NEW ORLEANS - First to go were the giant oak trees along North Claiborne Avenue, cut down in the 1960s to make way for an elevated interstate highway.
Then, in 2005 the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina scattered the black community of downtown New Orleans across the country.
But the celebration of Mardi Gras is back under the interstate, though it’s now as much a reunion as a festival.
Scottish authorities are planning to allure tourists by setting beavers free. For the first time over 500 years - since the hunters have extinguished them completely - these animals will appear in Scotland in wilderness.
The Wildlife Protection fund and Royal Zoological Society support the construction project of the system of underground irrigation, which will create the best living environment for beavers.
About 20 beavers will be let out at the first stage of realization of the program.
German railways (DB) have demanded from their second-class passengers under no circumstances to enter the first-class cars. This demand also spreads on boarding and alighting the train. It is a wide practice among second-class passengers to board the train through the first-class cars when the train’s stop is short and there is a dense crowd near the door. Now the railway strives to shut off this path. The innovation caused passengers’ exasperation and incomprehension.
German railway employees have always observed strictly the “class segregation” - for example there were cases when they demanded extra charge from second-class passengers, who boarded first-class car by mistake. Now they start a new program at the DB that is oriented to the perfection of services for the first-class passengers; in particular, beginning from autumn they are offered free snacks, drinks and press. That is why railway intends to make sure that no outside passengers will get in the first-class cars.
On December 21 Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Malta will enter the visa-free zone. This day all the barriers on the marine and land boundaries will be triumphantly taken off - the examination of documents on the most of the checkpoints will be abolished.
The owners of Schengen visas will have the possibility to cross the boundaries of these countries without the additional preparation of documents; for the local residents the civil passport would be enough. Border control in the airports will be abolished this spring. The decision of enlargement of Shengen was approved by European Parliament on December 15.
Merry christmas and a happy new year!
The biggest fountain in the world stands in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The height of jets of this unique construction named after King Fahd is 312 meters. Two high-powered pumps throw 625 liters per second at the speed of 375 kilometers per hour at a immense altitude. The total mass of water suspended over the fountain is about 18.8 tons. The fountain and its utility lines are under the computer system control.
Designer and builder of this fountain was the Saudi company SETE Technical Services. According to UAEtrip.com, the Fahd fountain hasn’t been yet recorded in the “Guinness Book of Records”. The official world record holder remains the fountain in Arizona. The height of its jets is 171.2 meters.
According to the latest data, the tourist flow continues growing in Columbia, despite the unstable situation in the country and the high criminality level. At present, the number of foreign travelers makes up 2.5 million every year and is gradually increasing. Apparently, lovers of adventures are not frightened of the statistics of kidnapping (687 cases in 2007), robbing and terrorist attacks.
Representatives of the Columbian Tourist Development Centre claim that rumors about the danger are extremely exaggerated and the guests of the country run no risks. However, they are recommended to observe certain standard rules: never talk to strangers, to keep an eye on their personal belongings, not to walk alone and not to go out at night, if possible.
The inquiry, carried out by AmericInn among 2000 casually chosen hotel guests, showed that in 40% cases people were irritated by the noise caused by quarrels and parties spent next door. One third of interviewed people declared that they were disturbed by unduly full-throated amorous twosomes.
Among other irritating sounds were listed the following: washout noise from a wash room and other sounds of bathrooms (26%), boring repairs rattle (13%), cough and vomit sounds (12%), snore, hiccup and eructation (11%). A smaller percent of interviewed complained of the TV set’s noise, rail road clatter and loud music. (more…)
Authorities of Martin county of the American state of Florida are going to place talking monitor cameras on the beaches in order to scare people away from having sex there. David Graham, assistant to County Administrator Duncan Ballantyne, has told, that monitor cameras placed on the beaches would react to movement and in case of its detection would switch on bright light and replay their canned prevention of inadmissibility of having sex in public places.
“I am entirely for this measure”, - speaks the chairman of the local commission Michael Diterlizzi, the author of the idea. According to his words, some arrests on the beaches recently motivated such initiative. And, it is interesting that in all cases it was a question of men who had sex with other men, or inclined them to have it. “Everything, that will constrain from such activity, will be good”, - he has told.
Graham has added that solar powered cameras can be placed on lampposts and on trees along public beaches.
In spite of the fact that there is even more than one and a half of a month left till Christmas, the preparation for the holiday is in full swing in the United Kingdom. On Wednesday in the evening the Christmas illumination has been turned on at Oxford Street, the well-known business street of the British capital. Thousands of Londoners came here to be the first, who would see the festive illumination. This year the main theme of the streets design became the animation film “Spellbound” (Enchanted). (more…)
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