Play the "travel game"

Some people like chess while others like Sudoku or crossword puzzles. Expert suggests to play the game of travel, which requires strategy and collaboration to get hotels at about 40 percent of retail price.

You can start with Priceline.com and Hotwire.com, and then go to the travel boards of biddingforrtavel.com and betterbidding.com, where people will post the names and bidding amounts of hotels they've won. If you don't see what you are looking for, you can post a question which always seems to get answered.

In just about a half hour, you can often save hundreds of dollars per trip and that's a whole lot more rewarding than finishing a Sudoku game.

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In Mexico, never eat tacos with a fork and knife

Worried about spilling re-fried beans and salsa all over your front? Tough. Mexicans think that eating tacos with a fork and knife looks silly and, worse, snobby—kind of like eating a burger with silverware. So be polite: Eat with your hands.

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Cost-cutting: AirAsia Suspends Flights

Australians who have booked flights to Europe with budget carrier AirAsia X after March will be affected by the airline's decision to suspend the flights in a cost-cutting move.

The long-haul unit of budget carrier AirAsia said yesterday it would suspend services to Paris and London and cut India flights in a bid to rein in costs. The Malaysia- based airline cited global economic uncertainty, soaring taxes and higher jet fuel prices for the move, adding it would redeploy its fleet to profitable Asian and Australian routes.

AirAsia X, a unit of AirAsia, will cease services to Mumbai and Delhi from January 31 and March 22, respectively while routes to London and Paris will end on March 30 and March 31 respectively. AirAsia X flies from to London and Paris from Melbourne, Perth and the Gold Coast via Kuala Lumpur.The airline said passengers who hold bookings after these dates would be given an alternative travel option at no additional cost.

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Nightmare Scenes As People Fought to Escape Sinking Ship

Survivors of the Costa Concordia have told of the panic and chaos as thousands of people desperately attempted to flee the stricken vessel. Incredible stories of survival have emerged today from some of the 4,200 people on board the cruise liner which hit the rocks off the coast of the tiny Italian island of Giglio.

Fathers desperate to be with their families ignored the order that women and children should go first. There was even fighting between some passengers who tried to get on lifeboats.

Some people described it as being an 'every man for himself' situation. The Foreign Secretary William Hague said today that all British passengers and crew on board have been accounted for and are safe.

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Jakarta to be World's Halal Food Center

Jakarta will be a center of the world’s halal food as headquarter of the World Halal Food Council (WHFC) that will be officially opened in January 16 2012.

"The office, located in the MUI (Indonesian Ulema Council) Building, Central Jakarta, will be inaugurated concurrently with the opening ceremony of the WHFC annual meeting," the Director of MUI Food and Drug Analysis Agency (LPPOM) Lukmanul Hakim said in a release received here, Thursday.

Indonesia as a world’s halal food center is supported by some international halal certification agencies such as those in United States, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Australia, Taiwan and Singapore.Last year, Coordinating Minister of Economy Hatta Rajasa has signed the declaration that established Jakarta as the head office of the World’s Halal Food Council. and supports from the international keeps coming to Indonesia.

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China unveils New Super-speed Train

The train, made from plastic materials reinforced with carbon fibre, is designed to resemble an ancient Chinese sword and 'will provide useful reference for current high-speed railway operations', according to train expert Shen Zhiyun.

Earlier this year, the Communist regime unveiled its fastest operational locomotive which was able to cover the 824-mile trip between Beijing and Shanghai in five hours - reaching record-breaking top speed of 200mph and maintaining an average speed of 165mph.

The latest test model has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts, compared with 9,600 kilowatts for the Beijing-Shanghai CRH380 trains. But future Chinese trains will not necessarily run at such high speeds. CSR chairman Zhao Xiaogang said: 'We aims to ensure the safety of trains operation.'

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Jet That Can Fly Anywhere on Earth without Stopping

The bar-tailed Godwit holds the world record for how far a bird can fly without stopping to feed - one of the Australian birds flew to Alaska without stopping to feed, flying for an astonishing 7,256 miles.

So designer William Black took the bird's wings as his inspiration for a 'zero-emission' jet - the Lockheed Stratoliner concept - which would use bird-like wings for extended lift on high-altitude flights.

His idea was a jet that could fly anywhere on Earth - emitting no pollution whatsoever. The idea is still some way off, however. Hydrogen-powered flight has only been demonstrated a few times - and then only in small aircraft.

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To Stay Productive: Take Breaks!

Most people seem to think that constantly working is synonymous with being productive, but unless your brain is functioning at its maximum level, you may not be getting as much work done as you think. "[Taking breaks] is like hitting the reset button.

It helps you empty out your 'brain cache' so you have room to refill it," says Christine Hohlbaum, author of The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World. First and foremost, she recommends taking lunch every day-and leaving your desk to do it. "When you have a 'working lunch,' it's just not very efficient. At some point you're going to lose attention," she says.

She recommends taking five minutes in the morning, before starting work, and at least a 10- to 15-minute break in the afternoon. Whether you take a short walk, read a book or stare out of the window with a cup of tea, it'll help you recharge and improve your overall productivity. "It's really important to take time off because otherwise your brain will reach a s

aturation point," Hohlbaum says, explaining that when this happens, it becomes hard to focus on even the simplest task. "At that point, you need to push away from your computer and take a break."

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Boeing makes peace with labor

Boeing Co. and leaders of its main union reached a tentative settlement that could end one of the biggest U.S. labor disputes in recent times but leave unresolved key questions about the government's right to determine where companies locate their plants.

Boeing's labor troubles took on political overtones in April when the National Labor Relations Board accused the jet maker of trying to illegally shift union work to a nonunion facility. That triggered outrage at the Obama Administration from the business community. Some accused it of interfering in basic business decisions at a fragile time for the economy.

The deal announced Wednesday between Chicago-based Boeing and the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, if ratified by union members, would help pave the way for a planned jump in production by the aerospace giant.

It would alleviate the threat of strikes that could derail ambitious sales plans for a retooled version of Boeing's best-selling 737 aircraft, its new 787 Dreamliner and other jets.

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Sabang, "Duty Free Island"

Jika Anda pernah mampir ke beberapa bandara internasional yang ada di dunia, mungkin Anda sudah kenal dengan toko-toko duty free. Toko tersebut menjual barang-barang dengan harga lebih murah karena terbebas dari beberapa pajak yang dikenakan ke barang impor sesuai aturan masing-masing negara. Nah, Kota Sabang di Aceh, ibarat Duty Free Island, pulau duty free.

"Karena UU No 3 tahun 2000, menetapkan Sabang sebagai (wilayah) perdagangan bebas. Jadi barang-barang tidak dikenakan pajak seperti PPN, pajak barang mewah, jadi Sabang adalah Duty Free Island," ungkap Wali Kota Sabang Munawar Liza Zainal, dalam jumpa pers Sabang International Regatta 2011.

Oleh karena itu, Sabang bisa menjadi destinasi wisata yang cocok tak hanya untuk wisatawan asing, namun juga bagi wisatawan domestik. Menurut Munawar, Kota Sabang sebenarnya sudah siap sejak lama dalam hal pariwisata.

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Orgasme Sampai ke Langit

Begitulah Radio Nederland versi online memberi judul salah satu artikelnya akhir pekan lalu. Judul itu bukan sekedar kiasan, tapi bisa jadi kenyataan.

Sebuah perusahaan escort Belanda, Girls Company, yang seakan kekurangan tempat untuk menyediakan jasa seks komersial, membuka layanan baru: seks di udara. Untuk mempopulerkan layanan ini, perusahaan itu membuat sayembara yang memberi kesempatan bagi setiap orang untuk bercerita, berdasar pengalaman pribadi, tentang tempat-tempat paling seru untuk bercinta. Misalnya di ruang ganti baju di sebuah toko, di gudang, di kantor dan lain-lain.

Radio itu menyebutkan, sekalipun penyelenggaranya sebuah perusahaan jasa seks komersil di Belanda, bukan berarti pesertanya harus dari negeri kincir angin. Siapa saja bisa ikut. Pemenang nantinya bisa menikmati hadiah menumpang pesawat jet khusus sambil 'ditemani seseorang'.

Hadiah juga bisa disesuaikan dengan identitas seksual pemenang, asal tidak melanggar hukum. Dengan kata lain, Girls Company tidak hanya untuk peserta heteroseksual, perserta homoseksual juga boleh ikut.

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Tips agar Anda selalu berpikiran positif

Berikut beberapa hal yang anda bisa lakukan untuk memulai cara hidup yang mengedepankan pola berpikir positif:

- Jadilah optimis dan mengharapkan hasil yang baik dalam segala situasi.
- Cari alasan untuk tersenyum lebih sering.
- Visualisasikan hanya apa yang Anda inginkan terwujud
- Libatkan diri Anda dalam kegiatan rekreasi menyenangkan.
- Baca dan kutipan yang inspirasional.
- Ikuti gaya hidup sehat. Olahraga setidaknya tiga kali seminggu.
- Bergaulah dengan orang yang selau berpikir positif.

Seseorang yang berpikir positif tahu bagaimana menangani situasi yang buruk lebih baik daripada siapa pun. Dan ingat, keberhasilan terjadi kepada mereka yang percaya diri!

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Google Maps Terbaru Bawa Sejumlah Perbaikan

Versi terbaru Google Maps (5.7.) secara resmi telah dirilis Google untuk perangkat Andoroid. Ada beberapa perubahan pada versi ini, termasuk penyempurnaan ketika digunakan secara offline.

Nah dalam Google Maps 5.7 hal itu makin disempurnakan, Google mengijinkan pengguna untuk mengunduh peta yang bisa digunakan secara offline selama 30 hari. Fitur ini bisa dimanfaatkan melalui opsi Labs, kemudian Download map area.

Google mengklaim setiap area yang diunduh memiliki luas 16KM, termasuk di dalamnya versi 3D bangunan, satelite view, dan beberapa tempat lainnya. Aplikasi ini juga menyediakan navigasi dengan panduan suara, namun masih dalam masa beta.

Google Maps 5.7 mulai tersedia di Android Market dan bisa digunakan pada perangkat Android 2.1 atau di atasnya.

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Malaysia Durians Challenge Thai Dominance in China

Malaysia will start exporting durians to mainland China from July in a bid to challenge Thailand's virtual monopoly on shipments of the spiky, stinky delicacy that many Southeast Asians hail as "the king of fruits."

The breakthrough for Malaysia's agriculture industry comes after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Kuala Lumpur last month and agreed to allow the entry of Malaysian durians.

U.N. trade statistics estimate that Thai shipments accounted for 99 percent of about 1.4 million pounds (635,000 kilograms) of imported durians received by mainland China and Macau in 2009. Malaysian Agriculture Minister Noh Omar said Tuesday that durians will be sent to China during the peak harvesting months of July and September.

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World's Toughest Anti-smoking Laws

Australia’s government has unveiled plans for some of the world’s toughest anti-smoking laws, saying it would force big tobacco companies to use plain green packaging for cigarettes despite the threat of industry legal action.

Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon said on Thursday the draft laws, which will shortly go to parliament, would, if passed, help reduce thousands of smoking-related deaths each year that cost the economy A$31.5 billion ($32.9 billion).

“This plain packaging legislation is a world first and sends a clear message that the glamour is gone. Cigarette packs will now only show the death and disease that can come from smoking,” Roxon told reporters.

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Was St. Patrick Irish?

According to History.com, St. Patrick was actually born in Britain. At the age of 16, he was captured by Irish raiders and transported across the sea to Ireland. After spending six years in captivity, Patrick escaped, traveled back to Britain, and trained to become a priest.

Once his training was complete, he returned to Ireland "to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish."

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AS Keluarkan "Travel Warning" ke Jepang Akibat Kondisi Darurat Nuklir

Pemerintah Amerika Serikat (AS) mengeluarkan travel warning kepada semua warganya agar tidak mengunjungi Jepang. Hal tersebut terkait terjadinya masalah pada reaktor nuklir di Fukushima seusai diguncang gempa bermagnitud 9 pada Jumat lalu.

Dalam peringatan yang dikeluarkan itu dikatakan bahwa semua pegawai pemerintah yang tidak berkepentingan ke Jepang diminta untuk menunda kunjungan. Begitu pula bagi semua warga AS yang tidak punya keperluan sangat penting agar menunda kunjungan ke Jepang.

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Nausea

The classic cure for nausea or carsickness is ginger tea or candied ginger. You can chew on the stuff raw, if you like, but it’s so spicy and strong it might just make you feel worse.

Sniffing real peppermint or lavender oil can also help.

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Mabuk Perjalanan, Gimana Mencegahnya?

Tips mencegah mabuk perjalanan :

1. Duduk di depan, di samping supir. Selama perjalanan, fokuskan pandangan ke pemandangan di depan. Jangan terlalu sering menengok ke kiri dan kanan.
2. Di pesawat, pilih tempat duduk di area tengah untuk meminimalkan getaran mesin.
3. Jangan membaca selama di perjalanan karena akan menambah rangsangan dari mata, sehingga kerja otak bertambah berat.
4. Hindari makanan yang terlalu berbumbu agar pencernaan dan penciuman tidak perlu bekerja keras.

Obati dengan :

Obat jenis antihistamin umumnya digunakan dalam pencegahan dan pengobatan mabuk perjalanan. Antihistamin dapat mencegah dan mengatasi mual, muntah, dan pusing, serta menenangkan stimulasi di telinga bagian dalam.

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Survey: British People are the Worst-dressed Holidaymakers

British people are the worst-dressed holidaymakers in Europe followed by Germans, while the Italians and French are the smartest, according to a survey released on Friday.

The findings came despite 36 percent of Britons -- who are famed for fashion blunders like wearing socks with sandals -- admitting that they dress more adventurously than usual while on a break.

The survey also looked at how good people from different countries are at switching off from the pressures of work while taking a break.

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