The Abercrombie & Kent online sale starts now!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

You looking to go to Botswana next year? Or, maybe Chile? Now’s the time to book your trip. Abercrombie & Kent, which sends its guests on the road in style, is starting its rare online-only sale now. The discounts start at 5 percent off the itineraries’ usual prices. Every half hour, another 5 percent is chopped off. Six hours from now, any trips that are left will be discounted 60 percent. Patience can be rewarded, but greed can leave you stuck at home.

So, if you’re looking for the chance to travel well beyond your means, this is it. This is only the third online deal A&K has offered this year … which is the first year it’s done it at all. So, click with caution, but don’t sit too long.

A&K’s deals are on trips to Eastern Europe, East Africa, Chile, Galapagos, Egypt, Peru, Botswana/Zambia, Jordan and Turkey.

Photo of the Day (12-9-09)

by Jamie Rhein on
This photo titled “Peace” by jrodmanjr, the fellow who took it, is a lovely depiction of an alley away from the hubbub of a city. As he noted, time away from the souks in Dubai, the city with the tallest building in the world, was well needed.

In the comment section, he also gives details about why he framed the shot the way that he did. If he had moved the camera to the right, “the bright clutter, crates, and trinkets ended up to be too much of a distraction. “

As it is, we become the witness to the life of a man who reads in quiet repose.

If you have captured a quiet moment of repose, or any other sort of moment, send it our way at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool, It might be chosen as a Photo of the Day

Chess around the globe

by Kraig Becker on

Wend Magazine, an outdoor adventure/travel mag with an eco-sensitive slant, has a great photo gallery on their Wend Blog today that celebrates the game of Chess and its universal appeal around the globe. In fact, the blog post compares it to soccer when it comes to international popularity, with chess boards bridging cultural and language barriers across the planet.

The classic game traces its origins back to 6th century India, and over the centuries it has evolved into an art form. Learning the moves of the various pieces is a simple affair, and yet it opens the door for complex strategies and intense battles, played out on a black and white checker-board.

Wend warns that when you play a game abroad, you not only play for yourself, but your entire country, and offers up a few things to consider before sitting down at the chess table. That advice includes such things as don’t play anyone over 60, as they are probably better than you and it’s a no win situation no matter the results, and get familiar with local rules before you play, or you may find yourself schooled by some obscure tactic.

Of course, the real highlight of this post is the photographs, and they are fascinating. There are shots from all over the planet ranging from Argentina to Uzbekistan, and plenty of places in between. The photos capture players of all ages in all kinds of settings, and really do show just what an international game chess has become. Checkmate!

Anthropologists told to get out of the wars

by Tom Johansmeyer on

When anthropologists travel to foreign lands, it’s generally for an academic endeavor, intended to enrich the world as a whole. There’s a group in this community, however, with a much different mission … and they’re about to be out of work. Army anthropologists tasked to gather intelligence on the counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and Iraq have been told to call it quits.

A new report by the American Anthropological Association’s ethics commission, entitled “Final Report on the Army‘s Human Terrain System Proof of Concept Program,” says that anthropologists can’t participate in this project any longer. It has involved embedding five-person social scientist teams with soldiers and has been going on since 2005. Three Human Terrain System research team members have been killed during this period.

The deaths, though, aren’t the reason why the association is calling for an end to the program. Rather, it believes that the research violates the “do no harm” ethics of the anthropology field, because there is a “significant likelihood that HTS data will in some way be used as part of military intelligence.”

The House Armed Services Committee is planning to hold hearings on the HTS program next year, in order to see how effective it’s been. Only six of the 49 social scientists involved in the program are anthropologists.

Photo of the Day (12.4.2009)

by Aaron Hotfelder on


This shot from Gadling favorite Nestor Lara-Baeza was taken in the super-buoyant Dead Sea, located between Jordan (in the distance) and Israel. With its incredibly high salt content, the Dead Sea allows swimmers to float effortlessly– and even kick back with the latest edition of OK! Magazine to get the latest on Rihanna and Chris Brown.

Want your photo considered for Gadling’s Photo of the Day? Submit your best shots to Gadling’s Flickr group.