velocityconf: RT @suzaxtell: #WomeninTech You're invited to a women's meetup on Tues May 28 in SF w/ @courtneynash @mjawili, more http://t.co/MsMZ0IK8L2

velocityconf: RT @oreillyanimals Vote Instant Wild's Digital Eyes & Ears for Wildlife Protection to win Google Global Impact Award http://t.co/Z0EetiQshZ

velocityconf: @da3mon Sorry! We were just doing some followup with past Velocity attendees. Sorry to intrude. No harm intended. :-(

velocityconf: RT @avleen: Ok folks, home stretch! We need 10 more people to record short #OpsSchool videos NEXT WEEK at @velocityconf. We can do it!...

velocityconf: S Bay Area #WomeninTech (+ allies!) pls come to the #VelocityConf women's communities meetup on 6/19 http://t.co/xSY7jcyPXV

An investigation over several months has revealed how Coca-Cola ignored the water-saving regulations and how the City of Cape Town failed to take any action.

More than 60 Community Action Networks have been established in Gauteng to address the impact of Covid-19 in the province by providing food and social support to those in need.

We may not be able to go out during the national lockdown, but that does not mean that we can't attend events.

Police have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the murder of an 89-year-old woman in an old age home in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape.

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.

The author made sense in both the argument put forth as well as in accurately describing the actual policing festive season operations on the ground in the bustling and busy city centre of Durban.

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

Are you dreaming of being your own boss someday, or would you like to bring in extra income? Starting an online business is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this. The biggest challenge of starting an online business can be developing your business plan. If you are struggling to come up with that brilliant […]

After a month-long hiatus, additional instant offer firms are stepping back in to purchase homes, using contact-free processes.

Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda

The Greek Islands

Greece

Volunteer Travel / Voluntourism

Enlgand and Greece Revisited

Sailing In The Greek Islands

The Amateur Traveler talks to Geoff Smith about his boyhood home of Nashville that he recently moved back to. What would bring a musician back to Nashville after he has lived all of the world? Geoff talks about the things that tourists come to see: the Grand Ole Opry, Honky Tonk Row (including his own piano bar the Big Bang Bar), the Country Music Hall of Fame, The Musicians Hall of Fame, The Opryland Hotel. Then Geoff tells us what he really loves about Nashville. Nashville is a place where creative and artistic people can live among the beautiful rolling hills of Tennessee in one of the USA’s big three music cities.

The Amateur Traveler travels to Geneva and experiences the Escalade which celebrates the defeat of the Savoy in 1602. Geneva is the home to many UN agencies, an old town, a cathedral and an excellent rare book collection. You can also find lots of ways to eat melted cheese and other Swiss treats on the shore of beautiful Lake Geneva. In this unusual episode Chris overcomes a technical microphone difficulty to record an episode on the road. This episode inlcudes some of the sounds of the Escalade festival.

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 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 Dave Kerwin about his recent trip to Northern Queensland. Dave recommends 2 main stops on your trip: the Atherton Tablelands, Daintree National Park and the Great Barrier Reef.

Hear about Queensland's Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane Australia from Annabel Candy. Long white sand beachs, hiking trails, a tropical zoo in the tropics.

Hear about volunteer travel in Uganda as the

Hear about travel to Memphis, Tennessee as the Amateur Traveler talks to Lance from tripsbylance.com about this city where he has lived on and off for 20+ years. Lance tells us that there is more to Memphis than Elvis and Graceland.

Hear about travel to the mainland of Greece as the Amateur Traveler talks to Margherita Ragg from thecrowdedplanet.com about one of her favorite countries. Margherita comes from Italy so she has traveled to Greece on numerous occasions. We talk at length about Athens, Delphi and Meteora. 

Hear about volunteer travel with the Peace Corps as the Amateur Traveler talks to Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. Director Hessler-Radelet not only served in the Peace Corps herself in Western Samoa but 4 generations of her family have done so. 

Hear about travel to the Tennessee River Valley as the Amateur Traveler talks to Chuck Prevatte from foodwinebeertravel.com about the region from Chatanooga, Teneesee to Huntsville, Alabama.

Hear about travel to the borough of Queens in New York City as the Amateur Traveler talks to Brian Cicioni from imayroam.com about this less visited part of the city.

Hear about travel to Greenland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Matthew Karsten from expertvagabond.com about his recent visit to this remote island.

Hear about travel to Milwaukee as the Amateur Traveler talks to Barbara Ali about her hometown on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Hear about travel to Joshua Tree National Park in southern California as the Amateur Traveler talks to retired chief ranger from the park, Jeff Ohlfs.

Hear about travel to the Island of Crete in Greece as the Amateur Traveler talks to Elizabeth from compassandfork.com about her travels to this special Greek Island.

Hear about travel to the coffee region of Colombia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Alejandro from Bogota about an area of his country that he thinks doesn't get enough attention.

Hear about travel to The Island of Samos in Greece and the vicinity as the Amateur Traveler talks to Dan from the Zipping Around the World podcast about this part of the Greek Islands. 

After three decades of mystery, the cold case murder of a 17-year-old Ohio teen named Barbara Blatnik has been solved thanks in part to DNA genealogical research. The last time anyone saw Blatnik alive was around midnight on Dec. 19, 1987, when a friend dropped her off in Garfield Heights, Ohio. The following day, Blatnik,…

The post 32 Years After Teen’s Body Found Strangled on Side of Road, Suspect Finally Arrested appeared first on The Western Journal.

A 5-year-old Utah boy shocked family and law enforcement when he grabbed the keys to his parents’ car and drove himself through the neighborhood and onto a freeway. Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Rick Morgan spotted the vehicle swerving dangerously on the freeway and initiated a stop, fully expecting to find a driver under the influence…

The post Cop Gets Shocking Surprise When He Finds Age 5 Boy Behind Wheel of Car Who Had Plans To Go Buy Lamborghini appeared first on The Western Journal.

Little Richard, the self-proclaimed “architect of rock ‘n’ roll” whose piercing wail, pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R&B to white America, died Saturday. He was 87. Pastor Bill Minson, a close friend of Little Richard’s, told The Associated Press that Little Richard died Saturday morning. His son, Danny…

The post Little Richard, Flamboyant Rock ‘N’ Roll Pioneer, Dead at 87 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.

When jokes are so horrible, so obvious, so corny that they make your eyes roll, it’s a good chance that they’re what many call “dad jokes.” Bordering on lame, and all the more hilarious because of it, these jokes are so bad and yet fathers seem to get such joy from trotting out the perfect…

The post Man Posts Hilarious ‘Bad Dad Jokes’ Daily on Sign in Front Lawn To Spread Cheer to Neighbors 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.

Changes to a program designed to reunite refugees with family in the U.S. have slowed -- and in some cases outright denied -- legitimate entries into the country.

"We're writing off too many people," Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) says in "Immigration Battle," a feature film presentation from FRONTLINE and Independent Lens that airs tonight on PBS.

As ISIS expands its reach into Afghanistan, it is training children and teenagers to become the next generation of jihadis.

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Achieving a good night’s sleep isn’t always easy. Busy schedules, frequent stress, and bad rest environments can be culprits for sleep troubles. And it’s more common than you think. 

According to the American Sleep Association, 50 to 70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder. If your sleepless nights are taking a toll on your health, it might be time for you to buy a new pillow.