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Off To Belize - Paradise On Earth     
 
Art and Culture
  
 
Take An Expedition To Belize!

By Condo 402
Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT) is no longer hidden; it’s now out in the open, so to speak. Other vacation spots maybe partially or wholly manmade, however, Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT) is 100% natural: made by Mother Nature herself. All manner of people have been captivated by Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT); from newlywed couples on their honeymoon to whole families on vacation, from adventure seekers to nature conservationists. Belize has a secret place for everyone. Here’s what I like about a trip to Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT), access by land, sea and air is just so easy, hassle free and drama free. One of the most encouraging aspects of a Belize trip is its easy accessibility by air, land and sea. When you arrive in Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT) it is instantly apparent how cheap the country is as well as how compact it is; making it a straightforward matter to organise weekend trips.
If you’re in North America and you want to get to Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT) it’s very easy: there are planes ships and buses, all of which are scheduled. If you own a boat or can borrow a boat you can come down the Caribbean Sea and enjoy the outlying islands before you reach the shores of Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT). Some people like to travel by road, if that be you, then hire a car or take a luxury bus from anywhere in North and Central America and point your compass toward Belize. American Airlines, Continental Airlines and US Airways operate flights from Dallas, Houston, Miami and Charlotte.
No trip to Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT) would be complete without a plan (an itinerary) as most tourist attractions are close by. When you really want to cut loose here are three things to indulge yourself. The first is for those who want to absolutely indulge. Visualize yourself in a luxury spa in a jungle lodge in Cayo. The second is for those who want to connect with their inner self, head over to Long Caye or Lighthouse Reef Atoll. The third is for those who want an alcoholic beverage in their hand, and a table in the corner of a Mexican restaurant head over to San Pedro, Placencia Village and Ambergris Caye.

Getting around Belize City is very easy due to the abundance of taxi companies, car rental companies, buses and water ferries. The buses work well, the car rental companies work well and the water ferries work well. If you are taking a longer vacation you can take a bus or plane. For those who do not have a grip on reality, you can hire a bike for a small fee. Sometimes time is short so you may choose to fly with the local airline: some people however prefer to take the bus because it allows you to see some of the cultural heritage. Many of the frequent visitors to Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT) are also likely to hop around in ferries and water taxis - giving them a closer look into the heart and soul of Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT), the river system and inland waterways.

The tourists start to arrive between December and June. It rains the most between June and November. If you want to be around when the weather is nicer the best time of the year is between December and May. The people in Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT) are warm, friendly and will greet you with a smile on their face. When you arrive in Belize you will find out very quickly that Belizeans will welcome you with open arms and a warm heart. This is a key reason why guests to Belize (BELLA MAYA RESORT) buy real estate. If you look at a place like Long Caye you will see that it has two brilliant attributes; the white sandy beaches and the picturesque fishing spots. Because of these two attributes the rise in foreign owned real estate has been unstoppable. Regardless of their visit to Belize returnees have a longing to return and always wish they could have stayed longer. Viva Belize!!

Themed and Destination Wedding Photography     
 
Art and Culture
  
 
Creative weddings are the rage. Brides and grooms are looking to create a lifetime of memories that do honor to the entire wedding ceremony. New age theme weddings are fun, romantic and unforgettable and today’s destination weddings provide powerful and intimate experiences. Both events require commitments from attendees as well as the bridal party. The memories captured by the photographers can be cherished for generations.
Due to the necessary travel, destination weddings tend to be more private while theme weddings are often for larger gatherings. The choice is personal, but the wedding’s impressions last a lifetime.

To capture the essence of the celebration, a new style of photography has evolved. The destination or theme-based photography is usually best provided by a team of experienced and often well-traveled photographers. In many cases, these photographers have previously visited destinations or are familiar with the challenges of various theme wedding photography.

Most brides and grooms retain the destination photographer for all aspects of the wedding. That often includes the engagement photography, shower celebrations, bridal parties, rehearsal dinners and even bridal fittings. Inevitably, the more familiar the photographer is with the couple, the more powerful the connection and the more compelling the results will be.

Destination photographers are professionals. Unlike many photographers, they tend to be flexible, understand the meaning of the location and are capable of bringing the couple and the appeal of the setting together in both still photography and video portrayals.

The wedding photography is one component of the overall celebration. When the album is assembled and the DVD’s distributed, these photographers sustain the character and power of the celebration in all elements of their presentation. Wedding photographers go the extra mile and devote themselves to the ceremony and celebration with unequalled enthusiasm and passion. Destination wedding photography is not about another wedding shoot or another Saturday at a part-time job. Destination wedding photographers are committed to creating that lifelong record of your most special day. They have value and are worth their fees.

The world may not be smaller, but it is certainly closer. Brides are selecting destinations on every continent. Australian and African weddings have become extremely popular and resorts have received the message. Many very private and very exclusive resorts cater to the international wedding trade. From the plains of Africa to the coastal high tops of Australia and throughout Europe and Asia, brides and grooms are starting out with the magic of a miraculous location.

Theme wedding photography requires a team that understands and embraces the theme. Photographers often perform research to better understand the theme. The number of wedding themes is as vast as the imagination of the bride and groom. Brides and grooms are taking the concept of theme weddings to a new level.

Disney Theme Weddings - Disney theme weddings are happening all over the world. From Cinderella to Lady and the Tramp, brides are encouraging their guests to join the fun.

Beach weddings - Beach weddings and receptions are popular outdoor ceremonies. The beach, the sun, the stars and the water make for great photography and plenty of romantic backdrops.

Irish weddings - Many are help on St. Patrick’s Day but all embrace the many Irish traditions. Capturing the color, pomp and vitality of the Irish ceremony can create just the lasting memory the couple desires.

Movies - From the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, to popular standards like White Christmas and Casablanca, movie themed weddings are surprisingly popular.

Arabian Nights - These themes are best adapted to highly decorated reception halls with colorful linens and costumes galore. Couples that go to these extremes want the memorable moments preserved.

Hawaiian themes - Fresh leis, spectacular flowers, romantic music, tropical fruits and tropical feasts all need to be captured. Hawaiian weddings produce the flashiest of attire and plenty of photo opportunities for the experienced photographer.

White Perceptions of Slave Religious Ceremonies     
 
Art and Culture
  
 
There were different perceptions of the slave religious ceremonies by the white. The incantation rituals by the West Indian slaves were portrayed as African based. The slaves were opposed to the whites Christianity religion and this upset the white because it caused a threat to the whites man’s safety. The slaves continued to worship their African God Whidah and this brought an atmosphere of uncontrollable hatred and merciless retribution between the slaves and the white. This revealed the unease and the suspicion with which the white watched the religious and the cultural ceremonies of their African slaves
The whites perceived the religious beliefs of the black as powerful, exotic and untimely. They viewed the religious and the cultural ceremonies as unintelligible and threatening to order. They thought that the practices were not intelligent and did not follow the order that Christianity followed. This was just part of the white construction of European domination and African powerlessness in the colonial times. During the colonial times the survival of the slaves depended on their refusal to be absorbed by the white

As long as they maintained their religion and their culture then they felt part of themselves rather than feeling apart of the white. Their resistance to the whites’ ideology is evident in the slaves’ obedience to the African based religion. Their religious practices were used because of the new environment and they were used as a form of protest against the underlying European colonization.

African based religious belief offered the Africans a strategy for survival and identity. It was a good way to oppose the Europeans. The whites on the other hand wanted to assimilate the slaves to be part of the European culture in what they saw as civilizing them and this brought conflict between the whites and the slaves. A syncretized religion called Obeah played a dominant role in the British Caribbean isles. It was considered to be inspiration and dangerous.

Rome and the Roman Republic     
 
Travel & Tourism,Art and Culture
  
 
This year the Italian capital has been awarded with the Bit tourism award 2009 in the category “Italian city”. This certainly confirms the fact that the city during the years has been established as the most loved by tourists for its beautiful architectonic heritage, but also thanks to the richness of exhibitions and events proposed, able to surprise and involve both Italian and foreign tourists. Rome is the heir of a glorious past; one of the most interesting moments in its history was the period of the roman Republic.
The roman Republic (Res publica Populi Romani) was the govern system of the city of Rome in the period between the 509 BCE and 27 BCE, when Rome was administered by an oligarchic republic. This long republican period also coincides with most of the roman conquers in Europe and in the Mediterranean Sea, especially between the III and the II century BCE; during the I century BCE, Rome has instead been devastated by internal conflicts caused by social changes, but this was also the century with the biggest cultural and literary flowering, thanks to the encounter with the Hellenistic culture, the real symbol of “classic” during all the next centuries. In 27 BCE the military expansion extended the territory of the Republic to include the entire Italian peninsula, the Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily Islands, most of the Gaul, of the Iberia, of the Balkans Peninsula, of the coastal region of Asia Minor and North Africa, Egypt and Greek.

The powers before reserved for the king, (army command, juridical power and maximum religious authority) were assigned to two consoles and, for what regards the religious field, to the pontifex maximus. With the increasing complexity of the Roman state, the institution of other offices was necessary such as aediles, censors, quaestors, tribunes who constituted the magisterial power. For each one of these charges three main principles was to be followed: the annuity, or the observance of one year mandate (the charge of censor was an exception, that could last up to 18 months), the collegiality, or the assignation of the same charge to at least two men at a time, each one of them exercised a power of mutual veto over the actions of the other one, and the gratuity.

The second pillar of the Roman Republic was the popular assemblies, that hold various functions, among which the one to elect magistrates and to vote for the laws. The social composition was different from one assembly to another; among these assemblies the most important body were the assemblies of the century, where the weight in the voting was proportional to the census, according to a mechanism (the one of the division of income brackets in Centuries) that made preponderant the weight of patrician families.

Starting from the agricultural reform proposed by the tribune Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus in 133 BCE, the political convulsions became always more serious, causing the rise of a series of dictators, civil wars and temporary armed truces, during the successive century. The roman world was going to become too ample and complex for the republican institutions. The clash between three strong men, Caesar, Pompey and Crassus became unavoidable, when Caesar refused to release command. His victory over the other two allowed him assuming the command and the title of dictator, acquiring full powers.

But at his death by the conspirators, did not follow the restoration of the Republic but a new period of wars during which two contenders, Augustus and Mark Antony, fought to have the absolute power, considering the Republic already surpassed.

Michael & Inessa Garmash     
 
Collecting,Interior Design,Art and Culture
  
 
Michael Garmash began his art career at the early age of three. When he was six, when most children are entering grade school, he was attending the Lugansk Youth Creative Center, beginning his formal education as an artist. His works were displayed at Exhibitions in the Ukraine, Russia, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. In 1987, Garmash graduated from the Lugansk State Fine Art College as valedictorian, a short 18 years after birth in the same town he grew up in. After teaching there for sometime, Garmash continued on to eventually graduate from St. Petersburg Academy of Art in 1996 as the head of his class. Michael Garmash’s accomplishments were far from ordinary as is his artwork. Garmash always stood out as an over achiever and his master pieces convey his dedication to his profession.
Michael met Inessa on campus in 1990. The following day, Inessa found her portrait painted all around town, including the walls of public buildings, roads, and even her apartment staircase. She also found Michael, arrested by the police. The police did not punish him however, and some may have found it quite romantic. They continued their relationship, eventually marrying and having a baby girl together. It comes as no surprise that this unique couple find there way to each other as the similarities are endless. At only fifteen, Inessa enrolled at Lugansk Fine Art School. Like Michael, Inessa received awards and accolades such as “best undergraduate”.

Today, Michael and Inessa Garmash have created paintings together all over Europe. As unique as each of their lives, the way in which they started painting together is both spontaneous and chance. Michael painted a portrait of their daughter for his art school, only to find that it had been altered. Michael and Inessa’s two year old daughter had added some colorful additions, so Inessa quickly re-touched and covered them up. Michael immediately noticed the painting of his wife’s gentle strokes, but submitted it as it was. He was later told that this was the best of his career. Since then, Michael and Inessa Garmash have been creating master pieces together, conveying emotion, love, romance and delicacy through their realistic portraits that look even better than pictures and more crisp than real life.

Michael and Inessa have a little trouble when it comes to supply and demand. Michael, with his life long and consistent need to perfect his creations and attention to detail, quality comes far before mass production. Though galleries and other institutions pressure Garmash to produce more art, he will not substitute quality for quantity.

The life like impressionist pieces produced by Michael and Inessa Garmash represent innocence, life, emotions and beauty along with new colors, techniques and a whimsical style. One can identify with the painting, though the portrait may not have similar physical characteristics, but creates a feeling of a time, place and circumstance, such as an innocent child, that builds a feeling a familiarity to their own situation. The glow on a child’s face, the warmth of a mother’s love, the casualness of a first encounter and the delicacy of a romantic interlude are so masterfully displayed in the works of Michael and Innessa Garmash.