10 Things Your Blogger Won't Tell You

1. "Hardly anybody reads me."

If you believe the hype, blogs — those online journals where people write about everything from politics and sports to their personal lives — will soon be the only thing most people read. Indeed, the blogging phenom, which blossomed from modest beginnings almost a decade ago, seems unstoppable: Three years ago there were two million blogs on the web, according to blog search engine Technorati; today there are more than 60 million. But the reality behind the stats is that most blogs get few hits.

The most popular do boast huge followings — tech-news site Engadget, for one, has more readers than most print newspapers and magazines. But beyond the elite few, it drops off significantly — the top 25 blogs account for roughly 10% of blog readership, according to web-traffic measurement firm ComScore.

To be fair, most bloggers aren't seeking a big audience. "The pleasure of blogging is in forming a sense of intimacy readers and fellow bloggers can enjoy," says Rachel Bray, whose Babayaga.ca gets a few hundred hits a day.

So what's the norm? Google CEO Eric Schmidt told a recent gathering of U.K. politicians that the average blog has just one reader: the blogger.

When I read that I thought "my goodness" I'm not doing too bad if the average blog has just the blogger reading the post. That in itself gives me much encouragement to keep on blogging.

Read the other 9 Things Your Blogger Won't Tell You
http://www.smartmoney.com/10things/index.cfm?story=march2007

Army Short Changing Soliders Disability

SHAMEFUL!

Critics: Army holding down disability ratings

The Army is deliberately shortchanging troops on their disability retirement ratings to hold down costs, according to veterans’ advocates, lawyers and services members, and the Inspector General has identified 87 problems in the system that need fixing.

The Army Times has the full story
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/02/TNSmedholdmoney070222/

National Geographic Talk Abroad Phone

Available in March 2007 - It might not be sexy or offer to be a mobile video experience, but National Geographic plans to offer a pre-paid cell phone which works in more than 100 countries.

National Geographic might be more known for its venerable publication, exquisite photography, and solid coverage of science and nature . . . but now it's taking another step in its efforts to get people to think on global terms with the National Geographic Talk Abroad Travel Phone, which promises to offer pre-paid cellular communications in more than 100 countries—with no contracts, no roaming fees, and free incoming calls in most areas.

http://www.cellularabroad.com/travelphone.php

Caribbean Earthquake

Caribbean Earthquake Centered in Trinidad

An earthquake in the southern Caribbean Friday, February 23, was reported as being felt from the island of Trinidad to St. Vincent.

The Seismic Research Unit of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad reported the 4.7 quake occurred at approximately 10:48 am local time near Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad.

The earthquake was felt on Trinidad's tiny sister island of Tobago, as well as in St Vincent & the Grenadines.

Mona Lisa's Guards Go on Strike

At the world's most famous museum, the attendants are manning the barricades. The ticket windows are blocked off, and the Louvre has been forced to let tourists in for free.

More than 8 million people visit the Louvre each year. Most make a beeline for the two biggest attractions: the "Venus de Milo" and the "Mona Lisa."

Honeymoon in Space

George and Loretta Whitesides will be the first couple to honeymoon in space on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Spaceline. It will be a childhood dream come true for both of them!

Loretta and George are two of 100 Virgin Galactic 'Founders'- the people who have paid in full to be the first to fly on Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Spaceline.

The sub-orbital spaceflight will launch the couple over 100 km high, past the boundary of space. The flight will include several minutes of weightlessness, a view of the blackness of space and the curvature of the Earth.

And they have launched a new website to share the excitement of their adventure with the public. The Space Love website will document the preparation and lead-up to the flight, and include suggestions for others who wish to celebrate their own honeymoons, anniversaries or even weddings in space.

www.Spacelove.org

Shift Happens

Ever wonder where all the new technology is taking us?

Take a few minutes and look at this video, it's just mind boggling!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q

Declaration of Independence for $2.48

Think you can't find valuables at a thrift store? How about an official document from 1820? - just a traveler

A rare, 184-year-old copy of the Declaration of Independence found by a bargain hunter at a Nashville thrift shop is being valued by experts at about 100,000 times the $2.48 purchase price.

Michael Sparks, a music equipment technician, is selling the document in an auction March 22nd at Raynors' Historical Collectible Auctions in Burlington, North Carolina. The opening bid is $125,000 and appraisers have estimated it could sell for nearly twice that.

Sparks found his bargain last March while browsing at Music City Thrift Shop in Nashville. When he asked the price on a yellowed, shellacked, rolled-up document, the clerk marked it at $2.48.

It turned out to be an "official copy" of the Declaration of Independence — one of 200 commissioned by John Quincy Adams in 1820.

He didn't know he had such a valuable piece until doing some online research and then having appraisers at Raynors' offer an opinion.

Source: Yahoo News

7 Wonders of the World Tour

There were 7 wonders of the ancient world - now 2, 200 years later we are choosing 7 new wonders - how exciting!

The New 7 Wonders World Tour started back in Sept 2006 at The Acropolis in Greece, and the winning countries will be announced in Lisbon, Portugal on July 7, 2007. Sometime this Spring, the tour will air on TV.

Not only can you vote for your own 7 Wonders of the World choices, you can follow the tour as it crosses the globe. The pictures are awesome, and there's also a blog written by the founder of the tour.

The Statue of Liberty is on the 7 Wonders Tour, and the tour comes to New York on March 7, 2007.

Lady Liberty was on my list of 7, along with Ankor in Cambodia (shown here), the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, Easter Island Statues in Chile, Timbuktu, the Taj Mahal in India, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil.

It's difficult choosing just 7 in the list of world wonders. You can only vote once online, but the sites says you can vote multiple times via phone.

Head on over to New 7 Wonders Tour site, and cast your vote
http://www.new7wonders.com/

Trinidad Style Breakfast

Who knew Breakfast could be so much fun?!?

While most of us just grap a little something, or stop at the local fast food restaurant, this lady has her act together, and has a Blog devoted to "Breakfast"

What attracted my attention to her blog was the current recipe "Geera Pork and Chadon Beni Sauce" - looks good.

One of the spices is culantro - not cilantro as many of you may know. Culantro is a spice commonly used on the island of Trinidad, and the smell is wonderful.

By the way, Trinidad is home to some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean. The island is very cosmopolitan, and offers West Indian, French, European, West African, and Chinese.

Check out 80 Breakfasts

Travel Website's Free e-Magazine Reaches 40,000th Subscriber

Travel.vasrue.com, a leading, content-rich travel website, today announced the monumental success of its new, free travel e-magazine. In its first month, the publication’s opt-in subscriber list reached 40,000.

Reviews praise the new electronic publication as "a refreshing trip around the globe," "a welcome reprieve from the everyday grind," "a perfect companion for my Tuesday morning mocha grande" and "the hippest, most exciting read I’ve found in years!"

The Vasrue Travel e-magazine gives readers exclusive travel articles, news, travel tips and ideas each and every Tuesday.

I signed up for the free magazine today. Havent had time to look all through the site, but what I did see I liked. Check it out - just a traveler
Source: PR WEB

St. Barts, Culinary Capital of the Caribbean

The association of this French West Indies island's restaurateurs wants to put its own seal of approval on this nomenclature by hosting Gastronomy Week Caribéenne Feb. 19-26 followed by an April 13 and 14 highly exclusive, back-to-back dining extravaganza.

St. Barts is increasingly well known for its fine dining. Many of our clients tell us that one of the primary reasons they go to St. Barts, in addition to enjoying the privacy of a villa vacation, is to dine very well.

The Feb. 19-26 event occurs for seven nights in 20 restaurants, and each restaurant will produce an entrée sourced entirely from nearby islands and local waters.

Then on April 13 and 14, St. Barts' most accomplished chefs will collaborate to produce two dining extravaganzas showcasing the high quality and appealing variety of gourmet dishes available in the island's restaurants.

A selection of fine wines will be presented to accompany the dinners which will be reviewed by an international panel of eight judges composed of world renowned chefs and food critics from top publications. The restaurant association will sell tickets for approximately $150 each for each evening to help defray expenses.

The first dinner will be served at the Guanahani Hotel on April 13 and the second at the Eden Rock Hotel on April 14.

To purchase a ticket to one of the dinners in April, please email info@wimco.com with the subject line St Barts Chef Event Tickets.

Inquiries will be answered in the order in which they arrive.

South Africa Finalizes Lion Hunting Laws

South Africa's environment minister announced long-awaited restrictions on hunting, declaring he was sickened by wealthy tourists shooting tame lions from the back of a truck and felling rhinos with a bow and arrow.

Dismissing threats of legal action by the hunting industry, Marthinus Van Schalkwyk said the new law would ban "canned" hunting of big predators and rhinos in small enclosures that offer them no means of escape.

In addition, lions bred in captivity would have to be released into the open for at least two years before they could be hunted. Van Schalkwyk said a previously proposed six-month delay would not give lions enough time to develop self-defense instincts.

"Hunting should be about fair chase ... testing the wits of a hunter against that of the animal," he told a press conference. "Over the years that got eroded and now we are trying to re-establish that principal."

South Africa is famous as home to the Big Five animals - Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros, Elephant and Buffalo. Its flagship Kruger National Park attracts hundreds of thousands of camera toting visitors every year. Some 9,000 privately owned game farms and other government-run reserves also offer visitors a taste of the wild.

But it has become also become a choice destination for wealthy gun-toting tourists willing to pay more than $20,000 to take home a "trophy" lion or rhino's head.

The new law, which enters into force June 1, bans the hunting of animals that have been tranquilized. It outlaws bows and arrows for big predators and thick skinned animals like rhinos - one of the practices singled out by Van Schalkwyk as particularly appalling. And it bans the use of vehicles to chase the animal until it is too tired and terrified to flee for its life.

"To see people who are half drunk on the back of a truck hunting lions which are in fact tame animals is quite abhorrent," Van Schalkwyk -- himself an avid hunter -- told The Associated Press.

"The big thing for South Africa would be to stand up and say 'we are conservation leaders and this industry is immoral and unethical and we are not going to allow it,'" said Louise Joubert of the San Wildlife Trust, which campaigned for tougher regulations.

The South African Predator Breeders' Association, which was set up last year to lobby against the regulations, has warned that breeders may be forced to euthanize the estimated 3-5,000 lions they have reared if they are unable to offer them to foreign hunters and can no longer afford to feed them.

Earlier this year, the breeders' association threatened legal action against the government to claim for compensation. Association officials did not return phone calls asking for comment Tuesday.

However, the Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa, whose members accompany foreign clients, said it welcomed the new regulations as a chance to clean up the image of the South African hunting industry by clamping down on lion breeders who account for only about 3% of game farms.

"A small sector has given the whole industry a bad name," said Stewart Dorrington, president of the hunting body.

Up to 7,000 foreign tourists visit South Africa each year on hunting safaris, each spending roughly $18,000, Dorrington said. About 55% of hunters are from North America and the rest from Europe and other countries.

Source: Associated Press

Talking the Talk

Imagine if all the nations of the world spoke one language. The world would have been much better.

The new ECTACO iTRAVL translation handheld device is one such leveller. You can speak into the device and it pronounces the translation back to you.

The device is set to revolutionise the way people travel. With a full colour screen and an external speaker, the iTRAVL is able to accept additional language content than the ones it has been programmed for. An almost unlimited number of new language pairs can be added to iTRAVL.

The iTRAVL features the combination of a speaker-independent speech recognition system that allows the machine to understand an individual user’s voice, professionally narrated real human voice output, and advanced TTS (text to speech) voice synthesis.

Featuring more than 14,000 travel-related phrases that can be voiced in two languages, it also provides users with a comprehensive bi-directional dictionary featuring easy-to-use sentence builder pronunciation for every word from banking and shopping to camping and sightseeing - everything a traveller needs.

It even includes useful everyday conversation topics allowing one to immediately engage with foreign language culture.

Complete with the fun and effective FlashCards language-learning game system for optimal language learning - you can choose from four entertaining games to increase your vocabulary at your own pace.

It is enclosed in a water-resistant and dustproof case, this compact handheld translator also has an MP3 player, a multimedia card, world time, daily alarm, calculator, currency and metric conversion and a touch-screen.

Crime Forces 55,000 Residents from Trinidad

This is where "Carnival" began in the Caribbean, but crime is spoiling the party - just a traveler

Spiraling crime in the Caribbean island of Trinidad has forced many residents to leave the island...

Spiraling crime in the Caribbean island of Trinidad has forced many residents to leave the island- even during the internationally renowned Carnival.

Travel agents on the island have confirmed the departure of 55,000 people over the Carnival period – the biggest exodus ever recorded for a similar period.

“It is practically impossible to book a flight to a number of places now... not until after Carnival,” said one agent.

The upward trend of flying out for Carnival began “about four years ago” and most agents reported a 40% increase in travellers this year over last year. Official figures show that last year, some 35,000 people took flight from Carnival.

One businessman explained that his decision to leave was due to concerns around his safety.

MAS
Shane Ali said: “I really did not want to leave Trinidad at this time, but the country has changed so much. We can no longer feel safe playing mas. Last year while I was jumping up in a band someone tried to kidnap me. I was dragged through a crowd of people and walked through a dark alley. The men then saw two police officers and got scared. That was when they told me to run, but promised that they will come back for me.”

Ali, who operates a furniture store in Central Trinidad, said: “To prevent anything like that from happening again I told my wife that we should just leave for the weekend. We love Carnival, but the crime has just gotten out of control.”

Wayne Rodriguez, president of the Travel Agents’ Association, said apart from the increase in demand for flights out of the country, there has also been a reduction in seats on several airlines.

“I believe crime has definitely contributed to this trend. I think we have to first admit we have a problem with crime and then seek to find solutions. We are still in a state of denial,” he said.

Baghdad Burning

Girl Blog from Iraq... let's talk war, politics and occupation.

I was glad to see "girl blog from Iraq" is still alive. When I first ran across this blog I read through every entry. It's amazing how you can get involved with someone across the world that you do not know, but after reading her blog I was concerned about her safety.

At that time I could not begin to imagine what life was like for everyday citizens in Iraq - her blog told of the terror. Then she went offline for awhile, and I found myself wondering if she was alive or dead - but there's new postings at the blog.

The news is not good - visit Baghdad Burning and see things from the point of view of a girl in Iraq.

Mice, Roaches and Mold for our Soldiers

Did you happen to see this report on MSNBC today?

Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Hospital are living with mice, roaches and mold!

This is so disgraceful, and every American should be up in arms.

The government obviously knows about this, but their answer is to "surge" more troops into battle.

All this talk about "supporting our troops", but I guess that only applies to those who are still able to be deployed. But for those who have risked their lives, and come back wounded - well Walter Reed says we have TOO MANY wounded troops to care for.

If we have TOO MANY wounded soldiers to care for now, what will happen to those being sent into battle?

I guess what really ticked me off when looking at this report is that all the media and politicians flock to Walter Reed Hospital for photo opps, and all I ever heard was that Walter Reed was giving the best medical care possible for the troops. The hospital has the capability to give the best medical care, but the funding is NOT there.

Take a look at the right side of my blog and see the money that has been and is being spent in this war. Where is all the money going? It damn sure isn't going for the wounded soldiers care.

The money is going to private contractors and companies who are making a killing off this war. It's just too much!!!!!!!!!!!

Read the following:

In a front page story in The Washington Post on Sunday, reporters Dana Priest and Anne Hull exposed dreadful conditions at the supposed "crown jewel of military medicine"-- Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003547281

LA Times - Walter Reed couldn't handle wounded from Iraq, leader says
The staff responsible for monitoring injured soldiers was overwhelmed, he says in response to a newspaper story.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-reed18feb18,1,4259001.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

Copan – A Colorful Cultural Destination

Copan – A Colorful Cultural Destination - By Jamie Gripich

The sound of marimba music rises up off of the cobblestone streets and mixes with the aroma of spiced meats and fresh tortillas being grilled on the street corners, and the voices of townspeople sharing the day in the town plaza. As locals would say it’s a “typical” day in Copan, the heart of activity in north western Honduras.

Copan seems like what I heard Mexico was like 30 or 35 years ago before you could shop at The Gap or Wal Mart; the days before a hamburger and fries cost you $15 US. It is intimate, friendly and colorful.

Copan’s narrow streets, brightly colored buildings, numerous cafes, restaurants, hotels and shops is a lively example of rural Honduras mixed with the hustle and bustle of a larger town.

It’s a picturesque, spot set against low rising mountains. And it’s an artistic town. Wood and stone carvings, corn-husk dolls, hand made leather trinkets are available everywhere and anywhere. You may have to haggle a bit on prices, but the locals are incredibly kind and fair.

Everywhere you look there are intricate carvings and colorful representations of the land, agriculture or of animals. I’d later read that in the time of the Maya, Copan was the Paris of the day – the artistic hub of the Maya world, while Tikal to the South in Guatemala, and was its industrious counterpoint – like modern day New York.

Read rest of article at Travel Video

Global Reggaeloution

The Global Reggaeloution - By Shemma Stevens

I went to a party one Saturday night with my girls and while grooving to some Mary J, Usher and the other citizens of that genre while surveying the crowd at the same time.

I noticed that although the majority of the party goers were Black there was a sprinkle of other races and ethnicities also.

There were even a few Asian kids hanging out next to the DJ booth. Well I didn’t go to the club to stare at people so I went back to doing my groove thing. Then the reggae came on and the DJ said “I want give a shout out to all my West Indian Massive, nuff respect.”

Well I thought that was the end of that now on with the music but then he continued to say. “What about Brooklyn, raise your hands! England, Belgium and last but not least Japan. I was born in Japan but I tour the world playing my music and everywhere I go I get respect.”

It was crazy — the crowd was loving him and how could they not. He knew his business and he didn’t just play, he mastered it. His mixes were crazy, he knew all the classics, he handled the legendary riddims with skills that suggested he was a born and raised West Indian rudeboy.

It was amazing to watch reggae strip everyone in the party of their differences to see them alternating from dubbing in a dark corner and pressed up on walls to displaying the latest dance styles in the center of the floor, to raising their hands and chanting together, united by the sweet sweet sounds of reggae.

That night we danced to tunes that encouraged us to live life, love freely, think consciously and give praise. The party winded down to “One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel alright. Give thanks and praise to the lord and I will feel alright.”

Bob Marley is definitely a legend because he was on to something when he sang those words I thought as I saw the flushed faces and the mellow mood of the crowd. I was definitely feeling alright and everyone looked as if they caught contact from the music the deejay from Japan spun. As soon as those thoughts ran through my head I had an Epiphany.

Reggae naturally spread to the other Caribbean islands after its birth in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica — its roots influenced by ancient traditional music originating in Africa, kept alive by Rastafarians and evolving over time.

With mellow beats and conscious lyrics, preaching words of hope and freedom, it was also used as a weapon against civil disorder and political corruption.

Its beginnings was humble but it quickly became part of the West Indian Culture. It was inevitable because although separated by bodies of water, West Indians sometimes see themselves as one. When people from these countries migrated to places like New York, Montreal, England, and some other large cities in search of securing better lives they took the reggae culture with them and it was passed down to new generations.

I am one of these generations and some of us always saw reggae as belonging to us, a birthright handed down to us by our parents. One of the possessions they brought from the West Indies intertwined in their passports, dreams and longings that settled where they settled.

Reggae didn’t disappear when West Indians left or waited on us to cross into new territories. The ember that first started glowing in Jamaica is now a raging fire that burns internationally and attracts lovers to it like moths to flame.

In the 60’s Reggae stretched all the way to the battle fields of Vietnam. The song “WAR” by Bob Marley & the Wailers became an anthem for protesters during that era.

It is said that Hip Hop was born out off of the inspiration of dancehall culture — it was behind Garage and Jungle music in the UK. Today labels are signing Reggae artist who were instrumental in the foundation of Reggae from the 1990’s

My epiphany; Reggae wasn’t just ours anymore. A young man from Japan can become a reggae world clash title holder, a dance hall queen from Switzerland who’s roots have nothing to do with West Indians is practicing the dutty whine right now. The Matisyahu is the world's first Hasidic Jewish Reggae star and is working on his second album, and Reggae Ton is tearing up the airwaves.

Whether it’s down in a sweaty cramped basement in Brooklyn, a posh London night club, a swanky bar in Montreal and on the stretch of Miami beach, it’s happening.

In shanty towns like places in Barbados, Trinidad, Antigua and Jamaica it keeps happening. Turntables, sound systems, dancehall and night club speakers proclaim that it keeps growing and the Reggaeloution can't stop.

http://blackstarnews.com/?c=131&a=3009

Chinese Are On The Move

What could possibly put 2 billion people on the move? It's the Chinese Lunar New Year - the Year of the Pig - just a traveler

Hundreds of millions of people have clamored aboard cars, buses, planes and trains to return to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year in an annual event that stretches the country's transport system to near its breaking point, according to The Associated Press.

And they will be doing it in the warmest weather on record, according to the Beijing Meteorological Station, which said the temperature in Beijing on the eve of the festival would reach 10 degrees Celsius, making it the warmest festival eve since records began in 1951.

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, starts Sunday, February 18 to usher in the Year of the Pig, but the Chinese have been preparing and boarding trains and planes for the last several weeks to go home for family reunions.

The travel strain has increased in recent years as tens of millions of migrant workers flood big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai in search of construction and other jobs.

Those types of workers cannot afford to fly, instead crowding into places like the Beijing West Train Station to board trains for trips that can take up to 35 hours.

The People's Daily said the total number of trips – including by plane, train, ship and vehicle – could total more than 2 billion journeys during the 40 days around the holiday. To avoid the crunch many people leave early or return late.

Chinese media has reported in the past that because of the crunch on the trains, some people have bought adult diapers to avoid the long lines outside the often stinking toilets.

Airlines expect to run more than 4,000 flights during these two weeks leading up to New Year, with the departure area of the Beijing airport brimming with travelers.

"I go back home every Chinese New Year. It is very important for Chinese just as Christmas is for Westerners," said Wu Xingbiao at the Beijing airport.

Police also issued cautions warning people to be careful of pickpockets. Travelers often carry large amounts of money to give as "hong bao," or red envelopes filled with cash, to children.

State television today showed police pulling one thief off a train in handcuffs.

For those who cannot be near friends will send messages through their mobile phones, Xinhua news agency said, with an average of 40 million New Year messages an hour sent today - Saturday.

The government has extended the length of the official holiday to one week in recent years to encourage tourism as an economic development measure.

Shanghai Daily News

JetBlue Hostage Blog

I just blogged about an article I read on JetBlue, and today a friend sent an e-mail that one of the passengers started a blog. Now that's a PR nightmare!!! - just a traveler

http://www.jetbluehostage.com/

Stephen Colbert Investigates Caribbean Resort

What will Stephen Colbert be doing on his week off?

The Colbert Report host dead-panned to Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” Thursday night:

“Jon, I’ll be launching an intense seven-day investigation into the Royal St. Barts Golf Club and Resort, the Caribbean’s ritziest retreat, so my travel agent would have me believe.

But I’ll lay down for a one-on-one Swedish massage with a masseuse who isn’t even Swedish. And then, parasailing: Is it really the coolest thing ever? A grueling five-hour examination. Then, I’ll access one riding stable whose occupants live like animals.

The Royal St. Barts Golf Club and Resort: It’s the one Stephen Colbert exclusive you can’t afford...boy, you can’t afford.”

Source: World Hum

Hostages On The Runway

My Barbados Blog posted the following . . . Glad I wasn't flying this week - just a traveler

It is finally time for a Passengers Bill of Rights that states - Airline passengers cannot be held hostage when their flight gets delayed for hours upon hours - you bet it is.

This isn't the first time this has happened - but hopefully it will be the last!

A JetBlue flight was scheduled to leave New York at 8 a.m. for the island of Aruba, but the only thing passengers got was an 11 hour wait on the runway.

Passengers were stuck onboard with no water, the snack food ran out, the cabin temperature was hot and uncomfortable, and going to the bathroom was more than unpleasant - and under no circumstances were the passengers allowed to leave. Hostages!

Another JetBlue flight that was headed for Cancun was delayed more than eight hours with passengers stuck onboard. Passengers reported that the plane door had to be opened every 20 minutes so they could get some fresh air. Frigid, cold air every 20 minutes.

While these passengers waited to take off, other passengers who had just arrived in New York were also stuck on their planes. A JetBlue flight from Florida landed in New York around 10 in the morning, but passengers were not allowed to leave the plane until 7 p.m.

What actually happened was that a major storm was already forecasted for the Midwest and Eastern coast - that was no secret.

While this storm was raging, the planes still boarded and pulled away from the gates. Many times in this situation the airlines thinking is that "maybe" the weather will get better - and the planes will be in line to take off.

So now we have planes lined up on the runway unable to take off, but if they taxi back they will lose their spot, so they sit. The situation becomes worse as more planes arrive, and the gates start to fill up - then the planes cannot return to the gates.

As the storm continued Wednesday, planes and heavy equipment were literally froze to the ground.

I waited until today to blog about this because I wanted to see what JetBlue would have to say a couple of days after their worst PR nightmare. Their spokesman stated that 250 of 500 flights nationwide were canceled Wednesday, but "fairly normal" service resumed Thursday.

Well, I know for a fact that at least 100 of their flights were still cancelled as of today - so the spin still goes on.

No on can obviously control the weather, but common sense and respect for passengers must start to prevail in the airline industry.

If it is obvious that planes on the runway cannot take off in a reasonable amount of time, then it should be the airlines responsibility to send another mode of transportation (buses, etc) to the plane, and get those passengers back inside the airport.

Of course if the plane cannot leave the runway, then perhaps the flight should be cancelled, and not even leave the gate - this would be the cheaper alternative for the airlines - the flight is cancelled due to bad weather - straight and simple.

Since common sense did not prevail this week, JetBlue not only had to offer a complete refund to hundreds of angry passengers, but for PR's sake, they also offered another free ticket to be used at a later date - that is if some of the passengers want to fly with them again.

But, there's more to be concerned about than inconvenience while being stuck onboard a flight for hours upon end -

Read this article by Diana Fairechild, a former flight attendant. In fact, you just might want to bookmark her site for future reference when traveling.

"SITTING ON THE TARMAC" BY DIANA FAIRECHILD
http://www.flyana.com/delay.html

Sea Changes

Most of us were introduced to the Moken last winter, when there was a brief flurry of stories on how the “sea gypsies” of Thailand and Myanmar managed to escape the tsunami by reading the language of the ocean—a language exceedingly familiar to a people who spend all of their lives in or very close to the water.

It was a heartening tale, in a context where those kinds of tales were hard to come by, and it gained intrigue from the other tidbits we learned about this remote tribe:

How their four-year-olds can swim in waters 20 feet deep and adults can dive to 200 feet (most of us conk out by 30 feet);

How throughout most of history they lived on boats, coming in to terra firma for only a few months each year;

How Moken children have learned to constrict their pupils to see 50% better under water than we can, enabling them to go harpooning without goggles and find tiny shells on the ocean floor.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT MOTHER JONES "MOJO" BLOG

Keeping Cozy With Minka

Minka, meaning co-operative in the local Quechuan language is a Fair Trade group that works with producers from the high Andres, in Peru.

MINKA was founded in 1978, to stop the local indigenous people from being exploited by the middle men who used to pay them just $1 per sweater.

Find out about Minka's work with these people and the endangered coloured alpaca.

Ghana Volunteer Experience

United Planet (UP), is "the world's largest cultural exchange" international non-profit organization with members and volunteers in over 150 countries.

The organization's goal is to unite the world in a community beyond borders by: Fostering cross-cultural understanding and friendship, supporting communities in need, and promoting social & economic prosperity among cultures

Charlie McOuat is a UP volunteer, and he tells of his expereinces in Ghana . . .

I spent a fantastic two weeks in Ghana with United Planet teaching school in the small village of Biakpa in the Volta Region. The adjective “fantastic,” only insults the experience by understatement.

I stayed in a lodge overlooking a pristine mountain range and walked one kilometer to work each morning to teach in the school.

The townspeople waved, smiled and said, “welcome,” as I past through their picturesque village. The Ghanaian teachers were on strike so I was needed and put to work immediately. I taught English to three different class levels. The students were highly motivated, respectful, and supportive. When I assigned homework to “tell me about you,” one girl described how much she liked to read, tell stories to her younger sister, how she hated gossip, and liked to play a certain game with her friends. The well-detailed essay was worthy of any college student in our country.

I loved the students and am now am organizing a pen pal program between them and some American high school children. My United Planet Quest lives on in the U.S.A.

My two-week stay in the Volta region coincided with the funeral for a tribal chief who had died two years before. Every morning I woke up to the sound of magical African drumming, muskets firing from nearby villages, and an occasional cannon resounding over the pastoral mountains.

Tony Fiakpa, my host at the Mountain Paradise Lodge, did everything possible to immerse me in the total African experience.

On the third day there, he offered to drive me to the school so I could meet the new chief. In town, I shook hands with a regal, handsome man about forty years old, sitting with his elders, around a pot loaded with herbs, bottles of incense, and smoking embers. He was very hospitable and explained to me that they were starting the funeral for his predecessor. He invited me to participate while they opened the ceremony by preparing the departed chief’s journey to the afterlife by sacrificing a chicken. I watched as someone plucked a few feathers from the neck, prayers were chanted in unison, while a tribal leader sliced the neck with a machete, and then dripped the blood over the herbs, simmering in the pot before us. We ended the ceremony by sharing local gin, first pouring a drop on the ground to communicate with our dead ancestors.

The sun was just rising as I left to enjoy another day of teaching at the school. Another day, Tony took me to his own village where they were celebrating the anniversary of their church. I met his family and friends and soon felt like I was one of them instead of a visitor. I shook hands with his tribal leader, who introduced me to his interpreter. The chief spoke perfect English but used an interpreter because a leader is presumed to be faultless. If a mistake was made, the interpreter could be blamed instead of the chief. I joked that I wanted an interpreter also.

Another day I talked with a voodoo man. He was a retired educator but practiced voodoo, as had his ancestors. He sat in an easy chair beside a shrine and directed me to sit alongside. Behind me was an empty looking house that was reserved for ghosts and ancestors, but uninhabited by the living. We talked about his traditional African religion. He explained that there was one superior being, above all others, who used agents as helpers. He said this is similar to our Christian religion where we believe in one God, Jesus Christ as our lord and savior, but may a have angels, like their agents.

I asked if he referred some cases to medical clinics when necessary. He said that he did and used the example of his wife’s high blood pressure. He first treated her with his traditional remedies but when the problem persisted, he referred her to a medical clinic and would do the same for any patient. He added that sometimes area medical clinics might refer clients to him. When asked about marital or family issues, he responded like a trained psychologist the United States. We talked for hours and I was honored that when we parted he called me “a godly person.”

On another occasion we drove to the neighboring village of Vane, which was the focus of that day’s funeral festivities. On the way we passed men and women, walking along the road, wrapped in bright red tribal clothes. Bright red is the mourning color in Ghana.

They were all headed to Vane, where a large crowd was already assembled. Men poured black gunpowder into their long muskets and compacted it tightly with metal ramrods. The air was clouded with gun smoke from muskets already fired. Each village grouped together and marched, danced, shuffled into the town square. One overwhelmed woman, yelling, crying and throwing herself on the ground, was led away and calmed by her friends.

We followed towards a central arena. Each village marched separately to the stage, danced, fired their muskets then retreated to allow room for the next village.

While the frenzy increased with the constant drumming, I looked off to the side of the road and saw a very old woman, bent over from age, staggering with a cane, steadied by a younger man assigned to help her. She somehow balanced a pot of water on her head. She led her villagers towards the stage to the beat of the drum. She walked past me a few steps, hesitated, turned back, looked me in the eye, bowed, and raised her hand in a two-fingered salute like Winston Churchill in World War II. I returned her bow, raised my two fingers, and then she continued ambling towards the stage. When she arrived at the center, she listened as the drums reached a feverous beat, then threw down her cane and danced to the music.

After a few minutes of dancing, she sat watching the others, and then picked up her cane, took her aids hand and walked off the stage. She again led her villagers past me, turned back, repeated her two-fingered salute, bowed and then tipped her head so water poured from the pot, onto my feet. She nodded before continuing her retreat from the crowd. When she got beyond the sound of the drums, she reverted to the posture of an old woman, more stooped over, and more dependent on her aid for help. I asked Tony, “Hey, did you see that? What was that all about? Why did she give me that salute? And spill that water? What’s going on?”

Without hesitation, Tony said, “She thinks you are a godly person.”

Now I don’t think I’m any more or less godly than anyone else. I think we all are capable of being godly or hellish and one of our challenges is to be more good than bad, but I appreciate the acknowledgement.

I thank United Planet, Tony, and most of all, the people of Ghana for making my quest one that I will never forget.

I’m going back to Ghana.

http://www.unitedplanet.org/

Thanks For Visiting!

Welcome fellow Americans, Canadians, and all visitors from China, the UK, Germany and Switzerland.

Wow, just checked my blog stats, and I'm going to have to step up my game!

54% of visitors from the US, 10% from Canada, 8% from China, 7% from the UK, 4% from Germany and 2% from Switzerland.

And, 4% from an "unknown country". What the heck is an "unknown country"? I obviously don't know where the 4% lives, but I THANK YOU for your visit also.

THE WORLD IS TRULY WIDE!

Girls Night Out in NYC

Stopped by the "Girlfriends Getaway Guide - Travels with Tish", and saw this posting. Hey Tish, sounds like fun to me also . . . just a traveler

Here's what Tish has to say

I think this event really does has FUN written all over it!

Imagine you and your friends spending a couple of days in New York. Strolling Fifth Avenue. Shopping for purses on Canal Street. Exploring SoHo, TriBeCa or the Village. And then, enjoying a Girls Night Out in SoHo, planned especially for you and your girlfriends. When I first read about Girls Night Out, I knew I wanted to experience it for myself. And it didn’t take much to get my friends and co-workers on board either!

Girls Night Out!“A 5-hour dream evening — deliciously filled with endless fashion, glamour, beauty, shopping, cocktails, freebies … and FUN!” — Sheckys.com

This Girls Night Out is so-o-o big in NY that Sheckys.com (the company behind the event) has expanded it to 5 nights - March 12-16.

Choose an evening — each begins at 4:30 p.m. and runs through 10 p.m. Admission is just $10, but if you want a “goodie bag,” you’ll pay $30. The goodie bags sound great! In fact, I think the whole event sounds great. At least 3-4 of us from the Midwest Airlines office will be going out for the event! Maybe more as the word spreads!

Hot New Designers and More. I actually called the Shecky’s folks to find out more about Girls Night Out. They said that hot up-and-coming designers are featured, plus a host of other fashion, beauty and glamour representatives will be there. You can browse, shop and get some freebies. Plus cocktails flow all evening. You can even get a free makeover. Some vendors will be offering sales up to 75% off. You’ll find everything from jeans to purses to beauty products and jewelry. Link to find out the whole story. And link here to see photos of past events! Doesn’t this sound like a fun evening with your friends? And since the event is held in SoHo, you can easily spend the rest of the evening at a nearby club or two.

Are You In? I know we are! Can’t wait to get back to New York, explore a little more, enjoy some good deli and spend an evening at Girls Night Out. E-mail the link to this blog post right now to your girlfriends. Get a group together. Book a hotel (don’t forget to try Priceline for a hotel). And book your airline tickets — preferably Midwest Airlines Signature Service. You know, the ones with the warm, baked-onboard chocolate chip cookies!

Save 10% on Air Fare for Girls Night Out. Because my friends in the Group Travel department are just as excited about this event — (several of them are going with me) –they gave me a 10% discount to offer to you and your friends. But you’ll need to get your airline tickets and your Girls Night Out tickets quickly. In fact, Shecky’s also offers a group rate for tickets. Find out more about Midwest’s 10% discount for Girls Night Out.

Don’t Think You Can Make It? Aw! Sure, You Can!
You know this trip can be done in just 2 days — fly out on the day you’ll attend Girls Night Out, then return the next day. Take 2-3 friends with you, split the hotel costs, eat on the cheap and you’re there! A little spontaneity and creative planning can give you one of the most fun of girls getaways.

But if you really can’t get to New York this time, stay tuned. I’ll be reporting to you all about it. Photos and all. I’ll let you know if it truly was as fun as I’m anticipating.

TIPS:
1) Nonstop Flights. Midwest flies a number of nonstops each day to Newark and La Guardia from Kansas City and Milwaukee, with easy connections from other cities.
2) Book a Hotel. Try the Cosmopolitan in TriBeCa for a good value. I loved the Clarion Solita SoHo. But you can really stay most anywhere in mid-town or lower Manhattan and just cab it back to your hotel at the end of the evening. Haven’t tried Priceline for hotels in NYC, but it’s worth a try to get a deal.
3) Read Past Posts on Lower Manhattan. You’ll get a better idea of what you can do and see while you’re in NYC.

Source: Girl Friends Getaway

Crazy Fish Bubble Hotel Room!!

Here's an interesting article I found at Mobissimo Blog

Underwater hotel in Sweden, those crazy Swedes!!


There is only one room in this concept hotel and it is closed for the winter so reserve well in advance.

The Utter Inn Hotel was thought up by Mikael Grenberg a local artist and sculptor. The actual hotel room lies 3 meters below the surface of the Lake Mälaren in Västerås, Sweden.

The room is not fancy and consists of only twin beds, a table and panoramic windows to check out your curious fish roomates (there is no mention of a bathroom anywhere.)

Two types of stays are available at the Utter Hotel. The bed is made while breakfast and dinner are brought out to the guests by boat in the DeLuxe version and in the Bohéme version sheets and food are up to you.

Entertainment consists of touring the neighboring uninhabited island, swimming or just hanging with the fish.

Hip-Shaking Shakira Designs Car for Charity

To kick off her 2007 Oral Fixation European tour, Latin pop star Shakira unveiled an eye-popping lilac-colored European Seat Leon Cupra car that will be used to raise funds for her charity.

The hip-shaking Colombian singer-songwriter "acted as a consultant on colors and materials."

The Shakira model has lilac exterior metallic paint, and that same interesting color scheme is carried into the cabin. The emblem for the star's Fundación Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet Foundation) dresses up the car's leather trim and B-pillar.

Shakira's charity works to improve the education and nutrition of deprived children in Colombia.

The Leon prize car will be presented to the winner at the Barcelona Motor Show in June.

Source: See the fabulous car at The Driving Woman

How Will YOU Be Bold Today?

The "BOLD SOUL" blog says "Committing Random Acts of Boldness is What Got Me to Paris. How Will YOU Be Bold Today?

Such an insightful question. . . I'm not feeling very BOLD today. We're covered in snow here in Northern Indiana, and I have not been BOLD enough to even venture out. But, I will ponder this question tomorrow . . . Just a traveler

THE BOLD SOUL

Afro Cuban All Stars

Afro Cuban All-Stars: from Myspace:

Juan de Marcos González is one of the most important figures in Cuban music today.

He has a mission to show the world the wealth, diversity and vitality of Cuban music. His work with the Afro-Cuban All Stars, the Buena Vista Social Club, Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer, Sierra Maestra and others has made an extraordinary contribution to raising the profile of Cuban music throughout the world.

However, neither his name nor his crucial contribution is well known to the general public and he remains something of an unsung hero of Cuban music.

Listen online at their Myspace Page

Valentine's Day in Japan

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Did you know that in Japan it’s the women who give gifts on this day.

People are also obliged to give close colleagues or associates chocolates to each other even if they feel no romantic feelings.

Men, who were lucky to have received gifts on Feb 14 reciprocate the gesture on March 14, usually with a more expensive gift.

Read more at Let's Visit Asia Blog

Latin American Women in the 2007 Bloggies

Liz Henry, over at BlogHer, has a listing of the five Latin American blogs.

The 2007 Bloggies are coming up, and 4 of the 5 finalists are women. You're in for a treat, because they're all fantastic bloggers!

Check it out!

http://blogher.org/node/14944

Switzerland Tops Global Competitiveness

Switzerland has the world's most competitive economy, according to a survey of 125 countries by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It is the first time that the Swiss have taken the top spot in the WEF's annual Global Competitiveness Report.

The report highlights the fact that Swiss companies also spend generously on research and development and that protection of intellectual property is strong, spurring high levels of technological innovation.

Business activity in the country benefits from a well:developed institutional framework, characterised by respect for the rule of law, an efficiently working judicial system, and high levels of transparency and accountability within public institutions. Flexible labour markets and excellent infrastructure facilities are two healthy features of the business environment.

Switzerland scored consistently well in almost all nine categories, ranging from market efficiency through to innovation. The Swiss dropped out of the top six in only two of them: health and primary education (29th) and macroeconomy (18th).

U.S. Drops in RankingThe country's total saw it climb from fourth place last year to the top spot, overtaking Finland and Sweden, and replacing the United States, which slipped into sixth place.

Earthrace To Circle Globe

The Earthrace challenger boat which is aiming to circumnavigate the globe in a record time of less than 65 days will be arriving in Malta for refueling and a short break on the 18th April 2007.

Apart from setting a new time record, the boat is expected to be the first to attempt to circle the globe using Biodiesel.

Throughout its short stay in Malta the boat will be berthed at the Grand Harbour Marina in Vittoriosa, who have offered their support free of charge in view of the environmental nature of the project.

The boat visit to Malta is also expected to attract international media coverage from over 70 TV stations which are following the progress of Earthrace. These stations are expected to arrive the day before the event in order to be able to cover the boat’s arrival in the Grand Harbour.

Earthrace is a revolutionary wave-piercing trimaran, which was built in New Zealand with the aim of promoting the use of renewable fuels.

To date it has completed a promotional tour around New Zealand and across North America and now will attempt to set the UIM powerboat circumnavigation record starting March 6, 2007 from Barbados while using only Biodiesel.

THE RACE

Circumnavigating the globe is the world’s longest race at 24,000 nautical miles, and holds the greatest bragging rights for powerboat challenges.

A British boat, Cable & Wireless, set the current record of 75 days in 1998. Earthrace plans on finishing in less than 65 days, and will be the first to attempt to circle the globe using only renewable fuel.

Earthrace will begin the race March 6, 2007 from Barbados making only twelve stops during the circumnavigation. At each of the ports Earthrace will be picking up the sponsor, refueling, and gaining provisions.

Theses stops can become part of record breaking history in 2007:

March 6 - Barbados
March 8 - Panama
March 12 - Acapulco
March 15 - San Diego
March 20 - Maui
March 25 - Majuro
April 1 - Koror
April 5 - Singapore
April 9 - Cochin
April 11 - Salalah
April 15 - Suez
April 18 - Malta
April 22 - Canary Islands
April 28 - Barbados - And a NEW RECORD!

SPONSORSHIP

Earthrace will have a permanent crew of four but there is the ability to buy a sponsor leg of the race and become the fifth crew member. The sponsorship member will jump on at their given city and continue till the following city. These sponsorships are selling for fifteen thousand.

Check www.earthrace.net to see who has sponsored a leg and which remain.

BIODIESEL

Biodiesel was formulated in 1895, chemically it is methyl ester, a renewable fuel made from plant oils and animal fats, it is biodegradable, and produces 78.5% lower carbon dioxide emissions than petroleum diesel.

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that runs in any conventional, unmodified diesel engines and is a proven fuel with over 20 years of use in Europe and is now being explored as an alternative energy source in the United States.

REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN

Earthrace is a 78 foot wave piercing trimaran designed by New Zealand navel architect Craig Loomis Design Group and was built by Calibre Boats. To ensure the lowest weight and highest strength possible, the hull is constructed of carbon fiber with a top layer of Kevlar.

Earthrace has concluded its sea trials and Skipper Pete Bethune is confident the boat is structurally sound to circumnavigate the globe. The boat is powered by two Cummins Mercruiser QSC-540 engines for efficiency cruises at 1 5-25 knots.

Fight the Net Plans Revealed

US Plans To 'Fight The Net' Revealed by Adam Brookes

A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations" - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile computer networks.

Bloggers beware.

As the world turns networked, the Pentagon is calculating the military opportunities that computer networks, wireless technologies and the modern media offer.

From influencing public opinion through new media to designing "computer network attack" weapons, the US military is learning to fight an electronic war.

The declassified document is called "Information Operations Roadmap". It was obtained by the National Security Archive at George Washington University using the Freedom of Information Act.

Officials in the Pentagon wrote it in 2003. The Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, signed it.

The "roadmap" calls for a far-reaching overhaul of the military's ability to conduct information operations and electronic warfare. And, in some detail, it makes recommendations for how the US armed forces should think about this new, virtual warfare.

The document says that information is "critical to military success". Computer and telecommunications networks are of vital operational importance.

Propaganda

The operations described in the document include a surprising range of military activities: public affairs officers who brief journalists, psychological operations troops who try to manipulate the thoughts and beliefs of an enemy, computer network attack specialists who seek to destroy enemy networks.

All these are engaged in information operations.

Perhaps the most startling aspect of the roadmap is its acknowledgement that information put out as part of the military's psychological operations, or Psyops, is finding its way onto the computer and television screens of ordinary Americans.

"Information intended for foreign audiences, including public diplomacy and Psyops, is increasingly consumed by our domestic audience," it reads.

"Psyops messages will often be replayed by the news media for much larger audiences, including the American public," it goes on.

The document's authors acknowledge that American news media should not unwittingly broadcast military propaganda. "Specific boundaries should be established," they write. But they don't seem to explain how.

"In this day and age it is impossible to prevent stories that are fed abroad as part of psychological operations propaganda from blowing back into the United States - even though they were directed abroad," says Kristin Adair of the National Security Archive.

Credibility problem

Public awareness of the US military's information operations is low, but it's growing - thanks to some operational clumsiness.

Late last year, it emerged that the Pentagon had paid a private company, the Lincoln Group, to plant hundreds of stories in Iraqi newspapers. The stories - all supportive of US policy - were written by military personnel and then placed in Iraqi publications.

And websites that appeared to be information sites on the politics of Africa and the Balkans were found to be run by the Pentagon.

But the true extent of the Pentagon's information operations, how they work, who they're aimed at, and at what point they turn from informing the public to influencing populations, is far from clear.

The roadmap, however, gives a flavour of what the US military is up to - and the grand scale on which it's thinking.

It reveals that Psyops personnel "support" the American government's international broadcasting. It singles out TV Marti - a station which broadcasts to Cuba - as receiving such support.

It recommends that a global website be established that supports America's strategic objectives. But no American diplomats here, thank you. The website would use content from "third parties with greater credibility to foreign audiences than US officials".

It also recommends that Psyops personnel should consider a range of technologies to disseminate propaganda in enemy territory: unmanned aerial vehicles, "miniaturized, scatterable public address systems", wireless devices, cellular phones and the internet.

'Fight the net'

When it describes plans for electronic warfare, or EW, the document takes on an extraordinary tone.

It seems to see the internet as being equivalent to an enemy weapons system.

"Strategy should be based on the premise that the Department [of Defense] will 'fight the net' as it would an enemy weapons system," it reads.

The slogan "fight the net" appears several times throughout the roadmap.

The authors warn that US networks are very vulnerable to attack by hackers, enemies seeking to disable them, or spies looking for intelligence.

"Networks are growing faster than we can defend them... Attack sophistication is increasing... Number of events is increasing."

US digital ambition

And, in a grand finale, the document recommends that the United States should seek the ability to "provide maximum control of the entire electromagnetic spectrum".

US forces should be able to "disrupt or destroy the full spectrum of globally emerging communications systems, sensors, and weapons systems dependent on the electromagnetic spectrum".

Consider that for a moment.

The US military seeks the capability to knock out every telephone, every networked computer, every radar system on the planet.

Are these plans the pipe dreams of self-aggrandising bureaucrats? Or are they real?

The fact that the "Information Operations Roadmap" is approved by the Secretary of Defense suggests that these plans are taken very seriously indeed in the Pentagon.

And that the scale and grandeur of the digital revolution is matched only by the US military's ambitions for it.

This item was first published by the BBChttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4655196.stm

Still have a reason not to travel?

Online travel from the perspective in India - just a traveler

PERIPATETIC

Arati Menon Carroll / Mumbai February 10, 2007

The Universe is conspiring to make travel easier. Just as we were getting used to booking our airlines and hotel rooms online instead of using hum-ho travel agencies, we got online third party vendors who’d attend to not just hotel and flights but also car rentals and other verticals.

Now online travel agencies are subordinate to Meta search travel engines — Mobissimo launched in India last year, so did Fare.net.

And while search engines, OTAs and meta-search engines battle it out, the Indian online travel market just keeps swelling (it’s expected to exceed $2 billion by 2008) as consumers shout give me more, sitting back and enjoying the benefits of an increasingly comprehensive, comparative shopping experience.

Let’s face it: travel itself is no longer novel, so canny e-commerce entrepreneurs are in on the game, feeding our new need for travelling smarter. Flightstats.com is one such website that thrives on details.

From flight delays to airport parking information, security wait times, airport weather, airport authority jobs, airport performance scorecards and even where to get the best cappuccino in Heathrow, flightstats.com is so exacting, it makes you feel just a bit geeky for being in on it.

But airport delays aside, what is the one thing that can make bearable a trans-Atlantic trip in cattle-class? More legroom, right? Now you can find the best seat on the plane with websites like Seatguru that abet your seat-grabbing strategies, so you no longer have to wink frantically at the guy at check-in at the risk of him thinking you have an annoying twitch. But what of all that extra space if you have to share it with a corpulent co-passenger given to spilling over his extras onto yours?

Now you can even check out who your fellow travellers are with passenger list.net. However, that website’s still in beta-status and I suspect the product will never be entirely legal, given that airlines are wildly possessive about passenger information.

But any super traveller knows that nothing, and I mean nothing, beats travelling luggage free. How, you ask? Easy peesy. Companies like Carry my luggage, or First luggage, for a fee, will pick up your luggage at your doorstep and deliver it to your hotel anywhere in the world so you can travel hands-free and can plan to hit the ski slopes as soon as you arrive in Aspen, safe in the knowledge that your skis won’t find their way to sunny Barbados instead. No more lost in transit.

And if you’re too lazy, or too rich (or both) to even pack your own bags, Flylite comes to your rescue. Flylite is a new company that packs, catalogues, delivers, picks up, and even drycleans your stuff so you don’t have to. The downside? You’ll be $200 short and the service is only available in the US for now.

And if you ain’t that rich, you can at least pretend to be. These days, for a pretty reasonable annual fee ($99) some companies offer you access into VIP/first-class lounges in 500 airports across the world.

Which leads me to recall. A friend’s NRI cousin recently visited India. Being wealthy and paranoid (one usually leads to another) he travelled with four nannies, two personal “guards” and cartons full of hand sanitisers.

Anyone who ventured near his lovely children would first be decontaminated with squirts of the sanitiser by an attending nanny before being permitted a cuddle.

Now, something tells me that nothing can ever make this family’s travels stress-free.

Source: BUSINESS STANDARD">Business Standard

Out of This World and Into the Clouds

Out of This World and Into the Clouds- the Washington Post

The society, with chapters in 43 countries, attracts people whose dreams of space odysseys were dashed by the termination of the Apollo program in the 1970s.

WORTH A TRIP: You've got to hand it to Travel + Leisure. Its February issue features a destination that most other travel publications have ignored: Mars.

Or it might be Utah. Jeff Wise follows members of the Mars Society, "an international fraternity of frustrated would-be astronauts" who journey to such places as Hanksville, Utah, to put on simulated space suits and pilot Martian rovers across the Mars-scape.

Okay, the rovers are really Kawasaki all-terrain vehicles, but the Utah terrain does resemble that of Mars; just ask anyone who's been to both.

Read rest of article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/09/AR2007020900765.html

Luxury Travel Blog

Boy, this is a wonderful blog.

All the places you want to visit, but can't afford! Well, at least some folkes can't afford it.

Anyway, it is a great blog of luxury hotels and resorts from around the world.
Just a Traveler

A Luxury Travel Blog

A Quiet Coup in Paradise

AS timing goes, ours was impeccable. After one of the most slow-burning coups in history, we arrived in Fiji on December 5 – the very day the military finally chose to take control of the country.

When we boarded the Air Pacific flight in Sydney, the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase was still officially in command; when we stepped off four hours later, Commodore Frank Bainimarama was running Fiji.

READ FULL VACATION STORY

Student Travelers

Being a student, here's a website that makes my day! Just A Traveler

STA Travel, a student and youth travel company, has launched www.STATRavel193.com, an online travel site for student travelers.

It features videos, photos and facts, and is offering a "World Traveler Sweepstakes" with a grand prize of a 28-day trip for two students to four countries of their choice.

To enter the sweepstakes, students must submit their email adders and countries of choice. Students may also enter at any STA travel brand or at various events on college campuses.

Ten finalists will be elected, and the "World Traveler" will be named by their peers during a round of voting on www.STATravel193.com. Other finalists will win prizes such as a bike and a camera.

For more information, visit www.STATravel193.com.

Ten Wonders of the World Vanishing

TEN WONDERS OF THE VANISHING WORLD


Many of the world's best-loved natural icons are threatened by global warming, from polar bears to coral reefs to the snows of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Find out what they are, and how you can travel to seem them before they're gone.

Continue Reading

Roadtrip

I stopped by "Rad Perspective" - Little tidbits of what's going on in my life in a random land

A fellow Google blogger who has an interesting blog about his travels, and his profile states he's attempting to do meaninful things, and he's in love with a wonderful woman.

Now that's the kind of guy I need to marry one day!

http://mrcaron.blogspot.com/2007/02/roadtrip.html

Miracle in the Desert: An African Judgment with Global Impact

This is a story of the oldest culture on the planet.

They are considered to be somewhere between 20,000 and 70,000 years old, a society where there is no gender bias and their main source of survival is their highly regarded hunting and gathering skills.

This culture knows no warrior mentality and generally does not have tribal chiefs or stratified leadership. This is a culture built on mutual respect and community.

Their healing tradition of trance dance is well known throughout southern Africa, where they number somewhere around 100,000, mostly living in poverty.

Read the full article

Swiss Riviera - Not What You Think

The Swiss Riviera is often called a playground for the rich and famous. Most people think of "cold" when you mention Switzerland, but the Swiss Riviera is quite different.

The area called the Swiss Riviera is located on the shores of Lake Leman stretching from Geneva to the south, and Montreux to the north east. Lake Leman is the biggest fresh water lake in Western Europe, and a must see area for travelers planning to visit Switzerland.

Most of French-speaking Switzerland is so appealing because it barely registers on the package tour circuit. You can swap a bus full of tourists shopping for cuckoo clocks in Lucern for a hillside of blooming narcissi, or a wine village with spell-binding views and a deep blue-green gleam along Lake Leman.

The best way to experience arriving in the Swiss Riviera is from the window of a Panoramic train as it descends from the snow capped Alps into a summer of villages with beautiful terraced vineyards. This is wine country, and there are over 50 vineyards which run alongside Lake Leman. The lake is also home to banana and palm trees, which dot the lakeshore.

Lake Leman eludes grace with its calm azure waters, expensive sail boats and yachts, and the graceful swans that patrol underneath a medieval Castle. This castle has a wicked history - this is where during Switzerland's purge of witchcraft, women were tortured while many others were incarcerated. Lord Bryon, who visited in 1816, wrote an epic poem about Francois Bonivard, the prisoner chained in the dungeons of Chillon Castle.

Montreux is one of those places that seem to hold a certain tantalizing magic, and it is also located on the shores of Lake Leman. One of the favorite tourist attractions is the vast variety of tropical plants which line the long scenic walkway. In the afternoon the crystal clear waters of Lake Leman becomes a mirrow that shows reflections of the steep mountains, and the ever changing colors of the wine vineyards.

In the summer the areas surrounding Lake Leman are definitely Riviera-like, with temperatures reaching 95 degrees by mid July. However, there are many beaches where you can cool off - and the beaches offer a 360 degree view of the beautiful Swiss and French Alps.

From this area daily trips on a classic Pullman rail car are offered to the medieval village of Gruyere where you can watch cheese making demonstrations the traditional way. In the afternoon, you can indulge yourself in a pure chocolate heaven at the Nestle's Callier chocolate factory located in the village of Broc.

In the high summer season, ferries travel between the lakeside villages. You can take a ferry to Geneva, or to Evian (the source of the famous bottled water), which is located in France. Other area attractions include the Nestle food museum and the wonderful farmers markets, which are open along the shores every Saturday to shoppers.

Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Shania Twain and Freddy Mercury all have made Montreux and neighboring Vevey their home. Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life in Vevey, which has a statue of him along the lakefront.

Switzerland is renewing its spa reputation, and millions have been spent to create everything you could possibly need to de-stress, detox, lose weight, tone up and bring mind and body back to optimal health. New luxurious wellness centers have sprung up along its shores to entice visitors to come rest and play.

It's quite easy to understand why once you catch a glimpse of the ambling quai des fleurs - which is French for "quay of the flowers". The beautiful tropical flower market extends to the wharf - called a quay - and these unique tropical flowers can be found all through the neighboring towns and villages. Visitors are treated to an ever changing panorama of lakes, alpine pinnacles, and twinkling villages.

But, within a half-an-hour you can be high in the mountainous Alps and enjoy various winter sports.

The people of the Swiss Riviera are very International. Don't worry if your French is a little rusty, as they are English friendly (among Switzerland's four national languages) and are happy to answer your questions.

Now that you know a little more about the Swiss Riviera, you just might choose to venture there on your next vacation.

Sue Thompkins - Just A Traveler
The World is Wide
http://www.theworldiswide.blogspot.com
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Back Blogging

Wow, it's been such a long time since I last blogged.

One of the things my mother told me (she's a blogger) before I started this blog was the commitment it would involve. No problem I said, however the last posting was back in November, 2005.

Okay - I got sick with a bad cold in November, and then there were the Holidays, and School, and . . .

Well I'm just making excuses. There is no excuse. It's so easy to start something, then get behind, and then never start again.

But never starting again is not the case. I am back, and making a commitment that I will not let three months pass by without a posting.