A health spa that's top of the drops

Amy Cooper prefers her algae to come with a glass of wine. I've always been a spa commitmentphobe. Anything longer than a day treatment is too daunting. Tried it once, got caught with a bottle of wine behind a tree on the second day, was made an example of by an angry naturopath and that was that. The French think similarly, so they tend to combine their spas with luxury hotels. This way, you can detox within your comfort zone, knowing the safety of your room and the wine list are close by. Meanwhile, everyone on the outside believes you're suffering in a fulltime health farm. Genius. At the Sebel Resort and Spa in Windsor, the reassuring bulk of the 41/2star hotel snuggles close to the pretty, colonnaded Villa Thalgo, home to a host of Thalgo French hydrotherapy treatments. The villa was Australia's first purposebuilt day spa and you can treat yourself to as much time as you like there while staying in the hotel. Advertisement: Story continues below I'm shown to a balcony suite overlooking the spa entrance, and from here I can watch the stressed, scrunchedup new arrivals enter the spa below before floating out again later. Right now, I prefer to enjoy the peace and privacy of the room, a generous space (about 47 square metres) full of reclining options: big, multipillowed bed; sofa with squishy cushions; leather armchair in a corner just made for curling up with a book. There's a writing desk, too, but I won't be using that as enthusiastically as the spa in the en suite bathroom. The view is an expanse of green rural idyll part fields, part golf course stretching into the distance. I'm only an hour out of Sydney, but feel much further away. The Hawkesbury region, with its historical villages, picturesque countryside (70 per cent of it is national park) and five rivers is an antidote to big city malaise. The Sebel itself, beside Windsor Rosetta Stone Language in the valley's south, has sanctuaries aplenty shady trees, pretty courtyards, a lake with secluded benches around it and of course, Villa Thalgo. I'm booked in for a body scrub and marine algae wrap and first take a dip in the villa's generous pool. There's another pool with six hydrotherapy exercise stations. You stand chesthigh in water, grip the handrails, press a button and jets pummel you all over. This is called an "analytic pool", which makes me feel a bit like a lab sample, but that's the language of French spas. Here, staff wear white coats and rooms have intriguing names on the doors: Blitz hose room, Hydrobath, Rain massage. Not that it isn't decadent. Jessica, my therapist, explains the body scrub feels particularly good because the beads are rounded for extra comfort. Towels are huge and impossibly soft, and the affusion shower with which I rinse off the scrub is an eightjet, toptotoe delight. Next, Jessica mixes up marine algae from powder into warm goo. This isn't a cosmetic, chemically created "marine" fragrance it's the salty, seaweedy real deal, almost overpowering. I'm smothered in it and wrapped in foil so the algae's detoxifying properties can begin their work. Twenty minutes later, I step into the affusion shower again and rinse off my dark green coating. Underneath is a shinier, smoother me. Then it's time to boost my healthy glow in the hotel's Harvest Restaurant. The wine list has plenty of delicate drops to complement a newly cleansed system, and the menu's hearty dishes make good use of fresh local produce. Once I'm up in my room only the odd peal of laughter from below dents the peace. The combined effects of pinot and algae kick in surprisingly early and I have no trouble sinking into a deep, delicious sleep. Trip notes Address: Sebel Resort and Spa, 61 Richmond Road, Windsor.Bookings: Phone 4577 4222 or contact Mirvac central reservations on 131 515.Rates: Rooms from $130 a night. Prices for individual therapies and treatments range from $20 to $675.Getting there:A 60minute drive from the Sydney CBD via the M2. Verdict:A peaceful retreat surprisingly close to town.

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The ultimate trip

If money was no object and you could go anywhere in theworld, where would you roam? We asked a poet, a model, apolitician, a chef and a writer to devise their dream travelitineraries. Cheyenne Tozzi, 20, grew up in Sydney's Sutherland Shire.She is amodel and lives in New York. My dream holiday is a firstclass trip to Paris with three of mygirlfriends for a few days of fabulous shopping. I would celebratethe French love for all things classic by staying at the beautifulearly20thcentury Hotel Le Bristol in SaintHonore. We would bookinto the presidential suite, which overlooks the hotel's amazinggardens. Advertisement: Story continues below After a dip in the rooftop pool, I would treat my friends to ashopping spree at Colette on Rue SaintHonore the best fashionstore in the world. We'd go for the Jo De Mer bikinis, Marc Jacobsruffle skirts, Current/Elliott boyfriend jeans, Chrome Heartshandbags if money is no object, the list goes on! Next stop would be the Four Seasons Hotel George V, on AvenueGeorge V, which is famous for its beauty treatments. Forget Jet Lagincludes reflexology and a tonic aromatherapy massage, and theyeven serve you water from the Alps. My dream trip would not be complete without a visit to Michelin starred chef Alain Ducasse's Plaza Athenee Restaurant onAvenue Montaigne. There, we would order steamed langoustines withIranian osetra caviar, purple artichokes, black truffle zabaglioneand whatever unbelievable desserts pastry chef Frederic Robert (whohas worked with Ducasse for more than 25 years) comes up with. After a visit to the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and the CentreGeorges Pompidou, we would take a road trip in a hybrid car (weneed to look after our beautiful planet) with surfboards on top, toBiarritz on France's southwest coast. Once there, we would stay inthe luxurious Rosetta Stone American English Hotel du Palais. It's right on the beach and has the most sensational pool thatoverlooks the waves. I spent quite a bit of time in Biarritz with an exboyfriend he surfed while I hung out, shopped, read and ate the mostwonderful food. The 1920s architecture is amazing and the beachesare fantastic. If you can, try to get a spot next to the oystervendor and enjoy a glass of wine with your freshly shucked huitres.Biarritz is such a relaxed and beautiful location and, justquietly, when those French boys speak my heart flutters alittle! Skye Gyngell, mid40s, was born in Sydney and is head chefat Petersham Nurseries Cafe in London and the author of A Year InMy Kitchen and My Favourite Ingredients. I went to San Francisco 30 years ago when I was much younger,but I'd love to go again as there are lots of restaurants I wouldlike to visit predominantly Judy Rogers' Zuni Cafe and Alice Waters' Chez Panisse. Both are led by female chefs with an emphasison local produce, and the roots of their cooking lie in traditionand craftsmanship. The restaurants are convivial; they have acasual and busy feel, but a warm and friendly atmosphere. I have always admired the work of Alice Waters I have all hercookbooks and I met her at Petersham Nurseries Cafe but havenever managed to pay a visit to her restaurant. She encourageslocal farmers to have a commitment to produce. She believes that healthy eating starts with a connection to the land, and has worke dtirelessly in schools and prisons, helping them to create vegetablegardens. There are also many producers I would love to visit.

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Wave to the PC! It's Paying Attention

Nintendo Corp.'s Wii game console is a breakout hit in large part because users control the play by waving around a motionsensing wireless controller. Many new gadgets are taking the idea of such an intuitive interface several steps further. Soon, you may be able to control computers, television sets, even cell phones with hand gestures alone. In one demonstration by 3DV Systems at the International Consumer Electronics Show here this week, users stood in front of a large screen and controlled a Windows computer with hand gestures: thumb left to go left, index finger right to go right, victory sign for Enter. JVC, also known as Victor Company of Japan Ltd., demonstrated a prototype TV with controls based on the same idea: gestures and sounds like snaps and claps turn the set on or off, control volume or change the channel. Advertisement: Story continues below The prospect of never again having to search the sofa for a remote is sure to be welcome in many homes, but the traditional fight over the remote could become worse: imagine two kids engaged in a signlanguage duel to control the set, with the picture and sound changing frantically to keep up. In another demo, when a 3DV employee did boxing motions an avatar on the screen in front of him mimicked the movement of his entire upper body quite a step up from the boxing game of the Wii, which only senses the movement of the controllers. A particularly popular Wii game is bowling, where the user swings the remote as if it were a ball. Two phones that hit the Japanese market in May include bowling games that work the same way Canada Goose Expedition , but without the Wii: Swing the whole cell phone and you launch the ball down the lane shown on the screen. The motionsensing technology in those phones comes from GestureTek, a Sunnyvale, Calif., company. While the Wii's remote uses a combination of tiny mechanical springs and a camera to sense motion, GestureTek uses only cameras quite conveniently, since most cell phones and quite a few laptops already come with cameras. GestureTek's technology is already found on some Verizon Wireless cell phones, which contain a game were the user can roll a ball through a maze by tilting the phone. Another application is the EyeToy for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2, which lets you play simple games by moving in front of the camera. The technology isn't just for fun: it can be healthy too. Francis MacDougall, GestureTek's chief technology officer, said the company has run studies of stroke patients playing a snowboarding game by moving in front of a camera and found it improved their balance. Wiis also have been used for physical therapy. To take these relatively simple applications further, GestureTek and 3DV are looking at adding a third dimension: depth. A regular camera produces a twodimensional picture. Two cameras together can sense how far away an object is, just like two eyes enable humans to perceive depth. "We think the interactivity of all this stuff improves with depth," said MacDougall. "You can use that in very novel ways compared to 2D." MacDougall demonstrated a prototype of the Airpoint, a footlong bar with an upwardfacing camera at either end. When MacDougall held his finger above it, it sensed the finger's angle and position, letting him control a cursor on the computer screen by pointing. "We see it initially as a gimmicky businesspresentation type device, but you could see it built into the corners of a laptop," MacDougall said. That approach would compete with touchscreen, but the Airpoint has something extra going for it: no fingerprints on the screen. Reactrix Inc. makes commercial displays that you may have seen in movietheater lobbies: an image projected on the floor that reacts to people walking on it.

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Cleary hints at changes to reverse decline

Photo: Glen Mccurtayne WARRIORS coach Ivan Cleary has implored his team to sticktogether 133; but at the same time said he would probably have totear some of it apart. The third consecutive loss worried Cleary, but the thirdconsecutive year worried him more. It was the third straight seasonthe Warriors had started the competition well, only to appear tobelieve in their own hype. "Maybe we're not as good as we think we are," Cleary said."We've done this for the last three seasons, to be honest. It's atrend I'm not really too happy to follow, but what we've done inthe past 133; we've never imploded on ourselves and that'ssomething that's been really important, so that'll be somethingthat we'll have to manage well this week, starting now, I guess that we don't start turning on each other. But we really need alift from somewhere, from someone, to get that confidenceback." Advertisement: Story continues below And he admitted it may come from outside the current squad. The3812 loss to Canberra yesterday, one described by halfback StaceyJones as "not good enough", may be the catalyst for changes, if thelanguage by Cleary and the body language of the players who wereawfully quiet in their dressing room were anything to go by. "We've just got to stick together and keep working hard andbelieve in ourselves, and that's not easy," Cleary said. "Butthat's part of the trick. It's not Rosetta Stone Outlet fingerpointing or blaminganyone else. Everyone's got to look at themselves and work hard andlift when it really counts. I hope we've hit the bottom because Ifeel like the only way is up. "But we obviously need to have a look at how we're doing thingsand maybe make a couple of changes, because it certainly wasn't working out there today." After a loss of significant magnitude, Jones was significantlyalso lost for words. "I don't know what to say," he said. "It was prettydisappointing. "But that's footy. We've got to stay tight. Ivan's going to makesome tough calls he says he's going to have to look at it andit's understandable that he does. After that performance and last week [against the Cowboys], it's just not good enough." Captain Steven Price bemoaned the fact it was his side's secondstraight defeat by 30plus points since a bye. "It's obviouslyattitude defensively that's letting us down at the moment," hesaid. "We're not far off it, we've just got to all get on the samepage on the same day. There's not too much more time we've got todo it this week. We've got to bounce back immediately." That much is clear, because the Warriors are playing like pretenders rather than contenders. "We were just beatenevery where," Cleary said. "They ran harder, they ran faster they just did everything better. We were just outplayed totally 133;maybe we're just a lot happier playing without pressure. I don't think there'll be any on us any more."

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The super is deferred, earned salary

Kym Sheehan Rozelle Perhaps the RTA's successful ''pinkie'' campaign should be modified to target the size of executive pay packets. Debby O'Brien Armidale Ethical voting Howard Packer's assertion that ''there would be quite a few votes in it'' if Verity Firth allowed ethics classes may just be the tipping point she needs (''Parents line up to give ethics lessons'', September 30). But would it be ethical? Pam Connor Mollymook Beach A leader out on his own It is refreshing to see Malcolm Turnbull's attempt to pull the Opposition rabble into line over their disjointed stance on climate change (''Back me or sack me: Turnbull'', October 2). While some members of the Coalition seem intent on ''do nothing on climate change'', other visionary politicians seem determined to use this as an opportunity to whiteant their leader. Turnbull shouldn't worry, issues of greater importance are at hand, specifically the annual ''fading of the curtains'' problem, which will no doubt occupy the minds of the National Party this weekend. Bob Harris Sawtell It seems to me Wilson Tuckey is saying that the leader of the Liberal Party, Malcolm Turnbull, should be doing as Tuckey says that the leader should not be the leader, but a follower. So why isn't Tuckey the leader of the Liberal Party? Frank Alley Ashtonfield ''Forward, charge!" And the solitary figure of Malcolm Turnbull rode into the valley of death as his followers were nowhere to be seen. Vincent Scoppa Leichhardt Overseas Chinese enjoy democracy Ross Cameron is sure the Chinese people are happy with their Government (''The protesters won: no democracy, but a true Great Leap Forward'', October 1). I don't think the Government is quite so confident. Evidence? It banned the public from the National Day celebrations and has spent the past couple of months arresting citizens it thinks may not share Cameron's high opinion of it. He trots out the usual nonsense about Chinese culture not valuing democracy. Strange, then, that Chinese in the West do value freedom and democracy, as they have come to do in Canada Goose Jacka Taiwan and, to the extent they are allowed it, in Singapore and Hong Kong. The students did not win. Have a look at the old fellas taking the salute in Tiananmen they are the ones who ordered the 1989 crackdown. Zhao Ziyang, who tried to stop the massacre, was placed under house arrest and lived the last 16 years of his life "in seclusion". Jack Hoysted Hong Kong Two articles, same story. While the US, funded by Chinese credit, sinks further into the Afghan mire, China's military capacity continues to expand beyond expectations. The big picture is changing so rapidly that by the time the US looks up from its Afghan involvement, any "gains" there will be irrelevant. Margaret Kerr Mona Vale Women neglected Katie Page is in serious denial (''Forgiving fans in a league of their own'', October 2). There is no compassion in her piece for women who have been degraded, attacked and abused by NRL players. While she lauds fans and the players, she has no sympathy for women who have been victimised by the ''what happens on tour stays on tour'' culture. Ms Page has been on the NRL board for many years and bears some responsibility for that shocking culture. If she cannot see there is a problem, she should let someone else have a go. Lisa TaitMcLean Georgetown Leave super alone Shane DellaVedova deserves his jail term, but stripping him of his superannuation is unjust (''Rocket thief may lose his army super'', October 2). The super is deferred, earned salary. It is a right and a working condition, not a privilege to be removed. This also removes the right of a partner to make any claim on superannuation in the event of a divorce. It reminds me of Morris Iemma's political stunt of legislating to deprive Milton Orkopoulos of his parliamentary super. Keith Parsons Newcastle The facts, fallacies and workings of TAFE It is good to see the Herald's coverage of the plight of NSW TAFE generating letters. Having been a counsellor in TAFE for 30 years I think two significant issues are being overlooked: the fallacy that TAFE exists to make money and the disgraceful treatment of its parttime teachers.

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Germany shut 9/11 plotters mosque

German police have shut a mosque in Hamburg frequented by suicide hijackers from the September 11, 2001 attacks and suspected of recruiting jihadists, authorities say. An affiliated cultural centre called Taiba was also banned. "Hamburg must not become a cradle of violent Islamists," the city-state's chief interior affairs official, Christoph Ahlhaus, told reporters on Monday. Advertisement: Story continues below "We closed the Taiba mosque today because young men were converted to religious fanatics there. "A purported cultural association shamelessly exploited the freedoms of our democratic state under the rule of law to recruit for holy war behind the scenes." Three of the September 11 hijackers including their ringleader Mohammed Atta, who piloted the first plane into New York's World Trade Centre, met regularly at the mosque before moving to the United States. The prayer house was known as Al-Quds until two years ago. Authorities said it served for several years as a recruitment centre for fellow jihadists, including accomplices of the hijackers, and offered logistical and financial assistance to Islamic militants. Twenty police officers searched the mosque and homes of the association's leaders in the early-morning raid and confiscated funds from the group. "We have finally put an end to the spectre behind the walls on Steindamm," said Ahlhaus, referring to the street where Rosetta Stone the mosque is located. The mosque, with about 45 members, was still the main meeting point for Islamic extremists in the city, according to Hamburg authorities. A group of 10 men from the mosque travelled to Pakistan or Afghanistan in March last year, probably to attend militant training camps, security officials said. At least one of the men joined the radical Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in Pakistan and later appeared in a German-language propaganda video for the group in which he called for Muslims to take part in holy war. "The association continuously promoted jihadist, aggressive and anti-democratic ideology and religious views in recent years," Ahlhaus said. "We do not tolerate organisations that are levelled against the constitutional order and the idea of understanding between cultures in an aggressive, militant way. "But I underline that these measures are not targeted against the majority of the peace-loving, law-abiding Muslims in Hamburg." Ahlhaus said the association had a sophisticated program of courses, sermons, seminars and online publications to whip up hatred of "non-believers". Germany, which opposed the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq but has some 4,500 troops in Afghanistan, has beefed up security and surveillance in response to the threat of attacks on its own soil. In March, four Islamic militants, including two German converts to Islam, who dreamed of mounting "a second September 11" were jailed for a thwarted plot to attack US soldiers and civilians in Germany.

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Nicol David within one win of squash record

Nicol David moved to within one win of equalling the record of five World Open titles when she quelled the challenge of England's Alison Waters in straight games. The Malaysian superstar produced a focussed, mobile, and quietly ruthless performance to record a 14-12, 11-2, 11-6 semi-final victory on Tuesday. In the Singapore Masters final in July David had had to save five game points in the first game against Waters and now had to save an even more important one at 10-9 in the first game. Advertisement: Story continues below Having done so David got right on top against an opponent whom she had beaten in all their 16 meetings and who looked understandably dispirited well before the end. It earned David, who has spent fully 50 months at the top of the world rankings, a meeting in the final with Omneya Abdel Kawy, the first Egyptian woman ever to reach a World Open final. But in hot and humid conditions, and battling against home support as well as an opponent in the best form of her life, that may prove more difficult than usual. "I am just glad to be in the final," said David, already in control of her emotions only a few seconds after her important win. "This was definitely a big hurdle to get over. "Against Alison I always have to play my best game. It was a difficult match, even though it doesn't show (in the score). "It was amazingly humid and my racket handle was so sweaty in the first game I had to change it. There were drips on the floor and you don't always get that on the women's game!" Waters also knew that by taking the ball early on the volley and hustling David into defensive positions Rosetta Stone outlet , she could make some headway. But once again it brought encouraging early progress upon which she was unable to capitalise. The third seeded Londoner had her nose in front until game ball at 10-9, when she was pushed deep by a David drive. Waters' attempt to boast her way out of trouble only sent the the ball drifting off the sidewall into the tin. David never fell into deficit again and, having closed out the first game at the third attempt, the champion went on the rampage, taking seven points in a row to grab the second game in a match-winning sequence. "The first game is always important," said David. "It had been neck and neck all the way. Neither of us wanted to give anything. "Whoever took it had to fight hard, and it took a lot out of me but when I had won it, it gave me a boost. "I felt a bit more confident after that, and I went with that feeling. It gave me more opportunity to play my shots and she made a few more mistakes." In the third game Waters made a brief fight-back from 2-7 to 6-9 without really looking as if she would recover parity, her body language already betraying her sense of disappointment. David duly finished it off with a nimbly produced and tightly accurate backhand drop shot which got her to match point at 10-6; a lob which landed perfectly in the backhand corner converted the chance immediately. Earlier Kawy had played impressively, with great flair and considerable tenacity to end the fine run of Camille Serme. The Egyptian won 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 against an opponent whose career-best sequence, which included a win over the second-seeded English player Jenny Duncalf, made her the first French woman to reach the World Open semi-finals. "I have played Omneya a number of times and it is always a good game," said David. "I will just take everything out of my bag and throw it on the court in one last push."

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