Week of July 25th
Intelligent Travel offers up a host of interesting travel tidbits, but even we admit that our cup runneth over when it comes to fascinating facts. So we've compiled a weekly roundup of the things we've found on the web, and share them with you.
North America
-The town of Rock Port, Missouri, is to be powered entirely by wind. [Environment & wildlife]
-A 29-mile stretch of the Mississippi waterway around New Orleans was closed off, following the collision between a chemical tanker and a fuel barge. [Global news & trivia]
-Cave experts have recently surveyed Snowy River, part of Fort Stanton Cave Study Project in New Mexico. Made of calcite crystals, the "river" is thought to be the longest continuous cave formation in the world. [Global news & trivia]
-A U.S./Australian think tank, including high-profile environmentalists, has proposed a simple plan to halt deforestation in the world's tropical forests. [Environment & wildlife]
-The next big thing in medical tourism? The latest trend in the U.S., particularly in Chicago, Beverly Hills, and New York, is to have ones bridesmaids undergo cosmetic intervention en masse as part of the wedding package. [Global news & trivia]
-A wildfire has forced the evacuation of residents near California's Yosemite National Park. [Global news & trivia]
-New DNA research indicates that the wild horses of North America—believed to be an introduced species—are actually native to the continent, suggesting that they, too, should enjoy protection as a form of native wildlife. [Environment & wildlife]
Latin America
-Biologists and community members of Playa Junquillal, Costa Rica, are interfering to save the leatherback sea turtles, whose population is only an estimated 5,000 in the Pacific (a 95 percent drop since 1980). [Environment & wildlife]
Europe
-Travel and Leisure reports on free activities to do while traveling, including free bike rentals in Copenhagen, Zurich, Bern, and Helsinki. Via Reuters. [Global news & trivia]
-National Geographic Traveler also has a roundup of Free Things to Do in several cities including London, Rome, and Paris. [Global news & trivia]
-A plane bound for Manchester, England, was forced to make an emergency landing in Germany when two passengers tried to open the cabin door mid-flight. [Air travel news ]
-An ancient, long-lost chariot race track has been discovered in Olympia, Greece, birthplace to the Olympics. [History & world heritage]
-A forest fire in Athens, Greece, closed the northeastern portion of the city's main national highway. [Global news & trivia]
-A 7th-century B.C. tomb near the Italian port-city of Ancona, has been unearthed. The site contains numerous items from various parts of the world, revealing insight to ancient global trade networks . [History & world heritage]
-Russian biologists are studying beluga whales in the Barents Sea. The bellwether marine mammals provide information reflecting the effect of human activity, as well as the consequences of melting Arctic ice sheets on the ecosystem. [Environment & wildlife]
Asia
-Paleobotanists are worried: Rare fossils in the Indian state of Jharkhand are being crushed and used in road construction. [History & world heritage]
-A Hong Kong group has re-created the Olympic venues of Beijing entirely out of LEGO. They are on exhibit in Kowloon until the end of August. [Global news & trivia]
-The real deal, Beijing's Olympic village, has just opened to its first athletic residents. [Global news & trivia]
-Scientists in the Mongolian Gobi Desert have uncovered a complete dinosaur skeleton. [History & world heritage]
-The Thai and Cambodian governments are seeking to resolve a sovereignty dispute over Preah Vihear, an ancient border temple which was granted World Heritage status this year. [History & world heritage]
-A Hindu high priest in Varanasi, India, is at the helm of a project meant to clean up the (holy) Ganges river. [Global news & trivia]
-Russian scientists have begun exploring Lake Baikal via submarine. It is the world's deepest lake, and also a World Heritage site. [History & world heritage]
-Four cubs were born at a giant panda breeding center in Chengdu, China, providing a boost to the endangered species. [Environment & wildlife]
-The Qiang people, of China's Sichuan province, fear their 3,000-year-old customs are highly endangered, following this year's devastating earthquake. [History & world heritage]
Africa
-Army worms, hail, and floods are menacing Ethiopia, a country already reeling from drought and high food prices. [Global news & trivia]
-Isolated pockets of the critically-endangered greater bamboo lemurs of Madagascar have been found living outside of their usual habitat, raising hopes for the survival of the species. [Environment & wildlife]
Oceania
-The BBC reports on travels to tiny Anuta, Solomon Islands, Polynesia's smallest permanently inhabited island. [Global news & trivia]
-Qantas, the Australian airline, is investigating what caused an explosive decompression during a Hong Kong-to-Melbourne flight, forcing an emergency landing in Manila, Philippines. There were no major injuries reported on what was otherwise a normal landing for the 747 airliner. [Air Travel News]
This is a fantastic list -- and site. I found you through Erik Gauger's "Notes from the Road" blog and, as someone who continues to become hungrier for knowledge on green topics, especially related to travel, I'm blown away by the sort of content you have here.
I'm also a little embarrassed that, despite living in Missouri, I had to stumble upon this blog to find out that Rock Port, Mo., is working on full wind power. Awesome! And at least I know now.
Thanks. I'll be back.
Adam
Posted by: Adam Williams | July 29, 2008 at 02:16 PM