Fort Lauderdale, U.S.A - Voyages to Antiquity, the cruise industry’s premier specialty enrichment provider, has published its 2013 brochure including more port calls in the Western Mediterranean; itineraries to France and Spain; a stronger emphasis on Sicily, the epicenter of Ancient Rome 3500 years ago; additional Dalmatian Coast sailings from Venice along the Adriatic and an additional Black Sea voyage. The line continues to offer a unique array of experiences in Greece and Turkey.

“The Mediterranean itineraries are the heart and soul of Voyages to Antiquity and we endeavor to make each season full of unique experiences for our guests. This year we have expanded our product offerings in the Western Mediterranean while also providing an emphasis to the ancient civilizations found in Sicily,” said Mitchell J. Schlesinger, vice president of marketing and sales for Voyages to Antiquity.

“We’ve received growing support from prestigious organizations whose well-traveled clients are interested in an educational, enriching vacation experience, including Smithsonian Journeys, the Archaeological Institute of America and numerous alumni organizations.”

The Mediterranean season begins and ends with sailings between Cairo and Istanbul, highlighted by two Wonders of the World, as well as the following sites:

• Cairo to Istanbul – March 30, 2013 and Istanbul to Cairo – October 25, 2013

Western Mediterranean cruises along the Riviera coast include:

• Rome to Cannes – May 16, 2013

• Cannes to Venice – May 28, 2013

Itineraries highlighting the Adriatic’s Dalmatian Coast and the treasures of Sicily include:

• Istanbul to Athens – April 12 and September 9, 2013

• Athens to Venice – April 24 and September 21, 2013
  Venice to Athens – June 11, 2013

• Venice to Rome – May 6 and October 3, 2013

• Athens to Rome – June 23, 2013

• Rome to Istanbul – July 3 and October 13, 2013

Guest lecturers and celebrated speakers from around the world complement the in-depth shore experiences by bringing to life the art, history and culture of the Mediterranean region.  Regional foods and wines further immerse guests in the destinations visited.

Extraordinary value is a hallmark with cruise fares starting from $3995, including shore excursions with complimentary bottled water; gratuities to shipboard staff and wine, beer and soft drinks at dinner. To accommodate the significant demand from single guests, Voyages to Antiquity has increased the number of dedicated single cabins to 26 to complement single supplements in double occupancy cabins, which start from just 25%.

Roundtrip air is available from $595 per person from 60 North American gateways, including transfers and all air taxes and surcharges. Guests who book by September 30, 2012 can enjoy up to $1000 in stateroom savings on departures from March 30 through July 3, 2013.

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Not for the first time at the beginning of 2011 the Egyptians decided to stand for their rights as a nation. After a series of peace protests and demonstrations the revolts grew into a civil war, in which around 840 people died and more than 5,000 were seriously injured. Was it worth it? Did anything change in Egypt?

The 2011 Egyptian Revolution was a turning point for this nation, fighting for a change. After thirty years under the rule of the same leader, the Egyptians felt strong and resolved to protect themselves against the oppression and the corruption in the African country. Their demands were not unattainable. The primary aim was to end the regime of the president Hosni Mubarak and the emergency law that gave unlimited power to the government and to the police. Did they succeed and what was to be Egypt’s fate?

On 11 February 2011 at 6 p.m local time Mubarak’s resignation was announced. This historical moment put an end to the governance than continued for more than a quarter of a century. Although the Egyptians managed to break the chains of the president’s regime, the country was faced with another problem – which road to take.

The authority was transferred to Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Chairmen of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. But despite everything, the protests of the citizens continued. The participants in the mass demonstrations in Cairo were hostile against the new rule, because their demands were not fulfilled. In the ill-fated Tahrir Square in the capital, hundreds of people continued to fall victims of their own desire to begin a new era in the history of Egypt.

The world leaders reacted positively to the tragic, but crucial events in the North African country, acknowledging the strength of the Egyptians, who according to the journalist Mohamed Hiakal “have become stronger than the regime itself.” In an interview, the US president Barack Obama said: “We should bring our children to become like Egyptian Youth”.

The society all around the world was following the news – the news about the nation, which will go down in history as the people fighting for justice and equality, things which are taken for granted in the 21st century, but which, unfortunately, are not allowed everywhere.

The country has not recovered yet, and hardly will it soon surmount the bygone year of protests and violence. But the ray of hope of the Egyptian nation that one day they will get what is theirs, has not died away. The radical revolution, kindled in cyberspace a year ago, cannot be extinguished so easily.

Now the Egyptians are reaping the fruits of their drastic actions. On 1 January 2012 the first freely-elected parliament in decades was chosen by the citizens. The next step for the progress of the Egyptian nation is the future presidential election in March 2012.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/takver/

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With 2011 coming to an end, Egypt is now left with the remains of a revolution that delivered mixed results. Like several Middle Eastern countries, Egypt has been through a lot, with the loss of many innocent lives and the lack of a stable government.

According to Egypt’s Ministry of Health, the death toll from the Qasr al-Aini street clashes between protesters and the military on December 22 left, at least, 17 dead. Reports emerged stating that family members of those killed were forced by the military and police to sign death certificates that falsified the true cause of death at the Zeinhom morgue in Cairo. Women protesters were also beaten and harassed by Cairo police recently.

“Tantawi stripped your women naked. Come join us!” the crowd chanted to passers-by, referring to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the military council. “The daughters of Egypt are a red line,” they chanted.

In response, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issued the following statement: “We express a strong regret to the great women of Egypt over transgressions that occurred during recent incidents in the protests outside the parliament and cabinet.”

Ever since January 25, the only constant has been the rising number of deaths. Protesters are filled with anger and grief that vengeance holds a free rein in the name of liberty, in such a way that may lead the best of men to misinterpret and misapply the fairest of laws that may eventually threaten the acquisition of liberty.

Protester Islam Mohammed, 22, said a friend, Shehab Abdullah, died from a live bullet fired by police.“I will avenge his death. We all will,” he said. “We are defending Tahrir square. If we sleep, police will attack us.”

However, Egyptian heroes did not die in vain. The first phase of elections for the People’s Assembly and Shura Council was launched on November 28 and will end on March 11 of next year. Egyptian people hope that this progress will end the transitional period and act as a stepping stone towards democracy. For the first time in Egypt’s history, citizens living abroad are given the right to vote through embassies and consulates. Egyptians hope that the election results will actually reflect the will of the people.

Nonetheless, the country still faces many questions. Will the elected Parliament take control of the transitional government? Will the drafting of the new constitution be conducted by the elected parliament or ruling military council? Will Egypt’s falling economy rise again?

Paul Vinten / Shutterstock.com

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Egyptians must prepare themselves for the “black cloud,” a thick layer of smog that is produced from burning straw, every year after the rice harvest. It spreads across the Nile valley and Cairo and lasts for many weeks. The capital already has toxic air, and environmentalists fault burning waste from the harvest for making the air even worse.

Farmers generate 30 million tons of waste every year, and what they burn contributes to 42 percent of the pollution in the air during the autumn season. Experts challenge the farmers’ definition of waste, however, and state that the rice straw has potential for other uses. Egypt’s economy took a hit after the uprising that overthrew Hosni Mubarak, and the country is faced with the challenge of stimulating their failing economy by developing lucrative technologies that are able to convert the waste into fertilizer, pulp for paper, and other useful things, instead of being burned.

“Developed countries don’t even have that term in their dictionary. There is no such thing as waste, anything they produce they use,” said Galal Nawwar, the head of the chemical industries research division of Egypt’s National Research Center. Nawwar is among the environmentalists and Egyptian scientists who contend that farmers are wasting a valuable commodity by burning their rice straw.

They say the rice straw could produce up to 300 Egyptian pounds per ton. However, many farms have not changed their cultivation techniques in decades, or sometimes even in centuries, so they continue to burn about four million tons worth of rice straw every autumn, which emits 80,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the air.

The impact is the worst in one of the world’s most polluted cities, Cairo, which contains a population of 17 million. Because the city is surrounded by high ground on either side, pollutants become ensnared in a layer that hovers 25 meters off the ground. Farmers are not conscious of the straw’s value. “Burning the rice straw is not good for us either, but I have to burn it anyway, there is no other solution,” said Mohamed Sabah, an Egyptian farmer.

Though the Environmental Ministry has attempted to contain pollution over the past ten years by buying rice straw for 45 pounds a ton from some farms, many farmers still continue to set their waste ablaze. Amr Helal, a board member of the Egyptian Chamber of Industry and Engineering, is trying to create an industry to turn rice straw into useful things.

This project, which is a joint effort made by the National Research Center, the Henri Poincare University, and the German institute of Polymer Technology, has completed its pilot phase. In regards to his firm studying options to create this new industry, Helal stated, “The difficult part is not the money, as we will find funding, but the technology and the know-how.”

He remains confident that it can be done, despite the turmoil in Egypt from Mubarak’s overthrowing. He said, “The most profitable investment is to invest in science.”

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Ilan Grapel, 27, was arrested in Cairo during a protest rally on June 12 and accused of being a spy. He was put in an Egyptian jail for over four months, but was let out on Thursday in exchange for the release of 25 Egyptians that were locked up in Israel. The released prisoners were mostly smugglers and included two minors.

Before his return to the United States, Grapel met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who gave him a burger, fries, and red wine, and was debriefed by security officials. The Emory University law student was greeted by family and friends upon his arrival in New York City on Saturday.

Grapel’s flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem and would have been cancelled if the Delta flight crew had not volunteered to work overtime, so he could make it home. Grapel holds both U.S. and Israeli citizenship and was in Egypt with a volunteer group who helps Sudanese refugees.

He speaks Hebrew and Arabic and had at one time served in Israel’s military.  Grapel claims he is not a spy, which Israel has also confirmed. United States Representative Gary Ackerman, with whom Grapel once interned, lobbied to have him released. Because Grapel had been cut off for over four months, Ackerman played a prank on him and told him the Mets had won the World Series.

Grapel thanked the U.S. and Israeli officials who fought to have him set free. He said that the Egyptians treated and fed him well in prison and allowed his mother a visit, though he was kept in solitary confinement. He stated, “”It was a tough ordeal as I was isolated, but the guards were okay.

What I wanted to eat, they gave me, including fresh fish.” Grapel’s father, however, did not share his son’s forgiving attitude and claimed he would sue them. Grapel stated, in regard to the months of Egyptian interrogations, “It’s hard for me to describe. It was overwhelming.” His mother helped him to stay calm and not lose hope during his ordeal.

After Grapel was released from prison, he was happily reunited with his mother at Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel and was then reunited with his emotional father in New York. During an airport news conference, Grapel spoke of his fondness for pancakes.

He declared, “What I have not had are chocolate chip pancakes from IHOP!” He also expressed his only disappointment during his flight home was the fact that his flight attendant was married.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassyta/

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