This December, athletes from over 40 countries will convene at Walt Disney World to dance-off for the title of World Salsa Champion. Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, located at Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., will be the host site for the Third World Salsa Championships from December 12 through 16. The competition will be broadcast by ESPN International and Transworld International, under the direction of noted producer Rob Beiner, winner of 12 EMMY awards.

"We are thrilled to be hosting an international event of this magnitude that also delivers world-class entertainment," said Nancy Gidusko, director of Walt Disney World Minority Business Development. "Not to mention, our alliances with international organizations allow us to showcase Central Florida to multicultural businesses that will impact the region's economy."

Hailed as the Olympics of Salsa dancing, the World Salsa Championship gathers the winning couples and groups from different salsa competitions from Australia, Argentina, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Holland, Hong-Kong, Italy, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Peru, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, UAE, United States, Puerto Rico and Venezuela to defend their titles in their respective divisions.

Chandler opens $12.6 mil Tumbleweed rec center

A year and a half after the Chandler broke ground on the city's most ambitious recreation project, the $12.6 million, state-of-the-art Tumbleweed Recreation Center opens its doors today. For a two-month "soft-opening" period leading to the official grand opening, anyone can use the facility for free before normal fees begin. A second-floor running track offers the best view of the new center. Look down to the left and see the light-colored wood floor of the two-court gymnasium. Look to the right and there are dozens of cardio and weight machines. On the other side of the track, a view of the courtyard. And along the outside of the exterior walls, windows give runners a glimpse of distant mountains. .

Essentials: Just one thing is necessary -- rest

That old approach of making the most of every one of your opportunities applies to this, the most unconventional of NBA weeks.

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Cruise trends for 2008: new ships, more luxury, potential deals

More choices in food, activities, itineraries and luxury are some of the trends shaping the cruise industry for 2008. But the big unknown is what will happen with prices.

But consumers with flexible vacation plans may be in for some deals. "The more uncertainty there is in the marketplace, the more deals there will be later in the year,'' said Heidi Allison Shane, spokeswoman for Cruise Compete.com. ''When the cruise lines go out with high prices and they don't sell out, the bigger the discounts later on.'' The softest markets, she predicted, will be in mega-ships sailing to the Caribbean and Bermuda.

Did Kirstie Alley Lose the Battle of the Bulge?

If we had a little less enthusiasm about quick fix diet magic and more commitment to eating better and being more active, the public health would benefit enormously," said Dr. David Katz, a nutrition expert at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. "Maybe Kirstie Alley will have that effect, maybe it will slowly sink through to people that these quick fix diets are not the answer."

Nirupama Dutt

Ladies with a taste for art go around hunting for paintings that can adorn their walls. But now the arty ones of our city here have the option of wearing the paintings of the highly priced Paris-based painter, Syed Haider Raza, close to their heart and hips.

The Designing woman
Her design ideology is that space follows function and purity of form and colour make all the difference. Parbina Rashid looks into the work and work philosophy of interior decorator Purnima Sharma
Think Over Fresh, the Sector 17 branch, and it takes a fraction to brighten up your mind. With its ambience alone! With vibrant yellow and cream striped walls, strategically placed sleek wooden chairs to give you a panoramic view of the citys nerve centre, it is a joint that allures all kindsold and young alike.

First Bites: Cambodian restaurant opens in East Tacoma; Ranch House ...

Tacoma's melting pot has a new culinary adjective: Khmer, the indigenous food of Cambodia. "It's between Chinese and Thai food," said Sovanna Eang, who, with her husband, Tharath "Bro" Eang, opened Mitapeap Khmer Restaurant on Dec. 21 in a former Vietnamese eatery in the K-mart shopping center at the corner of East 72nd Street and Portland Avenue in Tacoma.

England cup jibe tongue in cheek but joke on me

TFF, on Saturday, October 6 in a message to English five-eighth Jonny Wilkinson: "Go well tonight in Marseilles against the Wallabies. Even try to make a game of it, if you must. But do not, for one second, imagine that you can guide the English to a win. The best you can hope for is to do what so many English sporting teams have done so well over the years - lose with dignity c oh dear, oh dear, oh dear."

I'm sorry that I have been saying for months now that the All Blacks would choke seven minutes into the Rugby World Cup semi-final when, in fact, as we all know, this time it happened seven minutes into the quarter-final.

Homemade lasagna: Seasoned with family memories

The first aroma that would waft into my childhood bedroom on a Sunday morning was the smell of onions and garlic frying. That scent would wake me up. I would hear the sizzle as the onions hit the hot olive oil in the pan; the sputtering sound of the crushed canned tomatoes following suit occurred moments later. In my parents' home, Sunday was macaroni and gravy day (you might call it "pasta" with "sauce"), and holidays offered the hallowed lasagna.

On cue, my mother would complain that someone had left bread crumbs in the sauce.