Travel Blog: News and Briefs
Air Marshal Fatally Shoots Man on Miami Jetway
by Michael Yessis | 12.07.05 | 5:04 PM ET
A federal air marshal today shot and killed a man who said he had a bomb in his carry-on luggage at Miami International Airport. According to a CNN report, the man, identified as Rigoberto Alpizar, 44, and a U.S. citizen, was reboarding an American Airlines flight after a stopover between Medellin, Colombia and Orlando. “The killing marks the first time a federal air marshal has fired a weapon at an individual since the program was bolstered after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks,” CNN reports.
Email to friend
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! BuzzR.I.P. Orlando Sentinel Travel?
by Terry Ward | 12.07.05 | 4:18 PM ET
It looks as though the Orlando Sentinel Travel section is history. The Orlando Weekly reports today that the Sentinel cut 54 jobs last week, including that of travel editor Jay Boyar, a 22-year veteran of the paper. Boyar told the Weekly that the Sentinel plans to include travel coverage in a feature section. He’s still in shock. “I feel a sense of panic,” he told the paper. “I have an 11-year-old son and I would like him to have medical insurance.”
Bookstore Tourism Podcast
by Michael Yessis | 12.07.05 | 3:54 PM ET
Larry Portzline recently appeared on WHP-AM’s Let’s Talk Travel program in Pennsylvania, and he’s included several segments of his conversation with host Sandy Fenton on his most recent podcast. Portzline is the founder of bookstore tourism. He spoke with World Hum about it in October.
British Tabloid Travel Headline of the Day: ‘Santa Claus in Travel Ban’
by Michael Yessis | 12.07.05 | 12:32 PM ET
The Sun reports that Santa Claus lookalike David Powney had his passport application rejected because of his bushy white beard.
World Hum Contributor Bill Belleville at the Global Peace Film Festival
by Jim Benning | 12.07.05 | 12:12 PM ET
If you’re in Orlando, Florida on Thursday, consider checking out the 2005 Global Peace Film Festival. That’s where Bill Belleville, who wrote Journey Through the Earth and A Million Years of Memory for World Hum, will appear with Philippe Cousteau on a panel to discuss the media’s role in protecting the environment. Belleville knows his stuff: He writes magazine stories and books, and also makes films, all with a focus on the outdoors and the environment.
Space Travel Store Opens in Seattle
by Michael Yessis | 12.06.05 | 8:43 PM ET
The Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. features the latest in “atomic technology, protective and stylish spacewear, and rare imports from other planets.” All proceeds go to 826 Seattle, part of the Dave Eggers-led effort to support students with their writing endeavors.
Titanic Sank Faster Than Previously Thought
by Michael Yessis | 12.06.05 | 6:53 PM ET
Historians have long believed that the Titanic split into two major pieces and stayed afloat for a while before succumbing to its icy fate. But researchers announced Monday that they found evidence to the contrary.
“Far & Wide: The Golden Age of Travel Posters”
by Michael Yessis | 12.06.05 | 4:16 PM ET
That’s the name of the current exhibit at the Los Angeles Public Library’s Getty Gallery. I spent some time there yesterday afternoon, checking out the more than 60 promotional posters from the 1920s to the 1940s. They’re gorgeous artifacts of the Art Deco era, though the curators point out that the posters weren’t intended to be artistic. They were made for short-term commercial purposes, printed on cheap paper with a life expectancy of only eight weeks.
R.I.P. Los Angeles Times Outdoors
by Jim Benning | 12.06.05 | 12:08 PM ET
The Los Angeles Times published its ambitious Outdoors section for the last time today. The paper launched the weekly section in September 2003 as a sort of Outside magazine for Southern California. It was a grand idea, and I was happy to contribute occasionally to its pages. Unfortunately, Tribune Co. has been making lots of cuts lately, and Outdoors was one of them. Editor Thomas Curwen offers a fond fairwell.
Stephen Colbert on SkyMall
by Jim Benning | 12.06.05 | 2:35 AM ET
It’s one of only two places where the host of Comedy Central’s Colbert Report shops, Colbert dead-panned Monday night. (There and Sharper Image.) SkyMall, he opined, is “the best source for solar-powered, self-inflating pool equipment.”
Jessica Smith of MTV’s “Laguna Beach” Named Let’s Go Spokesperson*
by Michael Yessis | 12.02.05 | 11:59 AM ET
It’s a sweet gig for the reality TV star. Smith will take trips to locales of her choosing, blog about her experiences and make personal appearances for Let’s Go. According to a Brandweek report (scroll to bottom), “Smith was seen as a good fit for the young-skewing budget-travel guides because, unlike some of the party-oriented and privileged Paris Hilton types chronicled on the series, she’s a more down-to-earth student.”
Italy Ranked Number One “Country Brand”
by Michael Yessis | 12.02.05 | 11:56 AM ET
Australia took the runner-up spot, and the United States rounded out the top three in a recent global survey conducted by FutureBrand and its sister company, public relations firm Weber Shandwick. It also named China as the “most improved” country brand.
MTV’s “Laguna Beach” Spawns Reality Show Tourism
by Jim Benning | 12.01.05 | 6:19 PM ET
The Southern California town of Laguna Beach has always attracted its share of tourists, but it’s getting plenty more now, thanks to the MTV reality show Laguna Beach. The interest is so great, in fact, that the Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau has issued a guide to the show’s key spots (not available online).
British Cyclist Completes Four-Year, ‘Round-the-World Trip
by Jim Benning | 11.30.05 | 12:35 PM ET
You have to admire Alastair Humphreys’ determination. He left England in 2001, explaining that he was “trundling along towards getting a job” and “just wanted to do something a bit more difficult and challenging.” So off he went on a ‘round-the-world trip by bicycle. He wanted to quit many times as he struggled with loneliness. But the 28-year-old endured, and earlier this month, having passed through Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa, he was in Paris and finally pedaling toward home, where he planned to write a book about the journey.
Paris Hotels Fined for Price Fixing
by Michael Yessis | 11.30.05 | 1:14 AM ET
