Rapid Travel Chai

News:

• Calvin Peete, 71, a Racial Pioneer on the PGA Tour, Is Dead (NYT). I caddied through school. The pressure of just a few sets on eyes on you on the golf course is hard for many to take. To think of thousands, many filled with hate, has me in awe at his accomplishments.
• Staying in the obituaries, William Pfaff, Critic of American Foreign Policy, Dies at 86 (NYT). Always a thoughful, internationalist read.
• Can Bitcoin Conquer Argentina? (NYT). Only if it can escape the hands of Argentina’s wacky politicians.
• Tracking a beast (Omaha World-Herald). Engrossing longform piece on a policeman who chased a giant twister in the analog era.
• Ten Commandments Dead Sea scroll to go on display for two weeks in Israel (The Guardian). I visited the spot where the scrolls were dug up, would love to see the scrolls themselves.
• As Kyrgyzstan Joins Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union, Not Everyone’s Happy (The Moscow Times). Think of the choices Russia’s landlocked neighbors face. Speaking of, did anyone think Russia’s ‘Silicon Valley’ would take off? The Short Life and Speedy Death of Russia’s Silicon Valley (Foreign Policy).
• Too Many People in Jail? Abolish Bail (NYT). A new angle on the human disaster of ballooning prison population in the US.

Travel:

• How Not to Eff Up Room Service (GQ). I have never ordered room service. Besides the cost and limp food, I force myself to go out of my room and generally out of the hotel to eat. Breakfasts I will eat in the hotel.
• The Great & Beautiful Lost Kingdoms (The New York Review of Books). @drunkengrass pings me when I overlook a piece by William Dalyrmple.
• How to Travel the World in a Wheelchair (Nomadic Matt). Important to think about the challenges differently able travelers face.
• Why I Stopped Using TripIt to Organize My Travels (Le Chic Geek). I use very old-school spreadsheets, manual typing forces me to think through a trip. Yet I have heard people swear by tripit for travel disruption notifications.
• Travel Blogging VS. Travel Writing (ThePointsOfLife). Thoughts to chew over.
• Alamo Rent A Car expands into Paraguay (Travel Daily News). For my Paraguay trip I hired a driver for a one-way jaunt that he didn’t believe I was serious about covering so much ground.
• Does Denver Airport still deserve the potshots? Denver Airport Beats Peers as Its City Ranks Near Top for Growth (Bloomberg Business).
• Travel Hack: How to Heal a Blister Fast (Jaunted). I am an unrepentant popper.
• Bad travel gear: What not to bring (The Economist) and Fail Alert! Bad Travel Gear You Should Avoid Packing (Map Happy).