What is superficial?

When I grew up and my mother tried to give us some kind of sophisticated education she used to say: “The opinion you are giving me is very superficial.”, in the sense of something negative, something that was not good for me. (We are middle class Germans from Cologne, I should add this here).

Wikipedia quotes: “Superficial is an adjective generally meaning “regarding the surface”. Both in the literal as in the metaphorical sense the term has often a negative connotation based on the idea that deeper parts are also important to consider.”

What my Mother meant was “shallow”, just touching the surface, not enough to bother.

OK, that is fine. But what is the interpretation of “superficial”? Is it really negative or is it a useful layer to scratch and decide if you want to look any further?

I like the term of superficial because it allows a lot of interpretation. Superficial can be positive as well. Superficial can induce to scratch the surface and find a lot below it. It implies a decision. The decision to let things be or to look beyond the surface.

Decision is powerful. You decide what is good for you. Be realistic. You decide what is happiness for you. You can achieve it.

The time to scratch the surface came for when the company where I was working receiving a very good salary for Spanish levels, merged and moved 800km away from Madrid to Barcelona. I could have kept my job moving to Barcelona, that was good luck of course, but not my partner in Madrid.

So this time, because this things happen every x years, I decided to scratch the surface and to go a little deeper. At the age of 43 what could I do when I lost my job? The chance to find a new one at my age was very low with an unemployment rate of 20% in Spain.

So I joined a health and nutrition company as a network marketer and tried direct marketing without knowing anything about it. A very “superficial” way to manage a home-based business, believe me, and one big pitch.

When a Spanish friend of mine introduced Ann Sieg’s texts and Mike Klingler’s tutorials to me they sounded like the possibility to go beyond the surface. The solution. The method to learn network marketing online, attraction marketing, social marketing, video marketing, applicable to my MLM business in order to make it less superficial and to make extra money online. That was the idea behind the surface when I decided to stay where I was and to give up my job.

So thanks to their University I combined my personal happiness and my professional life. I stayed where I was, in Madrid. I took my decision, scratched the surface and found the opportunity to learn, to teach, to read, to write, to make money and to widen horizons.

A European vacation with your family is one of the most exciting and educational things you can do together. Train travel allows you to see the beautiful countryside in detail, and you can do it at a great discount.

A European vacation has so much to offer, you will have to decide ahead of time what kind of vacation you want. You can travel from Madrid to Paris, then Rome, trying to see all the sights along the way as you rush by. This can be fun because you are seeing and doing so much, there is no way to be bored, and you will remember the trip forever. The downside is that you don’t get to feel as much of the local culture and lifestyle when you are rushing through. Spending some of your European vacation in the same place and getting to know some of the locals can be much more satisfying and relaxing.

It all depends on your personality and what you are looking for in a vacation. A lot of people like to travel by train for their vacation so that they can see more areas, getting great pictures, and they will be able to say they have seen all of those famous landmarks. Some people would rather pick a place and spend the whole time there, really soaking in the atmosphere with their family and getting to know the customs.

Some of you may prefer to combine the two options for a European vacation that I have described above. Pick a city, like Madrid for example. Fly into Madrid, get a nice hotel, and stay there for about a week. There are many beautiful monuments and sights to see, and you can walk around downtown and see them up close and personal. You can eat at some local restaurants, take short day trips to see other areas of the city, and come back to your hotel in the evening.

When your week is up, you can travel by train to continue your European vacation in the sunny southern province of Andalucia. This area of Spain has beaches on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The weather is hot and sunny from spring through the fall, and the climate is dry. The beaches are fine, white sand and amazing blue water. Tourists from all over the world, and especially from the rest of Europe, fill these beaches every summer. Take at least a week and find a hotel or villa near the beach. You can spend every day at the beach working on your tan, relaxing in the warm sun, and swimming in the crystal blue waters. The seafood is spectacular in southern Spain, and you will have no problem finding great restaurants with mouth-watering food at great prices. If you like to go out at night, there are more bars and nightclubs than you can possibly visit. You can be sure that you can stay out dancing as long as you want to.

When you are done relaxing in a sunny beach town, you can fly or travel by train to vacation in Paris for a week. There are all kinds of historic sites and museums to see. You can walk or take a bus around to see all of the areas of the city, enjoy French restaurants, and soak in the culture. When you are all done, you can fly home again, knowing that you saw a vast amount of historic and cultural sites, beautiful countryside, and had a great time at the beach relaxing. A little bit of everything, to make your European Vacation complete.

Wait until your friends hear about it!

Visiting Europe is more affordable than you might think. The Globus family of brands has two options to choose from. Cosmos offers a great vacation value for those on a budget, while Globus offers premium escorted travel.

In order to understand the difference more clearly, I am going to use an example I came across earlier this week where a client was planning a trip to Spain, but was undecided between the Cosmos “Grand tour of Spain,” and the Globus “Spanish Fiesta.” Specifically, the client wanted to know why she should pay $500 more for the Globus trip, when the Cosmos goes to the same places and is one day longer?

This is one of the best questions you can ask your travel agent! The tourist industry is a very competitive field and if one company is offering the same itinerary at a decidedly different price, there’s got to be a reason. As we sat and discussed the two itineraries, here is what the client learned.

She would land in Madrid on either tour; both would have meet and greet, (if airfare had been purchased through the tour operator), and each would have a hotel room reserved in her name. Now where the difference begin, is that the Globus tour director would host a welcome dinner that evening and she would meet the other travelers. The Cosmos tour director would only be in the hotel lobby to say hello. Dinner will be on her own, and perhaps she would meet up with other travelers and join them.

After a buffet breakfast (included each morning in either tour) the Globus group will have in depth sightseeing in Madrid, seeing all the major sights, with entrance to the world famous Prado Museum included and paid for. The afternoon will offer free time. The Cosmos group leaves Madrid, and is driven to Valencia (via Aranjuez and Cuenca), a distance of about 222 miles, with a stop at the Royal Palace along the way. The driving time is about 4 hours, but there will be photo stops as well as a stop for lunch, although not included. The Cosmos tour would then stay in Valencia two nights, which no included sightseeing.

On day two, the Globus tour will head north to Vitoria, stopping at Segovia and Burgos…with photo, rest and lunch stops, of course. Lunch is not included with the Globus on this day either. The distance is about 175 miles, or about 3 hours.

I won’t continue the day-by-day comparison, as the article would be quite lengthy, but be assured that these differences continue throughout. Example: Globus has in-depth sightseeing in Granada, Cosmos offers it as an optional. The Globus tour takes you to Gibraltar, with entrance fee included; Cosmos does not go to Gibraltar. Globus stops for guided, fee paid sightseeing in Toledo; Cosmos does not stop at Toledo. The Cosmos visit in Madrid is at the end of your tour, no inside visits are included.

There are also more subtle differences that a Globus tour includes over Cosmos, such as extra nights in major cities to allow for more free time, a few extra meals throughout the trip, perhaps with wine included or entertainment. With Globus you often each at local restaurants, where we Cosmos you frequent the hotel’s restaurant.

To sum it all up, if your goal is to travel comfortably, with clean hotels, some meals, a tour guide as your shepherd and information source and at a price you can afford, go “budget,” which is with Cosmos tours. Just remember, there will be many “optional” tours and meals, so do the math. If you want to see as much as possible, gain access to outstanding museums and sights, stay in centrally located hotels and avoid many of the optionals, so more is included in your up-front price, you will find that Globus tours is the better way to go.

Keep in mind they are both owned by the same company, who have offered escorted tours for over 80 years, so you will not be disappointed either way, as long as you are clear on what’s included in the price.

Road to London 2012!

Munich 1972

Did you know- By the early 1970s, the National Olympic Committee sent five champs –four athletes and one boxer– to the Summer Games in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Prague 1978

Did you know- By 1978, the women’s handball squad of Algeria won the right to compete in the World Championships in Prague (Czechoslovakia).

Algiers 1978

Did you know- At the African Games in Algiers, between July 13 and July 28, 1978,the host nation’s team finished third in the medal count (unofficial point scoring of nations), winning a total of 16 gold, 19 silver, and 23 bronze medals. Seven years ago, Algeria reached seventh place in Lagos (Nigeria).

Madrid 1982

Did you know- At the 1978 African Games, Algeria gained gold, followed by Nigeria (silver), and Ghana (bronze). Later on, by 1982, the team from Algeria fulfilled a dream nurtured for decades when they qualified for the FIFA World Championships in Madrid (Spain). In a memorable match, Algeria routed West Germany 2-1 in the international event. In Spain, the African country finished 13th. During the years that followed, by 1990, the nation won the Men’s African Cup, after finishing second in the regional event in 1980. The national sport in Algeria is soccer.

Barcelona 1992

Did you know- The most internationally known athlete is Hassiba Boulmerka. By the early 1990s, she became the first Algerian woman to win an Olympic gold medal. This award was a boost for women in Algeria, an Arab nation in North Africa. Then, she headed the African delegation at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta (Georgia, US). She was born on July 10, 1968, in Constantine, Algeria.

Atlanta 1996

Did you know- At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics,the North African team placed 34th in the tally of gold medals, with two gold medals ( one in men’s 1,500m and one in boxing). This accomplishment is greater than any previously achieved by the national teams from Algeria.

Indianapolis 2002

Did you know- By 2002, the men’s basketball team of Algeria came in 15th place in the World Cup in Indianapolis, Indiana (United States).

Athens 2004

Did you know- Surprisingly, the nation’s swimmer Salim Iles finished seventh in the men’s 100 m freestyle final at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens (Greece). In addition, he came 8th in the 50m freestyle. He became one of the first North African swimmers to qualify for the finals in the Summer Games.

Beijing 2008

Did you know- The women’s volleyball team of Algeria qualified for the first time to the Summer Olympics when they competed in the Games of the 29th Olympiad in the People’s Republic of China. They qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics through the African qualifiers in Algiers.

 Can you really put a price on having a well trained dog? If your answer is no then you may want to consider SitStayFetch by Daniel Stevens.   For a measly $37, you can get the ultimate guide to help you have an well-rounded obedient dog that is a joy to be around.

 

The main book itself (excluding all the free bonuses) is over 170 pages of top quality material by a real professional dog trainer. Aside from content quantity, this “automatic download” guide contains step-by-step instructions which are easy to follow, even if English is not your native language.

 

For all the visual learners out there, the book also contains numerous pictures to help you understand the training concepts. The photos illustrate various commands such as teaching your dog to sit, come etc.

 

Aside from the basic obedience training modules that Daniel offers, what’s really great about this book is that it goes into detail about various dog behavior problems (25 in total) such as dog biting, barking, aggression and much more.

Partial List of Training Commands

• Come
• Roll over
• Okay
• No
• Hold
• Leave
• Seek and Find
• Sit, Stay, Fetch 🙂
• Paw
• Wait

 

SitStayFetch also boasts 7 free bonuses which feature some guest articles from other professional dog trainers as well more in depth look at some of the more important dog training aspects such as dog housetraining. Also for a limited time offer, you get free e-mail consultation with Daniel. Many customers use this feature and find it extremely helpful.

 

With over 60,000 (yes… 60,000) copies sold, you should really consider SitStayFetch to train your dog.  You won’t need any other book after that.

Karim Benzema was born on 19 December 1987 in Lyon, France. His parents are of Algerian origin. He is a French soccer player who presently plays for the Real Madrid of Spanish club and for his national side of French. Benzema’s playing position is as a striker.

Regarded as one of the most absolute strikers on the planet, he describes himself a “forward through and through” competent of making goals, making score within the box or helping his partners.

His soccer is founded on wonderful power, his wicked shifts, limitless ball abilities and an excellent strike. The striker of Madridista is smart and controls every aspect of what his position needs. He is an instinctive winner who has witness his lifelong vision come true. Benzema has mentioned that Ronaldo as a principal influence on his ambition to play soccer.

Benzema participated in UEFA Euro 2008 and became the top scorer in Ligue 1 for the season of 2007-2008, only three seasons after his first professional appearance. This season is also his revolution which made out him receiving lots of honors and a new agreement which caused him turning into one of the highest-paid soccer players in France. It was publicized that On July 2009 Lyon had made a contract with Real Madrid of Spanish club for the transfer of Karim Benzema. The cost of transfer was assessed at €35 million with the fee uprising to the extent that €41 million based on inducements.

Karim Benzema got some honors as an individual soccer player. Some of them are Bravo Award: 2008, Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer: 2007-2008, Ligue 1 Player of the Year: 2007-2008, and Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2007-2008.

Are you considering living in Spain? It’s a good idea to stay in Spain without a full-time commitment in the meantime. In that case, renting is a viable option. If you get a Short-Stay visa to Spain, you can stay there as a tourist for as long as 90 days from the total 180 days. Three months of living in Spain is a significant time enough to let you have a taste of the experience of what it’s like to live in that country.

If you stay for less than three months, your visit would be categorized as a vacation rental. You’ll find many vacation rental places along the coasts. Major cities in the country also offer these locations. Visit the interiors such as the capital, Andalucia, Granada and Madrid.

Generally, it is more expensive to pay for vacation rentals. Full-time rentals are apparently cheaper. Then again, the high price to pay for vacation rentals are worth it. The place you’ll rent will be fully furnished and it includes all fees and utilities. The price is negotiable during off season, though, or if you plan to rent the place for several months. You can pay for a longer duration of stay instead of the costly per-day or per-week’s rent. If you’re planning to stay in a small beach city in Spain, the price of rent is typically $700 to $1,100 a month for a short-term rental of an apartment, and that is, if you hire that place off season. Otherwise, if you rent an apartment in major cities like Madrid and Barcelona, expect to pay double the price of that rate.

What if you decide to live in Spain for good? You can choose to rent a property or buy a property there. Currently, you’ll find that long-term listings are available at attractive low prices. It depends on the quality that is accessible as well. For instance, in the cities of Valencia and Alicante, you can get hold of a low-priced rent of $450 a month for your long-term stay. If you rent in Malaga, the price starts a bit higher, but expect to pay more if you plan to live nearer the historic center of the city.

In cities that are farther from the Costas, people don’t speak much English. Realtors aren’t as fluent in the English language, too, but they would be glad to hand you some listings. Your life in Spain would be much easier if you learn to speak a little Spanish because all Spaniards anticipatedly speak it. Consider that Spanish is not the only language spoken in Spain. In Catalonia, for example, people prefer to speak the local language which is Catalan instead of Spanish. Signs that point to the beach don’t say la playa in Catalonia, but on the other hand indicate la platja. Milky coffee is called café amb llet in Catalan rather than café con leche in Spanish. A street in Catalan is referred to as carrer; in Spanish it’s a calle.

Changes in your lifestyle should be considered if you want to make the most of living in Spain. Read reliable guides about living in Spain before moving there and consult the experts so you wouldn’t be confused or at a loss.

What evidence is there that Miguel de Cervantes wrote ‘Don Quixote’? Little indeed. Not only do we know little of his life;the standard of his Work,apart from ‘Quixote’, is low. Most of his books remain unpublished abroad. What do we know about Thomas Shelton,whose translation into English has Won the praise of literary historians ever since it appeared in 1612? What do we know of Cid Hamet Benengeli,the Arab historian who,we Are told,is the real author?

Until now no proper attempt has been made to place Quixote in the wider Context of the great plays of this period. And no-one has paid attention To the Shelton version,which is seldom read today.

We start with an examination of the actual publication of Quixote in Madrid and London in 1605 and 1612. Then we move,in the story itself,from La Mancha to Sussex,from Madrid to London,to the court of Queen Elizabeth. Two characters in Quixote,who always appear together,are Queen Madasima and Master Elisabat. Other name s which invite scrutiny include Thomas Cecial(almost Cecil), Friston,an odd name for the Devil,and Pyramus and Thisbe,which make us think ofo Shakespeare.

‘Don Quixote’ is full of pithy statements,epigrams and mock proverbs which can be found in the Shakespeare plays. ‘I was born free. The naked truth. Comparisons are odious. Time out of mind.’ and many ,many more. 70 quotations are set out in table form in the book.

But why would anyone write a very long novel and use the name of a struggling Spanish author? Why the secrecy? The sixth rule of the Rosicrucians was that that members Should remain anonymous for a hundred years. The first rule was that they should heal the sick. The leading member of this secret society in England at this time was Francis Bacon.

No attention has been paid to the date of Quixote’s publication in Madrid in 1605,only six Years after the fourth Armada of 1599. An important element in this work,seldom mentioned, Is its surprising lack of animosity towards England. If it had appeared in Spain as an English book,everyone would have been understandably prejudiced against it. It took a long Time to win the lasting admiration of the Spaniards. Allowing a Spanish author to present This book as his own work,Bacon gave this subtly pro-English novel the best possible chance Of being accepted in Spain without prejudice.

‘Don Quixote’ should be regarded as an instrument of reconciliation between Spain and England,two great countries kept apart by war and the threat of war for five decades. Distrust and hatred of the foreigner had caused the death of innocent men in both countries. Now was the time for peace and good will,a policy that James I keenly pursued. In England Quixote acted as a healer of the wide gulf between the two countries.

When “Don Quixote” appeared in Madrid and London,the great Shakespeare plays were being Acted on the London stage. When the English plays and the Spanish novel are looked at Together,a clear picture emerges: the creation of a pan-European literary master-plan. The greatest play about Denmark is ‘Hamlet’. The greatest plays about Italy are ‘Romeo and Juliet’,’The Merchant of Venice’ and ‘Othello,the Moor of Venice’. The greatest play about Rome is ‘Julius Caesar’. The greatest play about Egypt is ‘Antony and Cleopatra’. The greatest Plays about England are the Shakespeare history dramas. All these plays are the work of one man, Written under a pen-name. There is no world-famous play about Spain which is on the same Level of genius as the plays just mentioned. But there is one great novel about Spain which is just as famous throughout the world – ‘Don Quixote’. Like all the Shakespeare plays,this appeared under an alias. Bacon,casting his eye over the whole of Europe,found that this area lacked an appropriate masterpiece,an epic story to match those of Greece and Rome and Great Britain.

In a letter to Lord Burleigh written in 1592,Bacon declared “I have taken all knowledge to be my Province.” A play would not have been the right format for a Spanish epic. Needing a larger Canvas,he chose to write a work of fiction.

Spain is a country rich in all aspects like art, culture, beauty and weather conditions. Spain attracts plenty of tourist attraction and each year millions of people travel to this beautiful and stunning country to have an experience of a lifetime.

While visiting Spain in the summer season, you can visit the southern parts of the country for better weather. Spain has abundance of natural beauty and you can see a variety of wildlife at any of the National Parks. There are plenty of activities that would certainly appeal greatly to nature lovers. There are hiking trails and jeep expeditions organized especially for tourists and they will take you to beaches, mountain peaks and beautiful coastal areas. Spain is also home to many scarce species of animals and plants. Some of the most beautiful and stunning national parks of Spain are:

1. Tablas de Daimiel

2. Coto de Donana

3. Ordesa

4. Monatana de Covadonga

The lively and stunning city of Madrid is the capital and undoubtedly one of the most vibrant cities of this country. While in Madrid you must visit the three art museums that are the pride of the city. The Prado, The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza have superb collections of arts and painting from all periods of times. The Royal Palace and the Plaza Mayor are two of the most historic and exquisite places of Madrid and have displayed valuable collections.

Andalucia Ceuta is popular for its legendary Arab architecture and has some of the most beautiful places in Spain. It is an important site as it is rich in minerals and a growth land of olives and citrus fruits. Seville is a city that has a great history of Moorish conquest of Spain. The traces of that time period can be clearly seen in the architecture of the whole place and some of such architectures are fortress of Arab kings and Mudejar.

You can visit different regions of Spain at an affordable price and you can rent a car in Spain. This facility can also be availed from Spain airport as well as other cities and locations of Spain

Cheap Car Spain provides cheap car hire from leading car rental companies worldwide. Explore our website for a free quote for car hire in Spain and a lot of other rental destinations in Spain.

We are all asking ourselves whats happening to our climate. We have heard a lot about global warming in the past few years yet no specific occurrence can be directly attributed to climate change. The frequencies of catastrophic events does strongly suggest that climate change or global warming is playing a role.

Global warming facts do suggest that climate change may:

• Cause changes in precipitation (a greater incidence of flooding)

• See a higher incidence of forest fires

• Have more frequent and intense storms and tornadoes

We are indeed seeing a pattern of increasing weather patterns around the globe. Within the past year Australia has a record drought, India had horrific monsoon rains and Greece had forest fires. During the winter of 2010, the Washington, DC area had the worse snow storm to hit the city in 90 years. Washington Reagan National Airport received 17.8 inches of snow. Many other cities on the east coast received record amounts of snow.

Floods have been occurring all over the united states, Nashville Tennessee, in May 2020 Experienced historic flooding that took the lives of several people. Tornados are occurring at an alarming rate and so many people are left homeless and defenseless.

A major earthquake is one of the greatest forms of disaster, in some cases cities are entirely wiped out and thousands of people or injured or worse killed. A prime example of such a catastrophic earthquake is the one that occurred in Haiti in 2010. This type of disaster could potentially happen in the US, because the New Madrid fault system between St. Louis and Memphis, has a history of shaking violently, and has a series of faults several miles below the surface. Experts are saying that there is a strong possibility of a sizeable earthquake similar those in the 1800’s. It is reported that the biggest quake occurred in 1812 that caused 60 miles of the New Madrid Fault to rupture. This caused waterfalls on the Mississippi, and the river to run backwards for several hours, in the river bends just northeast of New Madrid. This quake also created Reel foot Lake in Northwest Tennessee.

Disasters of economic proportion are indeed occurring more frequently, although we cannot stop the occurrences, we all need to have an emergency preparedness kit readily available. When disaster strikes its too late and we are depending upon someone else for our vital necessitates. This type of kit is becoming a necessity because in the event you are cutoff from emergency help, you will have some means of survival until help arrives.

Consider having on hand items such as:

• Emergency Food Units

• Dehydrated & survival Foods

• Walter filters

• Walter purifier

• Salt water Filter

• Preparedness Books

• Water tablets and treatment

• Water purification

• Freeze dried foods

• Earthquake Survival Kit

• Dehydrated and survival foods

I have not personally suffered the direct effects of a natural disaster but ‘3’ of my siblings and their families went through the horrific effects of a tornado in 2003 and escaped with only with the clothes on their backs, therefore, I am a strong advocate of emergency preparedness.