Arsene Wenger says Liverpool will be regarded as 2019/20 Premier League winners even if the season is abandoned because of the coronavirus.

A horror crash involving a truck and a tanker carrying a flammable substance has led to the closure of the N2, near the Mtunzini Toll Plaza on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast.

An arson case is being investigated after a tavern was torched in Hambanathi, Tongaat, outside Durban, following the discovery of human remains in the nearby Wewe River, KwaZulu-Natal police say.

Stay up to date with the latest news, views and analysis as the number of coronavirus cases in SA increases.

Cosatu in the Western Cape says that it is deeply concerned over the "alarming rate on increase" in Covid-19 infections in the province.

News24 asked young people to send to us their reasons for leaving and what would have to be different for them to return to South Africa, or not leave at all. The response was overwhelming.

Many educational institutions fall short of having the bare minimum resources to ensure that learners and teachers are safe during school hours.

In the past three days we have averaged 354 deaths here in Italy. We've run out of doctors, nurses and hospitals to help those infected. South Africa has the power of hindsight. Start to take action now.

Modern commerce is a highly complex global business that is always evolving – and the pace of change is only accelerating. If you work in digital commerce, it’s crucial to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in technology, business, shopper behavior and trends, laws and regulations, payments, logistics and more. How can you stay on […]

You’ve probably attended a webinar or two (or more), but are you using them effectively as part of your overall content plan? In this blog post, we teach you the basics of hosting a webinar and how to use them effectively as you build out your content strategy and grow your business.

Do you want to sell more? Who doesn’t? But you might be missing out on some key conversions because you’re not using the right words to promote your products or services.   Take a new approach to writing with some proven “power” words that increase conversions because they deliver reasons to buy, appeal to our […]

You’ve probably attended a webinar or two (or more), but are you using them effectively as part of your overall content plan? In this blog post, we teach you the basics of hosting a webinar and how to use them effectively as you build out your content strategy and grow your business.

Sweden

Western Australia

The Amateur Traveler talks to Alex Lindsay about his adventures in Zimbabwe. Alex has been traveling to Zimbabwe twice a year for a number of years where he has built friendships with the people there including some notable artists and musicians. Alex talks about the struggles of life in Zimbabwe and the beauty of the country and the people.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Casey Wohl the author of the Girls Getaway Guide to Key West about Key West Florida. We will talk about how the area has changed in the last 20 years from Jimmy Buffet’s famous Margaritaville to an area with numerous nice restaurants, art galleries and hotels. We will also talk about beaches, Ernest Hemmingway and other sland characters and how to catch a spiny lobster with your tickle stick.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Lee from Atlanta about side trips that you can take when you travel to Shanghai this year for Expo 2010. Lee is currently living in China and talks about 3 different weekend trips to destinations that are located near Shanghai. Lee starts us the in history-rich city of Nanjing the site of “China’s Holocaust” in WW 2. Nanjing has been the capital for 6 different Chinese governments and still retains its ancient walls in addition to modern shopping and the tomb of Sun Yat-sen. It was also the location of the world’s worst civil war, the Taiping Rebellion. After Nanjing we explore the many gardens and the canals of Suzhou. Finally Lee takes us to Hangzhou with its beautiful West Lake which the Chinese compare to heaven.

News

Spirit Air to experiment with carry-on bag fees
Airlines losing 3000 bags – every hour of every day
Women try to smuggle dead relative onto flight
Paying to use the plane potty?
Ky. Judge Rules in Favor of Online Travel Sites

Show Notes

Expo 2010 Shanghai China
Travel to Shanghai, China – Episode 26

Nanjing
Nanjing, China
Nanking Massacre
John Rabe – a German businessman and Nazi party member who is best known for his efforts to stop the atrocities of the Japanese army during the Nanking Occupation
Sun Yat-sen – “Father of the Chinese Nation”
Ming Dynasty
Cheongsam or Qipao – traditional Chinese dress
Taiping Rebellion – largest civil war in history started by Hong Xiuquan who declared himself the brother of Jesus.

Restaurants
Skyway Bakery and Deli
Les 5 Sens
Tairyo Teppanyaki

Suzhou
Gardens – Master of the Nets, Lion’s Forest, Humble Administrator
Mingtown Suzhou International Youth Hostel

Hangzhou
Tea Museum
A History of Chinese in California
Braised Pork Belly – Hangzhou Dongpo Pork
Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
Wushanyi International Youth Hostel

Shanghai
Captain Youth Hostel

elong.com, ctrip.com – for accompodations

Community

Egypt Photo Tour
Amateur Traveler Newsletter
Does Amateur Traveler work for you at work?

The Amateur Traveler talks to Matthew Long from LandLopers.com about his trip to the West Bank or the Palestinian Authority. Mathew did day trips into this emerging state from Jerusalem and tells us about visiting Jericho and Bethlehem, the city of David. The Dead Sea was a well known highlight while Hisham’s Palace proved to be an unexpected highlight. The area boasts monuments dating back to the Jewish patriarch’s such as Rachel’s Tomb, where childless woman come to pray, and the ruins of the community of Qumran, where the dead sea scrolls were found. Do you know what you should skip doing the morning before you go to the Dead Sea? Matthew will tell you.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Karl Anders who returns to the show to talk about travel to Western Montana and in particular to the majestic Glacier National Park. Karl encourages us to drive the Going to the Sun Highway but then to get off the blacktop and hick some of the back country of the park (preferably in a group large enough to discourage the curiosity of bears). He describes some of his favorite hikes such as the trail to Hidden Lakes. Glacier is often rated as one of the top places in the United States to hike or backpack. The valleys of Glacier are carved by glacial activity although there aren't as many glaciers still in the park. Karl also talks about some nearby destinations like the National Bison Refuge, Bitterroot Valley and nearby Missoula with its museum to Smokejumpers.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Jeff Jung from Career Break Secrets about a trip to Northwest Argentina that left an impression on this intrepid traveler. Jeff, an expat, who lives in Colombia, traveled to the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, far away from the normal tourist spots of Buenos Aires and Patagonia.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Chris Guillebeau from the Art of Non-Conformity about his years volunteering in West Africa with the NGO (non-governmental organization) Mercy Ships. Chris and his wife volunteered with this organization in Sierra Leone and Liberia which gave them a very different view of West Africa. For those not familiar with Mercy Ships, they provide medical services in under-served areas of the world from their floating hospital ships. Chris was in Sierra Leone shortly after the end of its costly civil war. This episode is not about travel to lie on the beach and work on your tan (although Chris does recommend bringing your sunscreen) but about life changing travel. And no, Chris is not a doctor.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith again about his trip to the Four Corners area in the American southwest. Four Corners is the spot where 4 U.S. states meet: Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. While the Four Corners spot itself is just a photo op (an probably at the wrong place), the area around it contains some amazing scenery and historic sites. Erik gives us a state by state break down of the area. He tells us about National Parks nearby like Arches Canyonlands, Hovenweep, Moab, Canyon de Chelly, Rainbow Bridge, Mesa Verde , Chaco Culture, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Petrified Forest and Aztec Ruins. The area also boats the spectacular and iconic scenery of Monument Valley and a stretch of road known as the “Million Dollar Highway”. It has many Native American sites including those like Canyon de Chelly run jointly by the Navajo nation and the U.S.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Lee Abbamonte, the youngest American ever to travel to every country in the world, about 3 islands off the coast of Australia: Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island.

The Amateur Traveler talks to Nathan from Wand’rly Magazine about Great Smoky Mountains National Park and about his current home of Western North Carolina. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited U.S. National Park.

Hear about travel to Victoria Falls as the Amateur Traveler talks to Nir Ben-Dov about his trip to this spectacular falls on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. This was Nir’s second trip and his wife’s first trip from their home in Israel to this famed set of falls in southern Africa.

Hear about travel to Stockholm, Sweden as the Amateur Traveler talks to Malin from HauteCompass.com about Sweden's beautiful capital city.

Hear about travel to Oslo and Western Norway as the Amateur Traveler talks to Øystein about his native Norway.

Hear about travel to Southwest England as the Amateur Traveler talks to Edith about her adopted home. This episode will look at the area southwest of Bristol, two hours west of London. Edith says that the area of southwest England is “archetypical English”. 

Hear about travel to the Western Sahara as the Amateur Traveler  talks to Francis Tapon about this disputed region as part of his trip to every country in Africa. 

Hear about travel to West Sweden as the Amateur Traveler  talks to Bret Love from GreenGlobalTravel.com about both his recent trip and my recent trip to this beautiful part of Sweden.

Hear about hiking the Kings Trail (Kungsleden) in Swedish Lapland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Agata from nullnfull.com about this northern and rugged portion of Sweden. Agata says, “Lapland is all about nature and wilderness”.

Hear about travel to the Westfjords of Iceland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Katie Hammel of Vaitor.com about her trip to this remote region of the island.

Hear about travel to Far West China (Xinjiang) as theAmateur Traveler talks to Josh Summers from FarWestChina.com about his adopted home where China meets Central Asia.

Hear about a western Mediterranean cruise to Spain, Gibraltar, France, Monaco and Italy on Holland America's Westerdam where I just attended a press trip.

Hear about travel to South Florida (Miami, Everglades National Park, and the Florida Keys) as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erik Smith from onmyfeetorinmymind.com about this diverse region.

Hear about travel to Western Australia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Erica Carrico from ericacarrico.com about her trip to the wild and surprising Pilbara region.

Hear about travel to Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania as the Amateur Traveler talks to Tom Shaner about his hometown.

Hear about travel to Southwest Colorado as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kelly Beasley and Marshall Wendler about road trips they have made to Durango and Silverton.

Hear about travel to southern West Virginia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Ethan Starcher from WaywardWings.net about his home state.

Conservatives had this Common Core thing all wrong, it was said. We’d be proven wrong by history. Common Core, pushed by President Barack Obama, was going to work. It wasn’t like all the other liberal education plans. A new study by the Pioneer Institute reveals that, no, we were right all along. The study, released…

The post New Study Confirms We Were Right: Reading, Math Scores Have Collapsed Thanks to Obama, Common Core appeared first on The Western Journal.

Everybody wanted to get to the shore last weekend when the state of Florida reopened its beaches. But one of the beachgoers who came in for some extra attention was a six-foot-long bull shark caught near Navarre Beach, according to WKRG-TV. Video shot by Shelley Goudy of Fort Walton showed several men gathered around the…

The post Florida Fishermen Nab 6-Foot Bull Shark During First Weekend of Reopened Beaches appeared first on The Western Journal.

It’s not good for people to be alone. Quarantining has been difficult for many people who have gotten used to socializing daily, and because of that, some have found ways to follow the rules but feel a little less isolated. Some neighborhoods have decided to be social while maintaining the suggested distance apart, whether that’s…

The post ‘The Voice’ Contestant Alexa Cappelli Treats Neighbors to Weekly Performance in Her Cul-de-Sac appeared first on The Western Journal.

Record-breaking high and low temperatures were recorded in parts of Canada going into the weekend, including the nearly 28 C recorded in the Squamish area of British Columbia and the -4.2 C recorded in Kitchener, Ont.

Western powers are in a bind, analysts say, as ISIS is likely to continue pursuing attacks abroad in retaliation to the loss of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Google's video chat app got new features this week. No, the other one. No, the other other one.

In a Friday blog post, Google announced some snazzy new features for Duo, one of its three video chat services. Let's get this out of the way early: Duo is the one that's mobile-friendly and resembles FaceTime more than Hangouts and Meet.

The new features make more sense with that in mind. Google added something called "Family Mode" to Duo, in which you can draw silly little doodles on the video feed, presumably to amuse the little ones on the call. There are also AR effects you can use on one-on-one calls on Android and iOS, similar to those available on Facebook's video calls. Read more...

'Hollywood' actor Samara Weaving lets us in on all of the movies and television she's been watching during quarantine.   Read more...

TL;DR: Have a hot meal wherever you go with the Go portable solar oven for $119, a 14% savings as of May 9.

As we look toward upcoming summer festivities, our calendars are looking pretty bleak. Nearly every event has been postponed. Festival season was straight-up canceled. And gatherings in public places are basically extinct. With fewer options on the table, you're probably going to be spending a lot of time enjoying the great outdoors in small groups or on your own as the weather warms up. By then, you'll be sick of staying home, so it's a good thing nature isn't canceled.

As you head outside for your camping, hiking, biking, and beach excursions, you'll probably need a way to cook your own food, especially if restaurants are still closed or operating on abbreviated hours. We've got just thing, and it's on sale: the Go Portable Solar Oven. All you need is a little bit of sun and this lightweight grill can cook just about anything. Read more...

With all the stress in the world — you know, a deadly, terrifying global pandemic — Spotify dropped a new service: a daily, personalized aimed at wellness. Fittingly, it's called Daily Wellness and I gave it a try. 

OK, first, let me drop my biases: I can be a cynical person and I'm pretty high energy — like hyper hyper — which has made meditation difficult for me. I can get both mentally and physically uncomfortable while trying anything resembling meditation or therapy or sincere reflection.

That being said, amid the pandemic — and battling some, let's say, serious anxiety — I've been taking active steps to try to improve my mental health. Therapy, meditation, exercise, whatever else, it all seemed like a good idea to help me get through the day. Read more...