Plan for sin, seven ideas

by Tom Johansmeyer on

You may not remember the “seven deadly sins,” but you’ve probably lived a healthy portion of them. Well, I have, and I’m sure I’m not alone. Jean Tang over at CNN.com has come up with a few ideas to help you live your forbidden fantasy. So, if you’re into envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth or wrath, there’s a destination that will cater to your basest of desires.

Crave a step up in society (envy) as a helicopter shepherds you above the opulent homes of the wealthy Los Angeles ‘burbs, and gaze upon the celeb digs that you’ll never call home. Or, fill your stomach to the point of bursting (gluttony) on an 18 lb. hamburger at Bubi’s in Windsor, Ontario.

A few others:

  • Greed: ogle some of the largest private collections of Renoir, Matisse and Cezanne in the world at the Barnes Foundation in Merion, PA (near Philly)
  • Pride: recreate your body at the affordable Heartland Spa in Gilman, IL; two nights for two peopl start below $800
  • Sloth: Define your own movie marathon at The Roxbury in the Catskills from a 400-disk collection, and then do nothing but watch
  • Wrath: Kick ass and take names on the mean San Francisco streats with a bout of Muay Thai (Thai boxing) at Fairtex Muay Thai Fitness
  • Lust: CNN sends you to the obvious: Hedonism; I won’t bore you with the details

[Thanks, CNN, for helping us all indulge]

Laurentian resorts try to stay under the radar

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Quebec‘s Laurentian ski resorts, north of Montreal, are trying to stay low-key. The 14 ski areas dotted along Highway 15 tend to be family owned and operated – translation: reasonably priced.

Mont Saint-Saveur is part of this region’s offering, taking skiers and snowboarders to 38 runs via eight lifts. Ample lighting makes night skiing much easier (Saveur has the most night runs among the Laurentians). A heated floor on the outdoor terrace, and a giant fireplace to go with it, make Saveur a great après-ski spot, as well.

Mont Avila is reputed to have the best terrain park in the region, which includes an Olympic-sized halfpipe. “Snoprk” reflects the handiwork of park designer Patrick Bernier, which I’m sure matters to somebody. If you really prefer to ski alone, consider Le Mont Gabriel (popular with ski racers), Mont Olympia or Belle Neige. Ski Morin Heights is family-oriented with one run cut specifically for kids.

You need choices? Well, now you got ’em. Montreal is 45 minutes from New York by plain, Quebec is about an hour – a little more from Washington, D.C., a little less from Boston. Grab your skis, and trek up to the Laurentians. Put the commercial stuff behind you.

[Via Toronto Sun]

What is cooler than riding the worlds longest unsupported ropeway span?

by Scott Carmichael on

Well, jumping off it of course! That is exactly what 2 base jumpers did a few days ago at the new Peak2Peak ropeway in Whistler. Peak2Peak connects the slopes at Whistler mountain with those at Blackcomb mountain allowing skiers to pick the slope with the best powder.

The ropeway itself is an amazing piece of engineering, designed and built by Austrian firm Doppelmayr. The project features an astounding 1.88 miles of cable between just 2 of the towers, making it the longest unsupported span of any ropeway in the world.

The ride alone was clearly not enough to celebrate the opening, so Red Bull (of the “gives you wings” soda) paid 2 base jumpers to climb on top of a gondola, and make the jump to the ground, almost 1400 feet below.

At about 1:05 into the clip, you get a view from the ground, looking up at the gondola, giving you an idea just how insanely high this thing is.

(Via: Gizmodo)

Update: new Canadian weighs 6 lbs and is Ugandan and (maybe) American

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The Canadian born on Northwest Airlines Flight 59 yesterday is the daughter of a Ugandan … who is also a permanent resident of the United States. So, at least we know that the newly-minted citizen of our northern neighbor is not Dutch. Sasha, the newest NWA passenger, was delivered mid-flight by Dr. Natarajan Raman and Dr. Paresh Thakker. Raman is a radiation oncologist who hadn’t delivered a kid in 20 years (but remembered the steps. Thakker is a general practitioner.

Of course, there’s no such thing as unbiased news, right? The only way to get to the truth is to see what everyone is saying. There were two doctors involved in this effort: Raman and Thakker. But, there can only be one ego in charge. It can make parceling out props a nightmare, but sometimes a bit of investigation is necessary. After all, credit must be given where it is due. After the jump, see how the two hopeful heroes stack up against each other.

  • Star Tribune: Raman delivered; Thakker helped
  • Telegraph: Thakker delivered; Raman helped
  • KARE (Minnesota): Raman “assisted” … but is somehow called “heroic”
  • New England Cable News: both doctors “helped with the delivery”
  • BBC: both doctors chipped in, but Raman gets the quotes

Based on my math, and I do have the numeracy of a journalist, it’s close. The Star Tribune gives the nod to local boy Raman, while the Telegraph throws its vote to Thakker. NECN plays it down the middle, not giving either doc the lead role.

So far, it’s 1.5 to 1.5.

KARE and BBC are a bit tougher. The former says that Raman “assisted” but didn’t describe Thakker’s role. Also, Raman does get the moniker “heroic” and some loving quotes from colleagues. Thakker gets squat. So, we’ll toss Raman a half point for this one.

Raman 2, Thakker 1.5.

The BBC is a bit more even than KARE (which is another Minnesota news outlet). It doesn’t give either doctor the prominent role, but Raman gets all the quotes. That’s worth a quarter point.

And, we have a winner: Raman 2.25, Thakker 1.5. That being said, in whatever capacity each served, they did bring a new life into this world under circumstances that are far from idea.

Here, enjoy 25 seconds of coverage from NECN:

10 snowmen from around the world

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s a bit of winter fun you can do wherever there’s enough snow to make a go of it. Build a snowman. Even if you only have enough snow for a small snowman, go for it. One group of guys advocates building the biggest snowman you can make in a friend’s yard in the middle of the night. Your creation will be a big surprise in the morning. (Click here for picture.)

One of my favorite memories is going to the Great Wall in China right after it had snowed. There was a whimsical snowman greeting people at the top of one of the sets of stairs.

Here are some snowmaking tips. The one I thought was a great idea was to use three different size buckets as molds for the body. You add snow to the bucket shape to create the roundness. For snowman inspiration, here’s a sampling of snowmen from around the world.

MGShelton, who took this picture, said this fella was in her neighbor’s backyard in Birrmingam, Alabama.

This snowmen crowd was shot by showbizsuperstar in Japan at the Sapporo Snow and Ice Festival.

Last January, NINJ4 and a friend built this snowman on the lawn of Andersen Hall at Kansas State University. It looks like this one is hanging in as the snow is melting.

This snowman in Glascow, Scotland looks like a character in a children’s book or something. I think it’s the hat and scarf combo. Hodgers took this picture in his front garden.

According to thisisbossi who took this picture in Altoona, Pennsylvania, his aunt’s snowman frightened the cat. I think it’s sweet.

This leaning guy was at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. before the snow melted. I’m impressed by the jaunty hat and smile. Joe in D.C. took this picture.

Although this snowman probably saw better days, it’s background is truly international. ericaflynn, who took this picture in China, said that it was made by two Scandivanvian children.

This snowman in Tokyo, Japan should win the darling prize if there was such a thing. I love the expression that OiMax captured with just the right angle.

This snowman overlooking his kingdom in Denmark was made to sit in a flower box on metal-dog’s balcony.

If you have more time on your hands build a snowman grouping like bgilliard did in Ontario, Canada. He titles this David’s and Goliath. One commenter noted that Goliath looks like a penguin.

If you build a snowman, take a picture of it, post it on Gadling’s Flicker photo pool, and tell me where it was taken in the comment section of this post, I’ll create a Gadling reader’s snowman post where you can share your handy work.