San Francisco International to install nation's first dispenser of carbon offset credits
Come spring, eco-conscious travelers flyhing out of San Francisco International Airport will be able to buy certified carbon offsets at self-service kiosks in a one-year pilot program (yes, that's an intentional pun) set up by 3Degrees, a local company that deals in renewable-energy and carbon-reduction investments. The San Francisco Airport Commission has authorized a $163,000 startup costs to provide kiosks, initially at the customer service desk in Terminal 3 and two wings of the International Terminal.
The kiosk will probably look a lot like an ATM or airline check-kiosk. According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the flier will punch in the destination, and the kiosk's computer will calculate the carbon footprint and the cost of carbon credits to offset that particular flight. A credit card swipe then will buy the necessary credits.
Buying this credits will be an environmental good deed, but it's not a charity, so the cost is not tax-deductible. 3Degree's Krista Canellakis told the paper, "While the carbon offsets purchased at kiosks can't be seen or touched, they are an actual product with a specific environmental claim whose ownership is transferred at the time of purchase."
According city and airport officials, 3Degrees and city will choose projects to be funded from a list certified by the city's Environment Department such as "renewable energy ventures in developing countries, agriculture and organic waste capture, coal mine methane capture, and sustainable forestry." A portion of each offset purchase will also go to "the San Francisco Carbon Fund, which supports local projects such as energy-efficiency programs and solar panel installations for low-income housing, as well as efforts to convert waste oils into biodiesel fuels."
The cost of these offset purchases for travelers has not be finalized yet, but 3Degrees' web-based "carbon calculator" suggests that offsetting a two-hour trip using about 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide would cost about $4 per person. Offsetting a trip to Europe would is guesstimated at $36. Thirty percent of the revenues will go to 3Degrees and the rest to the city. If it works at SFO, it's sure to spread to other airports as well. Profits for the company, revenues to the airport without requiring any additional services other than electricity and a clear conscience for travelers. Seems like a good bet for success.
Ironically, just as SFO is ready to welcome the 21st century commodity of carbon offset credits, the city is set to bid farewell to Stacey's Bookstore, an 85-year-old institution at 581 Market Street, one of the diminishing independent book dealers that have sadly fallen victim to changing times.
28 Şubat 2011 Pazartesi
27 Şubat 2011 Pazar
Happy Anniversaries, Parks Canada
Canada's equivalent of the US National Park Service celebrates its 125th this year. But wait! There's more!
Happy Anniversaries -- plural "anniversaries" with an S is correct, as Parks Canada (and also Parcs Canada in our officially bilingual neighbor to the north) -- celebrates and celebrates and celebrates. Currently, the agency is responsible for 42 national parks, 167 historic sites, nine historic canals and three national historic conservation areas. Like trivia? Point Pelee National Park, between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario is the smallest and also the farthest south -- farther south, in fact, than New York City. The farthest north is Sirmilik National Park on northern Baffin Island, also the area where the earliest signs of human habitation have been found. Parks Canada/Parcs Canada certainly has a lot to celebrate.
2010 - 125th anniversary of the year (1885) that Cave Basin was established as a natural reserve to protect Banff Hot Springs. Two years later, it became the nucleus Banff National Park, Canada's first national park.
2011 - 100th anniversary of the creation of the agency now called Parks Canada/Parcs Canada
2012 - 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, commemorated and documented at numerous National Historic Sites close to the Canada-US border.
2013 - 300th anniversary ot the Fortress of Louisbourg, a faith reconstruction of a fortress built in 1713 to protect French poessesions in what is now referred to as Atlantic Canada.
Happy Anniversaries -- plural "anniversaries" with an S is correct, as Parks Canada (and also Parcs Canada in our officially bilingual neighbor to the north) -- celebrates and celebrates and celebrates. Currently, the agency is responsible for 42 national parks, 167 historic sites, nine historic canals and three national historic conservation areas. Like trivia? Point Pelee National Park, between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario is the smallest and also the farthest south -- farther south, in fact, than New York City. The farthest north is Sirmilik National Park on northern Baffin Island, also the area where the earliest signs of human habitation have been found. Parks Canada/Parcs Canada certainly has a lot to celebrate.
2010 - 125th anniversary of the year (1885) that Cave Basin was established as a natural reserve to protect Banff Hot Springs. Two years later, it became the nucleus Banff National Park, Canada's first national park.
2011 - 100th anniversary of the creation of the agency now called Parks Canada/Parcs Canada
2012 - 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, commemorated and documented at numerous National Historic Sites close to the Canada-US border.
2013 - 300th anniversary ot the Fortress of Louisbourg, a faith reconstruction of a fortress built in 1713 to protect French poessesions in what is now referred to as Atlantic Canada.
Sites and Blogs with Names Similar to Travel Babel
With tens of thousands of blogs and websites, I found just a few similar domain names
I do occasionally check the number of visitors to this blog, but today I'm feeling puckish this morning and suddenly wondered how many other blogs and sites I could find quickly with names similar to my Travel Babel blog. I immediately found another Travel Babel in Poland. Its URL is almost identical to mine, but without the hyphen between "Travel" and "Babel."
Flipping the words around, I also found a Swiss tour operator called Babel Travel that organizes adventure trips to North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. There's a Travel Babble in Canada, a site that doesn't seem to travel far beyond Toronto and offers information for visitors traveling to that wonderful city. And I came upon a dead-end URL for a website called My Travel Babble that was once a domain name of Bob and Claudia Brill, " two people with extensive travel experience," says the Google search page. And I found a lame YouTube video titled "Travel Babble" of two blokes sitting around in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris and describing their time in Paris with only some words audible .
I do occasionally check the number of visitors to this blog, but today I'm feeling puckish this morning and suddenly wondered how many other blogs and sites I could find quickly with names similar to my Travel Babel blog. I immediately found another Travel Babel in Poland. Its URL is almost identical to mine, but without the hyphen between "Travel" and "Babel."
Flipping the words around, I also found a Swiss tour operator called Babel Travel that organizes adventure trips to North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. There's a Travel Babble in Canada, a site that doesn't seem to travel far beyond Toronto and offers information for visitors traveling to that wonderful city. And I came upon a dead-end URL for a website called My Travel Babble that was once a domain name of Bob and Claudia Brill, " two people with extensive travel experience," says the Google search page. And I found a lame YouTube video titled "Travel Babble" of two blokes sitting around in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris and describing their time in Paris with only some words audible .
26 Şubat 2011 Cumartesi
60 Hours of Capricious Front Range Weather
Four seasons in 2+ days. Boulderites don't need to travel. Weather variations come to us.
If you live in or have been traveling to Boulder, Colorado, starting this past Wednesday, here's the weather you would have experienced:
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday afternoon, gray.
Wednesday early evening, hail.
Wednesday later in the evening, regular rain. Then downpour plus thunder and lightening.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Thursday morning, gray.
Thursday mid-day, blue sky and sunny.
Thursday afternoon, clouded over.
Thursday evening and Friday morning, rain ranging from drizzle to deluge.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Friday late morning and early afternoon, rain that became sleet and then, heavy, wet snow.
Friday afternoon and evening, alternating rain, drizzle and gray.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Saturday day morning and early afternoon (which is now), gray and cloudy, then clearing and finally sunny.
All the photos above are of our front or back yard during a classic April on Colorado's Front Range. Bottom line is that if you live here, you don't have to travel at this time of year for a change of climate. For visitors, April weather can be an hour-by-hour surpirse. For my part, I love it.
If you live in or have been traveling to Boulder, Colorado, starting this past Wednesday, here's the weather you would have experienced:
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday afternoon, gray.
Wednesday early evening, hail.
Wednesday later in the evening, regular rain. Then downpour plus thunder and lightening.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Thursday morning, gray.
Thursday mid-day, blue sky and sunny.
Thursday afternoon, clouded over.
Thursday evening and Friday morning, rain ranging from drizzle to deluge.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Friday late morning and early afternoon, rain that became sleet and then, heavy, wet snow.
Friday afternoon and evening, alternating rain, drizzle and gray.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Saturday day morning and early afternoon (which is now), gray and cloudy, then clearing and finally sunny.
All the photos above are of our front or back yard during a classic April on Colorado's Front Range. Bottom line is that if you live here, you don't have to travel at this time of year for a change of climate. For visitors, April weather can be an hour-by-hour surpirse. For my part, I love it.
Staycation for the Birds
Non-migrating avians have been bellying up to our heated birthbath and flocking around our feeder
A flock of robins (below) has all but taken over the birdbath.
The bird feeder atop a pole stuck into the ground attracts smaller birds (below) until a (relatively) large flicker chases them off.
Squirrels patrol the snow (below), picking up any scattered birdseed, and occasionally, the neighbored fox comes around seeking a squirrel to snack on (I've never caught Foxy with my camera, but trust me that s/he lives nearby).
Meanwhile, Johnny Cash, the Cat in Black (below) is an avid birdwatcher. He really doesn't care to go outside into the cold -- especially when he might get his paws wet in the snow.
A flock of robins (below) has all but taken over the birdbath.
The bird feeder atop a pole stuck into the ground attracts smaller birds (below) until a (relatively) large flicker chases them off.
Squirrels patrol the snow (below), picking up any scattered birdseed, and occasionally, the neighbored fox comes around seeking a squirrel to snack on (I've never caught Foxy with my camera, but trust me that s/he lives nearby).Meanwhile, Johnny Cash, the Cat in Black (below) is an avid birdwatcher. He really doesn't care to go outside into the cold -- especially when he might get his paws wet in the snow.
25 Şubat 2011 Cuma
Classic Gloucester Schooner at Home in West Coast Harbor
Down to the seas in a self-made ship: Leland Parsons's magnificent accomplishment
Tied up on a dock paralleling the quay was a vision from the 18th century -- a schooner with wooden masts, canvas sails gently luffing in the breeze, varnished wood, gleaming brightwork and orderly lines hanging from wooden pins. What an unexpected vision in a watery neighborhood or working fishing boats and more prosaic pleasure craft.
We stopped to chat with the trim, gray-bearded man tidying the tidy boat. I asked him how old the boat was, and he replied, "The simple answer is 40 years old but in the water since 2005." He told us that his name is Leland Parsons and shared snippets of the story of this marine dream come true -- that of building a traditional boat from the keel up, a labor of love he and his family had shared over many years.
The beautiful boat built in the style of a Gloucester fishing schooner is called the "Frank Edmund." It is late 18th century in appearance but features such 21st century safety and comfort accouterments as navigation and communication instruments, modern marine "plumbing," safety features and even a washer/dryer.
Reporter Gary Warth of the North Bay Times, who had known Parsons and his family in San Diego, wrote "Former Poway boat-builder still living his dream aboard schooner Frank Edmund." Parsons, originally from Gloucester, Massachusetts, is an expat New Englander, like the Sullivans and I. He, his wife Cecily and their sons built the boat for the possibility of sailing around the world, but the "Edmund's" home port this sheltered marina with shorter charters up and down the California coast on the ship's log.
Parsons invited us to come aboard and look around below, which is as beautiful as topside -- plus the addition of Oriental-style carpets.
The "Frank Edmund" is the Parsons' dream fulfilled. When we were aboard, for that short time, we briefly and vicariously shared such a dream.
Snowmass Provides Sensational Skiing
Conditions were perfect at the largest and most varied of the four Aspen ski areas
There were days over this holiday period when Colorado's snow-covered highways were challenging to drive or when bone-dry roadways were choked w
ith rush-hour traffic. There were times when the process of obtaining a lift ticket was so frustratingly slow that I thought everyone in front of me was buying a slopeside condo at Snowmass, and times when the liftline seemed endless because children's ski classes were loading onto the resort's six-passenger Village Express. But nothing, and I mean nothing, mattered once I started skiing.
ith rush-hour traffic. There were times when the process of obtaining a lift ticket was so frustratingly slow that I thought everyone in front of me was buying a slopeside condo at Snowmass, and times when the liftline seemed endless because children's ski classes were loading onto the resort's six-passenger Village Express. But nothing, and I mean nothing, mattered once I started skiing.Truth be told, I am back from several of the very best days of skiing I've ever had -- a perfect way to close the year of 2008 and shift the 2008-09 ski season into high gear. Snowmass had received 15 or 20 inches of snow in the few days prior to my arrival and had packed the snow down so the winds that accompanied and followed the storm it didn't blow the snow into the back of beyond. And did I mention a series sunny, wind-still days?
The Aspen Skiing Co. has invested a lot of money to upgrade the lifts and mountain restaurants at Snowmass, and the biggest and most varied of the Aspen area's four ski areas is better than ever. Here are recent improvements that I especially like:
- The new beginner area at the top of the Elk Camp gondola. Kids' classes can ride up and down on the gondola. Steps away is a wide, gentle slope served by a covered moving carpet.
- Novice slope on Assay Hill seemed to have more classes than I remember from recent years. Have they done something to improve it -- or is it just more visible now that nearby Base Village is closer to completion and less of a construction site.
- Slight relocation of the Sheer Bliss and an upgrade to a high-speed quad helps traffic flow on the parallel trail.
- Construction of the impressive Kahana terrain park beside the Elk Camp Gondola.
- Replacement of the old Sam's Knob on-mountain restaurant with the very attractive new Sam's Smokehouse (right), with a casual cafe-style area, a sit-down dining area, a new menu and fabulous views. Even the ladies' restroom is gorgeous -- and it's on the same level as the restaurant rather than down a flight of stairs!
I/we are fortunate to have hospitable friends who years back built a ski house across a small, snowy street from the Adams Avenue trail. This is the third or fourth year in a row that I've stayed there and skied at Snowmass for a few days over the holidays. Much as I like the other three Aspen areas, because each has its own distinct appeal, the convenient "commute" to the slopes has been such that I have only skied Snowmass. Happily. Very happily.
Travel Thumbnail: Oklahoma City National Museum and Memorial
This is the seventh of a series of periodic reports on specific places I've visited -- and which you might want see to as well.
On the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, this poignant memorial bears witness to a great American tragedy
The Place: Oklahoma City National Museum and Memorial
The Story: Who can forget the horror of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building by two crazed individuals with a grudge against the federal government? Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols conspired to detonate an explosive-filled rental truck. Six-and-a-half years before 9/11, these misguided young Americans, whom no one would take for terrorists by their appearance, committed a deadly act of terrorism against their fellow citizens. The blast claimed 168 lives, including 19 children under the age of eight, and injured an additional 680 people..
In addition to scarring the survivors and demolishing the Murrah Building, the blast changed the face of downtown Oklahoma City. In all, 324 buildings within a 16-block radius were destroyed or damaged, totaled 86 cars and shattered building glass in a three-mile-square area. Property damage was more than $650 million, but the damage to the collective American psyche was incalculable -- partly because the tools of their terrorism were so ordinary: a rental truck loaded
Both McVeigh and Nichols, clean-cut and unremarkable in appearance, were Army veterans. Part of the US army oath is, "...solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." They themselves became the very domestic enemies against whom they had once sworn to protect the country.
My Experience: I arrived in Oklahoma City in the evening for a conference. On that mild autumn evening, I left the hotel and walked along quiet streets. The walk took only 15 or 20 minutes, and I didn't know what to expect. I walked up a few steps to the outdoor memorial -- a reflecting pool and sculptures of metal chairs atop lighted cubes, one for every victim -- and was not alone. Other visitors walked reverently along the paths. It is a powerful site, and I walked back to the hotel in sadness and humility -- glad to have had a solitary experience.
On the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, this poignant memorial bears witness to a great American tragedy
The Place: Oklahoma City National Museum and Memorial
The Story: Who can forget the horror of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building by two crazed individuals with a grudge against the federal government? Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols conspired to detonate an explosive-filled rental truck. Six-and-a-half years before 9/11, these misguided young Americans, whom no one would take for terrorists by their appearance, committed a deadly act of terrorism against their fellow citizens. The blast claimed 168 lives, including 19 children under the age of eight, and injured an additional 680 people..
In addition to scarring the survivors and demolishing the Murrah Building, the blast changed the face of downtown Oklahoma City. In all, 324 buildings within a 16-block radius were destroyed or damaged, totaled 86 cars and shattered building glass in a three-mile-square area. Property damage was more than $650 million, but the damage to the collective American psyche was incalculable -- partly because the tools of their terrorism were so ordinary: a rental truck loaded
Both McVeigh and Nichols, clean-cut and unremarkable in appearance, were Army veterans. Part of the US army oath is, "...solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." They themselves became the very domestic enemies against whom they had once sworn to protect the country.
My Experience: I arrived in Oklahoma City in the evening for a conference. On that mild autumn evening, I left the hotel and walked along quiet streets. The walk took only 15 or 20 minutes, and I didn't know what to expect. I walked up a few steps to the outdoor memorial -- a reflecting pool and sculptures of metal chairs atop lighted cubes, one for every victim -- and was not alone. Other visitors walked reverently along the paths. It is a powerful site, and I walked back to the hotel in sadness and humility -- glad to have had a solitary experience.
Later in the week, as part of the conference itinerary, I visited the museum -- powerful too but also heartbreaking. Many of the exhibit rooms were poignant and personal. Children's toys. Glasses, Keys. Shoes. Office equipment and supplies. Ordinary artifacts of ordinary lives cut short in an instant by two ordinary-looking men packing an ordinary agricultural product into an ordinary truck. How, I wondered then and still wonder, can anyone feel such rage?
Cost: It costs nothing to visit the outdoor memorial. The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for 62+, military with ID, student aged 6 to 17 or with college ID and 5 and under, free.
Oklahoma City National Museum and Memorial, 620 North Harvey Avenue, Oklahoma City; 405-235-3313.
24 Şubat 2011 Perşembe
Epic Snow = High Avalanche Danger
Fatalities and non-fatal incidents underscore the need for caution
In a recent post, I ooh-ed and ah-ed and cheered the prodigious snowfall that the West has enjoyed this winter. At the end of my post, I added the caution, "All that snow does mean avalanches are a real hazard, so this is a time to stick to resort skiing and riding. Save the backcountry until conditions are more stable. And, if you're driving, make sure your car is fitted with adequate snow tires, possibly chains, emergency gear and a level-headed driver." Now, I'm elevating the caution to a red-flag warning.
Colorado
I've been skiing at Snowmass for a few days, under idyllic conditions: blue sky, sunshine, no wind, superior snow conditions. But every once in a while, the boom of avalanche-control explosives can be heard as the resort's patrollers and snow-safety crew blast dangerous snow depositions and cornices, presumably on the backside steeps, before they can slide on their own
and harm anyone.
Amazingly, not all avalanches occur in the backcountry or steep inbounds areas. At Snowmass' heralded new Base Village, I watched a series of harrowing slides unload from a brand new condominium building's metal roof directly onto the Sneaky's Tavern terrace, where visitors were having lunch. If those huge chunks of sun-softened wet snow had fallen on anyone's head, the result would not have been pretty. Quick-thinking managers emptied the tables, cordoned off the danger zone (right) and before long, dispatched workers with shovels up to the roof to push the remaining snow off the edge.
Given this unfortunate design, they are going to have shoveling teams at the ready after every significant snowfall. Think about it: A snow-loaded, south-facing metal roof + bright sunshine = problems like this afternoon's. Imagine what this will be like in spring when generous March/April snows are typically followed by warm sun.
The developer, Related Westpac, is proud of such high-profile projects as Time Warner Center in New York City, CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Florida, and other places far from ski country. Did they hire architects from Miami or Phoenix? Didn't the Town of Snowmass Village building inspector alert them to the ill-conceived combination of design and materials?
Wyoming
Meanwhile, following inbounds slides in Utah and California earlier this winter, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has experienced far more catastrophic problems from several inbounds avalanches. Laramie Bowl reportedly slid to the ground, and just two days after Dave Nodine, a 31-year-old local was killed in an inbounds slide, the Headwall released, an
d tons of snow ran straight into the lodge at the top of the Bridger Gondola. A site called Skiing the Backcountry posted a report about Nodine's death and a second report with dramatic photos of the snow damage to the restaurant. Stephen Koch has also premitted me to post photos like the one on the right. For more images, see his blog. Fortunately, this avalanche happened around 9:30 a.m. If it had released three hours later, the restaurant would have been filled with skiers who lunch. According to the resort's official press release on the incident:
Remarkably, but perhaps on lawyers' advice, other than one "incident statement" following the Headwall slide, the resort's website makes no mention Nodine's death or of the avalanche that slammed into the restaurant and could have killed some of its own patrollers too. The Mountain Dining page still lists restaurants at the top of the gondola. Perhaps the resort cleaned out the snow and fixed the mess fast, but Nodine is gone, and there is no word about the injured patrollers.
British Columbia
The Vancouver Sun reported that eight snowmobilers are missing from a group of 11 buried in an avalanche in southeastern British Columbia in the Harvey Pass area, about 25 miles south of Fernie, on Sunday afternoon. According to the report, "The group had reportedly split into two when seven of them were buried in an avalanche at about 2 p.m., said Fernie RCMP. As the other four tried to dig them out, they were hit by another avalanche, which buried the entire group. All of the men, who are from nearby Sparwood, B.C., were wearing avalanche beacons. Police said two of the buried riders managed to dig themselves out within 20 minutes and used their avalanche beacons to locate a third man, who was rescued after another 20 minutes of digging." Three safe; seven bodies reportedly recovered on Monday and the final victim still missing. The search had to be called off because of darkness and continuing high danger.
Just a week ago, in Grand County, Colorado, two of four snowmobilers riding up a steep slope near Gravel Mountain in the Arapaho National Forest. One was a 38-year-old firefighter and paramedic and the other a 19-year-old.
These are examples of the differently types avalanche-caused fatalities in the West this winter, so please, skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers, be careful. For my part, I'm sticking to the groomers.
In a recent post, I ooh-ed and ah-ed and cheered the prodigious snowfall that the West has enjoyed this winter. At the end of my post, I added the caution, "All that snow does mean avalanches are a real hazard, so this is a time to stick to resort skiing and riding. Save the backcountry until conditions are more stable. And, if you're driving, make sure your car is fitted with adequate snow tires, possibly chains, emergency gear and a level-headed driver." Now, I'm elevating the caution to a red-flag warning.
Colorado
I've been skiing at Snowmass for a few days, under idyllic conditions: blue sky, sunshine, no wind, superior snow conditions. But every once in a while, the boom of avalanche-control explosives can be heard as the resort's patrollers and snow-safety crew blast dangerous snow depositions and cornices, presumably on the backside steeps, before they can slide on their own
and harm anyone.Amazingly, not all avalanches occur in the backcountry or steep inbounds areas. At Snowmass' heralded new Base Village, I watched a series of harrowing slides unload from a brand new condominium building's metal roof directly onto the Sneaky's Tavern terrace, where visitors were having lunch. If those huge chunks of sun-softened wet snow had fallen on anyone's head, the result would not have been pretty. Quick-thinking managers emptied the tables, cordoned off the danger zone (right) and before long, dispatched workers with shovels up to the roof to push the remaining snow off the edge.
Given this unfortunate design, they are going to have shoveling teams at the ready after every significant snowfall. Think about it: A snow-loaded, south-facing metal roof + bright sunshine = problems like this afternoon's. Imagine what this will be like in spring when generous March/April snows are typically followed by warm sun.
The developer, Related Westpac, is proud of such high-profile projects as Time Warner Center in New York City, CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Florida, and other places far from ski country. Did they hire architects from Miami or Phoenix? Didn't the Town of Snowmass Village building inspector alert them to the ill-conceived combination of design and materials?
Wyoming
Meanwhile, following inbounds slides in Utah and California earlier this winter, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has experienced far more catastrophic problems from several inbounds avalanches. Laramie Bowl reportedly slid to the ground, and just two days after Dave Nodine, a 31-year-old local was killed in an inbounds slide, the Headwall released, an
d tons of snow ran straight into the lodge at the top of the Bridger Gondola. A site called Skiing the Backcountry posted a report about Nodine's death and a second report with dramatic photos of the snow damage to the restaurant. Stephen Koch has also premitted me to post photos like the one on the right. For more images, see his blog. Fortunately, this avalanche happened around 9:30 a.m. If it had released three hours later, the restaurant would have been filled with skiers who lunch. According to the resort's official press release on the incident:Followup news report: The day after I posted this item, the Jackson Hole News reported more extensively on the Headwall slide that damaged the Bridger Restaurant:"At approximately 9:30 am this morning, after JHMR Ski Patrol had completed one
avalanche hazard reduction route and were getting ready to conduct another, the
Headwall slid naturally from the southeast aspect above the Bridger Restaurant.
This incident took place before this area of the mountain had been opened to the
public. A search for potential victims took place and everyone has been
accounted for. This incident is under full investigation and a more detailed
report will be released at 4p.m. At this time, JHMR will remain closed until
further notice."
"The Headwall avalanche that raked the Bridger Restaurant building...trapped or hit seven ski patrollers...Five patrollers were slightly injured in the incident, which tore the railing and glass shields off the restaurant deck, burst through doors and windows and piled snow 8 feet deep inside. The avalanche roared down the Headwall slope at 9:26 a.m. after being provoked by a ski patrol bomb, resort officials said. It piled snow about 30 feet deep around the mid-mountain restaurant building and sent patrollers and other workers scrambling to free colleagues.
"Airborne snow that eddied around the corner of the building pinned or partially pinned four patrollers among scattered furniture on a patio. The blast knocked down two other patrollers who were hiking up to the building. Debris shuttered a seventh, and his search dog, inside the ski patrol room in the restaurant building until workers cut through an interior wall to set them free.
"The slide ran two days after an in-bounds avalanche below the Paintbrush
trail buried and killed 31-year-old David Nodine, of Wilson. Nodine skied off
the trail into an area unofficially known as Toilet Bowl with a friend when the
slide ran; patrollers found him within six minutes using a transceiver and
uncovered him within another four minutes. Bridger-Teton National Forest
avalanche forecaster Jim Springer and resort President Jerry Blann on Tuesday
fleshed out details of the Headwall slide, including how Blann dug out veteran
ski patroller Larry Detrick, who was buried up to his neck."
Remarkably, but perhaps on lawyers' advice, other than one "incident statement" following the Headwall slide, the resort's website makes no mention Nodine's death or of the avalanche that slammed into the restaurant and could have killed some of its own patrollers too. The Mountain Dining page still lists restaurants at the top of the gondola. Perhaps the resort cleaned out the snow and fixed the mess fast, but Nodine is gone, and there is no word about the injured patrollers.
British Columbia
The Vancouver Sun reported that eight snowmobilers are missing from a group of 11 buried in an avalanche in southeastern British Columbia in the Harvey Pass area, about 25 miles south of Fernie, on Sunday afternoon. According to the report, "The group had reportedly split into two when seven of them were buried in an avalanche at about 2 p.m., said Fernie RCMP. As the other four tried to dig them out, they were hit by another avalanche, which buried the entire group. All of the men, who are from nearby Sparwood, B.C., were wearing avalanche beacons. Police said two of the buried riders managed to dig themselves out within 20 minutes and used their avalanche beacons to locate a third man, who was rescued after another 20 minutes of digging." Three safe; seven bodies reportedly recovered on Monday and the final victim still missing. The search had to be called off because of darkness and continuing high danger.
Just a week ago, in Grand County, Colorado, two of four snowmobilers riding up a steep slope near Gravel Mountain in the Arapaho National Forest. One was a 38-year-old firefighter and paramedic and the other a 19-year-old.
These are examples of the differently types avalanche-caused fatalities in the West this winter, so please, skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers, be careful. For my part, I'm sticking to the groomers.
Fly the Arbitrary Skies
Monday, April 12, 2010 (times approximate)
7:40 a.m. - Arrived at Denver International Airport and printed out boarding pass to San Francisco.
7:50 a.m. - Got into long but fast-moving security line. Carried on overhead-size roll-aboard, thin laptop case and small purse. No problem, even though the limit is now supposedly two pieces.
9:00 a.m. - United Flight 498 scheduled for departure.
9:30 a.m. - Captain announced that airplane had "issues" and he wasn't taking it anywhere until maintenance had looked at it.
9:50 a.m. - Maintenance looked. Airplane "issues" had not been resolved, so PAX asked to take their belongs and proceed to Gate 48.
10:10 a.m. - Gate 48 turned out to be Gate 45 (or vice versa), where (fortunately) the same type of aircraft was waiting -- fortunate because all seat assignments were still valid. To its credit, the airline was trying to expedite transit for PAX heading from SFO to Asia.
1:00 p.m. - Arrived at SFO something like two hours late, wondering whether United would give PAX vouchers for, say, $25 or $50 off future flights. Silly me.
Friday, April 16, 2010 (times approximate)
1:05 p.m. - Arrived at SFO for United Flight 720, departing for Denver at 2:26. Printed out boarding pass.
1:15 p.m. - No line at nearby security. Carried on same overhead-size roll-aboard, thin laptop case and small purse. TSA gatekeeper told me that I had to check the roll-aboard because I had three pieces while only two were permitted.
1:16 p.m. - Paid UAL $25 to check the same piece of luggage that I had been permitted to carry on a few days earlier. Guy who tagged the bag asked, "How are you today?" I replied, "I was better before the TSA told me that I had to check this." "That's because it's too bulky to fit into the overhead," said he. Huh!
2:15 p.m.: Along with all the other instructions, flight attendant announced that heavy bags must be stored on the sides of the overhead bins and lighter ones in the middle. That was a new one on me.
3:00 p.m.: Requested Diet Coke during beverage service. Flight attendant gave me one of those squishy plastic cups that spill over when the slightest pressure is applied. It was like an iceberg, with 90 percent of the ice below the rim and the rest mounded above it. I asked her to please dump half of the ice. "What's wrong with it?" she all but snarled. I explained. She said that since I already had taken possession of it, she couldn't take it back and would have to give me another one. Ferchissakes, she was standing right there with her beverage cart. I did not view this as an imposition, but her demeanor implied that it was. I thanked her anyway.
5:35 p.m. - Flight landed -- half an hour early. Great! All was forgiven. Even though I was seated back in Row 33, I figured I could still make th 6:20 p.m. SkyRide to Boulder.
5:55 p.m. - Waiting at baggage carousel. No luggage.
6:00 p.m. - Still waiting.
6:10 p.m. - A few bags arrived. Then nothing, except an announcement that there was a bag jam below and the rest of the bags would be arriving soon.
6:20 p.m. - Still waiting. Some bags had come up, but not mine.
6:30 - My bag arrived, so the TSA checker's refusal to let me carry on exactly the same three items I had carried on earlier in the week cost me $25 and an hour of my time.
Sigh!
7:40 a.m. - Arrived at Denver International Airport and printed out boarding pass to San Francisco.
7:50 a.m. - Got into long but fast-moving security line. Carried on overhead-size roll-aboard, thin laptop case and small purse. No problem, even though the limit is now supposedly two pieces.
9:00 a.m. - United Flight 498 scheduled for departure.
9:30 a.m. - Captain announced that airplane had "issues" and he wasn't taking it anywhere until maintenance had looked at it.
9:50 a.m. - Maintenance looked. Airplane "issues" had not been resolved, so PAX asked to take their belongs and proceed to Gate 48.
10:10 a.m. - Gate 48 turned out to be Gate 45 (or vice versa), where (fortunately) the same type of aircraft was waiting -- fortunate because all seat assignments were still valid. To its credit, the airline was trying to expedite transit for PAX heading from SFO to Asia.
1:00 p.m. - Arrived at SFO something like two hours late, wondering whether United would give PAX vouchers for, say, $25 or $50 off future flights. Silly me.
Friday, April 16, 2010 (times approximate)
1:05 p.m. - Arrived at SFO for United Flight 720, departing for Denver at 2:26. Printed out boarding pass.
1:15 p.m. - No line at nearby security. Carried on same overhead-size roll-aboard, thin laptop case and small purse. TSA gatekeeper told me that I had to check the roll-aboard because I had three pieces while only two were permitted.
1:16 p.m. - Paid UAL $25 to check the same piece of luggage that I had been permitted to carry on a few days earlier. Guy who tagged the bag asked, "How are you today?" I replied, "I was better before the TSA told me that I had to check this." "That's because it's too bulky to fit into the overhead," said he. Huh!
2:15 p.m.: Along with all the other instructions, flight attendant announced that heavy bags must be stored on the sides of the overhead bins and lighter ones in the middle. That was a new one on me.
3:00 p.m.: Requested Diet Coke during beverage service. Flight attendant gave me one of those squishy plastic cups that spill over when the slightest pressure is applied. It was like an iceberg, with 90 percent of the ice below the rim and the rest mounded above it. I asked her to please dump half of the ice. "What's wrong with it?" she all but snarled. I explained. She said that since I already had taken possession of it, she couldn't take it back and would have to give me another one. Ferchissakes, she was standing right there with her beverage cart. I did not view this as an imposition, but her demeanor implied that it was. I thanked her anyway.
5:35 p.m. - Flight landed -- half an hour early. Great! All was forgiven. Even though I was seated back in Row 33, I figured I could still make th 6:20 p.m. SkyRide to Boulder.
5:55 p.m. - Waiting at baggage carousel. No luggage.
6:00 p.m. - Still waiting.
6:10 p.m. - A few bags arrived. Then nothing, except an announcement that there was a bag jam below and the rest of the bags would be arriving soon.
6:20 p.m. - Still waiting. Some bags had come up, but not mine.
6:30 - My bag arrived, so the TSA checker's refusal to let me carry on exactly the same three items I had carried on earlier in the week cost me $25 and an hour of my time.
Sigh!
23 Şubat 2011 Çarşamba
Two-for-One Seats for Obese Passengers in Canada
According to a Reuters report, obese passengers may still occupy two airline seats for the price -- on flights within Canada, that is. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Thursday. The Canadian Transportation Agency had previously ruled that people who are "functionally disabled by obesity" are entitled to have two seats for the price of one.Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet appealed, but in declinng to hear the appeal, the ruling sands. This is the second ime Canada's airlines lost on this one. The Federal Court of Appeal heard the case and decided in favor of super-plus-size passngers back in May,
Free Zip Line in San Francisco
My ailing, ancient laptop and I are in the Bay Area right now, so my posts are sparse and image-free. Yesterday, I enjoyed a single-line ZipLine ride over Justin Herman Square on the Embarcadero, courtesy of Tourism British Columbia, which brought the setup that you might have seen during the Olympics from Vancouver to San Francisco. If you are around here, it's in place until April 18, so head on down and take a free ride. My laptop's pathetic situation makes a click-on-a-word link a challenge, so if you want to see a photo and read more, go to http://www.urbandaddy.com/sfo/leisure/9450/Urban_Zipline_Zip_Lining_Along_the_Embarcadero_San_Francisco_SFO_Event
22 Şubat 2011 Salı
Oh, What a Beautiful Winter!
With Western resorts are wallowing in snow, skiers and riders don't "need no stinkin' palm trees"
Never mind Santa Claus. Praise the snow gods who showered Western skier
s and snowboarders with the best gift of all: snow, prodigious quantities of snow, especially in the southwest. In Colorado, Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort got 19 inches on Wednesday and more than 36 inches over a three-day period. Wolf Creek saw 29 inches over two days. Telluride received a record 21 inches of white gold.
Nearby in crow-flight miles but a long way by road, Silverton Mountain snared 40 inches, bringing the season's total to nearly 200 inches. Avalanche hazards forced road closures -- a blessing, in a sense, because it gives the area time for snow control before it is expected to reopen on Saturday, December 27.
s and snowboarders with the best gift of all: snow, prodigious quantities of snow, especially in the southwest. In Colorado, Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort got 19 inches on Wednesday and more than 36 inches over a three-day period. Wolf Creek saw 29 inches over two days. Telluride received a record 21 inches of white gold.Nearby in crow-flight miles but a long way by road, Silverton Mountain snared 40 inches, bringing the season's total to nearly 200 inches. Avalanche hazards forced road closures -- a blessing, in a sense, because it gives the area time for snow control before it is expected to reopen on Saturday, December 27.
Taos Ski Valley is New Mexico's new-snow leader, with 9 inches. Snow totals are more impressive farther north and farther west, not just in Colorado. In Utah, new ranged from a "modest" 12 inches at Sundance to 28 inches in Deer Valley. Jackson Hole, Wyoming (lower photo, right, on Christmas morning) and Montana's Whitefish Mountain (formerly The Big Mountain) were each blanketed with 17 inches in 24 hours. Sun Valley
, Idaho, got "only" 7 inches overnight, but the 48-hour total measured to 22 inches. Similarly, Schweitzer, Idaho's most recent 2 inches was the literal icing on the cake that saw 28 inches in the last 72 hours, most of it in one phenomenal 24-hour, 25-inch dump. California's Lake Tahoe resorts, like Heavenly (right), have been digging out, packing down and wallowing in the two feet of snow that fell on Christmas Day.
All that snow does mean avalanches are a real hazard, so this is a time to stick to resort skiing and riding. Save the backcountry until conditions are more stable. And, if you're driving, make sure your car is adequate snow tires, possibly chains, emergency gear and a level-headed driver.
For my part, I'm planning to head to Snowmass tomorrow. I'll report.
, Idaho, got "only" 7 inches overnight, but the 48-hour total measured to 22 inches. Similarly, Schweitzer, Idaho's most recent 2 inches was the literal icing on the cake that saw 28 inches in the last 72 hours, most of it in one phenomenal 24-hour, 25-inch dump. California's Lake Tahoe resorts, like Heavenly (right), have been digging out, packing down and wallowing in the two feet of snow that fell on Christmas Day.All that snow does mean avalanches are a real hazard, so this is a time to stick to resort skiing and riding. Save the backcountry until conditions are more stable. And, if you're driving, make sure your car is adequate snow tires, possibly chains, emergency gear and a level-headed driver.
For my part, I'm planning to head to Snowmass tomorrow. I'll report.
Frontier Airlines Name and Image Continuing
Merger with Midwest under Republic Airways Holdings had left the future of Frontier in doubt
The suspense is over. Even though Milwuakee was the main announcement venue for Republic Airways Holdings' decision on what the merged Frontier/Midwest airline's name would be, Denver-rooted Frontier Airlines prevailed. “This decision was an emotional one for everyone involved,” said Republic's president and CEO Bryan Bedford. In a diplomatically worded address, he added, “While the research showed that customers preferred the Frontier brand, they also expressed a strong loyalty to both brands based on affordability, convenience, destinations and delivery of a differentiated experience. As we work to integrate these two brands into a unified Frontier Airlines, you can expect to see a lot of influence from the Midwest brand. This will include the introduction of the iconic Midwest Airlines chocolate chip cookie on all Frontier flights this summer.”
This seems to be a win-win situation, especially for Frontier's Colorado loyalists: the name, the popular spokesanimals, 10 new destinations out of the Denver hub and five new destinations from Milwaukee -- and chocolate chip cookies.
The suspense is over. Even though Milwuakee was the main announcement venue for Republic Airways Holdings' decision on what the merged Frontier/Midwest airline's name would be, Denver-rooted Frontier Airlines prevailed. “This decision was an emotional one for everyone involved,” said Republic's president and CEO Bryan Bedford. In a diplomatically worded address, he added, “While the research showed that customers preferred the Frontier brand, they also expressed a strong loyalty to both brands based on affordability, convenience, destinations and delivery of a differentiated experience. As we work to integrate these two brands into a unified Frontier Airlines, you can expect to see a lot of influence from the Midwest brand. This will include the introduction of the iconic Midwest Airlines chocolate chip cookie on all Frontier flights this summer.”
This seems to be a win-win situation, especially for Frontier's Colorado loyalists: the name, the popular spokesanimals, 10 new destinations out of the Denver hub and five new destinations from Milwaukee -- and chocolate chip cookies.
21 Şubat 2011 Pazartesi
Tequila Train Might Expand Operating Days
Popular weekend excursion train from Guadalajara considering adding more days
I rarely write news by conjecture, but I am so happy to report something upbeat from Mexico that I have to pass on news that the Tequila Express, which currently operates on weekend and which I wrote about here, might add a couple of days each week and continue its route all the way to the town of Tequila itself. Here's what my colleague and Mexico tourism watcher Jimm Budd reported today:
"Negotiations are underway to have the Tequila Express operate on Thursdays and Mondays as well as Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. And, if this were to come to pass, the train would actually go to Tequila (the town) for a visit to Cuervo Centro, the Tequila Cuervo visitor center.
"Currently the train goes to Amatitlán, where Herradura (Horseshoe) Tequila is distilled. The train is operated by the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce, which hopes this way to keep visitors in Guadalajara one more night. The Tequila Express features all the tequila (or beer or soft drinks) a passenger can consume. Mariachis stroll through the cars. On arrival, there is a tour of the distillery followed by lunch, a show, and more free booze on the trip back."
I rarely write news by conjecture, but I am so happy to report something upbeat from Mexico that I have to pass on news that the Tequila Express, which currently operates on weekend and which I wrote about here, might add a couple of days each week and continue its route all the way to the town of Tequila itself. Here's what my colleague and Mexico tourism watcher Jimm Budd reported today:
"Negotiations are underway to have the Tequila Express operate on Thursdays and Mondays as well as Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. And, if this were to come to pass, the train would actually go to Tequila (the town) for a visit to Cuervo Centro, the Tequila Cuervo visitor center.
"Currently the train goes to Amatitlán, where Herradura (Horseshoe) Tequila is distilled. The train is operated by the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce, which hopes this way to keep visitors in Guadalajara one more night. The Tequila Express features all the tequila (or beer or soft drinks) a passenger can consume. Mariachis stroll through the cars. On arrival, there is a tour of the distillery followed by lunch, a show, and more free booze on the trip back."
20 Şubat 2011 Pazar
"Reputation Management" Tarnishes Credibility of Customer Reviews
Some hotels pressure guests to writer favorable online reviews -- sometimes even before they've stayed
Neither this site nor my http://www.culinary-colorado.com/ have the rep or the reach of Tripartite.com or Chris Elliott's various online, print and broadcast presence, but fans and foes of specific businesses have tried to sway customers to or from a place. This has happened with my culinary blog more often than this travel blog.
Back in 2008, I posted news of Duy Pham, a classically trained chef who had been with several noteworthy Denver restaurants, who opened Restaurant Fifteen Twentyone in Pueblo, a city known more for its Mexican food and blue-cheese curds than for French bistros. Someone who clearly had it out for him left some nasty, unsubstantiated accusations as comments to my posts, all under the cloak or anonymity. I deleted them, not because I believe any restaurant or other business is immune to criticism, but undocumented, anonymous vituperative comments have no place here. I haven't been in Pueblo in a while, but as far as I can tell, it's still around -- no mean feat in a struggling community and a shaky national economy.
On the flip side, I didn't have much good to write about the food at Boulder's Scotch Corner, a pub with a great location, good booze, abysmal food and questionable service. I try to give any business the benefit of the doubt when I write, because I am mindful of the challenges they all face, but in my post, I took the kitchen to task about such simple-to-rectify issues as toast that was burned on one side and untoasted on the other, square pastry dough placed on a round pot-pie so that it came out with four burned triangles, two salt shakers and no pepper on our table, and no shakers of either sort on others, I suspected that the owners encouraged their loyal customers to leave comments debating my evaluation. If they had trained their kitchen and waitstaff a little better, the pub might still be in business -- although more likely, the high cost of occupying a large space on a visible downtown corner was partly an issue in its demise.
But back to the original topic, we travel writers are always suspected of being unobjective because travel providers court us with generous hospitality. I would like to think that we can be more objective because we have been to more hotels, flown on more airlines, have dined out more, etc. than the overage traveler who could be more susceptible to the offer of an upgrade or some other perk in exchange for a favorable post somewhere.
Elliott cited MeasuredUp.com, a social network site created in 2006 to enable customers to review and rate how how businesses have treated them. It serves as a conduit for complimentary or aggrieved customers to the appropriate individuals or departments in a business and for those businesses to respond. Travel is one of MeasuredUp.com's categories. If you have a comment or complaint, it's another avenue to get the word out, pro or con. And of course, TripAdvisor. Yelp and other social networking sites do welcome legitimate, uninfluenced comments.
"It's not enough to ask guests for a write-up on a popular site such as TripAdvisor or Yelp after they've checked out. Lately, some innkeepers have been pressuring their customers to say positive things online — in extreme cases, even before they've checked in.That was the lead consumer advocate Christopher Elliott used in his syndicated "Travel Troubleshooter" column that appeared in today's Denver Post travel section. "called "Some hotels cross the line for a good review" was the title of the column about some properties' practice of "reputation management" of consumer reviews on the Internet. Big Internet sites have policies in place to assure that reviews are legitimate and untainted. TripAdvisor.com's is, "Property owners are welcome to encourage their guests to submit user reviews upon their return home, but they are not allowed to offer incentives, discounts, upgrades, or special treatment on current or future stays in exchange for reviews."
"Take what happened to Pam Stucky when she recently made a reservation at a small hotel in Scotland. Before she arrived, the owner sent her an e-mail soliciting a recommendation on TripAdvisor, even though she'd never been to the hotel."
Back in 2008, I posted news of Duy Pham, a classically trained chef who had been with several noteworthy Denver restaurants, who opened Restaurant Fifteen Twentyone in Pueblo, a city known more for its Mexican food and blue-cheese curds than for French bistros. Someone who clearly had it out for him left some nasty, unsubstantiated accusations as comments to my posts, all under the cloak or anonymity. I deleted them, not because I believe any restaurant or other business is immune to criticism, but undocumented, anonymous vituperative comments have no place here. I haven't been in Pueblo in a while, but as far as I can tell, it's still around -- no mean feat in a struggling community and a shaky national economy.
On the flip side, I didn't have much good to write about the food at Boulder's Scotch Corner, a pub with a great location, good booze, abysmal food and questionable service. I try to give any business the benefit of the doubt when I write, because I am mindful of the challenges they all face, but in my post, I took the kitchen to task about such simple-to-rectify issues as toast that was burned on one side and untoasted on the other, square pastry dough placed on a round pot-pie so that it came out with four burned triangles, two salt shakers and no pepper on our table, and no shakers of either sort on others, I suspected that the owners encouraged their loyal customers to leave comments debating my evaluation. If they had trained their kitchen and waitstaff a little better, the pub might still be in business -- although more likely, the high cost of occupying a large space on a visible downtown corner was partly an issue in its demise.
But back to the original topic, we travel writers are always suspected of being unobjective because travel providers court us with generous hospitality. I would like to think that we can be more objective because we have been to more hotels, flown on more airlines, have dined out more, etc. than the overage traveler who could be more susceptible to the offer of an upgrade or some other perk in exchange for a favorable post somewhere.
Elliott cited MeasuredUp.com, a social network site created in 2006 to enable customers to review and rate how how businesses have treated them. It serves as a conduit for complimentary or aggrieved customers to the appropriate individuals or departments in a business and for those businesses to respond. Travel is one of MeasuredUp.com's categories. If you have a comment or complaint, it's another avenue to get the word out, pro or con. And of course, TripAdvisor. Yelp and other social networking sites do welcome legitimate, uninfluenced comments.
Viscape's List of Top Travel Blogs
Travel Babel named as one of Viscape's Top 15 for 2008
Viscape (short for "Visualize Your Escape") has included this blog on its list of the top 15 travel blogs of the year. I'm thrilled to be included on the site describes itself as "a social marketplace for travelers, owners, and real estate professionals to come together to network, exchange ideas, conduct business, meet and organize trips around vacation properties and second homes." Of their selection, they wrote "Viscape really wanted to gear this to individuals sharing their passions and travel experiences, but some of the 'big dogs' in travel blogging can’t be ignored. (Ah..hem… National Geographic being the biggest)! Happy reading and happy travels!"
Here's the list of their 15 selected travel blogs and Viscape's comments on why they selected these:
1. National Geographic Intelligent Travel - "... they use those already extensive resources to create an entertaining and very informative blog about the known and unknown places of the world."
2. Traveling Mammas - "...great tips on great (and not so great) places to visit with children and how to have the best family vacations [by] four ladies [who] are a true traveling inspiration!"
3. Brooke vs. the World - "Brooke is a 25-year-old traveler from central Illinois on an extended journey to see the world....she made a promise to spend a large part of her life experiencing cultures other than her own."
4. Everything-everywhere - "[Blogger] Gary Arndt has... one goal in mind: see everything there is to behold....See what he sees through both words and photographs."
5. Travel Babel - "Claire Walter is a travel writer and began blogging in 2006. Now, she shares with her readers the latest news and trends of the travel industry."
6. Olga the Traveling Bra - "Want a good laugh, but still be informed?...Specializing in travel adventures that won’t disappoint!"
7. Killing Batteries - "Leif Petterson’s blogs are more than just fun and educational to read; they’re hilarious as well...."
8. The Perrin Post - "Travel tips from Conde Naste Traveler Magazine’s Wendy Perrin.... consumer news editor. She writes a practical advice column...[and] features on a wide variety of travel topics."
9. The Lost Girls - "Three twenty-something New Yorkers who ditched their media jobs to embark on a yearlong, round-the-world journey in search of adventure and inspiration."
10. LA times Daily Travel Deals Blog - "Hand-picked advice about travel deals and steals from some of the most comprehensive globe trotters on this side of the equator!"
11. Gas.tron.o.my - "If trying new food dishes is one of the sole reasons for visiting new places, then you should be reading Gas.tron.o.my...."
12. Travel Betty - "All about fearless travel for women! ...Travel From pampering to roughing it, [Travel Betty is] an experience collector [who] desires to be the old woman with the good stories. To her, travel is freedom."
13. Candy from Strangers - "Join the ever-lasting search for the best piece of chocolate or perhaps lollipop. Malena, a candy lover (like us) travels all around the world searching for the next best piece of candy...."
14. Delicious Baby - "...Take advice from Debbie, someone who can help make travel with your kids exciting (she has two delicious children of her own) and more enjoyable for everyone."
15. Viscape - "Are you visualizing your escape this minute? Well, Viscape can help you find the perfect place to stay or go on your next vacation. Read all about the latest trends in the real estate and the travel markets."
Viscape (short for "Visualize Your Escape") has included this blog on its list of the top 15 travel blogs of the year. I'm thrilled to be included on the site describes itself as "a social marketplace for travelers, owners, and real estate professionals to come together to network, exchange ideas, conduct business, meet and organize trips around vacation properties and second homes." Of their selection, they wrote "Viscape really wanted to gear this to individuals sharing their passions and travel experiences, but some of the 'big dogs' in travel blogging can’t be ignored. (Ah..hem… National Geographic being the biggest)! Happy reading and happy travels!"
Here's the list of their 15 selected travel blogs and Viscape's comments on why they selected these:
1. National Geographic Intelligent Travel - "... they use those already extensive resources to create an entertaining and very informative blog about the known and unknown places of the world."
2. Traveling Mammas - "...great tips on great (and not so great) places to visit with children and how to have the best family vacations [by] four ladies [who] are a true traveling inspiration!"
3. Brooke vs. the World - "Brooke is a 25-year-old traveler from central Illinois on an extended journey to see the world....she made a promise to spend a large part of her life experiencing cultures other than her own."
4. Everything-everywhere - "[Blogger] Gary Arndt has... one goal in mind: see everything there is to behold....See what he sees through both words and photographs."
5. Travel Babel - "Claire Walter is a travel writer and began blogging in 2006. Now, she shares with her readers the latest news and trends of the travel industry."
6. Olga the Traveling Bra - "Want a good laugh, but still be informed?...Specializing in travel adventures that won’t disappoint!"
7. Killing Batteries - "Leif Petterson’s blogs are more than just fun and educational to read; they’re hilarious as well...."
8. The Perrin Post - "Travel tips from Conde Naste Traveler Magazine’s Wendy Perrin.... consumer news editor. She writes a practical advice column...[and] features on a wide variety of travel topics."
9. The Lost Girls - "Three twenty-something New Yorkers who ditched their media jobs to embark on a yearlong, round-the-world journey in search of adventure and inspiration."
10. LA times Daily Travel Deals Blog - "Hand-picked advice about travel deals and steals from some of the most comprehensive globe trotters on this side of the equator!"
11. Gas.tron.o.my - "If trying new food dishes is one of the sole reasons for visiting new places, then you should be reading Gas.tron.o.my...."
12. Travel Betty - "All about fearless travel for women! ...Travel From pampering to roughing it, [Travel Betty is] an experience collector [who] desires to be the old woman with the good stories. To her, travel is freedom."
13. Candy from Strangers - "Join the ever-lasting search for the best piece of chocolate or perhaps lollipop. Malena, a candy lover (like us) travels all around the world searching for the next best piece of candy...."
14. Delicious Baby - "...Take advice from Debbie, someone who can help make travel with your kids exciting (she has two delicious children of her own) and more enjoyable for everyone."
15. Viscape - "Are you visualizing your escape this minute? Well, Viscape can help you find the perfect place to stay or go on your next vacation. Read all about the latest trends in the real estate and the travel markets."
19 Şubat 2011 Cumartesi
Bad Air Year
The year 2008 has not been kind to airlines -- or passengers
The Colorado media has, of course, been reporting extensively on the crash-and-burn of Continental Flight 1404, which had just taken off from Denver International Airport bound for Houston International. "DIA Crash Injures 38," the Sunday Denver Post page-one headline trumpeted. "Plane Mishap Hurts 38," wrote the kinder, gentler Boulder Camera. The Boeing 737 airliner accident was all over the airwaves all weekend long. The plane veered off the runway, shed an engine somewhere along the way, burst into flames and came to battered and bruised rest near an airport fire station.
It got me thinking about how cavalier many of us travelers tend to be about reading the safety in instruction card that shows where emergency exits are located, and whether or not we are the best passengers to wrestle with the emergency door, should the plane need to be evacuated. It also got me thinking about what a tough year 2008 has been for air travelers. Here are just a few of the incidents and accidents I've blogged about this year:
The Colorado media has, of course, been reporting extensively on the crash-and-burn of Continental Flight 1404, which had just taken off from Denver International Airport bound for Houston International. "DIA Crash Injures 38," the Sunday Denver Post page-one headline trumpeted. "Plane Mishap Hurts 38," wrote the kinder, gentler Boulder Camera. The Boeing 737 airliner accident was all over the airwaves all weekend long. The plane veered off the runway, shed an engine somewhere along the way, burst into flames and came to battered and bruised rest near an airport fire station.
It got me thinking about how cavalier many of us travelers tend to be about reading the safety in instruction card that shows where emergency exits are located, and whether or not we are the best passengers to wrestle with the emergency door, should the plane need to be evacuated. It also got me thinking about what a tough year 2008 has been for air travelers. Here are just a few of the incidents and accidents I've blogged about this year:
- With uncharacteristic snow and ice this week in the Pacific Northwest, service has just about come to a halt at Sea-Tac International Airport, with the most flight cancellations in 30 years, according to tonight's "ABC News." On the other side of the country, New York airports were reporting delays of up to five hours, as well as dozens of flight cancelations, as was Chicago's O'Hare, which is a chronic winter mess.
- Close to home, Denver International Airport became less international when United dropped its Denver-London nonstop just seven months after inaugurating it, and Lufthansa halted its Denver-Munich nonstop after 1 1/2 years of service.
- Elsewhere just this year, America's skies are no longer plied by TED (United's low-fare airline), Mesa Airlines (a Delta commuter partner), SkyBus (based in Ohio), Aloha Airlines (based in Hawaii) and ATA (based in Indiana). Denver-based Frontier is still flying, but under Chapter XI bankruptcy protection.
- As aviation fuel prices rose over the spring and summer and the recession of 2008 began taking hold, other airlines trimmed flights, mothballed aircraft. bumped more passengers than ever and began charging (or charging more) for checked luggage, curbside check-in, inflight food and even soft drinks, more desirable seats, flight changes and other formerly included services. Av-gas is down, but these add-on fees largely remain in place.
- The Transportation Security Agency has reportedly terminated 465 screeners for pilferage since May 2003. The TSA has demonstrated ineptitude, even wehen there is no malfeasance. you can read some terrible but true TSA tales here and here. The agency also introduced an intrusive full-body scanner at some US airports.
- Violent an anti-government protests in once peaceful Thailand resulted in the closure of airports in Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi and elsewhere for more than a week in late November and early December. Protestors belonging to a group called the People's Alliance for Democracy took over Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport , using the electricity and water and stranding more than 300,000 would-be air travelers, including 240,000 foreign tourists.
- Heathrow's highly anticipated Terminal 5 had such fatal computer problems that instead of a grand opening, it was a grand fiasco. At least 250 British Airways flights were canceled, stranding thousands of passengers and separating 15,000 or 20,000 pieces of luggage from their owners.
- XL Travel and its charter airline went out of business. XL had been a major player in Britain's tourism industry.
P.S. on December 24 - More Air Travel Woes
The Christmas Eve travel news on cnn.com's home page included:
- 18 passengers treated at scene after exposure to de-icing fluid, and fumes send seven Alaska Airlines crew members to the hospital [in Seattle]
- AirTran jetliner skids off runway in Moline, Illinois, TV station reports
- Weather delays Christmas Eve flights across country
P.S. II on December 26 - Still More Air Travel Woes
Now it was Southwest Airlines' turn to do an airport slide. Southwest Flight 688 leaving snowy Chicago's Midway Airport for snowfree Los Angeles slid off a slick taxiway today (Friday) and got stuck snow along the shoulder. Ninety-eight people were aboard, and there were no injuries.
P.S. III on December 27 - Partial Blackout at DIA
A power outage on Saturday, December 27, affected Denver Interational Airport, not the three concourses (or, as they are now called, gate terminals) and not the control tower -- but, you guessed it: the security area, which lost power. The Transportation Security Administration screeners had to do manual security checks, meaning that everyone was patted down or wanded, and all carry-ons were opened. The delay to pass through security was reported to be about 45 minutes. The airport estimated that 155,000 travelers were expected to pass through DIA on Saturday. Oh, the humanity!
P.S. IV on December 31 - The Year's Airline Casualty List
The Cranky Flyer has helpfully posted a list of all the airlines that he knew to have gone out of business in 2008. As a wrote initially, it has been a bad air year.
West Virginia Coal Miner Play
Current coal mine tragedy brings poignant play to mind
Back in 2005, the Denver Center Theatre Company put on "Fire On The Mountain," an achingly poignant musical drama about about the lives and hardships of coal miners in the Appalachian Mountains. Amid the poverty, the heartache and the tragedy, the performers celebrated the mountain culture, lifestyle, challenges and heroics communicated by Appalachian bluegrass music and dancing that revealed its Celtic roots. With soaring voices, fiddles and banjos, the cast communicated the indomitable spirit of the miners and their families.
"Fire On The Mountain" has played in a few other cities besides Denver -- Chicago, Louisville, maybe some others that I couldn't find and New York. Here's a description of the off-Broadway production as seen through New York eyes:
"Fire On The Mountain" has played in a few other cities besides Denver -- Chicago, Louisville, maybe some others that I couldn't find and New York. Here's a description of the off-Broadway production as seen through New York eyes:
"From the creators of MET’s runaway hit Hank Williams: Lost Highway — is a masterful blend of musical theater and oral history. Drawn from interviews with Coal Miners from West Virginia and Kentucky, Fire on the Mountain's text is intertwined with some of the greatest traditional music and union songs to come out of America in the 20th Century. Actors and musicians (all from Appalachia) share the spotlight, with the latter made up of some of the finest pickers and strummers to ever grace a New York stage at one time.When my husband and I saw it in Denver, we stayed for a talkback with the actors following the performance. The exchange between cast and audience was both beautiful and sad. Many many audience members came from mining families -- some current, some reaching back into Colorado history -- and all were able to identify with what happened on stage. If "Fire On The Mountain" comes to a theater near you, go see it. If it returns to this area, I'd gladly go again.
Powerful social history, moving family drama, and incredible songs (think O Brother, Where Art Thou?) make Fire on the Mountain one of the most unusual and exciting entries of the upcoming Off-Broadway season."
18 Şubat 2011 Cuma
Carry-Ons in the Overhead? Spirit Charges $45
Nudist resorts jump on this lousy new policy to promote the "Nakation" concept
Spirit Airlines has positioned itself as a low-fare airline, further dangling the carrot of attractive MasterCard benefits in front of passengers. But now they've added a cruel new stick, if you'll excuse the scrambled metaphor, by charging $45 (yes, forty-five dollars) for each carry-on that goes into the overhead bin, beginning August 1. What a wretched idea, paying $90 roundtrip for luggage that passengers themselves handle -- one that I hope doesn't catch on.
Miami is their hub, and they fly to/from several other South Florida airports too. From/to points north, flights serve Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angles, Myrtle Beach New York (LGA), To the south, they fly to/from a bunch of Caribbean islands, Cancun in Mexico, several Central American cities, Columbia and even Lima, Peru.
Arthur Frommer, who has been helping travelers save money since he wrote "Europe on $5 A Day" decades ago, too Spirit to task for this terrible policy. In a blog post, he noted, "According to USA Today, Spirit receives three times the number of complaints made each year about the much larger Southwest Airlines. Its policies of customer service (or lack of it) have been widely discussed and condemned.[Then he wrote about the $45 bag fee]...Since Spirit also charges for suitcases checked aboard such a flight (it was the first airline to do so), a passenger can avoid such expense only by traveling without any luggage at all. It's hard to imagine a more inflammatory action."
"Nakationers" Save Luggage Fees
I have to hand it to the American Association of Nude Recreation for responding quickly to Spirit's new baggage-on fees by pointing out that, "Traveling with luggage is an ever-increasing inconvenience and expense - even if you don’t check your bag." The association points out that for a "Nakation" – a vacation in one of its 250 members -- the all of the necessities for a week (sunscreen, cap, sunglasses, shoes and toiletries) can go in a small carry-on that will fit under the seat, avoiding even Spirit's crappy carry-on bag fees. To avoid one last hassles involving security screening, don't bring one large sunscreen but rather two or three that are 3 ounces or less, Put them in a one-quart, clear plastic zip bag along with such optional toiletries as deodorant (well, maybe that should be optional), lip balm, contact lens solution, etc.
I've often joked (not within any official's earshot) that if the Transporation Security Agency screening becomes any more intrusive, we'll all have to go through the checkpoints butt-nekkid. Call it a pre-Nakation.
Miami is their hub, and they fly to/from several other South Florida airports too. From/to points north, flights serve Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angles, Myrtle Beach New York (LGA), To the south, they fly to/from a bunch of Caribbean islands, Cancun in Mexico, several Central American cities, Columbia and even Lima, Peru.
Arthur Frommer, who has been helping travelers save money since he wrote "Europe on $5 A Day" decades ago, too Spirit to task for this terrible policy. In a blog post, he noted, "According to USA Today, Spirit receives three times the number of complaints made each year about the much larger Southwest Airlines. Its policies of customer service (or lack of it) have been widely discussed and condemned.[Then he wrote about the $45 bag fee]...Since Spirit also charges for suitcases checked aboard such a flight (it was the first airline to do so), a passenger can avoid such expense only by traveling without any luggage at all. It's hard to imagine a more inflammatory action."
"Nakationers" Save Luggage Fees
I have to hand it to the American Association of Nude Recreation for responding quickly to Spirit's new baggage-on fees by pointing out that, "Traveling with luggage is an ever-increasing inconvenience and expense - even if you don’t check your bag." The association points out that for a "Nakation" – a vacation in one of its 250 members -- the all of the necessities for a week (sunscreen, cap, sunglasses, shoes and toiletries) can go in a small carry-on that will fit under the seat, avoiding even Spirit's crappy carry-on bag fees. To avoid one last hassles involving security screening, don't bring one large sunscreen but rather two or three that are 3 ounces or less, Put them in a one-quart, clear plastic zip bag along with such optional toiletries as deodorant (well, maybe that should be optional), lip balm, contact lens solution, etc.
I've often joked (not within any official's earshot) that if the Transporation Security Agency screening becomes any more intrusive, we'll all have to go through the checkpoints butt-nekkid. Call it a pre-Nakation.
17 Şubat 2011 Perşembe
Frontier Introduces Three-Tier Fare Pricing
Frontier now offers a more customizable fare structure
Denver-based Frontier Airlines (route map right) has int
roduced air fares on three price tiers that it cleverly calls AirFairs: the "economy" fare with nothing included (no checked included and no flexibility to change tickets), the "classic" fare (including two checked bags, snack and drink, and in-flight television) and the fully refundable "classic plus" with checked luggage and in-flight entertainment also included.
The "classic" fare starts at about $20 more than the "economy" fare and includes two checked bags and an in-flight movie, which the airline reminds passengers is a $46 saving right there. Higher tiers also net more points for members of its Early Returns frequent-flyer program.
roduced air fares on three price tiers that it cleverly calls AirFairs: the "economy" fare with nothing included (no checked included and no flexibility to change tickets), the "classic" fare (including two checked bags, snack and drink, and in-flight television) and the fully refundable "classic plus" with checked luggage and in-flight entertainment also included.The "classic" fare starts at about $20 more than the "economy" fare and includes two checked bags and an in-flight movie, which the airline reminds passengers is a $46 saving right there. Higher tiers also net more points for members of its Early Returns frequent-flyer program.
Take only a carry-on and bring your iPod, and "economy" will probably suffice. Traveling on business and need tun-on-a-dime fare flexibility, and "classic" or "classic plus" might be the fare for you. The new fare structure was soon compared (favorably) with Southwest's flexible "business select," "anytime" and "wanna get away" fares. To book it, you have to buy your ticket from the Frontier website, because Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity and other booking sites display only one fare class for each flight.
Meanwhile, sometime on Tuesday, Denver International Airport expects its 50 millionth passenger of 2008 to travel through. The city is planning to make a big deal of this, with Mayor John Hickenlooper planning to greet whoever that person might be and pass out commemorative items of some sort to passengers on hand. Despite the recent erosion in air travel, this will be a record year for DIA. In 2006, a record 49.8 million flew in or out of DIA.
Great Barrier Reef Ship Grounding, Update
Efforts underway to contain reef damage
Travel Babel seems to have been the first travel blog to report on the Chinese-flagged coal carrier "Shen Neng 1" that went 9 miles off-course and plowed into the coral reefs of Keppler Island, part of the Great Barrier Reef. The resultant oil spill continues to threaten marine life in a maritime protection area that also happens to be one of the world's great scuba diving destinations. Since then, the disaster has caught some world attention, with television news and wire service reports updating the situation and the Australian government response. The photo at right was released by Australian Maritime Safety Authority, and you can see a SkyNews report on YouTube.
The threat to the reef remains worrisome. According to an Associated Press report released on Tuesday evening, local time, "A stranded Chinese coal ship leaking oil onto Australia's Great Barrier Reef is an environmental time bomb with the potential to devastate large protected areas of the reef, activists said on Monday." Reuters quoted Llewellyn, director of conservation for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Australia, who called the "was a "ticking environmental time bomb."
The reef, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, the ship carried some 300,000 gallons of heavy fuel to run its engines. Shipping companies like this (relatively) cheap, low-grade fuel, which is very viscous, and and must be heated before injected into engines. When it ends up in the ocean, this gooey, sludge-like oil coats birds, wildlife, corals, rocks and sandy beaches and is extremely difficult to clean up.
An Environmental Crisis Waiting to Happen -- and It Did
"We've always said the vessel is up in an area it shouldn't be in the first place," Marine Safety Queensland general manager Patrick Quirk told the media. "How it got to that to that position will be the subject of a detailed investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Board." He added ships sometimes used a shortcut through the reef, a practice that will be reviewed by the federal government. Six thousand ships a year travel the marine lanes between the east coast of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. Numerous conservation groups have for years been concerned that bulk carriers are permitted to travel through the reef without a specialized marine pilot. The government has thus far said pilots are not necessary when ships pass protected areas because they are banned there -- until they stray off-course, nine miles off-course, in the case of the "Shen Neng 1." The government might now change its tune.
At last report, two powerful tugs were on the scene, attempting to stabilize the ship while salvage crews assessed the situation. A boom is in place around the stranded ship to contain the oil spill. Australian officials say the "Shen Neng I" is owned by belongs to the Shenzhen Energy Group, a subsidiary of China's state-owned China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (acronym, COSCO) -- the country's largest shipping company. COSCO could be fined up to 1 million Australian dollars (US$920,000) -- a pittance in view of the damage.
COSCO's History of Oil Spills
This Australian incident is COSCO's third major foul-up in less than three years. In November 2007, the "Cosco Busan" hit one of San Francisco Bay Bridge supports and spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, contaminating beaches, killing wildlife and floating into the Pacific Ocean. Skipper John Cota received a 10-month jail sentence for negligence. I don't know whether COSCO was also fined, but cleanup reported cost $100 million.
On July 31, 2009,, "Full City," a Panamanian-flagged ship owned by COSCO, suffered engine failure, ran aground during a storm and spilled some 200 tons of oil that eventually spread 100 miles in an area of wildlife sanctuaries and popular beaches. Pollution effects could linger for a decade. According to a British report on the fiasco, "In the days following the disaster, one of Norway's worst, thousands of birds said to be part of the Lille Sastein bird sanctuary and which were covered in oil, were considered beyond saving and had to be shot. Hundreds more are being cleaned up by volunteers along the coastline." The captain, whose name and ultimate fate I don't know, was arrested for a failure to alert authorities that his ship was in trouble, but he was released without bail.
COSCO has been notably silent about this latest disaster, but on April 1, it issued the following press release, which seems to indicate that money and ROI and not responsbility are all that matter to this state-owned compay:
The threat to the reef remains worrisome. According to an Associated Press report released on Tuesday evening, local time, "A stranded Chinese coal ship leaking oil onto Australia's Great Barrier Reef is an environmental time bomb with the potential to devastate large protected areas of the reef, activists said on Monday." Reuters quoted Llewellyn, director of conservation for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Australia, who called the "was a "ticking environmental time bomb."
The reef, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, the ship carried some 300,000 gallons of heavy fuel to run its engines. Shipping companies like this (relatively) cheap, low-grade fuel, which is very viscous, and and must be heated before injected into engines. When it ends up in the ocean, this gooey, sludge-like oil coats birds, wildlife, corals, rocks and sandy beaches and is extremely difficult to clean up.
An Environmental Crisis Waiting to Happen -- and It Did
"We've always said the vessel is up in an area it shouldn't be in the first place," Marine Safety Queensland general manager Patrick Quirk told the media. "How it got to that to that position will be the subject of a detailed investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Board." He added ships sometimes used a shortcut through the reef, a practice that will be reviewed by the federal government. Six thousand ships a year travel the marine lanes between the east coast of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. Numerous conservation groups have for years been concerned that bulk carriers are permitted to travel through the reef without a specialized marine pilot. The government has thus far said pilots are not necessary when ships pass protected areas because they are banned there -- until they stray off-course, nine miles off-course, in the case of the "Shen Neng 1." The government might now change its tune.
At last report, two powerful tugs were on the scene, attempting to stabilize the ship while salvage crews assessed the situation. A boom is in place around the stranded ship to contain the oil spill. Australian officials say the "Shen Neng I" is owned by belongs to the Shenzhen Energy Group, a subsidiary of China's state-owned China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (acronym, COSCO) -- the country's largest shipping company. COSCO could be fined up to 1 million Australian dollars (US$920,000) -- a pittance in view of the damage.
COSCO's History of Oil Spills
This Australian incident is COSCO's third major foul-up in less than three years. In November 2007, the "Cosco Busan" hit one of San Francisco Bay Bridge supports and spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, contaminating beaches, killing wildlife and floating into the Pacific Ocean. Skipper John Cota received a 10-month jail sentence for negligence. I don't know whether COSCO was also fined, but cleanup reported cost $100 million.
On July 31, 2009,, "Full City," a Panamanian-flagged ship owned by COSCO, suffered engine failure, ran aground during a storm and spilled some 200 tons of oil that eventually spread 100 miles in an area of wildlife sanctuaries and popular beaches. Pollution effects could linger for a decade. According to a British report on the fiasco, "In the days following the disaster, one of Norway's worst, thousands of birds said to be part of the Lille Sastein bird sanctuary and which were covered in oil, were considered beyond saving and had to be shot. Hundreds more are being cleaned up by volunteers along the coastline." The captain, whose name and ultimate fate I don't know, was arrested for a failure to alert authorities that his ship was in trouble, but he was released without bail.
COSCO has been notably silent about this latest disaster, but on April 1, it issued the following press release, which seems to indicate that money and ROI and not responsbility are all that matter to this state-owned compay:
"COSCO Sustainable Development Report 2008, among the 44 sustainable reports, was praised as 'Notable' report, which was conveyed in the letter to Capt. Wei Jiafu, President and CEO of COSCO Group from Mr. Georg Kell, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Office on March 3rd, 2010. COSCO Group is the only selected Chinese company this year and only Asian company whose sustainability report is deemed 'Notable' for four years in a roll [stet]. The report analysis was conducted by a coalition of global investors from 13 countries managing over US$ 2.1 trillion of assets, and they are all signatories to the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment Initiative to help companies that under United Nations Global Compact better corporate reporting on environmental, social and corporate governance activities."
16 Şubat 2011 Çarşamba
Southwest to Start Service to New York in '09
Leading low-fare carrier braving LaGuardia in -mid-2009
Southwest is planning to start service to New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in June 2009. Since, IMO, LaGuardia is one of the worst, most congested, most unfriendly airports in the country, this might just put a damper on Southwest's high customer approval ratings. LGA, Newark (EWR) and JFK International, New York's major airports, among them are credited or blamed for something like 70 percent of the flight delays in the entire country. That's is the reason that Southwest has for years avoided New York, flying no closer than Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), which is 50 miles from Manhattan. That's twice as far as Denver International Airport is from downtown Denver, and about the same distance as DIA is from Boulder.
Southwest, which reportedly is planning to fill the void at LGA when ATA went belly-up, is being quite coy about announcing which airports will be on the other end of the new routes. ATA's gates became available, and Southwest grabbed them -- not that there's all that much competition right now with airlines folding like a deck of cards in a poker game.
Southwest is planning to start service to New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in June 2009. Since, IMO, LaGuardia is one of the worst, most congested, most unfriendly airports in the country, this might just put a damper on Southwest's high customer approval ratings. LGA, Newark (EWR) and JFK International, New York's major airports, among them are credited or blamed for something like 70 percent of the flight delays in the entire country. That's is the reason that Southwest has for years avoided New York, flying no closer than Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), which is 50 miles from Manhattan. That's twice as far as Denver International Airport is from downtown Denver, and about the same distance as DIA is from Boulder.
Southwest, which reportedly is planning to fill the void at LGA when ATA went belly-up, is being quite coy about announcing which airports will be on the other end of the new routes. ATA's gates became available, and Southwest grabbed them -- not that there's all that much competition right now with airlines folding like a deck of cards in a poker game.
Republic to Announce Frontier's Fate
Merged airlines' single name to be announced next week
April 13, 2010, does not fall on a Friday, gut next Tuesday could mean bad luck -- or at least bad news -- for Coloradans who have been loyal to Denver-based Frontier Airlines, saddened when it was taken over by Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings and will be be heart-broken if the parent company removes the Frontier identification. Republic also took over Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines, and Cheeseheaads are rooting for that name to prevail. And Indianapolis, the corporation's headquarters city, is probably so wrapped up in basketball that locals there aren't paying attention to anything in the air higher than a player can throw an alley-oop. FWIW, it has been reported that either the Midwest or Frontier name will be sellected.
Announcement "ceremonies" have been scheduled for the 13th in Denver, Indianapolis and Milwaukee to announce the decision. Republic's CEO Bryan Bedford is to make the announcement from Milwaukee, while Frontier employees and media (not including me) have been invited to a suite in Coors Field to watch event live via an Intranet connection. It is impossible not to read meaning into Bedford's selection of the announcement site.
The first Frontier Airlines, cobbled together from a merger of Arizona Airways, Challenger Airlines, and Monarch Airlines in 1950, flew until 1986, when Continental purchased Denver's hometown airline and wrapped it the Houston-based giant. The "new" Frontier took to the skies in 1994, and its name might meet the same fare as Frontier I.
Announcement "ceremonies" have been scheduled for the 13th in Denver, Indianapolis and Milwaukee to announce the decision. Republic's CEO Bryan Bedford is to make the announcement from Milwaukee, while Frontier employees and media (not including me) have been invited to a suite in Coors Field to watch event live via an Intranet connection. It is impossible not to read meaning into Bedford's selection of the announcement site.
The first Frontier Airlines, cobbled together from a merger of Arizona Airways, Challenger Airlines, and Monarch Airlines in 1950, flew until 1986, when Continental purchased Denver's hometown airline and wrapped it the Houston-based giant. The "new" Frontier took to the skies in 1994, and its name might meet the same fare as Frontier I.
15 Şubat 2011 Salı
Delta and Virgin America Offer WiFi to Some Flights
Two carriers now offer broadband WiFi on domestic flights
Following its introduction late last month on Virgin America, Aircell’s Gogo inflight WiFi service debuts today on on one Delta Boeing 757 and on five MD88 planes that fly the popular shuttle routes between New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Boston’s Logan International Airport and Washington's National Airport. Until December 31, access on Delta is free. On both airlines, the regular cost is $9.95 for flights shorter than three hours and $12.95 for flights three hours or longer.
Following its introduction late last month on Virgin America, Aircell’s Gogo inflight WiFi service debuts today on on one Delta Boeing 757 and on five MD88 planes that fly the popular shuttle routes between New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Boston’s Logan International Airport and Washington's National Airport. Until December 31, access on Delta is free. On both airlines, the regular cost is $9.95 for flights shorter than three hours and $12.95 for flights three hours or longer.
State Department Warnings: What's in a Name?
Decoding US government warnings to international travelers from the US
Unrest and violence cause travelers -- especially Americans -- to reconsider international travel plans. Ten percent more Americans visited India in 2007 than in 2006, but with the recent terrorist attacks in Mombai (aka, Bombay) in which six Americans were among the 170 people killed, that number is likely to drop. Ditto travel to Greece, which welcomed 12 percent more international visitors in '07 than in '06 but has recently been plagued by riots in Athens, the capital, and concurrent strikes by workers at the Acropolis and other popular tourist sites.
Violence, of course, is volatile, and the US State Department doesn't always get it right. There were periods when visitors shunned London (Irish Republican Army attacks), central Europe (in the era of Germany's Bader-Meinhoff faction and other far-left terrorist groups) and parts of Spain (Basque separatist violence), as well as countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America when when wars, political unrest, assorted insurgencies and government policies made them unwelcoming. Consider that under Augusto Pinochet, Chile was not a desirable or safe tourist destination, now it is, while up north, not too many Americans visit Venezuela under Hugo Chavez or neighboring Colombia with its drug cartel-related violence. And US citizens have been forbidden or discouraged from visiting Cuba for nearly half-a-century, yet those who have visited report Cubans to be warm and welcoming -- and their visits to be incident-free.
I am scheduled to visit Egypt with the Society of American Travel Writers in February, and have read the State Department's assessment, I'm willing to accept the risk
Unrest and violence cause travelers -- especially Americans -- to reconsider international travel plans. Ten percent more Americans visited India in 2007 than in 2006, but with the recent terrorist attacks in Mombai (aka, Bombay) in which six Americans were among the 170 people killed, that number is likely to drop. Ditto travel to Greece, which welcomed 12 percent more international visitors in '07 than in '06 but has recently been plagued by riots in Athens, the capital, and concurrent strikes by workers at the Acropolis and other popular tourist sites.
Violence, of course, is volatile, and the US State Department doesn't always get it right. There were periods when visitors shunned London (Irish Republican Army attacks), central Europe (in the era of Germany's Bader-Meinhoff faction and other far-left terrorist groups) and parts of Spain (Basque separatist violence), as well as countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America when when wars, political unrest, assorted insurgencies and government policies made them unwelcoming. Consider that under Augusto Pinochet, Chile was not a desirable or safe tourist destination, now it is, while up north, not too many Americans visit Venezuela under Hugo Chavez or neighboring Colombia with its drug cartel-related violence. And US citizens have been forbidden or discouraged from visiting Cuba for nearly half-a-century, yet those who have visited report Cubans to be warm and welcoming -- and their visits to be incident-free.
The US State Department updates and issues travel advisories ranging from subtle warnings to outright recommendations to stay away from certain nations. When deciding on your risk-tolerance in light of these advisories, consider that the US government has also been telling air travelers in this country that the threat level is at "orange" just about since the color coding system was unveiled in 2002. That annoying Department of Homeland Security recording has played so incessantly since then that it has become just so much airport background noise -- and I don't think too many travelers pay much attention.
So it is with some skepticism that I share the State Department's definition of its country-specific evaluations for Americans contemplating travel abroad. These are updated on the department's website. Country-by-country evaluations are useful because they are not as simplistic as the "Department of Homeland Security's terror alert is orange" that we hear at airports.
- Travel Advisory - This is the general category of perceived threats that could affect Americans traveling to specific regions, countries or cities.
- Travel Alert - A threat that the State Department believes is of relatively short-term duration, including upcoming elections, hurricane or typhoon threat or other short-term situation.
- Travel Warning - Chronic violence, including such obvious destinations as Afghanistan and Iraq, where the situation so inflammatory and "potentially dangerous for Americans that we want them to know about that," Michelle Bernier-Toth, director of the Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management, recently told Gannett News Services. Well, duh!
I am scheduled to visit Egypt with the Society of American Travel Writers in February, and have read the State Department's assessment, I'm willing to accept the risk
Chinese Coal Ship Aground on Great Barrier Reef
Marine park and top diving destination at risk
If I ruled the world, China would stop mining coal. The cost is too great: frequent fatal mine accidents (the latest just a few days ago), filthy and unhealthy air over much of China from antiquated coal-fired plants and now the "Shen Neng 1," a Chinese bulk-coal ship that strayed from designated shipping lanes on Saturday and slammed into Australia's Great Barrier reef at full speed and ran aground on this world wonder.
The reef is a fanastic 1,800-mile barrier reef 60-odd miles off Australia's northeast coast that is arguably the world's finest scuba destinations. Great Keppel Island, where the ship ran aground, is a dive destination that boasts "pristine waters. I checked dive blogs and specific Great Keppel Island dive operators and resorts, and astonishingly, none mentioned this incident or its possible effects.
There has not yet been a really major spill of the ship's 950 tons of oil, but oil patches several miles from the wreck have been spotted from the air. Chemical dispersants were sprayed on the oil on Sunday The ship, which is about 800 feet long and carried about 65,000 tons of coal, will have to be towed into port.
The BBC reported: "Queensland officials say the 'Shen Neng 1' is badly damaged and the salvage operation could take weeks. Fears remain that it could break up, spilling hundreds of tonnes of oil.
Environmentalists are furious about the grounding on Douglas Shoals, well outside the authorised shipping channel. The Chinese-registered ship is balanced precariously off the east coast of Great Keppel Island.
A tug boat is at the scene to help prevent it from keeling over and to assist with any attempt at refloating the stricken vessel. Its Chinese crew have remained on board." According to a statement in a video that is part of the BBC report, ships are permitted to sail the calmer waters between the Mainland and Queensland without a pilot. Blomberg more recently reported that a second tug is on its way.
Deja Vue All Over Again
On March 11, 2009, the Hong Kong-flagged container ship "Pacific Adventurer" was responsible for a large oil spill that Moreton Island and Sunshine Coast beaches, north of Brisbane The ship lost 31 containers of ammonium nitrate that loose in Cyclose Hamish's rough seas. Some of the containers pierced the ship's hull, releasing some 270 tons of oil into the ocean. The captain was charged with violating marine-pollution laws but permitted to leave Australia.
In August 2009, the Australian and Queensland Governments and its owner, Swire Shipping, reached an agreement, under which the transport company was to pay $25 million in damages. This far exceeds Swire's legal obligation of $17.5 million for compensation. The overage was to go to a trust specially established to help improve marine protection and maritime safety. The "Shen Neng 1" accident might put it to use. Who knows what will happen to the captain -- and whether China’s Cosco Group will pay a potential $921,500 fine -- far too little, IMHO.
Ironically, Cosco's website boasts that it is committed to the UN's Global Compact, whose cornerstones are "aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption." Environment. Slamming a ship into a marine park is a serious misalignment.
The Great Barrier Reef is a world wonder, home to some 400 coral species (the most in the world), 1,500 species of tropical fish, 4,000 types of mollusks, 200 types of birds, 20 types of reptiles. It is also the habitat for a number of threatened species such as the dugong ("sea cow") and large green turtle. Additionally, it is an important breeding area for humpback whales that migrate from Antarctica.
I have a special affection for the Great Barrier Reef. After snorkeling off Lady Musgrave Island, one of thousands of little land outcroppings, back in 1987, I decided to get my scuba certification, because I wanted to participate in underwater life, not simply to float on top as spectator. I'm now a certified diver but never managed to return to Australia. Since my visit, we've become aware that this reef, like all others on the planet, is under chronic assault from climate change, but a ship running aground and spilling oil or other harmless substances is acute trauma.
The reef is a fanastic 1,800-mile barrier reef 60-odd miles off Australia's northeast coast that is arguably the world's finest scuba destinations. Great Keppel Island, where the ship ran aground, is a dive destination that boasts "pristine waters. I checked dive blogs and specific Great Keppel Island dive operators and resorts, and astonishingly, none mentioned this incident or its possible effects.
There has not yet been a really major spill of the ship's 950 tons of oil, but oil patches several miles from the wreck have been spotted from the air. Chemical dispersants were sprayed on the oil on Sunday The ship, which is about 800 feet long and carried about 65,000 tons of coal, will have to be towed into port.
The BBC reported: "Queensland officials say the 'Shen Neng 1' is badly damaged and the salvage operation could take weeks. Fears remain that it could break up, spilling hundreds of tonnes of oil.
Environmentalists are furious about the grounding on Douglas Shoals, well outside the authorised shipping channel. The Chinese-registered ship is balanced precariously off the east coast of Great Keppel Island.
A tug boat is at the scene to help prevent it from keeling over and to assist with any attempt at refloating the stricken vessel. Its Chinese crew have remained on board." According to a statement in a video that is part of the BBC report, ships are permitted to sail the calmer waters between the Mainland and Queensland without a pilot. Blomberg more recently reported that a second tug is on its way.
Deja Vue All Over Again
On March 11, 2009, the Hong Kong-flagged container ship "Pacific Adventurer" was responsible for a large oil spill that Moreton Island and Sunshine Coast beaches, north of Brisbane The ship lost 31 containers of ammonium nitrate that loose in Cyclose Hamish's rough seas. Some of the containers pierced the ship's hull, releasing some 270 tons of oil into the ocean. The captain was charged with violating marine-pollution laws but permitted to leave Australia.
In August 2009, the Australian and Queensland Governments and its owner, Swire Shipping, reached an agreement, under which the transport company was to pay $25 million in damages. This far exceeds Swire's legal obligation of $17.5 million for compensation. The overage was to go to a trust specially established to help improve marine protection and maritime safety. The "Shen Neng 1" accident might put it to use. Who knows what will happen to the captain -- and whether China’s Cosco Group will pay a potential $921,500 fine -- far too little, IMHO.
Ironically, Cosco's website boasts that it is committed to the UN's Global Compact, whose cornerstones are "aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption." Environment. Slamming a ship into a marine park is a serious misalignment.
The Great Barrier Reef is a world wonder, home to some 400 coral species (the most in the world), 1,500 species of tropical fish, 4,000 types of mollusks, 200 types of birds, 20 types of reptiles. It is also the habitat for a number of threatened species such as the dugong ("sea cow") and large green turtle. Additionally, it is an important breeding area for humpback whales that migrate from Antarctica.
I have a special affection for the Great Barrier Reef. After snorkeling off Lady Musgrave Island, one of thousands of little land outcroppings, back in 1987, I decided to get my scuba certification, because I wanted to participate in underwater life, not simply to float on top as spectator. I'm now a certified diver but never managed to return to Australia. Since my visit, we've become aware that this reef, like all others on the planet, is under chronic assault from climate change, but a ship running aground and spilling oil or other harmless substances is acute trauma.
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