Posts Tagged ‘leisure’

Rio De Janerio Becomes First South American City To Host Olympic Games

February 6th, 2010

South America will host the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was awarded the honor on Friday. Rio beat out the US choice of Chicago, Illinois along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain to earn the right to host the games. Despite a high pressure effort from the American power elite–including President Barak Obama and TV gabfest queen Oprah Winfrey–Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. Tokyo was the next to go, before Rio got the nod over Madrid in the final round of balloting.

Bookmakers offered odds on the host city choice, with Rio listed as second favorite at +200. Chicago had been the wagering favorite at most books, particularly after President Obama got involved personally in the US bid effort. Chicago was bet as high as a -300 favorite, while Madrid and Tokyo were priced in the +250 range. Some suggest that Tokyo didnt deserve to have such short odds, but was the beneficiary of regional pride from the notoriously enthusiastic betting population of Japan. Despite some media attention to the betting odds, bookmakers reported that they didn’t receive a lot of action on the event.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, got the better of his US counterpart with a passionate speech that stood in marked contrast to Obamas typically baleful collection of talking points;

“It is a time to address this imbalance. It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country.”

The Olympic committee was apparently swayed by this presentation and paid no mind to Rios many downsides. It is without a doubt the most dangerous of the finalist cities, where drug cartels and armed bands of thugs roam without impunity. Well do to Rio citizens are used to removing watches and jewelry before they drive anywhere lest they be targeted by carjacking brigands. Rios murder rate is also one of the highest in the world. Brazilian bid officials have stressed that security will be a priority at the games and it better be lest the Olympics turn into a bloodbath. For the time being, however, the mood in Rio was one of celebration with over 50,000 residents dancing and partying in the streets.

Some IOC members suggested that the summary dismissal of Chicagos bid was more of a rebuke of the notoriously corrupt USOC. The last two Olympics held in the US were tainted by crime and corruption. The’96 Atlanta Olympics were disrupted by a terrorist bombing, while the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games were marred by a well known bribery and corruption scandal. Some suggested that US President Obama’s quick and perfunctory visit was taken as more of an insult by the delegates than anything else.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Change Your Life for 20 Bucks in 11 Minutes – Be A Winner

February 3rd, 2010

I am sure you know how to read, after all you are reading this article. But just how long will it take you to read this short article. 2 minutes, 5 minutes, longer. Did you know that for twenty bucks, and just 11 minutes of your time you can change your life in ways you never imagined — all by reading. It takes just 11 minutes to hear how Dr. Jay Polmar learned to read fast, and you’ll learn 3 secrets to improving your life through by reading.

Smart people already know what I am talking about – learning how to use your brain properly so that what you read becomes usable data, and knowledge to help you create greater success in life.

Really, the more you read of a similar subject, the faster you read that subject. The faster you read the subject that you are familiar with, the more that it becomes a part of your long-term memory. That’s why when you first study basic primary school math, and you follow it and study smart, and go all the way through college – math is a thing that you become accustomed to. If you’ve studied really smart, it’s really easy, and you can do some of it in your head without calculator or paper and pen.

It’s also the same with reading, yet different. Imagine it this way – you’ll learn in 11 minutes how to read all kinds of materials more rapidly with greater comprehension than before, and get what you need out of it. Of course, it a beginners course, but in 11 minutes your increased your reading speed say 60-80% and as you use the techniques over the next few days the speed increase, and so does your understanding and comprehension.

Once you’ve spent $20 and studied for 11 minutes you will accomplish a great deal. But, what if you learned also, how to read a book for best understanding and comprehension for test-taking or pleasure, and what if you also learn to write a paper for school, or grad school – without stress in 10 days or less, would that make your life easier.

In 11 minutes flat, you will improve the quality of your life for 20 bucks, you really can’t lose. Remember also, the more you read, the better you read, the more you remember – that’s how the brain works. So work your brain.

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Hotel Facilities Vary Depending Upon the Service Level

January 25th, 2010

Many people wonder why they get charged one rate at a Super 8. airport hotels and another at a Hilton when they are using nothing more than a bed. If that is the case, they may be staying at the wrong type of hotel facilities and could use a little guidance as to what to expect based on the top of property that they are staying. Lodging comes in three different tiers and each one of them is meant to service a specific market.

The lowest level of amenities will be received at extended stay properties. These are properties that are strictly meant for longer stays that will not cost as much money as any other type of hotel or motel. The reason the rates are so low is because they do not usually offer the types of amenities that people would generally expect from a hotel.

It is a rare extended stay property that will have a rate anywhere near $100/night. The longer the guest is staying, the more likely that the rate will be lower. For this generous rate, they get very little other than a bed and a parking spot. There will usually be laundry facilities of some type and maid service will be very limited.

One step up would be considered limited service properties. These are properties like the Garden Inn or Days Inn. Room rates are a little higher, but there is not much more in the way of the typical hotel amenities. Owners of these properties make some of the highest profits in the industry so you can expect them to be clean, but they will be run very tight.

Maid service in limited service properties will usually be a daily occurrence, unless they are at the bottom tier of the scale. They may even only offer it on request. While some of them offer meeting rooms and banquet space, it is very limited. There may or may not be a restaurant on property and will probably offer a continental breakfast for their guests.

The hotels with the best hotel facilities are known as full service hotels. For these amenities, the guest can expect to pay considerably more. A nice travel tip is to look for full service hotels that are surrounded by limited service hotels. They will have to drop their rates to stay competitive in their market.

Types of full service hotels would be properties such as Hilton and Marriott. They are typical of full service hotels in that they treat their VIP members like gold. Their highest levels can expect free breakfast, a welcome amenity, honor bar with free hours d’ oeuvres and express check ins. These types of properties are generally required to have a full service restaurant, health spa, snack shop along with high end banquet facilities.

If a travel is doing nothing more than sleeping in their room, why waste the money at a full service hotel. A place like the Garden Inn will still offer a free continental and a high level of service. When the guest wants to be pampered, pay the few extra dollars and take advantage of the hotel facilities that are offered.

Toronto hotels offering business class executive suites, meeting facilities and more. Many location across the GTA to serve you better. Visit us at Mississauga hotels

From Grande Soy Lattes to Cafe con Dulce de Leche: Coffee Culture Around the World

October 21st, 2009

Visiting a foreign land for the first time and totally clueless about where to go or what to do first? Just find a local cafe. Whether its right as businesses and markets are opening, during the slow afternoon hours after busy people have gone back to their jobs, or late at night instead of hitting a bar, there’s always something to learn at a cafe. In fact, the best way to learn about the country or city you’re visiting is by hanging out, having a coffee, and looking around.

In fact, it’s easy to learn about a place by studying the caf? lifestyle. For example, if you’re in the United States, in most any city that’s not a New York or a San Francisco, you’re going to find that the way that most people do coffee is as fast as they possibly can. From driving through the window at the local Starbucks to a number of to-go options in malls and shopping centers, coffee isn’t so much an experience to be savored, but a substance to be consumed as quickly as possible. It seems that Starbucks has been responsible for introducing concepts like flavors and soy milk to suburban areas, though, and even Dunkin Donuts has had to step up their game and finally offer espresso.

That might be news to someone from The United States, who, outside of a few big cities, would never see such a thing except amongst unemployed teenagers. Coffee in the Unites States, if you’re not in a fancy restaurant, is more about getting caffeine in your body to go work a job. Most spots that are serving coffee aren’t serving anything that’s particularly good, and the extent to which the caf? lifestyle exists in most American cities amongst average people is the fact that you can now get something called espresso at a Dunkin Donuts in Boston.

Of course, hop across the pond to The United States, and you’re going to find that things are a little different. People actually go to drive-through windows at Starbucks because they don’t have the extra couple of minutes to get out of the car on the way to work, and even places like McDonald’s have taken to serving Newman’s Organic coffee because somehow Americans have learned that they like the taste of better coffee, but they don’t really understand that the taste is only half of the experience. So while you can get a decent cup of coffee even at a rest stop in New Jersey now, it doesn’t mean it comes with remotely the same ambiance as a country where the caf? lifestyle actually matters.

It’s pretty obvious how things work in The States when you realize that all your coffee comes with is a napkin or a dairy creamer. In other places, where you’re encouraged to sit and stay awhile, there’s practically a small spread presented with even the most regular cup of joe. In Buenos Aires, cookies, crackers, and some soda water come along, too. In Italy, at least a cookie is expected. In Holland, at least a couple of cookies come, too. And in Paris, if you’re going to a cafe to enjoy a coffee, you might actually save money by ordering it with some pastry or croissant item.

It says a lot about a country when snacks come with your coffee. Because if someone’s serving you enough food to nibble on for a couple of hours, they are not trying to throw you out. They’re saying to stay, to sit awhile, to just relax. And that’s an incredible and welcome change if you’re used to a society of to-go and delivery. People genuinely do seem more relaxed places where the caf? lifestyle allows for leisure time. Everyone, from businessmen to aspiring young writers and artists, takes the time to sit down and have conversations or enjoy some private time. There’s no societal penalty, it’s just a legitimately nice time.

But as the world gets even smaller, countries influence one another even quicker, and the far-flung traditions become something more tangible. When Starbucks opened up in Buenos Aires, they made sure to include a latte with dulce de leche, the tasty local treat that’s a version of caramel. So now that Starbucks knows that is a popular item down in Argentina, they might be bringing it to the United States as a flavor, just like pumpkin or hazelnut.

If you’re traveling for business, visiting a different city for a little while, or relocating abroad, the best possible thing to do is to head to a popular local coffee spot. In just an afternoon, you’ll learn more about a country by watching its citizens drink coffee and talk than you would from a whole stack of Lonely Planet guidebooks.

Damian Papworth adores coffee. So he launched the One Cup Coffee Makers website. Here you can read up on your 1 cup coffee maker