Get out and go: Events around the world (November 25-30)

by Brenda Yun on

If you’re living in America, you know what’s happening this Thursday. For those of you who aren’t in New York to catch the Thanksgiving Day Parade, there are other awesome activities going on this weekend. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Charlotte – The Carolinas Thanksgiving Day Parade will be held this Thursday, November 26. This 62th annual parade is one of the largest get togethers of Carolinians that takes place during the year.
  • Brunei – Brunei’s annual Festival of Sacrifice will be held this Friday, November 27. This is also known as Hari Raya Korban or Hari Raya Aidiladha. Goats and cows are sacrificed to commemorate the actions of the Islamic Prophet Ibrahim. The meat is then distributed among relatives, friends and the less fortunate.
  • England – The Draught for Drought Winter Beer Festival will be held at the New Inn in Witney from November 26-29. The festival will have an extensive selection of ales, traditional cuisine, and live entertainment. The event is a benefit for the African Children’s Fund’s “Draught for Drought” program. The proceeds help East African communities to find sustainable ways of capturing and storing water.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an event that’s coming up, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.

Explore London with Sherlock Holmes

by Katie Hammel on

In anticipation of the Christmas Day release of the new Sherlock Holmes movie (starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law), Visit Britain has developed a microsite to help guide fans to the London locations used in the film. The site also offers possible itineraries for a Holmes-themed tour of London.

The list of London stops on the Holmes tour includes St. Paul’s Cathedral, Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, Freemason’s Hall, Brompton Cemetery, and the Sherlock Holmes Museum. The site also suggests a drink at the Sherlock Holmes Pub (decorated with Holmes memorabilia) or walking tour, “In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes”, offered by London Walks.

For those venturing out of London, there are additional filming locations in Manchester. Cheshire, Kent, Leeds and Suffolk in England, plus spots in Scotland and Wales.

Drunk pilot arrested in London

by Tom Johansmeyer on

After (another) pilot was found drunk in London this week, the issue of pilot inebriation has become a frequent discussion topic. Since 1997, 11 commercial pilots, on average, have tested positive for alcohol every year. According to FAA regulations, pilots can’t fly with a blood alcohol content of above 0.04 percent (it’s 0.02 percent in Great Britain). Last year, 13 pilots tested positive, making 2008 slightly above average.

The FAA conducts more than 10,000 random alcohol tests every year, says spokeswoman Laura Brown. This is approximately 10% of the total, as there are around 100,000 commercial pilots in the United States.

The latest culprit, Erwin Washington of United Airlines, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Monday, when he was suspected of being drunk in the cockpit — members of his crew reported him to the authorities. Washington could lose his license as a result. Two other U.S. pilots have been arrested in England on charges involving alcohol in a little more than a year.

Though an intoxicated pilot is obviously a danger to the passengers, the National Transportation Safety Board says that no airline in the United States has crashed because the pilot was drunk.

[has video]

Museum Junkie: Oxford’s Ashmolean reopens today

by Sean McLachlan on

The long wait is finally over for the grand reopening of Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology.

After being partially or completely closed for the past three years, the museum’s vast collection is finally open to the public again, with twice the exhibition space it once had.

The Ashmolean is the oldest public museum in the world, having opened in 1683, and while there have been a lot of changes over the years, none have been as big as this £61 million ($101 million) project. The expansion includes four temporary exhibition galleries so the Ashmolean can host blockbuster traveling shows, something it couldn’t do with its previous space.

The permanent collection has gone through some major changes too. More of it is on display now, of course, but also the style of the displays has been revamped with the new idea of Crossing Cultures Crossing Time, which allows visitors to see how civilizations developed as parts of an interrelated world culture. This is an an improvement over the old-style way of displaying civilizations as separate entities when in reality they influenced one another on many levels. It also echoes the global perspective that Oxford’s other world-class museum, the Pitt-Rivers, brings to its own collection.

The museum is best known for its collections of Anglo-Saxon, predynastic Egyptian, Asian, and Renaissance art and artifacts, but has a good sampling of treasures from just about every period and culture, everything from crocodile mummies to medieval beer mugs. Museum junkies will not want to miss the new Ashmolean.

If the pictures in the gallery below aren’t enough for you, check out this collection of photos by yours truly and Mrs. yours truly.

%Gallery-77635%

Museum Junkie: Manga and Moctezuma at the British Museum

by Sean McLachlan on

Trust the British Museum to have two completely different but totally cool special exhibitions at the same time.

There’s still time to catch Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler, a dazzling collection of art from one of Mesoamerica’s greatest civilizations. It focuses on the reign of Moctezuma II (1502-1520), who died at the hands of the Spanish conquistadores. He ruled over a large, complex civilization from his capital at Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City. While generally known for their bloodthirstiness, the Mexica, as they called themselves, were accomplished architects, administrators, and artists, creating vast cities and delicate carvings. This show closes January 24, and it’s advisable to book tickets well in advance.

Another interesting show is just starting. Manga: Professor Munakata’s Museum Adventure showcases a series of Japanese manga cartoons featuring leading manga artist Hoshino Yukinobu’s most popular character exploring the British Museum, along with other adventures by the professor. There will also be a special “manga coffee shop” area where visitors can sit and leaf through a selection of manga books. The show runs from November 5 to January 3.

So if you’re passing through London make some time for the British Museum. There’s plenty more than just mummies, although those are amazing too.

%Gallery-76950%