. Open. It should be an intense summer of tennis.

There are ways to beautify your home and getting new window blinds is a simple one. I called Next Day Blinds after I saw a commercial of theirs online. I found out that they even do in-home consultations, which was perfect for me. They also serve their customers online and they have several stores throughout the Maryland area.

Next Day Blinds had a person take measurements and then helped me pick out the right window treatments for my entire house. I also was able to stay within my budget. Next Day Blinds really knows the ins and outs of the business and they are fantastic from the beginning through the end.

I even enjoyed the experience, something I don’t usually do. Next Day Blinds was able to make the whole experience stress free and now my house looks beautiful with the new blinds. I love my window treatments and am really enjoying the new look at my home.

Getting new area rugs seems like a daunting task, especially when you need to get several. I found that having the color scheme pre-selected helps. I have also found that going to a place with a great selection can save you hour upon hour.

I decided to get a shag rug for my bedroom because I want to feel the extra cushion that shag rugs provide underfoot. For my living room I got an area rug that pulls all of the color together nicely. Having the rug in my living room helps to define the space because the open floor plan can leave you wondering which room is which.

I am also going to get an outdoor rug. I have a nice patio but guests don’t utilize it much because it doesn’t feel like an extension to the house. The rug will pull guests from the inside to the out. I think it will be great to have the extra room when we entertain.

I just read that all of the Williams sisters matches at the 2008 Wimbledon tennis tournament are on court 2, which is even slower and is known for bringing upsets. I bet they are not worried though because they have both been improving in every match. I think they are the U.S.’s only chance for bringing home a tennis trophy.

For the men’s singles, I think that it will be a match between Roger Federer of Switzerland and Rafael Nadal of Spain. The number one and two ranked players seem to always be the top two in most tournaments. I predict that it will fairly close and Federer will win.

When you need new blinds there is only one company to call and that company is Next Day Blinds. They have the greatest selection imaginable and they have several ways to shop. You can order from the Internet, go into one of the Next Day Blinds galleries or even have them come to your house.

I had an in-home consultations because I have two small children and it’s hard to go anywhere. They came to my house, took measurements, helped me choose and stay within my budget. I enjoyed my experience so much I even had my mother use them. She was in need of new blinds for her kitchen and living room and now she won’t have to shop around.

If you are interested in personal development or self-help, check out Liberty League Intl. Their system is called Beyond Freedom and within 90 days, your life will change for the better. You really have to want to change your life and do the work that is required of you and you will see yourself reach your dreams and even set new, higher goals and reach them. Liberty League holds conferences all across the world. The last one was held in Rome, Italy. And they always do something exciting. When the conference was in South Africa, they streamlined through the wilderness. And when it was in Australia, they walked on fire. These exercises help them to overcome the fears that have been holding them back and it helps them to see the world as it should be seen, with beauty. So, I would recommend checking out Liberty League’s personal development system if you are interested in improving your life.

Few things can change the look of a room quicker and cheaper than new rugs. I am updating my house and I don’t have a huge budget but I really want to give it a new look. I got a Seagrass rug for my living room.

It is mostly tile so we need rugs and rug pads throughout in order to keep our feet warm and to have the rooms be separated because of the open floor plan. I love the way the new rug I got feels. It makes the room more distinct and it gives it new personality.

I am also going to paint the walls and get a few new pictures and decorations for the walls. I think that all-in-all I won’t have to spend very much money and I’ll be very happy with the final product.

I sit in front of a computer all day so when I get off of work I really like to use my time doing things that I love. I jog a lot and I work on an old car that I’m fixing up. Jogging is great exercise but sometimes it’s just too hot and when that’s the case, I head to the garage to work on my ‘66 Mustang.

I have a custom rim order that should be arriving any day now and those will really make it look great. It’s funny how people that have physical jobs like to spend their evenings watching television or surfing the Internet and people that sit all day like to get out and move.

The funny thing is, is that sometimes when I’m in staring at my computer, like now, I can’t keep myself from thinking about the chrome wheels that might be at home when I get there. I bet there’s a mechanic somewhere that can’t stop thinking about surfing the web.

I joined Liberty League International and began their program Beyond Freedom. Since completing the 90-day program I have found more time to spend with my family and I have gained control of my life. I am unlocking my inner potential every day by changing small, seemingly insignificant details in my every day life.

The organization of Liberty League Intl is wonderful and I only wish that I had been involved my entire life. I go to their interactive conferences and I’m even in the Liberty League video.  I’ve been to Rome, Hawaii, and Miami Beach for the Liberty League Int conference. I’ve learned so much about myself.

One thing that I also appreciate about them is the fact that they are so active with charities. They donated $100,000 to Acres of Love, a charity that builds homes in South Africa for abandoned HIV/AIDS babies. Not many companies do this sort of thing but LLI does.

Often times I daydream when I should be working or taking care of something at home. When I want to dream about beautiful beaches, I pull out my map of Jamaica and retrace what I did while I was there. Sometimes I even turn on Bob Marley, just for kicks.

If I long for delicious food, I pull out my map of Thailand and think about the different foods in that country. Thai food is my favorite and it’s usually always spicy so it clears my sinuses while it fills me up. I love the tofu that they use in so many of their dishes.

And when it’s too hot to be comfortable, I dream of Norway and, you guessed it, I pull out my maps of Norway and imagine that I was there, in the cooler climate.

I tend to do a lot of traveling with my work.  This means that I spend lots of nights cooped up in a hotel in a strange town or city!  I like to do fun things at night but I find my options limited.  I’ve now developed a taste for live theater.  I’ve found that most towns and cities have some performances on while I visit.  Its fun because you get to see all levels of acting.

When I vist New York I occasionally seek out Broadway tickets.  But more often than not I go for Off Broadway tickets or Off-Off Broadway tickets.  I’ve seen some great performances, and also some not so great! On my last trip a friend gave me musical tickets which turned out to be an excellent production.  I am off to New York in a couple of weeks and so I plan to make live theater an integral part of my visit.

My wife and I were looking for a way to find financial freedom recently and we found Liberty League International when we did a search. We found a lot of great information about Liberty League and the services they provide.

We decided to go to their conference this year. Liberty League Intl is having their 2008 conference in Rome.  I cannot wait to take my wife there. We’re beginning to become financially free and it’s all because of Liberty League Int.

Now we’ll eat gelato, sample the local cuisine and just relax as we learn more and more about how to improve our lives. Liberty League was the best investment we could have ever made. It was inexpensive and we’re happy.

I was in my glove compartment looking for my  Florida maps. I never found the state map but I did find several road maps and zip code maps. While this doesn’t sound like much of an interesting find on the surface, it felt like I found treasure.

I went to Florida with some friends over spring break and I made sure that we couldn’t get lost by having all sorts of maps of the whole state down to zip code areas. I lost all of them when we got back. I wanted to put together a bit of a story for my friends that documented all that we did–which was a lot.

I wasn’t even going to bother since I didn’t have the well-used maps. But now that I do I can take details and use them with photos and maps of our travels so this in years from now we’ll all have a great souvenir.

I needed several new rugs for my house. I mean I needed everything from kitchen rugs to braided area rugs. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do then I went online and found a company called Natural Area Rugs that had great prices and a great selection.

After the rug part was taken care of, I needed some new paint for my kitchen. I wasn’t sure what color but once I decided on a color I went online to learn about painting. I needed to add a lot of color because all of the walls were while. I decided to keep the moldings white but I went with a yellow for the kitchen.

The rug ended up having that same color in it and with the addition of some curtains, the entire room was color coordinated. Now I think I want to work on the bathroom. I bet there are tons of rugs that would look great on white tile floors.

With around 3 million people between the ages of 12 and 25 have abused over-the-counter medications, such as cold and cough medicine. This is because is it cheap and readily available. Once a person is addiction, entry into a long term drug rehab program is needed to stop the abuse. Substance abuse rehabilitation teaches the addict how to adjust his or her behavior in order to maintain sobriety. Without drug rehab, the abuser will most likely not abstain from abuse and will only increase the severity of the addiction.

The ingredient in these OTC medications is called Dextromethorphan, or DXM. The effects of DXM include loss of coordination, impaired judgement and mental functions, nausea, dizziness, hot flashed, hallucinations, brain damage, seizures and death. The number of calls to poison control centers for overdoses from DXM has increased every year because people are now taking these pills by the handful.

One other interesting find was that incidences of overdosing and abuse show up in clusters. This is most likely due to word-of-mouth talk about using these drugs and almost every home has them on hand.

With much anticipation, 2 time second place winner Roger Federes is ready to once again try to attain the ever-allusive French Open title. Currently he is getting over a glandular fever after the Australian Open and he is using his past losses as motivation to prove that his career is not in decline. Federes said that many people in his home country of Switzerland think that the last few losses for him mean that he is losing his edge.

He couldn’t agree less. He stated that people don’t know that he’s healthy and happy. If they did, he says they would know that he has not lost his edge. In fact, he is looking forward to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 Olympics.

Federes recently lost an exhibition game to Pete Sampras at Madison Square Gardens. Longtime friend Tiger Woods watched the match. Federes is just 2 Grand Slam titles away from matching Sampras’ total of 14. This is also giving him motivation to have favorable French Open tennis tournament results.

With all of that in mind, this year’s French Open tennis tournament should bring interesting results and possible a few high-drama situations as egos, careers and reputations are on the line.

Several brands which were extremely powerful during the last few decades are about to disappear. Many of them no longer drive big sales. Some are a part of companies that are in trouble. Some are part of industries which are falling apart.

Big brands disappear all the time. Sometimes we simply miss their passing. Cingular Wireless was on most Top 100 brands lists. Once AT&T (T) took over BellSouth, it dropped Cingular completely. Compaq was one of the most visible PC brands in the world. It began to fade away after it was bought by Hewlett-Packard (HPQ). The IBM PC brand, one of the original PC brands, no longer exists since it was acquired by Lenovo, a Chinese company, several years ago.

Here is a list of brands, most over them a decade old, and some much older, which are likely to go away in the next year or two.  Read more

Schooled as we are by Valentine’s Day greeting cards and breath-mint commercials to think of love as something that is expressed in spontaneous, personal ways, we may viscerally reject the idea that what we regard as our innermost, most intimate selves could be governed by something as crass as filthy lucre. Despite the fact that the gospel of romantic love preaches that our love lives are individual and personal, economics has always played a primary role in the choices we make. We are, as Adam Smith wrote, rational actors looking out for our best interests — and if anyone doubts it, they should ask themselves if, all other things being equal, the average middle-class women would prefer to marry a neurosurgeon or a construction worker.

While the latter may have a certain amount of sex appeal, the former won’t get one gossiped about as “could’ve done better.” Heck, just look at the problems Harvard-educated Miranda and working-class Steve had in Sex and the City.  Read more..