Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Sailing through History - Cruising in Turkey by Gulet

Rain was smacking against the window. It was icy cold. Sitting in the dark depths of a British University's library in 1994, I was gazing out dreaming of somewhere warm and exotic. Turkey was the place that lit up my imagination.

Three great things embody this country. Just four hours flight away from international London, it has a culture which is profoundly different, distinctly unfamilar. A land on the very cusp of Europe and Asia, with two heads simultaneously facing both east and west, it embodies the magic and mysticism of the orient. Once nomads from Central Asia, the Turks were for centuries the middlemen of the world, famed merchants uniting three continents - Europe, Africa, and Asia, as far east as China. Today, its people are famed for their warmth and hospitality, a gift of their nomadic ancestry and Islam's code of respect for strangers in a strange land.

The second great thing about Turkey is its age. The place is steeped in history. It's the site of some of the very earliest cities, like Çatal Hoyuk, stretching back 10,000 years. Ever after it was a veritable crossroads of civilisations. When archaeologists dig in Turkey they are confronted by layers upon layers of peoples and cultures, from Hittite fortifications to Byzantine churches. Before I'd even set foot there, Turkey conjured up images of all the things that I longed to see, great sun-burnt plains on which ancient battles were fought, theatres where Greek philosophers declaimed, and the marble clad ruins of Rome's imperial ambitions.

It's widely said that Turkey has more and better preserved Greek and Roman archaeological sites than Greece and Italy combined. The landscape is simply riddled with ruins, many of which are virtually untouched. You can literally stroll through an olive grove and stumble upon a Greek temple still standing proud, and have the place all to yourself. Many people say part of Turkey's charm is that it is like Greece was thirty years ago.

The third fantastic thing about Turkey is the landscape. About three and a half times the size of Britain, it has almost the same population, leaving vast areas wide, empty, and pretty much as nature intended. Add to that soaring mountain ranges, brillant white sunlight, and a vast coastline stretching along three seas, the Black Sea, the Aegean, and the Mediterranean, and you have a truly marvellous holiday destination.

I first went to Turkey eleven years ago, on a 2,000 mile walking adventure, to retrace Alexander the Great's footsteps from Troy to the battlefield of Issus, where the epic warrior defeated the Persians for a second time. A five month journey took me down the western Aegean coast past some of the giant cities of classical history, like Ephesus, Priene, and Miletus; deep into the interior through tiny farming villages where I was feted as an honoured guest; and south through the peaks and valleys of the Taurus mountains, where donkeys are still a favoured mode of transport.

A decade later and my love affair with Turkey still beats strong. While it was walking that brought me to Turkey, today I prefer a very different way of travelling: sailing. With some 5,178 miles of coastline, Turkey is a paradise for cruising. Its south and west coasts offer perhaps the most spectacular sailing in the Mediterranean, full of craggy coves and sleepy fishing villages, bustling harbours and deserted bays shaped like giant theatres with breathtaking vistas. Littered with antiquities, protected by law, large sections of it have remained undeveloped, still lapped by the clear waters on which the giants of ancient history sailed: Achilles, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar...

In places, mountains of limestone drop sheer into the sea, elsewhere pine forested peninsulas stretch out like sinuous fingers hiding a cornucopia of golden beaches, deep gulfs, and tiny offshore islands. With such a stunning everchanging backdrop, I can't think of a better way to see Turkey, to explore its culture, discover such rich ruins, and drink in the landscape, than to set sail on a gulet. Spared the need to constantly pack, unpack, and change hotels, instead one travels in luxurious style. Perhaps the key thing for me is that it's travel the way the ancients usually did. It makes thinking about the past altogether easier. Out on the waves, time can literally dissolve in the water, two millennia can disappear from the mind.

A mad keen sailor, Peter Ustinov once wrote: "The sea not only sharpens a sense of beauty and of alarm, but also a sense of history. You are confronted with precisely the sight which met Caesar's eyes, and Hannibal's, without having to strain the imagination by subtracting television aerials from the skyline and filling in the gaps in the Collosseum...off the magical coast of Turkey you rediscover what the world was like when it was empty...and when pleasures were as simple as getting up in the morning...and every day is a journey of discovery."

Gulets are really the vessel of choice for exploring the Turkish coast. Handbuilt from wood, usually pine from local forests, they're often as much as 80 feet long and sleep between six and 16 guests in attractive double or twin cabins. They tend to have three or four capable and helpful crew members, captain, cook, and one or two mates, who do all the work allowing passengers to relax. Most gulets have a spacious main saloon, a large rear deck where meals are served, and sun loungers on the roof at the front. The majority operate for the most part under motor, but some are also designed for proper sailing. When the sails go up, and the engine turns silent, you have the same soundtrack as Odysseus on Homer's "wine dark sea", the slapping of water on the side of the ship, and the wind rushing through the canopy.

Aboard a gulet, one travels in the footsteps of ancient Greek pilgrims en route to an oracular temple like Didyma, or in the wake of Byzantine merchants carrying a cargo of glass, like the Serce Limani shipwreck now in Bodrum museum, or like Roman tourists on their way to see the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

I remember the first time I visited the ancient city of Knidos, a sensational site for maritime trade perched at the very tip of the Datca peninsula, between Bodrum and Marmaris. We sailed and moored up in the city's old commercial harbour, just as merchants from Athens, Rhodes, and cities right across the Mediterranean would have done over 2,000 years ago. My fellow travellers and I gawped in wonder, as we eased into the ancient port, and its monuments took shape: the small theatre, the rows of houses, the miles of fortifications climbing up a steep ridge. We anchored where countless vessels had previously - large cargo ships, local fishing boats, perhaps even some fighting triremes. Even today the ancient mooring stones where they tied up are still visible, projecting out from the harbour walls.

One of the defining characteristics of a gulet trip is the back to nature appreciation of the simple things: the clean fresh air, the canopy of stars at night, the time to lounge about and read. Swimming in the crystal waters of the celebrated turquoise coast is of course one of the frequent highlights, and there are usually windsurfers, kayaks, and snorkelling gear available for the slightly more adventurous.

Alongside the archaeology and the relaxed atmosphere, one of the greatest delights is the food. Turkish food is justly famed, often ranked as one of the three pre-eminent cuisines in the world alongside French and Chinese. The focus is all about simple but incredibly fresh local ingredients, often grown organically or raised free range. You only have to taste a tomato in Turkey to see the difference. It's surprising how even on the smallest gulets, out of the tiniest of galleys, the boat's cook can produce such a variety of fresh local delicacies.

A Turkish breakfast typically consists of bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, cheese, eggs, yoghurt and honey. Lunch and dinner are usually one or two main courses, accompanied by salads and mezes, Turkey's speciality starters, including cacik (a garlic and cucumber yoghurt), biber dolma (stuffed peppers), and sigara borek (white cheese and herbs in a cigarette shaped filo pastry wrap). Fruit is a mainstay item, and ranges through the seasons from cherries and strawberries, to melon and figs.

But with so many miles of coast where do you choose to sail? Three areas are particular favourites of mine. First is the ancient region of Lycia, a giant bulge into the Mediterranean on Turkey's underbelly. Situated between Fethiye and Antalya, it's an area oozing with myths and brimming with archaeology. Here, behind the soaring Taurus mountains, an extraordinary culture and a fiercely independent people developed. Their funerary architecture, unlike anything else in the world, still litters their once prosperous ports.

This was the fabled land of the Chimaera, a dreaded monster from Greek mythology, described as early as Homer: "She was of divine race, not of men, in the fore part a lion, at the rear a serpent, and in the middle a goat, breathing forth in terrible manner the force of blazing fire."

The legend probably owes its origins to an extraordinary site high up in the hills. Sacred since time immemorial, it was the main sanctuary of the port city of Olympus. Here flames leap out of the ground, a phenomenon arising from a subterranean pocket of natural gas which spontaneously ignites on contact with the outside air.

Not only is a gulet cruise the best way to explore such an essentially maritime civilisation, sometimes it's the only way. Even now, there are tiny coastal villages which are accessible only by sea. One favourite is the sleepy hamlet of Kale, on the southern tip of Lycia. Above a few piers where small fishing boats jostle, rises a ramshackle series of houses made from ancient stones. Dominating the entire scene is a mighty Ottoman fortress built 550 years ago to overpower the Christian knights of Rhodes and secure the all important sea lanes between Constantinople and Jerusalem. The castle, however, was a latecomer. 1,800 years before, a small town called Simena was perched here. Its small Greek style theatre sits slap in the middle of the Ottoman castle, and all through the village are tombs hewn into the rock, and sarcophagi standing ten feet tall.

A second great area for sailing is west of Lycia, the ancient region of Caria, between Bodrum and Fethiye. This was the ancient realm of Mausolus, a powerful dynast 2,400 years ago. A strategically vital region, densely pack in antiquity with rich cities, it was jealously guarded and sought after. Alexander the Great liberated it from Persia, Rhodes sought to annexe it into her own empire, and the legacy of Crusader castles still speaks of the epic battle that raged along this coast between rival religions, Christianity and Islam. Today, there remains a wonderful blend of architectural and historic marvels. The exquisite temple tombs of Caunos, carved into a cliff face by masons dangling from ropes; the monumental city of Knidos, famed for Praxiteles' infamous statue of Aphrodite, the first female nude in history; and Halicarnassus itself, site of the fabled mausoleum and the mighty fortress of St. Peter.

A third glorious area for cruising, is ancient Ionia, to the north of Bodrum. Along this stretch of coast developed a civilisation of quite exceptional brilliance. In the centuries before Alexander the Great, the dynamic cities of Ionia helped lay the foundations of Greek literature, science, and philosophy, nevermind architecture.

Under Rome, these cities became ever more rich, prosperous, and beautiful - full of the finest temples, theatres and markets that money could buy. The highlights are plentiful: from the pretty little harbour of Myndos, where Cassius fled after murdering Julius Caesar; to the marvellously preserved Hellenistic city of Priene, where the houses, streets, and public buildings are laid out across a hillside in a perfect grid; and of course, Ephesus, capital of Roman Asia. This was one of the very first cities in the world to have street lighting. The site is magnificent, a cornucopia of colonnaded streets, agoras, baths, private villas, a theatre for 28,000, and an extraordinary library.

If you fancy exploring some of the world's finest ancient wonders, spring or autumn is the best time to go. April and early May sees Turkey decked out with a stunning display of wild flowers. From the end of May through the start of June the sea becomes swimmable before the summer heat scorches, while September through October is perfect for leisurely bathing.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

The Dangers of the New Media Landscape

Much of the media is going through tough financial times. The danger here, particularly when it comes to hard news and investigative reporting, is if real news continues to lose ground to sensationalism and entertainment. Taking the lead of sensationalistic blogs and reality TV, the mainstream media seems to be responding with a "give the audience what they want" approach. That might be well and good as a way to generate revenue, but news and true journalism has never been about giving people what they want. Its primary objective was and is to educate, and inform. Once we start replacing investigative journalism with celebrity scandals and reality TV train wrecks, we are in a very real sense giving away the keys to an informed public and a strong democracy.

The knee jerk reaction is understandable, because these are tough times for the media. According to The State of the News Media, in 2009, newspapers, including online, saw ad revenue fall 26% during the year, which brings the total loss over the last three years to 41%. Local television ad revenue fell 24% in the same time frame. Radio dropped 18%. And ad pages dropped 19%, network TV 7% (and news alone probably more). Online ad revenue over all fell about 5%, and revenue to news sites most likely also fared much worse. Only cable news among the commercial news sectors did not suffer declining revenue last year.

Panicking media outlets are changing the rules of the game. Of course it's important to entertain. It's essential. But offering entertainment 24/7 will result in a numbed and uninformed public. Americans don't want to be uninformed, but they don't know what they don't know. Unless there is true quality journalism that is bringing stories of corruption and malfeasance to light, they will never know these stories exist.

We are replacing news with controversy and entertainment. Learning that a sports star had a number of affairs is not news its sensationalism. More outlets is not the answer if it only results in more of the same. According to the Pew Research Center, their analysis of more than a million blogs and social media sites, finds that 80% of the links are to U.S. legacy media. The only old media sector with growing audience numbers is cable, a place where the lion's share of resources is spent on opinionated hosts.

There are some encouraging and exciting things happening in the online media world, from former journalists creating specialty news sites and community sites, to citizen journalists covering neighborhoods, local blogs and social media. In 2009, Twitter and other social media showed how they could disseminate information, as well as how they could mobilize people to act and react. The collective power of these sites was able to evade the censors in Iran and communicate from Haiti after the devastating earthquake.

Still, that is no substitute for the traditional work of the mainstream media. Media's challenge now is to make a profit and deliver news. But, it is not media's challenge alone. It is ours. If, due to economic constraints the media fails to uncover stories of corruption both in government and the private sector, we become the biggest losers.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2010

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Everybody Is Looking Forward To Tron Legacy

Tron Legacy is a type of movie that has become famous even before its release and almost everyone wants to go and watch such kind of movies with their friends and family members. Everyone in the city is talking about this movie and waiting for its release on 17th Dec 2010 - it will be released in Canada and US both. It will be a blockbuster since it is a science fiction movie and will surely capture the hearts of sci-fi fans.

It is a sequel to the movie, Tron - it was a famous movie, which was released in 1982 and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Tron Legacy is a movie that runs about Sam Flynn, whose father has disappeared mysteriously and no-one knows about his exact location. Then he gets some signals from the Arcade of Flynn and after some time he realizes that these signals were sent by his father. And thus starts a new adventure for Sam, as he encounters strange landscapes, weapons, and vehicles on a 'life or death' voyage.

Tron Legacy is undoubtedly going to be a thriller movie that will keep you at the edge of your seats. Since the theaters would be packed tight at that time, so you should think of getting advance booking if you would like to go and watch this movie on the first day first show. A lot of people who are sci-fi fans are eagerly waiting for the release of this movie so that they can go and watch this movie. All fans are waiting for the thrilling special effects of this movie. This movie would certainly a complete entertainment for you and you will not get upset at all.

This movie has everything that you want and it will be the right movie for you if you are waiting for some good movie these winters. In case you want to go out with your friends in December, it is far better to go watch Tron Legacy, rather than doing anything else.

There are various people who have already planned their schedule well ahead of time to spare some time during December, so that they can watch this movie. Have you created any plan for watching any movie? There are only some movies which create such a big name like this one has made. You must read the reviews of its first part, Tron, if you want to know more about it. Once you read more about it, I'm sure you wouldn't be able to wait for this film.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Hartford CT Historic Homes: Day-Taylor House

The Day-Taylor House was built in 1857 in a beautiful Italian Villa style architecture at the same time that Samuel Colt, the creator of the Colt Revolver built his Armsmear estate directly across the street. Located at the center of the Colt Architectural legacy at 81 Wethersfield Avenue, it has been a residence of several prominent Hartford, Connecticut families.

The Day-Taylor House was built by Hirim Billel, the highly esteemed Hartford builder who also built Connecticut's State Capitol and the Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park. It was influenced by the ideas of Andrew Jackson Downing who wrote treatises on landscape design and architecture that were widely popular at the time. It is an example of a style that Downing called "Italianate" based on Italian farmhouses that were also being depicted in popular landscape paintings of the period.

The three story red brick masonry and white trimmed building has an asymmetrical facade dominated by floor-to-ceiling arched windows at every level, balconies, cast-iron lintels and a flat-roofed cupola. The brackets lining the low-pitched roof and cupola are particularly detailed and ornate. The three-part veranda of the front facade is supported by elaborate Corinthian columns. The front facade has remained unchanged since its original construction.

The first owner and resident was Albert F. Day, a descendant of Robert Day who was one of the original colonial settlers of Hartford. The house was later occupied by his father, a Connecticut Attorney General. Later owners included Mary Borden Munsill of the Borden Milk company and Edwin Taylor. In 1928 the house was bought by the Fraternal Order of Eagles who used it as a meeting house, and headquarters. In 1974 it was bought by the Hartford Redevelopment Agency.

The Day-Taylor House is also significant located in Hartford's Colt architectural legacy which stretches along both sides of Wethersfield Avenue for two blocks. The area has become designated as the Coltsville Historical District.

The Day-Taylor House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It had a significant restoration in 1979 and the building now serves as offices. The combination of it being built by one of Hartford's most distinguished builders Hirim Billel, that it was built the same year and directly across the street from the Samuel Colt Home and the Armsmear Estate Park, and that it has been owned and occupied by so many notable Hartford residents makes it one of Hartford, Connecticut's most important historical homes.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The Mysterious Markawazi Stone Forest

Known as a place existing outside of the boundaries of time, the mysterious Markawasi Stone Forest rises majestically 12,800 feet above the world on the western Andean ridge; lying at its base along the Pacific coastline is the city of Lima, Peru. Punctuating the ancient landscape of this three-mile long, tabletop mountain are massive carved effigies, including curious replicas of unknown human races and long-extinct animals. Among the effigies may be found mind-boggling images of winged sphinxes, elephants, camels, and animals which are unknown to this age and continent. With its sixteen carved faces of the Races of Man, the massive Monument to Humanity stands out as the most spectacular and prominent structure, dominating the landscape.

Who were the builders of this phenomenal site?

Scholars of ancient Andean mysteries believe the sculpted Peruvian plateau predates the Pre-ceramic Period of Peru and the great dynastic periods of Egypt, yet holds a direct link to the Isis Mysteries. How is this possible? With its mysterious and stunning monuments emulating, among other things, Egyptian deities, and with its claims of spontaneous healings, plus recorded testimony of ultra-dimensional visitors, the mysterious plateau is believed to be the remnant of a proto-historical culture previous to the Great Flood. Cocooned in oblivion for eons, and sculpted into the ancient landscape by a mysterious lost humanity, the Markawasi Stone Forest has reawakened at this pivotal moment in history.

Markawasi details the true account of an ancient, lost humanity of mysterious origin, whose hidden legacy carved gigantic, towering, stone monuments, pointing to a message with predictions for the future. First discovered by Daniel Ruzo in 1952, who excitedly pronounced it the most important sculptured work existing on the earth today, and soaring high above the Pacific coast on the western-most ridge of the Peruvian Andes, directly above Lima, Peru, Markawasi was virtually unknown to the English-speaking world a decade ago. Readers will undertake a journey through the pages of Markawasi, connecting the clues and evidence of a technologically and culturally-advanced civilization that held the keys to all human knowledge.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Golfing Orlando

Orlando's incredible weather and beautiful landscaping has made this city one of the hottest spots to golf. Championship courses designed by golf professionals with serene settings and challenging course play are some of the reasons golfing Orlando is so popular.

Championship Courses

Central Florida is home to many champion designed golf courses. Professional golfers have a unique insight of the game, golf challenges and what makes great links. It makes perfect sense to have these professionals design the courses everyone wants to play. These championship courses often feature lush amenities and elegant resorts turning a round of golf into a golf vacation.

The newest professionally designed courses shooting par in Orlando are at The Reunion Resort and Club of Orlando. These courses have been designed by some of the best golfers ever! Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson have each designed an 18-hole course making instant classics of this resort's 54 holes. Both Palmer's Legacy and Watson's Independence courses are currently open, while Nicklaus' Tradition course is set to open in late 2005.

Arnold Palmer's Legacy is a breath taking golfing experience with an inspired landscape of natural preserve woods, water and palm trees. You'll have to play wise and use the course's wide fairways and well placed bunkers to come out on top of this one.

The Independence is five-time British Open winner Tom Watson's first-ever designed course. Watson has used his 25 years of golf experience to create an amazingly inviting and challenging round of golf. Demanding yet satisfying, this course will command your best game.

Professionally designed courses and ultra posh amenities make staying at The Reunion Resort and Club of Orlando a luxurious choice for an Orlando golf vacation.

Champions Gate Golf Resort is the home of Greg Norman's International and National golf courses. These 36-holes are guaranteed to test you and your game. David Leadbetter, instructor to the pros, has also chosen to open his headquarters for David Leadbetter Golf Academies at Champions Gate. The 4 Diamond luxury Omni Resort at Champions Gate opened in September of 2004 providing on-site accommodations sure to please even the most discriminating traveler.

Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill offers golfers the rare opportunity to play one of the world's most highly acclaimed layouts. The course is also is the site of the Bay Hill Invitational, a popular PGA Tour® event hosted by Arnold Palmer himself.

Orlando's Grand Cypress Golf Resort consists of one 18-hole course and three 9-hole courses that can be combined to form several distinctively different 18-hole rounds. All of the Grand Cypress courses have been designed by famed golfer, Jack Nicklaus. The ability to switch up courses gives Grand Cypress extended playability with each round challenging different abilities.

The Magical World of Golfing

Walt Disney World® Resorts is a great place to golf in Orlando with six courses including PGA TOUR® courses for you to choose from. Disney's magic is not lost as these courses feature pristine greens, hazardous obstacles and breathtaking landscaping. Add GPS enabled golf carts and you have cutting edge golf at its best.

Eagle Pines is a popular Disney course with rolling fairways and hazardous surrounding wetlands. This par 72 course has received a 4 ½ out of 5 star rating from Golf Digest. This Pete Dye design runs 6,772 yards and boasts many water hazards.

Serene surroundings and incredible landscaping make Osprey Ridge a Disney favorite and one of Florida's finest. Thomas Fazio architected this curvy Disney course with a USGA rating of 74.4 and 7,101 yards of play.

Famed golf designer Joe Lee worked his magic when creating the Lake Buena Vista course. Teeing off next to boats and canals in a South Carolina inspired setting makes, this course's links worth playing through.

The most challenging course however, might be the pairing of Disney's Palm and Magnolia courses with both courses hosting rounds of the PGA TOUR® FUNAI Classic each year. The Palm is both challenging and astatically rewarding. One of the toughest courses Disney has to offer, the Palm is a great course for the intermediate to advanced player. The Magnolia is home to the final rounds of the PGA TOUR® FUNAI Classic, this course means business. Immaculately manicured links, elevated trees, and spacious greens make even the water hazards tranquil. Championship golf at it's finest.

Although many of Disney's courses are designed for accomplished players, families can also get in on the action with Disney's Oak Trail walking nine-hole course. Walk the course with your family as you all enjoy a day outside and a great golfing experience.

Traditional Courses

Highlands Reserve Golf Club offers challenging yet affordable golfing with amazing scenery and spacious Scottish inspired greens. A Floridian favorite, Highlands Reserves is traditional golfing at its finest. Stay at the Regal Palms Resort at Highlands Reserve and make a vacation out of golfing Highlands Reserve.

Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Course is a David Harman designed par 72 championship golf course with swelling fairways and interconnected waterways. Shingle Creek Golf Club is located along the historic Shingle Creek and is bordered by dense oaks and pines. Located near Orlando's airport, the Orange County Convention Center, SeaWorld® and International Drive hotels, this course's own Shingle Creek Resort is scheduled to open Fall 2006.

You don't have to look far in Orlando to find great golfing. Luxurious golf resorts make golfing Orlando a vacation in its own. Lush surroundings, challenging course play and immaculate courses are every golfers dream and Orlando's courses offer all of the above.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

The FCC Moves to Update Telecom Regulations

For many years we relied on the fax machine for moving documents quickly between locations. In recent years, the fax machine has become a bit of a dinosaur. With email and scanning, we rarely send a fax these days. It served its purpose but its time has come and gone.

Apparently, the FCC believes that the legacy regulations for the telecom industry have become a bit antiquated as well. The FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, has said that outdated rules may be suspended. The FCC creates regulation to promote a healthy competitive marketplace. And, they don't feel like the old regulations from the 70's and 80's are still doing their job. So, the FCC is moving to update telecom regulations - and that will affect pricing!

To connect to the internet and provide services that require broadband, wireless operators, rural providers and competitive local exchange carriers or wireline companies have had to lease special access lines from the big incumbent carriers. The wholesale rates have been subject to governance by the Local Regulatory Commission. And, while this arrangement has made it possible to expand services rapidly, it now appears to be creating a bottle neck.

Of course, there is argument amongst the telecom companies that are most affected by this change to the competitive landscape. The companies that own the lines that are counting on lease rates remaining at their current level say that the pricing needs to continue to be regulated to preserve the necessary capital to continue to build out the infrastructure and telecom network.

On the other side of the argument, some companies feel like their "hands are tied". They can't be competitive with the rates that have been set by regulation that is over a decade old.

Wireless competitors are the primary drivers of this movement. It is much easier to increase bandwidth wirelessly than it is to put fiber in the ground or air. At some point, all data moves from the wireless network to the fiber that criss-crosses the country, but wireless is also quickly becoming a reasonable alternative for providing big bandwidth right to the door of a business. The limitations imposed by the legacy copper that is in just about every structure are becoming a non-issue.

In typical government fashion, things don't move too quickly. The FCC has determined that it doesn't have enough data to make an informed decision. So, they are in the process of collecting that data now. And, once they have the data, it must then be evaluated. When the decision is finally made, it is sure to shake things up. We'll be watching!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Visit Rajasthan to Explore the Historical Attractions of India

Rajasthan, the land of royalty and legacy is known to have thousands of historical sites in the state. Forts and palaces are the major attractions in the city. The historical monuments are still witnessing the royalty and splendid past of the land. Besides glorious history, Rajasthan is known for its colorful culture, rich tradition, tribal life, desert horizon and other striking features. Large numbers of domestic and international tourists visit Rajasthan to explore the legacy and charming attractions of the land. It is one of the most visited tourist states in India.

The formidable forts and palatial palaces invite thousands of tourists to the land of Rajasthan. There are numerous forts and palaces in the state. Some of the popular forts to name are Jaigarh Fort, Amber Fort, Nahargarh Fort, City Palace, Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, Umaid Bhawan Palace, Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, Golden Fort in Jaisalmer, Junagarh Fort, Lalgarh Palace in Bikaner, etc. Besides forts and palaces, there are many other historical sites in the city. The old Dilwara Jain Temple, Jantar Mantar Ranakpur Temple, etc are also visited by the tourists.

In fact, the Indian Railway has launched a luxury tourist train, Palace on Wheels, to promote tourism in Rajasthan. The train covers the places of historical significance containing historical attractions. On Palace on Wheels Tour one can explore the attractions of New Delhi, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur and Agra. There are numerous historical sites in these cities. Besides exploring the monuments and historical building during Rajasthan Heritage Tour, one can also explore the glory of Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of Modern World with this tourist train.

Rajasthan is very famous for its vast expanse of desert. The golden landscape dotted with exotic sand dunes allure large numbers of tourists. Desert safari is very popular activity to enjoy in the desert horizon of Rajasthan. Tourists can also meet people living struggling life in the dry and arid region. People get boost for their life seeing the zeal of tribes to make life colorful and enjoyable in the abandoned land filled with deserts. Some of the people love to enter deep in the Thar Desert region to interact with the tribes. People from far and wide places visit India for Rajasthan Tribal Tour. The land of legacy and royalty is one of the most preferred tourist destinations in India. Come and explore the essence of royal Rajasthan.