By Hazel Heyer l Special to eTN
The red granite statue of Ramses II now stands before Babul Hadid Train Station in downtown Cairo. It is one of the most splendid statues carved for this renowned pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, who lived for 90 years and ruled Egypt for 67 years. The statue was discovered in 1882, broken into six pieces, in a palm jungle at Mit Rahina village in Saqqara, almost 30km away from the Giza Plateau. All attempts to restore the statue in situ failed until 1954, when it was transported to its current location at Babul Hadid where it was restored and reassembled by inserting iron bars inside the body. The statue of Ramses II soon became one of Cairo's most famous landmarks and a symbol of the ancient Egyptian civilization in the capital city of Cairo -- the square bears his name.
But throughout the decades, urban development, housing expansion, traffic congestion, and the increasing rate of pollution in the square has affected the statue. To protect such a great colossus from decay, a decision was made by the minister of Culture and approved by the Supreme Council of Antiquities' Permanent Committee to relocate the statue to the location of the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking the Giza Plateau.
Hieroglyphic texts on the statue give different names and titles of King Ramses II, and it has been translated as “Horus, the strong bull, the beloved of justice, king of upper and lower Egypt, the strong after Ra, justice and the chosen by him and the sun's son.”
Researches and studies revealed interesting facts. Architectural documentation of the statue was carried out according to the latest technology where 30 million points on the statue's body were highlighted and monitored.  Architectural and geophysical studies carried out on the statue by the Arab Contractors Company revealed the kind of mold used in restoring it when it first arrived in the square in 1954. It also showed the statue's weak points in order to consider them during the statue's transportation.
According to the technical report, the statue was affected by the bad environmental conditions of the square as it was constantly exposed to the traffic fumes from thousands of cars passing it by everyday and vibrations caused by trains and the underground wagons. Despite the fact that the statue is carved of a strong material (red granite), studies revealed some problem in the middle of the statue's back and in the area between the two legs which may represent a weak point in the statue. Small fractures were also marked in the same area, but it was restored and missing parts were replaced by similar material brought from Aswan. Radar showed that the iron bars were used to combine the statue's six pieces during its first restoration work along with different types of mold used to plaster and glue the pieces together. Granite shreds were also used to hide the mold and to make the statue to look as if it is one piece.
After the completion of sufficient archeological, geological, and architectural studies along with other studies proposing different means of transportation and methods used to dismantle the statue and re-erect it at its new home, a decision was made to remove the statue in one piece.
It will be standing inside an iron cage covered with rubber foam and hung on a steel bridge like a pendulum in an attempt to allow the statue to have free movement while the vehicles were traveling over Al-Monib Bridge and descending the small incline. The statue's exact location at its new home was also established where it will be subjected to a major restoration and preparation to be among the Grand Egyptian Museum exhibition scenario. After the approval of Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, the whole project was then launched in a tender, and the Arab Contractors Company won it. The transportation was scheduled to be executed in six months with a budget of LE 6,223,8800.
Interestingly, the route will start from Ramses square to Al-Gomharyia St., Al- Fagala St., 26th of  July St., Soliman Pasha St., Kasr El Nile St., Tahrir square, Al-Kasr Al-Ainee St. ( wrong direction),  Nile Courniche, Al-Malek El-Saleh Bridge, Nile Courniche , Al-Mounib Bridge, Al-Mansouriya St., Al-Haram St., Cairo Alexandria road , the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking Giza Plateau (in front of Movenpick Hotel, Pyramids).
The Arab Contractors Company has submitted the following studies such as radar examinations on all parts of the statue, architectural studies on the statue and its base, the vehicles that will hold the statue during its transportation, studies, the truck that will pull the vehicle, methods used to lift, upload, and re-erect the statue.
A committee including professors and experts in mechanics, soil, architecture, and restoration has been established to review the whole process to guarantee a safe voyage for the statue from Ramses Square to the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking the Giza Plateau. Three trials were implemented to check and experience the weight of the statue on the vehicles, the bridge and the roads. It was necessary to train the engineers and workmen sociologically and technically to prepare for handling the real statue on August 25th. The first two trials took place using limestone, but the third one which was on July 28th was implemented by using a replica statue of the real Ramses II colossus.
In spite of its successful completion, the trial run highlighted some important steps that may have to be taken before the real event. Some trees would have to be cut along the Mansouriya Road, and some pavements along the centre of Qasr Al-Aini Street and the Corniche might have to be removed in order to facilitate Ramses II’s progress on August 25th. Also, one person should be responsible in giving orders during the process and to coordinate with the security and traffic officers in this respect.
A logo of the Supreme Council of Antiquities should be put on the vehicles along with one of the Arab Contractors.
The idea of removing the statue from its current location at Ramses Station was suggested in early 1994 in order to rescue it from the corrosive atmosphere of the busy intersection. Several possible locations were suggested. At first, it was thought of taking it to the statue's original home at Mit-Rahina, 30km from the Giza Plateau, but the small Mit Rahina Bridge would not have held the weight of the statue. It was also suggested that it be placed in Giza's Al-Rimayah Square or at the entrance to the Cairo Opera House, but it was feared that in time these sites would provide little better protection from traffic fumes and congestion than Ramses Square. (Top)

By Apolinari Tairo l eTN Africa
Famous for its warm sandy beaches, spice aroma, water-sports and old Arab architecture, the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania had signaled an increasing number of tourists contrary to negative media reports on the archipelago’s political impasse.
Full of hope, Zanzibar has expressed its commitment to promote the island’s tourism in the Mediterranean countries, North America, United Kingdom, Germany and Scandinavian states.
Zanzibar Tourism Minister Samia Suluhu Hassan said tourist arrivals in the semi-autonomous archipelago had recorded 27 percent growth between June 2005 and mid-this year because of aggressive marketing strategies carried out by her ministry.
She said Zanzibar received 125,443 tourists during the said 12-month period as compared with 92,160 tourists who called to the island 12 months of the 2003 and 2004 season.
An increase in tourist arrivals has been attributed to concerted promotional and publicity campaigns through marketing trips to key tourist sources around the world and publication of brochures in different languages in publicizing Zanzibar.
The minister forecasted that the visitor arrivals would increase in the current trend that had indicated the archipelago’s tourism sector to have been registering impressive performance during the few past years.
The island received 68,365 tourists between the year 2003 and 2004 season and saw the figure swelling to 92,160 tourists between 2004 and 2005 respective season.
Italians were leading the chart with 40 per cent followed by Britons 10 percent, South Africans five percent while Scandinavians, Americans (USA) and Canadians charted six percent each.
She complained over negative publicity that reined the western European and the American media over volatile political situation in the isles. With a population of 900,000 people, Zanzibar archipelago is part of Tanzania but with its own president and government with no powers on home security, military and foreign policies.
Dominated mostly by Moslems and with rich Islamic cultures, Zanzibar has been the most tourist haunted destination in Eastern Africa coastal beaches.
Following the sharp-drop of clove prices in global markets, Zanzibar’s economic mainstay had become tourism, a sector that accounts for about 20 percent of the islands Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The archipelago of Zanzibar is located 40 nautical kilometers (25 nautical miles) off the coastline of mainland Tanzania and is popular by its fast growing tourism and luxury tourist accommodation facilities. (Top)

LOS ANGELES, July 17 /Can taking a Crystal World Cruise boost brain power? Are there therapeutic aspects of the onboard experience that can lead to well-being long after the cruise concludes? Studies show that creative expression through cultural arts and music improves mental agility, language processing and depression. While Crystal Cruises is not guaranteeing it can heal, the cruise line is promising exceptionally stimulating programming for its 2007 World Cruise. Renowned for its stellar onboard enrichment, Crystal is raising the bar for its 12th annual World Cruise with a new Yamaha Master Class in keyboard instruction, interactive acting workshops, seminars on memoir writing and even a collegiate course in computers. During Crystal Serenity's 109-day global odyssey, January 12 - May 1, 2007, guests will enjoy an unprecedented opportunity to explore their individual passions through a variety of engaging programs. "A World Cruise is considered the grandest of voyages for many reasons -- not only is it about exploring new lands, it's also an opportunity to truly immerse oneself in a personal area of interest," says Bret Bullock, Crystal's vice president of entertainment. "Our new enrichment offerings provide guests with stimulating activities that allow their creative expression to flourish. From playing the piano and understanding computers to getting up on stage to act out a lifelong dream, guests tell us our enrichment classes have a tremendous impact on their well-being and quality of life." Scientific studies underwritten by the American Music Conference, the UCLA Center on Aging, Stanford University and other organizations support the benefits of cultural arts activities, especially in a group learning environment. Research points to advancement in everything from cognitive development and hand-eye coordination in children, to improvements in loneliness, depression and the brain chemistry of Alzheimer's patients among seniors. Offered complimentary, the new programs are featured in addition to the dozens of special interest classes comprising Crystal's innovative Creative Learning Institute (CLI), the most original program of experiential and interactive "edutainment" ever offered at sea. Among the daily pursuits available are Yoga, Tai Chi and language classes. New classes set for the line's 12th annual World Cruise include: * Collegiate Course in Computers -- In an industry first, guests on the full World Cruise can earn three transferable college credits, while those participating in one or more of the seven World Cruise segments can earn continuing education units. Taught by a college professor, classes including "Components of the System Unit," "Computer Storage Devices," "Database Management," and "Privacy and Ethics" are an expansion of the line's revolutionary Computer University@Sea which debuted in 1997. (While guests can take the courses free of charge, those who wish to receive the credits or units will be required to pay a fee.) * Memoir Writing with journalist Joe Kita -- Acting as a personal coach, Kita will teach an enrichment writing course to fulfill the dream of many to capture in words their experiences, life lessons and advice. Guests will not only leave the World Cruise with memories, but will also have a lasting legacy. A journalist for 25 years, Kita also taught writing at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. * Yamaha Master Class -- Guests with previous musical experience can explore Master classes on composition, arranging, improvisation, chord studies and playing by ear. An ongoing "independent study" class allows each student to progress at his or her own pace with personal assistance from the Yamaha "Passport to Music" instructor, and guests are invited to perform before fellow travelers during formal recitals. * Repertory Theatre at Sea Acting Workshops -- Crystal's Repertory Theatre at Sea actors will lead progressive, interactive workshops on the basics of acting and stage movement, line memorization and improvisation, culminating in a theatrical performance for fellow guests. * 2007 Odyssey Art Masterpiece Art Program -- Art classes using the ports as inspiration for guests to create a different masterpiece each segment. New in 2007 will be mosaics workshops, mask-making classes (perfect for the ship's call in Rio during Carnaval) and a jewelry-making segment using semi-precious stones and other materials indigenous to the ports. Classes in stone sculpting, painting and scrap-booking are also part of the art curriculum. Traveling from Miami, Florida to Southampton, England, Crystal Serenity's Treasures of Sun and Sea World Cruise will explore 45 ports of call in 27 countries on five continents. Offered in seven segments with departures from Valparaiso, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cape Town, South Africa; Dubai, UAE; Istanbul, Turkey; and Civitavecchia (for Rome), Italy; the 2007 World Cruise also includes three intriguing maiden calls in Coquimbo, Chile; Maputo, Mozambique; and Gabes, Tunisia. The Crystal Difference In the February 2006 issue of Conde Nast Traveler, Crystal Serenity was awarded with the coveted No. 1 spot in the magazine's 6th annual "Best Cruise Ships in the World" readers' poll. Crystal Cruises enjoys a reputation for excellence, grounded in over a decade of prestigious accolades. Most recently, Crystal has been voted "World's Best Large-Ship Cruise Line" by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines for 11 and 10 consecutive years, respectively -- the only cruise line, resort or hotel to have achieved such distinction. Visit the luxury line's website at www.crystalcruises.com. (Top)

AHMEDABAD, India, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Indian experts have given the go ahead for the scrapping of the controversial cruise liner; Blue Lady, AKA SS Norway, the original SS France. which environmentalists say contains toxic material harmful to ship-breakers, officials said on Wednesday.

Greenpeace and other groups say the 46,000-tonne Norwegian cruise liner Blue Lady, which anchored in June off the Alang ship-breaking yard in the western state of Gujarat, contains more than 900 tonnes of asbestos which would put the health of workers at risk. India's Supreme Court had allowed the ship to enter Indian waters but put on hold its dismantling, pending a report by an expert panel on the quantum of toxic wastes on board. Two senior officials, who requested anonymity, told Reuters the panel has allowed the ship to be broken. "The Blue Lady will enter Alang," one of them said. "It will be dismantled soon." Greenpeace confirmed the panel has given the green signal for the ship to be broken but called the decision "illegal". "We know the expert panel has found more than 1,000 tonnes of banned pollutants on the ship," Ramapati Kumar of the group told Reuters. "How can they allow the ship to be broken? We will expose them." In February, the French government recalled former aircraft carrier Clemenceau after a lengthy campaign by Greenpeace, which said the ship carried toxic waste. A Greenpeace report published in December said thousands of workers in the ship-breaking industry in countries such as India, China and Pakistan had probably died over the past two decades in accidents or due to exposure to toxic waste. (Additional reporting by Palash Kumar in NEW DELHI) (Top)

By UPI
Reports of accidents at sea, especially for a Florida-based line, are threatening the $15 billion cruise industry, a U.S. newspaper says.
News of injuries and accidents are creating doubts about the safety of cruise vacations, even as the industry points to a good statistical safety record, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.
Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Miami-based Carnival Corp., is having an especially rough year, the newspaper says. Its crew fought a serious fire at sea in March, and two of its biggest ships tipped suddenly, injuring dozens of people earlier this month and in February.
Overall, the industry's sales have slowed and discounts are up this year, particularly for Caribbean vacations, which make up half of all cruises.
We've been pretty aggressive with promotions, said Royal Caribbean President Adam Goldstein in a conference call for investors. That's sometimes what it takes to fill the ships.
Ten cruise lines have their headquarters in Florida and 17,000 residents work for cruise lines, about half of the industry's total workforce in North America. (Top)

By Y. Sulaiman l eTN Asia/Pacific
Queensland Tourism is to promote and revive train tourism in the state's travel industry in view of high fuel costs, according to a published report.
"Our promotion of train tourism is based on offering visitors a unique holiday experience, and for visitors who increasingly ask for 'something out of the ordinary,'� said Daniel Gschwind, CEO of Queensland Tourism Industry Council.  "With high fuel costs, residents and tourists will find it is much cheaper to go by rail for a holiday.�
"A train journey is as much a part of the attraction as the destination, rather than just getting from point A to B on a cheap flight," added Gschwind.
"When it is going to cost up to A$130 to fill up the family car, people will start to consider other ways of traveling," he added. "Low cost carriers offering unmatchable prices is competing seriously with train tourism."
Official figures show in 2005 Queensland Rail carried 523,519 visitors, an 18 percent    increase in tourists using the state's long-distance tourist trains and high speed 'Tilt Train' to visit coastal regions from Brisbane to Cairns, and inland to Longreach and Charleville.
Recognizing the imminent growth of train tourism, the state government has invested $1.2 billion on rail infrastructure.
"Towns must build enough infrastructures to support train journeys," said legislator Andrew McNamara. "Rail travel is becoming more competitive."
International tourist bookings on the Queensland Class of the Sunlander service have shown an increase of 20 percent in 2005, compared to the previous year.
Australia, with its vast continental divide, is renowned for its 'great train journeys' across the continent. Normally lasting over 3 days, the journeys include the most famous, The Ghan (Adelaide-Darwin, with a stop in Alice Springs), The Indian Pacific (Sydney-Adelaide-Perth) and The Overland (Adelaide-Melbourne-Sydney). (Top)

By Toledo Blade
One thing the United States does not need right now is a self-inflicted wound designed to hurt our economy and that of our biggest trading partner, Canada. Yet the federal government is moving swiftly to do just that. Thanks to overreaction to the terrorist threat, the Department of Homeland Security announced that as of Dec. 31, 2007, anybody crossing the U.S.-Canada border will have to show a passport. And, if you plan to fly into Canada, or arrive by sea, you'll need a passport starting next Jan. 8, barely four months from now. Whether that will do anything to fight terrorism is doubtful. Despite a frequently repeated false newspaper story, none of the 9/11 hijackers came into this country through Canada.
What the new passport requirement will do is have a devastating impact on tourism. Fewer than one-quarter of Americans have passports; only about 40 percent of Canadians do. Many of those who don't, feel they can't afford them; the cost of new passports is now rising to $97 ($82 for small children). Canada's government has a reputation for reliable statistics, and officials there estimate that the new passport requirements will cost the Canadian tourism industry $1 billion a year - and cost American tourism $750 million.
And Michigan and Ohio will be worse hit than most places. Both states, and the auto industry, are heavily dependent on trade with Ontario, and thousands of families have relatives on both sides of the border. Security is important, but so is our economy.
Last year, President Bush mused, "When I first read that in a newspaper, about the need to have passports, I said, 'what's going on here?' I thought there was a better way . . . It's going to disrupt the honest flow of traffic."
Since then, however, he has steadily resisted efforts to change or delay the rule, and he rebuffed new Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's polite attempts to get him to reconsider.
Michigan and Ohio's congressional delegations should work to persuade the White House to listen to reason. A driver's license encoded with a "smart" identity chip might be a sensible compromise.
For years, both countries have been justly proud of "the world's largest unguarded border," and in this part of the world, spontaneously zipping across to Windsor for a great meal or going to Stratford's Shakespeare festival are summer traditions for thousands.
Limiting our ability to do that won't make either of our nations more secure.
But our own paranoia just might make a bearded maniac hiding in a cave somewhere smile. (Top)

EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 1 /-- Tens of thousands of women logged onto www.DateAHotScot.com  this spring to vote for their favorite hot Scotsman, but only one US girl won a trip to Scotland to meet the man of her dreams! Jacksonville Beach resident Lauren Spencer, 27 and her identical twin sister recently travelled to Scotland to meet a selection of Scotland's 450,000 single men between the ages of 20-40.
The winners enjoyed a luxury Scottish experience, which included accommodation at the world famous Balmoral Hotel (popular with A-list celebrities), a tailored welcome reception in the Hotel's Presidential Suite, exclusive tours with Rabbie's Trail Burners tour company, a meal at one of Edinburgh's trendiest venues (Harvey Nichols Forth Floor Restaurant) and opportunities to soak up some of both cities' top retail, art and cultural experiences.
The highlight of the trip was the finale in Edinburgh Castle, where the girls were welcomed by Hot Scot Lorne Cousin on the bagpipes (he is famous for playing bagpipes to almost a million people on Madonna's Reinvention World Tour). The girls then dined like royalty with the Hot Scots, including Lauren's favorite, Stuart Duncan, in the Castle's Queen Anne Room.
Lauren said: "I was delighted to win one of the trips to Scotland and I've just fallen in love with everything I've been able to see, but it's the people I've met who have really captured my heart! Although I've never been to Scotland I've always loved the Scottish accent and heard Scots are friendly and welcoming, this really captured my attention when I entered the Hot Scots competition."
VisitScotland, the national tourist board, kicked off the DateAHotScot.com promotion on Valentine's Day. More than 20,000 women visited the site and voted for their favorite out of 20 kilt-clad young Scots, who were featured in pictures and brief video interviews. The guys included an entrepreneur, water buffalo rancher, film actor and even the skip of the Curling World Champions.
Spencer, who received the link in an e-mail from a friend, thought the website was cheeky and funny and cast her vote for Stuart Duncan, a marketing and operations controller for XFM Scotland Radio Station. He came in 7th place with 1,458 votes, ahead of the skipper for the 2006 Olympic Curling team and behind a ruggedly handsome water buffalo farmer. Craig Irving, a 27-year-old business development manager, took top honors with 3,325 votes.
One winner was drawn at random from each of the six eligible countries: USA, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Spain.
Scotland offers tons of opportunities to meet the man of your dreams, or to at least hang out with cute guys in kilts. The search for Mr. Right can begin in either Edinburgh or Glasgow -- the two largest Scottish cities - by visiting hip haunts, trendy shops and historical sites. If the cities fail to produce Mr. Right, move on to the beautiful Scottish countryside, where you can experience stunning Braveheart scenery, exciting adventure sports and warm, welcoming pubs and restaurants.
For more information about how to meet a hot Scot, visit www.ToScotland.com . (Top)