The rusting robs the tree of vital sunlight for key months and, weakened, some fall prey to other diseases such as fungi.The moth was soon joined by a bacterium that came from the Himalayas and causes chestnut bark to bleed an oozing sticky liquid, sapping the tree and in many cases causing death.`’The worst case scenario is that we lose most of our horse chestnut trees to this bleeding canker,” Evans said.In Britain, which has up to 2 million chestnut trees, a 2007 survey showed that up to half could be infected with the disease. In countries like Belgium, France and the Netherlands, the alarm has also been raised.There is historical precedent for the fears: At the turn of the 20th century a fungus caused a mass extinction of the American chestnut tree in the eastern United States.Europe’s chestnuts came first from the Balkans and were introduced in western Europe about 500 years ago. It is a hallmark of cities rather than forests and, especially during the Victorian era, became a favorite for stately lanes, parks and squares.In Ghent, Belgium, last month, a huge chestnut suddenly collapsed along the upper Scheldt river, smashing a car along a road usually busy with cycling students. As in many places, city councils have been increasingly checking the health of chestnuts and, if there’s any doubt, cut them down as a safety precaution. The chestnuts are all gone this summer from the city’s Groentenmarkt medieval center, depriving weary tourists of reprieve from the sun.The chestnuts, or marroniers, in Paris are also part of the attraction at Pere Lachaise. But last year, visitors could walk ankle deep through rusty leaves in the middle of July.`’It’s a problem all over Paris,” said cemetery conservator Martine Lecuyer, although she said heavy rainfall made this year a little better.In Amsterdam, officials are scrambling to try to save chestnuts within the famed canal belt. For Anne Frank’s tree, help came too late. The 150-year-old tree, affected by the moth and fungi, weakened progressively and crashed to the ground two years ago.If the darkest predictions prove true, many Britons will mourn chestnut trees as the passing of part of their youth: The game of “conkers,” in which children take turns trying to smash chestnuts, was once a popular pastime on playgrounds across the country.Just as bad for chestnuts is the way people deal with the problem: On Ghent’s Groentenmarkt, the new trees are now linden, and the example is followed in many parts of Europe.`’Many local authorities are then no longer planting horse chestnut trees because they fear _ what is the point in planting something that is going to be susceptible to attack,” Evans said. Associated PressGHENT, Belgium (AP) – Visit the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris and chestnut trees greet you as you wander among graves of luminaries such as Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison.When Anne Frank was in hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam, the view of a monumental chestnut tree was one thing that cheered her up.In Cambridge, England, the two-century-old chestnut standing outside King’s College chapel has become a beloved icon. `’Essentially, we could lose an entire new generation of horse chestnut trees.”(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 0 Comments Share Top Stories Parents, stop beating yourself up Sponsored Stories How Arizona is preparing the leader of the next generation Mary Coyle ice cream to reopen in central Phoenix Bottoms up! Enjoy a cold one for International Beer Day Construction begins on Chandler hospital expansion project Top ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day In all those places _ and over much of Europe _ the horse chestnut tree is under threat.Sometimes they crash across boulevards and smash cars, unable to bear the weight of their own foliage. At other times, city officials move in and cut them down before they collapse.In high summer, their leaves can become so rusty it feels like October. As autumn approaches, many stand naked while other trees still wear their crowns of green.The culprits: a moth that produces leaf-eating larvae and a bacterium that makes trunks bleed and die.`’In a sense it is almost like a lethal cocktail,” said Dr. Darren Evans of the University of Hull. “If it is under attack by moths, it is probably going to be more susceptible to this bleeding canker _ which will kill it.”A cure? Not immediately in sight.“It is spread throughout most of northern Europe,” Evans said of the leaf miner moth in a telephone interview. `’We still don’t really know whether there is any effective way of controlling it.” The same goes for the bacteria.Without any clear reason, the moth became rampant and spread through much of Europe about a decade ago. In Britain, it first surfaced in Wimbledon in 2002 and soon spread across England and Wales. It has flourished across the continent. The moth lays eggs in leaves and the larvae start devouring them, causing foliage to turn color as soon as July. Former Arizona Rep. Don Shooter shows health improvement
Worldhotels says the first of 2013 has been a “success”, with the addition of 31 new hotels to the group and a total of 6,000 rooms.Within the first six months of 2013, nearly 186 hotels applied to join Worldhotels, however, only 17 hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, three in North and South America and 11 in the Asia Pacific region joined the group.According to the company’s executive vice president Asia Pacific, Ronald Jegge, a number of the new properties are located in the People’s Republic of China to strengthen the group’s brand in the competitive market.“We have been strongly expanding in emerging markets – particularly in China – and are glad to see our efforts are paying off,” he explained.The group currently has up to 500 hotels in 250 destinations worldwide.Source = ETB News: N.J. Pool View – The Breezes Bali Resort & Spa, Seminyak
With the nation’s fastest growth, Queensland is set to be the key contributor to the G20 growth target agreed by world leaders in Brisbane at the 2014 G20 Leaders’ Summit in November.More than 4,000 international delegates and 3,000 media will attend the G20 summit in Brisbane. World leaders will set global strategies to achieve job creation and boost investment and sustainable development to deliver stable economic growth. The strategy aims to lift collective GDP by two per cent above trend over five years – a plan that could add AUD $2 trillion to world growth. With the focus point of the G20 around world growth, it is suitable that Queensland, a state with renowned growth levels, to host the summit. With a population of 4.6 million, Queensland has been leading Australia’s economic growth for more than 20 years and is strategically growing its economy through the four pillars of agriculture, resources, construction and tourism. On average, annual growth in Queensland’s economy has outperformed some of the world’s most advanced economies over the last 20 years, including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and France. A new report by Deloitte Access Economics released in August notes that “Queensland has a proud history of its economic growth outpacing that of Australia as a whole.” Renowned as an international supplier of energy resources – primarily coal – Queensland is about to launch a new industry in the export of liquefied natural gas, they are predicted to lift the resources contribution to the state’s economy to about AUD $41 billion. G20 Leaders’ Summit visitors will be able to explore Brisbane’s wide-ranging cultural program and celebrations involving Queensland’s indigenous and immigrant groups, spotlighting the city’s innovation and skills.Source = ETB News: Lewis Wiseman
Travel Counsellors emphasise the importance of work/life balanceFred van Eijk, Managing Director of Travel Counsellors, says flexible working can empower those with a passion for travel and reduce the related stresses of commuting.Working from home has already had an impact not just on our business or industry, but across the workforce as a whole. A recent report stated that the number of people working from home has dramatically risen from 20 percent of the entire labour force to 30 percent in 15 years. Now, nearly 17% of the 3.5 million Australian who often work from home in their primary employment say they do so for the “Flexible work arrangements” and “childcare/ family considerations”.This model of home working applies itself particularly well to the travel sector as many agents make themselves available for customers beyond the traditional hours of a retail shop or even that of a call centre with extended hours. For us, working from home has been the foundation for many of our franchisees’ customer relationships and enabled them to provide a better level of customer service and care.However, it isn’t for everyone, and we are seeing an increasing trend for people for a variety of reasons setting up a shared office with other Travel Counsellors, away from their home environment. But fundamentally, they work the hours to suit the needs of their business, family and customers. So, the bigger opportunity for us as employers and those that care about building relationships with customers and enabling people to have a better quality of life is to encourage flexible working.I recently chatted to Clare, one of our Travel Counsellors who had joined us because she wanted to continue her career in travel and to look after her family living on a remote family run farm in Western Australia. She is now fully empowered to choose what hours she wants to work and has found the right balance.Equality of opportunity regardless of gender and the increasing focus on mental health and wellbeing, are all supportive of an environment that should encourage flexible working down to an individual level. If we deliver personalised, tailored travel planning and advice to customers and the quality of that information is driven by people (and technology) then we should enable personalised working arrangements that meet the needs of the people delivering the service, so they are fulfilled. All businesses and people are imperfect, and we are no different, and we have some work still to do in our support offices to be even better in this regard, but it must be done as this is fundamental to the ability for businesses to drive growth. Disruptive, technology-based companies such as ours understand that our future is entirely dependent on our ability to search, find, attract, retain and develop talent. So, we are in a competition to attract and retain the very best talent globally.The old mentality of offices being a place to check whether someone is in work and working is overtaken by those disruptive businesses that see offices as a space to encourage collaboration and sharing. Similarly, disruptive companies use technology to empower customers and people to connect be that face to face, over the phone or via digital channels and enable people to work flexibly, remotely and stay connected.Fundamental having access to the technology to enable you to work, connect and deliver regardless of the hour in the day and where you are in the world what makes this possible. So, an unerring commitment to do the right thing by the customer, genuine individual flexible working and continuous investment in technology will go hand in hand in those disruptive travel businesses that value the benefit of the independent personal travel adviser and those that support them. Travel CounsellorsSource = Travel Counsellors
CaribbeanCelebrity Cruises Celebrity Cruises has announced its 2019/2020 sailings to the Caribbean Islands, including St. Maarten, Grand Cayman and Aruba – 25 estinations in 19 countries, with more than 245 extended port visits.Six Celebrity ships will be in the region – Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Reflection, Celebrity Silhouette and Celebrity Summit. Celebrity EdgeCelebrity Edge will once again offer 7-night Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean itineraries. Celebrity EquinoxFresh from her multi-million-dollar revitalisation, Equinox will offer year-round Caribbean vacations, sailing from Ft. Lauderdale beginning summer 2019. Celebrity InfinityGuests in need of a quick getaway to recharge or those crunched for time will be able to experience four- and five-night sailings from Fort Lauderdale, with alternating visits to Key West and Cozumel, and Key West and Nassau.Celebrity ReflectionThe award-winning ship will return to the Caribbean in 2019, offering 10- and 11-night Ultimate Caribbean sailings, visiting a wide range of tropical destinations, like Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, Aruba, Curacao, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, and more.Celebrity SilhouetteBack by popular demand, Celebrity Silhouette will once again offer nine- and 12-night Southern Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale. The ship’s nine-night itinerary visits Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao and is designed specifically to give guests a longer holiday, while the 12-night sailing visits some of the Lesser Antilles’ most spectacular islands—like St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados, and more.Celebrity SummitIn 2019, Celebrity Summit will once again offer guests the chance to discover both New England and Bermuda together on either a 10- or 11-night sailing, with visits to Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine, as well as Boston. The revitalised vessel will also continue offering sailings to the Caribbean and Bermuda. Her 7-night Southern Caribbean sailings departing roundtrip from San Juan will visit some of the region’s most iconic destinations, including – for her first time – new itineraries to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao; while her seven-night Bermuda getaways give guests three days and two nights to completely immerse themselves in the island. 
US ambassador to Nicosia Kathleen Doherty said on Thursday that while the US recognises the Republic’s right to develop its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) it does not take positions on who has the right over maritime boundaries.At a press conference on Thursday, Doherty said that in terms of the hydrocarbons issue, the parties should work it out themselves.“The United States has consistently reiterated its support for the Republic of Cyprus’ right to develop its resources in its EEZ,” she said.But “our global policy is not to take positions on who has right on the global maritime boundaries”.The press conference was held the same day as the arrival at Limassol port of the first of the two ExxonMobil survey ships scheduled to carry out hydrocarbon explorations in block 10 of Cyprus’ EEZ.Following last month’s dispute with Turkey when it prevented an ENI drillship from operating in block 3, Doherty was called to answer questions on similar possible problems with ExxonMobil’s vessels.Doherty said that activities in the immediate few weeks will focus on whether there are any archaeological finds in the sea and also to figure out where to drill.“We don’t expect any problems,” she said.“In the next few months we have a very long and robust agenda with Turkey on many issues and we will continue to engage with Turkey on issues that affect the region,” Doherty said. She added that this is one of the topics among many “and we will continue to have dialogue with Turkey”.The ExxonMobil, Ocean Investigator, docked at Limassol port on WednesdayThe Ocean Investigator arrived at the Limassol port at around 8.00 am on Wednesday to refuel and pick up equipment necessary for its environmental impact evaluation in block 10. A second vessel, the Med Surveyor, is expected to arrive in Limassol on Thursday.The two vessels will be conducting surveys in order to establish the best drilling targets. ExxonMobil plans to carry out exploratory drilling in the second half of this year, in late summer or autumn.According to port director, Panayiotis Agathocleous, the Ocean Investigator has docked at a quay located in the management area of DP World Limassol and is expected to load equipment, which will be transported to block 10 for its scheduled operations.The vessel will remain at the Limassol port until March 24, he said, but it might depart earlier. This, Agathocleous said, will depend on the progress of operations.He added that a second vessel, expected to arrive on Thursday, will also load equipment and set off for plot 10.Doherty pointed out that it often takes several years, maybe even decades, before all the conditions are right for revenue to begin flowing from energy resources and she stressed that the best way to work out how to share resources was a Cyprus settlement.At the same time, she said, “we believe that the island’s gas and oil resources, like all its resources, should be equitably shared between both communities in the context of an overall settlement”.She warned that exploratory activities did not necessarily mean a find and even if there were a deposit it may not be feasible to commercialise it. The price of extraction and transportation costs were other considerations.“I sincerely hope that both sides use that time to find a way to resume negotiations to reunify the island,” Doherty added.She said that ExxonMobil did not intend to drill for several months and that gave ample time “to focus on what really matters which is in my government’s opinion the settlement process”.She also said that it was for the Cypriots to decide for themselves how to work out the mechanisms for sharing the island’s resources equitably.“We do think the best way to do it is to have an agreement, to have a settlement on the island, have reunification,” she said.Doherty also referred to the visit by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell in Cyprus on Friday.She said that his trip is part of a broader visit to the region which includes Pristina, Skopje, Belgrade, Athens as well as Nicosia.In Cyprus, he will discuss regional security issues, management of Eastern Mediterranean energy resources, bilateral relations and the Cyprus problem, she said. You May LikePopularEverythingColorado Mom Adopted Two Children, Months Later She Learned Who They Really ArePopularEverythingUndoLivestlyChip And Joanna’s $18M Mansion Is Perfect, But It’s The Backyard Everyone Is Talking AboutLivestlyUndoSmart Tips DailySeniors With No Life Insurance May Get A $250,000 Policy If They Do ThisSmart Tips DailyUndo Concern over falling tourism numbersUndoPensioner dies after crash on Paphos-Polis roadUndoCypriot tycoon launches ‘Bank of Cannabis’Undoby Taboolaby Taboola