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Archive for May, 2010
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Bear in Denali National Park
May 30, 2010 by Glennia Campbell
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We visited Denali National Park today, after a long drive in from Anchorage, via Wasilla & Talkeetna. We saw four of the “big five” of wildlife in the park — bear, moose, eagle, Dall Sheep. Only the wolves eluded us. This bear was moving fast across a plain, probably on the hunt for Snowshoe Hares or Arctic Ground Squirrels.
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What Exactly is Ñamarín?
May 30, 2010 by Brian Horstman
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The name baffles the tongue, upon reading it for the first time. And once you figure out how to say it, you might ask yourself, just what is Ñamarín?
Read more…
Kyoto Kindness: William Faulkner, Soba and Magic Words
May 30, 2010 by Matt Keighley
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Despite essentially being a long-term tourist in Japan I hate feeling like one of the shutterbug crowd, endlessly holding up people on the pavement taking photos of anything vaguely unfamiliar, which in Japan could mean pretty much anything.
It’s this desire to feel less foreign in a country where I am quite patently so, that often leads me to look for the quieter and the more local in cities teeming with tourists. Despite my rather limited Japanese these smaller places with significantly less English are often all the more friendly than their tourist centric counterparts.
In Kyoto especially, a beautiful city but always bursting with tourists both domestic and foreign, I found joy in escaping the bustle in such places. Not far from Kyoto train station, an enormous and impressive piece of architecture that climbs fifteen stories high (the tenth story being a floor of Ramen restaurants) and as much of a sight to see as the rest of the city, I found refuge and dinner in a small family place. A real hole in the wall in a part of town more populated with Starbucks and McDonald’s than mom and pop places. Finding only one customer but an entire… Read more…
When Your World Gets All Shook Up
May 30, 2010 by Genny Ross-Barons
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May 28, 2009, at 2:30 AM, I was jarred awake by my husband, Dave trying to pull me from our bed. As I tried to grasp what he was doing, I became aware of the roar of (what sounded to me like) a freight train careening through our loft bedroom. But there wasn’t just the sound of a train; there was also the violent shaking.
Our wooden cabana accepted the assault, bending to the force, as a blade of grass will bend to the wind, and we were as helpless as ants, trying to hold on. But for the 45-60 seconds that our home was resigned to the attack, it was impossible for Dave and me to maintain our footing.
With every step we took, the loft would shift position, tossing us side to side, while the train continued to roar. I still didn’t understand what was happening, and as I tried to make my way to the stairs with Dave, I watched with surreal fascination as our easel-back, stand-up mirror shuffled across the room like a penguin or Charlie Chaplin would.
We finally made it to the stairs, and clung to the railing with both hands,… Read more…
Osterreich: Wien und Hallstatt
May 30, 2010 by Susie Hughes
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For you non-German speakers (erm, like me) that’s “Austria: Vienna and Hallstatt.” The Broseph and I arrived in Vienna last Tuesday after a pretty easy journey from New York, despite almost missing our flight! After finding our hostel (http://www.hostelruthensteiner.com/) we cleaned up and set out to find some lunch and hike around the city a bit.
Vienna has this great way of sort of springing sights on you. You’re walking around thinking, this is nice, very Euro, nice buildings and whatnot, and then all of a sudden you walk around a corner and past some trees and see some giant palace or something. It’s truly amazing how you just stumble upon these giant edifices- we just sort of came across the place where Hitler told 250,000 people that Austria was part of the Third Reich in 1938, and it’s not a small place! My favorite building was the city hall, or the ‘rathaus’, a huge gothic (I think?) monstrosity that goes on for a few blocks. With several huge Austrian flags hanging from it, it looks very grand and imposing. (I’m afraid I haven’t yet found a location to plug my camera in and get some pictures up… Read more…
Surprisingly Nice Nijmegen
May 30, 2010 by Amanda Meyer
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My birthday was in March and it was celebrated big then, but my friends believe in surprises and that’s how I found myself on a train at 10 o’clock on Saturday morning, for one last birthday outing.
It was a surprise and I like to think I enjoy surprises, but I really kind of don’t; being on the receiving end of the mischievous grin and the “I’m-feigning-ignorance” shrug of the shoulders is annoying and incredibly nerve-racking.
As the train pulled away from Amsterdam Central Station, I turned to my friends. “So, where are we going?” I asked, hoping that my tone didn’t sound too anxious.
“You’ll see,” E answered slyly, while S tried to divert the conversation back to something far less important, like who would win tonight’s X-factor.
About thirty or forty minutes in, we were passing through a heavily forested area and I tried again. “Is there a lot of walking involved? You guys know I’m not athletic and you wouldn’t torture me on my birthday, right? RIGHT?”
E grinned and S pulled her shoulders into the shrug. Relentless.
“Maybe it’s something fancy…” I wondered out loud and noticed they were both wearing dresses, and I was clad… Read more…
Telugu Film Industry pays tribute to lyricist Veturi
May 30, 2010 by Kiran Vaka
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Telugu film industry Sunday paid rich tributes to legendary lyricist Veturi Sundararama Murthy, who died following cardiac arrest.
He was 74 and is survived by his wife and three sons.
Veturi died Saturday night at a hospital, where he was admitted last week due to multiple problems.
Several prominent film personalities paid their last respects to the noted lyricist at his residence in Srinagar colony. The cremation will take place at Bansilalpet samshan later in the day.
Eminent film personalities, including director K. Viswanath, producer D. Ramanaidu, actors N. Balakrishna, Murali Mohan, Mohan Babu and Nagender Babu paid tributes to Veturi, who left an indelible impression on film industry.
Veturi, a poet who began his career as a journalist, went on to become one of the leading lyricist by penning memorable songs, ranging from classical to folk and the popular ones.
In his career spanning over three decades, he wrote hundreds of songs and also achieved the distinction of being a writer who can write a song within 15 minutes.
“I have lost my brother,” said Viswanath.
The lyricist began his career
… Read more…
KLM to Test New In-Flight Meal Service
May 30, 2010 by Amanda Meyer
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KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, is trying to be innovative with its in-flight meal service. According to this article, economy passengers will be able to choose between 4 meals on flights from Amsterdam to Bangkok, Taipei, Dubai, Cape Town, Singapore and Depensar (Bali). Meals cost 15 Euros (19 USD) and can be ordered during online check-in. The test runs from the end of May to August.
Airlines have been adding charges left and right, with Spirit recently announcing a $45 charge for storing luggage in overhead bins and Irish discount airline Ryan Air has been rumored to install pay-toilets on board.
It’s getting a little out of control, I think. On a long haul flight, food (at least a main course) should be included in the ticket price. However, if paying for your own meal gets you out of the chicken-or-fish question – because, let’s be honest: you never pick right - it might be worth it.
Thoughts?
