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Just a hop, skip and a jump from the bustling metropolis of mainland Singapore lays the Island of Sentosa. A virtual tropical paradise, the name itself means peace and tranquility. The island is no larger than 5 sq km, 70% of which is covered with secondary rainforest. The rainforest is the habitat of various tropical birds and reptiles as well as all types of plants and flowers. Sentosa is easily accessible by public transportation from the mainland. It’s also a short taxi ride from any of the five star hotels of Singapore.

The Butterfly Park and Insect Museum is just one of the special exhibits on the island. A uniquely designed enclosure, the museum has recreated the environs of a lush jungle forest. The structure is open to the elements, yet is cool and quiet. The hushed atmosphere creates a sense of reverence for nature in all her glory. The museum features over 1500 live butterflies of many species. As a visitor strolling through the park, it’s possible to study these magnificent creatures in all their developmental cycles. The flora is grown specifically to nurture the life cycle and is alive with color. Bright colors attract the butterflies and if you wear bright clothing, they will be attracted to you. Disguised by the resemblance to plant life, leaf butterflies and walking stick insects blend into their surroundings. However it’s the fragile yet powerful butterfly that reigns supreme in this environment. The secondary focus is the showcased presentation of butterflies and insects. There are so many different types, some rare, some in danger of extinction. There are many extraordinary species represented from countries including America, Africa and Asia. Some of the insects represented are grasshoppers, millipedes, tarantulas, scorpions and all types of beetles. Each of the displays includes a description and brief explanation about each insect. For those who like to live on the edge, twice a day there’s n opportunity to handle scorpions, tarantulas and other scary bugs.

Lukas Ligeti is a Brooklyn based musician composer who is trying to carve his own path while following in the footsteps of his father. He was born and raised in Vienna and attended an international high school which exposed him to many musical styles and instruments. However, Ligeti had a very limited early musical education, consisting primarily of private piano instruction at the age of nine. After high school he enrolled at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna as a classical percussion student. In 1998 he moved to New York where he found like minds in the multicultural experimental scene. He now lives in a loft in Bushwick, Brooklyn

Ligeti received a commission from the Goethe Institute and subsequently led a workshop in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He helped found a playing ensemble called Beta Foly and then worked with the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University. His composition technique is heavily inspired by African music, as was his Hungarian born father, although Ligeti junior admits to taking this even further. He relates to the story telling nature of African griots.

In 2005 he was a featured artist at the Unyazi Electronic Music Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa. His performance included the use of the marimba lumina, which was designed by the American Engineer Don Buchla. He is currently working on a piece for solo violin with electronics with New York violinist Todd Reynolds. He is also working on a piece for solo marimba lumina, an electronic drum, commissioned by a consortium of American percussionists. He recently gave a one-man concert at a West Village club, Le Poisson Rouge. It was primarily a procession based performance and included the use of multicolored mallets and a marimba lumina. The music was a meshing of West African melodies and rhythms. The club is popular with tourists in New York who find their way to it from their 5 star New York hotels.

As Arab traders traversed the coastline of the Malaysia Peninsula and Indonesia, they brought with them the teachings of Islam. As Malaysians migrated to Singapore they brought with them their religion and their culture. To be a Malay in Singapore was to be a Muslim. Malays lives have traditionally centered on their religion and their villages, known as kampongs. The wooden houses built on stilts would be located around a communal center where children played and small gardens were tended. Because of urban renewal in Singapore, all Kampongs have been bulldozed. Many of the Malays and other Muslims settled in the Arab district in the mid 19th century. Nowadays, the mosques, in this case, the Sultan Mosque with its’ golden domes, is the communal center of the village. It attracts thousands of the faithful every Friday and stands as an imposing force in the lives of Muslims.

Far from some of the top Singapore hotels, is the smallest of Singapore’s ethnic quarters. Arab Street is a touristy market area with shops selling all types of Middle Eastern and Islamic products. It’s a place to meander or to browse through the shops or to enjoy Muslim food at a café. In the maze of side streets around the Sultan Mosque, there’s a collection of Malay, Indonesian and Middle Eastern merchandise vendors. Excellent selections of batik, rival for space with other fabrics like silk and Indian textiles. All kinds of other products are sold, things like wicker ware, jewelry, fragrances, and religious articles. In the weeks before Hari Raya Puasa, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, The area is lined with stalls selling traditional Malay and Muslim food. After dark the area is a favorite destination for those who have fasted all day. As part of the redevelopment efforts much of the area has been closed to vehicular traffic and allows only pedestrians. Be sure to honor the Muslim tradition of modesty and dress appropriately.

Kalk Bay Theatre is a small, intimate 78 seat venue, located in what used to be the Kalk Bay Church. It was built in 1876 and is preserved as a heritage building. The church has since been converted into the unique theatre space and includes a restaurant on the upper floor. This is a particularly attractive site for tourists who are seeking quality entertainment and a desire to taste some of Cape Town fine dinning.

The upper floor restaurant is small an intimate, offering the feeling of warmth and homemade cooking. Wooden tables and chairs contribute to this feel and diners are able to look down onto the stage below them. There are many vegetarian options to serve all tastes and interests. The kitchen offers a choice of pre-established three course dinners as well as the option of choosing directly from the menu. The three-course meal is more of an event than a single dining experience. The appetizer and main entrée are served before the evening’s show downstairs, while coffee and desserts are offered after the performance.

The 78 seat theatre below the restaurant continues the established intimate setting. It is a thrust stage with the audience seated on three sides. The productions are usually chosen from the mainstream popular cannon and run for eight weeks. The stage also hosts a popular program called Theatre Sports. This is South Africa’s longest running improvisational theatre show, as well as its most favorite. The play’s the thing, but it’s not the only thing offered at the Kalk Bay Theatre. Another popular entertainment is an alternative music program that takes place on certain Sunday evenings. The restaurant and theatre are happy to accommodate special circumstances such as out of town tourist groups to Cape Town and celebration of special events.

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor received a commission for a piece in the late 1,800’s. That piece was the Statue of Liberty, commissioned by the country of France to be given to the country of the United States in honor of the 100th anniversary of the U.S. signing of the Declaration of Independence. Bartholdi was born in Alsace, but moved to Paris to train to become an architect. While in training for architecture he also studied painting, and soon began sculpting. The Statue of Liberty was not his only monumental piece, he focused on monumental sculptures and memorials and his masterpiece is considered to be one that is in Belfort, France…The Lion of Belfort.

The sculptor, who used his mother as the model for the creation of the Statue now on Ellis Island, did require assistance in the technical and structural aspects of creating such a large piece of work. He commissioned the help of man who designed the Eiffel Tower, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, a man very knowledge about metal framework. Together the created the massive structure with a set of two different armatures, one being just as a skeleton functions for the human body, providing the strength necessary but allowing various sections to move independently from one another.

During the process, both countries ran into financial difficulties and relied on the donations and benefits thrown in order to raise the needed funds. In New York airport, hotel, and restaurants held theatrical and musical benefits. As was done in France. The French did manage to raise money for the completion of the sculpture itself, but the US was responsible for the funding and the building of the pedestal on which she would be installed. And the fund raisers just weren’t generating the funds. Joseph Pulitzer ran a news paper at the time. He wrote editorials criticizing the nation’s wealthy families and businesses for not contributing. He did succeed in this way. American people were motivated to donate and in October of 1886, the sculpture was installed on Ellis Island.

A cooperative and productive relationship has existed between the United States and Malaysia for many years. Transitional times, politically and economically for both countries, have created hopes for the future and the optimism of this newly heightened national pride of the the citizens of each country. Tourism and international business conventions at the luxury hotels Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States support, are on the rise again. The relations of all these countries serves the purpose of creating alliances between countries with related financial goals. Singaporean leaders have spent decades collecting alliances, realizing the need that they have as a small country, with limited geographical resources, to depend on the larger allies with perhaps more financially stable economies and a wider range of natural resources. The new prime minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib, has been congratulated and admired by both governments of the U.S. and Singapore as being a man who is very forward thinking. James Keith, the U.S. Ambassador to Maylasia was one of those congratulating the country and their new leader.

Many leaders are confident in the extensive experience Najib brings to this office. They believe that this man will be provide inspiration to the people of Malaysia during these transitional times, providing that inspiration for those citizens and their abilities to reach their full potentials, individual potentials as well as well as national achievements. Cuba’s ambassador was among those at the conference in Kuala Lumpur, Cuba and Malaysia have enjoyed a strong alliance for many years. The hopes of the leaders of the various countries is the connections that will be made between the alliances, the hope of bi-lateral relationships occurring between those countries not already allied. Alliances being created due to two countries being allied with the same country, say as in the case of Malaysia having good relations with both the U.S. and Cuba. And the possibility that that may result in better foreign relations between the U.S. and Cuba themselves.

Complaint management systems are being used by more and more companies who are dedicated to retain customers and make improvements in customer satisfaction.

The design and configuration of a new complaint management system into your business is often helped by beginning with an objective assessment of the current complaint management process followed by listing the requirements and desired software features that are needed.

Then define the scope and objectives of the software. What will be tracked? For example corrective actions, customer complaints, supplier corrective actions, internal issues etc, are all items that can be considered. Then make a review of all the internal departments which will need to use the software, i.e. sales, quality assurance, customer service, manufacturing etc.

Also decide on your high-level objectives from using the complaint management system. This can include quality improvements, better customer service levels, increased productivity etc.