Travel News, Destinations, and Dining
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Travelers are being warned about a potential threat when traveling to Goa, India. Last week a group of Hindu nationalists announced that it will target British women that consume alcohol in the popular beach bars in Goa.

The Sri Ram Sena group has been labeled a “Hindu Taliban” by detractors who object to its violent protests. The group wants to stem the ‘creeping westernization” of the traditional values and culture of India. They claim that western culture is to blame for tragedies such as last year’s gang rape and murder of a British teen in Goa.

The group is believed to be behind assaults on couples who court in public and younger women found drinking in bars. They reportedly kidnapped the daughter of a politician after rumors surfaced that she was dating a Muslim.

In addition to targeting couples on Valentine’s Day, the group attacked a pub in Mangalore, Karnataka, assaulting women who were sharing after-work drinks with male co-workers.

The leader of the group, Pramod Muthalik, is targeting Goa due to its hedonistic culture. The state is famous for its fabulous beaches, bars, and decadent 5 star hotels Goa. Muthalik considers it to be the “centre of an immoral culture” spreading across the country.

While Indian officials have denounced the attacks, many citizens seem to agree that discouraging Westerners from going to the pubs is the first step in getting the bars and clubs removed alltogether.

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Thursday marked the beginning of the a one-of-a-kind “Thank You India” festival in New Delhi. The event is being held at the India International Centre through March 31, 2009. The festival, organized by Tibet’s Government in exile expresses the gratitude of the Tibetan people for the “generosity and hospitality” of India.

“Thank You India” is part of a series of events being held to mark the fifty years of exile for the Tibetan government. In 1959 the Chinese forced His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well as thousands of Tibetans into exile. Many of them fled to India where they were able to find homes and support for their spiritual and political cause.

The festival will also recognize the “dedication and hard work” of Tibetan refugees “in making wonderful strides in the fields of education, cultural preservation, and community-building and in preserving the basic identity of the Tibetan people…”

Cultural exhibitions will be a key part of the festival, including metal sculpture, wood carving, thangka paintings, and traditional weaving of aprons and carpet. Ancient Tibetan literature will be on display and a number of documentaries and films will be screened. There will also be a lecture series on the culture and environment of Tibet as well as on Tibetan Buddhism.

Those traveling to the event will find a number of five star hotels in New Delhi as well as a variety of lodging options. Delhi is home to a number of important spiritual sites, including Tibet House, the Lotus Temple, and the Akshardham Temple. The Rajghat Memorial of Mahatma Gandhi is another important pilgrimage site.

The festival was opened on March 26th by the Prime Minister of Tibet’s Government in exile. It will be closed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Tuesday, March 31st.

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This week marks the 5th Entertainment Expo in Hong Kong. The Expo is comprised of nine separate events and covers film, television, music, and digital entertainment. One of the highlights of the event, the 3rd Asian Film Awards, was held on Monday, March 23rd at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Each year the Expo brings together the best and brightest at Filmart (Hong Kong International Film and Television Market), the Hong Kong Music Fair, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, and the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum. In addition to the Asian Film Awards, the Expo also offers the Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards, the Top Sales Music Award for 2008, and the awards presentation for the Film Festival.

At the Asian Film Awards, the top honor went to “Tokyo Sonata” by director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Other winners included best director Hirokazu Koreeda for”Still Walking” and best actor Masahiro Motoki for “Departures.”

Expect the best Hong Kong hotels, such as those at www.hongkonghotel.com, to remain booked over the next few weeks. While the Asian Awards Ceremony was a one-night event and Filmart only lasts four days, the Film Festival runs through April 13th.

The first few days of events have been optimistic. In spite of the global economic slowdown, exhibitors and artists are looking ahead to expansion of Asian markets, especially for film, in areas such as China. There is a strong Hollywood presence at the Expo, as American film makers and distributors look not only for the next big foreign hit like “Slumdog Millionaire” but also at ways to bring US films to Asian audiences.

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Excitement is building for the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival as organizers announced another slate of participating films. The full schedule will include 86 films grouped into eight “sections.” The Festival runs form April 22nd through May 3rd in New York City.

The recent announcements cover the “Encounters,” “Spotlight,” “Showcase,” and “Midnight” sections. They also include the films to be included in the “Restored and Rediscovered” section. Audiences are still awaiting the final announcement which will cover the centerpiece and closing night films.

Anyone wanting to attend the event will be able to purchase single tickets beginning the week before the festival opens. (See official website for ticket information.) There are still accommodations available in the area, ranging from luxury hotel suites in New York to popular chain hotels and local bed & breakfasts.

Many of the films in the festival are world or US premieres. The Festival will open with Woody Allen’s newest film, “Whatever Works.” Newly announced features include “Don McKay” starring Thomas Haden Church, Elisabeth Shue, and Melissa Leo and “An Englishman in New York” starring John Hurt. The anticipated world premier of Josh Goldin’s cross-cultural film “Wonderful World” starring Matthew Broderick is also on the schedule.

Additional films on the schedule include “Love the Beast,” “Serious Moonlight,” “Black Dynamite,” “Easy Virtue,” and “The Girlfriend Experience.”

TFF includes features in narrative, documentary, and foreign categories. They highlight new filmmakers in the “Discovery” section. Each viewing includes a Q&A with the director, cast and crew of the film. The festival also includes the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair, the ESPN Sports Film Festival, and the Tribeca Talks panel series. There will be special presentations for filmmakers as well as music events.

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Ethical standards of business operation has become of top priority to companies around the globe. Social responsibility, be it to the environment or to the human and animal societies, has become a major concern and project for companies. Apart from the not for profit companies, CEOs are either understanding what it means to give back and give within, or perhaps it is a fashionable way to be of late. Regardless it does make for more giving and all encompassing way to conduct transactions. Service is of up most concern, combined with a standard prototype to insure the most quality performance, to the customers or clients and to the workers and employees as well. Companies are looking to … well look ahead. To fix problems or conflicts in a more pro-active approach, seeking to fix problems before they occur, to be more pro-active than re-active.

Singapore has long been known for this approach. The Singapore business model has been always, to simply do the best job, at whatever one is trying to accomplish on any given day, the best for the company and the best for the individual worker. “There is nothing so satisfying as a job well done” seems to be the ideological model of this city. International business has long admired the Singapore work ethic. From the luxury Singapore business hotels, to the not so luxurious, but still highly qualified, street vendor’s and food hawkers on the streets of the town squares. These are among the fastest growing and well respected ventures in the world. Excellence, it is what the people strive for and it has paid off. The federal government of Singapore grants funding for business owners. Not just in the service industry, but such fields as biotechnology, research, communications and engineering as well. And, companies from around the world schedule their conferences and seminars in Singapore, hoping that the quality and the high standards are something that may be taught and learned. Devotion to one’s job, one’s career, is inherent in the mindset of the Singapore set of ethics, and the business CEOs and the companies looking to find this, often come to Singapore in search. In search of what makes a person want to excel, to become an expert at what they do. Among everything else that this country has to offer, this is just one aspect. In all fields, Singapore workers excel. The ethics of Singapore is inspirational and motivating, which is a direct reflection on the people and their ideas, be they presidents of major companies, or just simply someone attempting to do a very, very good job.

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