Budget Carrier Rents PSPs to Passengers

by Josh Lew on

South Africa-based 1time Airlines is a low cost carrier. In order to keep their prices low, they decided against adding any built-in in-flight entertainment in their fleet. Not really a problem, because most of the flights are not lengthy. The bulk of their air time is between their hub in Johannesburg and other South African cities like Durban and Cape Town. 1time does have one longer route from Jo’burg to the Tanzanian city of Zanzibar (approximately 3.5 hours).

The airline has introduced a concept of offering portable entertainment on their planes for rent. On select flights, 1time will be offering PlayStation Portable devices for a nominal fee of 60 rand (about $4.80 US). The rental includes disposable earpieces and last for the duration of the flight. This isn’t the first gimmick for 1time. They also use their extra leg room and leather seats to differentiate themselves from the competition. A novel approach? Other carriers have offered video gaming devices in the past. But this time it is in lieu of in-flight entertainment, not in addition to it.

[Via Travelwires]

South Africa’s Robben Island overwhelmed by rabbits

by Aaron Hotfelder on

One of South Africa’s most famous tourist spots, Robben Island, will be closed for two weeks starting November 1 because the island has been taken over by, um, rabbits?

The island, known as the site of most of Nelson Mandela’s 27-year imprisonment and now a UN World Heritage site, has been infiltrated by thousands of rabbits who are reeking havoc on the vegetation, which threatens the livelihoods of many of the island’s other four-legged inhabitants.

To combat the problem, a group of veterinarians are planning a “humane culling” of the rabbits, which includes coaxing the majority of them into cages and then giving them lethal injections.

Will they at least be offered a last meal?

More here.

The top 5 murder capitals of the world

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Congratulations to the remaining residents of Caracas, Venezuela! Foreign Policy has just honored your fair city as the murder capital of the world, with around 130 murders per 100,000 people.

Not only that, the actual murder rate may be much higher, because the numbers “omit prison-related murders as well as deaths that the state never gets around to properly ‘categorizing.’ The numbers also don’t count those who died while ‘resisting arrest,’ suggesting that Caracas’s cops-already known for their brutality against student protesters-might be cooking the books.”

Also showing up on the list are Cape Town, New Orleans, Moscow, and, surprisingly, Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, which was recently named “Worst City” in an Economist Intelligence Unit survey.

Although Cape Town is rapidly emerging as one of Africa’s most appealing cities, the city’s homicide rate is still off the charts, at 62 per 100,000 people. But here’s something to comfort you before your next visit: “The city’s homicides usually take place in suburban townships rather than in the more upscale urban areas where tourists visit.”

The article adds: “According to the South African Police Service, most of the Cape Town area’s violent crimes happen between people who know one another, including a horrific case last year in which four males doused a female friend in gasoline and lit her on fire.”

Sweet dreams!

ALSO: What are the world’s dirtiest cities?

Canopy tour of Ysterhout Gorge

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s another version of canopy tours, much different than the ones in Hocking Hills, Ohio and near Kuala Lumpur. At the Ysterhout Gorge in Magaliesberg, South Africa, trees are sparse, but the gorge is mighty. This is a well-done edited version that shows each step of the experience. The scenery is gorgeous. The family in this video consists of a young girl as well. You really know how much you trust a tour guide when you send your child flying along a cable, feet dangling high above the rocky ground. There’s a point where my heart would jump. Part with fright, part with their excitment–and I’m the one who once took my 3 month-old on long boat rides in Thailand, passing him above the water while he was strapped in a car seat carrier. Here is a resource to find canopy tours in South Africa, plus a Gadling post from former blogger Erik Olsen that presents options in other places.

What do they call John Doe in Iceland?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

In the US legal system, parties who wish to remain anonymous or are otherwise unidentified are often given the names “John Doe” or “Jane Doe.” Other titles, like “Average Joe” or “Joe Sixpack” or “John Q. Public,” are used when referring to the typical American man, and some names, like “Bobby Teenager,” are used only in very specific circumstances. [A million bonus points if you know where that name’s from– no asking Google.]

But what do they call John Doe in Iceland? Or Bulgaria? South Africa?

As with everything in life, Wikipedia has the answer. Here are some placeholder names from around the world:

  • Australia – Fred Nerk, Joe Farnarkle, Simon McCool
  • Ireland – Seán and Síle Citizen, John Murphy, Joe Bloggs
  • Bulgaria – Ivan Ivanov, Person X
  • South Africa – Koos van der Merwe, Piet Pompies
  • Malta – Joe Borg
  • Iceland – Meðal-Jón, Meðal-Jóna, Jón Jónsson, Jóna Jónsdóttir

And if I learned nothing else from my Czech lessons while I lived in Prague, I know that they sometimes use the names Jan Novák and Jana Nováková as placeholders. In my Czech classes, old Mr. and Mrs. Novak were always planning to go to the movies, or setting a time to meet in Wenceslas Square, or introducing themselves to each other. I always found that odd– weren’t they married?

Check out many more names from around the world here.