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Links

The following is a collection of Web links that I use very frequently, some even daily. I hope they will be of use to you as well.


Travel

Lonely Planet

Unquestionably, this is my favorite travel site. Having used LP guidebooks for years, I am equally committed to their web presence. Check out the Thorn Tree where you can post a travel question, whether out of curiosity or need, and you're almost certain to get an answer from someone who has either been there or done it before. One caveat: It's not especially useful for finding hotels.

Arab NET - Oman This links you to the Omani pages of ArabNet, which has lots of information on the entire Arab World.


Asia Travel This is a great site for finding hotel accommodations throughout Asia. The Thai links are especially useful: often you'll find places that are offering deeply discounted rates to people booking over the 'Net.

Best Air Fares This site is one of the best.

Currency Calculator This Swiss-based site will convert virtually any currency to any other. Fast and seemingly accurate. After all, who knows more about money?

Great Circle Route Calculator What's the shortest route between two points? Find out by using the calculator this link will take you to.

Qatar-Info An excellent site for anyone planning a trip to Qatar. Written by British expatriates, it offers info on just about everything related to Qatar that the potential visitor or resident might want.


Favorite Search Engines

Savvy Search A metasearch engine that submits your request to a good dozen other search engines at the same time.

Google Despite its whimsical name, Google is remarkably good at sifting out the useless sites that many other engines will supply after a search request has been made. The interface is very simple and straightforward, so it's useful for inexperienced surfers as well. Many thanks to those brilliant guys at Stanford University (California) who put it together.


News Sources

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune The principal newspaper in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis,-St. Paul, Minnesota (USA) Check out the thermometer in winter. Brrrrrrrrr....
The Washington Post Liberal newspaper in Washington, DC

The Electronic Telegraph The on-line version of the London Daily Telegraph. Conservative political outlook, but a very with-it website. Not given to exaggeration. In a word: staid but reliable.

The BBC The news service of the British Broadcasting Corporation is generally considered to be one of the world's best. The site isn't as glitzy as CNN's but it's certainly as thorough.

The Guardian A superbly written newspaper originally based in Manchester, The Guardian is rather left-wing. American readers should note, however, that it is often very critical of US policy. You may also sense that some writers seem to go out of their way to make anti-American digs when they can. That said, it's still one of the world's best newspapers and should be required reading by anyone who wants to hear all sides of a question.

The Khaleej Times This is unquestionably the best English language newspaper published in the Gulf. Based in Dubai (UAE), it offers good coverage of the region and the rest of the world as well. Its Subcontinent (India/Pakistan/Bangladesh) coverage is second to none, possibly because most of its reporting and editorial staff hails from there. And its editorials are worth a read, too, though they are sometimes uncomfortable for Western readers. For anyone who wishes to keep up with news in this part of the world, this paper is a "must".

The Times (UK)
The venerable London Times. Excellent international news section. Check out the Court page where the official appointments of the Royal Family are cataloged.

The Drudge Report
Often denigrated as a Web-based tabloid writer, Matt Drudge has successfully scooped many of the major papers. Besides his own interesting if sometimes rather over-the-top report, he provides a first-rate list of web links to newspaper and broadcast news sources, not to mention an exhaustive list of columnists.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung - English Page (Zürich, Switzerland) The Neue Zürcher Zeitung is my all-time favorite newspaper, and offers a well-translated, though somewhat truncated, English version. It's remarkably unbiased and fair to everyone, yet its editors are quite happy to call a spade a spade when the need arises. Highly recommended. Not especially graphically rich, it downloads quickly.

Photographic Sites

Mountain Light - Galen Rowell - Check this gallery out. Rowell, a world-class mountain climber, is a superb photographer. Check out his gallery, where you'll find some of the best mountain photos you have ever seen. Highly recommended.

Netlook Magazine - Excellent on-line photo mag.

Orazio Centaro's Art Images on the Web - Centaro is a talented Italian photographer, who has put together an interesting collection of images of various 20th century photographers.

Computers, Software, and Web Design

.Net Magazine - This UK-based Internet magazine is one of the best around. It covers most Internet subject areas from web design to ways to fight spam. It also rates web sites, and always has good lists of new sites that are of interest. Great tips on surfing techniques as well.

Tucows - HUGE collection of downloadable software or every imagineable variety. Lots of shareware and freeware. And it has dozens of mirror sites from which you can download at speed.

Photoshop Tips by Joel Abrahamsson - Great collection of tips and tricks to use with Photoshop

1001 Downloads - Another huge collection of software and what-not