A musuem you can’t refuse

by Brett Atkinson on

One of my favourite Scorcese movies is Casino.

(It’s not as good as Goodfellas, but hey, what is?)

So it’s cool to see a new museum being planned in Las Vegas dedicated to the role of the Mob in making Las Vegas what it is today.

I haven’t been to Vegas yet, but I wish I’d seen it in the glory days of the Rat Pack and the Tropicana. Once I do get there I might be disappointed with the contemporary lure of all-you-can-eat salad bars and Cirque de Soleil.

Of course, Casino was set a few years after the 1940s and 1950s period the musuem’s going to focus on – a time when a gangster nickname like Bugsy, Lefty and Sneezy was nothing to be sneezed at.

OK, I made that last one up.

The musuem is scheduled to open in 2010.

Don’t fuhgeddabout it, OK?

Thanks to Hometown Invasion Tour on Flickr for the pic of Bugsy Siegel’s Flamingo.

Man chugs a litre of vodka in airport line-up

by Martha Edwards on

You know those new regulations that prohibit you from taking liquids on a plane? They can be near fatal for a vodka lover, according to this story: Recently, a man at the Nuremberg Airport almost died from alcohol poisoning when he downed a litre of vodka because he was told he’d either have to get rid of it or pay a fee to have his bag checked as cargo. He chugged the potent liquid in a matter of minutes (the mere thought of this makes me gag) and almost instantly, he was unable to stand or even function, at which point police and medical officials were called.

Um, yeah, that’s one way of getting rid of the vodka, but you know, sometimes it’s best to just suck it up and pay the fee, you know? Darwin awards, anyone?

The man was coming home to Dresden from a holiday in Europe, and is expected to make a full recovery.

Spain’s government-run Women’s Institute calls Ryanair calendar sexist

by Justin Glow on

Remember the Ryanair calendar featuring female flight attendants dressed in bikinis while leaning against heavy machinery in provocative angles? Spain’s government-run Women’s Institute is calling the move sexist, saying, “[i]f there had been men in the calendar, I’m sure there would have been no controversy.”

Further, the organization claims the calendar “represent the stewardesses as sexual objects” and “reinforce discriminatory stereotypes.” Didn’t we stop calling them stewardesses in favor of the less-discriminatory term “flight attendants?”

It sounds to me that the Women’s Institution of Spain is fighting for the rights of male flight attendants, rather than protecting the dignity of the females. So what do you think, does the Women’s Institution have a leg to stand on?

Obligatory photos (click to enlarge):


You make the call!

Eat amongst dead bodies in India, it’s lucky

by Abha Malpani on

“New Lucky Restaurant” may seem like the most inappropriate name for an over 50-year old restaurant in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) that is built in a cemetery. In fact, it’s probably the most appropriate.

Built over a centuries-old Muslim graveyard, the locals who go there consider eating there lucky, and the manager believes that their business rocks thanks to the presence of the dead that has led the once mere tea-stall to expand into a full-fledged restaurant.

Although every religion in India takes care of dead bodies differently (Hindus cremate, Muslims/Christians bury, Zoroastrians leave the body to be eaten by vultures), the whole concept of death is different because of the general belief of being reborn — the ‘your soul never dies’ analogy.

The dead and the their souls that become spirits are given a lot of importance in the subcontinent. They are listened to and respected under the pretext of them being “holy”, so to speak.

Digressing from the restaurant a bit, but here are a few examples of how spirits are interacted with in India: there are groups of people who go to common suicide spots and perform rituals to give the spirits looming around there salvation; they believe that unsatisfied souls are what encourage suicides. Also, my grand-mum used to leave a bowl of milk outside every full-moon night because she believed that my late grand-dad would come for it. It was never there in the morning and you dare not tell her that maybe the neighbor’s cat sapped it all up.

So, with that insight into an Indian belief, you can see how having a romantic candle-lit dinner at New Lucky Restaurant is anything but spooky.

Northwest flight attendant fashion show, Wednesday at DTW

by Grant Martin on

If you happen to be passing through Detroit Metro Airport on Wednesday (DTW) just after lunch time, swing by the fountain in the center of Mcnamara Terminal. Northwest flight attendants, who have long been overdue for a uniform upgrade, will be showing off their new wares in a fashion show.

The event is scheduled to take place twice at 1 and 2 PM in front of the main fountain (pictured), right in the entrance way.

Speculation among those “in the know” suggests that the uniform upgrades won’t be anything as drastic as what the Ryanair flight attendants have been up to; apparently they’re designed by the Twin Hill group, a classically conservative corporate apparel company. But perhaps its a good way to keep the crew up to date with the modern fashion and accessories, as well as begin to reward a group of employees who have been sacrificing left and right for a company just out of bankruptcy. Personally, I’ve always liked the scarves that the flight attendants occasionally wear. Hopefully those won’t go away.
If any of you lucky Gadlingers are out there during the show, snap a picture for us and I’ll post them.

Thanks to ashweigert at Flickr for the photo.