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  • 04/12/11--04:30: Kid Rock Says He'll Cruise Again Next Year (chan 1520156)

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    Sixthman

    As Kid Rock wrapped up his Chillin' the Most cruise late Sunday night he made an announcement that the event will return for the third time next year.

    "You guys rule the earth," the rock star declared to a crowd of more than 2,000 people who packed the boat's pool deck, reports the Detroit Free Press.

    Kid Rock's announcement came after he mooned the crowd and told fans he was "really drunk" while fielding questions.

    The sold-out cruise left New Orleans for Cozumel on April 7 on Carnival's Triumph.

    It wasn't just Kid Rock who rocked the boat, either: special guests included Nashville recording artists John Stone, Detroit artists Ty Stone, country and southern rock artist Leroy Powell, and Detroit funk band the Howling Diablos. Kid Rock's DJ and protégé Paradime was also on hand, as well as DJ Mark EP.

    Comedian Carlos Mencia was also on board to make cruisers laugh, and also reportedly bared his backside.

    Kick Rock's management team says details on the 2012 cruise will be announced soon.

     

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  • 04/12/11--10:00: NASA Shuttles to Land at Tourist Destinations Across the Country (chan 1520156)

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    Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    NASA officials announced on Tuesday that a trip of retired and soon-to-be retired space shuttles will soon land at their permanent homes at tourist destinations across the nation.

    The Discovery flew its final flight last month and is headed to the Smithsonian for display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport, while the Endeavour will come in for its ultimate landing at the California Science Center after it completes its final space trip later this month.

    The Atlantis will find its permanent home at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida when it retires later this year.

    The New York Times reported an audience at the Kennedy Center erupted into "jubilant cheering and whooping" as the destination for Atlantis' was announced, while those at the Museum of Flight in Seattle - which had already begun construction of a new wing that it hoped would house the orbiter - were not as lucky.

    The $10 million exhibit for Atlantis will become the new hallmark of a 10-year master plan for the space center. Design concepts for the space center's new 65,000 square-foot display include showing the orbiter "in flight" from several vantage points so visitors can see how it worked in space.

    "Guests will be close enough to almost touch this real space flow orbiter," says Bill Moore, Chief Operating Officer of the space center in a press release.

    The Endeavour, on the other hand, will become the centerpiece of a 10-year master plan at the California Science Center in Exposition Park, reports the Los Angeles Daily News. According to NASA, the shuttle has traveled 115 million miles during 25 flights, carrying 139 people into orbit.

    Twenty-one institutions across the country had put in bids for one of the shuttles. Those who did not receive actual ships may still be able to get piece of hardware from the shuttle program - including the Seattle museum, which will get a full-size mock-up that is used for astronaut training.

    "I want to congratulate all of these fine institutions and wish them many visitors and exciting programs with the space shuttle fleet. For all of them, take good care of our vehicles. They've served the nation well and we at NASA have a deep and abiding relationship and love affair with them that's hard to put into words," says NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.

     

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  • 04/13/11--05:30: Virgin Reveals Weirdest Check-in Items (chan 1520156)

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    jcantroot/Flickr

    Virginia Atlantic has released a list of the most bizarre items passengers have attempted to bring on flights, and among the questionable items are a dead cow, a tarantula and a bathtub.

    The airline surveyed its check-in staff at 32 airports around the world and came back with the surprising findings.

    Coconut trees, giant wheels of cheese, and more were among the memorable items passengers tried to get onboard.

    One passenger at Delhi airport even tried to bring on a bag of cutlery he had previously stolen from a Virgin Atlantic flight.

    The airline says another woman once turned up at the check-in desk with a bathtub she had asked family members to carry in to the airport.

    Passengers checking in at Grenada Airport tried to take a bag of soil and coconut trees back home, while another couple who began their romance on the Caribbean island allegedly tried to bring bag a bag full of sand and sea water as a souvenir.

    At New York's JFK Airport, a woman tried to sneak on a pet tarantula hidden in her coat, while another brought a dead cow wrapped in plastic, according to the airline.

    "Our check-in staff see thousands of passengers on a daily basis but every now and then, a passenger will arrive at check-in with something you would never expect," says Greg Dawson, Virgin Atlantic's director of corporate communications, in a statement.

     

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  • 04/13/11--05:45: Disabled Man Claims He was Kicked Off Cruise (chan 1520156)

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    A passenger in a wheelchair was kicked off a clothing-optional charter cruise on a Celebrity Cruises ship in February after he declined to hire a private nurse.

    James Keskeny, 66, was ordered off the Bare Necessities Tour & Travel charter cruise in Guadeloupe where he had to pay an additional $1,500 for travel arrangements home, reports the Oakland Press newspaper.

    Bare Necessities specializes in clothing optional cruises, but a spokeswoman from Celebrity Cruises says Keskeny remained clothed on the ship.

    Keskeny, a Michigan resident who has multiple sclerosis, paid $4,000 to book a Sky Suite on the Celebrity Century so that he would have ample room to accommodate his wheelchair. The room upgrade also comes with butler service, which Keskeny thought could help cover his needs.

    According to Keskeny, problems began when the butler refused to help him get his wheelchair over a lip going to the bathroom that he believes is non-compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

    "They wouldn't touch me," Keskeny tells the Oakland Press. "I felt like a leper."

    Celebrity Cruises, however, tells Cruise Critic there was no lip in Keskeny's room.

    On the third day of the trip, Keskeny says he slipped off the toilet and none of the workers would help him get back into his chair. After a visit to the infirmary, Keskeny was taken off the ship and left in the port of Guadalupe the next morning.

    "I never dreamt they would treat me in such a discriminatory fashion," says Keskeny, who reportedly took an around-the-world trip in 2002 by himself and had no problems.

    "During the sailing, Mr. Keskeny required special assistance above and beyond what is provided to our disabled or wheelchair-bound guests," Celebrity says in a statement.

    The cruise line maintains that although Keskeny was saying in an accessible suite he "required nurse-related assistance, such as help with feeding and personal hygiene, which is beyond the scope of what our butler service provides."

    The cruise line says senior ship officers explained the situation to Keskeny and offered the option of hiring a private duty nurse, but Keskeny declined.

     

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  • 04/14/11--03:30: Airport Worker Fined for Taking Bribes (chan 1520156)

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    jeremyfoo/Flickr

    A passenger service assistant working at Changi International Airport was fined $6,700 on Thursday for accepting bribes to allow four passengers to check in excess baggage without cost.

    Channel News Asia is reporting that on one occasion the man allowed a 650-pound bag to be checked without any excess baggage fee.

    William Wong, 36, also paid an additional penalty of $1,120, which was the amount of bribes he collected between May and November 2008.

    Wong worked at the Emirates Airline check-in counter, where his duties included assisting passengers to check in for their flights and ensuring that passenger baggage did not exceed the airline's weight limit.

    Investigations revealed Wong befriended a Sri Lankan national in April 2008, who approached Wong with four other Sri Lankan passengers on several occasions. Each passenger carried excess baggage, and Wong agreed to check them all in without charging extra fees.

    Wong later received $1,120 as a reward from his new friend.

    The airline employee faced seven charges under Singapore's Prevention of Corruption Act. He pleaded guilty to four of the charges.

     

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  • 04/14/11--05:00: Southwest Jet That Had Hole Being Repaired (chan 1520156)

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    AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File

    The Southwest Airlines jetliner that had a fuselage rupture earlier this month is being repaired so that it can return to passenger service.

    The plane has been patched and painted, meaning there is no sign of the 5-foot hole that opened in the plane's roof on April 1 just 18 minutes into a flight from Phoenix to Sacramento.

    Company spokeswoman Brady King tells MSNBC that Boeing worked with Southwest to design a repair plan for the jet. The Boeing 737-300 touched down at Love Field in Dallas, where Southwest is based, and then took off again to a facility where more permanent repairs can be made.

    According to aircraft tracking website Flight Aware, the plane's final destination is Greensboro, N.C., the site of a major private repair facility.

    After the emergency, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered inspections of all older models of 737-300s, -400s and -500s with at least 30,000 takeoffs and landings, an order that affected about 10 percent of the 6,000 737s in service worldwide.

    Amongst its fleet of 79 737-300s, Southwest found five others with the same kind of cracks believed to have caused the emergency earlier this month.

    Flight 812 was nearing 35,000 feet when it experienced what is known as "explosive decompression," or a rip in the pressurized fuselage. Pilots declared an emergency and rapidly descended to 10,000 feet, where oxygen isn't required.

    According to the report by MSNBC, the plane has yet to reach altitudes above 10,000 feet.

     

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  • 04/14/11--06:00: River Ship Collides with Cargo Ship in Danube (chan 1520156)

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    kawanet/Flickr

    A cruise ship carrying more than 100 tourists collided with a cargo ship in a Danube River channel near the capital of Slovakia yesterday.

    Fire department spokesman Ivan Petko tells the Associated Press a German cargo ship carrying corn was badly damaged and is sinking, while a Maltese cruise ship, the Viktoria, was only slightly damaged.

    Five crew members on the cargo ship escaped unharmed, and no injuries were reported from the cruise ship.

    Petko says the captain of the cruise ship was confident it could reach the port in nearby Bratislava, but there are conflicting reports on whether or not the ship has been evacuated. The Associated Press says it is, but Seatrade Insider quotes a waterway official who says an evacuation has been deemed unnecessary, though passengers would likely be transferred to another vessel later today.

    The cause of the collision is being investigated. More details were not immediately available.

    River cruises are popular on the Danube, and typically sail between Passau, Germany and Budapest, Hungary.

     

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  • 04/15/11--06:00: 'Naked Pool' Opens in Vegas (chan 1520156)

    • Filed under:

    Phelston Jones/Artisan Hotel

    The off-Strip Artisan Hotel Boutique in Las Vegas is hopping on the party pool trend by opening the 'Naked Pool' this weekend.

    Despite the suggestive name, the re-branding of this hotel's backyard pool is a little misleading: you can't strip down completely, but women are allowed to strut around topless if they choose.

    The hotel is one of several Sin City hotels that has turned the poolside into a party venue featuring DJs, sexy staff members, and themed events. Other topless venues around Vegas include the Bare Pool Lounge at The Mirage and a guest-only pool at the Wynn Las Vegas.

    Instead of lawn chairs, the Mediterranean-style pool at Artisan features oversized daybeds.
    And since the pool is off the Vegas strip, it won't be packed with partygoers.

    "While at the mega-resorts you are stuffed into the pool crammed with bodies, our pool parties will offer a completely different feel and vibe," Michael Crandall, director of business affairs for The Siegel Group, which the hotels, tells USA Today.

    "It's about having a great place to chill for the day, have some drinks, enjoy great music, and escape from reality. No long lines and thousands of people."

    Events at the Naked Pool will go down seven days a week, and include "Beer Goggle Monday," "Topless Tuesdays," "Wasted Wednesday," and "Finger Paint Saturdays." Women and locals often get in to the pool for free, and the average entrance fee for out-of-town males is $10 - a good deal compared to mega resorts along the Strip.

    If you are seeking a sexy party on the Strip, look no further than the weekly "Rehab" parties hosted at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, set to return this weekend. Lines are known to form before noon for the Sunday night soiree, and although women must keep tops on there is little left to the imagination.

     

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  • 04/20/11--05:30: River Cruises: 8 Scenic Trips Minus the Mega Ships (chan 1520156)

    • Filed under:

    river cruises

    Iberostar

    Cruising doesn't have to be all about a week in the Caribbean on a monster city at sea. Who really needs to play mini golf or go rock climbing while setting sail, anyway? For a less intense overwater getaway, turn to river cruises. With less-crowded waters and shore excursions to intimate places, it's no surprise passenger numbers are up 15 percent annually on river cruises. Cruising doesn't have to be all about a week in the Caribbean on a monster city at sea. Who really needs to play mini golf or go rock climbing while setting sail, anyway? For a less intense overwater getaway, turn to river cruises. With less-crowded waters and shore excursions to intimate places, it's no surprise passenger numbers are up 15 percent annually on river cruises.

    But, with 165 major rivers in the world - and countless more minor ones - choosing the right one can be intimidating. From a tour of French canals on a converted cargo ship to an Amazonian adventure through the flooded forests of Brazil, we've narrowed down eight of the best river cruises on the water.

    %Gallery-121506%



     

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  • 04/20/11--08:30: Bert Kreischer, The World's Worst Hotel Guest? (chan 1520156)

    • Filed under: ,

    Bert Kreischer

    How would you react if you walked into a hotel room and saw a pair of legs poking out from under the bed? A Travel Channel television host has taken it upon himself to frighten house keeping services at hotels by "redecorating" rooms. Might he actually be the world's worst hotel guest?

    Comedian and actor Bert Kreischer, who hosts Bert the Conqueror, has been surprising hotel maids by re-arranging common hotel room items and other props into creepy art forms. The American TV personality tells an Australian news site, news.com.au, his goal is to leave each room in a "semi-disturbing manner."

    Some of Kreischer's creations include toilet paper formed into the outline of a body (a la a crime scene), a toilet made to look like a snake with fangs dripping with blood, and a giant dog made from towels and linens.

    He's also stuffed a shirt to make it look like a torso was being kept in a mini-fridge, used clothes to make it appear like a man was hiding underneath a food cart, and left a sheet dangling out of a hotel room window to make it seem as if someone has escaped.

    Kreischer then posts photos of his creepy creations on Twitter, asking followers to come up with captions.

    But what might be even more disturbing is that Kreischer says his escapades began in a hotel room in San Antonio, Texas in order to draw attention away from what is really going on in his hotel room.

    "I realized that if a maid was insightful enough she could tell exactly what I had done in my hotel room and she might think less of me," Kreischer tells the news outlet.

    "So I tried to throw her off my trail by putting an ironing board in the bathroom next to a pillow encrusted toilet ... and that started it all."

    Kreischer did not divulge exactly what goes on behind closed doors in hotels, or if he's ever had to foot a bill for defacing property. He also says he has not heard how hotel staff react to his makeovers, but always makes sure to compensate them for their trouble.

    "I am long gone by the time anyone from the hotel sees my 'art,' but I always leave a generous tip and never destroy anything or create anything that would be a hassle to put back together in a matter of seconds."

    So which hotels are the most fun to play around in? Kreischer tells the website that: "Hyatts and Hiltons offer the most amount of stuff in the room for you to create with... Holiday Inns and Red Roof Ins a pretty bare bones and you end op having to go into your suit case for props, but mostly all the props are the same... which makes it tough to come up with new ones."

    At least for now, it seems like Kreischer will be continuing his hotel hijinks. "Just so you know: I bought 100 feet of parachute military cord & a survival knife this weekend...hotel catastrophes are a fear no more," announced the prankster on his Twitter feed on Tuesday.



     

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  • 04/22/11--04:15: Martial Arts Coach Says He Was Tasered, Forcibly Ejected From Flight (chan 1520156)

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    vietnamese national taekwondo coach kicked off flight

    Getty Images

    Vietnam's national martial arts team head coach is demanding an apology after he was allegedly tasered and forcibly ejected from a flight earlier this week over a tarmac dispute.

    Things got out of control when 50-year-old Le Minh Khuong's Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City was diverted to another city because of bad weather. While waiting on the tarmac during what was supposed to be a short delay before the plane took off again, Khuong walked into the business class section of the plane and demanded to be let off.

    Khuong says he did not yell or cause a disruption, but another passenger quoted in a local newspaper says the tae kwon do coach screamed and threatened to get physical with a flight attendant.

    But the coach didn't get to use any of his moves while on board the plane. He maintains airline staff used a taser and pressed his face to the floor in order to restrain him, but Vietnam Airlines is denying all accusations that staff used violence against him.

    Things get even worse for Khuong from there. The plane taxied to the terminal and Khuong was forcibly removed, at which point he says airport security officers "twisted my hand, pulled my hair and shocked me with electric batons."

    Khuong was traveling with his father at the time of the incident, and says he is not planning to sue the airline because he is "too busy" - he just wants an apology.

    In a statement, Vietnam Airlines says that the airline crew and security officers did nothing wrong and that Khuong was forced off the plane for failing to comply with safety rules, putting the flight at risk.

    Khuong is far from the first unruly flier to cause disruption: in January, two New Yorkers came to the rescue of an American Airliens flight attendant who was being attacked by a man who was angry he couldn't squeeze past the beverage cart. Last October, a passenger made headlines when he was ejected from a JetBlue flight over a seat assignment scuffle, while a few months earlier a JetBlue flight was diverted because a teenage passenger became unruly during an "anxiety attack."

    Here is some news Khuong might be happy to hear: Just yesterday, the U.S. government expanded its three-hour tarmac delay rule to include international flights.

     

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  • 04/27/11--06:00: John Paul II Beautification Packs Rome Hotels (chan 1520156)

    • Filed under:

    Libby Zay

    Hotels are in high demand this weekend in Rome as about 1 million visitors swarm the Italian capital for John Paul II's beatification, the third of four steps in the process of becoming a saint in the Catholic Church.

    Bloomberg reports the city's 1,000-plus hotels are almost fully booked, with booking services showing some rooms going at double their usual rate.

    Church-run hostels and guest houses have also been booked solid since the current pope, Benedict XVI, announced John Paul II's beatification. Sister Emilia of the Giusti Hotel, which is run by nuns of the Saint Ann of Providence order, tells the news outlet they have been "inundated with requests."

    Hotel comparison site Trivago says the average going rate per night in Rome this weekend is $370 - higher than the $310 nightly rate for London, where people are gathering for the much anticipated Royal Wedding on Friday.

    Rip-off artists have not overlooked the high demand for hotels rooms in Rome. Police have closed six hotels and issued close to $450,000 in fines for hotels that tried to scam tourists by adding up to eight beds to small hotel rooms, Ansa news wire reported last week.

    Miraculously, some rooms are still available via a special website that has been set up for last-minute pilgrims seeking lodging. Rooms are going for as low as $235 per night outside of Rome, or $280 and up per night inside the city.

    John Paul II's beatification will take place at St. Peter's Basilica, located within Vatican City. A crowd is expected to pack St. Peter's Square, a circular open space in front of the basilica, to watch on giant TV screens.

     

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  • 05/03/11--06:00: 'Red' Tours Lead Visitors Through Chinese Communist History (chan 1520156)

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    Getty Images

    An all-women combat unit dressed in revolutionary-style green caps and full soldier's uniforms are leading 'red' tourists on officially sanctioned tours of old revolutionary sites in China.

    The tours are happening on the southern island province of Hainan, where groups are being led on hikes that follow a route that Red Army soldiers are said to have struggled through.

    But the main attraction seems to be a 95-year-old woman named Pan Xianying, who is one of the only three remaining members of a Communist all-women army unit. Pan joined in 1931 at the ripe age of 15, the youngest in the battalion. Today visitors can join her and her husband at their home where she recalls stories of her service.

    Composed of 140 women at its height, the battalion was formed by a young local Communist in a push for gender equality. The women fought rival Nationalist forces and protected party leaders, but disbanded when the Nationalists drove the Communists underground in Hainan.

    The heroines have not been forgotten in China: The unit inspired a ballet, The Red Detachment of Women, that is still popular throughout the country today.

    Although red tourism is hardly new in China, the tour is one of several that have sparked up to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party on July 1.

    Chen Doushu, head of the agency organizing the tours, tells the Agence France Presse that red tourism reflects a desire many Chinese people have to look back at the past after more than 30 years of rapid modernization throughout the country.

    "Chinese people cannot forget their history, and the best way to do that is to go and remember it, to study it. That's where red tourism comes from," he said.

    Other odd tours that have popped up recently include tours of Los Angeles gang territory, a mock Mexican/U.S. border crossing role play, and trips through the slums of India.



     

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  • 05/05/11--06:45: TSA Weighs "Trusted Traveler" Program (chan 1520156)

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    kalleboo/Flickr

    Here's some good news: The Transportation Security Administration is working on a "Trusted Traveler" concept that could allow air passenger to speed through security checks by keeping their shoes on, leaving laptops in bags, and avoiding body scanners altogether.

    Dubbed the "Trusted Traveler" program, the Wall Street Journal says the major shift would be one of the biggest improvements at the airport since 2001.

    According to TSA administrator John Pistole, the TSA would identify potential candidates by taking data from airline frequent-flier programs. Trusted flier status would be indicated with a bar code on the boarding pass that will be processed by computers and scanners that are to be rolled out at airport checkpoints later this year. Once cleared, the fliers would be able to pass through an expedited security line.

    The TSA is weighing their options, but as with any program there would be exceptions and rules, says Pistole. The program would likely only be tailored to specific low-risk routes, particularly those with air marshals on board flights, and might not be offered to passengers on a flight that has bookings for people on the government's "watch list."

    "We still want to keep some randomness and unpredictability in there so terrorists can't game the system," says Pistole.

    The TSA plans to kick off the program this summer by allowing pilots and flight attendants separate screening without body scanners or pat-downs. If all goes well, full implementation could happen, but will likely take much longer.

    "Let's get away from one size fits all," says Pistole. "We think we can improve the processes and focus more on people we know nothing about."

    Busy airports such as Denver International and Orlando International already use the "Clear Card," which acts much like a Fast Pass at Disney. After undergoing a one-time background check, iris scan and fingerprinting, fliers are issued a card that allows them to make a quick stop at a biometric scanning before cutting to the front of a security line. The card comes with an annual price tag of $179.

    Kate Hanni, founder and spokeswoman for a flier advocacy group Flyersrights.org (and a 2010 Huffington Post Game Changer), says she believes these types of pre-screening programs should be expanded by the government.

    "This creates a way for low-risk people to get though quickly and unclog the lines for the rest of the travelers," Hanni said. "We need to start looking at the people, opposed to the objects on their bodies."

    Do you think TSA's "Trusted Traveler" Program Is...
    An excellent idea. It saves people like me time and stress!620 (73.2%)
    Really stupid.227 (26.8%)

     

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  • 05/06/11--08:00: Tommy Hilfiger Buys New York's MetLife Clock Tower To Turn into Luxury Hotel (chan 1520156)

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    Getty Images

    Clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger is hoping the young, affluent crowd that dig his preppy style will flock to his new luxury hotel now in the works in New York.

    Hilfiger and a business partner have just inked a $170 million deal to buy the landmark Metropolitan Life clock tower office building that overlooks Madison Square Park.

    The 700-foot building was built in 1909 and remained the tallest building in the world until the Woolworth building beat it out in 1913.

    Interestingly, he wasn't the only fashion designer with ties to the property. The former owners, Africa Israel, had plans of turning the famous clock tower building into 100 luxury apartments with interiors designed by Versace.

    "There are natural affinities between lifestyle hotels and fashion brands," Bjorn Hanson, dean of New York University's Preston Rober Tisch Center for Hospitality, tells the Wall Street Journal.

    People familiar with the matter tell the paper that Hilfiger has been looking to launch a hotel for some time. Hilfiger and company put in a bid of $110 million for eight floors at the former New York Times building on West 43rd Street earlier this year, but later pulled out. The designer also looked at the Hotel Chelsea last year, but didn't put up a formal bid. (Famed hotelier Andre Balasz was also reportedly looking into the Hotel Chelsea earlier this year, the New York Post reported at the time.)

    Hilfiger, who sold his clothing brand a little over a year ago to Phillips-Van Heusen for $3 billion and remains the principal designer, may take the lead of the building's former owners and turn a portion of the floor plan into luxury condos.

    His former company is not involved in the hotel project.

    What will a hotel interior designed by Hilfiger look like? Only time will tell. "I'm not sure what a Hilfiger brand hotel is. I assume it's something with a preppy look to the design," John Fox, a hotel industry specialist at PKF consulting, tells the New York Times.

    Regardless of the final product, Hilfiger won't be the only designer involved in the hospitality world. The likes of Armani, Missoni and Versace are already in the business; Diane von Furstenberg has also gotten in on the action designing rooms for Claridge's in London.


     

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  • 05/09/11--03:45: Fatt Kwee Wong Caught Smuggling Illegal Immigrants into U.S. Aboard Queen Mary 2 (chan 1520156)

    • Filed under:

    Jim Henderson/Wikimedia Commons

    Authorities are saying a Malaysian man attempted to smuggle illegal Chinese immigrants into New York aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2, a transatlantic ship deemed the "most luxurious ocean liner ever build."

    The New York Daily News is reporting five women and four men were taken into custody last month after they arrived at the New York Cruise Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

    Far from stowaways, the illegal immigrants had access to all of the ship's spectacular amenities - including a planetarium, the largest ballroom at sea, a Canyon Ranch spa, and several gourmet restaurants.

    According to agents the accused smugger, Fatt Kwee Wong, 49, says he was paid $3,000 for each of the nine passengers by an unidentified person in China. The illegal immigrants also paid $500 each when they boarded the ship in Dubai, according to court papers.

    Red flags went off at the terminal when Wong, who carried a Japanese passport and speaks Mandarin, failed to name his nine companions. A fingerprint check showed he was wanted for smuggling aliens into Bermuda.

    A spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection tells the Daily News it is believed this is the first case of its kind in the New York area.



     

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  • 06/02/11--05:00: Woman Screams the TSA 'Molested' Her after Pat Down (VIDEO) (chan 1520156)

    • Filed under: ,

    rynomaz11/YouTube

    Here's a video that's hard to watch. A shaky hand-held camera records a shrieking woman who has just gone through security and yells that a TSA officer "just molested" her at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix on May 28th.

    "For God sakes somebody help me!" screams the woman as she demands the TSA agent be arrested.

    For the next ten minutes, her son Ryan records what unfolds from his perspective at the back of the security checkpoint.

    TSA agents, a Southwest employee and the Phoenix Police ask him to turn off his camera, but fail to provide him with a statute of law that claims he cannot film in a public area. So the tape continues to roll.

    Midway through the video, his mother - still hysterical - is escorted out of the screening area by Phoenix Police. Moments later his dad runs out with his belt around his neck looking for her. The two chase after her, but the video ends.

    Watch the video of the hysterical mother below:



    Obviously there is some missing information here. How could his mother not be clued in to the controversy surrounding the "enhanced" TSA pat down introduced last fall? And was her reaction a little extreme? We reached out to the man behind the camera for answers, and this is what he had to say:

    "Prior to the camera rolling, I had just gone through the metal detector and gathered my belongings as quickly as possible because I had witnessed my mother opt-out of the body scanners and get taken to the "pat-down" area. I was able to witness the actual groping that took place because I had just pulled out my phone from my luggage carry-on."

    Ryan goes on to explain that he had witnessed his mother's breasts being groped and that while his camera was off the TSA accused his family of being "hired actors" and interrogating them about who they work for.

    "It's quite alarming when they perked up and claimed to know all of us because my father and I have had multiple confrontations with the TSA regarding the body scanners," says Ryan.

    Which brings in an interesting twist: TSA drama seems to be a family affair. In January, Ryan posted a similar video with his father as the subject of a TSA interrogation.

    Watch the video of the father being interrogated below. Be forewarned, there is graphic language in the video:


    "It's going on YouTube, I was waiting for this," says the son after being confronted by a TSA officer for videotaping. The TSA employee then tries to cover the camera with a screening bin.

    "I was prepared all day today," he adds, going on to compare the TSA to the Gestapo, the secret police of Nazi Germany.

    "You are either going to be molested or micro-waved like a TV dinner," he says several times as if having rehearsed his spiel.

    Ex-MTV VJ and former Miss USA Susie Castillo also took to video to explain her anti-TSA position last month.

    Is this family standing up for their rights, or just trying to get their fifteen minutes of fame? You decide.



     

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  • 06/19/11--00:30: Cruise Crew Life: Living and Working Aboard a River Cruise Ship (chan 1520156)

    • Filed under: ,

    Libby Zay

    "The crew makes the ship," declares Avalon Panorama hotel manager Dan Ungureanu as he makes his final dinnertime speech to guests. It was the end of the ship's first voyage through Germany, but the crew pulled everything off so seamlessly it was like they'd been traversing the same route for years.

    As each crew member has their shining moment - a modest announcement of their name, job, and home country - it is easy to wonder how everything comes together. Each morning as guests sit bleary eyed at the breakfast table, the same waiter who served dinner the night before will smile and pour cups of coffee. And this is after the staff stayed up late doing closing out work and spending some time writing emails back home.

    It turns out that many of these crew members have work days that last from 6am to 10am with only short breaks in between. They also stay on the ship and away from their friends and family for as long as eight months at a time. And they do it by choice.

    In the Kitchen

    Executive Chef Michael Zambersky works in a kitchen that is no bigger than a cramped hotel room - a workspace that he says is bigger and has a better layout than other ships he's worked on in the past. He and nine other employees work nearly round-the-clock to prepare three square meals a day for up to 160 people.

    Kevin Smith Southwest

    Libby Zay, AOL Travel

    To get everything done, the ship employs a pastry chef who works alone to make all the on board sweets and two dishwashers who clean and peel potatoes and vegetables from dawn until well after dusk. The five other workers on Michael's staff are cooks.

    When it comes down to crunch time, they have seven seconds to plate each elaborate course for meals that typically include five and seven plates of food - and that's not accounting for the fact that the ship gives guests two entree options, plus extra selections catered to vegetarians and those looking for healthy alternatives.

    "It really is about organization and concentration," says the modest chef as he tries to portray the hustle and bustle of the tiny kitchen.

    At the Front Desk

    Another crewmember who knows a thing or two about organization is the senior receptionist, Petya Yordanova.

    Petya has been working on ships for seven years and spends her days fielding questions from guests, keeping track of who is on land, answering phones, and putting together documents such as a daily bulletin and news updates in several different languages for guests.

    When asked what the most difficult part of her job was, she didn't state an actual task but instead noted, "sometimes I miss the lazy days with nothing to do."

    But Yordanova, who says she loves working on a ship because she gets to see different cities every day, has an advantage over other workers: she gets to work alongside her husband for much of the day. He's the hotel manager and also spends much of his time at the front desk. No wonder he think the crew makes the ship!

    In the Dining Room

    Sdenka Juranova, a server from the Czech Republic, is quite literally in the same boat. She's dating a crewmember on board. In reality, onboard romances are not uncommon when spending months on end together in close quarters. At least on the Avalon Panorama the crew has a little more privacy; their quarters house two people per room whereas most ships - both on rivers and ocean liners - hold four or more.

    "I'm happy that I have the support," says Sdenka, who wakes up each day at 5:45am and finishes her day around 10:30. When she has free time, Sdenka says she likes to go explore the city and do some shopping, "but most of the time I'm sleeping because I'm tired."

    Many other crewmembers had similar answers, saying they take naps or just sit back and relax when they have time off.

    Peter Vadau, the Maitre'd or dining facilitator, says the hardest part of his jobs it to "motivate the tired crew" after a few months out on the water. Peter is unmarried and without children, and says he is typically away from home for eight months at a time.

    Ariadi Putra, another server on the ship, has a wife two teenage children back home in Indonesia. He keeps in contact with them through email and smiles coyly when asked if he counts down the days until he sees his family. "The four month vacation is nice," he comments.

    Why They Do It

    The big breaks in between cruise seasons seem to be the main incentive for the crew to take these demanding jobs. Most say they chose to work on cruise ships because of their love for traveling, and many worked on ocean liners or in luxury hotels before joining the ranks of the Avalon Panorama.

    The crew also held the company they work for in high regard. Peter, who has worked for Avalon for four years, says he feels like he is a part of the company. Others take pride in the design and cleanliness of the ship and proudly pointed out details where Avalon took their ideas into account, including the kitchen setup and less cramped cabins.

    The 44 crewmembers who make sure every detail on the ship is prepped, pressed and perfect come from a variety of places. The majority come from Indonesia, Hungary, and Romania, but there are also some from Serbia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia, to name a few. Even at the end of the maiden voyage, the crew had already formed bonds and was working as a team. From a server helping another fold and carry a table to the hairdresser who doubles as a housekeeper when she isn't busy, it was clear that no matter what might go on behind-the-scenes to the guests everything was flawless.

    More on Cruise Crews

    If you're interested in learning more about the life of the crew aboard cruise ships, there are several bloggers who write about their experiences. My Life at Sea is run by a 22-year-old American crewmember who is about to ship off once again, while the crewmember behind Crew Office stopped blogging about a year ago but his archives still make for a good read. There is also a Cruise Ship Crew Members group on Facebook that has over 8,000 members.

    Photos by Libby Zay.

     

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  • 08/11/11--02:30: Aaron B. Tobey, Airport Security Strip Protester, Sues TSA Over Arrest (UPDATE) (chan 1520156)

    • Filed under:

    Associated Press

    UPDATE 8/11/11: A judge said Wednesday that he would rule in two weeks in the case of a college student who stripped naked at an airport security checkpoint last December.

    Aaron Tobey, 21, of Charlottesville, Va., was passing through Virginia's Richmond International Airport on December 30, when he opted-out of going through the full body scanner. He was, instead, seeking an enhanced pat down, and, when he went through security, took off his clothes to reveal the Fourth Amendment written on his chest in magic marker.

    Tobey was handcuffed and briefly held on charges of disorderly conduct. A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed on his behalf, claiming Tobey's First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated.

    Now, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson will rule in two weeks on whether or not to dismiss the lawsuit, reports the Associated Press. He also set a tentative trial date for January 18.

    Carlotta Wells, an attorney for the federal defendants, said all the TSA did was call for police assistance when Tobey refused the body scan and began stripping and placing his clothes on the X-ray conveyor belt.

    "What he was doing was unusual, unexpected and out of the ordinary," she told the AP.

    But, all Tobey did was obey the officers' commands, asserts Anand Agneshwar, Tobey's lawyer, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch. He adds that the TSA and airport police went beyond what was necessary to ensure that his client wasn't a threat.

    ---------

    Previously, 3/15/2011: A 21-year-old college student who was arrested for stripping down at airport security is suing the Transportation Security Administration for $250,000.

    Aaron Tobey, a student at the University of Cincinnati, was passing through Richmond International Airport in Virginia last December when he opted out of going through the controversial "naked body scanner" advanced imaging machines and requested an enhanced pat-down. As he went through airport security, Tobey took off his pants and shirt to reveal an abbreviated version of the Fourth Amendment scrawled across his chest in magic marker.

    He went there knowing he would not do the advanced imaging and do that pat-down instead," Tobey's attorney, James Knicely, tells Wired.com. "He was making it easy for them and in the process he wanted to communicate his objection for doing so."

    The federal civil rights lawsuit that was filed on Tobey's behalf by the Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties group, claims Tobey's First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights were breached when the student was handcuffed and held for roughly 90 minutes after being detained on charges of disorderly conduct.

    "Tobey was unduly seized by government agents in violation of the Fourth Amendment, despite the fact that he did nothing to disrupt airport routine," says John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute in a statement.

    According to the suit, authorities interrogated Tobey "about his affiliation with, or knowledge of, any terrorist organizations, if he had been asked to do what he did by any third party, and what his intentions and goals were."

    Tobey was on the way to Wisconsin for his grandmother's funeral when he made the magic marker protest. Despite the detainment, he made his flight.

    On January 10, it was reported that the disorderly conduct charges against Tobey were dropped.

    Tobey did not respond to an e-mailed request by AOL News for an interview.

     

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  • 08/15/11--08:30: UPDATE: Man Pleads Guilty to Groping Sleeping Passenger on Plane (chan 1520156)

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    joe reicharts/Flickr

    UPDATE 8/15/11: Ramesh Advani, who admitted to groping a fellow passenger on a Continental flight last year, will spend a year in jail, reports the Associated Press.

    Advani, 64, Berkeley Heights, N.J., was sentenced Monday in a U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J.

    He will also have to pay a $10,000 fine and serve five years of supervised release after he leaves jail

    Advani was on a flight from Newark to Hong Kong in May 2010 when he admittedly reached under the blanket of a woman seated next to him and assaulted her. He pleaded guilty to a charge of abusive sexual conduct in April.

    --------
    Previously, 4/13/11    : A New Jersey man admitted in federal court yesterday that he had groped a sleeping woman on an overnight flight from Hong Kong to Newark last May.

    Ramesh Advani, 64, admitted he reached his hand under the woman's blanket and fondled her during the 15-hour Continental flight, authorities say.

    The woman slept until two passengers in the row behind her noticed and kicked the woman's seat until she woke up, authorities say. Startled, the woman rushed over to flight attendants to tell them what had happened.

    Advani was detained when the plane landed. He pleaded guilty today to a count of sexual abusive contact and now faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced in August.

     

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