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.

The execution that turned Limerick into Ireland's murder capital (Guardian Unlimited)
Johnny Warne points across to the other side of the Shannon and grins: 'For many on this side, over there is enemy territory.' In this run-down part of Limerick, Ireland's longest river acts as a natural frontier between the warring criminal clans of the republic's third city, whose murderous feuds have now claimed the life of an innocent bystander, a respected rugby player - the 11th ...

The Almanac -- weekly (Moldova.org)
Today is Monday, Dec. 8, the 343rd day of 2008 with 23 to follow.The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Saturn and Mars. The evening stars are Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include Mary Queen of Scots in 1542; Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, in 1765; General Motors founder William Durant in 1861; Finnish ...

Cronbergers return from Portugal (Curry County Reporter)
Bill and Carolyn Cronberger just returned from a Douro River Cruise on the Douro Queen, through parts of Portugal and Spain. The steep slopes of the Douro Valley is a UNESCO Heritage Site creating a picturesque backdrop to the river.

Unusual Tours To Great Destinations (RainbowNetwork.com)
If you've come to associate organised tours with massive chartered cruise ships, packed buses, and onerously large groups of fellow travellers, you might want to give this concept a fresh look.

Resident an eyewitness to history (The Pekin Daily Times)
Times correspondent PEKIN - Inez Dumville contends that's it is much easier to remember history when you've actually lived through it.

Cruise lines to end fuel surcharges - in 2010 (San Francisco Chronicle)
The most recent tasty morsels from the sprawling buffet of cruise news - all wrapped in nothing but a towel: Everybody pays the fuel: Following similar moves by Carnival and Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises...

Tours & cruises Bald eagle-watching in Canada (Los Angeles Times)
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA Bald eagle-watching Drift along the Squamish River, surrounded by Canadian wilderness while watching hundreds of bald eagles descend on the annual salmon run during Canadian Outback Adventures' "Bald Eagle Safari Bird Watching Adventure."

Examine the World Merchant Shipping Market Brief (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
NEW YORK----Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report related to the Transportation industry is available in its catalogue.

Sponsored Trips: November 16, 2008 (The Morning Call)
''I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change,'' Dutch Apple Dinner Theater, Feb. 18, $74. ''Felix and Oscar, the New Odd Couple,'' Rainbow Dinner Theater, April 22, $67. Allentown AARP 5415, Jeanne, 610-437-4265.

Holland America Line Announces Four Grand Voyages in 2010 (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Holland America Line unveiled its 2010 Grand Voyage itineraries, giving cruisers the opportunity to choose either the full, 114-day Grand World Voyage or one of the Grand Voyages, ranging from 51- to 70-days.