Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Those attacking Indians will face law: Australian foreign minister

Australia on Tuesday reiterated it was determined to look into concerns about the safety and security of Indian students and that those found attacking Indian nationals would face the “full force of law”.

Visiting Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said this during the second foreign minister's framework dialogue with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna on Tuesday. The meeting marked the start of a five-day visit by Smith, the second within a year.

A joint statement released after the meeting said the Australian federal and provincial governments were "determined to address concerns about the safety and well-being of Indian students in Australia”.

He said Australia had a “zero tolerance approach towards violence and racial prejudice”. “People who had committed offences against Indian nationals would face the full force of law,” he said.

In the past six months, at least 30 people of Indian origin, most of them students, have been attacked Down Under.

Smith also pointed out that Australia had introduced a legislation which required all international education providers to re-register by the end of 2010.

India said it was committed to working with Australia to ensure that education links were “not compromised by poor quality education providers and unscrupulous education agent”.

Smith's visit will be the ninth to the country by an Australian minister since 2008 while during the same period, 10 Indian ministers have made similar trips to Australia.

In the last four months alone, there has been a visit by Victoria state premier John Brumby to give safety assurances after attacks on Indian students followed by similar high-profile trips by Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Immigration and Citizenship Minister Chris Evans, Treasurer Wayne Swan and education group manager Colin Walters.

In Tuesday's joint statement, the Australian foreign minister reaffirmed support for India's candidature for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council and also for membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic cooperation.

On climate change, both ministers stressed the need for political will to reach a successful outcome at the Copenhagen summit on climate change.

Besides, India and Australia have agreed to step up cooperation in the energy sector. Both countries are also currently preparing a report on the feasibility of a Free Trade Agreement.

Smith will later travel to Mumbai, where he is expected to meet officials of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian business figures besides delivering an address to the Asia Society.

He will also attend a commemoration service for those who were killed in the Mumbai terror attacks in November last year, including two Australians.

"Australia expressed its solidarity with India at the time and we will continue to work with India and other countries to tackle terrorism and extremism," he said.

Ref: http://www.hindustantimes.com/

Thai Airways announces two per cent reduction to its base commission rate

Revised standard base commission of five per cent on international travel to be effective from January 1, 2010

According to a report in etravelblackboard.com, Thai Airways has announced a two per cent reduction to its base commission rate paid on published fares. The revised standard base commission now is five per cent, reduced from seven per cent and will be applicable to all published fare types for international travel issued on or after January 1, 2010. Commission on domestic travel within Thailand will remain at five per cent. As per the company, the change was due to ‘continuing increased costs associated with distribution and operations’. However, a Thai Airways spokesperson said that the move will not have a major change on costs. The move was in line with other airlines, the reduction was to encourage agents to go through preferred distributors.

Ref: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

New 7 Wonders: What are the Seven Wonders of the World?

Wonders of the world, there are so many of them. No list can comprehend everything. Some of the wonders are man-made and most of them are natural. And for reasons unknown, people love to club them in the groups of seven. Like me, are you wondering 'what are the seven wonders of the world?'? Let us learn together, what they are and what makes them qualify to the seven wonders' list.

Centuries ago one man dreamed, designed and constructed a breathtaking monument and then, it went on to become a wonder. Egyptian people building the pyramid, would have never imagined that their work will one day be studied and listed in the wonders of the world. Wonders that people will keep wondering about. Funny? May be, but it is a fact. It is tough to imagine how people with minimum tools and equipments could build a pyramid of such a size or a complete village at the height of 8000 ft. Yes, everyone is wondering, that is why may be, man decided to make a list of seven wonders, so that, there is something common to wonder about. The history of making lists of 7 wonders of the world goes back to the times of Herodotus (a Greek historian who lived in 5th century BC) and Callimachus (another Greek scholar who lived in or around 3rd century BC). They were the first people, known to have made a list of the wonders, of which, only one remains and that is the Great Pyramid of Giza. Rest of them were destroyed due to natural calamities or some other reasons.

There are a number of lists in which man has categorized the seven wonders of the world. The categorizing criteria these days is different for every one of them. Like, there is a list of ancient world, one other list is dedicated to seven wonders of industrial world and so on. Like I said, there are so many wonders around us and hence, there has to be so many lists, so as to have some systematic arrangement. Here in this article, let us have a brief look at some of them and a detailed look at 'what are the new seven wonders of the world?'.

New Seven Wonders


The list of New 7 Wonders consists of man-made monuments from all over the world. It is a list compiled by a Swiss-based company called 'The New Open World Corporation'. These seven wonders of the world are spread across continents and were selected by people throughout the world using a voting method. The organizers thought that this will promote global harmony, along with increasing people's knowledge about these historical monuments some of which are not in their own continent. The answer to 'what are the 7 wonders of the world?' is the list given below:

Chichen Itza
The name 'Chichen Itza' means 'At the mouth of the well of Itza'. Here, Itza refers to a political clan of people, who were at their political and economical best in the northern peninsula. Chichen Itza was the political focal point for a long time in the Mayan history.This winner of the seven wonders list is located in Yucatan, Mexico. The historical site consists of many stone buildings which are connected by a network of paved roads called Sacbeob. Most of these buildings have been restored and some are still under the process. These buildings have been grouped into sets of architectonic series (based on their architecture). And these sets are believed to be once separated by walls. The three famous sets out of them are, Great North Platform, the Osaario Group and the Central Group. These sets individually consist of various buildings, which are wonders in themselves. Chichen Itza consists of numerous temples, pyramids, and some interesting monuments like Steam Bath and the Great Ball Court. Each of the building had its own importance and was used for some specific purpose. One particular area of Chechen Itza is open to archeologists only, in a way it is still under observation and research.

Christ the Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer is the statue of Jesus Christ, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is situated at a height of 700 meters on the Carcovado mountain, in the Tijuca forest National Park. It weighs 635 tons and stands at a height of 39.6 meters. It is built of reinforced concrete and soapstone and is the symbol of Christianity, as well as Rio de Janeiro. The construction of a historical monument on Corcovado was suggested first in 1850, then again in 1921. A lot many designs were considered for the religious monument, which included, the representation of the Christian cross and the statue of Jesus with a globe in his hand. The Christ the Redeemer was finalized and the construction began in 1922 and continued till 1931. The cost of construction is estimated to be $250,000. The statue was opened to public on 12th of October, 1931 and in 2007 it became a part of the seven wonders of the world. In February 2008, the statue was struck by lightening, during a storm but was saved because of the outer layer made of soapstone, which acted as an insulator. This particular storm is known to have caused a lot of damage in the city of Rio, but the statue stood unhurt.

Colosseum
Colosseum, also known as the Roman Coliseum is situated in the city of Rome, Italy. coming from such a strong background, it was a really strong contender for a position in seven wonders of the world list. It is an elliptical amphitheater and was originally known as Flavian Amphitheater. It is said to be one of the largest buildings of the Roman empire. Construction of this amphitheater took around 10 years, starting from 70 AD and once ready the Colosseum was used for various public events and fights between gladiators. Gladiatorial fights were the major source of entertainment during those times and the public events consisted of mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, reenactments of famous battles, etc. The amphitheater was capable of seating a total of 50,000 spectators. It is estimated that some 500,000 people and over a million animals died in the events held at Colosseum. In the early medieval era, the building was stopped being used as a place of entertainment and then on, it is believed to have been used for various other purposes. The ancient building now stands partially ruined by earthquakes. Read more for Roman Coliseum Facts.

Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a stone wall built from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west of China and it stretches over a distance of 8,851.8 kms. This includes man-made walls as well as natural trenches and the natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers. This wall was built between 5th century BC and 16th century BC, in order to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from the nomadic tribes. This wall was not built by one particular dynasty. It is the result of the contribution of various dynasties, across various periods of time. Initially, the construction was done using locally available raw materials. That is, the section over the mountains was built using locally available stones. On land, the walls were made using earth or wood, but with the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the walls were made using bricks. Other materials like lime, tiles and stones were also widely used. With the use of bricks the construction is believed to have fastened and the brick walls were more stronger. The wall is now in ruins at most of the places and only a few parts remain in good condition. Parts of it have sustained years of erosion, human attacks, modern day construction and even graffiti at a lot of places, in order to find a place in the 7 wonders of the world. Read more on Facts about the Great Wall of China and History and Timeline of the Great Wall of China.

Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre Columbian Inca site in Cuzco, Peru. It is located at a height of 8000 feet above the sea level on the crest of the mountain Machu Picchu. The name Machu Picchu means 'Old Peak' and is often referred to as 'The Lost City of the Incas'. Its construction started in AD 1430 and the city was abandoned a 100 years later. It remained hidden from the outside world for hundreds of years, until it was discovered by Hiram Bingham, an American historian in the year 1911. Because of its location, Machu Picchu remained hidden from most of the world, including the Spanish conquerors. But now that it is in the seven wonders list, it is a famous tourist attraction and is visited by people from all across the world. Machu Picchu is believed to have been built at the peak of the Inca empire and is the proof of their royalty and religious beliefs. Incas were basically sun worshipers. Inti in Peruvian means the Sun and hence, it can be easily understood that one of its primary buildings is "The Temple of the Sun". The other main buildings are the Intihuatana and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the buildings in Machu Picchu are in some or the other way related and dedicated to their God, 'The Sun'. Machu Picchu is on the list of endangered 'World Heritage Sites'. And that is why tourism in Machu Picchu is of great concern. Scientists believe that more the people, more will be the damage.

Petra
Petra is located in Arabah, Ma'an Governorate, Jordan, on the slope of Mount Hor. It was constructed by Nabataeans as their capital city and is well known for its rock cut architecture. It was constructed in 100 BC and surprisingly remained unknown till 1812, when it was discovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Petra was made a World Heritage Site in 1985 and in 2007 it qualified to the list of new seven wonders. It is believed that inhabitation of Petra began during the 18th dynasty of Egypt. It grew economically and politically because of its important location on the trade routes. Petra's geography gave it a fortress like protection and it remained protected for ages. The people of Petra are known to have conserved water using dams and hence, enabling the city to grow exponentially. It is believed that the people of Petra stored water for the droughts and had created an artificial oasis. The downfall of Petra began under the Roman empire. The basic reason being the change of trade routes. Most of the Petra was destroyed by earthquakes, which damaged buildings and fractured the lifeline of Petra; the water management system.

Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal famously known as the 'Symbol of Love' is a mausoleum, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is located in Agra, India. Taj Mahal's construction began around 1632 and it took around 21 years to be completed. It was constructed according to the Mughal architecture, which is a combination of Persian, Indian and Islamic architectural styles. The mausoleum was built solely in marble, while other buildings in the complex were made of red stone. For the decoration purposes, 28 types of precious and semi precious stones were used and the raw material is believed to be ordered from as far as Afghanistan in the North and Sri Lanka in the South. It is said that nearly 20,000 workers were employed from all across the country for the construction work. These included, skilled artisans, carvers, sculptors and stone cutters of excellent rapport. All in all, 37 people formed the creative unit of the project. Some of them were from foreign countries too. The approximate cost of construction is estimated to some 32 million rupees (Indian currency). It is considered as one of the master pieces of Mughal Empire and attracts tourism from all over the world. Statistics suggest that approximately 2 to 4 million people visit Taj Mahal annually. Read more on Taj Mahal in Taj Mahal Facts, The Taj Mahal and The Story of the Taj Mahal.

These were the 'New 7 Wonders of the World'. Now, let us have a look at one other wonder that needs to be mentioned and has been included in the list of New Seven Wonders as the honorary candidate, just because it is the last surviving wonder of the list of ancient 7 wonders of the world. It has been chosen in order to honor its sustainability of natural and human tortures, equally.

Giza Pyramid Complex
Giza Pyramid Complex also known as Giza Necropolis, consists of three pyramids, which are known as the the Great pyramids and one huge sculpture called Sphynx. This is the last remaining monument of the list of ancient wonders. This complex is situated some 25 kms southwest to the city of Cairo and some 8 kms from the ancient city of Giza. The three pyramids found in this complex are of different sizes. The biggest of them is known as the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Pyramid of Chepos or the Pyramid of Khufu. The one smaller to this is called Pyramid of Khafre or the Pyramid of Chephren and the smallest is known as the Pyramid of Menkuare. These three pyramids are surrounded by some very smaller structures, which are known as queen pyramids, causeways or valley pyramids. The Sphinx is situated at the eastern side of the complex. These pyramids are believed to have been constructed in and around 25th century BC, by an army of some 35,000 skilled and non skilled laborers. It is said that the Pyramid Of Khufu itself took some 20 years to be built and its the tomb of the Fourth dynasty Egyptian King Khufu. The workers who worked night and day, were slaves or not, is still a debated concept. Most believe they were and many researchers believe they were not. Not going into this debate, one interesting thing to note is that the researchers/archeologists working on Egyptian history are known as Egyptologists and the study is known as Egyptology.

Ref:http://www.buzzle.com/

Monday, October 12, 2009

Where to Holiday in North Norfolk, East England

The North Norfolk coast is one of the best holiday spots in East England, but towns like Cromer, Holt, Wells, Blakeney, Hunstanton and Cley are all very different.

The North Norfolk coast is one of the most magical parts of East England, stretching roughly from Cromer in the east to Hunstanton in the west. Both those are busy holiday resorts, popular with families and with plenty to do.

So too is Sheringham, and to a lesser extent Wells-next-the-Sea, but not all the North Norfolk towns are like that. Towns like Cley-next-the-Sea and Blakeney are much smaller and quieter, with a lot to attract birdwatchers and others interested in wildlife and walking.

Slightly inland from the North Norfolk coast are small but sophisticated towns like Burnham Market and Holt. Here are bookshops and upmarket shopping, delis and fine restaurants, and smart hotels like Byfords in Holt, which calls itself a 'posh b&b'.

Here are the main places to think about when planning where to holiday in North Norfolk:

Cromer in North Norfolk
Famous for its Cromer crabs and other seafood, here's the place to try fish and chips too. Cromer has an excellent beach and dramatic cliffs, and is the place to choose if you want a typically busy British seaside resort.

Ref:http://england-travel.suite101.com/

Top Ten US Travel Destinations List

As you travel throughout the United States you will discover the diversity that exists here. Choose to stay in one place or pack up the car and go on an amazing road trip. You won't have to travel far before you come across the various customs, landscapes and accents. Explore the glamor of New York City, learn the nation's history in Washington, D.C. or see the cowboys in Texas. Your USA vacation will be filled with wonderful sites whether you sail past icebergs or enjoy the spectacular sunsets in Arizona.

  • Las Vegas


  • Las Vegas, one of the States most visited cities. There are the hopefuls in search of a big win and pool babes perfecting that desert tan. Perhaps you would rather go shopping, relax at a spa or bask in the glory of the neon lights. Vegas’ nightlife is legendary although you may find it surprising that family fun entertainment can be found. Las Vegas shows no signs of slowing down even though millions of guests have pounded its pavement...

  • New York City


  • We’d venture to say that if you would ask anyone outside of the US to name just one of its cities New York would be at the top of the list. It is famous for Broadway shows, world-class hotels and amazing restaurants. There are countless ways for you to fill your days – explore galleries, trendy boutiques or the legendary Times Square. However you spend your time you will understand why so many of New York’s visitors are repeat customers. You just might become one yourself.

  • Orlando


  • Famous for its animated citizens, Orlando is a fantastic place to rediscover your imagination. Walt Disney World is by far its biggest attraction and for good reason. It’s just plain fun. Although Disney is reason enough to come there is more to Orlando than Mickey Mouse. Close to beaches, fantastic golfing and outlet shopping the whole family will find something to do.

  • Austin


  • Don’t believe real cowboys still exist? Make your way to Austin and discover that manners haven’t become dust in the wind. As the capital of Texas, Austin is a cosmopolitan city filled with flavor and flair. Although skyscrapers and freeways exist in this sprawling city you will still come across lush trees and beautiful parks. Proud of their BBQs and musical heritage the locals are eager to show off their great city. Who knows, you just might come to love country music after your visit.

  • Tucson


  • Tucson is bursting with history and color. Once you’ve arrived you will be amazed at how beautiful this city is. The architecture begs you to learn more about its past while the scents of the local food creations beckon you to discover their flavor. Tucson also showcases the artistic styles of its close neighbor Mexico. There is a wide range of sites that will please even your fussiest traveling companion.

  • New Orleans


  • Nothing in New Orleans is basic and this city loves everything that stands out from the crowd. One of its most popular destinations is the historic French Quarter. Filled with unique sights you will discover a whole new side of the US. You could almost think of it as a distant third cousin. New Orleans is also famous for Jazz music and fabulous meals. Again, remember that nothing in the Big Easy is mundane. After spending your vacation here you just might find your foot tapping the whole way home.

  • Anaheim


  • When you first hear about Anaheim you probably think of Disneyland. True, it is home to this great family theme park but it can offer so much more. Shoppers will want to make time for the ‘Block at Orange’ and golfers will find a number of fantastic greens to perfect their swing. Plus the weather here is generally quite lovely throughout the year. Anaheim is also close to some of this state’s most visited attractions making it an ideal starting point to any California adventure.

  • Maui


  • As you arrive at this tropical paradise you notice the luxurious scents and the stunning natural beauty that surrounds you. As you explore the rain forests, parks, beaches and mountains you can see that Maui has protected its natural resources well. Outdoor enthusiasts will love the activities that await – snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, mountain biking and hiking are all in abundance. Those who prefer the indoors can also find great attractions as well as a number of shopping venues. Actually, the shopping here is quite fabulous.

  • Anchorage


  • Making your way to Anchorage may take some effort but the trek is worth it. The natural beauty that thrives here is so different from the typical that you won’t ever forget it. True, it can get quite cold here during the winter months but each season showcases a new side of Anchorage. Try your hand at gold panning or catch your supper in the lake. See a glacier up close or discover the hidden talents of the local artists. Dispel the myths of what you may think Anchorage has to offer and discover this beautiful city for yourself.

  • Washington


  • Last but certainly not least on our list is Washington, D.C. As the nation’s capital you can learn a lot about this country’s history. One of its most famous sites is the White House. Also popular is the impressive Smithsonian. This complex is absolutely amazing and a must see. Washington isn’t all about museums and history though. It has a fabulous nightlife and an impressive theatre selection. Even the country’s top leaders need to relax once in a while.

    Ref: http://www.hotelsbycity.net/