Archive for the 'Travel' Category

In The Metroplex

Friday, September 9th, 2005

I arrived in Dallas last evening. Have to thank Travelocity.com for a great last minute airfare here on Midwest Express Airlines. My friends here say that besides the shelters many of the hotels in the Dallas Metroplex area are still full of evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi. Apparently the Red Cross is helping with the costs of staying at hotels, etc but it remains to be seen how long some will have to be there or allowed to stay there. Many local churches are taking meals on a daily basis to those in hotels.

I have a variety of opportunities to volunteer today, but awaiting confirmation of them. On the other hand, I confirmed I will be working at a Katrina evacuee shelter on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in McKinney, Texas which is a north suburb of Dallas.

Please donate money and/or volunteer with these or other relief organizations:

Salvation Army

Samaritan’s Purse

Red Cross

Serving Others, Travel | Comments (0)

Grand Canyon Though Glass

Saturday, August 27th, 2005

Check out this brief article about an American Indian tribe that has plans to install a glass bottomed walkway jutting out over the edge of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Great idea and the next time I’m in the area, this would be fun to walk on and look about a mile straight down. Yeah it’s a tourist trap, but clever one.

Travel | Comments (0)

Reduced Security Hassles?

Wednesday, August 17th, 2005

An article I read this past weekend about the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) discussing proposed changes to their policies was one of those “Give me a break” moments.

Most of the proposals to make things “easier” on travelers are frankly foolish and dangerous. For example: “lift the ban on carrying razorblades and small knives” and “allow scissors, ice picks and bows and arrows on flights”. This is completely ignorant and insane! Why in the world would they now allow similar types of objects that the evil terrorists used to take over the airplanes on September 11th?

As the 4th anniversary of that horrible day approaches, have they forgotten why they made all the changes to being with? I travel several times a year and I know many others who travel much more than that. They, as well as most people I encounter in airports know the restrictions on what is carried-on are many and I don\’d5t hear too many complain about it. It’s understood and makes sense.

Seems like they want to change things that should not change and remain the status quo for obvious changes needed. Case in point, another article reports babies, yes babies, are being denied boarding on flights because their name is exactly the same or similar to names on a terrorist watch list. Come on TSA! Get it together!

We all want to be secure and appreciate what they do, but this is an example of something that seems a bit ridiculous. At least the aforementioned “proposals” and are not implemented yet. I sincerely hope they won’t be.

News, Soapbox, Travel | Comments (0)