A Ride Down Memory Lane
Written by Admin on January 4, 2009 – 2:11 am -Native New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple have been given the chance to ride a subway car dating from the 1930s. The refurbished R-1 was temporarily put back into action on Sundays in December as part of New York City Transit’s ‘Nostalgia Train’ holiday season promotion. The R-1, built from riveted steel by the American Car and Foundry factory in Berwick, Pennsylvania, was a workhorse of the transit system until it was withdrawn in the 1970s. It has some wicker seats, as well as dangling emergency brake cords, big exposed overhead fans and open windows. It was with the R-1 in mind that Billy Strayhorn composed his 1939 classic tune, Take the A Train. The ride is bumpier and noisier than New Yorkers are used to these days, but... more
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Cancellation, Aggravation, Compensation
Written by Admin on January 1, 2009 – 10:11 am -A judgement in the European Court of Justice has opened the way for airline passengers to receive compensation when a flight is cancelled because of a technical fault. The Court said airlines had to pay up unless the fault was due to exceptional circumstances such as terrorism, sabotage or a hidden manufacturing defect that suddenly came to light. Its ruling is binding on members of the European Union. The test case centred on an Austrian family whose Alitalia flight from Vienna to Brindisi via Rome was cancelled five minutes before it was scheduled to take off. The airline refused to pay 250 Euros (£235 / $350) in compensation or 10 Euros for a phone call, blaming the cancellation on ‘extraordinary circumstances.’ But the judges decided... more
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Farewell To A Wilde Haunt
Written by Admin on December 31, 2008 – 2:11 am -A famous old society venue in central London has closed and all its furniture, fittings and photographs are to be sold off at auction. The Café Royal, which has been in Regent Street since 1865, is making way for a five-star hotel. In its heyday, the Café Royal was the hub of glamour and scandal. It was frequented by writers, artists, politicians, royalty and celebrities, including Winston Churchill, Elizabeth Taylor and Noel Coward. Oscar Wilde was arguably its most famous customer; he was often the centre of attention in the Domino Room, being courted by fellow writers. It was also the venue for Wilde’s only friendly meeting with the Marquis of Queensberry, whose son, Lord Alfred Douglas, was his lover. Shortly afterwards Wilde... more
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Back In Business
Written by Admin on December 31, 2008 – 2:11 am -It was good to see the re-opening of some parts of the Taj Mahal Palace and Trident hotels in Mumbai after the death and destruction wreaked by terrorists on November 26. At the re-opening of the Taj Mahal, all the 592 staff of the hotel who were on duty on that fateful day received thunderous applause from the guests. “The Taj has been reopened, after a massive concerted effort, in dedication to all those who lost their lives in the attacks on Mumbai,” said Ratan Tata, chairman of the Taj Group of Hotels. A memorial called The Tree of Life was also unveiled, with the names of the 31 people who were killed at the hotel inscribed at its base. Security at all hotels in India has been tightened considerably and in the state of Goa, the authorities... more
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That’s Easy For You To Say
Written by Admin on December 27, 2008 – 2:11 am -When you go on your holidays, it’s nice to know what the weather’s going to be like. Do I need a raincoat/sunscreen/ski boots? Prior knowledge is even more essential here in the UK, where you could get all four seasons in one day. We rely on the Meteorological Office to give us a clear and unambiguous forecast of the day ahead. Occasionally they get it wrong. And the reason they occasionally get it wrong was explained on their website: Seasonal forecasts indicate how slowly-varying large-scale climate influences make particular seasonal conditions more likely than others. Random, unpredictable factors (’chaos’) also partly determine year-to-year variations, and these will sometimes override large-scale influences. Such uncertainty... more
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Italy On The Fast Track
Written by Admin on December 25, 2008 – 6:11 pm -Italy’s national railway, Trenitalia, is hoping to tempt people away from flying by the introduction of its high speed Milan to Rome service. The new Red Arrow or “Frecciarossa”, which can reach a speed of 186 mph, covers the 300 miles between Italy’s political and financial capitals in three-and-a-half hours, shaving an hour off the standard time. There are eighteen services a day. With the turmoil surrounding the state airline, Alitalia, the air service between Rome and Milan has been uncertain recently and Trenitalia has enjoyed the benefits. It’s now hoping to attract 60 per cent of the 3.7 million passengers who fly the route every year. However, analysts say it won’t really start taking a significant bite out of air travel... more
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Fashion House
Written by Admin on December 24, 2008 – 10:11 am -The magnificent mansion in Florida where Gianni Versace lived and died is opening its doors to the public. Casa Casuarina Casa Casuarina is a three-storey, Mediterranean-style home surrounded by a high wall on a fashionable stretch of Ocean Drive in South Beach and tours are now on offer for $65. Visitors get to see the exquisite central courtyard, dining room, lounges, pool and a marble toilet with a gold seat, said to be one of only three in the world. The upstairs bedrooms are off-limits on the tour, but those willing to part with substantial amounts of cash can stay in one of the villa’s ten suites or join its private club. Casa Casuarina Courtyard Casa Casuarina was built in 1930 by the Standard Oil heir, Alden Freeman. It later... more
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Cold Comfort
Written by Admin on December 23, 2008 – 2:11 am -There was a great picture in the papers a couple of weeks ago of a candelabra on a table made of ice. An Icey Welcome You might have thought it was the latest wacky entry for the Turner art prize, but it was, in fact, a shot of the restaurant at Snowvillage, Lapland’s largest ice hotel, which has recently opened its doors to guests. Up to 60 visitors a night sleep on beds made of ice, with no natural light and room temperatures that never reach more than zero degrees. The ‘igloo-dwellers’ are provided with sleeping bags, fleeces and instructions on how to survive. In the morning, hot berry juice helps to thaw out those who haven’t been driven to take refuge in one of the ‘warm’ rooms provided. All the suites are decorated with... more
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Rats! This Is No Fairy Tale
Written by Admin on December 20, 2008 – 10:11 am -The German town made famous in the fairy tale of the Pied Piper, who lured away a plague of rats, has a real-life modern problem with the rodents. Officials in the town of Hamelin in northern Germany have expressed alarm at a surge in the rat population much like the Great Plague in 1284 on which the tale is based. “Rats usually come in packs of 20 to 30 but these can expand up to 200 or 300 and that what’s happened in Hamelin,” said Rolf Schmidt, who works for a pest control service in the town north of Hanover. The town, which has 58,000 inhabitants, has added teams of rat-catchers to try to contain the new plague. In the tale made famous by the Brothers Grimm and Robert Browning, a man claims extraordinary rat-catching skills and... more
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A Sober Warning
Written by Admin on December 19, 2008 – 2:11 am -Wine producers in Burgundy say the current financial crisis has caused a slump in sales to its biggest importer – Britain. According to the Burgundy wine board, sales fell by 23 per cent in September. The board’s spokesman, Cecile Mathiaud, said: “For three years, the climate in Britain was euphoric. Banks, the business world and high-class restaurants took everything we had without looking at the costs.” “Now we get the feeling that a page has turned and the UK is no longer an Eldorado. The English are counting their pennies.” Burgundy relies heavily on its exports, with just over half of its wine shipped abroad. The US has also traditionally been a big customer. The region is relatively small, producing five times less wine... more
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