Fri 4 Apr 2008
If your idea of roughing it is flying commercial carrier or staying in a hotel with less than four stars — or if you’re a devout fan of access to indoor plumbing — the “Not Camping” luggage tag from ModCloth is for you.
travel
Archived Posts from this Category
Tue 19 Feb 2008
Castro Resigns. Can I Have My Cigar Now?
Posted by Bill G under capitalism , cigars , culture , politics , socialism , travelNo Comments
source: AP
An ailing, 81-year-old Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s president Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he will not accept a new term when parliament meets Sunday. The end of Castro’s rule - the longest in the world for a head of government - frees his 76-year-old brother Raul to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel Castro fell ill in July 2006.
By sunrise, most people headed to work in Havana seemed to have heard the news, which they appeared to accept without obvious signs of emotion. There were no tears or smiles as Cubans went about their usual business. “He will continue to be my commander in chief, he will continue to be my president,” said Miriam, a 50-year-old boat worker waiting for the bus to Havana port. “But I’m not sad because he isn’t leaving, and after 49 years he is finally resting a bit.”
The resignation opens the path for Raul Castro’s succession to the presidency, and the full autonomy he has lacked in leading a caretaker government. The younger Castro has raised expectations among Cubans for modest economic and other reforms, stating last year that the country requires unspecified “structural changes” and acknowledging that government wages that average about $19 a month do not satisfy basic needs.
Dear Raul: Please take the hint and drop this communism business, so I can finally go to Havana and enjoy your fine cigars. Thank you.
Fri 14 Dec 2007
Venezuelan Socialist Hypocrite Really Loves Capitalism
Posted by yuppie under business , capitalism , culture , fashion , politics , shopping , socialism , travelNo Comments
This youtube video is making the rounds in Venezuela:
A video of a Gucci- and Louis Vuitton-clad politician attacking capitalism then struggling to explain how his luxurious clothes square with his socialist beliefs has become an instant YouTube hit in Venezuela.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Pedro Carreno was momentarily at a loss for words when a journalist interrupted his speech and asked if it was not contradictory to criticize capitalism while wearing Gucci shoes and a tie made by Parisian luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton.
“I don’t, uh … I … of course,” stammered Carreno on Tuesday before regaining his composure. “It’s not contradictory because I would like Venezuela to produce all this so I could buy stuff produced here instead of 95 percent of what we consume being imported.”
Riding a boom in oil prices, middle-class and wealthy Venezuelans are on a spending spree, guzzling fine whiskies and snapping up luxury cars. Poorer Venezuelans also have benefited, with subsidies driving a spike in demand for basic products.
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Sun 18 Feb 2007
Private Jets Take Over Naples This Week
Posted by alyx under business , private jets , travelNo Comments
Maybe you saw CNBC broadcasting live from the Naples Ritz-Carlton earlier this week, from the meeting of The Business Council. Naples’ NBC affiliate, NBC-2 News, reports on private jet traffic-jams (Miami suffered a similar affliction after the Super Bowl):
A group of some of the business world’s most influential multi-millionaires is causing an air traffic jam at the Naples Airport.
The group, known simply as The Business Council, is meeting in Naples this week. It’s made up of Fortune 500 leaders, but membership is by invitation only.
Because of security concerns members are sworn to secrecy and very few details about this week’s convention are public knowledge.
These powerful business leaders are traveling in style. Corporate jets have already started to arrive at the Naples Airport.
One taxiway has already been closed and converted to a jet parking lot and officials are considering doing the same thing to one of the runways.
“It’s almost exclusively the very largest of corporate aircraft and planes and it can get very difficult, from a logistics standpoint, to navigate all those planes. It takes a lot of space to park planes that size,” said Anne Elena Foster, Naples Airport.
But business leaders aren’t the only ones filling the skies over the Gulfshore. It’s a holiday weekend - President’s Day Weekend is typically one of the busiest times of the year for the Naples Airport.
The record for take offs and landings in one day at the airport is 800 and officials think that record could be broken this weekend.
“Normally it’s a heavy day. Now, we have this overlapping event,” said Foster.
Another thing adding to the traffic jam in the sky - on Friday a new airline, Yellow Air Taxi, starts flying from Naples to Key West.
Foster says it will be crowded, but she still expects everything to operate smoothly and safely.
Fri 9 Feb 2007
July 29-August 4, 2007, Cannonball Run is coming back to the US. It’s quite possibly more coast-to-coast craziness than your average person can handle, but if you’re looking for an excuse to press the pedal to the metal in that two-seater you picked up with your bonus money this year, this might be it. Drive, party, drive, party, sneak in a little sleep here and there and see how quickly you can traverse 3000 miles.
From their website:
SO WHAT IS THE GREAT AMERICAN RUN?
A driving adventure, a physical and mental challenge, a meeting of man and machine. Expect the unexpected and be prepared for an event that you will remember forever as you take on an event unlike any other. It is not a race but the rules will tax your abilities to the limit.
It doesn’t matter what you drive, a Lamborghini or Lincoln, Ferrari or Ford, Mini or Maybach – it’s not the metal that counts but the spirit you bring with it. What other events pits an F40 against a Ford F150, and all with an equal chance of winning? Only The Great American Run.
Outrageous driving machines, the very best roads and an ‘up for it’ crowd – it will be the ‘time of your life’ and you have been warned.
Visit: http://www.thegreatamericanrun.com/
And yes, it only costs $10,000.
