San Francisco

San Francisco - This is a city of parts, any one of which would be considered adequate to summarize a lesser place. But not in San Francisco - not this city that considers itself less a metropolis than a collection of small villages.

The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 14th most populous city in the USA with a 2007 estimated population of 764,976. One of the mostdensely populated major American cities, San Francisco is part of the much larger San Francisco Bay Area, which is home to approximately 7.2 million people. The city is located on the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula , with the Pacific Ocean to the west, San Francisco bay to the east, and the Golden Gate to the north.

The Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting san Francisco Bay to the pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge. Technically, the 'gate' is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, while the 'strait' is the water flowing in between.

During the last Ice Age, when sea level was several hundred feet lower, the waters of the glacier-fed sacramento river and the San Joaquin River scoured a deep channel through the bedrock on their way to the ocean. The strait is well known today for its depth and powerful tidal currents from the Pacific Ocean. Many small whirlpools and eddies can form in its waters.

The de Young Museum, one of the city’s must-visit destinations and a favorite of San Francisco residents and visitors since 1895, reopened on October 15, 2005 after a complete makeover and it’s now a state-of-the-art facility that integrates art, architecture and natural landscape. The art museum showcases its priceless collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries, and art of the native Americas, Africa, and the Pacific. The California Academy of Sciences is due to re-open in 2008.

Polluted Beijing voted China's most beautiful city

BEIJING (Reuters) - Dirty, polluted, congested and razed of many old buildings -- but Beijing has still been chosen as China's most beautiful city.
The host to next year's Summer Olympics beat 558 mainland cities as well as former British colony Hong Kong, which came in second in the survey by the China Institute of City Competitiveness, a non-profit organization.
Southern boomtown Shenzhen came third for "its role as the pioneer of China's opening up and reform policies", while glitzy Shanghai got fourth place "for being the country's financial centre", the official China Daily reported.
Institute chairman Gui Qiangfang said the assessment took into consideration Beijing's design, infrastructure, architecture, culture and natural beauty.
"Factors including the preservation of historical monuments, forest coverage, air quality, the transportation network, city life, public space and GDP were also considered," the newspaper said, with no hint of irony.
The result might come as a surprise to many visitors to China, home to clean and leafy cities such as Qingdao and Hangzhou in the east and the picturesque walled ancient capital of Xi'an in the north.
Historic sites in Beijing, often clouded by a toxic mix of construction dust, car fumes and factory emissions, have long been under threat, but the situation has become still more dire as the city is feverishly refurbished for next year's Olympics.
The ruling Communist Party ordered the confiscation of many ancient buildings to accommodate new state organs after it took power in 1949. Most of Beijing's ancient city walls were also destroyed in the first years of Communist rule.
More recently, breakneck development has been claiming what remains of historic "hutong" alleyways and architectural icons.

To China with Aloha

I recently returned from my first visit to China, a memorable trip to Shanghai. Shanghai is China’s largest city with over 20 million residents, and I was impressed with the modern, international feel the city evokes. The primary purpose of the visit was to join the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) delegation which attended the Shanghai International Film Festival in mid-June. Film makers and industry people from around the world transcended on Shanghai to share their films and promote their film festivals, something the Hawaii delegation did as well.
With HIFF executive director Chuck Boller taking the lead, Hawaii was well represented along with students from the University of Hawaii Academy of Creative Media led by Chairman Tom Brislin and Associate Professor Anne Misawa, an accomplished film maker in her own right. Film production is a clean industry that not only shares one’s creative abilities, but also helps promote Hawaii to the world. The relationships Mr. Boller has established in Shanghai were apparent, and the marketing of HIFF is another way to promote Hawaii tourism and bring more visitors to our state.
Our delegation also had the opportunity to visit with Chinese educational officials, and the future collaborations and partnerships discussed involving students and professors bodes well for future relations with China. With a population of approximately 1.2 billion residents, I believe China is a country with whom we want to build a strong relationship and forge a lasting friendship. Peace and prosperity for both countries must be a common goal we work and strive for.
The architecture of Shanghai was fabulous with a mix of the old and the very new. I was very impressed by the shapes, originality and creativity in many of Shanghai’s skyscrapers, and the lighted Shanghai is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
We had a chance to meet with Hawaii Tourism Authority staff stationed in Shanghai, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai President, a commercial officer with the United States Consulate General, an international business attorney, and many Chinese business persons and the feeling is China is on the right path and can be a strong economic partner with Hawaii and the rest of the United States.
My meeting with Wu Xinyi and Ge Shiping of the Shanghai Shentong Metro Group responsible for the rail transit system was informative and educational. Shanghai’s system accommodates 2 million riders a day, and is affordable, efficient, safe, and clean. My use of the rail line was positive and pleasing with the highlight being able to ride from downtown to the airport on the only commercial magnetic levitation rail system in the world. It was remarkable, amazing, and fast.
I left China yearning to experience more of the culture and history of this great ancient civilization. Shanghai is a dynamic metropolitan city with international influences and is currently preparing to host the 2010 World Expo. With 70 million visitors expected to attend Expo, Hawaii should consider a pavilion or exhibition. In the future, Hawaii can truly benefit from China, and China can definitely benefit from Hawaii in areas such as healthcare, education, tourism, consumerism, and environmental issues.


By Sen. Will Espero
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?1c03472a-4319-4562-bab4-cd830954dce9

Touring in the Loire Valley of France

The Loire Valley is a splendid region awarded world heritage listing because of its amazing chateaux.The kings and queens of France, seduced by the mild climate and the game-filled oak forests built their sumptuous homes here in the Loire Valley. They surrounded themselves with the greatest artists and architects of this era. This is the country of a thousand castles. The valley is full of not only royal chateaux and renaissance palaces, national museum and large magnificent chateaux, but also medieval castles and fortresses, small fairy tale manors, private chateaux, medieval cities, churches, abbeys, and cathedrals. Many chateaux and stately homes are open to the public: some are state owned, such as Chambord and Blois; others are private, and still lived in. A huge proportion of them run son-et-lumiere spectacles during the high season. Chateau de Chenonceau and Chateau de Chambord are definitely worth a visit and are close to Blois.

BY Corina Clemence.

Most Beautiful Cities In the world

Once, the story goes, at a bend in the River Schelde, lived a giant named Antigoon. He was in the habit of stopping ships on the river, and demanding extortionate tolls. If the ship's captain wouldn't pay, Antigoon cut one of his hands off. Then, one day, Silvius Brabo, a passing Roman warrior, thought this a rather unsatisfactory situation. So, he slew the giant, cut his hand off and threw it in the river.In Dutch, the throwing of a hand' is hand-werpen' and this, they say, gave Antwerp its name.This story is often recalled after dinner in Antwerp, when small, sweet hand-shaped biscuits, called handjes, or little hands' are passed around. Chocolate handjes are also available.However, there are some who like to spoil good stories with facts, who say the name actually comes from aanwerp', a mound on the riverbank. The aanwerp was removed to build the present quayside; to see how the river looked before, walk along the quay to Hangar 15, a former dockside warehouse.This could be the first call for first-time visitors. Normally, you might consult a guide-book or a street-plan; in Hangar 15, you'll find Miniatuurstad, where a team of dedicated model-makers have constructed a scale model of the city in painstaking detail.So, a conducted tour' of the city and the port is possible, without leaving your seat! Other displays show Antwerp's development from an Iron Age settlement to today's busy port and trading centre.If you're interested in history, Antwerp has plenty. If you're not into art galleries and museums, there's still something for you. The city is famed for its fashion houses and its vibrant nightlife. Antwerp knows how to party and, more importantly, knows how to party without annoying anyone else; here, fun isn't the sole prerogative of the young.Walk anywhere in the city centre, and you'll see and hear entertainment. Buskers are almost everywhere. I only heard one bad busker in Antwerp, outside the house of artist Peter Paul Rubens. But, when I entered the courtyard garden, his discordant bawling was left in the street, and a blackbird sang.
by Keith K.

Antwerp, Belgium

The most beautiful cities in the world

Once, the story goes, at a bend in the River Schelde, lived a giant named Antigoon. He was in the habit of stopping ships on the river, and demanding extortionate tolls. If the ship's captain wouldn't pay, Antigoon cut one of his hands off. Then, one day, Silvius Brabo, a passing Roman warrior, thought this a rather unsatisfactory situation. So, he slew the giant, cut his hand off and threw it in the river.
In Dutch, the throwing of a hand' is hand-werpen' and this, they say, gave Antwerp its name.
This story is often recalled after dinner in Antwerp, when small, sweet hand-shaped biscuits, called handjes, or little hands' are passed around. Chocolate handjes are also available.
However, there are some who like to spoil good stories with facts, who say the name actually comes from aanwerp', a mound on the riverbank. The aanwerp was removed to build the present quayside; to see how the river looked before, walk along the quay to Hangar 15, a former dockside warehouse.
This could be the first call for first-time visitors. Normally, you might consult a guide-book or a street-plan; in Hangar 15, you'll find Miniatuurstad, where a team of dedicated model-makers have constructed a scale model of the city in painstaking detail.
So, a conducted tour' of the city and the port is possible, without leaving your seat! Other displays show Antwerp's development from an Iron Age settlement to today's busy port and trading centre.
If you're interested in history, Antwerp has plenty. If you're not into art galleries and museums, there's still something for you. The city is famed for its fashion houses and its vibrant nightlife. Antwerp knows how to party and, more importantly, knows how to party without annoying anyone else; here, fun isn't the sole prerogative of the young.
Walk anywhere in the city centre, and you'll see and hear entertainment. Buskers are almost everywhere. I only heard one bad busker in Antwerp, outside the house of artist Peter Paul Rubens. But, when I entered the courtyard garden, his discordant bawling was left in the street, and a blackbird sang.

by Keith K.
Antwerp, Belgium