johnrose

French Disney employees accused of sexually assaulting colleague ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Authorities were investigating allegations by a Disney employee that she was raped by four French national employed at the amusement park, authorities said. No charges have been filed against the four men because they were co-operating with authorities and are not considered a flight risk, said Jim Solomons, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office. The men were employed by the park under it's International Program, which routinely brings foreign nationals to work at Disney World, many as cultural representatives at the Epcot theme park. According to the incident report, the woman told investigators she was walking home to her apartment late Saturday night when she was confronted by four men who ``grabbed her by the arms and carried her'' into an apartment shared by the men in the complex used by Disney to house employees from their international programs. The report said the woman phoned a friend for help, but the suspects hung up the phone and, when she tried to leave, allegedly forced her onto the sofa, ``removed her clothing and held her down,'' and took turns raping her. ``In essence it was a gang rape. There were four people being accused and all four of those individuals were accused of having a sexual relationship with a woman against her will,'' Solomons said. The victim said she repeatedly told the men to stop and tried to leave the apartment, according to the incident report. Solomons said the investigation was ongoing and no further details could be released. Disney officials said they are co-operating with authorities in the investigation.

Hong Kong Disneyland to add three attractions as part of expansion plan HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong Disneyland announced Monday that it planned to add three new attractions to the theme park as part of its expansion plan. The additions are the Autopia electric car ride, the Stitch Encounter, a theatre show, and the UFO Zone _ made up of a water-squirting robot, rocket ship and flying saucer, said Hong Kong Disney spokeswoman Esther Wong. The three games _ located in the Tomorrowland section of the park _ will be open to the public this summer, Wong said. She declined to say how much was being spent to construct the three attractions. Wong said the Hong Kong government is expected to finish reclaiming land by 2008 for the construction of the second phase of the park. At 126 hectares Hong Kong Disneyland, opened in September, is the smallest Disney park in the world, but Bill Ernest, the park's managing director, said the company is ``reviewing expansion plans for the park.'' ``This is a long-term improvement measure designed to do two things: increase capacity by a steady program of expansion and enhance the guest experience with thrilling new attractions and features,'' Ernest told Hong Kong legislators during a legislative session. In response to admission problems that erupted during the Chinese New Year when the park was overwhelmed, Ernest said they planned to improve logistical measures for times when the company needs to restrict access to the park. Hundreds of angry visitors from mainland China and Taiwan tried to force their way into the park _ with some clambering over its iron fence _ during the Chinese New Year after they were denied entry because it was full. The park is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Co. and the Hong Kong government, which shouldered the bulk of its construction fee.

I love it when Robb was screaming, and his voice would fade in and out depending on which way the dragon was facing...

Disney aims for new heights with Everest attraction By Travis Reed Associated Press LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) - "Respect tradition - beware," warn yellowed posters and weathered totem poles surrounding a 61-metre peak. Inside lives the biggest, fiercest creature Walt Disney designers have ever created - the yeti - and a 1.6-kilometre-long runaway train ride through the Himalayas that brings visitors face-to-face with this mythological legend. In Nepalese lore, the mysterious yeti is thought to protect the pristine east Asian mountains and forests. At Walt Disney World's new Expedition Everest attraction, it's a howling animatronic beast - and the centre of the theme park giant's first big-ticket attraction here in two-and-a-half years. Everest, set to open April 7 in Disney's Animal Kingdom, features a train navigating a 24-metre drop, rumbling over bridges and through valleys backward and forward to escape the monster, who has seemingly twisted and broken the tracks. With no upside-down turns, Everest isn't as white-knuckling as some new coasters. But it could help Disney draw visitors to the Animal Kingdom, which has long lagged in popularity behind sister parks Epcot, the Magic Kingdom and Disney-MGM Studios. The Everest attraction, billed as a family thrill ride with a 44-inch height limit, could scarcely be more different than Disney's last big-ticket item, the rocket-simulating Mission: Space. Equipped with vomit bags, Mission: Space uses a centrifuge and recreates two times the force of gravity while taking riders on a simulated trip to Mars. Still, Everest was adventurous enough for five-year-old Pauline Cordova, whose Monroe, N.J., family got a chance to check out Everest early as Disney continues testing the ride before the grand opening. Pauline's brothers Chris, 11, and Mike, 8, had already ridden it three times, but once was enough for her. "I thought it was scary," Pauline said, clutching her mother's hand. Several research trips from western China to Nepal helped Disney designers create the 2.5-hectare attraction, including their rendition of a Himalayan village called Serka Zong that leads visitors up to the ride. "The ride experience changes from this sort of scenic tour to this sort of fast-paced drop backwards," said Mike Lentz, vice president of new business initiatives for Walt Disney imagineering. The ride includes turns through a light mist meant to simulate weather in the low-lying mountains and scream-inducing rushes through the dark inside a fake snowcapped mountain. The village includes a tourism booking office, Tashi's General Store and Bar, and an old warehouse refashioned as a yeti museum - all built with taut attention to the architecture and feel of a real east Asian mountain town. "Every detail is intended to be part of a complete story. It has importance, and we spend a lot of time on these details," Lentz said. "As a guest you stand in that place and you feel like you're in some place really, really different." At least 8,000 props purchased from Nepal adorn the village, along with prayer flags and ancient-looking carvings of goats and yak. Disney is nurturing 900 bamboo plants, 10 species of trees and 110 species of shrubs to recreate the local vegetation around the attraction. It took jets, helicopters and donkeys to deliver Disney's creative team past slippery, narrow roads and to a 1,000-year-old monastery to study the Himalayan culture. The team stayed there three days and gathered information about local beliefs in the yeti. "Our story was really about the culture and the people, the areas where there is human habitation," said Joe Rohde, executive designer and vice president with Walt Disney Imagineering, and a member of the expeditions. Disney based its design for the yeti on golden monkeys in the Qinling mountains - cold-weather primates with blue faces and fiery orange fur. Park researchers were accompanied by Conservation International and film crews from Discovery Networks, whose Travel Channel will premiere a chronicle of the trip called Expedition Everest: Journey to Sacred Lands the week of April 9. For Disney's creative team, Everest is an experience - not just a rollicking, roller coaster ride. Their painstaking attention to detail and authenticity may have been lost on little Pauline and potentially on potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors after her. But the real importance is in recreating a realistic environment that transports visitors to another world - whether they realize it or not, Rohde said. "We need enough detail to sustain your attention for 50 years," he said. "We build these things to last multiple generations so people can come back their whole life and enjoy it." ___ If You Go... Expedition Everest: Opening at Disney World's Animal Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on April 7. Guests in the park prior to April 7 may have a chance to take a test ride. Children must be at least 44 inches tall to ride.

Thanks... love it!

I'd like mine to be a cheap shot about curling... relating perhaps to rocks, or brooms, or pebbled ice... I'm giggly with anticipation!

Thanks! My brother in law will be very happy about that... What are lineups like during Dec. 3-10 week?

All systems go for anyone attending Universal Studios Hollywood in the weeks ahead... barring any mishaps... "Thank you for contacting Universal Studios Hollywood. Currently no attractions are scheduled to be closed at this time. However, circumstances may arise beyond our control. We suggest contacting us closer to your visit in order to receive the most up to date response. You may call our toll free hotline for this information at 1-800-UNIVERSAL. Thank you." Sincerely, Dustin Wissmiller Guest Relations Universal Studios Hollywood

Video game developer tells story of rapid growth after Call of Duty success Source: The Canadian Press Nov 8, 2005 18:20 By Neil Davidson The Canadian Press Infinity Ward is hiring. Again. The successful video game developer from Encino, Calif., has 12 different kinds of help wanted signs on its website, from animator and level designer to systems administrator and associate producer. There's even an opening for company events co-ordinator/concierge. Infinity Ward is no stranger to rapid growth after the success of its debut title Call of Duty. The Second World War first-person shooter won a slew of awards, sold 2.6 million copies for the PC and spawned a console version (Call of Duty: Finest Hour) for publisher Activision by another developer. It also paved the way for Infinity Ward's just released Call of Duty 2 on PC. An Xbox 360 version of the game will be available later this month. The success of the original Call of Duty prompted radical change at Infinity Ward. The company made the first version of the game over 18 months for $4.5 million US with a staff of 25. The sequel cost $14.5 million and resulted in the studio tripling in size to a staff of 75 over two years. That growth raised all sorts of challenges, said Infinity Ward president Grant Collier who founded the company in August 2001. Infinity Ward began with 22 developers who worked on Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor Allied Assault game. ``That was a real close tight-knit group of people,'' Collier, speaking of Infinity Ward's small beginnings, told the recent Montreal International Game Summit. ``It kind of had a family atmosphere. We had this real drive to be successful. We wanted to be the dominant World War II first-person shooter out there. ``You can turn on a dime with 25 people. . . . It's pretty intimate. You know everybody's names. You know who their wives are, their girlfriends, who their boyfriends are. ``That whole kind of small company culture, it's real kind of precious and dear. We tried to kind of hold on to that culture as long as we could. But once you get past 50-60 people, it's basically impossible.'' So Infinity Ward looked for ways to ``keep the culture positive'' while growing in size. The company instituted Monday morning meetings to get everyone on the same page and allow staff to ask any questions. ``It gives people kind of a pipeline into management.'' They also added to management, bringing in new layers to help Collier and his two partners. Key employees from the first game were promoted to lead positions, overseeing others in their section. The Infinity Ward team includes lead designer Steve Fukuda of Surrey, B.C. Collier and his colleagues were careful about how they grew, mindful of the pitfalls that can accompany rapid expansion. So they brought on an on-site staff recruiter to organize hiring. ``That really helped streamline the process for us,'' Collier said. ``I get pulled in so many directions, I can't constantly be looking through resumes all day long. To find the good people, you've really got to spend a lot of time.'' A normal week involves two to three interviews. A busy one might bring six to eight. Good hires take time and Infinity Ward has high standards, Collier says. ``A lot of people who would be a slam dunk at another company, we end up passing on them at Infinity Ward,'' he says. ``It's better to be really choosy than to get a few bad apples.'' Collier admits not all of their hires worked out, citing one problem senior programmer no longer with them. Another Infinity Ward approach is to frontload difficult tasks during production. ``We allot a certain amount of time to tackle those. And if we don't knock them out, we just say forget about it. We'll work on that for the next game.'' Still Collier acknowledges his team left making the training mission too late in the development cycle on Call of Duty 2. ``We should have actually tackled that pretty early on. Not having a working training level made it so that when we brought people off the street and just had them dive into the game, we didn't necessarily get proper feedback from what consumers would be giving us. Because they were just plopped into the game and playing it.'' Collier says the current staff is all on the same page when it comes to ``the culture of excellence.'' ``We really don't even have to tell people to work late. A lot of people on their own will decide that what they're doing is not good enough, it's not good enough to be in a Call of Duty game and it's not good enough to be part of an Infinity Ward game.'' While the company met all of its deadlines for Call of Duty 2, Collier says Infinity Ward will not sacrifice its standards to rush production. ``If there's someone else out there that wants to maybe do a churn-and-burn, you can take it somewhere else. We have spent a lot of time fostering this and we are not going to throw it away just to make a quick buck.'' The increase in size led to all sorts of costs, from new software and office space to flying in experts. Even food. Collier estimates the company spent $1,000 a day feeding employees during crunch times. Infinity Ward plans to develop two distinct development teams and is looking at new office space that will house more than 130 people. Because of that growth, the company is now looking for help on the social front. There's an opening for an events co-ordinator/concierge, who will take of everything from organizing barbecues to nights out to see a band. The idea is to foster camaraderie. ``At 25 people, there wasn't really any cliques,'' Collier said. ``As companies start to grow, you see people start to gravitate towards each other. ... The goal there is stop cliques from forming, getting people to mix with each other who wouldn't normally.''

Thanks! Now bookmarked...

With Screamin' rolling again, I was wondering if anyone has firm dates on ride rehabs in Disneyland/California Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood. Cheers!

This is by far my fave... coudn't stop laughing... still can't...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.... weiner skin.... arllllllffgggghhhhh.....

I'm the only one who looks like he just got kneed in the twig and berries...

London to get multimillion dollar sexual `theme park' near Piccadilly Circus LONDON (AP) - Move over, Eros. Developers announced plans Friday to open a multimillion dollar sexual ``theme park'' near London's Piccadilly Circus, home to the much-photographed statue of the Greek god of love. Backers say the London Academy of Sex and Relationships, due to open next spring, will not be a sleazy sex museum, but an educational multimedia attraction that will teach visitors to become better lovers and provide valuable information about disease and sexual problems. Located within the Trocadero entertainment centre - just around the corner from Soho, London's red-light district - the $8.3 million US project will feature unspecified ``high tech and interactive exhibits.'' Alex Rayner, a spokesman for the project, said it was ``committed to avoiding the sleazy image that the sex industry usually conjures.'' ``Titillation is not the goal,'' he said. ``It's meant to be educational. It's meant to be informative.'' The privately funded project has support from sexual health organizations including the Sexual Dysfunction Association and AIDS charity The Terrence Higgins Trust. ``It is long overdue that the U.K. faces up to its responsibilities in the sexual arena _ we cannot simply avoid mankind's leading preoccupation and the issues that go with it,'' said the academy's director of exhibits, Dr. Sarah Brewer. ``The academy is the perfect vehicle by which to address these important matters in an exciting, amusing and yet educational way.'' Several cities around the world - including New York, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris - are home to erotic museums. Typically, they exhibit everything from pornography to high-minded paintings exploring local sexual attitudes and culture.

We'll still go to DCA, but Screamin' would have been the cherry on top of the cake.

While they mention the dates are subject to change, this does not bode well for our early December trip... Thank you for your e-mail to the Disneyland Resort. You may be interested to know that California Screamin' is in refurbishment until January 2007. For a complete list of Park hours, entertainment schedules and location closures please visit our website at www.disneyland.com and click on the Calendar link at the top of the page, then the Select a Date link in the drop down menu and select your visit dates. Again, John, thank you for taking the time to write. We hope you will have the opportunity to visit the Disneyland Resort soon and trust your visit will be pleasant in all regards. Sincerely, Jaime Rasmussen Disneyland Resort Guest Communications

I got yer record-setting woodie right heeyear... Somebody had to do it... :shock:

When you say open in December, do you mean December 1? We'll be there on December 6 and 7...

I don't know what made me laugh harder, your avatar or use of the word "liberry"... Nice!

Wow! Just when I was thinking that I wouldn't need to return to AK in the future, you show me the 80-foot drop that appears to begin in the dark! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! Fantastic trip report!

Hong Kong Disneyland By William Foreman HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong Disneyland held its opening ceremony on Monday, marking Mickey Mouse's biggest push into China _ a market the U.S. company hopes will flood the theme park with splurging tourists from the world's most populous nation. Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong, Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang and top Disney executives Michael Eisner and Robert Iger officiated at the park's opening, celebrated with drums, cymbals and a lion dance in front of its pink Sleeping Beauty Castle. Zeng offered his blessing, calling the park ``Hong Kongers' eternal carnival.'' ``Its completion added a new tourist spot full of charisma for Hong Kong citizens and tourists,'' Zeng said. ``It also provided a new growth point for Hong Kong's economic prosperity.'' Flanked by Mickey and Minnie, the four men cut a red ribbon to officially open the park. Hundreds of visitors queued outside the park's gate, braving the heat with fans as they waited to get in. The attraction and its two resort hotels are surrounded by mountains on lush Lantau Island, just 30 minutes away by subway from bustling central Hong Kong. It looks much like the first Disneyland in California, with a Space Mountain thrill ride, a classic Cinderella Carousel and Sleeping Beauty Castle _ which Disney predicts will be one of the most photographed buildings in Asia. Hong Kong's government _ the biggest investor in the $3.5 billion US park _ says the attraction will help turn this global financial capital into Asia's best family holiday spot. Disney hopes the park _ the 11th in its global empire _ will be a magnet for increasingly wealthy Chinese tourists, who have a reputation for being big-spenders. Earlier, Iger, president of Walt Disney Co., said the Hong Kong park is a ``first big step'' in expanding the company's reach into China, where generations have grown up with little or no familiarity with Mickey Mouse. Iger said the park would create a media buzz and word-of-mouth excitement that would ignite interest in Disney films, TV shows and other products. He said that state-owned China Central Television was doing a special about the park. ``It's going to be seen by, I'm told, as many as a billion people, which is tremendous,'' Iger told The Associated Press. Eisner, Disney's chief executive officer, said China and Disneyland will be a perfect match because they both value families. ``You go to the park and you see mothers, daughters and kids and grandparents. The family unit in China is unbelievably strong. It's not just Hong Kong, it's mainland China,'' Eisner said. An hour before Monday's opening ceremony, a small crowd of labour, human rights and anti-Disney activists gathered outside the park's front gate, chanting ``No Conscience'' and ``Evil Mickey.'' They were protesting alleged labour abuses at factories making Disney products in China. Disney has said it's investigating the claims. Hong Kong and Disney struck a deal to build the park in 1999 _ just two years after the former British colony returned to Chinese rule. The city had been battered by the Asian financial crisis, and desperately needed a new project to boost its spirits and troubled economy. Disneyland says it employs 5,000 people and will draw 5.6 million visitors in its first year. The public has generally embraced the park, which began construction in 2003. But environmentalists protested the park's now-aborted plan to serve shark-fin soup at banquets. Neighbours have complained about the noise and smoke from nightly fireworks shows. And social critics have been worried about the influence of American culture. But the biggest complaint among some of the thousands who got a sneak peak at the park during a soft opening period in the past month has been that Hong Kong Disneyland is too small. It's Disney's smallest park at 40 hectares. The entire attraction _ including the two hotels _ is 121 hectares _ and there's room to expand to 200 hectares. When asked what he didn't like about the park, Chinese tourist Zhang Wei said, ``It's way too small.'' But Zhang predicted it would be a big hit with the mainland Chinese. ``Disney has a big name and it will definitely attract people and be a success,'' said the 38-year-old businessman from Beijing as he finished watching the daily parade of floats carrying a waving Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland and Buzz Lightyear. Hong Kongers have a reputation for being brusque and unsmiling, but the Disneyland staff _ including cleaners and guards _ have been trying to master the Disney tradition of giving guests a warm smile and friendly ``Hello!'' or ``Nei hou!'' in Cantonese or ``Ni Hao!'' in the mainland's Mandarin. The greetings were Hong Kong visitor Evie Chan's favourite thing about the park. ``The staff here is very friendly,'' said Chan, an employee of a marketing firm in her late 20s. ``It's like we've known each other for a long time.''

Moving World Disney opens its newest theme park in Hong Kong By Min Lee and William Foreman HONG KONG (AP) - When Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck landed in Paris in 1992, French officials shunned the opening of Euro Disney, intellectuals decried the invasion of American pop culture and park workers protested the strict dress code. Disney's latest experience - its new park in Hong Kong - couldn't have been more different. Hong Kong Disneyland opened Monday with musicians clanging cymbals, Chinese lion dancers prancing precariously on tall poles and fireworks bursting in the sky. Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong joined Disney executives in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, declaring the park Hong Kong's ``eternal carnival.'' The ceremony ended with a parade of skipping Disney characters old and new: Mickey, Donald Duck, Mushu the dragon, Lilo and Winnie the Pooh. Earlier, hundreds of people lined up outside the gate, waiting to get in despite the sweltering heat. Michael Kuzma, of Celebration, Fla., was first in line. ``For over 50 years, the American people have experienced the happiness of Disney theme parks. I hope the people of China can enjoy the happiness,'' the 36-year-old consultant said. It was a much warmer welcome than in France, where officials skipped the opening ceremony and critics complained that Euro Disney was an assault on French culture. A government agency filed a complaint contending Euro Disney's ban on beards, mustaches and coloured hosiery may have violated France's work code. And President Francois Mitterrand dismissed the park as ``not exactly my cup of tea.'' Hong Kong's government, however, is the biggest investor in the new $3.5 billion US park, believing the attraction will help turn this global financial capital into Asia's best family holiday spot. Disneyland says it employs 5,000 people and will draw 5.6 million visitors in its first year. Hong Kong and Disney struck a deal to build the park in 1999 - just two years after the former British colony returned to Chinese rule. The city had been battered by the Asian financial crisis, and desperately needed a new project to boost its spirits and troubled economy. Hong Kong's embrace of Disneyland is also the product of a westernized, ruthlessly capitalistic and non-ideological mind-set that's short on cultural roots. The territory was ruled by Britain for more than 150 years, and it's still governed separately. ``A relatively more acute awareness of practical gains and losses, a more worldly mentality and a relatively weaker nationalism are part of Hong Kong culture,'' said political scientist James Sung at the City University of Hong Kong. Ordinary Hong Kongers don't see Mickey and Donald as a cultural threat. ``Hong Kong is used to customs from all over the world,'' said Thomas Choi, a 45-year-old clerk. Even so Disney deferred to Hong Kong custom, tweaking the park design after consulting masters of feng shui, the Chinese belief of improving fortunes by adjusting the layout of objects and keeping various elements in harmony. Disney hopes the park - the 11th in its global empire - will be a magnet for increasingly wealthy Chinese tourists, who have a reputation for being big spenders. The attraction and its two resort hotels are surrounded by mountains on lush Lantau Island, just 30 minutes away by subway from bustling central Hong Kong. It looks much like the first Disneyland in California, with a Space Mountain thrill ride, a classic Cinderella Carousel and the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Robert Iger, president of the Walt Disney Co., also hopes the Hong Kong park will expand the company's reach into China, where generations have grown up with little or no familiarity with Mickey Mouse. Iger expects the park to ignite interest in Disney films, TV shows and other products. Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television broadcast the Disneyland opening live to viewers across China. Michael Eisner, Disney's chief executive officer, said China and Disneyland will be a perfect match because they both value families. ``You go to the park and you see mothers, daughters and kids and grandparents. The family unit in China is unbelievably strong. It's not just Hong Kong, it's mainland China,'' Eisner said. Hong Kong Disneyland hasn't been all smooth sailing. The park has drawn criticism from environmentalists for wanting to serve shark's fin, an item eventually dropped from the menu, and letting stray dogs at the site be rounded up and put to death. An hour before the opening ceremony, activists gathered outside, chanting ``No Conscience'' and ``Evil Mickey.'' They were protesting alleged labour abuses at factories making Disney products in China. Disney has said it's investigating the claims. Disney could face a tougher sell in mainland China, where it is speculated to build a Disneyland in the financial capital of Shanghai. The Communist Chinese government, despite moving toward capitalism and opening up the country to foreign investment, is still wary of foreign culture overtaking traditional values, political scientist Sung said.

Disney executives say new park in Hong Kong is giant step into China By William Foreman HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong Disneyland is ``definitely ready'' to open next week, Walt Disney Co. president Robert Iger said Friday, calling it a giant step for the company's plans to break into China's huge market. Iger spoke to The Associated Press at the theme park while in the background a singer rehearsed songs from the Disney children's movie Mulan and workers nearby brushed green paint on fences ahead of Monday's scheduled opening. During the last week, Disneyland has given tens of thousands of visitors a sneak peek of the park on outlying Lantau Island, about a 30-minute subway ride from central Hong Kong. The crowds who were allowed to try out the attractions during the ``rehearsal days'' have complained about long lines at the rides and restaurants. But Disneyland has refused to lower its maximum capacity of 30,000, and Iger said he was pleased with the park's progress. ``The park is definitely ready for its grand opening,'' said Iger, who will become the company's chief executive Oct. 1, replacing Michael Eisner. Set against lush mountains, Disneyland is expected to draw about 3.6 million visitors within a year and up to 7.4 million annually after 15 years, the company has said. About 40 per cent of the visitors are expected to come from mainland China. Iger said that the Chinese are less familiar with Disney compared with people in other major markets, and that the Hong Kong park will be key to igniting greater interest in Disney. ``We fully expect this is a giant step in the direction of growing the company and all its Disney brands and businesses in this very populous region,'' Iger said. ``This is the biggest venture that any, certainly any Western media company has ever embarked on in this region _ not just in terms of the scope from a financial perspective, but the commitment it has taken, the detail, the planning, the technology and training,'' he said. The park is a joint venture deal between Disney and the Hong Kong government signed in 1999. Hong Kong taxpayers are forking over the equivalent of $2.1 billion US, including costs for reclaiming land and supporting infrastructure. The government has also extended a $782 million US loan. Disney has pitched in $314 million as well as $15.4 million in rent per year. Iger said Disney is a global brand but it has to become more of a global company. ``Disney has achieved over the years a great brand breadth. We're known throughout the world,'' he said. ``But if you really analyze it, it is mostly breadth and not as much depth as we'd like in certain markets. This (Hong Kong Disneyland) is digging really deep in this market, and it will create great depth for Disney for decades to come.'' Iger said that Disney has been talking to the government in Shanghai _ China's financial centre _ about a possible new park that wouldn't open until at least 2010. ``Those discussions are ongoing,'' he said. Eisner told the AP he was sure that Hong Kong Disneyland would be a hit because the Chinese have such strong value for families. The outgoing CEO said he was touched when he saw how thousands of visitors were using digital cameras on their mobile phones to photograph the fireworks show Thursday night at the park's main strip, Main Street, USA. ``Last night I went to Main Street to watch some of the shows and then the fireworks. Seeing 15,000 people lined up on Main Street, with probably 15,000 telephones photographing a fireworks show,'' he said. ``That to me was one of the most amazing things.''

1. Ripsaw Falls at Universal Islands of Adventure - great theming, thorough, surprise soaking, tremendous drops 2. Jurassic Park Florida - screamed and stomped all the way to the bottom! 3. Splash Mountain Disneyworld 4. Splash Mountain Disneyland