Rapid Travel Chai

Dateline: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (which bans VoIP calling)

News:

• The Seven Sacred Plants of India (Kerala Ayurveda). In which I learn about foul-smelling neem.
• A Briefer History of Time – How the World Adopted A Uniform Conception of Time (Foreign Affairs). Conceptions of time still seem fluid.
• This Column Is Gluten-Free (NYT). It is refreshing to travel in places where people eat what is served.
• Largest Ivory Smuggler In Tanzania Apprehended (chinaSMACK). Scum.
• Jersey City Proposes Legislation to Legalize Airbnb (NYT). Citi Bike also launched, the hipster tidal wave is approaching.
• Chinese University Tops MIT in Engineering Rankings (WSJ China Real Time Report). Another survey to not take seriously.
• Raiders of the Lost Web (The Atlantic). Important for all citizens to understand how the web works.
• Citizens United Is Headed for the California Ballot: Here’s What You Need to Know and The People vs. Citizens United: 7 Steps to Reversing Runaway Political Spending (Truthdig). Change is needed.
• Dear GOP: Washington Hates You Even More Than You Hate Us (Rolling Stone). Outside DC we overlook the odd political situation of DC as a city.
• U.S. Support for Saudi Strikes in Yemen Raises War Crime Concerns (Foreign Policy). We must untangle from the Saudis.
• What’s actually at stake for the U.S. in Syria? (The Washington Post). Difficult question to answer.
• People are criticizing my dad, Jim Webb, for killing a man. Here’s what they’re missing. (The Washington Post). As he bows out of the race, consider the man.

Travel:

• Roadtrip Across Namibia – a car full of bloggers (Travel is Free). I will try to get out my take on the trip.
• New airport for Sikkim by December next year. (The Times of India). Better access to Sikkim ahead, currently it is a long slog by road or the complicated to book daily helicopter.
• Orwell, Kipling and the Milwaukee airport (Kristol Clear). Milwaukee’s airport has a used book store.
• United Nations of Food: Eat Food From Every Country in NYC (MichaelWTravels). I wonder on some like Namibia.
• Are You an Annoying Traveler? (Travel + Leisure). I don’t think I fit any of their types, though have my own ways to annoy.
• Postcard from…Castle Gandolfo (FT). The Papal Summer Residence opens to tourists.
• When the Closet Travels with You: For Gay Expats, Life Abroad Brings Challenges (WSJ Expat). My expat times have been in relatively tolerant places, or at least non-violent, and even then the pressures on my gay friends were often immense.
• Delta Removing Some Seats to Make Flight Attendants’ Jobs Easier (Skift). Happy staff is important, how novel!
• Delta will make it easier for Minnesota skywatchers to ID its planes. (Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal). Simple, clever, pain the underside.
• Insider Series: What Do Air Traffic Controllers Actually Do? and Insider Series: How ATC Tracks Planes Flying Over the Ocean (both The Points Guy). Look behind the scenes.
• Overhead Bins That Actually Fit Bags (WSJ). Some airlines still militant about overhead bags, others lackadaisical about weight overhead. I just had a South African Airways flight attendant weighing every bag on the jetbridge and checking many.

Podcasts:

• Phil Williams: racism and apartheid (ABC Correspondents Report). A thoughtful voice retires.
• AC-130 Profile (CBC As It Happens, midway through the episode). Discussion of the plane used in the US hospital attack in Afghanistan.
• World Heritage Center director interview (Frommers Travel Show). A look inside the UNESCO World Heritage list.
• Iran travel discussion (Frommers Travel Show). Few places give Americans a more warm welcome.