Smoking bans in Naples get residents fired up

by Catherine Bodry on

New anti-smoking measures in Naples stipulate that no one can light up near a pregnant woman or in a park, as well as near children under 12 or in large crowds.

Will it fly? Naples councilor Gennaro Capodanno suggests that Neapolitans’ historically rebellious nature will render the ban ineffective. “However they try and enforce this, they will meet with laughter,” Capodanno says. He also points out that “close” isn’t defined: “How can they assess who’s smoking too close? Do you need to use a tape measure? And how do we know if a kid is more than 12? Does he have to carry documents on him?”

If Capodanno’s attitude is any indication of the rest of Naples’ feelings on the subject, you can expect to see cigarette smoke wafting about in the open air for the time being.

Dead body exhibition in Barcelona

by Abha Malpani on


An exhibition of dead bodies opened today in Barcelona, allowing visitors to see the complexity of the human anatomy like never before.

You can get a close look inside the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, respiratory and circulatory systems of your body. Many of the bodies are dissected in different ways so as to see what happens under our skin when performing daily activities.

The 17 corpses that display over 200 human organs are said to be of Chinese people, and have been donated for the exhibition by a medical school. The bodies have undergone a chemical treatment called ‘plastination’ that prevents them from decomposition and gives them a fibrous aseptic texture.

They even have displays comparing healthy and unhealthy bodies/organs; for e.g. you can see a real healthy lung, and a lung destroyed by smoking.

Not surprisingly, the exhibition has raised many eyebrows because it is not clear if the bodies were donated for a commercial exhibition like this, or if consent was given to do the same; rumors even say that they are bodies of executed Chinese prisoners. For these reasons, many have been calling it a shameless commercial display of death.

I personally think it’s great. Unless you are a doctor or say a homicide detective, there is no way you can see what’s really under your own skin, so I think it’s incredible that you can now go to an exhibition to have a glimpse at your own body structure (that is not artificial). There is no better way to educate yourself about your body; isn’t this how doctors study the human anatomy anyway?

The exhibition is being held at the Maritime Museum in Barcelona, and will run until January 13, 2008.

German food does go beyond schnitzel

by Abha Malpani on


Michelin Guides have been compiling lists and reviews of the best restaurants in the world for over a century.

In their latest series of European restaurant guides issued yesterday, restaurants in Germany beat ones in Italy. Yes, the schnitzel beat the lasagna as more German food places (9 in total) got the coveted 3-star Michelin rating than Italian ones (only 5). French food aced the ratings with 26 French places given the highly aspired for stars.

I know it’s possible that these 9 restaurants could be a mix of Chinese/Japanese/German/Indian restaurants in Germany, but since we are talking about Germany, I’m going to take this opportunity to talk about typical German food.

Never having been to Germany, as far as I’m concerned German food is beef, potatoes, sausages and schnitzel. So to see how these items could beat anything that comes out of an Italian kitchen, I thought I’d enlighten myself on the subject. This is some of the interesting information I found:

  • There are over 1500 types of German sausages, and the country boasts over 6000 types of bread!
  • Germans also eat vegetables! The main vegetables in their diet are carrots, turnips, spinach, peas, beans and cabbage.
  • Asparagus can be a made into a full meal.
  • Potatoes are not included as vegetables.
  • They do use herbs and spices: parsley, thyme, laurel, chives are common and the most popular spices are black pepper, juniper berries and caraway.

So the Michelin rating, and knowing that German food does go well beyond the schnitzel, it looks like Germany is strengthening its position as a European Gourmet nation.

[Via Sydney Morning Herald]

One for the Road: Frommer’s Barcelona Day by Day

by Kelly Amabile on

Catalan bread, paella and copious amounts of Spanish wine — food is what first comes to mind when I think of my past visits to Barcelona. (Tip: I had several scrumptious meals at vegetarian gem Venus.) Then there is the inviting Mediterranean breeze, the winding stone alleyways and the entertaining Las Ramblas street performers. And of course, best of all (in my opinion) there is the art! My very favorites are the Gothic architectural masterpiece, Santa Maria del Mar and Picasso’s stunning Las Meninas series. But I’ve hardly scratched the surface…

Barcelona offers up an endless array of activities, sights and culinary delights. Which is why a book like Frommer’s brand new Barcelona Day by Day can be a traveler’s best friend. This about-to-be-released pocket guide is structured around “19 smart ways to see the city”, which includes suggested neighborhood walks, special-interest themed tours, practical day-trip options and the best lodging, dining and shopping around. And it’s packaged quite efficiently in a compact glossy 180-pager. The book contains 39 easy-to-read maps and includes a larger regional Catalonia map tucked in a rear-cover plastic pocket.

Let this handy travel partner help plan your stay in Barcelona, whether it’s for 24-hours or a week — just be sure to get there, eventually, one of these days!

Airbus A340 crashes into wall during engine tests

by Grant Martin on

In another blow to the embattled EADS, an Airbus A340 slammed into a wall and injured 10 people during engine tests in Toulouse yesterday afternoon. AFP and the AP report that the Abu Dhabi-bound aircraft was in the final stages of testing before the accident occurred. According to an Airbus spokesman, “the aircraft began to roll and it climbed up the embankment in front of it” just before careening over and into the wall. Scary.

No word yet on what the cause of the accident was or the nature of the injuries, but the A340 is a proven, reliable aircraft that Airbus has been manufacturing for years.

Hopefully this doesn’t have any effect on sales or the performance of the struggling EADS. While Airbus isn’t my favorite airline manufacturer, it’s hard to see the company take the beating that its been getting recently.