Gambler Says Casino Ejection Stinks

A Brooklyn man who played poker at the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City for 17 hours has filed a complaint for being ejected from the casino after other patrons complained about his body odor. Michael Wax, a 54-year-old limousine company owner, complained to the Casino Control Commission after the incident on Tuesday. His complaint will be reviewed to determine whether any gaming laws or regulations were violated, said a commission spokesman on Wednesday.

Wax said a poker room manager told him to leave the casino after he stepped away from the poker table for a bathroom break. The 440 pound man allegedly told casino officials, “There’s no question I stink. I’m not denying it. I do have an odor. I’ve been playing for 17 hours.” Wax said the casino rejected his request to freshen up in a free room. He left the casino and immediately filed the complaint saying his treatment was unacceptable. Casino spokesman Dave Coskey says the Borgata does not comment on matters involving its customers. (Gaming Alerts)

More Hotels Dumping Phone Books

The number of hotel guests using phone books has decreased to the point where many properties are no longer placing them in guest rooms. Many travelers now use the Internet on their laptop computers, cell phones and BlackBerrys to obtain the information.

Omni Hotels, for example, announced yesterday it will eliminate phone books in its 45 hotels. Their current stock of 30,000 phone books will be recycled. "We found that that no one uses them anymore," spokeswoman Caryn Kboudi says. "They just collect dust and take up drawer space." Hyatt Hotels, Hyatt Place, Kimpton Hotels and several chains operated by Starwood Hotels — Westin, Sheraton, Aloft and Element — no longer place phone books in their guest rooms, although they are available for guests at the front desks. Hilton and InterContinental Hotels' Indigo leave the decision to individual hotel owners.

Phone books and Bible have been staples at hotels for years, but hotels have recently become more aggressive about not placing them in every room. Logo towels, shoehorns and toilet seat sanitation bands have also largely disappeared. (USA Today)

Beijing Offers Olympic Fashion Tips

Chinese authorities have handed out etiquette booklets to 4 million households ahead of the Summer Olympics that begin August 8. The booklets offer fashion advice and other information including how to stand.

The etiquette book is part of a slew of admonitions on manners, says Zheng Mojie, deputy director of the Office of Capital Spiritual Civilization Construction Commission. "The level of civility of the whole city has improved and a sound cultural and social environment has been assured for the success of the Beijing Olympic Games." The booklet says there should be no more than three color groups in your clothing, and wearing pyjamas and slippers to visit neighbours, as some elderly Beijing residents like to do, is also frowned upon. It recommends dark-colored socks and says white socks should never be worn with black leather shoes.

In the last few years the government has educated people on how to prepare for the Olympics under the slogan, "I participate, I contribute, I enjoy." Measures such as a ban on spitting and the introduction of a day to show a little more patience in lines - the 11th of each month - have paid off, Zheng said. Campaigns involving nearly a million volunteers have been launched to give etiquette tips at schools, universities and government offices. "Such campaigns and educational activities are now gradually improving the lives of Beijingers, for example now you'll find more smiling faces and people are more properly and elegantly dressed," says Zheng.

Other advise from the booklet: There should be no public displays of affection. Feet should be slightly apart or in the shape of a V or Y when standing. A handshake should not last more than three seconds. Never ask foreigners their age, marital status, income, past experience, address, personal life, religious belief or political belief. (AP)

Dunkin' Donuts Adding Healthy Selections

Dunkin' Donuts, the chain famous for its jelly filled doughnuts with icing on top or covered in chocolate sprinkles, is introducing a new healthy menu. The so-called DDSmart menu will be introduced on August 6. It doesn't include any doughnuts.

DDSmart will include all current and new items that either have 25 percent fewer calories, sugar, fat or sodium than comparable products or contain ingredients that are "nutritionally beneficial." The new fare includes an egg white veggie flatbread sandwich that has 15% less sugar, fat, saturated fat, salt and calories than the sausage, egg and cheese croissant on the current menu. The sandwich has 290 calories and contains 9 grams of fat, or 14% of the daily allowance, and 680 milligrams of salt, which is 28% of the daily allowance.

Other new items on the DDSmart menu will be a reduced-fat blueberry muffin and a multigrain bagel. "We're staying very true to our brand and very true to our heritage," says CEO Stan Frankenthaler. "We're just growing and evolving." (AP)

Starbucks Posts Loss After "Black Tuesday"

Starbucks posted their third quarter results today, a net loss of $6.7 million or a loss of a penny per share, down from a profit of $158.3 million, or 21 cents, a year ago. Revenue for the three months ended June 30 rose 9.1% to $2.57 billion from $2.36 billion a year ago. The company said it earned 18 cents per share once the costs for restructuring and closing stores are excluded.

The company, which previously announced plans to close more than 600 stores in the U.S. and 61 in Australia, said Tuesday it is also cutting almost 1,000 office jobs as part of its bid to re-energize the brand and boost profits. Of the new cuts, 550 of the positions are layoffs and the rest are unfilled jobs. Starbucks employees on message boards were calling yesterday "Black Tuesday." For company investors, the store closures and layoffs offer some hope that the chain's declining traffic, profit and stock price may all rise again. But many Starbucks employees say the company is hurting its workers and customers to save its stock price. Starbucks shares have sunk 47 percent in the past year.

Analysts say the closures and cuts will let Starbucks focus on increasing sales at its remaining stores and selling new products including two varieties of a new smoothie drink, called Vivanno, a new energy drink and changes to its warm breakfast sandwiches. (AP)

Survey: Hotel Guest Satisfaction Down

J.D. Power and Associates has released their 12th annual survey of hotel guests has found that overall guest satisfaction has dropped in all categories except luxury and extended-stay. Hotels were rated in seven key customer satisfaction areas (reservations, check-in/check-out, services, facilities, guestroom, fees, and food and beverage) across six hotel segments (luxury, upscale, mid-scale full service, mid-scale limited service, economy/budget and extended stay). The number one problem reported was noise while maintenance was number two.

More than 53,000 people who stayed at a hotel in the last year were surveyed. Problems with room maintenance (physical condition of the room and whether things are in working order) were worse in all segments of the industry. Guests at extended-stay hotels reported the most issues with Internet service. Those who stayed at luxury lodgings were most irked by parking fees. For the first time in the past year, more than half of guests made reservations online.

The hotels rated the best in each category were:

• Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton
• Upscale: Embassy Suites Hotels
• Mid-Scale Full Service: Hyatt Place
• Mid-Scale Limited Service: Drury Inn & Suites
• Economy/Budget: Microtel Inns & Suites
• Extended Stay: Homewood Suites

(JD Power)

Tourism Rises Globally, But Not to U.S.

International travelers worldwide have increased by 35 million since 2000, yet America has been largely overlooked despite favorable exchange rates. The annual number of foreign visitors to the U.S. is about 2 million lower now than in 2000, resulting in an estimated hit to the American economy of about $150 billion.

Some specific examples: foreign travel to the U.S. between 2000 to 2008 dropped 25% in Boston, 27% in Las Vegas, 29% in Los Angeles and 32% in Atlanta. Even the cities hosting Disney parks have seen a fall off: 34% fewer visitors to Orlando and 39% fewer to Anaheim.

A big part of the problem is an arduous visa process. For example, visa applicants from China, a huge potential market, must first get to a U.S. Embassy or a city with a U.S. consulate, wait in a long line, pay a $100 application fee and give a full accounting of all financial assets. The applicant must then return to the embassy or consulate for a two-minute interview that results in approval or rejection. Additonally, there's also a general perception in the world of an unwelcoming America.

The government is trying to improve the process, but the U.S. is still the only developed country that doesn't have a campaign to promote American travel to foreigners. "As a country we've had this ... arrogance that people will struggle to get here, while other countries have to promote themselves," says Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association in Arlington, Virginia.

Some in Congress are working to change this. More than 40 senators and 200 House members are cosponsoring a "travel promotion act" that would create a $200 million program to communicate U.S. security and entry policies to foreigners while promoting America as a travel destination. (Christian Science Monitor)

Angry Passengers Riot at Chinese Airport

Air rage isn't unique to the U.S. Scores of Chinese air passengers smashed computers and offices, and clashed with police Tuesday after a night stranded at an airport without accommodations. More than 170 passengers were due to leave Kunming, capital of southwestern Yunnan province, on three flights operated by China Southern Airlines late Monday, but the flights were cancelled due to bad weather. "All the passengers had to spend the night on the planes or in the departure hall," the Xinhua news agency said. "No one came to tend to their food and board."

Xinhua blamed the brouhaha on China Southern staff's "inappropriate working attitude." At around 2 a.m., many of the passengers, including toddlers and people over 60, took taxis to a hotel where China Southern said they could stay, only to be turned away once they arrived. The passengers demanded an apology the next morning and the exact times for the rescheduled flights. More than 80 passengers accepted China Southern's $14.70 compensation and chose to fly on other airlines. However more than 40 passengers refused to board their flights until they obtained a more satisfactory response from the airline. They asked China Southern to pay compensation up to $150 each and publish a formal apology.

Frustration at delays and cancellations have at times boiled over into violence at Chinese airports as passengers try to storm grounded aircraft and police are brought in to keep the peace. There have also been cases in which passengers, after delayed arrivals, have refused to get off the planes in protest. (Shanghai Daily)

Americans Hit the Brakes in May

The Transportation Department said on Monday that the number of highway miles driven during May dropped by a record 3.7 percent from the same period last year. That equates to 9.6 billion fewer miles traveled, the biggest drop ever for any May when traffic usually increases due to the Memorial Day holiday and the beginning of summer vacations. Vehicle miles traveled this May were at their lowest level since 2003.

During the first five months of this year, highway travel was down 29.8 billion miles, or 2.4 percent, from the first five months in 2007. "The decline in American driving is deepening," said Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. Three of the biggest monthly declines in highway travel, each more than 9 billion miles, have occurred since December. The last time the U.S. had a big falloff in highway travel was in 1979 when pump prices spiked following the revolution in Iran. However, Peters said this time the driving decline was much longer and more severe.

Fuel costs were cited as the primary reason for the decline. The downside of the drop in automobile travel is less money going into the government's highway trust fund, which helps pay for road projects. Revenue for the fund is off $1.5 billion. (AFP)

Starbucks Closing Most Stores in Australia

Coffee chain Starbucks announced Tuesday it would shut down most of its Australian stores within a week. The company said it would close 61 "underperforming" stores from a total 84 in Australia because it was refocusing on the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and surrounding areas.

"This decision will result in the closure of 61 underperforming locations throughout the country by August 3," the company said. Media reports estimate the number of lost jobs will be about 685. Earlier in July, Starbucks announced the closuure of 600 stores in the U.S. in response to a slowdown in the American economy, where high fuel prices and a credit crunch are forcing consumers to tighten their belts.

Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz said the firm had developed a transformation plan in January that led to the "difficult but necessary" decision to close stores in Australia. He said in a statement the decision to shut the stores reflected problems specific to the country and did not reflect "the strong state of Starbucks business in countries outside of the United States." He added, "There are no other international markets that need to be addressed in this manner."

There are also rumors of corporate layoffs at the company. An anonymous poster on the site starbucksgossip.com wrote Monday that "mass layoffs of district managers and regional directors are happening today in the U.S." Another person wrote anonymously, "I was a regional coordinator and I had the dreaded meeting with my director this morning. The regional director level got the axe last week, today is support staff, and I'm told tomorrow is the district managers. At least where I am. Our regional office is also closing."

Starbucks is scheduled to release its third-quarter financial results tomorrow. Last quarter the firm's profits had fallen 28 percent. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Eel Drink a Big Hit in Japan

It's hot in Japan this time of year, so the folks there are cooling off with the newest bottled drink. It's called "Unagi Nobori," or "Surging Eel," made by Japan Tobacco Inc. The drink hit the nation's stores this month just ahead of Japan's annual eel-eating season, says company spokesman Kazunori Hayashi. "It's mainly for men who are exhausted by the summer's heat."

Unagi Nobori is thought to be the first mass-produced eel drink in Japan. Many Japanese believe eating eel boosts stamina in hot weather. The fizzy, yellow-colored drink contains extracts from the head and bones of eel and provides five vitamins: A, B1, B2, D and E.

Demand for eel is so high that Japan has been hit by scores of eel fraud cases, including a recent high-profile incident in which a government ministry publicly scolded two companies for mislabeling eel imported from China as being domestically grown. The eel involved in recent scandals was prepared in a popular "kaba-yaki" style, in which it is broiled and covered with a sweet sauce. The $1.30 drink costs about one-tenth as much as broiled eel, but has a similar flavor. (Sky News)

Deadly Weekend at NYC Beaches

Four swimmers drowned and three are missing after a weekend of rough seas around New York City. Akira Johnson, age 10, vanished Saturday while swimming off Coney Island with her cousin, Tyriek Currie, also age 10. Tyriek was rescued by lifeguards. The search for Akira was suspended Sunday affternoon pending further developments, according to Coast Guard Cmdr. Gregory Hitchen.

Two died and one disappeared on Long Beach. A 29 year old man drowned while swimming there on Saturday and two teenagers were caught in a riptide on Friday. One body was found, but the other, an 18 year old, is still missing. The Coast Guard has called off the search. Long Beach is on Long Island, east of New York City.

A 42 year old man died Sunday while swimming at a beach near East Quogue on Long Island, according to Southampton town police. Another man, Gardy Pierre, 25, drowned a day earlier at Sand Bar Beach in Southampton on Long Island's East End, according to a police report.

The spate of deaths is being blamed on a storm system that created 8 foot waves and powerful rip currents. A Long Island policeman, Bruce Meyer, said he "cannot recall there ever being back-to-back situations like this." This year's death toll on New York City beaches is much higher compared to last summer when the ocean claimed only one victim, according to the Parks Department. (AFP)

Airlines Warn of Dangerous, Phony Emails

Northwest Airlines, Midwest Airlines and Delta are all warning customers about phony email ticket confirmations being sent out using the airlines' names. Northwest and Midwest said the emails thank recipients for using the "Buy flight ticket Online" service, provide an account number and password, and indicate a credit-card charge. The emails apparently contain spelling and grammatical errors.

Northwest said an attachment that's supposed to be the invoice and ticket is thought to contain a virus that infects the user's computer once it is opened. Midwest urged recipients to delete the email without opening the attachment and check with their credit-card companies to make sure no charge has been made on their card.

"If the format doesn't look familiar to you, and you have not recently purchased a ticket, do not open the attachment," said Al Lenza, Northwest's vice president of e-commerce. Midwest said its corporate security and information technology departments are investigating.

Delta Air Lines also says fraudulent emails have been received by its customers. The airline said it doesn't believe any personal information provided to it by its passengers was used to generate the phony emails. They also urged customers to delete the messages. (KSAX)

Drunken Women Disrupt XL Airways Flight

Two British women caused panic on an XL Airways flight from Greece to Manchester, England, last Friday when they attacked cabin staff with a vodka bottle and fought to open an emergency exit at 30,000 feet. One of the woman was screaming, "I want some fresh air!"

The drunken pair had to be restrained with plastic handcuffs as astonished passengers looked on. The chartered Boeing 737 from the Greek island of Kos was forced to make an emergency landing in Germany where heavily armed police hauled the women, aged 26 and 27, away to the cheers of other travellers.

Both women were refused alcohol on the flight because they were drunk. One of them then took a bottle of vodka from her hand luggage and began fighting with the flight attendants. "It was a hell of a scene," said one passenger. "It was a nightmare. The crew were brilliant, wrestling them to the ground and slapping plastic cuffs on them." One attendant said the women were "very abusive and threatening."

As a safety precaution, the pilot put out a Mayday alert and diverted to Frankfurt-Main airport in Germany. The plane was on the ground there for 2 hours. Both women were allowed to return to the UK where police will decide whether to press charges including attempted assault and violating air traffic regulations. (Sky News)

Investigators Inspect Damaged Qantas Jet

Australian investigators have begun examining the damaged Qantas plane that made an emergency landing in Manila yesterday. Peter Gibson, spokesman for Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, said, "It's clearly an extremely rare and unusual event that a hole opens up in the fuselage. I know there's a number of theories around, but they're just that at this stage, they're just theories. We don't have the solid facts."

One working theory is that the aircraft may have been damaged by a pressurised container exploding in the luggage hold, or from a broken panel coming loose on the fuselage. But in February there were postings on an online aviation forum referring to corrosion being found during a maintenance check on the aircraft, a 17-year-old Qantas Boeing 747. An Australian newspaper reported that a large amount of corrosion had been found during a refurbishment earlier this year under the headline "Rust bucket". Speculation that rust contributed to the accident was dismissed by a spokesman for Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

Passengers heard an 'almighty bang' just after they were served dinner. The jet made an emergency descent as oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and mist filled the cabin. It was an hour before the aircraft with 346 passengers and 19 crew was able to land. There were no injuries suffered by those on board. Qantas Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon said that he was "horrified" after seeing pictures of the aircraft's gaping hole. Initial reports that a bomb may have been placed on board have been dismissed by airport authorities. (AP)

Beijing Hotels Cut Rates 30 to 50 Percent

Hotels in Beijing are reportedly cutting their rates by 30 to 50 percent due to lower than expected demand for rooms for the Olympic Games. Average room prices in three-star hotels are down to $60 per night from over $100 in previous months, according to the state-run China Daily newspaper. Some four-star hotels have cut their rates in half.

Beijing was expecting 500,000 foreign guests for the August 8-24 Olympics, but has recently been scaling back that estimate. Some travelers have been scared off by high prices, while others have had trouble getting visas. China has increased security for the games, tightening visa rules even for foreign travelers who hold Olympics tickets. Multiple-entry visas have also been restricted, causing a drop in business travel.

The government has said the games are a target of terrorism, and reported breaking up plots to attack the games by Islamic radicals in the western province of Xinjiang. Eric Wong, co-head of Asian Real Estate Research with investment bank UBS in Hong Kong, said the drop in hotel rates are a result of over-ambitious pricing and the new security measures which took many hotels by surprise. Hotels in other Olympic cities also slashed their prices right before the start of the Games, said Wong. "We all hear how stringent searches and visa requirements and rejections based on the slightest whim of political activism is diminishing the desire to visit China. Beyond the Olympics, things should turn normal."

Tian Ye, the manager of sales department of Fuhao Hotel, a three-star hotel in the central shopping district of Wangfujing, minutes from Tienanmen Square, said it cut its rates last month by about 20 per cent. A quarter of the hotel's foreign bookings were cancelled at the end of May due to a massive May 12 earthquake in southwest China and the snow storms that struck the south in February. Tian says, "It is getting harder as the Olympics approaches to sell rooms. Now we have cut our prices to attract domestic guests." (Telegraph)

Man Pleads Innocent to Naked Hotel Stroll

Police were called to the Days Inn in Kennewick, Washington, on July 15 because a man was spotted walking around the hotel naked. Edward Espinoza Mendoza, 28, was first seen in the hotel lobby at 9 p.m. asking for a new room key. Two of the clerks happened to notice he didn't have any clothes on. Mendoza then went back to his room where other hotel guests reportedly saw him naked on his balcony touching himself.

Police arrived and searched the guestroom, finding cocaine. They then discovered Mendoza, still naked, hiding in the hotel's workout room. The man was arrested for drug possession and lewd conduct.

Mendoza pleaded innocent in court yesterday. He faces trail on September 15. (Tri-City Herald)

Qantas 747 Makes Emergency Landing

A Qantas 747 Jumbo Jet carrying 350 people made an emergency landing in the Philippines today after the fuselage was ripped open at 30,000 feet, sucking air pressure out of the cabin. The Boeing 747-400 jet took off after a stop in Hong Kong an hour earlier en route from London to Melbourne. Terrified passengers described hearing a loud bang before air and debris rushed through the cabin and the plane "dropped suddenly" as the pilot made an emergency descent to Manila.

One of the shaken passengers said, "There was wood and newspapers flying past me and a woman who I was talking to in first class, and then oxygen masks fell down. The moment it happened I thought we were going to plunge to our deaths."

Another passenger, Brendan McClements, said, "We were flying out of Hong Kong, I heard a very loud noise, a bang. There was a sort of rapid expulsion of wind. It went out of the plane, the air got sucked out, the oxygen masks dropped down and we put them on." Another passenger said children burst into tears after the "quick bang" reverberated throughout the cabin and the plane plunged.

Once on the ground, passengers could see a gash running several yards down the side of the fuselage. Octavio Lina, a Manila airport operations manager, said parts of the plane's floor collapsed, revealing cargo underneath. "Upon disembarkation there were some passengers who vomited. You can see in their faces that they were really scared," he said. One passenger praised the pilot, saying he had done an "amazing job" of controlling the aircraft and bringing it down safely. Qantas boasts of its safety record, having never lost a jet to an accident. (AP)

Balloon Rides at NYC’s Central Park

Here's a chance to find out what's it's like to be a balloon in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A company will begin offering helium balloon rides over New York's Central Park today for $25 per adult and $17.50 for kids.

The AeroBalloon web site says, "Get a spectacular daytime view of Central Park and bustling streets, or wait until sundown and float above dazzling city lights. AeroBalloon has been wowing crowds for years at sites throughout the U.S. with its safe, American-made, non-combustible balloons." The company adds that the best time to fly is early morning, "when the winds are most calm and the sunrise view is extraordinary." The 10 minute ride takes up to 4 individuals at a time to a height of 300 feet.

The flight will also offer a panorama of posh hotels and luxury high-rise apartments that border the park. The purpose of the rides is to mark the 150th anniversary of Central Park, the nation's first major urban park, created by architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and opened to the public in 1858. The rides will be offered through August 22.

AeroBalloon needed a permit from the Federal Aviation Administration for the attraction. The FAA, responsible for air-traffic safety, permits balloon flights no higher than 500 feet. (NY Post)

With Violence Down, Iraq Looks to Tourism

Insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed in Iraq have stopped to the point where the government is beginning to promote tourism. At a fair last week, government officials talked about building resorts and attracting celebrities.

"Safety is still the biggest concern," wrote Lt. Commander Christopher Grover, who is working with Iraq's tourism board on behalf of the U.S. government, in an e-mail. "It will take a few risk-takers to invest in Iraq, but when that happens others should follow."

One such risk-taker is Robert Kelley, an American businessman who stood at the edge of a field in Baghdad's Green Zone on Saturday and said a luxury, $100 million hotel would be built there. The Green Zone houses Iraqi government offices and American diplomatic and military facilities.

"We think the Iraqi people want to get along with each other," said Kelley, who is head of Summit Global Group, a U.S. investment company. He did not name the investors, but said construction could begin soon after city officials do a survey in 30 to 45 days.

Such a project could trigger a surge of private investment in Iraq. But drawing visitors to the country's fabled archaeological sites will be a tough sell. Looting and fighting have reduced places like Babylon, where the Hanging Gardens were located, to decrepit, virtually inaccessible outposts of ancient culture. Tourists would face other difficulties such as a lack of infrastructure and plenty of red tape. (AP)

The World's First Sand Hotel

A new type of hotel has been constructed on Weymouth Beach in England, a hotel made completely out of sand. Guests can book "rooms" at the sand hotel for $20 a night and choose either twin or double suites. The roofless structure offers vistas of the night sky, at least until it rains or a high tide comes in.

An advertisement for the hotel says, "To celebrate the British beach holiday's renaissance we have created the world's first sand hotel on Weymouth Beach. It allows British holidaymakers to not only bag the best spot on the beach, but to never have to leave it." The hotel was built by sand sculptor Mark Anderson and has been designed to look like a giant sandcastle.

Anderson said it took 1,000 tons of sand and a team of four sculptors working 14 hours a day for seven days to build the facility. "It is the biggest sandcastle-like structure ever in the UK. Four of us worked hard and with the help of a JCB (backhoe) we got it built. The beds are made of sand so it can get everywhere, especially between the toes. But the best thing is in the morning the tide laps through the door, what a great way to wake up," he said. (BBC)

Click here to view a video of the sand hotel.

Foxwoods Casino Sued for Naughty Español

A roulette worker at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut was fired last September for making insulting remarks about women gamblers at his table - in Spanish. One of the 9 women in the group habló Español and complained to Foxwoods management. In addition to firing one of the workers involved, the casino offered the women complimentary drinks and free rooms. But now the women are gambling for an even bigger payoff in a lawsuit seeking $500,000 each.

It all started when Michelle Marigliano was stunned to hear two Hispanic employees at the roulette table making highly off-color remarks about her group in Spanish. One alleged remark: "These c- - -s need a big d- - - to loosen them up and then maybe these hard-asses would tip better." Another: "That blonde in the corner believes her t-ts are going to get her places."

The women later thought that despite the actions the casino's managers took at the time, they did not understand how badly the women were offended. The group's lawyer, Arnold Kriss, says the emotional damage and the casino's dismissive attitude prompted the Nassau County Supreme Court action. (NY Post)

Customers Issue SOS: Save Our Starbucks

No one ever said Starbucks customers aren't passionate. Ever since the company announced last week that 600 locations would be closed, several cities have embarked on a mission to save their local Starbucks. From small towns like Bloomfield, N.M. to big cities like New York, customers and city officials are writing letters, making calls and circulating petitions. Several "Save Our Starbucks" petitions have popped up online for stores in San Diego, Dallas and New York City. More will no doubt follow.

Although large cities like Las Vegas and San Diego will lose the most number of stores, other states will proportionally be harder hit. For example, Mississippi will lose 41% of its stores and North Dakota will lose 33%. Starbucks spokeswoman Deb Trevino said company officials are discussing how to handle the increasing number of pleas and petitions. "It's not a simple answer," she said.

And it isn't only customers who are upset over the closures. Starbucks baristas at the Mall of America walked off the job today and delivered a letter to management demanding “just treatment” of all employees affected by store closures nationwide. The baristas are demanding a severance package for affected workers plus the option to transfer to other stores. (Wall Street Journal)

Travelers Begin Applying for Passport Cards

The U.S. Department of State says they've received more than 350,000 applications for the new passport card, an alternative for the traditional passport. Passport cards are designed as a more convenient passport alternative that can be used for land and sea travel. It's not valid for international travel by air. People applying for the card now can expect four-week processing time. Starting in June 2009, travelers will be required to show a passport or equivalent document to pass at a port of entry.

The passport card is valid for ten years for adults 16 and older and five years for children up to age 15. First-time applicants must pay $45 for adult cards and $35 for children, including a $25 execution/acceptance fee. If eligible, previous passport book holders can apply for their first passport card as a renewal by mail for a $20 application fee.

The passport card contains a vicinity-read RFID (radio frequency identification chip), which is intended to facilitate the frequent travel of U.S. citizens living in border communities and to meet Department of Homeland Security’s operational needs at land borders. RFID technology is somewhat controversial because critics say data could be illegally lifted by remote readers in what's called "skimming." The State Department, however, says a skimmer would only get a meaningless ID number from the passport cards. Traveler's data is stored in databases on government computers. RFID chips have been embedded in every passport issued since August 2006. (USA Today)

Click here for the State Department's Passport Card web page.

NYC's Chelsea Hotel: On The Rocks?

According to Page Six Magazine, New York City's Chelsea Hotel, "long one of the city’s most important pop-culture landmarks," has descended into chaos due to mismanagement. According to writer Annie Karni, the hotel began to deteriorate quickly a year ago after majority shareholders on the hotel’s board voted to replace longtime manager and part-owner, Stanley Bard, to bring in management firm BD Hotels. But after just 2 months, BD Hotels was allegedly sacked for “willful mismanagement.” Residents complain that another manager brought in after BD Hotels hasn't even been seen on the premises.

Many hotel residents want Stanley Bard brought back, or perhaps his son, David, who worked as assistant manager at the hotel for 20 years. Karni says the residents are "worried about losing their homes and their unique community."

The landmark hotel is recognized as an American cultural icon, renowned for the many artists, writers and musicians who have lived and created art there, notably Madonna, Pete Doherty, Dylan Thomas, Joni Mitchell, Jack Kerouac, Janis Joplin and many others. The hotel's room 100 is where Sex Pistols' bass guitar player Sid Vicious may have killed Nancy Spungen in October 1978. Spungen was found dead from a stab wound to the abdomen. Vicious claimed he didn't remember what happened. Many people think he killed her while under the influence of drugs, but others think Spungen was killed by drug dealers who were known to have been in the room that night. Vicious was later found dead in his home on February 2, 1979, from a drug overdose. (Page Six)

Trend: Hotels Splurging on Pools

One way hotels are luring guests to their properties is by offering them a bigger splash - with attractive pools. Veteran hotel analyst Bjorn Hanson says that although less than 10% of hotel guests actually go into the pool, many travelers make their hotel decision based on whether it has one. "There's competition for higher-end travelers," he says. "And if they can have a 'wow' experience (poolside)," it's a competitive edge. In some cases, pools have become the "modern version of singles bars," he says. "There's a 'beautiful people' association. Instead of going to the bar, you go out to the pool."

•Upscale casino resorts in Las Vegas are offering cabanas with lots of electronic bells and whistles. Revelers at the MGM Grand adults-only party pool can watch DVDs, play Xbox games and order from their cabana's bikini-clad hostess. The Rio's new tops-optional splash-atorium is affiliated with the Sapphire strip club.

•The renovated El San Juan Hotel & Casino in Puerto Rico has turned its oceanfront pool into an ultra lounge, with white-curtained sunbeds, deejay, massage pavilion and luxe furnished tiki-hut-style cabanas that include flat-screen TVs and minibars that rent for $500 and up a day.

•The new guests-only Pooldeck at the renovated Empire Hotel across from Lincoln Center in Manhattan has cabanas with ceiling fans, telephone, flat-screen TV, wireless Internet and daybeds. There are also views of bustling Broadway below.

•The new Gansevoort South in Florida's South Beach boasts what they say is the nation's longest rooftop pool. It's 110 feet long, lined by palm trees, and has underwater lights and music and a window where bar patrons can watch swimmers' underwater moves.

Gansevoort Hotel Group president Mike Achenbaum says that although pools are "an economic drain" because of the cost to build, run and staff them, "it's a marketing tool … an opportunity to generate a buzz about the hotel." (USA Today)

Starbucks Releases Full Closure List

Starbucks has released the full list 600 stores it plans to close by early next year. Stores are slated to shut down in 44 states plus the District of Columbia, with the largest number of closures in California (88), Florida (59) and Texas (57). Workers at all of Starbucks's approximately 11,000 U.S. locations were informed Thursday whether their store was on the closing sheet.

Las Vegas will lose 13 stores, the most stores of any U.S. city. San Diego will lose 10, Dallas and Baton Rouge will each lose 9 and Houston will lose 8. Most of the nation's major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami, will lose at least one Starbucks. The closings will thin out some areas that had a high density of Starbucks. San Francisco's Metreon entertainment complex, located at an intersection the company had determined could support three Starbucks, will lose one of those locations.

The 600 stores being closed represent about 8.5 percent of the company's U.S. total. Last week Starbucks said it didn't have plans to publish a complete list of the closures, but spokeswoman Deb Trevino said in an email on Thursday that the company decided to release the list "in the spirit of transparency." All the stores on the list are expected to close by early next year. The company has said it will eliminate as many as 12,000 positions in connection with the closures and will try to put workers in other jobs. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

Click here to view the full Starbucks closure list.

Rome Bans Snacks and Singing at Tourist Sites

Visitors to Rome will no longer being able to eat, quench their thirst or even raise their voices as they stroll the city's historic streets. The new mayor Gianni Alemanno has issued a "public decorum" ordinance forbidding eating, drinking, singing or lounging around on the streets of the capital's center. Violators risk fines of up to $80.

The measures begin immediately and will be in effect until the end of October. Alemanno, a former youth leader of a neo-fascist movement, made law and order a central plank of his campaign in April's city election, including a clampdown on immigrants and gypsies. The decree also includes bans on dropping litter, sleeping out, bill-posting and defecating in the street. It will also be prohibited to "pause to consume food or drink," and "shout, sing or be noisy". The new rules apply to "all areas of historic, cultural or artistic value, and in particular in the historic center," according to a city official. He added that the edict will be applied with "common sense".

Rome has also passed a crackdown on street vendors. It's the latest Italian city to take steps to protect its monuments and limit the effects of mass tourism. Venice banned picnics in public places and bare torsos in St. Mark's Square, and Florence is clamping down on squeegee men who wash the windshields of idling cars and demand payment. (AP)

"Hotel of Doom" Awaking From Coma

The unfinished 105-story Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, was once called "the worst building in the history of mankind" by Esquire magazine. It's the most prominent feature of the Pyongyang skyline. Visible from anywhere in the city, it's by far the largest structure in the country. At one time, it would have been the world's tallest hotel. The planned 3,000 rooms and seven revolving restaurants were scheduled to open in June 1989 for the World Festival of Youth and Students.

Construction on the hotel began in 1987, but was halted in 1992 due to the government's financial difficulties. The basic structure was completed, but it was never finished internally and was never certified safe for occupancy. Over the years it's been dubbed the "Hotel of Doom," "Phantom Hotel," and the "Phantom Pyramid.

But now after 16 years of inactivity, Egypt's Orascom group has resumed work on the structure. The firm has put glass panels into the concrete shell and installed telecommunications antennas. But will the hotel ever open for guests? The estimated cost to finish the building is about $2 billion, according to estimates by the South Korean media. That's equivalent to 10 percent of the North's annual economic output. (Reuters)

Airlines Placing Ads on Boarding Passes

Five major airlines plan to begin placing advertisements on boarding passes that are printed by passengers at home. Customers will have the option to print the boarding passes with or without the ads.

The company selling the advertisements, Sojern Inc., says Delta Air Lines will initially begin using them for flights to Las Vegas, and then on all other domestic destinations soon afterward. Northwest, US Airways, Continental Airlines and United Airlines have all signed up and will begin using the ads in the months ahead. The airlines own a minority stake in Sojern, and they will split revenue from the ads. Al Lenza, the vice president of distribution and e-commerce at Northwest Airlines, says 40 percent of his airline's check-ins happen at its Web site, adding up to as many as 30 million customers a year.

"I think this is going to be responsible for many millions of dollars for each airline," Lenza said.
The boarding-pass ads are the latest effort by airlines to raise cash to help offset soaring fuel costs. Many have already cut jobs, reduced capacity and hiked fees on customers, including charging for a second checked bag. US Airways already puts ads on tray tables, while ad agencies have targeted overhead bins and air-sickness bags with varying degrees of success.

Travelers logging in from home will see their boarding pass along with information for their destination including weather, restaurants, and attractions in the city to which they're flying. Sojern said it would keep the boarding pass to one printed page, like the current ad-free boarding passes. The company won't tailor the ads to individual customers yet, but it may do so in the future.

The airlines have said they are working to make sure the ads won't annoy customers. Josh Weiss, managing director for Delta's Web site and self-service, said that's why they included the option to not print the ads and made sure the boarding pass will load quickly on customers' computers. (USA Today)

Guests Interrupt Hotel Staff Sex Romp

A British family on vacation in Bulgaria was stunned when they entered their hotel room to find two staff members having sex on their bed. Ricky Dearn, his wife and three kids were shocked to see a waiter and a cleaning person romping in their room. The family, from Wolverhampton in the UK, were staying at the Royal Park Hotel in the Black Sea resort of Elenite in Bulgaria.

“They just rushed out giggling – holding their clothes,” said Dearn. The couple were among dozens of Brits who also suffered severe food poisoning at the ‘four-star family hotel’. Simon Inglut, 30, and his six-year-old son Tyler both got salmonella. “It was a hell hole,” said Inglut. A spokeswoman for travel firm First Choice confirmed there was an outbreak of illness at the resort.

The British travelers also complained of strip shows in the bar, erotic photoshoots on the beach, rude staff, poor hygiene, and the loss of air conditioning and power. They plan to sue the hotel and First Choice. The Royal Park Hotel fired the two staff people involved. (BBC)

Starbucks Launches "Nutritional" Drinks Today

After announcing the closure of 600 stores in the U.S. last week, coffee powerhouse Starbucks is launching protein smoothies in some of its markets. Dubbed Vivanno, the Orange Mango Banana and Banana Chocolate flavored beverages provide at least one serving of fruit, 16 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber with 270 calories or less and no artificial colors, artificial sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup (nutrition based on 16 fluid ounces). The coffee giant hopes the new offerings will pump up sales and profits amid a downturn in its business due to the sluggish consumer economy.

Starbucks wants to find a replacement for the slow-selling Frappuccino line of ice-blended drinks in California and Florida. Together, those two states account for about a third of the chain's domestic sales. But Starbucks isn't the only vender to sell smoothies these days. Jamba Juice and Dunkin' Donuts both sell smoothies, and McDonald's is testing smoothie offerings in some of its markets. The 16-ounce Starbucks smoothie will cost $3.75 nationwide ($3.95 in New York), more expensive than the one at Dunkin' Donuts for $3.39.

Smoothies sales are hot. In a recent study, Mintel International Group found that sales of smoothies in the U.S. topped $2.45 billion, a 139% increase from 2002. They expect sales to rise a further 68% in the next five years. The challenge for Starbucks is to foster growth by attracting new customers, but analysts believe the company may not necessarily attract new patrons, but merely see existing customers switch from coffee to smoothies. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

Florida - The Sunset State?

According to a Time magazine article, there's trouble in the paradise that is Florida. The author of the article, Andrew Kaufman, says a century of runaway growth and exploitation in the state is coming due. The housing bust has exposed a human pyramid scheme, an economy that relied on a thousand newcomers a day. But the newcomers are no longer coming.

The state is facing their worst real estate meltdown since the Depression. They're also dealing with a water crisis, an insurance crisis, a budget crisis and algae polluted beaches. The state is first in the nation in mortgage fraud, second in foreclosures, last in high school graduation rates. The citrus industry has been battered by freezes and disease. The space shuttle program, soon to end, will put 6,000 people out of work. Consumer confidence just hit an all-time low.

Kaufman also reports that the state's population growth is at a 30-year low, school enrollment is declining and retirees are drifting to the Southwest and the Carolinas. A major hurricane could cost the state $150 billion. "The dream is fading," says University of South Florida historian Gary Mormino. "People think Florida is too crowded, too spoiled, too expensive, too crazy, too many immigrants - name your malady."

But many Floridians say they've heard it all before. "Sure, it's the end of Florida as we know it," says seventh-generation Floridian Allison DeFoor. "It's always the end of Florida as we know it." And Governor Charlie Crist is high on the state's future. "How can you not be optimistic about Florida?" he asks. "Is there a more beautiful place on the planet? The outlook is always bright here!" When reminded of Florida's growth-challenged economy and growth-ravaged environment, he responds, "We're going to make a new Florida!" (Time)

Gloom Amid Glamour at Farnborough Air Show

Record high oil prices will no doubt be a big topic this week when key players from the aviation sector gather at the 46th Farnborough International Air Show near London. The show, which begins tomorrow, is a major international trade fair for the aerospace business. The week-long, biennial event is seen as a traditional battle ground between European planemaker Airbus and U.S. rival Boeing.

Oil-producing Gulf states are expected to place large orders for commercial planes thanks to mountains of fresh cash they are earning from soaring crude prices. Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, is likely to announce orders of between 50 and 100 planes, but fuel costs will damper orders from other nations. "Short term, there are a lot of pressures with energy prices, and airlines are reacting to that by culling places where revenues and cost don't match. The United States is scrambling a bit right now," says Boeing's chairman and chief executive, Jim McNerney. Airlines in North American have so far announced 19,000 job cuts and the parking of 400 aircraft.

"In term of orders, Farnborough is likely to be much more low-key" than in 2006, said Rupinder Vig, analyst at Morgan Stanley. Aircraft makers argue that record crude prices could in fact be a driver for airlines to fast-track investment in more fuel-efficient planes, such as the Airbus A380 and A350 and Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. "We see a bigger demand for replacing older, less efficient aircraft," Randy Tinseth, Boeing's vice president of marketing, said on Wednesday as the company published its 20-year outlook on commercial aviation. Kerosene, the fuel used to power planes, is distilled from crude oil. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

Click here for the Farnsborough Air Show web site.

Harley-Davidson Museum Opens Today

Harley-Davidson is kick-starting the grand opening of the company's museum today in their hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And yes, they're going whole hog. The museum has a collection of 400 bikes, including those belonging to celebrities like Evel Knievel and Elvis Presley, along with a motorcycle from 1903. That was the year that two young friends from Milwaukee, William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson, first made their products available to the public.

Also on display will be historic items like posters, ads, clothes, trophies and accessories that tell the story of the company and its history; footage of motorcycling, both vintage and contemporary; and a design lab that shows how bikes are developed and engineered. Visitors can sit on 10 vintage and contemporary motorcycles in the final gallery.

The company will celebrate its 105th anniversary August 28-31 with a series of special events, including an Aug. 30 Bruce Springsteen concert. Although the legendary motorcycle company offers tours at its Capital Drive facility in Milwaukee and at its York, Pennsylvania, factory, this is Harley's only comprehensive museum. Admission is $16 for adults, $12 for seniors and students and $10 for children ages 5-17. The museum is located at Sixth and Canal streets in a new building designed by Pentagram Architects. (Business Week).

Click here for the Harley-Davidson Museum web page.

Starbucks Releases First Closure List

Starbucks has released a list of dozens of U.S. stores that it will close by the end of July. The closures are the first of 600 stores that will close by early 2009. The company, battered by a weakening economy and stock hovering near 5-year-lows, announced the move to close the stores last Tuesday. It hasn't yet released the complete list of stores to close, but it has said 70 percent of them opened after the start of 2006. The closures amount to 19 percent of all U.S. company-operated stores that opened in the last two years.

About 12,000 workers, or 7 percent of Starbucks' global work force, will be affected by the closings. Starbucks spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said most employees will be moved to nearby stores, but she did not know exactly how many jobs will be lost. Starbucks has estimated $8 million in severance costs. In total, the company forecast up to $348 million in charges related to the closures, $200 million to be booked in the fiscal third quarter ended June 30.

Starbucks still plans to open new stores in fiscal 2009, but cut the number in half from earlier projections to fewer than 200. "We believe we still have opportunities to open new locations with strong returns on capital," said CFO Pete Bocian. At the end of March, there were 16,226 Starbucks stores around the world. The company operates 7,257 of those stores in the U.S. and 1,867 abroad; the remaining 7,102 locations are run by partners who license the Starbucks brand. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

Click here to view a full list of the stores being closed.

17 Snakes Removed from Virginia Motel Room

An Animal Control officer and two snake experts removed 17 snakes, 12 of them venomous, from a guestroom at the Hy-Way Motel in Fairfax, Virginia, last Thursday night. A suspicious odor coming from the room was reported to police at about 9:30 p.m. Officers found the snakes confined in containers. They were taken to an exotic-animal zoo. The renter was not in the room at the time.

The venomous snakes included African puff adders, cottonmouths, rhinoceros vipers, albino cottonmouths, speckled rattlesnakes and a black-headed python. They were in plastic containers stowed inside vinyl bags. The housekeeping staff did not know the snakes were there.

Authorities suspected there was a link between the man who paid for the room and a case in Arlington County in which a man was forced to remove poisonous snakes from his home. That man was identified as Peter T. Nguyen, 39, of Quintana Street in North Arlington. Last spring, Nguyen's neighbors complained about the snakes to the county board, which enacted a ban on venomous reptiles on June 15. Fairfax City police said Friday night that an "unnamed Arlington man" called them, after being contacted by a reporter, and said the snakes found in the Hy-Way Motel were indeed his.

The Arlington man had no comment about the reptiles. Police checked other motels and hotels in the area, but did not find any other snakes. (Washington Post)

Capitol Visitor Center to Open December 2

The long-delayed, $621 million Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC, will finally open on December 2. That particular day has some historical significance. During the Civil War on December 2, 1863, the Statue of Freedom was placed atop the Capitol dome.

In a letter to Congress’ four top leaders, Terrie S. Rouse, chief of visitors services for the new center, said the planned construction work will be finished by the end of August. Staff will begin moving in the next month to start testing the systems in the underground facility. As many as 50,000 people, primarily members of Congress, constituent groups and families, could go through the center during the test phase and before the formal opening.

The center’s costs escalated throughout years of planning and actual construction as the project expanded in scope, a host of construction obstacles were encountered and various congressional committees insisted that top-quality materials be used in a building that is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world. The ceremonial ground-breaking for the center was in 2000. The opening date was originally planned for December 2005. Even the Dec. 2 date represents a month's delay over the latest estimated opening date of early November.

The new 580,000 square foot facility includes a museum, waiting area and food court. Visitors will enter on the East Front of the Capitol, and immediately go underground. Large glass windows, installed in the ceiling's center, will frame a view of the Capitol rotunda. Once inside, visitors will be able to get a timed entry ticket for a tour of the Capitol. (AP)

$267 Million Makeover for the Eiffel Tower

The world's most visited landmark, the Eiffel Tower, is going to introduce online ticketing in a bid to cut waiting times of up to two hours for its seven million annual visitors. It's part of a $267 million upgrade for the popular tourist attraction. Other changes being planned - a champagne bar will be added on the third floor of the tower, and the windy area where tourists now queue up will be retirely refurbished.

Pre-paid internet tickets for groups will be on sale beginning next year, the monument's 120th anniversary. The entire renovation plan, to be completed by 2015, will also try to attract more Parisians, who currently account for just two percent of visitors. The operators want to draw more school groups and disabled individuals. There will also be a wider array of tourist shops for visitors.

Designed and built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 universal exhibition in Paris, the original plan was to take it down after 20 years. Many locals originally thought it was an eyecore. The structure was first used as a radio communications tower before it became a hugely popular landmark and an emblem of Paris and France. It was the world's tallest structure for many years until 1930 when the Chrysler Building was completed in New York City. (AP)

Book: The World's Coolest Hotel Rooms

From Amazon.com:

Written by one of the world's leading trend spotters and proprietor of the widely-read www.coolhunter.net, Bill Tikos, The World's Coolest Hotel Rooms opens the doors to more than fifty of the hippest, sexiest, newest, and most unusual rooms across the seven continents. Featuring the work of today's top architects and interior designers, this book offers diverse accommodations with one thing in common: impeccable taste with edge.

So wherever wanderlust may take you—from an idyllic getaway in Scotland's remote Jura Island to the bright lights and nonstop action of Berlin—there is an amazing place to stay, and Tikos has roamed the globe to find it and the best room in the house.

From a personal concierge in Buenos Aires who can schedule an impromptu tango lesson to a spectacular view of Rajasthan's age old Aravali hills from a deluxe suite, every accommodation provides a unique experience. Boring is not an option. There are rooms that fulfill rock star fantasies—complete with soundstage—and others that elevate the meaning of luxury, with sumptuously dressed daybeds in lush, secluded gardens with private pools. Each entry provides the inspiration behind the hotel's architecture, details the room's special amenities, design features, and rate. Local points of interest are described as well.

With every entry personally selected by a tastemaker whose discerning eye for the most happening movements, styles, and trends in travel, fashion, music, urban living, and design has earned him a global following, The World's Coolest Hotel Rooms is indispensable for creating a special travel experience. 288 pages. (Amazon.com)

US Airways Ending In-flight Movies & Music

In another attempt to offset rising fuel costs, US Airways will no longer offer in-fllight movies and music on domestic flights beginning November 1. The airline says the move will save about $10 million a year. The change affects 196 Airbus 319, 320 and 321 aircraft serving U.S., Mexico and Caribbean routes. New Airbus 321 aircraft to be delivered this year will not have in-flight entertainment systems.

The reason for the change is weight, fuel costs and changes in customer behavior, said Travis Christ, US Airways vice president of marketing. In-flight entertainment systems weigh about 500 pounds. "When oil was $30, $40 or $50 a barrel, that was a weight we could bear," Christ said. "But when it's $130, clearly every pound is critical." The airlines also have to pay the studios for the right to show the movies.

In addition, customer behavior has changed dramatically. Most passengers now bring their own iPods, laptops and other devices onboard. The movies and music offered on many flights longer than 21/2 hours are not as popular as they once were.

US Airways is already planning to begin charging for coffee and sodas. The carrier also expanded the number of coach seats it designates as "choice seats" for which it will charge as much as $30 to reserve. (USA Today)

Beijing Still Faces Olympic Challenges

With a month to go before the beginning of the Summer Olympics, Beijing is still dealing with serious air pollution problems and critical human rights reports.

When Beijing bid for the Olympics in 2001, it said the city's air quality would meet World Health Organization (WHO) standards. But tests recently conducted by the BBC showed the city's air failed to meet UN guidelines on six out of seven days. The pollution is primarily caused by traffic, construction and factory emissions. Ailung Wang from Greenpeace China says the Chinese Government is working hard to fulfil its clean-air promise. "The Government is taking many very direct short term measures like to shut down the number of factories and to limit the number of cars and to shutdown all the construction sites," he said. "Even today there are plans that they are going to also shutdown the factories in the neighboring cities or provinces to make sure that they are not going to affect the Beijing air." One Chinese official says he is confident Beijing will fulfil its clean air promise.

New reports on China's human rights records have been released in the run-up to the games. Over the past year, Beijing has made a few concessions to human rights concerns, almost certainly because it is hosting the Olympics. But Amnesty International published a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao yesterday urging improvements in five areas, including the release of all political prisoners and a moratorium on the death penalty. "The gap between government rhetoric and the reality for foreign journalists remains considerable," said the group. Human Rights Watch also released a report yesterday saying that China continues to severely breach its pledge to allow full media freedoms for the Games.

Meanwhile, an International Olympic Committee official yesterday praised the "exceptional" achievements of Beijing Olympics organizers one month ahead of the Games' opening. (BBC)

Southwest Boots Family Off Flight

Wendy Slaughter admits her kids were unruly on a flight from Detroit to Phoenix last Friday, but she says that's no reason for Southwest Airlines to stop them from boarding their connecting flight to Seattle. Slaughter and her pregnant sister were travelling with Slaughter's autistic son, her daughter who suffers from cerebral palsy, and her two other children. It was her children's first flight and she admits they were being loud and had trouble sitting still.

"I am furious about it. I can't believe they could do something like that and then leave us completely stranded with no money, no way to get anywhere," said Slaughter. The family made arrangements to get to Seattle with a different airline.

Southwest stood by its decision Monday but offered the family a refund of their one way plane fare. "Over the course of a four-hour flight, our Inflight Crew exhausted all of their resources to resolve the situation, and their efforts were recognized by other concerned passengers," Southwest said in a statement. "By the family's own admission to the media, the children were, 'out of control, restless, and excited.'"

According to Slaughter, sympathetic police officers donated money for a hotel for the night and some food. (Consumerist)

Surprise! Fewer Airline Delays in May

The airline industry's on-time performance showed some improvement in May. In the latest figures compiled by the Dept of Transportation, the average on-time performance for the 19 major domestic carriers in May was 79 percent compared to 77.9 percent in May of 2007, and basically the same as in April.

Hawaiian Airlines had the best performance at 88.9 percent, followed by Pinnacle Airlines with 85.9 percent, and AirTran Airways with 84.7 percent. American Airlines posted the worst performance in May at 67.3 percent, followed by United Airlines with 72.4 percent and Continental Airlines with 75.4 percent. In terms of the most frequently delayed flights, Southwest Airlines' flight from Houston to San Diego had a perfect record - it was delayed 100 percent of the time. In second place was Northwest's flight from Detroit to Anchorage, Alaska, which was delayed 94.1 percent of the time.

Luggage handling also improved in May as 4.6 passengers out of every 1,000 reported a mishandled bag during the month, down from 5.9 per 1,000 a year earlier and 4.9 per 1,000 in April. Complaints from passengers also were down, to 885, from 930 a year earlier and 1,113 in April. (AP)

Toyota to Add Solar Panels to Prius

Toyota is planning to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source said on Monday. The panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp would be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius. "It's more of a symbolic gesture," said the source, who asked not to be identified. "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy."

Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year. Automakers are all racing to develop alternative solutions to fossil fuels, but solar power is not seen as a viable solution to power cars. Solar panels are expensive due to rising silicon prices, and storing energy is difficult. It's unknown how much the solar panels on the new Prius cars would cost, or how many solar-mounted versions Toyota would build.

Toyota is declining comment, saying the company does not talk about future product plans. (BBC)

Running of the Bulls Festival Begins

Thousands filled Pamplona's main square today to kick off Spain's most famous bull-running festival. Revellers wearing traditional white trousers and shirts with red bandanas celebrated the beginning of the nine-day festival by spraying one another with champagne, red wine and sangria.

Town councillor Uxe Barkos started proceedings in traditional fashion from the Town Hall balcony overlooking the crowd by yelling, "Men and women of Pamplona, all hail to San Fermin." Some residents poured buckets of water from their balconies to help cool down the crowd. "I love it. I'd heard a lot about it, but seeing it in person is truly moving," said Australian Anna Stampy.

Held since 1591, the fiesta is known for the nerve-wrecking bull-runs, where participants test their skill and courage by racing alongside six fearsome fighting bulls on narrow cobblestone streets linking the city's stables to the bullring. The festival was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his 1927 novel The Sun Also Rises. Nine people were reportedly injured on the first day, mostly with cuts and bruises, including 2 Americans. Since 1924, 13 people have been killed in the running of the bulls. The last victim was a 22-year-old American gored to death in 1995.

Not everyone in Pamplona is there for the revelry. Every year hundreds of animal rights activists protest against the bull fights. The half-naked protestors lie down along the route before the run, covered in fake blood and bearing placards in different languages asking for the cruelty to stop. This year the activists wore imitation banderillas on their backs. Banderillas are the long barbed darts that are stabbed into the bull's neck as part of the bullfighting ceremony. (International Herald Tribune)

China Resumes Direct Flights to Taiwan

The July 4 flight was historic for 250 select tourists taking the first of regular weekday flights from China across the 100-mile Taiwan Straits since the island separated from the mainland at the end of the civil war in 1949. "From today onward, regular commercial flights will replace the rumbling war planes," trumpeted one airline boss.

China Southern Airlines chairman Liu Shaoyong flew on the inaugural flight. "This is a sacred moment. The two sides of the strait are like members in one family," he told journalists in Taipei. The tourists charmed Taiwan and helped ease fears stoked by decades of animosity. Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has set a goal of 3,000 China tourists per day, a figure that would help boost the island's moribund service sector.

"These were key groups of tourists, and they were specially screened," said Deputy National Immigration Agency Director Steve Wu. "It's a good sign, a good start from political, economic and cultural standpoints." Taiwan officials expect larger groups of tourists to begin arriving begining July 18 as China travel agents clear paperwork.

China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since 1949 and vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary. But to improve relations, the two sides agreed last month to launch the weekend flights after a six-decade freeze, save for occasional holidays. The direct China-Taiwan flights scheduled every week, Friday through Monday, are almost all booked until August. (Guardian)

Protester Beheads Wax Hitler

The head of an Adolf Hitler waxwork was torn off just hours after the exhibit opened yesterday morning at Madame Tussauds' new attraction in Berlin. The figure of a glum-looking Hitler in a mock bunker during the last days of his life has been criticized for being in bad taste. A 41-year-old Berlin resident was arrested after the incident. Witnesses say the man pushed aside two museum employees, jumped over a table in front of the figure and damaged it.

Critics have said it's inappropriate to display the Nazi dictator in a museum alongside celebrities, pop stars, world statesmen and sporting heroes. About 25 workers spent four months on the waxwork, using more than 2,000 pictures and other pieces of archive material. Hitler was placed in the exhibition alongside other cultural figures as part of an exhibition showcasing the history of Germany.

Hitler is the fourth figure visitors encounter as they enter the museum, after the "Iron Chancellor" Bismarck, Karl Marx and Sophie Scholl, a member of the non-violent Nazi resistant movement who was executed in 1943 at age 21 for distributing anti-war leaflets. Visitors emerge from the gloom of Hitler's bunker to see Winston Churchill and a host of other leaders including Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Madame Tussauds responded to criticism saying it would have been a mistake not to include Hitler. "Seeing as we are portraying the history of Germany, we could hardly have left him out," comments Natalie Ruoss, spokesperson for Madame Tussauds. "We want to show the reality." The new museum is located just a few blocks away from the site of the real Hitler bunker. (AP)

Video: Lawn Chair Flyer Completes Journey (1:07)

Like many Americans this holiday weekend, Kent Couch did some traveling. But unlike everyone else, Couch covered 235 miles sitting in a lawn chair attached to helium balloons.

Beginning at Bend, Oregon, Couch soared across the Oregon desert yesterday to the neighboring state of Idaho in a journey that took about nine hours. He brought along an air gun and blow pipe to control his elevation. This was Couch's third lawn chair flight. Couch had to bail out by parachute on his first attempt, and his second try fell short of the state border.

Couch, 48, said the flight fulfilled a boyhood dream. "Most guys look up in the sky and wish they could ride on a cloud, ride a magic carpet, or just hang on some balloons and feel that lift." Couch controlled his flight by occasionally shooting some of the 150 balloons. "I'd go to 30,000 feet if I didn't shoot a balloon down periodically," he said. In addition to the blow pipe and air gun, he took along a pole to pull in balloons, a parachute, some GPS equipment, and some eggs and chocolate.

What did Couch do during his flight ? "You just keep taking it in," he said. "See the communities below, the mountains and the rivers. I would say that's pretty neat. Just looking at God's creation from up there is a wonderful view."

Couch landed in a field near Cambridge, Idaho, about 100 miles north of Boise. Corporate sponsors helped defray the cost of the $6,000 flight. Couch's wife, Susan, called him crazy. "It's never been a dull moment since I married him. (AP)

Top 10 Most Famous Hotel Rooms by AskMen

Askmen.com has compiled their list of the world's top 10 most famous hotel rooms. Although their list is similar to those published by other magazines and web sites, it's missing several notable ones, like the room where Anna Nicole Smith died on February 8, 2007 (#607 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida), and where Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols may have killed Nancy Spungen on October 12, 1978 (#100 at the Hotel Chelsea in New York City.)

Still, AskMen's list is interesting and fun to read. Among the rooms on their list are:

#8: Presidential Suite Brandenburg Gate at the Kempinski Hotel Adlon, Berlin, Germany. Michael Jackson dangled his baby from this hotel room in 2002, later saying it was a "terrible mistake". Oh yeah, President Clinton and Queen Elizabeth also stayed there.

#6: Room 524 at the Stamford Plaza (formerly The Ritz-Carlton), Sydney, Australia. INXS leader singer Michael Hutchence hanged himself with a belt in this room on November 1997. The coroner ruled the death a suicide although many believe it may have been accidentially caused by autoerotic asphyxiation.

#5: Room 217 at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Stephen King and his wife stayed here one weekend, and apparently it's where the author was inspired to write his popular novel The Shining.

#3: Room 105 at the Highland Gardens Hotel in Hollywood. This is where Janis Joplin died from a drug overdose on October 4, 1970.

#1: Rooms 1738, 1740 and 1742 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada. It was here that John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed in bed for a week in 1969 to protest the Vietnam War, and spent hours talking with news reporters, fans and other celebrities.

If only walls could talk! Click here to view the entire AskMen list.

President to Attend Beijing Olympic Opening

The White House has announced that President Bush will attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Olympics on August 8. Some world leaders are skipping the event due to concerns about religious and political freedoms in China. The President's China visit will come as part of what may be his farewell trip to Asia, with stops in South Korea and Thailand, though the White House has yet to announce the departure and return dates. While in China, Bush will meet with President Hu Jintao and other top officials to discuss key issues including progress towards stripping North Korea of its nuclear programs, said spokeswoman Dana Perino.

Bush had always said he would go to the Olympics - seen as a symbolic "coming-out" party for China as a major world power - to encourage U.S. athletes, and he rejected calls to use the competition for diplomatic leverage. "It says I'm supporting our athletes... And I don't view the Olympics as a political event. I view it as a sporting event," he told ABC television in an April interview. "And, you know, I have brought up religious freedom and Darfur and Burma and the Dalai Lama before the Olympics, during the Olympics, and after the Olympics I'll bring it up," said Bush.

The opening ceremonies will be held in the 80,000 seat National Stadium in Beijing that's been nicknamed the Bird's Nest because of the intricate lattice work on its outer shell. (Voice of America)

Cremated Remains Part of Fireworks Show

Meredith Smith will take part in his final fireworks show tonight. Smith died in February at the age of 74, but for nearly 40 years he was in charge of the fireworks displays for his north side Indianapolis neighborhood and the White River Yacht Club. About a half-teaspoon of Smith's ashes will be placed in a fireworks shell that will create a white burst in the sky for the finale of the annual show.

Smith will also be memorialized through hundreds of T-shirts referring to the tribute as "the last shot." A school maintenance worker, Smith was also a trained pyrotechnician. His widow, Charlotte Smith, says they started the fireworks shows as a community service and sometimes paid for the shows themselves. "He is missed by a lot of people. It's like losing one of the family," said close friend Harry Davis, 65.

A Marion County health department official says there's no public health problem with firing cremated remains in fireworks. (Indy Star)

Continental Charged in 2000 Concorde Crash

A French judge has ordered Continental Airlines and five individuals to stand trial for the crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people on July 25, 2000.

The Concorde crashed in flames minutes after take off from Paris' Charles De Gaulle airport, killing all 109 aboard and four people on the ground. Subsequent investigations concluded that a narrow strip of metal had fallen onto the runway from a previous Continental flight. The metal strip then burst a tire on the departing Concorde, sending shrapnel flying into the plane's oil tanks and causing a fire.

The judge said the defendants would be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Among the five individuals incriminated were Continental technicians John Taylor, a mechanic who allegedly fitted the non-standard strip, and the airline's chief of maintenance Stanley Ford. Also ordered to stand trial are Henri Perrier, 79, who was involved in the first Concorde flight in 1969 and was head of testing prior to becoming director of the Concorde program, Jacques Herubel, 73, who was Concorde's chief engineer from 1993 to 1995, and Claude Frantzen, 71, who was director of technical services at the civil aviation authority from 1970 to 1994.

Prosecutors said France's civil aviation chief was also negligent because his agency had the responsibility to enforce design safety for the Concorde, which did not add extra protection to its underwing fuel tanks until after the 2000 crash. Concorde's two operators, Air France and British Airways, eventually took the plane out of commission in 2003. (Telegraph)

Oregon Man Plans 300 Mile Lawn Chair Flight

If you're fuming about your travel arrangements this holiday weekend, you might want to keep in mind Kent Couch. His itinerary consists of 160 helium balloons and a lawn chair.

On Saturday, Couch will try to fly about 300 miles from Bend, Oregon, to Boise, Idaho, in a lawn chair carried aloft by a 6-foot wide bouquet of balloons. The flight is expected to last about 11 hours. Couch is no novice at lawn-chair ballooning - this is his third attempt. On his second attempt a year ago, the 48 year old made it as far as Union County in northeastern Oregon, about 193 miles from Bend, before bringing the flight to an end. On his first try in 2006, he floated for six hours before shooting out a few balloons with his pellet gun to descend. But he shot out too many balloons and had to return to Earth by parachute.

Couch became intrigued with cluster-balloon flight after seeing a television program about a similar 1982 journey by Larry Walters, a Los Angeles truck driver. Walters rose to an altitude of 16,000 feet while floating from San Pedro, California, into controlled airspace near Long Beach airport. That excursion brought Walters a measure of fame, but also a $1,500 fine for violating air traffic rules.

Couch says cluster ballooning is inherently risky, but the ride is generally carefree. "It's just pure peace. It's the most serenity a person can experience." But Couch also adds, "You don't want to eat much. There's no bathrooms up there on that chair." Couch also delayed announcing his latest plans until he had permission from "mission control" -- also known as his wife, Susan Couch. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

Experts Say Tourists Damaging Machu Picchu

According to experts and environmentalists, the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes needs better protection from environmental threats including tourism and fast expansion of a nearby town.

"Machu Picchu faces a lot of...challenges relating to tourism, uncontrolled growth of urban settlements, landslides, fires," said David Sheppard of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), prior to a July 2-10 UNESCO meeting in Canada that will review a list of world heritage sites. Sheppard says the IUCN wants Machu Picchu, built in the 15th century, to be added to a list of about 30 endangered sites worldwide among a total of 851 properties overseen by UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. Other sites rated as in danger on the U.N. World Heritage List include four forest national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador, medieval monuments in Kosovo and Iraq's Samarra archaeological city.

"There needs to be a much tighter tourism management plan," Sheppard said. "Some of the urban planning needs to be much more tightly controlled." Unregulated growth, including a boom in hotel and restaurant construction in the nearby mountain town of Aguas Calientes could undermine the site.

Luis Lumbreras, an independent archaeologist based in Lima who has studied Machu Picchu for more than 40 years, says, "Machu Picchu was never made for lots of people. "If we put tourists with boots that are jumping, running, climbing the walls, etc, that's the danger." (AP)

Starbucks to Close 600 Stores

Starbucks has announced plans to close 600 underperforming stores, most by the middle of 2009. The Seattle coffee company did not say which stores would close, but estimated that total pre-tax charges associated with the planned store closures, including severance costs, would be in the range of $328 million to $348 million.

Economic pressures including rising gas and food prices, combined with increased competition from Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's, are clearly taking their toll on America's largest coffee chain.

Starbucks said 70 per cent of the stores targeted for closure opened after October 2005. Analysts say the closing of mostly new stores makes sense because they are not in prime locations. "Build all the A's first, then you build the B's," says Patricia Edwards, a retail analyst at Wentworth, Hauser and Violich in Seattle. "By the time they got as big as they were, they had to be looking at a lot of C, D, E and F locations."

Job losses would represent about 7 per cent of the company's global work force. The company aggressively opened new stores in areas such as California and Florida, which have been hardest hit by the housing downturn. Starbucks also said it will open fewer than 200 new U.S. company-operated stores in fiscal 2009, down from 250 previously.

Starbucks stock has been on the decline in recent years. In the fall of 2006 the stock was trading close to $40 a share. A year ago the price was about $28. The stock was trading at $16.64 in after-hours trading on Tuesday (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

Cocktail Museum May Stir History

The Museum of the American Cocktail will open its doors in its spectacular new New Orleans location later this month. The unique and expanded exhibits, designed by Curator Ted “Dr. Cocktail” Haigh, feature two hundred years of cocktail history, including vintage cocktail shakers, Prohibition-era literature, music, bar tools, and exciting cocktail memorabilia from the collections of the Museum’s friends and founders.

"It is part Museum, part bar, and part Victorian bordello!" exclaims Haigh, "The story of the cocktail is really the story of American history in microcosm." The museum's nonprofit organization was founded in 2004 and displayed some of its exhibits in a temporary space before Hurricane Katrina.

Dale DeGroff, founder president of the museum says, “We plan to establish a major tourist attraction and educational institution in New Orleans that will become a valuable resource for professionals in the beverage industry while celebrating a wonderful piece of our American history." The museum also features multimedia presentations that bring cocktail history to life with film clips, interactive displays, sounds, and songs.

The museum is located near the French Quarter at the Riverwalk Marketplace Mall. "New Orleans is the ultimate fit — a city that loves celebration and history," says Haigh. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on July 21 at 10:30am following the annual culinary and cocktail festival, Tales of the Cocktail. (AP)

Click here to view a video that provides a short introduction to the Museum's goals and activities (2:43)

Cilck here for the Museum of the American Cocktail's web site.