Paul McCartney: All You Need is Vegetables

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paulmccartneyYes! Yes! I know “All You Need Is Love” is a John song, but I thought it sounded better than “Let it Beet” or “The Long and Winding Rutabaga.”

All this vegetable talk is in regards to Sir Paul McCartney’s recent appeal for everyone to go meatless on Mondays.

The ultimate goal of these meatless Mondays is to cut down on the amount of gaseous emissions from farm animals and thus slow down the effects of global warming. Apparently farm animals “emit” more greenhouse gases than all the world’s cars combined-sounds like we need hybrid cows not hybrid cars.

While it sounds a little odd to ask people to give up their Whoppers in order to stop bovine flatulence, Sir Paul has been a vegetarian for decades. Besides, this type of culinary activism certainly hasn’t hurt the sale of Paul McCartney tickets.

Sir James Paul McCartney was born on June 18th, 1942 and is a former Beatle. McCartney is a multiple Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, film producer, record producer, painter, and animal rights activist. He gained worldwide fame as a member of The Beatles, alongside John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.

This summer Paul is everywhere.

Just announced, the former Beatle is selling New York tickets for an added third show. This new date, the last of three Big Apple performances (July 17th and 18th), is scheduled for July 21st at the New York Mets’ new ballpark, Citi Field.
These dates continue McCartney’s tradition of performing at the Mets’ home stadium. In 1965, the Beatles were the first music act to perform in the Mets’ former home, Shea Stadium.

During Billy Joel’s “Last Play at Shea,” Sir Paul joined “Soused Billy” for one last sing-a-long before they tore the place down.

Now, Paul McCartney will be the first music act to perform at the Mets’ new digs.

While it’s definite that McCartney will play at the new Citi Field, rumors are swirling about Paul McCartney Boston tickets for two shows at venerated Fenway Park. Just imagine combining two great things, McCartney and Fenway!

The park’s management has filed for a license to host two concerts, both with pyrotechnics, for August 5th and 6th. Those dates just happen to coincide with a Red Sox road trip.

Insiders believe Fenway management is waiting to reveal McCartney’s first ever Fenway concerts until a June 22nd public hearing.

Fenway and Shea aren’t the only historic North American performances Sir Paul has on his schedule in 2009. Paul McCartney Halifax tickets are on sale for a July 11th performance-his only concert in Canada in 2009.

Sir Paul’s gig in Halifax overlaps the famous Tall Ships Nova Scotia Festival. Promoters are expecting 60,000 fans to see McCartney rock the ‘Fax.

Even at 67, Sir Paul McCartney is still delighting fans with his legendary music and he’s still making rock and roll history. And just like when he was a Beatle, he’s still trying to change the world, only now it’s one meatless day at a time.

Author Bio: Ryan Hogan writes for Best Show Tickets, a website that sells all kinds of sports, theater and concert tickets like Paul McCartney tickets.


Smoking Facts

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I’m really glad that I can’t smoke in public places any more in the UK and that other countries are banning smoking in restaurants and bars etc. I just wish that these smoking bans had happened years ago when we became more aware of the link between smoking tobacco and ill health.

Despite more awareness the amount of cigarettes bought in Britain last year was over 47 billion. As each cigarette contains over 4,000 chemicals and at least 40 of those chemicals can cause cancer that’s like 47 billion health hits being fired at us Brits every year and we pay for the privilege!

To be fair the UK government have ramped up it’s anti smoking campaign. In 2008 the cigarette companies were made to add graphic images of throat cancer and rotting lungs and teeth to cigarette packets. A year earlier the legal age for buying tobacco products was raised from 16 to 18.

There is now a voluntary scheme in place for shops where anybody who doesn’t look 25 has to show the correct id when buying age related products like cigarettes.

Smoking is on the decrease but even so it is still the biggest killer and over 106,000 people in the UK died last year due to smoking. It isn’t just smokers whose health suffers from the effects of smoking tobacco, anybody who breathes in the smoke from tobacco is at risk.

Frightening isn’t it? We pay to risk our lives and the lives of those around us by partaking in what is really an unpleasant habit that tastes nasty and smells disgusting.

What I have noticed in recent years is that we don’t offer our cigarettes around as much. Years ago whenever you were in any sort of social environment you offered your cigarettes or cigars to those around you and they did the same. You could end up smoking several different brands and with a cough or sore throat from switching about, but offering cigs out was the done thing.

Now if you are in an area that it is acceptable to smoke the likelihood of being offered even a roll up is lower, perhaps because smokers have been made to feel uncomfortable about their habit.

I don’t think that smokers smoke in front of children as much nowadays. I look around at my family and neighbours and most of them now go outside the home away from their kids to smoke.

Apart from being more aware of the damage that can be done to children’s health youngsters are also being made aware of the harm that smoking tobacco causes and are joining in the chorus of disapproval. Children tell their parents off for smoking, children are frightened that they may lose their parent or parent because of smoking tobacco products.

As I said at the beginning of this article, I really do wish that the smoking bans had happened years ago then maybe I wouldn’t have damaged my health by smoking cigarettes for nigh on 40 years.

Hopefully I have quit smoking in time to reclaim my health and the 10 years lifespan that I was losing as a long term smoker. Sometimes I feel angry that I have been able to easily buy something that is the world’s top cause of preventable death and it is still easily available.

Instead of dwelling on that I am celebrating the fact that I have stopped smoking after years of trying to give up smoking. I feel healthier, my bank balance is healthier and those around me are healthier – that’s a result!

Are you struggling to stop smoking? I was but not any more. Just click on giving up smoking to follow my progress, or visit the stop smoking forum. Grab yourself a free copy of How To Stop Smoking Forever

History of Beyonce’s Career

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beyonceBeyonce Giselle Knowles was born September 4th, 1981 in Houston, Texas to Matthew and Tina Knowles as the first born of two girls. Before she reached the age of seven she was singing and showing signs of great talent. When she was seven, she was already attending dance school and was a soloist in the church choir.

By the time she reached her teen years, any spare time she could find was spent with her childhood pals, LaTayia Roberson, Kelly Rowland and LeToya Luckett, performing at local functions. The girls, then known as “Girl’s Tyme” tried their luck at Star Search but did not make the cut. Beyonce’s Dad gave up his good paying job in order to devote his time promoting the band. To this day Matthew Knowles manages his daughter’s career.

After trying a few different names, the girls settled on Destiny’s Child. The musical debut for the group was the song “Killing Time”, which appeared on the soundtrack for the “Men in Black” movie, released in 1997. A year later, they had number one single with the song, “No,No,No, Part 2.” The quartet became a trio later on that same year with the departure of LeToya and LaTayia, who decided to pursue individual careers. Destiny’s Child continued onwards and became one of the top R&B/Pop groups in 2000 accumulating four Billboard Hot 100 number one singles and numerous top ten hits, as well as two albums that went to number one.

The group’s second album continued with great success with tracks like “Say My Name,” “Jumpin’ Jumpin,’” and the very successful “Bug A Boo.” In the 2001, two Grammy awards were given to “Say My Name”. They followed up with a third album, “Survivor,” which produced such hits as the title track as well as “Bootylicious”. The group decided to disband by 2005 but had at that time proven themselves as one of the top selling female groups in music history.

Beyonce had proven her worth and skills as a songwriter. She won the 2001 Songwriter of the Year, awarded by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards. This made her the first African-American woman to win the award and only the second woman to win. She also spent a bit of time working on solo projects which at first was not as successful as the projects with the trio, but she was not easily discouraged.

When she finally released her solo debut album, “Dangerously in Love”, it went right to the top selling over 300,000 copies in just the first week and went platinum 3 weeks later, in June of 2003. The single from the album,”Crazy in Love” topped the charts and stayed there for over 8 weeks. Later that same year her album and the single topped the charts at the same time which put her on the same level as such musical wonders as The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart. She was and still is the only female artist to have accomplished this feat. This helped make Beyonce one of the biggest artists in both sales and popularity for 2003.

In 2004 she won five Grammy Awards. On the Destiny’s Child album released in 2005, Beyonce released a song called “Check on It,” which was used on the soundtrack of “The Pink Panther Movie,” released in 2006.

In correspondence with her 25th birthday, she released a second album called “B’day,” which sold more than her first solo album, with 541,000 copies sold in the first week after release. The lead single from the album, “Deja Vu,” became a number one hit on the US R&B charts.

Not only has Beyonce had success in music, but also on the movie screen. She may be best known for the character Foxy Cleopatra in the 2002 summer movie, “Austin Powers in Goldmember” along side Michael Caine and Mike Myers. In 2003 she appeared beside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the movie “The Fighting Temptations”. In 2006, she got chance to pay homage to Diana Ross in a movie based on a Broadway musical depicting the lives of the Supremes. Beyonce showed off her incredible acting skills, playing the part of Ms. Ross in the Movie titled, “Dreamgirls”, which opened with first weekend sales of $8 million and has grossed well over $100 million to date.

Beyonce’s talent has shown no end in sight and her fans are looking forward to see what is yet to come.

Author Bio: Looking for Beyonce music videos online? Featuring the largest collection of music videos online with all of the most popular artists and bands including Eminem, Akon, Lil Wayne music and many others!

Waiting For A Train With Electric Cigarettes

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I was getting restless waiting for the train and without thinking pulled my electric cigarette out of my pocket and had taken a couple of long puffs at it before noticing the evil looks that I was getting from my fellow travellers. I held my e cig up for them to see while guiltily saying “It’s an electronic cigarette, safe and legal to smoke in public places.”

The evil looks quickly turned to interest and I heard comments like ‘I’ve heard of them’, ‘they are supposed to be good’ and was asked by an elderly lady who looked as if she thought it was a wind up ‘What are they?”

I showed them my e cig as I replied ”This is a battery, atomiser and a nicotine cartridge. Although the cartridges contain nicotine they do not contain the 4,000 plus harmful chemicals that cigarettes contain. The smoke that you see is just  harmless vapour  not second hand tobacco smoke”.

An elderly couple were the most interested, they asked me if electronic cigarettes really were safe to smoke. My  reply was “As far as I’m aware they are and without the tar and chemicals they have got to be much safer than the effects of smoking normal cigarettes”.

“Aren’t they just as addictive?” a young man asked.

“Yes” I replied, “but I am using them the same way that I would use nicotine patches to wean myself off tobacco”.

I went on to explain that you can get nicotine cartridges in different strengths just like nicotine patches and that this way of quitting smoking was working for me. I told them that after several weeks of no cigarettes I felt fitter and healthier and that I was using the electronic cigarette less and less because I had mainly lost the habit while I was dealing with the addiction.

“Where can you buy them from?” Several of those around me wanted to know and when I told them the Internet lost some interest, but then I could hear them working a way round it with comments like “We can go on the computer at the library”, “…mobile goes on the Internet”.

The amount of interest was amazing and especially from the older end. I’ve seen that before when I’ve been out and about with my e-cigarette. What I think is that after smoking for many years they are getting more and more symptoms of just why tobacco cigarettes are bad for them and that’s frightening. Like me they have probably tried to stop smoking and failed many times and the possibility of a new way that might help them is bound to be of interest to them.

However, no matter how much interest there is a sticking point. As always I was asked how much e-cigs are while I was waiting for the train.

Prices vary, but I paid £50 for my starter pack and 25 extra cartridges – enough to last me for at least 6 weeks. After that there is only the much lower cost of cartridges or refill fluid. I’m personally saving over £20 every week.

As I saw my train approaching and fellow travellers interest waining I asked myself  “What price health?”.

Are you struggling to stop smoking? I was but not any more. Just click on giving up smoking to follow my progress, or visit the stop smoking forum. Grab yourself a free copy of How To Stop Smoking Forever

A Wonderful Safari in Zambia

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lake tanganyika ZambiaI was fortunate recently to spend four nights on safari in Zambia, in the pristine splendour of the Lower Zambezi Valley.  It’s an area I know well, and I was returning to a lodge I had fallen in love with some years previously.  However the lodge had been recently taken over and completely upgraded into what I can now rank as one of the finest lodges I’ve ever experienced.  My business is in tourism so I have travelled quite a lot in Africa and have been privileged to have a taste of some of the best accommodation on offer.

My destination – Royal Zambezi Lodge – lies perched on the banks of the Zambezi River in the Lower Zambezi Valley, which is part of the Great Rift Valley of Africa.  This stunning, unspoilt area is the perfect place to chill out yet it’s only 30 minutes by light aircraft from bustling Lusaka.  And the lodge is only 3 km from the Lower Zambezi National Park, which is teaming with game. With the mighty river stretching out in front, the bush and the backdrop of the escarpment behind, the setting is perfect for a relaxing few days in the bush.

Accommodation is in super luxury “tents” on the banks of the river, where the dawn and the sunrise are your wake up call each morning.  The 8 rooms and 4 suites are very private, being surrounded by bush, so there’s no need to use the blinds, and an uninterrupted picture of sunrise over the Zambezi greets you every morning.

The suites are the last word in ultra luxury.  Here you get a private plunge pool, outdoor bath and shower (as well as an enormous indoor bathroom en suite) and a sala overlooking the river.  A sala is a secluded “gazebo” with a day bed – perfect for afternoon naps.

This destination is miles from “civilisation” as we know it – there are no roads, cars, telephones, cellphones – nothing but the sheer beauty of the African bush.  The silence is broken only by hippos grunting, birds singing and, if you are lucky, the sound of hyena and lion in the night.

Whilst this destination is the ultimate in luxury chill-outs, there are many activities from which to choose – game drives and walks, fishing for the fighting Tiger Fish, boating and canoeing.  There’s also a wonderful spa where you can be spoilt rotten with massages and beauty treatments.

The staff are incredibly good – charming, friendly, experienced and willing.  And the food is excellent too.  All in all this very exclusive hideaway will introduce you in the nicest possible way to the “real” Africa.  Such luxury comes at a price but, for a once in a lifetime experience of unspoilt Africa, this is definitely the place to indulge yourself.

British Airways conveniently fly from London direct to Lusaka three times a week, and Lusaka is also easily accessible from Johannesburg and Nairobi.  So it’s very easy for you to experience a safari in Zambia for yourself!

Jacquie Stafford has lived in Africa for over 40 years and has a passion for travel and wildlife.  She now designs personalised tours to some of Africa’s most exciting destinations. For more insights on safari life visit her website – http://www.kunjani.co.za

Article Source: http://articlesabroad.com


White Water Rafting in Nepal

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21ugjs1neal_sl160_For me, initially springing to mind when I think of white water is automatically New Zealand or Canada, two countries generating hype for having some of the most ferocious and spectacular rivers in the world. It never crossed my mind that Nepal could offer amazing adrenaline pumping white water to warrant being rated along with some of the worlds finest.

Of course when you picture sublimely crisp alpine rivers kissed by the Himalaya, roaring into narrow gullies, along white sandy banks, through pristine jungle and quaint farm estates. It must be very hard not to want to take a peak yourself!

I was new to the sport of white water rafting when I first ventured to Nepal, and when my travel companion persuaded me into tackling a river she had ventured on twice and was completely in love with I was simply terrified. I didn’t know what to expect, and then there it was, my introduction to rafting and the mighty Kaligandaki River. At best a 3 to 4 grade, the river has some intense fast sections, holes to trap any raft and some fantastic rapids. It’s great for Kayakers, beginner rafters with an adventurous spirit, and those experienced rafters that just want to have some fun. Camping at night, with the sound of the river roaring along, camp fire alight, cosy tents and good company has got to be one of the best things to do on holiday.

Nepal not only has this fantastic river, but offers a multitude of rivers ranging from freakishly advanced to perfectly calm, for scenic enthusiasts that just want to cruise along and take photos with the occasional easy riding splish splash rapid. Some of the rivers Nepal boasts are as above the divine Kaligandaki, the wild Bhote Koshi and the gentle Trisuli, along with three very exciting and scenically spectacular river expeditions on The Karnali, Tamur and Sunkoshi. An absolute feast for any white water enthusiast, from first timer to advanced adrenaline junkie looking for the next rush.

There are two ways you can go about rafting in Nepal. If your one of those ‘do it when I get there’ types, it is easy enough to organise it once you get in to Kathmandu or Pokhara, the streets are lined with rafting and kayaking tour companies all looking for your business. Word of caution though, you really need to do your research before venturing in with blind faith, some companies aren’t too proactive with the moto “safety first” and tend to scrimp on equipment where possible. I remember my friend sinking rather than floating one time, after she fell out in a fairly intense little rapid, she later said her life jacket was like a led weight, rather than buoyant.

I now opt for a certified tour company that offers rafting trips as add on activities to their initial tours, have concentrated rafting tours, as well as include them in package tours with trekking and mountain biking (link below). At least I’m guaranteed they use approved equipment, and are insured, they have emergency evacuation procedures, qualified local guides, and are really well organised. It’s peace of mind and makes for an incredible and enjoyable experience.

The best times to go are between March to June, when the rivers are fed by the pre monsoon rains and September to October, when the rivers are fed by snow melt. Towards late October the rivers are lower, the holes are deeper, but the rapids tend to be in shorter bursts and give you time to recoup before the next onslaught. The weather gets cooler the further you get into October, so you will need to bring warmer clothes for the night time camping. Earlier in the year the Monsoon fed rivers can be a pretty intense time to raft, most rivers are swollen and running particularly fast, with not much break between rapids. December through to February tends to be quite cold, and getting wet is not very enjoyable, remember where this water comes from, it’s freezing! So in saying that, the river guides tend to become dormant throughout these months.

Most rafting companies in Nepal supply dry bags for clothes and sleeping bags, as well as iPods and other technological gadgets. I still recommend bringing your own dry bag for extra care. Companies like Sea to Summit do some great light weight ones in all sizes, and will easily tuck into the heavy duty dry bags the rafting companies supply.

I’m now an avid fan of rafting Nepal, and I hope I have inspired you to get out there and give it a go; it really is an incredible rafting adventure and a must do.
Enjoy

For more information about Nepal and rafting or Kayaking, you can visit our website www.dtoursoriginal.com

Article Source: http://articlesabroad.com


Beat The Winter Blues With Winter Sunshine Holidays In Malta

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malta 698The trees have lost their leaves, it’s raining, the rare winter sunshine has to fight through grey skies and you’ve well and truly got the winter blues. Life doesn’t have to be dreary I’ve found – not when I can take winter holidays in Malta.

Malta is a small archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, close to Sicily and only 15 miles in length. Small in size but big in character, the Maltese Islands of Malta and Gozo are great places to visit all year round.

The climate in winter is one of the best in the Mediterranean, mild with some rain but a decent amount of sunshine and during the summer the island is hot and dry. So dry that Malta has an almost desert like appearance but visit in the winter and you will find a contrasting beautiful greener island with wild flowers in full bloom. It’s warm enough in the winter to be able to wear summer clothing during the day but don’t forget to pack some woollens and a coat for the cooler evenings. Sun tan lotion will also be needed but you don’t have to worry about mosquitoes in the winter.

Malta isn’t an expensive holiday destination and prices are very comparable with other Mediterranean destinations. As with other resorts if you take a vacation in Malta over Christmas and the New Year expect to pay premium rates for that 2 week period and off season rates throughout the rest of the winter. The cost of living is reasonable, I’ve gone there many a time on a scarily small budget and returned home happy and with money to spare.

What I love about Malta most are the welcoming Maltese people. Ever so friendly and helpful, I’ve been treated like an old friend almost from the first. I haven’t found it unusual to be befriended and taken about the island or invited into Maltese homes. I’ve even been offered free accommodation for my next visit from friendly islanders. Be careful though ladies – the hot Maltese men do like to flirt!!

During the winter the best places to stay are the towns of Sliema and St Julians because they are busier and livelier out of season. I like St Julians because of the nightlife, but Sliema is better for shopping and you can get the ferry to the capital Valetta from there. As they are not far from each other and it’s a nice refreshing walk along the coastline it doesn’t matter that much to me where I locate myself.

You will find accommodation suitable for all pockets – 5 star hotels, villas, guest houses, self catering apartments and even an all inclusive in Sliema. I’ve mostly stayed in self catering apartments because I like to do my own thing. Wherever I’ve stayed the accommodation has been clean, comfortable and problem free.

Although Maltese is the first language, English is so widely spoken that communication is no problem. I was astonished on my first visit 20 years ago to regularly hear phrases from popular UK TV programmes being bandied about. Imagine paying for a drink and the bartender saying ‘Lovely Jubbly’ when they hand you your change – that just seemed so surreal.

As Malta is now a member of the European Union the currency has altered from the Maltese Lira to the Euro. I’d best get myself some Euros now that I’ve written about my favourite winter destination and look online for a deal for another of my holidays in Malta. All I have to decide is when to go – off peak and save some brass or pay the full price for Christmas when it’s truly beautiful with glorious window paintings for decorations.

Patricia Jones owns the travel article directory Articles Abroad where you can find more information about holidays in Malta

Patricia also writes for the UK Travel Guide where you can search freely for the best hotel deals worldwide and find free downloadable UK travel guides with maps.

Celebrate At Singapore Festivals

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800px-Singapore_Skyline_Raffles_PlaceFor me there is a lot more to a holiday than just lying on a beach frying myself. I love to learn about different cultures and join in with local festivals whenever I travel and Singapore gives you plenty of choices to do just that. In this article you will learn more about the colourful Singapore festivals.

Despite its stoic buildings and busy streets, Singapore makes a point of celebrating its diversity in ethnicity, race, religion and culture. If you flip through history books of Singapore, you will probably see old photos of the river banks filled with people from all walks of life. There were native Malays, coolies from China, traders from India, Arab and neighboring countries, as well as the European colonialists and many more. With its strategic location at the tip of the peninsula of Malaysia and free port policy, Singapore was a popular stopover for ships traveling to or from China and India. This diverse make up of Singapore grew into a multiracial society as this island blossomed into a thriving city-state. As a sign of respect to the different communities that make up Singapore, some 10 annual festivals are celebrated in Singapore.

Visit Singapore around late January to February and the chances are you will be greeted with shops and buildings decked in red banners, lanterns and pictures of oranges. The Chinese New Year or Spring festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrating the beginning of the new year according to the Lunar calendar. Take a walk down Chinatown during this season to get the best deals in Chinese decorations and snacks. Keep an eye out for the lion dance where dancers mimic the movements of a lion in a long trail of lion costumes to the vibrant beat of drums and cymbals. These dancers will move from shop to shop to wish good luck, prosperity and longevity for the upcoming year as part of the New Year festival celebrations in Singapore.

The Muslims in Singapore, with Malays making up the majority of them, celebrate two main festivals namely Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Eid ul-Fitr, or commonly called Aidilfitri, it signifies the end of the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast with the hope to cleanse their body and soul. Throughout Ramadan, you will be able to get exclusive bargains on carpets, table tops, cushions, plastic flowers, accessories and the delectable spread of street food if you take a walk down Geylang Serai. The annual bazaar set up just for Ramadan is always buzzing with auctions, shows and performances. The second Islamic celebration, Eid al-Adha or Aidiladha, means the Festival of Sacrifice. It commemorates Abraham’s obedience to God to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. God accepted his willingness as true submission and replaced a ram to be sacrificed instead. During Aidiladha, Muslim pilgrims perform the Hajj at Mecca.

Deepavali or the Festival of Lights is a significant event for the Hindus. If you are a fan of Slumdog Millionaire or the Bollywood movies, you must take a trip down Little India during this season. Experience for yourself the captivating beauty of lights that illuminate the entire stretch of Serangoon Road. Take this opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Indian community in Singapore. You may want to purchase a sari (a female garment) or a kurta (loose shirt) at a bargain price and bask in the festivities of the Indian celebration. You may also want to pay a visit to the Sri Veeramakaliamman temple there and observe the praying rituals of the Hindus.

One article can never provide enough information about a country that you are interested in visiting. To learn more about Singapore holidays just click on the link.

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A Painful Search

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517XKXQQwRL._SL160_I read Tell No One by Harlan Coben several months ago and remembered liking his writing style when I saw No Second Chance on the library shelves. Harlan is a very good writer who knows how to draw you in and keep you interested with twists and turns in the plot, but the ending of Tell No One lacked the punch that I expected and hoped for as I approached the final chapters.

As I began reading No Second Chance I felt a strong sense of familiarity and wondered if indeed it had been this novel that I’d read earlier. It wasn’t but in both stories the hero is not long married and their wives are murdered in mysterious circumstances. I couldn’t help thinking that Harlan maybe hates women or wives enough to make them victims but I pushed that thought from my mind as I read on.

Dr Marc Seidman is a plastic surgeon, one of the good guys who treats the needy and travels to the third world or war torn countries. His wife Monica is the daughter of a rich man. One morning Marc and Monica are shot in their home and only Marc is left alive, but is severely injured and initially expected to die. Twelve days later Marc wakes up in hospital with no memory of what has happened and finds that their 6 month old baby daughter Tara has been missing since that morning.

There are no clues at the crime scene and no apparent reason for the crime. Kidnapping Tara for ransom is the only logical explanation but no demands are made until the day Marc leaves hospital and is taken to visit his father in law. There he finds that a box with a clipping of Tara’s hair and a demand for $2,000,000 has been delivered. The hair has been DNA tested and found to be Tara’s and Marc is ordered to deliver the ransom by himself and without informing the police.

Marc takes the money given by his father in law and waits at his own home until the kidnappers call with a meeting point. Unfortunately the police learn about the demand and get in on the act. The money is taken but Tara isn’t returned to Marc, all he gets is a message telling him ‘no second chance’.

Desperately disappointed, Marc gradually returns as much as possible to a normal life but doesn’t give up hope that his daughter is alive and well. 18 months later his father in law receives another ransom demand for $2,000,000 along with another lock of hair and a message asking if he wants a second chance. After DNA testing it’s found that the hair is from a 2 year old child and a match of Tara’s. At least Marc knows that is daughter is still alive but can he swap a further $2,000,000 for his daughter without the police and FBI finding out and messing things up again?

At this point the pace of the novel became strong. Marc enlists the help of an ex girlfriend Rachael who just happens to be ex FBI. The question is can he trust her? She retired under dubious circumstances and Marc discovers that she had hung around his practice not long before the death of his wife and kidnapping of his daughter. Could she have had something to do with what has happened to Marc, could it be Marc himself as the police begin to think, or could it be somebody else entirely? With the police closely on his tail, the kidnappers always seem to be one step ahead of Marc as he follows clues in the hunt for his daughter and the killer. He begins to suspect that somebody close to him is leaking information but who can’t he trust?

I won’t divulge any more of the storyline, but there are lots of twists and turns to add enough suspense to make me want to keep on reading. Although I guessed whodunit early on, I didn’t guess the reasons behind the crime and it’s aftermath and I changed my mind several times throughout. The lead up to the end was excellent enough to keep me on edge and although the ending was a bit lukewarm it was better than the final chapters of Tell No One. To me No Second Chance was altogether a better read than Tell No One and I felt that this award winning author has improved from good to better than good in the 2 years since Tell No One was published and look forward to reading his future work.

One teeny disappointment was that I would have liked to see two of the characters enlarged upon a bit more. Lydia and Heshy are a gruesome twosome described well enough to make my skin crawl. The thought of that pair in the background added more suspense to the story, whether they had anything to do with the crime or not!

Marc was a likeable and believable character. His grief at the loss of his daughter and wife was portrayed well and made me want to find out if he gets Tara back. He is quite an ordinary guy really, but his search brings out a toughness and tenacity in him that you can only admire.

I was interested to read that Harlan Coben doesn’t start with an outline to a novel. He just plans a beginning and an end, with the core happening as he goes along. I suspected that during reading because you get quite far into the book before you see that it is heading in any particular direction. With some writers the result can be messy with too many loose ends, in No Second chance the loose ends are tied up despite there being so many twists.

Highly recommended if you like an intelligent thriller with enough twists to keep you guessing right through the book.

Get more reviews and free writers tools at  http://creativewriter.me.uk

Article Source: http://bb-articles.com

Article Marketing – Quality For Consumers

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If you look around the Internet there are several recommended styles of article marketing so how do you decide which is the right way for you? On the one hand there are those who swear by writing several articles a day and submitting them to as many directories as they can. Then there are those who write one article and either use software to spin them into several articles or make small changes like title and first paragraph and submit the similar articles to the same sites. Then there are those who write one quality article daily, weekly or monthly and just submit to a few sites.

All of those ways of article marketing may work, but which works the best? Lets just go through the different ways.

1. Most of us do not have the time to write several articles a day and if they are about the same subject, intending to promote one particular site those articles can become repetitive and lose quality to quantity. Of course some people can write several good articles a day but I do not think that I am one of them.
2. Spinning articles might be a great time saver, but when you look at the results of spinning they can be laughable. The articles often do not make sense to the reader and can be difficult to understand in much the same way as badly translated articles. Many directories do not want those articles; I know that I do not want articles on my site that visitors may have difficulty in understanding.
3. Changing the first paragraph and or the title of an article and submitting it to different sites is great, that means there is not so much of a duplicate content issue. Submitting the altered versions of the same article to the same directories is not on. Last week a joker submitted the same article to my directory with slightly different titles 4 times using 4 different accounts. As if I was not going to notice the similarities when I looked at the list of articles waiting for approval!
4. Then there is quality and submitting to fewer sites. A quality article is a pleasure to approve. I enjoy reading the article, I know that the quality of my site is going to improve and I know that the quality articles are going to bring in more traffic to my site. I also know that a quality article does not need to be submitted to hundreds of sites or spun. A quality article will be picked up on by publishers and replicated pretty darn quick.

You can guess which article marketing style I prefer; its quality all the way. Looking at number 4 I sound like a proper know it all. I do not think that I know everything but I do know what my site stats tell me. The author articles that get the most hits are nearly always the articles that I have regarded as high quality, or have been interesting enough to read all the way through.

I have different ways of defining quality that may make me seem contrary, but I have always looked at things in different ways. A business colleague calls me a lateral thinker, I think he means a pain in the b**t!

Quality that is extremely well written, but on occasion no matter how well an article is written if the content is dry and boring the article is not going to fly for the majority of readers unless it contains specific information. I do not claim to be an extremely good writer, I think that I am an adept writer who can occasionally pull off unexpected great results almost by accident. I have had enough of those accidents to be able to figure out why those articles are hitting the spot and why articles such as this one is unlikely to produce masses of hits.

One of my accidents was an article about where I live. I wrote it as an example because I wanted members of my travel site to write about where they live. It started out as an article about a regular town and without initially intending to I added paragraphs about places of interest and tourist spots within 10 miles. It dawned on me after writing the article that although I live in an industrial town that would not be considered on it’s own a tourist centre, like most places there are tourist spots close enough by to include a mention in an article.

That article does better for hits than most articles of my own and those of authors on my sites that have been especially written for article marketing. I asked myself why and came up with 2 reasons. One was that I had added a good variety of keywords and phrases without thinking about it. The other reason I suspect is that the article is unique, very different to any other travel article that I have seen out there. It is also obvious that I know the place well whereas most article marketing travel articles don’t give you a sense of the authors knowing the places that they write about and show little personality.

Another accident was an article written a month ago about my bad experience with a spyware fraud. I was so cheesed off that I turned to writing to make myself feel better. I have never known an article get so many hits in such a short time. It has been picked up by a lot of webmasters, bloggers and ezines and I am sure it still has plenty of scope. I have even seen it on some geek sites, now that’s something I never thought would happen to an article of mine!

I think that the article is doing well because it is offering information written from obvious personal experience that people want and need and those people have had the common sense to do a search before being scared into parting with their money.

The top 2 articles on my directory every month are my own scam warnings. They are only on a couple of my sites so the hits are not spread between zillions of article directories. Again I am providing information that people want and need. Neither of the articles were written for the purpose of article marketing and a variety of keywords and phrases happened naturally.

So to me a quality article is reasonably well written, packed with information written from experience that people want or need, unique or as different to other articles as possible and showing some personality.

The fatal flaw in my accidents is that I have not used the articles to promote money making ventures, just my sites in general. I will have to get a grip and accidentally make some money from them!

I’ll end this far too long article by including a quote from a forum that made me think. ‘Thats a major problem I see in article directories — its so difficult to find good content in them that they are not nearly as useful to article consumers as they could be.’

Submit your articles to article directory BB Articles or your travel articles to top  travel article directory Articles Abroad and find free content for your travel websites and ezines.