Destination: United States
‘When Adventure Tourism Kills’
by Michael Yessis | 03.06.08 | 11:11 AM ET
With that over-the-top headline, Time magazine begins addressing the safety of adventure tourism in the wake of the death of 49-year-old Austrian Markus Groh. He died last month during a shark-diving excursion off Great Issac Cay in the Bahamas. A shark bit his left leg, and he bled to death. Scuba Adventures, the Florida company that ran the trip Groh took, chummed the waters to draw sharks and eschewed cages for its clients.
Email to friend
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! BuzzIn Fort Lauderdale, ‘Where the Boys Are’
by Jim Benning | 03.05.08 | 12:03 PM ET
Tom Swick recently asked beach-goers in Fort Lauderdale if they were familiar with his “favorite Fort Lauderdale novel,” Glendon Swarthout’s spring break-themed “Where the Boys Are,” published in 1960—or the film or song of the same name. It’s not hard to imagine the response. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has video.
Americans’ Most Favored Nations
by Michael Yessis | 03.05.08 | 9:41 AM ET
Heading…
Gallup surveyed Americans to find out which countries they liked best, with Canada taking the top spot. Ninety-two percent of respondents had a favorable view of their northern neighbors, with Great Britain (89 percent), Germany (82 percent) and Japan (80 percent) in the next three spots. Iran was the least favored nation, with only 8 percent of respondents giving it some love.
World Hum Travel Movie Club: ‘Into The Wild’
by Eli Ellison, Eva Holland | 03.04.08 | 11:44 AM ET
By now, you know the story. In 1990, a 22-year-old college grad named Christopher McCandless renounced his privileged upbringing, adopted the nom de drifter Alexander Supertramp, and turned to a new life of vagabonding. Two years later, Alaskan moose hunters found his corpse in an abandoned Fairbanks city bus outside Denali National Park. Jon Krakauer pieced together Chris’s odyssey and wrote the bestseller Into the Wild. Sean Penn‘s movie version of the book, which hit theaters last fall, arrives today on DVD. Eva Holland and Eli Ellison gave the disc a spin, exchanged e-mails and debated Hollywood’s adaptation of Into the Wild in the debut of the World Hum Travel Movie Club.
Deadly Ricin Found in Las Vegas Motel Room
by Jim Benning | 02.29.08 | 11:12 AM ET
The discovery was made Thursday at an Extended Stay America Hotel. Seven people, all apparently in good condition, have been sent to hospitals for observation. It puts the whole bedbugs debate into perspective, doesn’t it?
National Parks Riddled With Contaminants
by Joanna Kakissis | 02.29.08 | 11:02 AM ET
We recently noted that fewer Americans are spending their free time camping, hiking and fishing in our great outdoors. But while our parks are losing human crowds, they may are gaining some people-produced troubles—contaminants such as pesticides and mercury.
Q&A With Erin Granat: On Americans Studying Abroad
by Eva Holland | 02.28.08 | 12:00 PM ET
Americans who’ve traveled overseas know well that the U.S. is more loathed than loved in many quarters. But for students traveling abroad for the first time these days—and fortunately, there are many—that realization can be startling and eye-opening. I recently asked Erin Granat a few questions about her experience.
The Implications of a Viable Northwest Passage
by Michael Yessis | 02.28.08 | 7:09 AM ET
We’ve touched on what a navigable passage through the Arctic will mean for international shipping and travelers. The latest issue of Foreign Affairs offers a thorough look at the economic and political implications of an ice-free Northwest Passage, something that, according to experts, could happen as soon as 2013.
A Turban Too Far
by Julia Ross | 02.27.08 | 2:29 PM ET
When in Gujarat, wear a turban, or in Chile, a poncho. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin and scores of other world leaders have long followed the practice and escaped unscathed, so why not Barack Obama? A Guardian photo gallery brings much-needed perspective to the photo (above) that has stirred controversy this week.
R.I.P. Dutton’s Books
by Jim Benning | 02.26.08 | 1:36 PM ET
Sadly, Los Angeles’ beloved literary bookstore, located in Brentwood, plans to close April 30.
High-Speed Train From Southern California to Las Vegas ‘Picking up Steam’
by Michael Yessis | 02.26.08 | 10:13 AM ET
The plans for a high-speed link between Los Angeles to San Francisco make more sense to me. Alas, they’re stalled. So are the plans for a Disneyland to Las Vegas MagLev train. That has given an opening to the DesertXpress, a privately funded high-speed project that seeks to connect Las Vegas with Victorville, California, perhaps best known as the place where, when you’re driving from Los Angeles to Sin City, you can stop off for a Double-Double at In-N-Out.
Promised Land Closed
by Doug Lansky | 02.26.08 | 8:53 AM ET
And other odd and unlikely signs from around the world. Aficionado Doug Lansky, editor of the book "Signspotting," recounts his 10 favorites.
See the full audio slideshow: »
2007 Travel Movie Awards: Entirely Arbitrary and Non-Comprehensive Picks
by Eva Holland | 02.22.08 | 12:00 PM ET
Did Pilots Fall Asleep? FAA Opens Investigation of go! Flight 1002.
by Michael Yessis | 02.21.08 | 12:24 PM ET
The go! flight from Honolulu to Hilo last week overshot the airport by 15 miles, then backtracked and landed safely. The Federal Aviation Administration—and presumably everyone else who flies—wants to know how it could have happened. Anderson Cooper has an interesting theory: It’s all about the exclamation mark in go! airlines.
AVE High-Speed Train Links Barcelona, Madrid
by Michael Yessis | 02.21.08 | 10:31 AM ET
Service between two of Spain’s biggest and most-traveled cities opened yesterday, with the first train completing the 342-mile journey to Madrid in 2 hours, 35 minutes. The BBC and others have the story, and the Los Angeles Times Daily Travel & Deal blog breaks the train down by the numbers.