Calif. prison psychologist accused of faking rape

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities allege a woman was so determined to convince her husband of a need to move to a safer neighborhood that she faked being raped.

She split her own lip with a pin, scraped her knuckles with sandpaper, had her friend punch her in the face, and even wet her pants to give the appearance she had been knocked unconscious,authorities said Friday.

Charges filed by the Sacramento County district attorney allegeLaurie Ann Martinez, a prison psychologist, conspired with the friend to create the appearance that she was beaten, robbed and raped by a stranger in April in her Sacramento home.

Police detectives and crime scene investigators spent hundreds of hours on the case, until one of Martinez's prison co-workers came forward to say Martinez had been talking at work about faking a crime at her home to persuade her husband to move, Sacramento police Sgt. Andrew Pettit said Friday.

Martinez, her friend and two co-workers eventually told police the whole thing was a setup to convince Martinez's husband that they needed to move from a blighted, high-crime area three miles north of the state Capitol.

It didn't work. Instead, the couple filed for divorce six weeks after the April 10 incident, according to court records.

"If all you wanted to do is move, there's other ways than staging a burglary and rape," Pettit said. "She went to great lengths to make this appear real."

Martinez, 36, a psychologist for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, reported she had come home that day to find a stranger in her kitchen, authorities said.

"As she tried to run away, the suspect grabbed her and hit her in the face," court records say in describing what she told police. "She lost consciousness and then when she awoke she found her pants and underwear pulled down to her ankles."

Missing from her home were two laptop computers, Martinez's purse, an Xbox video game console, a camera and numerous credit cards that Martinez said the stranger had stolen.

In reality, the items were all at the home of her friend, Nicole April Snyder, authorities allege. Investigators say Martinez had Snyder punch her in the face with boxing gloves they bought for that purpose.

Martinez began crying hysterically when police arrived, according to court papers.

Martinez's two lawyers in the family court actions, Russell Carlson and Ben Ramsey, did not immediately return telephone messages seeking comment. Her husband's attorneys in the family law case declined to comment.

Martinez was arrested Monday and freed on $50,000 bond. There is no record that she has a criminal attorney before her arraignment set for Monday.

Snyder, 33, is charged with the same conspiracy counts, and a warrant has been issued for her arrest. Shelly Orio, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, said she had no indication that Snyder has retained an attorney.

If convicted of conspiracy, each woman faces up to three years in prison, Orio said.

Martinez had been a psychologist overseeing other mental health workers treating inmates atCalifornia State Prison, Sacramento, said department spokeswoman Terry Thornton. The prison 20 miles east of Sacramento was the scene this week of a fight among more than 150 inmates that sent 11 inmates to outside hospitals.

Thornton said Martinez was redirected to the department's headquarters in May, when the investigation began, and has had no contact with inmates since then. Thornton said the department also is conducting its own investigation.

Martinez did not immediately return an emailed request for comment left with Thornton.

Robert Kahane, executive officer of the California Board of Psychology, said Martinez's license currently is valid. However, "we are working diligently to ensure immediate and continued consumer protection as quickly as possible," he said.

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Why You Shouldn’t Care About Small Business Pessimism

At first glance, today’s small business optimism index released by the National Federation of Independent Businesses might make you a little depressed: More than a quarter of small businesses indicated that sales were lower this month than last, and borrowing activity is at a 38-year low. And the index, pegged at 90.2, is only a few measly points higher than it was in January 2009, when the economy bottomed out.

And if you’re expecting Uncle Sam to swoop in and save the day, NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg says don’t hold your breath.

“As for help from Washington, the Federal Reserve is “out of bullets” and Congress is completely ineffective,” Dunkelberg said in a statement. “Fiscal policy is in disarray and all that is proposed is higher spending and more regulations and higher taxes to support it. Not the type of incentives that help stimulate economic growth.”

So, feeling good yet? You should.

Sales may have flatlined in recent months, but the future may not be so bleak. The National Retail Federation is expecting a 2.8 percent increase in holiday sales this year, while trade associations like ShopperTrak and IBIS World predicted a 3 percent increase. A recent Purdue University survey sees that number jumping to 4 percent.

If sales numbers don’t sway you, just take a look at the recent job numbers as a marker of optimism. In October, about half of all job gains reported by ADP—pegged at about 110,000—came from small businesses, while larger firms, on the other hand, have consistently scaled back on their payrolls. The NFIB also found that a net of 3 percent of small business owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months—”the strongest reading for 2011 to date.” And a study released last week from researchhers at Pepperdine University found that though confidence among small business owners had dipped significantly since last Spring, almost half of the surveyed businesses said they plan to hire more employees in the next six months.

And SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard, which measures payroll data of 35,000 small businesses across the country, found its own confidence index surge 20 percentage points in October—one of the biggest raises in recent memory.

“Typically entrepreneurs don’t let the so-called “state of the union” hold them down,” says Michael Alter, the president of SurePayroll. ”When things get tough, they knuckle down and find a way to turn the negatives in their favor. They’re in it for the long haul and they know that the long haul sometimes requires faith and a fight.”

And it isn’t just American entrepreneurs that are feeling more confident these days, either. Our northern neighbors in Canada are starting to see the light as well.

“More business owners are saying their recent performance has been better than at any time since the recession began,” says Ted Mallett, the chief of economist of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), in a statement. In fact, the CFIB saw its own index jump a few percentage points in October. “After falling back significantly in August and September, amid economic uncertainty, business owners seem to have restored at least some of their capital spending plans,” he added.

Speaking of capital spending, it’s also worth adding that small businesses are starting to view financing as a relatively insignificant barrier to entry. According to the NFIB report, just 4 percent of business owners grieved over finding access to capital, and the amount of small businesses that plan to increase capital outlays rose a whopping 21 percent since September.

And, contrary to Dunkelberg’s dire assertion, Washington may yet assist small business owners with access to capital. There are currently four bills entering Congress in the coming weeks that are meant to make it easier for small business to get cash. They include the Private Company Flexibility and Growth Act, the Access to Capital for Job Creators Act, the Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act, and H.R. 1965, which seeks to de-regulate small banks’ ability to lend.

So while the NFIB reported just a ‘minor uptick’ in confidence, the big picture results are hardly glum. We’re curious how you feel, though. Let us know in the comments section below how confident you are these days, and what you would like to see happen in Washington that might make you see the glass half full.

Small Business Lending Fund: Where Did the Missing $2 Billion Go?

When the Small Business Lending Fund closed its teller window this fall, no one shed any tears. Banks complained the program was slow, arbitrary, and stingy. Of the $30 billion that the Treasury was authorized to lend to small banks at favorable rates, only $4 billion was ever handed over. Of the 933 community banks that applied for money, only 36 percent were approved.

But at least that was 300-odd banks that could lend $4 billion to small businesses, right? Well, not exactly. That’s because more than half of the $4 billion the feds gave to the SBLF this year never found its way to small businesses.

Instead, the banks used the money to pay off their TARP loans.

Okay, so the banks who did this were small banks which are, of course, small businesses. So it has to be admitted the SBLF helped them. It helped them act like big banks.

No one has ever been all that crazy about the TARP (Toxic Asset Relief Program). Taxpayers don’t like it because they see it as a bank bailout program, which it is. Bankers don’t like it because taking TARP money makes it look like they’ve got a lot of bad mortgages on their books, which they do. (Their dislike has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it limits how much top executives can be paid. Absolutely nothing. You got that?)

The big banks got out from under this horrible burden by paying off their loans quickly. While the Treasury Department had hoped this is what would happen, it had hoped it would happen because those assets would be worth something. Instead the big banks were able to repay the loans with money they borrowed from the Federal Reserve at a lower interest rate than they were being charged for TARP.

The Fed had lowered the interest rates to encourage banks to loan money to people and companies. This, in turn, was supposed to spur economic growth. Instead it just cost taxpayers’ money by saving money for the big banks.

While this might appear unfair to the average U.S. citizen – which it is – taxpayers weren’t the only ones harmed. So were the small banks. The small banks were unfairly stuck paying back their TARP loans with their own money. That’s because the small banks couldn’t just call up the Fed and get loans at about close to 0 percent. You have to be a big bank in order to do that.

So when the government started passing out money at low-interest rates via the SBLF you can understand how the small banks saw this as an opportunity to keep up with the Goldmans and the Sachs. Indeed, Jason Tepperman, the director for the Small Business Loan program for the Treasury Department, suggested that the community banks do just that. This was good for their fiscal well being and in no way whatsoever had anything to do with any limits to any bank executives’ pay checks. Absolutely nothing.

Wahooly: Publicize Your Startup, Pay with Equity

Need help getting the word out about your start-up and its products or services? A start-up called Wahooly thinks it can help.

The Minneapolis-based company’s plan is to hook up start-ups with active users who give feedback in exchange for becoming shareholders in the company. The testers Wahooly delivers will promote your company on their social networks because it’s in their interest: They’ll get a bigger share of your company. If they do absolutely nothing, their share is diluted. (Wahooly will negotiate a percentage of equity based on the number of users it will deliver plus other factors, such as stage status, co-founder Dana Severson said.)

“We’re creating a collaborative effort where we only succeed if the startup succeeds,” said Severson, who describes his company as Klout meets Kickstarter meets Shark Tank. “From that standpoint, you might look at us as an alternative (or a nice addition) to an incubator program.”

Skeptical that who Wahooly can hand over is better than your best friend’s cousin’s sister’s Facebook friend or anyone else you can scare up on your own? Consider that last week the startup announced it had partnered with that arbiter of social influence Klout, and that those with Klout scores of 45 or more would be invited to join Wahooly.

The average Klout score is around 20, said spokeswoman Megan Berry. She would not say what percentage of users are 45 or above, though she said a score of 50 puts users in the 95th percentile. (Ashton Kutcher has a Klout score of 88; Justin Bieber’s is 100.)

Starting in January, users who’ve opted to join Wahooly (named for the Wahoo, the world’s fastest fish, which travels in schools) can choose from 200 startups in which they’d like to invest.

Want to be part of Wahooly’s initial pool of 200 start-ups? You’ll need to be internet-based and – at least for now – appealing to the mass consumer. Severson said they’re seeing everything from mobile applications to educational start-ups. They’ll start properly evaluating start-ups in December, but not every startup will be presented to members at once, so there is no actual deadline.

Severson, a serial entrepreneur, has a job history that included a year and a half where he interviewed start-ups every week. The problem he saw most had was a lack of users and momentum, plus a lack of funding, so they could not afford to mass promote.

“[Wahooly] is an easy solution,” he said. “In theory, everyone wins. Our users have a vested interest in seeing that startup succeed.”

Severson pointed to Google’s AdSense as the forerunner of Wahooly: Google “recognized that while, individually, bloggers may not have the ability to move the needle for companies, together the reach is infinite.” With AdSense, bloggers got paid for their reach and influence, and companies reaped the benefits.

“Any person, no matter what their chosen social network, can become an influential broadcaster,” Severson said.

Nissan Motor Company Ltd.

The core representative of globe famous Nissan group, Nissan Engine Firm Ltd can also be generally known as Nissan. Staying a person of the makers in the earth, whose mind quarters are located in Yokohama, it formerly accustomed to offer its vehicles, with Datsun as being a brand identify. Renault & Nissan entered into an agreement & they maintain 43.4% & 15% shares in each other’s corporation, respectively. Asia’s 3 car giants, Toyota, Nissan & Honda are at the moment dominating the U.S market, in spite of the presence of General Motors, Chrysler & Ford, who on their own usually are not un known to anybody within the entire world of Car industry. At present, Nissan has overtaken Honda & has turn into the 2nd biggest auto producer in its household nation, with Toyota even now ruling the car marketplace. Below the Nissan model title, there may be an additional business, whose goal is usually to cater the requirements of individuals individuals, that are searching with the luxury segment automobiles. This brand name has long been named as Infiniti.

Apart from the automobiles, Nissan’s VQ engine with V6 specifications has at all times secured a risk-free area within the list of Planet’s best ten engines.

DAT car was made From the Kwaishinsha Motor Car or truck Functions, which came into existence inside yr 1911. Very first the company was renamed to Kwaishinsha Engine Co. Ltd. & then to DAT Motorcar Co At that time because the desire, for customer automobiles, was negligible, so the corporate came in the business enterprise of vehicles, designed particularly for your militarily use. To raise the income, the corporate bought merged with 1 of your most successful truck makers, of Japan.

Nissan engine Co. Ltd. was formed in 1934, but on its formation, many people, who ended up being possessing share from the organization, were not pleased as at that time there was no scope of car inside Japanese marketplace. At first, Nissan engineers ended up being instructed to construct trucks, planes & other machinery to the navy goal, from its manufacturing plant, located in China. During the battle, it was captured because of the enemy forces. For some time frame the organization was also named because of the identify of Nissan Heavy Industries Corp.

Because the time progressed, the managers seated with the leading positions prepared to develop its base in different components of the world. Business employed the designers, engineers from other components in the earth & among those were, Mr. Gorham. Business at all times wanted to implement upcoming know-how & spread its wings within the U.S area, Gorham helped firm in achieving that dream. He brought most current designs, of that time, to Nissan. Nissan also received the license to manufacture vehicles in the U.S based mostly agency. The machinery, designs & engineering was imported to Nissan & the vehicles ended up being manufactured for the Nissan foundation. Right after entering into your U.S market, the following focus on was to enter from the European continent. Entering straight inside group of designed nations was not feasible, so Nissan partnered with Austin, of U.K, & began creating its vehicles, as for each the license. Nissan succeeded in the European marketplace in addition.

This offer, between Austin & Nissan, proved incredibly fruitful to each the car makers & they both earned large quantity of income from the regional likewise as worldwide markets.

Inside residence city, Nissan merged with Prince Motor Corporation. With the passage of time, the brand of Prince Motor Company was overtaken by Nissan & now days and nights, the motor vehicles are bought less than the brand name name of Infiniti, a division of Nissan. Other subsidiaries are in a variety of markets, like in U.S from the name of Nissan Engine Corporation U.S.A., Nissan motor manufacturing (U.K) Ltd. & a joint venture in China, with Dongfeng Motor. Also Nissan is going to create its largest factory in China. Throughout some level of time, though carrying out the company, it had been also in contact using the Ford Motor Business. It entered into your Indian Current market in the year 2005, as a result of its subsidiary Nissan Motors India Pvt. Ltd. With India, Nissan also has strategies to cater the needs of European vehicle market & the vehicles to European industry might be exported from your Nissan’s Indian facility. Looking at the market of electric & hybrid vehicles, Nissan also has ideas to launch these kinds of environmental friendly cars.

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in India.

A Japanese conglomerate firm, which has a lot of brands in various fields, working beneath it & carrying the exact same brand name identify & legacy. All of the businesses functioning under Mitsubishi manufacturer converse with each other making use of the corporate portal Mitsubishi.com. Peeking inside of the background, the corporate, established inside calendar year 1870 by Yataro Iwasaki, came up being a delivery organization. It absolutely was renamed as Mitsubishi Shokai in 1873. The corporate brand is normally termed as 3 diamonds. One particular from the firms, working below the hood of Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has its head quarters located in Tokyo, Japan & deals from the production, manufacturing of Automobiles. The company has become awarded the standing of becoming 17th largest in the vehicle sector from the Entire world, while fifth largest in Japan. Roots of this company are traced spine to one particular of the largest industrial group of Japan & the organization was formed by one particular of your divisions of that group, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

In 1917, Mitsubishi came up in the automobile sector, by launching Model A. On the other hand this, a sedan using the capacity to seat 7 men and women, vehicle was really soon withdrawn in the current market & the purpose stated was its large price as compared for the other models in the marketplace, specially those in the automobile current market of U.S & Europe. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which came into existence within the calendar year 1934, was formed by joining Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Mitsubishi Aircraft. It was the main corporation inside private sector of Japan & its core business was constructing heavy machinery like planes, ships, cars. It was the primary Business to create a 4-by-4 passenger auto. As the 2nd earth struggle ended, business which was previously engaged in building armed forces ships, cars & planes commenced developing the automobiles. But this organization was soon damaged along into 3 separate corporations, West-Japan, East-Japan & Central Japan Heavy Industries.

All these 3 companies carried out their operations in their fields & in their regions. They obtained contracts with several other vehicle makers to offer new automobiles for the Japanese people, whose wants ended up being transforming progressively. As the time handed, these three firms again collaborated & formed Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This occurred inside yr 1964. Later on on, top officials of MHI made a decision to generate a devoted division towards the automobile part & in 1970, Mitsubishi Engine Corporation was formed. This subsidiary of MHI was headed by Tomio Kubo, an engineer from your plane division. Within the overseas current market, Chrysler began promoting the MMC automobiles inside U.S, when it acquired 15% share inside corporation. As the company started finding beneficial response inside overseas marketplace, it straight obtained involved to the current market. Chrysler started off realizing that this Japanese organization is turning into a threat for the vehicle marketplace established by them.

In Australia, Japanese overtook Chrysler & as a result bought its production agency to MMC, which Japanese car or truck makers renamed to Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd. (MMAL). Because the company was to the appropriate monitor & was expanding step by step so MHI diminished its share, providing additional space to Chrysler. By huge amount of cash, which the company was finding from its sales, it overcame through the unsecured debt & also invested income in additional developments. By now the company acquired launched its SUV auto Pajero, which was bought in massive variety. Immediately after some time, Chrysler withdrew itself from Mitsubishi but their expert relation didn’t conclude more than here as both Chrysler & Mitsubishi ended up supporting the other person not just by exchanging technologies, automobile components but also by serving to each other in advertising and marketing their autos. Other alliances, of Mitsubishi, are with Volvo, Peugeot & Hyundai to brand a few. It has also supplied exclusive presents to clients, inside a bid to boost the sales, like 0% straight down, 0% attraction & no regular monthly quantity. It has also launched its electric automobiles & can be an active participator in Motor sports, like racing. Apart for Japan its manufacturing plants are located in international locations like U.S, Brazil & Thailand. The study & advancement give good results, with the business, is additionally carried out in various nations around the world. Mitsubishi is present in the vehicle market place of approximately 160 nations around the world.

How To Buy Second Hand Cars Online?

When it comes to the second hand cars for sale then there are some good reasons to give preference to the online source than the offline ones. By understanding how to make a deal online, you can really fetch some good benefits.

When it comes to the purchase of the used cars then we normally seek for the local dealer available in the offline market. It is quite obvious because most of us normally prefer to go with the conventional mode of purchase in the market. What is the reason behind the fact that despite of lots of hassles and paperwork we are still moving out for the services of the offline traders?

According to the experts, there are two vital reasons behind it. One is that not all of the people have complete knowledge about the market available on the Internet and believe that visiting an online store is a complex process. The second reason is that when people normally hear about the scams taking place over the Internet they normally try to keep a distance out of it.

Such sorts of myths and dilemma are also common when people go to buy used cars online. It is necessary for you to understand two things; one is that if you merely have the basic knowledge of the Internet then it is not difficult at all for you to visit and make a deal with the online store. And the second is that if you are reaching to the right source to buy second hand cars online then you need not to worry about any sort of scam at all.

If you are new to the online market and wish to go for the second hand cars for sale then there are some of the basic tips available for you to get a better deal. In order to access the best deal available in the market, it is significant for you to make a thorough research over the Internet. For the beginners, it is an inevitable aspect. Go for the reviews of the car experts, and find the most popular websites enlisted by the search engines to serve your needs in the used cars for sale.

There are some of the classified websites available on the Internet carrying the advertisements of the potential sellers in various models. You can buy used car online of the selective model after undergoing all the provided information related to the vehicle. While you buy pre owned car online, it is necessary for you to make a proper estimate of the price tagged with it. By taking into account all the qualities and features mentioned by the seller, please make a comparison whether the price quoted for the model is appropriate or not.

Before making a final deal to buy second hand cars online, there is one more important thing for you to take into consideration. Before finalizing any of the second hand cars for sale of any model, take it for a test drive. Try the compatibility of the vehicle on different kinds of road surfaces. The used cars for sale are normally required to be tested for the engine efficiency, noise as well as smoke. So please be sure about the same.

The Most Luxurious Car Interiors

There are luxury car interiors and then there are seriously super luxury car interiors. This year, luxury carmaker Maybach unveiled a 62S Saloon with an interior adorned with hundreds of precious-carat diamonds, a collaboration with Swiss haute jeweller de Grisigono,

Last year, McLaren Automotive unveiled their gold and ruby-studded McLaren SLR 999. The SLR 999 Red Gold Dream is plated with more than 5kg of gold and 600 rubies and is worth a cool $5.2 million.

Similarly, luxury French carmaker Bugatti’s $1.4 million 16.4 Grand Sport ‘L’Or Blanc’ is decked out with a porcelain interior and Range Rover’s Autobiography SUV comes with its very own Apple iPad and teak wood flooring.

Whilst these are some of the world’s most indulgent car interiors, most people won’t ever come close to owning one. So what about luxury interiors that aren’t in the farthest corners of the wildest dreams?

Each year, an influential US based auto resource releases a list of the best car interiors in a number of different segments. This year, two luxury brands made the 2011 hit list, Audi for its 2011 A8 and BMW for its X3.

The luxurious Audi A8 boasts an elegant interior worthy of making the most spoilt car enthusiast drool. The high-gloss wood, metal and Alcantara trim is only the beginning. Along with the standard luxury features you would expect from Audi, including Bluetooth, iPod/MP3/AUX connectivity, dual-zone climate, seats with heat and memory, and a load of steering-wheel mounted controls. There are also some incredibly tempting upgrade options. Among them are an amazing 19 speaker sound system, massage and ventilation features for the front seat and Audi’s new Multi Media Interface with new MMI touch.

At almost half the price of the Audi, BMW’s X3 comes with the high quality interior you would expect from the German manufacturer. The black and cream leather interior with wood trimmings includes luxuries such as heated rear seats and steering wheel, bluetooth streaming audio, multi-view parking cameras and a premium sound system.

Lexus are also noted for their luxury interiors with reviewers continuing to praise their name. The Lexus LS 460L interior comes with an incredible amount of luxury features including a moonroof with a one touch sunshade, a wood and leather heated steering wheel, climate comfort leather front seats with memory foam, a 10 speaker premium sound system with all the latest car audio add-ons, bluetooth technology, a GPS voice activated navigation system and much more.

All this extravagance is surrounded by a plush leather and wood trim available in three stunning options, medium brown walnut, dark grey birds-eye maple or matte dark brown ash burl.

The 460L also come with top safety and security technology as with interiors this attractive, the costs of windscreen repairs are going to be the least of your worries in the event of a break-in. There are also plenty of extra package and accessory options to further lavish your Lexus in style and comfort.

Johannesburg – Life Beat Of South Africa

Johannesburg is the life beat of Africa. Being not only the largest city of Africa, It’s considered to be the economic and cultural hub of South Africa. The rules of life in Johannesburg, which is more often called as ‘Jozi’ are very simple. You got to work first and play second, but both would be done in the same passion and excitement. Johannesburg is famous for a lot of interesting things including the dancing rituals and night scenes alive in Johannesburg. The party time would be like a whole new experience for you here.

Being mainly the potent commercial center of African content, Johannesburg is more famous for the reserves, services and manufacturing industries. Mining was once important in the city’s economy but has gradually declined to give way for more constructive business endeavors in the city. The development of the business sectors has been on the high rise since decades and you can see hordes of business projects coming to the city of Johannesburg for expansion. All this upbeat has greatly boosted up the economy of Johannesburg.Despite being such a big metropolitan city, Johannesburg also is a city well known for its quality education. This beautiful city has a varied number of accredited universities that are providing for the education of young minds forgetting all the cultural variations. There is a whole different aura of education opportunities in Johannesburg. It has a very well acclaimed film school as well that has won a number if awards for its services in the industry you wouldn’t want to miss a visit to such a lively city.

City’s skyscrapers in the central Business district determine the skyline of Johannesburg. These skyscrapers are the tallest buildings in Africa. These buildings house world’s international corporate. Johannesburg is also the greenest city in the world owing to the constant efforts to plant trees, built parks and gardens all over the city. There are about 60 million trees in the urban city. From pavements to roads, sidewalks and private gardens we see lots of trees. Botanical gardens and recreational parks are in abundance in Johannesburg.
Johannesburg has a vast culture. We see lots of galleries, museums and cultural events taking place in the city. The museums are built on specific fields like medicine, Fashion and military to commemorate events taken place in the history of Johannesburg.

Johannesburg art gallery houses collection of art pieces from previous centuries. Public art is also displayed in galleries ranging from sculptures and murals to paintings on different subjects. The art scene is alive and vivid in Johannesburg. People are tasteful art lovers and critics. There is a huge market for good art pieces in Johannesburg.
In sports, like any other field, Johannesburg has a vast interest. Football, cricket and rugby are the most favorites in Johannesburg. There are several football clubs in the city playing against each other as fierce competitors. Johannesburg was the world cup ground in 2003 cricket world cup. Rugby competitions are held in the city against international teams.

Travel through Desert Places?

Think edge of the desert and dry, red, granular sand- like vast Roland Garros clay courts stretching out as far as you can see. Not exactlywhere you’s expect to go looking for wildflowers? Think again. In continent lies a wildflower realm that is varioulsy called the’everlastings trail’, ‘golden outback’, mulga shrublands’ or, more prosaically, the ‘Southwest Botnical province’. The names have slightly shifting meanings, but they all denote a swathe of desert-fringe that harbours more species of flowering plants thean almost any other place on earth.

The common everlasting or paper daisy (Rhodanthe chlorocephala) is the best-known flower of the region. They germinate with the first heavy rains in late winter and you can see their pink or while blossoms carpeting the red sands, In a sense, everlastings are just the tip of the iceberg, because there are nearly 13,000 species of flowering plants in this seemingly inhospitable palce. (That’s nearly three-quarters of the number we have in the whole of the Indian subcontinent!)

So what makes this infertile region home to such diversity? There’s range of answers that have to do with complicated things like soil chemistry and underlying rock, but the one that’s perhaps easiest to grasp is about time. Simply put, the Southwest is much, much older then the rest of the Australian continent because it wasn’t subjected to the pushes and tufs of mountain-building, glaciation and the ingress of inland seas. 250 million years of relative stability.

Lots of time for evolution to unfurl a shlow, stedy accumulation of species. As these plants cometed for limited resources in phosphate-poor, dry soils, it fuelled and even greater proliferation of species of annuals that survive only for a short, optimum time in the year. It’s not a good place for trees or large woody plants. But if you’re an ephemeral flower who’s willing to bask in a few weeks of ideal weather and then say goodbye, this is one of the best places to be.

Knights in shining armour tilt at the shield of Saracen, the armour-plated dummy, at a gallop with Crusader lances, while avoiding his ball and chain, which is set in montion as he seings around on impact. Each quarter has a little museum on a city gate housing jousting memorabilia that goes back centuries. Incidentally, this ritual game straight out of the age of chivalry is held in the sloping Piazza Grande, the setting for the opening scenes of Life is Beautiful.

Arezzo/s jewel is in the basilica-the ‘Legend of the True Cross’ by piero della Francesca. Based on the Golden Legend, a 13th- century bestseller by Jacopo da Varagine, this sequence of huge frescoes must be the biggest

Relish the eloquent Vietnam day tours for multifarious experiences

With immense geographical and cultural diversity, Vietnam is the only destination for a great historical, adventurous or romantic holiday. The vivid climate and the magnificent landscape provide every soothing effect to the every vacationer coming here for a splendid holiday. With amazing Vietnam tour packages you can enjoy variety of day trips and can get acquainted with Vietnam’s great historical and cultural values.

Some of the magnificent day trips offered by Vietnam tours can be enjoyed by you that have been described here. Pick the attractive and the suitable day trip for your splendid holidaying moments.

Chu Chi Tunnels Tour

One of the most attractive places to visit is the Chu Chi Tunnel which is stretched over 250 km from Saigon to the Cambodian border which is also three levels deep. The network of this tunnel is composed of numerous trap doors along with beautifully constructed living areas with storage facilities and field hospitals, command centers and kitchens. The tunnel was constructed during the Vietnam War for the safety of the warriors and now these tunnels have become a major tourist attraction. The visitors can experience the feeling of underground life and sufferings during the war period. Although the tunnels have been widened, keeping in mind the safety and comfort of the tourists. By arriving at this amazing tunnel, you can watch a short introductory video explaining the construction of the tunnels and also explain the amazing tangles of the tunnels, the remnants of American tanks and numerous bomb craters.

Hue City Tour

During the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, Hue was the capital city of Vietnam. You can find the regal past of the city inside the walls of the Citadel and the Imperial City. Both were damaged by the communists during the Tet Offensive in 1968 and took the city form the South. With UNESCO funding the city is again restored to its former glory. The tour to this amazing city starts with a trip to the ancient walled Citadel where the former Imperial palace was. You can enjoy cruising on the Perfume River to explore Thien Mu Pagoda and find the emperor’s residence in the countryside for the amazing Hue City Tour.

Perfume Pagoda

One of the most famous religious sites in Vietnam is the glorious Perfume Pagoda at the Hanoi area. Thousands of Vietnamese pilgrims come here to pray for health and prosperity after the Vietnamese New Year. The pagoda is situated inside a cave and is built with limestone cliff and can only be reached by boats. All around this tour you can find a number of pagodas for soothing and peaceful moments like Thien Tru Pagoda (Heaven’s Kitchen), the Perfume Cave and Pagoda, Giai Oan and Tuyet Son Pagoda.

Hidden boutique hotels in Paris

With its stunning architecture, rich culture, exquisite food and delicate charm, it isn’t difficult to see why Paris is the world’s most visited city. One of the best ways you can approach your visit to the ‘City of Light’ is by immersing yourself in the Parisian culture. Though the city does have its fast food chains and large supermarkets, it is one of the rare cities in the Western world that has managed to retain its distinctive personality. Staying in one of the city’s hidden boutique hotels can be a great way of getting to know the Parisian culture.

In the same way that you would choose a quaint coffee shop over a global coffee chain, you may want to consider staying in a boutique hotel rather than a generic franchise hotel during your visit to Paris. When you stay in a large chain hotel room, it’s easy to feel like you could be in any city in the world. However, when you stay in one of Paris’ one-of-a-kind boutique hotels, you are surrounded by Parisian décor, served authentic Parisian food and given a genuinely Parisian experience.

There are several trendy boutique hotels in Paris, located across the city. If you’re a music fan, you may enjoy the Hotel du Triangle d’Or, which features funky, music-inspired décor. The hotel is located in the 9th arrondissement near the Olympia theatre.

Another boutique hotel that you can call home during your visit to Paris is the Hotel Crayon, which, as the name suggests, is splashed with colourful walls and a generally cheerful atmosphere. Situated in the city’s first district, the hotel has an ideally central location.

A romantic boutique hotel option is the lovely Hotel La Manufacture, located near the city’s Latin Quarter. With its classical décor, plush bedding and attentive service, this charming hotel is ideal for couples wanting to visit one of the most romantic cities in the world.

For a historic boutique hotel experience, the Hotel Fontaines Du Luxembourg is actually the former residence of King Louis XIV’s grooms. With its artistic wall paper, delicately patterned linens, large oil paintings and tasty breakfast buffet, this home-turned-hotel is the essence of Parisian elegance.

Thus, if you’re looking for an authentic Parisian experience, staying in one of the city’s hidden boutique hotels is a great way of doing so. Boutique or design hotels offer a bit more flare than generic chain hotels and can help make your visit truly memorable. If you think staying at one might be up your street, then why not seek one out, jump on a London to Paris train and see how you get on.

Istanbul: A City to See

Istanbul, a city of ten-thirteen million inhabitants is a city of unlimited range. It’s a diverse city that’s hard to define by one special district. The genuine differences noticed are among the European and Asian sides that are separated by the Bosphorus Strait. Magnificently spreading out from the Black Sea, spanning across the Bosphorus, embracing the Sea of Marmara, Istanbul is an infinite location of beauty and culture.
When visiting Istanbul tourist normally begin in Sultanahmet. Filled with a wealth of history, Sultanahmet is a tourist magnet. The dwelling place of Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), Serayi (Yerebetan Basilica Cistern), the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque) and Topkapi Serayi (Topkapi Palace) it is over whelmed with restaurants, cafes, rug stores, bars, souvenir shops and hotels. There are other attractions such as beguiling museums, markets, historical sites and mosques. The main section, Divan Yolu, is the pulse of the area, with loads of small streets and alleyways to discover and reminisce about the old town. Near Beyazit Univeristy is the Kapalicarsi (Grand Bazaar) a labyrinth of different market stalls.
Sultanahmet is the major tourist area and you will find the business people fluent in every main European language. So, there’s no problem if your Turkish isn’t fluent.
Along with old time charm Istanbul is quite up-to-date with entertainment, food and gorgeous hotels. American entertainers like Macy Gray and stage musicals like Evita grace places such as the Istanbul Congress Centre. There are movie theatres, city tours and cruises along the sea. Mass transportation is the better way to move around the city. The traffic in Istanbul is quite congested, so it’s important to take a look at traffic conditions and know your destination before going out in the city. A variety of land, sea and rail transportation is available and can be used to your advantage if you plan in advance.
There are a range of Istanbul hotels from two to five stars, serving mouth watering dishes with special spices only they know the secret to. You’ll find fish and seafood, grilled Kebab and Italian cuisine among other things. In Turkey you are known as their “Misafir” or guest. Hospitality is not uncommon in Turkey and according to their tradition the minute you walk through their hotel doors you are swarmed with comfort and pleasure.

Beautiful Square Scarves

In today's success driven career environments it pays to be a well rounded person whose outward appearance exudes with confidence, elegance and sophistication. The need to successfully integrate form with function has never been more emphasized than now. For instance, the scarf has literally transcended the borders of functionality into something of aesthetic use.

Scarves are generally considered as fashion accessories. Nonetheless they are useful in other ways by offering a certain degree of functionality especially to some types of individuals. Since scarves are the more informal and distant cousins to men's neck tie, their value in the corporate environment is well known albeit to the effeminate members of the corporate ladder.

The popular belief that scarves are for women's use only is grounded on the notion that men have neck ties and that the literal equivalent of it in women is the scarf. This preposition is further strengthened by observations that majority of the males who sport or use scarves are fashion designers who happen to be gays. Generally, the relationship between scarves and one's sexual preferences is rather inappropriately placed.

However, because of media exposure and renewed efforts from the fashion industry to make scarves as equally important a male fashion accessory as it is in females, modern day urbanites are slowly recognizing the many uses of scarves. As such, one can readily see cosmopolitan men and women wearing scarves for no apparent reason at all rather than a fashion accessory.

Men and women in most large metropolitan areas wear scarves over their daily attire to be hip and be cool among their peers. The change in the level of acceptance of scarves was directly correlated with the changes in the design of scarves such that there are plenty of choices to choose from. These choices can greatly expand one's depth of wardrobe even for everyday use.

Depending on the material upon which the scarf is made of, modern men and women can literally choose from a wide array of scarves which can best complement their daily attire. There are scarves that can enhance one's corporate image while there are scarves that look great on sport jackets and even leather jackets. Some offer flexibility in terms of interchangeableness of fashion apparel.

Not only are scarves made of different raw materials and come in different designs, they can also be tied, knotted, or simply wrapped around in a variety of manner. There are simply no single best tying style that is suited for all occasions and for all types of getup. What is necessary is for you to learn a few of the basic tying styles.