Apartment For Sale at The Dakota Building!

Located in the legendary Dakota on Central Park West and 72nd Street, this magnificent home is one of the largest in the building, and is rich in history and architectural grandeur. The 10-room residence has been beautifully renovated and restored, while the original 19th-Century details and appointments remain perfectly preserved.

A stunning array of grand-scale public rooms begins in the generous 16' entrance gallery with its original fireplace mantel. There is a vast 29' corner living room with exquisite original moldings and stunning floor-to-ceiling windows framing open views to the North and West. Accessed through a set of pocket-doors, the adjacent library offers an elegant fireplace and wonderful double exposure to the South and West.

On the other side of the gallery, the 24' formal dining features original wainscoting, and a fireplace. Overlooking the building's charming central courtyard, the voluminous Chef's kitchen and family room have ample space for dining and a large butler's pantry with temperature-controlled wine storage. Outfitted with beautiful custom cabinetry and appliances from Sub-Zero and Wolf, the sundrenched kitchen features multiple Franke sinks with Water Works fixtures, marble countertops, a large island and a separate laundry room with washer/dryer.

There are four large bedrooms, including the oversized master suite with a luxuriously-appointed marble bath with double-sinks and a separate steam shower and tub. Designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh, The Dakota was built in 1884 and its ornate finials and Gothic gables make it one of the most striking structures on the Upper West Side. The Dakota offers residents the highest level of privacy, service and luxury in one of Manhattan's most distinguished landmarked buildings.

Listing Information

Type: Cooperative

Price: $24,000,000

Maintenance/CC: $8,237

Tax deduction: 39%

Residence Information

Rooms: 10.0

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 4.0

Library: Yes

Kitchen: Eat In

Windowed kitchen: Yes

Woodburning fireplaces: 4

City views: Yes

Air conditioning: Central Air

Building Information

Period: Pre-War

Built: 1882

Building Type: Elevator

Doorman: Yes

Attended lobby: Yes

Concierge: Yes

Building courtyard: Yes

Laundry in building: Yes

Pets allowed: Yes

Further Information:

www.brownharrisstevens.com


Brief and to the Point:

If you wanna be Yoko Ono's neighbor, here's your chance! Having the money is not a guarantee you'll buy it...You have to have your neighbors’ approval to live here!

Remember: Madonna was rejected!

Apartment For Sale at The Dakota Building!

Luxury Hotels of The World - La Residence des Cascades in Egypt

Positioned at the highest point of the Soma Bay peninsula, La Residence des Cascades Golf Resort & Thalasso Center is characterized by a distinctive style and spectacular panoramic views. The hotel is located at the center of the Cascades Championship Golf Course designed by Gary Player. La Residence des Cascades has 210 rooms and 39 suites, all featuring a private balcony or terrace overlooking the sea, satellite TV, digital safe and mini-bar.

Dining In

Restaurants offer a variety of buffet, a la carte selections and dietetic menus: Dunes serving American cuisine; Al Batros serving French cuisine; Continental & Spa cuisine; Spike serving Continental cuisine; and Eagle’s Nest Lounge.

Recreation and Health

Located at the center of Cascades Championship 18-hole Golf course designed by Gary Player. Les Thermes Marins des Cascades Spa. 9-hole golf academy. Tennis. Squash. The Thalasso-Therapy center includes 750 m2 aqua-tonic pool, fitness and nutrition programs.

Features

2 meeting and conference rooms.

Banquet capacity of 90 people.

Features:

Golf Resorts

Health Clubs

Leading Spa Hotel

Seaside Resort

Tennis Resorts

Thalasso Center

Warm Weather (All Year)

Adventures

Beaches

Children's Programs

Golf

On-Site Pool

Outdoor Pool

La Residence des Cascades

Km. 48 Hurghada-Safaga Road; Soma Bay, P. O. Box 403; Hurghada, Red Sea; Egypt
Toll Free: 1-800-745-8883 in the US or Click here for toll free near you.
Tel: (+20-65) 354-2333
Fax: (+20-65) 354-2933

Via:

http://www.lhw.com

Luxury Hotels of The World - La Residence des Cascades in Egypt

Cleopatra - A Short Bio

When one thinks of Cleopatra, one thinks of the image to the left. The seductress on her barge on her way to conquer Mark Anthony. More than 2,000 years after her death, the last Pharoah of Egypt still holds our fascination as one of history's most famous and mysterious women. Her name is synonymous with beauty, sex, seduction, and power. Her legend has inspired filmmakers, poets, and playwrights over the centuries as they try to capture her elusive spirit.

But who was Cleopatra really? Was she a seductress who destroyed Mark Antony and brought about the end of the Egyptian dynasty? Or was she a powerful ruler who used men for her own purposes? Was she Black or pure Macedonian Greek and why does it matter? Will the real Cleopatra please stand up? Classical portraits portray her as an ethereal beauty. But that was far from the contemporary versions of the Queen.

Well for starters she reigned as Cleopatra VII (Cleopatra being a popular name in the Ptolemy dynasty. In fact her mother was Cleopatra V). As you can see from the coin minted during Cleopatra's lifetime, she was far from the beauty portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor, Claudette Colbert and others in movies. She was probably no more than five foot one, and more than likely plump. If Cleopatra seduced men it was more from her personality, her charisma, her powerful leadership and her brain, than it was from her looks.

The Ptolemaic dynasty descended directly from Ptolemy, one of Alexander the Great's generals. So in fact, Cleopatra was pure Greek. In fact, Cleopatra was the only Ptolemaic Pharaoh to bother to learn to speak Egyptian. It was among the nine languages that she spoke. The seat of power had moved to Alexandria, on the coast of the Mediterranean. At the time of Cleopatra's reign, it was the largest, most populist, multicultural and most cosmopolitan city in the world. Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and probably even Jews lived side by side. The city was much closer to contemporary New York. It was a center of learning with one of the most well known libraries in the ancient world.

She was born probably around 69 B.C. and after ascending the throne at 17, ruled for the next 20 years. There is speculation that Cleopatra's grandmother could have been an Egyptian or African concubine, although there is no evidence that this is true. Cleopatra had five siblings, all of whom died before her. Besides her two brothers, she had a sister Arsinoe who was killed on Cleoptra's orders. Her older sisters Tryphaena and Berenice had been killed when they each tried to seize the throne from their father Ptolemy XII. Later there is a legend that Cleopatra herself poisoned her brother/husband Ptolemy XIV, leaving her children by Caesar and Mark Antony as the sole heirs to the Eygptian throne. Clearly she could add ruthless to her other sterling qualities.

As was tradition, Cleopatra married her 12 year old brother (the throne of Egypt came through the female line so for a male to rule, he had to marry a female family member), Ptolemy XIII who she later battled for control of Egypt. Around this time, Caesar's co-consul Pompey was vying with him for control of the Roman Empire. After losing the battle of Pharsalos to Caesar, Pompey fled to Alexandria to seek the protection of Cleopatra's brother/husband Ptolemy XIII. However, Ptolemy's advisors thought it better for Ptolemy to throw his lot in with Caesar. On Pompey's arrival, he was assasinated. Just as Caesar was about to enter the city of Alexandria, he was presented with Pompey's head. Caesar was furious at what had been done to his one time friend and ally. He issued a decree that both Ptolemy and Cleopatra were to dismiss their armies and meet with him to settle the dispute.

This is where Cleopatra first showed the seductive arts that were to make her famous. She had herself delivered to Caesar rolled up in a Persian carpet. When it was unrolled, Cleopatra tumbled out looking like a rumpled kitten. Charmed by this gesture, Caesar took Cleopatra as his mistress. She later gave birth to his son Caesarion. Now backed by Caesar's forces, she defeated her brother, who later drowned while fleeing Caesar's henchmen. She then married her other brother Ptolemy XIV, who was even younger.

Despite the 30 year age different, Caesar and Cleopatra were lovers during the two years he spent in Egypt. While Cleopatra hoped that Caesar would make her son Caesarion his heir, he refused, choosing his grand-nephew Octavian instead. Instead, Caesarion would rule over Egypt and Rome, uniting the East and the West. Cleopatra left Egypt to be with Caesar in 46 B.C. on his invitation. While in Rome, Caesar showered his mistress with many titles and gifts. He even had a statue of her erected in the temple of Venus which scandalized the Roman nobility. Caesar already had a wife named Calpurnia and Caesar's flaunting of his affair with Cleopatra was frowned upon. It was even rumored that Caesar would divorce Calpurnia, marry Cleopatra and make Caesarion his heir instead of Octavius. Unfortunately Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. by a host of conspirators including his close friend Brutus, who were afraid that Caesar would declare himself Emperor. Cleopatra fearing for her safety, fled back to Egypt. She now made her son Caesarion her co-regent after the death of her second brother/husband.

In 42 B.C. Mark Antony entered the picture. Cleopatra had been approached for support by Cassius, one of the chief conspirators against Caesar. No dummy, Cleopatra wasn't about to side with the man who was responsible for the death of her lover. Instead she sided against him with his rival Publius Cornelius Dolabella and sent legions to his aid in his attempt to claim Syria. Unfortunately Dolabella lost. Mark Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus to question her about her loyalty to the triumvirate. Cleopatra arrived on her great barge dressed like the goddess Venus, impressing Antony with her wealth. She invited him to dine with her that night, and before he knew it, Antony was just as captivated by Cleopatra as Caesar had been. He even agreed to spend the winter with her in Alexandria where they became lovers. She gave birth to Antony's children, the twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, and then later another son (these children were eventually raised by Octavia, Antony's ex-wife and Octavian's sister after Antony and Cleopatra's death). According to Plutarch, Cleopatra basically catered to Antony's every little whim, whether he wanted to go hunting or carousing, gambling, she drank with him, and played mischievous tricks with him, basically she never let him out of her sight.


When Antony finally managed to rouse himself from the splendors of Egypt, he returned to Rome to pick up his duties as a ruler of the Roman Empire, part of the triumvirate of Octavian and Lepidus. His wife Fulvia had raised an army against Octavian in his absence and Antony was needed to smooth things over. While in Rome, he married Octavian's sister, Octavia (Fulvia had conveniently taken ill and died), probably to cement the alliance between the two men. Still, Antony's heart was in Egypt with Cleopatra.



After a four year absence (I guess it did make the heart grow fonder), Antony stopped off in Egypt on his way to invade Parthia for a little rendezvous. After rushing through his military campaign, Antony made his way back to Cleopatra's waiting arms. Her charms were such that from that point on, Antony based himself in Alexandria, marrying Cleopatra in 36 B.C. (I wonder if he bothered to divorce Octavia!). Cleopatra gave birth to her third child by Antony soon after, a boy named Ptolemy Philadelphus.


Meanwhile back on the homefront, Octavia remained loyal to her bigamous jerk of a husband. When Cleopatra caught wind that Antony was going to go meet with Octavia, she threw a fit, crying, fainting and weeping until she got her way. Being a woman, she probably sensed that the sensible Octavia might play on Antony's guilt at abandoning her and their two daughters. Antony cancelled the meeting.

It was a mistake that Antony would live to regret. The people in Rome were just a little disgusted at Antony's treatment of Octavia, not the least being her brother, Octavian. Rumors abounded that Antony and Cleopatra had declared themselves gods (the new Isis and Dionysus, how appropriate). Then in 34 B.C. Antony made his children, Alexander King of Armenia and little Cleopatra, Queen of Crete, and finally little Ptolemy ended up with Syria. Antony had also promised Cleopatra lands to rule in exchange for her help with his campaign against Parthia. Cleopatra saw this as her opportunity to regain the Ptolemies' former dynastic empire, and Antony needed Cleopatra's wealth for his armies and his fleet. It was a match made in ambition and greed.


Now completely pissed off, Octavian went to the Senate to declare war on Egypt and Cleopatra. He made Cleopatra out to be the real enemy of Rome, using Antony as her besotted plaything. He even went so far as to read a document he claimed to be Antony's will (probably forged) which reportedly left everything to Cleopatra in the event of his death. In 31 B.C. Antony's forces met up with Octavian's at sea in the battle of Actium in Greece. Cleopatra had provided 60 ships of her own. However, when she saw that Antony's ships were losing to the Romans, she hightailed it out of there. Antony, meanwhile, made the cardinal sin of abandoning his men to follow her. This provided proof to Rome that Antony was just a pawn in Cleopatra's hands.


All was not well with two lovers however. Antony refused to see or to speak to Cleopatra for 3 days after the defeat. When they returned to Egypt, Antony went off to brood, while Cleopatra prepared her country for invasion by Rome. When Antony learned of the surrendar of his forces at Actium and that his allies had changed sides, he decided to join Cleopatra to party like it was 1999.


Cleopatra had begun to experiment with poisons in the likelihood that she would need to take her life. She also built a magnificent mausoleum to which she moved all her worldly goods. In 30 B.C. Octavian finally reached Alexandria. When Mark Antony marched his army out to meet the enemy, he discovered that his fleet had gone over to Roman side. Then Antony's calvary deserted him. With his army defeated, Antony returned to the city, screaming that Cleopatra had betrayed him. Fearing for her life, Cleopatra fled to her mausoleum and barricaded herself inside, ordering her servents to tell Antony that she was dead.


Hearing that Cleopatra was dead, Antony decided to take his own life by stabbing himself with his sword. Unfortunately, he didn't die. He begged his servants to finish him off but instead they ran off. Cleopatra's servent discovered him and told him that his mistress was still alive. Antony was carried to the mausoleum where he died in Cleopatra's arms.

Cleopatra was now a prisoner in her mausoleum, refusing to eat, until Octavian threatened to harm her children if she died. But when she heard that he planned to parade her as a captive in the procession to celebrate his triumph in Rome, she committed suicide rather than be humiliated. No one is quite sure who she died. Shakespeare of course has her dying from the bite of an asp. She died at the end of August and was buried by Antony's side as she requested.

After her suicide, Octavian ordered her son Caesarion put to death. Her daughter by Antony later married King Juba II of Numidia, but the fate of her other two children by Antony, Alexander Helios and Ptolemy Philadelphus, remains unknown but most sources claim that their lives were also spared by Octavian.

Did Cleopatra love Antony or was he a means to an end. No one really knows for sure if it more was ambition and lust that brought them together, but that's a pretty combustible combination. Cleopatra while able to survive twenty years as Pharaoah and countless attempts to over throw her rule will still be known as the seductress of the East who lured two of Rome's greatest men away from their duties.

During her reign, she promoted herself endlessly (shades of Madonna, Britney and Lola Montez), making constant public displays of her power, her image as Pharoah and as a goddess. She also personally led rituals that were associated with Isis, the most important Egyptian goddess at the time. By doing so, Cleopatra insured that her people would be loyal to her.

After her death, Octavian contributed to the making of her legend, by spreading stories about her. The legend grew as writers such as Shakespeare, Plutarch, and Shaw were taken by aspects of her story and by the many movies and television shows since then. Everyone has their image of Cleopatra in their head and no matter of new information will dislodge it. She has passed from history into an icon.

Via:

http://scandalouswoman.blogspot.com

Cleopatra - A Short Bio

The Femme Fatale Throughout History

A femme fatale is defined as a woman of great seductive charm who leads men into compromising and or dangerous situations. This iconic figure has existed in one form or another in nearly all cultures throughout history. She makes one of her earliest and most profound appearances in Biblical myth, under several different guises. But probably the most talked about and debated fatale character from the Bible is Eve.

Eve is viewed as a famous femme fatale because she brought about the fall of humankind and in turn introduced sin and death into the world. She succumbs to the temptation of the serpent in the Garden of Eden and is responsible for Adam's fall. She tempts him with her beauty and sexuality to eat the forbidden fruit. God recognizes Adam and Eves' transgressions and punishes them accordingly. Eve is condemned to pain during childbirth and subordination to men. Adam is cursed with having to toil and suffer for sustenance by working the land. Although many academics view Eve as the first true fatale, some believe another character of Jewish tradition is more fitting to the role: this woman is Lilith.

In Jewish legend, Lilith is Adam's first wife, and she is both sexual and in control. Unlike Eve who was born of Adam's rib, God created Lilith from clay, just like her mate, and is therefore more his equal. Lilith demonstrates her independence, a key feature of the femme fatale, by leaving Adam because of their sexual incompatibility. According to legend, Adam and Lilith fight because Adam only wants sex in the missionary position and Lilith doesn't enjoy this submissive role.

She leaves Adam and flies away to the bank of the Red Sea where she is found by the angels of God having demonic sex. The first appearance of Lilith is said to come from The Alphabet of Ben Sira, a collection of proverbs from the 11th century. She is also present in some oral Jewish mythology.

Delilah is another character from the Old Testament regarded as a temptress. She is a Philistine from the valley of Sorek who betrays Samson, the Nazirite. Delilah tricks Samson into revealing that the secret of his extreme strength lies in his long shiny hair. Then, while he was sleeping, Delilah cuts his hair, forcing him to loose his power, which leads to his capture at the hands of his enemies. To this day, Delilah's name is equated with voluptuary and treachery.

The femme fatale hasn't only existed in Biblical tales: Cleopatra is another classic example of a "Dark Lady" from antiquity. Cleopatra represents the femme fatale because of her ambition, charm and sexual prowess. She married her brother Ptolemy XII at the age of 17. She then led a revolt against him with the aid of Julius Caesar. Cleopatra went on to marry a second brother and she became theof Caesar, whom she followed to Rome from Egypt.

After the murder of Caesar, Cleopatra returned to Egypt and won over the heart of Marc Anthony. She saw her marriage to Anthony as a way of reestablishing power over the Egyptian throne. Both Marc Anthony and Cleopatra eventually committed suicide, but she is not remembered for this, but for her strong character and alluring nature.

Another example of the fatale character is Succubus of European folklore. She is a hag disguised as a beautiful woman who engages in sexual activity with sleeping men, causing them to have horrible dreams that leave them fatigued. The hag is thought by some scholars to have evolved from the primitive nature goddesses.

The Siren of Greek mythology is also legendary for corrupting men. These creatures are half woman and half birds who lure sailors to death by intoxicating them with songs. Sirens are generally believed to be the daughters of the sea God Phorcys or of the river God Achelous. These predatory creatures evolve from the early tales of exploration mixed with the Oriental birdwoman, and they are sometimes linked to the Harpies of Greco-Roman mythology.

In the 1940s, the archetype of the femme fatale flourished in contemporary pop culture with the introduction of film noir. This woman is a stable of the film genre, and she represents the liberation and power gained by females throughout the Second World War: she is sexy, duplicitous and often ruthless.

While the women of earlier screwball comedies and studio musicals worked to reaffirm social values through marriage, the femme fatale refuses to be bound to the domestic sphere prescribed to her by mainstream society. She rejects marital duties and embraces a life of complete independence—often smoking and drinking. The femme fatale uses her sexual powers to string the male protagonist of the film through a labyrinth of lies.

Film noir rarely portrays the image of a healthy marriage or a traditional nuclear family, and this leads the viewer to see the femme fatale as a logical product of her deviant environment. Yet in order to reinstate the status quo, the femme fatale must ultimately die by the end of the film. She must pay the price of promiscuity, and her transgression of social norms, with her life.

Today, the femme fatale still exists in popular film, literature and politics. This character is constantly metamorphosizing to represent the social views of the times and will continue to do so. She remains an example of female independence and a threat to traditional female gender roles.

Via:

www.history.ca

The Femme Fatale Throughout History

Luxury Hotels of The World - Carlton Hotel Baglioni

Features: City Hotels, Fitness Center, Leading Small, City Center, Children's Programs, Banquets, Business Meetings, Spa, High-Speed Internet Access, On-Site Fitness Center Situated in the vibrant heart of the city’s shopping, business and cultural centre, the hotel faces right onto the most famous fashion street of Milan, Via della Spiga. It is just a stone’s throw from...

Milan (Milano), situated on the flat plains of the Po Valley, is the capital of Lombardy and thoroughly enjoys its hard-earned role as Italy's richest and second largest city. Wealthy and cosmopolitan, the Milanesi enjoy a reputation as successful businesspeople, equally at home overseas and in Italy. Embracing tradition, sophistication and ambition in equal measure, they are just as likely to follow opera at La Scala as their shares on the city's stock market or AC or Inter at the San Siro Stadium.

Three times in its history, the city had to rebuild after being conquered. Founded in the seventh century BC by Celts, the city, then known as Mediolanum (‘mid-plain'), was first sacked by the Goths in the 600s (AD), then by Barbarossa in 1157 and finally by the Allies in WWII, when over a quarter of the city was flattened. Milan successively reinvented herself under French, Spanish and then Austrian rulers from 1499 until the reunification of Italy in 1870. It is a miracle that so many historic treasures still exist, including Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, which survived a direct hit in WWII.

The Milanesi's appreciation of tradition includes a singular respect for religion; they even pay a special tax towards the cathedral maintenance. It is therefore fitting that the city's enduring symbol is the gilded statue of the Virgin, on top of the cathedral (Il Duomo).

Milan is founded around a historic nucleus radiating from the cathedral, with a star-shaped axis of arteries spreading through modern suburbs to the ring road. The modern civic centre lies to the northwest, around Mussolini's central station, and is dominated by the Pirelli skyscraper, which dates from 1956. The trade and fashion fairs take place in the Fiera district, west of the nucleus around the Porta Genova station.

Milan's economic success was founded at the end of the 19th century, when the metal factories and the rubber industries moved in, replacing agriculture and mercantile trading as the city's main sources of income. Milan's position at the heart of a network of canals, which provided the irrigation for the Lombard plains and the important trade links between the north and south, became less important as industry took over - and the waterways were filled. A few canals remain in the Navigli district near the Bocconi University, a fashionable area in which to drink and listen to live music.

Since the 1970s, Milan has remained the capital of Italy's automobile industry and its financial markets, but the limelight is dominated by the fashion houses, who, in turn, have drawn media and advertising agencies to the city. Milan remains the marketplace for Italian fashion - fashion aficionados, supermodels and international paparazzi descend upon the city twice a year for its spring and autumn fairs. Valentino, Versace and Armani may design and manufacture their clothes elsewhere, but Milan, which has carefully guarded its reputation for flair, drama and creativity, is Italy's natural stage.

Tourist Information

WalkingTours

The APTInformationOffice, Via Marconi 1 (tel: 02 7252 4301), runs a walking tour every Monday, from the APT office. The three-hour tour takes in the city centre and includes entrance to the Scala. Private guided tours also can be booked from the Centro Guide Turistiche di Milano, Via Marconi 1 (tel: 02 8645 0433).

BusTours

The only way visitors can see Leonardo da Vinci’s TheLastSupper without having advance reservations is to take the three-hour APT bus tour (tel: 02 7252 4300). Advance reservations for the bus tour are not possible – visitors should simply turn up at the tourist information office on Via Marconi 1, off Piazza del Duomo, beforehand and buy tickets prior to departure. The tour lasts three hours and includes the Cathedral, Sforza Castle and entrances to TheLastSupper, the Brera National Gallery and the Scala Museum.

TramTours

Reproductions of sepia photographs showing Milan’s trams are common in Milan’s bars and restaurants. One of the more charming ways to get to know the city centre is by taking the restored 1920s no. 20 tram managed by the private company STAB (tel: 02 3391 0794; website: www.atm-mi.it/eng/tempoli/turisti/ptemplis.htm). The tram departs from Piazza Castello on a circuit that takes just under two hours. It is an ideal form of transport for getting to the Cathedral, TheLastSupper, the Piazza della Scala and the Brera. The two-hour tour price includes stops but does not include entrance to any attraction.

Via:

www.lhw.com

Luxury Hotels of The World - Carlton Hotel Baglioni

Luxury Hotels of The World - The Langham in Hong Kong

This former British imperial enclave (situated at the mouth of the Pearl River Delta, on the southwestern coast of China) has undergone a sustained period of reflection and change since the hand-over from British colonial to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

Hong Kong's role as the gateway to China is more uncertain than ever, with the Bamboo Curtain a distant memory, World Trade Organisation (WTO) accession opening the entire mainland to foreign economic penetration and China enjoying unrestrained growth while Hong Kong emerges cautiously from long-term recession.

Hong Kong has also become far more Chinese than ever before, with many expats departed and a Beijing-facing government presiding over the Filipinos, Indians, Malays, Indonesians, Nepalese and other minorities that make up the city's rich ethnic patchwork.

Nevertheless, the Hong Kongers resist assimilation, enviously spying the rampant capitalism across the border while jealously guarding their separate freedoms and identity. The call for greater democracy is growing louder, while controversial laws establishing a new goods and service tax and a ban on smoking in public places occasion much debate, as does the protracted and costly construction of new legislative headquarters.

With the political reasons for its creation fast receding into history, Hong Kong's geographical oddity comes into focus. The few square kilometres of territory conceded to the British now top the UN list for urban population density.

Hong Kong Island itself is the core of the old imperial possession, with Kowloon just across the harbour forming the other half of the main conurbation. Further north are the New Territories, leased from China in 1898, which form a slightly more rural hinterland. And around this main focus are the large islands of Lamma and Lantau and the smaller Outlying Islands that complete the patchwork.

This assortment of pinnacles and paddies sits in range of the South China Sea's typhoon alley. In winter and early spring, the climate can be mild and fresh but, in May, the ever-present humidity skyrockets and summer is both hot and frequently wet. Typhoons hit during summer and early autumn and, even without them, ferocious rainstorms fall intermittently. Hong Kong is not the ideal summer holiday destination.

The city's economy, which suffered since the Asian economic crisis of 1997, has recovered and is showing renewed vitality. The tourism industry is leading the way. Strong international marketing enabled tourism to recover vigorously from the 2003 SARS outbreak, and Hong Kong welcomed 23 million visitors during 2005, a year-on-year rise of 7.1%.

A large proportion of these extra visitors came from mainland China, though Hong Kong is looking over its shoulder at resurgent neighbour Macau, whose unprecedented tourism makeover presents a genuine threat to Hong Kong's regional supremacy.

In the proverbial scale of Cantonese values, money comes first. And Hong Kong still has plenty of that. Hong Kong has a more determined sense of its separate identity than ever before, although it remains a thrustingly commercial city, whose dedication to fast money has never been greater.

However, its economic future lies, undoubtedly, in aligning itself closely with the Pan-Pearl River Delta cities, who are working together to create an economic power zone in southern China, Hong Kong and Macau.

Away from the business of making money, and its traditional fine dining, great shopping and world-class hotels, Hong Kong has its unsung natural beauties, in the shape of looming mountains, secluded islets, white beaches, hiking trails and island landscapes.

The Special Administrative Region (SAR) government branded the entire city as ‘Asia's World City' in 2003. Visitors can judge how true that is but, unquestionably, Hong Kong remains unique.

Tourist Information

Walking Tours

Walking tours of central Hong Kong usually involve elbowing one’s way through crowds of shoppers. But the Hong Kong Tourism Board (tel: 2807 6543; website: www.discoverhongkong.com/), does have a couple of itineraries, with ‘Heritage and Architectural Walks’ in Hong Kong Island Kowloon, and varied other theme walks/hikes for the outlying islands. Guides and a rental audio commentary system are available. The walks take from two to four hours. The HKTB Visitor Hotline (tel: 2508 1234) or any tourist office provides details. Other operators such as Gray Line Tours (tel: 2368 7111; website: www.grayline.com.hk/) or Splendid Tours and Travel (tel: 2316 2151; website: www.splendidtours.com/) also run HKTB-approved tours. Details of these are available on the Hong Kong tourism board’s website, categorised by theme.

Walkers wishing to range further afield have plenty of well-trodden routes for penetrating the rural New Territories and backwoods of Hong Kong Island, such as the 100km (60-mile) MacLehose Trail, the 50km (30-mile) Hong Kong Trail, or even the 3.5km (2.2-mile) Peak Trail. But bottles of water are essential for any trekker attempting these routes during the summer.

Bus Tours

Numerous themed bus tours are listed on the Hong Kong Tourism Board website (see above), including Hong Kong unique experiences, touring Hong by night, touring Hong Kong’s outlying islands and Hong Kong culture and heritage tours. Tours vary in duration, departure point and cost - for details, visitors should contact the HKTB’s Visitor Hotline (tel: 2508 1234) or the Tour Reservation Hotline (tel: 2368 7112) or visit www.discoverhongkong.com/. Gray LineTours (tel: 2368 7111; website: www.grayline.com.hk/), Splendid Tours and Travel (tel: 2316 2151; website: www.splendidtours.com/) and Sky Bird Travel Agency (tel: 2736 2282; website: www.skybird.com.hk/) all offer similar bus tours of the city.

Boat Tours

Boat tours of Hong Kong’s waters are provided by several companies. Hong KongWatertours (tel: 2155 2088; website: www.chinaetravel.com/) provides a variety of harbour and island tours, while Star Ferry (tel: 2118 6241; website: www.starferry.com.hk/) provides daytime and evening ferry tours. Harbour tours take around 2 to 3 hours. Hong Kong Watertours has pick-up points throughout Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, although the tours sail from Queen’s Pier on Hong Kong side or the Kowloon Public Pier on Kowloon Side. The Star Ferry tours sail from the Star Ferry terminals on either side of the harbour. For a nostalgic sailing on a converted junk boat, the Aqua Luna (tel: 2116 8821; website: www.aqualuna.com.hk/) offers a semblance of Hong Kong past.

Other Tours

Helicopter trips are available for those wanting to discover the city skyline from above. Contact Heli Hong Kong (tel: 2108 9898; website: www.helihongkong.com/) for further information.

Via:

www.lhw.com

Luxury Hotels of The World - The Langham in Hong Kong

THE BEST SMALL HOTELS OF TURKEY (2007 Edition)

An exelent Cave hotel in urgups Cavern hill That Offers, fabulous atmosphere and a perfectly exotic setting.

The bonus here is larger and airier cave rooms,each with a private terrace carved into nook of the cliff, and gorgeous view over the cappadocian dreamscape.the wealth of architectural detail and invention draws one in-one ends up falling quite in love with this infinitely malleables stone womb among other cave suites hotel, elkepevi cave house boasts a lovely kitchen, so inviting it featured in the smash-hit TV series ASMALI KONAK a large garden is perfect for relaxing after a hard days viewing of cave churches.

Private Hamams in creamy wite marble that come attached to flash new cave suites in Cappadocia.


LONELY PLANET (Guide Book 2007 Edition)

A brave and fairly successful attemp at creating a more affordable boutique hotel in Cappadocia, the Elkep Evi boasts three separate sections containing a total of 21 cave rooms, each with a small private rock - cut terrace. They are spacious and pleasantly appointed, with dark or pale hues. From the terrace of the breakfast room, the views are absolutely wonderful. Can you see the big pyramid-shaped mountain in the background? That`s Mt. Erciyes.

Cappadocia Cave Hotel

Cappadocia ELKEPEVI Boutique Hotel Urgup Turkey

Cappadocia offers best underground hotels in the world. Elkep Evi cave hotel has beautiful cave rooms, cave suites excellent for honeymooners, families looking for a large, airy, cozy cave-inn hotel in Urgup Cappadocia. All cave suites are a small troglodyte house with comfort.

They have private cave terrace with unparalelled view of Cappadocia so you have all privacy you want. Between the nicest, charming and satisfying cave suites hotel in Cappadocia Elkep Evi`s cave rooms and suites are reasonably priced. Instead of two rooms, families can have large airy cave room or cave suite in this cappadocian small cave hotel. While you travel in Cappadocia I suggest you to accomodate in a cave hotel. Elkep Evi small cave hotel is an option for you. if you compare comfort and prices, you will see that this small boutique hotel will be your choice. It`s cave suites are magical.

Discover this elegant small cave hotel. Pay atention to it`s new cave suites with private Turkish Bath, they are excellent. A traditional Turkish Breakfast of home made gozleme ( a savoury Turkish pastry ) olives, cheese, fresh bread, an assortment of jam, freshly squeezed orange juice and tea or coffee is served from the hilltop garden with spectacular view of Cappadocia. This is the only cave hotel located at the top of mountain in Cappadocia.

Via:

http://www.elkepevi.com

THE BEST SMALL HOTELS OF TURKEY (2007 Edition)

How to Write With Style

by Kurt Vonnegut Newspaper reporters and technical writers are trained to reveal almost nothing about themselves in their writings. This makes them freaks in the world of writers, since almost all of the other ink-stained wretches in that world reveal a lot about themselves to readers. We call these revelations, accidental and intentional, elements of style.

These revelations tell us as readers what sort of person it is with whom we are spending time. Does the writer sound ignorant or informed, stupid or bright, crooked or honest, humorless or playful-- ? And on and on. Why should you examine your writing style with the idea of improving it? Do so as a mark of respect for your readers, whatever you're writing.

If you scribble your thoughts any which way, your readers will surely feel that you care nothing about them. They will mark you down as an egomaniac or a chowderhead --- or, worse, they will stop reading you. The most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not.

Don't you yourself like or dislike writers mainly for what they choose to show you or make you think about? Did you ever admire an emptyheaded writer for his or her mastery of the language? No. So your own winning style must begin with ideas in your head.


1. Find a subject you care about

Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style. I am not urging you to write a novel, by the way --- although I would not be sorry if you wrote one, provided you genuinely cared about something. A petition to the mayor about a pothole in front of your house or a love letter to the girl next door will do.

2. Do not ramble, though I won't ramble on about that.

3. Keep it simple

As for your use of language: Remember that two great masters of language, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound. "To be or not to be?" asks Shakespeare's Hamlet. The longest word is three letters long. Joyce, when he was frisky, could put together a sentence as intricate and as glittering as a necklace for Cleopatra, but my favorite sentence in his short story "Eveline" is this one: "She was tired." At that point in the story, no other words could break the heart of a reader as those three words do. Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred. The Bible opens with a sentence well within the writing skills of a lively fourteen-year-old: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

4. Have guts to cut

It may be that you, too, are capable of making necklaces for Cleopatra, so to speak. But your eloquence should be the servant of the ideas in your head. Your rule might be this: If a sentence, no matter how excellent, does not illuminate your subject in some new and useful way, scratch it out.


5. Sound like yourself

The writing style which is most natural for you is bound to echo the speech you heard when a child. English was Conrad's third language, and much that seems piquant in his use of English was no doubt colored by his first language, which was Polish. And lucky indeed is the writer who has grown up in Ireland, for the English spoken there is so amusing and musical.

I myself grew up in Indianapolis, where common speech sounds like a band saw cutting galvanized tin, and employs a vocabulary as unornamental as a monkey wrench. In some of the more remote hollows of Appalachia, children still grow up hearing songs and locutions of Elizabethan times. Yes, and many Americans grow up hearing a language other than English, or an English dialect a majority of Americans cannot understand.

All these varieties of speech are beautiful, just as the varieties of butterflies are beautiful. No matter what your first language, you should treasure it all your life. If it happens to not be standard English, and if it shows itself when your write standard English, the result is usually delightful, like a very pretty girl with one eye that is green and one that is blue.

I myself find that I trust my own writing most, and others seem to trust it most, too, when I sound most like a person from Indianapolis, which is what I am. What alternatives do I have? The one most vehemently recommended by teachers has no doubt been pressed on you, as well: to write like cultivated Englishmen of a century or more ago.

6. Say what you mean

I used to be exasperated by such teachers, but am no more. I understand now that all those antique essays and stories with which I was to compare my own work were not magnificent for their datedness or foreignness, but for saying precisely what their authors meant them to say.

My teachers wished me to write accurately, always selecting the most effective words, and relating the words to one another unambiguously, rigidly, like parts of a machine. The teachers did not want to turn me into an Englishman after all. They hoped that I would become understandable --- and therefore understood. And there went my dream of doing with words what Pablo Picasso did with paint or what any number of jazz idols did with music.

If I broke all the rules of punctuation, had words mean whatever I wanted them to mean, and strung them together higgledy-piggledy, I would simply not be understood. So you, too, had better avoid Picasso-style or jazz-style writing, if you have something worth saying and wish to be understood.

Readers want our pages to look very much like pages they have seen before. Why? This is because they themselves have a tough job to do, and they need all the help they can get from us.

7. Pity the readers

They have to identify thousands of little marks on paper, and make sense of them immediately. They have to read, an art so difficult that most people don't really master it even after having studied it all through grade school and high school --- twelve long years. So this discussion must finally acknowledge that our stylistic options as writers are neither numerous nor glamorous, since our readers are bound to be such imperfect artists.

Our audience requires us to be sympathetic and patient readers, ever willing to simplify and clarify --- whereas we would rather soar high above the crowd, singing like nightingales. That is the bad news. The good news is that we Americans are governed under a unique Constitution, which allows us to write whatever we please without fear of punishment. So the most meaningful aspect of our styles, which is what we choose to write about, is utterly unlimited.


8. For really detailed advice

For a discussion of literary style in a narrower sense, in a more technical sense, I recommend to your attention The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. E.B. White is, of course, one of the most admirable literary stylists this country has so far produced. You should realize, too, that no one would care how well or badly Mr. White expressed himself, if he did not have perfectly enchanting things to say.

In Sum:

1. Find a subject you care about

2. Do not ramble, though

3. Keep it simple

4. Have guts to cut

5. Sound like yourself

6. Say what you mean

7. Pity the readers

http://literature.sdsu.edu

How to Write With Style

10 Words to Avoid When Writing

Writing is a combination of art and craft. The art comes from much reading, talking, thinking, dreaming, and writing. The craft is primarily technique. Some techniques are complex, but a few are very simple and will instantly strengthen your writing. In many cases, however, strengthening writing simply means avoiding those things that weaken it.

We have identified 10 words that nearly always weaken writing. In no particular order, they are as follows.

1. Really: "Avoiding this word is a really great idea."
Reason: A really great idea is the same as a great idea. If you need to emphasize something, such as the "greatness" of an idea, use a single word that means what you are trying to say, e.g., "Avoiding this word is an excellent idea."

2. You: "Sometimes, you feel like writing is too hard."
Reason: I never feel this way, so this statement is not true. The writer probably means "I" or "some writers," e.g., "Sometimes, I feel like writing is too hard." "You" should only be used when you are actually writing to, and about, the reader, not when making general statements.

3. Feel: "I feel the government should stop people from writing poorly."
Reason: Which emotion is being "felt"? What is the writer touching and, therefore, feeling? Usually, the writer means "believe" or "think." "Feel" is also used by authors to describe a character's emotions, as in "He felt despondent." Instead, the writer should show the emotions through the character's words and actions.

4. Think: "I think the government should stop people from writing poorly."
Reason: If you write an opinion, the reader understands that you also think it. Just say what it is you think, e.g., "The government should stop people from writing poorly."

5. As: "As you write this word, poke out your eyes. It's weak as it can cause confusion."
Reason: A person usually cannot do two actions simultaneously, so "as" doesn't make sense in the first sentence. It could be rewritten, "Write this word, then poke out your eyes." In the second sentence, the writer should use "because." Until reading the rest of the sentence, the reader doesn't know if "as" means two actions are occurring simultaneously or means “because.”

6. A lot: "A lot of writing could be made better."
Reason: How much is "a lot"? 100 documents? 50% of everything I have written? 1% of one million books? The term "a lot" is meaningless without the context, but if you give the context, you don't need the term "a lot." Also, this is highly subjective. "A lot" to one person may seem like "some" to another.

7. Sort of/Kind of: "Using these words is sort of annoying to the reader."
Reason: If using these words is only sort of annoying, you haven't told the reader exactly what it is. If it is annoying, say so: "Writing this way annoys the reader." If it is not annoying, tell the reader exactly what it is, e.g., "Using these words bothers readers." Use words that mean what you are trying to say, and give the reader exact descriptions. This also applies to "kind of."

8. Like: "Using these words is like baking with spoiled milk."
Reason: If this is like something, then it is NOT that thing. Giving accurate descriptions and using correct verbs will reduce your need to use "like," e.g., "These words spoil your writing." A good simile can enhance your writing, but using too many makes writing tedious, so try to think of a different way to express your ideas.

9. Just: "Some people are just persnickety about writing. It's just the way they write."
Reason: The word "just" doesn't add any real value to these sentences. Leaving them out results in the same meanings and makes the sentences much tighter and more direct: "Some people are persnickety about writing. It's the way they write." Doesn't that just sound better?

10. Used to: "He used to write like this when he started writing."
Reason: Using fewer words to express an idea is almost always a good idea, so "used to write" can be written "wrote," as in, "He wrote like this when he started writing." The problem is that "used to write" and "when he started writing" both express events in the past, which is redundant. In nearly every case, "used to . . ." can be replaced with a past tense verb.

The sample sentences demonstrate poor uses of these words, but you will find good uses, too. In fact, some of them are perfectly fine in some contexts or when used in particular ways. Your level of formality, purpose, voice, and audience will determine whether or not to use these words. If you're not sure whether or not to use them in a particular sentence, our advice is to avoid them.

Precise Edit editors keep a sharp eye out for these troublesome and confusing words. We evaluate their use and, in most cases, find a way to revise the sentences so we don't use them. The result is stronger writing that more clearly and more professionally communicates the author's ideas.

Via:

http://preciseedit.com

10 Words to Avoid When Writing

Ten Beautiful Roads in India

Ahtong , Sikkim



Corbert Park Pathway



Numaligarh , Assam



Dalhousie



Nainital, Uttaranchal



Almora, Uttaranchal



Ooty



Patratu valley, Jharkhand



Gulmarg



Manali Pass

Ten Beautiful Roads in India

Nasa Plans to Visit the Sun

For more than 400 years, astronomers have studied the sun from afar. Now NASA has decided to go there.

"We are going to visit a living, breathing star for the first time," says program scientist Lika Guhathakurta of NASA Headquarters. "This is an unexplored region of the solar system and the possibilities for discovery are off the charts."

The name of the mission is Solar Probe+ (pronounced "Solar Probe plus"). It's a heat-resistant spacecraft designed to plunge deep into the sun's atmosphere where it can sample solar wind and magnetism first hand. Launch could happen as early as 2015. By the time the mission ends 7 years later, planners believe Solar Probe+ will solve two great mysteries of astrophysics and make many new discoveries along the way.

The probe is still in its early design phase, called "pre-phase A" at NASA headquarters, says Guhathakurta. "We have a lot of work to do, but it's very exciting."

Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Lab (APL) will design and build the spacecraft for NASA. APL already has experience sending probes toward the sun. APL's MESSENGER spacecraft completed its first flyby of the planet Mercury in January 2008 and many of the same heat-resistant technologies will fortify Solar Probe+. (Note: The mission is called Solar Probe plus because it builds on an earlier 2005 APL design called Solar Probe.)

At closest approach, Solar Probe+ will be 7 million km or 9 solar radii from the sun. There, the spacecraft's carbon-composite heat shield must withstand temperatures greater than 1400o C and survive blasts of radiation at levels not experienced by any previous spacecraft. Naturally, the probe is solar powered; it will get its electricity from liquid-cooled solar panels that can retract behind the heat-shield when sunlight becomes too intense. From these near distances, the Sun will appear 23 times wider than it does in the skies of Earth.

The two mysteries prompting this mission are the high temperature of the sun's corona and the puzzling acceleration of the solar wind:

The corona: If you stuck a thermometer in the surface of the sun, it would read about 6000o C. Intuition says the temperature should drop as you back away; instead, it rises. The sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, registers more than a million degrees Celsius, hundreds of times hotter than the star below. This high temperature remains a mystery more than 60 years after it was first measured. The solar wind: The sun spews a hot, million mph wind of charged particles throughout the solar system. Planets, comets, asteroids—they all feel it. Curiously, there is no organized wind close to the sun's surface, yet out among the planets there blows a veritable gale. Somewhere in between, some unknown agent gives the solar wind its great velocity. The question is, what? "To solve these mysteries, Solar Probe+ will actually enter the corona," says Guhathakurta. "That's where the action is."

The payload consists mainly of instruments designed to sense the environment right around the spacecraft—e.g., a magnetometer, a plasma wave sensor, a dust detector, electron and ion analyzers and so on. "In-situ measurements will tell us what we need to know to unravel the physics of coronal heating and solar wind acceleration," she says.

Solar Probe+'s lone remote sensing instrument is the Hemispheric Imager. The "HI" for short is a telescope that will make 3D images of the sun's corona similar to medical CAT scans. The technique, called coronal tomography, is a fundamentally new approach to solar imaging and is only possible because the photography is performed from a moving platform close to the sun, flying through coronal clouds and streamers and imaging them as it flies by and through them.

With a likely launch in May 2015, Solar Probe+ will begin its prime mission near the end of Solar Cycle 24 and finish near the predicted maximum of Solar Cycle 25 in 2022. This would allow the spacecraft to sample the corona and solar wind at many different phases of the solar cycle. It also guarantees that Solar Probe+ will experience a good number of solar storms near the end of its mission. While perilous, this is according to plan: Researchers suspect that many of the most dangerous particles produced by solar storms are energized in the corona—just where Solar Probe+ will be. Solar Probe+ may be able to observe the process in action and show researchers how to forecast Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events that threaten the health and safety of astronauts.

Solar Probe+'s repeated plunges into the corona will be accomplished by means of Venus flybys. The spacecraft will swing by Venus seven times in six years to bend the probe’s trajectory deeper and deeper into the sun’s atmosphere. Bonus: Although Venus is not a primary target of the mission, astronomers may learn new things about the planet when the heavily-instrumented probe swings by.

"Solar Probe+ is an extraordinary mission of exploration, discovery and deep understanding," says Guhathakurta. "We can't wait to get started."

Nasa Plans to Visit the Sun

How Difficult Can Parking a Car Be????

How Difficult Can Parking a Car Be????

People Are Strange!!!!

Check this out!!! By Remi Gaillard

People Are Strange!!!!

100 Helpful Web Tools for Every Kind of Learner

By Christina Laun

For those unfamiliar with the term, a learning style is a way in which an individual approaches learning. Many people understand material much better when it is presented in one format, for example a lab experiment, than when it is presented in another, like an audio presentation. Determining how you best learn and using materials that cater to this style can be a great way to make school and the entire process of acquiring new information easier and much more intuitive. Here are some great tools that you can use to cater to your individual learning style, no matter what that is.

Visual Learners

Visual learners learn through seeing and retain more information when it’s presented in the form of pictures, diagrams, visual presentations, textbooks, handouts and videos. Here are some Web resources that cater to those needs.

Mind Mapping

Get your ideas charted out in a visual format with these easy-to-use online brainstorming and organizational tools.

1. Bubbl.us: This flash-based mind mapping tools allows you to chart out your thoughts in a colorful format, share them with friends or embed them in blogs, websites and emails.


2. Free Mind: Mind mapping is easy and free with this Java tool. You’ll be able to manage your notes, lay out a paper and more completely online.


3. WiseMapping: You can access your mind maps from anywhere with this online tool. You can lay out words, pictures, ideas and more easily with WiseMapping.


4. Mindomo: Premium versions of this mind mapping tool come at a cost, but you can get access to the basic version for free. It allows you to add links, pictures and text to mind maps and share them over the net.


5. DeepMehta: This mind mapping tool is built around the idea of knowledge management and cognitive psychology. The open source tool allows sharing, emailing and even contains an embedded calendar.


6. MindMeister: Collaborate with your classmates on mind maps with this great online tool. The basic version is free and comes complete with the ability to create, share, import and export maps.


7. Mind42: The name of this tool represents "for two", and is indicative of the collaborative nature of this mapping tool. It can make it easy to keep track of your ideas, share them with friends and teachers and take them with you no matter where you are.


8. RecallPlus: Students can organize their notes, create flashcards, make use of 3D tools and more in this great mind mapping tool.


9. Mapul: This mind mapping program has basic and premium levels and allows users to map not only text but images and hyperlinks as well.


10. DebateMapper: If you’re struggling to understand a debate for your classes try creating a visual representation with this great mapping tool.


11. CMapTools: CMapTools is free for students to use and allows them to create and share all kinds of knowledge maps.


12. Thinkature: This site allows real-time collaboration on flow charts, diagrams and mind maps with features that include color organization and freehand drawing.


Charting and Diagrams

Love to put information into charts and diagrams? These tools can help you do that.

13. Gliffy: Gliffy makes it easy to lay out ideas in flow charts and diagrams or to create floor plans and technical drawings to help you better visually understand information.


14. FlowChart: Create great flow charts for your classes using this online tool, which comes complete with drawing tools and objects as well as collaborative tools.


15. DrawAnywhere: This online program allows you to create diagrams and flow charts to represent all kinds of information. Best of all, you can log in from anywhere to get access to your diagrams.


16. AjaxSketch: This web-based drawing tool makes it easy to not only create flow charts and diagrams but to do freehand drawing as well and you can use it right from Firefox.


17. XML/SWF Charts: Those familiar with XML will be able to turn their data into colorful and useful charts with this downloadable tool.


18. yEd: Is a very powerful graph editor and creation tool that can be used to quickly and effectively generate drawings and to create easily read and laid out graphs and diagrams.


19. Graphviz: If you’ve got a lot of information about the structure of a website or anything else for that matter, this tool can help you to easy map it out into a graph or network.


20. Kivio: Kivio easy to use diagramming and flowcharting application that is part of the KOffice suite of programs. It comes with features to network diagrams, create organization charts, build flowcharts and more.


21. Project Draw: This program is a feature-rich web-based vector drawing application that will allow you to create diagrams and graphs of any kind of information as well as making a variety of other kinds of drawings.


22. Best 4C: This Web-based tool allows you to create and share charts from anywhere, making it easier than ever to diagram and draw your ideas.


23. LovelyCharts: Charts created through this tool really can be lovely with full color capabilities and loads of graphics.


Videos and Photos

Find everything you’ll need to learn through videos and pictures with these tools.

24. Google Video: Google Video is chock full of educational videos that can help explain everything from how to use Second Life to learn to explanations of psychological illnesses.


25. YouTube College: Sign up with your individual college and share videos with fellow students on this College-based version of YouTube. You can post your own visual notes and slides or look at those of others.


26. Picasa: Picasa is Google’s answer to photo sharing and you can upload images from an art history or anatomy class and study them from anywhere on the Web.


27. Flickr: This social networking and photo posting site can be a great way to share images from a class with your classmates or look for images to back up your notes.


28. Scooch: Scooch is a Web-based slide show program that will allow you to post photos and make slide shows that you can share with others over the Web.


29. Perseus Digital Library: In need of visual representations of manuscripts or sculptures from ancient Rome and Greece? You can find tens of thousands on this online library and database.


30. Teachertube: Teachertube is a great place to find instructional videos on just about everything. You can learn about the formation of mountains, world history and economics on this useful educational site.


31. Screencast-o-Matic: Create a video or photo of your screen with this helpful online tool. It can be a great way to remember how to do tasks on the computer or just to share images online.


32. Jing Project: This tool allows you to snap a photo of your desktop, make recordings of your activities and email or IM them to anyone.


33. Visuwords: Text dictionaries don’t always give visual learners the explanations they need. This dictionary is graphically based, making it easy to see what concepts or ideas are represented.


34. KartOO: Along those same lines, Kartoo is a visual search engine, giving you results laid out in a networked chart so it’s easy to see how topics relate.


Auditory Learners

Auditory learners do best in classes where listening is a main concern. These learners prefer verbal lectures and discussions. Auditory learners can get a leg up on their learning with these Web tools.


Podcasts

Get all kind of supplementary education materials through these great podcast tools.

35. ProfCasts: Turn a PowerPoint presentation into a useful and portable podcast using this tool. It can be a great way to put class materials into a format you can bring with you anywhere.


36. Moodle: Post and share podcasts with an interactive online community using Moodle. You can not only post your own podcasts but get access to those of others that could provide educational value to you.


37. First Class: This collaboration and communication software offers a podcast publishing feature that can be great for educational purposes.


38. Podomatic: Find, share and publish your podcasts through Podomatic. You can search for existing podcasts that may cover topics you’re researching or that are relevant to your classes.


39. Podcast.net: Podcast.net provides a huge listing of podcasts from all over the Web. You’ll be able to find just about anything you need in an easy, audio format.


40. Educational Podcast Network: Narrow your search for podcasts down to those dedicated to education. You can learn about everything from math to dance right on your iPod.


41. PoducateMe: Don’t know the first thing about podcasting or how you can use it to make education a little easier? This site has all the information you need.


Presentation Tools

Put your notes or classroom information into an audio format with these handy apps.


42. Zoho Show: This great online tool allows you to create, edit and share presentations online making it easy to create


43. Eyespot: Users can create video mixes online and share them with others on this site and can even add effects to their graphics and music.


44. Thumbstacks: Thumbstacks allows users to create a web-based presentation or slide show and then share it with others.


45. SlideShare: This site takes more of a networked approach to creating presentations allowing you to post your presentations and browse those of other users.


46. Empressr: You can access your organized class materials or projects from anywhere with this tool and share them with friends and other classmates easily.


47. ThinkFree Show: If you are using PowerPoint to organize your class notes into a more visual and audio conducive format then you can take advantage of this site which makes it easy to take them to the Web.


48. AuthorStream: Another PowerPoint centered program, AuthorStream makes it simple to upload and share your presentations.


49. Toufee: If Flash is more your style you can use this online tool which gives you the tools needed to publish and play flash presentations and movies.


50. PhotoStory 3: Make your slides for class a little more interesting with this free program from Microsoft. You can add special effects or your own voice narration.


Audio Tools

Listen and edit your sounds and music with these tools.

51. Jamglue: Mix and edit your audio clips with this online tool and when you’re done, share the finished product with other online visitors in a YouTube like format.


52. Audacity: One of the most popular free audio editors out there, audacity is multi-featured and allows users to record and edit in all kinds of formats.


53. Wave Surfer: Visualize and manipulate sounds with this free and customizable tool.


54. Looplab: Create and manipulate short loops and phrases with this great sound editing tool.


55. LAME: This open source tool makes it easy to encode and manipulate MP3s.


Text Readers

Understand material better when it’s read out loud? These Web tools can do that for you.


56. Adobe Acrobat Reader: You may not know this, but Adobe Reader has a feature that will allow the contents of the document to be read out loud. It can be a great way for the more auditorially inclined to get through readings.


57. Read Please: Cut and paste text or type it directly into the input form on this site and the program will read it to you. It can be a very useful tool for making sure essays and projects are written correctly.


58. Text Reader: Here you’ll find a tool that will give you audio for any text you feed into it.


59. Expressivo: This simple text reader will give you a variety of audio readings when you paste or type text into the entry form.


60. ItCanSay: This site has a great online text reader and can also give you some help pronouncing difficult words that aren’t said like they’re spelt.


61. Midomi: While not quite a text reader, this tool couldn’t be left out of this list. It’s a search engine that is based on sound rather than text. It can be a more intuitive way to find things if you respond better to sounds.


Audio Books


Those who have trouble retaining information from printed words can listen to their assigned reading instead with help from these sites.


62. LibriVox: This site provides free audiobooks for books in the public domain and has numerous titles. If you don’t find what you want, see if you can volunteer to create a recording of the book yourself.


63. History and Politics Out Loud: Here you’ll find speeches, historical information and more in an audio format, making it easier to take in and absorb for the auditory learner.


64. Audible: This subscription site allows visitors to download from thousands of audio books, both best sellers and classics making it easy to find what you need for class.


65. Project Gutenburg: Books that are no longer under copyright can be found here and there is a special section for audio books, both read by computers and by humans.


66. Free Books.org: If your class is reading an older text you may be able to find a free version of it to listen to on this site. It contains recordings of numerous out of copyright books.


Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners do best when they interact and touch things. They prefer a hands-on approach to learning and enjoy interacting with classroom materials and those around them. These tools can help keep these inquisitive learners busy.


Note Taking Tools

No matter what you’re reading or watching you can make it more interactive by taking notes and these tools can help.


67. MyNoteIT: This great tool allows students to take and store their notes online, edit them with the help of classmates, look up words or terms you don’t understand and keep track of things you need to do.


68. Google Docs: With this program from Google you can take notes online, save them, and even send them to your peers for collaboration.


69. Notely: Keep your class notes, to-do lists and more organized and easy to access with this site.


70. NoteMesh: This site allows students from the same class to share notes by creating a wiki, making it easy and practical to work together.


71. Stu.dicio.us: Here, students are able to actively organize their class materials, take and store notes, share information and even link to online reference sites.


72. ShortText: This is a very simple tool for taking notes online. Simply enter your text, hit save, and you’ve got an online note you can revisit anytime you like.


73. YourDraft: Take notes with this rich text editor and share and save them online.


74. Stickkit: Get an intelligent sticky note with this great online program. It looks at the text on your notes and can recognize important dates, bookmarks, emails and more, organizing them for you and making it easy to stay on top of everything.


75. SyncNotes: If you use a PDA this can be a great way to keep your notes accessible on both your main computer and your portable device.


76. JotCloud: If you’re the type that loves to put sticky notes all over everything then you’ll enjoy this online note taking tool. It allows you to create clouds of stickies anywhere you need them.


77. NoteCentric: Store and share your classroom notes with this innovative site. It keeps your notes organized so you can reference them later and you can easily access it through a Facebook account.


Bookmarking


Mark references for later while you’re researching with these tools.


78. del.icio.us: This online tool makes it easy to mark sites you find interesting to use for later research or to send to friends and project partners.


79. Clipmarks: Don’t waste time searching through webpages you’ve already read to find the content you needed. Instead, clip it out this this tool. You can clip and email bits to yourself as you go making online research more active.


80. Wizlite: Don’t just save online material for later, highlight and tag it just like you would a real book with this great online tool.


81. i-Lighter: Help make online reading a little more hands on with this highlighting program. It allows you to mark parts of online text you found interesting or want to revisit later.


82. Web-Chops: Web-Chops allows you to clip out any part of a webpage then save and share these clips. It can be a great way to study for tests or prepare for papers in a more interactive fashion.


83. Furl: This social bookmarking site makes it easy to keep track of webpages you were interested in, share them with classmates and keep them organized for research.


84. Ma.gnolia: Search through sites others have bookmarked as interesting or use the site to highlight your own information from the Web and keep it in an easy to find place.


85. Blinklist: Make lists of sites that are relevant to whatever you’re working on with Blinklist. If you have a blog, you can even have the links appear automatically on it, making them super easy to access later.

Interaction


Get involved with the material with these online applications.


86. Flash Card Machine: This site allows you to create web-based flash cards to study the information you have for class using text and pictures.


87. Quia: With Quia, you’ll be able to create your own online quizzes and educational games to help you study your materials in a more interactive fashion.


88. Quizlet: Quizlet makes it easy to study things like vocabulary words with it’s online study tools. You can make quizzes, use your friend’s or browse existing flashcards on the site.


89. Pauker: This open source program will test your short and long term memory with a system that makes it easy to create and reuse flashcards and quizzes.


90. Learner.org Interactives: Need a more interactive explanation of a concept from class? You’ll find dozens of educational ones here that can help explain geology, chemistry, math and more.


Collaboration


These chatting and networking tools can make it easy to interact with classmates and friends.


91. Meebo: This website allows students to IM from anywhere, even computers without the software installations for major programs like AIM, Yahoo!, MSN and more.


92. Campfire: Here students can create password protected chat rooms to discuss their assignments, collaborate on projects or just chat. Best of all, you won’t need to install a thing.


93. CollegeRuled: Students can set up class message boards, create to-do lists and interact with classmates on this site.


94. Campusbug: This site provides a social learning network where students can interact and chat with each other while asking questions and getting answers about class materials.


95. Facebook: One of the most popular social network sites for students, Facebook provides a place where classmates can come together to chat about assignments, keep up with their lives and post links to sites, videos and photos.


96. Backpack: Backpack allows students to organize their notes, to-do lists and calendars while sharing information and working with classmates.


97. The Campus Center: Students can get together and network on this site and also have access to note taking and spreadsheet programs.


98. JotSpot: Working in a group just became easier with this online wiki tool that allows students to share notes, project ideas and information in an easily accessible format.


99. WebBrush: Collaborate in a fun and creative way with this tool that lets students send drawings and graphics to one another.


100. Grouptivity: This site allows students to use email to start a group discussion about class projects and assignments or just to complain about their professors.

100 Helpful Web Tools for Every Kind of Learner