tue, november 11
Set Sail
Last Voyage of the QE2
Southampton, England, to Dubai
Queen Elizabeth 2 is retiring. Not the monarch (sorry, Charles), but the cruise ship. Cunard, whose fleet includes the more modern Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, sold its onetime crown jewel for $100 million to the Dubai investment company Istithmar, which will turn the QE2 into a floating hotel. At 41, the boat is an "old lady," says Cunard spokesman Michael Gallagher. (The photograph above was taken in Southampton on the day of her launch.) The QE2 is also so high maintenance that it has taken 10 times as much money to keep her sailing as she cost to build. While she's still got moves -- as the world's fastest cruise liner, the QE2 can hit 32.5 knots -- she's also insatiable: one gallon of fuel propels her only 50 feet and on a typical day's voyage, she burns through 433 tons. Sounds like a royal pain in the, uh, stern. -- JLA
tue, november 11
Smoke
World Tobacco Asia 2008
Macau
With cigarette sales slumping in the West, this tobacco summit will focus on the industry's most promising market, China, home to a third of the world's smokers. But China may prove tough terrain for the Marlboro Man. Turning its back on Maoist tradition -- the Chairman, shown above left, puffed Chunghwa-brand cigs constantly -- the government banned smoking in Beijing's public buildings earlier this year and has pledged to end tobacco advertising by 2011. The reason: pure economics. According to a Peking University report, tobacco taxes add $35 billion to the government's coffers each year. But smoking-related illnesses cost China $42 billion in extra health-care expenses and lost productivity. -- TB
wed, november 12
Innovate
The Tech Museum Awards
San Jose, California
It is, basically, Star Search for do-gooder geeks: The Tech Museum of Innovation has conducted its eighth annual hunt for technologies that "make the world safer and healthier, more prosperous and just." This year's 25 laureates, chosen from 450 applicants in 71 countries, will be honored along with microlending icon Muhammad Yunus, and five will receive $50,000 prizes. An exhibition at the museum will also showcase the winning solutions, including Sunlabob's solar-charging stations, which bring power to remote villages and prove that, truly, these are ideas that can get you charged up. -- Chuck Salter
mon, november 17
Ride
Attractions Expo
Orlando
Some 25,000 park owners and managers will line up at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions' five-day fun fair -- and hope those realtors (see November 7) didn't leave bad vibes. We reckon the real attraction will be a talk by Tom Mehrmann, CEO of Hong Kong's Ocean Park. He will explain how his 31-year-old park was revamped and remarketed to compete with Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in 2005. So far, Ocean Park's marine life has out-swum Mickey & Co.: in 2007, the park tallied a record 4.92 million visitors, while Disneyland's attendance was just 4.2 million, down nearly 20% from the previous year. The Little Mermaid, it seems, is no match for the Mehrmann. -- TB
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