Wednesday, August 1, 2012

LEAVE THE CAR, TAKE THE BUS


Bus Travel Making a Big Comeback
July 29, 2012 7:12 am by Ed Perkins Today in Travel
  
Riding the bus is no longer the last travel resort for students and budget travelers. Several big bus operators are competing for a share of the mainstream travel market with improved buses and faster schedules.
The bus "renaissance" in the United States was kicked off in 2006 by Megabus, a unit of Coach USA and a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, a big British rail-and-bus operator. It follows principles evolved in the United Kingdom since 1980:

·         Buses are modern (many are double-deckers) with onboard restrooms, Wi-Fi, and power outlets.
·         Typical route patterns radiate from a major city to cities within a radius of approximately 400 miles or less. Longer routes generally operate at least twice daily (one daytime, one overnight) with higher frequencies on busy routes.
·         Stops are limited; trips typically stop at no more than three intermediate cities between terminals.
·         Schedules are fast: Megabus competes head-to-head with Amtrak on many of its routes, and it usually either meets or beats the rail schedule.
·         Fares are capacity controlled, generally starting out with at least one seat for $1, with the price for the remaining seats increasing as more and more seats are sold.

Currently, the main Megabus "hub" cities are Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. Most trips radiate from these hubs, but a few connect one hub to another.
Greyhound has also moved into this market, with a combination of upgrading, rebranding, and subsidiaries:
·         Bolt Bus, a subsidiary, operates linear routes along the busy eastern corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C., plus a new line between Portland and Vancouver.
·         Greyhound has "rebranded" some of its basic intercity product as Greyhound Express. Unlike Megabus, Greyhound Express promotes longer trips, often with connections, and operates from a combination of regional hubs in the East, Midwest, and South with a linear California route between Los Angeles and Sacramento or San Francisco.
·         Neon, another affiliate, runs a system between New York and Toronto that appears similar to Megabus.
·         As with Megabus, Greyhound's upgraded buses are equipped with onboard lavatories, Wi-Fi, power plugs, and reserved seats. Although Bolt advertises "extra legroom," it doesn't specify the seat spacing. One bulletin board, however, showed a post from a reader who measured Greyhound Express at 33- to 34-inch pitch and 18-inch width, which is actually a bit better than most economy air.

Most of the smaller bus companies that operate in the East are going for low fares. And although many offer Wi-Fi, their products seem to be low-end. One company, however, operates a truly upscale product: LimoLinerruns from Boston to New York with buses that feature wide one-by-two seating and extra legroom, along with the standard Wi-Fi. Fares, however, are quite a bit higher than on the mass-market lines, even higher than some off-peak Amtrak fares.
How do these new buses compare with flying and Amtrak? I've seen several reports, by both travel pros and individual travelers, and the consensus runs something like this:

Relax on the bus with a good book
PO Box 110, Ngatea 3541, New Zealand

Compared with Amtrak, the new upscale buses are usually cheaper, they're often as fast or faster, and they run on many routes Amtrak doesn't operate and run more often on most routes where Amtrak does. But Amtrak is much more comfortable.
Compared with flying, on the relatively short-haul routes where they operate most frequently, buses are usually much cheaper than flying and close to competitive in elapsed time when you include the hassles of getting to/from airports and security lines. Bus seating seems to be about the same as economy air, with the advantage of no middle seats. On longer trips, however, buses are a real test of endurance.
My take on the new buses is that if you're looking for minimum cost, you should give them serious consideration for a trip of less than 400 miles. But Amtrak's a lot more fun.
Peter’s Comment
Bus travel has long been due for a renaissance in many parts of the world. Buses have a flexibility that rail travel lacks and the flexibility is logistical as well as economic.
Bus operators wanting to expand their services have one huge advantage over rail operators; the roads already go everywhere, but rail operators wanting to open new routes are faced with massive costs for land and infrastructure. An operator of a new rail route can only recoup the outlay with high fares and high volume patronage, a combination that will often be self-defeating except perhaps in mega cities.
But the real opportunity for bus operators of the future will also be in the suburbs of major cities. Once again the roads go everywhere but it will become increasingly difficult, frustrating  and more costly for cars to go everywhere as buses take a larger share of the roads with exclusive lanes and exclusive roads once used by cars.
Modern buses are nothing like the unreliable, uncomfortable rattle-traps of the past. They are also efficient, adaptable to route changes, can run profitably with fewer passengers than rail services and are less likely to suffer delays.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT


Nurse on drugs charges faces execution
By Greg Ansley New Zealand Herald
5:30 AM Wednesday Aug 1, 2012
The breaking wheel was used
during the Middle Ages and
in the 19th Century


A second Australian faces possible execution in Malaysia on drug trafficking charges, adding pressure to a campaign to end capital punishment in a country that has more than 800 prisoners on death row.
Melbourne nurse Emma Louise L'aigulle, 34, is alleged to have been arrested with Nigerian Esikalam Ndidi in a car with about 1kg of methamphetamine hidden under a seat.
Possession of 50 grams or more of the drug is considered trafficking and subject to a mandatory death sentence.
In November Perth man Dominic Jude Christopher Bird, 32, will go to trial charged with offering 167 grams of methamphetamine to undercover police officers.
The possibility of further death sentences will further burden Australian diplomacy as it tries to convince Asian neighbors to end capital punishment.
The San Quentin lethal injection suite
Last month Prime Minister Julia Gillard raised the death sentences imposed on Bali Nine heroin smuggling ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The two have sought clemency from Yudhoyono, their last chance of avoiding a firing squad by having their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
But Yudhoyono has already come under criticism for his decision to reduce the 20-year sentence imposed on former Gold Coast beautician Schapelle Corby by five years, which, with two years' remission earned for good behavior, brought her release date back from 2024 to 2019.
The governor of Bali's Kerobokan jail, where Corby was imprisoned after trying to smuggle 4.2kg of cannabis into the island, has confirmed she has been recommended for a further six-month reduction as part of this month's Indonesian Independence Day celebrations.
Renae Lawrence, a former Newcastle panel beater and the only female member of the Bali Nine, has also been recommended for a six-month reduction in her 20-year sentence, following good behavior remissions of more than two years.
The appearance of L'aigulle in a Kuala Lumpur court yesterday has swung attention back to Malaysia, which has executed three Australians for drug trafficking.
The hangings of Perth men Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers in 1986, the first Westerners executed under the harsh mandatory sentences introduced in the Dangerous Drugs Act, caused a serious rift between Australia and Malaysia.
In 1993 Malaysia executed Queensland heroin trafficker Michael McAuliffe.
Although the death sentence is also imposed for murder, treason and terrorism, most prisoners facing execution have been given mandatory death sentences under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
Anti-capital-punishment activists Malaysians Against Death Penalty & Torture say 860 people are awaiting execution. Amnesty International says two people were executed and a further 324 sentenced to die between 2001 and 2011.
L'aiguille and Bird face possible execution under an act that reverses the onus of proof by requiring alleged traffickers to prove their innocence rather than the state establishing guilt.
Bird was arrested at a Kuala Lumpur coffee shop in March after allegedly offering to sell 168.7 grams of methamphetamine to undercover agents.
L'aigulle was arrested last month when detectives searched a parked car in which she was sitting and claim to have found drugs beneath a seat.
But there are indications Malaysia is rethinking its laws on capital punishment. It has appealed for mercy for one of its nationals facing execution for drug trafficking in Singapore and has been concerned by death sentences passed on more Malaysians elsewhere in Asia.
Within Malaysia, activists, including the nation's Bar Association, are calling for an end to capital punishment, senior minister Nazri Bin Abdul Aziz has supported its abolition, and the Government told the United Nations in 2009 it proposed replacing death with life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, in Sydney, federal police and customs said yesterday they had seized drugs worth A$500 million ($619.6 million) after a tip from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
The drugs, concealed in terracotta pots imported in containers through Port Botany, included 306kg of methamphetamine and 252kg of heroin.
Seven men, four from Hong Kong and three Australian residents but also Hong Kong nationals, have been charged with conspiring to import and attempted possession of the drugs.

Peter’s Comment

State killing of convicted criminals is barbaric.

It is most disturbing to note that Malaysia has a law that requires an accused to prove his innocence or face death. That law is unspeakably vile.

Throughout history almost every country has had a death penalty for a variety of crimes, but crime has never been reduced by severe punishment, or by executing criminals.

States have tried every imaginable means of execution at their disposal but the tide of crime has never been turned, except by improving socio-economic conditions.
Continued below . . .



The means of execution have included burning, boiling, crucifixion, crushing, decapitating, disembowelment, dismemberment, drawing and quartering, elephant stamping, flaying, impalement, sawing, slow slicing and stoning. But nothing ever worked they way the exponents claimed it would.

In theory severe punishment teaches a lesson and makes the offender think carefully before offending again. There are several things wrong with this theory. First, most offenders are incapable of careful, rational thought and that exactly is why they find themselves in trouble with the law in the first place. Second, if the punishment is so severe that the offender dies, then the punishment is pointless as well as useless because after death the offender feels nothing.

Some say that having a death penalty acts as a deterrent. There are several things wrong with that claim. First, a person committing, or planning, a violent crime thinks only of the crime and not at all about the likely consequences. Second, many people committing a violent crime actually welcome their own death and immediately suicide after the crime.

Then there are the really mean-spirited people who callously say that execution is better than wasting money keeping criminals in prison. But they have got their facts totally wrong. It costs more to process and execute a criminal, by millions of dollars, than it does to lock them up for a lifetime.

Eighty-eight per cent of academic criminologists say that the death penalty is not a deterrent. Unfortunately, the masses who think they know will never let the politicians do what is best and indeed many politicians make rash promises on crime reduction purely to get elected.

That has happened repeatedly in the USA. But America has executed 13,000 people since colonial times. Crime has reduced in America over a long period of time, but that has been due to better living standards rather than punishment. Meanwhile the USA remains one of 19 countries worldwide that supports the death penalty.

So to conclude, I return to my earlier statement about socio-economic conditions. The patterns are well established throughout history and clearly show that increases in crime can be directly related to levels of unemployment, financial stress, hopelessness and frustration.



Tuesday, July 31, 2012

PLANE SPOTTERS


Heathrow's Myrtle Avenue:
A plane spotter's paradise
By Andy Dangerfield BBC News, London
BBC News spent an afternoon with plane-spotters
at Mytle Avenue near Heathrow



As tens of thousands of Olympics spectators arrive in the UK via Heathrow Airport, few of them would think that they have spectators of their own.
But they do.
From a small residential road in west London, the arrivals are being closely watched and, in many cases, photographed.
Myrtle Avenue looks like your typical suburban street: pavements shaded by trees; semi-detached houses; family cars parked on driveways.
It is only when you walk to the end of the road that you notice a patch of grass where dozens of middle-aged men are sitting in a row, armed with binoculars, flasks of tea, high-frequency radios and expensive cameras.

Plane-spotters need good books 
to read while they wait
PO Box 110, Ngatea 3541, New Zealand

The conditions are ideal. The sun is shining and the grass is dry.
A rumbling noise reverberates in the distance. There is a buzz of excitement in the air.
Suddenly, a gargantuan Boeing 747 appears from behind the rooftops and flies directly overhead.
The men snap furiously on their cameras and scribble in their notepads.
Seconds later, the plane will have landed on Heathrow Airport's south runway, a few hundred meters away.
Myrtle Avenue has become a prime destination for aviation enthusiasts since the closure of the only official area in Heathrow for plane spotting.
Until 2009, aircraft lovers would congregate on the roof of the Queens Building - next to Heathrow's Terminal 2 - to watch planes take-off and land.
But the terminal was shut down two years ago, with the buildings demolished to be completely rebuilt, and since then plane spotting pilgrimages to Myrtle Avenue have been on the rise.
One of the dozens who were there on a weekend morning was Samy Mamoun, who is originally from Sudan but now lives in Golders Green, north London.
"It's a perfect place for plane spotting," he says. "We love watching the take-offs and landings.
"We look out for the types of plane - their airlines and logos. We're particularly looking out for the A340s, the A380s and Boeing 777s - all the big, heavy planes."
"And the Boeing 747 of course - she's an old lady now," he adds, with a sentimental tone.
The plane spotters deploy a multitude of tactics to identify the aircraft - they look for the type and position of their engines, the number of vapor trails they leave, and even listen to the distinctive noise the aircraft make.
Mr Mamoun has travelled far and wide to pursue his hobby. He has been to Amsterdam and Paris - and as far afield as Dubai, Addis Ababa and Cairo. More on BBC News
Peter’s Comment

Plane spotting is something I find hard to resist. Mention an international airport or an obscure country airfield to me and I’m ready to go.

I’ve watched take-offs and landings in hundreds of places including SYD, HNL, LAX, JFK, LHR, DFW and dozens of places where the three letter designators are less than famous, or non-existent. I’ve been to places where aircraft appear from behind a mountain 30 seconds before touch-down.

But at the opposite end of the world to Heathrow, my favorite spotting place is Wellington International Airport in New Zealand.

An Air New Zealand Boeing 777
touches down at Wellington International
on a nice day

Not only does WLG have a wide variety of aircraft, from home-builts to B-777s, but it has a relatively short runway with sea at both ends. Wellington International can have cross-winds and turbulence to test the most proficient pilots.

The surrounding suburbs are hilly and scenic and abound with excellent vantage points, some quite close to the action.

Wellington is one of New Zealand’s busiest airports, but amazingly it has not had an injury accident since opening in 1956, in spite of lots of Youtube close shaves.

HOW TO BEAT THE GRIM REAPER


from Hannah Peterson at Lifeinsurancequotes.org
Call them at (877) 896-2032

July 30, 2012 by Staff Writer

People are living longer, healthier lives than previous generations, which means your retirement years could last a lot longer than you think. And if you’re smart (or just lucky!), you may have figured out how you’re going to keep your finances in shape for the rest of your life. But have you thought about how you’re going to keep yourself entertained? You’ve just freed up at least 40 hours out of your week, so it’s time to find something you really enjoy. If you don’t take time to do what you love now, when will you? If you’re looking for a place to start in your quest for the perfect hobby, try one of these eight activities that retirees love.

1.   Volunteering:

After working for 40 years, retirement can sometimes make you feel like you don’t have a purpose anymore. You don’t get up and go to work every morning to make money and provide for your family, so what are you contributing? This is a hole that is easily filled by volunteering. Choose a cause you’re passionate about or one that uses skills you already have, and you can feel good about the way you spend your time in retirement. Check community bulletin boards, ask around at your church, or search the web for organizations looking for help.

2.   Gardening:

You’re probably spending a lot more time at home now (unless you’re one of those RV-ing retirees), so it makes sense to beautify your property as much as possible. Whether you want to strive for a prize-winning rose garden, want to give your house some curb appeal, or have the desire to grow your own vegetables, gardening can be enjoyable, fulfilling work. You’ll have to get your hands a little dirty, but the end result will pay off.

3.   Beer brewing:

If you can grow your own vegetables, why not also make your own beer? Beer brewing is easy; you can start small with a kit purchased online and work your way up to bigger, better equipment as you get the hang of it. You can try your hand at different stouts, ales, and lagers, and share the rewards of your hobby with friends as you sit around talking about how awesome retirement is. And don’t worry about overdoing it; you don’t have to get up for work in the morning!

4.   Art:

Many retirees, particularly those who just finished working very structured jobs, see the coming years as the perfect time to flex their creative muscles. There’s no more worrying about profit margins, uptight bosses, or whether your time would be better spent advancing your career, so let your imagination run wild. Sign up for painting classes, get a sketchbook, or find a pottery wheel and put your hands in some clay. It’ll help you relax, even if you’re not any good!

5.   Writing:

This one’s another creative endeavor, which can be perfect for anyone if you choose the right writing project. Many retirees, for example, might enjoy writing their memoirs now that they have time to reflect on their lives. Even if you have no intention of getting it published, your memoirs can be a great gift to leave behind to your children and grandchildren. It could even end up being passed from generation to generation. Poetry, short stories, and research-heavy non-fiction can also be great side projects to consider.

6.   Woodworking:

Though you need some equipment to get started, woodworking is a favorite among retired people who are handy with a hammer. You can make furniture and dozens of other home accents using your favorite wood, and give the extras to family and friends. If you’re just getting started, get to know the guys at your local lumberyard, and make sure you have a few essentials, like a circular saw, a power drill, a jigsaw, and a sander. Some communities even have woodworking clubs you can join so you can share equipment and stories over the buzz of your scroll saws.

7.   Puzzles:

Puzzles, like crosswords, Sudoku, and any kind of brain teasers, are a great idea for retirees. You’ve got a lot of life left in you, so it’s important to keep your mind sharp for your next 20, 30, or even 40 years. These types of puzzles have been shown to stave off Alzheimer’s, and the earlier you start, the better for your brain. If you get really good, you could even compete in theAmerican Crossword Puzzle Tournament with the fastest puzzle-solvers around.

8.   Exercise:

For those of you who kept putting exercise off because you were too busy, you’re out of excuses now. This is the time to find an exercise that you actually enjoy and stick with it. Don’t get discouraged if you try a few activities and still don’t like them. There’s something out there for you that will keep you active for years to come. Try bicycling, swimming, golf, or an aerobics class for starters.

Peter’s Comment

I’m actively involved with at least half of the above hobbies, and several hobbies not listed, as well as working part-time. I could say beer making is a hobby too, but I only help drink it occasionally. At seventy-five I feel good enough for another seventy-five years.

To the above hobbies can be added reading. Don't forget reading.

Reading gives the body a rest 
and keeps the brain alive
Great reading is available from

PO Box 110, Ngatea 3541, New Zealand


SCHOOL WRITING CLUB


Authors in the making at Ngatea 
Primary School in New Zealand


The Ngatea Writing Club at work

The children of Ngatea, New Zealand, have been busy members of their own writing club. One day each week they give up part of their lunch-time to develop their writing skills. Their ambition is to become published authors. 

Below I've posted three of their fictional stories, each with just a little editing and I think they are pretty good. 






The Blue Duck
The Blue Duck
By Gabrielle Leonard-Hansby

The Blue Duck is a dark slate-grey with a chestnut-flecked breast and a paler bill and eye. The pinkish-white bill has fleshy flaps of skin hanging from the sides of its tip. The male's call is an aspirated whistle, and the female's is a ratling growl. It is born with a green beak for just 8 hours after birth; where it then develops to its final colour. The Whio lives in fast running water. it loves fast flowing mountain rivers.

My name is Peeky and I’m a Blue Duck, or Whio.
On a nice sunny morning I was out in the sun looking for some food to eat as I was very hungry and hadn't eaten for a day and a half.
Then I saw the ultimate danger.
It was a red wolf and I tried to fly, but I couldn't get away quickly enough. It got closer and closer and I was getting slower and slower. I was heading for the river and just before I stepped into the water to drift downstream everything stopped. The wolf had got me in its meat-eating mouth.
A hunter came and I heard a very loud noise and then the wolf fell over dead.
I struggled to free myself, but I was trapped. The hunter picked the wolf up, let me go free and he took the wolf away with him. Thank god for that.
I was to live another day.


Restless Spirit
by Isabella Machiavelle

Jake screamed and fainted as if a ghost was there, but there in front of my eyes was a transparent ghost.
The ghost it looked like a thin white sheet that was hovering in front of the stable door. What was it, or who was it? I desperately wondered. Why was it the first time I had seen it on my farm? I had been living there for 6 weeks. This is where the mystery began.
Jake woke up again from being unconscious for five minutes. He froze. The ghost had not moved from the first spot we had seen it.
It was as though it was trying to tell us something, something  we couldn't understand.
Was it telling us something was going on in the stalls that we didn't know about? Or was it taunting and teasing us? This we did not know.
By now most people would have run for the hills but we were too scared to move so we stayed put, staring at this mysterious creature.
It was somehow staring back.
Finally I drew up the courage to talk.  
“What are you who are you what do you want?” I asked desperately as it continued staring, mainly at me.
It finally moved, not slowly, but fast.
I thought it was still around somewhere, perhaps behind something, but we could not see it.
Later, at 10pm,  six hours after we had our first sighting of the restless spirit, we were still silent, jumping when we heard a sound.
Jake came out of the kitchen and said he had called the cops and they didn't believe him. Who would believe an eighteen year old boy after so many prank calls by other teenagers?
The ghost was around again in front of the tv. It was staring not at me, but at Jake, telling him to shut up and not to tell anyone.
Two sightings in one day. Was this ghost telling us something? Something must have happened in this house long ago, but what was it?
Why was there no warnings from the agency and nothing in the newspaper?
Were we the only ones who knew that the ghost existed?
The ghost was moving closer and closer to Jake, but it stopped and turned at the sound of my horse screeching in a way I had never heard before. It was as though there was another ghost in the stalls harrasing the stock.
The ghost quickly scampered away into the darkness.



Rainy Days
by Kaylah Hood

I look out through the creaking window, hoping to play outside. I look down and see that big puddles are forming below.
“Oh, I can’t play outside today,” I say with disappointment.
I look around my dusty room, puzzled and trying to find something to do. After a while I decided to rearrange my room.
I started off with moving my mirror, but stopped when I saw a portal or huge hole in the wall.
I look around the room to find the things I could use I grab my pillow, blanket, teddy, story book, flashlight, food, clothes and my Nana’s lucky charm that she had given to me just before she died.
The police thought she had killed herself, but I thought otherwise!
         
I wrote this note to tell where I was going:

Dear whoever is reading this,

     I have gone on a journey to another universe. I won’t be long.
 
Yours Sincerely
Rosey Diamond

I then place it upon my pillow and walk away heading toward the portal.

ROAD TRAIN AUSTRALIA


A hill in the life of an Australian
road train driver
From Derek Hebberd in Western Australia


Derek Hebberd training to be a snake catcher


“Lester and I doing a run from Perth, Western Australia to Tom Price (1,300 kilometers along the Great Northern Highway) with a triple road train. The hill in the video has an eight degree gradient and if you miss a gear change and have to stop, you have to break up the road train to get started again. But, with Lester driving we got over the hill with no problems.”

Click the link for the video:




More trucking action and adventure in
Highway America
by Peter Blakeborough
Available from

PO Box 110, Ngatea 3541, New Zealand

BEYOND THE SEAS

This is my latest historical novel  Beyond the Seas When twelve-year-old orphan Nathaniel Asker is shipped from the back alleys of London to...