Old And New In New Rochelle New York

Mar 31
2010

As a developer, Isaac Toussie knows that when looking at residential real estate, it is generally very useful to consider demographics. Isaac Toussie knows that the demographic profile of an area provides a basic picture of the residents, which can be helpful to both buyer and seller determinations of such factors as price. And no less an authority than Business Week magazine crowned New Rochelle the best city in all of New York State to live in and one of the very best nationwide for raising kids. The American Podiatric Medical Association even named New Rochelle one of the top one hundred most walkable cities in the United States and the second-best in the entire Empire State only after New York City some seventeen miles south.

New Rochelle posts a population of around seventy-two or so thousand, of which a little over twenty-four thousand are occupied households and about seventeen and a half thousand are families. A large minority population exists, comprising almost half of the total population at around nineteen percent African-American and twenty percent hispanic of any race. There are roughly ninety males for every one hundred females, and just eighty-five males for every one hundred females over the age of eighteen. Unemployment stands at just under five percent of the workforce of over thirty-five thousand able-bodied individuals. As of 2007, the median household income in New Rochelle was thought to be almost sixty-five thousand dollars, with the median family income being just ever-so-slightly over eighty-eight thousand dollars per year.

Accordingly, some of the nation’s most expensive real estate can be found in New Rochelle, with the northern end of the city ranked among the five hundred most affluent zip codes anywhere in America by Forbes Magazine. Average household income here is almost two hundred thousand dollars each year, with homes averaging seven and a half hundred thousand dollars. The city’s Premium Point gated community, located on the Long Island Sound, boasts residences priced between two and twenty million. However, the City of New Rochelle has historically not only met but even surpassed state requirements concerning affordable housing.

The recent economic doldrums impacting on the rest of the country has not spared New Rochelle, however, and average listing prices have fallen almost thirty thousand dollars in less than a month between January 20, 2010 and February 10, 2010. But that’s actually the recovery, for in less than a week in mid-January prices had fallen by over fifty thousand!

Disclaimer: Be advised that such information as has been presented so far only constitutes mere opinion and should under no circumstances be misconstrued for professional advice of any kind whatsoever! Always consult those properly licensed and/or otherwise qualified when it comes to making business decisions of any financial importance.

Softer, Silkier, Smoother Lingerie Bags

Mar 31
2010

Lingerie Bags are Laundry Bags designed specially for the transport of lingerie laundry, whether downstairs to the cellar of your home or down the block to the laundromat in your neighborhood. They come in many colors and styles, for example those with drawstrings and those without, and in demure fine white or see-through mesh. Lingerie bags, like most all laundry bags, are found in numerous different materials, like nylon or cotton, and can even serve purposes apart from easy laundry. Nylon lingerie bags are inexpensive and can be rather strong, which suggests they may even be used for the carrying of anything and everything. Nylon can also be engineered to feel silky soft, a very fitting characteristic for lingerie bags. Those made of cotton can also feel soft and delicate to touch, of course, although not with the same silky smoothness, nor with that attractive silky glaze.

While most laundry bags are of multiple applications, lingerie bags are probably best left to the simple holding and transport of delicate lingerie. Again, it depends on how things were engineered nylon can be quite soft and vulnerable, as in silk-like nylon stockings, whereas cotton can be woven extra thick and tricky, as they were in the old days before the discovery of nylon fabric. But most commonly, cotton is an especially soft material, and though assembled stronger than clothing-grade fabric, cotton used for laundry and lingerie bags can still be much more subject to rips and tears during heavy duty applications such as that already mentioned transport of everything.

In any case, there’s one exception to the general principle that lingerie bags are best left to laundering requirements, and this is the various arts and crafts applications to which they might be applied. It actually depends on your own ingenuity, your own imagination and creativeness. With just one or two careful adjustments here and there, such bags can even become Halloween and Purim costumes! Or a simple sock puppet or 2. Some lingerie bags are even accordion-shaped great for lots of unconventional uses.

While these ideas could be entertaining, they really can work if you have the right tools to work with. And, naturally, it comes down to your own imagination in the final analysis. Of course, you can just leave the laundry bags alone and employ them just for the one plain thing! But why should they not multitask like the rest in the 21st Century? ;- )

The Right Credit Repair Company Will Get You Out Of Debt

Mar 29
2010

Legitimate credit repair companies should abide by the United States Credit Repair Organizations Act, or CROA for short. This is a set of laws that was set up by Congress back in the 1990s to protect buyers from the several predatory practices then prevalent in the industry. Excellent credit repair companies will abide by CROA, and 1 way to tell whether they do so is if they even bother informing you about CROA in the very first place, for by law all this kind of businesses must tell their clients about CROA and their rights under CROA.

Poor credit repair companies will likely not mention something at all, or leave out essential details, for example the fact that you don’t need to pay for anything upfront, and indeed never need to unless a task has been completed in full. An additional essential customer right that this kind of credit repair companies will leave out is the 1 that allows you to pursue your own efforts at credit repair, at the same time as and even independent from the agency’s personal endeavors. Moreover, CROA allows buyers to change their minds, even after signing a contract, within three days. And one much more thing – CROA cannot be waived, which means that the consumer has rights even if he or she purportedly signed them away!

CROA protects consumers from poor credit repair companies, but also stipulates responsibilities on the consumer’s element: Basically, you might not lie about your credit history or try to produce a brand new identity in order to escape from it. Thanks to CROA, however, consumers have a basic level of protection when it comes to trying to fix their credit scores, which are more important than ever these days. In large component on account from the economic tumult, credit reporting agencies have raised the bar and thus what was once an excellent if middling score is nowadays mediocre at finest. This makes having a great rating more crucial than ever – and credit repair services more necessary than prior to.

Indeed, not only house and auto loans are dependent on a good credit score, but a lot more and more employers are producing a credit check a element of their overall applicant vetting procedure. Alarm bells are being raised at utilizing credit scores this way, but until something concrete happens legislatively – which is highly unlikely – anyone wishing to enjoy the financial conveniences of a modern society needs to maintain an excellent rating.

Keep in mind that this background is like a baby or a brand new business. In the beginning it may seem as if there really is no issue plus we are only human and make mistakes here and there only to discover out later on it was a large mistake, but that doesn’t mean the world is going to end, there are numerous alternatives to fixing up the history to completely eliminate debt consequences. Believe of it as burning fat since liposuction will assist you escape but good exercising kills it all, with that in mind the sooner you manage the sooner life will be much far better, or less harder.

Improve Your Health With A Natural Colon Cleanse

Mar 20
2010

Constipation is not the only symptom that indicates you might benefit from a natural colon cleanse. It is not uncommon for hard material made of a mixture of mucous and fecal matter to become impacted on the inside walls of the colon and intestines. This causes a variety of health problems. For one thing, nutrients have a harder time absorbing into the bloodstream from the intestines. This situation, in turn, can cause a person to feel tired, depressed, and bloated.

A colon cleanse works to soften and remove this material. A herbal colon cleanse is a natural version of a laxative basically. Herbs that help you move wastes through your system include cascara sagrada bark, aloe vera leaf, and fenugreek seed. These are often found in herbal formulas for constipation.

Other herbs that support the laxative effect of the above botanicals are fennel seed, which helps with gas and cramps, and peppermint, which aids the digestion. Along with laxative herbs, a colon cleanse is likely to include herbs like dandelion root or red clover, which are cleansing to the blood and the urinary tract, so that the whole system gets cleansed of toxins.

Unfortunately, herbs can be as harsh to the system as conventional laxatives. There is another type of natural colon cleanse on the market. This is an oxygen based formula that reacts chemically with the hydrochloric acid in your stomach. This chemical reaction causes the fecal material, sometimes called plaque, to melt into liquid and gas so it can be expelled easily.

The herbal colon cleanse will cause you to pass rubbery dark material with the consistency of tire tread, while the oxygen based natural colon cleanse will give you liquid or soft stools.

Another aspect of natural colon cleansing is to add fiber to the diet. This can be in the form of bran, psyllium seed husks, prunes, and many other natural foods. It is sensible, if you have problems with constipation anyway, to eat a fiber rich diet. Fiber alone, however, will not give you a complete colon cleanse. Still, it makes sense to eat more fiber rich fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, and less junk food.

Colon cleansing can also include enemas. In fact, during a colon cleanse, you might be advised to have an enema on any day that you do not have a bowel movement. The goal is to have three or four bowel movements on any given day, which are likely if you choose an oxygen based cleanse.

Removing the fecal matter from the digestive tract will eliminate many toxins from your system. This can result in clearer skin, more energy, fewer headaches, improved allergy symptoms, and many other benefits. Of course, results vary from individual to individual, but there are many reports of multiple benefits from doing a colon cleanse.

Written by Jim McDonald, the webmaster of http://www.colon-cleaners.com, an informative website about Colons and how a Colon Cleanse can help you solve a multitude of digestive problems.

Use Secured Finance For Personal Needs Secured Loan

Mar 18
2010

Before we switch over to the concept of secured loans, let’s illustrate it by means of an example. Suppose if a person decides to avail loan from the financial market, he will seek two basic characteristics in any loan that is low interest rate and flexible repayment period. Generally seen, the loan lacks one of the two characteristics and this ends in making the person hopeless. But, now there is no need to lose hope because secured loan serves for both these characteristics.

Secured loan is the product of the financial market which assists you in the times of crisis. Security placed in the secured loans makes the task easier of procuring funds from the market. The reason is that security balances the risk involved in lending an amount to the person. In other words, the collateral makes the lender play game on the safer side and if somehow the person fails to make the repayments in such case the lender can seize the security in order to realise his payment.

Financial market offers variety of secured loans as per the needs of the person. That is, if a person desire to buy a car then for him secured car loan is appropriate loan and if he wants to purchase a house, in such case secured home loan is suitable for him.

Interest rate in secured loans is determined by taking in to account equity and type of collateral placed. More the equity in the asset, more the competitive rate of interest will be offered by the lender to the person. Usually, the lender offers two types of interest either fixed or variable rate of interest. Both of them are good in their own way. Fixed rate of interest implies which remain same till the last repayment and it is not affected by external market factors. On the other hand, variable rate of interest changes with the change in external factors such market forces, base rate etc.

Secured loan can be applied either in the physical market or through online. In both the modes the person is required to locate the lenders offering secured loan. After locating, the next step is to ask for the loan quote. Loan quotes will provide an idea for the cost involved in the loan deal. Then he is required to fill an application, generally such application asks for personal and financial details. And if the lender finds application eligible for the loan, then he approves the loan amount. It is also suggested that the person must apply through online method as it saves time and effort.

Aldrich Chappel has been associated with GetSecuredLoans,since its inception.He completed his Masters in Finance from Lancaster University Management School.To find secured loan,Secured consolidation loan,Low cost secured loan visit http://www.get-secured-loans.co.uk

Pop Up Hampers Becoming Ever More Popular

Mar 13
2010

Pop Up Hampers number among the most well liked of all Laundry Hampers because they will be able to be some of the most handy ones anywhere. In fact , who has not required that extra pair of arms when handling loads of laundry? With pop up hampers, all you typically have to do is step on a lever which will pop the hamper lid open for you, allowing you to easily dump everything in one action. With ordinary laundry hampers, it will likely take you longer to dump all that you have.

Laundry hampers come in a big range of styles and sizes, but pop up hampers tend to look reasonably alike, maybe due to their similar operation. After all , there are limited ways to invent the mechanism causing the pop-up action, and these hampers are extremely simple objects, in the ultimate analysis. Therefore there isn’t any great public demand for much ingenuity or variety. Indeed, the overall class of laundry hampers seems to exhibit rather poor adaptation, with a few basic shapes and sizes that is’s all. But this situation is not very likely to improve if people don’t take their type of laundering more seriously!
Which is an admittedly funny ( even insane ) thought but hey, why not ; consider it : the rest has been made into an objet d’art why not ye olde humble laundry hamper? Yes, just picture it, designer laundry hampers! Luxury pop up hampers! Premium upscale high laundering haute blanchisserie!

No, seriously, it’d be the final frontier in fashionable furniture design. In fact , golden toilets with valuable gems and fine glass exist, so why not something to match in the form of a rich and decadent garments hamper. After all , don’t the rich need some place for their dirty laundry? Oh, but of course ; they use foreign banks for laundering. ;- )

It’s about time for a laundry hamper makeover! Or, to adopt the language of our age of advanced technology, an upgrade is in order for the old school hamper. Given all the speaking toilets with on-board computer chips and built in electronic sensors, why not something similar for our humble hampers?

OK, so this is not Japan, where wacky widgets and gizmos form a very large part of the culture. And the wealthy don’t care about designer hampers because they do not really have to do any laundry. But it’s’s a good way for some impressive young designer just out of art school to make his or her name. After all , who’d have ever thought that repeating Campbell Soup cans on a canvas might be considered art?

AnulomaViloma Yogic Breathing For Better Health

Mar 11
2010

Swami Kuvalyanand once said: “Yoga has a message for the human body, for the human mind and the human spirit.”

This is a truism as a healthy body is the prime requisite for success and happiness in life. People are increasingly being convinced that yoga makes for good health, contentment and happiness in present day stressful life and is not just an exercise regimen.

In this article we will discuss Anuloma-Viloma (alternate breathing) pranayama. Pranayama simply means proper ‘management’ of the vital force – prana. Although the basic principle remains the same, many different types of pranayama have been devised, each with its own unique technique. Anuloma-Viloma or nadi shuddhi pranayama (nerve purifying pranayama) is one such kind and is considered one of the basic forms.

The practice of Anuloma Viloma is somewhat like the squad that regulates traffic on roads, looks after their cleanliness, beautification, etc and keeps the traffic moving smoothly and efficiently. The method involves breathing in (pooraka) through one nostril and vice versa. Therefore this pranayama has the name anuloma viloma, i.e. alternate breathing.

To practice this, you have to sit in any of the yogic sitting postures. To begin with, carry on normal breathing applying moola bandha (i.e. comfortable anal contraction). Keeping a stable moola bandha, breathe in and breathe out completely. Ensure that the moola bandha is not loosened during the process. Pause for a while between breathing in and breathing out. Breathe in deeply through the left nostril and breathe out through the right; then breathe in through the right and out through the left. Continue breathing this way, i.e. alternately from left and right nostrils, for one to three minutes.

After reaching a comfort level in this way, you may move to the next stage. Close the right nostril with the right thumb keeping the other four fingers together. Now, slowly breathe in through the left nostril at a uniform speed. Repeat with the other nostril. While breathing in, raise the shoulders and expand the chest taking the ribs up. The lower abdominal region, however, must be held in.

Benefits: The respiratory passage is cleaned and this prepares one well for the practice of other pranayamas. Breathing becomes easy and regulated. The mind becomes and heartbeat rhythmic. Also aids in enhancing concentration, memory and other mental faculties.

Contraindications: Severe pain in abdomen, swelling on account of appendicitis, enlargement of liver, very delicate bowels or intestines, disorders of the lungs, severe throat infections, growth in the nose (polypus) or blockage of the nasal passage due to cold, etc.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions before following any of the asanas from this article and the site. To avoid any problems while doing the asanas, it is advised that you consult a doctor and a yoga instructor. The responsibility lies solely with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Sharon Hopkins handles sites related to yoga which opens a new door of knowledge towards yoga and its health benefits Pranayama – Anuloma-Viloma Yoga asana enhances your concentration level and increases your memory power.

CDMA And GSM Cell Phones

Mar 10
2010

What are GSM Cell Phones? To know the answer to that question, it is necessary to first fully grasp what “GSM” means. The acronym really comes from the French groupe spécial mobile, usually translated into English as “global system for mobile communications” or “global system market.” It is the most well-known standard for cellular technology worldwide right now, which means that GSM cell phones are more countless than other kinds, with an determined eighty percent of the market, or around one and a half billion people, communicating through handsets operating on that protocol. Such popularity translates into increased end-user convenience, as a common standard permits for the kind of international roaming deals between network carriers we have today.

GSM cell phones are considered to be second-generation mobiles because both signaling and speech channels are fully digital. Going all-digital also offers for better adoption of data applications. Making use of GSM technology also benefits customers in other ways. For example, one may switch carriers and keep the same phone. GSM was also responsible for the rise of SMS or short message service functionality, better known today as text messaging or texting. Still another important feature of the standard was the implementation of a worldwide emergency telephone number, 112.

GSM technology is backward-compatible, so that cell phones applying EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) data transmission speeds can still communicate seamlessly with those on the primary version of the standard. Such user-friendly foresight is common of European design sensibilities; indeed, GSM was formerly developed for European telephony by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations, or CEPT after its full name in French, in 1982. It wasn’t until 1987, nonetheless, that a joint effort to create a particularly cellular common protocol was agreed upon.

So far so good. Yet if it’s all that good, why has competing standards developed – namely, CDMA? Well, to comprehend that, one has to first know something about CDMA – starting with what its name means. One of the most important things to remember is that CDMA does not function using a SIM or smart card, in fact it uses the core of the phone itself and has a built in smart card which can identify the user. GSM phones can thus be unlocked for use around different countries but it is limited according to the service provider.

Short for Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA is a proprietary protocol created by the American company Qualcomm for North America and parts of Asia such as Japan. The important thing for consumers today to know is that both standards will suffice for the overwhelming vast majority of tasks for which an ordinary cell phone will likely be used. As with any rivalry, there are the die-hard fanatics who believe that their side is superior, but for the average user the hair-splitting technicalities involved are something of a moot point.

The Technological Alterations Of No Contract Cell Phones

Mar 10
2010

Since the current huge increase in technology especially for no contract cell phones during the past decade or so, more and more gizmos have sunk their teeth into cultural lexicon and formed the way communication in modern society has functioned. The iPod has made CDs virtually obsolete. The Kindle has taken literature out of the paperbacks and onto the digital screen. GPS has substituted the atlas. But nothing has an impact quite like the advent of text messaging for mobile phones and even the no contract cell phones.

Virtually every cell phone on the market is capable of text messaging, which as of 2007 is the most generally used mobile data service in the world with over 2.4 billion consumers. In Scandinavia – Sweden, Norway, and Finland – over 85% of the population uses text messaging. It’s effortless to see why text messaging has become so prevalent so quickly. All service providers offer some form of text messaging and the feature is even out there on no contract cell phones.

The majority of service providers offer you a flat rate for texts, while others offer unlimited texting, while no contract cell phones often charge on a per use schedule. This allows virtually anyone with a cell phone to communicate on the fly 160 characters at a time, without having to devote the time or attention to holding a verbal conversation when it may be undesired or uncalled for. Users can receive a message and reply to it at their freedom and typically needn’t fear receiving a text during conditions where it may be improper to converse verbally.

So common is text messaging, that an entire system of etiquette has formulated around the technology that is very different and stands wide apart from that estimated during a regular phone call. Responses need not be immediate unless otherwise noted, and there is no harm in texting someone when they are incapable to speak with the purpose of leaving the message for them to read later – a practice much more practical and concise than leaving a voice message. Text messages are also typically saved and much simpler to reopen for quick reference than a voice message, so that texts with important data such as directions or reminders can be consulted on the fly. Users can even send pictures and often time audio files such as music or sound bites along with texts.

Text messaging has had such an impact and is so popular among users that an entire language – of sorts – has produced around the technology. The strategies of typing on a small keyboard or phone keypad blended with the typically restrained character limit has lead in a sort of shorthand English comprised widely of acronyms, abridged spelling, emoticons and other symbols that is widely comprehended by many users across the globe. The lingo even sports a consistency and reputation wide enough to warrant the presence of several dictionaries and glossaries cataloguing such conditions and abbreviations. Many fear that such a truncation of the English language has done it harm, though whether this is true or not is irrelevant to the question of whether text messaging has had an impact on society, and on the contrary actually supports that conclusion.

Golden Ring Of Russia -travel Guide, Part 1

Mar 08
2010

WHAT IS IT: The so called “Golden Ring of Russia” is a symbolical ring connecting historical towns and cities to the North-West of Moscow. They represent 1,000 years of rich Russian history written in stone and wood, from a 850-year old church in Rostov to a 19th-century log house in the Suzdal’s open air museum. Each of the “golden” towns once played an important role in the history of Russia and was conected in one way or another with famous historical figures such as Alexander Nevsky, Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great and many others. If you would like to see true, patriarchal Russia, to experience the grandeur of nature and the magnificence of ancient towns then a Golden Ring tour is well worth taking. It is one of the most popular routes among Russian and foreign lovers of old Russian history and architecture.

WHAT TO SEE: The cities and towns of the Golden Ring are listed here in alphabetical order:

Aleksandrov (founded in 1530, population 68,000) – The town is situated 100 km from Moscow on the crossway of ancient roads from the largest historic centers of Russia – Vladimir and Suzdal, Rostov and Yaroslavl, Sergiev Posad and Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. In 1564- 1581 the town was the residence of Ivan the Terrible. In Aleksandrov the tsar proclaimed the establishment of his select, terror-inspiring corps, the Oprichniki and signed the harsh conditions of the truce with Poland and Sweden after losing the long war with Livonia. From Aleksandrov Ivan the Terrible led his army of Oprichniki to strike at the big trade centres of Novgorod, Pskov, Klin and Tver. Here the cruel tsar killed his son in a rage and soon after that left Aleksandrov forever coming back to Moscow. The very first in Russia publishing house was established in Aleksandrov in 1576. One of the leading textile manufacturing centres in Russia in the 19th century.

Bogolubovo (founded in 990, population 4,000) – a tiny quiet town near the city of Vladimir. The town was named after the Russian prince Andrey Bogolubsky (God-loving) who built the first fortified settlement here in 1165. It was a strategically important point overlooking the Kliazma River. Tourists can see remains of the Andery Bogolubsky’s residence including some residential chambers of the 12th century and the beautiful Church of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Nerl (1165) which is considered to be one of the finest specimens of old Russian architecture.

Gorohovets (founded in 1239, population 30,000) – The town was founded under Vladimir prince Andrey Bogolubsky. The town is picturesquely settled on the high bank of the Klyazma River. Played role as a fortified forepost until 1600-s. Reached its developmental pick in the 17-th century as a local centre for blacksmithing, textile-making and making of leather and also as an agricultural trade centre for grains and flax.

Gus-Khrustalny (founded in 1756, population 80,000) – Over 200 years ago a merchant built here the first workshop of glass casting. Today the town is one of the district centers of Vladimir region, well-known in Russia and abroad as the national center of glassmaking. The name Gus-Krustalny can be literally translated as Chrystalline Goose. The old part of the town is a workmen’s settlement of 1900-s. with its own Church of St. Joachim of 1816.

Kholuy (founded 1650, population 1,000) – The village of Kholui did not begin producing lacquered miniatures until the 1930s, and though iconography had been an important trade in the region in previous centuries, Kholui was never bound to any particular artistic tradition. Rather, Kholui miniatures share some traits with both Palekh and Mstera art, yet maintain a distinctive lyrical quality of their own. As in Palekh and Mstera, Kholui artists use egg tempera paints. Kholui paintings tend to be brighter than Mstera’s, though like Mstera, the pigments used are opaque and the background is usually fully painted. Sometimes, as with Palekh miniatures, Kholui miniatures will include some fine gold and/or silver ornamentation within the painting, and Kholui artists can create fantastic border ornaments on par with those of Palekh. Since 1960-s products of Kholuy’s 200 artists have been widely represented and promoted internationally.

Kostroma (founded in 1213, population 300,000) – In the past Kostroma was known as “the flax capital of the north”; it supplied Europe with the world’s finest sail-cloth. The city has been also called as the “cradle of the Romanov dynasty”. Mikhail Romanov, the first of the Romanov dynasty, left the Ipatievsky Monastery for Moscow in 1613 to become tsar of Russia. During the Polish intervention in the turbulent years of the early seventeenth century Kostroma was a significant stronghold for the resistance movement. The city is spreaded on the left bank of the Volga river. Nowadays Kostroma is an important industrial center (textile, metal works), a capital city of the Kostroma province.

Mstera (founded in 1628, population 6,000) – the town takes its name from the little Msterka River, which flows through it merging with the Kliyazma. It is in Vladimir Region, but not far from the border with Ivanovo Region, south of Palekh and Kholui, in breathtakingly beautiful countryside – the one that forms the backdrop to its paintings. Mstera was a respected center of icon production until the trade was banned after the Revolution of 1917. Since then its artists has been creating world-famous masterpieces in the form of lacquered miniatures. In keeping with the traditions of iconography, egg tempera paints are still used. The landscape is of central importance to the painting with people and objects integrated to the setting. Mstera paintings are frequently larger than those from the other schools but some fine miniatures are also produced and because of their rarity are highly prized. Typical themes include exquisite floral designs with lacy gold ornamentation, the traditional fairy tales, traditional activities and events such as a winter festival, and sometimes portraiture.

Murom (founded 862, population 145,000) – one of the oldest Russian cites stretched along the left bank of the Oka river. The town’s name originates from “muroma”, one of the Finno-Ugric tribes lived here 15 centuries ago. Every Russian knows the name Ilya Muromets. He was a mythical epic hero defending people of Russia and later became a synonym of superior physical and spiritual power and integrity, dedicated to the protection of the Homeland. There is a monument to Ilya Muromets built on a river bank of the Oka river in Murom. The town survived three Mongol invasions. In the 17th century Murom became an important centre of various crafts – building, painting, sawing. There are three working monasteries in Murom.

Palekh (founded 1600, population 6,000) – the village is situated about 400km (250 miles) from Moscow in the Ivanovo region. In the 15th century it was one of the first centers of icon drawing trade. After the 1917 communist coup, when the icon business went down, Palekh masters tried to decorate wooden toys, dishes, porcelain and glass. But the most interesting way turned out to be painting black-lacquered boxes made of papier-mache. These days the name of Palekh is nearly synonymous with the art of Russian lacquer. Palekh artists are generally regarded as the most highly trained of the Russian miniature painters. Famous for highly detailed miniatures with elaborate ornamentation, the village of Palekh has a long artistic tradition. Like their icon painting forebears, today’s Palekh artists use egg tempera paints and paint in the Byzantine style. Favored themes are the Russian fairy tales, the famous Russian troika (three horse sleigh), and scenes of life in the countryside. The art of Palekh miniatures expresses the true national character. Many examples of Palekh art have received recognition at international exhibitions and have become world-known.

Pereslavl-Zalesskiy (founded in 1152, population 45,000) – one of the oldest Russian towns, the birthplace of the famous Russian prince Alexander Nevsky, who defeated an army of German knights in 1242. Zalessky means “behind the woods”. That is where, behind the dense forests, ancient Slavic tribes retreated seeking refuge from hostile nomads coming from the South-East. The town is situated on the shores of the huge Pleshcheyevo lake. The town is also connected with the name of the famed Russian tsar-reformer Peter the Great who in 1680-s practiced his skills in ship-building making over 100 boats and sail vessels, who entertained himself with first Russian navy exercises on the Pleshcheyevo lake.

Ples (founded in 1410, population 4,000) – this quet little historical town is located on the bank of the mighty and beautiful Volga river. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible Ples was one of the largest river firsh suppliers to the kings’ court. In the 18-19th centuries the town became known as a popular resort and was often called “Russian Switzerland” for the beauty of its scenery. Numerous Russian artists including the famous master of landscapes Levitan used to come here to work.

Rostov Veliky (Rostov the Great, founded in 862, population 40,000) – another pearl of ancient Russian culture. In old Russia only two towns were called veliky (great). One was Novgorod, the famous trade centre of the Russia’s north, the other Rostov. The Principality of Rostov-Suzdal-Vladimir was one of the strongest political divisions of Kievan Rus. It controlled all the major rivers in northeast Rus including the Moskva, Oka, Kliazma, and Volga. In the 12th century Rostov grew to equal Kiev and Novgorod in size and importance. It was made the seat of an Orthodox Metropolitan (Head of Russian Church) in 1587, and served as an important commercial center in the 16-19th centuries, one of the wealthiest in the country, so it could afford to hire the very best builders, decorators and stone-cutters. Modern Rostov is a sleepy old town with some magnificent buildings next to the shallow Nero lake.

TravelMake.com – one of leading online discount travel agencies, a source of useful travel information. For more information, descriptions of main points of interest in every town of the Golden Ring, some photographs and useful links about Russian history please visit us: http://www.travelmake.com