Turn Five

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Archive for May, 2009

18
May

Alaska’s Mt. Redoubt could erupt again

Volcanoes conjure up images of a time long ago, perhaps Pompeii or faraway places on the world map. But, volcanic activity on the United States map and especially Alaska is not the first thing that comes to mind. Scientists and seismologists are now speculating that a volcano in Anchorage, Alaska is on the verge of eruption. The Alaskan volcano, which has previously erupted, named Mt. Redoubt has been active for a millennium and has erupted five times since 1900.

The first early report of the volcanic eruption was in 1778 by Captain James Cook. In 1989 the most violent eruption was recorded, where the volcano erupted December 14, 1989 and continued to erupt for six months. The volcano last erupted violently on March 22, 2009 late in the evening. It was the first eruption in 20 years, since the 1989 explosions.

This year the scientists spotted a hole in the side of the glacier side of the volcano and began to monitor seismic data 24 hours a day to be sure it could warn surrounding communities of the threat. The Alaska Volcano Observatory then decided to change the threat of the volcano to an alert level of orange.

The emissions from eruptions of this kind mainly consist of water vapor, but can also contain carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, which can be harmful to children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems.

Scientists fear that the seismic activity is similar to that of the series of the 1989 to 1990 eruptions. There is a growing lava dome that has been steadily increasing.

The volcano last showed a significant eruption on April 4, 2009 and is looking as if it will erupt again at any moment. Mount Redoubt is proving to be one of the most actively monitored volcanoes on the US map currently and residents watch and hope everyday that eruptions of 20 years ago will not be repeated.

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posted by Aisha in Environment and have Comment (1)
18
May

Kuala Lumpur Landmarks

There are many architectural and scenic wonders to be found in Kuala Lumpur and they serve as the pride of the residents and major attractions for tourists. Some of the more spectacular landmarks include the Petronas Twin Towers, the Tugu Negara, and the Kuala Lumpur Tower, commonly referred to as the KL Tower. These significant icons are not the only attraction in Kuala Lumpur, it is rich in culture, the arts and history. Tourists who are staying in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia hotels have the opportunity to explore all these diverse elements.

The Petronas Twin Towers are the second largest of world buildings. They were the tallest before being surpassed by Taipei 101 in 2004, though they remain the tallest twin buildings to be found. They were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur’s race track and were designed by Cesar Pelli, and American-Argentine architect. Muslim influence can be seen in the design through the use of motifs that are typical to Muslim art. The cross section design also demonstrates Muslim influence.

The Tugu Negara is a sculpture that commemorates those that died in Malaysia’s struggle for freedom in World War II.It depicts a group of soldiers carrying the Jalur Gemilang, which is the national flag. Each of the figures represents a specific quality, and symbolizes vigilance, strength, sacrifice and courage. In a special ceremony that is held on July 31 of each year, military leaders, the police and the Prime Minister lay garlands at the memorial to pay their respect to the fallen soldiers. The KL Tower is the focal point of the KL Center. It has an antenna that reaches 421 meters and used for communication. Among the many features of the tower is a revolving restaurant. The revolving floor plate on which the restaurant is based varies between one and three rotations per hour. This allows diners the opportunity to view great panorama scenes of the city. Tourists visiting from Seattle, Washington may be reminded of their own pride of the city, the Space Needle.

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
16
May

Swimming Clean

Taking a swim in the waters around Singapore has become an absolute delight. Now that most of the travel industries and the Singapore Luxury Hotels have banned together to keep all the beach clean and have become a huge vigilant watchdog when it comes to illegal industrial dumping offshore, offshore oil drilling mishaps and treating farm runoff going into streams and then into the ocean. But, they aren’t the only reason for the cleaner beaches, the Ironman races have also created a demand for cleaner beaches. Every year the Ironman races as grown exponentially. Bringing with it more tourist. So, the more tourists the more the travel industries and hotels will spend on keeping the beaches trash, oil and waste free.

This does come at a cost, higher hotel taxes, but in the end, keeping Singapore beaches pristine is worth the cost. There is also much development near the beaches which do their best to keep the beaches clean, like the resort hotels but also the local community has a vested interest. Back in the early 80′s, most of Singapore’s beaches fell to the wayside due to it’s rapid growth. Even the air quality was suffering. Between 1977 and 1987, the Ministry of the Environment created a major program to clean up the streams, rivers and even sewer systems. They started controlling the discharge from industries and relocating pig farms, duck farms where there were facilities to handle animal waste. And for the offshore oil rigs in the Strait of Malacca, The Port of Singapore Authority acquired and maintained oil skimmers to clean up oil spills. They assigned both oil companies and Singapore’s Armed Forces to deal with all major oil spills.

All in all, Singapore’s government has done a fantastic job since the early 70′s to make it a safe healthy place to live. Much more can be done and has been thanks to the travel industries and hotel lobbyist. And all water sports enthusiasts have helped by creating a tourism need for clean beaches. But, as an individual, I was wondering how I could help. I once read that if I wanted to make an impact on my environment and the world’s environment to stop going to fast food restaurants. There’s so much of our world that’s consumed by these industries which aren’t necessary. So next time you take a swim bring a picnic basket from the food you prepared at home. Become apart of the clean-up of our only place to live, earth.

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
11
May

French Open 2009

When he steps onto the famous clay of Roland Garros in the third week in May, tennis’ Rafael Nadal will look to conquer Paris for the fifth consecutive year. If the premiere clay court player in the world continues his winning streak – which seems likely with his 141-4 tournament record on the tricky surface since 2005 – Nadal will be one win behind Bjorn Borg’s all-time French Open record.

But it won’t be easy, and even though he is the world’s top-ranked men’s player, Nadal cites his own perceived deficiencies on other surfaces as a reason Scottish player Andy Murray could come away the winner in Paris. “If you are good player, you are good player on any surface, no? Everybody talked about my game not being suited to grass, and I have been in three finals,” Nadal told The Guardian, underselling his Wimbledon win last summer.

“Andy’s an amazing player. He has this ability, when he needs, to raise his game to a different level, and he is improving that level everywhere.”

Murray made a memorable trip to the finals of the U.S. Open in 2008, but the experience and guile of Roger Federer was too much for him to overcome. Could this be the 21-year-old Murray’s first Grand Slam? Or will Nadal hold serve for a fifth straight year, putting him one step close to tennis history?

The French Open gets underway on May 24th.

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posted by Aisha in Sports and have No Comments
11
May

59E59 Americas Off Broadway

Many working playwrights have productions across the country in regional theatres and are able to be recognized for the work and possibly even forge their livings by it. These writers also rarely if ever have productions in New York. This is nearly the case for Carlyle Brown, who is a prominent United States playwright, who has only had two productions in the Big Apple. Regionally, he is known as one of the most successful and sought after writers, having had many commissions from across the country. For New York audiences and tourists who come to the city to enjoy great theatre, he happens to have a show getting ready to open at 59E59 theaters in Manhattan. Peter Tear is the executive director of 59E59 who believes that there is great theatre outside of New York and the festival is focused on demonstrating this. Guests at the best hotels New York City have the opportunity to see great work from out of town and will have no difficulty in finding the theatre.

Carlyle Brown’s play Pure Confidence is being presented as part of the Americas Off Broadway festival which is intended to showcase writers and productions based outside of New York and whose work deals with American life. The submissions for the festival come from regional writers who have little or no exposure on the New York scene. Brown did have a production at the Public Theatre in 1994, which is his only other notable New York staging. His play Pure Confidence was last seen in Minneapolis at the Mixed Blood Theater where it received positive recognition. This show has also been staged by prominent regional companies such as the Denver Center Theater and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Pure Confidence is a political satire and was described in a review as being extremely crowd-pleasing.

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posted by Aisha in Travel and have No Comments
11
May

The Sport of Football in Dubai

The most loved and attended sport in Dubai is football. Many in the Emirate have become aficionados of the sport and the sport has created a niche for itself in this thriving city. Dubai is becoming a very progressive city, one of the most attractive cities of the world. Many visitors and businesses have been lured to the city over the years, and it has become known as the City of Gold. There is such a wide variety of architectural wonders, exhibiting true artist genius of the developers. The striking contrasts of Dubai is one of the aspects that defines the city and makes it such an attractive location. It is the perfect fusion of the west and the east. With the rate of growth and the ever increasing tourism sector many are traveling and supporting the businesses such as the five star Dubai hotels. This has created the perfect setting for the sport of football to really take off.

Government initiatives have been set into place that have insured that many tournaments are now being hosted by the city, as well as conventions and seminars surrounding the sport. Due to the growing popularity of the sport, projects have been underway for the construction of many state of the art stadiums, which has served to further the public interest and support. This has created quite a local fan base. With many of the locals having team favorites and local heroes. Many of the athletes are well known, as it has only been just recently that they have become famous, so many are still members of the communities they grew up in. Now, many of the children of Dubai are having dreams of making careers in football. This sport is promoted extensively throughout the country. Many programs are starting in grade schools and colleges and the standards of the game are raising and this is making the future of the sport very bright in the years to come.

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posted by Aisha in Sports and have No Comments
08
May

Next Day Blinds to Have Majority of Vehicle Fleet be Hybrids by End of 2009

Next Day Blinds has announced a new policy that enables them to replace their extensive fleet of cars with energy efficient hybrids. Next Day Blinds announced in May of 2008, only high-mileage hybrid vehicles will be considered for fleet additions and replacement vehicles. Over time, Next Day Blinds intends to replace their existing non-hybrid vehicles with hybrids. Their goal is to reduce gasoline consumption as part of a larger energy conservation initiative.

A total of 8 vehicles have already been replaced with hybrids, before the implementation of this policy. As leases for their retail fleet vehicles expired, they were replaced with hybrid Camrys. In addition, four vehicles from the measuring fleet have already been replaced with Priuses. Next Day Blinds estimates that roughly 30% of its fleet will be converted to energy-efficient hybrid vehicles by the end of the year, and 50% by the end of 2009.

Roughly sixty percent of the existing Washington-area fleet of nearly one hundred vehicles is comprised of cars, with the balance being cargo vans and box trucks. “We are adding hybrids to our fleet on an ongoing basis and are targeting replacement for the majority of our cars by the end of 2009,” said Meghan Hodge, the Director of Marketing for Next Day Blinds. “We are hoping suitable replacements will become available for our full-size trucks and vans at some point in the future”

www.NextDayBlinds.com — Next Day Blinds is a high quality manufacturer of custom blinds, shades and shutters. Made for your home right here at home.

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posted by Aisha in Automotive,Business,Environment,Home & Garden and have No Comments
03
May

The Creation of Shien Lee

Shien Lee is the creator of one of the newest and most fascinating clubs in the city of Brooklyn, NY. She states that her concept for the “Dances of Vice” originated from her own personal preference of the music of the 20′s and 30′s, as well as the clothing and costuming, the jewelry, the furniture , the art and the history of the period. She just wanted to create a night wherein others who shared her taste could enjoy themselves, get dressed up and be decadent. She had been collecting the fancy articles of clothing for some time, and wanted to dress up, and be in a club that wasn’t filled with the modern trends and the pounding music, but a cabaret night club with classical style and a sense of the history and excitement. She named the event after a German film, “Tanze Des Lasters”, and is dedicated to providing a venue for artists to celebrate and recreate the music, the rebellion and the music of that time era. And while all the parties are set in the 20′s and 30′s there are different themes, from movies, to Vintage Chinese Styles toGangster nights.

Word of this event began to spread around the world. Lee began to receive emails from those across the United States, as well as from London, Canada, and Australia . She decided to create an event, a large festival once a year, in order to make it worth if for those interested in attending who were willing to travel great distances. Soon, the February Festival of the Dances of Vice had begun. In 2007, international flappers and gangsters made their way to the city of Brooklyn and filled the NY hotels. These events were transitory for a short time, and she stated that it was a lot to consider regarding the spaces, the venue fees and permits. But they now have a permanent home at the Montauk Club, and along with the once a year festivals of music and cabaret shows, weekly events take place throughout the year on a regular basis. The next big event happens in May, a three day festival celebrating the Rococo style of art, the Victorian Age, and the Jazz Age.

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posted by Aisha in Arts & Culture and have Comment (1)
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