Olympic torch: Carrying a flame of peace is not that easy

by Jamie Rhein on

Conan O’Brien called the bus that was loaded up with the Olympic torch the burning bus. I think that’s what he said. Whatever it was, it got a chuckle from last night’s audience. He was referring to the news story that the Olympic torch was loaded onto a bus outside Paris because protesters kept trying to put it out all the way from London. The protesters are upset about China’s policies in Tibet and Sudan

I first heard about the torch woes yesterday afternoon from a radio news report. From what I heard, the torch was put out and relit a couple of times. It sure didn’t sound like a movie version of a grand athletic event to me. I’m thinking of the kind of event where the music from “Chariots of Fire” plays and everyone moves in slow motion. There’s hugging and cheering, maybe some tears–that kind of thing. Instead, I have images of pushing, shoving, yelling between those who want to put the torch out and those who don’t. The great commotion between onlookers, police officers and protesters, I imagine, might be giving the people who agreed to carry it pause–as in “What was I thinking?” Think a Shakespeare crowd scene. “Put the torch out!” yells some of the crowd. “Save the torch!” yells the bulk of the crowd. “If it’s put out, what will become of us?” The practical crowd members are the ones who saw the writing on the wall and put it on the bus.

Protesters have already scaled the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to put up Tibetan flags against the torch’s appearance in San Francisco tomorrow. Should be an exciting time to see just how this flame fares.

Considering the Olympic Torch Relay symbolizes world love or some such thing, it’s ironic that it’s the target. Actually, the flame means that people should put down their arms in a sacred truce. The arms means guns, but in this case, perhaps it should mean real arms, as in those things attached to people’s bodies. On the other hand, the protesters are making a point. It certainly makes for a twist on the tale of Olympic glory history.

The world’s craziest houses

by Jeremy Kressmann on

They say that “home is where the heart is,” but I have to wonder when I look at the at the “Gravity-Defying Homes” gallery over at design site PointClickHome. Perhaps the expression is better written as “home is where the crazy is?” Point Click Home’s gallery features a slideshow of some of the most surreal and interesting houses from around the world, including strange structures in Russia, The Netherlands, Indonesia, the U.S. and Canada, among others.

It’s hard to pick a favorite from this bunch. I think the Russian gangster house wins the award for the poorest planning – it’s probably because the owner was incarcerated before he was able to finish it (no joke). Meanwhile, the Dutch seem to be quite adept at building whimsical houses, offering an assortment of homes in the shape of cacti and cubes. And I have to hand it to the American houses – the “mushroom house” and “pod house” are certainly the most trippy.

While I can’t imagine these bizarre buildings are practical to live in, they certainly make for some great voyeurism. Check out the gallery below to see them all. And if you still haven’t gotten your fill, take a look at Justin’s post last year for some more examples.

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[via Josh Spear]

How fat is your state?

by Anna Brones on

When passengers are too large to fit into airplane seats, maybe it’s time we had a little chat about the size of the average American. Mexico may be catching up, but — rest assured — we Americans are only getting larger. According to Calorie Lab, Mississippi is the fattest state in the Union, with West Virginia coming in at a close second. What are the skinniest states? Colorado and Massachusetts, but even there almost 20% of the population is obese. Looks like we need to start asking ourselves if we should really order a large burger and fries. Or maybe read a book on how other cultures stay svelte and attractive.

What impact does this have on travel? Just ask the woman who was given half a seat on Delta when her neighboring passenger was too large to fit into one seat.

Now you know the fattest states … but do you know the world’s 10 dirtiest cities? Here they are:


Spring skiing un-Vailed

by Iva Skoch on

Before this weekend, all my best skiing experience had come from either the Alps or the Pacific Northwest (e.g., Whistler, Oregon). I had never skied in the Rockies before. How is skiing in Colorado different from skiing in the Alps? I had to find out.

I am happy to report I just got back from a 5-day “research trip” to Colorado. The highlight of the trip was, of course, skiing Vail. To really generalize, based on skiing only Vail, I would say that skiing the Alps is very comparable to skiing the Rockies in that both have great conditions, extensive slopes, sunny weather. There are, hoverer, some differences that could make or break the deal for some people.

Cost

A one-day Vail ski pass is $92. That is just ridiculously expensive. Not only that, the price is the same whether you start at 8 am or 11 am. All they do is half day, afternoon discounts. Contrast that with Verbier, a comparable mountain in the Swiss Alps. One day ski pass goes for $64 Swiss Francs ($63). Kaprun, a ski resort in Austria, sells their day passes for 35 Euro ($55) for adults and discounts for teenagers and kids. And that’s with the Euro being at its all time high.

I realize that skiing in the US is generally more expensive that skiing in Europe. Why? I am not sure. Less competition perhaps? All I am saying is that $92 for a day of skiing is excessive and makes skiing a type of elitist sport way beyond reach of an average American. A ski weekend for a family of four would be too expensive to even think about. That’s a shame, because–if you ask me–skiing rocks.

The good news is that there are people selling buddy passes and discounted tickets everywhere in Vail. I don’t know how legal it is, but it may, I hear, be possible to buy a day pass from a random person for about $40, which is much more reasonable than $92.

If you don’t own your own equipment, you have to add another $30-60 for a set of boots, poles and skis or snowboard. The Vail Sports center right by the ticket counter offers a special package for about $50, where you can try different kinds of equipment all day long, for only one run each if you want. This is a good way to test what skis you like before actually buying a pair. Equipment rentals are everywhere in the village and their prices are about the same. To get the best deal (but not the best equipment) the local Sports Authority rents packages from only $20/day.

Ski conditions

Like I said, skiing Vail is comparable to skiing in the Alps. Colorado is supposed to have 300 days of sun. I can’t confirm that because we only had one day of sun out of 5. I can’t really comment on the weather because I didn’t spend enough time in Vail.

This season was supposed to be one of the best seasons the locals can remember, with over 425 inches of snow. Usually, they get about 350. We did get about 10 inches of new snow just in the last few days, which made it amazing, especially if you consider it is April. In sunny weather, you almost need it to snow every night. The sun warms the snow and when it freezes, the slopes get icy immediately. If it doesn’t snow enough, sunny weather in the mountain is a bad thing. That is why spring skiing can be tricky.

The other problem with spring skiing in Vail is that they close the season so early. This year’s season will close this coming weekend although they have enough snow to last for a another month. Apparently, they must close it because the workers they hire have fixed-term contracts and don’t want to extend them at will (and don’t forget visa issues for the foreigners). The good news about skiing Vail this week is that they reduced the price of a day ski pass to $75.

Vail has some of the best bowls and moguls I have ever seen. I have to say the area that they groom in Vail is incredibly large. The lifts, on the other hand, could use an upgrade. There is only one gondola, from Lionshead Village. The rest are your typical quads, and not even the “bubbles,” where you get a clear plastic bubble over you to protect you from the wind and snow.

Ambiance

I never quite understand why so many Northern American ski resorts try to look like Alpine villages. It is kind of silly. Why not invent its own “mountain look”? I remember that I first learned the English word “contrived” when I was in Whistler village; it’s how Lonely Planet described the village.

“Contrived” is what best describes Vail, as well. Faux alpine-type buildings with pseudo-Bavarian window treatments. When I first walked into the square at Lionshead village, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was kind of like being in a Disneyworld version of Innsbruck. Everything is meant to look authentic, but it is a little too new to be authentic. (see photo)

That said, there are a few great little cafes and restaurants, both in Lionshead Village and in Vail Village (they are only about a mile apart). The French deli in the center of Lionshead square makes great coffee. People love the German place in Vail Village, Pepi’s, but I just couldn’t bring myself to actually eat German food (which is so similar to my native Czech cuisine) in Colorado.

Last, but certainly not least, the apres-ski possibilities are great. No need to say more.

Mountain photo: kw baker, Flickr

Now you can buy drugs at the airport

by Catherine Bodry on

We know that airports are attempting to become destinations in themselves, implementing museum and shopping attractions. Now we can add one more “service” to the list: walk-in clinics with pharmacies.

Although it’s common to have pharmacies and clinics in foreign airports, the idea is just taking off in the US. Entrepreneurs believe that airport employees and travelers on layovers provide a big enough market to support such an industry. Airport employees often work odd hours that aren’t conducive to going to primary care providers, and travelers either have a lot of downtime or are looking to fill a last-minute prescription.

The company that operates walk-in clinics in Wal-mart, Solantic, will open at Orlando International Airport this year, joining several other health care providers opening in airports throughout the US (AirportMD is one new chain). Solantic offers menu-based pricing, so patients can choose a basic exam and prescription ($59), all the way on up to stitches and x-rays ($189).

What do you think? Do you see yourself visiting an airport clinic or filling a prescription there?