Tag: Travel

Observations from Fredericksburg, TX

  Book research done, Miss D. and I will be moving on today, heading for San Angelo, where Fort Concho was one of a chain of military installations that protected the West from Indian predations.  The fort is well preserved, with many exhibits from the frontier era that provide fruitful material for writers. Here in… Continue reading Observations from Fredericksburg, TX

On the ground in Fredericksburg

Miss D. and I arrived safely in Fredericksburg, TX late yesterday afternoon, after a trip down the back roads of Texas, avoiding interstate highways.  It was enjoyable to catch scenery one often bypasses on the main arteries, and also to see historically important sites of the German settlements in Texas and the wars with the… Continue reading On the ground in Fredericksburg

Hurricane Ian highlights another important need in a disaster

  In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ian, hundreds of thousands of Floridians found that their cellphones did not work.  The towers were inoperative, either due to storm damage or because their power had been cut off.  Many were repaired within a day or two, but apparently several hundred cellphone towers are still not working,… Continue reading Hurricane Ian highlights another important need in a disaster

Remembering Africa’s worst maritime tragedy

  Twenty years ago today, on September 26, 2002, the Senegalese ferry Le Joola sank with the loss of an estimated 1,863 lives.  That means it cost more lives than the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.  Only 64 survivors were found. That makes it the second-worst non-military maritime disaster in history, surpassed only by the… Continue reading Remembering Africa’s worst maritime tragedy

If I worked on the railroads, I’d vote for a strike, too

  All the verbal diarrhea spouted by politicians, railroad business executives and others about how a rail strike would be disastrous for the USA ignores a simple reality.  Rail staff – particularly engineers and conductors – are so over-stressed, over-worked and under-appreciated that I’m astonished they’ve put up with it for this long.  They need… Continue reading If I worked on the railroads, I’d vote for a strike, too

That’s about as close as you can get to a plane crash without having one…

  I was amazed to see this photograph of a Russian Antonov An-24 passenger aircraft, which “contacted the ground with its left wing” while landing at Ust-Kut airport in Siberia today.  Clickit to biggit. There’s no weather information available about conditions at the time.  I can only presume that gusting winds, probably including cross-winds, had… Continue reading That’s about as close as you can get to a plane crash without having one…

Electric vehicles and hurricanes – a match made in hell

  Earlier this week I posed an article advising those who’d recently moved to hurricane-prone areas to take precautions against such storms.  One of the most common is to evacuate before the hurricane hits.  However, for owners of plug-in electric vehicles, that may not be as easy as it sounds. Were a hurricane barreling toward… Continue reading Electric vehicles and hurricanes – a match made in hell

Airlines getting innovative about ground staff shortages

  I was intrigued to read about new approaches by airlines to dealing with ground staff shortages at airports. Citing “baggage issues” at European airports in particular, [Delta Air Lines] said it recently sent one of its aircraft to Europe to repatriate luggage that had gone missing. That came after Icelandic national broadcasting service RUV reported that… Continue reading Airlines getting innovative about ground staff shortages