The Mediterranean Cruise Directory Egypt is “Misr” in Arabic. It occupies the northeastern corner of Africa, and is connected to Asia by the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is bordered by Libya on the west, Sudan on the south, Israel on the east, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Egypt has a surface area of 386,662 square miles, approximately the same size as Texas. The population of Egypt is about 75 million. Cairo, Egypt's capital city, has a population of more than 17 million. This great metropolis is the meeting place of Africa, the Arab world, Europe and Asia. Cairo is the most important city in the country and is the political, cultural, and economic center. The oldest part of Cairo lies in the vicinity of the Khan El Khalili Bazaar and Al Azhar Mosque. The modern part of Cairo was built by a descendant of Mohamed Ali, in the 19th century.  Today a sprawling city, with its ever expanding suburbs, surrounds this historic core.  The most famous mosque, the Mohamed Ali Mosque, was built in Cairo in his memory. Cairo is known as the city of a thousand minarets due to the profusion of mosques. In approximately 3000 B.C., a civilization emerged on the banks of the River Nile. It reached a stage of development and sophistication that none of its contemporaries surpassed. The ancient Egyptians' ability to organize society, keep careful records, and maintain the continuity and advancement of their civilization almost without interruption for 30 centuries set them apart from all other civilizations. A land of motion within the stillness of centuries, the silent felucca sails in contrast to the chaos and cacophony along the Nile. Among today's monuments are the world's largest textile mill, one of the highest dams, and the largest manmade lake. Yet, all the noises of construction, cries of street vendors, even the braying of donkeys, in ever-expanding Cairo are absorbed by the eternal quiet of the deserts. Egypt is a country with many secrets tied to its past. It is an explorer's land, with places to find treasures such as antiquities, gold or jewels. It is a place to see palaces and bazaars, where the real and the reproduced can be considered. It is a land where flowers bloom in the desert and in the underwater gardens. For those who can “drink the water of the Nile,” the rewards are magnificent.

Former Tennis Player David Lloyd Plans Resort In Saïdia Morocco (Hospitality Net)
David Lloyd has announced plans to open a resort on Morocco's Mediterranean coast in Saïdia, in partnership with award-winning brand Le Jardin de Fleur. The resort will open in 2010 and will offer fractional ownership, luxury build standards and the high quality leisure services associated with the David Lloyd brand.

Holiday shopping: A guide to gift guides (Naples Daily News)
Need some help sorting through the dizzying array of gift guides? Here are some of the more distinctive gifts from the annual gift guides by major specialty publications.

Tasty Middle Eastern flavors tweak Thanksgiving table (The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles)
Hilit Gilat knows her way around the kitchen. For the past two years, the Israel-born chef has built a steady reputation for preparing sumptuous, slow-cooked meats, savory stews and Mediterranean delicacies for families and private events, corporate affairs and even visiting dignitaries.

Russian ships to Venezuela in show of power (AP via Yahoo! News)
The voyage of the cruiser Peter the Great, scheduled to arrive in Venezuela next week with a squadron of other Russian warships, was meant to showcase the Kremlin's ability to project naval power abroad and reassert its claim to great power status.

Russian ships to Venezuela in show of power (The Charlotte Observer)
(By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer) The voyage of the cruiser Peter the Great, scheduled to arrive in Venezuela next week with a squadron of other Russian warships, was meant to showcase the Kremlin's ability to project naval power abroad and reassert its claim to great power status. But the arrival of the 24,000-ton nuclear-powered vessel and its escorts may mark the end of an era ...

Russian ships to Venezuela in show of power (The State)
The voyage of the cruiser Peter the Great, scheduled to arrive in Venezuela next week with a squadron of other Russian warships, was meant to showcase the Kremlin's ability to project naval power abroad and reassert its claim to great power status. But the arrival of the 24,000-ton nuclear-powered vessel and its escorts may mark the end of an era of rising ambitions for the Russian navy, not its ...

Russian ships to Venezuela in show of power (Las Vegas Sun)
Fri, Nov 21, 2008 (9:51 a.m.) The voyage of the cruiser Peter the Great, scheduled to arrive in Venezuela next week with a squadron of other Russian warships, was meant to showcase the Kremlin's ability to project naval power abroad and reassert its claim to great power status.

Before you graduate college you should probably know... (The Villanovan)
Being a 20-something is a daunting task. Everyone tells you these are supposed to be the best years of your life; you'll meet your best friends, create ridiculous stories to tell your grandkids and get out of trouble more times than you can count.

Amid Economic Downturn Incredible Real Estate Opportunities Abound in Panama (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
Costa Pedasi, a new luxury gated beachfront community on the Azueros Peninsula, Panama, offers a unique investment opportunity and safe haven from the world's turbulent times. Costa Pedasí is a luxury beachfront gated community developed now in Panama consisting of private villas enjoying stunning ocean views.

Wave of the Future (Hospitality Design)
With a degree from NYU's Stern School of Business and a job as a portfolio manager and analyst at a prominent hedge fund, Matthew Abramcyk seemed to be set in his career. But that wasn't the case. "I was disenfranchised," remembers the Manhattan native.