CasinoMan Blog - Archives June 2011

Singapore Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom Paradise on Earth

30 June 2011

Singapore boasts 50 islets all around its main island and has thousands of attractions and places to visit when travelling to this delightful part of the world. One of these is the Singapore Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom. This truly extraordinary tourist attraction is set in a lush tropical rainforest environment which will take your breath away.

The park has been designed to give the impression that it is deep in a tropical jungle, but this is just an impression because it is safe to visit. You will discover the beauty of nature at its very best in this incredible park. There hundreds of butterflies that will bewilder and bewitch you as they flutter continuously around in this perfect setting. The exotic insects will fascinate you with their shapes and colours as they scuttle along the ground and rush past you through the air.

The sheer electric atmosphere of the park will thrill you with the sounds and scents of the tropical rainforest and children will be enthralled at the many things that they can do and see during a tour of the park.

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Big Apple Helicopter Tour of New York

30 June 2011

New York has many famous buildings and landmarks, but walking around such a busy city you’ll probably miss many of them or find long queues to see the sights you want.  So why not treat yourself to the Big Apple Helicopter Tour of New York?

The tour lasts around fifteen minutes, which may not sound very long, but the agility of the helicopter along with its unrivalled access from the air, means that you’ll get to see all of the attractions during that time.  You will be able to see some of the tallest buildings at their finest, rather than straining your neck trying to look up at them.  To top it off, you sit in your own private cocoon, without anyone trying to barge past you or ask you to move along.

You’ll start at New York’s Downtown Heliport, near the financial centre of Wall Street.  Your flight will take you past the World Financial Centre, the Art Deco grandeur that is the Chrysler Building and the iconic Empire State Building, although giant apes climbing up the side may not be available.  

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New York City Harbour Lights Night Cruise

30 June 2011

New York is one of the most memorising cities in the world.  From Broadway to the Statue of Liberty, almost every street is legendary.  However it’s only the roads and boardwalks that are special, the river and harbour have their own unique stories to tell.

The best way to witness and understand this is to take a night time cruise.  Make your way to Pier 83 and step aboard your vessel.  Here you can sit in comfort and marvel as your host guides you with a full commentary of your journey.

You can sit and watch the sun setting and the moon rising over the Manhattan Skyline.  As darkness descends you can watch the reflection of the city lights as you view the riverside landmarks.  Some of the sights on the tour include the Brooklyn Bridge, the Ellis Island immigration centre and the Statue of Liberty herself.  Some 12 million immigrants passed by Liberty and went through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954, making it one of the major points of entry for migrants entering America.

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Bio of Alice Walton

25 June 2011

The daughter of Wal-Mart founder the late Samuel Walton and his wife the late Helen Walton, Alice Walton is the third-richest woman in the world, and the second richest in the US, according to the Forbes list of female billionaires of 2011. Heir to the world’s largest retailing enterprise; Alice Walton’s worth is estimated to be $21.2 billion.

Born in Newport, Arkansas, on the 7th of October 1949, Alice Walton is the youngest of her siblings, and is also the only sister to her three older brothers: Samuel, Jim and John (deceased). Despite her father’s business legacy, Alice Walton chose not to be directly involved or work in the family business, and pursued a career in a different industry. She is, however, deeply involved in the Walton Family Foundation’s philanthropic activities.

After completing her B.A. (Economics & Finance) from the Trinity College in San Antonio Texas, Alice Walton pursued a career in investment banking and finance, starting as an Equity Analyst at First Commerce Corporation at the time the largest multibank holding company in Louisiana and eventually went on to join the Arvest Bank Group as Vice Chairman (Investments). For a time, she also worked as a broker with E. F. Hutton’s at New Orleans. However, a controversy with SEC later, she was suspended for 6 months, after which she returned to Arkansas.

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Charlie Sheen Pulls Atlantic City Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour

22 June 2011

Charlie Sheen it would appear can either give a performance that will thrill and entertain an audience or if you are one of the unlucky people who saw his show in Atlantic City, he can give a performance that will leave you feeling so bored you just have to leave the theatre.

The reviews after the show were dire. The words ‘boring’ and ‘monotonous’ were on just about every reviewers lips and Sheen proved once again that sometimes he just does not have either anything of interest to say or share with an audience who thought that they were coming to get entertained by this world famous now maybe ex actor.

The critiques were brutal and to some extent Sheen did deserve this rather vitriolic reaction from them. He had after all disappointed a lot of people who had paid quite a hefty price for a ticket to be entertained by him. But there were signs on the wall that not everyone rates Sheen in this new role of entertainer that he is sometimes good at but then very often not, as there were plenty of empty seats right from the start of his performance and there were a lot more after the interval with many of the audience not even bothering to return to get bored a second time round in the same evening.

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Washington DC Day Trip from New York

19 June 2011

New York is a great place to visit, however what if you want to go and explore a little bit of the United States, well one option is a day trip to the capital city, Washington DC.  The trip takes place on a fifteen seater, fully air conditioned bus, providing you with comfort and a good view of the scenery.

The Bus will pick you up from Grand Central Station.  Building of the current Station was completed in 1913, although there has been a rail road terminal building on the site since 1871.  Get there early and look around the architecture, especially the astronomical ceiling, devised by brothers Warren and Paul César Helleu.  

Once aboard, the Bus will take you on a brief stop to Madame Tussauds.  Here you can have your photo taken with President Obama and visit a replica of the Oval Office.  You won’t be allowed to visit any of the other areas of Madame Tussauds, but nor would you want to as you’ll be missing out on a fantastic journey.  

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Bio of Liliane Bettencourt

12 June 2011

Heiress to L’Oreal, the largest cosmetic and Beauty Company in the world, Liliane Bettencourt stands the second richest woman in the world in 2011, according to Forbes. The octogenarian is estimated to be worth $23.5 billion.

The only child of Eugene Schueller, the founder of L’Oreal, Liliane lost her mother in 1927, at the age of 5, and inherited her father’s empire upon his death in 1957. By then, she had married Andre Bettencourt, then a French politician with pro-Nazi views and deputy chairman of L’Oreal. They lived in a mansion on Rue de Delabordère in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Liliane and Andre remained married until Andre’s death in November 2007. They have one daughter, Francoise Bettencourt and two grandsons: Jean-Victor and Nicolas.

While Liliane worked in her father’s company as an apprentice at 15, little is said or known about her involvement in the business or her professional life thereafter. She is currently a non-executive director of the company as well as the majority stakeholder.

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Manhattan Sky Tour New York Helicopter Flight

11 June 2011

To get a really perfect view of New York a Manhattan Sky Tour helicopter trip is simply out of this world. On arrival at the heliport passengers are greeted by a team of friendly professionals who will take them for a helicopter tour right over this amazing city. The tour lasts around 12 exhilarating minutes with a bird’s eye view of the New York skyline as the chopper soars above the most famous landmarks in the world.

From start to finish this tour has the safety of all the passengers very much at the fore front of the every tour they organise. Their friendly team shows a safety video in the hangar prior to take off to ensure that everyone is put at ease before they get on board for the ride of their lives.

The experienced pilot knows every landmark that he flies passed so passengers can get their cameras out and ready for some great shots as they fly over them. This helicopter tour is a must for any visitor to New York as it offers them a once in a life time opportunity of not only taking photos of the Manhattan skyline but it’s also a great way of learning some of the history of this great Metropolis.

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Singapore River Festival

05 June 2011

The inaugural River Festival was held in Singapore in 2007 and has since become one of the largest parties in the city.  The festival runs for two weekends and contains many events to keep everyone entertained.

Originally held in September, the festival has now moved to the end of June and early July, to avoid clashing with the Singapore Grand Prix Formula 1 race.  Situated along the Singapore River, there are free nightly events and activities in all of the major Quays.

The Childhood Memories and Bumboat Parade is something to behold.  Five traditional Singapore bumoats are transformed into giant paper boats.  They cruise up and down the river passing Clarke Quay, Coat Quay and Marina Bay in their procession.

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City review of Lake Havasu City

04 June 2011

The state of Arizona hosts a variety of cities with good tourist attractions.  Lake Havasu City is one of the most popular, and is the largest city in Mohave County.  A former World War II Army Air Corps rest camp, the city was established in 1963 as a planned community, and currently has a population of around 53,000 inhabitants.

Lake Havasu itself was created in 1938 when Parker Dam was built in the Colorado River.  This followed the creation of our significant lakes such as Lake Mohave (at David Dam) and Lake Mead (at Hoover Dam).  Of all of these lakes on the Colorado River, Lake Havasu currently has the highest levels of nitrate and uranium.

The city gain world wide exposure in 1968, when it purchased London Bridge from the City of London for $2.5 million.  Over the course of three years, the bridge was taken apart piece by piece and reassembled on the opposite side of the Atlantic from where it originated.  The whole operation cast a further $7 million and since it’s opening in 1971, has become a major tourist attraction.

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Singapore Garden Festival an Event to put on the Gardening Calendar

03 June 2011

This truly spectacular festival takes place in Singapore every two years and draws together award winning professional gardeners from every corner of the globe. These talented garden and floral designers are invited to compete at this exclusive and unique festival to show off their creations to the world and win some of the most prestigious awards in gardening today.

In July of last year gardeners from seventeen countries exhibited their quite extraordinary designs during the eight day extravaganza that took place in the Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Singapore. This was the third occasion that this superb festival had taken place in this delightful country and was deemed to be a huge success with over 30,000 visitors to the event.

Exhibitors from as far away as Canada and Grenada were attracted to the festival and with 31 masterpieces of garden engineering on show visitors marvelled at the creations that were on display. There were over a quarter of a million plants, both tropical and temperate, with well in excess of 65,000 cut flowers dotted around the exhibition centre.

The garden displays were simply out of this world with inspirational touches that any fervent gardener could easily adapt to their own gardens. Trade stands at the festival offered innovative gardening products and many new species of plants were introduced to the public during the festival.

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Review of The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel, Jimbaran Bay, Bali

02 June 2011

Jimbaran Bay in Bali, Indonesia is a tropical oasis of calm and serenity, and is home to The Spa of Four Seasons hotel where you can relax, unwind and let the stresses and strains of normal daily life float away like one of the tiny fluffy clouds in the beautiful cobalt sky.

The spa houses eight luxurious treatment rooms, all decorated with tranquillity and calm in mind to help you feel instantly at ease. This truly is a once in a lifetime experience that will leave you feeling refreshed and ready for anything.

There is an extensive range of massages, including the Balinese massage which incorporates traditional Indonesian knowledge and uses herbal coconut oil with spices and herbs as the therapist sweeps the muscles to iron out tension and stress.

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Classic Cars 1988 Aston Martin V8 Volante

01 June 2011

Based upon the six-cylinder DBS, the Aston Martin V8 sent the Newport Pagnell firm in a new direction.  These cars were big and brutish with plenty of muscle.  They mixed together the speed and acceleration of a thoroughbred supercar with the refinement of luxury grand tourer.

The DBS was developed during the mid to late sixties and was put into production in 1968 with the six-cylinder engine from the DB6 in place.  This was because the specially developed V8, designed by automotive genius Tadek Marek, was still undergoing tests to ensure complete reliability.  The engine eventually appeared in 1970 and gave the DBS the speed to match its style.  Over time this style evolved, most noticeably when the front changed from having quad-lights, to just two.

However by the mid-1980’s, it was clear that this range of cars was quickly becoming outdated.  The final Series 5 evolution of the range was launched at the 1986 New York International Auto Show and featured a compact Weber/Magnetti Marelli electronic fuel injection system.  

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