The Week That Was #6

Welcome to my weekly collection of The Odd, The Useful, and The Downright Bizarre.

The Odd: Sinks Canyon, Wyoming. At Sinks Canyon State Park outside Lander, Wyoming a major river just disappears. The Middle Fork of the Popo Agie rushes out of Wyoming's largest mountain range, the Wind River Mountains, and into Sinks Canyon. It flows merrily along for quite some time until it suddenly turns into a large cave and, as the name of the park and canyon suggest, sinks underground. It isn't until ¼ of a mile later that the river re-emerges at a large, calm pool called "the Rise." Read more here…

The Useful: 10 Incredible Hotel Art Collections. What’s the first thing you see as you walk through a new hotel? You might say you’re simply looking for your room number but truth be told you’re seeing much more. Hotel halls and rooms around the world are lined with some of the most beautiful artwork available. So beautiful, in fact, that you might be just as entertained roaming the halls of your hotel as you would have been had you gone out and paid admittance to a local art museum. Not every hotel, of course, is famous for the artwork adorning its halls. Some, including those featuring works by Picasso, Warhol, and other famous artists, are obviously more well known. So in which hotels should you book your room if you want to see some incredible artwork? Read more here...

The Downright Bizarre: 21 of The World’s Most Bizarre Hotels. Sometimes the hotel is as much a destination as the city or attractions you’re planning on visiting. Hotels such as the Daspark Hotel in Austria which has rooms inside drainpipes (see image above). Apparently, you can name your own price for staying in this hotel, which offers three mini guest rooms that include a bedside table, a lamp, and a double bed. To see a collection of 21 strange and bizarre hotels click here... http://blog.ratestogo.com/bizarre-hotels/ and here... http://blog.ratestogo.com/most-bizarre-hotels/

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And just for laughs: The RVer's* Fishy Story

An RVer named Stanley was stopped recently by a game warden in Northern California as he was returning to his motorhome with a bucket full of live fish. "Do you have a license to catch those fish?" the game warden asked. The man replied, "No, sir. These are my pet fish."

"Pet fish?" the warden asked. "Yes, sir. Every night I take these fish down to the lake where I'm camped and let them swim around for awhile. When they hear my whistle, they jump right back into the bucket and I take them back to the motorhome."

"That's a bunch of baloney," the game warden said as he reached for his pad of citations. The man looked at the game warden for a moment and then said, "If you don't believe me, then follow me back to the lake to see how it works."

Still suspicious, but curious, the game warden agreed. And so they walked to the lake. There, the man poured the fish into the water, where they disappeared. "Okay," said the game warden. "Call them back."

"Call who back?"

"The fish," replied the warden.

"What fish?" asked the man.

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*RV = Recreational Vehicle

Found online at RV Jokes.Com…

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Wherever you are, whatever you are doing – enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Friday Photo #4: London Gargoyle

Click on image to view full size

London is full of buildings that were constructed in an age when owners where not just interested in throwing up any old edifice, but wanted buildings that would last. Buildings with character. Buildings with charm and personality. Buildings that appealed with their unique individuality.

Imagine the amount of time, effort and craftsmanship – not to mention, money – that went into creating the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of gargoyles adorning thousands of buildings across Britain, and indeed the rest of the world. Will we ever see their like again? Which entrepreneur today; which Board of Directors; which construction magnate will direct their architects to design buildings that are not just functional – but aesthetically pleasing, not just to their owners, shareholders and users, but for generations to come?

Whose imagination sparked this cheeky gargoyle? Whose skilled hands wielded the tools and materials to craft this one individual character? This one, out of countless millions?

Did the artisan delight in the shape and form of this creature? Did he find – or hide – some deeper meaning in its pose and expression? Was he offering a not so subtle comment on the wealth and standing of the building’s owner? It’s eventual occupants?

We will never know. We are left forever to wonder and speculate. And finally, to appreciate and enjoy.

Location: Building façade in Carmelite Street, London, EC4

Photographer: Jim Lesses, September 30, 2008

Note: Click on image to view full size.

Airlines Banned for Poor Safety Standards

~ Sadly, there have been a spate of airline accidents recently, which has prompted me to look into airline safety standards and the organisations that police them.

European Union

While the European Union and its Member States work with safety authorities in other countries to raise safety standards across the world, there are still some airlines operating in conditions below essential safety levels. To improve safety in Europe further, the European Commission – in consultation with Member States’ aviation safety authorities – has decided to ban airlines found to be unsafe from operating in European airspace.

These are listed in a 16 page PDF document which includes all airlines banned from operating in Europe, and airlines which are restricted to operating in Europe under specific conditions.

It is important to note that the civil aviation authorities of Member States of the European Community are only able to inspect aircraft of airlines that operate flights to and from EU airports. As they point out on their website, it is not possible to check all aircraft that land at each European Community airport. The fact that an airline is still able to fly in and out of countries that make up the EU, does not automatically mean that it meets the applicable safety standards.

Here is the current list of countries with air carriers that are subject to a ban or other restrictions within the European Community: Republic of Kazakhstan, North Korea, the Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Thailand, Cambodia, Rwanda, Angola, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Bangladesh, and Comoros.

Please Note: Not every airline in the countries listed above faces bans or restrictions. Download a PDF file here to see which airlines in the above countries are facing bans and restrictions in the European Community.

United States of America

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established the International Aviation Safety Assessments (IASA) Program in 1992. Unlike the European Union, the FAA's assessment program focuses on a country's ability, not the individual air carrier, to adhere to international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance. These standards have been established by the United Nation's technical agency for aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

By looking at a countries ability to comply rather than an individual airlines ability to comply with international safety stands, the FAA is essentially saying that travellers should be careful with every national airline flying out of say, Bangladesh and Belize – not just some of them.

The full list of countries on the FAA list are: Cote D’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Croatia, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Gambia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Kiribati, Nauru, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Philippines, Serbia and Montenegro, Swaziland, Ukraine, Uruguay, Zimbabwe, and as already noted, Bangladesh and Belize.

Click here to download an International Aviation Safety Assessments (IASA) spreadsheet of countries whose airlines do, or do not meet IASA standards (spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel format).

It is important to note that these lists are updated on a regular basis. Countries or airlines that are currently listed may be removed from these bans, and new ones added. It is important to use these lists as a guide only, and decide for yourself whether to risk flying with one of the carriers facing bans or restrictions.

Image courtesy of European Transport Commission