Channel 9 is the channel some airlines provide to their passengers with other in-flight audio programming. On this channel you can listen in on the pilots’ radio communication with the control towers.
Most of the time, this chatter is just routine directions given to the pilot by air traffic controllers. Occasionally, less boring conversation can be heard.
That’s what today’s Thread of The Day at FlyerTalk.com is for:
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Violence has been escalating in Mexico in recent years. There are rival drug cartels battling each other for territory, and the government is fighting to stop it.
Border towns like Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez have been the hardest hit by this war. It seems there are executions almost daily, including beheaded bodies left on the street, and barrels of acid left on sidewalks with bodies in them. The gangs are sending their messages loud and clear. Stay out of their way.
The police are sometimes part of the problem and many officers are on the cartels’ payroll. The ones that aren’t are often found dead.
Fortunately for sunseeking tourists, the drug war has mostly spared Cancun. Unfortunately, this immunity may be ending.
The mayor of Cancun, Gregorio Sanchez, recently hired a retiring general, Mauro Enrique Tello, to assemble a task force for keeping gang activity under control.
Somebody did not like this idea at all. The first day on the job, General Tello, his bodyguard, and driver were all kidnapped, tortured and executed.
The Cancun police are suspected of being involved. Mexican Army troops quickly seized the Cancun police station and arrested it’s chief, Francisco Velasco Delgado, and other officers. The military is now in charge of policing this mega-resort city and their presence is highly visible. Heavily armed, masked soldiers are everywhere which understandably may make some tourists uncomfortable.
Today’s Thread of the Day is at TripAdvisor.com where Cancun lovers discuss these latest developments.
I believe as long as you are not involved with disrupting the drug trade, or a member of a cartel encroaching on another’s territory, so far Cancun is just as safe as most of our hometowns.
But….
Things can change quickly and this bears watching, especially if you have a trip booked to that area in a few months like I do. Let’s hope this situation gets better before it gets worse.
Popularity: 3% [?]
The Myrtle Beach Bike week is a huge event for Harley Davidson owners. 300,000 bikers show up for this annual ten day event.
However, Myrtle Beach has recently passed ordinances that limit the freedom of bikers. For some odd reason, many residents don’t like the extra hundred thousand motorcycles loudly cruising through their neighborhoods at all hours of the day and night. They also don’t care for the constant party atmosphere.
I don’t blame the residents of Myrtle Beach. I like to have a good time as much as the next guy, and I respect bikers, but I wouldn’t want that many people partying in my town. I don’t care how they get there; bikers, unicycle riders, magic flying carpet drivers, Segway riders, train hoppers, whatever. That’s just too many people disrupting my home. (Well, maybe thousands of flying carpets would be kind of cool.)
Today’s Thread of the Day is at v-twinforum.com where the members are upset over these new ordinances. They feel it is unfair and they will never spend another dime in Myrtle Beach again. Hopefully this boycott will hurt the town financially and show local officials what a mistake they have made.
Many claim it is the fault of the black bikers. Yeah, that must be it. White bikers don’t make noise, clog streets, and get drunk.
Don’t take this the wrong way my biker readers. I have nothing against you individually. But, I can understand people not wanting such a huge party atmosphere in their town.
Popularity: 35% [?]
Lucy is currently on a long cross-country road trip. Her final destination, before heading back home, was the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta going on right now.
There were plenty of fun stops on the way, including Big Horn National Forest in Wyoming, the Park City, Utah, area for some serious moose watching, and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Lucy is on quite an adventure. She will be one tired girl when she finally gets back. Did I mention she happens to be an Airstream trailer?
Lucy the Airstream Trailer
In this thread at AirForums.com, her owners write all about Lucy’s voyage.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/lucys-balloon-adventure-45006.html
Popularity: 3% [?]
Google Earth is a fascinating program that gives you an on-demand, bird’s eye view of the world. You can see your own backyard or visit far away places. It is an addictive toy.
The planet looks completely different from the sky than what you see on the ground. Places can look artistically surreal, like a beautiful abstract painting.
I’m not sure exactly what this screen shot is, but it’s a large area in the Oklahoma panhandle.
You can see this and other Google Earth “paintings” in today’s Thread of the Day:
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/26723/page/0/fpart/1/vc/1
It helps to download Google Earth first to get the most out of this forum.
Popularity: 5% [?]
I always believed that timeshares are a ripoff. Timeshares give you less flexibility and more commitment. It doesn’t seem any cheaper than just booking a room at a resort for a week whenever you want, either through a travel agent or directly.
But, if you are interested in buying a timeshare, go to tugbbs.com first. It is a forum for timeshare owners. The knowledge of the experienced owners is a great help for new or wannabe owners.
In today’s Thread of The Day, the experienced ones give great advice to a newbie who is considering buying a timeshare at a resort called Club Intrawest in Whistler, British Columbia.
http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81106
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Today’s Thread Of The Day is at the flyertalk.com forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=856838
They are debating if it is okay for coach passengers on an airplane to use the restroom facilities of the first class cabin.
First of all, let me say that I believe first class is one of the biggest scams there is. Yes, the seats are more comfortable, and you have a little extra room. You get a semi-decent meal, and a couple drinks included.
But, is it worth hundreds or thousands more than a coach ticket? Heck no. They give you about one square foot of extra room for a short time. Big deal. You can buy a nice couch for your house for less money than that, and it is even more comfortable. In fact, a person could pay the mortgage or rent on a decent sized house for a month for less money than that extra square foot they give you for a couple hours on the airplane. You would still have money left over for a few nice meals and a couple bottles of wine.
I am not a rich man. But, if I were, I would not be wasting my hard earned money on the first class scam. I can tolerate a coach seat for a few hours. However, when the airline wants to upgrade me for free, I take it of course.
With that being said, first class passengers have the right to overpay for their seats. It helps to subsidize some of the amazingly low prices us coach passengers pay. They pay good money, and should not have to share their restroom with the other passengers. If coach passengers don’t like being exluded, then they should buy a first class ticket next time.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Today’s Thread Of The Day is at HikingForums.net.
In the forum, they are discussing the best things to carry to easily start a campfire.
http://www.hikingforums.net/forums/general/7788-fire-starter.html
Popularity: 1% [?]
At the cruisecritic.com forum, the members discuss stories of people being kicked off cruise ships for bad behavior, throwing chairs overboard, drugs etc.
Being left in a foreign country, often a small island nation, and having to pay for your own travel back home should be a hard and expensive lesson for those banished. I’m sure last minute one way plane tickets from these places couldn’t be very cheap. You almost feel bad for them. Almost.
But I do feel horribly bad for the girl in post #14 and #21. It is a long thread, so if you only read two posts, make it those ones. The lady seems like a reasonable and nice woman. She went through a terrible ordeal because of the behavior of her son’s friend and was left at St. Maarten. Good luck on your future cruises Lori of St. Louis.
http://messages.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=729959
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Everybody knows you can save a little money on hotels at Priceline.com, but the average person doesn’t know how to get the most savings.
You have to bid the lowest price that they will accept. Bid too high, and you are not saving as much money as you could. Bid too low, and your bid is rejected and you have to wait a few days to try again. If only there was a clue to the perfect bid.
Well there is. It is called BiddingForTravel.com. In this forum thread a priceline user explains how he was able to get the Crowne Plaza at Redondo Beach, Ca for only $52 a night.
That’s a great deal. On the dates I checked for on Crowne Plaza’s website, the lowest price I could find was $184.
Popularity: 2% [?]
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