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Mexico's running of the bulls

Feb 3rd, 2009
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raging_bulls A TEENAGE girl has suffered a dislocated jaw as ten half-tonne bulls kicked at screaming spectators during Mexico’s chaotic version of “Running of the Bulls.”

The tradition, enacted in a handful of Mexican towns, traces its roots back to the centuries-old Pamplona bull-run in Mexico’s former colonial power.

But unlike Pamplona, where a pack of bulls chases people for a few minutes down a carefully cordoned-off path, in Tlacotalpan the beasts are let loose to rampage through the streets for hours as crowds taunt them.

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Tourist attractions deepen discounts

Feb 3rd, 2009
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Georgia Aquarium ATLANTA – Hoping the price cuts will woo cash-strapped travelers, the nation’s tourist destinations are taking a page from the retail playbook, offering deep discounts and freezing gate prices.

There are free stays offered at Walt Disney World in Florida and coupons worth $15 at Pennsylvania’s Hershey Park. The Georgia Aquarium, the world’s largest fish tank, is holding admission at last year’s prices.

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American Airlines limiting passengers on some jets

Feb 3rd, 2009
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americanairlinesDALLAS – American Airlines is limiting the number of passengers on some planes while it orders additional life rafts needed in case of a water landing like the one made this month on the Hudson River by a US Airways jet.

American will allow no more than 228 people including passengers and crew on its Boeing 767-300 aircraft, which normally holds 236 people including a crew of 11, spokesman Tim Wagner said Wednesday.

The planes are mostly used on flights over the Atlantic to Europe, and to Latin America.

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Exhibits, events mark Lincoln bicentennial Feb. 12

Feb 3rd, 2009
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Lincoln bicentennial WASHINGTON – Some of the biggest celebrations of the bicentennial of Abe Lincoln’s birthday kick off in Washington on his Feb. 12 birthdate. But you can also catch many Lincoln-related exhibits and events later this year and in other parts of the country.

Here are some details, with more information at http://www.lincolnindc.com/ or from the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, http://www.abrahamlincoln200.org/.

The National Park Service celebrates Lincoln’s birthday Feb. 12 with live music at the Lincoln Memorial. On April 12, Easter Sunday, the memorial will host a recreation of Marian Anderson’s landmark concert. She sang at the memorial steps in 1939 after a nearby concert hall turned her away because she was black. And on Memorial Day, the Lincoln Memorial will be formally rededicated.

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Passport applications plunge as recession chokes off foreign travel

Feb 3rd, 2009
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With the recession choking foreign travel, passport applications are plunging and the workload at the State Department is easing enough that those applying are getting their documents in three weeks or less.

The State Department said last week that it expected to issue 12 million passports this fiscal year, about 25% fewer than last year. In early December, it was forecasting 17 million passports for the year ending Sept. 30.

Demand has fallen so quickly that the State Department has made what an official called “painful reductions” in contract employees, those who perform tasks such as processing payments and keying in data. Brenda Sprague, the department’s deputy assistant secretary for passport services, said that no cuts were planned “at this time” in the full-time passport staff, which validates the citizenship of applicants.

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