The Torino 2006 Paralympics came to a close on Sunday, March 20, 2006 after a week of inspirational performances.

Patti Smith and 300 other performers were part of a show in Torino, Italy's Piazza Castello. The theme of the show was the transition between winter and spring. The Italians continued their eclectic selection of music at the Olympics with opera mixed in with songs from Mary Poppins.

Athletes from 39 countries participated in the Torino 2006 Paralympic Games. Russian athletes turned in the most winning performances claiming a total of 33 medals followed by Ukraine with 25 medals and Germany with 19 medals.

The Apple iPod is not just another MP3 player it's a revolution. The storage capacity and ease of use that the Apple iPod provides is amazing.

Why is a travel site talking about Apple iPod’s? Because when you travel you inevitably have some down time especially when you travel overseas. It is a long flight and you can only watch so many reruns of old American sitcoms. The flight will go much faster if you sit back and plug into your Apple iPod. What's more, you will not be forced to listen to the chatter of your fellow passengers or worse their snoring.

Traveling alone? The Apple iPod will keep you company. Traveling with a group? Let the Apple iPod give you a break from your travel companions. The Apple iPod is small enough to fit in your pocket and light weight enough that you can take it with you wherever you go.

The Paralympics truly live up to the Torino 2006 Olympic slogan "Passion Lives Here". Watching the Paralympics, a showcase for athletes with disabilities, is an inspiration for everyone.

The Paralympics are getting ready to celebrate their opening ceremony in Torino, Italy on Friday, March 10. The flame for the Paralympics has arrived in Torino, Italy and is now traveling through the city. The flame will enter the stadium at the opening ceremonies.

The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960 with the first winter Games held in Sweden in 1976. Since 2001, the Paralympics have been staged to coincide with the Olympic Games.

This article was contributed by Susan Spalt. Susan lived in Italy as a teenager and has traveled extensively in Italy and Europe.

Last summer a farmer friend sold me some special tomatoes that she had grown from seeds she had brought back from Italy. They were sauce tomatoes. Meaty, not watery.  I made sauce with the tomatoes and right before serving I  added just a touch of butter and some basil. We had the sauce on capellinni, very thin spaghetti, with just a bit or freshly grated parmesan cheese.

It was "meraviglioso". Tasting the sauce took me back to Northern Italy, to a rustic restaurant where we tasted fresh tomato sauce for the first time. I could see the rolling hills out the window and picture my mother and father and sisters around the table. That's what Italian cooking does. The simplicity of the dishes and the quality of the ingredients makes perfection possible, and with the perfection comes a bit of melodrama - but such is the stuff of Italian Cooking. And some recipes never need to be updated.

Italians have long loved mineral water whether it is naturale or frizzante. A new book says that Italians are drinking more water and that demand is growing.

Italians now drink 178 liters (47 gallons) of bottled water a year per person. There are 150 companies marketing 252 different brands of water. Italy has over 700 natural springs though only 265 are used to produce bottled water.

Natural spas are gaining in popularity everywhere and Italy is no exception. The medicinal properties of Fiuggi, Chianciano and Salsomaggiore have been known since ancient times.

All the recent buzz about MP3 Players has been about the Apple line of iPods and they are by far the most exciting. If you purchase one of the higher end iPods you can download most of your CD collection and will be free to listen to your CD's no matter where you are.

I travel frequently and always take a MP3 player with me. It helps to have something to listen to on long trips whether you are in a plane, train or on a boat. Having music around you can help relieve the tedium of travel and also block out unwanted noise.

When you use an MP3 player for things like working out one of the cheaper models which holds about 50 songs is fine. When you are tired of those songs you can download different ones. Once you start listening to your MP3 player for longer periods you will want one that can hold more songs. This is especially true if you are traveling and will not be able to download different songs.

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About the Apple iPod Shuffle

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About the Apple iPod Nano

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About the Apple iPod Video

Joseph's Garlic Bread goes great with everything from pasta to grilled steak. It is easy and everyone will love it, in fact no matter how big a loaf we use, we normally run out at family dinners.

The amount of the ingredients may vary depending on the size of the bread that you are using.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Italian bread, baguette or any other long hard crusted bread
1 stick of butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Set butter on counter to soften. You can microwave the butter for 15 seconds to soften. If the butter is not soft continue for an additional 15 seconds until you can press down on the butter with a fork.