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Monday, December 20, 2010

National xmas trees around the world

New York City prides itself on its luminous Christmas trees. But these spruces from around the world gives the NYC dazzle a little holiday spirited competition.

Christmas Day is famous as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian countries, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to watch the holiday. Countries such as Japan and Korea, where Christmas is admired despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations and xmas trees. Notable countries in which Christmas is not a official public holiday include People's Republic of China, (excepting Hong Kong and Macao), Japan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Thailand, Nepal, Iran, Turkey and North Korea. Christmas celebrations around the world can vary clearly in form, reflecting differing cultural and national traditions.


The National sparkling Christmas tree is lights up in front of the Obama's eyes near the White House in Washington, DC.

Monday, December 6, 2010

South Africa says World Cup tourists will come back

The 2010 World Cup introduced South Africa to mostly first-time visitors, and 90 percent of them said they would believe returning, the country's tourism minister said Monday.
Tourists spent a total of 3.6 billion rand ($521 million), typically on shopping, and stayed for an average of 10 nights.
September tourism figures already raised 12.9 percent compared to the same month last year, Marthinus van Schalkwyk said. But experts say it is premature to say that the raise is sustainable.
"To say it's creating a sustainable base may be stretch because the point in numbers has already faded quickly," said Andrea Saayman, a tourism economics professor at South Africa's North-West University.
More tourists were from the U.S. than any other country, followed by neighboring Mozambique and Britain. Van Schalkwyk said 92 % of North American attendees were first-time visitors to South Africa.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Harry Potter fans go all out for recent movie opening

On a typical Thursday night at Town Square, one can wait for to see club goers and the bar-hoppers roaming about in the latest trendy fashions.
But last night, some people’s clothes options were more magical.
Harry Potter fans began lining up at Rave Motion Pictures in the late afternoon to get prime seats for the midnight showing of the seventh film in the Harry Potter sequence — "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One."
And though most opted for casual dress, a number of fans were spotted dressed as Hogwarts students with their wands in hand.
For some fans, waiting in line was the greatest part.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

World Bank raises Philippines' 2010 growth forecast to 6.2%

From its original growth forecast of 4.4% in terms of local output or the gross domestic product this year, the World Bank increased on Tuesday the country’s growth outlook to 6.2%.
Bert Hofman, World Bank country representative to the Philippines cited the bullish outlook as he announced the doubling of its plan and project loans to the country this year.
Hofman said real growth in the first half was driven by a rebound in exports and by domestic consumption that allowed the economy to increase by 7.9% in the second quarter from 7.8% in the first.
At its Philippine Quarterly Update released on Tuesday, the World Bank said consumption, investments and remittances from millions of overseas Filipinos were to “further buoy domestic demand during the remainder of the year.”
“The global recession has demonstrated improvements in the Philippines’ macro financial resiliency, thanks to a extraordinarily robust external position. This is attributed to sound macro fundamentals - particularly the banking system, corporate sector, balance of payments and fiscal and monetary space - coupled with growing remittance flows,” Le Borgne said.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Sachin tendulkar's 49th Test ton leaves Ponting, and rest of the world, in his wake

It is not completely true, as his most ardent admirers are wont to suggest, that when a 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar made his debut against Pakistan in 1989, he entered the Test arena unannounced. Two years earlier he had scored 326 not out in a schools match, setting a world-record third-wicket stand of 664 with that great displeasure of the modern game, Vinod Kambli. Yet even those who sensed back then that he was a prodigal aptitude, seemingly touched by divinity, never imagined he would reach the landmark he passed this week.
In scoring an unbeaten 191 in the second Test of India's series against Australia in Bangalore yesterday, Tendulkar emphatically declared that he is in the form of his life – a point established by his beating Graeme Swann to the ICC Player of the Year award last week. At 37, that is more than most batsmen can boast; but then none of them have passed the 14,000-run barrier, as India's hero did on Sunday. India completed yesterday on 435 for 5, chasing Australia's first innings of 478.
"As far as me chasing Sachin..." Ponting said ironically of his great rival a fortnight ago, "I was actually expecting that he might have retired before now." Kapil Dev, India's finest all-rounder, still insists Tendulkar has not satisfied his talent. On current form, and much to his opponents' panic, the Little Master appears to agree.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Luxury in one of the world's best hotels

An oasis in the shadow of the Taj Mahal, The Oberoi Amarvilas is a cultural purpose in its own right.
The luxurious hotel in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about two hours by train or six hours by road from Delhi, is rated as one of the top 10 in the world.
Stylish arches, domes and flowing symmetry of Mughal and Moorish architectural styles echo the nearby Taj and the Red Fort which are the city of Agra's tourist attractions.
The hotel's red sandstone outside is fiery in sunlight and almost glows by night.
Just 600m from the Taj, the hotel complex spreads over nearly four hectares, containing elaborate gardens, pavilions, fountains and reflection pools in the Islamic tradition.
Staffs welcome travel-weary visitors with cold towels and drinks, and a tour of the hotel which is a showcase for local artisans.
Frescoes on limewashed, creamy sandstone walls are used widely throughout the complex, painted with ground semi-precious stone pigments including lapis lazuli and gold leaf, in ornate Mughal style.

Friday, October 1, 2010

World stocks go up as China manufacturing jumps

World stock markets rose Friday as stronger development in Chinese manufacturing suggested the world's No. 2 economy isn't slowing as sharply as feared.
European markets opened higher, following Asia's advance, while oil prices extended gains to increase above $80 a barrel on hints in U.S. economic indicators of stronger demand for fuel.
Providing a lift to sentiment was news that growth in China's manufacturing gathered pace in September, easing fears of an important slowdown in the world's No. 2 economy. Japan added to the optimism by reporting a fall in unemployment.
Economic indicators from the U.S. were also brighter: Chicago area manufacturing jumped in September, first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, and second-quarter economic development was revised slightly higher.
In New York on Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial standard fell 47.23 points, or 0.4 percent, to 10,788.05 as investors locked in profits.
Benchmark oil for November release rose 63 cents to $80.60 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract raised $2.11 to settle at $79.97 a barrel on Thursday.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

AOL Tries to Restore Clout with TechCrunch, Two Other Dot-Com attainments

AOL Inc., the once-leading Internet service provider that saw its market value and subscriber base evaporate over the past decade, bought three dot-com startups yesterday in a bid to restore its relevance.
Chief Executive Officer Tim Armstrong appeared on stage during a tech industry conference in San Francisco to announce the purchase of TechCrunch Inc., an powerful news blog and the host of the event. AOL paid about $25 million, according to two people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be recognized because the terms weren’t made public. The company also bought 5min Media, an association of online videos, and Thing Labs Inc., a creator of social-networking tools.
Armstrong, who took over AOL last year and spun it off from Time Warner Inc., is trying to revive enlargement after paring down the business. He sold off the social network Bebo and the instant-messaging service ICQ because they failed to attract enough users. Even during yesterday’s attainment spree, AOL announced plans to close another of its sites, the news aggregator Propeller.com.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

U.S. President declares good news

President Obama declared "good news" today, signing a new small business support package that he hopes will lead to even better news -- a reduction in the 9.6% unemployment speed.
"Small businesses make most of the new jobs in this country," Obama said during a signing ceremony in the East Room.
The measure includes eight business-oriented tax cuts, and speed up payouts on existing loan programs.
The recent collapse hit small business owners with a "one-two punch," Obama said. One, it reduced spending and cut insist for business products; secondly, the accompanying financial crisis tightened credit and made it harder to get loans.
The bill will not end the economic hold up, Obama said, adding that "we've still got a long way to go."
But the legislation will assist, he said.
"It's going to cut taxes," Obama said. "It's going to make more loans obtainable to small businesses."

Monday, September 27, 2010

World's CEOs meet in Sydney

Hundreds of the world's top business people and capitalists are arriving in Sydney to learn the lessons of the global financial crisis and get the world's economy back in form.
The annual Forbes Global CEO Conference begins in Sydney on Tuesday, the second time the capital has hosted the high-level talkfest in five years.
Many high-ranking executives from Australia, the United States and the Asia-Pacific region will be among the 400 or so CEOs, tycoons and entrepreneurs in attendance over the two-day program.
The host, billionaire media mogul Steve Forbes, said Australia was a fitting place to focus on how the world's economy can recover from the GFC.
"From an outsider's perspective, the finances of Australia have been outstanding compared to the rest of the world," he told journalists on Monday.
"Australia weathered this economic storm better than just about every other country in the world.
"So it is a great place to come together to work out how we go forward."

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

International World peace day

Celebrating The International Day of Peace through "Operation curative for the World & Giving with the Stars".
The United Nations‘International Day of Peace, also known as the World Peace Day, marked every year on September 21, is a Global Movement when individuals, nations, communities and governments highlight efforts to end conflict and promote peace. It is observed by many nations, political and military groups, and expressed as the absence of war by a provisional ceasefire in a combat zone. To inaugurate the day, the “Peace Bell” is rung at UN Headquarters.
Established by the UN resolution in 1981, Peace Day has grown to contain millions of people around the world who participate in all kinds of events, large and small.
The World needs to finally come to its senses in order to end the ridiculousness by changing the way we think. And “we” means all of us, not just some of us. Let’s accept responsibility for our actions, thoughts, happiness or the whole lack thereof due to simple ignorance.

Friday, September 17, 2010

The world’s best female boxer

Winning a fifth World Championship title is unthinkable for most boxers, but M.C. Mary Kom, who achieved this feat on 18 September in Barbados, has have no time to think about it.
She was back in the practice ring the day after her final fight at the Women’s Boxing World Championship, preparation for a second round of Asian Games trials in Delhi on 22 September because the Indian Boxing Federation felt the first round was “inconclusive”. She landed in Delhi on the night of 20 September, and spends most of the next day fielding questions at press conferences.
“These last few days have been harder than winning the World Championship,” Kom says, “which I felt was actually easy for me throughout. I was not worried at all, and even in the final, I knew I was going to win.”
Kom, 27, has now win medals at each of the six Women’s World Boxing Championships, five of them gold. Both feats are unmatched in her sport, and have prompted the International Boxing Federation to describe her as the “world’s best female boxer”.