Cologne, Germany  - Being a holiday rep host may seem like a walk in the park, but in actual fact it has little to do with relaxation and involves hard work despite staying in a hotel and getting plenty of sun, sea and exercise.

The job of is to keep guests amused and making sure they are having fun.

In return, "You get to work in a beautiful place and have contact with happy people," says Jeannette Georges who has eight years experience as a holiday rep is currently working on Mallorca.

Hamburg - Orchids, cyclamen and cacti - put them next to one another on a windowsill, add a little fantasy and together they become more than just a few plants positioned where the sun shines in.

They become a lovingly-arranged, potted garden assembled with the help of a huge selection of house plants now available in shops.

"Thirty years ago you had more or less the same 10 plants, but today there are about 250 green candidates to choose from," said John Langley, a master florist from Hamburg.

Berlin  - Whether it makes coffee or drills holes in walls, whether it's a luxury item or a basic model, just about every modern household product is expected to have some style to it.

But pretty packaging is not the same as good design and the challenge facing most designers is to bring form and function together.

"Bad design means that ergonomics and functions were not given high enough priority," says Peter Knopp, an industrial designer from Scheyern in southern Germany.

Samples of bad design include mobile phones with tiny buttons or those beautiful kettles whose owners run the risk of burning themselves, if they pick them up clumsily.

At the San Diego California Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, opponents of recently-passed Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage in California, gathered on Sunday for a peaceful demonstration.

The church did not have services at the time. Some San Diego police officers were deployed, and a church security guard also kept an eye on the premises to ensure that employees of the church were not harassed.

The global financial crisis has taken its toll on the Tourism Industry. At a meeting with the members of the Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India (FHRAI), the Government suggested that hotels should slash their tariffs by 10 to 15 percent.

FHRAI Delegation comprised of 5 members namely Vivek Nair, Vice-chairman, Leela Group; Rajindra Kumar, Hotel Taj Ambassador, Delhi; Salim Sherwani, Sherwani Hospitalities Ltd; Dr. Sunil Gulati, Uttarakhand Hospitality and Major Harish Sud, Secretary general, FHRAI.