Thursday, May 3, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com

Angry Birds Land: First official park to open in Finland

Posted: 02 May 2012 11:36 PM PDT

by Hiufu Wong

Finland's Särkänniemi Adventure Park is to open the world's first officially licensed Angry Birds theme park in June.

Angry Birds Land will be the authorized, legitimate and slightly more sophisticated alternative to the unlicensed Angry Birds park that opened in China in September 2011.

Angry Birds Land soft-launched last week but "some of the birds are still migrating," according to Miikka Sepälä, CEO of Särkänniemi, referring to installations that had not yet been set up. Official opening will be on June 8.

The multimillion-euro investment is a collaboration between Särkänniemi, Finland's most popular theme park, and the mobile game's Finnish developer, Rovio Entertainment. 

It will be nested in a half-hectare area inside Särkänniemi, tickets to which cost €19-35 (US$25-46). Entry to Särkänniemi also covers entry to Angry Birds Land.

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iReport: Foodies share their favorite Philippines dishes

Posted: 02 May 2012 08:56 PM PDT

Seafood, tropical fruits, veggies and creative cooks combine to make the cuisine of the Philippines incredibly diverse. 

Yet Filipino food isn't that well known outside the country, beyond the mind-boggling balut (duck embryo).

To remedy this gross injustice, we asked iReporters to share their favorite Filipino dishes and offer tips to newcomers looking to explore the cuisine. 

Check out the above gallery for some of the highlights, courtesy of iReporters Elaine Baricante, Jerry C. Gonzales, Lia Ocampo and Yla Gracelle Benze B Corotan.  

These images were submitted as part of an iReport assignment asking readers to share their favorite Filipino meals. For other assignments, visit the CNNGo iReport page. 

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AirAsia Expedia CEO: Asians are spontaneous, smartphone-savvy, social travelers

Posted: 02 May 2012 08:43 PM PDT

by Frances Cha

expedia Daniel Lynn, Managing Director and Vice President of Expedia Asia Pacific Operations. Expedia Korea launched in July 2011 with little fanfare. The online travel booking site is still building its brand awareness in Korea. 

While Koreans tend to favor schizophrenically detailed and stylized websites updated every second, Expedia's Korean site is stark and frills-free. 

But with a rapidly growing business out of a Seoul-based Korean office, Daniel Lynn, CEO of Expedia Asia Pacific Operations believes Korea is the hottest new market for the multi-billion dollar company. 

Currently, the Korean site offers hotel services and AirAsia flight options, following the launch of the Expedia AirAsia joint venture last year.  

Korea is the eighth launch in Asia for Expedia. The company's international bookings accounted for 39 percent of worldwide bookings in 2011. Last week, the company reported total gross bookings of US$8.42 billion and international revenue of US$325 million for the first quarter of 2012.

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What's it like to eat at the world's best sushi bar?

Posted: 02 May 2012 02:55 PM PDT

by Dan Shapiro

Heralded as a Japanese national treasure, Jiro Ono, 86, is the first sushi chef in the world to receive three Michelin stars, and is the proprietor of the world's most celebrated sushi restaurant, Tokyo's Sukiyabashi Jiro.

Hidden in a basement attached to the Ginza Metro Station, Sukiyabashi Jiro has vaulted into the worldwide cultural milieu thanks to its appearance on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" TV show and the recent release of the David Gelb feature-length documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi."

Rather than simply watch the mouthwatering food porn that is Gelb's doc (trailer courtesy of Magnolia Pictures), I went a step further, traveling directly to the source to offer the following account of Chef Jiro's legendary soft-handed, two-fingered technique that pairs fresh nigiri cuts from the Tsukiji fish market with warm and delicate rice.

Here's how the evening went -- spoiler: I was not disappointed.


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World's 10 best metro systems

Posted: 02 May 2012 09:01 AM PDT

by Edward Falzon

Public transport is useful. Trains even more so, given that they're physically separate from other traffic. The smooth-running of any city depends heavily on a well-designed, well-maintained metro/rail system.

Guided by the good people at www.citymayors.com, the MetroRail awards and other sources, I've compiled this list of 10 of the best (or most rapidly improving) city metro/rail systems in the world.

Got your own favorite? Have a great metro story? Tell us in the comments.

Also on CNNGo: 10 great, epic train journeys


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Wisconsin cheese and beer tours: Wine tasting for real men (and women)

Posted: 02 May 2012 09:00 AM PDT

by Brent Butler

Wisconsin's state motto may be "Forward," but for anyone serious about cheese and beer it might just as easily be "Upward."

At least as far as personal caloric intake is concerned.

When waves of Germans immigrated to the state in the 19th century due to religious persecution in Europe, centuries of brewing traditions met favorable Midwest geography. For more than a century, mega-breweries like Pabst, Blatz, Schlitz and Miller made Milwaukee "the beer capital of the world."

Today, only Miller remains of the large domestics (Pabst, the last to leave, pulled out in 1996), but dozens of independent microbreweries have emerged in their place and have kept Wisconsin at the forefront of the craft-brew revolution.

Wisconsin is also the top cheese-producing state in the country, churning out almost 1.18 billion kilos annually. 

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at 9:40 AM