Not far from the five star hotels in Delhi, you will find the Qutub Minar, the tallest monument in India. In fact, it’s among the tallest and most famous towers in the entire world. Comparisons that easily come to mind are the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and the Great Pagoda in Beijing China. Neither reaches the heights of the Qutub Minar. This monument is visible from nearly all parts of the city and is especially visible at night when it’s illuminated by powerful lighting. Originally used by a mu’azzin to call the faithful to prayer, it is now one of Delhi’s famous tourist attractions. As a carefully protected monument, the Qutub Minar is well maintained as are other historic landmarks in the city.

Every year in Delhi, The Qutab Festival of Classical Music and Dance is held. The Qutub festival is a dynamic and world class event featuring classical music and ancient dances of India. These presentations are staged using the Qutub Minar as a backdrop, hence, the name Qutub festival. The elegant and well thought out illumination on the monument, helps to create the perfect mood for viewing the traditional costumes and dance. The Qutub festival runs continually for two days and features performances by internationally known dancers, artists and musicians. There are performances of Indian folk, classical and other genres of dances.

At the same time the Qutab Festival is being held, there are also other performances taking place. Gawwali music, made internationally famous by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, is immensely popular. Other Sufi music can also be heard as well as musical recitals and other types of dance. Also making an appearance at this gathering are contemporary bands playing fusion music. This cultural event lures a large number of music lovers, and art connoisseurs. If music is your interest or even if it’s not, you’ll be drawn to this exciting festival held on an autumn evening.

Many people dream of working and living in Dubai, India. A question that those must ask themselves before the decision to move there and go for it is this, “what about the cost of living?” This is information that is a fundamental necessity. There is not a set minimum wage in Dubai. No standard salaries for positions in India. All compensation for employment is dependent on the negotiations that are set during the interviewing process. If the goal is to work and to live the city, one must really ask themselves the question of just how little is enough. Enough to work in the restaurants Dubai has job openings for, or the job with the stock market or the advertising agency. What is one really willing to accept. Many factors of financial comfort are dependent on three concepts…what is the cost to live, what kind of lifestyle is one interested in maintaining, and can you purchase what is necessary to survive. In order to have the information necessary one must have a grasp on what they expect their future income to be.

3 factors affect the cost of living in Dubai, transportation, accommodation, and the cost of food. Public transportation in Dubai is over crowded. Traffic jams are common. The amount of vehicles on the roads slows things down considerably, much as it does in Manhattan or Los Angeles. There are no guarantees where traffic is concerned. There are options but this is one crowded city.

The largest expense of life in Dubai is housing. Real estate is big business, and the rent and the cost of purchasing a new home is very high. With more people moving to Dubai for employment the demand has increased, which raises the cost in a parallel fashion. Rent is something all must consider when making the decision on whether to move or to stay put. Many consider the options of roommates, or perhaps moving into a smaller place. Some companies do provide accommodations for their employees. It is something to seriously consider.

And while the previous two factors are huge considerations, food one of the most necessary elements of physical survival and health. Finding food in Dubai is affordable, no matter what one’s income level may be. While not everyone may be able to afford to eat out all the time, even those with the lowest salaries can afford to indulge from time to time. There are many things to consider when making a move, and these are a few to consider when considering the move to Dubai.

Ibiza, one of the Balearic island of Spain, is the third largest of the archipelago. It is just over 225 square miles. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations for the young tourists and the members of the gay community. These two populations combine serve to infuse the island with a trendy and chic vibe, and a frenetic and colorful nightlife. This island has long been known for the parties and the night time celebrations that quite often times continue on until the wee hours of the morning, however, there is more to the island. The coastline of that runs along any of the Ibiza town hotel districts, is jagged. With many white sand beaches and bays and coves hidden lest they be looked for. White stucco houses seem to tumble down the cliffs, and the landscape is lush, green and filled with olive and fig trees.

The main part of the town is Eivissa, as the locals have named it, or Ibiza Town as the British tourists have named it. It is on the south side of the island and is the area most dense with nightclubs and trendy bars. However, it is also a quaint, old town with many local pubs and restaurants, and is situated close to many other pristine beaches such as Ses Salines and Figueretes. This is a town with medieval architecture, narrow streets of cobblestone, and gardens surrounding the courtyards, with the bright blooms of bougainvillea and geranium plants. There is an archaeological museum located here, that gives some the meaning of the history behind all the beauty.

The town most known for its high-end hotels and resorts is San Antonio. Unfortunately, the high rise apartments and hotels give the city, a ‘city’ feel, which is not what many come to Ibiza are in search of. There are some beautiful beaches surrounding the area though, and many travel to the Island of Formentera to escape for a bit of piece and tranquility. Many of the sites offer opportunities for painters and photographers alike. The views of the sea, the landscapes and the buildings here are just amazing, and a bit of life creating art has provided many over the years with the opportunity to create art out of the life on this Spanish Island.

Playwright, educator and activist, Kuo Pao Kun lived most of his life in Singapore. He was brought there by his father at the age of ten from Beijing where he was living with his mother. Kun developed an early fascination and love for performance by joining the Rediffusion’s Mandarin Radio broadcast at the age of 14. This led to a job with Radio Australia in Melbourne after his graduation from high school.

Kun’s work focused on the social issues of Singapore’s working class population. He and his wife, choreographer and dancer Goh Lay Kuan, established the Practice Performing Arts School in 1965. Years later, Kun and his students would develop a movement called the “Go into Life Campaign” and would immerse themselves in Singapore’s laboring population to gain life experience. Many original works, which focused on social issues of the working poor, were a result of this project. Most of Kun’s work focused on political and social issues and in 1966 he directed a production of German playwright Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, which he translated into Mandarin. Brecht was a political writer and theorist who had revolutionized standard drama. Kun’s production of his work was the first time Brecht had been performed in Singapore.

Kun was not the only political writer in Singapore at the time. During much of the 1960s most of the Chinese theatre was heavily politicized as result of the Cultural Revolution. Drama was beginning to be viewed as a tool for social change. This led to a massive counter surge and in 1976 many artists were imprisoned under the Internal Security Act and detained without the benefit of trial. Kun was one the writers to be jailed. He spent four years and seven months in prison. After his release he immediately went back to writing and directing for the theatre, as well as teaching. Today he is known for his dramatic style, which included the use of simple metaphors and multicultural themes. Today his plays are staged more for their entertainment value than for concerns with social activism. An audience is much more likely to enjoy a show and dinner, and if they’re in from out of town they can enjoy a stay in one of the 5 star Singapore hotels.

Of the buildings that make up the Manhattan Skyline, the NY hotels, the businesses…one building stands out as perhaps, not the tallest in the line, but the most elaborate and one of the most beautiful structures in the city. In 1928 Walter Chrysler was in search of a way to advertise what it was he was producing and selling, the automobile. Now at this time, the auto was still a novelty. The invention had the interest of people, yet not many were actually driving them. Chrysler had an idea, and saw the opportunity to put forth that idea in another relatively new invention, the skyscraper. At the time, he thought that if his company had the tallest, and the most magnificent and incredible building on the block, it would bring notice to the company and to the cars. It would also serve to bring notice and to symbolize the wealth and the power of not only his company, or the city of Manhattan, but of the entire country of America. He hired the architect who could do just that, a pioneer in the new world of skyscrapers, William van Alen.

Fifty years prior to this commission, there were no skyscrapers. Walls had been built with bricks, and without the steel armature, and the bricks carried the weight of the building. With the metal infrastructure, or skeleton, buildings were provided with the strength necessary to hold a building of that size up and to keep it standing over time. This innovation was created by Williamle Baron Jenney , who put this to use creating the tallest building in the country at the time in 1885, the first skyscraper, in Chicago. A 10 story building for an insurance company.

Now the Chrysler building was not revolutionary in terms of the construction, but it served to reform the way people considered what a building could look like. It is an interesting fact that nothing used to make the walls, the stone or the cement, none of it serves to hold the building up, it is all completely held up by this inner metal skeleton. The building was finished in 1930, and just barely surpassed the previously taller Bank of Manhattan, to become the tallest building in the world, with 77 floors. Now days, in 2009, it no longer carries that title, but it is the one building in the world that most architects and designers agree upon, and they agree upon the beauty of the patterns, the spire atop the building, and the incredible, decorated nature of this piece of artwork.

The second annual Green Festival will happen this summer in Leazes Park, in the city of Newcastle, during the second week end of June. This has been termed the event to watch for spring by the BBC and with its short history has become well known for family fun and celebration. Organized events such as story telling hours or face painting and other artistic activities happen throughout the weekend in the Park. This year there will be carnival rides and a billboard painting lesson, wherein the children are given high powered spray guns filled with paint. Along with the exciting activities planned, a new element will be added this summer. That element is centered around the theme of sensory play. Various forms of art therapy, including music and painting and drawing, will be taking place as well as lectures for families concerning travel safety and streets that are safe for those riding their bicycles or walking around the different city streets. The lectures are participatory in nature, involving important lessons to be actively learned while participating in board games. Life sized board games in which the participants are the pieces.

Seminars and activities more interesting perhaps for the adults, will be presented and offered in the business and New Castle hotel and restaurant district. There will be a premier fashion show, hi-lighting and promoting ethical and earth friendly clothes and accessories. Craft classes will also be offered, everything from making jewelry to hats and satchels, to the creation of a more eco-friendly home through the use of wind powered generators and solar panels. The efficiency and power of solar panels demonstrated by a film festival in a theater generating their power from said solar panels. And along with the movies, three separate stages will feature the very best of live musical performances. The Center for Alternative Technology will also be providing discussion groups and panels to further educate the public on the value of, the perks of and the necessity of sustaining energy and protecting the environment. And at the end of the day, bicycle peddlers will offer smoothies and refreshments made with organic ingredients obtained from self sufficient farms. As in many countries throughout the world today, including Spain and the United States, festivals of this nature, for nature, are gaining in popularity as the need for the impact societies are having on the environment is becoming something that all the people, in all regions, must become aware of.