Monthly Archives: June 2012

Nature – Cuba: The Accidental Eden


Nature – Cuba: The Accidental Eden

from Nature, Vol. 1

Price: USD 1.99
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Cheap car rental and the additional charges and fees it can hide

You have probably noticed some of the cheaper airlines prove not so cheap when many features used during the journey are separately charged. In the golden age of flights, you paid for the ticket and everything else was included. Now, if you feel a sneeze coming, a box of tissues is available for you to buy. Well, never wanting to be the ones left behind, the cheap car rental agencies are into the same game. When you look around their websites, you see only the good news. The daily and weekly rates look spectacular. There are no obvious signs of additional charges unless you go through all that small print in the terms and conditions. You then discover that driving this vehicle is like using a minibar once you have signed up at the headline rate.

Did you know that some cheap car rental companies give you a bill if you use the E-ZPass transponder to pay tolls, the GPS navigation system to get where you want to go, or the satellite radio to make the drive more pleasant. So before you drive away from the collection point, always spend a few moments with one of the helpful employees and ask whether you will be charged for using anything left in the car. If the answer is yes and the things can be removed, have then removed. This avoids any of those unfortunately arguments about whether you did or did not use the child safety seat so conveniently left in the trunk.

To say that all cheap cheap car rental companies are vicious predators is not necessarily the case. They have always been vicious predators but, until the recession hit, you did not notice it. Unexpected charges could go on the credit card and there was no need to worry. Now that credit is in short supply and often quite expensive, it becomes even more important to ensure you only pay for what you need. If that means picking up the telephone and asking about charges before you book online, that’s what you do in self-defense.

Port of Spain Trinidad Hotel Receives Award from Tripadvisor


Trinidad & Tobago (PRWEB) June 12, 2012

When guests plan a Trinidad vacation, they expect excellence, and few Port of Spain Trinidad Hotels offer that like the Courtyard Port of Spain Hotel.

The Trinidad and Tobago hotel announced today that they have received the 2012 Certificate of Excellence Award from TripAdvisor.com, one of the leading online travel sites. To receive such an award, the Courtyard Port of Spain Trinidad Hotel had to receive consistent outstanding traveler recommendations on TripAdvisor.com. Out of all the hotels and resorts listed on TripAdvisor.com, only 10% qualify for the Certificate of Excellence.

The Courtyard Port of Spain Hotel had to maintain at least four-star or higher reviews on TripAdvisor.com. The Certificate of Excellence is also dependent on the volume of reviews given to a property over a 12 month period. With consistently positive reviews, the Courtyard Port of Spain Trinidad Hotel has created loyal customers that return again and again on their travel.

To celebrate this prestigious honor, this Trinidad hotel is celebrating with a special hotel deals. The Romance Package offers everything guests need for a memorable and exciting Trinidad vacation, and includes:

Nice Cuba photos

Some cool cuba images:

Montreal Author Robert Landori Delivers Another Fast Paced International Thriller


Montreal, Quebec (PRWEB) June 15, 2012

The latest of Robert Landori’s international intrigue novels is now available. Al-Qaeda, Iran or Iraq – who will own the vaccine that will save mankind?

In a sequel to his previous novel, “Fatal Greed,” Robert Landori returns to the world of espionage with his new thriller, “Mayhem on the Danube.”

An industrial accident creates a lethal virus which terrorists want to use as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). When it is discovered that Canadian scientist Jason Moscovitch is racing against time to produce a vaccine, he is kidnapped by an Al Qaeda Snatch Team.

The book, says Landori, has a page-turner plot, very authentic background, easy-flowing style and is an entirely plausible tale. Landori also states that the book also presents a powerful message to The West to be very, very vigilant.

About the Author

Born in Hungary, Robert Landori was, for most of his professional life, a senior public accountant, mergers and acquisitions specialist, and a trustee in bankruptcy in the Cayman Islands.

But behind the facade of the quiet man of numbers lay a life of intrigue and mystery. He traveled widely throughout South America and the Caribbean, where he came into contact with international financiers, notorious con men, well-known artists, famous entertainers and members of several countries intelligence communities.

Landori also developed a highly charged and double-edged relationship with Fidel Castros Cuba, and was, at one time, held in solitary confinement there for over two months on false accusations of espionage. He was eventually freed, and is now a writer of international intrigue and espionage thrillers.

Landori lives in Montreal, Canada and will promote the book on Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 12:30 p.m. as part of The Atwater Library Lunchtime Series (1200 Atwater Ave., Westmount, Qu

Rare Grant Wood Portrait and Cuban Artist Mario Carreno Paintings are Top Lots at Kaminski Auctions, May 17th, 2012 Spring Fine Art Sale


Beverly, Massachusetts (PRWEB) April 25, 2012

The cover lot of the catalog is a rare portrait by the painter, Grant Wood, (1891-1942), famous for his legendary painting, American Gothic, an iconic image of 20th century American art and pop culture. Always interested in art as a child, he later traveled to Europe to study the great 19th century Impressionist masters. After a visit to Germany, he came back to the United States with the idea to paint scenes of places and people he knew, using simple ideas of the old European masters. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Grant was not a prolific painter and it is rare for one of his works comes to auction. His portrait of a young woman wearing a blue jumper, oil on canvas, signed “Grant Wood – 1923″ lower right, in its original frame, is estimated at $ 100,000-$ 150.000.

Two paintings by the celebrated Cuban artist Mario Carreno (1913-1999) originally from the Marta Vesa family of Havana, Cuba and then to a private collector in Pennsylvania, include an abstract of a seated woman musician, oil on canvas, signed and dated 1947. A similar abstract titled Fiesta Nocturna, 1950 sold in 1950 in Madrid, Spain for over $ 77,000. The abstract is estimated at $ 60,000-$ 90,000. The second painting is from his classical period, a brief but important period in the evolution of his style, and is titled Classic Nude, oil on canvas, signed and dated 1942. There is also a hand written certificate of authenticity from his widow, Ida Carreno Gonzalez and verification by Carlos Martinez, former executive director of the Cuban Museum, Miami, Florida. The nude is estimated at $ 100,000-$ 200,000.

Another Cuban painting is by Leopoldo Romanach (Cuban, 1862-1951), “Ballerina”, oil on canvas, signed lower right and estimated at $ 10,000-$ 15,000. Romanach was a well -known professor of color theory at San Alejandro Academy and was instructor to many of the great early 20th century Cuban artists.

An important contemporary entry in the sale is a collage, depicting the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, JFK . Composed of collage, alkaline oil paint and images from Time Inc., on cardboard, and inscribed NP MOV 67, (Neo Pop Movement, 1967), the collage measures 39 1/2″ x 30″. It is especially significant as well, with next year being the 50th anniversary of JFKs assassination. Much research has been done on this poignant piece, and many people in the art world believe the work could be attributed to Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), the acclaimed American artist of the 1950s. Rauschenberg, well known for his Combines and later for his paintings incorporating found images, photographs, and objects on to a canvas using a silk screening process. This technique was the start, of what is described as the American Pop Art movement. Contemporaries of Ruaschenberg, associated with movement, include Andy Warhol, and Jasper Johns.

European collectors will be interested in a 17th/18th Italian portrait of Christ in ropes, oil on canvas, #388 verso, having a label Mr. Nesmith Loring, Yarmouth Maine, Box 73, also having partial Museum of Fine Art label with red border, in original crate labeled Sweat Memorial Museum, 97 Spring St, Portland, ME, also labeled from R.C. & N.M. Vose, Boston, estimated at $ 10,000-$ 15,000 and a painting titled, “The Appeal to Coriolanus”, oil on canvas, depicting the legendary Roman leader, Caius Marcius Coriolanus estimated at $ 10,000-$ 15,000.

Important American paintings include a Jane Peterson, (American, 1876-1965), “Woman at the Piano”, oil on canvas, signed lower left, purchased by Mrs. Lillian Sweenie of Ipswich, MA in the 1960s at the Jane Peterson Estate Auction held by O. Rundle Gilbert Auctioneer, New York, and estimated at $ 40,000-$ 80,000, a Reynolds Beal (American, 1867-1951), “Sells Floto Circus”, circus scene, crayon and pencil on paper, signed lower left and dated 1928, estimated at $ 4,000-$ 6,000 and a Elbridge Wesley Webber (American, 1839-1914), ships in harbor under moonlight, oil on canvas, thought to bring $ 4,000-$ 8,000.

Of interest to collectors of Cape Ann scenes, is a marine painting by Aldro Thompson Hibbard(American, 1886-1972), painted in 1972, the last year of his life. It is an early view of docked boats in Gloucester, oil on artist board, signed, by the artist. In February of this year, a record for a Hibbard was achieved, as a Vermont landscape sold for $ 88,875. This marine painting is estimated at $ 15,000-$ 25,000.

From the California impressionist, Granville S. Redmond (American, 1871-1935), is a painting of California poppies, oil on canvas, signed and estimated at $ 40,000-$ 60,000.

Previously from the estate of Bruce Hyatt of Thousand Oaks, California, comes an Auguste Rodin (French, 1840-1917), female nude from the Cambodian dancer series, watercolor and pencil on paper, signed lower right and estimated at $ 12,000-$ 16,000.

British artists are represented by Sir Alfred Vickers (British, 1786-1868), landscape of a lake scene with mountains and a cottage, oil on canvas, and Sir Jacob Epstein (British, 1880-1959), “Christ in Majesty”, both valued at $ 4,000-$ 7,000.

With the publicity surrounding the 100 year anniversary of the launching and sinking of the Titanic, 1912, a Brian Coole (British, b. 1939), signed RMS Titanic, off South Hampton, oil on board is sure to catch the attention of Titanic historians everywhere.

Sculpture in the sale includes bronzes by Boston University professor,David Aronson, whose works are found in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts and the Museum of Modern Art, New York City. Recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship in 1960, Aronson was elected as an Academician at the National Academy of Design, in New York.

For more information 978-927-2223 or to view the sale online go to http://www.kaminskiauctions.com

Kaminski Auctions, located on the North Shore of Boston, has been serving the New England antiques market for over 25 years as a full service auction house and appraisal service for fine art, antiques and estates.







ING hit with record $619M fine

ING hit with record 9M fine
Cuba, Iran, Syria and Sudan are on the U.S. list of countries under sanctions for … The half-century old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba bars Cuban entities …
Read more on SouthCoastToday.com

Cuba's next step on capitalist road: advertising
HAVANA (AP) — For decades there's been no such thing as a commercial radio or TV spot in Cuba. Ditto for billboards, website banner ads, and newspaper …
Read more on Salon

Never fall for insurance offers when you rent a car

Have you been in that situation when picking up a vehicle and the agent is talking up a storm about auto insurance? It seems you risk falling off a financial cliff and smashing into a million pieces unless you upgrade to the damage waiver plan offered by the car rental companies. Well don’t fall for it. No matter what your friendly and apparently helpful agent may tell you, the world will not end if you have an accident in a rental vehicle. Let’s start with the situation as seen by the car rental companies. They have cover on their fleets against all the loss and damage you could ever inflict on one of their vehicles. Because all the large companies have very large fleets, the actual cost per vehicle is actually quite small. So no matter whether you’re involved in a collision or someone steals the vehicle from outside the motel where you’re staying, the fleet insurance policy will pay for repairs or replacement. This leaves two key issues.

The first is liability cover. In all but three states, it’s mandatory to carry minimum amounts of cover against third party claims. The car rental companies therefore usually include the legal minimum as standard in the cost of the rent. Even if this were not the case, the majority of auto insurance policies give you liability cover when you drive a vehicle belonging to someone else with that person’s consent. So if you have a vehicle at home and it’s insured, the odds are you will be insured when you drive a rental vehicle. Check your own policy first before paying any for any additional cover. Then there’s your credit card. Most credit cards pay for collision insurance in a rental vehicle.

The second is the question of any medical expenses should you be injured while driving. If you have health insurance through your job or pay privately, there’s no need to worry. But if you have no cover, you have to decide whether to risk driving without medical expenses covered. Several hundred thousand people are injured on the roads every year. It’s your decision.

Virgin Holidays – Virgin Holidays Guide To The Caribbean


Virgin Holidays – Virgin Holidays Guide To The Caribbean

from Virgin Holidays Guide To The Caribbean

Price: USD 0
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