10 great places to catch a whale of a sighting

If you are a true lover of Sea and whales, then you must read the latest book “A Global Guide to Watching Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises in the Wild.”.

Here is the list of good whale-watching during any season

• The Azores – Portugal
• Dominica
• Hermanus – South Africa
• Glacier Bay – Alaska
• Hervey Bay – Queensland, Australia
• Monterey Bay – California
• Stellwagen Bank – Massachusetts
• Península Valdés – Patagonia, Argentina
• Vancouver and Vancouver Island – British Columbia, Canada
• Sea of Cortez – Baja California, Mexico

You can see the complete information here.

Why you should visit Mall of America

Pull some time off from your daily routine and visit Mall of America. This is something you will really enjoy.

If you think this something you can associate with a Joke then why don’t you explore it.

Airports to test all the liquids to identify explosives

According to The Transportation Security Administration, the new technology is in development that will screens bottles for liquid explosives at the USA’s busiest airports this summer.

The agency plans to deploy 200 machines at airports to detect a certain explosive in the containers passengers are allowed to bring through security checkpoints.

“It’s designed to detect a very specific type of liquid threat that is found in common household liquids,” company marketing director Bruce Cumming tells USA TODAY. The TSA says the machines address some of the concerns raised in August after a thwarted terrorist plot to bomb U.S.-bound jets with liquid explosives.

USA TODAY says “the hand-held machines will not ease restrictions that limit passengers to carrying small containers of liquids and gels on board aircraft, TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said. They will primarily check bottles holding medicines, baby formula and other items that passengers can carry on board in unlimited quantities.” Howe tells the paper: “It may not necessarily mean any specific benefit to the traveling public other than enhanced security.” The TSA already has tested the devices in Miami and Newark.

Kids made their parents go online

They are the digital natives – kids aged 8-14 are sitting down at the computer to help their parents share photos, plan travel, and even file taxes. Kids who are computer competent are becoming pivotal sources of information and planning for the family.

According to “Surfin’ on Mom’s Turf: Cyber Chillin’ With 8-14 Year-Olds,” a report released by Stars for Kidz, 14 percent of kids have helped parents prepare their income tax return online.

“In this 8 to 14 age group, these kids are the first strong generation where they have had all these sophisticated levels of technology from childhood, and they function intuitively,” said Adele Schwartz, research director at Stars for Kidz.

“What we see is the kids who are computer competent are becoming pivotal sources of information and planning for the family,” said Schwartz. “Kids think moms [parents] are clueless, while that may or may not be true, kids are quicker and they find [information online] easier.”

About 77 percent of kids shop on the Internet. Almost 10 percent in the survey report said they have a credit card, though the number is self-reported. Another method of payment is gift cards. “Their greatest delight is that they love going online to spend, they love using gift cards online,” said Schwartz.

The “Surfin’ on Mom’s Turf” study was conducted in two parts. Quantitative interviews with small groups of nine- and 10-year-olds and moms of children of the same age were conducted from January through March. The focus groups helped with attitude and behavior and aided in the formation of a 10-question online survey, the second component of the study. The online survey was taken by 6,064 children aged 8 to14.

Cheap and Healthy: Eat in London

Hey, just got an article which was published on 23rd of April, 2007. I really find it interesting and thats the reason I am covering it on my blog. This is really for newcomers who are visiting London for the 1st time.

The International Herald Tribune’s In London, Where to Eat on a Budget offers suggestions for dining on the cheap in this fabulous (and fabulously expensive) city. Picks include Spanish tapas, classic Brit fare and Asian fusion in neighborhoods like South Kensington and Notting Hill (destinations not ordinarily associated with budget finds). With the dollar at 50 cents to the British pound right now, American travelers heading to the UK need all the help they can get!

Enjoy:)

Disney becomes no Smoking Zone

Disney becomes no Smoking Zone

From June 1, visitors to Disney will no longer be allowed to smoke in rooms or outdoors on balconies and patios at any of the company’s 22 hotels, resorts and time-share properties. Smoking is already limited to designated areas within theme parks and public spaces. Hotels that are near Disney, but not owned by the Walt Disney Company will not affected by the ban.

Travel Humour

• You love the window seat in an aircraft? But there is the lady who called up the travel agent asking for an isle seat so that her hair wouldn’t get messed up by being near to the window.
• A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, “Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the tarin to Hawaii?”
• A man called up a travel agent and asked, “Is it possible to see England fromCanada?” When the agent say ‘no’, the man said, “But they look so close on the map.’
• A woman called and asked, “Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to who?”. “No, why do you ask?” the travel agent asked. “Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said FAT, and I’m over-weight, is there any connection?” she replied. After putting her on hold for aminute, the travel agent explained that cite code for Fresno, California, is FAT, and that the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.

What causes the most trouble when you travel?

Asked to cite their “most problematic” trip experiences, 40 percent of those surveyed by the Orbitz travel survey cited flight delays and 21 percent said airport security. Only 15 percent said hotel amenities and cleanliness.

What causes the most trouble when you travel? Flying, according to the Orbitz Travel Survey.

Asked to cite their “most problematic” trip experiences, 40 percent of those surveyed cited flight delays and 21 percent said airport security. Only 15 percent said hotel amenities and cleanliness, while 9 percent cited rental cars.

The survey was conducted for Orbitz by the Ipsos Public Affairs Project.

Only 21 percent of those who fly said their travel time has not increased as a result of new security measures such as removing shoes and restrictions on liquids and gels.

However, the new security measures have left 42 percent feeling satisfied or more secure than before the Sept. 11 attacks, while another 46 percent said they feel somewhat safer but still think security could be improved.

Price was cited as the most important factor in booking a flight by 48 percent of those surveyed. But by a margin of more than 2:1, travelers said that if they could pick a flight amenity, they’d rather have more legroom than a free meal.

Only 24 percent of those surveyed do not use online travel sites. Among those who do go to the Internet, 31 percent characterized online customer service as good or outstanding and another 29 percent said it was satisfactory. Fifty-nine percent said “lowest prices” was the most important factor in choosing an online travel site.

The poll was conducted before the Federal Communications Commission decided to maintain the ban on cell phones in flight, but survey findings on the issue suggest that more people would agree with the FCC decision than not. The travel survey found that only 29 percent favored permitting cell phones; 49 percent did not.

The survey also found that younger Americans travel more than older Americans. A third of those ages 18-34 have traveled three or more times in the past year, while 35 percent of those ages 55 or older have not traveled at all. And those who are married appear to travel more often than those who are single – 61 percent versus 46 percent reported traveling twice or more in the past year.

The survey was conducted March 20-22 among 1,006 adults, 738 of whom had traveled in the past year. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

French train hits 574 km/h in record-breaking run

Roaring like a jet plane, spitting sparks and trailing dust, a French train with a souped-up engine and special wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for conventional rail trains, reaching 574.8 kph (357.2 mph).

The black and chrome train with three double-decker cars, named the V150, bettered the previous record of 515.3 (320.2 mph), set in 1990 by another French train. However, it fell short of the ultimate record set by Japan’s non-conventional magnetically levitated train, which sped to 581 kph (361 mph) in 2003.

The train sped along far faster than a passenger jet taking off or a Formula One race car. On board, the sensation was comparable to that of an airplane at liftoff. The train kept up with planes flying overhead taking photos.

Big executive pay packages may spell trouble for big airlines

The “outrage” expressed by United’s unions over a pay package worth as much as $39 million has the potential to rile front-line workers to the point that it could cause the airline big problems down the road. “Workers locked into long-term pay cuts want to regain some of those lost wages as their carriers recover from a five-year slump. Executives, who are often paid less than their peers in other industries, are anxious to close that gap. But when pay soars for executives and not for workers, tensions understandably run high,” the Chicago Tribune (free registration) writes.

“It’s a very contentious issue, and CEOs need to be very, very cautious about approving themselves bonuses when their workers have conceded so much,” industry analyst Darryl Jenkins tells the paper. “These [issues] have the potential to come back and really hurt your company, kill you at a later time.” Perhaps underscoring that issue is this quote from flight attendants union spokeswoman Sara Nelson. Speaking to Chicago Public Radio, she says: “Not only are we concerned with getting some of the pay and work rules and other benefits back that we lost during this bankruptcy, we’re also concerned about the long-term success, because when you treat workers this way, it’s a recipe for disaster.”

And it’s not just a problem at United. At American — the USA’s biggest carrier — the Tribune writes that “pilots are angry about an incentive plan that could pay 1,000 senior managers more than $173 million next month. Meanwhile, flight attendants at Northwest Airlines are still fighting contract terms that were imposed on them last year by a federal bankruptcy court and have filed a claim seeking $1.1 billion in lost wages.”