Behind the Scenes Look at North Koreas 65th
Anniversary Celebration

post from Japan Probe on 14 October 2010 07:53:29 PM. © Japan Probe

On Wednesday, Asahi TV news aired this segment that gave a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the 65th anniversary celebrations that took place in North Korea a few days ago. It gives a rare and interesting look the semi-private lives of normal Pyongyang residents:Some of the things shown in the video:North Koreans performing an [...]

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Bird Magic

post from Japan Probe on 14 October 2010 05:15:40 PM. © Japan Probe

A Korean magician produces lots of live birds out of thin air (or from out of his pockets):—Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

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Revive Your Cell Phone Battery

post from Japan Probe on 14 October 2010 05:14:15 PM. © Japan Probe

If the battery on your mobile phone runs out, removing it from the phone and rubbing it for a minute can temporarily revive it and provide you with a little bit if extra power:It has to do with heat: when a battery is warmed up, it will last longer. If a phone is placed [...]

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The Port City of Le Havre: A Contemporary World
Heritage Site

post from Europe a la Carte Blog on 14 October 2010 04:05:37 PM. © Europe a la Carte Blog

When in comes to the various port-cities in northern France most people think they are just ferry ports: places where they disembark and embark. But, there is always a lot more to these ports than the ferry terminals. Karen has already written about things to do in Calais and I about Boulogne-sur-mer’s attractions. Following the [...]

The Port City of Le Havre: A Contemporary World Heritage Site

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

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Minister hires party member for a govermnet job
in Iceland -

post from Iceland banking crisis news and more on Iceland on 14 October 2010 03:25:18 PM. © Iceland banking crisis news and more on Iceland

Corruption is doing well here in Iceland.
This week ,the minister for fisheries and acriculture,needed a Information representative for his ministrie.
The minister ,Mr Jon Bjarnarsson,advertised the job.
Many applied,and many media educated people.
Many media educated people put their names for the job, but in Iceland, every big goverment job goes to friends,party members and so on.
The man who got the job,Mr. Bjarni Hardarsson,is a former member of Parliemenet and is now running a book shop.
And he is also a party memer in the same party as the minister.

Photos-
top --- Minister .mr. Jon Bjarnarsson
bottom mr. Bjarni Hardarson

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Ghost, cemetery, crypt and haunted fort tours of
NYC

post from NewYorkology on 14 October 2010 02:00:02 PM. © NewYorkology

As Halloween approaches, many of New York City’s cemeteries and historically haunted houses and structures are opening their doors and gates for public access. Reservations are encouraged as many events sell out as Halloween approaches.The[...]

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Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art

post from Las Vegas Logue on 14 October 2010 01:24:29 PM. © Las Vegas Logue

It’s strange to think that, among all of the nightclubs and slot machines in Las Vegas, there is artwork by big names such as Edgar Degas, Pablo Picasso and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Situated right in the heart of the Bellagio, one of the classiest resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art [...]

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The More You Know: A Semi-Serious Guide to
Couchsurfing (with FAQ)

post from Gridskipper on 14 October 2010 01:22:42 PM. © Gridskipper

Imagine a service where you begin with your upcoming trip to X, for whatever reason. You have just relocated from work. Or maybe, you and three friends just piled into a car that easily fits in a compact parking space and headed across the United States. Maybe you find yourself dumped in Toledo, and need a place to crash and a shoulder to spill beer on. Either way, Couchsurfing is not your social network, but your potential experience network.

You don't know these people, and in all likelihood, you will never speak to them again after the next 48 hours. But they are there for you, with whatever linens they can afford. They may be a single mother and her mob of real and adopted kids. They may be bickering lesbians in a casino town. They may be 20 Moroccan students in a hovel, two of whom speak your language. It doesn't matter. They are willing to share their lives with you solely on the condition that you do the same. You drink, you talk, you sleep, you eat. But you do this with real people, rather than virtual friends. And as for city X, which you've wanted to visit since you were five years old? Well, you could go with Fodors, but if you're a potential surfer, Lonely Planet is more your style. And you'll find nice cafes, where people with the exact same tour book and perhaps your model of backpack gawk at the scenery. Or, you could end up in a dive bar, hammered with a bunch of locals so far removed from your little life that they'd be on, well, a television show. Or a park, just a few stops down the rail, where the kissing lanes of your hometown are recreated on Vespas or Chevys, Peugots, and bicycles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where is the couch-wave? Is it at the junkyard? Perhaps next to my toaster oven?

A: Couches can be surfed at couchsurfing.org -- occasionally they can be picked up from strangers on rail cars, for small sexual favors.

Q: How much does couchsurfing cost?

A: It's free. If you are a wealthy Westerner, which is redundant in the rest of the world, you may be expected to pay for the local, organic, ingredients for dinner. Or as you call it, rice.

Q: So people just let you into their homes, make you a place to sleep, and neither you nor they are involved in organ harvesting?

A: That's right. You may be familiar with hippy-dippy ideas such as co-operative apartments or grocery stores. Imagine if the diverse web of neighborliness that is Park Slope extended all the way around the globe. Or at least to Queens. This is like the time your Cousin Eileen's rocker boyfriend needed a place to crash when you hadn't seen Eileen since she put gum in your hair in the fifth grade.

Q: So it's a dating service?

A: Hmmm. Did I ever tell you about the birds and the bees? Sex is a complicated thing. The internet is also a complicated thing, though being good at one probably makes you worse at the other. The bottom line being whatever goes on between consenting adults falls in the realm of privacy, with that line running along the bottom of consenting. What do you do when your French hosts' gorgeous Moroccan girlfriend wants to liberate herself from the shackles of colonialism by shacking up with you? That's a different FAQ.

Q: So what differentiates CouchSurfing from some idiot giving away a free hotel room?

A: The CS Vision Statement runs like this: "A world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter." We all know they smoke the best shit in San Francisco, where Couchsurfing originated. I'm not quite that enlightened. But I've travelled a bit, and talked to many other wanderers. The stories they tell are not about the time they helped the Japanese tourists with their cameras, but about the Fin who kept buying them Aquavit at his local pub in exchange for the right to scream "I'm the asshole!" every shot. Travel isn't about architecture, and it's not about food. These are all outgrowths of the local culture, and how better to get to the core of a place than to live with some locals for a few nights.

Q: Why doesn't this cost money?

A: Good question. The website is maintained on donations, which serve the double purpose of "verification," or proving that a host or surfer has a bank and mailbox which will ostensibly help local authorities find them after your kidneys turn up in Singapore. Actually, in Italy, the big rage at the moment is Italian grandmothers opening their dining rooms for a small fee. Inevitably, somebody will find a way to charge for what used to be free (he says sipping his Poland Spring). Get it while you can.

Q: So the server won't email my password to me, and the flash player won't show the video.

A: Sorry, wrong FAQ. But I hope you're really good at sex.

Q: So what do I really need to know to get started?

A: As noted, the website is pretty self-explanatory. Pick a place. How many people are you travelling with? Pick an age range. Verified? You get the idea. Then filter through, and find your peeps. Read their references, make sure everybody had a great time. Truth be told, bad references are rare, but they do happen. Read everything. Click the "Couchsurf with..." button. The dates don't have to be exact, because generally you speak to the people on the phone before you meet them. The trick is to "write to the person, not the couch." This does get hard when this is the hundredth person in Barcelona to say they are busy, or you are writing to Pheng We Ko Sung, the sole host in Bumblefuck, Thailand, and her interests include "Being." Just be yourself, and take your time. Except in emergencies, quality counts over quantity.

Q: I just show up at their house?

A: Not if you don't want to. If you feel more comfortable, arrange a meeting in a cafe or brothel.

The Cardinal Rule: If you don't like a situation, exit it immediately. Do not be afraid to leave a surf you feel threatened in, or ask your guest to leave if you must. Carry the info for a hostel, wherever you go, surfing or not.

Q: You're making this feel ominous. What about the craigslist killer?

A: Let's leave the gallows humor aside for a moment. Couchsurfing is about community, in a sense beyond your parish or high school. It is about trust. It is about giving what you can to the world, and readily accepting what it offers in return. These are ideals you are either in or out on, and there is no half-way. Common sense never killed anybody, but I'm damn sure plenty of cavemen starved because of skepticism on what was edible.

Q: Is there a 1-1 relationship between couches you can surf and times you must host?

A: No. I've met people who only do one or the other. This is acceptable. Truth be told, I have only hosted once, though I used to feel guilty about accepting free places to stay and not offering mine more. Then I piled three still-drunk Poles back into their car. As I waved goodbye, I realized perhaps I should not be in charge of the pub crawl. Or maybe guests would prefer Disneyland to a dive bar at 10 AM on a Tuesday. Not sure yet.

Q: How long should I stay for?

A: One night is too short. Stop being cheap and get a rattrap hotel by the train depot. Beyond that is between you and your host.

Q: What was your first time like?

A: My first experience Couchsurfing was with Andre and Natasa Golosin Cester Costa.

They live in the picturesque town of Aveiro, in Portugal. He is an engineer for the city, and knows every factoid one possibly could about the bygone glory days of Aveiro's terra cotta industry. She was a journalist, in Belgrade. Though her English is above conversational, her Portugese is not up to snuff, which she hopes to change in the next few years.

Andre and Nasta met Couchsurfing. Her mother hosted him as he travelled his way through the Balkans, back when American's still saw it on CNN. If this isn't an example of love finding its way across all barriers, I don't know what is.

The third bedroom, a nursery, was given to me in my first surf. Not all couches turn out to be beds, but some do. I was lucky. Though there was nothing at all to do in Aveiro, other than buy quasi-legal herbal LSD and look at the ocean, it may be the warmest experience I have had yet.

When you couch surf, you leave a city with a feel for more than the quality of staff and architecture. You know local opinions, dishes, and pet grooming styles all from having participated in them yourself. Best of all, you had a free bed, and maybe even some breakfast.

- Jackson Alberts

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The Days of Travelling

It has been a while since I have made a long journey. I have mostly stayed back home in the last three months, completing a lot of work and trying to give some impetus to my commercial photography work. I think all my travel plans get jinxed in the[...]

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The Big Lebowski and the Art of Travelling.

The Big Lebowski inspires me… Evidently it has the same effect on others as anytime I quote a line from the movie in the bar I get at least three people chiming in and giving me their favourite quotes and scenes. Tonight we are showing the movie at Uncle Ho?s in Quito for Monday night … Read more

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