Travel Blog: News and Briefs
Summer Escapes in The Walrus
by Eva Holland | 07.15.08 | 12:53 PM ET
There’s a whole heap of good travel stories in the latest escape-themed issue of The Walrus.
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Yahoo! BuzzThe Long Descent: Ads on Boarding Passes
by Michael Yessis | 07.15.08 | 11:10 AM ET
The airlines have found another way to piss me off. Delta, Continental, United, Northwest and US Airways have partnered with Sojern to serve ads to boarding passes. It’s bad enough that passengers have to deal with ads on barf bags and tray tables and in security bins. Now they want us to use our own ink to print ads at home.
Baggage Trouble Ongoing at Heathrow’s Terminal 5
by Eva Holland | 07.15.08 | 10:13 AM ET
More than three months after its official opening, the baggage woes at Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 continue. According to the Telegraph, almost 1,000 bags are still being misplaced every day.
Photo by James Cridland via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Lawn Chair Ballooning: Serene or Idiotic?
by Michael Yessis | 07.14.08 | 5:55 PM ET
Perhaps it’s both. In the wake of Kent Couch’s latest stunt (video below), Thomas Vinciguerra looks at the phenomenon. Two things in his piece surprised me: The first lawn chair balloon flight may have taken place as early as 1937 over Minnesota and Iowa, and it’s estimated that about 10 of these flights take place each year.
How the Miss Universe Pageant Explains the World
by Jim Benning | 07.14.08 | 5:03 PM ET
Let’s face it, the Miss Universe pageant isn’t just about beauty. It’s about flaunting power on the world stage. It’s a metaphor for geopolitics. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Miss USA, Crystle Stewart—a Texan—tripped on her jewel-encrusted dress at the pageant yesterday in Vietnam, not unlike her Miss USA predecessor did so famously in Mexico a year earlier. These have been rough times for Miss USA winners around the globe. We can only hope that next year we’ll see a real change in the way the next Miss USA conducts herself abroad.
Are Airlines Filling Planes With Less Fuel to Save Money?
by Michael Yessis | 07.14.08 | 3:58 PM ET
A Chicago Sun-Times story explores the possibility. “Facing oil prices approaching $150 a barrel, airlines want to reduce the weight of their planes because more weight requires more fuel,” writes Mary Wisniewski. Among the consequences: Planes are allegedly being diverted to smaller airports instead of circling the airport during delays.
Related on World Hum:
* What’s up With the ‘Open Letter to All Airline Customers’?
* The Long Descent: US Airways to Cut Movies on Domestic Flights
Video: Europe’s Unlikely Hit, Heiligenkreuz Abbey’s Monks
by Joanna Kakissis | 07.14.08 | 1:54 PM ET
It’s not the first time Gregorian chants have rocked the modern music charts, but thanks to YouTube, the Cistercian monks from the Austrian woods are getting lots of attention on the European music charts and have landed a record deal with Universal Music. Oh, and dairy farmers play the monks’ chants to serenade their prize-winning cheese (the good vibes, it is believed, aid the maturation process). I plan to serenade my mizithra with “Music for Paradise.” Here’s a video:
Talking Nigeria on NPR
by Jim Benning | 07.14.08 | 12:34 PM ET
World Hum contributing editor Frank Bures chatted about magical penis theft in Nigeria today on NPR. As we noted, he wrote a feature for Harper’s about the phenomenon.
World Hum’s Most Read: July 4-11
by World Hum | 07.11.08 | 3:42 PM ET
Our five most popular features and blog posts for the week:
1) Ask Rolf: As a Woman, Can I Really Travel Without Much Fear for my Safety?
2) British Couple Arrested for Having Sex on Beach in Dubai
3) World’s Worst Tourists?
4) One Man’s Odyssey into ‘Eat, Pray, Love’
5) Spam Conquers the World (Sort of) (pictured)
EcoFlight Gives ‘Big Picture’ View of Environmental Hot Spots
by Joanna Kakissis | 07.11.08 | 9:21 AM ET
What’s it like seeing a panoramic view of Colorado’s Roan Plateau? With all that wild beauty, you’d think it would be a beautiful thing. But from the cockpit of an EcoFlight plane, you see its dismal fate: Rich with fossil fuels, it’s been dissected by gas fields. Bruce Gordon started the Aspen, Colorado-based company in 2002 to give people aerial tours of U.S. public land threatened by such development and environmental malfeasance.
Europeans Wave Goodbye to the Illusion of 99-Cent Flights
by Elyse Franko | 07.11.08 | 9:11 AM ET
What’s up With the ‘Open Letter to All Airline Customers’?
by Jim Benning | 07.10.08 | 3:32 PM ET
Like many travelers, I received the “open letter” today from the airlines. Mine happened to come from United, but a dozen airlines have endorsed it. They’re asking customers to complain to Congress about oil speculation. So what’s the story? The Politico declares via CBS News that “Airlines are trying to divert their frequent flyers’ fury to a new villain: oil speculators.” Christopher Elliott offers his own translation. Among the highlights: “High fuel costs are going to push half of us into bankruptcy. We need you to bail us out.” (Via USA Today and Jaunted)
Video: Tony Perrottet on the Hunt for Napoleon’s Penis in New Jersey
by Jim Benning | 07.10.08 | 11:20 AM ET
World Hum contributor and “Napoleon’s Privates” author Tony Perrottet just spoke to World Hum about his new book. In this video, he tracks down the traveling relic in New Jersey, of all places:
The New Acropolis Museum: Ready to Take on the British Museum?
by Eva Holland | 07.10.08 | 10:15 AM ET
There’s a new museum opening in Athens this year, but as the Times of London’s Mark Hodson writes, it’s not just another tourist attraction: It’s also “the latest gambit in a 200-year campaign for the return of the Elgin Marbles,” currently housed in the British Museum.
Does Creme Brulee Qualify as a Global Treasure? UNESCO Says No.
by Joanna Kakissis | 07.09.08 | 3:50 PM ET
UNESCO just inscribed 27 new sites to its World Heritage List— the usual mix of archaeological, architectural, ecclesiastical and ecological places. French cuisine didn’t make the cut, despite a campaign led by President Nicolas Sarkozy to enshrine it. Did the coq au vin fail to inspire?
