201 Street

On most days, the idea is to keep your ship afloat, but on December 30th of 2009, right before the end of the decade, the ship known as the Sea Taxi was towed to a spot off Key Biscayne and sunk, simultaneously changing its name to the Ophelia Brian.  It became the biggest ship ever deliberately sunk to become an artificial reef in Miami-Dade County for the sport of scuba diving.  This ship was originally constructed in 1965, forty-five years ago, by J.J. Sietas in Hamburg, Germany.  The 210 foot vessel was christened Hoheburg, and has had a number of name changes over the years — the Marianne C., the Wilma, the Black Sea, the Ocean Breeze 1 — but ended its life above water as the Sea Taxi.  Today, the Ophelia will serve as an artificial reef, which will provide another place for recreational diving, for eco tourism, even for fishing to the locals at home in Miami and the travelers in that city’s hotels.   Previously, two other ships were sunk as artificial reefs — the Herbert Horn Type 458, sunk in 1984, and the Marie Horn Type 451, sunk in 1976.  Below the surface of the water, their names changed, too, to Ultra Freeze and Deep Freeze.

These deliberately created wrecks will last for decades, and furnish a home for corals and marine fish, in addition to the opportunities made possible for fishing and diving.  South Beach Dive and Surf is one of a number of sea diving companies that enable you to visit and explore these artificial reefs.  You’ll find the PADI Five Star facility in the center of the fashionable South Beach area and within an easy walk to restaurants and hotels and other popular tourist sites.  Established in 1995, they boast an experienced staff that will help you make your dives, according to your own level of experience.  If you’re into diving, or know someone who is, this is an excellent way to explore a side of Miami most people don’t get to see, the world of Miami underwater!

It’s not a new idea to harvest the wind to generate electricity; the wind turbine was created in 1888 by Charles F. Brush in order to do just that. Enough energy was produced with these early turbines to supply one to two homes. Today, large commercial scale wind turbines will produce approximately 3 megawatts of electricity or more and power up to 750 homes in the United States. A dramatic growth in this industry has recently popped up in the U.S., along with an increased wind power capacity of 27 percent. According to the American Wind Energy Association, an additional increase of 26 percent is expected this year. Enthusiasm for small-scale wind turbines is on the rise, too.

Residential wind turbines were established and commercialized around the 20’s in the U.S. and became very popular and wide spread, but then the Rural Electrification Administration extended electric lines to most of the remoter areas in the 30’s and 40’s, which reduced the necessity of wind turbines. The oil crises of the 70’s brought back a flurry of renewed interest in residential wind turbines and the power they produce, tax credits and incentives helped spur the industry, but those supports ended in the 80’s.

Now, in the new century, interest in residential wind power has rebounded. Recent growth in wind turbine companies attribute utility rebate programs and a growing need for cleaner energy technology. Many others in the wind turbine industry say the reason for the increased number of financial incentive programs is to help reduce the very high initial costs associated with purchasing and installing a wind turbine. Another factor in the increase is because people simply want to do the right thing concerning the environment; they are looking for way to make a difference.

So, these days, there are hopes with the residential wind turbine industry to the passing of legislation, which would establish a federal tax credit for people who purchase a wind turbine; an immediate benefit to taxpayers and will aid in driving down the price of wind turbines to due an increase in manufacturing.

It was strange when I arrived to my room at a Five Star Hotel India and was bombarded with placards on the bed, on the dresser-drawers, on the bathroom counter and posted on the door was way with which I could go green while enjoying my stay in India. Apparently, The Maharashtra government and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board along with the Department of Environment have all gotten together and have made it a huge project to make all tourist aware of how to help India in her attempts to reduce the impact and amount of harm all of us tourist can cause.

I appreciated that the hotel provided me with a traditional wind-up alarm clock rather than using an electronic one. The placard said I would be saving almost 48 grams of carbon dioxide each day. Another placard by the lamps said that they have switched from using 60 watt light bulbs and replaced them with a more energy-saving fluorescent bulb. This will produce four times less greenhouse gas emissions.

When I was eating in my hotel room, the hotel also offered me a free newspaper. On the front page reported that the budget for the ‘afforestation’s programme’ which was announced yesterday by The Maharashtra government will bring down the sales tax on composting machines used for making compost from organic solid waste. The Indian government is appealing to its people to unite to combat climate change. Asking everyone to pitch in to do their part in reducing carbon emissions. So, it seems that even the tourist industry is doing it’s part to help. I’m kind of glad, in a way, that they are. I feel somehow better for travelling to an already stressed out country and not adding to the stress and doing my part in helping with such simple ideas as reusing my shower towels and not getting new clean sheets put on my bed everyday. Simple really.

Long before the Singapore of today, before the best Singapore hotels and resorts and restaurants, there were immigrants setting up on the shores of the Singapore River.  This small area of the city was soon transformed from a tiny fishing town, to an international seaport, to a destination for modern travelers.  There are various times in the river’s history, from the Pre-Colonial days, to Colonial and past.  Tales of legends lay heavy on these shores, and modern travelers will hear of them should they spend just a bit of times, walking along the water and checking in with the local pubs and cafes, where the elders tell their stories.

Stamford Raffles founded Singapore during a time when many of the business men, the merchants and the fishermen had yet to become what they are today, the forefathers of a great nation.  Lifestyle was meagre at that time, but built the legs of hard-work that the prosperity of the country stands upon today.  The MerLion stands testament, at the river’s mouth, of the hard work and the dedication of the early inhabitants and immigrants of Singapore.  Bridges now criss-cross the river, fro the simple as in the Ord Bridge to the elegant in design such as the Anderson Bridge.  Anderson is located in the historic district as well as is the Cavenagh Bridge.  This one was built in 1869 and leads up to the Empress Palace.  This is the location now of the Victoria Concert Hall, named in honor for Queen Victoria and is the home of the Singapore Symphony.

Many mosques sit along the banks of the River, two of which are visited regularly by tourists are the Omar Kampong and the Tan Si Chong.  Also close to the mosques are other historical points of interest such as the House of Parliament and the three Quays, the Boat, the Clarke and the Robertson.  These memorials and historical landmarks also draw many visitors each year, and there are many seminars and lectures given at the museums along the river, describing and defining each of the locations particular part in the history of the country.  Many choose to take in the sites by walking along the bands, while others take advantage of the boat tours that take place all day long up and down the river.

I came to Mumbai to witness the return of the vultures. I’ve heard about their reappearance through a friend of mine who lives not to far from Kolkata. She’s been one of the few Parsi activists pursuing a different way other than leaving the dead on the ‘Tower of Silence’ because it’s been sited that a number of the vultures have dwindled in an alarming rate around Mumbai and around Kolkata.

I met her in the lobby of one of the 5 Star Mumbai Hotels, and we went off to observe the skies of Kolkata. She told me that it was definitely good news for the Parsi community and that a man who was the first to photographer of piles of half-eaten, rotting bodies from the Tower and who live in Mumbai, vigourously campaigned for ending this ageless ritual practice of leaving corpses to be fed by vultures. It has been proven that it hasn’t worked. The vultures have disappeared and died with the indiscriminate cutting down of tall palm trees and particularly around the Tower itself. The disappearance was notice back in 2005 and the disappearance has been attributed to the overuse and widespread use of Diclofenac, which is a medicine to treat cattle with which these birds feed on.

Recently, around two dozen of the vultures have been sighted near the Race Course and the nests were spotted on a few tall trees near the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. Suggesting that the birds are once again breeding. Forest officials and bird-lovers have described the development as wonderful news. The forest department has begun to launch a vulture breeding program at the Buxa Tiger Reserve in the Northern part of Bengal. As we arrived to Kolkata, I look out the windshield of the car and saw several vultures circling and riding the thermals high up in the sky and my friend and I smile.

Juhu Beach in India is a site that draws many to her shores and provides such accomodations as the India five star hotels.   A bit of a play on words, as many come to this beach in order to capture, or attempt to capture, the beauty of the colors, on the static frame of canvas.  Many artists come to India to paint, which given the array of color and beauty it is no wonder.  The tubes of paint necessary for one setting up their easel on Juhu beach must include and assortment of blues, as the waves which hit the beach night and day are brilliant turquoise, with strokes of green and purple.

This particular section of the Indian coastline will wash away the tensions and worries of a world that is becoming so modern that parents communicate with their children more via text messages than actual conversation.  Juhu is in close proximity to other local beaches as well, equally serene and colorful, such as Santa Cruz, Andheri, and Vile Parle.  The sunsets here, pull out the canvas and the paints once again, for to capture a sunset off of the Juhu shore is a bit like capturing a small part of heaven to bring home.  The horizon line seems to go on endlessly, and the warmth of the oranges and reds is simply out of this world.  From, literally, out..of..this..world, ethereal.  The sun falling into the Arabian Sea will be a vision of India that will grace, and haunt, ones memory for the rest of their lives.

Once the sun sets, the air shifts a bit, as the serenity gives way to celebration.  Ferry rides are available, similar to those at Chowpatty Beach.  Also similar are the food stalls and the local chefs, and grandmothers, cooking on the beach the most delightful tidbits.  Many of which will lead foreigners to search out the best Indian restaurants of their home towns once they return from vacation, for once one experiences the taste, one will have a taste for India for the rest of their lives.  On the week end, the atmosphere is even more festive as the vendors and the acrobats take to the streets, and cricket games are taken up on the sand.  This is such a hot spot in the country that, as in the U.S. film industry Malibu Beach has frequently appeared in the movies of Hollywood, Bollywood film makers film Juhu regularly, such as in the Danny Boyle film, “Slumdog Millionaire”.

With a total length of 34 kilometers, he Zuari River is the longest river in Goa. It originates in the Western Ghats at Hermad-Barshem. In the interior region it is referred to as the Aghanashani. Its cerulean waters flow Southwest through the talukas of Tiswadi, Ponda Sanguem, Quepem, Mormugoa, and Salcete. There are many beautiful riverside areas for tourists staying in Goa hotels to have a picnic and enjoy their afternoon. The also have the option of booking a river cruise.

The Mandovi Rivers along with the Zuari form the backbone of Goa’s agricultural industry. With the construction of the CumbarjuemCanal, which links the two rivers, they have the capacity to enable ships to reach the iron ore mine interiors. The waters of both of the rivers flush out into the Arabian Sea at Cabo Aguado. Vasco da Gama is the port city that lies on the mouth of Zuari River.

The Arabian Sea is a beautiful body of water that forms a specific region of the Indian Ocean. India lies on its East side, Pakistan and Iran are on its North side and it is bounded on the West by the Arabian Peninsula. It has a maximum width of 2,400 kilometers and a maximum depth of 4,652 meters. The Indus River of Pakistan is the largest river to feed into the Arabian Sea. It has two important branches, which are the Gulf of Arden in the Southwest and the Gulf of Oman in the Northwest. The Gulf of Arden connects to the Red Sea through the straight of Bab-el-Mandeb. The Gulf of Oman connects to the Persian Gulf. There are other smaller gulfs including the Gulf of Cambay and the Gulf of Kutch, which lie on the Indian Coast. The Sea has constituted major trade routes throughout history, and has connected various cultures. Sailors have used the seasonal monsoon wind to carry them across its waters.

Spain is known for their beaches, their art, their cuisine and their fiestas.  In every village, festivals are occurring throughout the year, such as the Pamplona Bull Runs,  the Fireworks festival in Valencia, and the incredible festival of Seville, the the Feria de Abril.  Throughout Spain traditional forms of art and sport have elevated the participants to celebrity status and provide locals and visitors with incredible experiences.  Two such forms that occur daily, and that are celebrated with festivals, are the Flamenco Dance and Music, and the Bullfighters.

The traditional song and dance throughout the country of Spain is the Flamenco.  This is an emotional art form often touching on subjects such as nature and love, the songs are known for their tonal tragedy, their intensity and by the emotional depth of the musicians.  The core of this art is the song, sounding at various moments a bit lighter sometimes as in the bulerias, and more serious as with the soleares.  As with the dancing, this is often an improvised art, with the structure of traditional chords and rhythms providing the backbone for the improvisation.  The female dancers are recognized for their graceful and emotive hands and the incredible way they hold the positioning of their bodies.  The men are known for their ability to perform the tap dance like rhythms of the intricate steps of the Zapateado.  The music has hints of Asian influences, and the dance is similar to the dances of traditional India.

The information on where to catch these shows can be found in any of the five star hotels.  Spain is also the country of the Bull-fight and matadors, where the fiestas are the most traditional and represent the culture, the art and history of the entire country.  Regardless of the pressure put on the country by animal rights groups, the King of Spain refuses to ban the sport, which in Spain is considered an art.  The bull-fights are celebratory and ritualistic expressions, often connected with days of feasts honoring the Spanish conquest of the Moors.  Today, the bull fighting is a major business and many of the top bull-fighters are regarded with the reverence of the country’s rock stars and soccer players.  On visiting Spain either the Flamenco shows or the Bull-fights provide the traveler with the unique insight to this culturally and historically rich country.

Fishing for the bottom feeders along the banks of the city’s water way canals his only thoughts effected by an empty stomach are about catching the funky tasting fish that can only be deep fried and loaded with fish sauce. Thoughts about how this plentiful free food of the waters will fill his belly and his Korean wife’s belly and keep the pangs of hunger away for another day. Coming from Malaysia, Daviz was hoping to ride on the wave of living the good life with which the United States promised. With which his friends, who were already living here, wrote to him to come, any which way he could, and leave the desperate life of rural Singapore.

Daviz, wasn’t really desperate in Singapore, having employment with two Singapore Luxury Hotels. Actually, he was better off than most of his friends living in Singapore and his friends living in the United States. So, sitting there with a makeshift fishing pole in his hand and looking at a Styrofoam ice-chest empty of fish, he can’t help wonder and question his decision to pack up and move to a foreign country. A wealthy country, a country that no article on the Internet or written in books about living in the States could possibly convey or even attempt to make clear just how massively the people of this country are all consuming of non-essential materials, all fearfully preoccupied and all weary of foreigners.

Daviz and his wife have been living here, legally, in the United States for over nine months now. But they are living in out of a van given to them by the kindness of a Korean Christian Church with which his wife attends. Daviz’s years of experience at working in Luxury Hotels as not gotten him employment and his wife’s refusal to learn English isn’t helping just how hard it truly is to make it in the United States, harder than he imagined. But, sitting there, by the banks of a man-made river, Daviz’s thoughts turn back to the fishing for what is free and what is good.

Listening to a Mexican radio station as I drive down a lonely two lane road in the middle of the night reminds me just how isolated I truly am and how driving through what seems to be a foreign country. But it’s not a foreign country that I’m driving through, it’s Death Valley and I’m driving through it in the middle of summer. All by myself, no cell phone and no spare tire. One would call it suicidal, but I call it a necessity. I do take this trek, and it’s usually always summertime, but I take this trek in the middle of the night so I can park my car way off the road, get out, lay on the hood of my old Toyota Tacoma truck, ‘Little Taco’ I named her, and look up at the immensity of the Universe.

Before I make this trip, I always wear the beautifully dyed silken scarf my father bought for me from a Singapore Boutique Hotel when I was about six years old because it was cold outside.  Why wear a scarf in the heat of the desert? Why drive out to the middle of nowhere? These are questions my husband asks me every-time I make this trip to the hottest desert in the world. He knows why, I’ve told him over and over again, it’s just that he chooses to not understand. I ask him to come with me and then he’ll know the why, but he refuses, as he puts it, to be a crazy person.

It’s my grounding, my ‘put-it-all-into-perspective’ and my therapy. No words of wisdom, no psychoanalysis, no prescription drugs can make me as whole and as at peace as when I look up into the night’s sky. No thinking required, only an opening of the minds eye. A serenity that no words can describe. I find the reasoning that my husband gives as to why he won’t go with me a lie. I figured out that he knows I need to go alone cause when I come back, after a nights stay, he knows he’s seeing a transformed me, one that he loves even deeper every time I come back.

For an astonishingly lush combination of beaches, city life and luxury hotels, South Africa is situated in the new century with a long and fascinating history.  The cradle of civilization, South Africa is a long and ongoing story of who we are.

Charlize Theron, native of South Africa, was praised by Nelson Mandela for putting their country on the map.  An ironic distinction lauded by one of the most interesting public figures of our time, yet somehow also indicative of her role in the country’s history.  She was born to South African parents, of French and German descent, and had, by any standards, an interesting childhood.  She began her show business career in dance, and came to New York to work with the Joffrey Ballet.  Her dance career was cut short by a knee injury, and she went to Los Angeles to become an actor.  Her first months, like any actor in Hollywood, involved constant struggle and a great deal of luck.  On one occasion, she was arguing with a bank teller who would not cash her out-of-state check, and a talent agent, who happened to be eavesdropping, gave her his card.

Such humble beginnings were soon followed by waves of success, and Theron went on to land an academy award for her work in “Monster.”  Her film career is one of international acclaim, and a steady stream of complex characters, teamed up with some of the most talented actors working in the industry today.

The international celebrity status does not seem to have deterred Theron from remembering her homeland.  She now heads the Africa Outreach Project, a non-profit organization devoted to helping South African children and their families, especially those suffering from HIV/AIDS.  Outspoken in her role as an actress, and outspoken in her actions on the broader public spectrum, she is one of South Africa’s treasures.

For luxury hotels, Agra is rich and exciting as it gets.  The city is a unique combination of new-world amenities with old-world charm.  Adventure waits for you, anticipating your every move with hospitality, grace, and style.  There are long lists made of all the important sites you will be recommended to see here, and of course, some of the most famous monuments in the world.  It is a feast for any tourist looking for perfect snapshots and wonderful memories.

One of the most interesting sites is Keoladeo National Park.  Declared by Unesco to be a World Heritage Site, this former site was used by the Maharajas as a duck-hunting reserve since the late 19th century.  It has also been an important part of the life of the locals for centuries.  The Keoladeo National Park is host to an incredibly large number of migratory birds, and this makes it of particular interest for the tourists, because of the high likelihood of seeing wonderful varieties of species of exotic birds (and many land and sea animals as well).  This site is located where two rivers meet, the Banganga and the Gambhir.   It is a bird watcher’s paradise, and has also been recognized as a Ramsar site.

There is a temple to Lord Shiva inside the site, and approximately 21 villages, with combined populations of 15,000 people, live around the site.  Restrictions were placed on the locals visiting the temple, and on cattle grazing in Keoladeo, in the 1980s.  This lead to some very heated debate between the villagers and the government.  They were using the land for medicinal plants, fodder, firewood, water, thatching material, and for using the plants to make crafts.  After the ban was passed, the site became a fire hazard, because the locals understood that the area had come, over the centuries, to depend on the buffaloes grazing to keep it under control.  This interesting conflict, then, lead to very interesting conclusions, where the authorities and the villagers had to consult each other on what would be the most propitious way to keep the preserve open for tourism and conservation, but also keep the centuries of tradition alive that would keep the park from becoming a casualty of its own preservation attempts.  The villagers are allowed judicious use of the forests, while keeping in close conversation with officials to preserve the environment in this amazing park.

Malaysia wood carving tradition has long been known as the origin of some of the best carvings in the world. The intricate designs and patterns are second to none. The wood working craftsmen are renowned throughout Southern Asia. The great skill of these craftsmen to make fretted door and pillars are commissioned by all commercial enterprises in the major cities of Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. From Singapore Fine Dining restaurants to Kuala Lumpur’s Government offices and buildings.
 
Malay woodcarvers observed three determining factors in selecting timber for their carvings. One is the availability of the timber itself, then the physical characteristics and its durability, and finally, the craftsman’s spiritual beliefs and knowledge about the timber species. The components of most carved buildings are made from heavy hardwood like merbau or cengal. The durability, strength and availability and volume of the sawed timber is of special interest. Motifs of geometry, flora, fauna, calligraphy and universal features are depicted onto the components. Crafts such as weapons, tools, utensils and furniture are also intricately carved. Timber with fine grains and lustrous surfaces are believed to possess strong spirits such as kemuning or kenaung are carved into hilts of swords or weapons. The identity of the carving is the intrinsic knowledge address upon the beauty and the meaning of timbers. All woodcarvings depend on imagination and dreams that depict good or bad energies in which are related to their belief and lifestyles.
 
Wood carving reached an astounding level of intricacy. What truly is unique and special about this art form in Malaysia is the perfection of the craft. The artistic value of any wood carving equally depends on the beauty of the ornamentation, rhythm of pattern elemental and the peaceful harmonious integration and adaptation to the form of the object they cover. Despite all of the trials of life, wood carving remains vastly popular among traditional applied arts. The unique qualities of the spirit woods, invariability of ancient traditions, and a warm heartfelt wholeness to the object by masters’ deft hands are what attracts the entire worlds population to purchase wood carving in today’s hi-tech fast-paced world.

Clean water is a vital resource for all of New York’s industries; for food processing plants, the dairies, all manufacturing and the travel accommodation industries across the entire state. Protection of the water, the health of the communities and the prospects for current economic growth are tied into modern, efficient and reliable wastewater treatment systems. Inadequate sewage treatment infrastructure may be jeopardized by the worsening economy. This threatens the excellent quality of life for all New York residents.
 
The New York Airport Hotel  industry alongside the aforementioned businesses have newly revised systems in place and aiding in the future quality of life for all the live and visit New York. They are major contributors to New York’s municipalities enabling enhancement on already existing sewage treatment infrastructure and to also create innovative ways for inexpensive sewage treatment infrastructures. Current funding to meet New York’s massive wastewater needs are estimated to be $36 billion over the next 20 years. New York must evolve and go beyond providing more funding to local governments; a comprehensive assessment involves effort to determine the most efficient, adaptive and sustainable technology. Another benefit to investing in New York’s water infrastructure is the creation of jobs from the lowest skills levels to the highest. This will create approximately 50,000 jobs with each billion spent with federal funding.
 
New York is committed to the renewal, replacement and improvement of the wastewater infrastructure across the state. There are well over 600 municipal wastewater treatment facilities, thousands are privately held residential facilities, and approximately 1.5 million septic systems, the overwhelming magnitude of this issue is considerable. But, with new investments being reached and adopting innovative technology that is more energy efficient and economical at the same time preserving environmental standards will challenge New York to maintain its world renown reputation and leadership in putting it’s residence health first and foremost.  As a world leader in the sewage wastwater treatment facilities and infrastructure, many of the major cities are watching closely as to how New York will handle this immense and overwhelming task.

The smell of fresh flowers to the wonderful aromas of produce is the reason for creating a small square footage of farm land, okay a garden, either on the roof tops or the space in between the buildings. Having never taken care of rooftop gardens before, I was surprised by the way it differs from the old fashion traditional garden. The major difference being the sun and the wind. Resulting in growing conditions that tend toward the extreme. Like after a good rain, it takes no time for the soil beds to dry out. Hence the use of a tremendous amount of mulch. Creating worries about the weight one places on any rooftop.
 
Although the planting on rooftops isn’t new, it certainly has turned into a city wide industry.  Some New York rooftops are able to hold the weight of 18 inches of topsoil and large quantities of produce can be grown to accommodate the busy Five Star restaurants and New York Hotel Suites  are beginning to create their own rooftop gardens. Providing the Chef the fresh exotic produce and herbs many of their best recipes and dishes require. Even the rooftops of the high rises are making the local farmers markets burst at the seems with all the fresh produce such as hot and green peppers, cucumbers, sweet potato, Heirloom tomatoes, green onions, carrots and well the list can go on forever. There is research going on to develop lightweight rooftop greenhouses and hydroponic techniques . Leading to the growth in rooftops crops and a wider range of produce.
 
There is a real and perceived lack of what is an essential component of healthy living. A missed connection with nature and the use of outdoor space. The concept of a ‘green’ roof is akin to the popularity of the rooftop garden. The new trend to now build green is now entering into the architecture of the roof. Greenroofs are the result of the underlying roof build-up system, providing continuous, uninterrupted layering of protective materials and excellent drainage. So, as more and more awareness of living green, eating healthy and global warming is becoming the norm, it is easy to see why there are more companies cropping up to manufacture products to make it easier for dense city dwellers to become an urban farmer and a gardener.