The Battle of Gettysburg: Save the electric map before it’s too late!

by Jeffrey White on

Add this one to the “Save the ____” list.

There’s a group out there that has created a Web site aimed at saving the 40-year-old electric battle map at Gettysburg National Military Park, which is scheduled to be dismantled and put into storage when the old museum there is demolished next year.

The map has been a perennial park favorite, lighting up to show visitors key troop movements at important junctures at the famous Civil War battle. Thousands of Civil War buffs have been able to better visualize Pickett’s Charge over the years because of it.

A new museum and visitor’s center opened at Gettysburg last month, complete with the latest technology that, park officials say, will bring the battle home to visitors like never before. But there’s a small army out there who says new technology be damned: the 30 x 30 electronic map (complete with more than 600 lights), invented by some guy in Connecticut, is one of a dying breed of old school Civil War displays, like the Cyclorama in Atlanta depicting Sherman’s men torching the city.

The Save the Electric Map homepage is aimed at those out there enraged that a crowd favorite has been taken out of commission at Gettsyburg (though park authorities are not ruling out bringing the map back in some capacity). There are phone numbers and ways to take action. And the guy on the homepage looks like Robert E. Lee. Kind of.

Free Tibet flag factory discovered — in China

by Grant Martin on

What happens when you mix a rapidly growing manufacturing economy, unbridled entrepreneurial enthusiasm and uneducated workers? Sweet mistakes like what happened this week in China.

Police in Guangdong, China just raided a factory that was apparently manufacturing “Free Tibet” flags, the same ones that protesters have been flying across the world, at Olympic events and in the face of frustrated Chinese bureaucrats.

Apparently the workers initially didn’t know what kind of flags they were making, they just thought that they were making colorful, fun flags for export. After finally getting suspicious, they found out what the Snow Lion flag meant and notified authorities.

Who has the gall to try to manufacture something like that in a communist country? The workers can plead ignorance all they want, but someone had to authorize the order.

Awwwwwkward.

Greek Island of Lesbos sues over term ‘Lesbian’

by Iva Skoch on

Is this a PR strategy to get more tourists to visit Lesbos Island or do they really care?

Three islanders from Lesbos – Greek island and home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women – have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name, Newsweek reports. One of the plaintiffs said that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, “insults the identity” of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

The three plaintiffs are seeking to have the group barred from using “lesbian” in its name.

Lesbos should just use the term lesbian to advertise the island: “Lesbos: where Lesbians love men.” Tell me that wouldn’t work.

Are pilots really cutting back on fuel? Is my airplane going to run out?

by Grant Martin on

No.

We wrote about a story originating at MSNBC earlier last week claiming that pilots were being forced to cut corners to conserve costs on fuel. More than a few people were obviously concerned — contributor Cheryl writes:

“That is a troublesome report at best and a very scary one at worst. What are the airlines waiting for a crash caused by not enough fuel on board when they are put in a holding pattern or can’t land either the airport they were planning to and can’t land at the nearest one either and then crashes. The FFA needs to get off it’s butt and make them do what is right for the public’s safetly. Human lives are priceless. All the more reason to drive if you have the time…and it is still cheaper than flying any more even at 4.00 a gallon.”

Since the article’s publication, however, several pilots have stepped in to comment. Our own Kent Wien, a pilot who writes our Cockpit Chronicles feature commented:

” It might vary somewhat from airline to airline, but I’ve never run into a situation where we weren’t allowed to put on extra fuel if we felt we needed it. I’ve had two flights divert for fuel in the past 15 years, but that was after holding for nearly an hour in one case. We always land with at least an hours worth of fuel on board on clear days and average two to three hours on days with adverse weather.“

Additionally, Patrick Smith over at his Ask the Pilot blog writes:

“The regulations get complicated, particularly on international routes, but a good place to start is with the U.S. domestic rule: You cannot take off without enough fuel to reach your intended destination, then proceed to the most distant of any required alternative airport (one or more might have to be designated, in accordance with forecast weather minimums), plus maintain a 45-minute cushion on top of that.

Fly to your destination; fly to your alternative; and fly for an additional 45 minutes. You cannot — cannot — depart with less. Trust me, no airline that wants to remain in business asks its crews to do so. And if it did, no captain who wants to keep his or her license would agree. Payload permitting, however, you are welcome to depart with more than is legally needed. A fatter margin gives you greater flexibility, or holding time, in the event of unexpected delays. It’s this above-and-beyond fuel that airlines are cutting back on, not regulatory fuel.”

So take a deep breath and relax. Depots like MSNBC are excellent at stirring up trouble, generating hits and causing a controversy — it’s what makes them money. In this case, however, there’s no real reason to get worked up.

Good Deed Travel: Building houses in Mexico. The why factor

by Jamie Rhein on

When I told some people I was heading to Mexico to build houses there was a mixed reaction.

  • Some people wanted to know how they could go along.
  • Some thought that this was the greatest idea since sliced bread.
  • Some gave money to help fund our endeavor
  • Some were wary of the value of a bunch of high schoolers and adults descending into Mexico across from Tijuana to build houses in order to make the world a better place.
  • Some thought it was a good idea that we build houses in Mexico to help keep Mexicans in Mexico.
  • One person thought it ironic that I was going to Mexico to build houses when there are so many Mexican immigrants building houses here.

Such are the types of comments people make to those who are embarking on do good travel. Even Rick Steves has something to say.

Rick Steves is wary of groups, such as churches, who go to Mexico to build houses. (See post) In a nutshell, if I’m interpreting him correctly, he thinks these trips are feel good experiences for the participants, but don’t do much to help the world. He likes do good travel, but he doesn’t think this type of trip is it.

“Oh, that’s just great,” I thought as I was watching the video of his philosophical musings. I had already plopped down my deposit money for such a venture.

What was my motivation? Am I just a do-gooder at heart? Or was there something else?

I like the idea of doing good. Sometimes, I do do good, I think. But, being the curious sort who looks at most of life as a grand sociological experiment, I wanted to see what such a trip would be like–and I thought it would be a way to spend some time with my 9th grade daughter. Most of our days are spent flying about our lives at such a speed that we rarely settle down to see what’s going on with either of us. Those of you who have 9th graders know that sometimes getting info from them about their inner workings is like getting gold from Ft. Knox.

I also thought this trip to Mexico would be good for her to learn more about herself and see part of the world she hasn’t been before. Plus, she could see the value of being a do good traveler. She’s a traveler, but doing good has not been part of the focus.

The other truth is, I really, really, really wanted a trip where I could see something new. Seeing something new is how I stay sane. If it meant I had to do something good, so be it.

In all seriousness, because I was in the Peace Corps, I’m careful when it comes to do-good travel. I want to make sure that the organization offering help is not disrupting life in the country where the “good” is to occur. As far as I can tell, Amor Ministries is doing good. It works within the local communities where the houses are built.

This is not meant to push Amor Ministries or a church sponsored trip. This is just what I did. It was an easy fit. Sometimes in life, one just needs an easy fit. No fuss, no muss. There are many sectarian organizations that also do good work.

Although Rick Steves is not too enamored with groups that trot across the Mexican border for a week, I have a different take. It’s been a month since I returened from my journey to Mexico, so I’ve had time to sift through my thoughts.

What I have come up with so far is that because of our trip to Mexico:

  • 12 families have a better house to live in than they did before
  • a number of Mexican kids and American adolescents have great memories of each other
  • several high schoolers from predominately well-off backgrounds had a week where they could just be themselves without cell phones, distractions or mirrors to look into and fret over their appearance
  • adults had a chance to talk to each other about themselves and their lives without interruptions
  • adolescents and adults had a chance to work side-by-side which gave numerous opportunities to just be with each other on equal footing
  • in a pinch, I can build a house that at least puts a roof over my head, a floor under my feet and walls that should withstand wind.
  • because our church has repeated this trip for years, several people have developed a relationship with this part of Mexico and this has had an impact on subsequent work. (More on this in another post.)
  • I’d rather be building a house on a Mexican hillside than sitting out on a beach somewhere, although that beach is tempting, so I’m not opposed to those trips either.
  • Do good travel can be hell on sneakers. (Notice the sole is almost gone.)

Stay tuned for more on this do good travel in Mexico experience. I’ll even share the steps on home buildling.