Rapid Travel Chai

The latest reason for a French worker strike was Louvre staff complaining about the number of pickpockets working the museum. They are back on the job with new police commitment to control the situation. (Travel Weekly)

A Quick Electronic Signature at the Car Rental Office, and Then Trouble. (NYT) I have long felt that Dollar/Thrifty is the most sneaky of the US car rental agencies, such as toll charges in the Northeast and Florida. I have  only ever rented from the once in Uruguay and that rental was without incident though the car was roughly my age and without boasting, I am in a good deal better condition.

Everything you need to know about rechargeable batteries. (The Travel Insider)

Google introduces afterlife planning with Inactive Account Manager. (Google Public Policy Blog)

A detailed look at competing proposals for London’s airports, with a plug for a new idea to expand Heathrow westward by adding up to four runways. (The Economist)

An essay on Tokyo Disneyland’s 30th birthday. (The Japan Times) Lingering in Japan, a fad among students is cleverly staged group photos mimicking ‘energy wave attacks’ from Dragon Ball. (chinaSMACK)

Choking on China: The Superpower That Is Poisoning the World (Foreign Affairs)

A look at Chinese investment in the Micronesian Island of Yap. (WSJ)

Legoland Hotel is now open in Carlsbad, California. (NBC News)