Today, about 70 percent of the Sri Lankan population practises Buddhism. According to Sri Lankan tradition, the faith was introduced in the 2nd Century, during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa and although it has seen periods of decline in times of colonialism, it remains the most prominent faith to this day. Buddhism in Sri Lanka is primarily of the Theravada School - the "teaching of the elders" - which is not only the oldest surviving school, but the one that is most faithful to early Buddhism. On Sri Lanka holidays, you will see not only see the vestiges of Buddhism scattered around the country in the form of relics, ruins and statues, but you may have the opportunity to interact with the monks at one of the many Buddhist celebrations.

Dedicated to my wonderful island coconut trees, the trees of life.

I am often asked, "What encouraged you to follow your inner child guides to a pristine private island paradise to live the rest of your life surrounded by coconut, the tree of life?" Here is my story.

At age 36, after traveling the globe extensively, I had a strong vision to settle down in my own pristine Shangri-la with many coconut trees. I was then on a 16 year world sojourn, traveling together with my English partner Mark. Our adventures had taken us to some of the world's most pristine, rugged, serene, remote tropical wilderness and animal reserves, plus canyons, rivers, lakes and island paradises fringed with coconut trees. Though shy and uncomfortable with people since a little girl, I was totally relaxed in Mother Nature, particularly in the tropics near a cleansing sea and eating organic tropical food from the wild.

The book that is the subject of this review is Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism, by University of Chicago professor Robert A. Pape and originally published in 2005 but updated in 2006. The subject matter is an overview of the over 400 suicide terrorist missions that have been carried out between 1980 and 2005, as well as a discussion of what motivates campaigns of suicide terrorism around the world. The information contained in the work is truly a paradigm-shifter in terms of how suicide terrorism should be viewed and how the 'War on Terror" can be won.

The book was recently recommended by Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul in a reading list to Rudy Giuliani on the topic of American foreign policy and the motivations for suicide terrorism. During a presidential candidates' debate in South Carolina on May 15, Giuliani stated he had never heard of Paul's explanation of the 9/11 attacks against America, and Paul decided a reading assignment was in order. As a ten-term Congressman and author of numerous books on monetary and foreign policy, and the most ardent defender of personal liberty and less-intrusive government, Paul's recommendations should carry great weight in the political arena. He often refers to history and analysis to back up his arguments, and has recommended Pape's Dying to Win several times during his campaign thus far.

Guys if you're thinking of spending your most memorable holiday in an isle of your dreams, come to Sri Lanka. Here's a guide to where you should visit for an experience of a lifetime.

Info: This tour is going to take you around the island and recommends places you can visit while you're spending your holiday here. Its based on my experience.

1) Landing at Katunayake International Airport.

2) Hire a cab from the arrival lounge and set off to NEGOMBO where the sun is shining and the ocean is filled with activities and you can get the best natural tan.

3) When you're done lets head up to ANURADHAPURA. The city of heritage and culture. Its where the ancient kingdoms were made and the rulers of the country lived. Its the longest journey you're going to take in this vacation. Time on the road 4 hours.

SRI LANKA

Population: 19.4 million (UN, 2005)

Capital: Colombo (commercial), Sri Jayawardenepura (administrative)

Area: 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq miles)

Major languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English

Major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity

Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: Sri Lankan rupee

The teardrop-shaped island of Sri Lanka is oddly labelled by the Chinese as the "land without sorrow". The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a small nation is one of the most desired countries for travel in the South Asia region. And while the fright of the civil war or the 2004 tsunami is not good publicity for the tourism industry, Serendib, as Persians called it and whence English takes "serendipity" from, is severely calm and serene in more ways than one, inland and on the seas.

For twenty-five years, competition has been at the heart of corporate strategy. Today, one can hardly speak of strategy without involving the language of competition: competitive strategy, competitive benchmarking, building competitive advantages, and beating the competition. Such focus on the competition traces back to corporate strategy's roots in military strategy. The very language of corporate strategy is deeply imbued with military references-chief executive "officers" in "headquarters," "troops" on the "front lines," and fighting over a defined battlefield.

Blue Ocean denotes the industries that not existence today - the unknown market space or market unattained by competition. Blue Ocean strategy provides a systematic approach to making the competition irrelevant. This framework had been presented by Mr. Kim W Chan and Mauborgne Renee in their most sellable book entitle "Blue Ocean Strategy - How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant".

Handling competition effectively to get appreciable market share and achieve profitability has always been a great challenge to most companies. This is why I want us to examine this book entitled "Blue Ocean Strategy". It is co-authored by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. Kim is the Boston Consulting Group Bruce D. Henderson chair professor of Strategy and International Management at INSEAD; while Renee Mauborgne is the INSEAD distinguished fellow and professor of Strategy and Management.

According to Kim and Mauborgne, companies have long engaged in head-to-head competition in search of sustained and profitable growth. They add that companies have fought for competitive advantage, battled over market share and struggled for differentiation. The authors say yet in today's overcrowded industries, competing head-on results in nothing but a "red ocean" of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. Kim and Mauborgne challenge everything one may know about the requirements for strategic success and contend that while most companies compete within such red oceans, the strategy is increasingly unlikely to create profitable growth in the future.

Sri Lanka may be a tiny island located in the Indian Ocean, yet this island must have been filled with breathtaking beauty of nature as well as cultural and scenic attractions. No other places in the world seem to compare to the bewitching beauty and charm that the island have for tourists and visitors. Wherever you may come from, you'd easily fall for the beaches, ancient cities, wildlife, national parks, the warm, and tropical all year weather as well as the hospitable people. No wonder many visitors believe that Sri Lanka is a divine island paradise. If you are planning a visit, hotels in Colombo Sri Lanka provide a welcoming accommodation for weary travelers. You will not find it hard to book a hotel online or while you are still planning an island holiday.

When choosing a Caribbean cruise you may well come across some islands you never even knew existed. Princess Cays, Labadee and CocoCay are all examples, and they all have one thing in common; they are used exclusively by the cruise lines who own them. So, forget busy ports, hassling street vendors and uncertain territory, and arrive in style at your own private island instead!

The majority of these islands are far too small for locals to reside in, and therefore have been leased out to the cruise companies, providing an exclusive getaway for cruise passengers and a valuable income for the local governments. The cruise lines have transformed the once "dead land" into their own mini paradise islands.

Any criticism of cricket is justifiable grounds for regime change and nation building. As agreed in a recent college class on terrorism, cricket when played properly (i.e. to lose) is the drinking man's baseball. For the sake of clarity, no Englishman can discuss terrorism and cricket at the same time, because global terrorism is quite simply "just not cricket".

Cricket can be contrasted to modern foreign policy because, played properly, the very idea of a "we win, you lose" premise is not an issue. Cricket, particularly global-village cricket, has to be played with either a lose-lose or lose-win philosophy. The exceptions to this are Australia and South Africa who both practice beforehand (which is unsporting) and cannot tell the difference between cricket and foreign policy anyway. See John Howard's technique for presenting winners' medals*. Countries that do not play cricket are seldom successful in the foreign relations aspects of government.