Editor’s Note: CNN’s Destination Adventure series takes a look at destinations for the wanderer at heart. We’re kicking things off with Alaska. In this story, you’ll find tips from a former resident who recently returned for a visit. Each week, we’ll feature favorite regional foods, secrets from the locals and the best photos and stories from readers. Have you been to Alaska? Share your story with CNN iReport. Next week, we’ll journey to Hong Kong.
(CNN) — Alaska’s a big place.
It sounds obvious, but it’s an important fact to remember when planning a visit, because you won’t get to see everything in one trip. I spent the first 24 years of my life in four different Alaska towns, and there are still new things to do when I go back to visit.
So tip No. 1 is to make some decisions: Do you want to camp in a national park? Hike to the top of a glacier? Go backcountry skiing? Catch and/or eat some of the best seafood in the country? See the northern lights? You won’t be able to do it all, but with a bit of planning you can pack quite a few adventures into a week or two.
Here are some ideas for activities based on a recent trip I took with some friends:
As the state’s largest city and home to its biggest airport, Anchorage is the place where many will start their adventures on the Last Frontier — and our trip was no different. The city is surrounded by water on two sides and a mountain range on the third.
At sea level, the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail skirts the city along the water. It’s an 11-mile paved trail available for walking and cycling, or skiing and snowshoeing, depending on the season.
For those looking for more elevation, Chugach State Park is just east of the city and has several trails. I recommend heading up Flattop Mountain. It’s a relatively short hike, just 1.5 miles from the trailhead to the mountain top, but the trail is steep in parts, especially near the summit. With a bit of care, though, most people shouldn’t have too much trouble making it up and enjoying the sweeping view of the city and surrounding scenery.
On our trip, we left Anchorage after a couple of days and drove 130 miles south to Seward. From there, we spent a day hiking alongside Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. The National Park Service calls this 7.4-mile hike "strenuous," but seeing the ice field at the top makes the hard work worthwhile. And it doesn’t get much better than an Alaskan Amber beer and fresh halibut once you make it back down.
If your legs are tired from hiking, you can work out your arms with a sea kayaking trip in Resurrection Bay. The clouds were low the day of our excursion, but we saw bald eagles in the tree tops and were escorted by sea lions as we paddled along the rocky shoreline.
To finish off our Alaska adventure, we left Seward and drove 360 miles up to Denali National Park, home of the tallest peak in North America, Mount McKinley. The public is allowed to drive only a few miles into the park, but there are buses that provide access farther into the wilderness. On our bus ride we saw bears, mountain goats, moose and coyotes. A few lucky visitors will get to see wolves, but sightings are rare.
After a few nights of camping in the park, it was time to drive back to Anchorage and catch our flights home. And even though we experienced a lot during our visit, there are plenty more adventures to be had when we go back.
Like fishing for king salmon on the Kenai River, or watching the northern lights while relaxing in natural hot springs, or downhill skiing in Hatcher Pass, or sailing along the Inside Passage, or panning for gold in the Tanana Valley, or …
Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here
* Drug will be commercially available in the US in Sept.
July 29 (Reuters) – Biopharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers
Squibb Co (BMY.N) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approved a subcutaneous formulation of Orencia, a drug used to
treat rheumatoid arthritis.
The company said the new self injectable formulation of
Orencia will be commercially available in the U.S. in September
2011. An intravenous version of the drug was approved in 2005.
(Reporting by Divya Sharma in Bangalore; editing by Carol
Bishopric)
(divya.sharma@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780;
outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters Messaging:
divya.sharma.reuters.com@reuters.net))
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here
Former Man Booker Prize-winner Alan Hollinghurst is one of 13 authors up for this year's award.
A total of 138 books were whittled down by the judges, chaired by Dame Stella Rimington.
"We are delighted by the quality and breadth of our longlist, which emerged from an impassioned discussion," Dame Stella said.
"The list ranges from the Wild West to multi-ethnic London via post-Cold War Moscow and Bucharest."
Writer and journalist Matthew d'Ancona, author Susan Hill, author and politician Chris Mullin and The Daily Telegraph's Gaby Wood complete the judging panel.
Hollinghurst's novel is a century-spanning saga about a love triangle that spawns a myth – and a family mystery – across generations.
Bookmakers already have the author the favourite to win the award with odds of 5/1 over Barnes at 6/1 – who has lost out on the prize three times previously.
Last year's Man Booker Prize was won by Howard Jacobson for The Finkler Question, beating competition favourite Pete Carey.
Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here
National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), one of the largest Kuwaiti banks, has sponsored the exhibition of the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate that has been held in the Avenues Mall recently.
NBK Executive Manager Consumer Banking Group, Khalid Al-Subaie, stated, “Sponsoring and participating in the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate Exhibition is consistent with our endeavor to support public events and to effectively raise public awareness of the role of the firefighting force, and to increase public awareness of the fire hazards in Kuwait and how to avoid them.”
Al-Subaie also commended the members of the Firefighting Force for their courage in fighting fires and risking their lives to ensure the safety of others.
Al-Subaie stressed that NBK has consistently endeavored to sponsor, support and participate in such events and functions taking into consideration the added value it brings to clients in addition to the opportunities it provide to discuss and present the latest products and financing solutions devised by NBK.
“NBK is well set to prominently showcase its unique suite of consumer products and exclusive financing offers and financing solutions that are tailored to meet clients’ needs,” Al-Subaie added.
Originally Published On: www.ameinfo.com – Original Article Here
(CNN) — Two brothers have been arrested and charged with aggravated battery after allegedly attacking and chasing a pilot at Miami International Airport.
The bizarre incident began on board an American Airlines flight bound for San Francisco on Wednesday evening.
As the plane was taxiing out, a flight attendant noticed that Jonathan Baez was sleeping and not wearing his seat belt. She tried to wake him up, but he was "unresponsive and appeared to be intoxicated or on narcotics," according to the Miami-Dade Police Department arrest report.
The pilot then returned the plane to the gate and tried several times to wake Baez. When the passenger awoke, he was told he couldn’t fly in his condition and was asked to leave the plane, police said.
That’s when his brother, Luis Baez, also decided to leave.
As both men were walking toward the plane door, they "became extremely belligerent," and Luis Baez — who was born in Puerto Rico — told the pilot, "When you fly to San Juan, I will have you killed," according to the arrest report.
Shortly after leaving the plane, Jonathan Baez came back on board and punched the pilot in the face, causing a large bruise and blurred vision in his left eye, the arrest report says.
He also struck a flight attendant on the shoulder when she tried to intervene, police said.
But the ordeal wasn’t over yet.
When the pilot escorted the brothers off the plane, they jumped him and started punching him, and then chased him into the terminal, according to the arrest report.
Other crew members and passengers came to the pilot’s defense and subdued the brothers until police arrested them.
The pilot told police that he was concerned Luis Baez would follow through on his threats to kill him and said he feared for his life.
Jonathan Baez’s bond has been set at $9,000, while Luis Baez is $12,500, according to The Miami Herald.
The men remain in the Miami-Dade County Jail, CNN affiliate WPLG reported.
Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here
* Staff must keep docs on questionable reporting methods
* Asked to do this because of News Corp’s problems in UK
(Rewrites first paragraph)
NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch’s New York
Post has ordered newsroom staff to keep all documents related
to questionable reporting methods involving phone hacking or
unlawful payments to government officials in light of the fire
storm in the UK engulfing the newspaper’s owner, News Corp.
The company’s legal department said in a memo on Friday:
“As you have undoubtedly seen, there have been press accounts
of inquiries into whether employees or agents of News
Corporation or its subsidiaries have (a) accessed telephone
and/or other personal data of third-parties without
authorization, and/or (b) made unlawful payments to government
officials in order to obtain information.
“As you also know, these stem from the actions at The News
of the World in London, as well as unsourced, unsubstantiated
reports in one London tabloid.
“Starting today, all employees must preserve and maintain
all documents and information that are related in any way to
the above mentioned issues.
“Please know we are sending this notice not because any
recipient has done anything improper or unlawful. However,
given what has taken place in London, we believe that taking
this step will help to underscore how seriously we are taking
this matter.”
A copy of the memo was obtained by Reuters.
NEWS EDITOR REASSURES STAFF
In a separate memo on Friday, the New York Post’s
Editor-in-Chief, Colin Allan, told the staff they had been
asked to save documents “in light of what has gone on in London
at News of the World, and not because any recipient has done
anything improper or unlawful.”
The memo, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, went on
to say: “As we watched the news in the UK over the last few
weeks, we knew that as a News Corp tabloid, we would be looked
at more closely. So this is not unexpected.
“I want to stress that your full and absolute cooperation
is necessary and you are expected to comply with this direction
from our legal department.
“At the same time, please know we understand and take very
seriously your concerns over the protection of legitimate
journalistic sources. While we have instituted this hold, we do
intend to protect from disclosure all legitimate and lawful
journalistic sources in accordance with the law.”
News Corp (NWSA.O) declined to comment on the memos.
News Corp’s now defunct U.K. tabloid News of the World is
at the center of a bitter scandal in which the newspaper has
been accused of hacking individual’s phones, including that of
a teenage girl who was murdered.
The scandal has embroiled some of News Corp’s most senior
executives, including Rupert Murdoch and his son James, and
British politicians and police.
It has grown increasingly more serious since the beginning
of July and has caused News Corp to drop its bid for the stake
of British pay TV company BSkyB (BSY.L) it does not already
own.
Murdoch and his son James, News Corp’s deputy chief
operating officer, have testified before a parliamentary
committee regarding the phone hacking. [ID:nL6E7II2FF]
John Rockefeller, chairman of the U.S. Senate commerce
committee, has called for an investigation to determine if News
Corp has broken any U.S. laws and the FBI is investigating
allegations News Corp might have hacked the phones of victims
of the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.
Les Hinton, who was the chief executive of Dow Jones & Co,
which publishes the Wall Street Journal, resigned his post on
July 15. Hinton was head of News Corp’s British newspaper unit,
News International, when phone hacking was said to have
occurred.
Last week, Robert Thomson, managing editor of the Wall
Street Journal, sent a memo to staff reminding them that the
newsroom had set up a confidential hotline for any employee who
was concerned about journalistic practices at Dow Jones.
(Reporting by Jennifer Saba; editing by Andre Grenon)
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here
Hilary Devey, the multi-millionaire CEO of a freight haulage firm, is determined to make her mark as the new Dragon in the Den.
"I have got genuine compassion for people and I genuinely like to help, but I'm also very much a commercial animal."
"I literally did everything myself. I couldn't afford typists, I couldn't afford to even photocopy documents.
"And it was quite challenging, juggling three dresses to make myself look smart and presentable every day."
Working within a male-dominated industry, she also faced some hostility, but dealt with it in a matter-of-fact way:
"I shrugged my shoulders, laughed and got on with it.
"When I was asked 'can you drive a truck?' I'd say: 'No love, I can't, but I can run your business better than you can.'"
As a single mum, Devey said her main focus was to feed son, Mevlit, and keep a roof over their heads.
But discovering that Mevlit had become addicted to heroin, at the age of 17, was one of the hardest times of her life.
"Getting [Mevlit] off heroin and going with him on that journey – and seeing your child weeks away from death – is probably the most challenging time in my life," she says.
Her world was further shaken when, in 2009, she suffered a stroke.
"To wake up the following morning and not even be able to spell the word 'the'… to have your brain scrambled so I couldn't even talk coherently⦠is something that nobody can comprehend unless they've actually gone through it," she says.
The stroke left her arm paralysed and she lost her peripheral vision, and she is now a keen supporter of The Stroke Association.
So – with all that life has thrown at her – what is the secret to Hilary's success and fortune?
"I have a capacity for work that can be seldom equalled," she says.
The new series of Dragons' Den begins on Sunday 31 July at 2100 BST On BBC Two and BBC HD
Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here
STOCKHOLM, July 28 |
STOCKHOLM, July 28 (Reuters) – Vladimir Antonov has been
informed that the European Investment Bank will not allow him to
invest in ailing Swedish carmaker Saab (SWAN.AS), a spokesman
for the Russian businessman said on Thursday.
“We have known for a few weeks,” Antonov’s spokesman Lars
Carlstrom told Reuters.
The EIB, which has loaned Saab money and therefore has a
veto right in ownership issues, has not made any formal
statement about Antonov’s application for approval as a
shareholder.
Carlstrom said Antonov still wanted to be an owner in Saab
and was working on a way to repay the EIB loan in order to be
able to take a stake in the Swedish car firm, owned by
Dutch-listed Swedish Automobile.
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here
LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) – A British protester who threw a plate of foam at Rupert Murdoch during a parliamentary hearing into the phone-hacking scandal pleaded guilty in court to assault Friday and quipped: “this has been the most humble day of my life.”
Jonathan May-Bowles, a comedian who uses the name Jonnie Marbles, was borrowing the phrase famously used by Murdoch when he appeared before a panel of lawmakers earlier this month.
Speaking to a crowd of reporters and photographers outside court in London, May-Bowles raised a laugh when he said: “I would just like to say this has been the most humble day of my life.”
The 26-year-old, from Windsor, west of London, hurled the “foam pie” at Murdoch’s face toward the end of a meeting of the British parliament’s influential Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
The 80-year-old’s third wife, Wendi Deng, who was sitting behind the media mogul, immediately jumped up and appeared to hit the attacker. The parliamentary hearing was adjourned for 15 minutes and the room was cleared. Murdoch returned to finish giving his evidence, without his foam-spattered jacket.
May-Bowles, wearing an open-necked casual checked shirt, pleaded guilty to assault and causing harassment, alarm or distress. He will be sentenced on August 2.
(Reporting Peter Griffiths; Editing by Steve Addison)
Originally Published On: www.reuters.com – Original Article Here
A prop designer who made the original Stormtrooper helmets for Star Wars has won his battle with director George Lucas over his right to sell replicas.
"Art is like a Rodin sculpture, film production is an industry and that's what these products are, they were always industrial designs," he said.
"I am proud to report that in the English legal system David can prevail against Goliath if his cause is right. If there is a force, then it has been with me these past five years."
Both the Court of Appeal and the High Court had already ruled in Mr Ainsworth's favour in his multi-million pound battle with Mr Lucas's production company.
The father-of-two has been selling copies of his plastic composite armour and helmets – from the original 1977 film – for eight years.
He uses the same studio in Twickenham from which he made the original costumes, and charges up to £1,800.
In 2004, Lucasfilm sued for $20m (£12m) arguing he did not hold the intellectual property rights and had no right to sell them – a point upheld by a US court.
But the judgement could not be enforced because the designer held no assets in the US, so the battle moved to the UK.
The Star Wars creator, worth an estimated £2bn, claimed Mr Ainsworth was breaching his copyright.
He took his case to the High Court in 2008, Court of Appeal a year later, and earlier this year to the Supreme Court – the highest court in the land.
That court has now also ruled that the 3D works should not be considered sculptures, which means their copyright protection is 15 years from the date they were marketed, and had therefore expired.
But the judges agreed with Lucasfilm lawyers that the director's copyright had been violated in the US by Mr Ainsworth selling his costumes there.
They ruled that those infringed rights were enforceable in the UK, banning him from selling his outfits in the US.
A Lucasfilm spokesman said the court's decision maintained "an anomaly of British copyright law under which the creative and highly artistic works made for use in films… may not be entitled to copyright protection in the UK".
The company said that protection would have been given in "virtually every other country in the world".
On the issue of the jurisdiction of UK courts over infringements abroad, the company said: "The judgement is an important step in modernising UK law and bringing it into line with the EU."
The spokesman added: "Lucasfilm remains committed to aggressively protecting its intellectual property rights relating to Star Wars in the UK and around the globe."
Originally Published On: www.bbc.co.uk – Original Article Here