 |
|
Wednesday, December 28, 2005Latest Global Visitors Canada, United States, Mexico England, Wales, Ireland Pakistan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan Australia Canadians have been clocking in to read the blog from across 5 Canadian provinces including: Saskatchewan Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia
Teague Neal blogged on 12:18 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, December 27, 2005The ever expanding world of blogging that in 2005 has becoming increasingly popular for writers and the online public alike across the globe. Internet giant Google has created a fresh new service based on blogging. Using the same search architecture that has become the world's most beloved and heavily used search engine they have reformed their technology onto two new sites Google Blog Search. Using the same service but on Blogger their blogging site and one of the most commonly used sites for bloggers around the world. Using similar searching and indexing technology Google Blog Search crawls the Internet and obtains listings of the most relevant blogs publishes in more than 10 lanugages including English, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and many more. Simply by opening up the "Advanced Blog Search" window on the right-hand side you can specify which language you want your words to appear in. Here you can select a group of 35 languages spoken on all six continents.  The main site of brand new Google Blog Search The main page of Google's newly launched service to search the world of blogging. Also in the advanced search window you can search for your results by telling the engine which exact phrases and titles you want in blogs and posts. This will pull up categorical results on practicular examples of results you want not unlike traditional Internet search engines including Google. Other options here allow you to scan blogs by the date and time they were published to the Internet as well as using the URL if you are in the know of that from a blog you frequently check up on. If a certain super special blog captures your interest you can subscribe at the bottom of each result page for either a RSS or Atom feed. Have no idea what a feed is, simply it's a complimentary subscription service complimentary subscription service that is a simplified version that collects and is updated regularly with all that blog's posts. Learn more about it here. This can be viewed on a webpage or be emailed to you directly. Email any questions to the Google Blog Search team at blogsearch-support@google.com .  Screenshot showing the result webpage of Blog Search Teague Neal blogged on 9:58 PM
0 comments
Friday, December 23, 2005Pay The Tattoo a visit and sit back to the tales of woe and wonder documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Tattoo staff writer Samantha Perez of St. Bernard Parish outside of New Orleans, Louisiana. In her latest quintet of entries Perez tells all about a reunion with her friends and how her family and her was planning to cope with Christmas and make it as happy as can be. Perez also reports on the tragic and wrongful acts against displaced Hurricane Katrina victims in their newly adopted schools in Louisiana and much more. Also included are new cartoons based on Katrina from Tattoo staff cartoonist Michel Lee of California, U.S. Feel free to email your comments to The Tattoo at thetattoo@gmail.com . Also be sure to read the review of Irish writer Niamh Ni Maholien on the new cinematic version of the magical and marvelous world of Narnia. She gives her take on the new Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.  St. Bernard houses and roads following the wrath of Hurricane Katrina Teague Neal blogged on 2:58 PM
0 comments
Saturday, December 17, 2005  Worldwide bestseller American authour's Da Vinci Code has spawned a global passion for his 2003 masterpiece. Tourists from across the world have wanted to take what they have retrieved from his prolific pages and have these prolific places in Paris, across France as well as locations in London and all around England. Tour companies both British and French have taken this creative cue and created a highly unique series of tours, some are a couple hours in length, some a couple days. Other ones make Da Vinci Code the main focus for the seasoned traveller who has seen the major sights and sounds in Paris and London. It's a way to re-visit the timeless cities with fresh eyes and in a way that brings creative flair to Paris and London. For first timers, it's a wonderful way to wonder. Wonder about the background of the Rose Line, want to see Saint Sulpice and the multitude of loccations and locales in Paris and elsewhere in Europe. Check out Fodors to set out solo enveloping Paris as you discover firsthand the sites of Da Vinci for yourself.
The Rose Line inside Saint Sulpice in Paris as mentioned in the Da Vinci Code  The world renowned Louvre as described in divine detail in the book Jaunt through the City of Lights and see the path through Paris that the storyline of Da Vinci takes. Several tour operators in Paris offer an array of packages to offer. Classic Walks a well established Parisian walking tour company has a enriching walk daily beggining at the ultra luxurious Ritz Paris. From the majestic hotel where Robert Langdon receives that phone call that started it all you will travel to differerent parts of Paris exploring what and where it is that many of the events unfolded in the book. Prior to setting off on foot through Paris your tour guide will discuss in detail the history and meaning behind Langdon and Nerveux's time in the Louvre in the Grand Gallery and into the home of Mona Lisa. The tour includes a ticket to the Louvre you can use on your own time during your Parisian stay. They give you a guide to inform you as to the most important sights to set your eyes upon within the Grand Gallery and the other musts of the Louvre. You then move on to Saint Sulpice the site of the famed Rose Line and the spot of several scenes in the novel. The tour comes to a conclusion as you take a walk through the Left Bank to the church of St. Germain de Pres. There are over a dozen other tours in Paris that have sprung up since the publication of Da Vinci in 2003. Be sure to scan the Internet and seek out what tour suits you best. Another alternative is to make Da Vinci your full trip to England and France. Offered by AETN Travel the travel agency that runs trips across the globe in conjunction with the The History Channel . These trips truly offer an extensive version of similar sights but encapsulate the cities and countries in addition offering a full package.  St. Germain des Pres church in Paris  Arc De Triomphe on Champs Elysses , where Brown's charachters begin their flee in the story  See where Dan Brown leads his characters Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and French cryptologist Sophie Nerveux check out this movie that leads you through what British Tours Limited will show you on their treks on location in London. This tour can be taken privately or as a larger group of Da Vinci fans for between 3-7 hours taking you throughout the city and in the footsteps of the amazing adventure that the book takes you through on its British leg. The 3 hour tour is for those wanting to just see London through the eyes of Dan Brown. This one takes in the circa 1185 Temple Church, a drive along Fleet Street, walk through Westminster Abbey and through St. James Park among other sights to behold.  St. Johns Gate in London The longer one also includes the major sightseeing traditions of tourists that they must see before leaving England including the Houses of Parliament/Big Ben, The Tower of London, St. Pauls Cathedreal and much more. It also includes the additions of The Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great where you can peek into the Priory's vault of extensive history dating back hundreds upon hundreds of years as well as the Priory of the Knights Hospitallers, Smithfield Market, St John's Gate and St Bart's Hospital. Book this extrodinairy experience on your first or hundredth visit to London, England.  London's Fleet Street Teague Neal blogged on 3:46 AM
0 comments
Monday, December 12, 2005The Tattoo has flipped a new page off the press this week taking stands on New York City at this festive time of the year on this side of the pond and Limerick across the Atlantic. Myself one of the Canadian Tattoo staff writers wrote all about what it's like to take it to the top literally. What it's like to take to the top of the world famed Empire State Building in the centre of New York City, and what makes it that much more special to do it in December. Staff writer of Nebraska, U.S. Zach Brokenrope reports on sitting on Santa in New York's Macys and beholding the beauty of the city at Christmastime. From across the pond sure to read staff writer Limerick, Ireland's Marese Heffernan' article on the dangers and no-nos of her home city. Feel free to email your comments to The Tattoo at thetattoo@gmail.com The Empire State Building glowing in blue and green light for Christmas  Teague Neal blogged on 1:00 AM
Sunday, December 11, 2005Did you ever read the choose your own adventure books when you were a younger one? Did you enjoy feeling the sudden surge of excitment run through your developing mind? For those of you whose childhoods did not contain these books of bountiful brain food that though not the highest quality writing was a harmless doese of good fun, they are a off spring of a traditional novel. Choose your own adventure books begin with words that form a traditional story up until a certain point and page. Once your fingers and eyes reach that point and page you are given a trio or quartet of often omnious options. These options could result in you, a family member or friend dying a gory death, you winning masses of cash, morphing to new lands, attaining goodness of some sort among a bounty of selections. Alongside each selection there are page numbers, you simply turn to this page and read that section. As you continue to plunge deeper into the depths of your adventure you flip from page to page choosing scenes, the climax and ultimately the grand finale of your fortune or misfortune. Whatever it may be, whatever you choose, whenever you choose. In our extremely computerised world there are also online Choose your own Adventure stories to check out. These lead you through a shorter yet still stimulating story on your monitor as you click through questions that are posed of you. This is the same stream of thinking that The Bronte Creek Project took this week. The day before the hall wall was plastered with a number of activities to satisfy any number of interests. These all touched on various components of the curriculum that is maintained at Bronte. Workshop ideas included: - outdoor games (Ultimate Frisbee down and dirty in the snow) - learning how to both knit and sew - a yoga meditation tutorial session - painting and studying local trees - sushi making California roll style  California style sushi , the American vegetarian offspring from traditional Japanese and Chinese sushi My two selections was a round of Ultimate Frisbee in the snow just outside the lodge style building that Bronte uses for the program. Two teams were formed and sometimes pandamonium would ensue, despite the fact that overall there were only a couple confrontational moments! Trudging through a couple inches of fluffy white does make it much more challenging as you will suddenly fall flat on the face or buckle at your knees. It was a good time had by all and eccentuates what it is that's emphasised at Bronte, that includes learning and mastering new skills. Whether it be our ISU where I'm learning the skill of skateboarding and others are picking up guitair, medieval sword fighting, home decorating, shooting among other creative skills. Following the hardy game of frisbee, I headed back into the lodge and right into the kitchen. Here one of the teachers had a bunch of bamboo mats laid out across the kitchen island along with big bowls of water, sushi rice flavoured with rice wine vinegar, to make it taste just right. Our teacher took us through a training session in the art of hand rolling savoury sushi rolls in the Califoornia roll style.  Once all the seafood, crab or vegetables are atop the bed of sushi rice, rolling begins! Visit personal webpage of Katerina and Andrei of Moscow, Russia. They have developed a sesnational site on all things sushi and sushi making. Below is a list of all the must haves to run a sucessful sushi session from one of three webpages they have on the subject of sushi. 1. Japanese-style rice (any short grain rice is also suitable) 2. Rice Vinegar , 4.1 % acidity (cider or red wine vinegar diluted with a little water make adequate substitutes) 3.Dry seaweed sheets (nori) 4. Bamboo rolling mat (makisu), rice paddle and fish knife 5. Soy sauce plates 6. Japanese horseradish (wasabi) Buy it as a powder or as a paste in tubes. From powder wasabi make a stiff paste by mixing 1 tsp wasabi powder with 1 tsp water. Leave to stand for 5-10 min before using to allow the flavors to develop. 7. Soy sauce 8. Pickled ginger (gari) 9. Vegetables, raw fish or crab meat, cut into pencil-thin strips. Also here are some additional ingridients that can be added to make your sushi even more enjoyable from their site: Japanese rice wine (sake)Sweet rice wine (mirin)Dried shitake mushrooms Perilla leavesToasted sesame seeds Be sure to check out the other webpages of these sushi afficandos for other tips, recipes and the full history of how sushi got it's start. The group that gathered for this sesssion including myself had an absolute blast as we learned the steps of sushi. Here are the following steps as taught to us by our own in house expert at in the kitchen of The Bronte Creek Project in Milton, Ontario: 1) Lay out a sheet of seaweed (nori) 2) Spread across the seaweed enough sushi rice to cover 2/3 of the sheet 3) In the centre of the seaweed atop the sushi rice lay out all your ingridients that you have chopped ahead of time, traditional toppings include crab, shrimp, salmon or other fish, roe or caviar (fish eggs) ,chopped carrot, green onions (scallions in the U.S) snow peas and much more. Also if you are up to a mouth full or spice and tang to surge through your nose add a dab or two of wasabi, a Japanese green horseradish. 4) Roll one huge roll or a "tidal wave" as our teacher described it enclosing the first part of the sushi roll 5) Continue two or three rolls ensuring each time that you keep the bamboo mat from rolling into the sushi 6) Once rolled up wet your fingers with a little bit of water to seal the seaweed 7) Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi, soya sauce and anything else youur little heart desires and enjoy! This wonderful day of workshops truly highlights the world beyond the classroom and text books that is available out there such as here in Ontario. These programs are spanning further across the world even though they are unfortunately not available to the globe more evenly, they are coming and becoming more numerous. Though as each program of this nature is run within a school board district these programs need do not currently have the ability to expand so far. Though people have visited The Bronte Creek Project in the recent past to find out all they can about the program including a group of 35 Japanese business men who flew from Japan to learn all about the workings of Bronte over the course of their 2 week visit. It's a much more hands-on based way of learning about the world that takes the approach and belief that learning as during this workshop day can promote and teach its participants so much, with little classroom time. Even the classroom time is much more interactive as you will see in next week's entry to this continuing series: Days at the Creek...Sustainable Housing Construction! Some of the selections... Learning all about how to sew & knit Yoga tutorial & meditation session
Painting local Ontario trees
Learning how to self defend yourself Ultimate Frisbee in the snow! Teague Neal blogged on 10:58 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, December 07, 2005Hello to all of you across the globe, I would like to give all of you an update on what it is I've been doing behind the scenes of my beautiful blog here. There is continued blogging goodness on its way and in the works, do not fear. I have been putting time into the reconstruction of this blog which will continue over the next several weeks. You may have noticed the cool new bar links on the blog taking you to places of interest as well as a list of travel & tourism related links in a similar fashion further down the webpage. These are the beggining of a whole new travel area that will include links to online photo albums you will be able to click into from my blog showing pictures of my Canadian travels including Halifax, Montreal and my native city of Toronto Canada's biggest and most popoulous city. In addition there will be a series of snapshots of my recent travels to the New England region of the United States including the quintessential world famed peneusuila that is Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Connecticut. This will be added to over the course of the next several months to include views of Mexico, Belgium and France abroad as well as further vistas of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Also groupings of my journey to Japan that I made last year as part of my city's sister city relationship where I spent time in and around Osaka. Emerging will be a much more modern and cleaner interface with more flair and features for your eyes and minds to enjoy. Also I'm working on building a fantastic flash website fresh off the press! This will be online within the next couple days . For those who will want to enjoy the flash site I will provide a direct link from this webpage. This will contain three webpages including a devoted travel section and a international food column among other new innovations. If you are fluent with this blogging and website lingo, wonderful. If not not to worry enjoy this blog and I will soon have a link to the website and will keep you informed in my posts. Look for a new entry to The Days at the Creek tommorow evening Toronto time as well as a bunch more. Email your comments, feedback or words of innovative ideas to me at teague.neal@gmail.com Teague Neal blogged on 11:58 PM
0 comments
Monday, December 05, 2005The fourth and final package of The Tattoo's close look at creations of all things game related is now online. This unique and unrepated series started back over a year ago with our staff writers in six states in the United States and myself in Canada just outside Toronto, Ontario playing games for hours on end to bring our devoted readers the best quality games. Also to pluck the turkeys from the game shelves so those won't end up on your shelf! Nebraska, USA Tattoo staff writer Zach Brokenrope also interviewed several game creators, designers and draftsmen who told all about working in the highly competitive industry of gaming. In today's issue be sure to read through the finale articles including; my review for the handheld excellent electronic game Catch Phrase, good friend and staff writer of Terryville, Connecticut, U.S. Stefan Koski on the mind boggling world of word play in MyWord, the strangely serious Scattegories by Bristol, Connecticut staff writer Molly Horan and last by not least a overview of all that terrific Taboo has to offer the world by Plymouth, Connecticut staff writer Heather Moher. Also don't miss the creative flair that staff photographer of Dixon, Illinois, USA Wesley David Fane's photo illustration has brought to the page. Feel free to email your comments to The Tattoo at thetattoo@gmail.com Teague Neal blogged on 11:31 PM
0 comments
Friday, December 02, 2005Opening its doors to the world both theoretically and literally in 1946 Ten Thousand Villages in conjunction with the Mennonite Central committee who operate in churches across North America in Canada and the United States. Mennonite Central committee provides aid, encouragement and incentive for people in desperate seek of need and attention across the globe. They ship in foreign aid supplies, food and medical equipment to countries following or during war time, civil unrest or natural disasters that devastate the people. They work with and provide direct services including canned meat and medical kits. In addition MCC provides a wide variety of kits that contain valuable products to help support the citizens and provide for those in need. School, health, sewing and newborn kits are flown around the world to children and adults who literally have nothing but their bodies. Mennonite Central committee provides the backbone of support for Ten Thousand Villages.  Ten Thousand Villages has a network of hundreds upon hundreds of stores across Canada and the USA that provides a safe and supportive haven for young and old artist alike paying them deservingly for their fine work. Unlike mega conglomerates in the western world who most often pay meager money to those who toil together their products, Ten Thousand Villages happily gives full price that allows the artisans to live on a bed of money that they can actually use and enjoy their life with. Not simply the measly amount that corporations knowingly hand out to people in developing and desolate nations that have more than enough trouble striking up business let alone being handed pay cheeses that pay next to nothing at all. Government organizations based in Canada and the U.S. ensure that the products hand crafted are of high caliber in a safe promoting working environment. Under that the monitoring bodies ensure they maintain peaceful and promotional relations with each country, each individual and each village. They strongly are against all forms of abuse, work exploitation and work abuse.  Instead of simply sending masses of materials Ten Thousand Villages promotes sustainable aid, by giving and continuing to give over the long term for many years. As the businesses and production gets all arranged, the relationship between the offices in North America strengthens not dwindles as the majority of foreign aid programs do. In addition there is a relationship between the consumer and the producer. The consumer learns about the man, woman or children who crafted their purchase and they learn all about their way of life and how Ten Thousand Villages is positively contributing to their life. The organization is one of many branches that's part of the global tree that operates across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America International Fair Trade Association . IFAT runs over 270 Fair Trade Organizations across the planet in over 270 countries worldwide. Each of these individual programs fostering a friendly web of support in the world. One that looks beyond boundaries both physical and poverty and realizes the true spirit in all these special people. Canadians and Americans can participate in exchanges with countries involved in Ten Thousand Villages and their parent companies. Check their websites for more details or arrange your own work abroad program with another company and see how shopping at this creative and crafty store truly is making a difference and not just dropping more millions into a Shanghai businessmen pocket who runs a Chinese sweat shop dropping a couple pennies a day into his underage and underfed employee's pockets. Teague Neal blogged on 1:34 AM
0 comments
Thursday, December 01, 2005Check up at The Tattoo to capture the latest offerings. Tattoo staff writer Samantha Perez of St. Bernard Parish just outside the borders of New Orleans, USA who was badly beaten and completely flooded following the August 23rd, 2005 Hurricane Katrina. The category 5 storm has wreaked havoc physically on her house and community. This is in the process of getting back in order. Nonetheless the mental recupperation will take much longer. This is what Perez is in the process of trudging through as she tells the globe while the rest of the media of the world has stopped reporting on Katrina. From the homepage click on the "Hurricane Journal" icon on the left-hand side of our homepage and read her two latest entries. Also don't miss one of our trio of Irish writers brand new concert review. Marese Heffernan tells all about new hot Irish singer Damien Rice. Click on his picture on the right-hand side of our homepage or under her name in the Writers Index also on the right-hand side in purple text. Feel free to email your comments to The Tattoo at thetattoo@gmail.com Teague Neal blogged on 12:38 AM
0 comments
<< Home |
Teague Neal |
