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Creating a Good Case, A Great One…Rather

Any successful Las Vegas law firm will understand through intuition, business savvy, and an incredible program, the importance of surrounding themselves with not only a staff of skilled and talented employees, but surrounding themselves with a diversity of operating mechanisms, meaning people who go about attending to challenges and problems in a variety of manners.  What is necessary for the success of any court case, any business, any company, or any aspect of life really, is the ability to adapt to an ever changing environment. 

When a lawyer begins to put together their team, they must become aware to the fact, that while like attracts like, different is necessary.  In order to successfully solve any problem, linear thinking must converge with creative ideas.  Machiavelli made observations in the 1400′s about human behavior, noticing that while a problem may be easy to cure, it may be difficult to diagnose.  Much like taking an aspirin for a headache…sure the headache may disappear, but what caused it may remain, under the surface and ready to emerge again at any given moment.  

One way we all go about become diverse, is to learn a new skill.  There are workshops in drawing for writers, and writing for draftsman.  This brings one in touch with different coping mechanisms and ways in which one will find options and solutions when confronted with the ups and downs, not only of the world of litigation, but of life in general.  Logical skills include effective time management and the assessment of short versus long term goals. 

Also included is in one’s ability to learn new skills in areas in which they may not be familiar.  One perfect combination is intuition and data.  Gut feelings are accurate, as long as emotions are not involved.  Intuition is best backed up with data, and vice-versa.  It is a delicate balance, but one that is easy to attain.

Tags: Creating a Good Case A Great One Rather, Logical skills, Machiavelli, savvy, Vegas law firm

Formentera Beaches and Water Sports

Formentera is a small Balearic Island located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain. Although it is rather small it is still one of the four largest of this collection of Islands. Each of these islands, including Formentera attracts many tourists to their beaches and unique cultural aspects every year. Formentera, being the smallest of the four, is extremely peaceful and mild. It is a great place for a quiet and relaxing getaway and provides low key beach activities, as well as an opportunity for all of the major water sports. Wind surfing happens to be the best suited for this island due to the wind flow coming through its shores. Surfing on standard surfboards, and boogie boarding is also popular, as is scuba diving, swimming and water skiing. As is common to most beaches, pools and practically any body of water, sunbathing is an ongoing activity and some of the beaches are designated as nude, which some people prefer.

Since Formentera is small, it is possible to tour the island completely while vacationing there. The local population is extremely friendly, how could they not be seeing that their home is close to being a paradise. Formentera car rental companies are primarily there to serve the tourist population, and is well acquainted with standard needs and expectations. There are also many restaurants and night clubs to provide quality entertainment and great food. Some of them are there for the tourist population and close down during not peek hours. However, there are many that stay open all year. Mediterranean food and traditional Spanish dishes are common often are the favorites of locals and tourists alike. A nice falafel wrap is a healthy and refreshing lunch option for tourists on the go. Another popular activity for tourists is to take a ferry around the island, or to its next door neighbor, the island of Ibiza. Ibiza’s club scene is world known and an evening there may make an exciting compliment to the peace and quiet of Formentera.

Tags: Beaches, car rental, Formentera, water sports

Further your education

The job market is a tough place right now. And the unemployment rate is growing more and more. It can be difficult to find a way to set yourself apart from all of the job seekers out there. That is why this economy is so difficult. The people who are looking for work are highly qualified and some may even be experts within their chosen field. So needless to say that competition is quite fierce.  It’s time to buckle down and start thinking about how you can make the most out of your resume. You need to show your effective leadership skills and set yourself apart from the bevy of other applicants.

The first thing you need to think about doing is revamping your resume. If you are still using the same resume you used the last time you looked for a job, that could be the reason why you are not getting any call backs. Employers have so many more resumes they are looking through now for open positions, so you need to make yours stand out. Any kind of management development training or education that could give you the edge in a job interview or at any point in the hiring process.

Also think about how you can make yourself more marketable. The more skills you have the more intriguing you are going to be to an employer. Employers want employees who are well rounded. The more training you have the better. Consider what type of training you can get to make you more successful in the next pool of resumes. Sit down and think about why you are not getting call backs and do your best to change that.

At the end of the day, the job market is really tough. So hang in there, something is bound to come your way eventually.

Tags: effective leadership, job market, management development, resume

Pallavi Jaipur

In the world of accommodations, five-star Jaipur hotels hold a special place for the savvy traveler.  Jaipur is a fascinating place, with a long tradition of cultures meeting and merging.  It has long been a stopping place for tourists, and has many fascinating attractions that make it a wonderful place for the whole family to visit.  There are some fantastic restaurants, with great food for non-vegetarians and vegetarians alike, but the food in the hotels is absolutely divine.  There is a splendid balance between innovation and tradition here, in the city and in the hotels, where hospitality and technology live up to world-class standards.  Jaipur has a reputation for having some of the finest hotels in the world, and guests would be well-advised to come and see why.

Travelers will notice immediately that there is a unique sense of organization here in Jaipur.  It is not simply the stamp of a well-planned city, although that is certainly true.  The plan for the city is based on the principle of an eight-sided mandala, so that the citizens would have a sense of themselves walking and carrying on as participants in a divine version of life.  This sense really carries to all levels of daily life here, adding a splendid essence to this Pink City.  The city has some beautiful claims to fame in other regards, too, and one of these is its homegirl, designer Pallavi Murdia.

Pallavi Murdia is the designer who started and continues to head the Pallavi Jaipur line of fashion.  Her designs are some of the most luscious and exquisite works of clothing in the world, and have been worn by celebrities and models all over India.  Pallavi Murdia, born and raised in Jaipur, was accustomed to experimenting with textures and colors from a very young age, and she learned to blend her new ideas with the best of local tradition.  This mix has really served her well in her career, and has done remarkable things to the fashion world as well.  Her designs are stunning and regal, and at the same time are absolutely contemporary.

Tags: five star, hotels, Jaipur, Pallavi Jaipur

The Saga’s of Singapore

This morning I took a walk outside of one of the 5 Star Singapore Hotels where I stay when visiting the city and I noticed that the  Saga Tree was in bloom. I remember as a child, I loved the Saga trees when in bloom because of their bright red seeds.

Now as a biologist, I have a better appreciation and a best understanding of the Saga Tree. The leaves have 2 to 6 pairs of side stalks, each with 9 to 15 pairs of leaflets. ‘Pavo’ I’ve found means peacock and I think the leaves are rather pretty. The tree sheds its leaves seasonally. In Singapore, they shed their leaves every 6 to 8 months, so it’s leafless period is very short. After the leaves fall a flower will appear on the long stalks shooting out the end tips. These are the faintly scented blossoms which reminds me of the scent of orange blossoms back home. The flowers will open gradually from the base upwards and the petals are a nice creamy yellow and then they turn to a dull orange.

The pods of the Saga tree are curved and green, but don’t coil until they begin to split whereupon they also turn blackish.  The seeds are bright red, hard and heart-shaped. The word ‘Saga’ has been traced to the Arabic for goldsmith.  In India and Sri Lanka, the seeds of this tree have been used as units of weight for fine measures, of gold for instance. It’s been suggested that the seeds of the tree were the basis of the very earliest of such systems. What more delightful counters for the primitive and bloody mind than these hard, red, heart-shaped seeds.

The red seeds are considered intoxicants. I found records that in Java, the seeds are roasted, shelled and eaten with rice and said to taste like soybeans. In India, the seeds are also used in medicine. And everywhere, the seed are also used to make necklaces. As I walked back from my nostalgic leisure stroll and noticed I had a smile on my face.

Tags: Arabic, five star, hotels, Java, Saga Tree, Singapore

Patricia Millns

Looking for the perfect luxury hotel?  Dubai is a treasure trove.  Combining old-world hospitality and graciousness with new-world style and design, the hotels here are famous for their splendor, and the guests here are treated like royalty.  With a sumptuous combination of natural wonder and metropolitan cool, Dubai is an amazing setting for any trip, whether the purpose is business or pleasure.  The city itself is something of an international hot spot, with a dazzling array of cultural activities, public festivals, and ample shopping.  In recent years it has come to be identified with high culture, with an amazing number of galleries that seem to pop up out of nowhere every few months.  The curators and artists here have their fingers on the pulse of something extraordinary, and any visit here should include the visual art.

Local artist Patricia Millns is one of many artists who are making Dubai their home base.  Dividing her time between here and Beirut, her reputation is growing rapidly, and in 2007 she was named one of the Top 100 people in Dubai.  It’s quite an honor, and her art is really something to behold.  Her background is in Northern Ireland, where she spent her formative years before attending art school in Birmingham, UK.  Her early works show an interest in Celtic art, using the symbols and repeated patterns to make new works of visual beauty, with comments on contemporary culture in the face of the past.  She has been traveling in the Middle East for the past 20 years, and in this time she has found her same obsession with patterns and iconography to repeat, and her work has evolved to incorporate Arabic designs into her works.

With impressive credits like the DIFC Gulf Art Fair, the work of Patricia Millns is reaching huge numbers of art aficionados.  She has made some large-scale installations using flags and repetitive iconography to make works that comment on individual identity, where the unique is absorbed into a larger whole, in a public exlploration of the traditions of Sufi mysticism.  She also has made smaller works, of course, which are shown in Dubai and Beirut, and can also be seen in galleries all over the region.  Many of her works are held in private collections around the world.  Her eye for detail and visionary capacity to transfer the small to the sublime is something that makes her a unique artist, and one to certainly watch in the coming years.

Tags: dubai, hotels, Millns, Patricia

Doing Something Different

Going to work Monday through Friday. Eight-o-clock to Five-o-Clock. Walking the dog. Kicking it at the Dance Clubs Friday Evening. Drinking too much and needing a ride home. Sleeping in on Saturday morning. Cleaning the living room, bathroom and bedrooms. Doing the laundry. Grocery shopping for food to make next weeks lunch. Watching the Netflix DVD that just came in the mail. Walking the dog. Meeting with friends at the New York USA Hotel for drinks before heading next door to the movie theater and watch the latest hit. Eat too much popcorn. Saying goodnight to friends and head on home. Flopping down on the sofa and turning on the CD player and listen to some chillaxing tunes. Falling asleep on the sofa.

Waking up early Sunday morning with a crick in the neck. Go Jogging for a mile or so. Reading the New York Times out on the patio after taking a shower. Cooking up breakfast consisting of an Omelet, bacon, wheat toast and fresh orange juice. Calling up a few friends to see what they’re doing. Catching up on Emails. Watching some television. Walking the dog. Checking the personals for anyone interesting to date. Playing World of WarCraft online. Looking up a clock to see it’s 1:37am Monday morning. Regretting playing WoW too long. Making a ham sandwich for lunch tomorrow and going to bed only to wake up at 6am in the morning to go to work. Going to work Monday through Friday.

These are the dreams Michael has as he lays in his hospital bed on able to move, except for him pinkie finger, at the long-term care facility which he as lived in ever since he has a major Stroke. Rehabilitation helps very little. Basically, the physical therapists visits everyday do lift up his mood, but other than that, all Michael does with his idle time is imagine doing something different.

Tags: hotel, Netflix, New York, USA, World of War Crafts

Bed Bugs

Most think that these small, brown, flattened critters called bedbugs will only appear in filthy places. Unfortunately that’s no longer true. New York is once again being invaded and the problem is growing through out the world as more and more international travellers and business people bring with them and take home with them this intrusive insect stowed away in a briefcase or suitcase. New York Business Hotels have taken the best defense and have managed to be bedbug free due to their due diligence. But, caution is still the key to make sure when in New York you don’t bring any bedbugs home with you.

Bedbugs can survive in clean areas as well; as long as there are humans to fed on, there will always be a bedbug in waiting for their next meal. However, keeping your environment clean of clutter will help avoid the bedbug due to the fact of fewer areas for them to hide, but bedbug love to hide in the crevices of the mattress and the head and foot boards of the bed. Usually, one need to toss the mattress along with the box springs to get rid of a bedbug infestation.  Sad really, but it’s the only way to ensure that there are no more in your living quarters.

When in New York make sure to keep your luggage and or briefcase off the floor. Preferably on top of a table or dresser. Not on the luggage tray, that’s where bedbugs might hang out. Some tip-offs to the presence of the bedbug are reddish spots of blood dried on the sheets, dark fecal matter stains in the crevasses of the mattress. They like to lay their eggs close to where a human will be, so even check in-between the mattress and springboard for signs. If your brought bedbugs home with you from your trip to New York and find any of these signs listed above, don’t mess around with store bought products, hire a professional pest control firm, one that specializes in bedbugs because there are extremely tough to get rid of and easy to spread to another part of the house.

Tags: Bed bugs, hotels, New York, pest control

BBQ in New York

I’ve gathered up a list of some fantastic New York BBQ Restaurants to check for the hungry traveller and business person that are staying near or at a New York Airport Hotel you don’t need to worry about which one to try and hope you found a good establishment. The ones I list below are all good; all tried and tested.

The Fette Sau is a glutton-friendly smokehouse. Highlighting a deli-style BBQ and featuring sparkling cuts of beef, pork and poultry by the pound. The poultry being brine and smoked Cornish hen. The staple smokey espresso and brown sugar rubbed ribs are truly what to put on your plate or the pastrami, it’s not orthodox because it’s made with beef tongue, but worth the try.

Bone Lick Park, yes! Wonderful. Mmmmmmm…okay I’ll expand on that. It’s all about the slow cooked BBQ. Out back is a wood burning pit.  Hickory, apple and cherry wood fills the atmosphere as savory baby back ribs are being cooked to perfection with a sticky supple covering of peppery sauce. I recommend the Carolina pulled-pork sandwich. It delivers a kick of smoky flavor and not much a mess to clean up.

The Smoke Joint. Wow! What sets this BBQ restaurant apart is it’s claim to ‘Real’ New York barbecue. It can boast that because it’s true.  The reason is the owners don’t stray from the four basic barbecue groups of meats: ribs, brisket, pork and chicken. I recommend The ‘Brooklyn Wings’ they have plenty of smoky flavor and the barely singed lean baby back ribs hickory, mesquite and maple wood flavor will make you come back for more. Even The Smoke Joint sauces which are cooked for six hours are addicting.

I saved the best for last. I best in my opinion. R.U.B BBQ. R.U.B. standing for Righteous Urban Barbecue. They don’t take reservation and make no apologize for using paper plates and towels. These are their dishes and napkins. The reasoning behind this is ‘It’s the BBQ’ dummy. That’s all that matters and they are right. The owner, Paul Kirk is a seven time world champion of barbecue. His mission is to be flawless by Kansas City Barbecue. The ribs are tender and lean. Oh, and Wonder Bread comes with each platter! Along side the slew of tasty baked beans loaded with pieces of brisket.

Tags: BBQ, Carolina pulled-pork, hotels, Kansas City, New York, pastrami

Sega Orchestra Mauritius

Sega (pronounce Saygah) the traditional original instruments of Mauritius are disappearing and the more more conventional orchestra is becoming the standard, but not along the coastal fishing villages. This established tradition and traditional instrument has a strong hold. The traditional instruments being used are the Ravane, goat skin which is stretch over a wooden hoop. The Coco, also known as Maracas, representing the percussion section. The Triangle, a simple piece of metal hit with an iron wand. And a guitar, single string with an arc attached to an empty Calebasse.

You’ll only find this Sega orchestra a festivals, smaller fishing villages or in the lobby of the Mauritius Luxury Hotel. But I recommend going to the smaller fishing village to listen to the fishing folks gather around a camp fire and give full vent to their emotions inspired by the local rum. They dance, very often, without any music at all or are accompanied with the sound of the Ravane, the tinkling of spoons, the rattling of seeds in a tin, and the clapping of hands. It’s an intimate event and you’ll be surprised that you were also eager to  participated in the Sega either by dancing or playing one of the original traditional instruments.

At first, the Sega dance is a rhythmic swaying of the hips, moving to the pulsating rhythm of the Ravane. But, then going from a slow solemn tune it gradually rises to an all consuming rapture of animated movements of body jerking, stretching and swaying keeping pace with the ever-increasing tempo. The beat flows inside you as and as your body responds to the rhythm, you’ll be carried away to the heights of bliss. Vibrating with a shaking force that inspire you to an even higher unrestrained ecstasy of dancing. No worries about how you look because the rhythm is too strong and will carry you away, all the way into the wee hours. When the music stops, and the sun rises, you’ll be tired, but you’ll also be aware that you have been transformed.

Tags: Calebasse, hotel, Mauritius, Orchestra, Ravane, Sega