Italy has always been a consideration for those interested in experiencing the Alps for less. Having said that, it is still considered one of the top European skiing countries today, and is a magnificent place to take a skiing vacation. There is a certain romance about Italy that makes it the number one choice for so many skiers each year, and it is easy to see the attraction with the place. From its northern snow-tipped peaks, you can also venture towards the cultural hotbeds of Rome and Turin, and experience Italy as it is intended, as well as its amazing ski slopes.

One of Italy’s smallest resorts, tucked up high, near Canazei in the North, is Alba. Based on a tiny village, the Alba resort is the truest form of skiing escapism, with amazing off piste skiing to be had. For the keen skier, this would make for an excellent day trip, or an excellent weekend away whilst staying at a bigger resort, and although it has only 5 lifts, it is a real Italian treasure, and something not to be missed if you like peaceful surroundings whilst you ski. On top of that, if you enjoy cross country skiing, Alba also offers a number of extensive trails for you to pursue, ensuring that you are likely to have a great time, whatever you skiing preferences and ability.

If you’re looking for something bigger, why not consider Italy’s highest resort, Passo Tonale. An ideal family resort, Passo Tonale is focussed more around beginners and intermediates, and provides a friendly atmosphere that is just simply lacking from some of the bigger resorts. Passo Tonale is also home to a top class ski school, employing some of the region’s most talented skiing instructors. In addition to that, the staff pride themselves on the conditions of their slopes, which are groomed frequently. From the peak of Passo Tonale, you are faced with a wonderful panoramic view of the whole region, which is truly breathtaking, and it has been known for skiers to spend hours simply analysing the view. Passo Tonale is a great resort if you are looking for a busier, more down to earth ski resort for you and your family.

Selva Gardena is one of Italy’s largest resorts, and if you are looking for some great scenery and excellent, consistent snow coverage, you could do a great deal worse than here. A great value for money resort, Selva Gardena is also child friendly, making it another fantastic resort to take the family.

Italy has a diverse range of ski resorts to cater for all different tastes and abilities. In general you will find all the resorts welcoming and friendly, not to mention the amazing hospitality you will experience in some of their restaurants and bars. If you are looking for a good value for money trip, and you enjoy skiing, the North of Italy is ideal for you, and can provide any skier with an adequate challenge of their abilities. Additionally, with some of the best skiing instructors in the world, Italy is one of the best places in Europe to enjoy skiing without paying an absolute fortune. Italy truly is a great skiing location for anyone looking to experience the Alps in all their glory, amidst the wealth and depth of culture and history right around the corner.

Summary:

Nature can be a rich source of inspiration for writing a child book. This article presents 7 ways that you can tap into nature to uncover material for your children’s stories and unleash your creativity.

Keywords:

writing child book,child stories,publishing child book

Article Body:

Copyright 2006 Paul Arinaga

Nature can be a rich source of inspiration for writing a child book. Here are 7 ways that you can tap into nature to uncover material for your children’s stories and unleash your creativity.

#1: Flora, Fauna and…

This is obvious, but you can use animals, or even plants, mountains, stones, rivers, etc. as characters in your story. They will probably be anthropomorphic, having the characteristics of humans. For example, a river that becomes angry and turns into raging rapids. You can use nature in this way to help your reader see things from a different perspective. For example, you could make up a story about the animal kingdom (e.g. an ant colony). You might imagine what it would be like to become an ant and see the world from that perspective. Nature may also form the setting for your story. Just remember to describe only what’s necessary to move your story forward and convey your message. Don’t get bogged down in lengthy descriptions.

#2: The Four Seasons

Not the musical group but the four seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall. These could be an integral part of your story, not just the backdrop to it. The fable of the ant and the grasshopper is a good example of how the seasons can propel a story forward and be a metaphor, too. A beautiful example of how you can use the seasons as both a metaphor and a setting is the Korean film “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring Again”.

#3: Cycles

More than just the four seasons, nature is full of cycles: life and death; healing; pregnancy and birth; maturation; etc. A common theme in many children’s stories is the maturation or growth of the protagonist. The hero or heroine of the story overcomes obstacles and becomes stronger or more mature in the process.

#4: The Elements

Did you know that each element has a concept associated with it? Air = Thought, Fire = Desire, Water = Emotions, Earth = Stability. In Chinese philosophy, the elements are also linked to parts of the body. This gives you three dimensions to play around with: elements, concepts and parts of the body. The elements themselves could be anthropomorphic reflections of the different concepts and their interplay could be a metaphor for human being’s difficulties in finding balance between thought and emotion, desire and stability, etc.

#5: Astronomy

The universe or astronomy (sun, moon, planets, stars, etc.) is another possible source of inspiration. The planets can be anthropomorphic characters or can be manipulated by the characters. Characters that manipulate the planets represent a theme often found in mythology and even modern-day stories such as “Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me”

#6: Nature’s Patterns

As we all know, nature is very complex, yet elegantly simple at the same time. Natural dynamics such as evolution and propagation could be an interesting element in your stories. You could, for example, explore how a creature has evolved over time (this could be a good sci-fi story).

On another level, there are also little truisms in nature. Remember when the giant sea monster threatening to devour the Jedi Knights in one of the Star Wars films gets swallowed whole by an even bigger monster? Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi, then says wryly: “there’s always a bigger fish.”

#7: Study and Absorb Nature

If you want to really be inspired, try just sitting somewhere in nature and observing it in all its splendor. You may discover interesting (anthropomorphic) behaviors or larger patterns. You will also become more relaxed and when you’re relaxed it’s easier to be creative.

Conclusion

These are just a few ways you can get inspired by nature to make up child stories. I'm sure you'll think of more. I think nature is particularly interesting as a source of inspiration because it is awesome and powerful, neutral (with “pure nature” there is no good or bad per se), beautiful and perfect. It’s pretty hard to improve upon nature.

P.S. If you record or write down any of your stories, you can send them to me and I'll publish them on my website with your name (and copyright) on them.

Summary:

Nominated for 19 Emmys and 5 Golden Globes, including Best TV Series - Drama, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman experienced the rare double victory of audience loyalty and widespread critical acclaim. Premiering in mid-season (January 1993), the hour-long CBS original series illustrated American frontier life like few other shows before it. Like the smash hit Little House On The Prairie, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman vividly portrays the hardship, struggle, and community kinship endemic ...

Keywords:

dr. quinn medicine woman dvd review

Article Body:

Nominated for 19 Emmys and 5 Golden Globes, including Best TV Series - Drama, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman experienced the rare double victory of audience loyalty and widespread critical acclaim. Premiering in mid-season (January 1993), the hour-long CBS original series illustrated American frontier life like few other shows before it. Like the smash hit Little House On The Prairie, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman vividly portrays the hardship, struggle, and community kinship endemic to the era. One of the first Western-themed shows to cast a female doctor (as the star of the show nonetheless), Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman enjoyed a successful five-year run, marked by two highly-touted made-for-TV movies…

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman follows the exploits of Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, a female doctor living in 19th Century America when that sort of thing was unheard of. Working for years as an assistant in her father's New England medical practice, the death of her father prompts Dr. Mike to answer a want ad for a doctor in the thriving American frontier town of Colorado Springs. When she arrives, the town is taken aback, having expected she was a man. But Dr. Mike quickly endears herself with the townsfolk and expands her family by adopting three orphan children - Matthew (Chad Allen), Colleen (Erika Flores/Jessica Bowman), and Brian (Shawn Toovey). As the show progresses, she eventually marries local Byron Sully (Joe Lando), and the final seasons focus on the lives of their nuclear family. Sporting an assorted cast of loveable, and sometimes eccentric, characters, the town is never short of excitement or drama…

The Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman DVD features a number of dramatic episodes including the series premiere in which the audience learns the saga of Dr. Michaela Quinn, a female doctor who loses her medical practice along with death of her father (in whose footsteps she followed). The lack of job opportunities prompts her to leave her Boston home to answer a job posting in the Colorado territory. Once there, she befriends Charlotte Cooper, who soon dies from a rattle snake bite, leaving her three children in Dr. Mike's care… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Running Ghost" in which Sully is left partially paralyzed following a run-in with buffalo hunters hired to clear a path for a new railroad line, and "Portraits" in which the entire town must pull together in an effort to take a picture of the town so that it can be seen by David Watkins, a diabetic Civil War photographer, before he goes blind…

Below is a list of episodes included on the Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (Season 1) DVD:

Episode xx (Pilot) Air Date: 01-01-1993

Episode 1 (Epidemic) Air Date: 01-02-1993

Episode 2 (Visitor) Air Date: 01-09-1993

Episode 3 (Law of the Land) Air Date: 01-16-1993

Episode 4 (The Healing) Air Date: 01-23-1993

Episode 5 (Father's Day) Air Date: 01-30-1993

Episode 6 (Bad Water) Air Date: 02-06-1993

Episode 7 (Great American Medicine Show) Air Date: 02-13-1993

Episode 8 (The Cowboy's Lullaby) Air Date: 02-20-1993

Episode 9 (Running Ghost) Air Date: 02-27-1993

Episode 10 (The Prisoner) Air Date: 03-13-1993

Episode 11 (Happy Birthday) Air Date: 03-27-1993

Episode 12 (Rite of Passage) Air Date: 04-10-1993

Episode 13 (Heroes) Air Date: 05-01-1993

Episode 14 (The Operation) Air Date: 05-08-1993

Episode 15 (The Secret) Air Date: 05-15-1993

Episode 16 (Portraits) Air Date: 05-22-1993

Summary:

Some people have big problems in their life and they become a part of their identity. Instead of allowing your problems to rule you, discover how you can rule your problems.

Keywords:

goals, goal setting, motivation, success, living motivation, jason johns, sanjo, hypnosis, achieving your goals

Article Body:

I would guess that you have so problems in your life haven’t you?

Do some of them seem overwhelming, massive and unconquerable?

If you stood at the bottom of Mount Everest and looked up, it would appear incredibly huge and insurmountable, wouldn’t it?

What if you changed your perspective and perhaps got in a helicopter and hovered near the top, or moved far away from the mountain. Then it would look different and perhaps not so overwhelming.

We all have problems (or challenges) in our lives that appear overwhelming. Often it just takes a change of perspective to change how you feel about it and to make it appear manageable.

This could just be something as simple as looking outside of yourself.

A friend of mine has had a lot of problems recently. They seem overwhelming and she’s been close to the edge with no apparent way out.

Then her mother went into hospital for a check up and was admitted with a possible brain tumour.

She spoke to me the next day and said, “Suddenly, my problems don’t appear so big”.

If you are suffering from overwhelming problems then you need to change your perspective. Either

1) Look outside yourself at the people around you and realise how well off you really are

Or

2) Visualise your problem and shrink it down. Put it under your feet or push it far off into the distance. This changes your perspective and makes it manageable

Either of these will change how you feel and help you deal with your problems better and in a more resourceful way.

If you’ve decided that working as a Wahm writer is the best work at home job opportunity for you, then you’ll need to figure out how to get writing assignments. Fortunately, when you work as a web writer there is no shortage of job opportunities. It all depends on where you look and how much research you are willing to do.

Web writing can break down into several different categories. Before you begin looking for work, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want to get credit for your writing. If you insist on byline, you may have difficulty finding a lot of paying jobs. Byline jobs are out there if you look. However, the most money to be made is from working as a web ghostwriter.

Many Wahms find success with ghostwriting. When you work as a freelance ghostwriter you provide writing services for clients who will then use the work as their own. Ghostwriting as a wahm is a lucrative opportunity, especially when you focus on web writing. For the most part, the Internet is a text and image based platform. Companies and individuals who run websites constantly need text to make their websites attractive to visitors. Since writing is something that a lot of people would rather not do, this leaves plenty of opportunities for people who love to write.

Web writing Wahms need only an Internet connection, e-mail address and word processing program to get started. Your own website is not necessary, but it adds a touch of professionalism to your writing business. However, when you are first starting out you can get plenty of work without having a website.

There are several different categories of web writing. When you see the term “content writing” you will normally be providing text for an existing or new website. Your writing will have to be engaging and clear for website visitors. Article writers concentrate on providing articles for websites, newsletters and blogs. Generally, articles for the web are between 400 and 800 words each. Any more than that is difficult for readers to sit through while looking at a computer screen. Copywriters are challenged with putting readers in the mood to buy. They write copy for Internet sales letters and marketing sites. Ebook ghostwriters provide clients with full-length books on a variety of topics.

Wahms who write need to be professional in their online presence. This means spell-checking all writing, including e-mails to clients. It is also a good idea to get an e-mail address that is specifically used for your writing. A personal e-mail address with a goofy handle will make you appear unprofessional. Your first and last name or a combination thereof is a good choice for your web writing e-mail address.

Writing for the Internet has a few differences from writing essays in school or writing for print magazines. Readers online have short attention spans, and you’ll need to keep your sentences short and your paragraphs clear.

The other difference is the use of “keywords” in certain writing assignments. Keywords are words that have been selected by your client to be used in the article. These words have been selected because they are Internet search terms and your client wants their website to show up for those search terms. Keyword articles will require you to use the word or phrase a certain number of times in the article. Sometimes it can be difficult to use the words without making it sound forced. Experienced web writers have developed ways to make the keywords flow naturally into their articles.

Once you’ve gotten a few web writing assignments under your belt, you can decide what type of web writing suits you best. You can find work on writing message boards, freelance writing job sites and classified ad sites like craigslist. Whenever you apply for a job, make sure to include your contact information and a few well-selected writing samples.