US Shark Attacks At 10-Year High In 2012

by Kraig Becker on

Researchers at the University of Florida report that 2012 was a banner year in terms of shark attacks in the U.S., just not in a good way. According to a new study released earlier this week, there were 53 reported attacks last year. That is a steep increase over 2011, when just 31 attacks were recorded.

Despite the fact that this is the highest total in more than a decade, scientists assure us that there is no indication that sharks are actually getting more aggressive. One of the researchers in charge of the report said that a more likely cause for the high numbers is simple economics. In recent years, the global recession has kept people from traveling as much as they have in the past, which includes going to the beach on their holiday. With fewer people at the beach, the sharks have fewer people to prey upon. But as the economy showed signs of life last year, more people went back into the water.

If you’re looking to reduce your chances of a painful – possibly deadly – shark encounter, you may want to avoid visiting Florida. According to the report, it was the state with the highest number of attacks in 2012 with 26 in total. Hawaii came in a distant second with 10. California had just 5 attacks, but one of those was fatal.

On an international level, Australia was second to the U.S. with a total of 14 attacks despite the fact that it has far more miles of coastline. The country also has almost 300 million fewer people than the States as well, which is a contributing factor as to why the numbers are significantly lower. South Africa was third with four total attack, although three of those were fatal.

[Photo Credit: Harryemi via WikiMedia]

The Kimchi-ite: Seoul Offers Rewards To Report Taxi Drivers Who Rip Off Tourists

by Jonathan Kramer on

Last week, the Seoul city government announced a plan to offer up to a 500,000-won (USD $456) reward for anyone who has information on taxi drivers that rip off foreign tourists.

While charging more than the standard metered fare is against South Korean law, sometimes taxis can forget this, in additional to other rules. Red lights get run, taxis find themselves going the wrong direction on the road to save time and meters are accidentally not turned on and the final prices are made up on the spot, slightly inflated.

It isn’t uncommon to find taxi drivers walking around tourist hot spots late at night, such as near Seoul Station or in the foreign district of Itaewon, hounding tourists and locals alike for their business. Many ask tourists where they want to go and offer a price upfront, off the meter. This upfront price is almost always more expensive than what the actual metered rate would have been. If you try to barter with them, or insist they just use the meter, they will often retort back that it is late and you are unlikely to find any other taxis (often said while they are standing directly in front of a dozen other taxis). They take advantage of the fact that many tourists don’t know average fare for their destination and are willing to accept whatever a cab driver tells them.There have been a number of times when I was coming home long after the subway stopped running and was confronted with these cabbie solicitors. The first time I encountered this situation, I naively took one up on his offer. After my next weekend adventure out on the town, I decided to flag down my own cab from that same spot. My metered fare ending up being less than half the price of that previous, un-metered trip. Ever since then, I mostly ignore the solicitors, sometimes asking them for a cheaper fare than the average, but they always turn me down.

It’s good to hear that the city is trying to curb this lax attitude towards the law. It’s a little concerning that this reward system may only apply to foreign tourists that are ripped off, but hopefully it will benefit tourists and locals alike in the future. It will without a doubt give me one less headache on my journey home from a late night out. Hopefully this new measure is enforced and the hotline to report overcharging is published in every Seoul guidebook.

You can report these fraudulent taxi drivers by calling Seoul Information’s “Dasan 120” hotline. Just dial 120 from any phone in Seoul and report it to the multi-lingual staff.

Be sure to check out more Korean bits on Korean culture from “The Kimchi-ite” here.

[Photo Credit: Jonathan Kramer]

US Airways And American Airlines To Officially Announce Merger

by Grant Martin on

American Airlines and US Airways are set to officially announce their merger plans today, after months of speculation and planning. The joint operation between American, the currently bankrupt carrier based out of Dallas, Texas, and US Airways, the twice-bankrupt carrier based out of Tempe, Arizona, would form the largest airline in the world.

According to multiple sources, the airline would keep the American Airlines name while Doug Parker, the current CEO of US Airways would take the top management seat.

Full intentions of the merger are scheduled to be announced today in a 10 a.m. CST conference call in Dallas. Once the formal announcement has been made there are dozens of extra regulatory steps to be made prior to an official merger, including approval from the Federal Trade Commission, but most believe that the process will encounter little resistance. Complete joint operation is expected later this year or early next year.

As to how this will affect consumers, there is plenty of analysis in the airline community to read before going to bed, but the basics are pretty straightforward. With slightly less competition between carriers, consumers may expect to pay more out of pocket moving forward, but can expect a stronger airline better capable of handling economic downturns and volatile oil prices.

Based on previous mergers (among them, Delta and Northwest to form the then-largest airline) neither frequent flier program nor the miles therein will be gutted, but consumers can expect either AAdvantage or Dividend Miles to adopt the most cost-effective facets of the other program.
Until the airlines agree on all of the details further down the road, however, the community is only left to speculate on the full effects of the merger. Expect numerous updates as the year goes on.

[Flickr image via Fly For Fun]

Get An Education In iPhone Photography

by Elizabeth Seward on

Although iPhone photography may still seem amateur to the professionals, let’s face it: more and more of us are documenting the visuals of our lives with our phones. And even while we’re traveling and relishing in picture-perfect scenery, many of us are capturing and sharing those moments. I include myself in this generalization – it requires quite a bit more forethought for me to take photographs with an SLR than with my phone. The fact that my phone is what’s in my pocket when I happen to see the sunlight hitting a tree perfectly while out doing errands is what yields those photos, the ones I wouldn’t have taken at all had I not had my phone with me. Enter Higher iPhone Education. Thanks to Laughing Squid, I now know about Photojojo University, which is now offering a four-week course in iPhone photography. The website is currently advertising an introductory special rate of just $5. So challenge the inner iPhone photographer within you and become well versed in the fundamentals before voyaging out for your next memorable adventure.

[Photo Credit: Photojojo]

Yosemite’s Largest Glacier Has Stopped Advancing

by Kraig Becker on

For years we’ve heard environmental scientists and researchers tell us how climate change is having a profound effect on glaciers across the globe. In many parts of the planet, increased temperatures have caused the giant sheets of ice to dramatically recede or disappear altogether. That process has now begun to take place in one of America’s most iconic landscapes – Yosemite National Park.

Last week, the National Park Service announced that Lyell Glacier, the largest inside the park, has stopped advancing and is losing substantial mass. The NPS, working in conjunction with the University of Colorado, conducted a four-year study of the glacier, measuring its movement by placing stakes along the ice and recording their positions. Over that four-year period, those stakes didn’t move at all. The study also conducted research on the nearby Maclure Glacier, which runs adjacent to Lyell. The findings indicate that it is still advancing at a rate of about one inch per day, despite the fact that it has lost nearly 60% of its mass as well.

Glaciers build up over thousands of years due to the accumulation of ice and snow in mountainous areas. When they grow large enough their mass, combined with melt water, causes them to slide down hill at a generally very slow, but powerful, pace. When they stop moving altogether or start to retreat, it is because they no longer have the mass or moisture to push them downhill. This has increasingly been the case with some of the largest glaciers across the planet.

Research will continue over the next few years as scientists will record a host of climate data in and around both the Lyell and Maclure Glaciers. They’ll monitor the thickness of the snowpack, range in temperatures and rate of ice melt in an effort to further understand the effects of climate change on the two bodies of ice. It seems clear, however, that warming temperatures have already begun to have an effect.

[Photo Credit: Greg Stock]