Tag: Politics
U.S. Airports Antsy for Cuba Access
by Eva Holland | 07.29.09 | 3:19 PM ET
Several U.S. airports—Tampa’s, Key West’s and Houston’s among them—are angling to be added to the list of locations from which flights to Cuba are permitted. Currently, only L.A., New York and Miami are allowed to handle the charter flights that carry Americans with the appropriate permits to and from the island, but with an easing of travel restrictions seemingly on the horizon, nobody wants to be left out. Said Key West International’s airport director, Peter Horton: “[T]he last thing that we want is to get lost in the shuffle as people scramble to try to fly there.”
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Yahoo! BuzzI Violated the Cuba Travel Embargo and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
by Jim Benning | 07.27.09 | 1:23 PM ET
And a few refrigerator magnets. And a green and red Che Guevara beret. And some postcards.
Crazy story here about an American freelance entertainment news producer who wants to be fined for his Cuba visits so he can challenge the travel ban. So far, to his chagrin, he has been met with little more than indifference from U.S. authorities.
Here’s hoping that U.S. officials have quietly stopped enforcing the stupid law—and that President Obama and Congress will act soon to revoke it.
An Open Letter to President Obama: Martha’s Vineyard?
by Tom Swick | 07.24.09 | 10:24 AM ET
iStockPhoto Contemplating and celebrating travel
Détente at the Russian Baths
by Peter Wortsman | 07.15.09 | 10:34 AM ET
iStockPhoto Peter Wortsman didn't mind peeling off his clothes at the banya. But he feared the worst when he revealed that he was American.
U.S. Senate Encourages Domestic Travel to Canada
by Alicia Imbody | 07.13.09 | 2:55 PM ET
Screenshot of the Environment Of Public Works website The Washington Post embarrassingly revealed how the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee recently tried to promote domestic summer travel to the Rockies on its website, using a picture of Lake Louise—which happens to be located in Canada. When the Post questioned committee members about the contradictory image, both parties denied a deliberate attempt to promote foreign travel, pointing fingers and ultimately admitting to using a hasty “placeholder” photo, which has since been removed.
This is in no way related to past examples of the U.S. attempting to annex Canada for strictly promotional purposes.
The Strange Case of ‘World Travel Watch’ and Toronto
by Eva Holland | 07.13.09 | 11:32 AM ET
File this under “bizarre adventures in globalized media.” When Travelers’ Tales editor-in-chief Larry Habegger called out Toronto—currently enduring a garbage workers’ strike—as a place to avoid in his “World Travel Watch” column, I doubt he expected to become a player in the city’s local politics. But then CNN picked up the column, the Mayor’s political opponents got ahold of the story, and suddenly Habegger’s latest was being offered as proof that the Mayor is mishandling the strike—and “causing devastating damage to our city” to boot.
A San Francisco travel columnist wreaking havoc on Canadian municipal politics? It’s times like these I get the urge to start singing “It’s a small world after all…” (Via Adam Radwanski)
Embassy Architecture: Can the U.S. Build More Than Bunkers?
by Jim Benning | 07.10.09 | 3:08 PM ET
Our recent troubles with terrorists have wrought many changes, including the rise of American embassies designed with such a strong emphasis on security—at the expense of everything else—that they’ve become, as L.A. Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne puts it, “one-size-fits-all bunkers.”
But a new report issued this week entitled “Design for Diplomacy” from the American Institute of Architects suggests that, while security must be at the forefront of embassy design:
U.S. embassies can, and must, reflect American values and ideals. U.S. embassies should symbolize America’s vitality, enduring strength, decency, and innovation. These essential qualities contribute to the conduct of American diplomacy, encourage international commerce, and enhance cultural exchange.
Climbing Ban Could be Coming to Uluru
by Eva Holland | 07.08.09 | 11:55 AM ET
An Australian government proposal is in the works to ban tourists from climbing Uluru, the distinctive red rock monolith that is considered sacred ground by local indigenous groups. Those same groups have been pushing for the move for years, but the proposal is—predictably—controversial in other quarters: “Big Brother is coming to Uluru to slam the gate closed on an Australian tourism icon,” said one conservative politician quoted in the Independent.
Invoking Orwell here seems a tad dramatic. I’m more inclined to agree with local elder Vince Forrester. “You can’t go climb on top of the Vatican, you can’t go climb on top of the Buddhist temples and so on and so forth,” he said. “Obviously you have to respect our religious attachment to the land too, so we’re saying please do not climb Uluru.”
Welcome to Naples. Meet Your Ex-Con Tour Guide.
by Michael Yessis | 07.06.09 | 12:27 PM ET
As Elisabetta Provoledo writes, “It seemed like a great idea at the time: hire ex-convicts to escort tourists through seedy Neapolitan streets. Who better to explain to the uninitiated the potential dangers lying in wait?” Alas, as she reports in the New York Times, the “Escodentro Project” has hit a rough patch.
Travel, Politics and the U.S. Flag
by Michael Yessis | 07.02.09 | 1:29 PM ET
Timothy Egan has noticed something during his recent travels in the U.S.: “a surfeit of American flags.” In his story in the New York Times, he takes a shot at explaining the abundance of Stars and Stripes.
For a look at how the flag flies outside the U.S., check out our American Flag in a Shrinking Planet slideshow.
Baez, Bon Jovi, Mike Scott: Which Iran Protest Song Is Right for You?
by Jim Benning | 07.01.09 | 11:51 AM ET
If you were a child of the ’60s, then perhaps it’s Joan Baez’s “We Shall Overcome.” If you came of age in the ’80s, then maybe it’s Jon Bon Jovi’s “Stand By Me,” which he recorded with Iranian exile Andy Madadian.
I’m a longtime fan of the Waterboys and their sometimes solo-recording frontman, Mike Scott, so I’m loving his tribute, which draws on the words of W.B. Yeats.
Which is your favorite? Any others we shouldn’t miss? Here they are:
‘You’re American? I Should Kill You!’
by Cory Eldridge | 07.01.09 | 10:01 AM ET
Photo by Cory Eldridge To most of his roommates at his United Arab Emirates apartment, Cory Eldridge was an exotic American. To one of them, the Iraqi who'd been held at Abu Ghraib prison, he was "President Bush."
Australia’s Prime Minister: ‘Hotter Than Obama’
by Eva Holland | 06.29.09 | 7:05 PM ET
Publicity still via IGN That was the verdict from Bruno, comedian Sasha Baron Cohen’s gay Austrian alter ego, during a visit to Sydney for his movie‘s Australian premiere. Said the ostensible fashion TV reporter after meeting Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: “That guy is like, uber-cute. I thought Obama was like the hottest guy in the world until I met Kevin.”
Ooh. Them’s fighting words, Bruno. President Obama, care to respond?
Michael Jackson’s Global Impact
by Alicia Imbody | 06.26.09 | 4:02 PM ET
Love him or leave him, Michael Jackson’s international impact—from pioneering popular music and breaking down the race barrier in the entertainment world, to influencing foreign policy and perplexing people across the globe—cannot be denied.
As the world reacts to his death, we take a look at a sampling of global responses and remember some of his lasting impressions.
The White House Luau: President Obama ‘Wants his Hawaii Grinds’
by Michael Yessis | 06.25.09 | 11:27 AM ET
The first-ever White House Hawaiian-style luau is scheduled to take place tonight, with President Obama hosting a meal created and prepared by Alan Wong.
Good for Obama. He loves his home state of Hawaii, and Hawaii loves him back—though, as seen in this slideshow, sometimes it loves him in funny ways.
In any case, Obama will get some Hawaiian food—the chef’s shopping list includes 84 pounds of Hawaiian macadamia nuts, 130 pounds of salmon and 650 pounds of pork butt—cooked by the proprietor of one of his favorite restaurants. And Hawaii hopes it will get what it desperately needs: a boost for tourism.
Obama in Hawaii: Commander in Kitsch
by Pam Mandel | 06.25.09 | 10:31 AM ET
Photo by Pam Mandel Obama bobbleheads! Obama license plates! Obama meets Elvis! Pam Mandel reports from the souvenir section of Obamaland.
See the Obama in Hawaii slideshow »
South Carolina Governor’s Mystery Vacation: Is He a Tango Addict?*
by Jim Benning | 06.24.09 | 1:07 PM ET
Nobody seemed to know where South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was for days. His wife said she didn’t know but wasn’t worried. His staff said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. The police got involved.
Well, today the governor emerged at the Atlanta airport saying work had been stressful and he had gone to Buenos Aires because he needed a vacation and “wanted to do something exotic.” He said he spent the week driving the Argentine coastline.
Some don’t buy his story. Speculation about what he was really doing is rampant. Talking Points Memo has put together a handy timeline of events surrounding the mystery trip.
Anyone have any good theories?
Call me crazy, but I’m going to suggest the governor did indeed go to Argentina—because he has a tango addiction. I have no evidence for this. I just like the idea of it and think it would make for a good HBO movie.
Come clean, governor. Is it tango? If it is, it’s OK with us.
*Update 11:37 a.m. PT: Well, I was close. The governor gave a press conference clearing up the mystery. It was a tango of a different sort.
*Update 4:34 p.m. PT: Gawker commenter flossy has the line of the day on the mixed messages earlier about the governor’s whereabouts: “In all fairness to his aides, “I’m getting some Argentinian tail” sounds a lot like “I’m hiking the Appalachian trail” when you’re on a fuzzy satelite phone connection. Who hasn’t had that kind of innocent misunderstanding?”
Travels in Tehrangeles
by Jim Benning | 06.24.09 | 9:59 AM ET
Photo by Jim Benning Los Angeles is home to an estimated half a million Iranian expatriates. On Monday, Jim Benning grabbed a camera and hit their streets.
See the full photo slideshow »
See This Now: ‘Give Peace a Chance’
by Eva Holland | 06.23.09 | 10:14 AM ET
Photo by Eva Holland As we’ve noted, this spring marked the 40th anniversary of John and Yoko’s iconic “bed-ins” for peace, first at the Amsterdam Hilton and later (and more famously) at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel. The commemorations in those two cities have passed, but a powerful exhibit about the Montreal bed-in has just opened at the Museum at Bethel Woods (aka the Woodstock museum), and it will remain open through the summer.
Blog to Watch: ‘Recession Road Trip’
by Michael Yessis | 06.22.09 | 11:36 AM ET
Christina Davidson departed Washington, D.C., 11 days ago to “travel the back roads and State highways through the 48 contiguous United States, uncovering stories of economic survival and endurance,” she wrote in her debut post at The Atlantic. “In diners, bars, bingo halls and coffee shops, I seek those Americans who have lost everything—except hope.”
She’ll also tweet during her four months on the road.