Latest Posts (All Countries)
Dive Into 10 Amazing Caribbean Scuba Sites
May 18, 2012 by Nathan Miller
Ever been curious about the excitement and beauty of scuba diving? If you’ve traveled to tropical locations where the sun, sand and water take center stage, you’ve at least flirted with the idea of taking the plunge. And if you already dive, you don’t need to be convinced. Either way, a Caribbean vacation is an easy proposition as more resorts welcome divers with special packages and amenities that make it safe and easy to blow bubbles in the big blue. Check out ten of these awesome Caribbean spots to go diving!
1. Grand Cayman — This British overseas territory gets my vote for some of the best underwater visibility anywhere, not to mention incredible dive-from-shore sites to fish-filled grottos. With over 200 cataloged dive sites, this central Caribbean island nation is as dive-centric as they come. And so are its many resorts. What makes The Reef Resort a standout is its location away from the bustling Seven Mile Beach, on the more mellow East End of Grand Cayman Island. Every unit of this family-run, 110-suite, all-inclusive resort has sweeping views of the sea. Guests are privy to its exclusive 1,600-foot stretch of private primo beach, where the turquoise Caribbean gently…
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Posted in Belize, Central America, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Featured, Formats (Special), Guatemala, Panama, Photos
The Infamous Vienna Opera House
May 18, 2012 by Sherry Ott
The layers of seat in the Vienna Opera House
Some people drink a Diet Coke a day, or have a daily piece of chocolate, or a daily route they take to work – daily routines can be a good thing. Even the Vienna State Opera House has a routine – they put on a production every day – yes, every day. It’s like a factory pumping out musical culture at an alarming rate. To make it even more unbelievable, the don’t put on the same shows every night – they frequently change from night to night. And are you ready for the final ‘blow your mind’ piece of information – they aren’t always putting on operas, sometimes it’s ballets. Can you imagine how big a stage has to be to deal with a production schedule with this kind of variety?
Well, I couldn’t either – so I had to go see it for myself. I took a one hour English tour one afternoon which allows you to see the inner workings of the Opera House, arguably the busiest opera house in the world, in…
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Posted in Austria, Europe, Featured, Photos, Vienna
Facebook & Twitter: Lonelier Beings For Using Them?
May 18, 2012 by Renee Blodgett
The Atlantic Validates Our Prediction: Social Media May Make Us Lonelier In this year’s edition of our annual predictions of top media stories, one of our prediction was: “We may be immersed in social media, but we’ll spend less time with actual people.”
Back in Jan., we wrote, “So many people use social media sites – from Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn, to and more — that people have less time to spend with their friends and family. We’re not sure if this will get much media coverage…” Well The Atlantic Monthly has validated our prediction in its May 2012 issue.
It’s article, “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” makes the point that: “Social media—from Facebook to Twitter—have made us more densely networked than ever. Yet for all this connectivity, new research suggests that we have never been lonelier (or more narcissistic)—and that this loneliness is making us mentally and physically ill.”
Written by Stephen Marche, a novelist who writes a monthly column for Esquire, the article reports on “what the epidemic of loneliness is doing to our souls and our society.” It’s well worth reading. And today’s Boston Globe validated our prediction that ”
The desire to be connected…
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Posted in Europe, North America, USA
Indian Food: The Magic of Chandni Chowk on my Platter
May 18, 2012 by Sweta Mukherjee
A Glorious Sunset at India Gate
May 18, 2012 by Sweta Mukherjee
Posted in Asia, Cities, India, Photos
The South: Alabama’s Catfish Festival
May 18, 2012 by Susan McKee
Make tracks for Alabama this weekend. The 11th annual Catfish Festival takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19, 2012, in Jackson County Park, Scottsboro, Alabama.
If the fried catfish dinners served by the Shriners aren’t enough to tempt you, consider that they’re also offering homemade ice cream.
And, of course, there’s a catfish tournament for adults, a catfish rodeo for kids, plus an arts & crafts show; car, truck and motorcycle show, free concerts and even more food vendors.
(Image courtesy of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce)
Posted in Alabama, North America, South, USA
The Art & Beauty of Bike Riding
May 17, 2012 by Green Thing
(All Images: DownfromBehind)
There’s a new bike blog called Downtown From Behind, which houses a charming collection of photographs of people Pedaling The Pedals, and the premise is really simple. Each shot is taken from behind but are all unique and alluring in their own right. The photos are taken on about 200 streets below 14th Street in New York City in the neighborhood called Downtown.
Creator and photographer, Bridget Fleming, calls the snaps “non-portrait portraits with the biker at centre stage but the street and the whole collection are the stars.” The collection really shows that cycling is stylish, beautiful and fashionable.
(Spotted on TreeHugger)
Posted in Europe, Featured, New York, New York City, North America, Photos, USA
Sibling Serenity Canal
May 17, 2012 by Geoff Edwards
My brother says that I have a mad Magellanic need to circumnavigate the world. He is right and I’ve done that twice. Well close to twice, except for that reef off Egypt. “Going All The Way”, an EBook tells that story.
I have been cruising for many years and have been through the Panama Canal more times than I can remember. I write about those trips.
He is a former editor of Cosmopolitan, Parenting, and a contributor to American Photographer, Smithsonian Magazine, and countless other publications. He is the author of several books, and a truly top writer. But, he has yet to set foot on a cruise ship, and the Canal is, in his mind, but a ditch. It’s time to make that right.
We are going together from Los Angeles to New York City on Crystal Cruises newly refurbished Serenity.
We’ll travel together for 17 days in a lovely cabin with a balcony. It’s dubbed a Penthouse Suite. This is, in cruise parlance, a luxury ship.
Truthfully, although we are good friends, we have never spent that long a time together. Certainly, not in “confined” quarters.
Herewith an inside look:
We boarded Crystal Serenity using…
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Posted in Baja California, North America, Panama, Panama City, Photos
