eNewsHound

What if you could bring home CNN anchor Anderson Cooper to live with you?  You might think he would object, especially if you’ve never met.  However, for a price, you can bring back Cooper to wherever you live after you visit the CNN gift store at the Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. over on 190 Marieta Street in Atlanta, Georgia.  Okay, it’s not actually Anderson Cooper, but a life-size cardboard cut-out of him.  The gift shop, though, shouldn’t be your only goal if you visit the TBS headquarters; instead, you should aim at the CNN Studio Tours, which are available from nine in the morning to six in the evening, Monday through Saturday (closed Sunday).

The tour lasts about fifty minutes, with a friendly and expert guide.  You won’t be able to take pictures during the tour, but you’ll be able to see how CNN puts together the news and you may even get the opportunity to play news reporter for a few minutes.  The cost of all this?  Around thirteen dollars for adults and ten dollars for a child (the good news is that a child is considered anyone from the ages of four to eighteen — and if you have a Triple A or an AARP card, it may be less).  The CNN tour is actually a destination spot for locals to bring their guests, which really gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the news and the morning shows offered on CNN.

If you hadn’t yet considered a CNN tour as part of your itinerary, I’d certainly put it on the list.  I would grab a hotel room, and make a call or on-line visit to CNN and reserve a spot on the tours.  You can have your choice of a number of shows.  There’s the Morning Express Tour with Robin Meade, or Inside the Conversation Tour with Rick Sanchez, as well as the CNN Studio Tour.  And while, like any tour anywhere, CNN does deposit you into the gift shop at the end of fifty-five minutes, that’s where you can pick up the cardboard cut-out of Anderson Cooper.

The sixth annual Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference (DIHAD) is scheduled for April 7 – 9, 2009 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center. DIHAD 2009 will focus on “Empowering Communities: From Disaster to Development.”

DIHAD focuses on both humanitarian aid and encouraging development. It also addresses community emergency preparedness across the globe. Since many developing countries lack basic communication and technology infrastructure, the conference tends to zero in on those issues as well. The conference receives the full support of both the UAE Red Crescent Society and the United Nations.

Over 300 companies from around the world are expected to participate in the conference, which is the largest humanitarian event in the Middle East. Companies will represent a wide range of sectors and industries, from government and charitable organizations to healthcare providers, medical equipment suppliers, engineering and environmental solutions, adn emergency services as well as manufacturers, distributors, and technology providers. Nearly twenty countries will be involved in the conference.

Dubai‘s rapid development into a major tourist, sports, and event destination has positioned it as the jewel of the Middle East. In addition to state-of-the art conference facilities, the city has improved its infrastructure and transportation and is home to a wide-range of modern accommdations (it’s very easy to find a modern Dubai UAE hotel), restaurants, and other businesses needed to support events of this scope.

The islands off the coast of Spain are known world wide. All have mild and temperate climates and pristine beaches. Throughout history many travelers have passed through the waters of the Mediterranean and stood on these coasts, and more recently the world of tourism have brought many strangers to the towns on these islands. The locals here consider no one a stranger though. The locals have the reputation of welcoming all with open arms, and should one step into a town here, one would be a stranger no more. The best Balearic hotels treat travelers as family, and what a better and more substantial way to visit, than to really get to know those in your care. The islands are similar in their tranquility, lush farmlands and history, rich folklore and history, the beaches and the forests, but like children from the same family, they have similarities and differences. The personality, while still inherently Spanish, changes from island to island. While Ibiza is the wild child, known to throw late-nite parties, Cabrera and Formentera are quiet and poetic in nature. Mallorca is the environmental sound community. While all the islands are known to protect what is theirs, the city of La Palma became the first to use energy saving light bulbs in all the traffic signals and throughout the rest of the city.

The islands have been occupied by many different cultures, from the Romans to the Greeks to the Carthaginians to the Byzantines. This, while dramatic and terrifying throughout history, is part of the reason why these islands and their occupants are so hospitable currently. Monuments and architectural structures still stand today as a testament to all that has occurred here over the years. And all the islands have sites which draw archaeologists the world over to these shores. Many dating back to prehistoric times. And in more current history, the struggles between the inhabitants and French, British and their own mainland of Spain, has given this area of the Mediterranean quite a bit of character. And what is better than beauty, with character to back it up, all the while creating a region so much the more beautiful for the life that has been lived and is continued to be lived here. And as follows with beauty and character, the islands have become rich with art, music, and food. Throughout the year there are many festivals honoring historical battles or traditional beliefs. Lively celebrations of history, the good and the bad. For it all plays a part in the whole and the now.

Over the years the island of Singapore has been considered quite safe from the threat of a major disaster caused by earthquakes on the fault line that runs along the floor of the South China Sea. The earthquakes that occur out at sea are responsible for tsunamis or tidal waves that can wreak havoc on islands at sea. Such an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004, and was the cause of much devastation and disaster. As with all major natural disasters, various agencies conduct studies, which do tend to come too late for the immediate situations but are intended to learn more about better courses of action and preparedness should such a threat be posed again in the future. One such organization is called the National Environment Agency, or NEA.

The National Environment Agency has spent over 2 million dollars on the study they have been conducting since the 2004 disaster in hopes of discovering the seismological reasons for the tsunamis and to perhaps come to and understanding that will allow them to prevent the occurrence of such a disaster in Singapore. The island of Singapore is well populated due to the influence of the business districts, the international tourism trade, the many elegant restaurants and the best hotels in Singapore that would be devastated by such a disaster. As well, they would like to be able to protect and to give fair warning to the local population that lives along the beaches and the coastline would be most affected by a tidal wave.

The two areas of study are simple. The first is to simply study the activity along the ocean floor. There is much to be learned about the fault line as in the past it has produced quakes that have registered as high a level nine on the Richter Scale. There are also many underwater land slides that can affect the occurrence tsunamis. The one fact that can save Singapore should such and earthquake of high magnitude is that the water surrounding the island is relatively shallow. This affects the size of the tidal wave that would occur, creating a much smaller wave in the end. It also serves to slow down the speed of the wave giving the population and the authorities on the island of Singapore roughly 10 hours to evacuate and to prepare. This would affect local residents and those residing in a boutique hotel Singapore.

Madrid is a popular tourist destination. Visitors come for the culture and art, the food and nightlife, the bullfights and the Spanish atmosphere. Still others come to view the incredible architecture that spans centuries of the city’s history and heritage. Catch a bullfight at Las Ventas (the largest bull ring in Spain), enjoy a world-class meal in one of the many fine dining restaurants, and relax in one of the five star Madrid hotels. Most importantly, make sure to appreciate the city’s stunning architecture.

One of the oldest buildings in Madrid is an authentic Egyptian temple. Built in the 4th century B.C., the Debod Temple was dedicated to the Egyptian gods Isis and Amon. In the 1960s, Spanish engineers assisted the Egyptian government in relocating many historical monuments that were endangered by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. In recognition of their work, Egypt donated the temple to Spain in 1968. The monument was relocated to Madrid in 1971.

Prime examples of Baroque architecture in Spain include the Royal Palace of Madrid as well as the Alcalá Gate and the Salón del Prado. In fact, many of the buildings and monuments of the Paseo del Prado are Baroque, though they are sometimes taken for neoclassical architecture. The integration of gardens with buildings is exemplified in two other Baroque structures: the Palace of Aranjuez and the Palace of la Granja de San Ildefonso. The latter is known as “the Spanish Versailles” due to the French infuence, but both also show evidence of the area’s occupation by the Moors.

In the 16th century, plans were begun for a new cathedral to be dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena. However, construction on the Catedral de la Almudena did not actually begin until 1879. Originally designed by architect Francisco de Cubas, the structure was began in the Gothic revival style. Construction was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War and did not resume until 1950. At that time, a neoclassical exterior was designed by Fernando Chueca Goitia, in an attempt to make the cathedral blend in with the nearby Palacio Real. The cathedral was completed in 1993 and consecrated by Pope John Paul II.

Recent architectural additions to the city include the downtown financial district, which was built after World War II, and the Madrid Barajas International Airport Terminal 4, which was completed in 2006 and one the 2006 Instructe Award for Commercial Structures. The Cuatro Torres Business Area contains the tallest skyscrapers in Spain, Torre de Cristal, Torre Caja Madrid, Torre Espacio, and Torre Sacyr Vallehermoso which were scheduled for completion this year.

As the largest island in Spain, Mallorca is a popular tourist destination, especially in the busy summer season. Also known as Majorca, the island is home to a wealth of attractions and activities to keep any traveler entertained. Visitors will find a range of accomodations, from guest cottages and youth hostels to 5 star hotels Mallorca.

While the island is home to several cities, including the capital city of Palma, Manacor, and Inca, it is the coastal areas that draw the tourists. With over 550 kilometers of coastline, the main beaches can be found on the eastern and southern coast. The beaches on the south coast are interrupted by rocky cliffs and the east coast contains over fifty secluded coves, while the northeast coast consists largely of two bays, the Badia d’Alcúdia and the smaller Badia de Pollença.

During the day, visitors can enjoy hiking, swimming, sailing, cycling, beach combing, and even deep water Psicobloc (rock climbing above deep water). There are several spots favored by bird watchers with a large salt marsh near Alcudia offering water fowl and the cliffs of Fortmentor providing a variety of sea birds. There are also plenty of opportunities for shopping and enjoying the variety of food and drink available or simply lazing by the ocean.

The nightlife on Mallorca runs late. Many locals don’t even show up before midnight. There is a wide variety of restaurants, bars, and dance clubs to entertain the hardiest tourists through the not-so-wee-hours of the morning. For those wanting a different type of entertainment, classical music concerts are given on Saturdays in the summer. These are usually outdoors and free to attend.

Whether enjoying the natural beauty and wonders of this Mediterranean island or partying with the waves of tourists enjoying a vacation escape, visitors to Mallorca will have fond memories when their trip finally ends.

The visit to Pyongyang this week by the New York Philharmonic – and American patrons of the orchestra – provided their North Korean hosts with an unaccustomed show of defiance.

During one of the carefully scripted tours of the capital prior to Tuesday’s concert, two dozen well-to-do Philharmonic patrons surprised their omnipresent guides by refusing to toss flowers before the enormous statue of the late “Great Leader” Kim Il Sung, father of the current leader, Kim Jong Il.

“They offered us flowers at the hotel to put in front of the statue,” says G. Chris Andersen, founding partner of GC Andersen Partners, a New York investment banking firm. “We declined that opportunity, saying we don’t do that in our country.”

That small act of defiance was one sign of an ambivalence shared by many of the more than 100 musicians, who flew to South Korea to give the final concert of the tour Thursday. While deeply moved by extraordinary displays of hospitality as well as the cheers of the audience, some of the musicians were uncomfortable about playing in a nation suffering from lack of food as well as political persecution.  Read more