Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Floating House
"A spectacular" house finds new home up north!
Tuesday, it took little more than 20 minutes to roll the two-story, tudor-style house onto a barge and set sail for Vancouver Island. Crowds of people stood near the shores of Cozy Cove in Hunts Point on Tuesday to watch as a 3,360-square-foot house was rolled onto the barge that will carry it this week to Fanny Bay near Nanaimo, B.C., on Vancouver Island.
After weeks of preparation, it took little more than 20 minutes to roll the two-story, tudor-style house onto the barge. The former owners bought the entire property for $9.4 million according to the public fillings, but just wanted the 44,000-square-foot plot to build more developments.
The owners wanted to save the house from going to landfill, so they contacted the Nickel Brothers House Moving USA Inc. They put the house up for sale at $335,000, which included moving the entire thing. Ms. O’Farrell saw the ad and decided to take it, due to the house’s style and affordable price.
more...
11:00 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Canada, USA, Vancouver, British Columbia, news, world, Houses
Monday, May 26, 2008
American Airlines to start charging $15 for checked luggage
American Airlines said Wednesday it plans to charge passengers $15 for the first checked bag, cut domestic flights and eliminate possibly thousands of jobs, as it grapples with record-high fuel prices.
Chairman and Chief Executive Gerard J. Arpey didn't specify how many jobs would be cut, but when asked whether he expected the figure to be in the thousands he said yes. American, a unit of AMR Corp., employs about 95,000 workers.
American, the nation's largest carrier, said Wednesday the fee for the first checked bag starts June 15 and that it would raise other fees for services ranging from reservation help to oversized bags. The other fees will mostly range from $5 to $50 per service, the airline said. The changes were being made to adapt to "the current reality of slow economic growth and high oil prices," Arpey said. He said the fees are an effort to get customers to pay for services they want.
American said rising oil prices have increased its expected annual fuel costs by nearly $3 billion since the start of the year.
Last month American announced it would join other carriers in charging $25 for second bags checked for some passengers, but it wasn't immediately clear how Wednesday's announcement would affect that.
Its proposed fee for a first checked bag would exempt people who belong to elite levels of its frequent flyer programs, those who bought full-fare tickets and those traveling overseas.
Delta Air Lines Inc. spokeswoman Betsy Talton said the Atlanta-based airline is considering all of its options in light of $130-a-barrel oil, but has no plans "at this time" to match the $15 fee American announced.
21:57 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: USA, Oil, news, American Airlines, Travel, world, web
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Vertebrae Bathroom for the mile-high club enthusiasts
The Vertebrae vertical bathroom system created by a designer named Paul is the perfect multi-purpose bathroom unit for luxury apartments with a space shortage or airplanes. 
Using only 0.4 sq. mts. of floor space, the Vertebrae houses everything you can expect to find in a regular bathroom complete with showerheads, sink, cistern, loo and even a lot of storage units. The space saving bathroom system is made in spanking stainless steel to add class to your small and humble apartment.
Buy it here for just US$20,000.00...
11:25 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Mile-high club, UK, USA, furniture, airplanes, house design, web
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Zimbabwean with ‘plenty’ of cash
The picture shows a Zimbabwean carrying pile load of cash to buy something. Seems like a lot of money… but fact is the pile of cash is probably worth less than 100 US dollars. Zimbabwe is suffering from an inflation crisis. The annual inflation in the African country has rocketed past the 100,000% barrier in Feb 2008, by far the highest in the world.
Zimbabwe’s currency has tumbled to a record low of 25 million Zimbabwe dollars to one US dollar. 100 US dollars could exchange for nearly 20kg of local currency.
11:32 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Zimbabwe, money, inflation, news, blog, web, Africa
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
World's Most Romantic Restaurants
Contrary to what your eighth-grade girlfriend may have told you, romance isn't all about flowers and heart-shaped candies. But the word "romantic" has become so sappy and overmarketed that it's often tough to remember its actual meaning. And sadly, many so-called romantic restaurants rely on the same clichéd formulas whether you're in Mexico or Manhattan: bland decor, food-as-afterthought, stuffy waiters, and the inescapable strolling violinist/guitarist/accordionist. So this year, we'll help you reclaim romance, one mesmerizing meal at a time. Our 12 restaurant picks from around the world have all the right elements—a seductive view, an unhurried atmosphere, terrific food—but never veer into sentimentality. Because style mixed with subtlety is a more potent aphrodisiac than straight saccharine.
Le Tobsil, Marrakesh, Morocco. The restaurant only seats 50 people, and tables are arranged around an open-air courtyard and its upper perimeter. Table 9, under an archway on the balcony, has the best position over the overall scene; downstairs, the "table de la cheminée" is snuggled into a dark nook by a fireplace.
Click here to find more restaurants...
10:45 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Romance, love, St.Valentine's, web, blog, news, travel
Dubai to Build World's Largest Arch Bridge!
Dubai is set to spend $817-million on building the world's largest arch bride, at 617-feet tall and 1-mile in length. Expect it to be in service by 2012.
more pictures here...
10:31 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Dubai, Bridges, Architecture, news, blog, journal, web
Monday, February 04, 2008
Fly naked on nudist holiday flight
German nudists will be able to start their holidays early by stripping off on the plane if they take up a new offer from an eastern German travel firm.
Travel agency OssiUrlaub.de said it would start taking bookings from Friday for a trial nudist day trip from the eastern German town of Erfurt to the popular Baltic Sea resort of Usedom, planned for July 5 and costing 499 euros ($735).The 55 passengers will have to remain clothed until they board, and dress before disembarking, said Hess. The crew will remain clothed throughout the flight for safety reasons.Naturism, or "free body culture" (FKK) as it is known in Germany, was banned by the Nazis but blossomed again after the Second World War, particularly in eastern Germany.
"There are FKK hotels where you can go into the restaurants and shops naked, for example," Hess said. "For FKK fans -- not that I'm one of them -- it's nothing unusual."
"I don't want people to get the wrong idea. It's not that we're starting a swinger club in mid-air or something like that," he added. "We're a perfectly normal holiday company."
15:25 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Naked flight, news, Germany, blog, web, travel, vacation
Friday, January 25, 2008
“Women Only” Buses Now Running in Mexico City
A “women only” bus service is now in place in Mexico City to give women using the city’s transit system a break from abusive men. The special buses with large pink signs are operating on two lines and will expand to 15 more routes by April.
Groping and verbal harassment is an exasperating reality for women using public transportation in this sprawling capital, where 22 million passengers cram onto subways and buses each day.
more...
19:57 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (5) | Email this | Tags: Mexico, Mexico city, news, travel, blog, web, journal
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
world's largest swimming pool, it's 1,000 yards long
If you like doing laps in the swimming pool, you might want to stock up on the energy drinks before diving in to this one.
It is more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres, had a 115ft deep end and holds 66 million gallons of water.
Yesterday the Guinness Book of Records named the vast pool beside the sea in Chile as the biggest in the world.
he man-made saltwater lagoon has been attracting huge crowds to the San Alfonso del Mar resort at Algarrobo, on Chile's southern coast, since it opened last month.
Its turquoise waters are so crystal clear that you can see the bottom even in the deep end.
More pictures...
10:32 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Pool, Guiness records, news, travel, Chile, blog, web
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Airline 'fat tax' call
OBESE airline passengers should be forced to pay a "fat tax" to cover the cost of transporting their excess weight, according to a controversial proposal by health experts.
Calls for the tax - which would be determined per extra kilo, in the same way as excess baggage - come as obesity rates and fuel prices surge to new highs in Australia. 
But the radical proposal has also attracted a backlash from those who argue it discriminates against people with weight problems.
Passengers are routinely charged hundreds of dollars for excess baggage and sports equipment, but their own weight is not measured.
more...
22:32 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Airlines, Diet, fat, Australia, news, blog, journal
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
World's Tallest Ferris Wheel!
Construction begins on great wheel of China _ a Ferris wheel that will dwarf London Eye
BEIJING - Now being built: the Great Wheel of China.
Construction began Monday on what was expected to be the world's tallest Ferris wheel, which will soar 680 feet over the Chinese capital when it is complete, state media reported.
The $99 million Beijing Great Wheel was supposed to be open to tourists at next summer's Olympic Games, but the project had been delayed by a number of design changes.
It will have 48 air-conditioned compartments that can carry up to 1,920 passengers.
The structure was designed by the same Dutch company that worked on the 443-foot London Eye, which was the largest wheel in the world when it was built in 1999.
China already has a Ferris wheel taller than the London Eye. The 525-foot-tall Star of Nanchang opened in 2006 in southern Jiangxi province.
22:32 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: China, news, journal, blog, Wheel, journals, blogs
Sunday, October 28, 2007
“Pumpkin House” 3000 jack-o-lanterns
Pumpkins line the porch, cover the eaves and much of the roof, and extend precariously to the cornice and tower atop this 115-year-old Victorian structure. They also line the front sidewalk three high, fill a large pyramid display in the yard, and occupy scaffolding and wooden shelves along the perimeter of this property and along three sides of the house. Oh, yes. There’s also Noah’s Ark, filled with a menagerie carved into jack-o-lanterns. And each one is lit up, 24 hours a day.
KENOVA — Ric Griffith already has 2,400 pumpkins in his back yard and there are 600 more to be delivered.
He said his wife calls it an obsessive-compulsive disorder but those who visit the “Pumpkin House” on Halloween might call it an astonishing display.
Griffith has carved a total of 25,798 pumpkins since 1978. As the number of pumpkins he attempted to carve each year multiplied, more and more volunteers have been needed to help with the process.
The “Pumpkin House” features similar themes and displays each year, Griffith said, but no two pumpkins are alike.
This year the 57-year-old pharmacist plans to work a new, high-tech display which will be made up of a 16-by-16 wall of pumpkins playing the “1812 Overture.” It’ll be done using a computer program that will synchronize lights in the pumpkins with the music.
more...
22:20 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Punkins, blog, web.USA, Ohio, jack-o-laterns, helloween, news
Sunday, October 07, 2007
New currency for space travelers
Scientists have come up with a new currency designed to be used by inter-planetary travellers.
It is called the Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination, or Quid.
It is designed to withstand the stresses of space travel and has no sharp edges or chemicals that could hurt space tourists. 
"None of the existing payment systems we use on earth - like cash, credit or debit cards - could be used in space," said Professor George Fraser from the University of Leicester.
"Anything with sharp edges, like coins, would be a risk to astronauts while the chips and magnetic strips used in our cards on Earth would be damaged beyond repair by cosmic radiation," he added.
It is currently quoting the currency at £6.25 to the Quid.
more...
13:53 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: Money, news, web, blog, journals, space, science
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Monkeys don´t like cameras!
Monkeys mug tourist, take phone at zoo
A visitor to Fuzhou Zoo (China) had his phone stolen and his arm scratched after he took photos of a group of Assamese macaques, Zheng Dong was taking snaps of the monkeys when one of them suddenly snatched his phone and started chewing it.
Zheng climbed over the railings and tried to get his phone but three of the macaques flew into a rage and scratched his arm.
With the help of zookeepers Zheng got his phone back, but it was damaged beyond repair. He is now claiming compensation from the zoo.
20:55 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: China, news, journal, blog, monkeys, journals, blogs
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Space hotel sees 2012 opening
"Galactic Suite," the first hotel planned in space, expects to open for business in 2012 and would allow guests to travel around the world in 80 minutes.
Its Barcelona-based architects say the space hotel will be the most expensive in the galaxy, costing $4 million for a three-day stay.
During that time guests would see the sun rise 15 times a day and use Velcro suits to crawl around their pod rooms by sticking themselves to the walls like Spiderman.
Company director Xavier Claramunt says the three-bedroom boutique hotel's joined up pod structure, which makes it look like a model of molecules, was dictated by the fact that each pod room had to fit inside a rocket to be taken into space.
more...
23:25 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: Space hotel, hotels, news, science, spain, Barcelona, Travel
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
CHIHUAHUA
Originally this Blog was intended to be a mean of expression for the clients of my company here in Chihuahua city, but it has been seen by people all around the world and it is now an international site, so...
I want to be grateful and thank all the people that have visited it. Some of them are friends, new friends, customers and many more that I have not met.
I would like to show you a little bit more of my State and my hometown through some links within this post (in blue text).
This Easter is my blog's First Anniversary... with more than 5,000 visitors (-not too many in internet standarts though- estimated since the first post, I put the hit counter not too long ago).
I would like to thank all of you on behalf of my Company, my IT staff, and myself... Thank you!
And... if you come and visit us one day.. you will get in by our main entrance. Chihuahua's Door
11:45 Posted in Travel | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this | Tags: Chihuhua, mexico, Travel, Blog