Brandini Toffee

Our first holiday gift rave for 2008 is Brandini Toffee! We love it - and turns out it’s a real big hit - winning awards left and right. We give it FIRST PLACE for tasty delight to share, ship and show off!

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This past Wednesday was Diego Maradona’s birthday, an event which, coinciding with his appointment to head coach of the Argentine soccer team, has given Maradona devotees even more than usual to celebrate.According to the International Herald Tribune, the Church of Maradona was founded in the city of Rosario ten years ago by a group of friends and has swollen in size to 120,000 members worldwide.His birthday marks the year D.D. 48; D.D. stands for “Despues de Diego,” (“After Diego”).To celebrate on Wednesday, around 300 members of the “soccer church” held processions with relics such as a soccer ball with a crown of thorns and a rosary with 34 beads.34 is the number of goals Maradona scored for Argentina’s national team.With such devoted fans, expectations are incredibly high for his performance at this new and daunting task: reviving the Argentine national soccer team for the World Cup.

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The Minister of Tourism and Culture, Mrs. Ambika Soni chaired the 84th Session of the Executive Council of UN World Tourism Organization in Madrid, Spain on 14-15 October 2008 in her capacity as the Chairperson of the Executive Council. One of the main agenda items was related to cooperation between CED (Centre of Excellence for Destinations) and UNWTO. CED is based in Montreal, Canada and was set up to provide guidance to tourism destinations.

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The VII Feria y Exposición Artesanal y Cultural de los Pueblos Originarios (Fair and Exposition of Crafts and Culture from the Original Pueblos) opens today and will run until November 9th.The fair and exposition demonstrate the many beautiful and valuable aspects of these “original,” indigenous cultures, uniting them in one place and celebrating their complex and vital role in Latin America.According to the government website, groups from Cusco and the Amazon in Peru will attend the event, as well as groups from all regions of Argentina.In addition to crafts, there will be indigenous music and dancing, indigenous costumes, and traditional food for all to sample.The event takes place at the Museo de Arte Popular José Hernández on Libertador 2372 and costs only one peso to enter (it is free on Sunday).

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Mar del Plata is known for its beautiful beaches and beautifully tan Argentines. Now, it is strutting its more “cultural” stuff with the 23rd Mar del Plata Film Festival, from Nov. 6-16.According to Screen Daily, the festival will open with The Hurt Locker, a film by Kathryn Bigelow’s about an Iraq bomb squad; Bigelow and writer Mark Boal will attend the opening. The Mar del Plata festival is Latin America’s only FIAPF classified A-level festival, beating out even BAFICI, the major film festival that takes place every year in Buenos Aires.In fact, their festival’s artistic director this year is Fernando Martin Pena, who worked on BAFICI for many years. In its 23rd year, it will screen 388 features and shorts, and will close with Kim Ki Duk’s film Breath.

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October 31st, 2008 by Kathy - NWA WorldVacations

In the spirit of Halloween, here are some spooky destinations you can travel to any time of year.

One of our employees braved the chills and thrills of Salem, MA. Her family vacation story is next … and some others have provided some of their scary travel tips below.

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One of Buenos Aires’s revered soccer teams, River Plate, has now gone ten straight games without winning, putting them at the bottom of the rankings in the Apertura tournament.According to Goal, their most recent game was this week against Newell’s Old Boys at the Monumental stadium de Nunez; they tied 1-1.Ten non-victories in a row equals the worst slump in the history of the team.With one win this season, loyal fans are still turning up to games, though at the end of the last match they booed their team as the left the field.River Plate’s only hope for rescuing their dignity this season is a win in the Copa Sudamericana, which will be hard, seeing as they have already lost of the first of two games to current opponent Chivas de Guadalajara.

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Yesterday marked the return of democracy in Argentina, 25 years ago, after the collapse of the military dictatorship following the War of the Islas Malvinas.According to Top News, Raul Alfonsín, of the Radical Civic Union, won the election on October 30, 1983 and ever since then democratic elections have taken place without the intervention of the military that controlled the country for so many years before.A political researcher at the Institute of Latin American Studies in Hamburg, Germany believes that democracy is now more strongly rooted in the nation than it ever has been before.Even during the difficult crisis of 2001, when some feared the military would step in and presidents left office nearly as quickly as they entered, Argentine’s stayed strong.To celebrate, a large rally was held in Luna Park with many important members of government attending; it was free and open to the public!Sadly, Raul Alfonsín could not go due to problems with his health.

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An exhibition of German Expressionists is currently opened at the Gallery Klovićevi Dvori in Zagreb.

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October 30th, 2008 by A World Vacationer

Vikings Story Contest Submission by Rick H.

I’ve been a Viking fan for as long as I can remember … I grew up watching Tarkenton, Page, and all the other great Viking players of the past. I had never been to a Vikings game, but in 1990 I decided that it was high time that I went to a game. I didn’t care when, or who we played, I just had to get to a game. I bought tickets and went with my stepdad. We had a wonderful time, as the Vikings took care of the Bears 41 - 13. From there, the Viking game became a tradition of sorts as my stepdad and I would make the trek north from Southeast Iowa, every year, to watch our beloved Vikings.

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