Saturday, March 31, 2012
The mystery of the Explorer's Club
Robin Esrock delves into the shady underworld of travel's most secret society.
Virgin Atlantic Brings Tea Time To 35,000 Feet
Filed under: Food and Drink, Airlines, Luxury TravelAfternoon tea is making a come back - at 35,000 feet. Virgin Atlantic says that overseas visitors influenced by TV period dramas such as "Downton Abbey" asked ... and so they will deliver.
Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class passengers can now choose between a full tea service featuring 'English' Breakfast or Earl Grey tea plus finger sandwiches, scones and cakes served in their own purpose-made dainty cake stand.
"Introducing Afternoon Tea onboard our aircraft is also part of our drive to put style back into flying," said Simon Bradley, Vice President of Marketing, North America, Virgin Atlantic Airways. "We want our Upper Class passengers to be able to have the same civilized experience as the Queen or indeed to be able to imagine that they are a character in 'Downton Abbey.'"
The re-emergence of Afternoon Tea was confirmed earlier this month when The Queen, The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duchess of Cambridge all went to afternoon tea at Fortnum and Masons. And so popular is the trend with smart London hotels that The Ritz and The Savoy now regularly have queues to attend their traditional afternoon teas.
Sadly, this service isn't available in economy. We guess some 'class' divides still stand.Virgin Atlantic Brings Tea Time To 35,000 Feet originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class passengers can now choose between a full tea service featuring 'English' Breakfast or Earl Grey tea plus finger sandwiches, scones and cakes served in their own purpose-made dainty cake stand.
"Introducing Afternoon Tea onboard our aircraft is also part of our drive to put style back into flying," said Simon Bradley, Vice President of Marketing, North America, Virgin Atlantic Airways. "We want our Upper Class passengers to be able to have the same civilized experience as the Queen or indeed to be able to imagine that they are a character in 'Downton Abbey.'"
The re-emergence of Afternoon Tea was confirmed earlier this month when The Queen, The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duchess of Cambridge all went to afternoon tea at Fortnum and Masons. And so popular is the trend with smart London hotels that The Ritz and The Savoy now regularly have queues to attend their traditional afternoon teas.
Sadly, this service isn't available in economy. We guess some 'class' divides still stand.Virgin Atlantic Brings Tea Time To 35,000 Feet originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Business travellers want to be protected against airline insolvency
Repatriation and reimbursement in case of airline insolvency is important for 86% of business travellers, according to a survey carried out by GEBTA.�
When an airline ceases operating, passengers with standalone tickets have no recourse against the airline to recover the money of their unused ticket or to obtain repatriation if they are stranded abroad, be they business or leisure travellers. The recent failures of the airlines Spanair and Malev were a painful reminder that all passengers are badly hit in case an airline becomes insolvent.
This is an issue of concern for business travellers. According to a survey carried out by GEBTA, the benefit of reimbursement and repatriation would be very important for 67% of business travellers and rather important for 19%, amounting to 86% of business travellers considering it important.
The concerns of business travellers go to the extent that 62% of the respondents would find worth paying 1 euros per air ticket to ensure repatriation or reimbursement in case an airline becomes bankrupt.
These findings are significant at a time when the European Commission is studying policy options to address passenger protection in case of airline failure. It commissioned a study in 2011 which has determined that a compulsory protection system would be feasible and the most effective option to protect passengers. But the European Commission is not excluding a voluntary scheme instead.
Said the Secretary General of GEBTA, Mr. Michel de Blust: "The lack of passenger protection in case of airline failure must not be underestimated by European Institutions. It is urgent that the European Commission initiates a compulsory system obliging airlines to protect all passengers in case an airline ceases operating."
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Hey There, Stankfoot.
Actually, let me clarify. Stanky-ass feet are not confined to a particular season for me. I've been known to chase off friends and loved ones during all months of the year with my foot odor. But with temps rising around ski country and spring-touring season approaching, we're entering a particularly fetid time of year. My boot liners are usually soaked within the first few runs, or the first 20 feet of a climb. I've tried all manner of boot-drying techniques and I've lost a lot of dryer kits in my day. But I've just come across what I think is the most compact and effective system yet. It's called the Sidas Hotdryer [$56; conform-able.com]. The numbers below correspond to the numbers on the image. And no cracks about my photoshop skillz, please.1. These are the dryer units. They're tiny little jobs that you can easily drop into boots or gloves.2. This is the powercord with adapters for any country in which you happen to be schralping.3. The cigarette-lighter adapter. Now this might be my favorite part. I've been coaching little racers at Eldora, Colorado, this winter, where it can be brutally cold?East Coast style. My feet are already predisposed to cold because of a few too many frostbite sessions as a kid skiing in Maine. Because these dryers use heat, not just fanned air, I can plug my boots in during the drive up the Canyon from Boulder and have toasty boots by the time I boot up in the parking lot.4. Ain't this a nice little baggie to keep it all in?5. 4:00 PM lubrication. Essential.6. This sticker doesn't come with the kit, but it advertises one of the several bands my coworker Josh plays bass in, and it happened to be on my desk when I took this shot.Check out the Hotdryer here.
Laura Ashley to open 'brand showcase' hotel
Fashion firm hopes its products and interior design will make �5.8m Hertfordshire hotel 'something special'Boutique hotels are usually the preserve of luxury designer labels, such as Armani and Bulgari, where their monied clientele can eat, sleep and shop the brand. That is about to change as Laura Ashley, the company famous for its floral prints, prepares to enter the fray.The firm has bought a hotel in Hertfordshire for �5.8m which it hopes will become an attraction for Laura Ashley fans, with all 49 rooms boasting beds, sofa, wallpaper and curtains in matching fabrics. Its chief operating officer, Se�n Anglim, said the hotel would become a "brand showcase" for its products and interior design service when it opens later this year.The hotel is currently trading under another, undisclosed, name. "We are not disclosing how much we will spend on the refurbishment but we are going to turn it into something special," said Anglim, who added that over the years the 60-year-old company had been approached by hoteliers who wanted to license the brand. "The concept of a Laura Ashley hotel has not come out of the blue."The hotel plans were revealed as the retailer reported profits of �18.8m on sales of �285.9m in the year to 28 January. The brand's popularity has waxed and waned over the decades but is back in vogue again, with like-for-like sales up nearly 11% in the last eight weeks, defying the tough high-street conditions faced by retailers selling big ticket products like furniture. Laura Ashley shares were up 5.1% at 22.9p in London by lunchtime.The brand's roots date back to 1953 when Laura and Bernard Ashley started printing fabric on their kitchen table in London. The designer had been inspired by a Women's Institute exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum on traditional handicrafts and wanted to make her own patchwork quilts but couldn't find fabrics she liked. After swotting up on fabric printing in libraries the couple invested �10 in wood for a screen, dyes and some linen, and printed their own.They owe their big break to Audrey Hepburn, who started a trend for wearing headscarves in the film Roman Holiday. The Ashleys realised they could produce the scarves themselves, and within a short space of time, were receiving large orders from shops including John Lewis and Heal's.Laura AshleyRetail industryHotelsZoe Woodguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Hey There, Stankfoot.
Actually, let me clarify. Stanky-ass feet are not confined to a particular season for me. I've been known to chase off friends and loved ones during all months of the year with my foot odor. But with temps rising around ski country and spring-touring season approaching, we're entering a particularly fetid time of year. My boot liners are usually soaked within the first few runs, or the first 20 feet of a climb. I've tried all manner of boot-drying techniques and I've lost a lot of dryer kits in my day. But I've just come across what I think is the most compact and effective system yet. It's called the Sidas Hotdryer [$56; conform-able.com]. The numbers below correspond to the numbers on the image. And no cracks about my photoshop skillz, please.1. These are the dryer units. They're tiny little jobs that you can easily drop into boots or gloves.2. This is the powercord with adapters for any country in which you happen to be schralping.3. The cigarette-lighter adapter. Now this might be my favorite part. I've been coaching little racers at Eldora, Colorado, this winter, where it can be brutally cold?East Coast style. My feet are already predisposed to cold because of a few too many frostbite sessions as a kid skiing in Maine. Because these dryers use heat, not just fanned air, I can plug my boots in during the drive up the Canyon from Boulder and have toasty boots by the time I boot up in the parking lot.4. Ain't this a nice little baggie to keep it all in?5. 4:00 PM lubrication. Essential.6. This sticker doesn't come with the kit, but it advertises one of the several bands my coworker Josh plays bass in, and it happened to be on my desk when I took this shot.Check out the Hotdryer here.
Country diary: Welshpool: Earthworm casts on a good piece of land
Welshpool: I picked one up and crushed the dry mass to powder between thumb and forefinger, feeling the smooth, silky sensation of the rich, silty soilIt was turning into the first truly hot day of the year, and the early morning mist had slowly morphed into a haze that softened the southern side of the valley. Only by referring to the map and lining up on the steeple of Leighton church could I make out where the hill fort of Beacon Ring was lurking in its dome of trees. In the completely still air, birdsong was the dominant sound.Following the path around the corner of the wood, I wondered how easy it would be to cross the stream that cut into the valley floor, and was pleased ? if surprised ? to find an elegant stone bridge. The hint that this route was once an important one was reinforced as I headed to the next ridge; the notch in the skyline, exactly at the logical crossing point, was eroded by the traffic of many years.The gentle slope was turfed with a sheep-cropped grass and clover sward, with rich greens that contrasted with the bare branches and grey bark of the woodland. Even this early in the season there were numerous earthworm casts on the surface. I picked one up and crushed the dry mass to powder between thumb and forefinger, feeling the smooth, silky sensation of the rich, silty soil. This was a good piece of land, well managed and utilised. Beyond it, an avenue of skeletal trees flanked the track across the hillside and down to the valley of the river Severn/Afon Hafren.From Belan Locks the Montgomery canal towpath offered an easy route back into Welshpool, bordered with clumps of celandine and willows laden with newly erupted buds. Unwilling to cut the day short, and fortified with excellent cheese scones bought earlier from the market, I chose the longer route through the deer park of Powis Castle. I was rewarded, as the shadows began to lengthen, with timeless views of the herd grazing on the hillside among the ancient standard trees ? watching a stag bluster and fret in his constant vigil over his mates.WalesRural affairsJohn Gilbeyguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Friday, March 30, 2012
Win a luggage compression organizer
This thing is basically a garter for your clothes.
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Shocking Video From Syria Shows Bombing Near Historic Crac Des Chevaliers Castle
I've talked before about my visit to Syria back in the '90s and how grieved I am to see what's happening there now. I keep wondering what's happened to the people I met. Are they caught in the crossfire? Have they taken up arms with the opposition? Judging from the whispered conversations we had in the safety of back rooms, I know none of them joined the government forces.
Now another of Syria's historic sites, and one of the most impressive places I've ever been, is under attack. Crac des Chevaliers is the world's largest and best-preserved Crusader castle. In this video you can see the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the background as the city below it gets shelled. It's unclear if the castle itself has been hit.
The video, posted on YouTube by member Souria2011archives, claims to represent the Free Syria Army. They write that it shows government artillery striking the town. "This is like bombing the Pyramids," the caption reads.
Ironically, just before Syria descended into revolution, there was a big advertising campaign by the Syrian Tourism Board here in Spain. My wife and I started planning a trip and then the country fell apart. The caption continues, "After we liberate Syria from the 42 year Assad Family Reign of Terror and hang the entire Assad family live on Syria State TV, we will hope that people from all over the world will come to visit a Free and Democratic Syria and we guarantee that our incredible priceless ancient castles and souks and Roman Towns and Roman Amphitheaters and Biblical era cities will take your breath away by their size, majesty, beauty and perfect condition, (as long as we can topple the Dictator before he destroys them all)."
This is not an endorsement of Souria2011archives or the Free Syria Army. If these guys get into power they might turn out to be just as bad as the dictator they want to hang on a live TV show. The Libyan militias that took over from Gaddafi certainly aren't saints. Despite all that, I do believe Assad has to go, and if some semblance of normalcy returns to Syria I'll certainly return and report about it. Hopefully Syria's amazing heritage will have survived enough to take my breath away a second time.Shocking Video From Syria Shows Bombing Near Historic Crac Des Chevaliers Castle originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Now another of Syria's historic sites, and one of the most impressive places I've ever been, is under attack. Crac des Chevaliers is the world's largest and best-preserved Crusader castle. In this video you can see the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the background as the city below it gets shelled. It's unclear if the castle itself has been hit.
The video, posted on YouTube by member Souria2011archives, claims to represent the Free Syria Army. They write that it shows government artillery striking the town. "This is like bombing the Pyramids," the caption reads.
Ironically, just before Syria descended into revolution, there was a big advertising campaign by the Syrian Tourism Board here in Spain. My wife and I started planning a trip and then the country fell apart. The caption continues, "After we liberate Syria from the 42 year Assad Family Reign of Terror and hang the entire Assad family live on Syria State TV, we will hope that people from all over the world will come to visit a Free and Democratic Syria and we guarantee that our incredible priceless ancient castles and souks and Roman Towns and Roman Amphitheaters and Biblical era cities will take your breath away by their size, majesty, beauty and perfect condition, (as long as we can topple the Dictator before he destroys them all)."
This is not an endorsement of Souria2011archives or the Free Syria Army. If these guys get into power they might turn out to be just as bad as the dictator they want to hang on a live TV show. The Libyan militias that took over from Gaddafi certainly aren't saints. Despite all that, I do believe Assad has to go, and if some semblance of normalcy returns to Syria I'll certainly return and report about it. Hopefully Syria's amazing heritage will have survived enough to take my breath away a second time.Shocking Video From Syria Shows Bombing Near Historic Crac Des Chevaliers Castle originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Say Ciao to Rome?s ?Gladiators?
By Nicole Glass, editorial intern at National Geographic Traveler magazine.�Visit her website,�www.nicoleglass.com�to see her published work, or follow her on Twitter�@NicoleSGlass. The modern “gladiators” — with their traditional tunics, resplendent golden helmets, long red capes, and swords — you’ll find in Rome are impossible to miss. Although the gladiator is a treasured symbol of ancient…
How cities fail their cyclists in different ways | Peter Walker
Share your nominations for cycling no-hoper cities, and others which simply could do betterIt's an intermittent, and probably fair, complaint that this blog can get a bit negative. I'm hoping to counter that, through a roundabout and slightly contradictory method, with a backhanded celebration of the fact that the UK isn't always such a bad place to be a cyclist ? that is to say, there are plenty worse.A recent trip took me to two cities which, in their own ways, have significantly more limited cycling cultures. They fall into two distinct camps, so I'll treat them separately. I'd be very happy to hear your views on both places, or other towns and cities where the cyclist faces a (metaphorical) uphill struggle.? Cities where cycling will seemingly never thrive. Example: Hong KongI lived and worked in Hong Kong for just under 18 months and cycled less than at any other time since I resumed the pursuit in my early 20s. I occasionally trundled around the minor, car-free island where I lived, but as for commuting, or even riding at all around Hong Kong island (the main business and residential area) ? forget it.I was reminded of this a few weeks back when stopping over in Hong Kong for 24 hours. It's one of the very few cities where, in the centre, you barely see any riders at all. There's several perfectly good reasons, not least that for more than six months of the year the climate is so hot and steamingly humid that even walking more than a few hundred metres raises a fair old sweat. Plus, it's pretty hilly.But even if you were tempted ? and winter-time temperatures of around 15C or so can be ideal ? you're taking your life into your hands. I'd forgotten till my return how dominated by cars the roads are. The centre is bisected by multi-lane highways filled with Hong Kong's pillar box red 1980s-vintage Toyota taxis and homicidally-driven minibuses, generally speeding at a good 50mph. Even on foot the only way to get about is to quickly memorise the network of pedestrian overpasses.Hong Kong might never be Amsterdam but it could certainly do with a bit of a transport rebalance, not least to alleviate its notorious air pollution.So, two questions: can a city like Hong Kong realistically become any more bike friendly? And is their a worse city for cyclists? I'm only talking about the centre of Hong Kong island and Kowloon, by the way. Cycling on the outlying islands or New Territories can be a different prospect.? Cities where cycling should be more popular than it is. Example: AucklandYes, it's hilly in places and, once you reach the suburbs, very spread out, but Auckland really should be awash with cyclists. It has suitably temperate weather and that same spread out-ness leaves plenty of potential space for bike lanes.But wander, with the eye of a regular cyclist, around the city centre, and you're almost immediately struck by the lack of bikes on the road. Outside peak times they're almost non-existent, barring the occasional cycle courier. Those you do see generally sport the Lycra garb and haunted expression of the cycling enthusiast in a bike-unfriendly environment.The city is trying to boost numbers and, according to the most recent annual cycling survey, with some success, with 30% more riders on the roads than five years ago. But the numbers remain fairly small ? just under 13,500 "cycling movements" observed on one day at 82 monitoring sites. It's not helped by a compulsory helmet law, in place since the mid-1990s.I was aghast to learn that the city's harbour bridge, the main link between the centre and suburbs to the north, has no way at all for cyclists to cross. They must either plonk their bike on a ferry or take a fairly long detour. As an emblem for a city dominated by cars and roads it's hard to beat.Like with Hong Kong, it's not as if Auckland couldn't do with more cyclists. New Zealand might more or less define itself through sport but it's simultaneously one of the more obese nations on earth.My questions here: are things really as bad as they seem in Auckland? What other cities should be better than they are on this front? And what can be done?CyclingHong KongAucklandPeter Walkerguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Video Of The Day: Night Skies Over Norway
Filed under: Photos, Europe, Norway, Video, Ecotourism, Nightlife
I stumbled across this beautiful time-lapse video on Vimeo entitled, "Night Skies Over Norway." The work features the night skies and general nighttime happenings over Southern Norway. I found this video to be immediately captivating. The moving images of the dark sky and the subtle hints of life that make appearances throughout the night in this video are completed by simple and tasteful music by the filmmaker, Svenn Dvergastein. These shots were taken during January 2012. If you visit, keep this fun fact in mind: you're allowed to camp anywhere you want in Norway, public or private property, so long as you're not in view of a home. Challenge yourself to a camping/backpacking trip in Norway and see this gorgeous night sky for yourself.Continue reading Video Of The Day: Night Skies Over NorwayVideo Of The Day: Night Skies Over Norway originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
I stumbled across this beautiful time-lapse video on Vimeo entitled, "Night Skies Over Norway." The work features the night skies and general nighttime happenings over Southern Norway. I found this video to be immediately captivating. The moving images of the dark sky and the subtle hints of life that make appearances throughout the night in this video are completed by simple and tasteful music by the filmmaker, Svenn Dvergastein. These shots were taken during January 2012. If you visit, keep this fun fact in mind: you're allowed to camp anywhere you want in Norway, public or private property, so long as you're not in view of a home. Challenge yourself to a camping/backpacking trip in Norway and see this gorgeous night sky for yourself.Continue reading Video Of The Day: Night Skies Over NorwayVideo Of The Day: Night Skies Over Norway originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Amsterdam's street dandies
Which are the coolest places to shop, drink and people-watch in Amsterdam? The founders and creative team of clothing label OntFront let us in on their secret hauntsThis blogpost first appeared on the Amsterdam Magazine blogTomas Overtoom and Liza Koifman are the founders and creative team of clothing label OntFront (ontfront.com).How would you characterise your style? We put together this concept with hip-hop in our minds. When we started five and a half years ago, the things you could buy in stores were t-shirts and jeans or business suits. We decided to launch items for men that are exactly in between casual streetwear and more tailored, quality garments.In terms of fashion, what stores or brands really stand out? Of course Patta shoes are what Amsterdam is famous for. Filling Pieces, which we have in our store, is an Amsterdam shoe brand that does really well. Tenue de N�mes on Elandsgracht has Japanese denim and denim-inspired looks. They're young and really good at what they do. In the south, there's 1, which takes the purity and practicality of the heritage style and makes it fresh. They have classic English hunting jackets, which are bought by kids who listen to hip-hop.Where can you go to hear new music? Normally we go to the Sugar Factory, Bitterzoet, Studio 80, Club Up, and places like that. Chicago Social Club is a new club night held in Boom Chicago. In terms of music, it's similar to Bitterzoet. It has everything from new soul to experimental, so the feel of it really depends on the line-up. For hip-hop, Cafe Struik on Rozengracht also has nice music playing. It's a small cafe that kind of resembles Cafe De Duivel [ed: now closed], which was more hardcore, but this is more soft and easy-going.Where do you go to grab a good drink? Door 74 is an intimate a cocktail bar. It has a living-room atmosphere with private tables. The girls who work there are amazing mixologists. Vesper is another bar that's really good with cocktails. It can get quite crowded on Fridays and Saturdays. Go when it's not too busy, because they don't have many places to sit.Any places for fashionable people-watching in Amsterdam? The thing about Amsterdam is that it's small, so every subculture mixes together here. You've got Toko MC at the MC Theatre. It's a restaurant but they also do some club nights. Their food is fusion Surinamese that's much more refined than anything you can get from a take-away place. The theatre does a lot of multicultural exhibitions and performances with artists from Suriname or Aruba. On Monday mornings you can go to Noordermarkt. You can have coffee on the square and watch the people. It's a vintage market, so everyone that comes there is usually well-dressed or creative.Where do you go to find artistic inspiration in Amsterdam? Usually we go to openings, not to big galleries or museums. There's a really cool shop called Precinct Five, run by a DJ called Mr. Wix. It's in an old police station across from the flower market. We also go to Foam a lot for photography.AmsterdamNetherlandsguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Radar: How to Teach Abroad, 10 Great ?Underground? Bars, Allergy-Friendly Getaways
The Radar: Top travel news, stories, trends, and ideas from across the Web. Got Radar? Follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTraveler and tag your favorite travel stories from the Web #ngtradar. Check back on the blog for our roundups. Photo: Bhavesh Bangdiwala/My Shot
EveryLodge Launches As First Flash Sale Aggregator For Travel
Filed under: Internet Tools, Travel DealsWe've covered the flash sale market extensively here on Gadling, suggesting that, within reason, these "members only" sites are an ideal way to help assist in your research. But with up to 20 sites offering travel deals, it's often hard to remember which site is offering which deal - let alone navigate the piles in your inbox.
New site EveryLodge aims to cut through the clutter with a flash sale aggregation tool for the travel market. The company hasn't partnered with any of the sites specifically, and says they aren't violating terms of service as they're not "scraping" these websites but rather just telling the public about the sales. However, this does mean that it may limit the total number of sites being featured - they admit that there is one unnamed site that hasn't been included due to terms of service concerns.
EveryLodge is also promising an analysis of flash sale pricing models and trends as new sites launch.
What do you think - will you use the site?
EveryLodge Launches As First Flash Sale Aggregator For Travel originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
New site EveryLodge aims to cut through the clutter with a flash sale aggregation tool for the travel market. The company hasn't partnered with any of the sites specifically, and says they aren't violating terms of service as they're not "scraping" these websites but rather just telling the public about the sales. However, this does mean that it may limit the total number of sites being featured - they admit that there is one unnamed site that hasn't been included due to terms of service concerns.
EveryLodge is also promising an analysis of flash sale pricing models and trends as new sites launch.
What do you think - will you use the site?
EveryLodge Launches As First Flash Sale Aggregator For Travel originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Review: Saveur's Easy Italian Cookbook
The recipes for my favorite Italian meals ? that?s all my mom asked for as I headed to Sicily. It seemed like a simple request. But I don?t speak Italian, and I?m no chef, so I returned home with a collection of kitchen disasters.
And then I discovered Saveur?s Easy Italian cookbook for the iPad and iPhone. Its 30 recipes show that many of Italy?s most satisfying foods are also the world?s simplest. Find tips, wine pairings and a breakdown of the lore of Italian food without leaving home ? did you know minestrone means big soup? Cook up pasta with lamb and almond pesto, and you too can pretend to be in Palermo shouting ?Mangia! Mangia!
$4.99 on iTunes saveur.com
And then I discovered Saveur?s Easy Italian cookbook for the iPad and iPhone. Its 30 recipes show that many of Italy?s most satisfying foods are also the world?s simplest. Find tips, wine pairings and a breakdown of the lore of Italian food without leaving home ? did you know minestrone means big soup? Cook up pasta with lamb and almond pesto, and you too can pretend to be in Palermo shouting ?Mangia! Mangia!
$4.99 on iTunes saveur.com
How To: Be a Lush in Park City
From dirty martinis to dive bars, Park City is a place where both the refined and the rowdy can converge to party and do a little skiing. Here are some libations and locations that are not to be missed in a town that rages?despite being located in Utah.
EU takes summer bite out of mobile phone roaming charges
Smartphone price for a megabyte capped at 58p in time for holidaysCuts in mobile phone roaming charges are on the way this summer ? the latest move by the European commission towards reducing the gap between domestic and foreign call rates almost to zero by 2015, with the rates protected until June 2017.The cost of data services on smartphones will be capped at ?0.70 a megabyte, far less than most carriers in the EU charge. Prices on voice calls will also be capped, falling from ?0.35 to ?0.29 in July and ?0.19 in 2014. Text message prices will fall from ?0.11 to ?0.06.Maximum rates were first imposed on mobile network operators five years ago to tackle what the commission called the "roaming rip-off". Operators were said to be making excessive profits by charging more than triple the normal rate for calls made while in another EU country, and up to five times for calls received.Today the gap between domestic and "roaming" call charges has fallen by about 75% compared with 2007. Now, after talks between MEPs, EU governments and the commission, final agreement is expected in May from the European parliament and member countries for further cuts from July.The move is the culmination of a lengthy struggle between Brussels and mobile carriers, who say they will have to raise prices for other services. Cross-border charges are reckoned to generate up to 5% of revenues.Some carriers welcomed the move. A spokesman for Three said: "This move by EU policymakers is great news for consumers and will help end the gulf that exists between what people pay at home and what they pay when they are abroad in Europe."But Everything Everywhere, which in the UK owns Orange and T-Mobile, said: "We are disappointed ? as we feel competition, not the continued use of price caps, is the most effective way to bring down, and keep down, international roaming pricing. Data roaming prices have dropped by 78% over the last three years, and this was achieved without a regulatory framework in place."The international roaming market is only in the early stages of development, and regulation of retail roaming prices will result in lack of competition from new entrants. In addition, the regulation may well lead to the scaling back of essential investment in UK mobile networks."From 2014, customers will be able to sign up for different carriers in different countries while retaining the same phone number.The EU commissioner for the digital agenda, Neelie Kroes, who took on the sector when calls for voluntary reductions were considered insufficient, said: "Consumers are fed up with being ripped off by high roaming charges."The new roaming deal gives us a long-term structural solution, with lower prices, more choice and a new smart approach for data and internet browsing. The benefits will be felt in time for the summer break ? and by summer 2014, people can shop around for the best deal."Kroes voiced frustration earlier in the year that all operators are sticking to the high end of the call charges ceilings, in effect blocking wider competition that should drive down prices even further.From July, consumers travelling in another EU country will pay no more than: ? ?0.29 (24p) a minute to make a mobile call;? ?0.08 to receive a call;? ?0.09 to send a text message;? ?0.70 per megabyte to download data or browse the internet while travelling abroad, charged per kilobyte used.A commission statement said: "These regulated price caps will progressively go down so that by 1 July 2014, roaming consumers will be paying no more than 19 cents per minute to make a call, a maximum 5 cents per minute to receive a call, maximum 6 cents to send a text message and maximum 20 cents per megabyte to download data or browse the internet whilst travelling abroad".The Conservative MEP for South West England and Gibraltar, Giles Chichester, who took part in overnight negotiations with EU officials said he hoped the charges shake-up would encourage the mobile industry to introduce more competition: "It is outrageous that consumers are still paying exorbitant prices when using their phone abroad. Many are still scared to use their phone for simple pleasures like checking websites or using phone apps."He said soon mobile users would be able to sign up to one company for domestic calls and another for calls and downloads while abroad, all using the same mobile, as a further boost to competition. "Mobile roaming charges are being forced down but it regrettable that it always requires EU legislation, rather than action from the industry itself."Mobile phone companies will now have to compete for roaming customers like they already compete for domestic customers. With the costs of just about everything going up, this is a rare piece of good news for consumers this summer."Fiona Hall, leader of the Liberal Democrat MEPs, said: "This is another important step towards ending rip off charges for mobile phone usage abroad. These new rates will apply just in time for families heading off for their summer holidays."Mobile phonesTelecomsSmartphonesEuropean UnionEuropean UnionEuropeTelecommunications industryEverything EverywhereOrangeT-MobileCharles Arthurguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Country diary: Lanteglos, Cornwall: A spring stroll along the coastal path from Lantic Bay
Lanteglos, Cornwall: Streaks of silver gleam across the sea and, beneath vertiginous cliffs, waves and turquoise water lap the deserted beach of pale sand with its strand-lines of seaweedThe coconut scent of gorse wafts up the cliffs and skylarks are singing above steep pastures overlooking Lantic Bay. Streaks of silver gleam across the sea and, beneath vertiginous cliffs, waves and turquoise water lap the deserted beach of pale sand with its strand-lines of seaweed. Violets and stitchwort flower beside the coastal path. Towards the shelter of the headland opposite Pencarrow, stunted ash trees lean landward, surrounded by leafy elderflower bushes, blackthorn in blossom and patches of stinking iris plants.Unseen warblers burble within a prickly thicket of yellow gorse and the Gribbin, Dodman and Cornish alps ? china clay country ? come into view, shadowy against the afternoon sun. Near Polruan, lime-green umbels of alexander flourish around St Saviour's Point, beneath the coastguard lookout and on the rocky promontory of the blockhouse (which guarded the narrow entrance to Fowey harbour in the 15th century). Yellow mooring buoys and vacant holiday lets await visitors at Easter, though some houses are scaffolded and still being refurbished.The incoming tide ripples the glassy green water of the estuary and floods up Pont Pill. Primroses edge the muddy way on the southern side of this winding creek, and next month the wooded slopes will be awash with bluebells. The sound of wind in tree tops has replaced the swish of waves, although the sea is only half a mile away across the intervening ridge. Gaps in the trees allow glimpses of narrow stretches of blue-green water below the lichen-covered woodland opposite. Sailing barges used to come up-channel on rising tides bringing coal, fertiliser and limestone inland to this rural parish, and loading agricultural produce back downstream. At the head of the navigable creek, the expanse of glittering high water is already ebbing, leaving shoals of bladderwrack. Near a derelict lime kiln, nailed to the wall of a holiday cottage, are displayed the dues from 1894 for carting goods across then busy quays. Timber was charged at 3d a load, grain 1d per quarter and manures 3d per ton.CornwallRural affairsCoastlinesVirginia Spiersguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Matsuri Restaurant and Hiro Ballroom give people a chance to own a piece of New York City history
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Festivals and Events, North America, United States, Hotels and Accommodations, Luxury TravelFor those who have enjoyed delicious steak and seafood dishes at Matsuri, or late night dancing in the Hiro Ballroom, there's sad news. These two popular New York venues in the Maritime Hotel, which have hosted guests like Mick Jagger, Nicole Kidman and Karl Lagerfeld, are set to close their doors for good. Luckily, the owners have decided to give people the chance to take home a piece of the Big Apple's hospitality history.
A live auction, as well as several previews, will be facilitated by Michael Amodeo & Co. Participants will have the chance to bid on items such as flatware, original artwork, walnut flooring, and giant handmade Japanese lanterns. Even the men's urinals, which were also handmade in Japan, are being auctioned off. The event dates are as follows:
Monday, April 2, 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Preview
Tuesday, April 3, 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Preview
Wednesday, April 4, 12:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. Preview
Wednesday, April 4, 2:00 p.m.- all items sold. Auction
While smaller items can be purchased and brought home the day of the auction, larger items must be brought home by Thursday, April 5. The Maritime Hotel is located at 363 West 16th Street, off 9th Avenue.Matsuri Restaurant and Hiro Ballroom give people a chance to own a piece of New York City history originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
A live auction, as well as several previews, will be facilitated by Michael Amodeo & Co. Participants will have the chance to bid on items such as flatware, original artwork, walnut flooring, and giant handmade Japanese lanterns. Even the men's urinals, which were also handmade in Japan, are being auctioned off. The event dates are as follows:
Monday, April 2, 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Preview
Tuesday, April 3, 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Preview
Wednesday, April 4, 12:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. Preview
Wednesday, April 4, 2:00 p.m.- all items sold. Auction
While smaller items can be purchased and brought home the day of the auction, larger items must be brought home by Thursday, April 5. The Maritime Hotel is located at 363 West 16th Street, off 9th Avenue.Matsuri Restaurant and Hiro Ballroom give people a chance to own a piece of New York City history originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Amsterdam's street dandies
Which are the coolest places to shop, drink and people-watch in Amsterdam? The founders and creative team of clothing label OntFront let us in on their secret hauntsThis blogpost first appeared on the Amsterdam Magazine blogTomas Overtoom and Liza Koifman are the founders and creative team of clothing label OntFront (ontfront.com).How would you characterise your style? We put together this concept with hip-hop in our minds. When we started five and a half years ago, the things you could buy in stores were t-shirts and jeans or business suits. We decided to launch items for men that are exactly in between casual streetwear and more tailored, quality garments.In terms of fashion, what stores or brands really stand out? Of course Patta shoes are what Amsterdam is famous for. Filling Pieces, which we have in our store, is an Amsterdam shoe brand that does really well. Tenue de N�mes on Elandsgracht has Japanese denim and denim-inspired looks. They're young and really good at what they do. In the south, there's 1, which takes the purity and practicality of the heritage style and makes it fresh. They have classic English hunting jackets, which are bought by kids who listen to hip-hop.Where can you go to hear new music? Normally we go to the Sugar Factory, Bitterzoet, Studio 80, Club Up, and places like that. Chicago Social Club is a new club night held in Boom Chicago. In terms of music, it's similar to Bitterzoet. It has everything from new soul to experimental, so the feel of it really depends on the line-up. For hip-hop, Cafe Struik on Rozengracht also has nice music playing. It's a small cafe that kind of resembles Cafe De Duivel [ed: now closed], which was more hardcore, but this is more soft and easy-going.Where do you go to grab a good drink? Door 74 is an intimate a cocktail bar. It has a living-room atmosphere with private tables. The girls who work there are amazing mixologists. Vesper is another bar that's really good with cocktails. It can get quite crowded on Fridays and Saturdays. Go when it's not too busy, because they don't have many places to sit.Any places for fashionable people-watching in Amsterdam? The thing about Amsterdam is that it's small, so every subculture mixes together here. You've got Toko MC at the MC Theatre. It's a restaurant but they also do some club nights. Their food is fusion Surinamese that's much more refined than anything you can get from a take-away place. The theatre does a lot of multicultural exhibitions and performances with artists from Suriname or Aruba. On Monday mornings you can go to Noordermarkt. You can have coffee on the square and watch the people. It's a vintage market, so everyone that comes there is usually well-dressed or creative.Where do you go to find artistic inspiration in Amsterdam? Usually we go to openings, not to big galleries or museums. There's a really cool shop called Precinct Five, run by a DJ called Mr. Wix. It's in an old police station across from the flower market. We also go to Foam a lot for photography.AmsterdamNetherlandsguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Literary Las Vegas
Anna Stothard, who has just made the Orange Prize longlist, goes in search of the places famous writers found decadence and excess in Sin City? Click here for our interactive city guide to Las VegasMiles from the Las Vegas strip, along a dusty highway flanked by barbed-wire fences and strip malls, Sin City harbours an unexpected secret: a museum devoted to words. But of the three taxi drivers and two hotel concierges I ask for directions, not one has heard of the museum.It's amazing anybody could miss the Neon Boneyard Museum, which at first glance resembles a Scrabble set designed for a giant. The metal tips of lorry-sized words peak out over the fences of a huge industrial lot ? the curl of an "S" visible through the barriers, the peeling paint of an obese red "B" glinting. This is where the neon signs of Las Vegas come to die, forming a higgledy-piggledy poem to the city's history. Spanning from early neon offerings of "beer" and "girls" through to the atomic font of the cold war, this is Vegas in her own words. "Literary tours" might not be advertised in this city's neon, but fiction is everywhere in Las Vegas.When I ask a taxi driver to take me from the Neon Boneyard to the nearest library, he nervously replies: "You mean the Library strip joint on Boulder Avenue?" Vegas might be a literary inspiration, but the most popular "Library" in Vegas involves strippers wearing glasses.Instead I end up in a carousel-shaped ice cream parlour spinning above a circus-themed mega casino. It is here, rotating above bleary-eyed gamblers at roulette wheels and surrounded by sugar-hyped kids winning stuffed bears at arcade games, that Hunter S Thompson places the "vortex" and "main nerve" of the American Dream in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The same carousel horses have been marching over Circus Circus since it opened in 1968, but while the character in Fear and Loathing sipped Wild Turkey to take the edge off his mescaline high, I suck sugary vanilla ice cream off a miniature purple spoon. The "main nerve" of the American dream has become an ice cream parlour."Hunter would be disgusted, right?" says a man's voice. I look up from my copy of Fear and Loathing to see that my literary tour guide for the evening has turned up. Local journalist and author of Beneath the Neon, Matthew O'Brien has bought himself a Slurpee ? although you get the sense he'd rather have a whiskey ? and sits down next to me. "All these arcade games would have been the same, though," he says, sweeping his hand over our surroundings and taking my book off me. "Shoot the pasties off the nipples of a 10ft bull dyke and win a cotton-candy goat?" he reads from a marked passage."An orangutan named Boobie used to wander around Circus Circus in the 1960s and Hunter tried to buy him for $800," Matthew adds as we watch a trapeze artist spin from the rafters. Matthew interviewed Thompson over the phone a few times and was supposed to meet him the weekend that the movie of Fear and Loathing premiered in Vegas, but Thompson never turned up."He called me a few days before," says Matthew, "and asked me to buy him a miniature fridge for the weekend, along with a copy of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. In Fear and Loathing he describes Circus Circus as what everyone would have been doing on a Saturday night if the Nazis had won the war."Nightmares and dreams fill the literature of Las Vegas ? from Thompson's hallucinogenic American Dreams to the sci-fi speculations of Stephen King's post-apocalyptic epic The Stand and JG Ballard's Hello America. Vegas, after all, has dreaming at its roots. In 1945 the gangster Bugsy Siegel drove from LA through the Mojave Desert, fantasising about turning an isolated desert town into a sin city where celebrities and reprobates would flock. Take a trip outside the city today, to Hoover Dam or the pink-tinted mountains of Red Rock, and from afar you'll see what a bold dream this was: the neon city appears like a mirage inside a huge puddle of dust. Bugsy's dream quickly became a nightmare, and while he finished the first mega casino in Vegas in 1946, he was shot dead by rival gangsters a year later. A bronze plaque commemorates Bugsy today in front of the Flamingo wedding chapel."It lay in the middle of the desert like some improbable gem," writes Stephen King in The Stand, where America's population is nearly annihilated and survivors join two camps: good and evil. No prizes for guessing where evil congregates.As Matthew and I leave Circus Circus for the Strip, waving goodbye to the cross-eyed neon clown that guards the big top, Las Vegas looks like something Stephen King might have invented rather than just riffed on. Matthew points out replica Venetian bridges, an Eiffel Tower, a pop-art parody of Venus de Milo, a glinting black-glass Egyptian pyramid, all hovering in an eerie neon glow and rising up in a heat that burns the soles of your feet through your shoes and melts your nail polish.We disembark at the entrance of the MGM Grand, where the finale of The Stand takes place "on the steps leading up to the lobby doors? where incoming guests had once parked while the doorman whistled up a bellhop". Cheered on by an excited "crowd-animal" of spectators, it was here that King's anti-hero readied himself to execute his enemies just moments before a madman drags a nuclear bomb into town and explodes the city.Matthew and I stand in the entrance to one of the largest hotels in the world, containing 18,000 doors, 7,778 beds and 93 lifts, watching a "crowd-animal" of tourists, and we agree that while it doesn't take much to imagine Vegas as the catalyst for apocalypse, the sheer exuberance and cheek of the city is nothing short of spectacular."It was an excess of fantasy that killed the old United States," prophesies JG Ballard in Hello America, where nomad explorers find android replicas of celebrities dancing in a deserted casino ? but fantasy doesn't seem to have killed Vegas yet.Matthew and I head downtown to Fremont Street, where I dance with three drunk Elvis impersonators under the awning of the Golden Nugget Casino. While the strip feels futuristic, downtown is gangster, old-school, local. The best alternative hangouts in Vegas are also down here, among bedraggled celebrity impersonators and low-rollers. The Griffin and a renovated beauty parlour called the Beauty Bar are the dives for meeting local artists and singers at night, while the Beat Coffeehouse and the Arts Factory are the places to curl up with a book and a hangover during the day.As our night draws to a close, Matthew raises his eyebrows on dropping me off at a hotel called El Cortez, near Fremont Street. "El Cortez has a very particular smell," he says, which is true, but this low-ceilinged and smoke-clogged casino turns out to be one of my favourite locations in Vegas. It's one of the oldest hotels in the city, and the only one where you can play slots with real quarters rather than fake casino cash.In the casino bar, drinking a whiskey sour while two middle-aged women with painted-on eyebrows discuss slot-machine etiquette, I begin to read the latest literary sensation to come out of Vegas, Charles Bock's Beautiful Children.Bock is the poster boy for contemporary Las Vegas literature, and much of Beautiful Children ? a New York Times bestseller described by Esquire as "dirty, fast and hypnotic" ? plays out in the city's shady perimeters and suburbs, where the strip is nothing but a "distant row of glowing toys". Bock himself is a Vegas local, and his story follows a spoilt suburban kid as he gets lost in the "crown jewel of a country that has institutionalised indulgence"; a nightmare world populated with local desert punks, dwarves, suburban mothers, comic-book geeks and surgically bloated strippers. Bock's fictional stripper, Cheri Blossom, controls men with the ease of "cutting away the mealy part of an apple that had been left on top of the fridge overnight", and I look up from my pages to see a vixen with 6in stilettos kiss the bald head of a man hunched in an oxygen-tank laden wheelchair. Forget tigers and comedy acts ? if you see one show in Vegas, it should be people-watching at El Cortez."You see some weird things growing up in Vegas," Bock told me on the phone. "Our weekend family lunch was an all-you-can-eat buffet in a casino; Vegas kids cut class to gamble away their pocket money."According to Alissa Nutting, another local Vegas author who recently published her first book of short stories, Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls, "Vegas is a micro and macrocosm of every worthwhile fictional plot known to man ? it all plays out here daily. It's just in the air."In this fantasy city even the local low-rollers are dreamers, pushing their wages on to red and holding their breath. Elvises drinking in the street, burlesque dancers kicking feathers in downtown dive bars, hotel valets moonlighting as country and western singers in vintage casinos at night ? alternate reality rules this city. "You don't forget watching someone in a veil and a 'bride-to-be' jacket, on her knees throwing up into a sidewalk grate while Japanese tourists take photos," says Nutting.The city might be greedy and sweaty. It might even be like holidaying in the post-apocalyptic vortex of the American Dream, but one thing's for sure: you certainly won't forget the stories you find in Sin City (unless you're a bride-to-be throwing up in a gutter, in which case the details might be a little hazy).? Anna Stothard's novel The Pink Hotel (Alma Books, �7.99) is on the longlist for the Orange Prize. To order a copy for �5.99 with free UK p&p, click on the link or call 0330 333 6846EssentialsVirgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com) flies daily from London Gatwick to Las Vegas from �689.30pp return. Stay at the El Cortez, 600 E Fremont Street (elcortezhotelcasino.com), which has doubles from $31. The Neon Museum Boneyard (neonmuseum.org) offers tours Tue-Sat at 10am, minimum donation $15, advanced booking essential. Useful addresses: Circus Circus Hotel and Casino (circuscircus.com); MGM Grand (mgmgrand.com); the Griffin (511 Fremont Street); the Beat Coffeehouse (520 Fremont Street); the Arts Factory (theartsfactory.com); Beauty Bar (thebeautybar.com); and the Downtown Cocktail Room (thedowntownlv.com)Las VegasUnited StatesNorth and Central AmericaMuseumsHunter S ThompsonStephen KingGamblingHotelsLiterary tripsCultural tripsCity breaksAnna Stothardguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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Win a Trip to Fiji's Likuliku Lagoon Resort
OFFICIAL RULES ISLANDS Escape to Fiji ContestThe ISLANDS Escape to Fiji Contest (the ?Contest?) is sponsored by ISLANDSmagazine, a publication of Bonnier Corporation (the ?Sponsor?).
ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: One five (5) night stay for two at Likuliku Lagoon Resort inFiji, including over-water accommodations and two (2) round trip tickets from LAX toNadi provided by Air Pacific. Approx. retail value including taxes: $7,500.
Prize is valid for travel through December 2012; blackout dates may apply, subject to availability.
All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply; void where prohibited. NOPURCHASE IS NECESSARY; A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCESOF WINNING. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entriesreceived. PRIZES MAY BE SUBJECT TO TAX; ALL APPLICABLE TAXES ARE THERESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administrated by, or associatedwith, Facebook. You are providing your information to the Sponsor and not toFacebook. The information you provide to the Sponsor may be used for advertising andpromotional purposes without additional compensation, in accordance with Sponsor?sprivacy policy, unless prohibited by law.
ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals, eighteen (18) years or olderat time of entry, who are legal residents of the United States. Employees of BonnierCorporation and its parent companies, subsidiaries or agents, their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse and grandparents), and those domiciledwith any of the foregoing are not eligible.TIMING: The Contest entry period begins at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (?ET?) on March27 and ends at 4:59 p.m. ET on April 24th. Sponsor?s computer system is the officialtimekeeping device for the Contest.
TO ENTER: Visit our page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/islandsmag to complete and submit the entry form following the instructions. To enter the Contest,entrants must first ?like? (or have previously ?liked?) the Sponsor?s Facebook page.All information provided by entrant must be complete, true and correct. Submissionsto the Contest must be received by 4:59 p.m. on April 24th in order to be eligible;entries received after the deadline will be deemed ineligible to win. All submitted entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged; Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, inaccurate, incomplete, or misdirected entries. Entry is limitedto one entry per person; no automated, photocopied or reproduced entries will beaccepted. Multiple entries will result in disqualification of all submitted entries. Entrieswill be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the Facebook accountused to enter. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules.
JUDGING: A panel of judges consisting of ISLANDS editors will select the winningentry based equally upon the criteria of an essay contest consisting of 20 wordsdescribing why they deserve the trip, as well as answering a 2 question quiz. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and that the decisions of the judges are final and binding in all respects. Judging will be completed by May 1, and potential winners will be notified by [email] on or before May 11. Potential winners may berequired to sign and return a sworn Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release. If required documentation is not returned within seven (7) business days ofnotification, or if notification is returned as undeliverable, any prize will be forfeited andan alternate winner will be selected.
PRIZE AWARDS: Prizes will be awarded within _____ after winner verification.No prize substitution or transfer is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the rightto substitute a prize of equal or greater value, including cash, for any reason. Sponsoris required by law to report prize values to taxing authorities; all taxes and any otherincidental expenses on prizes are the sole responsibility of each winner.
GENERAL RULES & LIMITATIONS: By participating in the Contest, each entrantfully and unconditionally agrees to be bound by and accepts these Official Rules and thedecisions of Sponsor (including, without limitation, decisions regarding eligibility ofentries, the selection of entrants and the winner, and the awarding of any prize), whichare final and binding in all respects. Entry and acceptance of a prize constitutepermission to use each winner?s name, prize won, hometown and likeness for printpublication, online posting, and any other promotional purposes without furthercompensation, except where prohibited by law. By participating in the Contest, youagree to release Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, employees,directors, officers, and agents from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kindwhatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may besustained in connection with the receipt, ownership, possession, use, or misuse of anyprize. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, or othererrors or problems which may occur in connection with the Contest, whether computer,network, technical, mechanical, typographical, printing, human or otherwise, including,without limitation, errors or problems which may occur in connection with theadministration of the Contest, the processing of entries, the announcement of the prizes,in any Contest-related materials, or that may limit prize fulfillment or a participant?sability to enter the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to amend these Official Rules.Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, modify or suspend theContest if, in Sponsor?s opinion, there is any suspected or actual evidence of electronic ornon-electronic tampering with any portion of the Contest, or if viruses, bugs,unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical difficulties or failures or any other factorbeyond Sponsor?s reasonable control corrupt or affect the administration, security,fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest. In such event, Sponsor reserves theright (but does not have the obligation) in its sole discretion to award prizes at randomfrom among eligible, non-suspect entries received up to the time of suspectedimpairment. Sponsor may permanently disqualify from the Contest any person itbelieves has tampered with the entry process or intentionally violated these official rules.
PRIVACY: Sponsor collects personal information from entrants when they enter theContest. Information collected by Sponsor online is subject to Sponsor?s Privacy Policy.In accordance with applicable law and with Sponsor?s Privacy Policy, the informationyou provide may be sent to affiliates and marketing partners of the Sponsor; you may becontacted by the Sponsor and/or promotional partners with future promotional offers.Entrants may opt-out of marketing or promotional communications from Sponsor?saffiliates and marketing partners on the entry form. Consenting to receive such emails and information is optional, and is not necessary to enter or win this Contest, nor will itincrease or improve your chances of winning.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION: Except where prohibited by law, by entering youagree that: (i) all issues and questions concerning the interpretation, validity, andenforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participants andSponsor and its agents shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordancewith the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its rules on conflicts of law; (ii) any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to this Contest, or awarding of anyprize), shall be filed only in the state or federal courts located in the State of New York, and entrant hereby consents and submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts forthe purposes of litigating any such action; (iii) any and all disputes, claims, and causesof action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or awarding of the prizes, shall beresolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (iv) any and all claims,judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with participating in this Contest but in no event attorneys? fees; and (iv) you hereby waive all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages andany other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rightsto have damages multiplied or otherwise increased.
ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: One five (5) night stay for two at Likuliku Lagoon Resort inFiji, including over-water accommodations and two (2) round trip tickets from LAX toNadi provided by Air Pacific. Approx. retail value including taxes: $7,500.
Prize is valid for travel through December 2012; blackout dates may apply, subject to availability.
All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply; void where prohibited. NOPURCHASE IS NECESSARY; A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCESOF WINNING. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entriesreceived. PRIZES MAY BE SUBJECT TO TAX; ALL APPLICABLE TAXES ARE THERESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administrated by, or associatedwith, Facebook. You are providing your information to the Sponsor and not toFacebook. The information you provide to the Sponsor may be used for advertising andpromotional purposes without additional compensation, in accordance with Sponsor?sprivacy policy, unless prohibited by law.
ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals, eighteen (18) years or olderat time of entry, who are legal residents of the United States. Employees of BonnierCorporation and its parent companies, subsidiaries or agents, their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse and grandparents), and those domiciledwith any of the foregoing are not eligible.TIMING: The Contest entry period begins at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (?ET?) on March27 and ends at 4:59 p.m. ET on April 24th. Sponsor?s computer system is the officialtimekeeping device for the Contest.
TO ENTER: Visit our page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/islandsmag to complete and submit the entry form following the instructions. To enter the Contest,entrants must first ?like? (or have previously ?liked?) the Sponsor?s Facebook page.All information provided by entrant must be complete, true and correct. Submissionsto the Contest must be received by 4:59 p.m. on April 24th in order to be eligible;entries received after the deadline will be deemed ineligible to win. All submitted entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged; Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, inaccurate, incomplete, or misdirected entries. Entry is limitedto one entry per person; no automated, photocopied or reproduced entries will beaccepted. Multiple entries will result in disqualification of all submitted entries. Entrieswill be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the Facebook accountused to enter. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules.
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Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Restaurant review: the Leeds Kitchen
Opening a restaurant in the surreal setting of a casino isn't a gamble when you have James Martin at the stoveAlea Casino, Clarence Dock, Leeds (0113 341 3202). Meal for two, including wine and service, �100There's no point pretending. If it was possible to conduct a health and safety risk assessment on restaurants of the sort applied to building sites, to ascertain the likelihood of a happy dining experience, I doubt anybody with a modicum of taste would ever set foot in the Leeds Kitchen. A restaurant fronted by a TV chef? Who's best known as the housewives' favourite? And who hasn't been in a kitchen full time in years? In a trashy casino on the edge of Leeds? Step away from the table. Surround it with red tape now. Slap condemned stickers all over it. On paper it looks like the Leeds Kitchen would be to a good night out what the Ebola virus would be to a children's party.Poor James Martin ? though, if his long speeches about the size of his classic car collection are anything to go by, poor is the last thing he is. But still. The fact that he was once a very fine restaurant chef ? I ate his food at the first Hotel du Vin in Winchester, in the decade before last in the century before this one ? stands for nothing now. He's the guy in the jumpers with the cheeky grin, the one who legions of post-menopausal British women would like to take home for a bit of hot chilli prawn-on-pilaf action. And that's the irony. The job he does around food (and, in my humble opinion, does well, on Saturday Kitchen) is the one reason you'd expect a restaurant he is involved with to be complete pants. TV is a casual, throwaway job. Restaurants demand seriousness.And so to the revelation. The food at the Leeds Kitchen is good. It's robust, well thought out and well executed. The location is weird. The Alea Casino is a hard-edged, shiny-floored echoey space, which feels like a train station without the platforms. In the ground-floor restaurant music booms. There are blow-ups of vintage French caf� posters of the sort you'd find in a Caf� Rouge, and a floor-to-ceiling photo of Mr Martin in chef's whites, which isn't a huge aid to the digestion. No one would call it calming.But there is some of that about the food, which is the sort of stuff anybody who has watched too much Saturday Kitchen would recognise: modern, big on flavour, uncontrived, comforting. There were soft pickled herrings, cured in-house, with a salad of beets and turnips and soda bread croutons. There was a scotch egg made from smoked haddock on a sparky mess of creamed and acidulated leeks. There was a duck dish, the breast roasted, the leg braised, and a butch take on boeuf bourguignon.What defined these dishes was not the work done on service, but everything done before: the balance of that cure on the herring, the forming of the scotch egg and the leeks beneath it. Best of all was that braised duck, spun through with orange zest then formed into a cigar and wrapped in crisped filo. We finished with a caramelised orange tart, and a white chocolate and whisky croissant bread-and-butter pudding. This is James Martin's signature dessert. Frankly, I don't want the man signing anything of mine, but his take on bread-and-butter pudding is good, in a bad way. Or bad, in a good way.Pricing for all this is steep by Leeds standards. Think �7 for starters and mid teens for mains. This is not helped by a wine list which accelerates from �14.50 upwards as quickly as one of the man's shiny, over-powered cars. Then again the restaurant is in a casino and perhaps this is the way for the house to get back a little of what they have lost to the successful gamblers.We slipped upstairs to play a bit of blackjack after dinner, surrounded by a curious clientele, some of whom were paddling at the bottom of the gene pool, bless 'em. My advice is to avoid the slots. Boycott the roulette wheels. Head instead for the restaurant. To my surprise it turns out to be the one part of the casino which isn't a gamble.Email Jay at jay.rayner@observer.co.uk or visit guardian.co.uk/profile/jayrayner for all his reviews in one placeFood & drinkLeedsRestaurantsRestaurantsJay Raynerguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
There were 9323 earthquakes in 2011
On Sunday night the kitchen sink water sloshed towards me in the kitchen of my 7th floor apartment.
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British pursuit of healthy holidays increases
The days of fly and flop holidays seems to be out the window as 94% of people now seek holidays to pursue health and fitness. The Body Holiday survey commissioned by Health and Fitness Travel, experts in tailor-made active and wellness holidays worldwide found that 85% of Brits are now willing to try a health and fitness holiday to improve their body and mind.
Choosing a holiday is a big decision and health and fitness is very important to 82% of people when they are away from home with spa treatments, fitness classes, land and water based sports being the most sought after. It?s said that travel broadens the mind and 85% of people are likely to try new forms of exercise or body treatments on holiday so they can open their minds to new experiences.
Paul Joseph, Co-founder of Health and Fitness Travel, says ?Gone are the days when people want to return from holiday feeling sluggish with waistbands that little bit tighter. With our collective life spans increasing by approximately 30 years, the importance of a healthy lifestyle has never been so important.
?More people lead cash-rich and time-poor lives making it harder to focus on their own well-being. A health and fitness holiday can be a great way to reset the body, learn a new approach and develop good habits to bring home. Ditching waist-expanding getaways for active and healthy holidays combines the fun of travel with fitness focussed activities such as yoga, beach boxing and hiking.?
As British people become more aware of the importance of staying fit and healthy, their holidays are now starting to reflect this trend. People don?t wish to sit on a beach sunning themselves for 10 hours a day, they want to return home with lasting benefits, long after the tan?s faded. Slim down the waistline, re-energise the spirit and tone up next time on your travels, your body will thank you for it.
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Blood, sweat and fears: the research scientists in Borneo's rainforests
Louise Murray joined an international team of research scientists in Borneo, where burrowing mites and enraged elephants are just part of a day's workStop, or sit down, and first one, then many, thin waving creatures appear in your peripheral vision. These are the vanguard of the leech community, using heat-seeking sensors in their multi-jawed mouths to locate the steaming, sweaty heap of wet clothes you have become just minutes after entering the rainforest.Even a mosquito can be deterred from its purpose, but a leech ? no. Think brain-dead, blood-sucking zombies, and you won't be far wrong. Once they have your heat signature, nothing will stop them. As researcher Nivaarani Arumugam from the University of Malaysia says, "Flicking them off is tough, they are like sticky rubber bands. Once they have arrived, they don't want to leave. The first few bites are a shock; there is something very uncomfortable about having a creature swell up as it drinks your blood."Oxford University entomologist Jake Snaddon hates leeches and was once foolish enough to say that he would trade them for ticks any day, "I lived to regret that, because the next day I walked into a seething, breeding ball of ticks, hundreds of pinhead-sized, biting, blood sucking beasties. I have no idea how many bites I got that day, the only way to get them off me was to wrap my hand in Sellotape and rip them off my skin."The two are part of an international team working in Sabah, Malaysia, on one of the most ambitious ecological projects ever undertaken ? SAFE, the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosytems. The 10-year study tracks the transition of every aspect of the ecosystem from secondary rainforest, through logging, and conversion to oil palm plantation.The project is the idea of Rob Ewers of Imperial College, London, and funded by the Sime Darby Foundation of Malaysia. "We are working with the oil palm industry to leave different-sized patches of forest standing to help us design the best way for these human-impacted landscapes to support the biodiversity for which the region is famous," Ewers explains. "Our work will help shape agricultural practice across the tropics."But to achieve results, tens of thousands of hours must be spent in one of the most difficult working environments on the planet. Ewers wondered why his young Malaysian field assistants ran off laughing as they were building one of the first of 100km of trails in the experimental area."I soon found out, as thousands of angry wasps swarmed around me. Fortunately they didn't sting, but tropical insects can be nasty," he says in his laconic Australian accent.This ancient forest is home to some of the largest insects on the planet, from the giant forest ant to the palm-sized, rhinoceros beetle, and centipedes with paralysing toxic bites. Heat and near 100% humidity take their toll on the scientists, making the work physically challenging."It's like doing aerobics in a sauna," says Terhi Riutta, a Finnish forest ecologist from Oxford University, who studies carbon dynamics. "The ground is slippery and muddy, and often steep. I carry 7kg of CO2-measuring equipment, and, on top of that, two litres of water and lunch. I think it was Lance Armstong who said it doesn't get any easier, you just get a bit faster."Some really struggle with the heat. Surprisingly, young Malaysian environmental scientist Anand Nainar suffers badly. "But I grew up in the city, with air conditioning," he says, "which is no preparation for trekking for hours in the heat and humidity. During this startup phase we are building water-monitoring stations, carrying in everything from cement, gantries, sledge hammers and drills."I couldn't do it without our local field assistants and must admit that I am much more physically and mentally fit having gone through this." But it is Timm D�bert, a towering German studying for his PhD at the University of Western Australia in Perth, who has the most problems with the climate. Smaller, slighter builds do best in high heat and humidity, while his tall, northern European frame is well adapted to a cool climate.D�bert sweats excessively in the tropics. To counteract this he has to drink ? and carry ? five litres of water, on top of the 10kg of cameras, tripods and other equipment needed for his work on invasive plant species in the forest. He sweats copiously and it is hard work just watching him. But the climate-change biologist has spent six months continuously in the forest, with only a few hiccups.Foot rot is a fungal infection that gets a grip when feet are never properly dry. "I had it so badly I couldn't walk," he says.He also thought that he had worms, after seeing tracks under his skin. Deworming made no difference, so he took himself off to the nearest doctor who diagnosed mites. "I keep an eye on the length of the tracks so I know if there are new ones, but they are very itchy, its hard not to scratch," he tells me, while surreptitiously running his nails over the spot.But not all the perils of the forest are small and bite; others are large and seriously life threatening. Entomologist and scientific coordinator Ed Turner speaks about his encounter with some very angry forest elephants, who are often in conflict with plantation owners when they wander in to feast on choice young oil palm leaves.Most of the pachyderms in Sabah will have had negative experiences with humans, as plantation owners use firecrackers and vehicles to scare them back into the rainforest. Turner and his team of field assistants were travelling back to camp after a long day when they turned a corner in their vehicle and almost ran into a group of five, including two babies.Turner takes up the story: "I was driving and the matriarch started thrashing vegetation at the side of the road, trumpeting, and shaking her head, making it crystal clear that she wanted us to leave. She charged as I slammed into reverse and shot off back down the road. Unusually, instead of then leading the family into the trees she stood her ground and held us there, charging each time we tried to pass. Seven of us crammed into the truck got pretty uncomfortable as she kept us there until after dark."Before travelling to Borneo, I had been warned by Ewers that the SAFE science base camp was rough and temporary, and it certainly makes an impression as we arrive, lurching down a track that was half-river and half-road during a typical afternoon rainstorm.Orange tarpaulins provide a makeshift roof supported by a framework of branches. Rudimentary tables support laptops and personal gear, and everywhere clothes are hanging out to dry, a near impossible task in the humidity.The nearby river provides washing facilities for both people and clothes and the yellow, sediment-filled water looks very intimidating as darkness falls. I decide to stay grubby. Men and women wash in different parts and most locals prefer to wash in the dark."It was scary at first, but once you know where the rocks are its really the best part of the day and a place for a rare moment of personal privacy. The fish nibble your feet and later the fireflies flit above the water's surface. Just gorgeous, my own spa," laughs Riutta, who adds that she has never mastered the Malaysian women's mysterious ability to wash without wetting their sarongs.Apart from the obvious discomforts of working in a rainforest, camp life is hard psychologically, particularly for long-term residents. The camp houses up to 40 scientists and more than 20 local field staff at peak times. Everyone speaks about the lack of personal space and privacy ? your hammock and mosquito net are separated from the next by only 20cm.The camp's designer, Johnny Larenus, has to organise the logistics, from food to fuel. He is also planning a more permanent base that will serve the SAFE project for the next eight years. He is justifiably proud of innovations such as his gravity-fed water supply that removes the need for carrying buckets of water from the river to the kitchen; and the sole flushing toilet. He is the one who allocates staff and vehicle resources to scientists, which can be a source of friction at busy times.A minor irritation to those sleeping nearby, is the satellite TV system ? installed by Larenus at his own expense to keep his Malaysian staff happy during their two-month on, one-week off rotas. It is bizarre to be listening to dubbed Mexican soap operas under a mosquito net in the forest. "It's hard to keep everyone happy," he says with a smile, "but I try."Everyone looks forward to the small luxuries that a more permanent camp will afford ? from a washing machine to, for long-term residents such as D�bert, mattresses and cabins with a door to close.But the leeches have the last word. Almost two months since I pulled more than 20 of them from my shoe and discovered I had been making blood donations all day, a batch of bites still itch like hell. Or maybe the parasitic mites have moved in?Graduate careersWork & careersScienceResearchHigher educationguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
The Art Newspaper reveals most popular exhibitions and museums of 2011
Filed under: Arts and Culture
The folks over at the Art Newspaper have just released some interesting stats about the art world of 2011. Collecting a huge amount of data from hundreds of museums and galleries, they've discovered some important trends.
First off, the big shows are getting bigger. The top ten most popular art shows back in 1996, the first year they gathered figures, averaged 3,000 visitors a day. Last year's top ten shows averaged almost 7,000 visitors a day.
For total attendance in 2011, the Louvre in Paris was way ahead with 8,880,000 visitors. Number two was the Met in New York City with slightly over 6,000,000 visitors. Paris and London dominated the top ten. Three Parisian museums made the top ten: the Louvre (#1), Centre Pompidou (#8), and Musée D'Orsay (#10), with a combined total of 15.2 million visitors. London boasts the British Museum (#3), National Gallery (#4), and Tate Modern (#5), with a combined total of 16 million.
For top exhibitions, last year had several blockbusters, with "The Magical World of Escher" coming out on top with 573,691 visitors. It was free at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. The most popular paid exhibition was "Kukai's World: The Art of Esoteric Buddhism" at the Tokyo National Museum with 550,399 tickets sold.
There's a lot more data in the report giving lots of insight into the booming world of major art exhibitions. It should be interesting to see what trends this year's figures show.
Photo of the Louvre courtesy Ivo Jansch.The Art Newspaper reveals most popular exhibitions and museums of 2011 originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The folks over at the Art Newspaper have just released some interesting stats about the art world of 2011. Collecting a huge amount of data from hundreds of museums and galleries, they've discovered some important trends.
First off, the big shows are getting bigger. The top ten most popular art shows back in 1996, the first year they gathered figures, averaged 3,000 visitors a day. Last year's top ten shows averaged almost 7,000 visitors a day.
For total attendance in 2011, the Louvre in Paris was way ahead with 8,880,000 visitors. Number two was the Met in New York City with slightly over 6,000,000 visitors. Paris and London dominated the top ten. Three Parisian museums made the top ten: the Louvre (#1), Centre Pompidou (#8), and Musée D'Orsay (#10), with a combined total of 15.2 million visitors. London boasts the British Museum (#3), National Gallery (#4), and Tate Modern (#5), with a combined total of 16 million.
For top exhibitions, last year had several blockbusters, with "The Magical World of Escher" coming out on top with 573,691 visitors. It was free at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. The most popular paid exhibition was "Kukai's World: The Art of Esoteric Buddhism" at the Tokyo National Museum with 550,399 tickets sold.
There's a lot more data in the report giving lots of insight into the booming world of major art exhibitions. It should be interesting to see what trends this year's figures show.
Photo of the Louvre courtesy Ivo Jansch.The Art Newspaper reveals most popular exhibitions and museums of 2011 originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Restaurant: Bistro Union, London SW4
The neighbourhood restaurant is a notoriously difficult concept to get right. Does Adam Byatt pull it off at his latest venture?The neighbourhood restaurant is a hard thing to master ? harder than it looks. Adam Byatt is a talented chef who has been on something of a journey in that respect. He mastered it with his first restaurant, Thyme, a serious eatery of about 10 years ago with one of the worst imaginable locations, on Clapham Park Road opposite the exit from Sainsbury's car park. He cooked multi-small-course menus at decent prices to happy locals, and was always busy. Then came a mistake: Byatt relocated Thyme to Covent Garden. Same food, higher prices, no more regular and local customers; this turns out not to be a formula for success. So he moved back to Clapham, to a restaurant by the common that, in its previous incarnation as The Polygon, was a strong candidate for the worst restaurant in London.I live nearby and used to give The Polygon a go at roughly one-year intervals. The last time we went, my wife took an 18-inch-long strand of hair out of her seared tuna. We looked over to the open-plan kitchen. There was a white rasta with 18-inch-long dreadlocks plating up food at the pass. We vowed never again. Then Byatt moved back to Clapham and The Polygon reopened as Trinity, and joy has been unconfined.Byatt is still cooking at Trinity, but he has now opened Bistro Union on Abbeville Road, a different take on the local restaurant. Where Trinity has tablecloths and fairly formal service (though in a friendly and informal atmosphere), Bistro Union has zinc tables and bar snacks. Trinity's is the kind of food that could (and should) have a Michelin star; Bistro Union's is the kind where the question doesn't seem relevant ? it's a place you might go for a glass of wine and a pickled quail's egg, or pork scratchings, or a fish finger sandwich, or steak and chips. They do high tea, and they do a children's meal between 5pm and 6pm: I'll be interested to see if that catches on.The chef at Bistro Union is Karl Goward, who was for some years head chef at Fergus Henderson's St John Bread & Wine in Spitalfields. That pedigree might lead you to expect an emphasis on British ingredients and recipes ? and you'd be right: that's exactly what they're doing here. The menu is a long list of things that are fun to eat, from radishes with smoked cod's roe for �3 to smoked sardines for �1.50 to ham and eggs for �6 and toad in the hole for �11.It sounds as if it should be perfect, for a neighbourhood place. It isn't yet, though, and I say that with some surprise, since Trinity is pretty much my favourite restaurant. The execution of the good ideas is competent, but not more than that. The toad in the hole, for instance, is a good quality Cumberland sausage set down on an agreeable batter in a hot skillet; that's all fine, but then a small boat of gravy is poured over, which sizzles to dramatic effect, but makes the batter soggy. Guinea fowl Kiev is a nice idea, on the basis that anything Kiev is so uncool it's swung all the way back around to being cool again. But the dish arrives as a large, sausage-shaped thing in a heavy, breaded coating, and really is so weighty that it isn't all that great to eat. Baked aubergine is served with mint and a cow's curd that, thanks to its dressing, ends up too sweet, without the cooling, sour twist you want. Chips are strong on potato flavour but a tad dry and heavy.Other dishes that have worked well: a rich, pretty and very satisfying fish pie; a dead simple but still lovely piece of bream, baked in paper and served with a fennel salad on the side (a trick there, since when you see bream and fennel on the menu, you assume they'll be cooked together); knickerbocker glory, the English apotheosis of jelly and ice-cream together, looks gorgeous and ticks all its sweet boxes. If the pace of Bistro Union were to pick up a little, and the kitchen does its best work more of the time, this place will be a real boon for its neighbourhood, but it hasn't yet hit its stride. I say again, the neighbourhood restaurant is hard.? Bistro Union, 40 Abbeville Road, London SW4, 020-7042 6400. Open all week, lunch Mon-Sat, 11am-3pm, dinner Mon-Sat, 6-10.30pm, Sun brunch 11am-4pm. Three courses with wine and service, from �40 a head.LondonUnited KingdomRestaurantsFood & drinkJohn Lanchesterguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Monday, March 26, 2012
Skier Hits Tree and Dies at Wolf Creek
Pagosa Springs, CO - A 19-year-old Kansas man collided with a tree and died while skiing at Wolf Creek Ski Area near Pagosa Springs on Saturday.
Garrett Austin Spencer, of Hesston, was a Kansas State University student. He was skiing a beginner run with friends shortly before 10 a.m. on Saturday when the incident occurred. The resort?s ski patrol evacuated Spencer to a clinic on site, where he could not be revived, according to the Mineral County coroner?s office. He was reportedly not wearing a helmet.
Saturday?s incident marked the 17th ski and snowboard fatality in Colorado but the first in-bounds death at Wolf Creek this winter. An autopsy to determine the cause of death is planned for today.
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Garrett Austin Spencer, of Hesston, was a Kansas State University student. He was skiing a beginner run with friends shortly before 10 a.m. on Saturday when the incident occurred. The resort?s ski patrol evacuated Spencer to a clinic on site, where he could not be revived, according to the Mineral County coroner?s office. He was reportedly not wearing a helmet.
Saturday?s incident marked the 17th ski and snowboard fatality in Colorado but the first in-bounds death at Wolf Creek this winter. An autopsy to determine the cause of death is planned for today.
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Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort
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Strange Planet: Air Crab
Submitted to National Geographic’s Your Shot by Leena Roy, who writes: “The shot was taken underwater at the end of a morning dive in Djibouti when the surface was flat calm.� I held my breath to avoid my air bubbles disrupting the op so the clouds could be seen.� These crabs free swim near the…
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#FriFotos: Spring Fever
This week’s�#FriFotos*�theme is�SPRING, and it’s definitely in the air. And has been for some time in many places around the world. We’re not the only ones who’ve noticed. 2012′s unusually warm weather has thrown the world’s creatures for a loop, causing bears, bats, and other hibernators to rouse early and prompting some migratory birds to…
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Tories may be on the final approach to a U-turn on Heathrow third runway
Vote blue to go green, the Tories said. But lobbyists for a third runway at Heathrow are now hoping for a policy shiftIf vote blue, go green, was the throwaway slogan that epitomised the transformation of the Conservatives into an eco-friendly party, then junking a third runway at Heathrow airport in favour of high-speed rail was the political substance behind the spin.Now, a carefully choreographed about-turn appears to be underway. Political opponents might characterise the new slogan as: Vote blue, go via a new terminal in the south-east.It began with George Osborne's last autumn statement. The chancellor signalled that new runways at Stansted and Gatwick were a possibility as he pledged the government would "explore all options for maintaining the UK's aviation hub status, with the exception of a third runway at Heathrow".According to an aviation source, the pointed reference to a third runway was agreed at the last minute between Osborne and David Cameron, with no input from the transport department.Then, 48 hours before the budget, the prime minister said he was "not blind to the need to increase airport capacity, particularly in the south-east". Osborne followed this on budget day with a pointed call to "confront" the lack of runways in the London area. The Department for Transport (DfT) said there was "no change" in the coalition's policy on a third runway. Yet this was a policy that had ruled out expansion at Stansted and Gatwick ? which were now both firmly in the "all options" camp."You can see something is shifting, you can see the shift started with Osborne's autumn statement," said the aviation source. "If you want to change a major policy pledge you want to avoid a massive, sudden U-turn. You prepare the ground for it and that's what they have been doing these past five months."Other well-placed sources believe that a debate is underway within government on whether the call for evidence on hub airports, due to be published in the summer, along with the basic outlines of a new aviation policy, will include the option of a third runway. Second runways at Gatwick and Stansted are expected to be mooted, along with a new hub airport in the Thames estuary area and improved use of regional airports.One source familiar with all the political wrangling, said that the third runway probably would be included as an option. But, the source added, don't get carried away with the nods and hints.Simon Buck, chief executive of the British Air Transport Association, which represents Heathrow airlines, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and bmi, said: "It is just premature to say that the government is changing its mind on Heathrow. I think the government doesn't know what the solution is yet. If I was a betting man I would be surprised if they did not have some sort of Heathrow option in the consultation document that they are preparing."Other options include developing nearby RAF Northolt, 13 miles away, as a Heathrow satellite.The most unlikely Tory figures are breaking ranks over Heathrow now. Tim Yeo, chair of the energy and climate change select committee, said this weekend he had "completely changed" his mind on Heathrow and that he believed now that a third runway had to be built.Prominent business figures such as Willie Walsh, chief executive of the BA parent International Airlines Group, ratcheted up their public campaign for a Heathrow U-turn as they smelled weakness in the government's position.They have argued that failure to expand Heathrow, which has all but run out of spare take-off and landing slots, would cut the UK off from expanding markets, such as China, India and Russia, and would dissuade international businesses from setting up in Britain and even nudge multinationals to leave the country."The government has found itself in a bit of a fix," said Buck. "It was very much a political decision to reverse the decision of the previous government and rule out new runways. Inevitably, the economic situation is piling the pressure on government and they are seeing a lot of pressure from people they see as Conservative party supporters."The aviation industry hopes that the government policy will not last beyond this parliament and that the Tories will campaign on new runway policy in 2015.There is even a get-out on the environmental side. The committee on climate change, the government's advisory panel on global warming, inadvertently made the case for a third runway by admitting that British airports could handle up to 140 million more passengers a year by 2050 yet still adhere to UK emissions targets.This remains heresy for many, however. Zac Goldsmith, the environmental campaigner-turned-Tory-MP, told the Guardian's Open Weekend festival that he would resign as an MP if the party did such a U-turn.The Labour party is scathing. Lord Adonis, the last transport secretary under Gordon Brown, said: "David Cameron is paying the price for playing Nimby party politics with Heathrow before the last election. It has been stark staring obvious for years that a third runway at Heathrow was in the national interest, to safeguard jobs and new investment from abroad."It is also consistent with environmental policies. But when Labour proposed this, [Cameron] took the Nimby course and is now trying to find a way out. Let's hope the economic damage is not irreparable before the government discovers a credible aviation policy."Aside from the business lobby, much of the credit for the weakening of the Tory position is due to one of the party's stars ? Boris Johnson. As London mayor Johnson has made the need for new airport capacity one of his main policy issues and, in the face of stern opposition from parliamentary colleagues at first, he has gained traction. Ever the contrarian though, on Sundayhe rejected a third runway, saying it would be an "environmental disaster". Which leaves Stansted, Gatwick, or a new site on the Thames estuary.This is all viewed with scepticism by a lauded veteran of the anti-third runway campaign ? John Stewart, chair of the HACAN campaign group that opposes expansion. He says a third runway will never happen: too many voters live under Heathrow flight paths and too many Tory MPs are implacably opposed to expansion, including the transport secretary, Justine Greening, who campaigned vociferously against a new runway as MP for Putney, London. "At the end of the day I think it is dead in the water," said Stewart.But many opponents watching the government's awkward manoeuvres will be dusting down their protest banners to prepare for another fight.Heathrow third runwayAirline industryTravel and transportLondonHeathrowAir transportConservativesTransport policyTransportDan Milmoguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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