The Bulgarian Mystery

Belogradchik, Bulgaria - The Belogradchik Rocks and the Belogradchik Fortress

Danube River Cruise Shore Excursion from the Viking Neptune

The Belogradchik Rocks (Bulgarian: Белоградчишки скали, Belogradchishki skali) are a group of strange shaped sandstone and conglomerate rock formations located on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) near the town of Belogradchik in northwest Bulgaria. The rocks vary in color from primarily red to yellow; some of the rocks reach up to 200 m in height. Many rocks have fantastic shapes and are associated with interesting legends. They are often named for people or objects they are thought to resemble. The Belogradchik Rocks have been declared a Natural Landmark by the Bulgarian government and are a major tourist attraction in the region.

The Belogradchik Rocks (also spelled Belogradshick or Belogradschik) are one of the natural wonders of Bulgaria. These huge reddish limestone and sandstone rocks tower over the small town of Belogradchik and form part of the walls of the Belogradchik Fortress, which was first built by the Romans about 100 AD.

Danube River cruises in eastern Europe often include a half-day at Belogradchik from Vidin so that passengers can stroll the streets of the town and climb the numerous steps and ladders to the top of the Belogradchik Rock formations. The view from the top is spectacular, and knowing that many of the old steps date back to Roman times makes the walk even more interesting. Those who have mobility problems can still enjoy the Belogradchik rocks and fortress from very near where the coach parks at the entrance to the Belogradchik Fortress.

At first glance, one might think these photos were from the Southwestern part of the USA, until the Roman walls and Bulgarian signage are sighted!

By: Unknown On 23.49

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Deported for Being Too Handsome

 Crime of Passion: Three Men Forcibly Deported from Saudi Arabia for Being “Too Handsome”

Photographer, actor and poet Omar Borkan Al Gala from Dubai was one of the men kicked out of Saudi Arabia because he is ridiculously good looking. Saudi Arabian men feared that these men will steal their wives' hearts if they let them stay in the country ;)  According to Arabic language Elaph newspaper, the UAE nationals were taking part in a heritage event in the capital Riyadh on Sunday when they were thrown out by Saudi’s religious police. 

TV Emirates reported recently that three United Arab Emirates nationals were deported from Saudi Arabia for the crime of being “too handsome.”

This is certainly an uncommon criminal accusation, but one that we can relate to (some of our writers are banned in 26 countries for the opposite reason).

The three men were manning a booth representing the UAE at a cultural event in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh when the Saudi Mutaween (“religious police”) stormed the UAE booth and carried the men off, with women in the crowd presumably fainting left and right due to their sheer handsomeness.

Apparently, the Mutaween feared that women attending the event were likely to “fall in love” with the three men, prompting the arrest and forced deportation.

We can only assume that Brad Pitt is banned entirely from entering the country and that his face is covered by mosaic in all of his films in the Middle Eastern nation.

By: Unknown On 23.44

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The World's Deadliest Prison

Locked Up Abroad Gulag Style! Inside The Unbelievably Harsh Conditions Of Russia’s Labor Camps

Going to the bathroom outside when it’s -4 degrees. Only seeing your children two to four times a year. Bathing just once a week. And vying with dozens of other prisoners one hour a week to use one of two phone booths to call home.

This is just a little insight into the harsh reality of life inside Russian’s modern day labor camps, known under Stalin as gulags.

And these are the conditions that two members of the band Pussy Riot will face when they arrive at two of Russia’s most notorious penal facilities.

In August, a judge convicted Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, of “hooliganism” for performing in a Moscow cathedral.

As the news previously reported, both received a two-year sentence and this week they were put on trains to separate camps in the remote areas of Mordovia and Perm.

Svetlana Bakhmina, a lawyer who spent four years in one such camp after being convicted of embezzlement, reveals the harsh realities of life as
an inmate.

“From the moment you stepped into the train, you were no longer recognized as an equal human being – the system treats you as a second-class person,” she tells the Daily Beast.

“They make you jump out of a prison vehicle into the train’s door. You fly with all your bags over about [a] 3 feet gap while guards with dogs stand on the ground watching you.”

Tolokonnikova will serve her time in the Mordovia colony FGU IK-14 that was once Bakhmina’s home. According to the lawyer, the train journey takes about two days and two nights.

Kept in crowded cages, she says the women are only allowed to use the bathroom twice. The rest of the time they have to improvise.

Bakhmina told BBC News that the facility is like a “tough, Soviet-style camp.” She said: “The inmates were all housed in two big army-style barracks – there were anywhere between 50 and 100 people in each one.

“The barracks were built in the Soviet times – I guess in the 1920s.”

While each barrack is furnished with rows of bunk beds, a nightstand and a stool, the bathroom facilities are dire.

She says: “There is also a toilet but you cannot use it as there is no central sewage system. We used to go outside to the so-called ‘hole’, sometimes when it was -20C [-4 degrees] in the winter.”

Woken at 6 a.m. the women have to exercise outside – even in freezing conditions – before doing their daily chores.

Both Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova are moms of young children but communication with loved ones will be limited according to insiders. Inmates can only see their families two to four times a year during three-day visits.

Meanwhile each unit is only given an hour a week to call home. Bakhmina remembers vying with dozens of women to use one of two phone booths to talk to her young sons.

The picture the lawyer presents is a gloomy one – of being locked up with murderers and facing a constant threat of violence.

She says: “The administration was very strict with us – rumors of beatings circled around the colony, although I didn’t witness any personally.

“More often there were fights between the inmates themselves.”

Perhaps the biggest threat the inmates face is a psychological one.

Bakhmina says: “There was no torture…but anyone disobeying the prison rules would be punished by getting sent to ‘shiza’ [Russian abbreviation for ‘schizophrenia’] – a solitary cell.”

By: Unknown On 21.48

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The World's Worst Hotel

Wanted: Ugly people for travel ads
Ugly writer crafts beautiful article calling for honest, realistic travel marketing -- pretty people will not enjoy this 

Ads lie. Or they did.

The golf vacation commercials are the worst. All those beaming glad-I-came-here faces. After a shank off the first and a round of 118? Not counting 11 lost balls?

It’s impossible for any real golfer to look that happy.

Beach holiday ads are no better. Everyone perfectly formed, no cellulite or growths.

No one looking like they’ve been born in the normal, mammalian way, like you see on real beaches.

Unreally happy families having a wonderfully elated time at a great price with no sign of disharmony, dysfunction or diarrhea.

Couples staring dreamily through candlelight and walking hand in hand through the moonlit Caribbean surf, with no sign of her shenanigans the day before with the hotel’s beach raker.

And the cruises: photo after photo of laughing faces having a once-in-a-lifetime time over a very small portion of fish. Which looks bigger in a close-up.

No sign of anyone seasick or cabin-bound. No pictures taken at the exact moment the dinner table conversation stalled on the first night: “Why did you come on this cruise?”

“Because we have a high superlative threshold and are easily deceived by advertising copy.”

No hint of anyone being tortured by the crooner with the fire-retardant toupee; by the excessively talkative couple from Winnipeg; the extremely cheerful couple from Wales; the husband who memorizes Android reviews and the wife who collects digitalized photos of her master bedroom.

And pronounces Muscadet Muscadette.

No ad can communicate a real vacation and its petty but enervating frustrations.

And that’s to be expected.

But there are signs that as travelers get savvy to the tricks and illusions of marketers, marketers are now becoming savvy to our savvy.

Ugly, the new pretty

I’m an honorary member of the “Ugly Club of the World.” I received the accolade in the self-nominated ugliest place in the world.

The Club dei Brutti is based in Piobbico in the Marche region of mid-Italy. It has 30,000 members worldwide and hosts an ugly persons’ festival every September.

The town square even has an ugly statue.

Amsterdam’s acclaimed Hans Brinker Budget Hotel has been “proudly disappointing travelers for 40 years.”

Its unashamedly filthy rooms are sold out months in advance through sheer honesty, comic in its frankness and superb negative hyperbole.

Its marketing slogan is: “We can’t get any worse but we try our best.”

It waives liability for gastroenteritis, mental breakdown and even lost limbs.

It boasts a bar serving slightly watered down beer and facilities comparable to a prison. One ad proclaims: “Now even more dogsh*t in the main entrance.”

Another shows a figure collapsed on the ground with its head caught in the hostel’s doors, surrounded by an ever-widening puddle of vomit -- a new and successful style of gushing endorsement.

Is all this clever marketing? Or just simple truth that attracts backpackers on a budget and a bender?

Probably both.

What exactly are they advertising?

Being bombarded by perfect breasts and gorgeous men from every holiday brochure and mortgage maturity leaflet I ever picked up gets to me.

Cruise commercials don’t make me go out and book a cruise. They make me go out and get some dental fixative. The only thing that sticks in my head is the teeth.

Recent surveys suggest we no longer trust celebrity endorsement, especially of beauty products. Scarlett Johannsen before and after? Unlikely.

One poll also revealed that 78% of TV viewers believe the people in laxative ads are really actors faking being constipated. Method actors having it the hardest.

It’s time for ads to use normal people with realistic bodies and facial expressions. Someone not so happy. Someone not very photogenic.

Someone with shoulder hair rather than shoulder-length hair. Someone more like me.

It wouldn’t be a totally original concept.

One of the earliest examples of this kind of inverse marketing/reverse psychology came from an Irish realty agent who wrote straight-talking property descriptions along the refreshingly honest lines of, “The décor is revolting and the lack of insulation has attracted insects. Otherwise, there is nothing much wrong.’”

That was in the 1960s.

It proved a productive hook with people flocking up to see just how bad the houses were.

Copywriters need to bin the superlatives and “We’ve found paradise! Come join us!” approach.

They need to realize there’s no such thing as paradise, especially if other people are there and all the loungers have gone.

As my Ugly Club friends keep telling me: “Us uglies must unite to overcome. We are better and stronger than the beautiful people. And there are far more of us.”

It’s all summed up by the recent Southern Comfort commercial.

An astigmatic, middle-aged potbelly in sea waders and tight trunks that could double as an eye patch waddles contentedly down a beach, accompanied by Odetta’s “Gotta Be Me.”

Perhaps body shape losers may not be flocking to the Barcelona beach where the ad was shot, but its aspirational message is clear.

Don’t hype up. Hype down. To the naked truth. Democratize. Don’t idealize. Tell it like it is. And show it how it is.

Get real.

Perhaps then we might not be so frequently disappointed when we get there.

Piobicco has put itself on the map. Being ugly is its Unique Selling Point. It bills itself as a place ugly people can feel at home.

And it’s effective. They come in their hideous hordes, ramping up the tourism income while battering down the beauty factor.

The Czech Republic has gone the same way.

It sells itself to bad skiers, offering “numerous ravishing sceneries” and flat, snowy places where “you can enjoy the nature while struggling to ski” and meet “not very capable skiers.”

Superbeings and posers are not targeted. So everyone else can have a good time. Hard or soft sell, it works. Because it’s different. And funny. And true.

By: Unknown On 21.35

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This Tree Can Sing !

Singing Ringing Tree

One of the most iconic artworks in Lancashire, the fascinating ‘Singing Ringing Tree’ at Crown Point high on the moors above  Burnley is one of four Panopticons, part of a project across East Lancashire led by Mid Pennine Arts.

Designed by architects Tonkin-Liu the sculpture resembles a windblown tree; it is constructed from scaffolding poles welded together in concentric circles, the pipes having been tuned to emit a melodious hum as the wind blows through them.

The splendid views over the town to the hills beyond make a  visit for a closer inspection of this amazing artwork an absolute must. The sculpture is only a short walk from the carpark and picnic area but if you enjoy  longer walks then the best  route is the Wayside Arts Trail from Towneley Park; follow its carved Lancashire oak marker posts and bricks including a brick kiln by artist Julie Miles to take  a closer look at this incredible landmark.

It is obvious that there is something about Burnley that is attractive to award-winning architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu because they have now returned to design Burnley’s latest public artwork the Rain Bow Gate. Located at the heart of Burnley’s new Knowledge quarter, the design is a bow structure that integrates glass prisms to capture light and create rainbows, evoking a sence of wonder.

By: Unknown On 00.31

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The Reasons Why You Shoul Never Bring Condoms To States

'Detained for carrying condoms, sexy undies' 

A WOMAN claims she was detained by US border officials three times in two weeks and accused of being a sex worker for having condoms and "racy underwear" in her luggage.

University of British Columbia graduate Clay Nikiforuk (a pseudonym) wrote an article for the Huffington Post about the "baffling" series of events that occurred as she travelled through the US with a married man.

"What do you do when you're detained by powerful officials, everything you say is presumed deceptive, arbitrary 'evidence' is held against you, and you're treated like a moral deviant? And what if it's 2013, you're a woman, and the "evidence" is that you possess condoms?" asked Nikiforuk in a book on the sociology of sexual assault.

Nikiforuk said she was first held by border guards in Vermont in March, where her bag was searched "at least five times". She had approximately eight condoms in her suitcase and underwear.

"I could not help but notice how often my lingerie and 'sexy underwear' were mentioned, how often the condoms they found were looked upon scathingly, and how most of the four male officers' questions pertained to both," she said.

"I was like, 'Yeah, some girls like shoes, I like nice underwear', and then realised it was really not funny. They were taking it very seriously… and looking at my condoms and counting them.

"I was baffled as to why this was any of their business and unsure of what their objective was."

She was eventually granted a limited two-week visa, but she'd missed her bus and plane by that time so had to wait until the next morning to continue her journey.

Two weeks later she alleged Montreal Airport officials took her into a back office and interrogated her about the man she was travelling with.

During the questioning she admitted the man was married and she was planning on sharing a hotel bed with him. Nikiforuk was forced to tell the official that the man's wife "doesn't want to know the details, but she knows" about their affair.

"The next thing I knew he was searching my bags, pulling out condoms and waving them in my face," she said.

"He said: 'I could have you charged with being a working girl! The proof is right here'."

She was asked: "How much is he paying you to go on this trip?". When she answered that she wasn't being paid, she was told off for participating in adultery and let go.

Next came Miami, where she claims she was detained, interrogated, fingerprinted, patted down and "yelled at" for eight hours and asked: "Are you looking to be sexually assaulted?" when she told the official she was writing a book on the sociology of sexual assault.

She has filed a complaint over the incident, claiming she was the victim of a sexist double standard.

US immigration lawyer Steve Goldstein told Canada's Metro News that he's never heard of someone being denied entry to the US because they were carrying condoms.

US Customs and Border Patrol told news.com.au they cannot comment due to privacy laws

"Due to privacy laws, US Customs and Border Protection is prohibited from discussing specific cases or individuals," a  US Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson said. "CBP strives to treat all travellers with respect and in a professional manner, preserving the civil rights and civil liberties of all people with whom the officers and agents interact while maintaining the focus of our mission to protect all citizens and visitors in the United States.

"CBP stresses honour and integrity in every aspect of our mission, and the overwhelming majority of CBP employees and officers perform their duties with honor and distinction, working tirelessly every day to keep our country safe."

By: Unknown On 00.27

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The World's Rudest Countries for Travelers

World's 10 rudest countries for travelers
Travelers aren't always welcome, and some people let you know it 

Travelers love Paris, but do Parisians love them back?

Travel search site Skyscanner recently released a list of the world’s rudest nations for visitors, naming the countries whose smiley and friendly natives are apparently confined to their promotional videos.

The result, which lists 34 countries, is based on Skyscanner’s online poll, which received more than 1,200 responses from Europe, North America and Australia.
France, the champion of impoliteness

La Belle France was declared the champion of impoliteness, garnering nearly 20 percent of the total votes.

French people are known for “their abrupt and curt nature,” especially while facing foreign tourists,  Edinburgh-based Skyscanner told International Business Times.

Russia took second place with 16.6 percent of the votes, followed by the United Kingdom (10.4 percent), Germany (9.93 percent) and a puzzingly labeled “Others” (miscellaneous countries).

China (4.3 percent) ranked sixth on the list, leading Asia.
Language barriers and cultural differences are the main causes

China-based etiquette expert Lawrence Lo (卢浩研) pointed out that language barriers and cultural differences are the two major players behind the ranking.

“The French are very protective of their language, and customers can get different responses for ordering in French or in another language,” said Lo.

Yi Bao, Skyscanner marketing manager for China, gave an example to back the "culture difference" theory.

According to Yi, though queuing is a social norm in the West, it’s not a common behavior for Chinese people, “so [it] could be interpreted as being rude [by international travelers.]”

The personality of hospitality staff is another contributing factor.

Lo said many restaurants’ waiting staff in Chinese cities are usually young women from rural areas, and that the Chinese are naturally more shy than Westerners.

“[These waitresses] don’t have the confidence or language skill to handle foreign travelers. Sometimes, they’d rather avoid them,” said Lo.

“On the other hand, a lot of French waiters have worked in this position their whole life, so they have a superiority complex in front of travelers.”

Lo also said the result of the survey depended on what type of travelers were voting.

"For many backpackers, challenges in language and culture actually form part of the fun of traveling," said Lo.

Here are the 10 rudest countries on Skyscanner’s list:

1. France
2. Russia
3. United Kingdom
4. Germany
5. Others
6. China
7. United States
8. Spain
9. Italy
10. Poland

The countries voted least rude were:

25. Japan
26. Denmark
27. Canada
28. New Zealand
29. Indonesia
30. Portugal
31. Thailand
32. The Philippines
33. Caribbean region
34. Brazil

By: Unknown On 01.52

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The World's Oldest Harbor

4,500-year-old harbor structures and papyrus texts unearthed in Egypt

Archaeologists have stumbled upon what is thought to be the most ancient harbor ever found in Egypt, along with the country's oldest collection of papyrus documents, Egyptian authorities say.

The harbor goes back 4,500 years, to the days of the Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops) in the Fourth Dynasty, the Egypt State Information Service reported on Friday. The Great Pyramid of Giza serves as the tomb of Khufu, who died around 2566 B.C.

The harbor was built on the Red Sea shore in the Wadi al-Jarf area, 112 miles (180 kilometers) south of Suez. The find was made by a French-Egyptian mission from the French Institute for Archaeological Studies, according to Friday's dispatch. Discovery News quoted the mission's director, Pierre Tallet of the University of Paris-Sorbonne, as saying that the site "predates by more than 1,000 years any other port structure known in the world."
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The harbor is considered one of the most important commercial ports of ancient Egypt, where trips to export copper and other minerals from the Sinai Peninsula were launched. Egyptian authorities said the archaeologists found a variety of docks, as well as a collection of carved stone anchors.

The team also unearthed a collection of 40 papyri that detailed the daily lives of ancient Egyptians during the 27th year of Khufu's reign, said Egypt's antiquities minister, Mohamed Ibrahim. "These are the oldest papyri ever found in Egypt," he said. Among the subjects reportedly covered were the arrangements for getting bread and beer to the workers heading out from the port.

One papyrus is said to detail the daily activities of an official named Merrer, who was involved in building the Great Pyramid.

"He mainly reported about his many trips to the Turah limestone quarry to fetch block for the building of the pyramid," Tallet told Discovery News. "Although we will not learn anything new about the construction of the Cheops monument, this diary provides for the first time an insight on this matter."

By: Unknown On 19.50

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Old Water Tower Turned Into Luxury House

Stunning Water Tower Conversion in Belgium Bursting With Modern Details

Chateau d’Eau is the name of a striking project envisioned by BHAM design studio and consisting of a water tower conversion in Steenokkerzeel, Belgium.
 The tower was built between 1938 and 1941 and was functional until the beginning of the nineties. The works for a complete renovation and conversion into a single family house started in 2007.

According to the architects, “the preservation of existing concrete elements such as the main water conduct, concrete ceilings, concrete stairs and the 250.000 liters concrete water basin were essential to preserve the strong identity of the building.
Every visible concrete element inside was painted in dark grey in order to mark the old from the new. The program foresees two distinct profiles of users. The private and main user is the client, a couple living at the tower daily. Every room is equipped with the latest IT technology, domotics and the possibility to install projectors virtually anywhere on the top floor”.

The unusual residence is thirty meters high and is structured on five floors. The terrace provides a great panoramic view of the nearby village.

By: Unknown On 21.27

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North Korean Porn

 Is There Porn in North Korea?

With a big hat tip to The Marmot’s Hole, and after long delay, here is an interesting article published in the Joongang Ilbo in August.

Keeping in mind the reconciliation mode that the North-South relationship has entered, we examined the current situation. Does North Korea have pornography and adult products? Numerous reports we heard said the answer is “yes”. Truly, how could there not be adult products in a place where humans live.

This matches the transition to the rule of Chairman Kim Jong-il, known to be a lover of mass media and erotica, from the repressive regime of Kim Il-sung.

As soon as the transition had been made sexy magazines and books began to appear, led by ‘은밀한 이야기’, which collected sexy stories and dirty books. In the mid-1990s ‘피죽도 못 먹은 것 같은’ secretly filmed North Korean dancers dancing nude or in bikinis, but the unfunny truth is that that and other adult products were seized by authorities as soon as they were disseminated.

The price of renting it is just 1,000 won in our currency, but for ordinary people, not authorities, to view it that price would require them to give up eating and drinking. Even so, a person may desperately save up enough money for it beginning as a middle school student, desiring the satisfaction of basic instincts even in the face of starvation.

The North Korea-produced adult film ‘공화국 비화’ (“The Degradation of the Republic”), depicting pretty girls and, of course, female warriors being repeatedly violated, was smuggled out and translated into Japanese by North Korean refugees hired to do so.

It was sold in Japan for 2,650 yen, but with the explanation that “this is not being sold for the arousal of interest but distributed solely as research material.” Of course near the Chinese border the distribution of pornography is in the open.

North Korea is a nation where the doors of the Kaesong Industrial Park were shuttered and prison sentences handed out after the discovery that photographs showing foreign models in their underwear were being placed into packages of women’s underwear. Sex crimes including rape, and normal sexual relationships, are rampant, but the lack of sex education leads to unsafe abortions performed by surgery or via pills handed free of charge by hospitals.

Ordinary people are often forced into prostitution to have enough to eat. On the outskirts of major cities, minbak guest houses are turning into red-light districts and despite the banning of prostitution a shockingly large number of women are doing it in order to eat. They charge 5,000 won in our currency per night including sleeping time.

Foreign media criticize not only the neglect of the average person but the dumbfounding taboos on sex despite the cheap availability of erotica and adult products. This is because of the cheap members-only clubs and restuarants frequented by the authorities.

Though imagining itself to be pure, North Korean sexual culture is highly depraved because of its opposition to freedom. It is easy to imagine that if reunification occurs the starving North Koreans and the culturally diverse South Koreans will be unable to get along.

Lee Eung-jun’s well-received novel ‘국가의 사생활’ (“The Life of the Nation”) was the first to depict North Korea-born women as whores and authorities as pimps. But do we, as the author says, have to meet that way? We want to see the true, not the fake with subtitles. That is one reason the desire for reunification may be too much.

By: Unknown On 21.12

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The Building with Funky Mesh Armor - Korean Art Center

Seoul's Kukje Art Centre

 
The Kukje Art Center in Seoul, South Korea is the latest awe-inspiring creating by New York-based SO-IL. The gallery is a concrete cube situated in the historic urban fabric of Sogyeok-dong, which is being populated by a series of low-rise boutique retail outlets and coffee shops. The structure is wrapped in a funky mesh armor that diffuses sunlight and softens the building's edges. Designed by Front Inc and prefabricated in China, the unique facade ensures the gallery sits in harmony with the neighborhood's character.

Comprised of thousands of small steel rings that together form a pliable envelope, the mesh facade wraps easily around the building, giving it an almost ethereal disguise that is altogether more interesting than concrete. But it also creates interesting shadow and diffuses excess solar gain. A massive space, the art center would exact a high energy load if it weren’t for certain interventions.

Given space restraints, SO-IL buried two of the gallery’s three levels underground and installed perimeter skylights that permit daylighting to penetrate deep into the interior, beyond the street level gallery, to cut down on energy requirements. And finally, circulation is kept to the edge of the building to maintain the clear span art space’s distinct geometry.

By: Unknown On 19.26

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The World's Most Provocative Tourism Adverts

Tunisia defends 'provocative adverts' to woo tourists

Tunisia's advertising agency says it wanted to be provocative in its campaign to attract tourists

Tunisia has defended a controversial advertising campaign to attract tourists who deserted the country after its revolution in January.

It includes billboards in London of a woman getting a massage, next to the words: "They say that in Tunisia some people receive heavy-handed treatment."

At least 200 people were killed during the Tunisian uprising which began in December.

It led to the collapse of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's regime.

Tourism is crucial to Tunisia's economy. With a population of little more than 10 million people, the industry provides about 400,000 jobs and is worth about $2.5bn (£1.5bn) to the economy.
'Nothing but ruins'

Syrine Cherif, whose advertising agency Memac Ogilvy came up with the campaign for the Tunisian Tourism Board, said it was intended to create a "buzz" among potential tourists in the UK and other countries.

"The idea was to be provocative to address possible fears around the issue of the Arab spring," she told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

Other advertisements show ancient Roman ruins next to the words: "They say Tunisia is nothing but ruins."

She denied the campaign showed insensitivity towards Tunisians who had been jailed, tortured or killed during Mr Ben Ali's rule of 23 years.

"This unfair treatment was done by people who were in the dictatorship and now the dictatorship has gone. It's over. Today it's a new Tunisia," she said.

"The campaign is for foreigners, not targeting Tunisian people," she added.

Tunisia was the first country to be hit by the popular uprisings which have swept across North Africa and the Middle East.

Mr Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia in January after losing the support of the military.

His trial in absentia, for charges ranging from conspiring against the state to drug trafficking, starts on Monday.

By: Unknown On 17.54

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New Zealand Pornographic

Kapiti logo 'mildly pornographic'

UNDER REVIEW: How Kapiti's new tourism logo might be used in branding.

A rebrand of Kapiti's tourism image may be tweaked to include the word "coast" amid suggestions its logo looks pornographic or like the Loch Ness monster.

The logo, part of a $30,000 Kapiti Coast District Council contract, polarised opinion when unveiled at last week's meeting.

It includes a 'k', shaped, and coloured green and blue, to look like a mountain and the sea. Underneath is the single word: "Kapiti".

Councillor Tony Lester backed the logo, which he said was "absolutely excellent".

"We've positioned ourselves for the future, it captures the hills, and the coast, and it captures our future as more of a city."

Others did not agree. Councillor Hilary Wooding said she did not like the 'k', which looked "cut in half".

Councillor Ross Church said the logo was not consistent with council branding and the 'k' would spark all sorts of comments about exactly what it depicts.

"I showed it to a Scots person who said 'it looks like the Loch Ness monster on legs'."

In the public speaking session, Otaki Community Board member Jackie Elliott raised the possibility the logo could be perceived as lewd.

"I have had feedback from the public that this 'k' image with its bent leg, at the knee, is more than mildly pornographic. Perhaps the caption underneath could be 'come to Kapiti and let the earth move for you'."

However most debate at the meeting centred on whether the word "coast", and its associations, should be included in the logo.

Strategic projects manager Philippa Richardson said the decision was based on the idea that Kapiti is much more than just a coast.

Kapiti's Eden Design won the bid to produce the marketing brand that will be owned by the council, but available to all tourism operators.

Councillors voted to delay a decision to approve the logo till a demonstration image including "coast" is presented.

Mr Lester voted against the decision, keen to approve the logo as it stands.

On the question of whether the logo is lewd, Mr Lester said as far as he was concerned "pornography is in the eye of the beholder".

By: Unknown On 17.32

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Vagina's Name Contest

Erotic magazine wants to rename the vagina

A Danish magazine has had enough of people calling their vagina ‘it’, ‘that thing’ or ‘downstairs’ and has started a contest in order to find a proper name

How's this for an offer? You could be the one to rename the Danish vagina
Cherry, cha cha, muffin and kitty are just some of the creative synonyms for the vagina, but the erotic magazine Tidens Kvinder, wants to come up with something better. The magazine thinks that it has become somewhat awkward and shameful to speak about woman’s genitals and has decided to give Denmark a chance to rename ‘her’.

In a contest running until May 1, people have the chance to suggest a new alternative word. The idea is to agree on a new term which will not be taboo and may even make its way into Danish dictionaries.

“We are looking for a more neutral word that sounds good and is not offensive or related to something forbidden. The female’s genitals are often associated with a taboo, porn or something sleazy – and we don’t think that is right,” the chief sub-editor of Tidens Kvinder, Helle Hartz, said on the website’s blog.

The most common Danish words which are generally found insulting include ‘fisse’, ‘kusse’, ‘fjappen’, ‘skræv’ and ‘dåsen’ (the can). At the lighter end of the spectrum are words like ‘missen’ (the kitty), ‘fi’, ‘hun’ (her) and ‘punani’. These slang words are mostly used among young people, so even though they may not be offensive, they might not be recognised terms by older generations. Another popular word is ‘tissekone’, which is a combination of the Danish words for ‘pee’ and ‘woman’, but it is considered a very childish word only used among small children. At last are the words ‘vagina’ and ‘skede’ which are the more clinical terms often used at school and the doctor’s office. Most Danish girls will remember turning bright red with shame when their mother would say ‘skede’, as this word is commonly used among older women. For some reason, ‘vagina’ has remained a very rare word in Denmark, so it is not very often used by anyone other than the doctor.

Despite all these words to choose from, many Danes have a problem finding the correct term that sounds mature and respectful while also being sexy and appealing and many of the available choices cause embarrassment.

Therefore Tidens Kvinder wants to come up with an ideal new word that can be used by everyone from children to elders without it being offensive or causing giggles. It should be possible, the magazine says, to use this new word in any context whether it being in the bedroom, at your grandparents' house or at the doctor's office.

Some of the suggestions so far count 'kufi', 'kuska', 'fidilut' and 'patatina' – although the last one, which means ‘little potato’ in Italian, was deemed inappropriate by the magazine.

If you think you can come up with a better word – preferably not a food – you would like Danes to use, then enter the competition here. There are prizes for the top three inventive and useful alternative suggestions. And who knows, maybe the winning choice will be taught at schools some day.

By: Unknown On 17.27

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How To Raising Puma In Apartment

Lithuanian woman Rasa Veliute shares home with three puma cubs abandoned by mother 

Rasa Veliute holds a puma who lives in her apartment in Klaipeda, Lithuania. She took three cubs home four months ago when their mother refused to care for them.

A LITHUANIAN woman says she has been raising three pumas in her three-room apartment after fearing for their lives at the local zoo.

Rasa Veliute, a 23-year-old volunteer at the zoo in Klaipeda, a Baltic Sea port town, says she took the cubs home four months ago after their mother began neglecting them.

The pumas - also known as mountain lions or cougars - are named Kipsas, Gipse and Kinde. Veliute says they eat a lot of chicken and get along well with her East European shepherd dog.

There is no Lithuanian law barring keeping the animals at home, and the zoo did not object to Veliute's actions. But Veliute told reporters Friday that the pumas have grown fast and will likely return to the zoo this summer.

By: Unknown On 01.06

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The World's Most Mysterious Buildings

The world's most mysterious buildings

The Woodchester Mansion in the Cotswolds region of England. It was abandoned midconstruction in 1873.

Mysteries come in many forms: ancient, modern, unsolved and unexplained. But the world's most mysterious buildings are a physical force to be reckoned with.

They've become popularized on websites such as abandoned-places.com, weburbanist.com and the granddaddy of them all, atlasobscura.com, an exhaustive user-generated and editor-curated database of the unusual.

Our list of mysteries doesn't trot out cliched write-ups of the Bermuda Triangle and the Egyptian pyramids, nor is it promoting the usual suspects of PR-pushed haunted hotels. These peculiar structures are original, lesser-known and often arcane.

Mystery, after all, must be authentic.

"In an age where it sometimes seems like there's nothing left to discover, our site is for people who still believe in exploration," says Atlas Obscura co-founder Joshua Foer, whose own favorite mysterious buildings include a murder mansion in Los Angeles and an art house in Centralia, Washington.

Our definition of mysterious is broad and varied. Some buildings on our list are being eaten alive by the Earth, such as a sand-swallowed lighthouse in Denmark's Jutland and a lava-buried church in the remote highlands of Mexico. Others have design elements that seem to defy logic or were mysteriously abandoned by their people centuries ago. New York's shadowy Renwick Smallpox Hospital has more recent traces of human life -- and an eerie energy that lingers. We've got the photo proof.

Renwick Hospital, Roosevelt Island, New York City

This abandoned Smallpox Hospital, replete with granite veneer, corbelled parapets and mansard roofs, is a reminder of Gotham's grisly past. Its 100 hospital beds once hosted quarantined immigrants suffering from the gruesome disease. A $4.5 million restoration project will open Renwick to the public in 2013, kicking off with an art project that includes giant butterflies hovering over the site.

Mystery: Renwick is illuminated at night by an anonymous patron, who purportedly has a view of it from an Upper East Side penthouse.

Visit: The American Institute of Architects and Classic Harbor Line offer architecture-themed cruises around Manhattan with lectures on Renwick and other mysterious city sites.

Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, New Mexico

The imposing Gothic Revival church's spiral staircase is a woodwork masterpiece that somehow connects the choir loft to the ground-level pews without a central column for stability and with wooden pegs instead of nails.

Mystery: Legend has it that an anonymous carpenter built the staircase in 1878 then disappeared without pay.

Visit: Just around the corner is La Posada de Santa Fe, a three-story Victorian mansion turned art-stuffed hotel. Suite 100 was the bedroom of previous owner Julia Staab, and her spirit is said to haunt it.

Kolmanskop Diamond Camp, Skeleton Coast, Namibia

Bushmen considered Namibia's Skeleton Coast "The Land God Made in Anger," while the Portuguese called it "The Gates of Hell." Though the coast received its name because of beached whale bones that scattered its shores during the heyday of the whaling industry, today skeletal remains of more than 1,000 fog-sacked ships and abandoned diamond camps earn it the title. Among the detritus being taken over by desert sands is Minenvewalter, the manager's house at abandoned diamond mine Kolmanskop.

Mystery: Diamond miners purportedly haunt Minenvewalter; their ax-pick-punctured skulls were allegedly found here in the 1960s long after the colony departed.

Visit: Wilderness Safari's Distinctive Namibia circuit includes lion and cheetah treks in the rusty dunes but also a scenic three-hour flight over the wreck-strewn Skeleton Coast.

Skara Brae, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Previously thought to be a Pictish village, this massive and mysterious Orcadian village on the Bay of Skaill is still being excavated -- and changing everything we know about Europe's pre-Celtic era in the process. The 5,000-year-old site predates the Egyptian pyramids.

Mystery: Even though the village was deserted thousands of years ago, the buildings at Skara Brae remain in good condition. Archaeologists don't know why the last inhabitants left, although many theorize it was abandoned because of an apocalyptic event.

Visit: Hurtigruten's "In the Wake of the Vikings" cruise calls on ports in the ancient Orkneys, as well as the Shetlands, Hebrides and Faroes.

Woodchester Mansion, Cotswolds, England

Stone gargoyles festoon this 19th-century neo-Gothic mansion topped with turrets and built of iconic honey-colored Cotswold limestone. It was abandoned midconstruction in 1873 after its devoutly Catholic owner died. Seek out the mansion amid a deeply secluded valley for bat tours, Halloween parties and paranormal nights.

Mystery: During World War II, the house was used as a temporary morgue for Allied troops. Rumors persist of uniform-wearing spirits and 1940s music echoing in the hallways.

Visit: Twenty miles away in Cheltenham, the newly opened Ellenborough Park is a gorgeous 16th-century Tudor-style manor with all the posh benefits of your own mansion.

Therme Vals, Vals, Switzerland

High in the Swiss Alps at the end of a terminal road in a Romansh-speaking pocket of Canton Graubünden is this stark thermal bath designed by Pritzker laureate Peter Zumthor. Slabs of Valser quartzite create a watery labyrinth that's by turns minimalist and quasi-industrial, but consistently eerie.

Mystery: The grottenbad (acoustic chamber) is accessed by a narrow tunnel and allows bathers' vibratos to bounce off the walls, creating a delightfully haunting aural experience.

Visit: Earn some soak time in the bath with Country Walkers' self-guided Walk of the Valais and Goms Valley.

Yaxchilán, Chiapas, Mexico

This obscure fourth-century site, along the Usumacinta River at the Guatemala border, draped in thick strangler vines and echoing with shrieking howler monkeys, is a tourist-free standout among Mexico's many ruins. Visitors approach by boat, then enter through El Laberinto (The Labyrinth), a limestone building with painted stucco panels and topped with decorative cresterías dedicated to ruler kings such as Moon Skull.

Mystery: Yaxchilán was mysteriously deserted in the ninth century, but pilings along each side of the river suggest that it was the site of a sophisticated suspension bridge.

Visit: Travel like Mayans, by water, on Mountain Travel Sobek's Chiapas Wildlife Adventure, which includes whitewater-rafting runs along the Rio Santo Domingo and stops at Yaxchilán and other ancient ruins.

Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse, Hjørring, Denmark

Jutting out from a desolate dune called Lønstrup Klint (cliff), this ghostly sentinel was built in 1900 but abandoned in 1968 after sands and sea began to devour it whole. The sturdy 75-foot-tall building will likely collapse from shifting sands and coastal erosion in the next decade -- and it makes you wonder what other Viking relics lie beneath the sand.

Mystery: The tower was built on a dune-less cliff 656 feet from the sea and nearly 200 feet above sea level, yet, despite rescue attempts, the elements slowly swallowed it over the years.

Visit: Twenty miles north is a Danish Modernist country house steps from a more tranquil beach.

San Juan Parangaricutiro, Michoacán, Mexico

In 1943, an explosive volcano in Mexico's remote mountain state of Michoacán began spewing lava, eventually burying the villages of San Juan Parangaricutiro and Paricutín under a coal-black layer of chunky lava.

Mystery: The crucifix-topped bell tower of the San Juan Parangaricutiro Church just so happened to be spared from the destructive lava, while the vacated church's altar, at the other end of the church, is also entirely intact.

Visit: Abercrombie & Kent's tailor-made Mexican Colonial Splendors trip takes you to the lava-buried site from the Purépecha mountain village of Angahuan, 30 minutes away.

Coral Castle, Homestead, Florida

Made from 1,100 tons of limestone boulders -- bigger than those at Stonehenge -- this structure, located just south of Miami, was built from 1923 to 1951 by a single man, a tiny Latvian immigrant named Edward Leedskalnin, as his home and an homage to the love of his life who left him the night before their wedding.

Mystery: How did he do it? The jilted man claimed he knew the secret to the pyramids' construction. Other details -- no mortar, precise seams, physics-defying balancing acts -- have also stumped scientists for decades.

Visit: Take a guided tour for some insights into this quirky castle, where even the rocking chairs are made of stone.

By: Unknown On 00.51

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What The Fuck Tourism Promotion Ads

'WTF' Sticker Campagin Promoting Tourism To Fruita, Colo. Dropped Due To Opposition From Residents, Council Members

In an attempt to encourage tourism to the Colorado city of Fruita, a new sticker campaign was launched using the acronym WTF, which in this case means, "Welcome To Fruita." The WTF stickers were distributed to about 500 businesses, and despite their popularity with some residents, the new campaign will not be used due to opposition from the City Council, The Associated Press reports.

According to The Daily Sentinel, the sticker campaign was the brainchild of Steve and Denise Hight who quietly circulated the stickers which read "WTF" in bold lettering and "Welcome To Fruita" in smaller lettering below, to local businesses. Within days, all of the distributed stickers had been eagerly picked up by customers and stuck to car bumpers. The Hights even placed an order for 1,500 more stickers, but due to some "overwhelmingly dismayed residents" a majority of council members have voted to not use the "WTF" campaign in any city-funded tourism advertising.

The campaign had the support of some Fruita residents as well as City Manager Clint Kinney who wanted to post the ads, but the more traditional city council did not think the stickers represented the city appropriately, CBS4 reports.

The WTF slogan was being considered by the city for a large-scale tourism ad campaign that would have run on bumper stickers, billboards and in magazines along with a "Hell Yeah" alternative ad in order to attract younger tourists to the area, according to Fruita.org.

The Hights plan on giving away the last of the 1,500 bumper stickers and don't plan on printing any further stickers.

By: Unknown On 00.45

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Wanted !! Professional Sleeper !!

Helsinki Hotel Seeks Professional Sleeper to Test Out New Beds

Hotel Finn, in the heart of Helsinki, is looking for a “professional sleeper” to test the comfort of its 35 rooms and blog all about it, the Associated Press reports.

Hotel manager Tio Tikka told the AP that they were looking for a “dynamic person to write a quality blog” about their experience living in the “best spot of summery Helsinki.” Being able to doze off is not the only job requirement. You must be fluent in Finnish and English to apply. Knowledge of Russian is an advantage.

According to the AP, some 600 people have applied for the sleeper position so far. Applications are accepted until the end of April and the 35-day gig officially starts on May 17.

Hotel Finn is not the first to hunt for professional sleepers. A Chinese woman surnamed Zhuang was selected in 2010 out of 7,800 candidates as a hotel test sleeper for the Chinese online travel platform Qunar.

According to CNN, this type of campaign became increasingly after Ben Southall beat 35,000 applicants from 200 countries to win the “best job in the world” as caretaker of Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef after hugely successful Tourism Queensland campaign in 2009.

By: Unknown On 00.36

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The World's Most Erotic Sexy Bus Tour

 Our new sexy bus tour is the hottest night out in Berlin!

Our local, multilingual, sexy girls will guide you through the city for 1 1/2 hours sharing their insider knowledge on the best bars and clubs while you sit in the comfort of your own party bus.

During the ride our team of lovely ladies will serve drinks and a complimentary welcome beer is included in the price. For an extra charge a topless striptease is also possible upon request.

The bus will pick you up directly from your hotel or hostel and after your tour of the nightlife will deliver you where ever you want to go.  As Klaus Wowereit, the mayor of Berlin once said, "Berlin, poor but sexy!"

By: Unknown On 03.29

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The World's Longest Bus Route

Birmingham to Kashmir by bus

Plans have been announced to launch a bus service between Birmingham and Mirpur in Pakistan, known as "Little Birmingham".

It promises to be Britain’s longest bus route – all the way from Birmingham to Kashmir almost 4,000 miles away.

Plans have been drawn up for a bus service between the West Midlands and Mirpur, nicknamed “Little Birmingham” because of close historical and family ties between the two cities.

The Mirpur region’s transport chief Tahir Khokher says the route will span seven countries including Iran and Pakistan – and include stopovers in Quetta, near the Afghan border, and the Iranian capital Tehran.

Tickets for the 12-day trip are expected to cost £130, a saving of around £450 on the average air fare.

Birmingham is home to the world’s largest population of Kashmiri expatriates, many having emigrated from Mirpur in the 1960s after being displaced by the building of a dam.

Mr Khokher says he hoped the service would strengthen ties and tourism between the two cities. “We are proposing to run four luxury buses once a fortnight,” he said. “The Kashmir government will also set up a swift counter system to hasten the visa process for those who don’t have a British passport.”

The plans were welcomed last night by by Khalid Mahmood, a Birmingham Labour MP whose family originates from Mirpur. “It’s a great idea that will bring the two cities closer together and be a real life experience, particularly for younger people,” he said.

His views were echoed by Mohammed Nazam, a city councillor, who said earlier generations often made the trip from Britain to Pakistan by road. “In the 1970s and 1980s people would drive a van from the UK to Kashmir and it would take about 10 or 12 days of hard driving, day and night,” he said. “Even in those days it was a real adventure. But the world isn’t as safe a place as it used to be.”

Mr Khokher dismissed security concerns, particularly those surrounding the volatile city of Quetta, where top Taliban commanders are believed to be in hiding. “I don’t feel it will be a problem,” he said. “The government is responsible for security.

“Barring one or two instances in Quetta, the overall situation is good to go.”

By: Unknown On 03.09

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