Travel Blog: News and Briefs
Canadians in the U.S.: What Do They Miss About Canada?
by Michael Yessis | 07.01.09 | 12:38 PM ET
Here’s a Canada Day treat from the New York Times: Eleven Canadians living in the United States talk about missing, among other things, hockey highlights, universal health coverage, the Canadian Mosaic and the “u” in color.
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Yahoo! BuzzBaez, 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:
After Michael Jackson: Will Tourists Flock to Neverland Ranch?
by Eva Holland | 06.30.09 | 2:52 PM ET
Photo by Eva Holland Over at This Just In, the inevitable question has been asked: Where will Michael Jackson’s Graceland be? After all, the King of Pop’s fans will need a pilgrimage spot just as badly as the King’s do. JD Rinne offers a few possibilities: the Jackson family hometown of Gary, Indiana; Detroit’s Motown Museum; the Apollo Theater in Harlem; and, of course, Neverland Ranch.
SkyMaul, Revisited
by Michael Yessis | 06.30.09 | 1:57 PM ET
In this interview, the guys from Kasper Hauser discuss their SkyMall parody, SkyMaul. It was apparently “a complete bitch to design.”
Our take from two years ago: The parody is better than the real thing.
Tripping Out
by Jenna Schnuer | 06.30.09 | 12:59 PM ET
So, as you’ve heard, Flyover America and the rest of our blog brethren are outta here (well, at least on the blogs—we’ll all swirl around the place on various other topics). We’ve taken a shine to all y’all so we’re taking this act out on its own on the information superhighway. (Leave it to me to revive a tired old phrase for the sake of a bad joke, eh?) Look for the launch of Flyover America as an indie act in the very near future. And, yes, the good folks of World Hum said they’ll pass the word along when that happens. If you want to keep up on FA activity, just drop us a line at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and we’ll let you know when we’re up and running. Oh—we’re also turning from a duo into a trio. Our good buddy Matt Villano is coming along for the ride. We hope to see you there (and, of course, here).
Happy trails,
Jenna
p.s. You’re all the bees knees. This has been some kind of good fun. Big time.
The Road Goes on Forever (And the Party Never Ends)
by Sophia Dembling | 06.30.09 | 12:45 PM ET
Photo by Sophia Dembling The best thing about this too-short gig with World Hum is that it revived and refreshed my passionate love affair with our glorious fifty. Traveling the U.S. is what gave me the travel bug in the first place and now I’m buggier than ever. Give up this blog? Never! I have so much more to see and do and discuss with you.
Bikinis: A History in Pictures
by Eva Holland | 06.30.09 | 11:51 AM ET
Just in time for the summer holidays, Slate digs up a brief (har har) pictorial history of the bikini, originally put together for the suit’s 60th anniversary a couple years back. There’s also an excellent Magnum photo gallery.
So Long, Airworld
by Rob Verger | 06.30.09 | 10:25 AM ET
Photo by Rob Verger It’s been a pleasure covering air travel for World Hum’s blog, and I’ll miss it.
Looking back, some of my favorite posts to write were the ones that celebrated the quirkier aspects of air travel: I loved writing about, for example, a strange scabies outbreak among TSA staff at Boston’s Logan Airport (though I did not, in fact, enjoy once getting scabies myself).
Finding Frederic Remington (in Upstate New York)
by Jenna Schnuer | 06.30.09 | 9:20 AM ET
Author and her grandfather, Sidney Friedfertig (35-plus years ago) The statues always felt out of place. I never really understood why my grandfather, Sidney Friedfertig, loved Frederic Remington’s work so much. While my grandfather was fond of all things Western, Remington’s pieces just struck me as harsh and ugly. I didn’t like them. What were they doing in my grandparents’ Westchester, NY, apartment, alongside my artist grandmother’s brightly colored oil paintings?
Though my grandfather passed away nearly 15 years ago, until recently I still hadn’t taken a shine to Remington. It was odd because, really, I thought he would have grown on me for sentimental reasons.
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?
The Last Bite and the Other Part of the Fish
by David Farley | 06.29.09 | 4:25 PM ET
Photo by David Farley Few people are lured to the Czech Republic for its cuisine, but I’m one of them. Actually, hearty Czech food is a taste acquired over time (accompanied by lots of pints of hoppy pilsner). Until recently the pub grub—rich goulash and pork made just about every way you can imagine—functioned more as stomach filler than actual taste bud pleasers. But things are slowly changing.
Checking Out
by Alexander Basek | 06.29.09 | 3:33 PM ET
Well guys, it’s been fun. Thanks for listening to me pontificate on all the hotel-ish things that caught my eye these last few months: Wi-Fi woes, soaps, showers, seaweed and sheets. I’m big on the letter “S,” apparently. I’ll still contribute to World Hum from time to time, but in the interim, look me up on Twitter: @alexanderbasek. See you on the road.
Photo We Love: Serious Stretching in Beijing
by World Hum | 06.29.09 | 1:45 PM ET
REUTERS/Grace Liang A man stretches during a morning exercise session at a Beijing park.
Quesadillas in the Sub-Arctic
by Eva Holland | 06.29.09 | 1:01 PM ET
Photo by Eva Holland I’m no Mexican food addict, but I am perpetually fascinated by incongruous culinary offerings in unlikely locales—so when I spotted Sanchez Cantina, “Yukon’s Only TRUE Mexican Restaurant,” not long after my arrival in Whitehorse, I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist. Once several locals had assured me that it was “really good,” I grew even more curious—after all, I was in the Canadian sub-arctic, more than 3,000 miles north of the Mexican border, in a town of 20,000 where many people keep freezers full of moose meat. How “true” or “good” could it be?
More Changes to the Blog
by Michael Yessis | 06.29.09 | 11:44 AM ET
The changes to the World Hum blog continue this week. As a result of the challenging publishing climate, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to phase out our individual topic blogs and rededicate ourselves to publishing more shorter posts on a wider variety of subjects throughout the day.
The authors of our topic blogs are not going away entirely, however. We’ll continue to publish great features on the site, and we’ll be turning to Julia, Joanna, Alex, David, Sophia, Jenna, Rob and Pam for more longer contributions in the future. As you know, they bring a wealth of passion and insight and experience to their travel writing, and we’ve been fortunate to feature their voices on the site.
In the meantime, they’ll be blogging, tweeting and writing elsewhere. Look for their final posts on the blog this week, and they’ll let you know where else to find them.
As for the World Hum blog, you’ll still find coverage on everything from air travel to pop culture. Jim, Eva and I will be the primary writers.
If you’ve got tips or suggestions, as usual, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
