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Photo of the Day (11.21.09)

Photo of the Day (11.21.09)Nov 21st, 2009 at 5:00PM: Seeing as the Leonids meteor shower gave some of us a show earlier this week, it seems fitting to pay homage to the night sky this weekend. I love this photo in particular because it proves that the world still turns and time passes ever so consistently from one second, moment, hour, day, month, year to the next. This lovely shot entitled "Tunnel View" comes to us from ohad*, who writes, ...

How did international visitors enter the U.S. this year?

How did international visitors enter the U.S. this year?Nov 21st, 2009 at 9:00AM: If you visited the United States from overseas, you probably hit the ground in one of 15 ports of entry. These top first stops accounted for 84 percent of all entries from overseas in the first eight months of 2009-- up almost 2 percentage points from the same period in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Traffic through the major ports is becoming slightly more concentrated. This ...

California smacks nude beach buffs

California smacks nude beach buffsNov 19th, 2009 at 2:00PM: After having been left alone for a while, California isn't tolerating nudity any more. The state's Department of Parks and Recreation is putting out the word that it will crack down on bare crack this year at San Onofre State Beach. So, if you like to sun in the buff or skinny-dip in the sea, you could be out of luck. Nudists call it a "tremendous setback." The nudist community worries that the ...

Virgin America launches SFO/LAX to Ft. Lauderdale!

Virgin America launches SFO/LAX to Ft. Lauderdale!Nov 18th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Greetings from 35,000 ft! Right now, we're onboard Virgin America's inaugural flight from San Francisco to Ft Lauderdale, which touches down in the Sunshine State at 3:30 PM. Today's expansion marks the tenth destination for Virgin America and the first connection from the Golden State to the Gold Coast. In celebration, Virgin America has brought along a handful of winners from their "Stay ...

Get out and go: Events around the world (November 18-21)

Get out and go: Events around the world (November 18-21)Nov 18th, 2009 at 12:00PM: It's time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you're close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go! Mexico - Birders will unite in the Yucatan Peninsula for the Yucatan Bird Festival from November 19-22. For the 8th consecutive year, the festival offers a wide range of field ...

Hawaiian airlines offers free flights to the mainland

Hawaiian airlines offers free flights to the mainlandNov 17th, 2009 at 3:30PM: Hawaii seems like a beautiful place to live - great coffee, awesome surf conditions, nearly perfect weather at all times. But, hundreds of miles out in the Pacific, I imagine it starts to feel a bit isolated, especially with the high cost of flights from the islands back to the mainland US. But for those Hawaiian islanders looking to get away to the rest of the US for a while, Hawaiian airlines, ...

Battle of the bulge: Breeding season starts soon for elephant seals at Año Nuevo

Battle of the bulge: Breeding season starts soon for elephant seals at Año NuevoNov 9th, 2009 at 3:30PM: Pull up a chair and start placing your bets -- it's about to get ugly. No, really, the elephant seals will be gathering soon at Año Nuevo State Park in California for their breeding season. (And have you seen one before?) All nose and gut, the males vie for alpha male status, bellowing their complaints and battling it out by throwing their chests against each other. They make the Central ...

Going to Yosemite? Don't take the minivan!

Going to Yosemite? Don't take the minivan!Nov 9th, 2009 at 11:30AM: One of the great draws of visiting a National Park like Yosemite in California is that you can get very close to nature and see animals in their own habitat. But there is a limit to just how close you want to get to certain animals, especially black bears, which can be dangerous to both humans and cars as they look for food. There are several ways to reduce your risk of having an unpleasant ...

Southwest apologies to deplaned mom

Southwest apologies to deplaned momNov 3rd, 2009 at 4:00PM: Pamela Root, who was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight Friday, will receive another chance to fly on the airline. She and her son were removed from a San Jose-bound plane when her two-year-old son wouldn't stop screaming "Go! Plane! Go!" and "I want Daddy!" In addition to an apology, the airline gave her a refund and a travel voucher for $300. Root had hoped to be compensated for the ...

Legoland hotel planned for Carlsbad

Legoland hotel planned for CarlsbadNov 1st, 2009 at 3:00PM: I haven't been to southern California in a while, but it looks like I just got a reason to go back. A Legoland hotel is in the works at the theme park of the same name in Carlsbad, California. The city council approved the move this week. When construction is finished, a serpentine-shaped hotel will have 254 rooms, sit right next to the theme park and put Lego-loving nerds like me in the middle of ...

Mom and kid booted from plane, demand apology and compensation

Mom and kid booted from plane, demand apology and compensationOct 31st, 2009 at 1:00PM: It's easy for passengers to grow annoyed with kids on planes. There's nothing worse than hearing a scream and knowing you're about to be part of a captive audience for several hours. Yet, flight crews usually show a lot more tolerance. Hey, they're on the plane to earn a paycheck. Every job has trials to be endured. Pamela Root's son, however, was too much for them. Kid and mom were kicked ...

Explore five cities with a "bad rap"

Explore five cities with a Oct 29th, 2009 at 11:30AM: I grew up in Detroit. I love my city and will be the first tell anyone who thinks it's nothing but a boarded up hellhole just how wrong they are. But I know Detroit's bad rap comes not only from suburb-dwellers and business travelers who just breezed through, but also from the media that portrays it as a city with nothing to offer other than casinos and a punchline. But maybe the tide is changing. ...

San Francisco's Bay Bridge closed indefinitely

San Francisco's Bay Bridge closed indefinitely Oct 28th, 2009 at 2:30PM: The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will be closed indefinitely while crews repair an upper-deck cable that snapped during rush-hour on Tuesday evening. According to the AP, the broken cable and a chunk of bridge metal fell onto the westbound lanes, damaging at least one vehicle. The cable that snapped was put in last month to repair a crack that was discovered over Labor Day weekend. While the ...

Joie de Vivre deals: Mobile Mondays, Twitter Tuesdays, Facebook Fridays

Joie de Vivre deals: Mobile Mondays, Twitter Tuesdays, Facebook FridaysOct 27th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Before you finalize your travel plans, check the calendar first. The California hotel chain Joie de Vivre is offering deals galore, but you have to know where and when to look. If it's a Monday, check your cell phone. If it's a Tuesday, check Twitter. If it's a Friday, check Facebook. The day also determines the type of discount. You'll get special offers at restaurants and spas on Mondays, while ...

NWA pilot: lots of misinformation, but can't talk about it

NWA pilot: lots of misinformation, but can't talk about itOct 25th, 2009 at 1:00PM: All eyes are on the Northwest Airlines crew that missed Minneapolis by 150 miles. Rumors abound, such as dozing and arguments in the cockpit. Richard Cole, a crewmember on Northwest Flight 188, wouldn't talk, except to say that it wasn't his fault: "But other than that, I cannot tell you anything that went on because we're having hearings this weekend, we're having hearings on Tuesday. All ...

California hotels offer third night free

California hotels offer third night freeOct 23rd, 2009 at 11:00AM: 35 California hotels run by the Joie de Vivre boutique hotel company are offering a third night free when you book and pay for two nights. To book the deal, go to the Third Night Free page on their blog or just use the promo code JOIE. Prices at the Joie de Vivre hotels range from $79 to $459 per night. The Joie de Vivre group operates 35 hotels in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Mill Valley, ...

West Fest: 40th Anniversary of Woodstock is FREE!

West Fest: 40th Anniversary of Woodstock is FREE!Oct 21st, 2009 at 5:30PM: If you missed Woodstock forty years ago, or feel that counterculture may have passed you by, the West Fest: 40th Anniversary of Woodstock festival is a place to catch up. At Golden Gate Park in San Francisco this Sunday, Oct. 25th, counter culture is using its voice again--big time. From 9 a.m to 6 p.m, hundreds of San Francisco-based musicians, Beat Generation poets, anti-war speakers, members ...

Ground-level intelligence on the top restaurants in the country

Ground-level intelligence on the top restaurants in the countryOct 19th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Everybody loves to publish lists, but few have so much data as OpenTable upon which to draw. So, when that site puts out a list of top spots, it's definitely worth a look. The latest, "Fit for Foodies," is the result of 3 million restaurant reviews, which ultimately led to 50 restaurants that are definitely worth your time. Upon quick inspection, I haven't been to any of them (which probably makes ...

Teenage Aussie set to sail around the world

Teenage Aussie set to sail around the worldOct 18th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Jessica Watson likes to travel, but she approaches the concept a bit differently. The 16-year-old Australian just left Sydney Harbor today, and she wants to take on the world. Her goal is to sail 23,600 miles alone -- through some of the toughest waters in the world -- and become the youngest person in history to do so. The trek has kicked off some debate in Australia as to whether Watson's ...

Felony Franks and other restaurants help ex-cons help you

Felony Franks and other restaurants help ex-cons help youOct 16th, 2009 at 8:00AM: digg_url = 'http://digg.com/food_drink/Felony_Franks_and_other_restaurants_help_ex_cons_help_you'; If nobody hires ex-cons, then we shouldn't be shocked when they return to lives of crime. So, for the good of Chicago, go pick up a couple of hotdogs at Felony Franks. James Andrews, who owns the West Side dog joint, makes it a point to hire people who have done time, seeing it as a service to a ...

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