TND West

The offshore oil and gas industry is notoriously dangerous, where death is an ever present danger for those out in the field.  However, changes and improvements in leadership training have helped to cut down on such deaths.  With executives at some of these companies getting the best training possible, workplace safety is slowly becoming better and better for their employees while still maintaining great levels of production.

Health and Safety Executive show how deaths and serious injury are very low today.  In this previous year in fact no deaths were reported in any offshore locations.  The year before that showed the same figures.  Such findings are becoming a common and positive thing.   As for injuries, they are very low at the moment, the lowest they been for about twenty years.  There were only thirty cases this year, which is even less than what Health and Safety discovered last year in their research.

The cause for all these excellent findings?  Altering how management back onshore comprehended the safety of their offshore employees says Health and Safety Executive Ian Whewell.  Because most senior level executive got promoted through positions in departments like marketing not in engineering or other fields associated with offshore practices, they did not fully understand what serious hazards were involved in the business of drilling and how important workplace safety is, especially for their company.  Because management leaders have received the proper business training and injury was reduced, and as a result, so did production and morale.

Though the training was simple in nature, it made a great improvement in comprehension for those leaders with no experience outside of the cubicle environment where it is difficult to imagine the tragedies that can happen in offshore drilling.  The effect of such training seminars were immediate and obviously successful, seeping down into all areas of the bsiness.

About two years ago, on August 22, I fell. I was jogging around the block with my dog. Of course, it was dark and the sidewalks where I go jogging were uneven and crumbly from tree roots breaking through the cement. I dislocated my jaw and broke my arm. I ended up with a big, heavy fiberglass cast around my arm. It was a bad summer. I felt damaged and worried that I wouldn’t be able to play the violin anymore. But, the crazy thing in all of this, just a month before my big fall, my older sister who was staying at one of the luxury Singapore business hotels while she was visiting me, had a fall and broke her hip to where she was put on bed rest. I’d been on the phone with her everyday. But, that’s still not the craziest thing. Our cousin, who was vacationing in San Francisco, had a fall a month before my older sister and broke her leg!

The three of us formed a club called the ‘Fallen and the Broken’, and we’d talk to each other daily. We’ve never done that before, talked to each other daily. Our relationships became closer and more intimate. When my cast was removed, there was this huge scar. It was a crooked line with little white points on either side where the stitches were. There was an indentation on the side where a long pin held my bones in place. I started thinking about covering it with a tattoo. I looked over tons of images, and would contemplate on which one would be the best. About a year and a half later, my arm was still sensitive in that area, but that didn’t stop my sister an me from getting a small purple heart. Mine was on my arm just outside the injured area and hers was on her hip.

But, a few months after that, I was getting my hair cut and realized that I had two arms. So, I thought I could tattoo the other arm. I’m really happy with my decision. It’s about intentional healing, about being balanced, about being happy, being alive and being aware of all that I have to be grateful for and I renamed our club ‘The Indelibles’.

I came to Cape Town to visit a dear friend of mine, who insisted I come and see how these architects transformed her home into a more sustainable, earth friendly home. She wanted me to stay in her newly remodeled home, but no matter where I go, I always prefer not to put my friends out, so I made reservations at one of the top Cape Town hotels, hoping this would not offend my dear friend. It did not, as a matter of fact, she was waiting for me in the lobby as soon as she found out I had arrived. She was that excited to show me her new way of living in South Africa.

The drive took about an hour, she lives just outside of Cape Town on some pretty prime property. During our drive this gave her the opportunity to tell me about the process of her remodel and the firm she hired to do it. The architects core philosophy is to create holistic architecture. This intrigued me, I never thought about our living area could be holistic. They integrate living spaces with the natural environment. They honor the site with taking a tremendous amount of care and time to get connected with the land itself. They identify its characteristics, both on the energetic plane and the physical plane. That sounded weird to me, but my dear friend continued. She told me that the architect firm took a journey into the history of the land and its spiritual ancestors. They even engaged in conversations with the native folk of the surrounding land and connected with the ancestors on an esoteric level. I asked my friend if she was being duped, but she just smiled at me and told me that I will eat my words once I see her place.

She told me what the architecture that manifested as a result of their nurturing harmonised with nature and man. They created synergy by integrating the natural elements with contemporary features. Therefore, they created a healthy space of mind, body and soul. This all sounded so laughable to me, but as we approached her land and her home. My jaw dropped, goosebumps raises on my skin. I was totally taken by what I saw. I can’t show you a photo, but a photo would barely describes just how wonderful it felt to be here on her land and in her home. My dear friend had to hold me as she walked me around the grounds and through her home. I felt like time had stopped, I felt at home, a oneness and at peace. Earth Temple Architects philosophy is by far the most amazing concept I’ve ever experienced.

Hugh Dennis is a well known English comedian, writer, actor and impressionist. He also has worked for voice over artist. He was born in Kettering, Northhamptonshire, England in 1962. His father was John Dennis, the Bishop of Saint Edmundsbury and Ipswich. He was raised in north England and attended the University of Cambridge where he studied geography. He also attended the boys school in Hampstead, University College School. He met his comedy partner Steve Punt while in school and the boys began their early comedy routines and basic comedic partnership at that time. While in school he was a member of the Cambridge Footlights.

Tourists staying in a Kettering hotel may not be visiting city specifically to attend a comedy show, but if the team happens to be in town you can certainly bet that attending the show will be a high priority. Dennis currently lives with his family in Chichester, a city in West Sussex, England. He married his wife Catherine in 1996 and has two children, a son and a daughter. In addition to his other studies, Dennis was recently the recipient of an honorary fellowship from the University of Northampton.

Dennis is primarily known for his work with Punt, their partnership is called simply Punt and Dennis, though he has also performed successful solo shows. He has performed on various television and radio shows including doing voice work for Spitting Image. He appears regularly as a panelist for Mock the Week. He is an extremely skilled impressionist, and this carries over well into radio performances. His early life as the son of a bishop may have contributed to some of Dennis’s comedic style, and interestingly enough it is extremely common for children of religious figures such as pastors, priests and bishops to become class clowns and develop a comedic personality.

Located in the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean lies the beautiful island of Mauritius.  With many a Mauritius luxury hotel to choose from along the coastline, to the incredible landscapes of the inner island, to the waters that surround it all, this island has fast become a tourist hot-spot.  Those looking for peace and quiet will find what they are looking for here, as well as those looking for outdoor adventures and exiting excursion through tropical forests.

On the sea there are many tour boats that will take one out for a look at the marine life, or take them from one island to the next as there are many interesting destinations located on the smaller islands off the shores of Mauritius.  The travel agencies can arrange for these tours, as well as most of the local hotels.  One fine tour, perfect for those not fond of going under the waves of the oceans, is the tour in the boat with the bottom made of glass.

Another option are the submarine excursions which also take one under the water, without every having to get wet.  These are both great ways to get some really beautiful photographs.  There are also many opportunities for the sports of surfing, snorkeling and swimming, as well as para sailing and scuba diving.  There are so many aspects to the island that are worth seeing and worth experiencing, that one excursion is just not adequate.  So it is a wonderful fact of life on Mauritius, that there happens to be so many different activities in which to take part.

When sailing past the eastern shores one will have the chance to see the hills and the mountains on that side of the island.  To the north, the waters are calm and so those who are a bit nervous about being in the open water will find a sail around these shores relaxing.  Many also find that jumping off the boat for a bit of snorkeling is wonderful in these calm waters.  Along the western side one has the chance to catch glimpses of dolphins as the schools are known to live in these waters.  Any where one chooses to explore on the island will provide one with memories that will last a lifetime.

Though everyone of all ages are susceptible to binge drinking, as reports and studies are showing, this is becoming more of an issue among the young.  It is becoming an epidemic.  Though recent studies have shown this epidemic on the decline now for a couple of years.

In 2003, it was reported that there that binge drinking in high school students dropped from about forty percent to about thirty percent.  College students too showed progress.  According to Henry Wechsler, a doctor at Harvard, his study demonstrated a major reduction in binge drinking since his last study that was done four years earlier.  People who have started to abstain from alcohol in general and not just binging has increased a full twenty-two percent, his study showed.  Other groups that show dropping rates come from the military.  In some global surveys done for about fifteen years, it was showed that military personal have slowed the common problem binge drinking was becoming.  Part of this success stems from the advances made in the kind of alcoholism intervention as well residential drug treatment available out there now.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse gathered information from the University of Michigan and their Institute for Social Research that echoed these results.  Binge drinking is at its lowest in a while now, especially in college students among whom the problem of binge drinking is most prevalent.  Still binge drinking continues to be a big problem even with the success stories that alcoholism intervention has wrought.  College students are still a high risk group for binge drinking despite these comforting statistics.

It is still important to remember that that are still big myths surrounding the college lifestyle that continue to persist whether warranted or not.  One of them is that binge drinking in college students is as popular as it ever was.  When students going off to college for the first time think this, they are probably going to binge as a result.  The kind of accurate information and research that an addiction treatment center provides about binge drinking can help aid parents and high schools to keep the good statistics up about college binge drinking.

As I was walking out of one of the Singapore Luxury hotels, I noticed in a park across the street that there were people doing something that looked liked Tai Chi, but it was different, so different I decided to be late for my appointment and I crossed the street to watch the interesting movements these people were making. After about a half-an-hour they were finished, so I ask the person leading this group what it was that they were exactly doing. He told me it’s Qigong (pronounced Chee Gong). I’ve heard of it, but never got to see it up close.

The Qigong master, that’s who I was questioning, told me that what I was watching was a different for of Qigong called Zhineng Qigong. It’s a self healing martial arts practice and it’s very popular because it is fairly basic and easy to learn. This form is so popular that there is even a Zhineng Qigong society here in Singapore. He told me that while Qigong has been studied for thousands of years in China, Zhineng Qigong is a much newer form of the ancient martial art. He continued to say that as with traditional Qigong, Zhineng Qigong involves deep breathing and slow deliberate movements that are designed to promote health benefits in those who practice it.

I asked him to explain more about the healing properties of the practice and he said Zhineng Qigong adds the science of mind body to the spiritual and energy, or the chi kung, properties that already exists in Qigong. Zhineng Qigong was developed by Pang Ming who also was the creator of the first medicine-less hospital in China. He devoted his time to study the effects of Zhineng Qigong in all of his patients. Zhineng Qigong is an open system of Qigong, emphasizing the body’s connection to the environment; it’s in where as traditional Qigong is a closed system that emphasizes the isolating oneself from their surroundings.

This information totally fascinated me, I asked if he had time to teach me a little bit, and he suggested I come back to the park tomorrow morning and he would be glad to show me Zhineng Qigong. I headed out to my appointment feeling so energized with just the information, I can’t wait to see what putting it into practice will be for me.

There is no such thing as a small part, just small actors. Well, the small hotels New York may have there own version of this famous actors phrase, there are no small hotels in New York, just small hotel bills. While that may apply to a guest in one of New York’s finest, it certainly does not apply to the actors in one of Arthur Miller’s plays. Miller was one of The United State’s most prominent playwrights of the twentieth century. He was also a frequent figure in the public eye, which generally uncommon for playwrights.

Miller was born in New York City in October of 1915. His parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants who settled in Manhattan and owned and ran a local women’s clothing store. After graduating high school, Miller attended the University of Michigan, where he originally studied journalism. He also worked as a reported and night editor for the campus newspaper, the Michigan Daily. It was during this time that he wrote No Villain and decided to change his major to English. His first Broadway success occurred in 1948 with the production of All My Sons, this would win Miller his first Tony Award.

His next major success came with Death of a Salesman, which would win him a place in the permanent theatrical canon. This play premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre in 1949. It was directed by Elia Kazan. It would win Miller another Tony Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize and Drama Circle Critics Award. His next major work was The Crucible, which was inspired by his interactions with the House Un-American Activities Committee. The plot of this play incorporates the circumstances of the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. There have been many theories that relate the witch trials in the late 17th century to the McCarthy Communism investigations in the 1950s. More on hotels

Malaga Spain is located in the region known as The Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It is an extremely dynamic city with many interesting historical landmarsk and cultural attractions. Throughout the centuries, the city and surrounding region have seen man transitions, and the various styles of architecture for a chronological history, and almost tell the story of the city’s past. Tourists staying in a luxury Malaga Spain hotel are often attracted to the city’s history and its landmarks as much as they are to its great contemporary culture and great entertainment scene.

The Alcazaba is a well fortified construction that dates from the Moorish emersion into Spanish culture. The word for the fortress is taken from the Arabic language and the word Al-casbah in Arabic means well fortified. The fort is located near to the outdoor Roman theatre. In addition to its numerous collection of historic landmarks, ruins and relics the city of Malaga has great museums. The Picasso Foundation and Museo Picasso Malaga are just two examples and both happen to be specialized and focus on one of Malaga’s most famous painters, Pablo Picasso. Find information on hotels here

Picasso was born in Malaga on October 25 of 1881. He is one of the world’s most recognized figures of the 20th century. One of his most famous works is his mural styled painting that depicts the German bombing of the Spanish city of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The painting, also titled Guernica was painted in 1937. Picasso is well known for his association to and contribution to the development of the style of painting known as Cubist. This genre was considered to be avant-garde at its beginnings, and quickly revolutionized most of European painting and sculpture. Cubists works break up their subject and reposition the pieces from various points of view. Multiple perspectives and orientations to these works are possible and they are usually intended for that purpose.

Adelaide is a beautiful coastal city located along the eastern shores of Golf St. Vincent, and is also the fifth largest city in Australia. It has many interesting attractions and cultural landmarks in addition to the great natural beauty associated with the city and its surrounding area. Guests staying in one of the Adelaide boutique hotels are sure to check out some of the interesting arts and entertainment aspects of the city, as well as its museums and of course great shopping opportunities.

The Adelaide Convention Centre is just one of the city’s major attractions. It is the ideal location for various professional conventions, which draws numerous people to the city every year. The center also hosts arts and crafts exhibitions, and has a diverse selection of facilities to service all types of events. Almost anything can be hosted by this contemporary complex and meetings of all types are often scheduled here. Everything from wine tasting seminars to congressional dinners, it all takes place at the Convention Centre. In addition, the Regattas Bistro is an excellent café located within the center that offers great food and drinks for event catering and it is also open to the public so anyone can enjoy the great offerings of this Centre establishment.

The Royal Adelaide Show is another of the city’s attractions though this one may be more overall appealing to the general vacationer tourists. However, as major and great as this festival is, it only takes place for nine days a year, beginning either the first week of September or the last Friday of August. Thousands of people attend this annual event that includes rides, great food stands and much more. It is essentially and agricultural fair, and there are numerous fresh fruit and vegetable booths, which almost make the event seem like the largest farmers’ market they’ve ever encountered. And of course, this one also includes those fun rides. Mote information on hotels click here