Many regard William Shakespeare as the best poet and writer English language has ever seen. Clearly, given his works, I have always been an avid reader of his literature. Of all his works, The Merchant of Venice struck me from the first word. As a matter of fact, I believe this particular piece of literature teaches many things about work, passion, dreams, love and ethics. This piece of work by William is used as an example in many different educational institutions around the world.

Last year, I travelled to Italy on a student exchange program and given my extreme fondness and interest about The Merchant of Venice, I moved around to all the places in the country especially Venice. My friends and I spent too many hours talking about the roles of Shylock, Bassanio, and Portia and of course, Antonio.

Our six day stay in Venice was nothing less than reliving the history penned by Shakespeare. We ordered Pizzas, made some strawberry juices using our Breville BJE200XL and rode scooters in the lanes of the city. It was an unforgettable experience. Personally, I believe The Merchant of Venice as a play was a great teacher about evil and greed that exists in the world. Professionally, I reckon it was a classic demonstration of what literature needs to be like – a thought provoking and immersing art.

While Lorenzo romanced Jessica in Act IV of the play, I romanced Shakespeare’s work every single day thereafter.

English can truly be a beautiful language; of this there can be little doubt.  I have been obsessed with the finer points of English literature for decades.  But we must remember as we soar through the classic literary works that me must not forget about the reality of life’s fundamentals in the here and now.  For me, retirement is staring me starkly in the face, and I must do what I need to properly plan for it.  I have found this 401k calculator to be a great aide in this endeavor.

Perhaps with all the technological advances in medicine perhaps the title should have been ‘Under The Laser’ the times really are changing and I thought it would be interesting to document the people exploring these new technologies, The idea of going in for surgery used to worry people considerably but now we see people willingly booking themselves in for Cosmetic Surgery. It comes as quite the surprise to a great many that people would put themselves through this without a medical reason to usher them into it.

By speaking to these people and taking down their thoughts and emotions before and after the procedures one can truly begin to paint an unprejudiced picture, that reflects the true meaning behind putting yourself in this position.

The media often likes to paint things a certain way regardless of the facts and more often than not focuses on such cosmetic surgery disasters such as the once beautiful Leslie Ash and her unforgettable ‘Trout Pout’. It is shown as an unnecessary  extravagance by the rich, famous and vain. An attempt to stay young and beautiful in a fast flowing media circus that sees starlets born on an almost daily basis.

This may be true in a handful of situations but in truth the ast majority who seek cosmetic surgery are doing this to improve their confidence, and therefore improve their way of life. Some people are better at dealing with certain things than others so you can never judge a book by its cover.

There are also a great many small, minor procedures that are carried out on peoples lunchbreaks such as mole and cyst removal. Again, these are not life threatening issues but when you speak to these people who explain that for 20 or so minute, they are going to rid of the monkey on their back (not literally of course). It is easy to make up your mind about certain things and people but when you see their thoughts on paper it gives you a far better insight.

For many years, the story of Romeo and Juliet has been the most talked about when talking about true love matters. With online dating your journey starts with searching rencontre gratuit online to start your online dating sites exploration in Belgium, Canada and France. Then the next step is to sign up for a free dating site or multiple paid dating sites (if you can afford it). The original story of Romeo and Juliet has very many lessons for young lovers and elderly ones too. One thing is that you must fight for people you love. When dating, love needs dedication from both sides to beat the hate, lies, violence and other obstacle that come your way. Romeo would not stop at anything to see her loved one. Even after learning that Juliet was dead, Romeo made an effort to go to where she was. An obstacle by the name Paris can along his way, and he killed him.

There are times in life when one must just move one after failing to get what they want. You do not have to wait forever for your lover to show up. Before encountering Juliet, Romeo was pursuing Rosalina although that changed after he saw Juliet. Give yourself a chance to love again even after several heartbreaks. The world will never stop to revolve just because your first love encounter was disappointing. The same is with online dating in real-life: you need to send a adorable first message that comes as a gift from heaven for the girl. When Romeo met Juliet for the first time, he seduced her using some figurative language and a poem. We can translate this to the world of online dating with not seductive writing but emotional writing. Seduction plays a major role in dating and you should learn how to use seduction when wooing your girl. You can use love poems or simple sayings that add romance into your seduction art. Be jovial and funny, but not to the extent of exaggerating your ideas. For women, like Juliet you should look for facial expressions to see if you can read sincerity in his words. You can also tell that someone loves you by the way they talk to you, and this was the situation when Juliet spoke to Count Paris and Romeo.

You will also learn not to make haste decisions. Romeo killed himself when he thought Juliet was dead when she was not. Haste decision could lead to undesirable results, so before taking any action about your love line, take time to think. If we again translate this to online dating we can learn that we should think what to do and to take small steps: in this way the girl will not be rushed into a quick date when she is not ready yet. The deaths of the two also mean that, although situations may be as difficult as they seem, suicide is not always the answer. Had Romeo not killed himself before Juliet woke up, maybe they would have lived happily there after. One other thing is that love might not come to you. The two met at a masquerade party, so get out of your small cocoon and explore the world. The lessons we have learned from Romeo and Juliet should be thoughtfully applied to your online dating journey. If you do this, you will emotionally enhance your life to the fullest!

Probably the biggest lesson you will learn from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice novel is that first impressions can be deceiving. This is also the case with online dating. Yes, such perceptions might be important in discriminating people but they are not important in determining how your relationship with them should be. Elizabeth had negative opinions about Mr. Darcy and builds them overtime with every little piece of information she got concerning him. Nevertheless, in the end, her opinion about him changed and they ended up getting married. On the other hand, Mr. Wickham seems lovable and nice, but underlying is a wicked womanizer who is irresponsible when it comes to money. In my honest opinion the Belgian Flemish dating site match4me is a good dating site that focuses on other than financial qualities in men and women, which are very important when one would like to meet its spouse. There is also the aspect of communication when in seduction and dating. Poems, seduction notes and letters dominate the modes of communication in this story. Through communication, you get to understand one another better and confirm or disregard your worst fears about those people. It is through such letters that readers learn how characters feel about one another. Frequent inconvenient meetings between Darcy and Elizabeth washed away what Elizabeth felt about Darcy, therefore creating room for Darcy to express himself to her. There is also the letter that Darcy writes to explain allegations made against him. With internet dating one should also be aware when emailing multiple women at the same time as they both might know each other. To nullify this possibility of a mistake, you should write more specific, specifically to the girls’ individual personality as you should definitely do on Match 4 Me as this will drastically increase your chances on success with girls on dating sites.

Sometime you might have to ignore what friends are telling you when you are dating in order to achieve what your heart desire. Lady Catherine de Bourgh for example is against the marriage plans of Darcy and Elizabeth, warning her about it. Even though she is elderly and knows much, Elizabeth refuses to comply and sticks to what she now thinks about Darcy. Friends can give advice, but you decide which advice you would consider viable and which to not. In addition, you should learn to deal with rejections when dating. It is not always that you will receive love when you give it. As it was with Mr. Collins, Elizabeth rejected his marriage proposal despite having some feelings for him. Mr. Collins recovers quickly to engage and marry Charlotte. Also you will never get to understand what attracts two people as it was with Collins and Charlotte. One man’s meat is another’s poison, and Charlotte being Lizzy’s best friend marries a man she rejects. Rejection and love as well as pain should be accepted with dating via dating sites as well and should be remembered as a ‘numbers game’ to find true love. Dating and seduction is a process, and will be developed gradually. Elizabeth has to understand what kind of man her suitor is before she agrees to marry him. There also must be some kind of long-term dating after meeting each other on the internet before marriage can be considered, so don’t rush yourself into anything too fast.

When you sit down at your work station to do some writing, I’m sure there are times when you literally aren’t able to type a word. It’s the getting started that can be the hardest part. Once you get into the flow, things often become much easier.

However, other than brute forcing yourself to type something, anything – are there any other options that can help to get your creative juices flowing? In actual fact, juicing may well be one of them. The nutrients that we can ingest from fresh fruits and vegetables really can stimulate our mind. Therefore, looking after your body and mind first can then produce the results you’re looking for on your word processor.

A horizontal masticating juicer could be just what you need to help stimulate your mind. Not the juicer itself but by consuming more plant based nutrition, you will aid both your body and mind in being more active and alert. This can only be a good thing as far as writing is concerned.

The point of literature has always revolved around the culture it is created within. Writers of poetry, fiction, and drama often comment (and perhaps even mean to change) on the society they are surrounded in. This necessity for the whiplash effect is no more prominent than within American literature.

As America tried to build its own individual identity separate from England, the writers were slowly breaking from British traditions. The biggest break from it may have come from Walt Whitman with Leaves of Grass, which trickled down to the poets and writers that would come later (particularly in the 1950?s).

There have been many significant American poets that affected me as much as Whitman affected the nation. Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, Rita Dove, Jack Kerouac, Frank O?Hara, and many others have come and forged their own pictures of the slice of America that I am a part of. I only hope to continue what they have done, peeling away the rind that protects the orange pulp of this country.

Learning about a language since its inception, will give lot of information about the culture of a place. It will give deeper insight about the lives of people and make one wiser and knowledgeable. It is good to cultivate reading habit in a child, for it will help enhance one’s memory skills. When you are reading English Literature, you will have new things to learn and remember. Reading gives knowledge that no external force can steal, or take away. When one is well versed with literature, they are able to hone their communication skills to a greater extent.

It is like giving wings to one’s mind with the power of knowledge. There is no greater joy than reading a cheerful poem. It is the power to feel the emotion in the writing that makes reading a powerful habit and more often, it shapes your character. You are also at an advantage of becoming a good writer yourself. This will surely help you keep creative juices flowing and reap its share of health benefits.

As the schedule gets busier, we find newer advancements to have leisure and indulge into hobbies like reading. For example, an automatic litter box to avoid spending time on cleaning the litter, or automatic washing machine and other similar appliances. Gadgets that make reading easier without the need to carry heavy books are also being welcomed, since they have reignited the reading habit. Power to express one’s feelings in a poetic way is a true gift, which comes from a habit of being a voracious reader.

I love to read and I truly believe there is nothing better than loosing yourself in a good book where the author has whisked you off to a far away place and told you a beautiful story of crime and passion.  But for me, it doesn’t stop there – I also love to read because I love to learn about new things as I have a very curious mind.

One of my great passions is reading about cats and their behaviour as I have a beautiful mild mannered 12 year old cat named Tabitha.  I often grab one of my favourites ‘Cat Behaviour Explained’ by Peter Neville and kick back on the sofa whilst she peers down on me from her perch, high up on her cat tree.  It is almost like she knows that I am reading about her and trying to decipher her movements and behaviour and she wants to get involved in a conversation.

This book really has taught me some really valuable information about cats and I would highly recommend it to all cat lovers so that they can really get to know their pet and what they want out from you and out of life.

At one point in our lives, we need to write an essay, either for a school project, a part of your MBA degree requirement or intended for your work presentation. Whatever the reason, essay writing requires a great deal of writing skills and constant practice in order to improve one’s writing and come up with an impressive essay in the end.

Essay writing is a continuous learning process. For some, they may view writing an essay as a compelling task to accomplish but, unknown to many this form of writing would not be as hard as they imagined it to be if they are guided by step by step procedures on essay writing and adopt these in their actual writing process.

A well written essay must attract the reader’s full attention and provide some knowledge after reading it. Here are the 3 vital steps that anybody can follow to improve his/her style of writing:

• Follow the given instructions carefully if you are already given a specific topic to write. For example if your school project requires you to compose an essay about issues on medical billing and coding, stick to that scope or area only. Don’t go beyond that context and if they asked you to do only 2 pages for that particular essay, then comply with the said requirement.

• Concentrate on one main idea when writing an essay. Your objective is to come up with a relevant topic for your writing purposes that would make readers realized your motives. Make sure all your facts are sensible and can be easily understood.

• Once you have all your ideas structured out in a detailed outline, start writing your essay. Remember, to follow all the instructions given to you and check if your essay has the 3 main parts like: introduction or heading, main body and the conclusion for you to come up with a perfect writing output.

Lastly, don’t forget to proofread and edit your essay writing. Verify if it is error free by checking for any misspelled words, incorrect grammar usage and must be pleasing to readers when they read your work.  Remember that your goal is give valuable insights to your readers and create excitement to continue reading your essay.  Be inspired as you go on with your next writing project. Give enough time and preparation as you start to make one good essay.

I love nothing more than sitting in my greenhouse on a warm day writing my thoughts and short stories.

Greenhouses are very popular.  I wonder what percentage of people have one or more in their gardens.  Greenhouses can be fairly small if you only have a small garden or not much space available.  Or if you are really into gardening you can buy huge greenhouses.

When choosing which one to buy make sure it will fit into the space you have allowed for it.  Green ones are very attractive but may cost more money.  Also the wooden varieties look really good.  Greenhouses make a great addition to the garden.  Something you will use time and time again year after year.

It’s a myth that writing a business case requires only a rational understanding of the business decision in question.  Understanding the financial drivers and quantifying them is only half the battle.

To write a proper business case, we must also understand and evaluate the political and emotional factors at play.  This is because a business case is used for both political and emotional purposes. Let’s delve a bit deeper in these two areas.

Political
Politics can kill almost any business decision.  To fully understand the political landscape, first, you must gain insight into what’s driving the most pressing executive decisions.  This will heavily impact the direction of the business case.  For each identified opportunity, you should create a risk profile on the potential financial results if the opportunity is not acted upon.  Furthermore, within the business case, we must demonstrate the an integrated approach across the organization must be taken.

Emotional
Similar to the political nuances, because a business case will likely impact many different stakeholders and their jobs, it is an emotional topic.  The business case analyst should gain credibility and develop rapport with key decision makers and executives.  Within the business case, you should set milestones that will create career wins for those involved if the identified opportunities are acted upon.  The business case should be written, such that it envelops a vision of what the company could become.

If these political and emotional factors are being accounted for, the business case development process will be much smoother.  Access to people and data will come more easily if those providing these resources know their political agenda and emotional sensitivities are being acknowledged in the business case.  Furthermore, eventual buy-in to the finalized business case will also be obtained more easily.  On the other hand, without the political and emotional factors at bay, even the strongest rational business case won’t ever make it past the analyst’s desk.  Instead, it will die a death by a thousand pin pricks.

If I have a business, it is important for me to choose an Internet marketing company wisely, for it will be my best online companion. That will enable me and my business to make the most out of everything invested. That will also let hundreds of thousands of customers surely notice my business and not simply pass me by.

So what can I cull out? Here are some tips that I will do to ensure that I choose the right online marketing company to fit my business:

First, I’ll ask about the company’s experience in the field. That is the best measure of how Internet marketing companies succeed. How many clients have they made happy? That will be a good estimate of how they can make me happy as well. Those companies with plenty of experience will have an intimate grasp with many of the intricacies in their field, and so can more likely meet my various needs than novice online marketing companies can. Years of experience, however, may not correlate well with advancement – there may be new Internet marketing innovations which old companies are not attuned to, so once I need them, it pays for me to inquire about these too.

Next, I’ll ask about the company’s specialty. What do I need? Usually, I can tell my needs and the company will fill it up. Do I need articles? I’ll get a company that specializes in article marketing. Do I want easy views? Then I’ll find a company that’s established in search engine optimization. If I want to promote in more than one way, I’ll find those generalist companies that can handle many facets of Internet marketing at any time.

Then I’ll ask about the company’s plan. I prefer cooperating with a company with a long-term vision. It is possible that my relationship with my seo agency will last for years, so I’d better know what they have in store for me.

So there – that’s what I’ll do to each one in case I’m faced with a choice between different online marketing companies.

Like traditional print publications content on websites cannot always be trusted 100%. There are certain magazines and newspapers that write what could be deemed by many as a “stretching of the truth”, this is being found more and more with a gossip led society needing their daily fix.

The same is now true online, it is not just websites and blogs that can spread information at the push of a button nowadays but also social media and networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. In these two instances a little piece of gossip can be spread within minutes of it being posted.

When it comes to the more traditional website however then there are a few things that can be done to gauge how trustworthy the content actually is. Taking a review site for example such as this E-Lites review, these can be made by anyone but that does not mean that the product they are reviewing has actually been used and purchased by the owner. Be sure to look out for original pictures taken by the reviewer (as they have on this example), email them and ask questions about the product, they should have no problem answering if they have really used it.

Don’t let all online writings put you off, there are many great resources online to learn and to help you progress in life, just keep in mind the things that have been addressed here.

Nothing satisfies me like soaring into the boundless theater of mind lost in a great piece of literature.  I’m partial to German and Russian pieces, mostly, and may of them can be quite lengthy.  Great spans of time have been spent by me curled up lost in the pages of a classic literary tale.  Nowadays, I have the luxury of enjoying these in my own library that I recently installed in my home.  It’s a great way to get away from the distractions of every day life that used to plague my endeavors to get lost in a book.

How did I manage to install my own library in my house?  Simple, really.  I did it because I found that I could easily afford it.  With the help of an amortization calculator, I discovered that I had the paid down enough interest and principal on my mortgage to refinance and build an addition to my house.  It’s a great feeling.

Embracing the beauty of literature and enjoying the heights of boundless ventures of its creation can be a great way to lower your blood pressure.  Use this blood pressure chart to check if you are at risk.  If you have hypertension, read a book!  In case you’re not familiar with the health detriments of hypertension, read below:

Nowadays, heart disease does not only affect old people but young people as well. Even a person as young as seventeen can face the problem of heart disease. So, taking the necessary steps to lower your high BP is a good move. Food can play a prominent role in reducing a person’s BP. Eating fresh vegetables such as spinach, beans, winter squash and tomatoes daily would help greatly.These vegetables have a high content of potassium. This mineral can offset the effects of sodium. Health experts usually advise a person with high BP to reduce the amount of sodium, which he or she takes in everyday. Sodium chloride or table salt is one of the most common forms of sodium. It is not easy to avoid taking salt altogether or even to reduce its intake everyday.This is because many kinds of processed foods and fast foods contain some amount of salt these days. For those who usually eat outside, it might be even more difficult to reduce the amount of sodium, which he or she takes in everyday. It is common for restaurants and food outlets to use a little bit of salt when they prepare various dishes. Another great way to offset the negative effects of sodium is to consume fresh fruits such as bananas and oranges.

Both bananas and oranges have a high content of potassium similar to vegetables like spinach, beans and winter squash. In addition to lowering your high BP, you get a chance to enjoy a better-looking skin if you were to eat oranges. An orange has a high content of Vitamin C, an anti-oxidant. Toxins and other impurities are eliminated from a person’s body with the aid of an anti-oxidant.

So, by eating oranges everyday, a person might not only be able to lower his or her BP but he or she can also enjoy younger and better-looking skin. There is no concrete evidence to prove that stress can cause high BP over a long period or hypertension. But, stress does make a person’s BP go high temporarily. Practicing yoga or meditation everyday can bring down your blood pressure.

Some people may not have the time to learn yoga and practice it. If you do not have the time or inclination to do so, then, there is another good alternative. Just spend around ten minutes or so of your time to sit in silence everyday. You do not have to sit in any particular position, chant anything or focus on anything. All you have to do is focus on your breathing so that it is rhythmic and steady.

In short, it is possible to lower your blood pressure with 3 very good ways. One is by eating fresh vegetables like spinach and winter squash. The other is by eating fresh fruits like bananas and oranges. Sitting in silence and focusing on your breathing for ten minutes daily also helps to lower your BP.

The writing world and wine have never been closer than they are today.  Despite the wine world traditionally requiring decades of experience before having any work published, blogging and the bloggers which fill the internet with wine reviews and commentary have allowed wine writing to come mainstream.

For a wine of the month club, this is a great development.  As more and more people discover that the world of wine expands past their grocery store shelves, more people are going to be interested in buying higher quality, smaller production wines.  They also, are more likely to spend time talking about wine, writing about wine themselves and generally enjoying the wine industry.

The iPad 2 is truly an incredible device. A very handy tablet computer that serves as a platform for popular audio-visual media that includes web browsing, games, videos, music, eBooks, and other applications.

With thousands of books on literature online why limit yourself to what only Apple gives you? There are many more sources for free literature online once you jailbreak your iPad. Here’s a list of some of the things that you will free up once you do.

More Apps

There are literally hundreds of thousands of apps available for iPad 2; however, Apple Computers set restrictions on thousands of these apps. An iPad 2 jailbreak means hacking to its operating system which results in allowing the download of any application you want. This includes all themes, music, and games available for a tablet computer. FackClockUp is a popular reason for an iPad 2 jailbreak; an application that makes the iPad run 10 times faster.

Device Customization

The iPad 2 only recognize USB devices made by Apple. An iPad 2 jailbreak allows the use of any USB device including those with Bluetooth, USB keyboard, USB speakers, headsets, and other devices compatible with a tablet computer.

Watch More Movies and Videos

Movies and videos on the iPad 2 will consume lots of storage space; iPad 2 jailbreak solves this problem. You just need an application that streams movies stored in your MAC or PC. It’s done through either remote PC access or as secondary screen.

Steps to an iPad 2 Jailbreak

1. Visit a reputable iPad 2 jailbreak website to download the software and the latest IOS version for your tablet. Make sure to download a program compatible with your platform, either MAC or Windows PC

2. Connect the iPad 2 to your computer and launch iTunes. Select iPad, hold the shift button, click “restore”, and choose the IOS program you downloaded.

3. Launch the jailbreak software

4. An options window appears, choose your preferences then select “install Cydia” and click next.

5. Get your iPad 2 into DFU mode, and then reboot your iPad 2.

6. After rebooting the device, changes will be reconfigured while Cydia will be on the springboard. The iPad 2 jailbreak is activated.

An iPad 2 jailbreak is highly recommended and does not harm the tablet computer; however, any form of jailbreak is at your own risk.

iPad 2 and Literature

iPad 2 jailbreak allows users to access thousands of eBooks available online. The good news is one iPad can carry 50 or more books (depending on available memory) in one device. Turning the pages is as easy as tapping and flipping the touch screen. This is probably the biggest contribution of Apple to Literature. Reading books becomes easy, convenient, and cool with the iPad 2.

Fire has played a crucial role in the history of man from the beginning. Used initially as a source of heat and as a means of cooking as knowledge and innovation developed then metal forging using fire began opening the door to all kinds of innovations.

Uncontrolled fire is of no use for any of these purposes though which is how outdoor fire pits came to be. Outdoor fire pits are loosely defined as a surface that is below ground level that can withstand and contain a fire while still maintaining it. This is a very basic definition though and fire pits have become far more than just a whole in the ground.

The Ancient Romans were one of the first civilizations to take the concept of the basic outdoor fire pit and put it to other uses. Their outdoor fire pits could be elaborate affairs that were attractive as they were functional. They then invented the hypocaust, a ancient ancestor of the under floor heating that many people consider so sophisticated today. Outdoor fire pit designs were refined for use indoors and then built into the basement of a home and then using flues and chimneys the heat from these pits was circulated to the floors above. Hypocausts were used to heat the homes of the wealthier Roman citizens and also to provide the heat and hot water for the public bath houses.

The overall look of the Roman fire pit still serves as an inspiration for some of the designs for the outdoor fire pits you see installed as landscaping features in homes today. Eventually the Romans further developed their heating systems and replaced hypocausts with charcoal braziers but like many of their other inventions and innovations the concept of a well-built fire pit, created using fire resistant yet still attractive stone and brick is still influential centuries later.

Obviously literature isn’t really concerned too much about directing the readers to making healthier choices in life, a writer may not find a lot of muse a great healthy spinach dinner buy you could write a book about bloody cooked red meat. But maybe making healthier food sexy in literature may inspire more people to lead a healthier lifestyle and ultimately avoid cancers, strokes and heart attacks and other potentially lethal diseases. Fruits can make a scene just as appealing as a masterfully prepared tenderloin and in some cases even more than you would think. In addition it will allow the reader to learn more not commonly used terminology like hyperalgesia or triglycerides that otherwise people may not generally meet, look into & learn. Literature can be used for many purposes, to entertain, to make a mind more vivid, to connect or even to educate and often many of those can be mixed together. Being a great educator while being a great entertainer is what separates a master from an amateur, a great master will teach you so much in so many fields from chemistry to medicine, may possibly teach you how to help people or yourself in emergency situations, rescue a life when it’s necessary, and while doing all that it will stay still amazingly entertaining to read and intriguing to continue reading.

After reading some amazing folks of some amazing writers it may actually feel like you’ve just read an entire encyclopedia, you’ve acquired so much knowledge without the boredom of reading scientific literature that can be mindnumbing. It does give you the opportunity to realize that learning something doesn’t always mean doing something that you don’t really like, as a matter of fact enjoy the procedure instead of hating it. I would certainly wish that more great writers would take this approach in their works and give us the opportunity to find more subjects of interest or for just the sake of being more knowledgeable & literate.

Although when most people think of the Woodstock Music Festival they think of the famous original concert held in August 1969 in upstate New York that was in fact far from the only time a music festival was held under that name and banner although they were not always organized enough to merit things like an official Woodstock poster.

After years of holding these “unofficial” festivals on the original Yasgur farms site in 2009 an official 40th Anniversary Concert was organized. The site was now the splendid Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which does feature a full Woodstock museum and directly overlooks the original festival site.

The gathering attracted musicians who had performed at the 1969  festival including Country Joe McDonald, Jefferson Starship (who had been Jefferson Airplane in 1969) , Canned Heat and the Levon Helm Band. The outdoor gig lasted for eight hours and was performed in front of a sellout crowd, some of whom had not even been alive in 1969 but came to soak up the atmosphere anyway.

Cordyceps is a topic that has received a lot of publishing. Much of the writing done on this topic is in English language. However, although there is much to be appreciated about English literature/ writing done on the subject, some improvement still needs to be done. Not many people know much about Cordyceps. This should not be the case considering that there is a lot of research that has been done on the topic.

Today, there are more than six hundred and eighty documented species belonging to Ophiocordyceps genus. As such, more English literature/ writing should be done on the topic to ensure that people are able to differentiate this species from the rest. Nevertheless, it is important that this writing be based on the existing knowledge on the topic. Although it is apparent that you do not have to be a graduate in English literature/writing to become a good writer, it is important that writers do some research before writing on this topic. This is very important since writing about Cordyceps is more technical. However, someone with background knowledge on Cordyceps can also write on this topic. Perhaps, someone who knows how it has been used in China, since ancient times for its medicinal values can write about it.

Nevertheless, what is more important is that they have a good flow of this language. Many people who are making a living today from English literature/ writing are not people with degrees in English writing. Some just know how to write flowing English articles. These are articles without grammatical errors. Nevertheless, regardless of the topic you choose to write on it is important to ensure that the article is interesting. Whether technical or an article on social issues, make your article interesting. This will capture the attention of the reader. This is very important if you want to excel in English literature/ writing.

Great literature often makes explicit references to nature.  The beauty of mother earth – whether tamed or wild – can make great settings for literature, and when done right, can really assist the author in carrying the reader to an imaginary place where his novel takes place.

Of course, sometimes nature is not just a setting for a story, but can be central to the plot itself. An example of this is the story “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck, in his “The Long Valley” collection.

In this story, the hero Elisa enjoys the art of gardening.  The plot revolves around her love for Chrysanthemums, and how she falls for a man who admires her skill with the flowers.  Feeling strong emotions for this apparently kindred spirit, she gives him some cuttings to care for.

Later in the story, she discovers this man – after leaving her presence – has discarded the cuttings.  The supposed kindred spirit was just craftily manipulating her emotions with his fake interest in her passion.

This touching story illustrates how nature can make a real impact on people.  It also illuminates why so many of us are attracted to gardening.  Working the soil with our hands is seemingly almost an instinct for many of us.

There are many other examples of literature and gardening interacting.  Many of the classic novels of English literature feature garden scenes.  They often serve as places women gather for gossip, or couples meet secretly for rendezvouses.  It is hard to imagine books like Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre without the remote beauty of the moorlands as a backdrop.

No matter whether it is cultivating a rich vegetable garden, growing orchids, or – as in the Steinbeck story – growing Chrysanthemums there is a place inside us that is easily touched by the joys of working with nature.

The standards of written English in this country are dropping alarmingly. Birmingham City Council has declared that their workers should not use the apostrophe in letters or memos, and the omission of this punctuation is perhaps the most common indication of the falling standards. We sell personalised Christening gifts, mostly bone china plates commemorating the Christening of a child, but also for any other important occasion; and the spelling in some of the orders we receive is so poor. We always face the problem of whether to correct the spelling mistakes: doing so shows the customer that they can’t spell, but if the Christening plate is a gift rather than for the customer’s own use as a keepsake, the recipient of the gift would obviously prefer the wording to be correct. It’s a conundrum.

Of course the spread of texting has contributed to the falling standards. Abbreviations and the lack of punctuation or capital letters when sending a text means the same habits spread to other written output pushing the standards of written English to new lows.

When I was in the 7th grade I had an English teacher named Miss Risser. She was probably in her 50′s but she seemed old to us. The fact that she was older gave her a bit more credibility in my eyes because she had been teaching forever and so she much know what she was talking about.

For some reason Miss Risser went out of her way to tell me that I was a good writer. She would occasionally tell me that in the notes she wrote on my paper and she would tell me in person as well. I distinctly remember her saying to me that I was a good writer and I could be even better if I worked on my spelling and vocabulary.

Years later when I was in the 10th grade I needed to get a summer job. Now jobs for 16 year olds are usually at McDonald’s or some other fast food joint but my mom helped me get one at the local newspaper. Because of my interest in writing she wanted to get me something I was interested in and was able to pull a string or two and get me in. Nothing fancy, just minimum wage work where I helped out wherever they needed me.

The point is that because of that positive reinforcement I had gotten several years earlier from my English teacher, I was confident in my writing and actually interested in it. I did work harder on it knowing that someone had confidence in me. Sometimes all a kid needs is a little encouragement and it will lead to great success.

It’s quite funny yet scary at the same time.  Some of the most educated people in this world are tasked with control over a very fragile financial system that is currently on the verge of collapse.   There is impending financial gloom and doom if someone does not sort out the problem that will take place if we do not stop spending and putting ourselves into more and more debt.

The world’s major governments are in some great need for quality debt relief.  If not we face a currency crisis that will be spearheaded by the collapse of the American dollar. Something that would have very negative worldwide effects for all.  So hopefully some of these extremely bright people who we have put at task to fix this will actually come through.

For the majority of mild sleep apnea cases many doctors and dentist agree that getting a custom fitted oral appliance works best for getting the proper type of treatment.  Traditionally people would use the CPAP machine, however this is often not so liked by patients; mostly due to its uncomfortable nature of being worn while sleeping.  Many people end up opting to go the route of oral appliance therapy because it is easier to sleep with an appliance in your mouth than a huge mask on your face, or having to go through painful and often times unsuccessful oral surgery.

Millions of people across the world have learnt English themselves not from William Shakespeare or other English literary classic, but by listening to the BBC World Service.  If you’ve ever spoken to someone who has learnt directly like this you’ll often be amazed at the wonderful accent that is developed.  It’s certainly uch more pleasing on the ear than those who have used the clipped tones of some Hollywood action hero.

In fact nowadays the BBC website has a huge treasure trove of resources for anyone wanting to learn English or more about English literature.   There’s lots of learning resources, educational sections and even bite size lessons for people trying to learn English for themselves.  All of this is free and accessible any time day or night.   It really is a wonderful free resource that anyone can use.  For instance there is a section which takes news stories from the main site and then breaks down the vocabulary used by the story.  Here’s an example of a story about the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin - http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/12/111205_witn_putin.shtml.  It’s great practice for brushing up on your vocabulary and seeing words used in a modern and real context.

Of course it can get a bit boring just learning language purely from lessons like this.  So here it’s an idea to get access to the content contained in the BBCs media player.  In fact using Iplayer abroad 2011 can be a little problematic.   For some reason the BBC have restricted the content to anyone accessing the site from outside the United Kingdom.  I for one think this a tremendous shame that the wonderful content that is contained on the BBC Web site is restricted like this.  I presume it’s to do with licensing arrangements but you would have thought that a public broadcaster like the BBC could look beyond such commercial requirements.

In any case all is not lost if you want to connect to the BBC IPlayer from outside  the UK then all you need to do is hide your IP address.  This is the number that is assigned to your computer when you connect to the internet.  It normally is the one assigned by your ISP which will of course be registered to the country you are connecting from.  However if you can find a proxy or VPN server to use that is based in the United Kingdom you can use this to connect from.  Then the BBC will think you are actually in the UK and you should be able to watch anything you like.  It’s actually very easy to do and doesn’t take any technical skill, in fact once you’ve started watching the show you can disconnect from the proxy server.

Last time we talked a bit about famous wine magazines and how they help you select a great wine gift for friends or family.  One of the things my wife does every Christmas season is to make gift baskets for some of our friends and family.

These wine gift baskets are pretty tricky to put together.  She has to not only find wine, but also other high quality products to include.  It’s interesting that she’s able to find many of those other products by checking into wine magazines such as Wine Spectator.  She’s found that really high quality products often advertise in those type of magazines.

The Beach is perhaps the most famous piece of travel fiction written about Thailand. It is a book by Alex Garland that became an instant cult classic when it was published in 1996. It is a story about a group of young people that hide out on a beach in Thailand on an island that is never visited. The merry band lead an idyylic life in the sun until things start to go wrong, and they are eventually forced to leave the beach.

The book works on several levels. It is about the great hippy dream of living free in paradise – free from visas, free from work and with as much free dope as they can smoke. It is also a story about group dynamics in isolation like the Lord of the Flies. It is also a psychological examination of how man is actually unfit to lead a harmonious life – how you can leave society behind but how the troubles of society, fitting in, falling in love, infidelity etc. follow you where ever you go.

The parts of the book that describe Khao San Road and its cheap hotels with electrocuting showers are well observed and lead up to the shock of the suicide and the  map that leads to paradise. Another part of book that will have resonance with anyone who has been to Koh Phangan are the descriptions of Haad Rin and the debauchery of the Full Moon Party.

I read The Beach while spending my days hanging out on the beaches of Thong Nai Pan. It struck me at the time that Alex Garland must have had the Ang Thong National Marine Park in mind when he wrote his book. It also struck me that he probably went to the wrong parts of Koh Phangan. While the south east has become inundated with party minded youngsters, the northern beaches such as Chaloklum and Bottle Beach remain peaceful and ideal spots. On the east coast Thong Nai Pan and Than Sadet also stand out as blissful and quiet places to spend a holiday.

Besides being on a Thai beach without Thai culture is missing out on half the experience. The notion of the beach as paradise is indeed an illusion just as the book rightly demonstates. Beaches in Thailand are indeed paradisical but they offer only temporary shelter from the cares of life; they are not the solution to life.

When I go on holiday I don’t bring a Kindle with me. I’m frightened of losing it, getting it stolen or sand getting in it. They are handy devices but I just love the feel of an old second hand paperback. An old Penguin Classic is perfect for me. One thing I cannot for the life of me understasnd are ’airport novels’. Who decided that people on holiday should read trash? Why is trash more relaxing to read than a well written novel?

I usually go on holiday to a beach location. My favorite island in the world is Koh Phangan. It’s in the Gulf of Thailand. It’s a magical place that is composed of gorgeous white sand beaches and rainforest covered mountains. Koh Phangan accommodation is mostly bungalows on the beach. Over the years the bungalows have slowly got more luxurious – air conditioning, hot water, TVs etc., but I still manage to find a $10 a night fan bungalow next to the beach.

I divide my time between swimming, washing my clothes, going for walks and lying in a hammock reading a good book that I have saved especially for the holiday. The last time I went to Koh Phangan I read Anathem by Neal Stephenson. I had never read any of his books before, but I was curious about the notion of speculative fiction. I found the plot engrossing and the fictional world he created compelling. Stephenson’s theme of parallel universes and Husserl philosophy fascinating. I’m the first to admit that I got lost at the ’grand explanation’ near the end of the book. But I admired the scope of the book and the intelligence with which it was written.

The book, the sunshine, the cold beers and the warm sea made a perfect holiday in Koh Phangan. Reading some trash by Dan Brown would have spoiled the effect.

Below is a Youtube clip for the movie they made based on Anathem.

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When you’re getting ready to give a wine gift you have a few options for how to choose the best bottle of wine available.

You can, of course walk into your local wine store and ask for some help.  The fact is, not everyone is going to be comfortable doing that.

Secondly, you can look into getting one of the great wine magazine’s which is currently being published.  My personal favorite is Wine Spectator, it does the best job in my opinion of combining wine reviews, with articles and other content to help people who are just starting to learn about wine!

The great thing about a good piece of literature is the way it can immerse you, the reader, in a world entirely of the author’s creation.

A quality novel will pull you into the story, and you will find yourself wrapped up in the characters and setting where the plot unfolds. Personally, I prefer historical novels, as they can act as a great window into life in earlier times.

Just like a glass door refrigerator lets you see the food displayed inside, a good historical novels showcases the way people lived in the past. Whether it the life of the rich southern planters as displayed in Gone with the Wind, or the life of a poor London ragamuffin in a Charles Dickens classic; you can learn a lot about life from reading quality literature.

Even contemporary novels can illuminate the reader about life in different countries. Slumdog Millionaire has informed many about the brutal conditions in the poorer parts of India for example.

Not interested in the past, or in people who live overseas? You can find contemporary literature written about your own country. These books can be a great way to learn something about your fellow countrymen or countrywomen that you may not have been aware of.  There is a lot we may not know about people from different ethnic groups, or socio-economic groups, even within our own communities.

Reading can expand understanding of all sorts of peoples, places and times. Look in the glass door good novels offer and expand your horizons, literature is great for that!

I use to think school was interesting but at a certain point I was feeling it was pointless. Here I was in the eleventh grade not studying English literature but being taught what a noun was. If you did not know what a noun was eleven years into your education I doubted the last minute lesson was going to help.

Years later my daughter was struggling with English and had told me there was no point in learning how to speak or write in proper English because she was going to be a math major.  This shocked me and no matter what I told her she would not listen to me. Then came Drivers Education and all of a sudden she took a little more interest in writing.

It turns out the students had to practice writing traffic accident claims and if they did not pass the forms portion they did not pass the class. Needless to say my daughter found a need for proper English very quickly.