The price NStar and Northeast Utilities will pay for Cape Wind’s power is still subject to negotiation, NStar spokeswoman Caroline Allen said.

Cape Wind was proposed in 2001 but has met tough resistance. Opponents the power is overpriced: For instance, the starting price in the National Grid deal is 18.7 cents per kilowatts hour and increases annually, while land wind can be had for about 10 cents an hour. They also complain the project will mar a pristine area. Various lawsuits are pending against the project.

NStar initially seemed cool to Cape Wind, with chief executive Tom May saying he was “agnostic” about the project. The utility also passed on buying from Cape Wind when it first had the chance, choosing cheaper land wind instead.

Cape Wind opponents have accused the state with using the merger approval to force NStar to power from a favored project, but NStar’s Allen the deal announced Wednesday a result of pressure from Massachusetts officials.

Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, during a Statehouse news conference, downplayed the relative importance of the Cape Wind portion of the overall agreement and said it was not a “sticking point” in negotiations.

“The value of the rate freeze and the potential to have rates go down is considerably more important and more massive in scale than the Cape Wind component of this,” he said.

Cape Wind opponent Audra Parker, of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, did not believe it, saying say energy customers will pay more because of the state’s “arm twisting” of NStar. But she said that after a decade of trying, and despite the deal with NStar, convinced Cape Wind won’t be built and the NStar deal will not matter.

“Twenty seven percent of nothing is still nothing,” she said.

___

Associated Press writer Stephen Singer in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.

“The more power that is secured in a long-term power purchase agreement, the better,” he said. “It helps attract the private capital that’s needed, both in the form of debt and equity to build the project.”

The price NStar and Northeast Utilities will pay for Cape Wind’s power is still subject to negotiation, NStar spokeswoman Caroline Allen said.

Cape Wind was proposed in 2001 but has met tough resistance. Opponents say the power is overpriced: For instance, the starting price in the National Grid deal is 18.7 cents per kilowatts hour and increases annually, while land wind can be had for about 10 cents an hour. They also complain the project will mar a pristine area. Various lawsuits are pending against the project.

NStar initially seemed cool to Cape Wind, with chief executive Tom May saying he was “agnostic” about the project. The utility also passed on buying from Cape Wind when it first had the chance, choosing cheaper land wind instead.

Cape Wind opponents have accused the state with using the merger approval to force NStar to buy power from a favored project, but NStar’s Allen stated the deal announced Wednesday wasn’t a result of pressure from Massachusetts officials.

Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, during a Statehouse news conference, downplayed the relative importance of the Cape Wind portion of the overall agreement and said it was not a “sticking point” in negotiations.

“The value of the rate freeze and the potential to have rates go down is considerably more important and bigger in scale than the Cape Wind component of this,” he said.

Cape Wind opponent Audra Parker, of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, believe it, saying say energy customers will pay more because of the state’s “arm twisting” of NStar. But she that after a decade of trying, and despite the deal with NStar, she’s convinced Cape Wind be built and the NStar deal will not matter.

“Twenty seven percent of nothing is still nothing,” she said.

___

Associated Press writer Stephen Singer in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.

“The more power that is secured in a long-term power agreement, the better,” he said. “It helps attract the private capital that’s needed, both in the form of debt and equity to build the project.”

The price NStar and Northeast Utilities will pay for Cape Wind’s power is still subject to negotiation, NStar spokeswoman Caroline Allen said.

Cape Wind was proposed in 2001 but has met tough resistance. Opponents say the power is overpriced: For instance, the starting price in the National Grid deal is 18.7 cents per kilowatts hour and increases annually, while land wind can be had for about 10 cents an hour. They also complain the project will mar a pristine area. Various lawsuits are pending against the project.

NStar initially seemed cool to Cape Wind, with chief executive Tom May saying he was “agnostic” about the project. The utility also passed on buying from Cape Wind when it first had the chance, choosing cheaper land wind instead.

Cape Wind opponents have accused the with using the merger approval to force NStar to buy power from a favored project, but NStar’s Allen said the deal announced Wednesday was not a result of pressure from Massachusetts officials.

Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, during a Statehouse news conference, downplayed the relative importance of the Cape Wind portion of the overall agreement and it was not a “sticking point” in negotiations.

“The value of the rate freeze and the potential to have rates go down is considerably more important and larger in scale than the Cape Wind component of this,” he said.

Cape Wind opponent Audra Parker, of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, didn’t believe it, saying say energy customers will pay more because of the state’s “arm twisting” of NStar. But she stated that after a decade of trying, and despite the deal with NStar, she is convinced Cape Wind will not be built and the NStar deal matter.

“Twenty seven percent of nothing is still nothing,” she said.

___

Associated Press writer Stephen Singer in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.

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Satellite Surveillance Satellite surveillance is one of those things that we have just become used to accepting. We see it depicted on television, and the truth is that surveillance by satellite is often very good. And the space above the planet is full of satellites that can be used to look down on whatever we might be doing. Satellites are used to track the weather, look at enemy bases and territory, and even to find people. However, the protection of privacy restricts law enforcement from using this type of surveillance too much.

Satellite surveillance can also be used by more ?regular? people. Anytime you use a GPS tracker or system, you are making use of satellites to figure out position and track the location of your GPS device (whether you are using it to figure out where you are or are using it to find out where your teenager is). Satellites are used in this network to help you keep track of where you and your loved ones are.

Satellite surveillance is also occasionally used to keep track of suspected criminals or people out on parole. This is because satellite picture is so accurate. It can literally see an object three inches wide on a pavement. Of course, satellites do not just randomly ?see? these things. In order to see something that small, the satellite has to be trained on that area and then directed to enhance the image. So you are unlikely to be randomly spied on to any effect from a satellite. Most surveillance of that kind on individuals is planned out for a reason.

Because satellites are run by computers, this does mean that it is possible for someone to hack into a satellite?s guidance system and hijack it. So if someone who was very savvy and capable of hacking into a satellite, it is possible that he or she could perform surveillance on you. However, most of the more powerful satellites are specially protected. It is important to note that it is possible to buy time with a satellite as well. That is what a local law enforcement agency does when it needs to use powerful government surveillance satellites to find a fugitive or a suspect.

(c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about: Surveillance

To learn more about Spy and Surveillance Products visit Read other related articles at http://spyassociates.blogspot.com/

A Quick Review of the Four P’s

Marketing strategies generally fall into four categories known as the four P’s: they are product, price, place (or distribution), and promotion. Most marketing managers (sometimes referred to as product marketing managers) have complete control of the product from manufacturing and distribution to marketing and promotions. The end goal, of course, is to make strategic decisions that center the four P’s around the target consumer group in order to communicate an effective value proposition and create a positive customer experience.

The term “product” refers to the tangible, physical product itself. This includes the design of the form factor, the brand name, the features and functionality, quality, safety, packaging, the warranty, etc.

When considering “price”, marketers must take a holistic view of the total cost to manufacture the product, distribution costs and advertising costs; as well facilitating a competitive analysis and perhaps a focus group to find the target price that consumers are willing to pay. Other considerations include defining a pricing strategy, suggesting a retail price, volume discounts and wholesale pricing, seasonal pricing, and bundling the product with other products.

The distribution of the product (or place) is about getting the product from the warehouse to the customer and all the steps between. Marketers must consider the most effective distribution channels, do a supply chain management strategy, identify specific channel partners, inventory management, warehousing, order processing, and transportation.

The last thing marketers must is promotion. Promotion represents the various characteristics of an integrated marketing communication plan; that is, the communication messages that inform, educate and persuade consumers to buy the product. An effective integrated marketing communication plan would include: advertising (online & offline), personal selling, direct marketing, sales promotions, public relations; as well as establishing a marketing budget and identifying measurable goals.

Is there anything else to think about?



Absolutely. Since we are on the subject of acronyms, introducing the Six C’s of marketing. These concepts are not meant to replace the four P’s, but rather compliment them. They provide a more granular look at the overall marketing strategy while taking into consideration the following: customer, consistency, creativity, culture, communication and change.

Customer – this means that an organization’s marketing strategy needs to be customer focused. It’s about intimately understanding the target market not as demographics, but as real, everyday people. It’s about focusing on the target customer first and then working backwards to the product and or service; and then ultimately the brand. It’s a never ending cyclical process.

Consistency – how many times have you heard blended messages from the same company’s advertising? Marketers need to maintain consistency in their communication messages to reinforce the value proposition to the target consumer. This will also serve to reinforce the brand in a real life context and avoid doing something lame like changing the Nike tag line from “just do it” to something different.

Creativity – it is important to use creativity to attract the attention of the target consumer since they are bombarded with thousands of messages per day. Creativity means laying aside the “traditional” rules of advertising, and challenges marketers to think out-of-box so that they can tap into their imaginations.

Culture – all marketing messages need to have a cross-cultural component in order to be effective. It is dangerous to think that everyone in the world (including your target consumer) thinks, acts and makes purchase decisions exactly like you. It’s not true and having this perspective can prove to be perilous to your marketing health.

Communication – people do not appreciate “in your face” advertising. They want to be “marketed to” either. They would much rather be “communicated with”. Effective communication creates value with target customers, talks in their language and tells your story.

Change – don’t fight it, embrace it. Change is here to stay! Marketers must constantly change as society changes. They should never be afraid to step out in faith to try something different. Marketing is not what it used to be; it is constantly evolving and marketers must think about change in the world, economy, market, consumers perceptions; as well as internal change within the organization.

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If you are interested in photography and you don’t have enough time to study in photography school or institute, online photography courses are presumably one of the best ways to improve your photography skills. There are hundreds of photography courses online that will offer you all types of results. You can learn many kinds of photography skills such as how to master underwater photography, wedding photography, fashion photography, and so forth.

Following an online photography course can be affordable and helpful. With this comes the benefit of being able to learn not only so many things about photography but also anything related to it such as the photography equipment. You will be introduced to all kinds of cameras, lenses and other stuffs. Online photography course will encourage your passion confidence to feel like a true professional and receive the admiration and respect of all your friends and family. You can also create an income from it.

However, before you start looking at online photography courses, here I give you two of the basic rules of photography from the experts which probably help you before signing a certain online photography courses. The first thing you should know is composition. This is the single most important factor in the creation of any stunning image. Getting the composition right will be the make or break as it was of that perfect shot. The second one is the rule of thirds. This simple method is the same method that has been used by many of the great masters of painting throughout the centuries and is talked about in detail by Leonardo Da Vinci. The idea is to create your image so that you have key elements on or near to any number of these intersection points as possible. Covering three of the four points will make an ‘L’ shape. This is a very popular and widely used composition form. Well, you can also find another basic rule that will help you to get acquainted with your new hobby in photography.

I assume that it is well worth considering a photography course online can quickly improve your skills. By following easy to follow guidelines, I believe it can fast track you to make professional looking photographs that will impress your family and friends.

Check out my other articles about photography here! http://digital-photography-software.org/

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As the sister, mom and wife to December babies, I’ve picked up a thing or two over the years. I’ve attended, planned, and screwed up many and I’ve learned from my mistakes. I’ve put together a of handy tips that will help you if you’re celebrating a December baby. Because let’s face it, winter birthdays suck in general but for these guys there are a couple of pretty huge events scheduled around the same time, mostly stemming from ancient solstice and you want to make sure that the person you’re celebrating gets their special day too. (Just try finding a company to install 40 pink flamingos on your lawn on December 25th – I dare ya). I’ll add in here that I also get that there are some awesome advantages to December birthdays – people are generally in a giving and partying mood, the sales are great so there’s a ‘more bang for your buck’ factor, sometimes people feel sorry for you and over compensate, and let’s not even speak about June 1/2 birthday celebrations! But still, lines get blurred on occasion and we don’t want the birthday girl or boy to feel like an after-thought.

Let’s start off with a technicality. Anyone born before the solstice (Dec 22nd-ish) is a FALL baby. Anyone after – winter, so let’s call it the season of cold and dreary, and full of white stuff:

Birthday gifts go in birthday giftwrap: is it decorated with snowflakes that spell out ‘Happy Birthday’ – wrap that sucker up!
or is it images of snow-covered evergreens with twinkly lights - hope you didn’t pay extra for that

Let’s see what the goodies are: A lovingly selected, meaningful birthday present – Shred the paper
or a combo gift at the pre-Christmas boxing week sales that appear to take place the entire month of December – Keep the receipt

My favorite part – the cake: Is it decorated with their favorite superhero – Get in my belly
or to save time you picked up a yule log – food fight!

Oh, you remembered/made a card: Is it a Happy Birthday card with a pretty red cardinal sitting on a snowy branch – marginal (watch that red and green stuff) but YES
you cracked up at the Merry Birthday card - OH NO YOU DIDN’T. (The only exception to this is for someone actually born on December 25th and you’re only granted to do this once in their lifetime – really it’s not that clever the billionth time)

Let’s decorations: you managed to eke out a room of the house not buried in tinsel, threw up some balloons, broke out the noisemakers and hung the Happy Birthday banner – Celebrate it sister (bonus points if it’s an early December birthday and you refrained from decorating until the are done, triple coupon points if it’s a mid-December birthday and you use it as an excuse to decorate at the last minute)
You threw a birthday hat on each of the reindeer in the life-sized sled display, that’s got to count for something right - yep, a lump of coal

Getting the hang of it yet? Before you pick out that holiday-themed birthday item, stop and consider if it would be odd to give it to someone whose birthday is in October. Or May. If the answer is yes, then don’t give it to the December baby either. Their birthday is their birthday. It’s not a Christmas birthday. Now go forth and celebrate!

A more about garage floor coatings

If you are in search of garage floor coatings then you will be happy to know that you have a lot of choices for your garage floors. When making a decision on the kind of coating to make of you must take into consideration its cost, durability, in addition to it also how will it be used. You must mainly on the key factors to make the correct decision.

First and the foremost thing you are required to decide upon is how to make use of your garage floor. Are you setting up just to park your or else you will make use of it for setting up a few additional functions. A lot of people at present are very passionate about their and like to work on their vehicles in their garage whereas others like to setup some kind of a workshop. You have to take care that the kind of coating you get hold of must withstand with every element.

There are several kinds of garage floor coatings offered in the market. The most well-liked among these kinds of coatings for your garage is floor paints. They are unproblematic to apply and as well are not extremely cost-effective. These garage floor paints come in latex with epoxy form.

A lot of people have a preference for the epoxy paint for their garage surface. It will not let water to be absorbed into the surface and it gives the impression to adhere on concrete surfaces. Epoxy paint will as well give a great deal enhanced look to your floors and will be trouble-free to maintain.

Garage floor coatings are extremely simple and trouble-free development for your garage floors. Whether you an epoxy based paint or other kind of coverings, you will not be disappointed on your decision. You must visit your local home development center to get a hold suggestion on what will work most excellently for your floors.

Garage floor coatings is a reasonable method not only to beautify up your garage, but as well to defend the concrete sealers floor not in favor of weathering, cracking, oil, chemicals and additional moisture. A number of products that coatings are actually stronger than concrete floor coating, in this manner increasing the life of your garage. even though it is superlative to employ a specialized to apply garage coatings, there are a lot of products that might be ordered on the web or at your local home improvement store that are low fragrance, self-priming and fast dry.

A more about garage floor coatings

If you are in search of garage floor coatings then you will be happy to know that you have a lot of choices for your garage floors. When making a decision on the kind of coating to make purchase of you must take into consideration its cost, durability, in addition to it also how will it be used. You must mainly on the key factors to make the correct decision.

First and the foremost thing you are required to decide upon is how to make use of your garage floor. Are you setting up just to park your automobiles or else you will make use of it for setting up a few additional functions. A lot of people at present are very passionate about their cars and like to work on their in their garage whereas others like to setup some kind of a workshop. You have to take care that the kind of coating you get hold of must withstand with every element.

There are several kinds of garage floor coatings offered in the market. The most well-liked among these kinds of coatings for your garage is floor paints. They are unproblematic to apply and as well are not extremely cost-effective. These garage floor paints come in latex with epoxy form.

A lot of people have a preference for the epoxy paint for their garage surface. It will not let water to be absorbed into the surface and it gives the impression to adhere better on concrete surfaces. Epoxy paint will as well give a great deal enhanced look to your floors and will be trouble-free to maintain.

Garage floor coatings are extremely and trouble-free development for your garage floors. Whether you an epoxy based paint or other kind of coverings, you will not be disappointed on your decision. You must visit your local home development center to get a hold on what will work most excellently for your floors.

Garage floor coatings is a reasonable method not only to beautify up your garage, but as well to defend the concrete sealers floor not in favor of weathering, cracking, oil, chemicals and additional moisture. A number of products state that coatings are actually stronger than concrete floor coating, in this manner increasing the life of your garage. even though it is superlative to employ a specialized to apply garage coatings, there are a lot of products that might be ordered or bought at your local home improvement store that are low fragrance, self-priming and fast dry.

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A short while ago, I wrote an article for Associated Content titled “Are We Too Diet Obsessed During the Holidays?” I criticized the media’s fixation with weight and body image, and suggested that our cultural obsession with overly thin models and actresses sometimes warps our own thinking, and encourages us to go on unhealthy diets.

The recent bikini photos of a size 2 Jennifer Love Hewitt show a healthy, real model with a curvy shape, not an airbrushed fantasy of what a star should look like. Yes, when photographed from the rear (so to speak) in a bikini, Jennifer Love Hewitt has some figure flaws, and her body seems to have some problem areas. But what real woman, of any age, doesn’t have a few figure flaws? These imperfections make us human. Despite these perceived flaws, she is a lovely young blessed with good health and a strong, healthy, and curvy body.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the media’s perception of Jennifer Love Hewitt. She has been cruelly taunted online, her body in those bikini photos studied closely for every flaw. She has been vilified for being a real woman, with a perfectly acceptable real body.

As I wrote earlier, this is sad and scary. Many young girls (and adult women) follow Jennifer Love Hewitt’s career, and some look up to her as a role model. It is disturbing to think that some women who emulate her will take in all the media criticism of her body, and begin to punish their own bodies with extreme diets and exercise, in order to starve away their own natural curves.

As we watch what is happening to Jennifer Love Hewitt in the media, we need to ask ourselves this question: If a size 2 good enough, or thin enough, where does that leave those who are a size 12 or a size 14? (which is stated to be the average size of women today).

Especially during the holidays, when there is so much anxiety over food, diets and holiday eating, this current controversy is very damaging to women. It will be a tragedy if the criticism of Jennifer Love Hewitt touches off a mass panic about women, weight, and body image.

If any good comes out of this controversy, Jennifer Love Hewitt can be a role model, as she stands her ground and speaks out against the criticism of her body. Hewitt is fighting back, saying that as a healthy size 2, she is not fat. It is refreshing to see that she is comfortable with her body and her curves. Hopefully, this will start a dialogue about body image, and there will be a backlash against those who have tried to embarrass her.

On the bright side, it was nice to see celebrities like Eva Mendes, Anne Hathaway, Kate Walsh, and Julianne Moore, come out in support of Jennifer Love Hewitt. All of these actresses believe in a healthy body image, and they defend the idea that it’s okay for women to be curvy. Let’s hope that Hewitt doesn’t succumb to all the media pressure to be overly thin. She’s standing her ground now, but how will this recent humiliation ultimately affect her, both personally and in her career? Only time will tell.

I hope that she doesn’t go on a strict diet in response to the recent media circus about her weight. I hope Jennifer Love Hewitt stays strong in the face of all the negativity, and realizes she is a strong, beautiful and healthy woman, just as she is.

“Hands-Up-To-The-Sky” – Ricardo Kaka Biography Kaka Biography ? Introduction

I’m writing this Kaka biography a few weeks after the 2006/2007 Champions League final, a final ending with a happy result, 2-1 for the Brazilian’s team, AC Milan against England’s Liverpool.

I must say, as impressive as Filippo Inzaghi (who scored both AC Milan’s goals) was, my eyes were focused on the Brazilian Kaka throughout the entire match. His passes, his dribblings, his speed and his vision on the pitch were honey to my eyes.

I decided to write this Kaka biography not because the Brazilian needs it, but because I want you to find out who the real Ricardo Kaka is, how he rose up the ladders of his career before being a super star and what exactly does that “hands-up-to-the-sky” kaka celebration mean.

Kaka Biography ? Early Career

After spending his early days at different youth clubs around his home town of Brasilia and Sao Paulo, Kaka was eventually offered a professional contract at a very tender age: seventeen.

Since Kaka played great soccer for Sao Paulo’s youth teams, the reserve team and the Brazilian U-17 national squad, he immediately attracted the eyes of several European clubs, the one coming forward first being Turkish side Gaziantepspor.

Sao Paulo agreed to sell Kaka, for a sum of $1.5m, a sum that, if you think of the player’s market value now, would seem like peanuts. Still, the sum was quite big for the Turkish side, especially for a 17-year old footballer, Kaka?s young age giving them no guarantees that he will turn out to play great soccer regularly on professional level.

Kaka Biography ? Swimming Pool Incident Sao Paulo FC

In his first season as a professional player for Sao Paulo, Kaka didn’t play for the Brazilian team, but he used this time to accommodate himself with his new colleagues and the hardships of professional soccer in Brazil.

He was probably going to get his debut that season still, but an unfortunate swimming pool incident almost ended his career as a footballer, Kaka fracturing his spine in September 2000. Not only did he risk his future, but this fracture almost cost him his life and he was in real danger of being paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Miraculously, Kaka made a full recovery and came back to training after his full strength came back to him. From that day forward, Kaka found faith in God and some of his profits as a professional footballer always go to the Church, as a small gesture of thanking God for saving his life and his career. The famous Kaka celebration, after he scores a goal, is related to that incident, as each time, he thanks God for allowing him to play soccer and be there on the pitch.

Kaka Biography ? Attracting the European Giants

After fully recovering from his horrible fracture, Kaka was finally given a chance to play for Sao Paulo, in January 2001 and he didn’t disappoint, scoring no less than 12 goals in 27 appearances that season. This guaranteed him a solid first team place for the 2001-2002 season, in which he scored another 10 goals in 22 matches and whenever a young Brazilian soccer player performs that well, he’s bound to get a few calls from some major European clubs.

One of these clubs would be AC Milan, one of Italy’s most important teams and Kaka signed without blinking, eager to start a European career.

You probably know the story from here. Kaka is currently in his fourth season with Milan, whom he won the Serie A championship with once, the Italian Super Cup once, and the UEFA Champions League a few weeks ago (he also played another Champions League final in the 2004-2005 season, but lost it to Liverpool in what is considered one of the most beautiful finals of the tournament). He became an indispensable player for AC Milan but also for Brazil.

As a Brazil soccer player, Kaka scored 31 goals in 52 matches so far and gave out numerous perfect assists in his role as an attacking midfielder. Having the young midfielder in the squad, Brazil football became even more technical and quick (if that was even possible) and they’re considered amongst the main favorites for the following international tournaments.

Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of a website that provides information on various topics related to soccer such as the history of soccer, rules, , real time news, statistics, and training guides.

Virtual Tour Melbourne

Choosing your kitchen design from the multitude of kitchen decorating ideas that abound can be an incredible experience into the insight of kitchen manufacturers. It is totally amazing exactly how many kitchen designs are sold on the retail market and even more of a surprise which ones are the most popular. Spend an afternoon in one of the many retail outlets that sell kitchens and listen in on the various conversations around you. People home in on the ultra-modern kitchens like flies round a honey pot but, as the conversation progresses, you hear them admit to not being able to live with such a design on a daily basis, eventually plumping for a more modest middle-of-the-road design, or even one of the many rustic designs. Kitchen decorating ideas naturally need to take into account the kind of kitchen furnishings you have installed – you couldn’t imagine a Belfast sink in one of those modern glass and stainless steel kitchens anymore than you could imagine a high-tech sink in a totally rustic setting.

Pick the right kitchen decorating ideas in accordance with your fitments which, when decorating generally, would already have been installed and are generally expensive enough to remain in situ each time you feel the need to re-decorate your kitchen. Another factor that needs to be considered, when thinking through your kitchen decorating ideas, is the size of your kitchen. Size and function do tend to go hand-in-hand. If you have a spacious kitchen you are more likely to use it as a centre for the family to congregate than if you your kitchen is one of the tiny, galley styles. Size does need to be taken into account: the kitchen may have the reputation of being the heart of the home but that was generally in the days when kitchens were large enough to accommodate the heart of the home, with a central table for the family to spend time around.

Modern homes are often much too small for kitchens of this size unless, of course, it is a kitchen/diner – in which case, the decor of your kitchen decorating ideas need to take that into account. There is often a lot of actual wasted space in a large kitchen, requiring the person who uses the kitchen on a daily basis to cover a considerable distance between cooker, sink and work surfaces. This is often not particularly conducive to the most efficient use of a person’s time. Reducing this ‘working triangle’, as it is called, is one of the more fundamental aspects of good kitchen planning and something that also needs to be factored into any kitchen decorating ideas. This has led to the innovative kitchen island which sits in the centre of the kitchen and often houses the sink, work surfaces and usually the hob.

Appliances that tend to be used frequently are then free to stand on the surrounding work surfaces, brought onto the central island when they need to be used. Not everybody, however, is blessed with a kitchen large enough to accommodate a kitchen island. In smaller houses the galley kitchen is the norm and, again, the ‘working triangle’ needs to be taken into account when implementing suitable kitchen decorating ideas. In most galley kitchens the hob is along one wall with the sink directly opposite and work surfaces either side of both hob and sink. This means the main working area is the triangle within the centre of the kitchen. In Western kitchens, regardless of the level of cooking skills the kitchen user has, each kitchen houses very similar appliances. There are certain items that are found in all kitchens, such as washing machine, fridge, cooker – either fitted or free-standing – sink unit and fitted cupboards with work surfaces built-in.

Most kitchens, regardless of size, find room for a dishwasher, even if it is only a table-top size. Juicers, slow cookers, deep fat fryers and pressure cookers are the norm in most homes – as are food processors, coffee grinders and coffee machines of one sort or another. Breadmakers and microwaves are also common acquisitions. The problem arises in where to house these movable appliances and sufficient cupboard space needs to be given over to store these items. This has led to the majority of Western kitchens now being fully fitted with wall cupboards as well as base units, inevitably reducing the need for too many alterations in the way of kitchen decorating ideas – especially as the gap between the wall units and the base units are usually tiled. This leaves the opportunities for kitchen decorating ideas rather limited unless you are starting from scratch completely. However, for those of you who are putting together a brand new kitchen, you need to be extremely careful about choosing your kitchen decorating ideas as the outcome is likely to remain with you for many years to come.

The elevation of the mountain is about 6,135 ft (1,870 m) and the ice caves are easily accessible with a short hike through the dense forest on a very well maintained trail.

On the way to the ice caves, I came a cross a nice little pond with the mountain reflection. I took a few shots. Unfortunately, the clouds were thick so the lighting condition wasn’t the for getting the bright fall colors I was looking for.

I didn’t like the dark clouds in the water. And decided to zoom in and use longer exposure to brighten the water.

The result was but overall, I still find the scene rather boring looking. So… I zoom in some more… all the way up to the maximum of the lens — which is 250mm. And when I looked into the view finder — something clicked in my creative brain. I was very excited by what I saw.  The reflections from the vegetation and tree branches created an amazing array of colors, textures, and details. I knew this was the kind of shots that would get my creativity working.

As I was busy composing, I saw a trout jumped out of the water causing ripples to form. Unfortunately, I wasn’t swift enough to shoot the fish jumping but very glad the ripples changed the stillness of the water. I love the painterly feel the ripples created.

It took me over an hour to make the 1 mile hike to the ice caves. Hey… there were a lot of distractions along the way. And yes, I did take pictures of the ice caves — but since it was too hazardous to go into the caves — the pictures from the outside wasn’t too impressive. A black hole covered with dirty snow is about as attractive as the yellow snow.

Life have a way of creating opportunities when you least it. I certainly enjoyed the creative reflections in the pond.

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Travel Destinations: Shaoxing, China

With a country as huge as China, there are so many places and attractions to visit. Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong are the most popular destinations in China, but there are other cities which offer just as much as these.

When travelling through Zhejiang Province, why not visit the wonderful town of Shaoxing. With a population of 4.3 million, it lies just 67km southeast of Hangzhou. It is a water town, a Chinese version of Venice, with its winding canals, arched bridges and historical buildings. The canals are still used today, but the town itself has undergone some modernization and lost some of that ancient Chinese romanticism that many western travellers fall in love with. Despite this, however, Shaoxing still has much to offer.

Shaoxing was the capital of the Yue kingdom from 770 to 211 BCE but has been an administrative and agricultural centre throughout history. Shaoxing has been the birthplace and home to some of the most important and vibrant figures from history, including the artist Xu Wei, the female hero Qiu Jin and China’s first great modern writer Lu Xun.

There are several great sights to visit here in Shaoxing. Take a trip to Lu Xun’s former residence. Lu Xun (1881 – 1936) is one of China’s greatest novelists, the author of ‘Diary of a Madman’ and ‘Medicine’. He was born and raised here until he was sent abroad to study. When he returned he taught at Guangzhou’s Zhongshan University and entombed in Shanghai. His home and buildings, known as the Lu Xun Zhonglu, are open to the public and here you can gain a sense of the man from these items.

Why not visit the Yingtian Pagoda. It was originally constructed during the Song dynasty and part of a temple but was destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion. It has since been rebuilt and stands on top of a hill, giving you some astonishing views of the city.

King Yu’s Mausoleum is another famous attraction. According to legends, Yu the Great became the first emperor of the Xia dynasty in 2205 BCE. He earned the name ‘tamer of floods’ as he was able to overcome the great dragons that caused floods. During the 6th century, a temple and mausoleum complex was built in his honour and over the long centuries, new features were added. It is located about 4km southeast of the city centre. It comprises the 24 meter high Main Hall, the Memorial Hall and the Meridian Gate. To get here, take the number 2 bus from outside the train station.

Shaoxing is a wonderful city, full of cultural attractions, great historic sites, divine restaurants and hotels to suit every budget.