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Photo of the Day: Mountains of Morocco
Taken from a gite in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco -- what a view!
We'd love to feature your photos and videos on Gadling, so please add them to our Flickr Pool (with Creative Commons licensing!), tag @GadlingTravel on Instagram or email us at OfTheDay@gadling.com.
Fashion Do's And Don'ts From The TSA
When talking about airport security, we generally focus on what travelers are carrying, not what they're wearing. But thanks to the TSA recently cracking down on passengers' fashion choices, style is now a part of the airport security conversation. Forget regulations on liquids or weapons: the TSA's new security threat is clothing, accessories and hairdos, or so they seem to think.
On July 16th, a TSA spokeswoman tweeted a photo of black pumps that had small replica guns as heels. The shoes were confiscated by the TSA at New York's Laguardia Airport despite the fact that they could have been easily verified as non-weapons. Also in the tweeted photograph was a black belt lined with mock silver bullets. While mock weapons aren't ever supposed to be admitted on planes, I have to wonder: how far does that regulation extend? Would a charm bracelet with a mock handgun be permitted?
The TSA's fashion crackdown has also come to include dreadlocks. Numerous reports have surfaced involving hair searches if the passenger sports dreads. Other style conflicts include an instance in which a male TSA officer recently told a 15-year-old traveler to cover herself in a criticism of her tank top, leggings and button-down shirt (not that it matters; it's not appropriate for a TSA officer to remark on the perceived modesty or lack thereof in regard to passenger clothing).
How To Avoid Getting Attacked By A Mockingbird
Reports of mockingbirds attacking people who were walking through Transmitter Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn started coming in over the last couple of weeks, but mockingbird attacks aren't limited to New York City. That's because mockingbird attacks aren't contingent on a specific location but are instead determined by the time of the year and the creatures within closest proximity to the nest. Mockingbirds breed during the spring and early summer months and they defend their nests vigorously during this time.
A 2009 study published in Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences described the ability mockingbirds possess to recognize individual features of humans as well as other species. Individuals who come too close to a mockingbird nest are subject to an attack within a couple days should they continue frequenting the area, according to the study. The best way to avoid a mockingbird attack? Never get too close to a mockingbird nest.
Movie Questions SeaWorld's Animal Capitivity Practices
A vacation to SeaWorld may not seem as innocent as it once may have with the release of 'Blackfish.' The documentary explores the case of Tilikum, an orca who killed three people in 2010, while also providing context and information on captive whales in general. Now that the movie is being screened to the public, the reviews are in, as well as the tweets:
'Blackfish': A Vital Look at Orcas in Captivity http://t.co/8GlqZ3Cq26
- Village Voice (@villagevoice) July 18, 2013
"In the wild, there's not 1 recorded incident of a fatal orca attack on a human." @VillageVoice looks @BlackfishMovie http://t.co/BAeKOK029W
- SundanceFilmFestival (@sundancefest) July 17, 2013
Only movie I want to go see this week: Blackfish. Watch out, Sea World. We are on to you. http://t.co/pzzfRXZ8CP
- olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) July 17, 2013
Why Do Bees Swarm Airports?
A swarm of bees kept US Airways Flight 2690 grounded at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport yesterday afternoon for over two hours. The plane, which was heading to Indianapolis, was unable to take off when the swarm surrounded the nose of the plane. Since some people on board were allergic to bees, the passengers were kept on the plane to avoid contact with the insects. A beekeeper was called in to dissolve the dilemma -- an appropriate response to a situation like this since honeybees, which are becoming rapidly endangered, play an instrumental role in agriculture. But this isn't the first time bees have affected air travel, nor will it be the last.
'Soccer Ball-Sized' Swarm Of Bees Disrupts Flight
A "soccer ball-sized" swarm of bees descended upon workers towing Flight 2690 from the gate, causing them to hastily retreat. Passengers on the Indianapolis-bound plane had no idea what was happening until the pilot announced over the intercom that the jet was under attack from the winged insects. No bees managed to make it into the aircraft.
Help arrived a short time later in the form of beekeeper Jimmy Odom, who drove the bees and their queen away from the runway. Odom said the bees were docile and merely looking for a new place to hang their hive.
The 1:15 p.m. flight, which had already been delayed 30 minutes for an unrelated mechanical issue, finally took off around 4 p.m. It's not known if any passengers were stung by missed connecting flights.
Flight 2690's misfortune was just one of the mishaps happening at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport that day. A plane flying to Rome from the airport was rerouted to Philadelphia after mechanical issues popped up above the Atlantic Ocean. And earlier in the day, a moving walkway caught fire in one of the concourses, forcing an evacuation of the smoke-filled terminal.
City of Angels To Become Cycling Destination?
Plans are now underway to create a continuous greenway and bike path along all 51 miles of the Los Angeles River, stretching from San Fernando Valley all the way to Long Beach. With 26 miles of the current path already connected, officials hope to add an additional 25 miles by the end of the decade.
Greenway 2020 officials hope the revitalized riverfront will lead to a bike-commuting and outdoor recreation boom.
"The Greenway is a new way of living for Los Angeles, connecting our beautiful neighborhoods, connecting our natural landscapes, and connecting to one another," the group's website reads. "Instead of crowded streets and honking horns on your morning commute, imagine chirping birds, flowing water and numerous coffee shops along the way to work."
NBC Universal and Universal Studios Hollywood recently committed to donating $13 million for a 7-mile path extension from Griffith Park Zoo to Lankershim Boulevard by 2016.
Los Angeles' plan comes on the heels of Indianapolis' successful completion of its $62 million Cultural Trail earlier this year and could eventually become a larger version of San Antonio's famous Riverwalk path system.
Train Crash Kills Dozens In Spain
A train carrying more than 200 hundred passengers crashed outside of the northern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela Wednesday evening.
Reuters reports that at least 77 people are dead and 131 have been injured.
The government said it was working on the assumption the derailment, which occurred on the eve of the city's main religious festival, was an accident.
Sabotage or attack was unlikely to be involved, an official source said, though the devastation will have stirred memories of a train bombing in Madrid in 2004, carried out by Islamist extremists, that killed 191 people.
Read the rest of the story at the Huffington Post.
Weiner Sexts Lead To Airline Fare Sale
Spirit Airlines took advantage of the New York City mayoral candidate's rising scandal with "The Weiner Rises Again" special on its website. Shortly after Weiner's press conference, a mustachioed hot dog named Carlos Danger appeared on the airline's website, offering $24 off flights to Cancun or Los Cabos.
This isn't the first time Spirit has won some free publicity on the back of a Weiner bone-headed blunder. In 2011, the airline touted their fares as "too hard to resist" after news of his original sexting scandal broke. Spirit has also taken advantage of scandals involving Tiger Woods, Charlie Sheen, Arnold Schwarzenneger and former Chicago mayor Rod Blagojevich.
If you want to take advantage of Spirit's latest fare sale, flights must be booked by the end of the day, Friday, July 26. If you're hoping to get a cheap flight to Minnesota, hope someone discovers nude selfies of Garrison Keillor soon.
Visiting A Working Silver Mine In Potosi, Bolivia
Despite its abundance of precious metals and other minerals, however, Bolivia remains the poorest country in South America. The remote, southwestern department of Potosi is among Bolivia's most poverty-stricken. The high-altitude city of the same name (elevation 13,420 feet) was founded by the Spanish in 1545, and ironically remains a rich source of silver, lead, copper and zinc. Recently, large reserves of lithium have also been discovered in the region.
Although poor, Potosi has remained a stunning colonial jewel, and intrepid tourists come to admire its lovely buildings and narrow, cobbled streets.The ornate colonial buildings are painted in faded pastels. There's a bustling mercado, and a handful of restaurants and shops showcasing local handicrafts (silver jewelry, mostly) form the basis of the centro. It's an exceedingly pleasant place to while away a day or two.
Potosi is also a magnet for adventure travelers, who come to tour the working silver mines of Cerro Rico ("rich hill"). A massive, barren red hump of a mountain looming over the town, Cerro Rico is the main mining center, containing roughly 650 entrances to the various cooperative mines. The co-ops provide little benefit to the miners, even in the case of accidental death or work-related disease. The average lifespan for a miner is 10-15 years; most die from silicosis pneumonia. Cerro Rico is also in a slow state of collapse, due to overmining. Despite the risks, it's believed that half of Potosi's population of over 2,600 (mostly Quechua) work in the mining industry. The miners may not be getting rich, but let's just say I saw a lot of spanking new Hummers rolling around those cobbled streets.